a journey through the Pacific

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Stress is a necessary evil. A little stress serves to challenge & motivate, while an excessive amount may lead to frustration & more often than not, depression.
I understand that the ASD ppl are in the midst of preparing for their exams & everyone is experiencing varying degrees of anxiety. There is also the nagging fear of failure & many other unpleasant outcomes conjured up by the imaginative brain.

To begin with, no one proclaims that studying is easy. It is simply one of the many gruelling challenges that all youths have to face.
It all actually boils down to the attitude one chooses to adopt.
I have come across friends who choose to isolate themselves, developing an inexorable cycle of sleeping, eating & studying. They acknowledge the limitations of a life without companionship & without some form of social organisation.
Inevitably, they will face yet another challenge: monotony.

On the other hand, i also have friends who take this chance to develop their sense of well-being & spirituality. They discuss their problems with friends, thus gaining a new perspective & moving out of what might seem like an isolated & negative internal world.

It's comforting to see the ASD ppl so supportive of each other cuz it's through these tough times that we can truly test the strength of our faith.
I really hope to see more ASD ppl coming down for daimokukai sessions cuz the 2hrs of daimoku chanting really makes a whole lot of difference.

~Wish everyone good luck for the coming exams.

Posted by PC @12:06 AM | 0 comments

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Cherish's dad passed away on monday. Managed to attend the wake this evening.
It was my first time participating in SSA rites & though it was comparatively less elaborate than the ones i had witnessed, it was nonetheless appropriate & more than sufficient.
Personally i feel it is more meaningful to have the members do the chanting instead of hiring monks.

~May Cherish & her family have the strength to overcome this ordeal & eventually move on, living life to the fullest.

Posted by PC @10:40 PM | 1 comments

Monday, September 26, 2005

Why Can Men Only Seem To Do One Thing At A Time?

Most women can't understand why men can only seem to be able to do one thing at a time. A woman can read while listening & talking, so why can't he?
Women in the world lament in unison: " When he's reading the newspaper or watching TV, why can't he hear what I've just said?"

Reason

A man's brain is compartmentalised & specialised. In simple terms, it's as though he has little rooms throughout his brain & each room contains at least one main function that operates independently of the rest. While this single-minded, focused approach to everything may seem limiting to women, it allows a man to become a dedicated specialist or expert on one subject.

Understanding the male 'one-thing-at-a-time" mentality is one of the most important things a woman can ever learn about men. Take an MRI scan of a man's brain when he's reading, & you'll find he is virtually deaf.

A woman's brain is configured for a multi-tasking performance. Most women can do several unrelated things at the same time. She can talk on the phone, follow a new recipe & watch television at the same time. She can drive a car, put on make-up & listen to the radio while talking on a hands-free telephone.

I can't imagine doing so many things at the same time..it's mission impossible!!

Posted by PC @11:10 PM | 0 comments

Sunday, September 25, 2005

I love this song..it revitalises me..

Really drained today..don't feel like saying much..

Went morning gongyo at ICA this morning, accompanied sikang to suntec,went TTSH to visit fellow YMD lieh hang, went ASD daimokukai, had dinner with sikang & company, home!

Tiring but fulfilling..

Posted by PC @10:02 PM | 0 comments

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Moodiness is infectious.

Hypothesis
When a person is moody, the breath he exhales will contain moody particles. When these particles are inhaled, they will tickle a person's moody nerve, triggering a sense of moodiness..haa.

It seems that many ppl around me are having low spirits these days. It's like the moody season has arrived, if there is even one to begin with.
Caught the virus a couple of times as a result.

Instead of pulling long faces all day & looking like Yoda or Shrek, let us not forget to smile =)

*Do you know?*
The saying that it takes 43 muscles to frown & only 17 muscles to smile is bull****.
In actual fact, it takes 12 muscles to smile(genuine ones) & 11 muscles to frown.

Having said that, im not trying to insinuate that we should all start learning from Yoda.lol..

Posted by PC @12:22 AM | 0 comments

Friday, September 23, 2005

Been out practically the whole day.
Went to parkway parade with Khai Eng & Sikang in the evening to look for Guan Yee.

Made a casual remark of having laksa for dinner & the next moment we were en route to Katong, in search for the famous Katong laksa..haa..
WoOoOo~ With the authentic peranakan flavour & extra chilli paste to top it off, the laksa was indeed fantabulous! lol..

