Anything and Everything

Recent updates

2008-10-17T19:41:00.003+08:00

Well as you guys can see, from my previous post about the passing of Connie and Brandy that I am now back working at the zoo. Well initially, it was my job during the hols as I awaited the reopening of school but now that school has reopened. It is my source of extra income. Just incase you were wondering, at present, I am working on mondays and wednesdays while I will be attending school on tuesdays, thursdays and fridays. The most tiring day I would say is on friday because not only is it the end of the week but also it is the day that I have 2 lectures back to back. So far things have been rather alright but i must admit that it is really very tiring, which brings me to my next point.

At the moment I am sick, down with a flu I suppose for I have yet to visit a doctor. It has been about 4 days since the first symptoms appeared. Initially it was uncontrollable sneezing. At first i thought it was my usual "not enough sleep" type of sneezing but the sneezing got so bad that i ended up with a sore throat. I still refused to believe that I was sick and thought that i'd be alright after a nights rest but the next day, things got worse. My eyes kept tearing and liquid just kept flowing out of my nose. Then came the onslaught of fever, headache and cough. By now, my nose had stopped running but it was now blocked, with a huge mass of mucus...eew! Haha. Because of this, I reported sick on wednesday and did not turn up for work. Subsequently on thursday and friday, which is today, I also skipped school. Sigh, probably this may be my body's way of telling me that it is over exhausted but it just isn't the time for me to crash, especially when my schedule is packed in such a way that falling sick and mising class would mean that I have quite alot to catch up on. The syllabus being much tougher and more theory based this year is also not helping me in any way. Sigh, I sure hope that I can still pull through and attain my 2nd upper class honours.

Purchased a couple of new items for myself recently. First up is a PSP which i decided to get after shunning from it for quite awhile. Guess I just felt that it was better for me to have a console to keep me company because at times it can get pretty boring when I am waiting and have nothing to do. Oh and did I mention that the first game which i have entitled "burnout legends" is a birthday present from Babe, thank you baby! Well, I also have her to thank for introducing the game to me which has gotten me hooked....not a good sign. More about my birthday later...Secondly, i've also gotten a macro lens adapter and a magnifying filter, terms used which are too complex for your understanding but just know that with them I can now take close up shots of objects. Well, they are also birthday presents, courtesy of my mother because they were the only things which I figured out I wanted. So yep, that caps my list of new additions.

Now onto my birthday. Just a couple of days ago on the 13th of oct was my birthday and on the day before which was the 12th, after church service,me, babe and our church friends went to the ZOO! Haha, I know that some of you may think that it is boring since thats the place that I am working at but hey! going there with a group of friends is definately a different experience! Well, initially, it was just an ordinary enjoyable day out at the zoo until the point when we were at primate's kingdom....halfway through the arapaima feeding, yasmin distracted me by getting me to go closer to the moat, pretending to ask me questions and all of a sudden, she called me to turn around and guess what, right behind me was babe and the rest, holding out a birthday cake and singing me a birthday song. Boy was I caught off uard and mind you, it was right smack in the middle of the arapaima feeding with other visitors around! Actually I already knew all along that babe was up to something because she had been rather suspicious in the days leading up to my birthday just that I had no clue as to exactly what she had planned. Well, I shan't go into the details as to how I got suspicious but I must hand it to babe and say a big THANK YOU to her for making the effort to plan everything. As simple as it was, it still meant the world to me because nothing beats being in the presence of loved ones and friends and to say the truth, no one has ever done something like this for me before. So yeap, babe, thanks for making everything happen and thanks for being the best girlfriend that anyone can ask for. I really appreciate everything that you have done me, both big and small, you rock! Haha

Now onto the topic about babe, did i tell you that she is a born again christian? Well she is! A couple of weeks ago, I finally convinced her to go to church with me and that was exactly what she did! She took the step of faith and joined me for service early one sunday morning and thereafter, she felt that the service was to her liking and from that day onwards, she has been attending sunday service with me so praise the lord! Haha! I am just glad that she is attending church together with me because nothing beats being able to go before the lord with your loved one and proclaiming that He is our saviour. Now then you may wonder, why is it that i am talking about attending church now especially when i've been away from it for so long....

Well, all I can say is that God really does work in magical ways. As some of you probably know, I have been away from church for several months maybe more than a year already and there was this one day when I received a call from Yasmin who used to be my care group leader and she wanted to meet up with me. All along I would avoid meeting up with her, trying to put off the meeting through all sorts of excuses but this time round somehow I relented. So we met up and did quite abit of catching up and for no apparent reason, our conversation entered into the area of God...as we chatted, yasmin suddenly felt the urge to ask me to go to church of which the details I shall not go into but the bottom line is, it truly is amazing that God can turn an ordinary meet up session just to do some catching up into a chance to reach into my life and try to get me back to church once again.

Onto my relationship with babe, I have to admit that it has been filled with ups and downs. There have been plenty of joys and laughter but at the same time, I cannot discount the fact that there have also been times when we had our differences. Such issues can actually break out into major and heated squabbles to the extent that at times, we contemplated giving up. But thankfully we did not but yet pushed ahead. I guess all these are inevitable as we go along. It's through all these that we can get to know one another much more and it really takes a whole lot of giving and taking to keep a relationship going. I'm also thankful that now both of us have God in our lives so whenever we falter, we will both know that there is a higher authority who will never crumble but who would instead guide us through. So, heres to many more days, months and years to come with babe my dearest, whom i love so much=)

Lastly, just to touch on some of the activities that are coming up, tomorrow babe and I will be taking part in the canon photomarathon! It will be my seocond and babe's first. I'm really excited about it, not only regarding the competition itself but more importantly because I have babe joining in with me. It will be so fun going around with her, figuring out what pictures to take to best fit the themes we are given, OooOOoo, can't wait! Alco come december, if the situation permits, babe, me and my family as well as relatives would be going to bangkok! It's gonna be our first overseas trip together and athough it isn't one involving just the 2 of us, I'm sure we'll still enjoy ourselves nonetheless and like I said, as long as we remain together, going on a trip together just the 2 of us will be a matter of time.

So thats about all,an update of my life ever since my last entry if you have managed to read all the way till here and just a point to add, I have changed my fish tank, pictures will come along in the future.=)

Passing of two beloveds

2008-10-17T18:24:00.005+08:00

In the short span of just the past 3 months, the crew at AFS(animal friends show) have witnessed the deaths of two of our beloved ex-show dogs namely Connie and Brandy. The following are their pictures and a short tribute to each of them..

Connie

Despite the fact that I have not been at AFS for a long period of time as compared to some of the others, I have nonetheless developed a bond with the animals over there. As I joined AFS rather late, both dogs were already taken off show due to their age but as you can see from the pictures, they still look so handsome/beautiful and have not lost any of their former glory at all. To me, Connie has always been that darling angel, watching over all of us. It's not any tom dick or harry that can get close to her and earn her trust but instead, she would be the one who would pick to allow to come near her. Thankfully for me, from the very day we met, we got acquainted immediately. I will always recall how she would tilt her head and trot on her hnd legs when she knew that it was feeding time. The sweet little girl whom i would address affectionately as Connie Girl. She would always respond to commands given to her and over time, all of us have come to the conclusion that she is the one dog who would protect those she loved with her life. Connie, thanks for all the joy you have brought us and for being the sweetest and most loving girl we have ever known.

Brandy

Although I am not as close to Brandy as i would have been to Connie, I can still recall the times when Brandy was still part of the animal friend's show, as our contact dog. Towards the end of the show, we would introduce Brandy as the pioneer of the show and allow kids to meet and greet him. This is when he would enter the show area from backstage by coming down a ramp. Despite his weak hind legs, he would always enter the show yard with grace and even when his legs did give way, he would make it a point to ensure that he lands gracefully so that the audience would assume that he merely wanted a rest. Despite his old age, Brandy never failed to capture the hearts of both the young and old, especially with his innocent,handsome look which you can clearly see in the picture. Although he is now no longer with us, that positive looking face of his complete with a smile will always be etched in our hearts and minds forever. Go in peace Brandy and know that the family that cared for you all these while will always remember you.

Clearing of spider webs...

2008-10-17T18:20:00.002+08:00

Ah, i'm sure all of you are aware that it has been a really long time since i've updated my blog so the following few entries shall give u an update of the events that have taken place ever since my last posting. Read on to find out more...enjoy=)

Take a moment to read and reflect upon it

2008-06-19T09:55:00.002+08:00

This was taken from JJ's blog:

"On my wedding day, I carried my wife in my arms. The bridal car stopped in front of our one-room flat. My buddies insisted that I carry her out of the car in my arms. So I carried her into our home. She was then plump and shy. I was a strong and happy bridegroom.This was the scene of ten years ago.The following days were as simple as a cup of pure water: we had a kid,I went into business and tried to make more money. When the assets were steadily increasing, the affections between us seemed to ebb. She was a civil servant. Every morning we left home together and got home almost at the same time. Our kid was studying in a boarding school.Our marriage life seemed to be enviably happy. But the calm life was more likely to be affected by unpredictable changes.Dew came into my life.It was a sunny day. I stood on a spacious balcony. Dew hugged me from behind. My heart once again was immersed in her stream of love. This was the apartment I bought for her.Dew said, You are the kind of man who best draws girls eyeballs. Her words suddenly reminded me of my wife. When we just married, my wife aid, Men like you, once successful, will be very attractive to girls.Thinking of this, I became somewhat hesitant. I knew I had betrayed my wife. But I couldn t help doing so.I moved Dew's hand aside and said, You go to select some furniture,O.K.? I ve got something to do in the company. Obviously she was unhappy, because I had promised her to go and see with her. At the moment, the idea of divorce became clearer in my mind although it used to be something impossible to me.However, I found it rather difficult to tell my wife about it. No matter how mildly I mentioned it to her, she would be deeply hurt. Honestly,she was a good wife. Every evening she was busy preparing dinner. I was sitting together. Or, I was lounging before the computer, visualizing Dew’s body. This was the means of my entertainment.One day I said to her in a slight joking way, suppose we divorce, what will you do? She stared at me for a few seconds without a word.Apparently she believed that divorce was something too far away from her. I couldn t imagine how she would react once she got to know I was serious.When my wife went to my office, Dew had just stepped out. Almost all the staff looked at my wife with a sympathetic eye and tried to hide something while talking with her. She seemed to have got some hint. She gently smiled at my subordinates. But I read some hurt in her eyes.Once again, Dew said to me, He Ning, divorce her, O.K.? Then we live together. I nodded. I knew I could not hesitate any more.When my wife served the last dish, I held her hand. I ve got something to tell you, I said.She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.Suddenly I didn t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want to divorce. I raised a serious topic calmly.She didn t seem to be much annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? . I m serious. I avoided her question. This so-called answer turned her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man!At that night, we didn t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer, because my heart had gone to Dew.With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. I felt a pain in my heart.The woman who had been living ten years with me would become a stranger one day. But I could not take back what I had said.Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer.A late night, I came back home after entertaining my clients. I saw her writing something at the table. I fell asleep fast. When I woke up, I found she was still there. I turned over and was asleep again.She brought up her divorce conditions: she didn t want anything from me,but I was supposed to give her one months time before divorce, and in the month s time we must live as normal life as possible. Her reason was simple: our son would finish his summer vacation a month later and shedidn t want him to see our marriage was broken.She passed me the agreement she drafted, and then asked me, He Ning, do you still remember how I entered our bridal room on the wedding day?This question suddenly brought back all those wonderful memories to me.I nodded and said, I remember . You carried me in your arms , she continued, so, I have a requirement, that is, you carry me out in your arms on the day when we divorce. From now to the end of this month, you must carry me out from the bedroom to the door every morning.I accepted with a smile. I knew she missed those sweet days and wished to end her marriage with a romantic form.I told Dew(BITCH) about my wife s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she does, she has to face the result of divorce, she said scornfully. Her words more or less made me feel uncomfortable.My wife and I hadn t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. We even treated each other as a stranger. So when I carried her out for the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly, Let us start from today, don t tell our son. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for bus, I drove to office.On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on mychest. We were so close that I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn t looked at this intimate woman carefully for along time. I found she was not young any more. There were some finewrinkles on her face.On the third day, she whispered to me, The outside garden is being demolished. Be careful when you pass there.On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I seemed to feel that we were still an intimate couple and I was holding my sweetheart in my arms. The visualization of Dew became vaguer.On the fifth and sixth day, she kept reminding me something, such as,where she put the ironed shirts, I should be careful while cooking, etc.I nodded. The sense of intimacy was even stronger.I didn t tell Dew about this.I felt it was easier to carry her. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. I said to her, It seems not difficult to carry you now.She was picking her dresses. I was waiting to carry her out. She tried quite a few but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, All my dresses have grown fatter. I smiled. But I suddenly realized that it was because she was thinner that I could carry her more easily, not becauseI was stronger. I knew she had buried all the bitterness in her heart.Again, I felt a sense of pain. Subconsciously I reached out a hand to touch her head.Our son came in at the moment. Dad, it s time to carry mum out. He said.To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had been an essential part of his life. She gestured our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face because I was afraid I would change my mind at the last minute. I held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom,through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly, as if we came back to our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad.On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step.Our son had gone to school. She said, Actually I hope you will hold me in your arms until we are old.I held her tightly and said, Both you and I didn t notice that our lifewas lack of such intimacy.I jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my decision. I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door. I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I won t divorce. I'm serious.She looked at me, astonished. The she touched my forehead. You got no fever. She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I can only say sorry to you, I won t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn t value the details of life, not because we didn t love each other any more. Now I understand that since I carried her into the home, she gave birth to our child, I am supposed to hold her until I am old. So I have to say sorry to you.Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into cry. I walked downstairs and drove to the office.When I passed the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet for my wife which was her favorite. The salesgirl asked me to write the greeting words on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until we are old."

I teared after reading the story, it's simple but it conveys a strong message.
How often do we take others for granted? Especially the ones who are closest to us? They are not there for no reason, perhaps it's time we show a little more appreciation that they are in our lives.
Babe, i hope that i too can carry you until we are old=)

stressed and i'm missing you so badly...

2008-06-10T21:25:00.003+08:00

It's been 3 days since babe left Singapore for Indonesia. She has gone there together with the rest of her family to visit her relatives over there. Ah, what can i say but that i miss her so much, hope she is alrite over there. Furthermore it's not helping now that i am back working at the zoo and the job there is so stressful. Theres so much politics, so many hypocrites, makes working life so sucky. Ahhhhhh! My head is gonna explode from memorising all the scripts real soon! It sucks even more when i can memorise a set of scripts but end up forgetting another set. Sigh, why did i choose to go back?!?! Tahan!!!! 16 more days to go before babe comes back=). At least by then, i'll have someone to tok to and there'll be someone to give me hugs and for me to give hugs to....awwwwwww..Haha

She's 21 already!

2008-06-02T01:23:00.002+08:00

This post is dedicated specially to my dearest girlfriend......

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY LADY!!!!!

woohoo! can vote already! can watch RA already! oops! Haha, but more importantly, it represents another phase of your life as you transition into adulthood(don't know which idiot started the 21 yrs = major milestone trend) so yep, i hope you're all ready to take on the new resposibilities and challenges that will be coming your way. I just wanna say that i am really glad and honoured to be able to be in your life at this point in time to see you move from girl to woman. Though your birthday may lack the pom and fanfare which others tend to have, i believe that it is more important to receive the best every single day rather than just splurge for one occasion just because everyone is doing it. I may not be able to give you a good and decent present, but all i have to offer is my love,care and concern and i do hope that i could be the better present for you instead. May you still have a great day ahead and enjoy the company of all those who truly care for you. Love you babe=)

Breaking news!

2008-05-26T21:47:00.002+08:00

It may come as a suprise but I am going to go back to work at the ZOO!!! Haha! After taking a break for almost a year, i am returning back to the amphitheatre as an animal presenter/ token feeder. But this time round, i am hopeful that i would stay on for more than 2 yrs. At least until i complete my degree and find a new stable job.

I must say that i ended up going back to work at the zoo purely by fate. You see, today i had actually went to Tampines Mall for an interview at the aquarium there. I was hopeful of securing that job because of the amount of experience i had in the field and at the end of the interview, i was proven right when the boss told me to go home and consider if i wanted the job because if i wanted, i could start work tomorrow. But here is the drawback, to my dismay, i was informed by him during our conversation that the pay would be a meagre $4 and the working hours was a whopping 11hrs a day! After consulting my mum and babe, i came to the conclusion that despite the fact that i may be given the oppurtunity to help set up tanks for customers and potentially earn bonuses, the pay was far too low not forgetting the fact that i had to cover my meal and travelling expenses.

So i decided to let this job oppurtunity pass and decided to head home. But guess what? When i was at the interchange waiting for 72 to arrive, i happened to look at the queue i was in and there standing in line was my colleague from the zoo, Tines. So we boarded the bus , sat next to one another and started to talk. As usual, i would ask about how things were back at the department and he commented that it was bad and that they were desperately in need of manpower. He added that i should come back and work etc but i shall not dive into the details.

Basically, all i can say is that it is simply an act of God and fate. My exams had just ended last friday and today is the day that i went for my first interview. It's just meant to be. Well, everything happens for a reason and i have the full support of my family and most importantly babe so yep, it's back to memorising scripts! If you guys are going down to the zoo, let me know, i'll try to give u a personalised tour if i can but definately, the least i'd do is to say hi to you, welcome you and talk to you=).

Freedom!

2008-05-24T01:46:00.003+08:00

Finally, the exams are over!!!! Woohoo!! No more late night studying, no more stress from being unable to complete all the syllabus no more sitting in the freezing expo hall !!! Well at least for the rest of this year. As i handed up my last paper today,i felt relieved that it is all over. I suppose that my papers are now in the hands of God and how i fair will all be determined by Him since i believe that some of my papers would rprobably be on their way to the university of london. I've already done my part by studying as hard as i could so it is up to Him to judge if i deserve the recognition for my effort. I really do hope that i can make it through to year two without a glitch but if things go otherwise, i guess i'll just have to accept them and work even harder. As for now, no point worrying about all these, lets wait for the results to come back then we'll start fretting...besides,at this moment, i've got more important issues to worry about and one of them is the fact that i have to find a job! Coolie worker for hire anyone? Everything also can do(including saikang). Haha!

Demoralised

2008-05-17T00:34:00.002+08:00

Today was the POA exam paper and boy was it an utterly disappointing one. Yes i concede that i had not prepared enough for it but still that doesn't warrant the amount of dissappointment that i currently am experiencing. I mean, today's paper was such a far cry from the standard of the prelim paper! My gosh, we had 15mins of reading time and that was supposed to help but guess what, i literally din do anything during that period of time but ended up just staring blankly at the questions not knowing how to start. That really is a first i must say! Anyway, apart from POA, my next worry would be econs. Sigh, well, at least it is consoling to know that my maths and stats are still pretty alrite...last paper - PBF to go! Gotta work doubly hard to ace it!

