1+1=3

Friday, November 24, 2006

SHERYL & LINGWEI korkor's birthdays
More photos will be posted as soon as Aunty Susan sends them to me!
Watch this space.

Us cousins! There are supposed to be more of us.
But some are in Auckland, Thailand and US.
OH! the dark-skinned guy standing behind
is my hilarious cousin, Lingsheng korkor.
His entertainment value rivals that of Sarah's.
Oh ya, he is tall.
Like 1.94m.

THE HUMONGOUS CAKE. Looks good and tastes good!

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Don't look at me like that! I need a breather from revision for exams. What better way than to blog? Reading about global poverty and genocide is getting too depressing for me.
Talking about exams, I remembered something funny that my professor once said.

Professor: How do you measure someone's socio-economic status?
Ans: By the distance of the metal gate and the wooden door.

High School Musical
I thought I was in for another juvenile and cliche teenage show when my little cousin Sheryl suggested watching High School Musical. Oh no. This young queen's orders cannot be defied, especially on her birthday (!) or you risk suffering a terrible punishment - her sulky face.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And that includes a young little girl.

Imagine my surprise when I realized I did enjoy the whole show! I love the excellently coordinated dance steps, catchy tunes and most of all, its theme of going against the flow to follow one's dreams. Despite Sheryl's occasional outbursts of umm, interesting singing throughout the show, the satisfaction and inspiration after watching the musical made up for everything.
All hail Princess Sheryl for her wise choice.

21st Nov: The BBQ (Cheers to birthdays and anniversaries!)
I always look forward to family gatherings and this is no exception. It was meaningful because we had a time of worship and thanksgiving which was led by Godpa. Besides that, we celebrated birthdays and wedding anniversaries! Didn't know Godpa would be so romantic as to mention his wedding anniversary with Godma in front of so many people!
Ha. So fun! There was thanksgiving from my Ah Ma who took the chance to testify about her good recovery from a serious illness earlier this year, all in hope of touching the souls of some of my non-Christian relatives around.
I had a fantastic time catching up with my cousins as well. As usual, our very dear LingSheng kor kor never fails to entertain us with his side-splitting ranting. He wants a wife who is older than him (preferably), can do sports with him and would not bother him with any emotional problems. I was like... WHAT? How to find such a person?
Then someone quipped, find a MANNEQUIN! We began spouting nonsense like adjusting the mannequin's body position so that it looks like it is running and tie it to Ling Sheng korkor so that they can "run together". The mental image of Sheng korkor dragging the mannequin while running made all of us laugh like nuts.

My Blog, my STAGE
A blog has been lauded as a channel for personal expression, opening up unprecendented windows to the inner worlds of the individual. Or has it?

Ask yourself, do you truly sincerely reveal everything about yourself in your blog?

A blog is a stage. We perform in this stage, elaborating expressions so that the audience, our faithful blog readers can sense our emotions clearly. In theatre, actions are bigger than everyday life actions so as to bring across the play's theme. Similarly, blogs are filled with so many blown-up emotions (all the angst and the next minute, hyperventilating excitement), so much so that one can't help questioning: Is it TRULY he/she?
The millionaire question: How much do you "perform" in your stage, I mean blog?
I admit. I do perform because I treat my blog merely as an outlet for my creative energies, a platform for improving 'voice' in my essays and a convenient vehicle to update my friends what I have been doing, NOT as an online tell-all diary.
My deepest emotions will never be exposed to the public, only in my trusty journal book, to God and some close friends.

I hope you enjoyed my performance *;)

*Lights fade off and the curtain closes.

All the world's a stage,
And the men and women merely players.
As You Like It, William Shakespeare

Sunday, November 12, 2006

You watch the season pull up its own stage
And catch the last weekend
Of the last week
Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced
Another sun soaked season
Fades away
Stolen -Dashboard Confessional.

A sense of closure and reluctance for things to end.
And all performers on stage will take a bow, signifying the end of the season.

2006 is coming to an end. Isn't it fast? AHHHHHHH.

