setting the bar

happiness vs sadness...
contentment vs disappointment.

yep, today is results day.
and i am seeing many different reactions being expressed online.

some people are happy.
some elated.
some just thankful.
some lament.
some complain.
some promise to do better.

essentially it's whether you are satisfied or not...
do you sincerely accept it?
or does it feel difficult to stomach?

i guess, whether we are satisfied with our grades can only be determined by our own expectations.
i'm sure we all already had a preconception beforehand; a rough gauge.
and whether or not you reach this bar determines your level of satisfaction.

say you aimed for a 4.0...
roughly speaking, a 2.5 would be devastating...
a 3.0 would be sad...
a 3.8 would be disappointing but you'd want to work harder next sem...
a 4.1 would probably evoke a sense of relief...
a 4.5 would make you feel happy.
and a 5.0 would totally exceed expectations.

so how high did you set your bar?

yes, expectations kill.
but i don't see how we can 'not expect'.
you would have to have some form of expectation.
and even if you honestly didn't have any beforehand...
when you eventually get the results, whether you are satisfied or dissatisfied will tell you where your expectations lie.

slow is cool

last night, i rediscovered how enjoyable playing the guitar is again.
i think it has this cathartic effect on me man.

but wow, when i picked my guitar up last night, it felt as if the last time i touched it was devastatingly long ago.
you see, ever since the holidays began, i've been busy trying to keep myself busy...
so much so that honestly speaking, i really haven't played for a while now.
and we are currently standing at 3 and a half weeks.

which led me to think, why?

why all this pre-occupation, till even taking time off at night to chill and play the guitar is forsaken?
isn't this the holidays? and aren't we supposed to rest and relax?

life shouldn't always be a rush, and we shouldn't be working all the time.
like all those people in the streets, the train stations, the commercial districts...
why are they always rushing?
for buses, for taxis, for trains.
even on foot they walk at a blistering pace.

and for what purpose?

rush to wait, wait to rush...

sometimes in life, it's about slowing down to enjoy the view.
to appreciate those around you.
and to cherish the moments.

there's really no point rushing everywhere if you don't stop to take a good look around you once in a while.
i believe the journey matters more than the end point yea?
so if you're one of those people, always rushing head-down from point A to point B...
do slow down once in a while and take a good look around you.

ever finally reached your destination but couldn't remember how you got there?


what do i have to do?
to try to make you see
that this is who i am
and it's all that i can be


i won't let you go
i won't let you down
i won't give you up
don't you give up on me now...

hopeless love

melancholy threatens to engulf me tonight.
and therefore i shall retreat to my bed and attempt to escape.

tomorrow will be a new day; a new experience.
semper fi.

hopeless love, why did you carve your home in me?
this broken heart is too weak to hold your weight;
and now i regret the day we met
help me forget... your name

in fitness and in health

i'm really determined to put this new fitness regime into action.
so i'm putting it out here. (anyone keen to join me, please feel free)

2-3 times a week.
of running, plus sets of static exercises after.
push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, flutter-kicks, bridges, crunches etc.

slowly, running intensity and distance will increase.
repetitions per exercise and number of sets too.

and not only fitness-wise, but health-wise as well yeah;
'cause what's a good fitness regime if you're still eating junk?

so less alcohol.
less beer.
less hard liquor.
no fast-food.
no kfc crispy chicken skin.
no fried lard in bakchormee.
less mcdonalds.
less salt on the fries.
less sugar in the milk tea.
less fizzy drinks.
as so on so forth.

basically, cut down on unhealthy foods.

with sufficient discipline i will be very fit come start of school.
and the vjc motto seems very apt here so i shall say it again.

nil sine labore.


my brother had a book he would hold with pride
a little red cover with a broken spine
on the back he handwrote a quote inside
"when the rich wage war, it's the poor who die"


with hands held high into a sky so blue
as the ocean opens up to swallow you

nothing without labour

sometimes you play better.
you dominate the game.
you create more attacking chances.

but against the run of play, your opponent scores with their only chance.

then early in the second-half, your player is brought down resulting in the opposing goalkeeper being sent off.
but the referee judges the foul to be just on the edge of the box.
no penalty.