Apart from studies, i've got several other updates to mention about. Firstly, i've signed up for the national runway cycling and skate 08' to be held on the 25th of may. It'll be the first time i am doing so and instead of taking up the 6km leisure route, i have opted for the 15km route instead! Haha, bet you must be thinking that i am over-estimating myself eh? But well, judging from the fact that i tend to cover long distances when i cycle, i suppose 15km won't be that bad. Afterall, i plan to take part in the endurance challenge which is the 45km route someday so why not take the first step and cover 1/3 the distance first? Haha. However, rite now, there seem to be some changes. Babe has signed up for the event as well but she has opted to skate and henceforth, she has put in the request for me to do so as well. Guess, most prob in a bid to encourage her to take up a healthy lifestyle, i would switch to skating...but 15km? ! Haha, it's gonna be a real challenge. At most give up halfway only=P

Onto my quest to be like vincent ng, die to the exams, i have suspended training for a week but it will resume tomorrow as the exams are drawing to a close. Giving a progress report thus far, it has been 6 full weeks. Slight difference in physical appearance in terms of a little more muscle in some areas but other than that, the difference is rather minimal. Weight now hovers around 60.5-61.5 kg depending on whether it is on an empty stomach or not. Still quite abit to go to hit my target but at least i can say i have crossed the 60kg mark!

Then there is the pilot thinggy, haha, it's about 3 weeks already since i went for the test but there hasn't been a single word from them. Looks like most prob it is a goner..haha.

Last but not least, i have to make some form of mention about babe. Well, at the moment, she is sick, with her runny nose and throat irritation. Then theres also the cuts and bruises on her legs due to her fall the other day while skating with me (poor thing). Well, i just hope she gets well real soon especially when her birthday is coming up on the 2nd and she will be leaving for indonesia on the 8th. Later sick sick cannot enjoy ah! Haha. Oh and did i mention that she is learning driving now? Well, at least she is now at the basic theory phase...someone is gonna be a driver too someday! Hopefully she can clear them all in one go then after she has gotten her license, i'd be able to ride in her car/ car driven by her...but not forgetting tons of extra insurance! Nah just joking..she'll be a fantastic driver ok! Just make sure she doesn't knock down the traffic police directing traffic can already=P.

So thats about all the updates for now, gonna find a job when the exam ends. Other than that, life is good. And also, i should be returning back to church real soon as well. Been a really bad boy...haha. Take care everyone!

Marie Digby

2008-05-09T14:16:00.004+08:00

Just listen to her songs, she has been featured on channelnewsasia and theres even advertisements on tv about her first album. I think it is a must buy, really lovely voice and i am sure she will make it big.

Say it again

Miss invisible

Stupid for you

Another chance?

2008-04-16T21:02:00.003+08:00

Slightly more than 1mth ago, i had applied for the post of pilot or WSO through the RSAF website once again under the encouragement of babe. It is my second application after the initial one prior to my NS stint was rejected and to me this is just me taking yet another shot at a dream of mine. Yes it may seem far fetched but i really admire pilots and wished i was like them. I can recount going crazy as the fighter jets whizz by during national day parade, cheering and screaming away. Theres also the fact that i will always make it a point to attend the numerous air force open house as well as the air shows just to get a glimpse of the magnificant flying machines. Well, thats just me, going all gaga over the roar of the afterburners. So back to my application...... one month on, i still hadn't received anything so i presumed that it was a goner since they didn't state that they would contact applicants regardless of whether they were successful or not. But guess what! I received a letter from them telling me to go down to CMPB for the pilot computerised test! Imagine the amount of joy i had upon opening up the letter. Though it may not be a letter informing me that i am recruited as a pilot, to me, it still is a possible chance for me to become one. So yep, i'll be heading over to take my test but i won't put so much faith in it. Afterall, whether i advance to the next level or not, it is still an experience to me and at least i can say that i tried=). Well, for this part, i'll have to give credit to babe, for believeing in me and encouraging me to apply no matter what the outcome may be. Thanks! I owe it to you and i really appreciate it.

Physical update

2008-04-14T00:12:00.002+08:00

After a little more than 2 weeks of training cum eating more, the results are rather heartening... I am now able to tackle heavier weights then when i just started out and most importantly, i am gaining weight! Currently, when i weigh myself the moment i wake up, my weight is around 60kg. In comparison to the past, i used to weigh only about 57.5kg. More to come!

Whose line is it anyway

2008-04-04T12:30:00.002+08:00

Miss this programme so much, never fails to tickle my funny bones. Enjoy

Sound Effects: Pregnancy

Helping hands: (funny how collin and ryan always like to sabo one another)

Irish drinking song: ryan and collin are teasing drew because his tongue tied

Hope you guys enjoy it. If you want more, just search for "whose line is it anyway" in Youtube! =)

To be like Vincent Ng

2008-03-27T18:27:00.002+08:00

Today marks the commencement of my quest to have a body like Vincent Ng's. Bought his fitness book entitled "ten" yesterday which in summary is a training guidance book to shape up in 10 weeks. I just adore his body, with well defined muscles yet still remaining lean, not gargantuan. As part of my quest, i have to stick to a more disciplined diet and fixed training schedule. So for a start, i cooked myself an omellette this morning for breakfast and forced myself to eat it (i don't eat egg you see). Also went swimming in the afternoon despite the super cold swimming pool water. Haha, so there you go,day 1 of 70. I'm sure i won't look like him at the end but i'm eagerly expecting some form of results! Wish me luck yeah?

Step up 2

2008-03-21T15:16:00.003+08:00

This is a must see movie if you like dancing or in my case, watching people dance. I guess it's the reason why i wished i could learn hip hop.

But coming back to reality, where am i going to learn hip hop, and if so, at what cost? I'm not that young already you know...haha.

Time to rev things up.

2008-03-16T23:01:00.002+08:00

End of a week long of slacking and relaxing. Time to pick up those notes again and resume my revision. 2 mths ain't exactly that far away. Furthermore,i think i have already started to forget some of the formulas..this is bad.

Ahh.....

2008-03-10T23:32:00.003+08:00

Today marks the final paper for the prelims and to put it in other words, prelims are finally over!!! Now time for a summary of the performance. I'd say that on the whole, my prelims result is gonna suck, terribly. Reason being? I just didn't prepare enough. Last minute studying coupled with the fact that I am not a study person. Prelims being held just 1 week after CNY isn't much of a help either. On top of that, there is also the issue of lectures still ongoing in the week leading up to the first paper. Yah, i know, plenty of excuses. It just boils down to the fact that i did not study enough. But well, at least i tried and i must say i tried pretty hard. Clocked as much as 6hrs on some days. Quite a feat for me expecially when the notes just put me to sleep. So now, it's time to look ahead. Give me a few days to unwind a little and i shall resume my preparation once again, in preparation of the big one coming up in May. Time to wake up and stop slacking, yes i know i've said this alot...but i really have to honour them this time round. And oh yar, did i mentioned that i was so stressed up for the prelims that i did 6 questions when only 4 was required for econs and i also reported to school thinking there was stats but it was infact 1 week later...Guess these are just some silly mistakes that I have to make to wake me up. Well the comforting thing is, better to make it now then during the actual exams don't you think? Haha.

Evaluation

2008-02-12T21:14:00.001+08:00

Well, today is babe's second day of work and what can i say but that it's kinda quieter. Don't get me wrong, i am not saying that she is noisy and irritating but rather that with her away at work, she won't contact me as much as she used to. I used to be able to send a sms and receive it in less than a minute but now, a reply may come in only after an hour or more. Still not used to that quietness. It's like one moment i have a girlfriend and the next moment she is hardly there. Yes i know, i have to get used to it but it will take time. Afterall things are different now, even when compared to the days back at the zoo. At least during those times, she could still text message me even when she was at the entrance. But now, the only time she can do so is when she is "inside" or when she is having her break. Sigh...sometimes i just unknowingly anticipate a call or sms despite the fact that i know i won't get them...probably a case of girlfriend withdrawal syndrome, lol.

Whats the future like?

2008-02-11T18:14:00.000+08:00

After having spent 6yrs together,a couple goes apart. This left me thinking about my own future as i lament about how a bond that kept them together for so long can just break like that. I used to think that relationships are forever. I always thought that as long as 2 people stay together over a certain period of time, they'll be able to last till marriage. But i guess that with this example, i am proven wrong. It really takes alot for a relationship to withstand the test of time and merely gifts or the words " i love you" are simply insufficient to sustain a relationship. Just like 2 hands are needed to clap, both individuals must be devoted to the relationship and no problem should be big enough to break them up. I hope that despite having just marked only our 1st yr together, and that couple failing, babe and i will be able to make it through and go a step further towards realising our dreams together.

A new chapter.

2008-02-11T17:53:00.000+08:00

Picture taken from:
http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_205036.html?vgnmr=1

Today marks the start of babe's job stint at the Singapore Flyer. Despite my objection, she still went for the interview and ended up landing a job at the newest tourist attraction. You may question me for objecting but i have my reasons for doing so. Firstly, it is because she is currently studying and with the new job, she would have an additional burden upon her shoulders. It's already bad enough that whatever time she has has been split between her family,her studies, with me and for herself and now, things are further divided with the presence of her job as well. I don't mind if she sacrifices time with me but i don't want her to forsake her studies. I understand that she is doing this for the extra income and to help lighten the financial burden on her sole bread winning mum but i really don't want her to do it at the expense of her studies. Like i told her, money isn't an issue. What matters most is that she clears her university education and thereafter, she can always land herself a better paying job to fulfil all her objectives.

On top of that, I am also worried for her because of the location of the attraction and the working hours. If you have not seen the plot of land that the Singapore Flyer is sitting on, it is rather deserted and if i am not wrong, can only be accessed by road. The situation is further aggrevated because the working hours can stretch till late at night. Theres also the question mark when it comes to her would be colleagues. As far as i know her, she is simply too trusting and may end up being taken advantage of without even knowing it. All these aside, i am glad that she has a close friend working with her but even so, i am sure that they can't possibly work the same shifts everytime so that there is someone to watch her back. Oh well, i guess all i can do is to pray for her safety. Perhaps i am just worrying and thinking too much but after all, she's a baby to me if you get what i mean=). Just hope that everything will be alrite. Ultimately whats meant to be is meant to be and what isn't will stay that way. I just have to accept things the way they are and continue supporting her like how i would for everything she does=).

The passing of a matriach.

2008-02-11T17:26:00.000+08:00

Picture taken from:
http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_204484.html?vgnmr=1

In memory of the late Ah Meng:

Ah Meng, the icon of the Singapore Zoo, passed away on friday, 8th of February. She was age 48. This is a small entry in rememberance of her legacy. I can recall how when i was young, i was already familiar with the name Ah Meng and as i grew up, i became aware of the Singapore Zoo's breakfast with Ah Meng programme. Subsequently, when i joined the Zoo at the end of 2006, i had to memorise scripts that included one for the orang utan token feeding. In the script, it was mentioned that she was the icon of the Singapore Zoo and i can clearly recall how i would smile and impress visitors as i narrated how it was a fact that she was "a proud mother of 5 children, 8 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren and on top of that 2 foster children as well". I even got the chance to catch a glimpse of her on several occasions as she took her morning walk around the zoo with Sam, her keeper. Sadly though, all good things will come to an end and with life, there would always be death. The same goes for Ah Meng. Her time on earth may be up but i am sure that before that, she had lived life to it's fullest potential. She did not have to fear being poached or her baby taken away from her but instead, got to enjoy the best kind of care available to her as well as an abundance of all her favourite food. Now with her passing, i'm sure that there is a void left behind. The Zoo's icon is gone and perhaps it's time to find a replacement. The face on the cover of the Zoo map is no longer around so it may be time to print another picture. Whatever it is, i am sure that Ah Meng's legacy will still live on in the hearts of many. She will always be remembered as the friendly Orang Utan whom we have known since young and has grown up with us over the years. Rest in peace Ah Meng=).

Trip down memory lane

2008-02-11T17:00:00.000+08:00

A little outdated entry as usual but nonetheless something worth mentioning. The other day on the 5th of february, me and babe went back to visit the zoo. It has been several months since our last visit and it was initally meant to coincide with our 1st yr anni. Anyway, this time round, things were different. Instead of the usual sneaking into the zoo because we happened to know some entrance staff, for a change, we entered as paying visitors at a whopping $16.50 per person! Haha, well, the ticket price aside, our trip there was basically a trip back down memory lane. From the moment we started out on our journey there, we began reminiscing those times when both of us were still working there, as staff of 2 different departments working under the same company. It was pretty sweet to think back on how we got to know one another and some of the things that took place there and then. To sum it up, i had a great day with babe. Both of us just relaxing and enjoying ourselves without having to worry about anything at all. No more being afraid of being caught holding hands, no more having to be conscious of the time because break was ending. It was just a day of me and her, how much simpler can it get? Anyway, it was nice meeting and catching up with some familiar faces, both human and animal. Realised that since we left, there has been quite a number of staff having left the zoo as well, especially in my department. But theres one thing i am really happy about. The zoo now has one less bast**d or does it? Well, according to my ex-colleagues, he went to try to be a pilot. Perhaps he is hoping to fly some aeroplanes..well in my opinion, with the qualification and attitude that he has, the only aeroplane that he would be flying would be made of paper.Think it is so easy? I'd say go fly kite a**hole. Just had to make that comment=P. I just hope that babe and I can weather the test of time so that in the years to come, we can always return back to the zoo together, back to the place where it all started=).

Babe, me and tines with the birds.

Babe and i with the birds=)

Numero uno!

2008-01-31T17:45:00.000+08:00

To say that we've finally reached the 1 yr mark doesn't sound that right but then again, we've really been through alot together to get to where we are now. Looking back on the past 1 yr with babe, it has indeed been filled with many ups and downs and i dare say that some of my life's bestest moments have been spent with her. She really can put the smile on my face and her natural self never fails to be such an attraction to me. I was always longing for a girl who could be herself infront of me, who is simple yet sophisticated in her own way and many more which all these i was able to find in her. Never thankful enough for her being in my life, i do hope we can go the distance and achieve much more together. Love you lots baby=)

Korea Trip

2008-01-16T16:32:00.001+08:00

Yes yes yes, i know that this post is long overdue especially since it has been almost a month since i returned so here it is. Basically just to keep things short, from the 19th - 26th of december, i was on holiday in Korea with my family. While there, we not only got to take in the local sights and sounds but on top of that also got the chance to experience a little of their culture and most importantly, their food. We got to sleep on the traditional Korean heated floor as well as savour their local cuisine. This especially so when we had kimchi almost every meal! But well, this trip turned out to be quite an experience for us-- riding horses, going onboard a submarine which took us 30 metres underwater to view a man made reef and most importantly, the oppurtunity to see snow(well not falling but all over the place) and ski in it! So there you have it, i'd say the trip was to a large extent enjoyable minus the fact that we were a little put off by some of their local's behaviour (pushing and shoving around and the presence of a little hostility as well as lack of hospitality and service). One thing was for sure, it sure was cold over there! Especially more so for someone like me who is not only afraid of the cold but who has never been to a cold country before.

The following are some pictures taken during the trip. Enjoy=)

Seoul International Airport

One of the late Kings of ancient Korea taken at the imperial palace

Snow,snow everywhere

Sleeping on the traditional Korean heated floor

=P Lion inside safari world in Everland theme park

Sun setting over Everland theme park

Jeju island Teddy Bear Museum

Horse riding

Submarine experience

Jeju island orange farm

Local God of earth

Dragon head rock

Nami island, film site for "winter sonata"

Traditional Korean clothing

My my...

2007-12-17T23:45:00.000+08:00

Returned home not too long ago and on my way home, i came across what i perceived to be a fight/ argument between 2 or more indians at hougang plaza.There were lots of bystanders but no policemen..perhaps they have yet to arrive. For a moment my ex-police instincts kicked in and a thought of intervening came upon me but on second thoughts, i had better not get myself involved less i get injured or possibly killed. Made me look back on my policing days and how we used to come across such cases every now and then. Somehow, seems like disputes are a norm nowadays. 2 more days to korea trip. It's gonna be a very wet and cold christmas.

5days

2007-12-15T00:50:00.000+08:00

I'll be leaving for Korea in another 5 more days. Will be away on an 8days holiday with my family. A pity though that babe won't be able to come along or we would definately end up having so much fun together. When i am gone, i am definately gonna miss her so much. Whats more is christmas happens to fall on one of the days that i am away. Sigh, so much for always longing to spend christmas with a special someone. Well at least this time round, i can say that i am attached, rather than being single every christmas, for the past 20 yrs of my life. So at least theres a slight improvement. Hopefully the day that we can spend christmas together will come real soon. I'm sure that it will be so nice. Happy holidays everyone=). Hohoho!

It's weird..

2007-12-15T00:38:00.000+08:00

I think that it is funny how couples can start out all lovey and dovey at the beginning but subsequently start to bicker and quarrel till some of them end up in breakups.. hmm, i guess when 2 people just got together, they have yet to know one another well enough so there isn't much a cause for friction between them. However, as time passes and they get more acquainted, probably some bad habits start to surface and the couple realise that their partner is no longer as "good" as they had used to be. Another reason could be the fact that as time passes, we will get so comfortable with our partners till the extent that somehow,we see things as a norm and inevitably up our expectations of one another,hoping to see something better and different. All these will lead to squabbles which i feel is essential to a relationship. Of course who doesn't want a relationship which is totally smooth sailing and filled with happy days throughout? The truth is,things just aren't meant to be that way..a little bickering is good - to help 2 individuals get to know one another better. Somehow the only place with happily ever after only occurs in fairytales. Whats more, some beneficial squabbling may just be the ingredient to add that extra spice to the relationship! OooOOO! Haha.

Some developments...

2007-11-23T22:47:00.000+08:00

I know this entry is rather overdue and babe has been pressing me for an update, so here it is!

Lately i've been up to literally nothing.. i am serious. Despite the fact that i am now in university, going for lectures week in and week out, the whole exam stress has yet to catch up with me and i have not really gotten the motivation to study YET. Kept telling myself that i have to revise my work, but being the lazy and active me who just can't sit still let alone flip through the countless pages of notes, i just can't start my momentum going. Perhaps someone has to hit me at the back of my head to wake me up because as much as i know it is important to prepare now, my pace of revision is somewhat slow. Perhaps it's because exams will only come about around March next year thats why i am still not at full steam. But back to reality, when i look at the chunk of notes that i have to digest by then,i am starting to get worried. Got to start the engines before it is too late. Got to study derrick, even if it was bit by bit. Slowly we will pick up speed.

Other than that, i have also been trying to stick to my regime of alternating going to the gym and swimming while having 1 or 2 days of rest in between. You see i have always been slightly underweight (the reason i was downgraded to PES B) hence i felt that it was time for me to put on a few kilograms, probably in the form of muscles. So far so good, several weeks of training have gone by and my weight has increased by about 2kg, more to come, hoping to break the 60kg mark real soon.

