Merry Christmas and a happy New Year

Alright people, I will be leaving for Paris in a couple of hours time.

Will be there till 1st Jan 2007.

Not sure excited is the word to describe how I feel now. But certainly full of anticipation.

So I wish u guys a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

See u in 2007!

“一将功成万骨枯“

一将功成万骨枯。。。

不知道为什么会突然想到这句话。想了想又觉得这句话包涵了一些人生道理。

从字面上理解，这句话是说一个领袖的成功背后一定要做出很大的牺牲。至于是否是那个领袖本身作出的牺牲还是别人为他的付出则因人而异。

历史上对“一将功成万骨枯”这句话的印证多不胜数，罄竹难书。从三国诸侯争霸天下到共产长征，哪个不是血与泪把领袖的名字刻在史书上。这种例子不只在东方，西方也有。例如French Revolution。

如果是你，你会愿意做那个“成就大业”的“将领”吗？

凭着他人的牺牲而换来的成功，值得吗？这样做对吗？如果目的是出于大义或为他人，那也许牺牲是值得的，是应该的。但如果是为了一己私欲，那么牺牲到底是为了什么？一个人又凭什么要别人为自己付出？难道要像曹操宁可负天下人也不可让天下人负他？

如果你是那个做出牺牲的人，你又如何知道你的付出是有价值的？当一个人要另一个人为自己做事时，总会陈述自己的论点，提出自己的理由。同样的，一个“将领”也能把自己说得像是替天行道，出师有名。更可怕的是这些所谓的“领袖”总有过人的智力以及说服力。

如果你是那个“将”，你会愿意背负众人的期望吗？这种心理压力不是每个人都可以承受的。这就是为什么人类社会体制里有“领袖”这个角色。一个真正为他人服务的领袖更是难能可贵。因为除了心理跟智力要比一般人强以外，他也要有范仲淹“先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐”的心。

我想要看清楚这一切必须靠“信”这个字。相信自己的心。相信自己的眼光。相信自己的能力。相信别人对你的信心。相信天。

话说回来，难道得到些什么就得失去些什么？也许是罢。有得必有失。或许这世界真的是个zero sum system。如果这样的话，那是否代表每个人在生命的尽头都无善无恶，无喜无悲？这样的话，我们从现在起无善无恶，无喜无悲， 以免日后大善大恶，大喜大悲。哈哈！

我相信不是这样的。人生不是一个zero sum。得到未必是好，失去未必是坏。塞翁失马焉知非福。

或许失去让我们学会珍惜，学会放开。。。

Cold! COld!! COLd!!! COLD!!!!

It's REALLY starting to get cold here.

Averaging 0 to 2 degree celcius lately.

I went to school today during the afternoon, it was cold as ever. Midday and it was gloomy and cold. No sun, no nothing. It's as if all the moisture from people's breath has condensed the moment it touches the freezing air and covered up the sun.

Wore a pair of black pants (saving my jeans for Paris), definitely not enough. The moment I stepped out of the house I knew I was in for a LONG walk to school. The cold simply penetrated my clothes like hot knife through butter. So I walked like a "stick man" (straight hands straight legs) to school.

Did my work. Decided to go home. The moment I went outside I thought,"Now that I am here, I seriously don't want to walk back. Let's just stay indoors..." So I went to the library, picked up a copy of The Economist to read.

Talking about The Economist. I really should get back to my regular readings of this very informative and entertaining magazine. Used to subscribe. Ever since ORD didn't have much time or motivation to read.

Anyway had a rather leisurely time reading the magazine. Decided to brave the colds and make the arduous trip back to hall. It was getting dark (4pm). Gotta get home before it gets EVEN COLDER!

When I got back to my room, hot soup immediately entered my stomach. Yep, that's right. I had put my slow cooker to good use again! Haha!.Pop! out comes the Pringles and all was well...

Now I'm satisfied...

Went to Riley's at Shephard's Bush yesterday.

Join the "Riley's" club. Its nothing big just a membership so that you can play at the club. Paid 5 pounds for it. Didn't think much about it at all since my hands were ITCHING for pool. Almost made a wasted trip there. Because they needed a proof of address to join.

I was like WTH!!!! It's just a pool hall man. Why do I need a proof a address? So I gave the staff a super duper sian diao look and they let me join without the proof of address. I knew it! How are they gonna make any money like that if they refuse customers like that?

I think they made the concession partly also because I whipped out my Imperial Student ID and I was carrying my cues (which shows that I am a serious player, not a trouble maker). Anyway, I made it in.

Paid 10 pounds for the "Play all Day" plan. The plan actually allow the players to play from 11am to 6pm for 10 pounds. I was there from 2pm to 6pm. That meant hourly rates even lower than that of KPool and Orchard road. Besides pool for 4 hours straight ALONE, is more than enough man. I am a mere mortal, not a god. There's no way my attention span could go beyond that at my current level.

I was happy during that 4 hours. Sharp as a razor!!!! Haha!

It has been a long time since I played with my beloved pool cues. Almost forgot how it felt. The soft hit of my Viking F90 and the thunderous break of my Gino Ferrari. Magnificent. Wonderful. So used was I to my lighter snooker cue that initially I really wasn't used to the table and cues.

But after a couple of racks, it was business as usual. The balls are spinning the way I want them to
and stopping where I want them to (more or less! haha!). The table was of good quality. It turns out snooker had done my game more good than harm. My cueing was more consistent, my aim has never been better and I was able to impart more spin to the cue ball. It's strange though. I was always under the impression that I have stayed faithful to my pool strokes but somehow snooker just made my cueing better. There's less fluctuation in my stroke and I could keep my eye and concentration on the ball better.

Potting and placing have improved, I would say, even though I was away from the game.

Another thing worth mentioning is my break. That's another strange thing. In snooker I don't normally use strong strokes (even if I do, they don't work most of the time! haha!), but when I was breaking with my Gino, I was potting at least 1 ball quite alot. My break has improved it would seem. Perhaps it is due to an improvement in my stroke. I could keep my aim even if i try to hit harder. Perhaps its due to my Gino. Never really realised the breaking power of my "metal rod" Gino in the past I guess. The ang mohs there didn't break as hard as I did. That's for sure. Even when some of them tried to! Haha! No la, strength wise I admit they are stronger. But I guess they don't know the technique and they don't have my Gino. Haha!

Lastly, it's my draw shot. Improved significantly from what I last remembered it to be. Gotta thank snooker again. Back in Singapore, I was trying SO HARD to get the cue ball to come back to me and it didn't work. Now, with the same cue, it takes much less effort. Shiok shiok ka li pok!

Blissful 4 hours I would say. At the end of it, I was spent but nonetheless happy. Glad I had not lost my pool feel. Also it reminded me of the time when I was playing in KPool with Mr Gan and when I was playing with Etch WYWY and Soon. Happy days...

Almost forgot how real soup tastes like....

Finally got down to using the slow cooker that my mother insisted that I bring over. Guess her judgement is much better than mine when it comes to household matters.

Used it to cook some herbal chicken soup.

Here, we seldom have soup due to a lack of time. It's been at least 2 months since I have had REAL soup, as in the kind I used to have at home.

One of the best meals since I came to London...

I've never thought of that before

I was in the toilet going about my usual "business".

I saw the tap that was installed in my hall toilet and I thought how lousy the UK taps are.

Most of them don't even have the hot/cold water mixing function. As in the basin has 2 taps. 1 for hot water and the other for cold water. That's so unfriendly. Sometimes the hot water's too hot. But if you use the cold water tap, it's WAY too cold.

Even though my hall has those adjustable temperatur taps (I will call them ATTs), it's still not as good as those in Singapore. Here you only get to adjust the temperature. And the water pressure is miserable. On top of that, some of the ATTs don't even have a stable temperature (like those in the kitchen). You can actually feel the temperature oscillate periodically between that of the hot water and cold water.

Unbelievable.

I was lamenting the inferior quality of ATTs in such a developed country when I realised that I was being quite unreasonably fussy, especially for a person who went through NS. So "Singaporean", as many people would put it. Or is it?

Just as I was celebrating this "revelation" and feeling happy that I have uncovered "yet another important and seldom seen" fact of life/Singaporeans. Something else struck me even more.

Back in Singapore, I didn't have to worry about ATTs. Did I?

