LeT tHe MuSiC FiLL YouR SouL

The Opening Of Doors + Thailand

2011-01-09T19:45:00.015+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

It suddenly occurred to me that when one door closed to me last semester, a dozen doors just opened ahead. I can now do things that I was initially restricting myself from doing. Things that I may not have done should the circumstances have manifested themselves otherwise. Things that I may have regretted not doing in time to come. I guess it always culminates to one's ability to see light in the utmost of situations. Often a difficult or arduous task, a time-dependent process.

Today I realised that there are people who read my blog, who are inspired by it. Not because I speak that which draws, but because there are many people who go through similar lessons in life, who cannot make sense of that which they are in, who eventually find solace in knowing that they are not alone. This is life, this is now.

PHUKET/KRABI

After a week of being on my own, I was already yearning the company of friends. Throughout the trip, Jelvin and Weiyang were awesome pals and I thoroughly enjoyed myself... Thanks guys!

Terrific natural sights, vast blue and green waters, magnificent formations would pretty much summarize that which there is to see. We visited off-shore islands on ferries, went canoeing, snorkeling, kayaking and swimming. But of course, what is a trip without shopping and the all- famous Thai-massage. After surviving mostly on nuts and egg-tarts in Macau and HongKong, the company of awesome friends also brought with it food galore. I had people to dine with, so I had to eat and the food did not disappoint. Tried the different curries and each was tantalizing. The ambience of each and every restaurant was great too. Street food included special pan-cakes with bananas and PEANUT BUTTER- love at 1st sight.

School's going to start tomorrow. I feel funny cos there is nothing to push for, for once in my life. My GPA can't fall any lower because most of my modules will be arts modules. Neither can it be pulled any higher because of the previous semester. Yet I know I have to fulfill my responsibility towards my FYP professor to the best of my ability. Especially since my FYP professor was supposed to have no honours year student this year and he created more work for himself by accepting me.

I still am going to overload myself with modules. At the end of the day, I believe, the skills I acquire will be the ones that become the tools that empower me to serve the country well. Paper qualifications, I do not deny, will bring me some incentives. But then, what is

life without choices and challenges? :)

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

ByE ByE HoNg KoNg, mY NeW FoUnD FrieNd :)

2011-01-02T18:19:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I spent 4 nights it this city which I now choose to call the city of dreams. Whatever stereotypes of HongKongers I heard about were not nearly as justified as observed by me. People were amazingly nice. The moment I spoke in Mandarin, people smiled at me and gladly came to my aid. Yesterday, an auntie scolded a couple for occupying four seats and forced them to donate one seat to me at an eatery. During the New Year countdown, some HongKongers of nearly my age, offered me a drink and made friends with me, even though they barely knew a few words of English and I knew no Canto. Arms around my shoulder, we counted down together. With people like this around how can one not feel at home?

On day 1, I spent the entire day in Kowloon. Tremendous places to shop and dine at, but I shall not elaborate and bore. Day 2 was spent in the magical world that is Disneyland. The Disney-day came to an end with me amidst hundreds or even thousands of people, all at Victoria harbour- Making noise, ushering in the new year. On day 3, I explored some of the New Territories and Hong Kong Island. Today, I went back to Kowloon out of nostalgia for its people and am now at the airport.

HongKong's food is no disappointment. Everything I heard about the amazing dimsum is true. For some reason all food either melts in your mouth, or flows smoothly down the gullet. Such is the fine cuisine. I gorged on egg tarts every single day, smooth and creamy- the best ever. Dim Sum with Jenny was sheer delight. What more can I say? You have to eat it to believe it :)

Accommodation here was a hassle. Expensive and small. Imagine having to bathe with one foot in the sink and one foot in the toilet bowl. Such was almost the case. Looking back, the people and the food made up for every fault.

Next stop, Phuket with Weiyang and Jelvin. Goodbye, my new found friend... :)

Day 3, 4, 5, 6- Hong Kong- Epilogue:Blessed are thee...

2011-01-01T14:37:00.020+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Coincidence of Divine Intervention?

Before I start writing anything about my HongKong experience, I want to share something. On my first day in HongKong, Patrick and Dean texted me- 'Loke, do you need me to pray for you with regards to anything' and to attend service on Sunday respectively. This sort of set my mind into reflection gear once again. While making my way through the city landscapes, numbing my legs out in a semi-jog throughout and freezing in the one thin jacket which I brought along I asked myself whether I was indeed feeling better, whether my priorities had been sorted out. Before the new year, I was still unsure. I was still feeling lost in the frenzy which surrounded my being. Then this morning, I had to travel to the New (Outer) territories of HongKong. Little did I know, the accomodation which I had booked 3 nights before, by sheer coincidence, is part of a Church. The building stands upon a hill called- High Rock. As, I entered the Church/Hostel, I could hear the sounds of hymms resounding (In Cantonese) amidst the various rooms. People who looked of my age or youger were sitting with their bibles all over, studying. Best of all, every single person smiled at me. The feeling was surreal. I entered the building and a small figurine stood before me- (Inscribed)- 'The Lord is my rock and my salvation'. Suddenly my whole world made sense.

I am not being evangelistic or prescribing that one should suscribe to a particular religion. But the idea that there has been what seems like divine intervention present my enter life commands observation. It suddenly occurred to me that as much as I have been a victim of circumstance for as long as I have known myself, my motivation has never dwindled, sustained. Through each calamity that has come my way, there has always been a silver lining. I am saying this not philosophically, but based on a multitude of experiences, given my family background and the circumstances from which I emerge. 'Just when you are told its the end, magic happens- I can name at least three such incidences'. People who know me well enough, will know. Today, regardless of where I stand, God has brought me to a place I never thought possible. Looking back at my accomplishments as little or much as they may be, I am indeed grateful.

Hence, the conclusion to this trip is that I'll continue working hard to the best of my ability with the aid of God. Work hard so that I only provide and never expect. I know I have gifts and I shouldn't drown myself in either self-pity, remorse or regret. I know I have the ability to build close relationships with almost everyone I meet, but may God grant me the drive to sustain these relationships and not let them falter in due time. After all, I always tell my friends- 'When I'm old and greying, I'll sit on my rocking chair in sweet satisfaction knowing that I contributed to my friends, my family, my country to the best of my ability'.

My epic beginning to the New Year... :)

...aNgeLs BroUghT mE HeRe...

Day 3- Macau- The Music In Me...

2010-12-29T21:17:00.008+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Today was an incredible day. For once in my life I spoke nothing but broken Mandarin the entire day, not a single word of English. Better still, the people adored me when I spoke to them in Mandarin. Got to sample food at so many stalls that I didn't need lunch. 2 Chinese girls even tested all the caps in their shop on me until I bought one chosen by them. Coolness!

It was a day of walking in this land of Casinos. I refused to take the bus. Covered every inch on the map, accessible to tourists on foot. Didn't dare to go to the Great Barrier Gate that separates Macau and China just in case some cops apprehended me and brought me into China to work on the railway tracks as a slave ;)

Since so many things hit me at one go, I realised that I had lost the motivation to do the one thing that I love the most- Sing! I forgot how to sing. I knew things were bad when I could barely mouth the words to a song which I know well, when I went to playnation with Jelvin, Andy and Waye. Today, I suddenly found myself humming and singing to myself as I hurried along the busy streets of Macau. A land in which no one knows me, behaving as I please. I miss my guitar....

Off to HongKong via ferry tomorrow morning. Thank you for guiding me thus far :)

Day 2 Macau- The Gift of Knowledge

2010-12-29T00:44:00.007+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I spent the entire morning in a Macdonald's in LCCT, KL today. It was a time of quiet reflection and sweet solace as I settled some administrative matters. I had a funny feeling of apprehension before arrving in Macau and sure enough the feeling manisfested itself in material form as I reached Macau Airport.

I was singled out from the multitude people, all of various races, meaning racism or stereotypes were probably not their basis of singling me out. I was first sniffed all over by a golden retriever. Then two cops stopped me, showed me their police passes, and took my passport. They started to interrogate me. I answered all their questions calmly. What do I have to hide right? But it wasn't enough. They brought me to an interrogation room, where they made me empty my bag. They interrogated me further and kept speaking to each other in Cantonese. It was a nightmare. Eventually, the female cop made a photocopy of my passport and returned it to me. Way to be welcomed into Macau.

Matters got worst when I turned my handphone on only to realise that my booking for one of the cheaper hotels in Macau had been rejected. Being in a new place, in a moment of desperation, I booked the cheapest available hotel and had to pay a whooping S$130. Sigh. Well, I guess you only live once. The hotel is awesome and the bed is great. Will be living in a 6-men dorm tomorrow with 5 other German guys- $19. A whole lot better.

Upon unpacking, I decided to venture out on my own. I realised that I was on Tapai island. So I took a bus to Macau city after exploring Tapai to some extent. Macau city is where all the action is- Hotels and Casinos galore. I tried one egg-tart and one waffle- That was dinner. Didn't have time to sample more food as I decided to cover as much ground on foot as possible. Thus 9 cross-border attractions in one night.

Today I was thinking about my studies. My entire life people have treated me as the 'smart guy'. I wouldn't say I'm smart, but I try my best. I guess such expectations pressure you to maintain that which you have configured yourself to be in people's eyes. I have convinced myself that learning to me is alot more important than the credit I get for performing well in my studies. After all, I believe when one has it, the ability to be good at that which one is assigned, paper qualifications are rendered secondary. I joined the armed forces to protect my country, to do my best. If they reward me based on merely academic considerations, so be it (such is not the case- there are ample opportunities to showcase your talents. Results are in no way an ultimatum). At least I remain true to myself.

I guess the hard part would be being judged by people at each point in time based on that, of you, which physically manifests itself in front of them rather than that which lies beyond, or even behind-the story behind. That's life right?

aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

Flashback

2010-12-28T11:30:00.003+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Sitting here in Kuala Lumpur airport whilst waiting for my flight to Macau, the hasty decision which I made suddenly dawned upon me. As easy as buying the ticket was, will travelling in a different land be as easy, emphasized by the fact that I'm on my own and know no one? KL was easy enough. I felt like I was optimally in my element, language, people and all. Macau and Hong Kong are going to be different stories altogether. No accomodation as of now either.

Strangely enough I'm not the least bit fearful. There's this adrenaline rush telling me to live my life on the edge. I guess in the relative world of our dwelling, one does not value happiness as much without facing adversity head on or know of its existence at the very least. Contentment is rendered a function of the prior factors. Philosophical story cut short, such time will allow me to value elements that I often take for granted either consciously or sub-consciously back in my good old Singapore.

Kuala Lumpur -Day 1 of reflection: Wisdom of Speech…

2010-12-28T01:39:00.010+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

There was so much turmoil inside of me before I began the trip. My priorities were way off course. People who had known me since the good old army days saw me falter, or show signs of weakness for the very first time. I knew something had to be done to salvage the situation. – This is what the me of the past would’ve written whilst embarking on such a journey of reflection.

I still stand by the above. But people relationships have inevitably infused their forms into my being to a great extent. It’s hard to face myself in the mirror knowing the person who once made it his business to put the sorrows of his friends upon himself ends up creating sorrows for those very people. There comes a point in life, where whatever you say or do inevitably backfires upon you, wrecking repercussion after repercussion.

In some situations, the answers are not clear cut. Who’s to blame? Could it have been better had it been done in a different way? Is there a win-win solution? I sound like I’m speaking in riddles, but sometimes the understanding that riddles as such exist allows us to understand the complexities of human nature. The intricacies with which it develops, the profoundness which surrounds its form, akin to the penumbra.

On day 1 of my journey, I pray that God grant me the wisdom of tongue. So that, that which I speak brings happiness to people instead of setting sorrows upon their beings. I pray that God grant me the wisdom and the clarity of thought to think in utmost detail, consider circumstances and repercussions before I speak.

On a side note, I took a 40 minute flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. At Kuala Lumpur, I took a 1 hour long skybus ride to KL Sentral. From KL Sentral, I took a taxi to my hotel at Jalan Bintang. Thus my whole evening was spent traveling. I actually miss my physics friends now. Leaving a gathering halfway made me feel like I have left unfinished business behind. Guys, just want you to know that I treasure each and everyone of you….

In my room now which is uber scary. It’s barely 2m by 2m and there’s a mirror right in front of my bed. How’s that for an eerie night in Kuala Lumpur.

aNgeLs BroUghT mE HeRe...

GeRMaNy ImMeRsioN TrIp- ReFleCtiOns

2010-06-28T19:40:00.008+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

The trip to Germany was in all senses an intellectually uplifting and emotionally stimulating experience. By the trip's virtue as a machinary of immersion, our beings were cast into the academic and social arena that defines life in Germany.

Academically, as I have mentioned before, the immersion was in all regards a Physics Pilgrimage. It is but one regard to go through modules of Physics and understand the very intricacies of nature at a very systematic and textual level. But, the regard evolves when one is shown the metamorphosis of the field- that not all has been done; that there is room for research and improvement; that (barring ethical considerations) a world of our fantasies may be materialized from our very research and consequent knowledge. Cumulatively, one can very well appreciate the motives behind that which physicists do via their relentless initiatives. Having an overlying objective, which in no regards may be considered a mere facade, the potential 'hindrances' involved within the field (such as impossible mathematics) are rendered but a mere hurdle to the ultimate goal.

But of course, a holistic experience cannot forsake social desires and considerations. The Germans are very friendly and hospitable. From basic etiquette such as greeting your peers, to guiding people who are lost, I never witnessed a single German who was reluctant or irritated. Service at the restaurants was reasonably good. Ice-cream was awesome. Architectural splendor rendered even the smallest alley majestic in its own right. Beer gardens adorned the entire city as places of social activity, of meeting, of pleasure. Beer abundant. Greenery Lush.

However, an experience is also a function of those whom you share it with. The people who went with me were my family for the few weeks that we were there. We laughed together, played together, studied together and predominantly, walked for hours on together. Looking back, at least half the memories were shaped by these very people. Thank you guys, for making the trip memorable. :)

What more can I say about an awesome experience at a truly awesome place. This one is for the most significant of my memory books.

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

GoTTiNgeN, GermAnY- DaY 19, 20 and 21

2010-06-25T11:45:00.012+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Last Sunday, our hectic schedule finally allowed for a free day. It was a day of sports, walking, soccer, chilling and inductively bonding. We rose at 4am to hike up a nearby hill, toward a castle from which we could observe the rising sun. Initially, the trail was dark and we had to use torches. The cold showed no mercy but was secondary once our bodies were warmed up from the hiking. After the usually hearty breakfast, some of us hit the games room where we played table tennis, fussball, keglig (bowling), darts and even chess. Closer to lunch we decided to take the arduous task of walking from Maria Springs to Gottingen town upon ourselves. I must say it was an achievement to walk for 2 hours in the cold, chilly wind. I finally got to try Macdonald's in Germany. The wrap was awesome tasting, not to mention filling, by my standards. After our stint in Gottingen town, we headed back to Maria Springs where we spent the rest of the time watching soccer. A relaxing day indeed.

On Monday, we were invited to the PHYWE Company that produces many of the apparatuses that we utilize in the physics labs in NUS. After being shown some of the experimental set-ups and the corresponding apparatuses, we were given a tour of the factory which enabled us to witness and appretiate the entire, somewhat seamless production process. After the factory tour, it was time for some last minute shopping at Gottingen town. The day ended with an intensive game of win, lose or draw which was hilarious as usual.

