Hope...

Was feeling kind of down... and decided to take some time to watch a good movie... and what better movie to watch at this point then "The Shawshank Redemption" (Thanks to Avinaash for passing this to me)

The movie stars Morgan Freeman (as "Red") and Tim Robbins (as Andy Dufresne) in a prison called Shawshank... Beautiful movie with a beautiful message... on hope, friendship and the strength of the human spirit...

and there's this scene, where Andy is sent to solitary confinement for a week after putting music over the prison PA system... here's the conversation between Andy and Red after Andy got out...

Andy: Here's where it makes the most sense.. you need this so you dont forget

Red: Forget?

Andy: Forget that there are places in the world that aren't made out of stone... that there's something inside that they can't get to you... that they can't touch... it's yours

Red: What are you talking about?

Andy: Hope

Red: Hope? Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive men insane. It's got no use on the inside.

At the end of the show, Andy escapes from prison and years later Red is released on parole... He finds a letter from Andy that ends off saying:

Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.

And I listened to that and thought to myself...
What a beautiful statement of truth...

My Wish

This is a very nice song by Rascal Flatts... nice music, nice lyrics, nice meaning... Enjoy!

My Wish
by Rascal Flatts
I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go
And if you’re faced with the choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you
And if one door opens to another door closed
I hope you keep on walkin’ ‘til you find the window
If it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile
But more than anything, more than anything

(Chorus)
My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold
And while you’re out there gettin’ where you’re gettin’ to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back but you never forget
All the ones who love you
And the place you left
I hope you always forgive and you never regret
And you help somebody every chance you get
Oh, you find God’s grace in every mistake
And always give more than you take
But more than anything, yeah more than anything

(Chorus)
My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold
And while you’re out there gettin’ where you’re gettin’ to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big

Disappointing email

Got this in my school email...

Shows the extent that institutons will go to ride on the popularity of anyone that can be associated with them...
Besides... so what if he graduated from NTU? he didn't learn how to sing in NTU...

I have no idea if the contestant sent this request to the school or it was goodwill from the part of the school... but yeah...

It's not really a singing competition, it's a competition to see how large your network is and how rich those people in the networks are to send in as many SMSes for you...

p.s. I don't have anything against any of the contestant so I've blocked out the name
_____________________________________________________

Dear all,

XXX received his BEng and MSc from NTU. He is a contestant of project superstar. Today, you will see him on channel U (8-9pm). We look forward to your support to our NTU superstar XXX !

You can only vote for him today from 8-11pm. Send XX to 71199. Your votes today will be very crucial to him. Please consider to send him 10 votes today ( cost you only 60 cents per vote ). There is no limit on the number of votes which can be sent from one handphone number (Votes sent out by prepaid SIM card will not be counted) .

* This is the website of XXXX ( his BLOG, photo collections, profiles are all included ) . He will be very happy to receive supporting emails from you.

And so 2007 arrives...

There we have it... It is now the year 2007!

Another year has gone by just like that, and as always it seemed just like yesterday when we were counting down to 2006...

I've been sitting in front of my laptop since 9.30pm working and chatting and thinking about stuff... and now that most people are offline... guess perhaps it's the time for some reflection...

let's see... where do I start about 2006?

I think 2006 has been a very "crowded" year... crowded in the sense that so many amazing people entered my life in this year... from elections in Jan, to IPM in Feb, to transition and planning in June, to AGM in August, to IC in August, to Jump Start! Induction Conference in September, to NLDS preparation in Nov, to NLDS itself in Dec... at every stage, I met new people who have left footprints in my heart... and for that I am grateful... Thank you for coming into my life and leaving that mark whether you realised it or not... your presence makes a difference to me =)

I think 2006 has been a year of ups and downs, of learning and overcoming challenges... what with school and AIESEC (especially as MCP), the ups and downs are a lot more intense than previous years in AIESEC... yet these ups and downs make the role challenging and bring more learning points for myself... they have taught me a lot about about the way I react in various situations, about what I value, about what keeps me running...