Think about it....
(I'm not just talking about how comfortable the Singaporean lifestyle is.)

Rare Occurrence

Was playing minesweeper.

The box with the number "8" came up. It essentially means that all the boxes around the numbered box are mines.

Not exactly the discovery of the century. But most certainly quite uncommon.

Everyone go watch Death Note

Watching Death Note now.

One word, "WOW!"

至理名言 12

淡泊以明志，
宁静以致远。

School's Out!!!

Today is the first day of the Christmas Holidays.

It seems everyone is in a Christmas mood. Excitement is in the air as everyone embarks on their overseas holidays. Even I am feeling it too.

It's good man.

There is one thing though. I will be more or less the only Singaporean left in the hall for around 9 days. After which I will be the only Singaporean not in hall for the following 8 days. Haha!

Maybe I should have planned my holiday better? Maybe not. It was my plan to spend Christmas and New Year abroad anyway.

However this is something that I did not really foresee when I decided to go on my Paris trip. Abit lacking in foresight I guess.

In my previous post about my Paris trip, I mentioned the trip being some sort of test or challenge. Now from the way I see it, the next 9 days in hall presents a challenge in itself! Haha! I guess this is the time for me to really sit down and do my work without any interference AT ALL. Wonder if that's a good thing... Well I'm gonna find out for myself pretty soon.

Still haven't really figured out where I am gonna go on which day of the trip. Don't think that will take up much time anyway. How hard can it be when you are travelling alone? Of course, I do have an idea of what are the places I wanna go, just that I haven't plan when to go. On top of that, I wanna leave enough flexibility to take part in whatever new year or christmas celebrations they have there.

We'll see...

An old familiar feeling...

Went to Riley's pool hall today. It's practice for an English 8 Ball pool competition.

Discovered English 8 Ball Pool today. Vastly different from American 8 Ball. Both in terms of strategy and physical characteristics (i.e. ball and table size.)

But no matter what it is, as long as it is a pool table, I am in my element. Had alot of fun today. Won quite abit.

What was most gratifying was the sight of a TRUE BLUE 9 FOOT AMERICAN POOL TABLE. Finally, after 3 long months, I see a decent pool table.

Althought I did not get to play on the american pool tables, I will be back. With my pool cues, I SHALL RULE THE UNIVERSE!!!! Haha!

When I was playing English pool just now, though not the same as American pool, it felt somewhat like I was in Singapore again. Playing with Soon, Wywy and Eugene at Pool Factor. Playing with Mr Gan or alone at Lot 1. Something which I miss terribly. Something which I hadn't done for some time.

An old familiar feeling....

回首当初

仓促间，差点就忘了。。。

(from Daoye's Blog)

至理名言 11

路遥知马力，
日久见人心。

Something short

I noticed that alot of my blog entries are quite long.

Thought I might wanna write something short for a change...

How much can a human being take?

Just finished reading Mo Yan's Big Breasts and Wide Hips. It's a translated version. The original name in chinese reads 丰胸肥臀. Quite good, although in my oppinon the style is not so easy to appreciate.

This book was originally banned in China. After reading it I could more or less see why.

The story revolves around the Shangguan family. The central characters include Shangguan Lu (the ill-fated daughter-in-law who later evolves into the pillar of the family), Shangguan Jintong (her degenerate son) and her seven daughters. The interesting thing is that almost all of Shangguan Lu's children are fathered by different men, while she was still the daughter-in-law of the Shangguan family. (Now now people stay calm, don't get too excited. Haha!) The story takes the reader through pre-revolution periods to the Communist era in China and spans 3 generations (from Shangguan Lu to her grandchildren).

In this book, the role and status of women in the old china is fully portrayed in its grimmest and most raw form. It shows how women were confined by traditions (e.g. foot binding, a painful and disabilitatin procedure) and seen as child bearing machines. The only way for them to escape from suffering is to bear a son. Which is why Shangguan Lu had so many daughters fathered by different men (her lawful husband was impotent) before finally bearing a golden son (Jintong, literally). Likewise for the daughters who naturally took a backseat when it comes to the needs of the son.

The son, Shangguan Jintong, got whatever he wanted because he was the only son. And because of this, he was never really weaned of breast milk. This sort of relates to the central theme of breasts in this book. Jintong's reliance on breast milk had become his weakness, his fatal wound that doomed him to a life of failure. At the same time, Jintong's reverence of women drew a stark contrast to what was generally happening in the society at that time.

However, instances of women rising up to the occasion, often above men, were numerous in this story. Shangguan Lu's mother-in-law, the de-facto head of the family, is one of those examples.

Shangguan Jintong led a life full of ups and downs, all of which had something to do with breasts or women. From an outsider's point of view, Jintong is an utter failure. A drag to his family who had to protect him all the while in the turbulent years. Truly a useless piece of shit by any standard. But the author chose to tell his story through him.

The author embedded a rebellious attitude into the story. Throughout the story you see people struggling to break free of the shackles of the old china and later the communist china as well. Rebellions and illicit affairs were like undercurrents which kept the story moving.

During the turbulent times, wars were fought, won and lost. Friends and enemies lived and died. This is the aspect which the author chose to illustrate in the least shy manner. Details of rotting corpses and starving people were exagerated and described to the fullest, as if in an effort to depress the reader. I guess this is also one of the good points of the book. The author expresses his feelings not just through the words he writes but also through the way he writes.

How the people suffered during those times....

Pride, dignity, honour and loyalty had no place in the face of survival.

At the end of the book, you would have read so much of people dying and how they suffer under the harsh circumstances that you feel kind of numb about it. Of course the author does let light into the story and there are some parts in which the characters had some good times. But the feeling of suffering and rebellion stands out.

In the book, the characters suffered loss of kin and friends and all sorts of hardships. One of the daughters was forced into prostitution to keep the family alive. Some of them driven to madness. Some became the playthings of powerful men. And stuff like that. On top of that, you see the hardships that the people around the Shangguan family had to endure.

You ask yourself," How can anyone take that?"

Perhaps to people like me, this is truly unimaginable. Perhaps this is a question that the characters of the book did not have the luxury to ask. Perhaps in a situation like theirs, all you can do is to do your best to survive.

At the end of the story, my feelings were mixed.(I won't tell you what's the ending. No, not to keep you in suspense or anything. It's just that I would have to include a whole lot of other things and that would make this entry excessively long.) Somehow the author had me on a journey and returned me to square one, back to where the journey started. Perhaps this is something that you don't really get in life, a fresh start.

I have not included all the details in this blog. It's really beyond my ability to try to illustrate everything and do the book justice at the same time. For those who don't mind the sometimes exagerated style and the sexual references AND you have the time, you may wanna read this book.

至理名言 10

玉可碎， 不可改其白；
竹可焚，不可毁其节；

Bath and Stonehenge

Went to Bath last weekend(2/12/06 to 3/12/06).

Wonderful wonderful trip I have to say. Everything just fell together nicely.

Weather was DEFINITELY on our side. Before we went we were still worrying that it might rain. In the end, well, it did rain. But only when we were sleeping or indoors. Other than the wind, which was perpetually blowing in our faces, the weather was nothing short of perfect.

We arrived in Bath at around noon time. Zhonghan's friend, Jinpeng, received us and orientated us to Bath. He took us to a field close to our hostel to see the city view of Bath. It was breathtaking. Everything looked so sharp and defined and bright. The air was so so fresh.

Then we went to the stonehenge, the "highlight" of our trip. I have to say, although the stonehenge is literally just a bunch of rocks, the sense of history is overwhelming. ( I will elaborate on this feeling of history later) The scenery of the countryside was breathtakingly beautiful.

That night we ate in an indian restaurant called Pria. When we reached our hostel, we left our bags in our rooms and headed back to the field we went to early in the day. (Joanne stayed in as she was tired, I think). At night, the view is very much different. Since we were the only ones there, there was a serene atmosphere lingering in the air. The openess of the field made the night view of Bath even more beautiful. (sorry no photos of the night view. cos i not power enough. ahaha!) Zhonghan, Teresa and I stayed there, doing nothing. Simply enjoying the peacefulness and openess of the whole situation. I guess at the end of the day it was the atmosphere rather than the view that made everything so wonderful.

