If Everyone Cared

"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can
change the world.
Indeed it is the only thing that ever has"
Margaret Mead

What are YOU doing today
to change the world and make it a better place?

If Everyone Cared
Lyrics - All The Right Reasons :.

From underneath the trees, we watch the sky
Confusing stars for satellites
I never dreamed that you'd be mine
But here we are, we're here tonight

Singing Amen, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I'm alive

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
We'd see the day when nobody died
And I'm singing

Amen I, I'm alive
Amen I, I'm alive

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along

Singing Amen I'm alive
Singing Amen I'm alive

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
We'd see the day when nobody died
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
We'd see the day when nobody died

And as we lie beneath the stars
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
We'd see the day when nobody died

We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day when nobody died

Save the Trees! Save the Environment!

perhaps what the world needs are children who see the graveness of the matter and the simplicity of the solutions...

perhaps the diplomats and government officials should really be made to visit the villages in Africa, or the ice caps in the Artic, or the dying coral reefs and rainforests around the world...

I am thinking about it... what I can possibly do...

updates on this soon...

I know I'm morbid because...

I find this amusing...


Attention: The picture you are about to view may be disturbing. Not suitable for young children, pregnant ladies and people with weak hearts (or weak stomachs for bloody stuff)

perhaps that is you playing your WoW?
or trying to break your record for typing speed?
or trying to ensure that your Final Year Project report is properly aligned across all 100 plus pages?
or trying to reconfigure/set up/format (and everything else related to the messing around with the internal runnings of) your computer?

Thank you for the note...

I won't give up... I am sure you guys know that... but sometimes... one just needs that space to doubt, to question and to refind some answers...

Have you ever...

Have you ever felt like you dunno who you are anymore?

especially when you are challenged for being who you are, for what you believed that you believe in and value for most of your life?

and that because of who you are and the way you are, the consequences are such that even those around you get hurt in some way?

and because of that, you question yourself on who you are and you wonder if it really is about YOU being what they say you are - emotionless...

I don't know if I have found the answer...

but I think I can say that I have moved on... perhaps grown a bit stronger...

but I just somehow feel that in moving on and beyond the experience and the feelings, I have lost some part of myself... or is just a mechanism for escaping, that the best way to move on is to become more emotionless so that it doesn't hurt anymore in that way? and in moving on, one would chose to move on from other stuff as well...

why the mellow posting you ask...

I don't know either.. haha

Latest Fave Song

Far Away
by Nickelback

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
Hold on to me and, never let me go

__________________

I know I know it sounds so sappy.. but soft rock... always liked the band... you can check out the music video HERE
(click List and select Far Away... gotta wait for it to stream though)

and if you have the time, watch "If Everyone Cared"... very good song and video...

The Dating Game

(Found this in the papers today... some excerpts from the full article titled "Getting to the of the dating game")

But, she says, it all boils down to her deep personal belief that everybody wants to find that special someone.

'Is that a lot to demand? No and yes. We have so many problems, it is mind-boggling. We live in such a densely populated space and yet we find it so difficult to find the right person. Sociologically, I find that question so challenging,'' she says.

Dr Straughan heads the Social Development Unit's (SDU) regulatory arm which will look into the accreditation of dating agencies now that the Government's matchmaking arm for graduates has decided to take a back-seat role.

(funny isn't it? there used to be a specialised service for graduates.. just goes to show how much they need it.. hahaha)

Research figures support Dr Straughan's belief that everybody wants to settle down.

According to an SDU/Social Development Service Perception Survey in 2005, more than 90 per cent of the 1,500 single respondents said they would certainly or most probably get married one day.

This bears out the findings of the Survey of Social Attitudes of Singaporeans commissioned in 2001 by the then-Ministry of Community Development and Sports which showed that eight in 10 out of the 1,481 Singaporeans polled felt it is better to get married than to stay single.

(didn't realise that many Singaporeans want to get married...)

Between 2000 and 2005, the number of marriages here remained fairly constant - from 22,561 in 2000 to 22,992 in 2005 - while a relatively high proportion of men and women in their 30s were single in 2005.

Among those aged 30-34 years, 34 per cent of men and 22 per cent of women were not married.

Also, the proportion of older singles in the population increased between 1995 and 2005. Among those aged 40-44 years, some 14-15 per cent of men and women were single in 2005. This is higher than the 12-13 per cent in 1995.

There are currently 600,000 singles over the age of 20 in Singapore.

(now that's a big difference between the ideal and the actual reality)

'Before people can start a family, they must first have the freedom and time to enter into a courtship,' says Dr Straughan.

'And it's not just going out for a movie when you are free. It's a sustained commitment.

'If you go out with a guy to whom you are clearly second fiddle to his work and other commitments, you are not going to think seriously about him.'

Ms Chiang agrees.

'There needs to be a balance. So when you cannot switch on that emotional time, to be emotionally prepared to connect, to savour that two hours after work, then all is lost.'

(hear hear... some of the other parts of the article are quite funny... especially about some disasters at matchmaking sessions.. haha)

More from MM Lee Kuan Yew

(continued from previous posting. This is an interview by a reporter by the way.. :P)

I want to ask about ministerial salaries. Your view on how well the system has worked to bring in talent?

Every time there is a pay revision to catch up with benchmarks, this debate will come up again.

But you ask yourself: Do you want the present system where it's completely above board?

And while we are not recruiting all of the very best, we are recruiting some of the very best, because quite a few of the very best do not want to give up their private lifestyle and their family life.

Yes, you can get a person to give up and make a sacrifice for one term.

But will you get a man or woman to serve successive terms, gain experience, become a really competent person, a very competent minister and sacrifice his family, their welfare, their comforts and their children's future and education, going abroad etc? It's not possible.

They're at the top of their cohort. We talent spot. We headhunt for people who not only have just academic qualifications but track records of performance.

How did I learn this? Because in the early days, looking for talent, I put in bright PhDs. Didn't work. We even had a Rhodes scholar.

We found that we needed other qualities: character, motivation, judgment, stability, temperament, ability to connect with people.

So, finally, we worked out a system where we looked at a person in totality: How does he perform in real life, whether as a businessman, as a CEO, as a doctor, as a lawyer, whatever?

Supposing I had served just one term. Would I have known this? No. Because I've served since 1959, and successive elections we fine-tuned and learned in the process.

You go back to a revolving-door government: the first two years you learn how to do your job; next two, three years, you begin to do the job. Before you know where you are, you're out. Next government comes in.

And that's what's happening in many parts of the world.

Carefully consider.

You know, the cure for all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government.

You get that alternative and you'll never put Singapore together again: Humpty Dumpty cannot be put together again... and your asset values will disappear, your apartment will be worth a fraction of what it is, your jobs will be in peril, your security will be at risk and our women will become maids in other people's countries, foreign workers.

Just think. We have a population of three-point-something (million) and we are carrying and able to give jobs to another 1.3 million people.

How does that happen? Why can't the 1.3 million people get jobs in their own countries?

It must be something that we're doing which is right, that creates economic prosperity, that creates growth, that requires talented people to join us, to help us produce all these extra goods and services.