In 2006, I learnt a lot more about myself as an individual... I found my own style of facilitating and motivating people, I found a new openness in the way I speak and express myself, I found simple things that I value and that make me happy, I found solace in the network of friends around me... I have grown as an individual, becoming more sure of myself and the role I play in life... I found that I can make that deeper connection with some people, and that the paths I choose are only as lonely as I make them out to be...

In 2006, I learnt that the past is something we can never forget entirely and that sometimes, it "resurfaces"... but I learnt that things always move on, and that we can only become stronger over time... I learnt that no matter if the past was of sweet or painful memories, these memories stay and further shape us as individuals...

In 2006, I learnt that the future is indeed full of uncertainties, and that some decisions are harder to make than others... I experienced first hand that some decisions meet more resistance from people around me, people who are unable to put themselves into my shoes and try to see things the way I do... yet from this, I decided to put myself into others' shoes and I come out with even greater respect and admiration for the decisions some of my friends have made...

In 2006, I experienced happiness, excitement, fear, apprehension, anger, stress, helplessness, pain, jealousy, confusion, relief, peace, gratefulness, love, curiosity... a myriad of emotions, and which makes me feel even more alive...

I am glad to be alive.. I am glad to be alive through the whole of 2006... I am glad for 2006...

It has been an amazing year... and I definitely look forward to 2007 being another year to remember...

Some of my favourite group photos of 2006

AIESEC Singapore NLDS 2006
December 2006














International Congress 2006, Poland
August 2006











International Congress 2006, Poland
August 2006










AIESEC Singapore MC Planning Weekend
June 2006
















International Presidents Meeting 2006, The Netherlands
February 2006

Pre Christmas Gatherings

I think this is the first year my pre Christmas days were so full...

1st, there was the pre-christmas party on 23rd Dec... yeah we counted down to Christmas eve... haha... it was an AIESEC gathering, small crowd and cosy potluck... lots of great conversations... and a great sharing session... you know... when you first join AIESEC, you talk to a lot of people but rarely do you get to really TALK to people about themselves and yourself.... so I'm really glad for the opportunity to do just that with the bunch of cool people... I don't really know how to describe that experience, but I am thankful to be able to know all of you much better, and also know myself even better... and I hope you managed to know me better despite me being not that super expressive... hahaha... that gathering was amusing also, because most of us only woke up at 12 noon... (only because some of us stayed up to chat till 8am.. so yeah imagine how much sharing there was)

anyhow, that was Christmas eve already and I got back in time to shower, check my email and head off for another gathering with my Junior College classmates for our annual gathering (I think this is the 5th or 6th year we have been doing this)... so that was another great gathering, considering I haven't seen most of them in half a year... and as expected, lots of updating, lots of gossiping, lots of talking nonsense, lots of chicken wings... AND another night of very little sleep! I think I slept for 2 hours while the rest totally didn't sleep... congratulations to the 10 mangoes for that achievement (and for not playing or mentioning Bridge at all)...

Although there wasn't much chance for sleeping in those 2 days, I thought it was entirely worth it... I find that I really value such occasions to be able to sit with people who you care about and who care about you and just share about anything that comes to mind... cos it's only with such sessions that we break that barrier between us and those around us, and really start the process of connecting as individuals..

I think somehow, we don't do that enough in life... the usual reason (or excuse) is that we are too busy I suppose... but a good chat doesn't need to take hours... it can take minutes, it can be virtual or physical... and it does such wonders in breaking that monotony of usual everyday routine and brightening up our days simply by allowing for that connection with another human being...

and you know what... that's what makes me feel alive, and grateful for being alive...