The next day we ALL attended a church service. Because the girls are christians. Haha! Kind of funny when you think of the fact that a person like me actually went to a church service. Quite an experience I must say. Of course I didn't kneel or say prayers and stuff like that. But I felt the strong spiritual strength amongst the people in the church. Such is the feeling I find in most proper places of worship. The church we went to was called the Abbey. Its a very old and beautiful church. The whole of the Bath city centre basically revolves around this christian landmark. (Didn't dare to take pictures while inside the church. Scared kena thrown out. Haha!)

Then we had breakfast at a place called Sally Lunn, which happens to be housed in Bath's oldest house. There it is said the bread is made using an ancient recipe. I don't know about that. But I do know that the HOMEMADE BRANDY BUTTER HALF TOASTED BREAD was fantastic! Sure packs a punch in the morning! Haha!

We ended our trip with a trip to the Royal Crescent (where Johnny Depp is said to have bought a house), feeding swans, playing in the playground and finally a visit to the Roman Bath. (Come on. You go bath of course must go Roman Bath la!)

There is this feeling of rich history which I constantly get in Bath and at the stonehenge. Undoubtedly, these places are places with unimaginably rich history. The fact that when you place your foot on a ledge and at that very spot another person from another epoch could have also put his foot there, is amazing. There so much to see, so much to take in. We kept taking pictures till our memory cards ran out of space. It simply feels too good to be able to immerse yourself in such a wealth of history.

Throughout the trip, the group was very light hearted and relaxed. That's the way uh-huh uh-huh I LIKE IT!! So fun. Hadn't been that happy in quite some time. The company in this case is crucially important. A group of people with the common aim to relax and have fun. No one was too uptight or too slack. Everything was just right. We talked, just about everything. As we strolled through the streets of bath, the erm... what's the word..... ah yes, "qi" of the group if I may put it that way, was harmonious and simply wonderful. (Wow! it must have been a better trip than I thought, for me to use the word "wonderful" so many times)

Looking beyond the tangible aspects of the trip itself, I guess we must really cherish how things come together so nicely and naturally. The weather, the place, the people, everything. 天时，地利，人和缺一不可。 As natural and beautiful as water flowing down a river. Things don't always happen like that. So when such situations do happen to us, we must remember it, cherish it and write about it in a blog. Haha!

Along the way back, funny incidents like how the waiter at the Indian restaurant tried to chase us out to make space for other customers and how Joanne was like kicking herself over buying a dress (which I thought was very nice) that cost her 25 pounds flashed in my mind. I think there were instances when I smiled to myself. Hope Joanne didn't see this. Otherwise she think I SIAO! haha!

So we made it back to London. I sent Joanne home while Zhonghan sent Teresa back to hall. Somehow this weekend though eventful passed like a blink of an eye. What a fantastic weekend. Good times do fly by. I'm sure everyone in the group felt that way. Anyway that concludes our weekend trip.

Oh yah, before I end. I just want to say, some people DEFINITELY came back to London with more than just some souvenirs and a bunch of photos! Haha!

Bath and Stonehenge Pics

Looks like I am falling off a tree right?

The most famous bread in the oldest house in Bath

Breathtaking scenery at the stonehenge

Zhonghan stunned...

Bath has this very "old" feel to it...

That shuai ge's me by the way....

Hey! That's the stonehenge you know!

Ooh... What do we have here?

Our hostel. On top a hill with a wonderful view.

City view of Bath near our hostel

Teresa and I listening to the audio tour at stonehenge

The Group (Han at the camera)

WA!!!! Sadako!!! Don't kill me!!!!

Stonehenge Stonehenge here I come

Going to the Stonehenge tomorrow. Yes, it's THE STONEHENGE.

Quite excited. Of course the trip is not just about the Stonehenge. Will be stopping in Bath too to do some sightseeing.

The group members are Han, Teresa, Joanne and moi.

Starting to travel out of London liao. There will be more trips out of London from now on since I've done quite abit of touring within London already.

Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. Otherwise the Stonehenge area will get all muddy and dirty.

Actually I don't expect the trip to be those kind of "fun" fun. I am expecting a more "eye-opener" kind of trip. I mean afterall the Stonehenge is one of the most prolific ancient relics.

Quite a few firsts on this trip. First time to stonehenge. First time to other parts of UK with friends. First time staying in a hostel (as in the hostel type of hotel).

Will take some pics and post it here...

Hmm...

Would you do the right thing if you could?

Would you do the right thing if you should?

Would you do the right thing if you wanted to?

Would you do the right thing even if it feels as if your heart is being torn away?

Would you do the right thing?

Hmm...

I guess my answer to the above questions is a simple,"I don't know" in most cases. If someone were to ask me those questions, that would probably the way that I would answer them(if I were feeling honest that day! haha!)

Perhaps somethings are more or less certain. Certain in a way that that's the way things would turn out most of the time. Take for example, throwing you litter in the bin. Most people do it. Because it is "right". But you don't HAVE to do it. Now let's exagerate the scenario a little. If there's only one bin, and you have to step through mud and shit to throw your rubbish.(and none of that Hong Soon style throw rubbish from a far thing) Would you still do it?

What happens if the situation you are faced with is something infinitely more important than throwing your rubbish. Like sacrificing yourself to save the world or something.

It'd be easy to say that,"Oh, of course I would save the world. My life is incomparable to that of billions of people!" I mean, it seems the right thing to do, logically and morally speaking. But when the time comes, will you still be the person you think you are?

If at that point you choose not to save the world (probably cos you can't bear to part with someone or something), then what you have said would be false. Are you a liar then? Maybe. Or maybe you are just not the person you think you are. Then it would be pointless to ask the question of whether you would save the world.

Alternatively, if you were to choose to save the world. Great! You live up to your word. But then it would also be pointless to ask the question of whether you would do the right thing in the first place as well. Because regardless of what you choose to say before, the fact is you did choose to save the world. The confirmation of your character comes at the moment when you choose to sacrifice yourself. That's the point you know for sure. That's the point when you can say,"Yes! I chose to save the world!" Then again what's the point? You are already dead.

Perhaps there are somethings you can know for sure. I don't know. One thing I do know is that you have to keep questioning, keep asking,"what's the point?".(See, I'm contradicting myself) You may or may not have an answer. At the end of the day, it may not even be about "what's the point" or "will you or will you not".

Talking about questioning (just a short digression), is it good to be always questioning? I don't know if I had mentioned anything about balance before in my previous blogs. But wouldn't excessive questioning be tipping the balance? Are there somethings which you don't question?

Now back to the main topic. Perhaps the reason why people ask why is to seek some sort of confirmation. To know that at least there is such a possibility. The answer to the question being asked would serve to be some sort of confirmation. A negative answer might drive the person questioning to do some things or inquire further. A positive answer might serve as a form of foundation or hard ground to lay the person's heart at rest.

Questions and answers. Then more questions and more answers. Godel's theorem states that within a finite set, no truth can be fully captured.( I hope I quoted correctly) I doubt I will ever find answers to all of them. I hope to find the answers to at least some of them.

Hmm... (I put the "hmm..." here because 1) I am really "hmm"-ing. 2) I like abit of symmetry in my blogs. Shit now i gotta "hmm..." again to make things symmetrical!)

Hmm...

How do you know the people living around you are rich?

Let me tell you how to confirm that you are living in a rich neighbourhood...

When you see 2 of the latest Aston Martin bond cars parked along your street.

Porshes are nothing. You see one of them every few steps.

Ferraris are slightly better. You would probably see them once in a while.

The key lies in the Bond Cars...

TLB

TLB means To the Library and Back.

As the title suggests, I went to the library today. A rather uneventful day today I must say. Woke up at 1050h (for the free breakfast haha!) After which I finished watching "Fate Stay Night" before going to the library.

Did some work there. Not very productive. Not very unproductive either.

On my way back, met Joe. I must say, he made the trip back rather enjoyable. We had a nice chat. (Wait, I go bath first. BRB to continue.) We talk about quite a few things. Like how he disliked snow (cos he from lithuania) and how I would very much like to see snow. Like how he should cut down on drinking. Like how good whiskey tastes(he had his first taste recently. and he loved it!). Haha!

When I reached home, Clint called me to ask when are we cooking. We then had sweet sour chicken and some unknown english vegetable for dinner. After dinner, I slacked around before blogging. Which is what I am doing now.

Maybe gonna watch Pirates of the Carribean 2 later. See how.