You know the absurdity of all this?

The total cost of ministers' salaries, of all office holders, the present cost is 0.13 per cent of government expenditure (and 0.022 per cent of GDP).

It amounts to $46 million. We are quarrelling about whether we should pay them $46 million or $36 million, or better still $26 million. So you save $20 million and jeopardise an economy of $210 billion? (This was the size of Singapore's GDP in 2006.)

What are we talking about?

You know fund managers? I'm chairman of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) and we put $5 billion, $10 billion with top fund managers, just to benchmark how we are performing against the best in the market.

We have about three or four top US investors and we track what they do and we compare what we are doing.

And you have to pay them not 0.13 per cent. Win or lose, whether the stocks go up or down, they take their cut. You ask GIC employees; I'm the chairman of GIC. I'm being paid as Minister Mentor, the Senior Minister before that, and even as Prime Minister before that, a fraction of what the top managers in GIC earn.

But they are handling over US$100 billion (S$151 billion). They make a mistake, we lose $10, $20, $30 billion overnight when the stock market collapses.

So for the average family earning $1,500, $3,000, we are talking of astronomical figures.

But for people in government like me, having to deal with these sums of money which we have accumulated through the sweat of our brow over the last 40 years, you have to pay the market rate or the man will up stakes and join Morgan Stanley or Lehman Brothers or Goldman Sachs. And then you've got an incompetent man and you've lost money, by the billions.

So get a sense of proportion.

Would you like to share how much you are paid?

It's in the Budget. I'm paid $2.7 million. A top lawyer, which I could easily have become, today earns $4 million. And he doesn't have to carry this responsibility. All he's got to do is advise his client. Win or lose, that's the client's loss or gain.

But there are top people in other countries who don't get paid as much but who are also corruption-free, who have also done a good job.

Let me put the American system and then you will understand why if we ran that system, we're in trouble.

If you become President of the United States like Bill Clinton was, or George W. Bush, you earn about less than a million dollars. But you have the White House, you have Airforce One...When you leave office, you write your memoirs, you're paid by the tens of millions. And Bill Clinton, for every speech he makes, it's at least a million or half a million or he doesn't go. And he starts a foundation. They all do this.

You take Alan Greenspan. He sacrificed his earnings as a very expert financial specialist and he took on as a job as chairman of the Federal Reserve, at a pittance. As Paul Volker did.

But he's already got a huge sum of money and when he leaves, he can increase the huge sum of money because of the standing that he has.

He makes a statement and says there could be a recession in the second half of this year and the world stock market goes down.

Can we afford a revolving-door government? Suppose after five years, I go out and say 'OK, I write my memoirs, I become a lobbyist'. How does that get the country going?

I say this is a system we worked out. It's above board, it's working. And if you're going to quarrel about $46 million, up or down another $10 or $20 million, I say you have no sense of proportion; you don't know what life is about. And just think, what would your apartment be worth with a poor government and the economy down?

We talk about the Government as fu mu guan (a Chinese phrase that refers to public officials as parents who care for their children). So people hope that leaders are not there for the money, that they are willing to make that extra sacrifice.

Those are admirable sentiments, but we live in the real world. It took a lot of persuasion to get Ng Eng Hen, Vivian Balakrishnan, Balaji Sadasivan to give up their lucrative practices and become ministers and ministers of state, and no guarantee they would succeed.

Ng Eng Hen six years ago, when he first entered politics, was making $4.5 million and he came in and took a job that paid him about $600,000.

Balaji was earning also in the same category. He was a top brain surgeon with very high skills. He took a chance. When he was not made a minister in the selection process, Goh Chok Tong, then Prime Minister, said 'Would you like to go back to your private practice?'

He says 'No, I'm going to do this as a senior minister of state'. But he's made sufficient to look after his family and children, and his wife is a doctor. So I think that's a sacrifice.

I started off as a socialist, believing that all men should be given equal opportunities and equal rewards. I know that doesn't work.

You have competition and reward the winner.

You look at golf, tennis, swimming, badminton, anything you like. The first prize is an enormous sum. And to get that first prize, you start spending your life, sweating your guts out to master a certain skill which (is) admired and supported by hundreds, if not thousands of millions of people watching you.

It is a competitive world in which we live and if we can't compete, we're not going to live well.

In an interview with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew...

(This is an interview by a reporter with Lee Kuan Yew, and was published in the Straits Times)

Following up on protests at the Australian National University (ANU). In the context of the global contest for talent, how much does it matter that some people see Singapore as a place that restricts individual freedoms?

MM Lee: Let me first challenge the assumption that people see Singapore as a place that restricts individual freedom. This is the stereotype that the Western media purveys of Singapore. But businessmen and talented people who work for these companies are better informed; otherwise we wouldn't have attracted the talent we have.

The ANU knew they would get flak from the human-rights people for offering me an honorary degree. So too the Imperial College London for making me a Fellow just a few years ago; so too Melbourne University.

So what does it prove? These are people who understand what's happening in the real world and understand the real Singapore.

The press works up a storyline that Warwick University finds Singapore's academic freedom restricted, so they don't come.

I think the real reason is they worked out their sums and they found it was not economical.

You've got some of the top names from America, and even Australia has got the University of New South Wales setting up a campus.

So let's not ourselves be drawn in to purvey this line.

What is the individual freedom that you are deprived of? Are you prevented from saying what you want? Are you prevented from exercising your rights as a citizen?

___________________________________________________________

Question: Since we are trying to attract talent, does it matter that they see us in this light?

No. The people that have the talent will have the wit to investigate, to know what they are in for.

You know the number of unsolicited mails that I get and PM gets from people completely without motive? They've come, they know the old Singapore.

And what they are saying is, it's a very good place - safe, wholesome, everything works - and they wish they could have the basics we have established.

And if you allow this to be degraded, you'll never put the present Singapore together again.

If we didn't have more self-confidence in what we are doing and we listened to what is prescribed for us, we wouldn't be here.

You cannot bring Singapore from where it was to where it now is without long periods of stable government and experienced ministers.

You watch the development of Taiwan or South Korea.

The period of transformation took place when they had governments that stayed for a long time, ministers and civil servants who acquired experience and expertise and improved the system and got it to a high state.

And once they liberalised, like they did in Taiwan, you look at the growth rates. You look at their stability, you look at what their future promises.

I meet their journalists; they come to Singapore. If you read Tian Xia and several other very reputable papers, they are full of admiration for what we have achieved.

Now how does Taiwan get back to stability and growth and sanity?

It's facing a very difficult future in which China is growing bigger and bigger year by year, stronger and stronger.

And they are not in a position to go independent because the Americans will not support them because it means war.

So what is the rational thing to do? Is the rational thing to say 'I change the Constitution' and provoke the Chinese into a clash?

That's what the present President is attempting to do because then he thinks he will be able to rally votes. I mean, you are now into mass manipulation of attitudes in order to win votes by deceiving people that this is a way forward, when there is, in fact, no way forward.

You look at South Korea. They are now with a generation that voted in a new government completely at variance with US policies.

