nice people who popped by my life on 30jan08 who together made my heart smile in errr okay alphabetical order hee
kaiyun laura ruiqi sherman teckkuan
it's amazing what niceness of true friends can do to me - the ability to dismiss the few bad experiences
wellss i must admit it's the bad experiences that bring out the goodness of the niceness that results in making me happy
as in in my life up to sec4 the people around me were mostly nice people (peers, seniors, juniors, teachers etc) so perhaps i didn't acknowledge (to myself) and cherish their niceness but thereafter as i got to know more ... people i learnt to value the nice people more
wells ever since i was a kid i believed that everyone's good by nature. i would still like to let myself believe so. the so-called bad people will always be what people say and not anyone who enters my life! wells i won't allow them to enter my life. erms. okay. i do kind of allow everyone to enter actually.. even people negatively-labelled. then only after i get to experience myself and am proven so do i disallow those people to enter further. but wellsss. im a forgetful person. haha.. and yesh people do change so even those people get to enter again after some time since they might have changed for the better and i've already forgotten the past
Wah Kaiyun and I jogged 4.5km this evening! But we took like 50mins! i think. we didn't take note of the time. I was already slowing down nearing 3.8km (ie. our previous distance covered) and she thought I was already reaching my limit and was afraid I would faint haha. coz halfway through I was jokingly saying that we can keep running until she faints or I collapse. hee. was tired la but I could still go on coz I had a companion (without one I would have stopped!)
hmm gotta go National Library tomorrow morning for Start-Up event. heez luckily no need to help with the prep. but don't know what's going on leh.
yayyy looking forward to singing with Cedar ppl! was so glad last week when Weiliang messaged about tomorrow's ktv session. had been hoping they would organise one during the hols but there wasn't. wells better late than never~
Health Screening Results - BMI, Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose
haha I very bo liao, scan in this piece of paper. Okay its supposed to tell that I'm safe from Hypertension & Diabetes according to the flyer given out haha..
has been quite relaxing and adaptable and getting enough sleep BUT I'm not doing what I should! Haven't been doing anything academically though I've done other stuff like exercise :) yay! I jogged 3.8km yesterday with Kaiyun at the walk/cycle track near her place. I haven't jog/run at all eversince I left NTU which is like more than 15months ago! Amazing that I survived without any much post suffering haha. I think its coz Kaiyun's pace was quite good for me who hasn't run for so long. We went pretty slow and steady until the 2nd half then we sped up gradually. Took a long half hour! But it was nice :) yay so glad I'm exercisinggg. Played badminton with Weibin Steffi and Kianwai on Thursday too. but its not becoming a regular thing... wells. see how ba.
okie I shall go retrieve my clothes from the dryer now. (my first time getting my clothes washed at Kuok!)
edited to add: Ewwwww! Some bad fellow took my clothes out of the dryer and left them in a pile on top. I just went up 5 minutes beyond the 20minutes of drying time lor. And most of my clothes are still somewhat wet... hanging them around my room now.. Hmms the bad person set a much longer time. When I was there it was 77minutes, which means he/she probably set 80minutes. but I still don't know how to set the timer, thought its fixed. Shall try to figure it out next time. Sigh. So bad.
Wahhh so high expenditure! $1046.25 + $53 + $15 + $40.75
$1046.25 for my 17 weeks stay at Kuok Foundation House $53 for second-hand but rather brand new Organic Chemistry by John McMurry + Study Guide and Student Solutions Manual for that by Susan McMurry for CM1121 $15 for set of EL1101E The Nature of Language materials including Textbook Cruz-Ferreira, Madalena & Sunita Anne Abraham (2006). The Language of Language: Core Concepts in Linguistic Analysis (2nd edition) - I found out actually the book is quite much used but since there were printouts of all recommended readings about 2inches thick and some other stuffs I bought anyway. $40.75 for new Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes by R.M. Felder and R.W. Rousseau
Yupss should be spending less on other unnecessary stuff le!
hmms. Just spend my first night on campus in Kuok Foundation House. Quite alrights. Much better than Hall 6. Anyways, I'm in the Sci Lib now. Only had one lecture today which is not with FST people (the LSM1101 that everyone else took last sem) so there pretty much free time. Wells. So much free time with nothing fun to do so I read the Straits Times.