So that's all folks. That's how I spent my sunday. The same way that I wrote this blog. BORING.

It's here...

Finally, my Eurostar tickets to Paris are here!

Will be going to Paris this Dec. Spending my first European Christmas and New Year there.

Oh yes, another thing. I'm going alone.

Haha! I know many of you will be like,"What the hell!!!!" But I've always wanted to try something like this. Now, I am going to fulfil my wish.

Looking forward to the whole 8 days of absolute freedom. (From another perspective, it could well be a whole 8 days of boredom too. Haha! cannot think like that. Stay positive!) Going on the 24th which is christmas eve. Don't sleep, wait for christmas day. Coming back on the 1st day of 2007! 31st dec also don't sleep. Wait for 2007. On top of that, quite looking forward to taking Eurostar. Afterall its like a 200 mile train across English channel leh.

Just to let you guys know. I have no qualms about travelling alone. Besides all the Sings going to ski trip. So no one to go with me liao. Haha!

I could well have joined the ski trip. But then again, why should I? When I could get to see the world from MY point of view. Just do what I like, when I like. Free and easy.

Perhaps some of you may have noticed that the term "free and easy" has come up quite a number of times in my blog recently. Don't worry. I am not descending into reclusion and isolation. I am not afraid of walking alone (at least that's what I think now. perhaps life will prove me wrong later...), but I do not actively seek to be alone. Neither do I want to be alone. Companionship is important. But life's not about having someone to go somewhere or do something with you all the time. Somethings you have to do alone,(Of course travelling don't have to do alone lah. But I just want to explore.) and I hope that when the time comes I will have the courage to walk down the path.

Sometimes you just gotta step out of your comfort zone. See what life throws at you. See what you are pushed to do, what you can do, what you have to do. Most importantly, see whether you are the kind of person you think you are. Can you still hold on to your beliefs in hard times?

If you run out of money in a foreign land, what are you gonna do? Will you be resourceful enough? On a lighter note, what if you are bored out of your life when you are abroad? No one to talk to, no one to share your joys and sadness? Will you go further into your cave? Or will you step out and talk to someone?

This trip is not just a holiday trip for me, I guess. It's also a form of training, if I may put it that way. Acutally, more accurately I should call it self-discovery. I know, I know it sounds abit "self-help-ish" but that's what I think.

The only thing that feels abit of a downer is that I'm not going with a girl. Haha! I mean it's Paris for Christ's sake. Eiffel Tower and all. Romantic sia. But hey, who knows? Maybe I won't be alone. Imagine meeting the girl of your life in a city like Paris. Can't get better than that right?

Ooh, I can't wait to go!

Let's put things into perspective

Time, 2:40am, 18/11/06. Place, Imperial College Willis Jackson House.

Just finished my lab report. Sure took a long time. It's not exactly done yet because I still got to read through it and see if there are any ammendments needed.

It's getting cold here. Finished my beer while doing my report. Just had a couple of shots of Jenever, something I bought in Brugge. It really isn't working very well, just 20% alcohol. Gotta get my hands on some whiskey. Haha!

A bit paiseh to have to go to Han for his Green Label. Haha!!!

Before I talk about anything else, a little something on Jenever. I got the one with a lemon flavour. Taste quite ok as long as you just run it over your tongue once and swallow it. It lacks abit of texture and richness. Taste is definitely NOT as full bodied as Greenie. But its a good light drink. Wait, wait, stomach starting to feel abit warm liao. Good good.

Now to what I really want to talk about. This is something that I thought of while I was back at hall eating lunch. Incidentally this is the first time I cooked my lunch in the hall on a weekday! What I had was black bean sauce chicken with instant noodles. Haha!

Black bean is a sort of fermented bean. So while I was eating it, i thought of the response of westerners to asian fermented stuff like salted fish or something. Then I thought of us. Not just as asians but also as Singaporeans.

As Singaporeans, we grew up with a mixed contact with Western and Eastern culture. When we see the "ang mohs" go all gaga over asian stuff we say that they are "sua ku". When we say asian people become all excited over western stuff, we say that they are "sua ku" too! Now, what does that make us?

We've never been in a culture absolutely dominated by a single source or school of thought if you could call it that way. So we will never understand the "exoticness" of things from different cultures. Just like the way that lukewarm water only has minimal temperature change regardless of whether you mix it with hot water or cold water.

So are we superior? Are we less "sua ku"? Are we not "sua ku" too if we cannot understand the way they feel?

Can anyone be expected to understand the feelings of anyone or everyone?

I think it is inevitable that we do not understand all that is going around us. The only thing we can do is to put in our best efforts to see things in different perspective.

That's the way with science, as in you can never know whether a theory is true. You can only know that it hasn't been falsified YET.

That's the way with life too. You can only try your best. Whether that's enough is not up to you to decide.

Such things are easy to say isn't it? Yes I agree. But what is your alternative? To close your eyes, mind and heart? To tell yourself that the "other" peoples are all "sua kus" just like how Aristotle maintained that the Earth was the centre of the Universe? You can do that I suppose.

Haha! That's the way things are isn't it? Always in 2 ways. Sometimes I even think that this form of 2 way thinking is quite counterproductive. (At this point, I notice my arguments have sort of gone into a loop, so I shall leave it as it is now.)

Alright, fourth shot down! Time to sleep.

Time, 3:12am, 18/11/06. Place, Imperial College Willis Jackson Hall.

How are you guys doing?

To all my friends studying uni in Singapore.

You guys having exams right? Hope everything is going good for you guys.

All the best!!

字不醉人，人自醉 8

无言独上西楼，月如钩。
寂寞梧桐深院锁清秋。

剪不断，理还乱，是离愁。
别是一般滋味在心头。

~~《相见欢》李后主

字不醉人，人自醉 7

春花秋月何时了，往事知多少。
小楼昨夜又东风，故国不堪回首月明中。

雕栏玉砌应犹在，只是朱颜改。
问君能有几多愁，恰似一江春水向东流。

~~《虞美人》李后主

What happened?

Work is starting to pile up recently. All of a sudden I have assessed problem sheets, seminar write-ups and lab reports popping up all over the place.

Don't even have time to do my own stuff like read notes, textbook, storybook and most importantly play snooker. Sian.

Writing my FIRST lab report, really quite lost since I am not too sure what they want and what they look for. Sure, they give us handouts detailing the key features of lab reports. But I am not too sure how much that helps. I think it really depends on the person marking your report too.

Next on the list is my seminar write up. I am supposed to do this summary, actually not summary, a write-up is more accurate. They gave us an article to give us and idea of what we are supposed to write about. So if it were a summary all I need to do is to read the damn article. But no, it's a write up so you gotta read up from other sources and present your write up in a generalistic way. I mean I am fine with this. What makes this write up so hard to do is that of all fields of science, it had to be about ASTROPHYSICS! I know nuts about it. Not even the most basic things. Then I have to read research articles by professional scientists where they talk about VLBA, interferometry, luminosities of stars, milli-arsec, kilo-parsec, blah blah blah. I don't understand like 90% of what I read. Keep falling asleep reading those research papers. I believe it would have been better if it were about Quantum Mechanics or something. But astrophysics is a little too much.

New Cue

Tested my new cue yesterday.

Better than I had expected. The XS shaft delivered, I would say.

Perhaps it's due to the thick tip, the hit had a "smothered" feel to it. Spin was ok.

Still need more time to fully acclimatise to it though. Cos the hit is fuller and not as whippy as my Viking F90. The weight, balance and length also slightly different from what I am used to.

That being said, it is immeasurably better than the house cues provided in the snooker room.

知音难觅

常言道：“人生得一知己， 死而无憾。” 说得一点也不假。

当了解自己的人都不在身边时，往事却历历在目。人生里到底能有几个真正了解自己的“他”或“她”？

畅所欲言，随心所欲的互动是多么难得，多么可贵。

曾经在一个很远很远的地方，我有这种感觉。如今身在繁华闹市，是否能寻回这种感觉？我不知道。

是太难了解吗?是不愿了解吗？

是我不了解吗？

人生路本来就是一条只能往前走却只能看得到过往的路。我们永远都无法知道以后的事。也许能做的就只有努力的活。

也许想太多亦无用。

难道不想一切就能明朗吗？

思绪，剪不断，理还乱。

A cause for celebration!