Relationship with babe is still going strong as ever. We are into our 10th month now and boy am i hungry for so many more! To sum it all up, she is a girl that is really very hard to find. Why i say so is because it is not everyday that you find a girl who shares so many things in common with you. Who would cherish you just as much or even more than the amount you cherish her. Who would always be there for you, supporting you in the things you do. Who would just indulge in the simple pleasures of life with you. Who is just simple and down to earth without the need for makeup and as well as to act as a different person in ur presence. These are just the things i look for in my partner and soul mate. Nevermind that here and there we have slight differences, nevermind that sometimes we think in opposite directions and go against one another stubbornly. Nevermind if she wasn't a super model. All that i needed and yearned for i have found in her and if it is gonna take a whole lot of understanding and compromising for us to reach the end, then that is exactly what i am going to put in because she is just the one for me.

Chirstmas is coming up. Initially it would have been my very first christmas with a girlfriend but sadly, this would have to wait till at least next year because this year,i will be away on holiday in Korea with my family.Prior to the booking of the trip,i was really looking forward to spending christmas with babe, going around to take in the christmas spirit with her. but sadly, we would not be able to do so this year. Well nevermind, so long as we remain together, i am sure that there will be plenty of chances for us to spend this special day together. Someday, i even want to set up a christmas tree with her in our own home=). As for now, looks like this year, we will be spending chirstmas miles apart but no worries, i'm sure we'll still be in one another's heart and for sure babe will receive a christmas day wishing from me, you will never be forgotten ok!

Sort of interested in setting up a miniature aquarium installed with live plants but the only fauna would be shrimps. Yes you got me right, shrimps but not those you can eat. These guys are really brightly coloured and they are highly prized in the aquarium world. Would love to try to breed them and probably sell them. However, to conceptualise my plan of setting up another tank, i need the finances and more importantly, the approval of my parents because i need to find a place to put it while at the same time, it would consume electricity once again. Click on the link below to see for yourselves what i mean by these beautiful babies.

http://www.crshaven.com

With the US greenback at an all time low, was considering speculating in it however i am a little wary because afterall,it would be my own money which i am using and i am kind of afraid that i would not be able to recoup my investment. Guess i shall wait out and see for the time being while trying to persuade my dad to see if he is willing to provide me with some form of financial assistance.

Well,thats about all i have for now,till next time, stay tuned for further updates=).

Can't stand these kinda people.

2007-11-23T22:12:00.000+08:00

Just the other day i was on the bus to school when 2 people came up onto the upper deck and sat beside me. Initially i was unsure of their gender but as they started to talk,i could make out that one was a guy and the other a lady. I was listening to my MP3 as usual so i took no notice of their conversation but somehow,i realised that the lady's voice seemed to drown out the music that was coming out of my earphones. Subconsciously i started listening or if you wanna put it, eavesdropping on their conversation because i could no longer concentrate on my music especially when their voices were so much louder than the artists of the tracks.
I could somehow make out their conversation as revolving around the differences in lifestyle between that in Singapore and that of Australia and the UK. You see, apparently, the lady had either studied in Australia before or had a holiday there because she was bragging about how she found Singapore's lifestyle to be so hectic. She then went on to compare it to the likes of Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.. bragging about how life there was much slower paced and relaxing. The guy just kept agreeing with her throughout and even offered his own UK version of the story. One part which really irked me was the fact that the lady went on to say about how it was sad that in Singapore, we looked down upon rubbish collectors and shunned the profession while in Australia, they treated garbage collectors equally because to them,it was a service to the community. That really struck a raw nerve in me because i totally disagreed with her statement especially when as a Singaporean,i felt that we do not discriminate against garbish collectors but instead, we seem to distance ourselves from them only because we feel that it is filthy and hard labour. I do not see the need to look down upon them as afterall,it is a profession that not everyone can undertake. On top of that, it seems to me that she has ommitted the fact that Australia's population is more homogeneous as compared to the multi racial society that we have here in Singapore. This means that no matter what,somehow, some fraction of their garbage collectors will have to be the white man himself while in Singapore, garbage collectors tend to be the Indian nationals as most of us will avoid getting our hands dirty at all costs. However, bear in mind that the garbage collectors in Singapore are not restricted only to the Indians as nowadays we see many middle aged as well as elderly Chinese and Malay folks clearing rubbish and even sifting through them to pick out whatever is useful. I disliked the fact that all through the entire time, the lady kept saying that it was very sad that Singapore was in this state because somehow i do not see things eye to eye. She then went on to brag about how having too much stress is no good but having a little is productive and also how she could not stay at home and live without working. After listening to all the crap she had to say, i was waiting to see where she alighted and guess what, she alighted at the Macritchie area, a place wiith lots of private housing. I even got a glimpse of her, sporting an all black outfit and even wearing a pair of black shades aboard the bus. So my conclusion is simple,that she is quite well off, probably even a "tai tai". That left me pondering, if Singapore really is such a sad place to live in and has so much to learn from Australia, why then would she be staying in this country, depending on it for her peace and prosperity? And if Singaporeans really do look down on garbage collectors, why then isn't she a garbage collector herself so that she could further prove her point? The simple fact about the area she lives in just contradicts her statement. If this country is such a disappointment,then go elsewhere, we don't need a 2 headed snake living amongst us. Instead of shooting our mouths off like her,i am sure that there are other more pressing issues that we should draw our attention to.

9th anniversary

2007-11-02T22:20:00.000+08:00

To babe: This may seem like a replica of your entry but it is just me stating my version of it. =P

Just 2 days ago,me and babe marked our 9th month anniversary together. Basically as usual,we would try to discuss about where to go and since we could not really come up with anywhere special to make our presence felt,we went with babe's theory of it is not the destination that is important but rather it is the journey that matters". (adapted from my theory of it is not where we go or what we do that is important,but rather who i am with that matters) So in the end,we ended up at one of our usual haunts,vivocity. When we were there,true enough, we were so engrossed with one another that the entire time,we did not realise that we were going around in circles(typical us lah). At first we contemplated watching The Game Plan as it was a movie that we had long anticipated to watch but we stopped short of doing so as babe made sense in her next theory - "why spend $8 on a movie when we can catch it at $6.50". Haha..so guess what, we channelled our funds towards something else more worthwhile - a ride each on Sentosa's cineblast. Though the cost of it was higher than a movie (at 1$12.50 per person) , it was nonetheless something which we had never experienced before so why not? Turned out it was a 3D simulator ride(the 3D effect did not seem to be working for both of us because everything was just so blur) just that there was a greater feel of personal space with each miniature simulator holding up to only 4 people. So me and babe climbed into our own simulator and soon,we were immersed in our own world. The ride was so bumpy that babe clung onto my arm as though for dear life but don't get me wrong, i liked that feeling of being able to be that pillar of strength( more like bamboo) for her. Seeing her holding onto me just made me feel loved and trusted by her=). Throughout the ride, i also made some noises and screams to enhance the ride for her and looking at her laughing away just put the smile upon my face.

Thereafter we returned back to vivocity for yet another walk around and before long, it was time to decide on a place for our dinner. Since we already had a meal of fish and co. earlier in the month,that had already counted as our anniversary meal being brought forward and at that time, babe also happily agreed that that should be it and according to her on the actual day itself we will "just eat char kway tiao lorhz". Haha. But the funny part is, despite the numerous destinations like the foodcourt and hawker centre that i could come up with,they were rejected by babe one by one. So in the end,guess where we went! Sakae sushi! Lol...but i would like to state that i was not forced..somehow i had the craving as well and since it was really our anniversary and that babe looked so pityful,we went ahead with it instead of CHAR KWAY TIAO. During dinner,i made a booboo which babe happily mentioned in her blog entry. I had asked her if they would provide me with another packet of green tea because mine was getting diluted from the numerous times i had topped it up with hot water. It was really a genuine and innocent mistake on my part because i really thought that they were providing me free flow of green tea but turned out only the water was free flow. But oh well,babe had a great time laughing at me so ok lah, at least my booboo did something good.

Before making our way home, we sat outside vivocity by the sea and just spent time talking to one another. In the midst of it,babe leant her head back exposing her neck to me and i suddenly had the urge to tickle her and that was exactly what i did! But what happened next was totally unexpected, babe actually struck me in the nose in self defense or as a natural reaction,whichever way you wanna see it. Thank goodness it wasn't a hard one and that my nose doesn't bleed if not,it would really have been a truly memorable 9th anniversary.

Well,to sum it all up, this anniversary,just like the others we've had so far is truly memorable in it's own way. But none of these could be possible if it wasn't for her - my most beloved girlfriend. My world basically revolves around her,i will be happy for as long as she is. Seeing her laugh and be filled with happiness because of me is the greatest accomplishment and satisfaction for me. I want to live each day knowing that i am able to bring my loved one joy and happiness. That because of me,she is able to put her fears and troubles aside and just live for the moment. These are the many special and precious moments that we share and i never ever want them to cease. Everything that has taken place in our lives did not occur purely by coincidence. Being able to understand one another, read one another's minds,say the same things at the same time, make decisions together are not things that come by easily. It takes a whole lot of chemistry for them to be present in a relationship. I am just glad to have been able to meet her and be her better half just as she has been my better half. May all these last till the end of time because 9's DEFINATELY NOT ENOUGH.

Which worths more? Money or friendship?

2007-10-26T15:23:00.000+08:00

Last yr,i was approached by a friend of mine whom i used to be close because according to him, his family had apparently encountered some financial problems. As such,he wanted to know if i was able to lend him some money. On the account of our friendship,i decided to lend him $250 and i even made the effort to travel from my house to the central just to transfer the money to his account upon hanging up the phone. He sounded so appreciative then and even pledged to return the money soon but guess what,a year has passed and not only did i not get back my money,he has even ignored my countless messages and numerous phone calls. And just last nite,i figured out that enough was enough. I had given him 5 missed calls during the day and at night i tried to call him again when he did not even return any of my calls. The first call i could call through but nobody picked up the phone. On the second attempt,he hung up my phone as i was trying to call through and the third attempt,worst still, i was directed instantly to the voicemail which meant that he had turned his phone off. A check with one of my friend revealed that not only did he default on my repayment,he had also failed to return another $50 which my friend had lent him. I will not be suprised if there were others who were tricked into parting with their monies as well all in the nature of trying to help a friend in need. So i guess this proves it, for $250,i saw through the true colours of a "friend". So much for trusting him. Indeed i have learnt a very important and rather costly lesson,that some people may just choose money over friendship.

Winning entries for Digital Life Canon photomarathon

2007-10-23T21:49:00.000+08:00

Just for the record,here is the link to the winning entries for the Singapore leg of the Digital life Canon Photomarathon.

http://www.photomarathonasia.com/singapore/winners.html

In my opinion,some of the pictures deserved to win but then again,i also felt that several others should not have been in the winners list because they were doctored(unnatural) or they were basically capturing nonsense. I feel that a picture,especially one submitted for a competition,should capture a natural moment rather than one that was deliberately staged. Also,pictures could have reflected the 3 themes much better. Looking back on the works of others which i saw the other day, i felt that many others would have deserved to win but oh well, it is over, and things like these are just so subjective,purely based on the individual's preference.

Digital life, Canon photomarathon 2007

2007-10-21T15:48:00.000+08:00

You may have heard it in the news or read about it in the newspapers but i bet you did not experience it real life like i did! Yes,i had signed up for the Digital life, Canon photomarathon held at Suntec yesterday, 20th of november and i was part of the 1086 participants that may propel Singapore into the guiness book of world records for having the most number of participants in a photography competition!

Don't express shock at the fact that i took part in such a competition and do not be suprised that i enjoy photography because the truth is,i do! Infact i enjoy it to the entent that i have spent over $3000 till date on equipment just for the hobby.

I decided to join yesterday's competition after reading about it in the newspapers and since i had never taken part in one before,i decided to go for it just for the fun of it and to gain some experience but i admit that it was a little crazy to join a MARATHON on my first attempt.

So heres a breakdown of the competition. Being termed a marathon,the whole competition spanned 9 hours. It was divided into three themes and contestants had 3 hours to complete the assignment for each theme. We were allowed to go anywhere to snap our pictures but at the end of the 3 hours,we had to report back to Suntec city to upload a picture of our choice before we were assigned the next theme. The competition took us to all over Singapore and at the end of it,pictures of various subjects with different stories to tell were submitted all based on the individual photographer's defination of the theme.

So without much further crapping, here are my 3 submissions for the various themes and other pictures which i feel deserve to be placed on my blog, do enjoy=).

Theme 1: PASSION

I interpreted passion as being passion to do something and in this case,the passion of a child when it comes to playing with water.

Theme 2: CHALLENGE

I interpreted it as a challenge in doing something and in this case,the challenge of winning 4D. Unfortunately i was rushing so i couldn't get a clear picture involving a 4D slip and a huge crowd in the background.

Theme 3: PLAYTIME

The first thing that comes to mind is children at play so i went to vivocity to capture this picture. I deliberately included the phtography in the foreground by blurring it and putting emphasis on the child because i wanted to create the impression that the child's playtime is a photographer's playtime too to capture the action. one of my favourite pictures from the competition...

Reject pictures:

Here are the reject pictures grouped according to their respective themes.

PASSION

CHALLENGE

PLAYTIME

Turning 21

2007-10-18T12:51:00.000+08:00

I know it has been a couple of days but here are some pictures taken from my 21st Birthday Celebration. A many thanks to all who turned up to celebrate this occasion with me and i sure hope that all of you had a great time that night despite the fact that the location was a little out of the way for almost all of you and of course,thanks for all your presents.

Thanks to my parents who brought me into this world and who have taken care of me for the past 21 yrs of my life as well as nurtured me into who I am today. Without them,i would be non-existent and without them, I would have achieved nothing.

And of course a special thanks to my beloved girlfriend. Thanks babe for being in my life and making the effort to come over,help me out with the preparations and being with me when i needed you most. Without you,my world would just be dull and void of the love that we share=).

I really appreciate everything that all of you have done for me and my apologies if in any way i have offended or failed to entertain you guys properly.

So without further a do,here are the pictures taken the other night.

Those who made it all possible.

My dearest family...girlfriend included!

My beloved Girlfriend and I on my 21st

My best friend,JJ and I...what happened immediately after this picture was taken is totally classified..

2 of my closer girl-friends from secondary school..SL and Yufen

My Nanny and her family.

NCC buddies since SEC 1

JC classmates

And of course not forgetting my dearest cousins...

The candid moments.

The NCC guys playing some games amongst themselves.

The 2 little ones, Katrina and Shanice...one is my cousin and the other my niece.

JC guys talking amongst themselves.

Ah...cake cutting time.

Thats my youngest bro Rodrick who coincidentally shares the same birthday as me,only 11 yrs younger.

Genuine happiness??.....I'm sure it is=)

I guess the photographer likes my side/back view better.

Babe looks really good in this pic...as for the others,they look really natural.

SL and I...she has been a great friend and a great listening ear, friends forever !

More pictures...

Well thats all folks. Once again thanks to all for coming and for marking that special day with me. Sorry if i wasn't a good host and was unable to entertain all of you. Well at least i am glad it is all over. Like what yufen said,hosting is really a very tough thing to do especially when you have to be at so many places at one time. If you notice from the pictures,i was perspiring quite badly and that is proof to show how taxing it can be. Though that day was supposed to be a special and joyous one, i was not totally happy about it, probably because of the fact that i was sick. Well, it is all over...next up,babe's 21st! Haha

Heaving a sigh of relief..

2007-10-11T22:12:00.001+08:00

For the past couple of days maybe even weeks,i have seen her being all stressed out over her project assignment. First there were the instances when her group mates were not being responsible. Not only did they not do a good job at completing their tasks at hand,a particular one of them even went a step further as to deny that she had been tasked to do a particular part in a bid to shirk reponsibility. Well,these words from babe's mouth coupled with her stressed look convinced me that babe was indeed in lots of stress over her project. Well,i can't blame her especially when project work alone made up 30% of the entire assessment criteria. Today i had the liberty of seeing for it myself when i went to babe's house to supposedly accompany her to go for a jog. While i was there, babe was tying up the loose ends of the project and printing everything out. Scrolling through the heaps of gathered information, she was trying to pick out any mistakes which have been passed over if any. Finally convinced that things were alrite,she went on to print everything out,but that was not the end of it. Things were not as simple as pressing print and leaving the printer to do it's job. Babe kept reviewing the printed material to make sure that they were flawless. Finally with my assistance in arranging everything nicely,the printing was completed. In a sense the project had been concluded but as babe had commented,everything is still uncertain until the results are out but for now,all that can be done has been done..perhaps there might be a mistake lurking somewhere(not to scare you babe) but where things are standing,i feel that she has already done a good job and sacrificed alot. Time to catch up on some lost sleep and put things aside, Until the next project comes up next semester,lets heave a sigh of relief that this one is now over, i love you.

I can't stand it..

2007-10-06T12:39:00.000+08:00

Ok,for the guys out there,here are somethings you should take note of if you want to be an effective boyfriend (in my opinion).

1) When out shopping, please,i mean please for goodness sake, hold the door for the females if not at least your girlfriend and not let the door just slam shut on their faces..this is the most basic thing a gentlemen must do.

2) When at the foodcourt or hawker centre,you may consider offering to help your girlfriend to purchase her food or the least you can do is to allow the lady to purchase her food first before you do so but please at no time be a loser and get her to purchase your food while you sit at the table as though you were glued to the seat.

3) When in a moving public transport eg. bus or mrt, let the lady take a seat or allow her to lean against the glass panel..what i am emphasizing over here is that she has a comfortable and fall-free journey rather than you be the one feeling all comfortable while she struggles desperately to balance herself.

4) Whereever you are,be it at the cinema,or in the bus,allow your girlfriend to lie on your shoulder or lap instead of you resting your good for nothing head on hers. If you are one of those who does the resting instead of your girlfriend,i think it is time to wake up and stop being such a loser. Your girlfriend may not mind it but please remember that she should be the one taken care of not taking care of you.

In my opinion these are the basic must do's and musn't do's. Hope it has been enriching to improve yourself as a boyfriend.

Truly fantastic

2007-10-04T18:58:00.000+08:00

She who says the same words as me at times,who believes in me when i don't, who supports me even when no one else does, who loves me ever so deeply, thats my babe. Ah,we're now into our 9th mth of being together and though it ain't long,at least i can say that it is a milestone - simply because we've been through a whole lot during this period of time. There'll always be those happy moments,filled with laughter and never ending sweetness but then again,who can ever forget the times we disagreed with one another,when neither of us would budge and give in to the other and when both of us would stubbornly stand our ground. In our own words,we were simply being a nehneh or nehnehs to say. But all these sourness and bitterness aside,this relationship is indeed special. It's foundation is so much more sound - built upon trust and the determination to press on no matter what. Taking a look around, i know that there are couples out there who have made it further than us and are still together but then again, how many couples have started out after us but ended up going apart while we're still together? Even more apalling is the fact that people we know who have been in a relationship for a shorter period than us are actually getting engaged and to take it one step further,even getting married. I am stating this not because i am envious of them but rather,i feel that such decisions may be a little hasty. Afterall,it is only thorugh time that you can know a person better so i doubt that under such a circumstance of knowing someone only for a few months can a person be certain that his or her partner is the right one. Only time can tell if 2 people will really be able to live with one another. The initial stage may still be premature to decide as it is still in the honeymoon period,i'd rather wait a couple more years before i make the life changing decision. Marriage is not a joking matter,it is a lifelong commitment and bond between 2 people. For now,babe and i seem truly made for one another but then again,there's still some distance to go. Despite all these,i am optimistic that we can make it and i really want it to happen,especially so when she has been such a truly fantastic girlfriend of mine=).