Without the US, South Korea is in dire difficulties with the North. But you have a younger generation that says, out with the Americans.

So does it make sense?

________________________________________________

all I get is a sense of how weak certain parties around the world are in the areas of transition.... they should case-study AIESEC... hahaha...

but always interesting to read the views of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew... his brain is amazing... =)

(will post the rest of his responses in a bit)

What a day of hope!

Yesterday (since it is 12.44am now on a 5th April) was such a day... =)

Started off not too good.. overslept my alarms and woke up at 12 noon (after sleeping at 3am plus doing stuff for my final year project)... checked through emails, replying people etc...

and then things started to pick up...

saw the email from SHRI... offering package for AIESEC stakeholders to participate in the Singapore HR Forum in early May... what a benefit to offer those who work with us!

got a call from IHG... they've opened a job position and ask if AIESEC can help! had to do some explaining but she sounds open.. got the JD from her via email and man what a super attractive role to work as! starting to wonder if I can apply for such positions in future even if I do graduate from engineering...

anyway, finished sending IHG more information and went off for company meeting with Ker Ying and Wanxin... great meeting that lasted almost 1 hour... training company that works with DHL interns already... looking to take interns from us, and willing to collaborate in outgoing exchange processes! Huge potential!

got back home... watched a documentary called "Planet Earth" on Arts Central... brought back lots of memory from primary school watching documentaries, especially in hearing David Attenborough as narrator again (I sound like such a nerd don't I? documentaries in primary school haha).. anyway.. great show, looking forward to next week's episode (it's a series)...

came back to my laptop and got news from our PBOX OC about an Arab Asian Dialogue Forum end of the month... msned my contact from UAE to learn that they have contact with the organiser! sent her an email to see if we can somehow get AIESEC into the forum... *crosses fingers*

aside from that, things like consolidating exchange performance so far and feeling quite proud of the LCs... having friends from other countries msn saying they received news about the project we are looking to run and how they see the potential in collaborating it into execution... getting news of SNs being matched... seeing emails from companies asking for meetings or exchange (PwC!! TCS!!)...

ahhh... 4th April... what a day! =)

Report, assignment, notes, books, followups, emails...

just some of the stuff that seems to be "governing" my life for now..

nonetheless, so so looking forward to catching the The Phantom of the Opera this coming Sunday... at the Esplanade somemore! the place is supposed to be one of the best investments that Singapore has ever made in developing the arts scene... I've never been in its theatre halls before so definitely looking forward to that...

and of course, definitely looking forward to the company with which I will be watching the musical...

nothing like a sunday evening/night out with good friends, good musical, good seats (I hope!) and good sound system.. not to mention good view along the river for some chilling out perhaps after the musical... too bad the good drinks near the Esplanade are so expensive...

Sudden Thought...

Was reading someone else's blog about attending a wake of someone who had committed suicide... reminded me of when I heard similar news regarding a senior...

and then I suddenly thought of what I read in the book titled "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom... the story is a very simple and inspiring one about Morrie's experiences in dealing with the incurable disease eating him up day by day...

and I remembered this chapter... where the author talked about Morrie holding a "funeral" while he was still alive... he did this because he had attended the funeral of a friend... As he listened to the deceased's friends and relative speak fondly about him while he was still alive, he thought it was such a pity that his friend would never hear or know that he was so loved by those around him... and because Morrie didn't want to die not hearing all these valuable words, because he didn't want those around him to regret not having said the things they meant to say all along but they never did simply because they were too late, he held one while he was alive...

And in that small cosy session, friends and relatives gathered to share their eulogies of Morrie... they said all they had meant to so there was no regret.. and Morrie heard all of these and was able to enjoy the love and friendship while he was alive so there was no regret...

too often... we are often guilty of falling into the trap... of not saying what we really want to say to those around us... I'm guilty of that also...

I guess it really is hard... but I guess that's also why when it is said, it's really really precious...

just a sudden thought...

Go The Distance by Michael Bolton

I have often dreamed, of a far off place
Where a hero's welcome, would be waiting for me
Where the crowds will cheer, when they see my face
And a voice keeps saying, this is where I'm meant to be

I'll be there someday, I can go the distance
I will find my way, if I can be strong
I know every mile, will be worth my while
When I go the distance, I'll be right where I belong

Down an unknown road, to embrace my fate
Though that road may wander, it will lead me to you
And a thousand years, would be worth the wait
It might take a lifetime, but somehow I'll see it through

And I won't look back, I can go the distance
And I'll stay on track, no, I won't accept defeat
It's an uphill slope, but I won't lose hope
Till I go the distance, and my journey is complete

But to look beyond the glory is the hardest part
For a hero's strength is measured by his heart

Like a shooting star, I will go the distance
I will search the world, I will face its' harms
I don't care how far, I can go the distance
Till I find my hero's welcome, waiting in your arms

I will search the world, I will face its harms
Till I find my hero's welcome, waiting in your arms

since everyone is doing it...

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

and yes I feel better now...

I am human too...

as much as sometimes I am constrained by the roles I play...

why can't people see that...

Report writing...

According to A. W. Leissa in Vibration of shells, a shell is “a three-dimensional body, which is bounded by two closely spaced curved surfaces, the distance between the surfaces being small in comparison with the other dimensions” [1].

Adding on to this from the Encyclopedia Brittanica [ ], the shape of the curved surfaces allows for the transmission of applied loads to supports in more than two directions. These loads are carried by the development of compressive, tensile and shear stresses that act in the plane of the surface. Where efficiency means that for the same cross sectional area subjected to the same loading conditions, a beam undergoes the least deflection, it is found theoretically and experimentally that the cylindrical shell is the most efficient structure for bending in any direction. Given this, there is a huge potential for the uses of cylindrical shells and the need for further understanding of the structure in response to various loading conditions has led to an extensive study into the structure itself.

More specifically in the context of present day mechanical and civil engineering, the phenomenon of vibrating thin cylindrical shells is a particular area that has received much attention. This is due to the prevalent use of shafts in modern rotating machinery and the need for higher operating speeds of such machinery.

Vibration is the periodic back and forth motion of an object under dynamic excitation in mechanics. It usually becomes a problem when it is excessive or when the natural frequency of the vibrating structure coincides with that of the exciting source, resulting in resonance.

Shell theories are usually used to study the vibration characteristics of rotating cylindrical shells, all of which are affected by factors such as anisotropy, initial stresses, variable thickness, surrounding media (e.g., water, air), large (nonlinear) deflections, shear deformation, rotary inertia, and non-homogeneity (including laminated composites) just to name a few. This presents a huge scope for research studies.
The first published work on a rotating cylindrical shell was by Bryan [ ], where the rotating ring was considered and the phenomena of traveling modes was discovered. Later works include that of DiTaranto and Lessen [ ], which investigated the effects of Coriolis forces on an infinitely long and isotropic cylindrical shell, and that of Srinivasan and Lauterbach [ ], which looked into the effects of both Coriolis forces and travelling modes in rotating isotropic cylindrical shells. Till this point, these papers mainly dealt with the analysis of the natural frequency of vibration.

