Gambit
yesterday - the beatles

CLASSES ARE UP.

I'm in T210!

Anyone out there in my class?? PLEASE TELL ME.. Jules has Anne and Eve. My 2 closest pals.. :( GIMME BACK.
__

Sentosa with the Cambodian team today. It was Great, especially the part where we are all still so comfortable with each other and on good terms. I am darker after today than what Cambodia made me to be. Burnt, to be exact.

Breathlessness (literal, not some guy shit) caught up with me again. I wanna dig out my lungs. Need to ice my right toe joint also. It's swollen. Ohno, I think my left, too.


Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me
oh, yesterday came suddenly

Ack Three
all the man that i need - whitney houston

Pictures of Cambodia work below!

I took the MRT for the first time this year. Boy, did I feel like a tourist. At Outram, I went up the wrong escalator (which led to the overhead bridge to SGH), thinking that the MRT station was there. Found the underground station after a brief touche with SGH, and went to the gates. I couldn't remember on which side gate would open when you tapped your card, so the smart me stood in the middle, pretending I knew what I was doing. The left door opened. Epiphany! Left-handers are discriminated against. Oh no. I just thought of one more thing - the green arrows would have told me where the gate will be opening.

So before that I met the guy for 15 minutes and I was sent on my way. Will be attached to the accounts department - which has nothing to do with banking/finance's accounts. What accounts is, is the meeting of clients to discuss what they want in the ads etc. Then the department will come up with a strategy and plan, then the creatives will act it out. It's one big hierachy in there, not just one glamourous job, which is the common misconception of advertising. And I will get to follow the accounts manager around, helping with administration rubbish and sitting-in in creative discussions. So cool!

Went to library@Orchard to borrow some books on advertising and had lunch on my own. A day out alone feels good.. Thought of lyrics for my tune. Quite like it... Not putting it up yet, though. It's premiere will depend on the band. (:

Tuesday, work starts. But for tomorrow, it's sentosa! Haven't been there for eons. Whee.

Ack
the saddest song - the ataris

I spotted 3 grammatical errors in my pictorial post. Slap me, please.

Yesterday it was tennis and after that, lunch - with Kiff, Niza and.... JLo and Gopi. Ha. I embarrassed myself thoroughly when I fell over because I lost my balance while serving. Darn, I wish it was a hole or something I fell into. The 2 lecturers went to buy drinks, so I thought that I would be safe from embarrassment. But alas, they stepped into the courts as I fell. Fishcakes. My footing is not too good - somehow I couldn't seem to move much, to behind the ball. Their shots were too unpredictable I guess, and JLo says I weren't dead focused on the ball enough. Ugh... Improveee! My achilles' tendon is hurting. Guess it was because of my shoe soles' lack of support. Those 2 (I keep having the urge to use a deragatory term instead) um, lecturers are pretty good. Erh, yah. Heh.

Lunch was cool, we went to starbucks (note the small 's', go figure), and had a nice time chatting away. Received a call from DDB finally (I'll be starting work Tuesday, what sia), and during the call they were distracting me! So RUDE can. Ironic huh, I was the one asking them to behave themselves at that point of time. HAHA.

Alan (DDB): "So may I know what you are doing at the moment?"
Me : "Umm... I'm outside, having lunch."
Alan : "Oh, I meant like are you doing any jobs or something like that."

.
.
Alright, gotta meet another guy there in a bit, he'll be showing me what goes on there. Bye!

Pristine
my reply - the ataris

I couldn't find my headset for my handphone (aka 'radio') this afternoon before going out to meet Chris, so I settled with bringing along the Isaac Asimov I'd bought for my brother from a 2nd-hand bookshop in Phnom Penh (civilization!). Admittedly, poking fun at the country's low-education culture blameworthy on a man of similar initials as the city is equally contrite but it has imposed the fact that bookstores (not just shops) are most readily available in Singapore. So you think, it's just a bookstore. No biggie huh?