and the possession turns strongly in your favour.
you hold the ball and try to break them down but they're one man down.
they park a bus in front of their goal.
from 4-4-2, they are now playing 8-0-1.

you hit the crossbar with an overhead kick.
you tap the ball into the goal and send the crowd into raptures.
but it's offside.

and in the dying minutes of injury time, you hit the freekick and the ball seems to curl and nestle into the top corner.
the crowd goes crazy but no, it's the side-netting.

and then the final whistle goes.

the opposing team celebrate in pure elation while you stand in despair.

sometimes in life that happens, just like how it happens in soccer.
you may play it better but you may not win.
but that is the reality of the beautiful game.

at the end of the day, it was a good fight.
there should be no regrets as long as you gave it your best shot.
and i must say that i'm very proud to be a victorian.

the way we sang our school anthem today seriously filled me with pride.

nil sine labore.

Victoria in Singapore
There are other schools we know
Victoria is something more
The school that watched us grow

For here we've learnt and striven too
And played the sportsman's game
Victoria we give to you
The honour that you claim

Victoria, thy sons are we
And we will not forget
Victoria, thy triumphs see
And victories we share yet

For others came before and went
And carried to the world
Victoria's fame and our intent
To keep her flag unfurled.

all in

great event today, good experience.
plus fun, laughter, peace and joy.
it's nice how one-day events like these always turn out to be awesome.
not just pay-wise, but experience-wise as well.

met some new friends today, as well as some "old friends"...
from nus, fass... smu, ntu... from vjc even...
man is the world linked.

also, saw many things during the 8 hours there...
saw the good side of some.
saw the ugly side of others.
saw some lend a helping hand.
saw others snub their noses.
saw some take the initiative.
saw others who didn't care.
saw victory.
saw defeat.
saw triumph.
saw anger.

but i think at the end of the day, what remains the most important is that we give it our all, in all that we do.
at the very least, for all the important things that we do.

seriously what's the point in putting in only half the effort.
lol unless you are trying to prove something...
hmm but that's a different story haha maybe another day.

bottomline is: don't be a half-fuck.



oh btw special mention today...
happy birthday to stan the man!
here's to more legendary moments to come bro, cheers

advocator of good

when somebody litters as if they own the road...
when an old lady is being bullied by an unreasonable customer...
when a suspicious bag is spotted outside a bank...

what do you do?

i get really disturbed by the bystander effect.
and what they call the diffusion of responsibility, is scary.
for how can it be that, as the number of people (or passerbys) increases, the chance of someone in need receiving help, decreases instead.

what happens here is that when people spot someone in distress, they tend to 2 rules...
first is the rule to help someone in need.
second is the rule to conform to what other people are doing.
unfortunately, in most cases the second rule overrides the first one.
therefore as everyone passes by somebody lying motionless in the middle of the street, nobody stops to help the poor fellow just because no one else is either.

so, it's fucking time to stand up to all this nonsense.

when something isn't right, set it right.
when somebody needs help, offer a hand.
when somebody is being bullied, stand up for him/her.

it's time to advocate good, albeit in a fucked up way.
but that's totally acceptable, 'cause it's what the scumbags deserve.

haha on a totally different note i'm quite grateful that i passed by 2A lesson 1 today.

i knocked down the slalom cone twice, and went off course in the middle of the practical.
but in the end, still one of the 3/9 riders who passed.

hope good luck today doesn't mean bad luck tomorrow.

well life is like a shadow
it never stays in one place
hell i'm standing here anyways
however long it takes to steal your heart


i'm gonna' steal your heart away

maybe i

i think my positivity is waning...

perhaps 'cause i'm free-er this week.
(refer to previous post on pre-occupation)

or maybe it's just a re-realization of how fucked up the world is.
like a page refresh.

just look at the news and you'll see.
war, murder, rape, corruption.
the resignation of the IMF chief due to allegations...
the mis-appropriation of funds by maris stella's brother anthony...

you call that a brother?

and seriously, what's with the use of 'misappropriation'.
steal say steal, embezzle say embezzle.
bloody loot and pilfer don't say misappropriate.
makes it sound like an honest mistake only, like misjudge or miscalculate.