This 50th post is to celebrate the 50th post of this blog!!!

LSE

LSE stands for Losing Streak Ended, NOT LONDON SCH OF ECONOMICS.

For the past two weeks, I have lost 2 league matches. Really bearing down on my confidence level man.

I mean, even though the league preliminary rounds are played by best of 2 frames, doesn't mean i gotta lose 2 out of 2 right?

My first opponent was stronger than I was, this I admit. My second opponent I should have been able to manage a draw, but I didn't. Played like shit that day.

Today was different. I found my balance and played good. Good by my own standards, not as in the "GOOD" kind of good.

Probably the only regret is that I did not play with my new cue. My cue arrived in my hands only after I had finished my match.

Never mind. Practice a bit with my new cue and get ready for the next league match!

Time to get serious

Finally, my snooker cue is here.

Not exactly top of the line. Sort of like a beginner cue. But it will suffice for now.

It's a 57 inch ash cue. Shaft is XS shaft. 9.5 mm tip. 18oz. Endorsed by Ronnie O'Sullivan. Wood and decal splicing at the butt.

Bought this cue mainly for the XS shaft. Since I could not find decent cue shops in central London, the XS shaft provides some guarantee for quality when I buy over E bay.

Normally I would never buy a cue online but I don't have much choice.

From now on, I can have a stable platform for practice liao. Yeah! Time to get serious and up my game!

字不醉人，人自醉 6

江南好，
风景旧曾谙。
日出江花红胜火，
春来江水绿如蓝。
　能不忆江南。

~~《忆江南》 白居易

What a small world.

Clinton was in my room a moment ago. He saw the farewell gift from my JC class that I pinned up on the wall.

As he was scanning the picture looking for chio girls, he noticed someone. That someone was Eugene (a.k.a Daoye).

Not that he thought Eugene was chio. But Clinton was actually classmates with Eugene back in their Chinese High days.

What a coincidence.

至理名言 9

学如逆水行舟，
不进则退！

Hammersmith, Campden, Regent's Park, Trafalgar Square (Pics)

In Regent's Park

Stables Market!!!!

Trafalgar's Square

Fountain in Regent's Park

THE Campden Market

We are not alone in our "fine" practices!

Old Tube Station near Campden

Singaporean prices!!!!!!

Hammersmith, Campden, Regent's Park, Trafalgar Square

Went around London last saturday. Alone. Voluntarily. Haha!

First stop, Hammersmith. Took 211 outside Sainsbury Local all the way to the terminal. Quite a nice place. Quiet small town-"ish". Went there because Kenneth and gang recommended a place called Primark. Basically Primark is a place where they sell clothes cheap. Quite ok. I mean if u are a shopper then its quite good. When I reached, I did not know where Primark was. Thought of calling Kenneth. But WTH. Just walk la.

Next, took bus 27 from the terminal to Campden Market. It's a one hour journey which is why its worth it since all bus rides costs 80p. Along the way took quite a few photos. When I reached there, the place was bursting with life and crowded with people. It was good. There I found the 99p shop which Kenneth say I will buy alot of things. In the end I came out empty handed since the 99p shop did not have anything interesting except for everyday stuff at Singapore prices. Haha!

So, I was looking for a place to have lunch. Before that I went into MacDonald's to use the toilet. (when in need, look for MacDonald's! Haha!) Just as I was about to continue on my journey, I saw someone. A beautiful waitress. I thought to myself,"Hmm. You don't get to see this everyday..." That's how I found a place to have lunch.

Back to Campden. Basically, its a huge place selling all sorts of stuff. There is the Campden Market and Stables Market and Campden Canal Market in the vicinity. There is really alot to see. Mostly clothes and T-shirts with nice logos. One of them was like this," F_CK. Now all I need is U" Almost bought that one. But the T-shirt quality not too good.

After a while at Campden, I was getting ready to head to my next stop, Trafalgar's Square. I was hoping to reach there early enough to catch the demonstration to urge the government to act against climate change. Then I checked my map and I saw Regent's Park. So I thought," why take the bus when u can walk?" FYI, getting to Trafalgar's Square would mean crossing central London. I enjoyed the walk thoroughly. Went through Regent's Park. It was beautiful and relaxing. Along the way to Trafalgar's Square, I walked and took photos. Stopping when I like, turning into an alley when I like, free and easy.

By the time I got there the demonstration had ended. Sian. So I went into the National Art Gallery to have a look around. It was good too. I especially liked the Massacre of the Innocents and Samson and Dellilah by Peter Paul Rubens, I think. I also liked the way the description card next to the painting tells you the story behind the painting and not just who is the painter (like in the case of Victoria and Albert Museum).

Overall, I think travelling alone is different but certainly enjoyable, not boring. The day was well-spent.

字不醉人，人自醉 5

横看成岭侧成峰，
远近高低各不同，
不识庐山真面目，
只缘身在此山中。

～～《题西林壁》苏轼

至理名言 8

人不知而不蕴，
不亦君子乎。

Will you believe?

Just watch the Lakehouse by Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Enjoyed it alot.

Can't comment about the acting cos I don't really have an eye for such things. I thought it was good.

What I liked about it is the concept of the whole movie and the warm atmosphere that is smeared lightly with bitterness it creates. I was truly captivated.

Time, an insurmountable barrier that no one can touch and see but everyone believes in it. What if, just what if, you can reach out and touch someone that you can never see or touch. Climb over the wall that all your life you thought that would never be climbed?

The fates of the protagonists were intertwined even before they met, before they know they will meet maybe even before time itself. From the start they were not meant to be, not meant to meet and definitely not meant to fall so deeply in love. But somehow they did. By the magical workings of a mailbox outside the Lakehouse where the paths of Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock inevitably crossed each other.

It started as an innocent letter to the new tenant of the Lakehouse which ended up in the hands of the old owner, not in present time but 2 years before. These 2 people found support and understanding in each other. Perhaps it is behind the mask of time and letters that they freely allow themselves to open up to each other. Perhaps only by this way is it "meant to be".

The movie is filled with scenes where Keanu Reeves from 2 years before tried to make his presence known to Sandra Bullock. But she did not know who he was. While in the present time, love has always been there for Sandra Bullock even though she did not know it.

Maybe that happens to us all the time. Although not in such an exagerated manner, perhaps what we are looking for has been there all the while. Quite a comforting thing to know isn't it? To be able to tell yourself that maybe, just maybe, around the next corner is the love of your life. （That's why I always walk so fast! Haha!)

But I am sure that at this point, you guys have picked up on the problem of such a relationship. Time and space. The fact is that they don't really know each other in their own time. How are they to meet? How are they to physically feel each other's presence? How are you to love a person who "isn't there"?

In order for them to each other, they would have to "know" each other for 2 years then wait for each other for 2 years. It's a time thing. Some of you might ask why don't they just wait? Simple enough.

Actually, they "met" each other right at the start of the movie. Keanu Reeves died in an accident and Sandra Bullock was the doctor on the scene. So in fact, Sandra Bullock was talking to a man who is supposed to be dead. If that's the case, how are they to ever meet?

Moreover, given that the thing they had between them might never work out, does it make sense to wait? Would an average person wait? They could not have seen what was coming even though they were given the extraordinary gift to transcend time to reach each other.

I won't tell you the ending or anymore about the movie cos I think I have said more than enough. For those intending to watch the movie perhaps you could think more about what is behind the apparent plot.

I've heard people tell me how the plot does not make sense and how the story is too lovey dovey, etc. Actually in hindsight, I do agree that the plot does not make much physical sense. (hey gimme a break! I'm a physicist!) Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Frankyly speaking, the loopholes of the plot don't matter to me at all. It does not change what the movie said to me.

When what you have in front of you is an impossibility, will you continue to take another step forward? Will you throw out your logic? Will you step out of your comfort zone? Will you wait? Will you believe?

Just stuff...

I was looking at the farewell gift I got from my JC class before I left for UK.

On it is a photo of my JC class together at the pond in NJC. We were all smiling so happily. A picture does say a thousand words.

Then I saw people like pig, soon, wywy, daoye and sye. You know, the main gang.

I still remember how in the first three months we all banded together. Cos we are all 短裤帮. Haha! All of us were in shorts. (RV, Chinese High and Catholic High. Haha!)

How time flies...