Day 21, otherwise known as our last day in Germany involved hours of sitting down. We sat for approximately 4 hours on the train that brought us from Gottingen to Munich. We took a train from Munich that brought us to the airport within 40 minutes. The plane ride then took a good 12 hours. It was hilarious how some of the girls like Sinyi and Yoke Leng got all jittery whenever the plane entered a turbulent phase. Gwen even went to puke. How’s that for a memorable plane ride. Back to my dear, sunny Singapore... :)

…aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe…

GoTTinGeN-GeRMaNy- DaY 16, 17, 18

2010-06-19T13:57:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Gottingen is known as 'The University Town'. Students everywhere, high-tech facilities and anything else you could think of as a necessity of the blossoming physicist, you can find it here. Then, the idea that Gottingen boasts 44 nobel prize winners poses no surprise. After an opening address by the Dean of the faculty of physics, we were given a guided tour around the city. We were brought through its development from the medieval era to present day. As is the case with many medieval European structures, this city most certainly manifests its fair share of splendid buildings of intricate craftsmanship. After the opening speech, we were given a talk on Ion-Beam Mixing- Namely an in-depth analysis of the processes which take place when one attempts to mix two or more elements together. Not a simple process when one has to utilize ideas such as Rutherford Back Scattering and Mossbauer Spectroscopy to account for certain phenomena such as electrostatic interactions and transitions. The day ended with us visiting the main shopping street of Gottingen- where we had dinner.

The hotel that we presently reside at has a Keglig alley. Similar to bowling, but uniquely different- many of us are addicted to this awesome German game. Even Prof. Thomas showed us his skills.

Friday was a full-fledged lecture day. We admittedly did learn a lot. The first lecture was on high energy physics with reference to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN- The idea that proton-proton collision at a certain energy threshold will advent the presence of new phenomena, provide some insights to the evolution of material right after the postulated 'big bang' as well as lead to the discovery of the Higgs Boson reigns hopeful. The second lecture on the mass of the neutrino was equally interesting. I had always thought that the neutrino is a massless particle which is, in fact, is not the case at all. However, presently, we are not able to determine the absolute mass of the neutrino on a scale that starts from zero. Nonetheless, we are able to construct a range between which we expect the mass of the neutrino to be. The lecture thereafter was on robotics. It was quite cool, as we got to see a robot in action. The thing to note here is that people want to build robots that don't merely act upon human instructions, but robots that are able to think for themselves and act upon their own judgment- Robots that are able to learn. For the last part of the day we visited Gottingen University's resident nuclear tandem accelerator. The evening was spent in Gottingen town again, where after having dinner and some beer, some of us walked around the town that was having some cultural event. Soon enough myself, Zhang Jiang, Chang Jian, Chang, Guo Chuan and Gwen were all in the singing and music mood. We sang and played music all the way to the train station.

Today (Saturday), we were given a tour of the nearby castles and ruins by the two Professors escorting us on our trip. In the evening, Chang, Zhang Jiang, Chang Jian, Myself, Gwen, Yoke Ling, Yarong and Pei Shan played win, lose or draw in the hotel's seminar room. The guys won the 'boys versus girls' match... :)

That's all for now... :)

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

MuNicH/ GoTTiNgEn- DaY 12, 13, 14, 15

2010-06-18T14:24:00.010+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

On Sunday, we visited the Residenz palace in Munich. As is the case with all castle-like structures, this palace was beautifully ornamented with various chambers that remain but depictions of the functions which they used to serve. The palace was disastrously destroyed during World War II- Thankfully, the Bavarian authorities managed to restore it to its former magnificent state. The second part of the day involved us taking an amazing boat ride across a huge lake to a very interesting and inspiring museum. We had lunch on board the boat. The chilly wind across the deck contributed to the memorable experience. The 'Buchhiem Museum' as it is called, houses art from the private collection of one man. A man who visioned that anyone and everyone can do art: That art may be found in the most remote of places. Thus, one can imagine the diversity and non-conventional outlook of his collection.

Monday meant lecture day once again. We had, first, an interesting lecture on Astronomy and Astrophysics. There seems to be a greater emphasis upon Astrophysics and Biophysics within the Physics community in Germany. Zhang Jiang and I often joke that there are only two types of people of work in Germany. First, the shopkeepers and second, the Physicists. Germany is 'the place' for physics. The Astrophysics lecture covered topics related to the big bang and the universe- for example, the theory behind why one may deduce that the universe is in fact expanding. The second lecture covered the arena of biophysics where we learnt about the mechanisms of thermodynamical heat gradients, how they affect cell mechanics and the underlying idea of DNA origami. The last lecture on elementary particle physics made the development, construction and usage of the ATLAS detector clear to us. To think that once the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is in operation at its full power, we'll be able to observe particle creation beyond the energy threshold rendered by the limitations of other present day colliders. At the same time, we'll have a high-tech detector at our disposal to make observations and consequent deductions. Monday evening was spent with Prof Englert. We had the opportunity to dine and make merry at an awesome, underground restaurant. What rendered this place special was that there was a live JAZZ band performance. The instrument players were awesome- Alto-Sax, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Tuba, Piano, Trumpet, Drums and Bass.

On Tuesday, we had the amazing opportunity of visiting the German Aerospace Center where we saw first hand how weather observations and predictions are made based on ideas such as the composition of particular and specific atoms or molecules in the air. The lecture was marked with a tour of the aircraft used for such a purpose. At the hanger we saw aircraft such as the 'Falcon' and the G550. Following the hanger visit, we were brought to the German Space Operations Center. There, we were shown the various rooms and consoles that the people on earth use to conduct space operations- Space operations such as the processing of data received from satellites as well as communication with astronauts.

By the way Tuesday was our last day in good old Munich. Hence, we were treated to a farewell dinner. Finally got to try great German Sausages. It was a jovial event which was concluded with the presentation of momentos. I believe everyone is most definitely going to miss Eyleen and Max, our student guides, to a very large extent. They were very sincere in their daily dealings with us. From ensuring that we were on time for all lectures and events to translating the menu for us at almost every meal, they meticulously took care of everything. Thank you guys! :)

On Wednesday, we took the speedy train from Munich all the way to Gottingen, our dwelling for the next 6 days or so. After a four hour long journey where we played card games on the train, we were greeted at the station by Prof. Thomas. We're living at a place called Maria Springs. It's seriously awesome. Serene, tranquil, lusciously green, surrounded by hills and mountains, what more can I say? :) The only comical part is that there is an entire clan of very old people living on the premises of the cottage as well. By old I mean really, really old. On the first day, we were flanked by them from all sides. It was like a scene from some horror movie. Hahs. Wednesday concluded with us heading to the Institute of Astrophysics to star-gaze through a telescope. We actually saw a breath-taking close up of the moon, the planets Saturn and Venus as well as a system of binary stars. I managed to get pictures of all of them.

This sure is a long post. Shall stop here for now.

...aNgeLs BrouGhT mE HeRe...

MuNicH DaY 11- DaChaU & tHe CoNceNtRaTioN CamP

2010-06-15T13:41:00.010+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

On Saturday, we went to the nearby town of Dachau. Escorted by an old lady guide, we surveyed the various structures, buildings and lanes within the city that emanate an aura of the ages- about 1200 years to be precise. A small, historic town. I guess at first look, Dachau would appear peaceful, serene and even insignificant compared to the big cities. However, this town has a dark past. A past that it is not proud of. A past arising from the governance of Hitler in Germany.

We visited what is known as a concentration camp. Shall not go into the long elaborate details, but here's a summary all the same- Hitler had the idea of confining all his political opponents so that they would not oppose him when he reigned dominant. A concentration camp was set up to house these 'outlaws'. As time went by, people who committed crimes were also admitted into such concentration camps. Hitler had ideas of a superior and contrastingly inferior race. Soon enough, homosexuals, Gypsies and most prominently, Jews, were admitted into camp.

The conditions in which the people lived are beyond comprehension. Many died of diseases, many died of torture, many died of hunger, many died of pain. Many were 'gased' to death in gas chambers and subsequently cremated in a facility on the camp itself. The Holocaust. The concentration camp inflicted a damp, dull feeling within the most of us. To think that the ground upon which we tread was the same ground where millions had died before their time. The statue erected by the survivors of the atrocious period said it all: Never Again- Meaning to say, the world can never let such an era dawn upon its being ever again.

On a higher note, the second part of the day allowed us further immersion into the German culture. We went to Eyleen's house and the her grandmother's house to experience the living conditions of present day Germans. After the visit, we headed down to her church for a campfire. It was great fun. All of us huddled around the fire and sang camp-fire songs. Guo Chuan even serenated everyone with his exceptional guitar playing skills.

Here are some pictures:

...AnGeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

MuNicH Day 6-10- FuN-nAnZa

2010-06-14T14:21:00.010+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Guess I've vividly, though not exhaustively, described the lesson structure of such an immersion programme in the previous post. However, as 'immersion' implies, the trip is not all about studies. What differentiates such trips from normal tours is that you get to mingle with the locals. To experience their culture and ways.

German beer is but of course known to anyone and everyone. Beer is a way of life here, to the extent that areas termed as beer gardens can be found all over town. Beer gardens are places that emanate a consistently festive aura, where people make merry, exchange conversations and just relax. One can fathom, how easy it is to immerse oneself in the German culture with the beer garden serving as an opportunistic avenue. On Tuesday night, we had the opportunity of having such a beer garden experience with Prof Englert. It was awesome. the Germans like to have what they call 'Pretzels' together with their beer. Huge twines of bread, sometimes somewhat salty.

On Wednesday, we went to the Allianz Arena. This is a majesticly standing soccer-dedicated stadium. We went through a guided tour that made clear the various considerations and consequent ideas that went into the development of the stadium. From acoustics to carpet grass, everything was given due care and concern. What draws people from all over the world to the Allianz Arena is the Arena's ability to change the colour of its outer-walls that are made of some type of thin durable plastics. There are three colours to observe- Red, Blue and Green- Colours that render the stadium a sparkling jewel embedded upon open fields. We were able to see the stadium's lights on Thursday. Other than the Allianz arena, we visited the Oplympiad tower, one of the tallest stuctures in Munich. Standing close to 200m (186m) high in the sky, the view was simply breathtaking. A side trip to the English Gardens that is of humongous proportions accentuated the sight-seeing experience.

Another way in which we had the opportunity of immersing ourselves in the German culture was through the faculty. The physics faculty of at least a thousand people, had a chill-out session. There was good food- beer, burgers, ice-cream. There was good music- a live band. And of course, there was great, great company- my Singaporean friends.

On Friday, we all headed down to a huge beer garden to watch the opening match of the World Cup- South Africa vs Mexico. The soccer fervor at the beer garden was ecstatic. The Germans simply love their soccer vis-a-vis their beer. We brought our own food to the beer garden, as is the culture here and had a 'group meal'. Another effective way to socialize.

Shall talk about Saturday and Sunday in the next post because I must do the visit to the concentration camp some justice. Till then, here are some pictures.... :)

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

A pHySiCs PiLGriMaGe- MuNicH Day 6,7,8,9,10

2010-06-12T14:36:00.010+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Lessons began proper this week. The schedule for a normal day involved us leaving the hostel at about half past nine to head to the lecture venue that may be at diverse locations due to the scattered location of the University buildings. By scattered, I literally mean a difference of half an hour or more.

In Singapore, the acquisition of knowledge is gauged by one's ability to effectively reign supreme in the exams. Consequently, one starts to drift from the initial notion of knowledge acquisition, that was to elicit knowledge that is interesting and hopefully useful to society, to a state that necessitates the acquisition of knowledge for the mere purpose of doing well doing exams. Contrastingly, I would sum up this physics immersion programme as a 'physics pilgrimage'. A programme that is effectively able to not merely impart essential knowledge upon our beings, but able to provide purpose and direction to that which we do. To witness latest breakthroughs and research methodologies.

On Monday, we went through lectures on Quantum physics. Quantum physics is that which differentiates physicists from engineers to the greatest degree due to its sometimes, abstract, intangible and even incomprehensible nature. The lecture revolved around what is known as Quantum cryptography. The usage of such a technique to send securely encoded messages over large distances. Thereafter, we attended a collaquium. I seriously have never attended any lecture with such a large number of old people. People who are probably experts in a particular field in physics. The interesting thing here was that many of these old physicists looked like Einstein- messy hair, wrinkled forehead- Ingredients to smartness or sheer coincidence? :)

Tuesday and Wednesday brought us through the developments in biophysics. Nano-structures that may empower revolutionary changes in the medical arena, in the future- ideas and valid experiments that involve concepts of DNA Origami and Cell biophysics. Notice here how, physicists appear to form the basis of change even in developments that involve the field of medicine.

Thursday and Friday were the most exciting- The whole reason why I came for the Germany Immersion programme. We visited one fully operational nuclear reactor. However, this nuclear reactor is not one that allows one to harness energy, but one that propagates the generation of neutrons needed for experiments and daily applications such as neutron imaging, analogous to X-ray imaging. We then, visited a particle accelerator- a Tandem accelerator to be exact. Thursday ended with a lecture that revolved around ideas involving lasers. Imagine, we are on our way in developing a laser which is as powerful as the sun's energy channeled to the single beam via the usage of a magnifying glass as big as the earth on a surface of 1 millimeter squared. We'll be able to do this if such research reigns successful. Its hard to fathom the power involved. Of course, the lasers will then be put into practical applications in various fields. On Friday, we attended a special type of lecture on electromagnetism. Not only did the lecturer teach, as in a conventional lecture setting- He performed various experiments in front of the class. Interesting indeed.

I daresay, I attended one of the best lectures ever thereafter- A lecture on Astrophysics and Cosmology. The very interesting lecture was able to effectively put across ideas behind concepts such as the composition of the universe- eg. Dark matter. Concepts such as geometry, the metamorphosis of the time-space fabric and general relativity.

Everything was not physics though. Shall continue in the next post. Gotta leave now. Chaozz... :)

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

Day 5 In MuNicH- MuSeUm ToUr, WeLCoMe dInNeR AnD BirTHdAy...

2010-06-09T05:13:00.010+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Sunday was a long and eventful day. We visited two major museums of Munich. The first was an arts museum (Neue Pinakothek). A museum that contained art pieces from world renowned artists such as Van Gogh and Picasso. We were escorted by a very interesting guide who was able to articulate the history and interpretation/ significance of the multitude of pictures that adorned the various walls and rooms, divided by specific categories- aimed at eliciting and even triggering certain ideas or chains of thought. The second museum was in all aspects huge beyond comprehension- The Science Museum (Deutsches). Not only is this museum able to bring one though a transitional and evolutionary journey over time and space (as is the case for most museums), its' content stretches laterally in a way that somewhat exhaustively covers various scientific fields. We spent a good 4 hours exploring the various chasms that housed a multitude of gizmos and gadgets.

After the museum, we headed over to one of the towers at the city centre that was open to the public. The view that greeted our eyes after climbing what seemed like an endless flight of stairs, was spectacular.

But of course, the highlight of the day was the welcome dinner at a restaurant near the University. We were greeted by the Dean of the Faculty, Prof and various other people. It was comical, the way the Dean attempted to translate the menu that was in nothing but the German language, to us. After much explanation and contemplation, we ordered. I must add that the servings of food were humongous. Seriously, one could feel full just via eating the salad. Dinner was awesome. Our German friends surprised Yoke Ling with a birthday cake (one that they baked themselves). So, we all had delicious chocolate cake for dessert. Of course, no German meal is complete without German beer and everyone at the table had their share of it.