And I got a shock! I was just flipping through then I came upon this page in the Home section that had a photo of Mr Ho! Then in the article title next to the picture there was the word "Retirement". So I was shocked coz I thought Mr Ho's retiring! Then I read the article and realised it's not. haha. He was actually interviewed coz he's still working past retirement age. And only after reading through the whole article did I read the title again carefully. It says "Retirement is not in his repertoire". Okay... I shall admit I couldn't spell that word despite having been in band for 6years and had to flip open to the page of the article to check the spelling. heez.
Haiz I'm bored of blogging already. Today's a pretty boring day - all alone. Luckily I saw Zhujun during LSM1101 lecture and moved to sit next to her after the break or I would be complaining about this sem's LSM being another lonely affair again... Wells. 3 hours more to Events team meeting...
I just checked out my Johari Window and there's a new person whose name I don't recognise at all providing a description of me. So weird. Then ever since ages ago there have been 2 initials that I don't know belong to who either.. hmmms
Found this slotted in one of my GP notebooks. quite fun to be able to use these words (and know what I'm are talking about). but I haven't learnt them la..
I just found this photos this morning too. My jc class that my 2 good friends don't really miss, hmms me too. Oh wells. I guess we were too different from them.
I was trying to pack my room again and I came upon my private writing on several pieces of paper. The above quote is found on one of them.
I learnt from my private writing so many things I have already forgotten - what happened between me and my sec 1 sec 2 classmates.
"I WILL REALLY MISS MY 1/2 '00 & 2/2 '01 classmates, FRIENDS. I HOPE THEY WILL MISS ME TOO :)"
I'm so crapped. Before I read these private writings of mine, all I remember of my sec 1 sec 2 class is only that I "lost" my friends when I went into sec 3 sec 4 due to my lack of ability of keeping in contact after we went different classes and different schools after sec4. I don't seem to remember missing them... sigh... me and my crapped out memory.
I also found out that I had actually realised how bad one of my friends was to me and that I didn't want to keep her as a friend anymore - I have actually forgotten that I had this realisation and last year when I met her I was friendly to her. And my memory of my nanyang days is that everyone was in general so nice to me. totally forgot the sad memories and good memories if not for these private writings.
I don't know what else to say about my memory...
There's this other friend whom I realised at the end of sec2 that she had been really good to me and I forgot this too... (anyway I'm inferring that I only realised this at the end of sec2 because this private writing was done in Nov'01). but actually I'm not sure... okay nevermind I shall try to be nicer to this friend now since our paths have very fortunately crossed again in AY07/08 Sem1. I really don't understand how I could have forgotten that my friendship with her was that close...
I also found the letters written to me by my "mortal" during my sec2 sec3, ie. her sec1 sec2. The angel and mortal game that was played so that each junior who just entered secondary school would have a senior from their senior class to write anything they want to (and of course seek help if needed). I had forgotten that my mortal was such a nice person... till I read through all of those letters early this morning. I found her email on one of the letters and I emailed her this morning. Hope she's still using that email address... haven't seen her the past few years...
my shopping harvest (my biggest to-date) from batam! heez
Exchange Rate: Rp. 6400 = S$1
Day 1 @ Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall
brownish-gold handbag (paid in SGD) - erms about $20 or $18 ? forgot
white doll shoes (haha I don't know the proper name) - Rp. 119,000? = $18.59
dark brown belt - Rp. 40,000 = $6.25
green checkered long-sleeved blouse - original Rp. 139,000. after 50% discount: Rp. 69,500 = $10.86
3 sudoku mini-books - Rp. 5000 x 3 = $0.78 x 3
mini-books written in Bahasa Indonesia (Membaca Wajah: Reading Faces and Berbagai obat tradisional dan penyembuhan dari lemari dapur Anda! : haha I'm not sure what this means, roughly about traditional medicine for You!) - Rp. 7900 x 2 = $1.23 x 2
2 pairs of pretty shorts [one with cloth belt and one with rugged belt] (paid in SGD) - $19 x 2
Have Read
'04 year-end holidays (highest number of books read in a long time)
-The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (gd read)
-Princess Diaries: Third Time Lucky by Meg Cabot (fun read)
-Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (must read - inspirational)
-Slab Rat by Ted Heller (full of office politics and R21 stuff - not for kids)
-The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (makes u want to finish it)
-A walk to remember by Nicholas Sparks (simple but meaningful)
-The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (can identify with)
-The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (romantic love story with too much R21 stuff)
-Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks (even more R21. ugh)
-The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
-Unstrung Heroes by Franz Lidz (autobiography about his four uncles and father)
-The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks
-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (very unique POV of an autistic boy)
-The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux (love the breadth of the plot, one of my favourites)
-Wild Orchids by Jude Deveraux (alternating between two first persons' view - unique, but don't like e plot)
-Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder (philosophy tb in a story; gets abit dry though plot saved)
-forgot what i read...-
-Working Wonders by Jenny Colgan (story of an urban planner)
-Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (impressive intelligence with bits of great humour)
-Just between Us by Cathy Kelly (thickest bk i've ever read-600+pg, too long for me but not bad)
ha, started a few bks but didn't enjoy them enough to read more.