We all have friends that we knew before we knew each other.(i.e we were not each others' longest friends) However, we seem to know each other so well and have such a connection between us. Perhaps it's because of all the outrageous things that we did together. I guess the experience we had is not one common among others (not even for most people similar to our age).

Even 2 years of NS, when we spent alot of time apart, didn't affect us much.

Time really doesn't matter when it comes to knowing someone. Does it?

I always believe that it is fate that brought us together, so closely. That's why this is the group of friends I miss most. In front of them, I am who I am. They are who they are.

人生的一知己， 方且死而无憾。更何况是一群值得依赖，肝胆相照的伙伴。

至理名言 7

天将降大任于斯人也，
必先
劳其筋骨
饿其体肤
苦其心智
空乏其身

What am I doing？

These few days I have found myself trapped in my inner circle of thoughts numerous times. It's like an internal struggle within me of whether to stay in the real world or the world of my imagination and thoughts.

I get so engrossed in thinking about things that I completely block out what's going on around me.

I will give my friends incoherent answers. I will cross the road just when the cars a moving off towards me.

Better wake up my f***ing idea (to put it in army terms) soon...

By the way, the new minesweeper record is 149 sec!!!!!! What the hell am I doing man,

字不醉人，人自醉 4

有心栽花，花不开
无心插柳，柳成荫

Minesweeper Record!!!!!

Yay!!!!! Minesweeper personal best!

151 Seconds!!!!!!!

至理名言 6

山穷水尽疑无路
柳岸花明又一村

Alton Towers gogogo (Pics Only)

Choir Girls = Vege Freaks hahahahah!
Beautiful Scenery
Jinfeng and Johari
The group
Sian in the queue...

Daylight Savings

Daylight savings starts today. So that means time difference between UK and Singapore was 7 hrs yesterday and 8 hrs today.

Quite a perculiar thing. Isn't it?

I mean the Earth couldn't have suddenly jumped 1 hr backwards. It must have been a gradual process.

So that would mean other than the instant when then daylight savings started last year such that time difference was 7 hrs, everyone was essentially at the wrong time.

Now, what does that make "time" to us?

Alton Towers gogogo!

Went to Alton Towers yesterday (28/10/06). Organised by SIngSoc.

Alton Towers is a famous theme park in the UK. Paid 30 pounds for it and it was worth every penny of it.

Its a 2-3 hour bus ride from london to Alton Towers. Reached at around 1000h and spent about 10 hours there. Arrived back at hall at around 0000h (all because of traffic jam on the highways).

Once there I got separated from my good friend Clinton who decided to bang seh me and disappear the moment he got off the bus. Anyway I went around the the together with Caroline, Liling, Grace, Jinfeng and Johari. They were great people to be around. Simply wonderful company for the day.

Come to think of it, luckily clinton left me alone. Hahahaha!!

Alton Towers is a beautiful place. Got its name from one of those old towers at the place(unsurprisingly also called Alton "something"). Apart from the rides, it has beautiful gardens. The setting is relaxed and the weather was good, apart from the occasional drizzle. However, I feel that it still could not compare to places like Disneyland in creating the fairytale atmosphere. And at night, it got kinda dark and we were forced to "stick together team"!.

We spent most of the time queueing(i'm not too sure how to spell "queue"-ing. sorry!) because the rides were comparatively short. For our last ride, we queued around 2 hours for something that could not have lasted more than 3 minutes. But it was worth it.

We had a great time talking, joking and just standing around for the time when we were queueing. Erm... that's until Caroline and Liling (choir girls) started to sing while we were queueing for the AIR ride. Hahahaha! The post-ride excitement was also something that we all felt and enjoyed within the group.

At this juncture I just wanna say to Johari that I respect you man. For your dedication and your mental discipline.

Now, for what you guys have been waiting for.... The description of the rides and events!!!!!! Alright maybe that's not what you guys have been waiting for, but I will describe it to you all anyway...

OBLIVION
It is a ride where you are seated in 2 rows. Then you are brought up along the track to a high point. As you slowly tilt and see where you are heading next, the notion of death creeps eerily into your head. The carriage pauses just long enough to tell yourself that you are going to die. Before you could realize that you actually have the safety harnesses to save you, ZOOM!!!! You are propelled down a 90 degree drop at blistering speed into a dark tunnel.

There's nothing you could do but scream your lungs out. Your heart is at your throat. It was sheer exhilaration for what seemed like eternity. Your mind is racing, taking in every single detail of what is going on around you.

We were still feeling the effects even 30 minutes after the ride. Too bad there was no time for a second try.

RITA-QUEEN OF SPEED
This time it's in one of those normal roller coaster carriages where you are seated in twos. But I assure you, this ride is nothing ordinary. For Oblivion, I mentioned "blistering speed". Well, for this one, I really dunno how to describe it, it's just SPEED.

Our group all went to chiong the front row. That means the first 2 seats only. We went in 3 groups. It was the right thing to do man. Grace and I went together.

You are propelled from 0-100miles per hour in 2.5 secs. You put your hands up in the air. In anticipation of the sheer speed. We knew it would be fast, but not THAT fast. From the moment of blast off, your hands are pushed backwards by the air, your head jammed onto your seat. All you can see is the track in front of you(cos we were at the 1st row), the surroundings which you see using your peripheral vision morph into white streaks (abit like star trek hor. haha!). Before long you reach a turn. The possibilty of the carriage being thrown off the track by the speed lurks ominously at the back of your head. But you don't care, the adrenaline was simply too much. It was fast fast fast!

AIR
This time we did not go for the front row. There was no time. In this ride, you are initially seated normally in rows of 4 with your legs dangling. When the harnesses came down, your legs were secured as well. Then before the ride starts, the seats get rotated such that you are facing the ground in a seated position. This is when you know 2 hours of queueing was worth it. Fun was heading our way.

The ride simulates the feeling of flying (that's how it got its name). Neither as scary as Oblivion nor as fast as RITA, it was SHEER FUN. The track twists and turns such that you are spun with the track as the centre of the circle. One moment you are heading up the next moment you zoom to the ground. At the lowest point, we could not have been more than 1.5 meters above ground. There was also a point where you are rotated to face the sky and the ride carries on with your back facing the ground. Not knowing where you will go next as you watch the horizon appear and disappear from your sight.

TEACUP
We decided to fulfil Grace's "childhood dream". It was to ride in one of those merry-go-round rides where you sat in a teacup. It's one of those Alice in Wonderland things. There's a big teapot in the middle of the ride and you just go around spinning around the teapot and on top of that the teacup can also be spun about itself by turning on an axle in the middle of the teacup. It was enjoyable.

FIREWORKS
All I can say that its really beautiful. It's not exactly those huge fireworks you see on National Day. But its one of those shows where the fireworks are coordinated with music and something which vaguely resembles a storyline.

It was wonderful and what better way to end a memorable trip. Especially when you have great company who enjoys themselves as much as you do.

The fireworks and lasers lit the night sky up as if it were day. Sending showers of golden dust onto bedazzled spectators. Impressing a beautiful memory onto the hearts of all who shared the magical moment together. (Damn! I'm still single! Haha!)

Anyway that's about it for the highlights of the Alton Towers trip. Will post the pics in the following blog...

至理名言 5

只可直中取
不可屈中求

独自。伦敦

一个人
走在伦敦的街
冷风吹过我的脸
把我吹醒
把我吹回了从前
头顶上的那一片天
还是从前的那个吗？
一种淡淡的忧伤弥漫着周身的空气
一股幽幽的悔恨围绕在心头
难道往事不堪回首
难道除却巫山不是云
看着不熟悉的脸孔
听着熟悉的歌
一个人
走在伦敦的街

Unbelievable!!!

Guess what I saw today at Harrod's.

A 200pounds umbrella!!!! That's like 600 plus Sing dollar la!!!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

Furthermore, the umbrella was nothing special. It's one of those small medium sized ones. WIth a gaudy flowery design some more. And it wasn't even like displayed specially. It was just hung off the rack like any umbrella you could get anywhere.

What the hell!! What's the umbrella made of? Titanium alloy with space-age fabric? Is it gonna save your life by turning into a life jacket? Will it turn you into Huang Fei Hong?

Haha! It's such an eye opener. Imagine one of those rich tai-tais using one of these.