However, one vibration characteristic that is also crucial and relevant in the study of cylindrical shells is the critical speed of the rotating shell. Zinberg and Symonds [ ] were the firsts to obtain, through experiments, critical speed results for rotating shells. The results obtained also proved the advantages of using shells made of orthotropic materials over aluminium alloy shells. The results of Zinberg and Symonds were further build on by dos Reis et al. [ ] where a finite element approach was used to obtain the critical speeds of the shell. Following that, a paper by Kim and Bert [ ] presented a simplified theory for analysing the first critical speed of a composite cylindrical shell. Results obtained using different shell theories were compared.

_______________________________________________________________________

and so the report writing continues...

Thought Provoking Thoughts...

This sounds so familiar... I feel as if I have watched it on TV before... where the scenes flicker from one to another as the narrator speaks.. in a deep, rich voice... perhaps something like that from Anthony Hopkins or Morgan Freeman...

The following comes from a letter that George Carlin wrote for his deceased wife


The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less
wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive to fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up tired, read too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to our life not life to our years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are times of fast food and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Remember, to say, " I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Feast at the Pyramids?

Ok so they're doing it for charity... and I suppose it is quite a novelty thing to dine around the Pyramids...

but honestly, you would think the Pyramids have suffered enough from modernisation, what with all the tourists, tour buses, souvenirs shops, locals selling souvenirs and ripping off tourists... what with the homes and shops that have sprouted around it and that are so dependent on the Pyramids being a famous tourist site for survival... what with that music and light show at the Sphinx...

Shouldn't the last standing Wonder of the Ancient World be left to be admired in its natural grandeur, set against the darkness and mystery of the vast desert? And not have the silence of the desert be interrupted by the clink of wine glasses, the chatter and laughter at such epicurean feasts? And not have the natural waft of the desert wind and that of camels be interrupted by the smells of exotic foods or highly expensive perfumes?


Millionaires to Feast at Pyramids
Monday March 19, 11:19 am ET
By Jocelyn Gecker, Associated Press Writer
Chefs to Prepare Gourmet Feast for Millionaires at the Pyramids in Egypt

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- From the creators of the $25,000 dinner, there's another pricey gourmet feast on the horizon.

Wealthy foodies can mark their calendars for Dec. 12, 2008, when top chefs from around the world will be flown to Egypt to cook a dinner in front of the ancient Pyramids of Giza, organizer Deepak Ohri said Monday.

This dinner will be a bargain, at least compared to the one in Bangkok last month that was billed as the meal of a lifetime and cooked by six 3-star Michelin chefs for $25,000 a head. High-rolling food lovers flew in from the United States, Europe, the Middle East and across Asia for the 40-seat dinner.

The price for dining beside the pyramids has not yet been set, but it will cost less than $10,000 per person, said Ohri, the managing director of Bangkok's luxury Lebua hotel, the event planner behind the dinners that are boldly titled "Epicurean Masters of the World."

Though cheaper, the upcoming feast is intended to be even grander than its predecessor.

"It will still be for millionaires, but this dinner will be for a lot of millionaires," Ohri told The Associated Press.

Some 500 tickets will be sold for the dinner to be cooked by 30 3-star Michelin chefs.

About a third of the chefs already have confirmed their attendance; each chef will prepare a meal for roughly 17 diners.

A kitchen half a mile long will be set up against the backdrop of the pyramids with equipment and the best ingredients jetted in from around the world.

Unlike the $25,000 dinner, which featured rare French wines and mostly French food, the next meal will be culturally diverse and paired with fine wines from around the world, Ohri said.

Just how close diners will be to the pyramids depends upon the Egyptian government and the U.N.'s cultural body UNESCO, since the pyramids are a World Heritage site.

Talks are under way with authorities, Ohri said, noting that organizers are "considering" giving profits from the dinner to an organization or charity that deals with conserving the Seven Wonders of the World. The pyramids are the only surviving structure from the traditional list of architectural marvels.

All profits from the $25,000 dinner are going to two charities -- Medecins Sans Frontieres, which will be sent a check for $15,000, and the Chaipattana Foundation, a rural development program set up by the king of Thailand, which will receive $46,000, Ohri said.

Randomness

Some of these blogthings things are quite fun and funny... hahahaha

You Are 50% Boyish and 50% Girlish

You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch. Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes. You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them. You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

Your Aura is Violet

Idealistic and thoughtful, you have the mind and ideas to change the world. And you have the charisma of a great leader, even if you don't always use it! The purpose of your life: saying truths that other people dare not say Famous purples include: Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Susan B. Anthony Careers for you to try: Political Activist, Inventor, Life Coach

What Color Is Your Aura?

My 5 top strengths

Did this in IPM 2006 in the Netherlands... and for some reason just wanted to put it up...

Your Top Strength

Industry, diligence, and perseverance You work hard to finish what you start. No matter the project, you "get it out the door" in timely fashion. You do not get distracted when you work, and you take satisfaction in completing tasks.

Your Second Strength

Forgiveness and mercy You forgive those who have done you wrong. You always give people a second chance. Your guiding principle is mercy and not revenge.

Your Third Strength

Honesty, authenticity, and genuineness You are an honest person, not only by speaking the truth but by living your life in a genuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense; you are a "real" person.

Your Fourth Strength

Self-control and self-regulation You self-consciously regulate what you feel and what you do. You are a disciplined person. You are in control of your appetites and your emotions, not vice versa.

Your Fifth Strength

Curiosity and interest in the world You are curious about everything. You are always asking questions, and you find all subjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery. What do you think? Sounds like me?

Some of my better shots over the years

I've always liked taking photos... was looking at some stuff on the internet and just felt like going through my own photo galleries again...

Here are some of my better shots from over the years... notice that they start from 2003, because that was when I got my first digital camera...

Sea of clouds over Poland

(taken from the plane on the flight back from IC 2006 in Poland)

In the streets of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
(taken after IPM 2006)

Sun Set in Bangkok, Thailand
(taken in 2003)

View from Jiu Fen, Taipei, Taiwan
(Taken during trip in 2005)

Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
(Taken during visit to KL for OCSEA and for fun, 2005)

Central Business District, Singapore
(taken during AIESEC Amazing Race, 2005)

A bird, a dying tree, a new moon
(taken near Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore, 2005)

Merlion, Singapore River, Singapore Skyline
(taken during class assignment to Singapore River, 2005)

Singapore Skyline at night
(taken from a cruise, 2005)

I like this photo

Have you ever seen something like that?
Seen how the sea and the sky seem to blend into each other?
I have...

So much to do...

With school term coming to an end soon (exams in 5 weeks! gosh!), and AIESEC terms coming to and end and coming to a start, things are getting busy...

So much to do... so much to do...

Sometimes I wonder how I manage...

this like a targeted-at-self ego booster... yeah so much to do... but I'm doing it....

Taking a Break... in Singapore

Yup.. back in Singapore.. it's been 6 days since I came back...

been really busy since getting back...