Choices...

2007-10-02T21:13:00.000+08:00

Just the other day,i was talking to babe and suddenly the topic of prostitution came up. The question that arose was, why did they want to do it? Well,it's really puzzling as to why these women want to choose the flesh trade out of all the possible jobs that are out there. My stand is simple,that since they have hands and legs,they could easily find themselves a job. Though it may not earn them much or rather as much as prostitution would,it is nonetheless a much more societal-acceptable job and on top of that,they need not degrade themselves and put themselves at the mercy of their clients or worse still,diseases. From what i see,the bulk of them who are in this trade are probably in it for the money. They couldn't care less about how society views them probably because to them,it's just their livelihood. As for how they can go about convincing themselves to sleep with stangers, from what me and babe discussed, it could be that they assume themselves to be sleeping with someone they truly love so as to get into the "mood" or perhaps they have just numbed themselves to all that is going on to the extent that their body is now just an outer shell,meant to help them make money. Whatever the reason is,i believe that the social stigmatism towards them will always be there. It is just not so simple to convince the general public to accept what they are doing. Afterall,sex is supposed to take place under the conditions of love or at the least bit,infatuation as in the case of one night stands. Till the very day that society warms up to such a trade,i believe that there will be many other people out there like me who would question why is it that these women or men would make such choices in life.

HAIRSPRAY

2007-08-28T18:05:00.000+08:00

Taken from : http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809751355/photo/970437997

In a few words:
A must watch! This movie is based upon the 1988 John Waters cult classic film and critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning Broadway hit musical by the same name. In summary,this show focuses on the main character Tracy Turnblad,played by Nikki Blonsky. In the show,Tracy sets out to realise her dream of being on the Corny Collin's show as well as to pursue her goal of uniting the white and black community by pushing for integration when it comes to performing on the show.

The Cast:
John Travolta(Edna Turnblad), Queen Latifah(Motormouth Maybelle), Amanda Bynes(Penny Pingleton), Nicole Blonsky(Tracy Turnblad), Zac Efron(Link Larkin), Elijah Kelley(Seaweed), Michelle Pfeiffer(Velma Von Tussle), Brittany Snow(Amber Von Tussle), Christopher Walken(Wilbur Turnblad), Allison Janney(Prudy Pingleton), Shane Simpson(Skillet), Tanee McCall(Dynamites), Sarah Francis(Janetta), James Marsden(Corny Collins), Jerry Stiller(Mr. Pinky), Paul Dooley(Mr. Spritzer), Taylor Parks(Little Inez)

Taken from : http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809751355/cast

The full picture :
Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion--dancing. Her dream is to appear on "The Corny Collins Show," Baltimore's hippest dance party on TV. Tracy seems a natural fit for the show except for one not-so-little problem--she doesn't fit in. Her plus-sized figure has always set her apart from the cool crowd, which she is reminded of by her loving but overly protective plus-sized mother, Edna. That doesn't stop Tracy because if there is one thing that this girl knows, it's that she was born to dance. After wowing Corny Collins at her high school dance, Tracy wins a spot on his show and becomes an instant on-air sensation, much to the chagrin of the show's reigning princess, Amber Von Tussle, and her scheming mother, Velma, who runs television station WYZT. Even worse for Amber is the fact that it's not just the audience who loves the new girl in town; Amber's sweetheart, Link Larkin, seems to be smitten with Tracy's charms as well. This dance party gets personal as a bitter feud erupts between the girls as they compete for the coveted "Miss Teenage Hairspray" crown. At school, however, a short stint in detention and raised-eyebrows caused by the budding relationship between her best friend Penny Pingleton and Seaweed opens Tracy's eyes to a bigger issue than the latest dance craze or the coolest hairdo--racial inequality. Throwing caution to the wind, she leads a march with Motormouth Maybelle to fight for integration and winds up with an arrest warrant instead. Tracy is on the lam now and goes underground--literally--to her best friend Pennys basement. Has Tracy's luck finally run out? Will she miss the final dance-off against Amber and forfeit the title of "Miss Hairspray," or will she sing and dance her way out of trouble again?

Taken from : http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809751355/details

Reasons to watch the show:
1) Catch John Travolta dressing up as a fat woman for the first time in the show. According to what i had read in the "LIFE" section of the newspaper, the entire makeover for John Travolta took about 4hrs each time to complete and thereafter.he has approximately 15kg of additional "fat" placed upon him. There were also a few "intimate" scenes involving John Travolta's character and her husband which may churn stomachs.
2) There were a few humourous scenes which enhanced the viewership worthiness of the show.
3) Lastly,just sit back and enjoy the movie with it's catchy tunes and wonderful dancing which were the main aspects of the show that i enjoyed tremendously.

Reasons to not watch the show:
1) If you find high school musical boring then this show is not for you
2) If you have something against fat people then don't watch it because the main character(Nicole Blonsky) is fat and so is her mother (John Travolta).

2 clips about the movie:

Check this out!

Clip taken from the end of the show. Check out the dance moves!

Soundtrack of the movie "you can't stop the beat" accompanied by photos from the movie.

That's what they all say

2007-08-24T23:43:00.000+08:00

Do people around you nag at you because they have nothing else better in the world to do or is it simply because they care a whole lot about you? Well,i admit that at times while being nagged at,i do feel that it was the former reason however after the dust has settled and when i look back upon all that has taken place around me, i soon realise that what motivated those "Naggy people" to nag at me was simply the word LOVE. I mean if they hadn't cared about me,they would not even have bothered wasting their breath on me trying to repeat their instructions time after time again in a desperate bid to drive the message into the back of my head. Theres so many other things in this world that requires their attention but instead of focusing their energy there,they'd rather waste it on me - someone who refuses to listen and who would only acknowledge their constant pleas with the words "ha-nah!". I'm not sure if this strikes a chord with you but sadly,it is the mindset that is prevalent in alot of people nowadays and i am not ashamed to admit that i happen to be one of them. Yes i've had my fair share of shrugging others off my back when they try to tell me something or cutting them off deliberately when they are in the midst of giving me advice. These are actions that i truly regret but find hard to change as somehow,they have been incorporated into my character. Whatever it is,i still feel that we should learn to appreciate when others are trying desperately to tell us something,even if it ended up turning into a nagging session..afterall,we will never know for how long more will we get to enjoy such treatment and the bottomline is that everything is all done out of LOVE,CARE and CONCERN.

Is it really necessary?

2007-08-24T23:25:00.000+08:00

Sometimes,i really wonder,is it really necessary for a person to fall before he/she can learn a lesson in life? The conclusion that i have for myself is that i do not see such a need at all. I strongly feel that simply going by other people's account on certain situations is already informative enough for me,more so if they are negative in nature..there simply is no need for me to go all out to try them for myself before i can conclude if something is truly good or bad,beneficial or harmful. If it was really necessary that we try out everything in life just to get a feel of it,then why the chinese saying "bu ting lao ren yan,chi kui zai yan qian(ignore the advice of the elders and you will regret it)" ? Seemingly this sentence is telling us that the advice of the elders.going by experience is something that we should seriously take heed of. Why then can't we just go by what others say?? Some may argue that you need to feel and experience something for yourself before you can truly draw a conclusion..well,i say that it is true to a certain extend but we always have to bear in mind that there are times when after obtaining the experience we want,it is already too late for regrets. So in summary,i feel that all these is a matter of choice but if i were to say something about it,then better to try out the good things than the bad as ultimately,in the worst case scenario,something supposedly good will only turn out to be not as good as it seems while something supposedly bad may just end up being your WORST NIGHTMARE.

A whole new thing

2007-07-19T12:51:00.001+08:00

Just yesterday i attended my preparatory workshop for Principles of Accounting at SIM. Boy was it a whole new subject to me--being introduced to new terms,new formulas and new ideologies. The amount of information handed to me yesterday was overwhelming,to the extent that i was lost somewhere along the way. Well,i guess it is because i am totally new to this subject so for now everything seems so foreign to me. Hopefully as time goes by,i will become more familiarized with this whole new subject that i can be better at it. At the same time,i believe that once i've gotten the hang of things it will become more fun having to balance the accounts etc. Oh well,this is just the beginning of my new phase of life--tertiary education. May everything go along smoothly for the next 3 yrs until i get my degree...time to study hard!

Just an observation

2007-07-14T10:16:00.000+08:00

The other day i was travelling in the bus when i noticed this family infront of me. Basically it comprised of 2 young children and perhaps their mother. Anyway,back to what i saw-- during their journey,the boy was seated to his mother's right and all the while he was left alone. Several times i saw him clutching his bag tightly as he looked around and there were few instances when he just kept gazing at the lady(not in the picture) next to him. During this period of time,the mother was constantly paying attention to her daughter and it can be clearly seen from the picture.

There isn't really much i can comment about what i saw but somehow,when i looked at the boy's facial expressions,i just felt pity for him. It just hit me that perhaps all he wanted was just some attention which was hard to come by. But then again,i'm sure that as he grows up,he will become a very independent boy,hopefully not too independent till he crosses over to the darker side of life.

Pictures of my fish tank - redone on 02/07/07

2007-07-07T12:28:00.000+08:00

Here are some pictures of my recently redone fish tank. However,this time round,i was not the only one at work on it. This new setup was completed with the help of my love,steffi,thanks! Enjoy the pictures guys,i believe the quality should be much better since it is the first time that they are taken using my SLR camera=).

This is my 5 feet fish tank

General views of my tank.

Now moving a little bit closer......

Frontal views of my tank from left to right.

Some close ups.....

Pictures from the zoo.

2007-07-06T00:46:00.000+08:00

The following are some pictures taken at the zoo which now belong to my memories of life at work there. Enjoy=).

AFS crew from left, Natalie, Kevin,me and Sharrel.

The few of us at AFS, from left, Natalie, Kevin, me , David , Mabel and lastly Major! (dog infront of us)

Me with Max (Major's younger brother)

Me with Brandy!

Auntie Sharrel and I at the end of a day's work.

Contract worker Abdullah and I...without him, things at AFS would not be manageable.

Major and I =)

Being "tortured"

Yet another "torture" picture. Well it is something everyone has to go through if you are leaving the team=). Goodbye guys !

Some recent updates on my life.

2007-07-05T15:01:00.003+08:00

I realised it has been a quite awhile since i last updated about my life. While some recent changes here and there include the fact that i am now UNEMPLOYED ! Yes you read it correctly...as of the 23rd of june being my last day at work,i am no longer a staff of the Singapore Zoo. In view of the fact that i will be starting school come the end of july or early august,i decided to quit with effect on the 24th of june to give myself approximately 1 mth of break as i re-adjust myself to life back at school. The reason i chose the 23rd as my final day at work was because our pay is credited on the 4th of every month and the 24th is the start of a new financial month so i decided might as well just quit at the end of the financial month of may-june so that i can have a proper last pay check=P.

Speaking about starting school,just to sidetrack abit,i have secured a place in SIM's tie up with UOL for the banking and finance course. This course will take me 3 yrs to complete and hopefully at the end of it,i will be able to obtain a good honour's degree since the course is a direct honours one.

Now back to me quitting my job. Well,the last few days at work were pretty emotional for me,not that i cried and stuff but rather i just felt a sense of sadness as i bid the animals at AFS goodbye. Looking back,during my almost 7mths of work at the zoo,the things that i had grown attached to over there were suprisingly not the people but rather the animals. I have come to know the people there as pretty much a bunch of hypocrites with loads of b##stards amongst them. But then of course there were the people whom i truly admired, people who were dedicated to their job and who went about their daily duties simply for the love of the animals there. Many a times,i found myself talking to the animals especially the lovable dogs as i felt that they were the ones who would ever so willingly listen to you and basically what you saw out of them is their true character and nature. ( a dog will just pee and shit as and when it pleases) Prior to my last show,i could still recall how i was talking to smudge our border collie and she was just laying on my lap and there was this point of time when she just used her paws and gave me a pat,seemingly as though she could understand what i was saying. Well perhaps she really did and indeed,the bond i had forged with all of them doggies were simply priceless. Moving on,i will definately miss that place with it's animals and some of the people who work there. Will definately return in the future to pay them all a visit=). And of course i would like to extend a big thank you to all those who came down to the zoo some way or another and who visited me deliberately or coincidentally-- people like my entire family,my beloved girlfriend Steffi and her brother, my best girl-friend SL and my cousin Jesslyn=). You guys simply made my day working at the zoo!

As for my social life,i'm still happily attached as ever to my lovely girlfriend. Well,it has been slightly over 5 mths now and i can confidently say that things are going on very well for the both of us. Just on monday she even helped me out with the re-setup of my fish tank at home. I was very glad that she didn't mind the dirt and was ever so willing to lend me a hand,even to the extent of helping me to clean up the kitchen sink after we were done! It's really nice to see a loved one who would so eagerly participate and try out new things,especially if it is something that you personally desire. Well,i would have done the same too if it was something she liked and i believe that all these are only possible if love and understanding was present in a relationship between 2 people=).(will post some pictures of the tank that WE built together)

The Love Bug - m-flo loves BOA

2007-07-05T14:52:00.000+08:00

This is a japanese song featuring the likes of BOA and m-flo. I fell in love with it because i found the tune rather catchy...even the mtv is rather cute as well especially when sweet sweet BOA is in it...haha,just joking. Enjoy!

(P.S: as usual remember to turn off the background music before watching the video)

Po Xiao - Nan Quan Ma Ma

2007-06-29T11:38:00.000+08:00

I have yet to really understand the lyrics to this song yet but i simply love it's tune. This song never fails to lift my morale up whenever i am down...do enjoy=)
(P.S: Do turn off the background music first if you wanna view the video properly)

02/06/07 - It's a special day!

2007-06-02T15:28:00.000+08:00

It's her 20th Birthday today! Well,she's not the only one who has been looking forward to it. I have been doing the same as well,simply because it occurs only once in a year. Furthermore, this will be the first time that i will be celebrating it for her so i wanted it to be special in it's own way. Well although it's her actual birthday today,i have already marked the occasion with her yesterday, 01/06/07. I shall not divulge what i did and what we both did together but all i can say was that i am glad that she appreciated what i had installed for her and the effort that i had put in. I am really happy to be able to spend the day with her although it was much shorter than originally what we had planned for due to some unforeseen circumstances. May there be many more such birthdays to come. I hope to be the one to celebrate it with her every single year,not merely as a friend but much more than that=).

Thats my birthday girl,displaying her 2-0. =)

Some pictures

2007-06-02T14:45:00.000+08:00

Acquired an SLR not too long ago so here are some pictures for you guys to look at. Enjoy!

Purple coloured flowers at the Zoo.

Purple coloured orchids at the Zoo.

Pelican at the Zoo.

"Paris" the blue and gold macaw at the Zoo.

Sun Cornure flapping it's wings.

View at the Zoo.

Taken at "Songs of the Sea".

Taken at "Songs of the Sea".

View from my house at dawn.

My Turquoise Discus fish.

The Good times and the Bad

2007-06-02T12:56:00.000+08:00

Being with my love has been really great. I mean what more can i ask for? She is simply the type of girl that i have been looking for -- adorable,fun loving,natural,pretty...well the list just goes on. But i guess that no matter how made for each other a couple may be,there will still be times of disagreement. And for the 2 of us,our disagreements are the result of nothing major actually but rather because at times we just aren't sensitive enough towards one another's feelings and on other occasions perhaps we are just being overly sensitive. Not being sensitive enough in a sense when sometimes we may just say somethings casually without realising that it actually affects the other person and on the other hand being overly sensitive like in my case when sometimes i get jealous because of the guys she socialises with and how she behaves with them around. 4 months on,these are the only reasons why we have ever been upset but do not get me wrong. Not a single time has the relationship ever been strained. We still love each other as deeply as ever and in no time,after a good talk and perhaps the shedding of some tears,things are back to normal once again. To me,these are just part and parcel of being in a relationship but if i could decide,definately i would choose to leave them out. It is only through all these that we can understand our other half better. Issues such as these are simply not the sort that would cause us to go apart.Infact, i don't see what can ever cause us to go apart other than us not loving one another anymore. Whether to remain in a relationship or not is the choice of both parties. If either one sees the challenges that may come along as too much to take then inevitably it would end up in a breakup. What a relationship requires is committment,trust and constant communication. With all these factors in place,there is simply no reason for 2 people who are deeply in love to go apart. Just like me and her,we really are so meant to be, having numerous similar likes and dislikes and even sharing the same thoughts,views and sometimes even comments. I love her alot and i believe that we can make it to the end when most others have failed. In the meantime,i will try to be more sensitive in areas that i should be and less sensitive when i am not needed to be.

The end is near.

2007-05-17T12:32:00.000+08:00

In just the blink of an eye,it is already the 17th of May. This means that i have only slightly more than a month to go before i quit my job at the zoo. The date has been set..my last day of work shall be the 23rd of June. Looking at where i am now, my impression of working at the zoo is no longer as good as what i had when i just joined. There is simply so much politics going on . Yes i know,politics are rampant everywhere but this is the zoo for goodness sake. You don't have to backstab one another to climb up the promotional ladder cause basically it is non existent. There is also much hypocrisy around and some people are going around addressing one another as "brother" or "buddy" even when in reality they dislike that particular person. Well,enough of complaining. Looking back,working at the zoo is also not that bad an idea. All the politics aside,this is the place where i got to know her and eventually ended up with her. If it wasn't for the zoo i guess i may still be single and she would still be in her own world. At the same time,the zoo also exposed me to a different working environment which i may never get the chance to experience again. It's not everyday that you pick up dog's faeces or get bitten by macaws you know. On the whole,i would like to thank God for giving me this oppurtunity to work at the zoo. If it wasn't for his plans for me,i don't think i would be so lucky to be with her--she who never fails to put a smile on my face and who is always so cute and adorable=). Ok,enough of the mushy stuff just know that working at the zoo has indeed been an interesting experience for me....The countdown to the end has begun=)

The bliss of being in this relationship

2007-04-14T15:44:00.000+08:00

I am really in such bliss right now. It's really so nice being with her. Only with her have i been to places where i never thought i would go to. So far after being together for 2 months plus,the places we have visited inclue the national museum,the night safari,the bird park and there are lots to come! We plan on visiting images of singapore,going ice skating etc etc.. I mean,these are all things i like to do and places i like to visit but such chances have never come knocking on my door before until i'm with her. It's really such a nice feeling to go about engaging in such activities with her,right my love? HAha. On top of that,the many small conversations we have,our "future talk",our complaining and whining. All these are just so sweet. It's not with anyone that you will have such a connection with and having it with her just reaffirms my believe---that she is simply the one. Now all that is required is for us and the relationship to withstand the trials of time. I'm sure we can make it. Afterall,i no longer just see her just as my girlfriend..she is beyond that---she is a soulmate and a possible wife as well=).