Donald Rumsfeld oh Mr Rumsfeld.
In the recent mid-term elections in US, the Democrats' triumph pushed Donald Rumsfeld, 74, out of his position of US Defence Secretary. This ex-defence secretary was the key planner for the Iraq War.
Poor guy. He is jobless now. Here are some suggestions on what Mr Rumsfeld can do:

1) Play "Let's-all-pretend-to-be-soldiers-and-take-the-oil-field" Game with his grandchildren.
2) Go and teach in a military school. Don't waste your knowledge Mr Rumsfeld!
3) Help games companies develop war games. Nintendo and Sega, fight for him!
4) Retire and enjoy life. Maybe Bush might allow him to visit his Texas ranch. Too much war and fighting is not good for the health.

**********************

Some interesting direct translations from Mandarin I have overheard while studying in McDonald's
Situation One: Child is screaming for his daddy.
Mom, frustrated, threatens the child, "You cry, I call police come"
"I call police come" is a direct translation from "wo3 jiao4 jin3 cha2 lai2 (in Mandarin)"
Corrected: "If you don't stop crying, I will get the police!"

Situation Two: Girl is asking the guy, who is doing his revision to leave soon.
Guy replies " I do finish first"
"I do finish first" -- "wo3 zuo4 wan2 xian1" (Mandarin)
Corrected: "Let me finish it first."

Haha, Chinese English is oh-so-wrong. Oh wells, let's all laugh at it and make sure we don't commit such mistakes :P

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
Romans 1:16

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Counting my blessings
I looked back today and I'm really thankful to God for bringing me through so many things. As some of you may know, my A'level results wasn't fantastic. It was like the end of the world for me cos I have never done so badly ever for a major exam. The thought of going to university just disappeared. It seems so hopeless!
I mean, PSLE was good. O'levels was very good. A'levels was like... crap. Hopes of going to NUS Arts & Soci were dashed.
But crap turned into gold in God's hands. I am so glad He brought me to NTU. I am doing well here and I have tutorial mates who are helpful and fun-loving.
Even when I rush many of my essays, they always turn out well, by God's great grace!
Ok, I should not advocate last minute work :P
But yes, looking back, God's ways and thoughts were and will always be higher than mine. They are indeed higher and better :)

Terrorism

Why is there terrorism? Is it because people are poor? That's why they become terrorists? No.

Poverty breeds apathy. Nobody cares about ideologies or causes to fight for when you have no food on your table.

A terrorist is created when one is unable to integrate into the normal society he lives in. This person is marginalized. He sees the opportunities but has no chance to get it at all. The person becomes disillusioned. There is no sense of purpose and hope. So where can you get a strong sense of identity? Answer: In extremist groups where big idealogies are propagated, where a strong sense of purpose is instilled. You know you are valued and thus, it gives you an identity. Yes, that's how terrorists are born.

testing testing. I am practising for exams next week.

Today, we learn about Ng Eng Hen and how he looks like.
Hello everyone, let me introduce you Singapore's Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen.
I didn't exactly know he existed until Zhenghua talked about him in the recent Senggarang trip. Why is he talked about? BECAUSE HE LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE MM LEE KUAN YEW.

Ng Eng Hen, Manpower minister

Lee Kuan Yew in his heydays

Don't the both of them look alike? Gasp. WHat a striking resemblance!!

Thursday, November 02, 2006

The chocolate fondue. Looking at it makes one sinful.

Yue trying to show off her XLB chopsticks power.

Yue and I outside Naked Fish Shoppe, feeling the oomph after the fondue.

SENGGARANG OCT 06

Huilin, Ellen (the youth leader there) and me.

Robin and Xiao Bin peer into the waters

Huilin, Me and Pauline (She's half-indian! Unbelievable.)

Ciao Senggarang!