Been thinking of applying for law next year.
On second thought, would a small country like Singapore need so many lawyers?
Saturated market= lesser demand= lesser job opportunities= possible unemployment.

~Just my 2cents worth.

Posted by PC @12:35 AM | 2 comments

Monday, September 19, 2005

Once upon a time in a kingdom far far away, the king & queen were blessed with a beautiful girl & throughout the land, everyone was happy.

Little did they realise that their daughter was cursed with a frightful enchantment.

Desperate, they sought the help of a fairy godmother, who helped them lock the young princess away in a tower, where she awaits the kiss of the handsome Prince Charming..lol..

And so like all fairy tales, Prince Charming has to embark on a perilous journey, through blistering cold & scorching desert, travelling the many days & nights & risking life & limb.
Finally he reached the legendary land of the frogmen.

It was said that the land of the frogmen was such a dreadful place that no man has managed to survive the ordeal. The place was wrapped in a blanket of green rancid gas & anyone could smell that horrible stench hundreds of miles away. Needless to say, toxicity level was an absolute 10, based on a range of 0-10, with 0 being the least toxic.

Reaching the land of the frogmen, Prince Charming was shocked to see only one repugnant frogman guarding the tower.

"I presume you are here to save the Princess" said the frogman.

"There is one condition though. If you can finish everything in this pail, i'll allow you to go up the tower"

Having said that, it lifted the lid & there it was, a pail full of sotong with huge tentacles!

"What the hell is that?!!" Prince Charming screamed in horror.

"This thing is apparently called the sotong. It is the most terrifying gastronomic dish ever known to humans. Consuming a large quantity of sotong will either cause a person to suffer from seizures or, in the worst case scenario, dance toe-teh-toe-teh like a jelly faggot".
Following this, the frogman started to laugh uncontrollably, its laughter resembling that of a retarded bullfrog.

"You are sick!!!!!!!!"

Maybe it was due to excitement or indigestion of the meepok he had for lunch, Prince Charming felt a rush of air suddenly & farted as a result.

POoooooooooooOOOOOO!!!!!!

Certainly not very charming yah..

The reason why Prince Charming chose to negotiate with the frogman instead of killing it was because the moment it raises up both its arms for self-defence & exposing those smelly armpits, breathing would already be a problem, not to mention winning.

In the end, Prince Charming swallowed his pride & forced the sotong down the throat as best as he could, whilst pinching his nose. In the mean time, his stallion was vomitting at one corner.

Finally, after close to 2hrs, with a red nose & on the verge of tears, he managed to finish the entire pail of sotong. Struggling, he climbed the tall tower till he entered the Princess' chambers.

"You have finally arrived, my prince charming"

"Yes indeed. Will you marry me, my beautiful princess?"

"If i tell you i won't look beautiful without make-up will you still marry me?"

"Of course. I prefer natural beauty."

"If i tell you that i have the habit of snoring will you still marry me?"

"Well, i can live with that."

By now, Prince Charming had crossed the room to where the Princess was. Seeing her silhouette, he pulled back the glossy curtain & HORROR OF HORRORS!!

There on the bed lay Patricia Mok!!

Prince Charming suffered an immediate cardiac arrest, vomitted blood & died on the spot.

Now he know why so many men did not survive the ordeal..

~Lol..i'm bored..

Posted by PC @8:56 PM | 1 comments

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Attended Choon Huat's ROM ceremony at TSC this afternoon.
Seeing the newlywed couple kneeling in front of the Gohonzon, one can't help but feel that this marriage is not due to a mere coincidence, but a pre-destined one. If you know what i mean.
Sikang & me put up a performance with a song by Wang Lee Hom, using percussion instruments..lol..
Anyway, it was nice making fun of Choon Huat..haa..

~Wish them all the best as they embark on this new journey in life together..~

Posted by PC @9:33 PM | 2 comments

Friday, September 16, 2005

iPod shuffle, iPod mini & now iPod nano.
Now i know why Creative is losing money..lol..

If you want a portable music player with a rock-solid user interface the iPod is the winner. If you want a music player that records audio, plays FM radio and is compatible with a massive subscription music library at the price of a more cumbersome user interface, the Creative Zen Micro wins.

My choice? The iPod.
Apart for its winning design & the "cool" factor, the iPod comes as a package: There's the apple macintosh to start with, iTunes for mp3s & not forgetting the iDog that dances along with the music.