and it's not only for people in positions of power...
in normal civilian life too, we see shit happening.

in relationships, with cheating, insecurity, and all sorts of bloody nonsense.
in business and work, where some people have absolutely zero work ethic.
in the public, where countless have no civic-mindedness.
no compassion for the poor, no sympathy for the elderly.
no sense of morality, no backbone for what's right and wrong.
no common sense, and no heart for those in need.

perhaps the word 'altruism' should not exist in the dictionary.
for the world is evil... and people make up the world so what do you think?

i do hope though, that this positivity shall not dwell in the doldrums for too long.
based on the negativity of the past few posts, it is not entirely wrong to say that my psychological well-being hasn't really been in the best of conditions lately.
however, i sincerely wish that the next few posts might be happier ones, and at least, ones that serve to encourage and uphold the p.i.p.

i'm not trying to take it easy babe
i'm not trying to help you see
i'm not trying to take us over babe
i'm just trying to believe


maybe i, i'm not so easily stung
maybe i, i got some love for someone
maybe i, i'm just a story for you
maybe i, i'll be the do you oughta' do

under-achieving?

for the past 2 days, i've kinda' been lamenting...
about how i haven't really achieved anything since holidays started.

hmm, and right now it's week 3.
so what have i done so far?
(and also, what have YOU done so far?)

okay from my scheduler, i can see that in the past 2 weeks, i :
cut my hair
ran a couple of times (fitness regime)
applied for BTT
applied for class 2A
went to timbre
met up with sir stamford raffles
attended the final WP rally
did some recording
voted on elections day
played soccer
celebrated someone's birthday at barrage
celebrated somebody else's birthday at regentville
moved my stuff out from hall
played lotsa LAN
played lotsa PS3
was there for a best friend when he needed it
was there for a friend when she needed it
drank quite a lot of beer, gin, tonic, vodka etc
passed BTT
booked my FTT

okay i omitted plenty of small mundane items... but all in the name of good summarizing.
whether the above list is an accurate representation though, of my accomplishments in the past 2 weeks, i can't be sure.
either way, this is what the scheduler gives me so let's just take it as it is.

anyway...
today it got me thinking, what constitutes an achievement?
how do i define 'an achievement'?
and based on the above list, am i satisfied with what i've accomplished over the past 2 weeks?

i suppose i should be...
or should i?
well, for one, i'm finally taking up driving.
even though booking BTT and FTT literally mean having to wait like 2-3 months each.
but at least they are steps forward.
also, keeping fit, and hobbies such as soccer and recording stuff with the guitar...
and being there for friends on their (surprise) birthdays...
as well as when they're feeling down and need a listening ear...
those always feel like achievements.

on the downside, i suppose all the LAN and PS3 and the alcohol could be cut down haha.
seriously achieve nothing with those lol (except fun and laughter, peace and joy)

oh yeah and not forgetting...
today, i went back to my old workplace. (incidentally it's the 16th but not the point.)
funny story really, i was going along bukit timah road rather quickly on my bike, when for some reason i suddenly decided to make a detour.
it was one of those sudden rash decisions and i quickly braked and filtered 2 lanes to the left to go into the side road.

but anyways, it was worth it.
met up with an old friend, and i'm really glad to see he's doing fine.
sigh, it warms the heart man...
and i do try to drop by once in a while.

that place really does hold quite a lot of memories for me.
the building itself, as well as the vicinity.
made many friends there, learnt many things (mostly about travelling).

it's quite melancholic to think back and realize it's been roughly a year since i last punched my card there.
i still remember how i took two weeks to search for a job after ORD.
one week to rest and just stone, and then the other week to send out job applications and wait for replies.
within two weeks i had started work (roughly 081109 + 14days = 221109).

sigh either way, time passes so fast, i spent a good 6-7 months there...
and then uni started in august till now, another 8-9 months.

now i'm going to be 22 this year already.
that's half of 44 man...
can't imagine where i'd be at 44.

and what i would have achieved.



in this life, you're the one place i call home
in this life, you're the feeling i belong
in this life, you're the flower and the thorn
you're everything that's fair in love and war

lonewolf

today, a friend of mine offered me 2 vouchers to genting for 3D2N.
but what use do i have for them when you're no longer around?


apparently, we humans are all social creatures.
but if only we could all be creatures of solitude instead.


life would be much easier.


but on the other hand, probably rather meaningless.