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

My best Senggarang trip
This time round, it was a much more fruitful trip. I got to know more girls better and teach them games which all of us had fun with. In Alpha course, we talked about how to tell the gospel using colours, very much like SLAMSouls! I can see that God has prepared me to facilitate the youths there.
I went to their church as well but it was conducted in Bahasa Melayu. Couldn't understand anything but I am hearten to see Meifu, Jiawei and the 2 Lipings dancing during the worship. It wasn't perfect but it was definitely pleasing to God :))))

The Disasterous 2nd day of contact lenses.
Poor eye. Poor my eye. Poor poor eye.
When I arrived in school for my 1st class, I realised my contact lens on my right was on the flip side cos I couldn't see properly. So, I went to the toilet and tried to take it out to adjust it.
Imagine my horror.
I pinched my eyeball oh-so-many times, just so to get my contact lens out. Pinch and pick. Pinch and pick my wet contact lens. But no, it loves my eyeball too much to leave.
Many futile attempts later, I returned to class, with a terribly sore eye and an un-flipped contact lens. GRRRR. All my classmates looked at me and thought that I cried. They started asking if I was ok.. But after a while, they joked about me crying over my "boyfriend-from-the lift". BLAAAAHHH. I shall leave out the elaborated details.
I'm really grateful to Wei Ching for being with me till I pinched my contact lens out and flip it, just in time for J.London's lect. Phew.
It was a nightmarish experience!!
My eyes are still sore though. URGH.

Comfort Food for all seasons: recommended by me.
1) Oreo cookies and milk for those rainy days. Sure to cheer you up!
2) Cheese and crackers/table wafer for those feeling peckish in the afternoon.
3) Arnott's Cheese and Bacon biscuits for late-night munching.
4) Marks & Spencer's milk choc digestives for some after-meals "desserts".
5) Cranberry Almond Crunch's cereal to start the morning!

Yummy comfort food.
And the winner is...
Oreo cookies dunked in milk!

