Two roads...

I was working on the application form for MC 0708 and decided to browse through some applications from the other countries...

and found this very apt poem in one of the applications for MCP...

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

Robert Frost - Mountain Interval. 1920.

How appropriate...

here we go...

and so another mad rush comes along...

guess I'm used to it...

but job satisfaction aside, I can't deny that it does get me tired physically and mentally at the end of the day...

but that's just part of the challenge... =)

Forever for You by Daryl Hall

Does anyone know what love can cost?
To take you so high then leave you lost.
Is it a mystery that runs too deep for such a simple heart?
Can anyone stop the hands of time?
Put back the loving in your eyes?
Though it's his name I hear when you are sleeping, I'll pretend it's mine.

Chorus:
When they ask me how long I'm going to love you
If the road to my heart will always stay true,
I'll say forever, I'll say forever for you
When they ask will I stay right there beside you
And they don't see you and me the way that I do,
I'll say forever, I'll say forever for you
(you are forever .... you are forever)

All roses are rose, my hand remains
But the thorn will cut you just the same
I'm losing your love I know - so sad the feeling,
I can tell somebody's stealing, stealing away your heart.

I don't know if I should tell you
High livin' my heart, there's no room for another
If you leave me now, my heart would not recover...
You are forever, you are forever ... forever for you (repeat Chorus)


nice song... especially when played in the middle of the night on DJ-less radio...

Last 5 exams of the final year of university

Taking my last paper for this semester next Tuesday...

As I'll be taking 4 modules next semester, that means the paper on Tuesday is the 5th last paper I will take in university (provided all goes well with the previous 5 I took in this month of course)

but anyhow... it's weird... final year in university...

didn't think we would get there so soon...

but it's been an interesting 3.5 years of university so far... and I am sure the last 0.5 year will be equally if not even more exciting and interesting...

here's to the future!!

Up and Up somemore...

Attention Attention!

if you don't already know, our GST (Government Service Tax) is going to increase from the current 5% to 7% come 2007...

you know what this means??????

It means we have to go shopping in December to get the stuff we need before the new tax rate sets in!!!

It's getting even more expensive living in Singapore...

Up and Down, Up and Down...

What more can I say?

Maybe

Maybe I read too much into that simple line... but somehow...

makes one feel misunderstood...

and for some reason that hurts...

but...

blocking it out...

I am good at doing that...

One item cleared!

Went to watch a movie yesterday evening with Imran and Diana at Jurong Point... kind of a on-the-spur-of-the-moment thing but well... at least I cleared one item off the things-I-miss list i.e. watching a movie at the cinema

watched "Step Up"... typical dancing kind of show... street kid who's pro in hip-hop, break dancing and what not meets poised pretty girl who does ballet and contempory dance and what not... He met her cos he got caught vandalising the hall of the Maryland School of the Arts and had to serve community service in the school for the crime... anyhow, usual stuff like quitting and coming back, falling in love, pursuing your goals etc... and of course dancing... not too bad la.. but "Take the Lead" is definitely better for a show with dancing...

watching shows like that about dancing is cool...

Just makes me miss one thing even more... so much more really...

and that's wushu... hey it's not all about fighting ok? There's also the choreography, the coordination if you're doing a group or pair thing, the rhythm, getting the right music with the right beat and atmosphere, moving your body in a way that makes you feel free...

and speaking of body... I so need to start working out...

I miss....

with the recent email threads / MSN conversations coming alive again, I find that I miss

- wushu, training, hui suo, the carpet, crappy and crazy wushu mates, jumping around, sprinting
- Council, council camp, Marche pig out sessions, crappy and crazy councillors
- AP randomness, AP sis and bros

I also miss
- going kayaking at the beach
- playing pool!!!!!
- watching a movie at the cinema
- sleepovers or chalets

So many things and people...

And so it has begun...

15 Nov - 9am to 11am - HW310 - Professional Communications
16 Nov - 9am to 11.30am - MP4A01 - Aerodynamics
17 Nov - 9am to 11.00am - MP4011 - Mechanical Systems Design and Analysis
21 Nov - 9am to 11.30 am - MP4A02 - Aircraft Structures
23 Nov - 1pm to 3pm - CS815 - World of the Web
28 Nov - 9am to 11.30am - MP4005 - Fluid Dynamics


1st paper done... and what a fun paper it was..

1st question was on cultural differences
2nd question was on answering an interview question
3rd question was on drafting an email on a buddy system after being hired...

and the most amusing thing? It's linked to Koreans...

Emotional Roller Coaster

From Anger
to Disappointment
to Bewilderment
to Resignment
to Resolution
to Action

Hopefully...

to Hope
to Relief
to Peace

On firefighting...

I don't really like fire-fighting... because in most cases it means that there was no fire-prevention prior to the fire...