'06
-Life of Pi by Yann Martel (novel based on true story; a lot to learn from the book - animals, religions,
survival, appreciation of simplicity; marvelous descriptions of both the tangible and the intangible,
such that I could feel their realness; bits of very enjoyable humour; a must read)
-The Complete Analects of Confucius, Volume 1 - Asiapac Comic Series (some good teachings.
didn't read everything though)
-The Parable of the Pipeline by Burke Hedges (lent to me by Shujun; like she said, its a short version
of Rich Dad Poor Dad - good financial tips)
-The Alchemist by Paul Coelho (simple story with deep meaning)
-Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results
(hai, doesn't seem to be working for me - cos im not applying..)
-haven't been updating from Jun'06 to Jul'07-
'07
-Take a Chance by Sarah Webb (very interesting twist towards the end)
'08
-A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer (very saddening. made me realise how significant family is in how a child behaves)
-Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite by Paul Arden (refreshing book with many pics)
-The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Rui Zafon (amazing how people can think of so much plot to pack into one book, wld b a gd tv series)
-The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (the story is interesting but i think the ending cld hv been better written)
-This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes (a bit thought-provoking on relationships but i didnt like e abrupt ending)
-Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner (gd knowledge but partly qte repetitive)
-For One More Day by Mitch Albom
-The C Words by Mark Mason (made me keep wanting to read on. light & funny)
'09
-Return to Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux (another good read from Deveraux)
-The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (gosh such vivid descriptions! very well written book. i liked d theme of friendship and the realness of the story)
'10
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (a must-read!! i love the expressed thoughts of the protagonist, esp those about friendships, and the writing style - it seems like she's telling me her story specifically to me)
How to Save Your Own Life by Michael Gates Gill (an inspiring read, for emotional liberation and greater joy in life)
Reading
on hold
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
Waiting for chance to get hold of
The Little White Car by Danuta de Rhodes
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Le Scaphandre Et Le Papillon or The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
My Left Foot by Christy Brown
Gotai Fumanzoku or An Unsatisfactory Body (Translated into English as No One's Perfect) by Hirotada Otatake
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Other Recommended Readings by Marc
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin – Few books have had as significant an impact on the way society views the natural world and the genesis of humankind.
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell – Gladwell looks at how a small idea, or product concept, can spread like a virus and spark global sociological changes. Specifically, he analyzes “the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.”
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – This is a tale that lingers on the topic of attaining and maintaining a disciplined heart as it relates to one’s emotional and moral life. Dickens states that we must learn to go against “the first mistaken impulse of the undisciplined heart.”
Lolita – This is the kind of book that blows your mind wide open to conflicting feelings of life, love and corruption… and at times makes you deeply question your own perceptions of each. The story is as devious as it is beautiful.
Getting Things Done by David Allen – The quintessential guide to organizing your life and getting things done. Nuff said.
How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman – 900 pages of simple instructions on how to cook everything you could ever dream of eating. Pretty much the greatest cookbook ever written. Get through a few recipes each week, and you’ll be a master chef by the time you’re 30.
Honeymoon with My Brother by Franz Wisner – Franz Wisner had it all… a great job and a beautiful fiancée. Life was good. But then his fiancée dumped him days before their wedding, and his boss basically fired him. So he dragged his younger brother to Costa Rica for his already-scheduled honeymoon and they never turned back… around the world they went for two full years. This is a fun, heartfelt adventure story about life, relationships, and self discovery.