What to expect from here

FLASHBACK

CREDITS


Friday, November 24, 2006 SHERYL & LINGWEI korkor's birthdays More photos will be posted as soon as Aunty Susan sends them to me! Watch this space. Us cousins! There are supposed to be more of us. But some are in Auckland, Thailand and US. OH! the dark-skinned guy standing behind is my hilarious cousin, Lingsheng korkor. His entertainment value rivals that of Sarah's. Oh ya, he is tall. Like 1.94m. THE HUMONGOUS CAKE. Looks good and tastes good! I got my thoughts down without paper @ 12:47 AM. Thursday, November 23, 2006 Don't look at me like that! I need a breather from revision for exams. What better way than to blog? Reading about global poverty and genocide is getting too depressing for me. Talking about exams, I remembered something funny that my professor once said. Professor: How do you measure someone's socio-economic status? Ans: By the distance of the metal gate and the wooden door. High School Musical I thought I was in for another juvenile and cliche teenage show when my little cousin Sheryl suggested watching High School Musical. Oh no. This young queen's orders cannot be defied, especially on her birthday (!) or you risk suffering a terrible punishment - her sulky face. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And that includes a young little girl. Imagine my surprise when I realized I did enjoy the whole show! I love the excellently coordinated dance steps, catchy tunes and most of all, its theme of going against the flow to follow one's dreams. Despite Sheryl's occasional outbursts of umm, interesting singing throughout the show, the satisfaction and inspiration after watching the musical made up for everything. All hail Princess Sheryl for her wise choice. 21st Nov: The BBQ (Cheers to birthdays and anniversaries!) I always look forward to family gatherings and this is no exception. It was meaningful because we had a time of worship and thanksgiving which was led by Godpa. Besides that, we celebrated birthdays and wedding anniversaries! Didn't know Godpa would be so romantic as to mention his wedding anniversary with Godma in front of so many people! Ha. So fun! There was thanksgiving from my Ah Ma who took the chance to testify about her good recovery from a serious illness earlier this year, all in hope of touching the souls of some of my non-Christian relatives around. I had a fantastic time catching up with my cousins as well. As usual, our very dear LingSheng kor kor never fails to entertain us with his side-splitting ranting. He wants a wife who is older than him (preferably), can do sports with him and would not bother him with any emotional problems. I was like... WHAT? How to find such a person? Then someone quipped, find a MANNEQUIN! We began spouting nonsense like adjusting the mannequin's body position so that it looks like it is running and tie it to Ling Sheng korkor so that they can "run together". The mental image of Sheng korkor dragging the mannequin while running made all of us laugh like nuts. My Blog, my STAGE A blog has been lauded as a channel for personal expression, opening up unprecendented windows to the inner worlds of the individual. Or has it? Ask yourself, do you truly sincerely reveal everything about yourself in your blog? A blog is a stage. We perform in this stage, elaborating expressions so that the audience, our faithful blog readers can sense our emotions clearly. In theatre, actions are bigger than everyday life actions so as to bring across the play's theme. Similarly, blogs are filled with so many blown-up emotions (all the angst and the next minute, hyperventilating excitement), so much so that one can't help questioning: Is it TRULY he/she? The millionaire question: How much do you "perform" in your stage, I mean blog? I admit. I do perform because I treat my blog merely as an outlet for my creative energies, a platform for improving 'voice' in my essays and a convenient vehicle to update my friends what I have been doing, NOT as an online tell-all diary. My deepest emotions will never be exposed to the public, only in my trusty journal book, to God and some close friends. I hope you enjoyed my performance ;) Lights fade off and the curtain closes. All the world's a stage, And the men and women merely players. As You Like It, William Shakespeare I got my thoughts down without paper @ 4:20 PM. Sunday, November 12, 2006 You watch the season pull up its own stage And catch the last weekend Of the last week Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced Another sun soaked season Fades away Stolen -Dashboard Confessional. A sense of closure and reluctance for things to end. And all performers on stage will take a bow, signifying the end of the season. 2006 is coming to an end. Isn't it fast? AHHHHHHH. Donald Rumsfeld oh Mr Rumsfeld. In the recent mid-term elections in US, the Democrats' triumph pushed Donald Rumsfeld, 74, out of his position of US Defence Secretary. This ex-defence secretary was the key planner for the Iraq War. Poor guy. He is jobless now. Here are some suggestions on what Mr Rumsfeld can do: 1) Play "Let's-all-pretend-to-be-soldiers-and-take-the-oil-field" Game with his grandchildren. 2) Go and teach in a military school. Don't waste your knowledge Mr Rumsfeld! 