It's sad that before the fire, people easily think you are naggy or forget what you have reminded... and then just before a fire starts (or when a fire starts), you're called in... you have no choice but to fight the fire...

but at the same time, you have no choice but to feel disappointed too...

You know what... this means more measures to ensure such things don't happen again in future...

Funny quotes from Bosses

I notice that I always re-read the most number of Tin Tin comics, blog the most entries and watch a bit more television when the exams are near... I have no idea why...

anyway, found this very funny article from Mr Brown's site...

Dilbert quotes contest

A magazine recently ran a "Dilbert quotes" contest. They were looking for people to submit quotes from their real-life dilbert-type managers.

Here are the top ten finalists:

1. "As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday and employees will receive their cards in two weeks."
(This was the winning quote from Fred Dales, Microsoft Corp. in Redmond, WA)

2. "What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter."
(Lykes Lines Shipping)

3. "E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business."
(Accounting manager, Electric Boat Company)

4. "This project is so important, we can't let things that are more important interfere with it."
(Advertising/Marketing manager, United Parcel Service)

5. "Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule."
(Plant manager, Delco Corporation)

6. "No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now, go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them."
(R&D supervisor, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing/3M Corp.)

7. Quote from the Boss: "Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say."
(Marketing executive, Citrix Corporation)

8. My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled for Monday. When I told my Boss, he said she died on purpose so that I would have to miss work on the busiest day of the year. He then asked if we could change her burial to Friday. He said, "That would be better for me."
(Shipping executive, FTD Florists)

9. "We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees."
(Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division)

10. One day my Boss asked me to submit a status report to him concerning a project I was working on. I asked him if tomorrow would be soon enough. He said, "If I wanted it tomorrow, I would have waited until tomorrow to ask for it!"
(Hallmark Cards Executive)

via rx78ntx who got it via Inderjit Singh SOPS (whoever that is, heh)

Reminds me of my project for Professional Communication module.. We titled it "Boss-olgy - The Art of Handling your Boss"

What Famous Leader Are You?

Found this interesting test link on Alex's blog and gave it a go myself...

So I am....

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Interesting stuff... hahaha...

Reminds me of Brodie's speech at Opening Plenary of International Congress 2005 in Agra, India. He was talking about Gandhi and about finding the salt of the earth...

but anyhow, with all due respect for Gandhi, but I don't wish to end up as thin as he is...

Have you listened to what your heart is saying?

It was not easy to do; in earlier times, his heart had always been ready to tell its story, but lately that wasn't true. There had been times when his heart spent hours telling of its sadness, and at other times it became so emotional over the desert sunrise that the boy had to hide his tears. His heart beat fastest when it spoke to the boy of treasure, and more slowly when the boy stared entranced at the endless horizons of the desert. But his heart was never quiet, even when the boy and the alchemist had fallen into silence.

"Why do we have to listen to our hearts?" the boy asked, when they had made camp that day.

"Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you'll find your treasure."

"But my heart is agitated," the boy said. "It has its dreams, it gets emotional, and it's become passionate over a woman of the desert. It asks things of me, and it keeps me from sleeping many nights, when I'm thinking about her."

"Well that's good. Your heart is alive. Keep listening to what it has to say."

______________________________________

"My heart is a traitor," the boy said to the alchemist, when they had paused to rest the horses. "It doesn't want me to go on."

"That makes sense," the alchemist answered. "Naturally it's afraid that in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you've won."

"Well then, why should I listen to my heart?"

"Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. Even if you pretend not to have heard what it tells you, it will always be there inside you, repeating to you what you're thinking about life and about the world."

"You mean I should listen, even if it's treasonous?"

"Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you'll know its dreams and wishes, and will know how to deal with them."

"You will never be able to escape from you heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you'll never have to fear an unanticipated blow."

______________________________________

"Why don't people's hearts tell them to continue to follow their dreams?" the boy asked the alchemist.

"Because that's what makes a heart suffer most, and hearts don't like to suffer."

Hurting...

It hurts when you know that the people you care about are hurting... regardless of how much they know how much you care...

and it hurts even more knowing that there is nothing I can do to help...

All I can do is to stand on the sidelines and cheer them on in my head and know that somehow someday they will pull through...

Nice song

I'm not a boy band person... but sometimes one cannot deny that the Backstreet Boys do churn out pretty nice songs...