Self-note: Tip for my future business =D
give employees reasonably high pay to keep them- otherwise they are unlikely to stay loyal.
treat employees not according to how well they treat me but how conscientious they are at work
(of course, musn't expect them to only do work throughout the entire working hours -
give some breathing space too, we are humans, not machines) Movies watched(listing started on 6jan08)
in cinema from VCD/DVD
1Sep07: "Hairspray" w TK, GH & SH
14Sep07: "Ratatouille" w mom & extended family
28Dec07: "The Pianist" w Jus & Pam (heartbreaking but good lessons; i recommend!)
2Jan08: "I Am Legend" w Sherm (scary! but good acting; thought provoking; i recommend!)
5-6Jan08: "A Good Year" alone (excellent show! i like the acting; funny; good lessons; touches my heart; i recommend!)
11Jan08: "Le Grand Chef" w WLing, JT & Irene (good! funny, very touching, :) nice; watch if like humour+meaning+food)
7Feb08 (CNY 初一): "Ah Long Pte Ltd" w parents (pretty hilarious - but u gotta understand dialects, some teary parts. wells typical of jack neo movies but with diff content)
11Mar08: "The Leap Year" w Sherm (so sweet! :) and apart from couple relationship it touches the theme of mother-daughter and best friends too)
6Jun08: "P.S. I Love You" w Sherm (don't know if its coz we watched it on laptop, coz it didn't impress me as much as it did for him in cinema)
8Jun08: "The Forbidden Kingdom" w Lisa, Karen & Sandy (ums..guess i'm really not into kungfu)
8Jun08: "What Happens in Vegas" w Lisa, Karen & Sandy (simple,relaxing show)
7Jul08: "我和狗狗的10个约定" w Sherm, his ma & sisters (very simple,touching but actually not my type of show)
10Jul08: "Before Sunrise" w Sherm (hmm maybe watchg on laptop really affects appreciatn of movies..)
30Sep08: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" w Sherm (i didn't like it as much as i thought i wld when i saw the ads)
31Dec08: "Yes Man" w Mom (inspiring and funny)
11Feb08: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" w Mom (not as impressive as i thought it wld be)
1Jul09: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" w Yumei, YY & Matt (the best thing was the soundtrack. heh.)
14Aug09: "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra" w Joyce (it was awesome! best action movie i've ever watched)
17Aug09: "Food, Inc." w SYL & RuiQ (learnt some stuff abt the American food industry but it was a bit boring and not worth the $10)
22Sep09: "The Time Traveller's Wife" w WB, VanD, WLing, CHL, Irene, VanQ, Mf, Pg (i liked it. having read the book really helps w udsg)
21Nov09: "Gokusen" w Mf, Eva, Tony, Sarah (funny inspirational movie)
24Dec09: "十月围城" w Tony, WLing, VanQ (action action and a bit funny? tony criticised the plot. my fav scene was the running n jumping through the crowd along the five-foot ways w/o cuts)
30Dec09: "Sherlock Holmes" w Irene, Tony, Sweetee (my favourite genre of books made into a movie - what else can be more cool? acting effects humour excitement suspense all in)
12Jan10: "Avatar 3D" w Mom (didn't appreciate the digital effects which everyone wowed about. content etc was so-so. cathay's 3D glasses were too heavy for me)
8Feb10: "The Truman Show" w Ky n sis n Yuhshin (a must-watch. very thought-provoking, funny. reminder to be spontaneous and create your life the way you want, instead of falling into a typical routine
14Feb10: "New York, I Love You" w Mom (I loved it! a good couple movie with meaningful pointers to keep it going. but i think some stories could be more developed)
16Feb10: rewatched "The Pianist" (still find it good, tho i still feel first viewings are the best)
17Feb10: "Valentine's Day" w CHL n WB (laughed throughout - a feel-good movie; liked the fact that the various stories binded tog so well with the little surprises here and there, vs NY ILU in which each story was separate)
20Feb10: "赤壁二" w Addy, Karen, Sharon, SJ (should have watched the first one first cos i ended up not knowing who's who and what's happening and had to keep asking :/ and couldn't pay attn.. if not i think it should be a pretty good movie..)
4Mar10: "Alice in Wonderland 3D" w Mf (i found the 3D effects of this @ CCK Shaw SO much better than Avatar @ The Cathay =/ and the movie was much more enjoyable too! - cheered a sad me up :)) favourite quote - the Mad Hatter: “You used to be much muchier before. ... You have lost your muchness.”)