Here are some pictures:

...AnGeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

MuNicH DaY 4- CaStLe oF KiNg LuDWiG tHe SeConD

2010-06-06T14:40:00.010+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

My tenses might appear a little connfusing. I usually blog about the events of the day before on the morning of the day after, during breakfast. So now, I'm blogging about the events that unfolded yesterday.

There was no school yesrterday. It was Saturday my amigoes. Consequently, we went sight-seeing. We visited the Castle of King Ludwig the second. For anyone who has seen the Castle, they'll know instanteneously that the castle bears an utmost resemblance to the castle of Disneyland. The amazing fact: The Castle of Disneyland was modelled after this castle. The landscape surrounding the castle was breathtakingly scenic. Imagine a fantasy castle nestled on the top of a majestic mountain.

Prior to the Castle we went to the Wies Church. Legend has it that one of the statues in the Church, that was then a small chapel, started to 'tear' in the 18th century. People from all over the world came over to witness the phenomena. Since then, the chapel that was developed into a full-fledged church has been termed as a site of pilgrimage. People from eveywhere still frequent it.

Some pictures of the day :

...AnGeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

MuNicH DaY 3- LuDWiG-MaXiMiLiAnS UniVerSiTy

2010-06-05T13:48:00.021+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Imagine this: Every morning you wake up, get ready and head to the subway for school. As the escalator to the surface brings you higher, a building of splendid architecture greets your eyes. Breathtaking from every angle, majestic in every light. You walk further down the lane and reach a great fountain surrounded by greek, medieval-like buildings. You skirt the fountain and enter a great hall with spiral stairs, each side of the stairs adorned by the statue of a man looking down upon the school in pompous stature. As you walk up the stairs of the grand hall, multiple alleys lined with pillars that emanate an aura of the ages line the very pathways that have been set. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Ludwig Maximiliians University.

Lessons started today. Following the Dean's address, we were given a tour of the faculty of Physics as well as the school. After the opening address, it was time for lunch. The cool thing about lunch here is that they have something to the effect of a kopitiam (A Mensa)- That is you pay using a card topped up with money. After lunch we went though a first substansive lecture. It was on Bose-Einstein Condensation and how they use it in everyday experiments such as examining lattice structures. The lecture though a little dry was substantiated by a lab visit which was way cool. I don't recall having seen so many gizmos on a single table-top before.

The 'academic' day concluded with the lab visit. It was time for shopping and dinner! What made things better today was that the weather was awesome. The sun was out, and there was no rain. So we travelled the streets which we couldn't travel through the day before, due to the rain. The ice-cream here is fantastic. Not caring about the cold weather, I had three different types of ice-cream. Sadly, our attempts to try the beer at the beer garden failed today- crazily crowded. Oh wells, another day then... :)

....AnGeLs BrOuGht Me Here...

MuNiCh, GeRmAnY DaY 1 & 2

2010-06-04T14:28:00.015+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Prior to the flight, I met up with some friends, in the midst of packing. Had dinner with Dean and a final prayer with Ranald, that really made my day.

The 12 hour long flight to Germany was quite painful. Imagine having to sit in an enclosed place, with little room to move about for 12 hours. Total claustrophobia! The in-flight entertainment featured movies that I had already watched and there were no games. Luckily, I was armed with my Men's Health magazine and Archie's comic books. Not that I really did need them, with Gwen sitting beside me. Anyone who knows Gwen, knows that she's the epitome of all that can be classified as 'cartoon'.

From the airport in Munich, we took a train ride down to Euro Youth Hostel. We were supposed to attend some city familiarisation tour on the first day. As luck would have it, it rained the entire day- from the moment we stepped upon Munich to the moment we slipped into our beds. However, that did not stop us from finding adventure in the area. The tour still took place, but was highly comical. All of us were walking behind the tour guide with our umbrellas erect and ponchos on. Did I mention that the temperature in Germany yesterday was about 10 degree celcius? So you can imagine how many were shivering and freezing in the cold, cold rain and gusty wind.

It's 8am now. I'm currently at the breakfast table in my hotel, having breakfast on my own. Reflection time :) I woke my whole level up this morning with loud vomiting noises. Felt queasy and had the sudden urge to vomit. The headache is not making things easy either. I guess I haven't fully recovered since Singapore. Hope for the best.

Will be going to the University of Ludwig, Munich in abit. The students have prepared some programme for us. Cool! Always good to interact with people, though I hope no one catches my virus.

Some pics:

...AnGeLs BroUgHt Me HeRe...

My GeRmaNy StoRy

2010-06-02T19:15:00.003+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Deciding not to go for the student exchange programme, I find myself going to Germany today for an immersion programme. Though it seems like a brief period, I figure that there would be loads to learn about alongside the multitude of experiences that would hopefully render the trip full-flegedly memorable. I'm going with 4 girls from my year, the rest are juniors.

I'll keep this blog updated on a daily basis if time permits.

Time to start my mission then.. :)

...AnGeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe....

ThE PoWeR oF mEnToRs

2010-05-19T22:27:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Sometimes some people in your life appear to direct you. appear to guide you and appear to advice you on matters that can change the very balance of your life. I'm very thankful that I'm constantly in the company of such people, who have earned my utmost respect. I'm referring to some people at work. As a mirror of their sincerity, I too am learning to be sincere in my daily dealings with people. If you can provide help in any arena that will birth a change in the life of another, then nothing should stop you from rendering that needed assistance.

Thank you Sirs...

Anyways, work as always has been a pleasure. For one, I can stay focused on my training regime because the gym and track are both easily accessible.

Results in 11 days. Thank you God... :)

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

bLoG aWaKenEd AfTeR ProLoNgLeD HiaTuS

2010-05-11T22:43:00.020+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Its been eons since I last blogged. But I guess events just unraveled one after another, that it was hard to keep track of what was happening accentuated by the fact that time was a limitation. Ok, some people have articulated that my blog sounds like an essay or an article out of Times magazine. So I shall keep it personal this time y'all... :)

2010 has been a full-fledgedly fleeting year for me thus far. Normally students in NUS do 4 or 5 modules. I took up the challenge of doing 7 modules. I must admit, I had to muster alot of determination in fulfilling many of the requirements, but it was all good. Got to do projects with Wendy, Luigi, Sinyi, Moses- my dear classmates whom I might never get to work with in the future. The exams were, with God's grace all doable, despite one huge hiccup. But I guess, sometimes people learn the hard way. I'm not going to write about the 'hiccup' though. Its better if you hear it from me 'man to man'. hahs!

My Physics friends have always been there, through thick and thin. It'll be hard to part with some of them as the year progresses, but life has to go on. I am indeed honoured and humbled to have had the privilege of studying with such a talented group of people.

Here is a picture of my exam study-buddy in a dazed state of mind. We practically camped at the airport together for 2 entire weeks. In retrospect, I couldn't have possibly studied with anyone nicer or better. Tks Sherm! :)

Enough about school though. I've had plenty of social life too. For starters, my birthday was 'an event' once again. I had back to back celebrations that spanned over 3 days- Physics friends, Church, Regular Buds, Family... But of course, the highlight of my birthday was my uniform outing with Aini. We got to re-live our JC days all over again. Ate a kid's meal to propagate the idea further. :) Here are 2 pics to commemorate the occasion...

Time did not permit me to frequent church as much as I would've liked, but I was still well linked. The friends that I had made, kept me updated. I have been consciously mentoring people like Dean, Michael, Joshua, Aaron, who are now like younger brothers to me. (Maybe I'm secretly trying to create my own legion of military experts) Jokes aside, I see alot of untapped potential in these guys. A little nudge in the correct direction and I believe they'll achieve wonders. The highlight of our gatherings was the visit to spooky Old Changi Hospital...

My CG is really starting to grow on me...

Of course what would the year thus far have been without my fellow soldier bros... JieRen, Waif and Bong who is now flirting in France... :)

What is Loke without his exercise regime. Frankly speaking, I haven't had the luxury of time to train as much as I would have liked to this semester. Though I did manage to squeeze in a run on most nights. But hey, the semester is over and I'm going to attempt to push myself physically harder than ever before. No pain, no gain! I guess, I crave the feeling of satisfaction that comes with a good workout.

Being a soldier definitely comes with its quanta of pride.. People often ask me on what is it that drives me? Why do I always appear to push myself so hard? I guess, the root answer is I've found my true passion of serving the country, living a life of medals, of camaraderie. A dynamic, ever-changing life that never ceases to provide me with opportunities to prove myself at every juncture. A life, with the military.

Work as usual, is sheer bliss. June will see me flying off to Germany to see an opportune physical manifestation of the multiple physics abstractions that I've studied over the course of the year.

Music-wise, I got the golden opportunity to perform at the Arts House near the Esplanade. It was a success. Think I shall pick up the piano or the guitar, because singing becomes such a hassle when the instrument you play (alto saxophone) also requires you to use your mouth... -_-

Guess I shall update more frequently from now on... Chaozz

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

A New Beginning

2010-01-05T22:28:00.051+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

** Dear readers, please write in the comment box should you have any. Rest assured, I'll respond... :)

Introduction

As the coming of the new year dawned upon me, my brain set itself into modes of reflection. The multi-dimensional growth that 2009 imparted upon my being was, in all truth, something that I could have never fathomed on my own accord. For once, achievements surpassed unrealistic expectations, relationships gained new meanings and levels of understanding, patience and maturity of thought reached an all time high. For my friends who read this blog, I want to share something that I learnt in 2009- Despite the intensity at which the odds seem against you, it is very important to 'Keep Looking Forward'. When one door closes, a multitude of doors manifest themselves in various forms at other localities. Keep working, keep persevering. If you fail in gaining that which you desire, the mere journey to its attainment will astound you, render you to discover yourselves in ways that could have been anything but possible. With renewed determination, drive and confidence, I am ready to embrace the year 2010.

Christmasing/ Church

One of my best experiences of 2009 materialized as the year propagated to its end. After my performance in Plaza Singapura, I tagged along with Peng to his church. Who would've have fathomed that I'd immerse myself into the festivities of Christmas at a depth that in unknown ways rendered me anchored to a culmination of entities, both spiritual and social. Intellectually standing at where I am today, I am going to embark on an adventure that I think I've put on hold for long enough. To attain the fruit from the crown of a majestic tree, one has to ensure that its foundations are secure and justified, that its roots hold firm and strong- imparting a sense of assurance, a sense of confidence that leaves no room for regret, no room for contemplation. I guess enough has been said for now. I shall blog about this adventure as it unfolds before my very eyes. As a disclaimer, I am mindful that which I approach is not a science or an experimental formulation. Thought and reflection propagate alongside logic and spirituality aiding me in in exploring the frontiers which I intend to thread.

Phuket Trip

The trip to Phuket was memorable especially in the company of a 'friend less-brother more' person like Jelvin. I still recall the day on which we had to fly. Rising early at 4.15am, I got ready for the full marathon that I accomplished together with Chupei and Zhonghao. Many a times I said to myself, 'Loke what are you thinking? You really think you'll be able to accomplish the entire stretch within the standard you have set for yourself?' Then the other side of my brain went, 'Loke you are a soldier. Soldiers remain calm and focused in the face of adversity. The adversity is here. The adversity is now.' It's not hard to decipher that I was at a battle with myself. A battle in which I proudly emerged victorious. Now its all about pushing the bar that I have inevitably hinged for myself. After the run, I dragged myself home, changed and went for Cpt Joseph's wedding. Though sore in the weirdest places, the wedding was worth it. Especially with the warm welcome that Cpt Joseph gave me. I also got to meet Bong, who in all good-will of our 'Hamburger Relationship' drove me to the airport.

Vietnam Backpacking

Many have nothing but a mere inkling of the natural wonder that Vietnam represents. Diverse weather, diverse terrain, a multitude of cuisines and people of various descent and dialect. A tourist's paradise! When the journey was in the stages of formulation, I was apprehensive. Bringing two younger guys into a domain which neither of them had any idea of inevitably em-placed their trust upon my shoulders. I had to deliver as I had promised. From the feedback I gathered, they thoroughly enjoyed the trip that went smoothly. Mission accomplished! As a soldier, I have greater confidence in my situational awareness and navigational skills that have now been tested.

School

As always, I feel blessed to be in the company of my Physics friends. Though they never brag, I have never considered myself worthy to be in the company of such brilliant people. Sometimes, one's intelligence can well be deciphered from the content of one's speech and maturity of thought. I attained my long-awaited triad of 'A's this semester. Though the knowledge I gained far superseded my emphasis on results. For once, I studied for the thirst of knowledge that rendered the stress that comes when one paves their way toward success secondary. I look forward to a fresh new semester.

A Soldier in the Making

I've done abundant reflection upon my role as a soldier, a defender of the country. As life has moved on and my thoughts have matured, I have been able to shed new light upon frontiers that lay slave to functional fixed-ness in time that had elapsed. I am thankful that my years in University have enhanced my drive to serve my country at elevated levels upon graduation. The drive and passion still burn bright and I long for the day to be back.

AnGeLs BroUghT mE HeRe...

ExAm AfTeRmaTh/ PaTh 2 SeLf DisCoVerY

2009-12-13T23:11:00.007+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

The apex of the semester as manifested by the exams was adrenaline pumping and relatively short lived. For some unearthly reason, I actually enjoyed this series of exams. In fact, I derived such abundant knowledge from this semester alone that I daresay, a culmination of the work done in 3 other semesters would have been unable to endow such knowledge upon my being. As soon as the exams were over, I was plunged into a series of activities that rendered time to pass fleetingly fast over the course of the previous two weeks. Alas, I think mere words may not be able to fully express that which I had experienced and learnt from the various activities. However, 'bullets of reflection' are most definitely in order-

1 Dec- Last Exam, Dinner + LAN (Larry and Qihao)
2 Dec- Macritchie Run (Jelvin)
Movie: A Christmas Carol and Shopping (Jelvin)
Dinner + Minds Cafe (Physics Gang)
3 Dec- Gym
Night Cycling (Physics Gang)
4 Dec- Lunch (Benjamin a.k.a. Bong)
Movie: A Christmas Carol (Twin Cousins)
5 Dec- Morning run- Sprints + 2.4km (Chupei)
Lunch at the Airport (Chupei)
6 Dec- Standard Chartered Marathon -42km (Zhong Hao and Chupei)
Cpt. Joseph's Wedding Luncheon
Departure to Phuket (Jelvin)
7 Dec- Phuket - Tanning, Massage, Shopping, Beach, New Moon, Essay Reflections
8 Dec- Phuket + Return to Sg- Supper at Popeye's: Jelvin
9 Dec- Essay writing, Self Reflection + House Cleaning (Me, myself and I)
Dinner (Qihao)
10 Dec- Lunch at Swensons' (PMO Gang + Waifu and Bong)
11 Dec- Practice for Concert + Shopping + Essay Outline
12 Dec- Yamaha Performance Day!
Trip to Patrick's Church

Patrick, thank you for introducing me to such great new people and most of all for the special experience that I had just observing everyone basking in the glory of that which they truly and deeply believe in. Tks bro!!

My essay finally seems to be materializing. I am so excited about it. All I eat, sleep and dream about lately revolves around that essay. Hopefully, my ambition of doing a few other linking essays will materialize vis-à-vis my other commitments.

I have been wanting to do my rendition of O Holy Night for some time now. I never really got to doing it. Today, I decided to just go for it and as luck would have it, it turned out seemingly pleasant. Shall do up a better version when I have more time to... In the meantime, Merry Christmas!!

AnGeLs BrOuGhT me HeRe...