Is this what they call freedom?
Is this what you call pain?
Is this what they call discontented fame?

It'll be a day like this one
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in

sense of place

for you geography majors, and perhaps those like me who have previously taken ge1101e, the title of this post should not be an unfamiliar term.
however, for the benefit of everybody else, i shall provide a short explanation, albeit it being one that is mostly based on my own personal interpretation.


essentially, places can be split into two categories:
those that hold meaning, and those that do not.
for the former, these places are said to have a 'sense of place', i.e. they hold special meaning to particular people.
personally, i believe that these places evoke feelings and memories, therefore resulting in the above-mentioned special meaning that we attach to them.


take a few seconds to think of some places that hold special meaning to you.
think about what kind of feelings you experience, and which memories come to light.


it could be your doorstep, a front porch, a void deck.
it could be a specific spot on a beach, a jetty, or a lighthouse.
it could even be a particular seat on the bus, or a certain bus route.
your primary school classroom, the canteen, the general office...
the playground where you grew up, the spot by the roadside where you always stood at, every morning, waiting for the schoolbus.
the singapore flyer, the marina barrage, the esplanade rooftop...
even certain places overseas, the various airports there, train stations...


and the list goes on.


well, today i had the liberty of spending 45 minutes alone, walking around junction 8 while i waited for my friends to have lunch with.
and as i walked around, looking at and browsing through all the shops in a systematic fashion, i realised that i had a very strong sense of place here.
the cinema, the foodcourt, the supermarket, the popular bookstore etc...


memories and feelings arose; some happy, most sad.
and then it got me thinking about all the places where i had a very strong sense of place.


orchard central quiznos subs, bedok 85, vivocity boardwalk, the marina barrage, the vjc treehouses, east coast park, selegie road tauhway, the heeren basement, changi airport, henderson waves, hort park, golden mile, nicoll highway etc.
there are too many places to name here,
but man, i daresay we really went to plenty of places.
which sadly, doesn't really seem to be a good thing now, does it?


and then for a second i pondered, "ha, if only we never went to so many places..."
perhaps, we should have just stuck to a few; make life easier now.


but nah, almost as quickly, i dismissed that foolish thought.
for when you are with somebody you love, it is almost definite that you would want to go to as many places as you can with her.
travel the globe.
and see the world together.


the hard times come when she's no longer around, i guess.
but that's life, so we all have to live with it.


Is there anyone out there?
Somewhere I can belong
Man the city just ain't so kind tonight

I need a place to take refuge
See I been loving you blind
And I guess that made it hard for me to find

Why did you roll your dice? Show your cards?
Jilted lovers and broken hearts
You're flying away, while I'm stuck here on the ground

And if I had my suspicions
I kept them out of my heart
Just wished I would've known right from the start


Why did you roll your dice? Show your cards?
Jilted lovers and broken hearts
You're out on the wind and I'm still waiting to be found.

You did a fine job of hiding
That crooked ace up your sleeve
You doubled down my direction
You kiss me on the cheek and leave
I followed you through the darkness
I followed you through the cold

Will I ever win?
Only time can tell
You got to suffer to remember how
That are our ideals never really marched in time

That's the bottom line
Jilted lovers and broken hearts

wrong side of love

i'm hanging on, i'm hurting
i'm backing down, you're starting over
you and i, we've had enough
the wrong side of love

keep runnin' baby, don't look back
keep runnin' down a one-way track
you'll be the one to break my heart in two
i'll be the one to take the hit for you


you can't walk away from what your heart knows
you can't trade today for tomorrow
yea i'm holding on till you let me go


till you let me go

pre-occupation

all my life, i've always looked forward to the holidays.

there's nothing like a long period of rest and relaxation after a school term has ended; days where one can just wake up late and spend hours in bed not doing anything.

imagine that.

a day just not doing anything.

and without a single worry.

well, i used to be that way.

during secondary school, and probably less so in JC...

but lately this seems impossible.