Complains about work

2007-04-14T15:25:00.000+08:00

It's been awhile since i last complained about work but recently several incidents that have taken place have prompted me to put in this entry. In the past when i was just doing token feeding or birds photography,i was constantly on my own. I had the freedom to do what i wanted to do and at my own pace. But recently,i have been deployed to work at the animal friend's show(AFS) on a daily basis and i am put on a buddy system. This basically means that there is someone else working with me. Apparently what is happening is that the people that i work with at AFS are constantly breathing down my throat. The people i am talking about actually revolves around these 2 colleagues of mine who are a couple. Both of them are always asking me what i have done during a particular period of time and if they are not satisfied,they would pass comments like " why take so long?" or "what time already?" and even better still "what have you been doing during this time". I hate the fact that they are always there to keep track of my movement and time me. I mean,why can't you just leave me alone and let me be? I know what i am supposed to accomplish and i will do it in time for the end of the time. All i need is the freedom to perform my duties without having to report to anyone. I mean who am i to you? You and i are of the same rank just that one of them is a full timer and the other is a part timer who is in the process of being converted into a full timer. Just because you work longer at AFS doens't mean that you should treat me like a complete idiot. Do not boss me around like i am a contract worker and even if i am the contract worker,the least you can do is show some respect. Things like these really turn me off and takes the fun of working at the zoo away. It is no longer about having fun at work. Instead,everytime i go to work,i would be dragging myself there. I am working only because of the animals. It is because of them that i would accomplish my task and i would accomplish them nicely. I am not your slave so get off my back,it's no wonder you 2 are an item.....just 2 more months to go and i shall be free!

My experience at the polyclinic

2007-04-14T14:48:00.000+08:00

Well it has been a really long time since i last went to the polyclinic. The last i can remember vaguely was when i was really young,maybe around 10yrs old. I had to go to tampines polyclinic for an x-ray of my chest. Then yesterday,i went to hougang polyclinic as i wasn't feeling too well. When i arrived,the first thing that greeted me at the entrace was this box with a lady inside. It kinda resembled a small guardhouse. Anyway,i approached the lady and i asked her what i had to do to see a doctor. She told me to give her my IC which i produced and she then proceeded to scan the barcode. After that,i was issued a queue ticket and she informed me to move over to this big room over to the right with the word "REGISTRATION" written on top. Apparently,what i had just gone through was merely a check in and now,i had to wait for my turn before i could be registered. I was constantly hesitating in my mind if i should just continue the whole procedure of seeing a doctor at the polyclinic or should i just throw my queue ticket away and go to a private clinic instead. Several minutes passed and there was a point in time when i had already crushed my queue ticket and was about to throw it away. Then i saw that it was just 3 people away from my turn and so i decided to wait. That turned out to be a very big mistake. After registering,i was informed to proceed up to the 2nd floor and wait outside room 20 for my consultation turn. I was taken aback then as i had originally thought that all the consultation was done on the first floor and a peak at the crowd size earlier which wasn't too big made me decide to stay on at the polyclinic. At this point of time i was thinking "shit,u mean there is a level 2 for consultation?" So i went upstairs and true enough,i saw lots of rooms and lots more people waiting around. I glanced at the crowd outside room 20...hmm,it numbered around 10-15..not too bad. So i took a seat as well and waited patiently for my turn. Then an hour passed and there seemed to be not much of a progress and at this point of time,i caught sight of an information board which displayed "your queue numbers may not be called in order...approximate waiting time for walk-in patients is 2hrs 5minutes". I was like "what the hell?!" It was too late for me to realise that my butt had to be glued to the seat for yet another hour. So i continued to wait as usual. There were several times when after a patient has left the room,for another 5 minutes nobody entered. Then i heard 2 aunties next to me commenting that it has been so long and nobody seemed to have gone in to see the doctor. I thought to myself that the doctor inside must be slacking and taking his own sweet time. Afterall,he isn't paid according to the number of patients he sees but rather how long he works for. So nevermind the fact that he cannot clear all his patients...Other doctors will just help him with it. In contrast,the doctor in room 19 was very fast and efficient. The moment a patient left the room,yet another would be called. Finally,after 2hrs of waiting,my number was called. I had described to the doctor what my symptoms were but he did not bother to probe deeper but instead just wrote down all i had to say. Then i told him that i needed an MC for the day and if possible the next day and his reply was" our policy is to give one day MC,if you are still unwell tomorrow then come back again for another day of MC" . I couldn't take it anymore..i was not going to come back the next day and wait for another 2hrs just to get an MC so i just had to be contented with the MC for one day. The doctor then informed me to proceed to the pharmacy located downstairs for my medication. I thought it would be as simple as going in,taking my medication and getting out of there but i was wrong. When i entered the pharmacy,a crowd of people greeted me. They were not there to hand me my medicine. Instead,they were all there to collect their medication and it was yet another queue ticket system. This time round,i was not sure about how to obtain a queue ticket for myself so i approached this small counter and made enquiries. The lady told me that she handled other cases and that i should go over there to get a number by pointing to her right. So i wnet over and after looking around for awhile,i finally caught sight of this counter with a sign above that read "queue number". There was yet another information board in the pharmacy and this round it displayed that the waiting time was approximately 45minutes". After about 30minutes i finally got my medicine and after making my payment of $11.40,i left the polyclinic. I did a little comparison after that. A trip to a private clinic would cost me about $26 but the time would be much shorter. As compared to the 2hrs 30min that i spent at the polyclinic,visiting a private doctor would only take me about 30minutes or maybe less. So i worked it out,it was just as good as me saving 2hrs of my pay but at the extent of waiting for 2 miserable hours. Even a hospitals A & E would have been faster. So i concluded that my experience at the polyclinic was a horrible one and never am i ever going back there again just for consultation. Yes it may be cheaper but considering the fact that most of the patients there are the elderly,it is not worth it. They are already so weak,old and sick yet asking them to wait for so long would just be adding on to their sufferings. Perhaps something has to be done about the whole system. What do you think?

The Ups and Downs

2007-04-08T12:00:00.000+08:00

It's been slightly more than 2 mths that we have been together. Over the course of these 2 months,we have experienced the ups and downs of our relationship. There were plenty of smiles and laughter but then again there are also the times when we had our disagreements. Somehow i do not believe what others say,about the initial stage of a relationship being the "honeymoon period". I feel that if anything were to happen - quarrels or disagreements,they need not happen only after a specific phase in the relationship. Instead,such incidents can take place anytime,anywhere. It is simply the process of getting to know one another better. How a couple is going to handle the issue is what is important. If they choose to see all these as signs telling them that they are incompatible,then most probably,the relationship will end up in a breakup. Instead,if they choose to learn and understand one another better by giving and taking,the relationship can only get stronger. Well,for me,i believe in the latter... I choose to see disagreements as an avenue to know my love better,to be a better boyfriend for her. Like i've mentioned before,being with her is an enntirely different feeling from what i had in the past. I'm not saying that in the past what i felt was nothing but rather,being with her,i feel so much more at ease. I really feel comfortable and there is simply no restrictions. I'm sure the same goes for her as well am i right? Haha. Anyway,being with her,i am able to see the future. I can picture what is installed for us and how everything would be like in time to come. For now,although all these have not come true, i can already say that it is going to be beautiful- provided i can realise it all with her. Everyday with her is like a blessing and sometimes i still think about how i could actually end up with her. Well i am happy,so very happy to have her in my life and all i am hoping for is for this relationship to be able to withstand the trials of time and the challenges that may come along. Arguments and disagreements will still come along but till then,i am gonna enjoy every single moment with her. Even if they happen,i will not give up,afterall,there is no such thing as a honeymoon period and we did not end up together just by chance=)

A little not too far from work

2007-03-24T16:52:00.000+08:00

Yesterday,after work,i met my love and we went somewhere together. Well,by normal standards where we went to might not be favourable to many others judging from the fact that we work next door at the singapore zoo but to us,visiting the night safari together was indeed special and memorable. It has been a very long time since i last been to the night safari,almost 6yrs? But this time round,it was very special because i had her right beside me. Nevermind the fact that it started to rain not long after we entered the attraction's grounds,we still managed to cover all the 3 walking trails by foot with her huddling closely to me as we shared a single,small umbrella together=). I can't describe how the feeling was like to have her with me the entire time as we viewed the various exhibits,took the tram ride and caught the creatures of the night show together. Many a times we had that special connection between us and ended up having the same thoughts and reactions. We just smiled at one another in amazement,haha! But i guess one part that was kinda funny was the tram commentary and how the commentator sounded so sexy. We had a great time laughing at the commentary as he would end off the last word in his sentence by stressing it in a sexy way...well too bad there isn't a sound clip to be placed in here=X. All the times with her are just filled with happiness and they just come naturally. It is in such a relationship that i truly feel that she is the one for me. Now i just can't wait for time to pass so that i can be proven right but more importantly,i want time to pass so that a particular day that the both of us are long awaiting for can come soon...am i right? Hehe. So here's a picture taken at the bus stop while waiting for a bus to send her home=) Forget about the bikini picture behind us yeah? =X

My life...

2007-03-16T14:29:00.000+08:00

It has really been awhile since i last blogged...10 days to be exact and in the spate of this 10 days,much has taken place and i have done quite abit of thinking as well. But first things first,right now as i am typing this entry,i am feeling very horrible,not emotionally but rather physically.This is simply because i am sick. I am having a severe abdominal pain,headache as well as aches in my joints all over my body. I had actually reported to my workplace this morning for work as usual but prior to making my way in,i decided that the pain was too much for me to bear for the rest of the day so i took a bus back instead and proceeded to pay a visit to the doctor's. According to the doctor,i am down with some viral infection and quite alot of people have gotten it.But at this point of time,i am really thankful----thankful not because i am sick but rather thankful because in the midst of it all.there is this wonderful girl by my side,worrying and caring about me and she is none other than my love.I can just picture myself being single at this moment,having to suffer on my own with no one else to bother about me. I would be sleeping now instead of typing this blog that has much to do about my feelings and thoughts about her. It's like through this short period of time that we've been together,i have gotten to know so much about her and vice versa.I shan't dive into the details but one thing is for sure,just by being herself,she has already fulfilled all the expectations that i would have of a girlfriend.I am not making things up or exaggerating but this is simply the truth.She is just the girl that i have been hoping to meet all along but not once before we got together have i ever felt that i would be so lucky.Well,she has proven me wrong. I have always thought so lowly of myself even to the extent that i had labelled her as "untouchable" for never had i expected myself to be able to get together with her.But ever since the day i started getting to know her,i've realised with time that she is indeed one of a kind and we really could connect so well.And as the days went by and i got more and more acquainted with her,i slowly realised that this is just the girl i had been looking for.God has been generous enough to let me meet and get to know her but on top of that,he has been all the more generous in putting us together. Not once have i ever regretted being with her and never have i ever doubted that she is the one. All that is on my mind is that i want to walk this path together with her hand in hand,wherever it may lead us,i just want to reach the end with her. I have never felt so positive towards a relationship before....Not saying that i had many in the past but rather during my past relationships,i would have doubts in my mind whether or not it was possible and there were also times when i felt that things were not right.But for this one,i'm just feeling so positive about it and there is simply nothing about it that i would like to change.Two movies i watched recently just left a couple of thoughts in my head. they are "the persuit of happiness" and "300". If you have watched both shows, " the persuit of happiness" just made me feel that my happiness is derived from her,that she is my happiness and the reason why i smile.I would give all i can to make sure she is happy as well. As for "300" although the show is mainly about war,once again,the first thought that came to my mind was that i would gladly fight for her and to protect her with my own life. She is simply too important to me and i will not want anything to happen to her for as long as i am around.I just can't describe how much i love her but everytime i say the words "i love you" or "i miss you" i really do so with so much emotions inside of me.I have not felt like this before and for once,it seems like things are going just the way i want them to=).Right now,she must be on sentosa at rasa with her family and i am missing her so much. But it is ok,i shall see her in 2 days time on sun where according to her,i have a huge feat of dragging her to church....i think i will succeed=P. Shall end here and give her a call now to update her on my situation=).

A day of sports

2007-03-06T21:18:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was such a fantastic day for me,fantastic because it was committed to a day of sports with my love. We started the day out by having breakfast from Macdonalds together. Thereafter,we headed over to East Coast Park in my dad's car where we engaged in 2 hrs of cycling. It was fun cycling with her reason being she was not any other ordinary girl in my life and on top of that,i could see that she was keen in doing the sports rather than just there to accompany me.There were even times when i lagged behind her and had to pedal faster to catch up,lol. Anyway,after that,we headed over to Sentosa for some sun tanning and dipping in the sea,over there,we had fun as well wading in the water and throwing sand at one another. Haha! By the time we went to take a shower,it was already 4plus and the pinkish look on our skins was a sign that we were already sunburnt. Poor her having pains all over her back which was rather badly burnt and to think i had to make her feel worse by rubbing her back a couple of times=X. After a disappointing lunch at sakae sushi,we crossed over to vivo where we caught ghostrider together. Seems to me the show isn't as bad as what some of my friends had commented.I guess it's like what she said that different people have different tastes and preferences.And for me,my taste and preference is for a girl like her. Someone who would so willingly engage in sports with me,whom i have no reservations about disturbing,whom i can talk freely to and whom i have so much fun being with.It is really great to be with her and share so many things in common with her.Of course we have our differences but then again,it's because of all these that has brought us so close together=). I wish that all these would just go on and never end. It may be the very beginning but somehow,in my heart,something tells me that she is the one for me. Let time prove everything. As for now,i shall live everyday to the fullest and continue to enjoy every single moment that i have with her. Afterall,it is with her that i have found my true happiness.More sporting days to come!

That time of the month

2007-02-27T20:53:00.000+08:00

Now what are you guys thinking about? No it isn't the monthly period but rather,tomorrow marks the one month that me and that special someone have been together. For a moment there,it feels as though we have been together forever,sharing all the fun moments and knowing one another so well. I'd like to say that this entire one month has been simply magical. It is also a period of time where i was at my happiest. Getting to know her has been a real blessing to me and i am really thankful to God and fate for letting our paths meet and placing the 2 of us together. Now that we have hit the 1 mth mark,i am praying for many more 1 mths to come..and in no time,the months will turn to years and may the years turn into a lifetime=). I'm just hoping that we would never part cos i really feel that connection between us which i have never felt before. My love,i love you so much and i will be looking forward to after work tomorrow when i will be meeting you=).

A special gift from a special person=)

2007-02-21T21:03:00.000+08:00

Yep,this is the gift..It's actually a cotton-topped tamarin plush toy from the Singapore Zoo. Why i say that it is special is because it was bought by that one special person in my life. She actually took the time and effort to purchase the gift for me.On top of that,she had taken notice of what i had been saying---about cotton-topped tamarins being very cute and stuff...So to me,it shows that she had been observant,that she had been paying attention to me which is really nice because not many people in the world would really take note of what you are saying and that was what she did=). I really like the gift alot...It means alot to me and everytime i open my cupboard and look at it,it will remind me of her. Other than that,today for the Happy Hogs Show,i played the warrior for the first time. Now for those of you who do not know what i am actually talking about,perhaps you may want to make your way down to animal land at the zoo. Anyway,she had actually made her way down to the zoo to catch the show(thats what she says) but i shall believe that she made her way down to catch me acting..haha! She ended up having to take a taxi down and had to walk quickly while in the zoo to make it in time for she show. Though it may seem trivial,i am moved by the fact that she went to such an extent just to make sure she caught the show/me=P. Thankfully,she felt that my acting was good so it's a relief...at least i did not screw up infront of her..haha! So for those of you who are curious to know what the show is about,do come on down to catch it...It doesn't matter if i am not the person you want to catch cause all i am concerned about is her so don't be disappointed and stuff to see this statement yeah? Haha! Happy Chinese New Year to all!

14/02/07

2007-02-17T19:15:00.000+08:00

Ahh...Valentine's day...It was really a very special and memorable day for me. Reason being it was the very first time that i was marking valentine's day with someone special. Although the things we did were rather trivial---things we could do any other day,the feeling itself was already so wonderful. Really like and appreciate the gift that my love gave me. She actually took note of the things i said and went to get it for me..Thanks! Really happy as well that she liked my gift because it wasn't bought but handmade instead. It just showed me that she isn't a materialistic girl=). Towards the end of our entire day together,i had planned for something but unfortunately it did not manage to work out. I let her in on the plan nonetheless and she was moved by it(am i right?) hehe. To sum it all up,although it is the first valentine's day spent with my girlfriend,i can already say that it would be the best if not one of the very best that i ever have and it was because of her that it was all possible....I love you!

The eve...

2007-02-13T21:42:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day ! And you know what?? It is the first time in my whole life that i am actually celebrating or should i say spending the day with a loved one. All along,i would either be alone,with my family or maybe friends. So this year is kind of special for me as it is my "first time" haha. Anyway,i have been working on her valentine's day present for quite sometime already and as usual,i'd prefer to make her something rather than buy it for her. Hopefully she likes it but then again,from her response,it seems as if she wun be too delighted to see it. Anyway,i will still make it and infact i will have to finish it by hook or by crook tonight,even if it means staying up for awhile. Just now i also went to Chinatown all by myself to pick up some "new year decorations". Boy was it already very crowded. After walking around for about 1/2hr,i finally found what i wanted. Hopefully this decoration of mine can be put to good use. Shall update the situation in time to come yeah? Anyway,to everyone reading this blog,a very Happy Valentine's Day to all of you,regardless if you are single,in a relationship or married. Just enjoy this special day!