I landed at 10am (one hour later than supposed because of flight delay), grabbed breakfast with my Dad and Bro at the airport and headed home... unpacked somewhat, showered and went off for an AIESEC event... after that event (which was fantastic by the way), I headed off for a Chinese New Year reunion dinner with my Junior College Wushu (chinese martial arts) society... of course I was feeling super tired at the end of that day because of the travelling as well so that meant a good night's sleep, which really helped in countering jet lag...

Sunday was a day of more unpacking, clearing emails, consolidating stuff from IPM, writing report and tidying documents... I figured I should clear the stuff from IPM first before I move on to other stuff...

Monday was supposed to be back to school again but I overslept and ended up at home, clearing AIESEC stuff still, sorting out my lecture notes, downloading notes that I need to print and catch up on... looking at my Final Year Project (FYP) stuff again...

Tuesday I went back to school! spent most of the time in the library printing my notes and sorting them out... suddenly saw an email from my FYP supervisor asking for a meeting that same day and so went to meet him, without much progress since the last time unfortunately... but fortunately, he's quite nice and after a quick update from my side and quick refreshment from his side on what I still need to do, it was back to the library to finish up on the printing... then I headed back home (yes I went to school but didn't attend classes... my theory is that priority then is not to learn new stuff in the middle of nowhere but to clear the urgent school stuff first).. once home, it was back to the laptop to work on my FYP... working out equations, tweaking my programme.. and finally getting proper results at 3am... YAY!! it works!

Wednesday was spent at home again... this entire day was devoted to studying for the quiz on Thursday... I got mixed up and almost studied 3 of the 4 parts of the module... which was why I was quite panicked about finishing all that materials.. in the end, I realised my mistake and things turned out alright, since I had overbudgeted for studying time and now had more time to get the information in my head... so.. reading reading and studying... getting good news once in a while via email about FYP or other stuff... and so the day goes by..

Thursday I met my FYP supervisor again and he's happy with the results... gave me a set of new conditions to run on my programme... pretty much finalised the scope of what should be in my report (the draft of which is due next Tuesday) so at least there is clear direction now.. and that feeling of closeness to finishing with the project... after that, it was off to the library to revise for the quiz but somehow midway through that, I distracted myself by turning on my laptop.. haha.. anyway the quiz was... just alright.. could have done better I am sure.. especially if someone had told me I could bring a summary card into the room... oh well.. that's for missing lectures I guess (at least I had good learning time in Egypt nonetheless)... after that, went for a catch-up dinner with Diana and Phoebe... great to be back and hearing their stories, while sharing mine...

so yes for those of you who have been asking how has it been since getting back, I hope this answers your questions...

It's hot and humid here, the streets are suddenly very structured, the air suddenly quite clean, the people still as "unfriendly" and things seem the way they were 3 weeks back... but well.. it's good to be back...

and now.. I'm just chilling in my room.. radio on with DJ-less music again.. enjoying the moment...

cheers... =)

Support Entrepreneurship!

I am always for such entrepreneurial acts...

Visit http://bitsbobsandotherthings.blogspot.com/

This is a site set up by my good buddy, who has a passion for handicraft and such... check it out and who knows, you just might find something suitable for you or your friends!

Photos... some of it anyway

Finally managed to upload all my photos from my pre conference trip (12th to 15th Feb)

Adventures in Egypt (1)

Adventures in Egypt (2)

Order is a bit jumbled up cos my connection gets cranky sometimes and I have to re-upload...

Those after IPM will come later...

A promise is a promise

As I promised before IPM, I will harness the power of some MCPs to attempt to part the Red Sea...

as a refresher... this is the Red Sea before...


and this is our attempt


and the result


some slight receding of the shore line there... but definitely not enough to be considered as a parting...

time for some evaluation...

perhaps we should have worn shoes... or maybe it has something to do with the sand... Tabbee as photographer looks totally disappointed...

but well... it's alright that nothing happened to sea... otherwise... we won't be able to enjoy scenes like this...

Photos from AP Road Trip - Cairo, Egypt

View from our hotel room with Pyramids clearly visible in the distance

Khan Al Khalili Bazaar

Receipt after our short break in Khan Al Khalili Restaurant

Our Nile Cruise Boat

Travel mates part 1

Travel mates part 2 (missing Amzad)

Photos from AP Road Trip - Luxor, Egypt

One of those rare photos in my camera with me inside... thanks to Sandy for forcing me to do this... hahaha...

Valley of the Kings

AP gang hanging around at Karnak Temple

Ruins of Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt

Our trusty guide... the Lonely Planet!

Our home for 2 days

Road trip after IPM

IPM is over! but it doesn't yet mean that we don't get to see some of the people anymore...

and that is thanks to... the AP Road Trip!

14 of us (Beatrice and Mindy from Hong Kong, Amy from New Zealand, Anisha and Sandy from Malaysia, Sheana and Jessica from Taiwan, Sahan and Suchith from Sri Lanka, Satoshi from Japan, Amzad from Bangladesh, Aidy from Indonesia, Pui from Thailand and me from Singapore) made a self-arranged tour to travel around Egypt and spend some quality time together...

Armed with loads of left over snacks and drinks from IPM and Lonely Planets that speak different languages, we embarked on an amazing journey...

Now that I am sitting back in Singapore, I suddenly find it hard to describe those 3 days (I left earlier than the rest)...

but highlights definitely include

- a driver that speaks and understands limited english, who keeps asking for tips, and whom most of us find scary... oh and who seems to like Amzad, who is otherwise known as Mohammad in Egypt
- spending 2 nights sleeping in the van (we travelled from the resort to Luxor overnight, and then from Luxor to Cairo overnight also)... kind of like sleeping on the plane but with less leg room... not to mention lending my shoulder to become a pillow at some point while using other people's shoulders as pillow at other points...
- "gossiping" and discussing interesting stuff at the back of the van (me, Sheana, Mindy and Amy) were sitting together, and that was quite a good place for some interesting conversations
- getting to Luxor and having the driver refuse to drive us to the Valley of the Kings without us paying extra money... in the end, Amzad took him to the policeman on the streets and after long conversation, he had no choice but to bring us there...
- "borrowing" a hotel's showers so we could take a shower (3 days without showering!)... we paid 15 Egyptian Pounds, which is less than 5 SGD each.. not too bad an extra flexible service the hotel offered...
- feeling so relieved to reach Cairo and check into a decent hotel along the Nile..
- wandering the streets of Cairo and chilling out at a Cafe with Amy while the rest visited the Pyramids
- finally visiting the Tourist Bazaar, bumping into @ers here and there, watching in amusement as Amy haggles her way through her purchases...
- meeting up with some of the rest in a small cosy cafe that serves huge sandwiches
- getting back to the hotel to freshen up before our Nile Cruise
- finding ourselves sitting in the same dining hall as an Egyptian Wedding (we figured we were part of the entertainment, considering how diverse and exotic we look)
- enjoying an Eat All You Can buffet where guests only queue once.. enjoying dance performances, belly dancing performances, and special appearances by Pui and Amzad, and short un-noticed ones by Beatrice and Amy
- taking photos of the Nile scenary on the deck of the cruise boat and having our fingers nearly frozen off
- Surprise celebration for Anisha's birthday, complete with huge cake that was a combination of chocolate on one part and fruit cake on another part
- drinking games with Amy's vodka, 42 Below from New Zealand... watching people turn red and conk out...
- truth or drink punishment turning into truth or truth and then truth AND drink...
- those of us currents who were still awake and sober having sharing session till 4 or 5 am
- me taking a nap before getting breakfast and starting packing... going to rooms to hug and say goodbye to everyone else... feeling such a mix of emotions knowing that some of them I will see again for sure at IC and that some, I know we will meet again but just don't know when...
- taking a cab with Pui, Anisha and Sandy to the airport, saying goodbye to the Malaysians first (different terminal) and then to Pui...
- finding myself in a most busy check in hall... finding that my flight would be delayed by 1 hour plus, meeting the Kate and Ralph from Austra, John from Bahrain (Australian working there) and Nadia from Hong Kong (Ukrainian working there) in the waiting hall to find that we were on the same flight to Bahrain
- finally getting out at Changi Airport in Singapore and thinking to myself what an amazing experience it has been... and knowing that post conference nostalgia will be hitting soon.. but well.. it's worth it...