18Mar10: "Nodame Cantabile" w Irene, Mf (i thoroughly enjoyed some of the orchestra pieces - SO impressive! the expressions of the actors were really amusing :D)
23Apr10: "Ice Kacang Puppy Love" w Mom (funny, touching and meaningful - about love between friends and family. i cried 3 tissues! cos some touching parts i could really understand the feelings of the characters involved)
Inception
Letters to God (very simple Christian movie)
22Nov10: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" w Ame, Irene (they loved it. pretty good, i guess the main problem i had was that im not familiar with HP :X)
13Dec10: "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" w Sj (not bad, could follow the story unlike HP. like the meaningful teachings, too long - in a post)
2Mar11: "The King's Speech" w Ame (hilarious, inspirational, tho it doesn't impress me that much to understand why it's the Oscar winner)
Mar11: "10 Things I Hate About You" very funny. silly sweet high school romance. just right for having breaks in between doing homework
23May11: "Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides" w Wb Yl Ame Pg (pretty good - scenery, freakish parts, fighting scenes, dressing, humour, bits of Christianity like when the Spanish said "only God gives life")
6Jun11: "Xmen First Class" w Wb Ame Pg (i was very keen on watching it and it was really good! intellectual, makes sense, cool action, some humour)
9Jun11: "Legally Blonde 2" w Irene (seems like some dumb blonde movie but kind of meaningful too - speaking up for yourself and what you stand for)
17Jun11: "Something Borrowed" w Sandy Lisa (quite funny, somewhat meaningful wrt friendships. they didn't like the lack of sense for one part tho)
16Jul11: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" w Irene, Sweetee, Kw (not bad. i didn't understand some parts again but the humour and effects were pretty good)
Aug11 "Horrible Bosses" w Ma (she fell asleep! gosh. the movie was very crude i must say but there was the humour)
25Oct11: "The Three Musketeers" w H (i would rate it 3.5 for humour/intellectual language and 4 for action. it's by the same producer or director as Sherlock! but a bit less awesome albeit a good chill out movie)
5Nov11: "Real Steel" w Hl (action packed but not too hardcore for me. i liked that there was the father and son element and how the father eventually softened his heart and especially the part when charlie was having trouble telling max sth and max was so understanding saying "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." touching and demonstrates true fighting spirit)
12Dec11: "50/50" w L (adopting her words - a heavy topic put across in a lighthearted way, but not taking away d meaning. most of it was rather hollywood-ish trashiness but there were a couple of punch lines "u can't change ur parents, but u can change d way u respond to them.")
25Dec11: "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" w KY (ultimate action packed! super tense almost throughout the movie, and interesting Tom Cruise made it such that not everything happened smoothly - he would jump and misland and get all sorts of injuries..it's really the courage to jump without hesitation even though you are not sure you'll be alive after that. KY loved d movie and said she would watch it again!)
3Jan12: "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" w KY (i love mystery (: and the witty sarcastic dialogues. good level of excitement with the action. didn't understand some parts as usual. i like Holmes and Watson they depict such a true pair of buddies ;D)
23Jan12: "You are the Apple of My Eye" w mom (now i understand why guys like this movie so much - the anxiety of chasing after a girl and the acts schoolboys do to get the girl's attention and hopefully affection. the initial fluttering and the subsequent quarrelling)
22Mar12: "The Iron Lady" w KY (really love Thatcher's sharp words. inspiring and thought-provoking, tho i was still left uncertain of what to do with my life, the movie is definitely an encouraging one)
29Mar12: "Barney's Version" w SJ (a funny movie of a screwed up life of a man who had 3 wives, smoked and drank but very heartwarming at the same time, the relationships with the dad and the 3th wife - quotable quotes!)
27Apr12: "The Hunger Games" w Mom
4May12" "Avengers" w MF n PS (funny, action-packed)
7Jul12: "The Amazing Spiderman"
21Jul12: "The Dark Knight Rises" (fantastic depth, loved the twists)
20Aug12: "ParaNorman" w Mom (simple funny animated movie, heartwarming support)
Performances watched (listing started on 25Apr10)
20Jan10: Patrick Marber's Closer by outoftheBLUE, NUS Science w Pam (
13Mar10: The Rain Came Down Like Pearls the Night I Died... The New Musical - Sing & Tell by Mark Chan w Addy & Jy
21Mar10: Quintessence by NUSCO w CHL