Well, we may complain about studying laboriously wordy texts here but imagine living a life without the opportunity to experience the greatest literary works of times. Even eating the top-notch culinary cuisines, listening to the finest classical music ever composed, whatnot activities you can name associated with advancement. Does this immersion equate 'civilized'? I wouldn't dare pontificate on what has already been happening for decades or even centuries for that matter, but I question: how do you compare 'civilization'? Is it having the latest technology at your fingertips, wearing branded climate-adopting clothes or living (or should I say enslaving) in the digital era and being able to read, write and speak fluently?

The way some people behave in 'civilization', ironically, are not civil in any way I see.

As I walked along Orchard Road without music playing in my ears for once (yes, I sadly admit that I'm prey to technology too), Cambodia's sights and history was playing in my head. Corny as it sounds, my heartstrings were played with too. It would probably take Cambodia at least a century to bring them to the level Singapore is sitting comfortably at now. A hundred years may sound a tad exaggerated, but it is the kindest estimate I could bear to give, with corruption striving and millions barely educated beyond standards of that of our primary school's. Singapore did take 30 years to achieve what she has today anyway.

The average Singaporean's definition of contentment is the 5 (and counting) Cs - Cash, credit card, condominium, car, career. Let's add on more - certificates, (electronic) contraptions, (branded) closets, celebrity-status... How's this for the Gahment in particular - children.

How about a Cambodian? I could see it plenty. Cows, chicken, cheer, calmness, and of course with a bit of reality check - cash. Children, they have, and many. Who cares if they do not have the means to feed everyone of them till they're big and fat - they'll get by somehow. I didn't know if I should pity them or envy them, 'cos despite their extremely humble surroundings and culture (their ancient past was not humble at all though; they had one of the most advanced cultures of their time), they possess something which is almost non-existent here - Carelessness. Not the one with the negative definition, but the one with 'free of cares' as its underlying meaning. It is a wonder how certain english words are oxymoronic within itselves, but I digress. The Singaporean definition of 'careless' -
teacher/parent: "Why you so careless?! If you never make this mistake then you get full marks already! Stupid idiot!". Hardly do you ever get anyone here saying that he or she is totally without a care.

They eat simple, sleep simple, live simple. Education? Goes out the window. There are always other ways to earn a living and to support themselves, and you see the resigned - or should I say, happy-go-lucky spirit they keep to get their lives going. I believe they do know of a world out there where people wear expensive clothes and carry expensive cameras and handphones all around, but then again perhaps they know that it is virtually out-of-their-reach (not thievery, though) and there is no point hankering after them. Which makes me wonder - do they already know the burden of which waylays them who are exposed to these?

Is it not true that what we have now, we suffer for it? It's a give-and-take thing. You gain some, you lose some. All the nice conditions we enjoy, the expensive gadgets we obtain - parents provide, but how hard did they work for it? It'll be our turn soon. Even now, we study so hard for some paper, why? Just so that we can get a job (which may become our life), to earn money to maintain our high upkeep of life. Work stress, study stress, bills, expenditure, money, money, money. Perhaps obtaining luxury goods is a pleasure, but where did simplicity, humility and the finer pleasures of life go to?

You snooze, you lose. A thousand bucks a minute, maybe. Though sadly, a well-rested sleep, a breather, peace and quiet even - somehow amalgamates to become a luxury good, so to speak. This is what Cambodians get everyday, but are they complaining? We are. All the money in the world can't buy back time lost, that of which we could have used to spend time with our family, regenerate our body, even find spirituality. They - have all the time in the world, they stick together with their families at opportunity (tons of orphans and beggars around though), they smile all the time even though the dust there barely allows me to open my mouth a mere crack.

I envy.

Aren't we a hard-to-satisfy bunch of people? Having everything only makes us want more, don't you think? Perhaps we should all start with nothing, from scratch. Then we'll truly appreciate what our forefathers have worked so hard to give us what we have today.