Sorry Mr Sim, but of all fruits it has to be apple.
And since apple is moi favourite fruit, i could have been biased..haa..

You know... things would have been different if it's a banana or papaya iPod..lol..

Posted by PC @5:29 PM | 0 comments

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

I may appear cheerful everyday but that doesn't mean that i have no difficulty in life. Everyone has their own problems to cope with, & challenges to overcome. I am no exception.
As Xan had mentioned, i'm made of flesh & blood after all.
There are times when i feel depressed, lousy you may even say.
I too was once stuck in an abyss of sadness for the longest period of time.

To begin with, life is never a bed of roses. As much as we may attempt to direct our lives, life will on occasion set us off on undesired tangents.
But ironically, it is this very notion that brings spice to our lives, doesn't it? ( Sounds familiar to you, Celine?)
*Optimism is a force multiplier*

Having problems lately...... .. ..yytellmiy??? *depressed*
I'm such an oxymoron.

Posted by PC @8:44 PM | 4 comments

Monday, September 12, 2005

Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away
If you can use some exotic booze
There's a bar in far Bombay
Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away

Come fly with me, let's float down to Peru
In llama land there's a one-man band
And he'll toot his flute for you
Come fly with me, let's take off in the blue

Once I get you up there where the air is rarified
We'll just glide, starry-eyed
Once I get you up there I'll be holding you so near
You may hear angels cheer 'cause we're together

Weather-wise it's such a lovely day
You just say the words and we'll beat the birds
Down to Acapulco Bay
It's perfect for a flying honeymoon, they say
Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away

Once I get you up there where the air is rarified
We'll just glide, starry-eyed
Once I get you up there I'll be holding you so near
You may hear angels cheer 'cause we're together

Weather-wise it's such a lovely day
You just say the words and we'll beat the birds
Down to Acapulco Bay
It's perfect for a flying honeymoon, they say
Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly
Pack up, let's fly away!!

Posted by PC @7:07 PM | 0 comments

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Thanks to the army half marathon, i have to wake up EARLY this morning at 3plus.

After which, there was a driving lesson at SSDC. Everything was going smoothly when the impossible happened; While waiting at one of the traffic lights along Ang Mo Kio, there was a Toyota Picnic that came crawling beside my Honda Civic, apparently slowing down to a stop. I would have ignored it under normal circumstances but there was this cheeky boy in the Picnic who saw me & for some reason waved at me. Maybe i was bored, so i played along. I started waving back, albeit discreetly, lest my instructor sees what i'm doing.
We were both making faces until the Picnic sped off.
I then turned back around. *Horror!*
My instructor gave me a dumb cum stupefied cum goldfish look. If that wasn't bad enough, the impatient driver behind me started horning.
Just when you thought nothing could be any worse, the car's engine stalled. Damn!!! When was the last time i stalled the engine? Certainly not once since my 4th lesson.
It was simply...unexpected & needless to say, shitty to the max..Lol..
Thank goodness i managed to pass the assessment or i shall never make faces again :) =) ;) :o

Posted by PC @7:36 PM | 0 comments

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Went NUS meeting yest, followed by an invitation to Chinablack, organised by dentistry, pharmacy & medicine students. All forms of lethargy dissipated when i reached there.
It was simply impossible to miss the vibrant energy exhibited by those over-zealous clubbers.
"The night is still young" undoubtedly embodied the spirit of these ppl.
It was so infectious that before long, we found ourselves on the stage, dancing to songs by black eyed peas & shaggy..lol..
While we stopped for drinks, there was this guy dancing on the bar-top directly above us; a rojak of moonwalk, robot & merry-go-round( cuz he went round & round). All combined & you got a classic Gu-niang dance that will make anyone cringe, not to mention puke everything that was eaten for the past hour. At least spare a thought for the cleaning auntie ok?
There was also the imminent threat of being farted at that motivated us to finish our volka limes asap..lol.. But overall, Chinablack was great.
Walking along the quiet streets of Orchard at 2plus in the morning, no one will know that 12 storeys above Pacific Plaza, there exists another world that truly exemplifies the nightlife in Singapore.