Semestral Thank YouZZ

2009-11-07T22:27:00.005+08:00

...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

2009-10-21T00:28:00.006+08:00

...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

2009-08-09T14:22:00.048+08:00

...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

2009-07-09T13:12:00.003+08:00

...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

2009-05-23T22:15:00.008+08:00

...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...

My 23rD B'DaE :)

2009-03-15T13:50:00.014+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Its been eons since I last blogged. Despite the six modules that I'm doing this semester, everything seems to be good and fine. Been training for IPPT, been socialising with friends, been going crazy over American Idol, been mugging as usual. Everything's swell!

It was my birthday on the 14th of March. As usual, it was as memorable as my previous 20-something birthdays. The series of events began on friday where I met up with the Office gang for lunch. We ate at Swensons and I got my first experience of the ice-cream cake. It rocked and so did the company. After the lunch, I went with Qihao and Larry to bowl at Home Team NS club in Bukit Panjang.

The day advanced with my meet with the Physics gang. I am quite disciplined when it comes to attending school. However, my Physics buddies really endow me with the incentive to look forward to each and every class. I share the same birthday as Wendy Su. So I met up with the gang at Labrador Park. Though the focus was on Wendy's 21st, my friends didn't neglect me and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

After that, I met up with my regular buds. We ate at a Japanese restaurant and went down to Swenson's for desert. The earthquake was ubber filling. It was damn freaking fun. I practically laughed till my inerts hurt and I think I had a chest cramp, if such a thing exists. After a whole day of travelling and going crazy, I went down with Jieren to Girraffe where we got some alcohol and chilled in the open air, with me at bliss wih the world.

All that I've written till now happenned a day before my actual birthday. So for some terrestrial reason, I had a dual day celebration this year. The next day, on Sat, my actual birthday, my relatives kept popping in and out of my house and there was a family gathering in the evening where I cut my third cake. It was fun though I felt a little annoyed that I couldn't watch the soccer match. But Man-U lost anyway... Drats!

After the soccer match, came the part of my birthday that I was looking most forward to. Call me sadistic and sick, but I wanted to get wasted. Hahs! So I met up with brudder Andy and we headed to Wala Walas. I thought the girl on the live band was quite good though she sounded slightly nasally. After drinking upstairs and then downstairs, we decided to head to Kbox to do the thing that both of us like-- Singing our lungs out. We had glasses of whisky there after our beers and cocktails at Wala Walas. After literally singing till our voices were sore and our heads went spinning, we headed down to the Balcony Bar, at Heeren. The ambience was good and I just lay on the couch there at ease with world. We ordered our last drink, the wretched Graveyard. Though it tasted freakingly bad, its effects were fast and decisive. I soon began 2 feel the impact of the alcohol and became slightly wobbly, though still sane. Thank you bro!!!

Here are the pics of the experience. Another year older, anther year wiser... :)

... AnGeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

SeNsE oF NaTiOnaLiSm

2009-01-29T17:51:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I'm doing two modules on Singapore this semester ; Nation Building and Singapore's Foreign Policy. I must say that my heart swells with pride each time I take a walk down memory lane and try to decipher, from my perspective, the many hurdles Singapore has faced to stand where she is today. Our peace and sovereignty should never be taken for granted. We must ourselves defend this place that we call our home.

... SaLuTe...

HaPpY ChiNeSe NeW YeAr

2009-01-26T13:35:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Happy CNY to all my friends. This Chinese New has been the most unprecedentedly active period for me. I went shopping with my friends and ended up buying more clothes than them. Last night, I went to Chinatown for the 4th consecutive year in a row on CNY's eve. I crazily bought $90 worth of Chinese goodies!! Total madness, but totally in the spirit of CNY.

...GoNg Xi Fa cAi...

HaPpEnNinG Siah..!!

2009-01-21T00:02:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Its getting ubber difficult to blog nowadays. Theres so much to do. For once in my University life I have my ideal timetable. The lectures are all fun and interesting and I have friends in 5 out of 6 lectures. Cool Stuff. Amazing how peoples' paths keep crossing. For example Ching whom I met in Temasek Hall is my Nation Building lecture friend whom I sat with for lecture today.... Had lunch at Engine today with Amelia. The Nasi Panggang still rocks.

... oPeN aRmS...

UpDaTEs

2009-01-17T19:01:00.011+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Life has been moving pretty fast ever since I came back from Vietnam. There was a frantic rush to bid for modules, a CNY shopping spree where I spent more than my Chinese friends, lunch with one, dinner with another, parents off the coast, my house under my nose. Do I sound like I'm rapping...?

Anyways, I have decided to do 6 modules this semester. I guess the greater plan has me embedded as a Physicist and I'm pleased and contented with that. Had lunch with Waifu and Jieren in Chinatown today. Steamy Steamy Dim Sun. I loved it. Then, we went to walk through town where Jieren bought his Pedro shoes. We later chilled at Starbucks where we saw 'Birdstrikes near a Chicken'.

Here are a few more pics of Vietnam and Andy who used me as an unpaid model. Hahas...

... IdoL FeVeR ...

sHopPiNg SpReE/ HomE aLonE

2009-01-11T02:06:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Guess we never had enough of Vietnam. Went out with Andy for a pre-school cum CNY shopping trip on Friday. We were later joined by Wendy and Li Juan a.k.a. Triumph Ng. Jelvin tagged along later in the day. It was fun. Travelled all over town, Far East and Bugis. Tried the Nasi Ayam Penyet at some Indonesian restaurant in Lucky Plaza and my tongue was set ablaze. Thank God for the cherryade.

Dinner with Waifu, Jieren and Bong on Thursday night was great as usual. We ate fast-food and savoured desert at a restaurant. Drastic contrast.

My parents will be leaving for overseas on the coming Monday. The whole responsibility of the house will fall upon me. I guess it has become a norm for me to shoulder such responsibilities. To ensure that the bills are all paid, my dog is taken care of, my sisters are studying well and come home on time, cooking, cleaning, buying groceries for the house... etc... So guess I won't be able to stay in hall until they return on the 30th of Jan.

Quite excited about the first day of school. Gonna go run and lift some weights tomorrow. IPPT is coming soon.... A.D.A...!!!

...To LeAd, To ExCeL, To OvErCoMe...

TriP 2 ViEtNaM

2009-01-08T10:58:00.009+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

The Vietnam trip was amazing and the company of Andy, Jelvin, Wendy, Vivian and Li Juan made it all the more meaningful. Who would have thought that Vietnam harbours such dynamic weather and majestic terrain. I guess my narration will not be able to rightfully capture the essence of the trip. So I'll let the pictures do the talking. Here are some. Check out facebook for the rest... :)

... FuNkY MoNkEy ...

MaCRiTcHiE RuN

2009-01-01T22:50:00.002+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Woke up early in the morning today, to go for a run at Macritchie Reservoir park. The run was slow paced and relaxing and the sun on the skin fresh from a country experiencing winter felt good. After the run with Amelia, I went home for a rest and met up with Jelvin in the evening and we randomly walked around town. I should be flying off to Vietnam togather with Wendy this coming Saturday. Although the pain is still there, I think some time with good friends will do me well. Lets hope Vietnam turns out to be fun.. :)

...tHe HaRDeSt tHiNg To Do iS sAy ByE...

GReAt LasT DaY oF 2008 aNd HaPpY 2009

2009-01-01T02:49:00.008+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

The 31st of December was a memorable day for me. I was awaken in the morning by a call from my colleagues in office. I then met up with QiHao and Larry for lunch at Heartland Mall.

As planned, today was my day out with Amelia. Prior to meeting her, I explored Wheelock Place and Borders. So anyways, Amelia reached town at about 4 and we both headed to Lido with the intention of watching a movie. Armed with our trusty packet of Cheese Nachos, Sausage Bun and Root Beer, we watched Twilight. I liked it as much as the first time.

After watching the movie, we decided to go for desert at Canele. We shared the Blackforest Crepe because it was crazy huge. After desert, we headed down to Far East Plaza for some shopping. Sales were everywhere. I had a first when we went to try the ice-cream at Gelatissimo. We got a cup of double scoop ice-cream: Mango and Passion Fruit flavour and Honey Malt Flavour. Being highly rebellious, we smuggled the ice-cream into McCafe and finished it there.

We then went down to Jelvin's church to watch his performance at the church countdown party as well as to meet up with Patrick and ZhuangLi. Jelvin's dance item was great. Good job man...!! Knowing that I had to reach home before 12, I took my leave from the celebrations togather with Amelia at 11. Feeling hungry, we had our final meal of the day, supper, at a hawker centre. Once again, the food we tried there was quite nice. We then took a cab back home.

Upon reaching home, I counted down with my family. A day truly well spent... :)

Its 3am and I need to sleep soon. Going for a run with Amelia at Macritchie tomorrow. Its been ages since I ran there. Looking forward to it and the Macdonald's breakfast after that...

Here's wishing everyone a blessed and happy 2009!!

... tHeRe'S a HeRo InSiDe YoU...

LiBeRaTiOn aFtEr WeeKs oF SaDnEss

2008-12-30T23:17:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I finally went out yesterday after a long long period of sadness and sickness. The people I went out with were as warm as ever. Nothing had changed. On Monday, I went out with JieRen and Waifu in the evening. We ate at a restaurant in Wheelock Place whose name I can no longer recall but started with the alphabhet C. Ken's recommendation: Don't go there. Not good. After dinner, we went on a birthday present hunt for Waifu's girlfriend. Eventually, he didn't get anything but we had a weirdly fun time looking at ladies apparels....?! :)

Today was a long, tiring and thoroughly fulfilling day. In the morning I met up with Qihao. We then boarded the train and headed to railway mall to meet up with the office gang. Jill looked as cute as ever and Miss Amanda was as ever-elegant. Larry, Darren, Qihao, Joel, Daniel and the other new NSFs were also a bundle of fun. I enjoyed the simple meal that we had at Subway. After that, I travelled to Junction 8 where I met up with Jelvin. We had a meal at Pasta Mania. After which we randomly walked around J8 for some window shopping. At about 1530, I went down to City Hall to meet up with Benjamin a.k.a. Bong. Since he was to reach at 1630, I walked around by myself for an hour. Personal time.. :) So I met up with Bong and we went for Coffee at the Coffee Club in Raffles City. At about 6pm we went to Orchard to meet up with JieRen. After some window shopping we decided to catch a movie at Shaw.

The movie we watched was Twilight. It was awesome in my opinion. Being a fan of such brand of stories, I thoroughly enjoyed myself during the movie. Although the ending seemed somewhat rushed, the good looks of the lead actress and actor and general storyline remained impactful throughout the movie. I wish I was a vampire too...!! :) Seriously... :) I'll give it 4 stars out of 5 stars.

After the movie, we went for dinner at a restaurant called Cedele. The food there tasted normal but I thought it was worth the money as it was fresh and healthy. After dinner, we went on a chocolate hunt around town and eventually boarded a bus to Plaza Singapura where we bought the chocolates that we were looking for.

Thus ended the perfect day, full of perfect friends, with good food and a great movie....

...As TiMe GoEs By...

PoSt ExAm/ StAgE

2008-12-28T15:14:00.010+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I went for a Kboxing session with all my Physics buddies after the final paper on the 3rd of December. It turned out to be the most fun time I had all year. Even the atmosphere of the place we went to karaoke at was hilarious- There was a smoke thrower and electrifying disco lights....

In the evening, I went for dinner with JieRen and we tried some Japanese Western fusion desert. After some random window shopping, we met up with JieRen's girlfriend, Constance and went to watch Madagascar 2. Halfway through the movie, I got the worst news of the year, about my grandmother. The air ticket was purchased on the spot and within a mere span of 10 hours, I found myself seated on Singapore Airlines.

Consequently, I didn't have enough time to pack. So I had to buy winter wear. It was freezing cold there. Anyways, I went down to a mall to buy some sweaters and I was forced up on stage to sing at a concert that was taking place in the mall after the management found out that I am from Singapore and my cousins told them that I could sing.

Ps: Excuse the first few seconds of horizontal footage...

BaCk FrOm ThE SaD

2008-12-26T02:37:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

19 days in India straight after my last exam paper. My grandmother bid farewell to the world. I'll always remember her for the strong lady that she was. She had the courage to bring and establish my family in Singapore when all was lost. Took care of me when my parents were separated and taught me the path of the good. Cradled me and my family through our darkest hours when we lived in extreme poverty. She worked and toiled hard for me and my mother. She'll always remain in my fondest memories. My dear grandmother.

...Always In My Memories...

Away

2008-12-04T13:14:00.003+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

My amigoes, I'll be away (overseas) for a few weeks due to my grandmother's death.

God bless....

LaSt DaY iN ThE LiBrArY

2008-12-02T22:12:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Today marked the last day in the library as the final paper is tomorrow. The library gang today consisted of Jelvin, Patrick, myself, Amelia and Loraine. Zhuangli has finished her papers... :) Was surprised by Aini in the evening who popped by to study with us.

Jelvin and Patrick engaging in Intellectual Discussion

Aini and Loke engaging in Him/Bimbotic Discussion... :)

Okayzz... I gotta mug for my last paper now. Then its time to warm up the vocal chords and stretch the legs cause its Kbox in the day and dance through the night day tomorrow.... :):):)

...YoU LiGhT uP mY LiFe...

HaiRsTyLeS GaLoRe

2008-12-01T23:37:00.008+08:00

Lo AnD BeHoLd...

Was just looking at the number of crazy hairstyles I've had... And this is just a preview of the stuff I dare to display publicly.... :)

Curry-Puff Hair

Chau Ah Beng the 1st

The CowBoy Look

The Boy-Boy Look

Dragon-Ball ZZZ

Charmander

Chau Ah Beng the 2nD

Blue Teary Eye Boy

Oops, Charmander Again

NUS Student Look

Spiky-Boy

My personal favourite: The Long Disturbance

... I WaNt iT aLL...

ExAm ReFleCtiOns

2008-12-01T22:59:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

When Ken tries to study in the library...

When Ken tries to study in his room...

With Huimin at Yamaha

Meet WanTing the 'Knowledge Stealer'

Mugging for exams has been a roller coaster but I'm glad I shared the seat with the correct people. Japanese paper today was unpredictable and deceivingly 'do-a-ble' as always. Fingers crossed. Sunday was a very hectic day. Studied with Amelia the entire day. P.s. Thank you for the bfast.... :) We went to Fong Seng for lunch. Just as I was complimenting the good weather for tanning, it started to pour cats and dogs. So I went out to get a cab to chauffeur Amelia to the library and me to my next stop, Yamaha at PS.

Went to meet up with Huimin for some singing. Continued mugging with Amelia when I came back and eventually joined Patrick, Shida, ShingYee and ZhuangLi at Sheares for more mugging. Tried the supper at Kent Ridge too. Didn't really like it though. The chicken fried rice was a little bland.

Just one final paper left. The toughest of them all. But I guess where there's a will, there will be a way. Just in case I've neglected some people during this period of mugging and in time to come, rest assured all of you are very very important to me. Presence does not always manifest sincerity. Its the thought that counts.... :)

P.s. I seriously think Jelvin should go back to targetting Gwen. I make a lousy target board. Seriously... :) And ZhuangLi Shouldn,t read books with disturbing faces looking at me from the cover.... :)

...TaKe My HanD, I'll TaKe ThE LeAd...

MuGgEr SaTuRdaY

2008-11-29T12:36:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

The feeling of overcoming one of the toughest hurdles as deeemed by you is splendid. Just had my PC2131 paper today. Lunch with my Physics buddies was great and what I needed. Especially with Gwen around. Haven't laughed so hard in a long long while. Wednesday is approaching ever so fast. Then its overseas trips and clubbing all the way... :)

Studying with Jelvin in a library now and will be mugging with Amelia later. Yes, I know its a Saturday. To play hard, you need to work hard. Nothing comes free. But when in the correct company, even hard work is fun and worth savouring.