I guess it's a balance, an almost unseen one. It's scary to see how our black is their white, their black is our white. A one-hour timezone can make such a difference; it can split a world into two.
What worries me most, though, is a world without the knowledge of the existence of a living God who truly loves them...

Everyday they pass me by
I can see it in their eyes
Empty people filled with care
Headed who knows where
On they go through private pain
Living fear to fear
Laughter hides their silent cries
Only Jesus hears
...People need the Lord

Pillar
i just died in your arms tonight - duran duran

Hot Ass is on the plane to Down Under now.. Take care bro! Will pray for you.

3 days of gigs in a row, phew! Not me peforming though, that's the catch. Heh. Friday was Juan in RAFE, Saturday was Parousia, Today Jenn in Gloria and EveChooAhMa in Arpee. All different venues - one in Lau Pa Sat (don't ask), one at Plaza Singapura respectively. Watching Gloria perform is really cool. My first time actually, I realise. Really different from watching them jam..Tight and so cool! Heh.

Guess today I was kinda high after the 40 minute tennis game with Roy, Stan and Nat before I rushed down to LPS first. My backhand is improving! Lost abit of the feel of the game though - lazy to run behind the ball lah. Yeah, but at Eve's gig, I went berserk. Ha. My tennis racquet became my 'air guitar'..Ohwell, I enjoyed myself at all the gigs!

Eve, I'm really, really proud of you. You're one of the really few coolest girls I know. Keep playing! It's wonderful watching you onstage performing.. Somehow I feel like a proud mama. HAHA. (:

Thought out a bit of a song out of inspiration. Don't know how it'll go.. Pretty different from other stuff I've written. Perhaps it's the time in the night la.

6 months
i've become stuck, courtesy of your cruelty
thanks for playing along with me
creating a shadow i never knew existed
hanging over a scar in my life
forever

6 months, it was so painful
then you were back for 2 weeks
in 24 hours gone for good
couldn't cry, i didn't think i should

6 months ago you were a living memory
your backview was all i could see
somehow you wouldn't turn to face me
have you gone back to reality?

what were you thinking in the car
when you kissed me and almost got me far
the next thing i knew you had me trashed
so you lifted me, then let me fall with a crash
no better

Bridge:
live as you will, leave as you shall
you destroyed my life already
yet get away scot-free

Rara Avis
flame - parousia

Just came back from Parousia's album launch. Really great line up! This band I never heard of, Crossbred, had this Really Wicked guitarist whom left all of us gaping. You wouldn't have dreamt of such a guitarist in Singapore, what more he looks like he's in his mid-twenties ONLY. Their instruments alone were impressive enough (5-string Warwick - Juan's dream bass, two 7-string guitars, crazy mods and all which LIT UP). Skive performed, so I got to meet up with Brian again.

Parousia's really, really tight. Can safely say that they are one of the best bands around. 5-piece Christian rock band, very nice. Too broke to buy their album (argh), but I settled for their pins! Haha. They may be splitting up due to studies soon - really wasted. It was my first time watching them 'live' after all the hype surrounding them (how not to, when Soh Wenming from Wiierd is amongst them!), and it was fantastic. The Third Place was packed, and everyone was visibly enjoying themselves. Sigh. When is it going to be my turn?! Patience, I know. But I can't wait man...... Ack. After I manage to get Wen to teach me drums (!) before he leaves for Berklee and improve by leaps and bounds, I shall come out with a bang. Hopefully not because of the drum skin bursting though.

Next up, a masterpiece done on a bus ride to Siam Reap.

HOTEL CAMBODIA
J Lo, B Lim, A Chen (copyright 2005)

On a dark dusty pathway
No wind in my hair
One smell of our laundry
Rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance
I saw florescent lights
My back grew crooked and my skin burned black
I had to struggle each night

Then Eddy stood in the doorway
I heard the lizard's call
I was mumbling to myself
This could be Takhmau or
This could be Hell

Then he put on his black boots
And he showed me the way
There were smokers down the corridor
I thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel Cambodia
Such a nasty place
With a dusty face
Get me a room at the Hotel Cambodia
Anytime of year, you can find it here.