Unfair treatment

2007-02-10T22:12:00.000+08:00

I just don't agree that a person should be condemned just because he/she makes a mistake once twice or even thrice. I mean,yes,he may have faulted but shouldn't he/she still deserve a second chance? Why change the way you look at that person just because he has done something wrong before. Does it mean that just because he/she has made a mistake before,that person will definately go on making the same mistakes along the way? Is it really so hard to trust that person and believe that he/she is capable of doing good once again?? I just disagree with how some people are treated or viewed just because they have made some mistakes before. I believe in giving chances,in turning over a new leaf,in moving on and putting the entire past behind. To whom or those this entry is about,just know that i trust you/you all and you/you all have my support no matter what. This is for sure=)

Sucky day

2007-02-08T20:58:00.000+08:00

Today was a sucky day for me. Sucky because i made some mistakes at work here and there as i was rostered to do something new and i was unfamiliar with what had to be done.The mistakes i made resulted in me being told off by some of my colleagues. Then came dry run for the CNY show. I thought that i had done my best and the performance was not bad but during debriefing,apparently the others had lots to comment about my role. They were constantly pointing out all the parts where they felt were unsatisfactory,saying things like "u could have done this...you could have done that..." . For a moment i felt so disappointed and sad. In my mind i was thinking if they had so much to say,might as well they be the ones who took up the role so they can know how it feels like. Oh well,it just isn't my day....So i poured out my frustrations to her and she actually replied me with encouraging words that put a smile upon my face. I felt really comforted,really loved knowing that she is always right there for me to turn to whenever i fall in life. Thanks alot my love,thanks for always being there for me. In the meantime,i shall look forward to tomorrow where i'll see her at work and after that,we can go out together=)

Some thoughts now

2007-02-07T21:25:00.000+08:00

Yesterday i went out with that special someone and as usual,i had a really great time. Nevermind where we went,it was who i was with that really matters. I shan't dive into the details because it was just the 2 of us in our 2 people world=P. She and i know can already. Anyway,she is now sick--coughing,having sore throat and feeling feverish. I just hope she can get well soon,not only so that she can be fit for our next outing but at the same time because i want her to be healthy and not be ill. She must have had enough of my nagging already,asking her to drink water and rest etc...But what to do? I can only care for her....It's not as if i can make the sickness go away just like that.So special someone,if you are reading this blog,,imagine me nagging at you alright,get well soon=).

Far Away - Nickelback

2007-02-07T20:57:00.000+08:00

This is the song that is currently playing as you are reading my blog. It is courtesy of that special someone in my life. She kinda dedicated it to me. Thank you so much for everything=)

Nickelback - Far Away

this time, this place

misused, mistakes

too long, too late

who was i to make you wait

just one chance

just one breath

just in case there's just one left'

cause you know,you know, you know

chorus

that i love you

i have loved you all along

and i miss you

been far away for far too long

i keep dreaming you'll be with me

and you'll never go

stop breathing if

i don't see you anymore

on my knees, i'll ask

last chance for one last dance'

cause with you, i'd withstand

all of hell to hold your hand

i'd give it all

i'd give for us

give anything but i won't give up'

cause you know,you know, you know

chorus

so far away

been far away for far too long

so far away

been far away for far too long

but you know, you know, you know

i wanted

i wanted you to stay'

cause i needed i need to hear you say

that i love you

i have loved you all along

and i forgive you

for being away for far too long

so keep breathing'

cause i'm not leaving you anymore

believe it

hold on to me and never let me go

keep breathing'

cause i'm not leaving you anymore

believe it

hold on to me and never let me go

06/02/07

2007-02-06T10:23:00.000+08:00

Just woke up not too long ago around 10.10am and right now i am having my breakfast,getting ready to meet that special someone later. It's gonna be our first real outing as a couple,so excited!! Lol. Just gazed out the window and i noticed this dark cloud in the sky. Hopefully it does not spoil our plans for today. I've really been looking forward to this day for so long. Ever since the last time i met her. Just gave her a morning call just now to wake her up as well,listened to her sexy,just woke up voice. Haha. Alright,time to finish up the rest of my breakfast and get ready to leave the house....Seeya soon that special someone=)

03/02/07

2007-02-03T16:21:00.000+08:00

I'm now waiting for my 4.45pm polar bearsfeeding to start and in the meantime,i thought that i might as well use the time to blog alittle about how the day has been for me. Well because of the fact that today is a saturday,it basically means that i would be spending the time after work with my family.Well,this also means that i am unable to come to work as well as go home together with that special someone as much as i want to. But i guess it's alright. Although for sure i would be missing her but then again to look on the bright side of things,i got to see her alot today and the next time i would be meeting her again would be real soon,on tuesday or even as early as tomorrow or monday..haha.But i must say that it is always so good to see her. Oh well,i guess thats wad love is all about eh? lol...constantly longing to see that person and when u finally see him/her,you'd be over moon. As for the rest of my day,it went on pretty well,i was rather satisfied with my feedings on the whole but the primate's kingdom feeding that took place just awhile ago was horrible---horrible not because i screwed it up but rather because the number of people who came was really miserable especially when it is a saturday today. Well well,i'm sure that polar bears later will be jammed packed but i'll be praying that the crowd won't be rowdy..i'm losing my voice.And oh! while i am typing this blog,she called...haha,nice to hear her voice but sadly can't see her cause i didn't go and look for her=X..too far for me..But nevermind,i will be passing by her location later so shall see her then. Time to end here,ciao!

It's been awhile

2007-02-02T11:58:00.000+08:00

Well,i guess it's been awhile since i last saw her at work and today,she was at work! Haha,well,i had the priveledge of accompanying her to work infact=P But then again it's great seeing her in her uniform at the entrace again..sort of like a morale booster for me. And amazingly,it seems to work! Now i am having my break and about half the day has gone without much of a hiccup. Perhaps it is really her...so interesting..lol. But then again,i really do feel more cheerful seeing her around. Not sure if i will see her again later..Maybe i will go entrance and kajiao if not just wait for the end of the day then go home together with her.Oh yar,something funny happened just now,i was drinking my orange juice when this guest approached me for directions. So i quickly gulped down the juice but in the process i choked on the juice instead and ended up coughing away. In the end,my colleague had to give the directions on my behalf. So embarassing lah! Alright,i shall end here. May the day go on without any bad incidents.

Simply magical

2007-02-01T21:48:00.000+08:00

Had dinner with that special someone today. After which,we went over to NTUC fairprice extra to get her breakfast stuff and in the end,we had lots of fun there,disturbing one another. But...the main focus of it all was that some really magical things happened,i shan't elaborate..only the 2 of us will know,wahaha=P. But i really enjoyed the time with that special someone...from the bottom of my heart=)

30/01/07 - 31/01/07

2007-01-31T21:35:00.000+08:00

These 2 dates hold a special meaning to me now because it marks the brand new start of a journey for me. A journey which i have just set out upon and i am still uncertain about. But i guess i am taking it based upon faith,upon the believe that all things that have happened,they happened for a reason. For now perhaps because it is still the start of the journey so i am a little insecure,afraid that i might not be able to get to the end. It's not that i am rushing into things or whatever but rather,even being at the very beginning,i have my sights set upon wanting to reach the end.I just hope that all these can come true but i can't do it all on my own. I will need that special someone's help along the way. I can be there to help her along but then again,i'm sure that there will be times that i will lag behind and it will then be her turn to nudge me back on track. I sure hope we can make it through together. As for the events that took place,well basically,it was spent at vivocity where we caught apocalypto together followed by going over to sentosa where we stayed on over at the beach till about 11plus. It was really a very nice feeling to have spent the day out with her and all i am hoping for is that there will be many more such occasions to come in the future.

Some updates

2007-01-28T11:57:00.000+08:00

Haven't been blogging for a few days now probably because i have been busy....well,busy talking to someone on the phone---you know who you are..haha(kena shot). It's hard to believe but right now,i am actually typing this entry at my workplace -- the zoo. Don't worry,i am not slacking. I am only doing it during my official break time which is now. The day has been pretty fine,rather cloudy though and today i was originally rostered to work at animal land,cleaning the dog cages and stuff but apparently one of my colleague took mc so the roster was changed and here i am doing token 1 instead. On the whole the feedings were alright but i screwed up here and there. Oh man,whats happening to me,mixing up the scripts and leaving out some important parts. Perhaps it's because of the lack of practice or perhaps it's because i am tired( not enough sleep you see=P). But then again,the past 3 days have been fine,working at animal land washing cages playing with dogs. Cool huh?! Sadly though she isn't working at the zoo for the time being as she has to go back to school so i don't get to see her. But that isn't the end of the world,she will be back next week and i will be looking forward to it but in the meantime,work continues and infact it's getting pretty fun! Oh yar,yesterday was my cousin michelle's birthday. Went to her house for her party and boy was there alot of people so it was kind of crammed. Hmm,wonder how would my own 21st birthday party be. Would i have a girlfriend by then? Lol. We'll see. Alright,time to get back to work=). Hopefully the rest of the feedings would be better.Haha!

Take that - PRAY

2007-01-24T18:51:00.000+08:00

Pardon the poor quality of the video and just listen to the song. I first heard it when i was at The Cathay with JJ about 2 weeks back and apparently it was a video of them singing live at one of their concerts. Went on to search for the song in youtube as i really like the chorus and the old 1993 version turned up in the search engine.

Just a point to note. If you would like to listen to the music,do scroll down to the end of the page and pause the background music that is playing before starting the video.Do enjoy=)

Mario Vasquez --- Gallery

2007-01-24T10:49:00.000+08:00

This is the lyrics to the song that you guys are listening to now while looking at my blog. I like the beat and the tune of the song and it so happens that i can identify with this song as it is rather similar to how i am feeling right now. Strangely though,it is her who introduced this song to me. She was listening to radio the other day when she heard this song and felt that it was similar to my situation so she told me about it. Apparently the more important thing was that after the song dedication,the person who dedicated the song happened to be a DERRICK as well. She was amazed by it and asked if it was me and i said no. I was also suprised at the coincidence of the whole situation. Well perhaps it can mean something but well,lets see how things go. In the meantime,enjoy the song=)

GALLERY

God broke the mold,
When he made this one I know
She's breathtaking but so much more
She walks in the room, your loves closed
Making you never want to breathe again
Her boyfriend has got so much dough
So much ice his neck and wrist froze
Is he faithful to her? Hell no
But she chose to be with him, shorty

Tell me is the money worth your soul
Tell me what's the reason that you hold on
When you know that dude has a whole wall of 'em just like you
And girl you're just way too fine
Gotta be treated as one of a kind
Girl use your mind
Don't be just another dime

Because I can't take
Seeing you with him'
Cuz I know exactly what you'll be,
In his gallery
It's just not fair
And it's tearing me apart
You're just another priceless work of art
In his gallery

She's so confused
She knows she deserves more
Someone who will love and adore
But his money's hard to ignore
She really doesn't know what to do
Girl it's just a matter of time
Before he finds another more fine
After he's done dulling your shine
You're out the door and he's through with you

Tell me is the money worth your soul
Tell me what's the reason that you hold on,
When you know that dude has a whole wall of 'em just like you
And girl you're just way too fine
Gotta be treated as one of a kind
Girl use your mind
Don't be just another dime

I can't take
Seeing you with him'
Cuz I know exactly what you'll be
In his gallery
It's just not fair
And it's tearing me apart
You're just another priceless work of art
In his gallery

You're a masterpiece
I know that he
Can't appreciate your beauty
Don't let him cheapen you
He don't see you like I do
Beautiful not just for show
Time that someone let you know

I can't take
Seeing you with him'
Cuz I know exactly what you'll be
In his gallery
It's just not fair
And it's tearing me apart
You're just another priceless work of art

I can't take
Seeing you with him'
Cuz I know exactly what you'll be
In his gallery
It's just not fair
And it's tearing me apart
You're just another priceless work of art
In his gallery
In his gallery

23/01/07

2007-01-23T23:39:00.000+08:00

Today after work,met up with her for dinner as JJ could not make it to meet up with me like what we always did. Anyway,she brought me to this really cool place known as Liquid Kitchen located along Upper Thomson Road where we had our dinner as well as had a drink..Well to be exact i had one and she had 2 to drink(i paid for it this time round haha!).Throughout the whole time,i could notice that she was quite sad although she tried her best to conceal it with the occasional smiles.I really wished that there was something that i could do to make her feel better. Maybe give her a shoulder to cry on or a hug to comfort her but i don't want to overstep the border.Instead,i just tried to cheer her up by talking to her and coming up with something funny every now and then. There were times too that i asked about the guy she liked and although i ended up feeling sad myself,at least i got her to talk about things so she could express herself. Thereafter,we took a pretty long walk back to her house which lasted about 1/2hr and along the way,we talked,listened to songs and even sang along to the music.I did not regret a single bit of it and instead i really enjoyed walking with her. Sadly though the status between me and her cannot be elevated to another level.It's alright,maybe time can change things around. Perhaps someday God will give me a chance to take care of her.I'll be praying but even if He doesn't,it is alright,at least i got this far=).

The terminal

2007-01-21T20:49:00.000+08:00

Now if you happen to have caught the show the terminal which has Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta Jones as it's cast,you would roughly have an idea of the situation i am in. It seems as though my current life is like the movie and what i am going through is similar to that of what Tom Hank's character went through.No i am not stuck in a terminal but rather just like Tom Hank's character,I happen to fall for a girl who would never ever be with me. Perhaps I may be able to move her along the way and make her see the good side of me but then again,at the end of the day,her heart would still be elsewhere and when the dust settles down,i will never ever find her by my side.It's like despite how bad the other party may be,at the end of the day,she would still return to him knowing that she would get hurt and as for me,i would just have to forget everything and learn how to let go.Well that is basically how i am feeling now. It's like here i am all willing to be there for this girl and take care and shower her with my love but then again,i will not get the chance to really do all these because there simply is no avenue for me to do so.No i am not sad or anything and i am not going to cry(don't worry guys) but rather,i am disappointed that despite me being a better person as compared to the person she likes,i just can't move her at all. I figured out that probably the longest i can wait would be till i quit my job at the zoo as after that,i doubt i'll have the chance to really see her and be there for her then. In the meantime,i'll still be her listening ear and her friend to share her problems,thats something which i should be contented enough.

The unfair side of life.

2007-01-19T23:04:00.000+08:00

Today after work,i was already halfway on my journey home at the Ang Mo Kio bus stop waiting for 74 to come when it so happened that i received a call from her. She had asked if i was willing to have dinner with her so i said yes.Told my mum not to leave any food for me at home as i will not be back for dinner. So i met her at around 7.30pm and proceeded to have dinner with her comprising of Mos Burger(my first time eating it)and she paid for it...gosh.... During the meal,we talked quite abit but somehow there were certain parts where i did not know what to say to her. My thoughts just weren't flowing in the right direction. After the meal,accompanied her to purchase a new handphone and i saw how she liked this particular model so much but it was above her budget.At that moment i really wanted to help chip in to buy the handphone but i was hesitant to do so simply because it was weird for me to do it.I simply had no reason to do so and it would be stupid to try to cook up one. After that,i walked her home,and it took us about 20mins. Along the way as usual we chatted but there were still phases of silence and there were some thoughts running through my head at that point of time. I felt sad that here i am liking this girl and it seems to be growing as i get to know her better but yet on the other hand she likes someone else.Call it the unfair side of life but there is really nothing i can do about it. Try as i may to stop thinking so much,i am slowly falling for her. There was even this point of time when we came to a junction without traffic lights and a car was heading towards our direction but still quite some distance away. I was about to cross but then i saw that she wasn't. I then passed a casual comment that i would have held her hand but then again reality presented itself to me...If she did not fancy anyone,i could have done just that in a moment of irrational thinking but then again,her heart was with another person so i stopped short of doing anything foolish. After awhile we reached her block and i saw her all the way home to her doorstep. She was telling me about how unsafe her area was and for a moment,i wished i could be the one to see her home safely everyday...I wouldn't mind....Nvm,enough said,time to go to bed and stop thinking so much...Being good friends is already a great blessing to me.

A pleasant suprise=)

2007-01-18T22:13:00.000+08:00

Just to cut the long story short,yesterday while at work,i had the chance to talk to her and in the midst of it,she asked me for my number and said that she would contact me later. After work,she messaged me her number and we then agreed to meet online to talk. After about an hour of chatting online,she asked me if i wanted to talk over the phone instead as her hands were getting tired. So i said yes and we ended up talking over the phone. The interesting thing was that while i was talking to her,i could feel how easily i could converse with her. There was no need for me to hesitate and think about what i wanted to say but instead the words just came out naturally. Through the conversation,i got to know her alot better and i was amazed at the fact that we had quite alot in common. I was also able to relate to her easily and vice versa. we just went on and on like that and before we knew it,we had been on the phone for quite some time. Anyway,it was really nice that i got to talk to her like that and be given the chance to get to know her so much better. For now,perhaps we can talk like that again and who knows,maybe face to face as well. We'll see how things go along but in the meantime,i won't think so much. We're good friends and as for the future,lets leave it all to fate yeah=)

Dip in morale

2007-01-15T21:06:00.000+08:00

I just don't know why but these days,there seems to have been a dip in morale for me in reference to work. Perhaps it's because of more and more of the dark side of things that i see that is slowly snuffing out the fire that is burning in me.I still love animals,especially the birds and dogs and i still like my job but i guess it's the things that take place at work which really demoralises me.First up,i've been exposed to people who practise double standards. I shan't elaborate but basically it's about the expression of favouritism to special groups of people.I've also come across lots of a** covering people who only care about their personal well being.On top of that,i do not feel the teamwork which is supposed to be existent in my department.There is also the cracking of jokes which i don't seem to have a clue about. It's as though i am from another planet. It's so much easier working with animals at times if you were to compare them with people. At least animals don't make a joke out of you and go about criticising you for things you did not do wrong.Oh what the heck,another 6 more months to go and i am out of here.This is really not a place for me to work long. Just get the experience and that will do. If i love animals,i can always come back as a visitor in future.My stint as a staff will end come the end of june. Ah,i just need my off day...

Rainy day at work...

2007-01-12T20:10:00.000+08:00

From the moment i woke up,it has been raining and this went on the entire day,on my way to and from work and even while at work as well.Well,the rain was both good and bad in a way. It was good because the rain brought with it so much lesser visitors to the zoo and hence lesser work load. Basically what happened was at about 3pm,i was told to send all the birds at the photography area back to the night safari instead of the usual 5pm since the number of visitors were practically insignificant and because the poor birds were shivering due to the cold.The rain also brought with it some inconvenience,my bus was caught in a major traffic jam this morning and i was nearly late for work.The rain also caused me to be drenched and like the birds,i was cold only not shivering,haha. Today she also did not report for work,perhaps because she got another day off or perhaps because she was on MC. I kept looking out for her but she never appeared. However,i think i can forget about the whole idea regarding her altogether.Apparently what happened was yesterday when i was off(it was her off also),she had returned back to the zoo to take some pictures for her project.Although she had asked my colleagues where i was which was sort of a good thing,my colleague then went on to comment that i was single and asked if she was. She replied that she was also which sounded rather promising. But according to my colleague,she then said that she prefered malay guys and guys who played around. I fit neither of the above so i guess i can forget about the whole idea altogether. Staying as friends is good enough,don't hope for so much yeah?

Praise the lord!

2007-01-11T14:32:00.000+08:00

Ok i'll make this quick. Basically it is about my uncle and his family whom i had mentioned in my earlier posting regarding prayers.Apparently i had just learnt from my mum that the entire family has been saved! Saved as in they have all become christians! I mean,what great news is that! Not 1 not 2 but the entire family of 6! God is really a God of wonders and He must have did something in their lives to have triggered off such a reaction. I am totally amazed by what has happened and at the same time,i am really glad that they have taken this step of faith=). Now all i am hoping for is that the same can happen to my family...I'll be praying that one day,i can wake up and realise that my family too have all become christians,hallelujah! Lol.