... JuSt WaNnA Be WiTh YoU...

ExAmS... ExAmS...

2008-11-28T09:40:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I never knew I had so many pics with young kids.... So gay... :(

Mind me for being weird, but I'm really looking forward to all my exams. The rush of adrenaline and funny feeling that you get in your gut when you know you are going to exert wits against your greatest adversary, your own, internal limiting factor, yourself and your mental prowess.

This morning I was just having a conversation with Jelvin regarding the Singapore education system. The sense of competiveness throughout a student's life eventually eliminates his or her interest in the particular subject. But having said that, the individual shouldn't be moved by grades or exams because they are still studying their interest with a tinge of stress sprinkled upon the main course. However, the fixed syllabus that is required for assessment of a student's understanding inevitably brings about little room for exploration. Still a very controversial issue.

I could sense myself getting impatient as I was talking to Jelvin. So unlike me. Must be the exam nerves.

Did I ever tell anyone how much I love Mariah Carey. Such a pure yet powerful voice. I'm really looking forward to the Kbox session with my physics buddies after my last paper. Interesting how I'm getting close to them only at a point where by life lies at the crossroads of two faculties. So much uncertainty... Faculty, results, SEP... Don't get me wrong.. I love uncertainty.

After my last paper last semester, I made a move which I still regret sometimes, but only sometimes... :) I should start studying now. Electromagnetism paper tomorrow. May the force be with me....!!!

... JuSt WaNnA bE WiTh YoU...

1sT EXaM/ ThE LiBraRy

2008-11-26T21:06:00.006+08:00

Lo AnD BeHoLd....

Had my first exam today. Whether it went well or bad is secondary. The accomplised feeling at the end of a module overwrites everything. To be at bliss with the fact that you have acquired so much more new knowledge... :)

Mugged at the library with WanTing today, or what she termed as a 'Steal Loke's knowledge' session. Don't worry, I've plenty to share... :)

Studying with Jelvin and Patrick in the library has been a blast. I spent most of my time last semester in the library till I became phobic of it.

This is how cool. Patrick, Zhuang Li and I have the same phone- E-51

...NoW oR NeVeR...

ExAm ThEmE SoNg

2008-11-26T08:44:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I always have a special theme song during all my exams that just keeps playing on my computer whilst I'm studying. Last semester, it was Bleeding Love by X-Factor winner Leona Lewis. I personally feel, that her performance of bleeding love was the best ever on American Idol where she appeared as the guest performer. Especially towards the end where all her powerful yet lovingly vulnerable notes enchant the audience as they are visually dazzled by the display of fire-sprouts in her background.

My first exam at 5pm today. Finally. Get Ready! Game On!

..ThiS iS tHe LaSt ChAnCe 2 GeT iT RiGhT..

HaRrY PoTtEr & tHe HaLf bLooD PriNcE

2008-11-25T19:19:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

What a great, great way to end this year....!! The next best thing after HSM3.
Who wants to watch it with me... ? :)

Fear not, those who have never read the book or watched any of the movies. I shall write a synopsis of the story so far after the exams.

... NoW oR NeVeR...

sLeEp Pls Cum

2008-11-25T01:57:00.003+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Something is so ubber wrong with me. 3rd night in a row I'm wide awake. Totally cannot fall asleep. So frustrating. So irritating.

...ArGh...

LiBraRy = BoRiNg... FaCt oR FiCtiOn?

2008-11-24T22:45:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I think Jelvin is damn pro. He knows who all my close friends are just via description eliminating the need for me to talk to him about them in third person context when I tell him about them.

I ended up studying in the library togather with Jelvin today and was later joined by Ashwin. The session was very productive contrary to what I thought would be a futile attempt to study in the santuary of silence and boredom that is the library.

...NoW oR NeVeR...

sLeEp DisOrDer

2008-11-24T09:38:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

The fact that I was wide awake the entire night and am still wide awake is seemingly disturbing. I guess its a blessing in disguise knowing that I'm so alert without any sleep. Hence there's more time to do things. Yet at the same time there's this anxiety that I might just drop dead at any moment due to the total lack of sleep. Who'd really care anyway.

Back to work.

..TaKe iT BaCk 2 dE pLaCe WhErE yOu KnoW iT aLL BeGaN..

RefLeCtiOnS

2008-11-24T02:40:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

**I've decided that I'm going to stick to my 2 decisions**

I have never been complacent or arrogant my entire life due to my humble background. Always the gentleman. Yet today it feels very disturbing, an anomility in your life, when people who have never worked with you before, who barely know you for what you stand, place judgement upon you through unguided and rash assumptions.

The truth is I don't really care anymore. My service has always been to the nation. Such petty and meaningless arguements just get in the way. They just tend to make you soft. Don't get me wrong. I'm not rigid and inflexible. I have total composure and understanding of what is happening and how the whole world feels. What happenned was due to a series of wrong moves that I made leading to irritating consequences and emotional flips.

Never, ever compare my work to my behaviour in school. People change with surroundings and the nice guy you see everyday can be a soldier when he has too. Never doubt that.

.. TakE iT BaCk 2 ThE pLaCe WhErE YoU KnOw iT aLL BeGaN ..

DeciSionS MaDe / FRiEnDsHiP

2008-11-22T23:57:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

*** I have made two important decisions today***

Sometimes, you see a special friend in some people. Naively, you think that the other enjoys your company as much as you enjoy theirs. Hoping things will be just like kindergarten where no one thinks deep enough to create complications. Sadly, that is not always the case. People are always more complicated than they appear to be and what you deem as a gesture of friendship may end up sending the wrong vibes.

Guess everything said, all relationships are built on the basis of trust and understanding. The 'feeling' must be present. If the 'feeling' is gone then why torture yourself in investing in the relationship any longer. A shallow school of thought some might say. But I think it eliminates room for uncertainty and misunderstanding.

People should really learn to cherish people around them, because some gone might choose to never come back even though they know they are being foolish and stubborn by making such a rash decision.

...TaKe iT BaCk 2 ThE pLaCe WhErE u KnOw iT aLL BeGan...

uLtiMaTe RuNniNg FiAsCo

2008-11-21T05:04:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Today was not a very productive day in terms of studying and everything was on a lull. Little did I know or foresee that midnight would bring upon me a new challenge.

At about 12 midnight I went over to Ashwin's room. According to plan, we were supposed to run 27km. So we stretched, warmed up and set off at about 0045. I knew my body was on low endurance as I had recently run 20-km, took IPPT, recovered from a fever and had swollen feet. Nevertheless, I decided to push myself.

Half an hour into the run, my swollen feet and shin started to give way, so I couldn't keep up with Ash. I told him, go on, we'll meet again later. I struggled with the pain all the way to the 10-km mark. Then a miracle happened. As if by magic, the pain in the shin totally vanished for the first time in my life. Mind over matter.

I pushed on harder than ever before to catch up with Ashwin who was nowhere in sight. So I continued running to Newton Food Centre. He wasn't there. I continued running to KK hospital. He wasn't there either. I continued to Little India mrt station. He wasn't there as well. I figured he would be smart enough to come back by himself so I headed back.

Ash ran more than the planned 27km and I suspect I might have just almost completed my first full marathon. A special thanks to Ash and Hongyi who were on the verge of searching for me. But I turned up in time.... :)

Whilst I was bathing, Ash rushed to Macs to buy a meal for the both of us. I was very very pleasently surprised and touched. The double burger was very filling. Then I stole Ashwin's milk and Ribena. Thanks alot, Twin....!! :) A great way to end a running fiasco.

...NoW oR NeVeR...

JaDed PaSsPoRt

2008-11-19T21:55:00.007+08:00

Thats my trying to study hard face.... :)

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

JieRen was trying to flirt with the lady at Crystal Jade so I sensored the pic... :)

Yesterday, I went to Queensway with Ash. Tried some famous Claypot Laksa there which I though was quite sumptuous apart from the fact that it made my stomach and mouth go ablaze.

In the evening, got the chance to try some great tasting ice-cream.

After having my breakfast with Jelvin and Patrick this morning, I headed to the ICA buiding to collect my new biometric passport and VISA application. It was drizzling and I got totally drenched. Now, I keep sneezing.

Went for dinner with Jieren in the evening. Crystal Jade at Harbourfront. This Crystal Jade looked more 'atas' than any of the others I've been to before. The view was quite good too. JieRen got the good seat... :)

______________________________

...TaKe My HaNd, I'LL TaKe ThE LeaD...

A FLaShBaCk

2008-11-18T11:46:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Last night, I was watching a show called 'Life With Derek'.

Tracy: Dad, people think I'm worked up because I always try too hard.

Dad: Tracy, you'll accomplish great things because you dare to go the extra mile.

Some food for thought. Always believe in yourself and your abilities.

______________________________________________________

I really believe that the SAF deserves thorough credit in its ability to diminish boundaries between men from all walks of lives, races and even age groups, all serving as one united entity, the driving force. This morning, I was just having a Physics Discussion cum casual chat with my Physics lecturer, Dr Yeo.

Of course we started talking about Physics and then we went into discussion about school life. Eventually, we stumbled upon the topic of our days serving the nation. The tone of the conversation totally changed from that of mentor and student to that of friends, of course with all due respect on my part. We talked about careers and why I choose to carry on with the Proffession of Arms. A morning seriously well spent.

Somehow, somewhere, I forgot that my main duty has always been towards the nation. I guess with University life it is easy to be carried away by the influence of friends. HOWEVER, when its time to have fun and go wild, soldiers can do that. But they should never ever forget their underlying duties and reason for choosing a career with the force.

ExAm FeVer

2008-11-17T16:54:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Exams are coming! Exams are coming! Anyways, met up with Huimin on Sunday afternoon and tried out the Jazz rendition of O Holy Night. Its seriously good stuff. Can't wait till Christmas.

In the evening, came back to hall and met up with Patrick for some term paper discussion. Went over to Kevin's place in the night for some mugging. After finishing my online assignment, Kevin suggested heading to Holland Village for supper and more intensive mugging. So we did. As luck would have it, on the way back the entire network of ATMs in Singapore was under system maintenace from 3am to 5am, and we had just enough cash to pay for the meal.

So the dilemma now was, How do we get back to NUS at 3am in the morning with no cash. Eventually, I activated Stuck who was more than willing to help pay for our cab first. Thanks Bro....!!!

Today, Patrick and Jelvin knocked my room and called my HP respectively to ask me out for breakfast but I couldn't wake up and the swell on my foot hurt like crap. Was very touched when Patrick bought lunch back for me.... Thanks man..!!

So now I am in LT3, mugging with fellow twin Ashwin. Its freezing cold here. Seriously, but condusive all the same.

Side-tracking: Ash can MSN with his Ipod Touch

Ashwin says:
Lokeee

Ashwin says:
I love u!

sKyWaLKeR- GeT ReaDy GaMe On....!!!! --わたしはﾛｰｸｰです。 says:
tomoro run 27 click

Ashwin says:
Really?

sKyWaLKeR- GeT ReaDy GaMe On....!!!! --わたしはﾛｰｸｰです。 says:
up 2 u... im game on...!!!

Ashwin says:
Means today i no run

Ashwin says:
Ok then today run 5km

sKyWaLKeR- GeT ReaDy GaMe On....!!!! --わたしはﾛｰｸｰです。 says:
ok... Ash likes sausages with mustard

Ashwin says:
Uh?

...JusT wAnNa Be WiTh YoU...

LaSt DaY oF ScHooL

2008-11-14T11:04:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

After completing a 20km run with Ashwin, I slept over at his place. I was very touched when I went to the washroom just for awhile and came back to find my bed nicely laid out for me. He even gave me his checkered blanket. The best part, he bought me Toblerone Chocolate some time ago and presented it to me last night. Heavenly stuff after a long run. Thanks man!

In the morning, Jelvin made my day by messaging me," Loke, I'll be going to Church tonight, so I won't be in hall. Remember to take all your meals on time....." Its always the thought that counts. 100 gestures that involve material stuff pale in comparison to a single phrase that can make someone happy.

Upon reaching my room, Yuting nudged me on msn and created some retarded conversation with me early in the morning. Of course we discussed Japanese as well. Just what I needed to start my day.... :) In the afternoon, I went for lunch cum Japanese oral discussion with Yu Ting followed by lunch again with Ashwin.

Japanese oral was one of the most fun things I've done in NUS. Seriously. Yuting and my smiley TC Sensei made the experience all the more rewarding. Am going to miss all my Japanese teachers. せんせい、ありがとございました.... :)

To end the day off, I went to Long Beach Restaurant at East Coast Park to celebrate Qihao's birthday. He messaged me two weeks ago and physically called me last night again. How could I miss such an important person's birthday man... Happy Birthday dude...!! Anyway, just for his sake, I had my virgin experience of crab meat... Argh!!

I am quite happy to know that for every person who treats you as a person of the moment there are a few others who are always there to bring you up.

...NoW oR NeVeR...

2Nd LaSt DaY oF ScHooL/ HSM LiVes On

2008-11-13T02:05:00.008+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Met Steph after so many days today. Happy to know that the feeling is still inherent today even though our lives have moved on...

The last TB class of the semester. Parting is always a sad affair but who says goodbye is forever... Right Jill....? :)

Finally finished my will of watching HSM3 for 5 times. Now I've mastered all of the cheesy lines and moves. Shall test them out...

.... Its Gonna Be a Night To Remember....

ReTarD cLuB PreSenTs : bLeeDiNg LoVe

2008-11-12T15:39:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Presenting Retarded Ash and Crazy Ken in bLeeDiNg LoVe ... The manifestation of what 2 guys are capable of when they get high at 4am at night... :) So all the wrong notes are excusable... Come on man, its for fun... wooohoooo...!!! :)

... NoW oR NeVer! GaMe On...!...

GrEaT TuEsDaY

2008-11-12T05:12:00.011+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

When someone dares to 'spit-swear' with you, you know that fate and destiny has fostered and forged a bond between you and the other that will last through each and every thick and thin of life. Both buddies cannot ask for more.

Today was a hectic but fruitful and enjoyable day. I had my breakfast with Jelvin and set off for my last Japanese tutorial A of the semester. The tutorial class with 12 ladies and only two guys. After having my final Japanese quiz and bidding farewell to my Jap 1 friends, I rushed to Science to deliver my experimental physics presentation. Was very touched when Shida shook my hand and said, "Loke, I wish you all the best regardless of whether you stay in Physics or move to Political Science." Those hours of lab, lectures and tutorials fostered a sub-conscious bond amidst me and my fellow Physicians that I'm going to miss when I change my faculty.

I was very happy with delivery of the presentation and the 3 lecturers' comments. It paid to spend 8 straight hours right till 4am in the morning coming up with elaborate slides that exhausted many of the possible questions that the lecturers could ask.

After the presentation, I went to meet up with a friend at Compasspoint and visited my parents for a short while. On my way back, Kevin rang me up and we decided to head to the Japanese supermarket at Clarke Quay to shop for groceries. In the end we didn't buy anything much but it was the great company that counted.

After the detour to Clarke Quay, I came back to TH with Kevin. Then we met Qian Wen. Of course, seeing Qian Wen activated my retarded mode and soon enough all three of us were having retarded fun. Then, I went to visit JieRen and spent some time over at his room.