Eddy with his mind all twisted
He got on the Mercedes Benz
He saw a lot of pretty pretty boys
He scared the shit out of them
And he sang in the courtyard
Then he forgot the words
Takhmau dance to remember,
We all wanted to forget!

So we called up our leader,
Pls give me GOPI, he said..
We haven't had this singer here since 1953
And still those voices are calling from far away
Wake us up in the middle of the night
Just to hear him sing -

Welcome to the Hotel Cambodia
Such a nasty place
With a dusty face
Living it up at the Hotel Cambodia
What a nice surprise,
When you're out of ice

Bridge:

Geckos on the ceiling
Making noise throughout the night, it said…
We're all just prisoners here
With our hair full of lice
In our resting chambers
We ate the same damn meals
Never washed the forks & knives
And we just can't take a shit!

Last thing I remember, I was running for the loo
I had to find my tissue pack
And pull my pants to the floor
Relax I hear a voice called
We are here to receive
We can checkout anytime we like
Then go to Siem Reap.

Steeeeeep steps. Look out for a Japanese ghost - me. Hair was in the way, gah.

Big Squeeze
right to be wrong - joss stone

Take my Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com!

Managed to get my hands onto pictures from the others. I guess too wordy posts are a turnoff, so I shall turn it into more of a photojournal aye. Thing is, my laptop's harddisk has just been changed (yeah, for the 2nd time this year), so I have to borrow the photoshop CD from Gav again to install. Should have the first post up by Monday, hopefully!

'Twas great to be back at YF again yesterday. Missed singing praises with 'live' music and everyone else to God. It was youth share, and attendance was surprisingly dismal, considering my group's average attendance of at least 7. But having a smaller group of 5 (with a guest, Kelvin) meant a tighter fellowship and more time to share. Pray that the exams will not hinder the youths from taking out 2 hours max to fellowship.

Congrats to Weisong for his choir's SYF Gold with honours! What more under his leadership, he definitely feels really psyched eh. (: Read Eun's (my Korean godsis) blog - her St. Hilda's band received a gold too! Drum major babe, heh. NanHua's band did a silver, 3rd one in the 3 SYFs running. Guess they felt pretty disappointed, considering that they did a pretty tough piece - Ascendance. Sigh, I miss the adrenaline rush from competitions and just playing my timps. Ahwell.

Watched RAFE at Plaza Singapura after YF. They started 20mins late, so my bus ride which jammed at Orchard Point didn't let me miss anything. Serene and Ming were around too (: It's really cool watching them improve each time they play since the PowerJam semis - I always see an increasingly tighter, experienced and focussed band. I'm proud of you guys! Their latest single, New York, was fantastic. The beginning of the song already made me melt somewhat. Damn cool bass line, do you hear me Juan? :D

Support RAFE, support local music! Get their album, hopefully out by mid-May.

Dinner/supper at Al Ameen after that with 3/4 of MSC - Eve, Jem and Juan. We had a great time as usual, chatting until 12.30am and getting (ahem) a free meal. Tskk. Juan was on a weird sugar deficiency, and the couple were in their own world - almost. Heh. Happy 1 month to the both of you! I missed you guys a lot man. :)

Here's a Juan-moment:
Juan: "Ehh, anyone likes to look below?"
Me: "Har??"
Juan (points at a sign): "Bee Low See Temple!! Go there see below!"

Sigh.

Tonight Parousia is launching their album. Going down to the Third Place (which is directly opposite my workplace!) with the MSC. Eve's Arpee at PS (8pm) and Jenn's Gloria gig at 7pm, Lau Pa Sat (don't ask) tomorrow too! Whee.