Kana Sai..

2007-01-10T20:47:00.000+08:00

Argh! Today i got bitten by one of the psychotic parrots twice while doing bird phtography.Once while trying to shift them from the shelter into the open and another while feeding it(can you believe it?!). I mean,so much for not biting the hand that feeds you...haha. Anyway,i think that bird hates me or maybe she hasn't understood me enough. Afterall,it's the first time that she spent the entire day out with me.Hopefully i won't get to handle it again but if i really have to,lets just hope she won't bite me anymore or perhaps if she really has to bite me,please do it gentler.Lol. But then agian,birds aside,the day was pretty good,especially when she came by a few times and talked to me but sadly though,we didn't get the chance to really talk much. Didn't see her at the bus stop once again but although i was a little disappointed,it was alright,i'm not going to hope so much. Leave it all to fate yeah?Haha.

My tank...Updated pictures on 08/01/07

2007-01-09T20:57:00.000+08:00

Here are some updated pictures of my tank. It has been a really long time since the last update and my tank has really matured alot. I am really pleased with the outlook now.Enjoy=)

Blood Diamond

2007-01-08T22:50:00.000+08:00

Pictures taken from:http://sg.movies.yahoo.com/Blood+Diamond/movie/13778/photos/

THE STORY:
Set against the backdrop of the chaos and civil war that enveloped 1990s Sierra Leone, "Blood Diamond" is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories and their circumstances are as different as any can be until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond, the kind of stone that can transform a life...or end it.
Solomon, who has been taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields, finds the extraordinary gem and hides it at great risk, knowing if he is discovered, he will be killed instantly. But he also knows the diamond could not only provide the means to save his wife and daughters from a life as refugees but also help rescue his son, Dia, from an even worse fate as a child soldier.
Archer, who has made his living trading diamonds for arms, learns of Solomon's hidden stone while in prison for smuggling. He knows a diamond like this is a once-in-a-lifetime find—valuable enough to be his ticket out of Africa and away from the cycle of violence and corruption in which he has been a willing player.
Enter Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an idealistic American journalist who is in Sierra Leone to uncover the truth behind conflict diamonds, exposing the complicity of diamond industry leaders who have chosen profits over principles. Maddy seeks out Archer as a source for her article, but soon finds it is he who needs her even more.
With Maddy's help, Archer and Solomon embark on a dangerous trek through rebel territory. Archer needs Solomon to find and recover the valuable pink diamond, but Solomon seeks something far more precious...his son.

Taken from: http://blooddiamondmovie.warnerbros.com/

THE CAST:
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO (Danny Archer),JENNIFER CONNELLY (Maddy Bowen),DJIMON HOUNSOU (Solomon Vandy),MICHAEL SHEEN (Simmons),ARNOLD VOSLOO (The Colonel),KAGISO KUYPERS (Dia),DAVID HAREWOOD (Captain Poison),BASIL WALLACE (Benjamin),NTARE MWINE (M'ed)

Taken from:http://blooddiamondmovie.warnerbros.com/

THE REVIEW:
On the whole,i found the show well worth the ticket price. Not only was it a 2hr plus show,the storyline and movie setting far surpassed my expectations. I decided to watch the movie with JJ without much of a clue of what it was really about.All i knew was that there was this really precious diamond which everyone was on the hunt for. Never did i expect that there is infact a story that goes along with the diamond. Apparently,the diamond is quite unlike any other as it is pinkish and as mentioned in the show,some people actually believe that the reason it is pink is because the earth where it is mined from is where there has been plenty of blood shedding.The story basically revolves around conflict diamonds(diamonds that were not mined by willing miners but by unwilling slaves). It is sad to know how a continent like Africa can be overwhelmed by civil war sparked off mainly by the greed surrounding diamonds as well as other precious resources like oil and gold. Besides that,the movie also centralised upon the love of a father,about how despite the many dangers and setbacks,still keeps him going on his quest to save his son and family.Although the show failed to move me,it really painted a picture regarding conflict diamonds which i had never knew about.The facts to me were really eye opening and from it,i could better understand the plight of the African people.The action sequences in the show was pretty applaudable as well and since it was a movie about war,the fighting scenes really kept my eyes peeled upon the screen.To sum it all up,i would recommend watching the show to get a better insight on whats going on in the world out there.At the same time,do look out for some of the messages that the show is trying to bring across to us--the strength of a father's love......how every person is just a human being but whether we are good or bad depends on what we do......the importance of purchasing conflict free diamonds or better still,to stay away from them completely(i pity the ladies haha.)

Song stuck in my head

2007-01-08T09:32:00.000+08:00

I really love this song alot.

My prayers

2007-01-07T21:11:00.000+08:00

I was not aware about the incident but apparently after me,my family and my relatives returned back to Singapore from our trip to Perth,Australia, my uncle was readmitted into hospital. This time round apparently the doctor had some bad news. According to what i heard from my mum,the doctor had informed that for the time being,my uncle's condition was still under the control of medication however in the long run,he still had to make the decision on whether to go for dialysis or to have a kidney transplant from my aunt. My mum was also saying about how their family was experiencing some financial difficulties at this moment. At this moment,my heart really goes out to my uncle,aunt and their children. It is indeed a trying moment for them having to face this problem. My uncle may also face the possibility of losing his job and although he is not the sole bread winner of the family,him losing his job will mean that the burden upon my aunt will be much greater. Furthermore,all their children are still very young,with the oldest one having just completed her O'levels.On top of that,there is still the impending medical bill for them to worry about. My most sincere prayers really go out to them,i pray that they will be able to make it through this hurdle and emerge unscathed. Let this just be a harmless scare and just a lesson to help bind their family stronger together.Let nothing happen to my uncle and his family.Let them remain strong and be able to make it through it all. In jesus name,i pray,amen=).

What am i to do?

2007-01-05T20:30:00.000+08:00

Sometimes,I feel as though i am at the crossroads when it comes to certain decisions in life.This is when i am not sure if i should take option A or B. It is like you worry that if you were to take option A,you may end up making the wrong choice as option B should have been the one and vice versa. In other words,you are afraid of making the wrong choice for fear of regretting it later in life. I guess i am in such a situation now. I am not sure if i should just try to get to know this girl better or should i just forget about the whole thing because it is kind of hard for me to do so especially when i don't really see her around that often. Somehow i feel that she is a nice girl yet on the other hand,i do not know how and where to start. I am also afraid of scaring her off and making her feel repulsive towards me. Haha,oh well,lets just leave things as it is now and see how things go. Maybe a miracle can happen along the way.Lol

What a day

2007-01-03T00:09:00.000+08:00

It is the 2nd of Jan. Hmm this day isn't entirely good or bad. But rather it is just an ordinary day with some extraordinary experiences. Well for a start,i did token 1 on a buddy system today.Unlike the other buddy experiences which i had where i was the one who was being buddied,this time round,it was my turn to buddy someone else. To be specific,i buddied a new colleague of mine,charlene as she went about doing her token 1 trial. My duty was basically to observe her commentary and give feedback as well as prompt her in places which she may have forgotten.On the whole,her commentary was pretty good,at least by my standards. She was rather sponteneous and used her own words in quite a number of places. This is good as by doing so,she has the freedom to express herself and will not be stuck if she were to forget a particular part of the script.Like myself,i think one of her big problems was smiling as both of us are still pretty nervous so in the midst of concentrating on our scripts,we may have forgotten our smiles.Haha. Anyway,back to the day,everything went on fine until the 1.05pm polar bears feeding today.As it was a public holiday today,the turnout was really huge and the whole polar bear exhibit was jammed packed with people. Not only were all the seats taken up,there were people crowding out the area infront of the viewing panels as well as at the sides. There was literally no space for movement at all. Looking at the situation we had before us,charlene and i decided to make the announcement for all those who were infront of the viewing panels to squat and sit down so others behind could get a view of the feeding. At the same time,i managed to barricade one side of the view panel area so that no one else could come in. Unfortunately for the other side of the barricade,there was far too many people and i could not get them to move away for me to barricade that area as well so in the end,i left that area open. Despite the rowdy crowd,the commentary went on and during parts of it,charlene had to actually pause to get people in the front row who stood up because of the excitement to sit back down to avoid blocking the view of others. All throughout the time,i was also desperately trying to get a couple of people to sit down so that others could enjoy the show. After much trouble,the feeding ended and as we were making our way out,this chinese man approached us looked at our name tags and said "what are your names.....derrick and charlene....i am going to complain against the 2 of you". He went on to talk about how he had waited for 1hr for the show just to be blocked by the people who had gathered in the area of the unbarricaded viewing panels. He then went on to comment on how we could have done better crowd control and could have given out tickets so people were seated according to numbers and at the same time how we could have barricaded up the whole place. All throughout,we smiled at him and charlene went on to explain to him how we had tried several times to get the people in the front to squat down and cooperate with us. He refused to listen to our explaination and commented that we could have used "our pig brains" and to "wait for his e.mail". Well,so much for a day at work..But well,it really wasn't our fault anyway. We had already tried our best. Imagine there was 2 of us and the situation was already like that. What more if it was only one person on his own which was usually the case? After work,i went on to meet JJ,hoping to catch a movie but unfortunately the ones we wanted to watch were already sold out. So in the end,we went to play lan and halfway through,JJ wanted to leave as he had wanted to go and meet his ex-girlfriend as she was alone in the area. This was not the first time that something like that had actually happened and apparently it was the case most of the time. Even when it was me he had decided to meet up with first,if his ex-girlfriend were to ask him for company,he would relent and then choose to say goodbye to me,even when an off day for me right now is so hard to come by. I am not angry with him,just disappointed that as much as he always tells me things like me not being able to make choices resulting in problems for myself,he is facing the same problem as well,infact much more than me. Basically his problem is that on one hand,he keeps saying that he and his ex-girlfriend are through yet the next moment,he would do things like these. I guess he needs to be able to really decide what path he wants to take as well as learn how to prioritise. What i mean is,since a person has already agreed to meet someone,then follow through with it,not leave that someone halfway through to meet up with another person.It just goes to show how much value is put into certain things.Oh well,gonna spend my off day tomorrow by myself. Perhaps just slacking around.

The New Year

2007-01-01T23:01:00.000+08:00

Ah,how time flies. In just the blink of an eye,the year has passed just like that.And before we know it,it is already the year 2007. Now for a brief recap of 2006....2006 saw me completing my national service and finding a job at the zoo.It was also the year that i got to meet up with my pri sch friends,some of them whom i have not met for the past 8 years ever since we graduated. Other than that,there are not many other major incidents for me to actually talk about. On the whole 2006 was a year filled with lots of happiness that were made possible by the people around me,both family and friends..thank you everyone=). As for the year 2007,i guess i have several new year resolutions to fulfill. As i was telling JJ,hopefully i can spend christmas this year with someone special(provided i get to meet her and sorry JJ,i will still celebrate your 21st b'dae) as valentine's day will be a little too soon.I would also hope to get into a course of my choice but if i cannot,it is ok,i just hope to be able to have the strength to really study hard in whatever course i end up with and excel in my grades. Personally,i would also like to get myself a SLR camera and go around taking pictures(currently i am in the process of selecting the camera and where to get it from). Other then that i think i am pretty contented. Just want myself and the people around me to stay happy,be ever so blessed and remain healthy=).At the same time,i would also to give special attention to the first day of the new year.Last night while many others around the world were counting down and ushering the new year,i was asleep on my bed,in preparation for work today. Yes,i had work today(the zoo is open every single day). Sadly then i had to miss the countdown and did not get a glimpse of the spectacular fireworks display. Nevermind,there will be better ones the next time when i am able to catch it and who knows,someone special may just be by my side then making it all the more special...Ah,how i hope that can come true(me and my numerous dreams again,lol). Work was pretty fine today. Did token 1 by myself as the person whom i was suppose to buddy and observe did not turn up. Was kind of rusty and there were parts which i stumbled upon. Other than that,the day went on pretty well. At the end of it all,i met my parents at Ang Mo Kio central for dinner and while waiting for them,i got to see a rare sight,2 rainbows together,one on top of the other.At that point of time,i felt so comforted and something in my heart told me that everything was going to be fine. Now perhaps it was a sign to tell me that my wishes could probably all come true=). Now i shall believe in that by faith and trust that it shall be fulfilled. What a start to the new year,haha. Happy new year to all=)
Due to the poor quality of my camera phone(it is only 1.3 megapixels),the second rainbow is not really very visible but if you look above the rainbow which is easily visible,you may be able to make out the faint outline of the second rainbow. Trust me,when i saw it in real life,it was much more obvious.

New pet acquired on 30/12/06

2006-12-31T21:10:00.000+08:00

Yesterday after work,since it was a saturday,me and my family went to Bukit Panjang shopping centre and there,we caught sight of a pet shop there. As my mother had promised my brother a hamster,we decided to head on there after dinner to pick up the hamster. While at the pet shop, i was looking at the hamsters and was tempted into getting one for myself. My brother settled on a sapphire hamster,similar to my xiao3 bu4 dian3 which had passed away while i settled for a roborovski hamster.My brother went on to name the sapphire xiao3 bu4 dian3 again as according to him,he wanted that hamster to be forever. As for me,i have yet to name my hamster pending an observation on it's character. There are no pictures as of now but when i get them,i will post them.

Class gathering on 28/12/06

2006-12-31T20:40:00.000+08:00

On the 28th of Dec,my old primary school class of 6.6(1998) and 5.6(1997) had a gathering. Originally i was sceptical about the number of people who would turn up. Thinking that there would only be 5-6 of us but when i arrived at the meeting venue--minds cafe, i was suprised to find 12 people sitting at the table. In the end,the final tally of the number of people who came for the gathering stood at 15 people. That to me was a very commendable,especially since so many of us had not met one another for the past 8 years ever since we graduated from pri sch. But i must say that it was really a great feeling to meet everyone,to be able to catch up with my long lost friends.We talked,laughed and played the mind games that they had over at the cafe. Originally,i had intended to leave at 9.15pm the latest since i had work the next day but by the time we all parted,it was already 11.15pm. But well you can't blame me since there was really so much to catch up about and since chances like this doesn't come by that easily. I was really happy i could make it and it was really great that the others could turn up. Unfortunately though the organisers of the gathering zimin and peiyi could not turn up and several others were not informed. I do hope that we could have another gathering real soon,with more people and more importantly,more time at our disposal. Haha.Below are pictures taken that day. We all look almost the same,only that we are bigger version of our old selves=).

16th - 25th Dec 2006

2006-12-26T18:49:00.000+08:00

My family at King's Park with the city area in the background

As most of you probably know,i was away in Perth Australia over the past few days on holiday with my family and relatives.This entire trip was self planned and everything was free and easy,without the help of any tour agency.There was no tour bus to drive us around and there were no meals provided. We had to do everything by ourselves,from planning the itenary to getting around and even settling our own meals. During this trip,i also gained some experience and some thoughts also came along the way. On the whole,the trip was pretty enjoyable but there were some hiccups along the way which ranged from flight delays to late delivery of our rental vehicles. We also made some mistakes in planning the itenary. We misjudged the distance we had to travel to for some destinations and ended up having to leave some of them out and on the other hand,places which we could have ommitted we ended up visiting just because there was so much publicity about them.In the end,we were pretty disappointed with some of the things we saw which included the size of the supposed "factories".Well,enough said,the following is a brief summary of what took place during the past 10days and 9 nights. Enjoy=)

Day1(16th Dec)

Flight from Singapore to Perth via Qantas flight QF72. Flight left the berth on schedule but take off was delayed for about 1/2 hr or more as one of the 2 runways for changi airport was closed for maintenance and there were many other planes before us taxi-ing on the remaining runway waiting to take off.Upon arrival at perth,we checked into our apartment and by the time we had settled down,it was already 4plus perth time(3plus Singapore time) and their shops closed at 5pm. Did some grocery shopping at the local supermarket before purchasing our dinner and heading back to the apartment for the night.

Day 2(17th Dec)

After having breakfast comprising of self prepared bread and tea,we left the apartment at about 10am perth time and did some city exploring. Visited the Perth mint where we witnessed the gold pouring demonstration.Thereafter,we went to the central shopping district to do some shopping and got myself a t-shirt.had lunch there as well and the meal for my family came to 40plus Australian dollars again. Thereafter,we took a stroll down to the swan river area to visit the swan bells while the adults made some enquiries at the ferry agency on possible ferry rides to rottnest island that was located off fremantle. Thereafter we made our way back to the apartment and dinner was instant noodles with chicken slices in a bid by all families to cut costs. That day,we travelled around by taking the free bus service around the city and what irked me was the way some of them rushed to get off the bus despite the presence of elderly.They really shoved around as though in a rush for limited edition hello kitties.At the supermarket,they were also rushing to pay for their groceries and get out as there was this lady who used her supermarket trolley to bang my leg twice before saying excuse me.What a culture shock.

Perth Mint

Mum and I outside the Perth Post Office

Day 3(18th Dec)

The greatest hiccup in the trip occured that day. Our checkout time from the apartment was by 10am perth time and it was arranged with the vehicle rental company for our 2 rented vehicles to arrive around 10am so that we could begin our drive to our next destination. Turned out that the agency experienced some problems and in the end,by the time we received both vehicles,it was a already 3pm perth time. A delay of 5 hrs! This was unplanned for and we were now worried about being able to reach our next lodging area before sun down. Turned out our fears came true. Although the sun sets only around 8plus perth time,by the time we reached our lodging for the night which was a farm stay located in bridgetown,some 297km away,it was already 10plus perth time.That meant that we were driving on roads which we were unfamiliar with and in complete darkness(their roads do not have street lights you see) for about 2 hrs.During that period of time,it was really a nail biting experience as not only were we lost a couple of times,we were also facing the risk of colliding with kangaroos which were known to come out during dusk and at night.But thank God,we reached there safe and sound.That day,before we collected our rented vehicles,we were waiting at the lobby of the apartment and there was this man who seemed rather sick. Both his wife and daughter were there with him and apparently,they had already called for an ambulance to send him to the hospital. After more than 1/2 hr,the ambulance still did not arrive and at this point of time,the man who was seated in a sofa fainted and he collapsed onto the carpet floor. All of us got a shock and rushed over to see if he was alright. The wife was crying away as the apartment staff tried to get the ambulance to come faster. About 10minutes passed and the ambulance finally arrived.I do not know if it was the same case all the time but from what i observed,both crews in the ambulance did not seem to be in a rush at all. They did not seem to worry that the man was rather ill. During one point of time,one of the crew whom i believe was the driver went back outside to park the ambulance at the entrance. That was when i saw the most unbelieveable,he actually had time to put on his sunglasses before making his way back in. That entire scene made me realise how fortunate i was to be living in Singapore where our emergency services respond so quickly. It got me thinking about how the welfare of the Australian people and for a moment i pondered to myself that the people there seemed to rush when they shouldn't and they took their time when they had to hurry,what a contradiction.