thanks to all of the AP family for being such great people... I love our trip, I love each of you, and I can't wait to see you all again some day some time...

IPM 2007 - coming to an end

Today is 26th February 2007... tomorrow is 27th February 2007... tomorrow is the last day of IPM 2007...

and it is always from this point on that the emotions start flowing in... yes we realised that this is the last AIESEC conference that will see most (unfortunately not all) of us from 0607 in the same place... it is something we are consciously aware of and you can definitely see it in the way we value the time we can have to hang out with each other...

2 weeks... is that enough time? to catch up on the 6 months gap of not seeing each other physically since IC... to catch up beyond the MSN and email conversations that in their own little ways sustained us throughout our term...

we have 4 more months of 0607 term to go... yes it should be a celebration point, that we have made it so far... it should be a point of focus, that we have that bit left to go to leave that impact we are aiming for... but at the end of it, it is the slow closure of a story that started in the Netherlands one year back, with a bunch of fresh and anticipating elects... a story of amazing individuals that grew to love each other, to support each other and that today, can't bear to say "See you again"

Gosh I'm having such mixed feelings now... the 0607 term is coming to a close... the 070 term is coming to a start...

I'm gonna miss my family like crazy...

Photos from Cairo, Egypt

View of Cairo from the Citadel in Islamic Cairo

An alley in Old Cairo

Egyptian sky at sunset outside Egyptian Museum

River Nile with the Giza Pyramids in the foggy distance

At the Red Sea

At the pyramids

Update from IPM 2007, Egypt

24 Feb 2007, IPM

Hey guys!

Sorry for the long delay in updating here... I've been having a good time at IPM, getting into the 'culture' of the conference... hehehe

It has been great so far... it's great to be able to meet my fellow current MCPs and also to see the eager and passionate MCP elects from all around the world... some of these people I have met at IC 2006, some of them I have never met them before... but it is the power of the network that we can get along and have great conversations as if we have known each other for so long... I think such opportunities are what show the power of AIESEC, that young people of such diversity can connect nonetheless...

Our conference site is an amazing resort hotel next to a beach along the Red Sea.. It is 2 hours from Cairo so it's really peaceful and away from the hustle and bustle of the city... Perhaps because of that but it seems colder here... I never expected that my first visit to Egypt will see me walking around permanently in a jumper or windbreaker... but that aside, the food and venue is fantastic and really works to building a conducive environment for conversations and reflections and thinking...

In terms of sessions, so far we have had 2 intense days of speeces and Q&A sessions for the 4 PAI candidates and the 19 Director candidates... it's inspiring to see people setting up to the role, and to hear their perspectives on what motivated them, and what they think the organisation needs to continue growing and unleashing our potential... do check out http://live.myaiesec.net for videos of all their speeches... I

have been having a bit of identity crisis since I am both the elect and the current so I have been attending a mix of both tracks... and it's been great in terms of questions and discussions on what is to come, and also in terms of taking time off to be myself and re-find my centre...

In case you haven't heard the news, Gabiza is the newly elected President of AIESEC International 2007/2008. She's the first female PAI since 1998 and we are excited of what the new term will bring.. tonight (it is 7.05pm right now) we will be finding out who has been selected to be AI Directors...

anyhow, I must confess that I am still having mixed feelings about this IPM... I think it's because this is the last IPM I can spend with my current MCPs, especially those from the APGNs. They have been a great support network and have taught me so much over the months, and I know that I will miss them so much... at the same time, there is the excitement of bonding with a new group of MCP elects, from which I will gain support across the next few months just as I did with the currents...

but well... I don't think I will dwell too much on that... they tell us here... "When it starts, it starts. When it's over it's over. Whatever happens is the best that can happen"

So... it's just time for me to enjoy the moment and these precious days...

Adventures in the Cairo - Day 4 (Pyramids!)

15 Feb 2007, Cairo

Today’s the day! Yes today was the day we visited the Great Pryamids of Giza… one of the most famous and most studied ancient structures of all time, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, one of those places you have to visit before you can leave the world in peace..

Ok so I exaggerate.. but you get my point… we took a cab down to the Pyramids (was about 20 mins from where we stayed) and upon getting out of the cab, we were stopped by some guys asking if we wanted a horse ride, horse carriage ride or camel ride into the pyramids.. Tabbee wasn’t up for the camel so we settled for horse carriage instead… wasn’t too bad except for the occasional bumpy roads, and the occasional farting and shitting from the horse (since the carriage was behind the horse, we could pretty much see everything)…

Anyway, we traveled the Pyramids… they looked quite small until you see the tour buses parked near it… and then when you see the tiny human figures around it, you get a sense of how huge they really are… unfortunately, due to robbers and erosion, the exteriors of the pyramids are no longer as grand as in the days they were built but to be able to stand there and see them was quite something… imagine the thousands of people who would have died in constructing these structures.. did they really love their kinds that much?

We took quite some photos of and with the Pyramids on our ride and some photos involved a camel and a camel guide… I think we were ripped off (paid 100 Egyptian pounds for 3 photos on a camel with the Pyramid in the background) but we seriously thought it was part of the package… well... tourists always fall for such stuff… we couldn’t (and didn’t know how) to refuse and cut it down… at least I was at the Pyramids, even if I was ripped off there..