Continued
rich girl - gwen stefani

Day Three

My arms were threatening to scream and give way, so I couldn't do anymore digging. Since we were almost done with the trenches I laid out the bricks on the trenches. It always pisses me off when my physique is incongruent to my mental strength. Rahh. Had a bit of a dizzy spell too due to my low sugar levels so I took a break in a corner. I realised that JLo and Abigail were staring at me and laughing, after which he told me that Abigail said to him "Hey! Do you hear something? Benita's not talking!!" Harrumph. Throughout the whole trip I was much much quieter than my usual self (Really okay), and my reasons are known to those who are closer to me.

We had a soccer game at the field nearby after work, and whee it was real fun! Can't exactly remember my team but who cares - it was soccer, man.

A discovery was made during dinner - sugarcane juice!! It was the closest thing to heaven then, and we probably ordered twice the amount these people make from selling sugarcane juice in a day. They added mandarin oranges to it, and woah, it tasted good.

Retired early that night. Sarahanne and Abigail moved upstairs (JLo and Gopi were up there with the other group) because they were afraid of the gecko. Crystal is the no.1 lizard hater, but she grew out of her phobia after the trip. (: Didn't follow them up because it was cramped enough up there anyway. Hard floor... Sigh. The packing list said 'sleeping bag of thin material', so I did. A groundsheet. No cushioning, nothing! Bah. Vanessa talked in her sleep - she said, "Bye! See you tomorrow!" in a sing-song voice which amused me more than freaked me. Heh.

Nose booger was BLACK in colour, the horror. Takhmau was really really sandy and dusty.

Day Four

Tim threw up at night, and he felt really dizzy and uncomfortable. So with Gopi and Tim sick, we were 2 men down! Thank God that we had strong girls on the team, Abigail, Sarah and Sam (Sarahanne) (look at that hockey player's arms man), and the other guys - Eddy, Sharizal, Alvin, Jeremy, Sherman aka Sperman and Kiff. The girls.. There were Crystal, Hannah, Lanxi, Vanessa, Sarah Tan (Tim's girlfriend), Charlene, Kailin, Hanizah, Hafizah, Arina, Serene, Abigail, Sam and of course, me.

Lunch was the miserable chicken bones et rice. Ate upstairs with the 2 lecturers this time, and I ended up having electric balm stuffed down my buttcrack by Hanizah. Rahh.

Work was progressing okay and we were just on schedule. I was still aching at the arms, but no choice. Settled for the lighter (yet BACKbreaking) chores of brick-laying. It isn't as easy as it looks okay! Thanks to a nice worker (we had 4 of them helping us) who guided me closely, I got the hang of it soon. So it was all cement making (by the boys) and brick laying for day 4. IF I don't recall wrongly.

Quiz
why don't you and i - carlos santana

Take my Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com!

Interview
thrive - newsboys

"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick', and 'Colon'." - Chris Rock

Today I met some bigshot lady, Yvonne, dubbed 'Superwoman' by my friend Ida who works there. She's been in the industry for 10 years already, holding only a degree in accounting but look where she is now. She looks quite young though, and my guess is she's in her mid 30s. Told me about the industry and requirements (meticulous-ness is not one of my virtues, sadly), and I realise that I have to change my attitude towards work, should I want to leave a mark.

Apparently DDB's major clients include Courts, Tiger Beer (the 'What time is it' commercial), UOB, M1, WingTai Holdings (Topshop/Topman etc.), and others! So cool!

I'll be attached to one of her staff and from there help to do stuff like administrative work. She said that 3 weeks is too short to learn much, but it's better than nothing I say.

She impressed me with the fact that office politics is kept to a minimum there. Won't reveal too much, so just really psyched to start work probably on Monday. Get paid, get experience, get a tinge of the advertising world - what more can I ask for?

Day One

Silkair MI 608, my first flight in 6872493587 years. There's a really pretty airstewardess by the name of Mingli on it, and Mr Gopi was perving at her. HA.

Touched down at Phnom Penh International Airport at 5pm, and the sky was already turning dark by then. The modern infrastructure of the airport is nothing like the environment, like Changi Airport in the middle of Timbaktu. I exaggerate, but you get the picture better lah. So we were then cramped up onto a mini-bus with our luggage ontop of us and it was dinner at this rustic Thai restaurant. Food was good, and the best for the days to come. Coke bottles (not cans) excited us that night, but Coke bottles after just 2 days gave us orgasms.