Bah!! I guess that's to be expected of the things sold in Harrod's anyway. Afterall, it is arguably the world's most high class and most expensive deparmental store.

字不醉人，人自醉 3

千里黄云白日薰，
北风吹雁雪纷纷，
莫愁前路无知己，
天下谁人不识君。

~高适《别董大》

至理名言 4

岂能尽如人意，
但求无愧于心。

至理名言 3

君子爱财，
取之有道。

字不醉人，人自醉 2

身无彩凤双飞翼，
心有灵犀一点通。

Sweet Victory

Won my very first snooker match yesterday. It was the first round of the freshers' snooker league.

This is my first competition experience. That's why it's so memorable.

It was a best of 3 frames match. Prior to the match, I had to wait about 4 or 5 hours because there were not enough tables and I was one of the last to play. My concentration was sapped to the max man. So worried that I could not play well.

My opponent was a south east asian. I'm not sure where he's from, probably Thailand or Vietnam. But that's not important.

What's important is that we were evenly matched. Not that we were both pro or something. But when you are playing someone of your level, its the same as playing a match against yourself. And it's about going beyond your normal playing standards.

Cliched? Maybe. Nonetheless true.

All I can say is that it was nothing short of exhilarating. For me at least. He started the first frame. On my first visit, I potted a long red into the bottom pot. Confidence was SKY HIGH!!!! Haha!!

After that everything went more or less downhill. Haa!

There was one instance where due to unfamiliarity with the rules I even potted the wrong ball. Indirectly caused me to lose the first frame.

How could one wrong pot cause me to lose a frame you might ask. Like I said, we were evenly matched. So the score difference was always marginal.

All 3 frames went to the last black ball. My heart was in my throat all the way. Initially, I could still keep in control. Nearing the end, I started to get frustrated as my concentration wore off and I made silly mistakes.

So, after losing the first frame, I went on to win the next 2. Of course, otherwise how could I win the match. In the second and third frame, there were even instances where I was more than 20 points behind. Quite considerable, given that at the end of each frame each of us only had 40 to 50 points.

It was so close in the second frame that when I won the frame after potting the black ball, I was only 1 point ahead. Can you imagine how pressurising that was? The WHOLE match hinged on that single black ball.

After the second frame, I felt that even if I lost the match it was ok. The last black ball made it all worthwhile. Haha!!

Overall, it was an extremely long match. Both of us were tired, frustrated and fresh out of concentration. Many times I had wanted to give up and throw the last frame. But my pride didn't allow me to do that.

I was glad that I could step up my game and rise to the occasion.

Actually, 3 frames is hardly a judge of who is the better player especially when both are evenly matched. I am happy not just because I won, but also because I was greatly challenged.

I am grateful to my opponent. We had a great and gentlemanly game. I would definitely want to play him again not for competition, but to find out who is the better player...

Brugge Sweet Brugge

Southwell Hall organised a day trip to Brugge last Saturday(14/10/06). Apparently they could not fill up enough of the available spaces, so Willis Jackson Hall tagged along. Of course, I went. Otherwise I wouldn't be spending time writing about it.

Quite worth it actually. 15 pounds for the whole thing. The "Team Singapore" consisted of Lap Hang, Clinton, Cheryl, Jinyang, Yunqin, Kenneth and I. We left at 0530h on a comfy double-decked coach. Reached Dover port at around 8. Boarded the ferry and arrived at Brugge at around 1200h. Spent 4.5hrs there. Came back more or less the same way except that we stopped at a french HYPERMART where we did some shopping.

For those not familiar with Brugge, its a small town in Belgium, the home of yummy CHOCOLATES!!!!!!!!!

Man, did we shop that day. We bought kilograms of chocolate. It was really good.

Brugge on the whole is an old small town. The streets are still "horse-worthy". There you will see lots of horse drawn carriages ferrying tourists all over the place. Very nice until you smell the horse shit that is. Haha!

There are also numerous old churches or church related buildings. We went into one of them and saw sculptures and paintings dating back century. The church had a very serene and solemn feel to it. I felt uncannily peaceful inside.

Anyway for Lap Hang and I, we only had 2 main objectives. Chocolates and alcohol. haha! I'm telling you guys, alcohol is dirt cheap. Chivas was going for 2 for 30 pounds on the ferry and roughly the same price in Brugge. That's like what, 45 sing dollars per bottle? Can you imagine? We were totally bowled over by the prices.

Something quite funny did happen in Brugge. On our way back to the coach, we got lost. So we were like roaming the streets and exploring. Some of us thought that it was quite "sian" getting lost. Frankly speaking, I thought it was great. I mean part of touring is about getting lost and finding your way again. I personally quite enjoyed having a close look at the small streets of Brugge and how Brugge REALLY looked like, not the way tourists are supposed to see it.

Now, here's basically how the list of our "spoils of war" looks like:
1. 1 kg of chocolates per person for Lap Hang, Clinton and I
2. 1 kg of chocolates for Zhong Han
3. 1 bottle of Jenever(Belgium's local liquer. Haven't tasted it yet. Will review it on the blog when I taste it.) for Zhong Han
4. 1 bottle of Jenever for myself
5. At the Hypermart, 1 bottle of whiskey (not as good as the green label. realised it last night with Zhong Han. Haha!) for me, 1 champagne for Lap Hang
6. On the ferry, 1 bottle of Bailey's for me and 1 bottle of Archer's for Lap Hang. (Irresistable prices)
7. 1 shot glass with the landmarks of Brugge on it. ( I have decided to collect shot glass of the places I've been to)

Haha! sounds like more liquer than chocolates right? True. Haha!

We will We will ROCK YOU!!!!! ahh!!!!

Went to the Dominion Theatre to watch the Queen's musical "We will rock you!"

It was great. The acting, the singing, the dancing I all dunno how to appreciate. Haha!!!!!

All I know is that I enjoyed myself immensely.

The theatre is a little old as the velvet on the seats were like "balding". But you get the feeling that the theatre has a lot of history behind in through its architecture and the carvings and decorations on the walls and ceilings.

I especially liked the strobe lights. It was SO bright that the whole theatre lit up as if it were daytime. Amazing effects.

But what's more amazing is the crowd. You know, it being a musical based on Queen's music, you are sure to see alot of Queens fans there. My friend Zhonghan is one of them.

It's so funny to recall how he's like singing the Queen's songs all the way to the cinema, specially dressed up in his suit. (Only he wore a suit. He says its out of respect for the Queens. Okay, wadever. hahaha!!!)

During the show, the songs just make you like sing along and tap your feet. It's that good. And like everyone there was obviously enjoying the dirty jokes and comedic acting.

I remember purposely not choosing to sit beside Zhonghan. We were going into our seats in a line. My seat was supposed to be beside Zhonghan. However, when going in I was coincidentally a few spaces behind him. At first some of us wanted to sit according to our seats. But I said that since we were already in a row just sit down. We know each other anyway.

Why? You might ask.

No, I do not dislike Zhonghan. It's just that its a Queens musical. Him being a Queen fan, I was wary of him singing loudly with the actors and I very the paiseh la. (cos i still remember liyang's ta zai kan wo incident. Haha!)

Guess what? I was right and wrong.

Yes Zhonghan did sing loudly. But so did every freaking one in the theatre, including me. Haha!!! You know you just get affected by the atmosphere there.

Especially when the actors sang the song "We will rock you!" I tell you, it was one times jialat jialat ah!!! haha!!! Everyone was waving their hands in the air, singing loud, clapping and shouting. You just feel like standing up and stamp your feet with the beat..

So this concludes the description of my FIRST theatre experience in London. I assure you guys it won't be my last...

字不醉人，人自醉 1

众里寻她千百度，
蓦然回首，
那人却在灯火阑珊处。

至理名言 2

莫等闲，白了少年头，空悲切！！！

Hyde Park, one times jialat jialat!!!!

Went to Hyde Park today for the Freshers' Picnic organised by SingSoc. We had games like soccer and frisbee. It was ok.

Man, Hyde Park was so damn beautiful. Crisp green carpet grass, cool wind, huge pond and wonderful weather. It seems like everything just came together today.

Anyway for those who have no idea where Hyde Park is. Its a huge park just north of my school in South Kensington. And its also next to Kensington Gardens, which is something like the "royal" gardens.