So anyhow, we continued on… I stopped to get a ticket to enter the 2^nd Pyramid… the guide said it’s a waste of money cos there’s nothing to see in there but I figured I would be quite stupid to pay S$1074 to fly to Egypt, pay 10 LE for a cab to the area, pay 50 LE for entry into the compound, pay 60 LE for the carriage ride and not fork out 25 LE to go inside the Pyramids… so I did just that.. had to climb down a passage (while bent 90 degree because it was that low) which they modified with wooden pieces so you climb it like steps, and then climb up a similar passage to get to a room, which still held a sarcophagus.. it was dark, musty, warm and definitely not for the claustrophobic.. but an interesting experience nonetheless…

After that, we headed on to visit the Sphinx… I missed it at first, because I was expecting something a lot bigger and was looking too far in the distance… the Sphinx was less than 100 metres long and about the height of 2 or 2.5 floors in our Singapore HDB… it was carved out of the rock structures in the area and houses a Temple within… due to time and weather, parts of it is deteriorating, with most of its nose already gone… perhaps it was due to that, its size and the fact that there were about 500 tourists swarming around it that it just didn’t look that grand or magnificent..

Tabbee was commenting after that that she didn’t feel that much in awe when looking at the Pyramids, which is kind of true… perhaps if we could have spent more quiet time there, without people bugging us to get back to the carriage or tour bus, without people bugging us to buy souvenirs, without seeing so many people who obviously weren’t Egyptian… then the effect would have been better…

But then again, it’s hard to blame, because without the Pyramids, so many more people and the neighbouring towns wouldn’t be able to survive today… so how do we find the balance I wonder… will we find it?

(to get a sense of how dependent on tourism the area is, we visited a Papyrus Arts shop nearby… we saw a piece selling for 280 LE… and I was quoted 80 LE for a similar sized piece yesterday.. after I bought that piece, I got a free accompany piece with that purchase so it’s almost like 80 LE for 2 pieces… in comparison, that’s almost a 600% difference in price!!)

Adventures in Cairo - Day 3

14 Feb 2007, Cairo

Today is Valentine’s Day! And what better way to spend it than to be wandering in the streets of Cairo with ur buddy and enjoying the amazing hospitality of the Egyptians?

No I’m not trying to be sarcastic.. what really struck me today was the warmth and sincerity and hospitable nature of the Egyptians…

Tabbee and I started the day hitching a ride with Yasmine’s friend to the Citadel. This is within the area of Islamic Cairo, where the many beautiful mosques and structures are attributed to the Ottoman Empire, which brought Islam as a religion into Egypt and saw one of the most prosperous period for Muslims in terms of science, riches and intellect to name a few….

Islamic Cairo is located quite some distance from the main town area, and the Citadel was on the edge of Islamic Cairo. It was a huge area, complete with fortified castle walls and towers… from the Mosque of Mohamad Ali, one can see the entire skyline of Cairo… it struck us how crowded Cairo was as a city, with houses being so close to each other and with people and traffic everywhere as well.. most of the houses within the vicinity of the Citadel were also the old form of houses (not so much apartments) and with a bit of imagination, one can imagine how things weren’t too different hundreds of years ago, where Egyptians lives in similar houses and went about their busy schedules everyday…

We walked quite a bit in the Citadel, looking at mosques and museums… along the way, we met two “very friendly” guys… one was some random guy who thought we looked lost (I think we did because we were following directions from Lonely Planet but had ended up in a place which looked quite deserted.. so anyhow, he brought us to the towers along the walls of the Citadel… it was quite dark, musty smelling and one can get an unobstructed view of the area around the Citadel… anyway, the guy was quite interested in where we were from (he kept talking to Tabbee cos I think I looked quite unfriendly, since I was reading from the guidebook most of the time), how old were we, were we single… and of course he wished us Happy Valentines… that’s guy no. 1.

After that, Tabbee and I took a break at the seats near the National Military Museum to decide where we were heading to next… the guy manning the stall beside us kept trying to strike up conversation with us about where we were from and such… in the end he asked if we could take a photo with him at his stall… too bad he didn’t give us some free souvenirs along the way… so that’s guy no. 2

After guy no. 2, we decided we wanted to go to the Khan Al Khalili bazaar, which is a touristy place where you find everything to buy… so we took a cab (Yasmine’s mom later said we should have walked but oh well) there… the cab driver didn’t really know english so we got off when he said we were there… it looked like a bazaar all right so we walked into the crowded streets… 10 mins of walking brought us past stores selling clothes, cloth, spices and some other stuff… when we got to this gate near the end of the street, we were thinking something wasn’t quite right.. because we didn’t see any tourists at all… at that point, guy no. 3 appeared… again he asked where we were from, where we were heading, and then he invited us to have Egyptian Tea in his house, which was just beside us… seeing how he looked quite harmful and his house was just in front of a busy street where if anything happened, we could be heard, we accepted his invitation… it was a great decision… turns out the guy’s family has been doing patchwork for generations after generations and he showed us some of the most beautiful pieces we’ve ever seen… now he travels the world a lot, going to embassies and such to showcase the patch works at exhibitions and from there, draw customers and clients… the guy was only 24 years old but had been to USA, Asia and many countries because of the job… he studied Islamic history but now he’s kind of in charge of the business, especially the marketing side of it… he served us Hibiscus tea, which looked like normal tea with a slight tinge of red but was really really sour… but still it was an interesting experience and amazing to see how hospitable Egyptians were...

Anyway, we also found out from him that we were in the local’s market and not the tourist market, which was across the street where we alighted from the cab… so we headed back down that same street with the hope of getting to a money changer as well (I was still carrying USD then)… just when we were about to cross the overhead bridge (you don’t know how rare it is to see one), Tabbee got stopped by this guy who looked 30 something years old asking where she is from.. so the conversation started and he asked quite some stuff about our countries, whether we needed visas, what the market was like etc… then he so kindly took us to the money changer (which was 10 mins away)… he helped me with my USD, spoke to the changer, got my money changed and counted clearly… so nice.. we thought that was it… but no.. he offered to show us around the local market to see some proper Egyptian handicrafts.. so into the narrow streets we went, with him explaining now and then about the culture here… our 1^st stop was a Papyrus Arts shop, featuring very beautiful hand drawn paintings on Papyrus… the owner was a really young guy, who showed us also how some stalls outside sell fake drawings which are actually pictures printed on banana leaves… we found some paintings we liked and bought some, after like almost 50% discount as well…

After that, we went to a woods craft shop where we saw how the carpenter decorated a dull wooden box with pieces of ivory, shell, camel bone and other types of stone into a beautifully polished jewel box. We also saw how another one built a chess board set from the same kinds of materials… while these craftsmen didn’t speak English, they were really warm and smiling to us tourists and our unusual guide..