Absence from blogging scene

Haven't been blogging for a while... but that's not so much due to the fact that there's nothing to blog about...

well first it was the recovery from NLDS... that took a while... you can see from the previous entry that the reflections post only came out on December 17th...

and then I made a switch from Blogger to Blogger Beta and found that there was some error which didn't allow me to publish on to my nomadlife server... now that got me quite irritated for a while and left not much motivation to blog until a solution was found...

but now... a solution has been found! Thanks to Devrim and Dody for their help, I'm back to blogging real-time! (i.e. my entries get published right after I click the Publish button) hehe...

much has happened since Dec 17... including some random stayovers, random Christmas shopping with friends, a fantastic AIESEC Christmas gathering on 23rd Dec, a fantastic Junior College gathering on 24th Dec, a so-so Christmas, an airport send-off for a friend on 26th Dec, a wedding dinner on 28th Dec... and many decisions made in the periods between...

guess i'll blog about whatever I feel like blogging about when I feel like it.. prob a summary posting.. hehe..

Reflection on the past 2 weeks

It's hard to believe that we're already halfway through December and that 2006 is coming to an end... time really flies... especially with so much happening in the past 2 weeks: NLDS 2006!

I have to admit that I am still in a daze from the conference... so much happened... before the conference itself and during the conference itself... and with all that, I find it so hard to put down here my exact thoughts and feelings on everything...

what can I say? It was all in all a most amazing and humbling experience... A 1st for many things...

Good spread of speakers from different backgrounds at Developing Leaders Day... 1st time with this much external involvement

Simple but impactful programme at Gala Dinner where we celebrated our successes... 1st time with an official acknowledgement of AIESEC Singapore's collaboration with an external organisation (PAYM)...

Carefully planned flow of sessions, with a mix of delivering skills and @ knowledge
Good mix of sessions that encourage dialogue and sharing... 1st time with such diversity of delegates from countries, nationalities and backgrounds (50 international delegates!! another 1st!)

Superb hype over @ dances.. reviving the roll call and dancing culture... ubercool Faci Dance... 1st time in a while to see delegates and members ask for more dances...

Engagement and focus on addressing the issues in the world... 1st time with an Issue Based XP day, candid discussions and sharing on problems in the world... great energy and effort to come in as socially responsible and empowered @ers ready to make a difference...

A great hands-on practical session on marketing and bringing together all skills and knowledge from previous days... delegates marketed, networked, made partnerships, raised traineeships, learnt loads and had fun... a delegate from Taiwan who was so shy to speak at the meeting with the faci/company went in front of plenary and made a speech in English...
facilitators were impressed beyond words...

A most touching closing plenary.. with almost everyone shedding tears... hugs and love going around... everyone knowing that somehow they have grown as individuals after 4 days of NLDS... knowing that they have had a glimpse into the amazing diversity and network of @... knowing that we can make a difference in the lives of people around us... knowing that Everyday Starts Today...

An insight into the power of the human spirit... Singaporeans staying around Taiwanese delegates to help in translation if needed... delegates from Taiwan and Mainland China getting along and discussing about their countries... SIPO members from Indonesia helping delegates from Indonesia... facis and delegates speaking slower to make sure everyone can follow... international delegates having group huddles to capture their learnings... SIPO EBs stepping in to facilitate discussions without prior notice... delegates learning phrases in each other's languages... delegates walking around with translation dictionaries, so eager to learn and share and question...

All along in AIESEC, we talk about becoming change agents... sometimes along the way we get confused, demotivated, disillusioned.. where is the change? where is the impact? we question ourselves and we start to doubt...

I do not deny that at some points in my AIESEC life these 4 years, I have had my doubts... but I always come out sure again... and even more charged to go on...

Why?

Because if 100 delegates who have only been in AIESEC for 4 months on average,
who come from across more than 10 countries,
who come from different religions, beliefs and backgrounds,
who did not know each other ever beforehand,

can come together and at the end of 4 days,
become passionate youths who embrace diversity and yet celebrate uniqueness,
who are aware of the state of the world and are ready to bring in ideas and solutions,
who recognise that having fun is as much the process of learning,
who have such a level of self-awareness that they can approach others and say "Thank You for changing my life, thank you for the impact and experience"

Then I know for sure that these people will go far in life, in AIESEC... and that there will come a new generation of leaders who will bring that change and hope that the world needs...

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...