3) Help games companies develop war games. Nintendo and Sega, fight for him! 4) Retire and enjoy life. Maybe Bush might allow him to visit his Texas ranch. Too much war and fighting is not good for the health. ******************** Some interesting direct translations from Mandarin I have overheard while studying in McDonald's** Situation One: Child is screaming for his daddy. Mom, frustrated, threatens the child, "You cry, I call police come" "I call police come" is a direct translation from "wo3 jiao4 jin3 cha2 lai2 (in Mandarin)" Corrected: "If you don't stop crying, I will get the police!" Situation Two: Girl is asking the guy, who is doing his revision to leave soon. Guy replies " I do finish first" "I do finish first" -- "wo3 zuo4 wan2 xian1" (Mandarin) Corrected: "Let me finish it first." Haha, Chinese English is oh-so-wrong. Oh wells, let's all laugh at it and make sure we don't commit such mistakes :P I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Romans 1:16 I got my thoughts down without paper @ 7:45 PM. Thursday, November 09, 2006 Counting my blessings I looked back today and I'm really thankful to God for bringing me through so many things. As some of you may know, my A'level results wasn't fantastic. It was like the end of the world for me cos I have never done so badly ever for a major exam. The thought of going to university just disappeared. It seems so hopeless! I mean, PSLE was good. O'levels was very good. A'levels was like... crap. Hopes of going to NUS Arts & Soci were dashed. But crap turned into gold in God's hands. I am so glad He brought me to NTU. I am doing well here and I have tutorial mates who are helpful and fun-loving. Even when I rush many of my essays, they always turn out well, by God's great grace! Ok, I should not advocate last minute work :P But yes, looking back, God's ways and thoughts were and will always be higher than mine. They are indeed higher and better :) Terrorism Why is there terrorism? Is it because people are poor? That's why they become terrorists? No. Poverty breeds apathy. Nobody cares about ideologies or causes to fight for when you have no food on your table. A terrorist is created when one is unable to integrate into the normal society he lives in. This person is marginalized. He sees the opportunities but has no chance to get it at all. The person becomes disillusioned. There is no sense of purpose and hope. So where can you get a strong sense of identity? Answer: In extremist groups where big idealogies are propagated, where a strong sense of purpose is instilled. You know you are valued and thus, it gives you an identity. Yes, that's how terrorists are born. testing testing. I am practising for exams next week. Today, we learn about Ng Eng Hen and how he looks like. Hello everyone, let me introduce you Singapore's Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen. I didn't exactly know he existed until Zhenghua talked about him in the recent Senggarang trip. Why is he talked about? BECAUSE HE LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE MM LEE KUAN YEW. Ng Eng Hen, Manpower minister Lee Kuan Yew in his heydays Don't the both of them look alike? Gasp. WHat a striking resemblance!! I got my thoughts down without paper @ 7:24 PM. Thursday, November 02, 2006 The chocolate fondue. Looking at it makes one sinful. Yue trying to show off her XLB chopsticks power. Yue and I outside Naked Fish Shoppe, feeling the oomph after the fondue. SENGGARANG OCT 06 Huilin, Ellen (the youth leader there) and me. Robin and Xiao Bin peer into the waters Huilin, Me and Pauline (She's half-indian! Unbelievable.) Ciao Senggarang! I got my thoughts down without paper @ 3:27 PM. Wednesday, November 01, 2006 My best Senggarang trip This time round, it was a much more fruitful trip. I got to know more girls better and teach them games which all of us had fun with. In Alpha course, we talked about how to tell the gospel using colours, very much like SLAMSouls! I can see that God has prepared me to facilitate the youths there. I went to their church as well but it was conducted in Bahasa Melayu. Couldn't understand anything but I am hearten to see Meifu, Jiawei and the 2 Lipings dancing during the worship. It wasn't perfect but it was definitely pleasing to God :)))) The Disasterous 2nd day of contact lenses. Poor eye. Poor my eye. Poor poor eye. When I arrived in school for my 1st class, I realised my contact lens on my right was on the flip side cos I couldn't see properly. So, I went to the toilet and tried to take it out to adjust it. Imagine my horror. I pinched my eyeball oh-so-many times, just so to get my contact lens out. Pinch and pick. Pinch and pick my wet contact lens. But no, it loves my eyeball too much to leave. Many futile attempts later, I returned to class, with a terribly sore eye and an un-flipped contact lens. GRRRR. All my classmates looked at me and thought that I cried. They started asking if I was ok.. But after a while, they joked about me crying over my "boyfriend-from-the lift". BLAAAAHHH. I shall leave out the elaborated details. I'm really grateful to Wei Ching for being with me till I pinched my contact lens out and flip it, just in time for J.London's lect. Phew. It was a nightmarish experience!! My eyes are still sore though. URGH. Comfort Food for all seasons: recommended by me. 1) Oreo cookies and milk for those rainy days. Sure to cheer you up! 2) Cheese and crackers/table wafer for those feeling peckish in the afternoon. 3) Arnott's Cheese and Bacon biscuits for late-night munching. 4) Marks & Spencer's milk choc digestives for some after-meals "desserts". 5) Cranberry Almond Crunch's cereal to start the morning! Yummy comfort food. And the winner is... Oreo cookies dunked in milk! I got my thoughts down without paper @ 10:09 PM.	What to expect from here Give me the Internet and a whole truckload of ideas, I give you this blog. Expect a good dose of alternative perspectives about issues, and also a peek at my really happening personal life! ;) GRAPEVINE BOOKMARKED Bookfishing The Sartorialist Foreign Policy FLASHBACK July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 Current Posts CREDITS Design/Layout: Naziz