Day 4(19th Dec)

The morning was spent at the farm,feeding the animals while the children played miniature golf as well. After lunch,we drove down towards pemberton but stopped short of reaching it as it was going to rain. Along the way we visited the Goldfields orchard,the manjimup Timber museum as well as Diamond tree fire lookout tower which was actually a tree by itself with a tower constructed at the top.I took the chance to scale to the top of it and boy was the view fantastic.There after,we did a little shoppping in manjimup town before heading back to the farm for the night.

Amongst the rows of fruit trees at Golfields Orchard

"Top of the world" after scaling the Diamond Tree fire lookout tower

Day 5(20th Dec)

We woke up early and after breakfast,we left the farm at about 9am perth time for the 190km journey down to margaret river. Along the way,we stopped by Busselton for our lunch and we had originally intended to visit the Busselton jetty underwater observatory which was some 2km from the shore,at the end of the jetty. But unfortunately we had to give it a miss as we were hard pressed for time and the schedule for the next commentary was an hour away. Thereafter,we headed to margaret river where the margaret river chocolate factory as well as fudge factory were widely advertised about.But when we arrived at these 2 locations,we were very disappointed as they weren't the size which we had expected them to be. The chocolate factory was the size of a bungalow while the fudge factory was actually just a shop.Thereafter,we headed back to the farm for the night.

Busselton Jetty in the background

Day 6(21st Dec)

We had to check out by 10am that day and thereafter,we started our trip back to Perth,yet another 297km away.Along the way,we stopped by Mandurah which was reputed to be a seafood town and there,we had a meal of fish and chips which came up to a whopping 50 plus australian dollars.After our lunch,we continued on our journey all the way back to perth and when we arrived,it was about 3pm perth time. After checking into our apartment,the children went for a swim,the women folk went across the street for some shopping while i took a rest in the apartment and watched TV,haha.

Day 7(22nd Dec)

After breakfast comprising of bread and bacon for the 6th straight day,we left for the town of Fremantle and while there,we visited the old Fremantle prison as well as the maritime museum. The tour of the old prison though expensive was well worth the money as we got a tour of the entire prison complex from the cookhouse to the cells and even to the gallows. Along the way we got an insight into the life of a prisoner and were educated about things we never knew about which took place beyond the prison walls.But before our tour begin,we had the chance to meet our first racist a**hole. As my dad was the driver for one of the rented vehicles and he was not very familiar with the carpark layout,he had parked his vehicle slightly out of the carpark lot thus obstructing traffic a little although there was still enough space for vehicles to pass through. Then came along this ang mor in his car and after passing through the narrow gap and parking his car,he walked by my dad's vehicle with him still inside and commented out loud "if you cannot park your vehicle then how how you got your license." I mean,although my dad's vehicle did obstruct traffic a little,he did not block it completely and at that point of time,he was already shifting his vehicle out of the way and parking it properly. So whats the big fuss about? This is a place we are foreign to and the least that a local person can do is to show some form of patience and understanding rather than just blast others like that.But this incident aside,the day went on well and we had lunch of fish and chips as Fremantle was reputed to have one of the best fish and chips in Australia if not the world.After that,we went back to Perth where we visited the local "chinatown" located in northbridge and after a meal of chinese food,we headed over to King's park and caught a breathtaking view of the city area at sunset.After sundown,we returned back to the apartment for the night.

Inside the Fremantle Market

Outside the Fremantle Market

Dad with me at the Fremantle Fisherman's Wharf

Sunset atop King's Park with the city area in the background

Day 8(23rd Dec)

After breakfast comprising of the usual bread with bacon,we left our apartments and headed towards caversham wildlife park in our rented vehicles. While there,we got to see the Australian native animals and were given a chance to come into close contact with the kangaroo,koala bear as well as wombat,cool! Thereafter,we travelled on to AQWA,the Australian version of the underwater world. The only difference being that AQWA showcased marine animals that were once again native to Australia.After that,we headed back to our apartment for the night.

In the Kangaroo Enclosure

At the Camel rides area

Mum,Bro and me outside the Caversham Wildlife Park

Day 9(24th Dec)

The day was more relaxed with less travelling as compared to any of the other days. After breakfast,we headed for a local warehouse located slightly out of town where we could pick up things at retail price. Thereafter,we headed back to the apartment for the rest of the day. Back at the apartment,i spent the day watching TV while the womenfolk went across the street to do some shopping. Dinner was pizzahut which we bought earlier in the day and while waiting for midnight to come,me and my cousins played blackjack.

Day 10(25th Dec)

We had to check out by 10am in the morning and our flight was not until 4.30pm perth time. Going by the 2hrs in advace check in time which was required,we still had till 2.30pm to keep ourselves occupied. Since it was christmas day,we had it figured out that all the shops were closed.We then settled upon going back to King's Park once again so that the young ones could have some place to have some fun while the grownups including myself could enjoy the scenery. At about 12.30pm,we decided to search for a fastfood joint thinking that it would be just like in Singapore,staying open despite the holidays but we were suprised to find that even fastfood chains like Mcdonalds were totally shut. In the end,we decided to try out luck and headed over to the airport inhopes that we would find food there and true enough,there was indeed food to be eaten. Everything then went smooothly until boarding time. We were informed at the last minute that our flight would be delayed,this time round because the plane had just landed and needed to be restocked and refuelled for our flight. After a wait of about half an hour,we boarded our plane and headed back to Singapore.

Outside Perth international Airport

Summary

On the whole,i felt that the trip was pretty fun minus the hiccups that occurred along the way. Throughout the entire trip involving the rented vehicles,i was the navigator for both cars. Basically i was the one who identified the routes to take and instructed my dad on how to get to our destination while the vehicle behind driven by my uncle would just follow. It was a little stressful since the maps we had with us were rather inadequate and in come cases,the maps were even outdated so we were thrown offtrack at certain points of the journey. On the whole,our experience with Australins were also very pleasant as they were always ready to give us directions with a smile on their face. They were all pretty friendly except for the bad experiences we had with some of that. Sadly though we did not get to visit some of the intended places because of distance misjudgement but to sum it all up,we all enjoyed the trip but only lamented the fact that things there were too expensive and we could not afford to buy more souveniers.

The Breakup

2006-12-25T23:07:00.000+08:00

Was in Perth Australia with my family and relatives from the 16th of dec till 25th of dec on holdiay and while there,i got the chance to watch many movies,one of them i feel deserves a mention----The Breakup.

The show is basically about a couple who had some disagreements during a point in the relationship and it was about the man not showing his appreciation for the lady when she needed it.The man basically took the lady for granted and felt that she was being overboard to request that he helped her with the dishes and spent some time going places with her.In the end,a breakup was initiated but both parties refused to back down and reconciliate. Instead,they went to great lengths to spite one another and that included bringing home other men and women as well as doing things that they would normally not have done when they were still together.As part of the breakup plan,the house that they had co-owned was put up for sale and eventually sold with 2 weeks grace given for them to move out.When the relationship seemed totally lost,a ray of hope seemed to appear when the man finally came to his senses and prepared a meal for the lady for the first time. But he was disappointed and got the wrong idea when he saw her returning home with another man who was only there to see an art piece which the girl had in the house.Thereafter,the girl also took a shot at trying to patch things up by inviting the guy to watch a concert with her and the guy agreed to go after checking if it was really just the 2 of them only.Sadly though,the guy never turned up for the concert and when confronted about the matter,he replied that something else cropped up and he never knew how significant the concert was to the lady. In the end,the day to move out of the house really came and that spelt the end of the relationship for the 2 of them.Both of them then went about leading their own seperate lives--the lady going on a long trip while the guy persuing an occupation he really loved.The show then concluded with a coincidental meeting between the 2 of them one day and for a moment,it left me thinking that this would mean that they would have another chance to start afresh and get back together again but then again,there was a twist in the story and both of them never patched up. That was how the movie ended and i guess i could draw some similarity from it when i look back upon my past relationship.I too had a breakup partially because i never understood my girlfriend enough and took her for granted then.Thereafter,i tried to do somethings to show as if i was really fine about the whole matter but in reality,i was still pinning hopes about a patch up and finally like the show,the patch up never ever occured and both of us went on with our own lives. What a show that depicted the exact same things that happened in my life.

Whew!

2006-12-13T20:02:00.000+08:00

Haha,i did the entire token feeding by myself today...Take note,it was the entire token feeding!!...None of it was covered by anyone else and i did every single one of the presentations,every single one of the trails. Well it is a pretty good first time for me although i had did a few of the trails by myself the last time. Got some feedback from the keepers and although they were mostly positive,i still had to work on my presentation style which sounded a little monotonous to them.There were also some mistakes along the way which had to be ironed out and i was still not smooth for the elephant's bath presentation. Overall i was pretty satisfied with my performance but i will definately work hard to improve upon it. Today there were some technical glitches as well and for the primate's kingdom segment,the speakers were not working so i had to project my voice to make myself audible to the crowd. But suprisingly,i felt that i did much better this time round as compared to the other time when the speakers were working.Perhaps it was because of more experience or maybe because by relying on my voice alone,i gained more confidence and was able to interact better with the crowd. But it was a great day nonetheless,more to come in future eh?

So what about it?

2006-12-12T21:28:00.000+08:00

Today while doing bird phtography,i saw this indian family walking towards me. As with any other person that aproaches the phtography area,i would ask if they wanted to have a picture with the macaws for a small contribution of $5 per person. Just then,i noticed that the children in the group were all eager to have their pictures taken so i asked how many of them wanted to take the picture with the intention of giving them a discount if there was a substential number of them. This was the same treatment for any other individual or group and when one of them said that 10 of them wanted to take the picture,i thought for a moment before settling on a $20 contribution from them instead of the actual $50 which they were supposed to give. But what came after that was a shock to me. The leading man of the group whom i believed was the father actually said the following...." $20 ?!?! Do you know who i am ?? How long have you been working here??" i then replied that i did not know him and i have only been working for about a month to 2 months and this was what he said " I know your zoo's curator,do you have a walkie talkie? call him over for me." I told him that i did not have a walkie talkie and just gave him a smile.. The group then started to leave the area and move on along the path and a lady in the group whom i believed was his wife then said "you work for only one month no wonder you don't know him..he was the one who fixed the sound system for the giraffes......the curator knows him." The group then moved on. I was amazed at this treatment but i kept my composure throughout and the entire time,i was polite and had a smile on my face. But after they left,i was wondering in my heart why they did that for. Did they kick up such a big fuss because i gave them a discount when it was supposed to be $50 actually or was it because i did not let them take pictures for free despite the man knowing the zoo's curator. Whatever it was,i felt that it was not a big deal even if he knew the zoo's curator. I wouldn't care less even if he was the curator's brother and that was no way to actually throw his weight around.I am the person in charge of the photo area and whether i give discounts or not is up to my decision. The discounts are meant to make the phtography affordable so more people can have it and more funds can be raised. Although i did not go with the protocol of $5 per person,i did not do anything wrong as well. The birds were out to raise funds and no matter what,they would be there the entire day..so might as well charge less to attract more people to come forward than to charge more and turn everyone away. Even if you were the director's brother,i would still charge you no matter what. Infact,i would expect you to volunteer to pay more since you should be aware of the operations of the zoo. Yet another new observation on yet another day at work.

Which is more important?

2006-12-11T20:29:00.000+08:00

Hmmm,while working at the zoo,a question arose inside of me. Which exactly is more important--the welfare of the animals, the happiness of the public or the security of one's A**? For me,if i were to rank,i would go with welfare of animals first,followed by happiness of the public and finally the security of my A**. Why i ranked them in this order is because i felt that since it being a zoo,the primary objective is to raise awareness of the animals that make their home there and how to better raise awareness than through exhibiting healthy,lively animals.Secondly of course the visitors are important as they are what makes the zoo function. Without them,who would view these animals? Without them,who are our intended audience for raising awareness to? So definately,their happiness is important but it is secondary to the welfare of the animals.We cannot force the animal to do something just to ensure that the visitor is happy. Instead it is the other way round--that it is what the animal does naturally that makes the visitors happy. And finally,we come to the security of our A**. This is because if the first 2 conditions are never met,we would either end up with animals in poor condition or end up inviting lots of complaints from unhappy visitors. These 2 factors are good enough for us to get into lots of trouble with the management and hence have our A** whooped. Unfortunately though,there are those who do not have their priorities arranged this way. They chose to arrange it the other way around. With the security of their A** being of utmost priority,followed by the happiness of visitors and finally,the welfare of the animals. It is really sad that they chose to see things this way--to neglect the well being of the animals just so that visitors will be happy and so that they would appear as ideal workers infront of the management heads.Perhaps even some of the management staff have the same wrong priorities set but if it was me in the top ranks,i'd say ignore all the protocols. We are working in the zoo and if the animals are not happy,then might as well call it a circus. I am not keen to see workers who would demonstrate to me how rigid about rules they can be,instead,i would like to see workers who truly have a passion for the job--to really love animals and let the rest of the factors just fall in place nicely by themselves.

The kind of people there are out there(2)...

2006-12-10T20:55:00.000+08:00

While doing bird photography,i noticed that the kind of people there are out there is really more than meets the eye. There are some people who would really gladly pay the required $5 per person surcharge to have their photographs taken,there are some who would try to bargain with you even before you quote them a price and in some cases,there are those who would simply act blur and take photographs first before asking if it was necessary to pay before apologising that they would not pay because they had taken the photographs "unknowingly".It was interesting to see how people actually reacted to the $5 surcharge. Generally,people would leave once they find out about the cost.But a few gracious ones who understand that the money goes to the wildlife conservation fund would actually be willing to have their photographs taken. Even amongst those who would willingly pay the fee,there exists 2 types of people. The ones who would just snap a few shots and then move on while on the other hand,there are those who try to snap as many shots as they can to make the cost "worth it". Lol.But the other day,there was this caucasian who after paying the fee and having a few shots taken,he went a step further and actually slot a $2 note into my pocket,with the intention of tipping me. Of course i did not take it but instead removed the note from my pocket and placed it into the donation box in his view while telling him that all proceeds were meant for the birds.But well,at least he knew what he was doing and where his money was going. But sadly though,there are those who ignore the fact that the birds and me are out there to raise funds for the animals. All they care about is that they want to have their pictures taken. Some have even waved me off and continued taking photographs despite me telling them that they had to pay to take photographs with the birds.These kind of people i have no way to handle..Refuse them too strongly and i myself may get complaints instead..So in the end,all i could do was to smile,let them take the pictures,pretend to not see anything but yet learn something about their character.This job is indeed interesting..Wahaha.

A figment of the past....

2006-12-10T20:51:00.000+08:00

Went to compass point with my family yesterday,then i decided to go to sembawang to see if there was any CD worth buying. In the end,i settled for Michael Learns To Rock 15th Anniversary ultimate collection. This album really compiles all their greatest hits into 2 CDs. Not bad..At the same time,i recalled how someone used to love this band as much as i did..Wahaha. Dun worry,i am fine,just some recollections=).

The kind of people there are out there...

2006-12-08T23:05:00.000+08:00

First up,heres a picture of me at work,in the background are the 3 macaws that i look after throughout the day=)

Today i came across 2 situations that allowed me to see the different aspects of the human heart. Firstly,for the incident that happened in the morning,i admit it was my fault...Basically what happened was i had locked all my belongings including my keys inside my locker and thankfully another person working in the zoo but in another department had the spare key to the lock. So i had arranged to meet up with him outside the elephants of asia exhibit to obtain the spare key from him so that i could open up my locker. Well the problem does not lie with this friend of mine...But rather,after taking the key from him,i had wanted to make my way back to my department. As i was on my way back along the road,i came across 2 elephants and their 2 keepers who were on their way to the elephants bath location. As the elephants were only occupying half of the road and one of the keepers had saw me and i was rushing for time,i assumed that it was alright for me to walk past them since my presence had been acknowledged and the road still had space for me to travel on. But the thing was after i passed them,the other keeper who had been blocked by his elephant earlier saw me and he shouted out " boy,you cannot see elephant issit?!" I turned around,apologised to him and continued to walk as i was really running late and that was then when he shouted again "boy,elephant you can walk like that issit?!" Though i cannot remember his exact words,i think it was something like that. I do admit that it was my fault for not consulting with them if i could walk by but then again,i had assumed that since the first keeper did not stop me even when he saw that i was walking towards them,it was alright. But that was not all,,at the end of the whole day,i saw the same keepers at the elephant rides area again and they were just sitting around,waiting to see if any tourists came by wanting to have a ride on the elephants. I saw that the keeper who shouted at me was there and he was looking in my direction.I was not sure if he was looking at me but i just stuck up my hand and waved at him to acknowledge his presence in a bid to greet him but the next thing he did made me question if he did it on purpose or not....he actually looked away!. For a moment i felt disgusted...In my heart i was wondering if he did it on purpose because of the early morning incident or because he really did not see me. I hope it is the latter but if it is really for the first reason then it really tells alot about his character....I mean,what do you expect?He is aware that i am new and i already made it a point to apologise for my mistakes but if you are someone with so much grudge in your heart then how do you expect people to work with you in future? In my heart i was wondering,if it was a tourist or someone he was on good terms with who did that,would he still react like that. I wouldn't want to guess so much but my gut feeling was he would have just let it pass...To me,i felt that it was right that he shouted at me at that instant when i walked past because of my safety but i do not feel that it is right that you actually keep it in mind for so long.

Secondly,while i was at the bird photography area today,i was discussing with one of my colleagues about how i felt improvements could have been made to some of the management policies. Apparently at the bird photography area,we are supposed to keep it squeky clean. After the birds have had their meals,we are supposed to sweep up all the leftover foods from the floor. This i understood because all the bits of uneaten apple and other foods looked really unsightly. But the thing was,some of the management staff were so particular to the extent that they had to even question the reason for having a spray meant for the birds out at the photography area.The spray is used to help the birds drink as well as cool off on very hot days like today so me and my colleague just left it at the photgraphy area since we were constantly using it. But after being questioned about why the spray was out in the open,i was telling my colleague how i felt about the matter.I was saying that i understood that it was neccessary to keep the photography area clean but i felt that it need not have to be done to the extent that even things used for the welfare of the birds had to be kept out of sight unless in use at that point of time.My colleague then rebuked me and kept trying to reason about the management's stand,sounding so defensive about the management. Perhaps my colleague really did feel that way but if it wasn't the case and all that my colleague was trying to do was to protect personal interests and not wanting to sound as if disagreeing with the policies of the management,then i feel that my colleague really has no guts to stand up for whats right but instead choose to go with the flow for "safety sake".

Lol,in just one day i express so much of my feelings...But frankly speaking,working in an environment like this really allowed me to see alot--to see the good the bad and the ugly.Maybe it is just me and my PMS or perhaps my observations are truly right,that people are indeed like that...If thats the case,then it is really sad don't you agree?