Ya, so Zhonghan and I were walking around the park. And we found deck chairs to sit in. (in UK, they provide deck chairs for pple to sit in the park and bask in the sun) We got chase away by one of the park wardens five mins later cos you need to pay to sit on the chairs. Haha!!

In UK, I really learn to appreciate the sun. It just feels so good to have the warmth of the sun here in London. Otherwise its like cold and gloomy and miserable. It rains all the time, the wind cuts through your skin and you just get sick of wearing wet jeans and shoes. Haha!!!

Back to Hyde Park, I've never seen anything like it in Singapore. It's feels so relaxing to be there. Everything just seems to be happy.

However, I heard from the locals, that outside London, you don't get this kind of parks. Perhaps it's due to the Royal Family being here that you get such well kept parks. Anyway thanks to Her Majesty, people like us get to enjoy.

My Room

Sights and no Sounds of London

Big Ben. Gong!!!! Gong!!! Gong!!!!
Art museum on Trafalgar Square
On the bank of river Thames

Chinatown!!!! Very near to SOHO.

Argh!!! Argos!!!

Is it something with Singaporean students in UK?

I've been to ARGOS 3 times out of the last 4 days!!! All with Singaporeans.

For those who do not know what ARGOS is. Its this store which sell practically everything you need. You go into the store, pick up a catalogue, write what you want on a form, pay for the goods and the stuff comes to you.

Its like the favourite haunt of Singaporean students recently. We see loads of Singaporean students from Imperial loitering around High Kensington Street. Most if not all, will make a trip to ARGOS before going back to their halls.

Is it due to a compulsive need for Singaporeans to better their lives that we keep visiting these shops to try to find things that can make our lives easier? Do we really need all the stuff?

I mean if you need things, by all means go buy it. But going there 3 out of 4 days? A little too much right?

至理名言 1

人生至愚是恶闻己过，人生至恶是善谈人过。

塔格波欧德

Alright, after multiple requests by my good friends (actually 2 only la), I have decided to add a Tagboard to my blog.

So here you go. Say what you guys really want to say. Maybe things that you have wanted to say to me for a long time but hadn't got a chance?

Things like "you are beri hamsome!"...

Here I Am Too

Alright, I splitted this post into 2 because I wanted to change the atmosphere a little.

My trip to the UK, other than a tinge of sadness, has brought me a ton of surprises and new experiences.

First of all, I arrived a few days beforehand, so I went on a tour of London with my parents. Went to all the "touristy" places like Oxford Street, Chinatown, Big Ben, London Eye, etc. It was fun. For the first time, I got a feel of what a CITY should be like.

London is just bursting with life. Everyone doing their own thing. Expressing their thoughts. Its like a dynamic equilbrium. Everything seems to fit so nicely together yet everything is constantly moving. Its like fractals reproducing itself within itself with no apparent pattern but the resulting picture is nothing short of amazing. The arts scene is really developed and varied. There's no esplanades but what goes on inside the theatres are arguably way better.

Next, is my room. It's small.

But pleasant. My window just overlooks a garden across the street. First day in, unpacked all my stuff and thats it.

The Hall activities are great. We got took on a boat party where we cruised along River Thames, local tours and BBQs.

Of course, the most exciting factor is the people. I met people from all over the place. People from the UK, Thailand, Malaysia, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg. Funny people with different points of view. Different people with different ways of socialising and interacting.

Last but not least, something that you would see all over the place, BOOZE. My god, these people drink. There's beer all over the place. At the BBQ, on the boat party, in their rooms, etc. It's everywhere. That's not all. Different people have different drinking cultures.

There's too much to take in, too little time to do it, too little blog space, too little energy to write on...

Here I Am

I've been wanting to write this blog entry for days already. Didn't have the chance because I had no internet access.

Everything is impressed on my mind so clearly. I guess I will never be able to forget these few days.

I felt so reluctant to leave behind the family and friends so dear to me. Such a feeling really hit me hard during the last few days before leaving for the UK. It was there and then that I finally realized that I would not be able to see them for a long time.

Everything seems so surreal. Even when I was on the plane. Somehow I just couldn't believe that I had just taken a life changing step. With such ease, such calm. Now, alone in my room listening to Soon's CD(after a shot of Green Label. Haha!!), I think of the people dear to me again.

I will miss all my family members and friends.

Family, of course, is because we are related by blood. We are one unit, not a group. So to leave is somewhat like pulling a part of your body further away from its centre. It hurts. 血农于水，说的一点也没错。

My parents came along to help me settle down. They tried to do as much as possible for me. Carrying my luggage, cleaning up my room, buying rice and groceries and scouting out the best eating places. Sometimes the more they do such things, the more I feel that I owe them too much.

体肢发肤受之父母。百行孝为先。How can I expect them to do anymore for me, especially when I have done nothing for them? Besides I've got to learn to be independent sooner or later. What's the point of taking such care of me?

Of course this is the point of view of an errant son. I have come to realised that to my parents, taking care of me is the most natural thing in the world. So what to do? I reject them, they feel as if they fail in their duties as parents. I take them for granted, I am a 不孝子. The only thing I can do is to take in what they have to give with utmost gratitude and make sure that I repay them as much as possible. (What I owe them, I can never repay fully.)

I guess this is something that many people knows how to say. But you really have to experience it to fully understand. The weight of what you owe them is immense. 恩重如山literally. Of course I don't mean this in a pessimistic way. Sometimes this can be a powerful source of motivation.

Next is friends. Oh god, FRIENDS. What wonderful a wonderful concept of human civilization. We share beautiful moments, fun times, bad experiences; we fall on each other in times of needs and lift each other on our shoulders to reach greater heights.

I will miss ALL my friends. But these are groups I spent much time and shared much with.

The Main Gang
Eugene, Waishan, Kok Ping, Sye Chung, Hong Soon.

All the stupid things. From an idiot BBall CPT to Disipline Mistresses. From "lap sap" bars to bars. From Krystallers to Geraldines. From birthday presents to condoms. From slacking in a pub to puking outside MOS. From driving around for food to driving around at 4 a.m to go home.

We've done it all.

Dance People
Jerry, Hongda, Candy, Seok, Caichang, Zhihao, Zhiwei, Huixiang, Yanying, Eleanor, Shiyin, Huifang, Enlin and who can forget the Huang Su Zheng Laos.

Dance, I must say, has really been life changing. It's one of those things that you do and you know that you would be a totally different person if you hadn't done it. I can easily foresee myself mugging and playing computer games 24/7 if I hadn't danced.

Dance opened up a whole new world for me. And I am glad that I had wonderful people to share this experience with me.

This concludes PART ONE.

Be back after the break...

10 More Days...

10 more days......

Apprehension and anxiety is building up. What to do? What to bring? How will life be like in the UK? How will study in UK affect me? Is it worth it?

Outside Inside Out!!!

I went to LOT 1 for pool today.

So what made this pool session different from the countless others?

This is what happened....

I went to dinner at the food court before pool. All the way from my home to LOT 1, I noticed people looking at me.

So I thought, "Maybe they are looking at me because I beri the hamsome..." Since I sincerely thought so, I felt quite light hearted due to the attention.

I went on with my business. Walking all over LOT 1 like nobody's business. Just before pool, I went to the toilet. As I was peeing, I looked down and realised something.

The logo on my T-shirt looks abit blur. It suddenly hit me that I wore my T-shirt inside out!!!!!!

No wonder all the people are looking at me.....

The embarassment is alright. Imagine the disappointment!

And I really thought that I beri the hamsome.... Haha!!!!!

Don't Call Me Binghao

CALL ME DRIVER!!!!!!!!

Haha!!!! Just got my driver's license yesterday. I can only say that it was with a stroke of luck that I was able to pass my driving test.

Prior to my driving test, I only had 2 sessions of circuit training and another circuit training on the day of the test itself. Not only was I shaky with my circuit skills, the session before the test kinda wore me out.

I almost "buang" my vertical parking also. I turned too early and almost did not make it into the lot.

Luckily, I got an easy test route with a lenient tester.

I was bursting with joy when I saw the tester check the "PASS" box on the test slip. On the way out of BBDC, I found the scene of learners driving around the circuit very amusing. I knew that I am no longer one of them. No more spending money to learn how to drive, no more worrying about the driving test.

I had one shot at the driving test before I left for UK and I NAILED it!!!