The grand finale was Ashwin's room. My objective of going to TH. We are going to record a song tomorrow, hence we needed to practice. The practice session was great fun and soon enough we started doing retarded things like putting on cool caps and making retarded music videos that you can tune into in Facebook.

Thus ended an ideal day.... Sometimes life brings us upon crossroads. The determining move should bring about joy that will last and not serve as a mere enigma or apparition for a limited, superficial time.

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

All, I wanna do is be with you

There's nothing we can't do,

Just wanna be with you

And no matter where life takes us

Nothing can break us apart

You know its true

I just wanna be with you..... :)

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

... CaN I HaVe ThiS DaNcE...

4am PoSt

2008-11-11T03:55:00.003+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I love hall life. Its 4am in the morning and I've just come back from a jog around NUH. Bought some food on the way back. I counted the number of steps along Shepard's path as I ran up--87

Track training today was fun as usual though I couldn't perform well. My neck still hurts even after I went to the doctor and he injected it. I can barely turn it beyond a certain angle. Wonder if its my pillow...

Tonight and tomorrow seem to be two consective times where boundaries cannot be drawn between day and night. 1 major presentation tomorrow and the final Japanese test of the semester.

____________________________________

Do you want the last strawberry?

Er...

This might very well be the best strawberry in the world and you wouldn't know cos you ae not going to eat it.

You were right.... :)

So here's the thing, your Freshman's honour Programme in Stanford...
_____________________________________

... CaN I HaVe tHiS DaNcE...

LaNgUaGe GaLa

2008-11-08T09:22:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

School is coming to an end at such a rapid pace. But even as exam fervour is high, fun is in the air. I've been more goofy in class than I was all semester. How fun is that. Someone thought I was half Chinese for the third time this week. Then I spoke in Malay to confuse the person even further. By the time I said something in Chinese, Japanese and Hindi, the person was drooling with shock, or so I exaggerate... :)

Thanks Yuting, for that hour long dinner. Remember guys can take Japanese 3 and Green Tea desert is not weird.... :) So random....

...ShOoT..! ScOrE..!...

HSM3 4tH TiMe

2008-11-07T00:31:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

So many things have happened over the past few days that its hard to describe them all. My presence materialised in the theatre for the 4th time to savour the flavour of the joy that is the melody of High School Musical 3 today. When am I going to find a girl whom I can waltz with on the roof too, under the rain. Sounds cheesey? Not to a hopeless romantic it does.

I've been meeting many of my old friends lately with a sudden influx of new friends. I do not know how it is happening but it is. Had lunch with Wan Ting and Ronald. During Japanese lecture, sat with Pamela instead of Stella and gang for the first time and we both left early. Met up with Mark for tea-break. Went for a all left hander's meal with Jelvin and Gwen. Went for a heavy dinner with Kevin at Holland V and the list just go on.

In the midst of this frenzy, I am more focussed than ever. This is the last chance to get it right. You know that and I know that. So dates can wait, love can be put on hold. What is important now is what we need to own.

... WiLdCaTs, GeT ChA HeAd In ThE GaMe !! ...

HsM 3 FrEnZy FerVoUr

2008-11-04T20:29:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I want to start this post by thanking Jelvin for voluntarily waiting for me for dinner when I went to watch High School Musical 3.

Yes, I did. Watched it for the third time at Vivocity all by myself. It was kind off fun being all by myself lost in my own world, my own music, my own thoughts.

...cAn I HaVe ThiS DaNce.... :)

My wEeKeNd LiFe

2008-11-04T00:48:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

On Saturday afternoon, I went for brunch with Jelvin to NUH. I just found out that there is such a vast array of food over there. To think I spent almost the whole semester walking to Fong Seng to buy food each time I got hungry at wee hours of the night. Well, better late than never.

I have many overseas trips to plan for at the end of this semester. Have to set priorities. Today, Andy just asked me to Vietnam along with Wendy and Jelvin. Sounds fun to me. Its always the company that counts and company where you can be yourself at that.

Spent some time with Kevin this weekend. Went to Queensway for some retail therapy and lunch after. At night we had supper at Holland Village and bought some groceries from cold storage before retiring back to hall. The meal at Crystal Jade at Holland Village was really very good and I found myself enjoying every single bite of the various dishes we ordered. For the record, I had a very bad experience at Crsytal Jade once with Ashwin and I black-listed it for some time. Great food, great comapany.

Today was my race against time as I attempted to please Princess Gwen with a lab report in shining armour, or so I thought so. In the evening, went to do chin-ups with Kevin after which I went for my own personal run. The feeling was amazing. The adrenaline pumping in my blood, HSM3 songs being blasted into my ears and the thrill of running aimlessly in an unexplored part of NUS, not knowing where you might end up, what you might find, whom you'll meet, the curiousity and fascination of a little boy all over again.

Just came back from supper with Jelvin. Supper felt heavenly to me after I spent the whole day just eating nuts like a chipmunk. Missed every single meal of the day.

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

Take my hand, I'll take the lead
And every turn, Will be safe with me
To be afraid, Afraid to fall
You know I'll catch you, Through it all

And you can't keep Us apart
Cause my heart Is wherever you are,
It's like catching lightning
The chances of finding someone, Like you
It's one in a million, The chances of feeling the way We do
And with every step together, We just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance?
Can I have this dance?

...tHiS iS ThE LasT ChAnCe To GeT iT RiGhT...

KeN'S FriDay DiArY

2008-10-31T15:39:00.007+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Tremors and vibrations were felt followed by a swerve of music that filled the room at 8am in the morning. Ken reached for his ringing phone alarm and silenced it. Rubbing his eyes and stretching himself he dragged himself out of bed as the 3 other clocks in his room chimed to a similar beat. He braced himself for the long day ahead.

Knowing that he needed his daily dosage of caffiene, he had his breakfast with JunKok as his attempts to wake Jelvin up from his deep slumber were all in vain. Ken knew that if he didn't do some work in the morning, he would not be able to do so the entire blessed day. An undisputed timeframe of mugging ended with a lunch gathering with Caleb in the Science Canteen. The end of lunch marked the beginning of the day.

He was notified at lunch that his mother was going through her operation at that very moment. Though he was nowhere near worried or a state of panic he felt that someone could have at least alerted him. Maybe there was a error in his own ways when he told his family off for contacting him so often. Knowing that there was nothing much he could do to rectify the situation he decided to carry on with the day's to-do list.

The sun seemed to be scorching hot. Feeling a tad bit agitated that all the buses were full, Ken walked his way to YIH to make payment for some outstanding fees. He then carried on the journey, on foot, to the Computer Centre to collect his new matriculation card. The presence of the jovial girl at the counter made his day and he beamed to himself as he exited the fateful joint.

Upon checking his watch and accessing the situation, Ken decided to take a cab to his next stop, Bukit Merah Police Station. He had lodged a police report for some lost belongings some time ago and it was time for him to collect the physical report. As the report needed an hour to be processed due to the busy atmosphere of the police station, Ken made his way to the nearest Hawker Centre, bought himself a glass of sugar cane juice and made an attempt to do his Japanese homework.

The materialisation of the report in his hands manisfested the fact that Ken could now head to CMPB to get a replacement IC. At the place of huge proportions, he travelled to two variant buildings in order to satisfy the requirements of the IC replacement. All went well though he was dissappointed when he was told that he needed to make a new passport as his old one had reached its maximum validity date.

Whilst travelling back, Ken pulled his textbook out of the back and studied for the test that was to come at 5pm. A wave of exhaustion came over him due to the lousy weather, lack of sleep and some other issues that were cluttering his mind. He convinced himself that every other thing was secondary. This is where is 'now' and 'now' is what will bring him to the future. So, now deserves to be cherished and set as the epitome of the happiest memories possible.

Once back in school, Ken went for his Japanese lesson. Though tired, the jovial and exciting atmosphere of the class made his day. Ken soon realised that he was talking and making noise to an extent he hadn't done for the entire day. After class, he decided that it was time to visit his mother at the hospital.

KK Women and Children's hospital greeted him with a cluttered taxi lobby. Dodging people, Ken made his way to the post-operation ward where his mother was housed at the very moment. Upon entering the ward he saw his father sitting by his mother's side holding on to her hand. His mother was still unconscious and a series of gadgets surrounded her entire being. The oxygen mask placed upon her face made the sight all the more pitiful. Ken decided to comfort his dad and spoke a few personal lines to him for the first time in his entire life.

With the crucial period approaching, Ken told himself that despite the severity of anything he was going to remain happy and motivated as he always has been his entire life. He was joined by his best friend, Jieren. Though extremely tired and full of the aches the meeting really cheered him up and soon enough Ken was into muttering all kinds of jokes that had no ends and random comments that just caused people to roll their eyes. A dinner at a Japanese restaurant was followed by a shopping spree where Jiren kept forgetting his mission to buy his girlfriend's present by being distracted.

The long shopping spree ended with him and Jieren heading to The Grand Cathay where they bought tickets to watch High School Musical 3. While chilling at Starbucks prior to the movie, they were joined by Bong. That was when all craziness went loose. They joked, they laughed, they talked. Ken even managed to catch a glimpse of a girl that managed to hold his attention span for at a whole minute. She was cute, he deemed.

Ken watched the movie for a second time and enjoyed it as much as his virgin experience. The songs were as catchy as ever and Ashley Tisdale set the stage ablaze. Upon the ending of the movie, Jieren and Bong coffessed to Ken that they were never fans of such movies. Ken was humbled and touched by the fact that they watched the movie just to accompany him.

Thus a exhausting day ended on an a high note. Ken retired to his hostel room not knowing what his future was going to bring upon him but knowing that he would always be ready, vigilant, steadfast and strong, the qualities of an officer manifested in him.

...NoW oR NeVer...

ReFleCtioNs & UpDaTeS

2008-10-31T00:25:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Life has officially moved on by over a notch this week. I was talking to Jelvin just now about how I've found my 'calling' to be a soldier and how I look forward upon each day to return to the force. Jelvin on the other hand has found his 'calling' in teaching. I guess, as we grow, sooner or later, we have to chart out a generally clear vision of our future so that we may work towards it regardless of the path taken. Hurdles just detour you, they do not alter your general direction.
** Don't worry man, I'm not going to put in a cheesy physics concept in here although I'm very tempted to.. :)

Last night, went with Junkok to buy supper at 3. The epitomy of one's hunger brings one to initiate drastic measures. Thanks man for helping me with the tutorial till 4am. Appreciate it.
Breakfast was with Jelvin, Patrick and Junkok this morning. After the highly anticipated Electromagnetism test, I went for my Japanese class. Thanks to Ivan, I'm officially rated as class clown number 6. Roku-san.... :)

After, a long strenuous period of mugging, Jieren asked me out for dinner. Of course, I said yes. Retail therapy is what I needed. But needless to say shopping with someone like JieRen, you need to humble yourself in front of 'highly expensive' taste. So anyway, we had dinner at Hong Kong Kim Gary Cafe. I didn't really like the cheesy chicken chop that I had but I enjoyed all the same. Its always the company that counts. After dinner I bought 4 different types of chocolate and 1 batch of cookies because I realised I haven't had chocolates since the last time someone bought them for me.

After the dinner, I came back to hall to go for Accapella auditions. I sang "I believe I can fly" as the open category song and sang some scales and a new song they told me to sight-read on the spot. I learnt that I'm more of a pop singer rather than one who'll sing in an Accapella. But I guess its always good to try different genres.

Tomorrow is my lull day. Going to rest in my room. Then its Japanese class followed by more retail therapy with Col Kui, dinner with Bong and Col Kui. Then its the grand finale of the week with me watching HSM3 again...!!! with Jieren and Bong of course. My weekend will be spent it hall too..... yeah

On a closing note, Happy Halloween....... :)

...NoW oR NeVer...

NoW oR NeVeR

2008-10-28T03:19:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Shoot..!! Score..!!

...aNgLeS BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

HiGh ScHooL MuSicaL 3

2008-10-26T05:29:00.007+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Just bought the CD today. It came with a huge poster that is adorning my wall now. Hot Sharpay, life rocks. Jelvin just came over to my room and we watched the DVD that came along with the soundtrack- A behind the scenes look at the making of HSM3.

I volunteer to be part of the cast for the next chapter..... :)

Work hard, Play hard, Sing hard....

...aNgLeS BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

HiGh ScHooL MuSiCaL 3 / PhYsiCs BuDdiEs

2008-10-25T03:55:00.014+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I bet the whole of Cineleisure knows me after the number of times I jumped to perfect this shot... :)

Its 4am in the morning and I just ended another 'intellectually retarded' conversation with Jelvin. Another person whom I can really talk to. Great... :) Today's day was perfect. Even the loss of my wallet didn't dampen my spirit. Well, at least I'll get to use the wallet Bong and JieRen gave me for my birthday now... :)

In the afternoon, I had lunch with Ashwin and Caleb. I realise that no matter the period of time, one always feels very close to his coursemates because one has gone through many a hardship alongside them. I've had my disagreements and tantrum sessions with Caleb, Ashwin and even Brother Kui, but each time we meet, all is forgotten and left behind. We talk like the best of friends. Caleb looked abit tired today though. Take care man. And Ash, do what I told you if not I'll keep haunting you.

In the evening, I met up with Gwen, Jelvin, Patrick, JunKok and Luigi to watch High School Musical 3. I loved it. I know many people would consider it a kiddy show, but I liked it all the same. Ashley Tisdale was as hot as ever... :) I'll give it 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. The outing with my Physics friends was very fun. I realise that the only time I went full fledge retarded to such an extent was when I used to go out with JieRen and Bong last semester. Seriously, magic has been happening the past two weeks. The old Loke is coming back... :)

...aNgLeS BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

AsH's B'DaE/ JaP SeNsEi

2008-10-23T22:16:00.014+08:00

Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Today was a great day. At about 11am I went to meet up with Ashwin and Jie Ren. Initially, the plan was to shop for dance sneakers for Ashwin, or so he was told. In the end, we surprised him with a birthday cake. Happy Birthday bro! Tried some Japanese restaurant at Suntec called MOS. I thought it was quite good. Shall generously give it 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. By the way, Jieren shall henceforth be known as Thomas.... :)

I love all three of my Japanese teachers. They are really very nice to me and have casual conversations with me all the time. Ever since they found out that I'll be going for exchange to Japan, they always volunteer me to make presentations to the class in Japanese so that I may improve myself. Today for instance, we played something to the effect of win, lose or draw in class. Whilst the rest of the class wrote their answers on paper, I had to write mine using markers on the board for everyone to see. Damn fun.... :)

Anyways, the picture was taken by my Sensei.

Something amazing happenned. On Monday I told Jelvin that I'm going to watch High School Musical 3 on Friday alone because I figured no one else would want to watch it. Suddenly he said he'll go. I was suprised. Next, Gwen agreed to go with me. Then Patrick also came into the picture. And today, Luigi and JunKok agreed to go as well. Might also be joined by brother Kui. So from me going alone, I'm going with 6 super fantastic people. Suuuuuuuiiiiiteee..... :)

Today turned out to be quite a hectic day. After lunch with Jieren and Ash, I went for my Japanese lessons. After the Japanese lessons, I went out with Ashwin again, to buy his sneakers from Queensway. After buying the sneakers, I cabbed down to Hougang to teach Zac. After tuition I went back home for awhile and now I am finally back in hall. Just dawned upon me that I haven't eaten since lunch. Hungry boy....