it seems that this holiday, i try to pre-occupy myself with things and activities.

this is very much unlike before, where i used to just laze about and not really care at all.

however, now it becomes intolerable to see a single day empty on my schedule.

i simply have to fill it up, by planning something, setting a goal to achieve, arranging a meeting with a friend, going for a run etc etc.

and it is interesting how i just realised this today, this pre-occupation.

am i trying to keep myself pre-occupied now that school is out?

and if so, consciously, subconsciously, or unconsciously?

it is perfectly plausible that perhaps, i have finally discovered that spending the holidays doing nothing is a complete waste of time, therefore i now try to make maximum use of my time.

i do not rule out this possibility.

however, it may only be part of the reason, or simply, a small contributing factor.

i remember thinking a week or two ago (when the exams ended), that the upcoming holidays may not necessarily be a good thing, considering that my mental capacities would be freed up for a lot of other things.

such things that would do well to stay out of my thoughts.

therefore it is highly possible that this pre-occupation is simply a form of escapism.

a way of suppressing thoughts, feelings, and maybe memories, by overloading the working memory with other things.

whether this is a good or bad thing however, remains to be seen.

yet, i have a strong feeling that the answer does not bode well.

Pre-occupied without you
I cannot live at all
My whole world surrounds you
I stumble then I crawl

I wonder what your doing
Imagine where you are
There’s oceans in between us
But that’s not very far

Nobody told me what you thought
Nobody told me what to say
Everyone showed you where to turn
Told you where to runaway
Nobody told you where to hide
Nobody told you what to say
Everyone showed you where to turn
Showed you where to runaway

Can you take it all away?

This pain you gave to me

the repressed

we all have hidden feelings.

feelings that we hide deep down inside the crevices of our hearts...

some cause us so much pain that we never speak of them.

and when they float into our conscious mind, we dismiss them in a split second.

it is beyond our control.

our mind represses these thoughts; it forces them into silence.

yet i choose to believe that these terrible feelings continue to linger in the subconscious and unconscious realms, etched in the back of our minds where not even our deepest thoughts can wander.

perhaps i have not experienced it before.

perhaps i may never, or perhaps i might in the future.

but never for once would i guess that it could be so serious.

what i experienced tonight will not be forgotten.

it will only serve as a reminder of how things are always more serious than they seem.

honestly it is foolish to take the surface for what it is.

even we, ourselves, may not truly know.

which is scary to even fathom.

complexicated

is life just complicated by itself?
or are people the ones who make things complicated?


i really don't know.


perhaps, by the theory of fate™  life will always turn out to be complicated no matter where it occurs.
but really, i think it's so much more complicated than it ought to be.


thus, we should always try to keep things simple.
whenever we can, wherever we can.
things are already so messed up we shouldn't add to the heap right?


so take things easy.
live life easy.
give without remembering.
take without forgetting.
don't bear grudges.
be kind to all.
and stay happy.


basically just be awesome. or at least try to attempt the 7 above-mentioned things.




anyway, today i heard some songs. songs i used to listen to.
and i must say that it's interesting how songs have the capacity to hold so many memories.


some songs remind me of specific people,
some remind me of particular events,
some remind me of emotions felt at that point in time.


and they bear so much meaning.


unfortunately, for me songs mostly tend to evoke feelings of sadness instead of happiness.
and i wonder if this applies to most people as well, if not all.


i leave you now with wise words from anberlin - naive orleans.
was thinking of posting some lyrics i wrote recently but this song seems more apt.
goodnight!


Come and go now as you please
Your actions write the melodies
To those songs that we sing
And you just sing

And I finally found that life goes on without you
And my world still turns when you're not around

Is this the way you want it?
Is this the way it has to be?
Sitting here beside you
When my heart's lost in New Orleans
Dreams come clever
Hearts now severed
Difference of forever
And I am lost there

friends-for-now

what does friendship truly mean?

are friends just people you hang out with?
the ones you go to lunch with just before class?
or buddies you call when you've nothing to do?

or does friendship mean something much more?

i guess friendship has its own form of hierarchy; from the acquaintances, the hi-byes, the distant friends, the friends, the good friends, the close friends, the best friends, to the true friends.
but then there are also those long-lost friends, the ones you used to be really close with.
how are they lost?