Posted by PC @2:50 PM | 2 comments

Friday, September 09, 2005

Avocado Milk Shake

Ingredients:

½ California Avocado
½ Cup vanilla ice cream
½ Cup milk
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp lemon extract

Instructions: Blend the ingredients & you will get the all delicious, cherrylicious avocado milk shake!!

To top it off, ordera Hawaiian Pizza & there you go, a wonderful lunch for a beautiful day..lol..
And of course, not forgetting an apple for dessert.
After all, " An apple a day keeps the doctor away" Lol..

Im hungry..

Posted by PC @2:54 PM | 0 comments

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Uncooperative neurons? Perhaps a lack of neurotransmitter substance? Whatever.
I hate brain-freeze.

Went for YMD meeting yesterday at TSC.
On the bus ride home, there were these two guys that caught my attention.
(For the record, i'm straight.)
They were able to finish off each others' sentences effortlessly like they are telepathic. Incredible but scary at the same time....
It reminds me of the cartoon Bananas in pyjamas:

Banana 1: Are you thinking what im thinking B2?
Banana 2: I sure do, B1!

The two bananas will then squeal in unison: " Its time for the banana song!!"
" Bananas in pyjamas, they are walking down the stairs......"

You will then see two ridiculously dumb bananas dancing away...

Ok, you got my point.

Edwin was asking me today if i wanted to give maths tuition to his cousin. But why would she want tuition when she would be having her exams in 1,2 months time?
*Brain-freeze*
Btw who's the actress that plays a physiotherapist in the drama serial Heartlanders? She looks fantabulous..lol..

Posted by PC @9:30 PM | 1 comments

Monday, September 05, 2005

Love is subjective. Ambiguous. Impalpable.
Phrases like " Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder", "One man's meat is another man's poison" may sound cliched but they explained it all.

My Perspective?
There's no point getting attached just for the sake of it. You may end up hurting the person's feelings. Looks may be important but it's not everything.

It's that someone whom you can communicate easily with, someone whom you can have engaging conversations with, stimulating your mind & captivating you with her charm.
You will have that insatiable urge to find out what exactly makes this woman tick.
Ultimately, you are looking for a spiritual soulmate, not an empty vase. If you know what i mean.

Alas, reality creeps in. Nothing is constant. Things change, ppl change, life changes. Human relationships may attenuate or ameliorate over the passage of time. On a personal note, i value my freedom to mix around even when im attached. As such, it can be pretty difficult to have a partner that tends to restrict your freedom. Things happen for a reason. Shall not digress.

Note: Don't try to comprehend what you have just read cuz the person typing them doesn't know either..lol..

Posted by PC @9:33 PM | 6 comments

Something to cure your boredom:

Upon the completion of their IPPT, 5 cadets thought it would be rather amusing to confuse the instructor with their results of 2.4km run.

Gabriel: I took second place. James was a little in front of Edwin.

Edwin: Gabriel was last. Mark was well ahead of Peter.

James: I was fourth. Mark came in second.

Peter: James was third. Edwin did better than Mark.

Mark: Edwin was third. Peter came in first.

No two cadets tied for a place. Each cadet made one true statement and one false one.

In what order did the 5 cadets finish their 2.4km run?

Note: Those who want to know the answers just msg me =)

Posted by PC @3:08 PM | 0 comments

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Never judge a person by her looks.
I made the GREATest discovery today - Liangyue is a Gigantic eater & she's also the undisputed Queen of Sotong! Horror of horrors!!..lol..

We were still doing all right with the seafood until liangyue came. My stomach churned when she returned with a mountain full of sotong, not normal ones but sotong with HUGE tentacles.
I ate so much sotong i can literally do a Toe teh toe teh,sotong style..lol..
While the rest were eating, mathew and i were busy trying to dig out the snail from its shell. Iszit called a snail in the first place? Or escargot? Whatever. And i was worried when i saw how mathew tried to force open a mussel, worried that he would send the mussel flying into my face..lol...The thought of being kissed by a mussel just did not seem that appetising.

Overall the food was ok, but ultimately its the joy of seeing & chatting with these friends again that made this dinner enjoyable.

Posted by PC @11:04 PM | 3 comments

Thursday, September 01, 2005

" Please study in order to benefit others & achieve victory in life. Study voraciously so that you may help suffering individuals find happiness. Whatever dark nights of hardship you may counter, never lose sight of this fixed polestar, the purpose of your studies."

- Sensei Ikeda

Posted by PC @11:35 PM | 0 comments