After the crafts street, we headed past some stalls selling camel meat (HUGE!!), baking bread etc until we got to a spices shop… our guide (Ehab is his name by the way) showed us where it was stored and told us that even in ancient Egyptian times, they used such rooms and till today things have not changed much… we then went into the shop where we met a very sincere shopkeeper… he was so proud of his spices and perfumes (100% natural) and showed us bottles of spices to see and smell, he showed us his perfumes (didn’t realise that lotus smells that good) and I guess at the end of it, everyone was happy cos Tabbee bought a small bottle of Lotus perfume from him…

So that was pretty much our mini guided tour of the local’s market (I have to go find the name… for now all I know is that it’s beside Khan Al Khalili bazaar)…

Since it was nearing dinner time, we asked Ehab where we could go for some Egyptian cuisine.. he suggested downtown where the food would be much cleaner so off we went… we thought it was quite nearby but in the end I think we walked for almost 30 or 40 minutes before we got there.. along the way, it was interesting to see the very local culture.. for example, people riding bicycles with mountains of stuff balanced on their heads, pedestrians walking everywhere and on the roads, cars honking at each other, pedestrians crossing the streets wherever they can, children staring at us as we passed by… we also learnt about their working hours, their eating hours (lunch at 4pm and dinner at 10pm!), the daily calls for prayers that are broadcasted across the city 5 times a day, the divorce rate of couples in Egypt… it was really amazing to hear all that from a local… we also found out that Ehab worked at the hospital, in the department dealing with natural medicines (kind of like traditional chinese herbs and medicine but based on Egyptian history).. he was single and lived with his mother, he’s a Muslim who doesn’t pray all the time but believes in integrity, mercy and kindness…

So although it was a long walk, we enjoyed it quite a bit… when we got to downtown, he brought us to a food court in a shopping mall and we ordered kebab sandwich for dinner… it was a pity he couldn’t join us for long as he had to head back to work at the hospital (night shift) so we said goodbye, exchanged contacts and hoped that perhaps he would come by our Global Village…

That pretty much rounded up our Valentine’s Day in Cairo and I daresay it’s so amazing… I am quite sure that we will never find such hospitality in Singapore (even though we get so many tourists every year)… if you find a Singaporean who will smile back at you in the streets or initiate a conversation with you, you’re considered very lucky… in just one day here in Cairo, we met so many people who smiled at us, who asked where we were from, who welcome us to Egypt… we met some amazing strangers who invited us into their homes to share a bit of their culture and history with us, who would spend an entire afternoon bringing us around and showing us the side of Cairo a usual tourist would rarely see…

All in all, Cairo is quite an amazing place.. and Egyptians, simply an amazing bunch of people J

Places visited in the Citadel

- Mosque of Mohammed Ali

- Mosque of an-Nasir Mohammed

- Police Museum

- Gawhara Palace & Museum

- Carriage Museum

- National Military Museum

- Mosque of Suleiman Pasha

- Burg al-Haddad (Blacksmith’s Tower)

- Burg al-Ramla (Sand Tower)

Adventures in Cairo - Day 2

Hi everyone... Just to say I'm safely in Cairo... was posting the previous post on Bahrain in Cairo actually... but was too exhausted to post an update on Cairo itself... I was so majorly jetlagged after landing...

anyhow, things are quite amazing here in Cairo... it's really crowded here, and traffic always seems to be busy... it takes guts and great skill to drive here... and also to cross the roads... I haven't mastered that bit yet... I get scared looking at the cars zooming all over by and honking now and then... so I end up having to walk more by taking the underpass.. haha.. well of course if I'm with Yasmine or someone Egyptian then I just take cue from them... I consider this a major weakness of being Singaporean… we’re so used to orderly queues and traffic that we lose our survival skills outside of Singapore..

Today, I went to Coptic Cairo... ok before I go on, let me attempt to explain… Because Egypt has such a looong history and they got colonised by pretty much lots of people, you can essentially split their history into 3 parts: pharonic (which is linked to the Pharoahs and pyramids), Copthic (which is when the Romans were around bringing Christianity into Egypt) and Islamic (with the Ottoman Empire having it’s base hub in Cairo before shifting to Turkey).. So Copthic Cairo was about a lot of churches and synagogues… it was also called Old Cairo, with the old “fort” walls and the kind of houses you see in the Prince of Egypt movie… it was quite amazing, and definitely humbling to see the architectures and paintings depicting Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary and the various Saints… it felt quite strange as well because today, we know Egypt as an Islamic state and yet, there I was looking at all these Christian monuments... it’s hard to imagine how history has evolved…

I was traveling alone with my trusty Lonely Planet guide (thanks to Yasmine’s mom) so at least I got some explanations off the book…at the same time, I managed to leech off some of the tour groups there. The place was crawling with tour groups… I saw tourists from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China, USA and more which I couldn’t really identify. It was quite amusing also in that many of the locals around the area simply assumed that I’m Japanese or Korean. So they greet me with “Konichiwa” and a few said “Gamsa Hamidas”. When I simply smile, they ask where I am from… so I say Singapore and they usually smile back and say “Welcome!” I’m quite sure they don’t know where or what Singapore is but nevertheless, I guess the hospitality and warmth is definitely impressive…

Anyhow, I spent the whole morning there in Coptic Cairo, before heading to downtown… I traveled by Metro, which is another interesting experience because the moment I board, everyone just looks at me… being Asian is so exotic here in Egypt… haha.. oh and about the metro here, the 1st one or two carriages are actually all-women carriages… females can travel in the same carriages as males just that like Yasmine said, when it gets packed during peak hours, it’s better to be squashed with females then with some weird guy you don’t know.. so yeah…

Downtown was quite an experience, simply because it was so so crowded.. did I mention already that there are 22 million people in Cairo itself? Yeah so imagine how much vehicle and human traffic that translates into.. I had to keep going down into the underpass because I simply couldn’t cross the roads with so many cars… I managed to get lunch on my own in a café-like place.. had a chicken panne and it was quite uneventful except for the fact that I messed up the order of getting food… I went straight to the food counter and placed an order, and attempted to pay there as well.. what I should have done was to order at the cashier, pay there and bring the receipt to the food counter to get my food.. oh well…

After lunch, I headed down to the Egyptian Museum, which as expected was swarming with tourists as well… so yes I managed to leech off some tour groups again… the stuff in there varies from huge statues and building structures to tiny, exquisitely handcrafted jewellery, from gold plated sarcophagus (Tutankhamen’s) to plain wooden play dolls… unfortunately not all exhibits had an explanation and there was so many things in the entire museum (which wasn’t placed in any particular order of Egypt history) making the whole experience somewhat educational yes but overwhelming and confusing also… oh and things are quite pricey here when it comes to tourist stuff… I didn’t know that entry to see the actual mummies cost money (100 Egyptian Pounds or about 35 SGD) and I didn’t have enough cash on me… so I had to give that a miss… settled for looking at animal mummies, which is still not something you get to do all the time… hahah

Well after an eventful day of Coptic Cairo and the Egypt Museum, I went to meet Yasmine and we headed home to pick up the car so we could pick up Tabbee (MCP Philippines)… she was supposed to arrive 12th Feb but her flight from Manila to Doha got delayed and she missed her connecting flight from Doha to Cairo… which explains why I was buddy-less for a day… but anyhow she arrived alright (aside from being slightly jetlagged) and excited about Cairo…

And that pretty much rounds up Day 2 in Cairo for me… tomorrow, we’re planning to go to Islamic Cairo and then to the Khan Al Khalili market, which is a HUGE bazaar… so I’ll post updates on that soon

p.s. it’s awfully slow to upload photos within the text so I’m going to do just text, and then just photos…

Places visited in Coptic Cairo

Coptic Museum

Roman Towers

Hanging Church

Convent of St George

Monastery & Church of St George

Churches of St Sergius & St Barbara

Ben Ezra Synagogue