when we make friends, the main objective is to widen our social circle, and to simply get to know a new person's name, to be acquainted with somebody you've never met before.
however, some of these acquaintances eventually make their way into the friends category, or perhaps even the good friends category, and once people go into that area it becomes a shame to lose them.
and so we (at least, i) make it a point to make sure they stay in my life.

sigh but why does it have to be an accepted fact that once we move into a new stage of our life, it becomes inevitable that we lose our friends from the previous stage?
like after university, when we go into the working force, how many of our friends will still be keeping in touch with us?
and in return, will we be keeping in touch with them?
apparently the answer seems to be no.

yesterday night, i made a toast to three friends from my current stage of life.
and i said, "here's in case 5 years later we're no longer keeping in touch."
but truth is, it would be a shame if we were merely friends-for-now.

it would always be a shame.

to lose people you knew well.
the ones you had fun with.
those you spent your time and life with.
and created memories with.

the ones whom you knew inside out.
and the ones who knew you inside out.
sigh, that's the worst.




In this world of news, I've found nothing new
I've found nothing pure
Maybe I'm just idealistic to assume that truth
Could be fact and form
That love could be a verb
Maybe I'm just a little misinformed

As the dead moon rises, and the freeways sigh
Let the trains watch over the tides and the mist
Spinning circles in our skies tonight
Let the trucks roll in from Los Angeles
Maybe our stars are unanimously tired

Let your love be strong, and I don't care what goes down
Let your love be strong enough to weather through the thunder cloud

new perspective

to all the motorists out there...


always think that you'll be able to get away with summons?
think that being caught is fairly low-risk?
anyway, it's just for a short while right?


well, here's a new perspective.


the next time you stop on a double-yellow line to go grab a quick bite,
the next time you decide to drive in the bus lane during peak hour,
the next time you park in a season-parking lot 'cause you can't find a white one,


just think of it as placing money on your windshield.


as i parked my motorcycle by the roadside at capitol building today, it suddenly dawned upon me,
that i would be risking $70 as i made a quick walk to raffles city shopping centre.


what if a parking attendant happened to pass by during that short 10-minute span?
it would be as good as placing the money on my bike and hoping that it would still be there when i got back.
much like placing a deposit.
so sure man, might as well just put the money there next time round...


don't want to tear a 65c coupon right?
okay then just put $8 on the windshield, later come back see if still there.
make sense?




moving on, today i managed to reset my most-crazy-awesome-thing-done-recently (haha the previous one obviously being my rendezvous with sir stamford raffles...)
what i did shall not be said here, unfortunately. heh heh
however, i feel that we've all gotta' reset the mcatdr often, otherwise it just becomes pretty noob.
nobody cares if you broke into haw par villa last month, or if you threw a bottle into a convenience store last sem.
that's all so long ago.
and it pretty much means you've been pathetic for all that time until now.


after all, i do try to live by a statement i made recently.
and as i recall, it goes something like:
life is all about doing those crazy reckless things, otherwise we'll only live to regret not doing those.



See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you

Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you



My hands are tied
My body bruised, she's got me with
Nothing to win and
Nothing left to lose

And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away

With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you

on the other side

kinda' knew today wasn't going to be good.

brunch, jamming, and soccer were great to be honest.
but at the end of the day...
perhaps it's just your company i miss?
and the memories?
then again, and i'm pretty sure we were never meant to be.
guess fate had already decided that we would never make it.

sigh, if only.