I Still (Backstreet Boys)

Who are you now
Are you still the same
Oe did you change somehow
What do you do
At this very moment when I think of you

And when I'm looking back
How we were young and stupid
Do you remember that

No matter how I fight it, can't deny it
Just can't let you go

I still need you
I still care about you
Though everything's been said and done
I still feel you like I'm right beside you
But still no word from you

Now look at me
Instead of moving on, not refuse to see
That I keep coming back
yeah, I'm stuck in a moment
That wasn't meant to last

I've tried to fight it, can't deny it
You don't even know that

I still need you
I still care about you
Though everything's been said and done
I still feel you like I'm right beside you
But still no word from you

No, No...
I wish I could find you
Just like you found me, that I
Would never let you go

(need you, care about you)
Though everything's been said and done, yeah
I still feel you (I still feel you)
like I'm right beside you (Like I'm right here beside you)

But still no word from you

Interesting Singaporean Blogs

I have a few URLs in my Favourites folder which are blogs by locals that provide a very local perspective on things in Singapore mainly...

So here they are:

Rude Singaporeans (http://www.rudesingaporeans.blogspot.com/)
This blog showcases acts and photos of rudeness, ranging from inconsiderate drivers, selfish carparking, inconsiderate passengers on the MRT etc etc...
All postings are sent in by the average Singaporean on his/her travels in daily life...

Mr Wang Bakes Good Karma (http://commentarysingapore.blogspot.com/)
Mr Wang is a Singaporean lawyer who writes about current issues and his views on them. Definitely an interesting read... even comes with excerpts from The Straits Times...

Yawning Bread (http://www.yawningbread.org/)
Yawning Bread is a blog by a local guy who is gay and a gay activist. His articles range from expressing his thoughts on gay issues to his coverage of gay events to anything else not pertaining to the gay community as well.
He also includes things like interviews, historical references and educational materials on homosexuality, on the discrimination and fears they experience, on support groups in Singapore for gays and lesbians etc etc

So there you are... recommendations of the day...

Gives you a lot more insight on what Singaporeans see, think, act and feel like...

Cheers to the simple and good things in life...

Essence of the night

It is now 2.30 am and I am still up...

Doing what you may wonder? Nothing work related that's for sure...

Enjoying the quiet of the night... have you ever noticed how noisy cars and vehicles are in the day? Compared to the night, we live in utter noisiness and loudness in the day...

Enjoying the music on the radio... no DJs, no advertisements... just music.. and very nice songs at that...

Enjoying observing my hamster... just disengaged his exercise wheel (gets a bit noisy and disturbs my mom) so I'm watching as he entertains himself and tries to find out why the wheel doesn't run anymore...

Enjoying time for myself.. just disengaging myself from work.. from studies.. from the feelings and the rush that flood over me in the day at times...

Did you ever read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom? Morrie mentioned something about recognising the feelings and emotions by experiencing them fully... so that when it starts approaching again, you recognise it and then can disengage yourself from it... does that make sense to you? Go read the book if you want a better description than what I just offered.. =)

I like the nights.. especially when I am not yet so tired to be able to think and reflect and reminisce on some stuff...

but somethings... can't help but wonder if it will be even more enjoyable if there was someone to share this moment with... hahhaha

ponder ponder...

When you need a break...

Taking a break from work now and followed the link from a friend's blog to do this test... interesting... hahaha

You Are a Seeker Soul

You are on a quest for knowledge and life challenges. You love to be curious and ask a ton of questions. Since you know so much, you make for an interesting conversationalist. Mentally alert, you can outwit almost anyone (and have fun doing it!). Very introspective, you can be silently critical of others. And your quiet nature makes it difficult for people to get to know you. You see yourself as a philosopher, and you take everything philosophically. Your main talent is expressing and communicating ideas. Souls you are most compatible with: Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

I feel so philosophical now... hahaha... hmmmm

Funny stuff I have heard

"Is that a reservoir?"
- quoted from someone who was standing at the beach and looking at the Straits of Johor

Person A (in all seriousness): "Have you ever thought about dying?"
Person B (in equal seriousness): "My hair? It doesn't look nice like this?"

"One of the groups chose to conclude their presentation with the phrase 'I hope we have enlightened you...'
Does that mean we have been living in darkness until you presented your points?"
- quoted from my Professional Communications tutor

"Did you hear the story about the 3 wells? No? Well... well... well..."
- quoted from an LC NUS EB member

Girl A: I'm going on holiday this coming December. We're going skiiing!
Girl B: Wow that's so cool! Where are you going?
Girl A: I'm not too sure... I think it's North Korea...
Girl B: (thinks for a while) Isn't that the place with some weird president? Shouldn't it be South Korea?
Girl A: aiya something like that la... I know we're going skiing that's for sure
(This is part of the conversation I overheard in the canteen one day)

"I have to run now. I just got a call from a farmer. His sheep just fell into the lake and is shrinking at an alarming rate"
- quoted from Mathew Perry's character in Serving Sarah who was trying to get away before people realised he wasn't a real vet

ahhh.. ignorance.. it's interesting how it's so linked to humour...