...aNgLeS BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

TeMaSeK HaLL ChiLL OuT/ WeEk's UpDaTeS

2008-10-23T00:49:00.010+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

So it happenned, my performance of the song, Way Back Into Love, togather with the super funny, wacky and talented Mel and the multi-talented brother Ashwin. It was great working with the both of them and I thoroughly enjoyed every rehearsal and eventually the performance. The performance went very well and Mel even managed to hype the crowd with some funny hand gestures whilst I got them to clap to our beat. Cool. Thank you Ashwin for giving me a chance to create this everlasting memory. Looking forward to our next recording... :)

I want to thank my dear KE7 friends who came all the way down to watch my 3 minutes of air-time despite the rain and hung around till the end. You guys seriously rock. Remember our supper deal next week.... :)

A special thanks to my fellow ex-C blockers. Despite the distance, I can see the bonds that we forged are still as strong as ever. Love you guys and gals. James, thanks for that token. Really appreciate the gesture.

I want to thank all my friends who, despite being unable to attend the performance, sent me messages of well wishes and encouragement. Appreciate all of you. Special thanks to dear Qianwen for not only messaging me and calling me but also appearing just to watch my segment. The same goes to the adorable Germaine.

Tomorrow, I'll be going out for lunch with Ashwin. Friday evening will be spent on dinner with Brother Kui followed by a movie : HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 with Jelvin, Patrick and Gwen. Really looking for to it. Btw, Jean if you happen to stumble upon this blog, the date is fixed... :)

I'll be in my hostel room for the whole weekend and Friday night. So if any kind soul wants to ask me out for meals don't hesitate... kk... Came back from TH via cab. Very random. I need to get some food now. Missed dinner, hence very hungry. Loke loves the world and everyone in it.... Chaozz...

...aNgLeS BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

100th PoSt / PrE-cHiLL ouT ViBeS/ RefLeCtiOnS

2008-10-22T11:34:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Time flies. This blog was opened on the 10th of May alongside my facebook account. In a span of 5+ months, I have 100 posts and 400 friends on facebook.

I'll be singing for TH's chillout out today alongside Mel. I've gone solo on stage many times but never in a duet with someone. I'm quite excited about it. Ashwin's guitar skills totally rock too. All the best to the 3 of us... :)

People must always talk and speak their mind with respect to the situation. Saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, especially if it involves someone else can very much put the other person off. Will you be irritated if the person in front of you talks about secondary stuff instead of tending to your wounds when you fall of a bicycle and start to bleed? I know I will.

...aNgLeS BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

RuRi- ChAn's B'DaE

2008-10-20T17:17:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Happy Birthday Ruriko...!!!! Yay...!!!! :) :) :) Ok, I shall stop being retarded now.

Since, it was Ruriko's birthday today, Takeshi and myself went out to lunch with her at Swensons'. Why Swenson's? Because there wasn't enough time to travel anywhere further and we had to come back to school for lessons soon. But guess what??

The lunch was perfect. Ruriko and Takeshi thoroughly enjoyed themselves and I got to understand both of them to a much greater degree. Swensons' sandwiches are really very filling. I'm still full 5 hours later... hmmm

DJ Loke.... Peace out :)

...aNgLeS BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

PrOdUcTiVe WeEkeNd/ 165 BuDDiEs/ ShauNa

2008-10-19T16:34:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I did more work this weekend than any other this semester. A sign that I'm slowly becoming immune and the hard truth and acceptance is upon me.

Was just chatting with Dion just now. Other than my coursemates, my 165 Sqn buddies, Dion and Andrew were really great dudes. We always helped each other in unit whenever help was needed. We worked hard and played hard. Not to mention the fun outfield routines and 'Capalang' lunch breaks. Bros, let's go for dinner when Dion comes back from Australia !!! :)

Shauna (An 8 year old girl) was very witty today. She told me, "KorKor, (Chinese for older brother) do you know my friend got only one correct in his exam paper? Do you know which is the one question he got correct..... His name..!! " I almost fell off my chair laughing because the way she said it was hilarious.

TTSS
If the heart is always searching
Can you ever find a home?
I've been looking for that someone
I'd never make it on my own
Dreams can't take the place of loving you
There's gotta be a million reasons why it's true

When you look me in the eyes
And tell me that you love me
Everything's alright
When you're right here by my side

When you look me in the eyes
I catch a glimpse of heaven
I find my paradise
When you look me in the eyes

...aNgLeS BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

ThOuGhTs/ FriDaY NiGhTs

2008-10-19T00:49:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Sometimes you feel that you are important to someone yet their gestures around you do not seem to make you feel so. Guess it always comes down to give and take, acceptance and denial, ultimately compromise and understanding.
Recently, two people that I least expected to ever interact with on a good friend's basis have been treating me very well and have thus duly earned my friendship and respect.
Still bothered by the fact that random people can accept your random attitude, zany tactics and thoroughly enjoy your company yet you sometimes become intolerable to some close to you. So is there something wrong with you or the other? Oh wells....

I just love talking in riddles under a veil. Let the smart decipher.

Have been missing the Friday nights that I had last semester. I used to gym at least 3 times a week. Every Friday, after gymming, I went out with my bros JieRen and Bong. JieRen usually drove. Every Friday was a new cuisine, a new movie, shopping with the ever-metro Kui, bending intelligence with the ever-rational Bong or babe-watching somewhere random. My ideal end to a week where I spent 80% of the time mugging in the library. The best thing about them? I never had to ask them out. One of the three would always ask the other two out. So the company was mutually enjoyable to all, no strings attached.

Somehow, what I felt like would be my best semester (this semester) in NUS ever, as forseen by me during the June holidays, has became all topsy turvy along the way. Academics changed, people changed, attitudes changed, most importantly, I changed with changing tides.

But things feel better now. My drive and determination are slowly coming back. Hope I never have to soften again now that I have found my greatest ally. At least I think so.

...aNgLeS BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

HeRe cOmEs ThE wEeKeNd

2008-10-17T18:40:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I realise that I've become notorious in KE7 for not sleeping. Last night I heard chirping noises outside my window Instinctively, I opened the blinds and saw Patrick from the room across. I said, Hi and he said, Go to sleep, Loke!! At the same moment, Jelvin entered my room to use my laptop. Secretly found out that we share a common interest in digestives.

Had breakfast with Jelvin this morning after which I had my physics mid-term paper. After the paper, popped down to TH to have lunch with brother Khee. He was busy with an essay so I came back to hall and prepared for my Japanese tutorial class.

Felt very touched by all my Physics buddies today when they said they are going to miss me when I told them I'm going to apply for a change of faculty. Kinda made me reflect upon how we always subconsciously enjoy each others' company to an extent that we only feel the strength of the bond when we are going to be distanced.

Feel quite drained now. Going to have 4 digestive biscuits for dinner, a little rest and then its back to study mode. Actually, I should rephrase this. Science students are not muggers. We don't study. We just spend our lives doing tediously long reports to convince ourselves of theories and concepts that have been proven eons ago....

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

PrAcTiCe MaKeS PeRfeCt/ AnDrE's B'dAe

2008-10-15T00:15:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Today was a good day once again. After having breakfast with Jelvin in the morning, I went to meet up with Gwen to discuss my lab report. After discussion, went for lunch with brother Khee.
Then came Japanese lessons that were thoroughly enjoyable as usual. Today, my teacher kept cracking super funny jokes.

After dinner, I went for singing practice with Ash and Mel. Germaine's presence there also upped the fun factor by a notch. After the practice, I went out for dinner with Kevin and Andre. Met, Andre for the very first time. Really nice guy. Happy Birthday man..!!

After the dinner, I came back to hall and met Jelvin. We then decided to head for supper. It was a good supper where I just blurted out the days events to him. From Gwen's retarded randomness to the exciting prospect of going for SEP to the presence of at least 1 or 2 very important people in my life. Jelvin mentioned that I do not like to smile in my photos. So, if someone who didn't know me saw my pictures they would think I'm a stern and fierce person. The truth is I don't really know how to smile on purpose when the camera is facing me. Anyway, soldiers don't smile right?? .... ya rite.... :)

Finally back in hall now. I believe that material gestures can never place a measurement upon how much one appreciates the other. Appreciation comes from the heart and manifests itself when one needs the other in the utmost of times. Without feeling, without bond, all promises and all gestures are mere superficial entities of any relationship. I'm glad that bond exists.

TeStiMoNy

2008-10-14T00:34:00.007+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

This post bears testimony to how much some people care.

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

BRiGhT FriDaY

2008-10-11T16:13:00.013+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I woke up at 8 in the morning to have breakfast with Jelvin after which I took a very long time to get dressed for lunch with Kevin followed by the long anticipated and highly apprehended SEP interview.

Kevin and I had our lunch at Vivocity in a restaurant named Shibuya. The food there was not bad, roughly the same calibre as Sushi Tei. So I'll give it 3 stars out of 5 stars. I had the Teriyaki chicken, Chawanmushi (Japanese Steamed Egg) and shared some Unagi Sushi with Kevin.

After lunch, I travelled back to school, to Science, to go to the Deans's office for my SEP interview. Just before the interview, I talked to Jelvin and read Qian Wen's very sweet message that upped my motivation by a notch. The interview went well and I got my first choice of partner exchange University, KEIO University in Japan.

After the interview, I met up with QianWen to accompany her to get her laptop repaired. Her hard-disk crashed causing loss of all her data. She now has to re-do her project that took her many weeks to complete in a span of a few days. But she is really taking the blow very well. I'm impressed...!!

After parting with QianWen, I went half an hour earlier for my Japanese tutorial class. My Japanese teacher was already there so I spent some time talking to her and found out alot about her lifestyle. She's indegenously Japanese, but has been around in Singapore for a long time.

After Japanese class, I went out for dinner with YuTing. It was a fun dinner where both of us kept trying to apply what we learnt in Japanese class in terms of language and etiquette. For instance, we both said Itadakimasu to each other before we started eating. Then, she told me she needed to visit the 'Otearai' , and I said, 'Soodesuka.' The list just went on. Cool, now I have someone of my level to practice speaking Japanese with ... :)

After dinner, I relaxed for awhile and then went for a run to refresh my mind. Halfway through the run I went to meet up with Ashwin. He played the guitar, I sang and we serenated A3 with our rendition of 'An Jing' by Jay Chou.

After washing up, I went to mug with QianWen over at her place. We were later joined by Germaine. I actually found myself enjoying the crazy conversations and 'no-link' topics. Later, we were joined by brother Khee. The four of us the played some suppossedly scary on-line computer game. It was alright I guess. But the fun part was really watching the other three in the room fret... :) http://hotel626.com/

After the entire horror escapade, QianWen decided to sleep. So Kevin, Germaine and I went down to Fong Seng for supper. Although in a daze by then, I really enjoyed the company and the supper. Sometimes, you don't need to utter a word, the presence of people suffices for a good time.

Since, it was 4am after supper, and my hall was too far, I bunked over in Kevin's room for the night. Woke up only at 1.30pm this afternoon and went out for lunch with Germaine and Kevin in the Art's Canteen at Lerk Thai. I had my dosage of daily caffeine as well. Now, I'm in QianWen's room. She's away for dance practice so I'm going to attempt to finish some of my lab reports.

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

NiCe PpL

2008-10-10T02:03:00.002+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

To the mystery person, thank you very much. To Jie ren, thanks for your help bro. Appreciate it. No wonder nice guys get nice girlfriends... :)

Today was a normal day. I had lunch with Jie ren after which I mugged over at his place for awhile. Then, I met up with Ash and Mel for some music practice. Japanese lessons (TB Class) were as fun as ever today with Ivan cracking all his retarded jokes.

I'm in a semi-dilemma now. One over the other. Which one is more important?

...aNgeLs BrOuGht Me HerE...

LuNcHiNg OuT/ GrAtEfuL

2008-10-08T21:56:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I had a very good afternoon today. After ending a tediously long practical, I came back to my room to take a nap but hunger pangs were kicking in. That's when Kevin called me and we lunched out at Holland Village. We had Sushi Tei for lunch. I was surprised to see a number of school girls there at that time of the day.

I'm very glad that alot of my fears and worries have now officially been cleared and the same goes to someone else, of course in a different light on another topic altogather.

Going through events and times with people around you, espeacially those whom you care for makes life alot more happy and un-mundane. This year has definitely made its mark so far with many prominent moments of joy and anguish all bundled into a package we term as life.

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

FriEnDs' DaY

2008-10-08T01:07:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Today was a totally friends' day. In the morning, I had breakfast with Jelvin. Later in the morning, I met Gwen to discuss our lab report. In the afternoon, I had lunch with Kevin and Germaine. In the evening, I camped over in Ashwin's rooms for 2 whole hours and we practiced singing and strumming songs. After that, I went with Sheena to get a haircut at Harbourfront. After the haircut, I met up with Kevin and Germaine for dinner. Upon reaching hall, Jelvin, Patrick and Jun Kok asked me out for supper. And here I am now, finally in my room.

It was very interesting talking to Jelvin, Patrick and Jun Kok. Somehow, the conversations were all very lively. We dwelled into the topic of girlfriends. Hmmm

Many a time in life, uncertainty and anticipation on certain issues causes the time around us to warp, to go at a slower pace. As individuals, it is not always easy for us to uphold rationale, objective and optimistic thinking as the circumstances do not seem to be in our favour. However, I believe that worrying will not change things anyway. Make a decision, carry out your action, reap the fruits and life goes on. Alas, this is easier said that done. Sometimes the moves that you make dictate the outcome of the dilemma, the uncertainty. So clarity in thought is important. You ave a goal, a vision, know your pitfalls and then go for it with all that you've got....

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

5am Post

2008-10-07T05:13:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Its 5am in the morning and I've finally managed to finish my lab report and Japanese homework. Don't think I'll sleep though because I'll be meeting Jelvin for breakfast at 8.30 and lessons commence at 10. Will be free from 11am to 2pm. Just had supper with brother Khee and Ash a few hours ago at TH. Honestly, such meals serve as the only proper meals to me nowadays. In the afternoons, I never have lunch and my breakfast and lunch usually combine into a single meal that consists of a can of cold coffee and a bun or cookies. Hopefully, the is someone out there who can monitor my meals to remind me its time to eat, eat eat.... :)

On another note, Atheletics and Road Relay training was very fun today. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There was a tinge of 'military-ness' in the air that made me even more happy. Especially when we were doing our cooling down run and some of the guys burst into singing some BMT route march song. After that, I had good conversations with quite a few of them who turned out to be very friendly.

Now is the time to work hard and not be distracted. Believe me, once immune, I've had my fair share of distractions this semester. Everything else will just fall into place in the future... At least I hope it will....

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

ExErCisE MeMoRiEs

2008-10-06T16:31:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

The weather today is very nice and windy. I have atheletics training in the evening later. By now, five people have told me that I look like I've shrunken by a notch. Looks like its time for me to hit the gym again.

But I really miss the gym times that I had during my last vacational attachment. The work-outs were always very thorough. There was even one time I flew off the threadmill. I used to go to the gym every other day mostly with Kevin sometimes Ash or Waifu. After gymming, we always timed ourselves to the nearest eatery to get the required post-workout protein via a meal. I guess its fun when you're exercising with a buddy. Hopefully good times come again... :)

Ok.. Gonna get back to my lab report now...

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

mSn DaY

2008-10-04T22:57:00.003+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I spent my entire Saturday afternoon chatting with Stella, Qihao and Germaine on msn. Tried to sleep to no avail. But, it was worth it. I needed the lull time.

In the evening, I went over to Temasek Hall to meet up with Kevin to go home. Also met Nurse Sng along the way and spent some time with her. On the way back, Kevin and me had some Hokkien mee at Harbourfront food centre. Heavenly food.