Put your hand in mine
Can you read the signs?
I'll never lose you
I couldn't choose to if I tried

Put your faith in me
What will be will be
Some things I know
And I know that you were meant for me

I don't know where the ocean meets the sky
I don't know why the world keeps spinning by
Don't know why the hours move so slow
Babe, when I'm with you, I don't wanna know
I wanna feel your feet lifting off the ground
I wanna feel you love me at the speed of sound
And Babe, it could end tonight, know it would be alright
'Cause I'm gonna love you, somewhere on the other side

It's written on your face
Just like a twist of fate
I can't erase it
Some things you know we can't escape

And I will be there for you
Be there to shelter you
Anywhere you go, you know I will be
And I'm gonna be the one
Be like the rising sun
Never hurt you

I don't know why the stars fall from the sky
I don't know why the heavens open wide
Don't know where the winds of change will blow
But when I'm with you, I don't need to know

punctuality and procrastiny

many, many people underestimate the importance of punctuality.


which is sad, really...
for it undermines the entire issue of trust, doesn't it?


haha i know i might make it sound really serious, but the truth is that it is.
what's the point of telling someone we'll meet at 0930, if you're only going to turn up at 1000?
you're just going to waste half an hour of that person's life, and then the next time you two arrange to meet up, he/she is going to play it safe and turn up at 0945.
but damn, you still turn up at 1000...
and then during third time you two meet, your friend is gonna be like "fuck it i'm going at 1000 this time" and for some reason you felt guilty about the previous two meetings so you decided to turn up on time at 0930 today and wow holy shit it really doesn't feel good to wait for half an hour.


and thus from that day on, subsequent meetings adhere to the golden rule of (true meeting time) = (stated meeting time) + (30mins).
which brings us back to the my main point of underestimating the importance of punctuality, and the whole undermining trust issue...
after all, if you say you're gonna' be there at 0930, then you jolly well keep your word and make sure you are at the stipulated time.


yes, i admit that this is probably something that the army has inculcated in me, so people who haven't gone through national service probably might not feel as strongly about punctuality as i do.
but then again, to me punctuality is about keeping your word as well.
and if you can't even keep your word then it gets really difficult to form any sort of trust at all.
i'm not saying that i'm never late, but i believe i do try my best.
think of someone who's always late, and then ask yourself if you wanna' be that guy.


hmmm and it's not only about being punctual for others...
being punctual for yourself is important too.


yep, when you procrastinate, you're actually standing yourself up.
why tell yourself you'll get this done by today when you're only really going to do it tomorrow?
it's like being late all over again, but this time nobody else is involved...
whether you keep to your own word only determines how much you can trust yourself.


so please please start being punctual from today onwards...
for others, and for yourself.
stop procrastinating, go out there, and DO things man!
but of course remember not to be late (:


as usual, this is all part of personality-improvement so i will be heeding the same advice.
cheers once again to the holidays!




we are, crooked souls tryna' stay up straight
dry eyes in the pouring rain, when
the shadow proves the sunshine
the shadow proves the sunshine
two scared little runaways
hold fast till the break of daylight, where
the shadow proves the sunshine
the shadow proves the sunshine

end of year 1

and so year 1 has ended in a flash.


how quickly time has flown by, man seriously.
it still seems so clear... my first steps into sheares hall as a freshman, cleaning out my room, meeting my neighbours and level 4 short wing mates who will eventually turn out to be good pals and buddies, orientation and buaya week, and then the start of school where university life still seemed foreign as hell. remember thinking what on earth was CORS?


still, as fate would have it, we all pressed on and then before we knew it finals were over, sem 1 was over. december holiday passed by next. and then sem 2 flew by, almost like an exact replica of sem 1.


looking back, i guess the main positive thing to take away from this academic year are the friendships and acquaintances made.
the people, the friends, the random tutorial groupmates even.
friendships that were forged, already existing ties which were reeled in and made even tighter. and even though some of those friendships slowly fade away as you cease contact...
i believe it's times like these where you make good friends that will hopefully be there even after we graduate, something we should never take for granted.


and to this noble thing called true friendship, i am sincerely grateful to those i have known for so many years now, those who have known me as well... as a person, as a friend, and as a bro haha.
really warms the heart to think about the awesome times we shared, and then to think that these people are still around and will always be around... just makes me wish that i'm as good a friend to them as they are to me.


yep, and not only friendship man! we should never take anything for granted.
family... health... all the good times...

always remember to appreciate what we've got and enjoy the moment.

so ima try my best to make full use of this holiday and not take it for granted as well.
time to execute those plans before year 2 starts man, godspeed.

yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead
yesterday is a promise that you've broken
don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes
this is your life
and today is all you've got now
and today is all you'll ever have
don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes
this is your life, are you who you wanna' be?