Upon reaching home, my dog looked like he needed some exercise, so I played fetch with him for some time. Webster can still run faster than me, but his braking system is lousy.... :)

...aNgeLs BroUGHt mE HeRe...

ALaN'S DeReLicT bLoG

2008-10-04T12:16:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Since Alan has decided to take a rest from blogging, and his blog is abandoned like derelict land, I have decided to steal some JC memories from it just in case they get lost somewhere in cyberspace. The king of thieves reckons that its a smart move.... :)

Friday, March 18, 2005

1 more hour to posting...damned, why did i wake up so early.....(-_-)"Well a piece of good news is that Loke got into OCS, happy for you. At least now you know u're on your way to becoming an Officer*SALUTE*=)

Thursday, December 16, 2004

Heh, so detoured at around hmm, Golden Plaza i think, to buy SINGAPORE TEES! 3 for $10! Just nice for me, Loke and Rena Baby. Lol. But unlike the Patriotic me, who immediately changed into it right away, the 2 were embaressed to wear it. Sheesh. I just wore it and paraded around PS with it. Its nice, light and very Comfy! Haha, and i kept singing Singapore SOngs to bugger them all off. Hehehe

** A childish feud over whom Hilary Duff belongs to.....

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Bro! Thanks alot for all that you've done for me. Really glad to have such a wunderful bro. But whateva it is, Hilary Baby is still MINE. HAH See ya at OCS man. Lead Excel and Overcome. =)

Sunday, September 19, 2004

Bro! Hilary baby is MINE. Hahaha you can have Joycie baby, but not Hilary Baby! SHE IS MINE. lol

** Alan's camera phone was always my toy.

Saturday, September 18, 2004

Loke like taking pictures of himself. He looks like a North Indian actor doesn't he?

Monday, September 13, 2004

Loke and Des bunked over on Sat night. In the morning, my room turned into a Recording studio! We kept singing and recording our songs for like what. 2 hours? Lol.

Sunday, August 29, 2004

I love my fellow PPC members! Loke my bro! Rena ! I love you both! You both make my day so happy! Wahhaha, we study hard together and play hard together as well! * Saturday was fun. As usual, after the rehearsal, went to town with loke. Went Esplanade. He went crazy over Mariah's rendition of "Oh Holy Night" While i sat by one corner reading magazines and The Bristish Times. * Met Rena later at Khatib to study. Went Yishun park. The toilets there SPEAK to you and has music playing while you do your businees. Everything is also automated, flushing, sinks, EVERYTHING including the doors! * After that played the swing and tried to make eachother vomit Spun each other around using the merry go round. All 3 of us ended up sprawled on the floor. Half dead and on the verge of puking. Played the swing and Loke can go horizontal man! Learnt the skill from him. =) * After that we sat down and chatted for about an hour before Rena had to go home =( * So ended a wonderful Saturday night. So fun. So interesting.

Sunday, August 22, 2004

Today was fun, met lokender and went to town. Just walked and talked. Talked about alot of things as usual. Life, school, council, love, girls, you name it, we did. Yeap. Took a neo-print too. Damn farni.

Sunday, August 22, 2004

My Bro Loke! For always been here to crap with me. Owe you loads man! Thanks!

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

BeTTeR DaY

2008-10-04T05:55:00.003+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Today was one of the 'at ease with the world' Fridays that I haven't had in ages. I woke up late at 1 pm. So I went to the arts canteen by myself to grab some 'brunch'. After eating, I came back to my room to mug for my Japanese test. It was alright I guess but slightly unpredictable.

After the test I went to meet up with Qian Wen. I've come to realise that she is really one of those people whom I can really talk to. After talking to her, I went with Ashwin to meet up with the AFIMC gang for dinner at Sushi Tei in Thomsom Plaza. As usual I was very happy to see all of the AFIMC people, especially Jill.... :) It dawned upon me how much I,ve grown to accept and like many different types of Japanese food from one who hated the mere sight of Sushi.

After dinner, me and Ash came back to hall. I had a short meal with Kevin and went to Ashwin's room to camp. There's where and when Germaine came in and I was glad she did. Really had a good 1 hour 45 min long conversation with zero breaks and awkward silences. Really nice to have met you, Germaine...:)

After chatting with her, I went for a run with Ashwin followed by a singing session in his room after taking a bath. Despite being in a totally distant hostel, I feel that it is really worth it for me to walk back and forth due to at least 4 people there who are special. I treasure all of you.

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

JaPaNeSe spLenDoUr

2008-10-03T03:02:00.011+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Whilst studying for my Japanese test it suddenly dawned upon me why I decided to take Japanese in the first place. Japan is really heaven on earth. And Ruriko's family made the trip all the more worthwhile for my bro and me. If only I had found a Japanese Kanojo.... :)

...aNgelS bRoUgHt Me hErE....

rEfLecTiOns oF CoNVo wiF FrEn

2008-10-03T02:08:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I had lunch with Jieren in the afternoon today. After that attended a lecture and spent my evening doing random things. Sadly, there was no dinner in hall for me so Kevin bought me some fish and chips to eat on his way back. Thanks man.

I was having a general conversation with someone. Sometimes you feel that your friend does not acknowledge you. However, you also know that if you let go, the other party will never come back. So do you become strong and face the odds to win the other party back by trying your best or do you just give up thinking that it was never meant to be? I'll choose to be strong if the bond is worthwhile in my eyes. What about you?

The same person told me you should never reveal 100% of yourself if not you'll be judged. I felt sorry about the fact if that one has to succumb to wearing a mask in front of his closest friend then where is the friendship and why is there judgement in the first place?

I realise that when someone has something implanted in their thinking process against you, a stigma, all you say forever sounds wrong to them even the comment is innocent. I guess its human nature and we all succumb to it sometimes.People learn and improve.

I'm going to study for my Japanese test now. Hopefully it goes well. Gambatte..... !!!

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

fEeLiNgs ReKiNdLeD

2008-10-01T01:39:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Today I realised a few things. Initially, I wanted to close this blog down because it bears some of my most happy memories which have become somewhat diluted now. So it hurts when I read through them and pray that they'll come by again. Then, I spent my afternoon with a cute and clever nurse who totally turned my perception on things. She reminded me of what I used to be like when I was in Temasek Hall. She also praised my linguistic abilities. Thank you QianWen...:)

In the evening I went to Ma'am Janny's house to talk to her children as I am going to tutor them. I was really heartened by their innocence and sense of 'care-freeness.' Sometimes I wish everyone could be like that. Why does there even have to be politics in friendship. On the bright side, she told me that both her kids liked me. Plus points... :)

After that, I took a cab down to Harbourfront to join The Nurse A.K.A Emily the Strange for a movie entitled Eagle's Eye. It was actually a thriller tha was quite well done in terms of graphics but the storyline appeared unrealistic at points. Since I don't really enjoy such genre of movies, I'll give it 2 stars out of 5 stars.

******
Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri kepada semua kawan-kawan saya. Saya harap hari tersebut akan membawa banyak kegembiraan di dalam hidup kamu. Jangan melupa memberikan saya semua kuih-muih Hari Raya .... :) dan.... Siapa mahu pergi Jalan Raya dengan saya....???? Hahas

Yup... I hope my Malay Language skills are still there. Thank you all for being there for me yesterday. I really appreciate it. I have told many people that the true worth of a friend is determined when they are around you not only through happy times but also through hard times. It meant alot to me when Caleb drove me all the way back home and JieRen offered to visit the hospital. Thanks bros...!!! We only live once and do not know who will not be around tomorrow. So treasuring people is a virtue...

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

I cAre

2008-09-28T22:58:00.005+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Believe me I care
Even though I bring about despair
Days turn into nights
Reflecting upon the wrongs
Vain attempts to make them right
Apology is all I can give
Accept it from me please

.............................................................

SaTuRdAy / OtHeR HaLf

2008-09-28T00:09:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

One night ago, I was praying that this day would never come but with God's grace it came and everything just went uphill. In the afternoon, I had a hearty chat with a good friend who triggered me into thinking about my priorities in life.

In the evening, I went out with Takeshi and Kevin for dinner at a Japanese restaurant called Hana Hana. I am really in no position to judge the food there because I didn't like most of the things I ate there. But I guess even the world's top notch Japanese restaurant couldn't please me with the same delicacies.

After dinner, I took a cab down to the airport to meet Bong, JieRen and Constance for dinner as well as to send Peng Yu off. It was great to see all of them again. Peng Yu (my coursemate and BMTAC buddy), Zu Rong (fellow cross-campus runner) and Dao Jie (my singing partner and fellow Ah Beng). I cannot believe that time has moved so fast and brought all of the 12 regulars into different facets of life. However, once a coursemate, always a brother in arms.... Salute**

Today I saw many a couple. During dinner, Takeshi and Kevin were talking about girlfriends. It triggered me to think that I've met and liked many girls in life and vice-versa. I wonder where is my true other half who will see me through thick and thin. Who will offer me a listening ear when I'm down. Whom I'll love more than I love myself. Wonder what she looks like? Wonder what she sounds like? Wonder where is this enigma.... :)

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

OfFiCe GaNg BbQ/ FriEnDsHiP

2008-09-26T02:02:00.009+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Today, I went for lunch with Jie Ren in the afternoon and as always, brother Kui and me ended up at different places and had to hunt for each other accenting the need for specific directions.

I went for the my Office's BBQ today and as expected it totally refreshed my mind. I was once again reminded what a wonderful place the office was with all the great people. I enjoyed setting up the fire and cooking togather with the rest as Ma'am Janny fanned my back--- so nice of her... :) Later on we played cards and I had some very intellectual conversations with some of the officers there, something that I've been subconsciously yearning to do for a very long time. At the end of the BBQ I was presented with a copy of my hard work when I was in the office on attachment, the RSAF 40th Anniversary Book. It was a moment of pride as I glanced at the very articles that I wrote. Salute to each and everyone of you...

I am going to be tutoring Ma'am Janny's son from next week. Really looking forward to that. My opportunity to do what I like to do, sculpt young minds. I believe people may have the smarts and talent to teach, but it is not within everyone's capacity to inspire and motivate one to learn , to excel. Many a tutor provide the fish but they never manage to teach the student the methodology of fishing. We fail to instill into our young that learning is a fun life long process that allows us to harness and exploit all the wonders of the physical realm and not just a tool that enables us to pass exams.

On the note of friendship, I want to comment that people reap what they sow. If you are nice to others and devote yourself into the friendship naturally people would look upon you as a friend. That said, it is not always as easy.

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

LoNg DaY- fEeLiNg BeTtEr

2008-09-24T08:19:00.003+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

IPPT with Larry and Ma'am Janny didn't materialise due to the rain so I decided to head back to hall where I spent the most stressful 6 hours of this smester trying to come up with a SEP plan. I eventually did manage to come up with one though I think it is not very robust. Guess I'll have sweet-talk the interviewer.

Spent the afternoon with Ashwin as we went for lunch and practiced some tunes in his room. I then went to the Nokia Service Centre in Suntec to collect my phone that was sent for servicing. After spending about an hour at home I decided to come back to hall to study. Decided to drag Ashwin along with me and here I am now, at the Arts Canteen mugging with him.

Going to have lunch with JieRen tomorrow and dinner in the evening with Ash and the AFIMC gang. Really miss all of them. AND....... THANK YOU WYNNE for being so nice too me. Pretty girl with a pretty character to match... :)

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

...aNgeLs BrOuGht mE HeRe...

tHaNk YoU J & W

2008-09-23T23:03:00.004+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Thank You JieRen and Waifu for making me feel better and ending my hunger spell. I really enjoyed the meal. It is always the company that counts... :)

IPPT with Larry and Ma'am Janny tomorrow. To Lead! To Excel! To Overcome! A.D.A..!!

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

DeRiViNg sTrEnGtH

2008-09-23T17:43:00.006+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

After thorough contemplation, I have decided to manifest my life over the past few days in words. I believe that despite all that happens God will be there by our side to guide us and see us through thick and thin. This post is not for people to pity me, but rather it is for individuals to understand that everyone in the world has thier own set of calamities, of tribulations and it should be in the interest of us, fellow homo sapiens to lighten this burden for one another, at least from my perception point.

My grandmother who literally brought me up, who take care of me more than my mother who had to work hard because my father was not in Singapore is now in the last few days of her life. I'm keeping strong knowing that she'll be going to a better place and pray that she'll be around long enough for me to visit in December.

My mother, has just been diagnosed with something that I choose not to disclose here. This will cause her an operation that will render her immobile for a period of time. Praying that the operation goes well and she is back to normal as before. All the money in the world cannot buy you someone who loves you.

I had a tiff with someone that I didn't realise I had subconsciously become so close too. I only felt the impact and pain of the possible severance of such a bond when the person got distanced from me, through sickness and through my sticky attitude and possessiveness. I couldn't eat, drink or study for two whole days with little sleep. Am still trying to recover.

I must thank all my friends who despite not knowing what was wrong with me and what was on my mind decided to stand by me. Thank you Waifu, Jieren, Ashwin, Wynne, Aini, Patrick, Gwen, Larry and Qihao for caring for me and feeling worried. Its times like this that allow you to evaluate who your true friends are.

Let this post serve as a reminder for all that sorrow is a facet of everyone's life. It is how, we, as individuals disperse the sorrow within us and serve as the strength of others.

...aNgeLs bRouGhT Me HeRe...

HecTiC WeEk/ FRi FiNaLe/ BriNgiNg OuT ThE FaCeTs oF a PeRsOn

2008-09-20T16:07:00.008+08:00

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

Pee-ing Togather.. :)

This week was treacherously long as compared to any other week. I had 3 whole nights without sleep. However, I knew it would all come to pass soon and it did. Amen.

Sometimes people have this tendency of treating people who are close to them way worst than they treat their aquaintances. I guess they already have the assurance that the people who are close to them will never leave. Yet sometimes it is the other person who is almost always overly critical and nitty-gritty. Guess every relationship is formed on the basis of understanding and the acceptance of everything good and bad that comes along with it.

Friday was a good day full of weird meals. In the morning I had breakfast with Jelvin. On the menu, 1 sausage bun and a cup of tea. During lab, Gwen bought me a tuna sandwich that served as lunch. At 3pm I went to the YIH clinic with brother Kevin. At about 4.30pm he bought me Shushi after which I went for my Japanese lesson. After lesson I met up with Ashwin. We went for a run around from TH to Science. After the run, we spent about an hour in his room, me singing songs and him playing the guitar.

JieRen came over to KE7 to pick me up at 9pm after which we met Bong for dinner. Since it was quite late and many restaurants were closed, we headed down to Lau Pasat for dinner. After dinner we went to watch My Best Friend's Girl. JieRen's idea. Dunnoe what he was trying to hint... :)

Anyways, the movie is really unsuitable for the young with nude and sexual scenes every now and then. The brand of comedy was funny in a sexually sick kind of way. Yet as always there was an underlying message which I'll leave to everyone else to decipher. I'll personally give the movie 3 stars out of 5 stars.

After the movie, Jieren drove me back to hall. I spent half the night trying to clear up some homework after which I chatted with Wynne for a period of time. Poor girl, victim of Insomia.... :)

I've come to terms with the fact that different people trigger different sides of an individual. For example, wit Jelvin or Patrick, my spiritual self is triggered. With JieRen and Bong I tend to become more matured and righteous. With Halim, I just behave like a clown. With Gwen, I behave like an intellectual scientist. Ashwin brings out the innocent and musical side in me. Different facets of the whole character of an individual.

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...