After dinner where we also met some of the Chey Chumneas Medical Hospital's staff, we went to the hospital itself where our workplace/residence was. Our living quarters was this 2-storey house which overlooked the working grounds itself. As soon as you stepped out onto the porch, you see it. The house housed a ton of insects and insect wings and lizards, and it was quite a repulsive job clearing up the rubbish and the place. We had to settle for the hard floor with mats despite mattresses being provided as a gecko beat us to it. It is this big lizard-family member about the size of 1 1/2 palms laid out flat, which call sounds suspiciously vulgar. I'd personally think it goes 'pork balls' instead. Turned in pretty early, work was about to start the next day.

Day Two

Breakfast at this chinese food restaurant (and for the subsequent days to come), and 3 choices - eggs and omelette bread (mini baguette), pork noodles (ala bah chor mee) and chicken rice (make that chicken with plain rice). Not bad, huh? Try doing that 3 meals for the rest of the 11 days and see what I mean. Food was considered really good this time for the trip as compared to the others but I'd rather plain porridge everyday cos I didn't take too well to food there. Lunch was.... Chicken (more bones than meat) with plain rice everyday. We had noodles (think meepok) for one day, but it was dry with 2 stalks of vege and that was it. Alright I shouldn't be complaining... I'm not! Just rather had something else. Dinner was the same chinese food restaurant (they could jolly well retire at the end of the month), soup, rice, fish and vegetables. Not too bad, but my appetite was poor after the 4th day.

Okay back to day 2. We started work at noon, after the contractors came with the tools and laid out the outline of the path we were supposed to dig with changkols (hoes). The weather is horrible there, with the temperature averaging (my own estimate) 34 degress Celcius EVERYDAY, with almost no wind at all. Again, Mr Gopi said that the weather is very kind considering his past few trips. I pushed myself to the limits digging like mad, and I proudly ended the day without aches, or so I thought. The next day, I wondered if my triceps and forearms were tearing apart, no thanks to the delayed muscle duno-what syndrome. There were 23 people on the team - 7 guys and 16 girls, so we were physically disadvantaged. Furthermore, Gopi fell ill on the first 2 days, and we were one man down. 70 metres of pathways, both sides to be dug, 20cm in depth and in height plus a sand pit with tunnels to be completed by the end of 11 days seemed an uphill task. Digging, Spading, cement, sand, granite. Daunting.

Results

Graphics Communication: D+
(I think that's about what everyone averages)

Location Video Production: B
(Yay!)

Media in Society: D
(Ehh I'm not too surprised. Hardly studied.)

Speech Communication: C+
(C+ only... Quite shocked, ugh.)

Sports and Wellness: PX

Starting a Business: B
(Humdeedum.)

BenJovi_96
Hotel Cambodia - Eddy Lam

I'm officially back! Smooth flight home, touch down early at 1230pm SGT today. Thanks XB, Eve, Jem and Juan for coming down to the airport to receive me!! I was super touched and happy when Juan called the moment I turned on my phone to tell me that they were there. (: But my mom and bro came, so I joined them for lunch at Ding Tai Fong, J8. Came back, napped from 4-10, and here I am. Need to turn in early though, because I'm starting my internship TOMORROW at 11am! DDB Singapore, here I come. But wah lau, I just reached home lehh. Sigh.

I'll need to get more pictures before I blog about the whole trip. It'll be one helluva long post, including the explanation of the title and the song. Heh. It was a wonderful experience, great people, great food (at certain points), everything. Almost didn't feel like coming home..but it's back to life, back to reality, back to facing shit I'd rather not see.

Alright, tomorrow will (hopefully) be a post on days 1 & 2 of the trip. Goodnight!

Civilisation
hey ya - outkast

HEY GUYS!!!

I'm BACK -

in 2 days. (:

After 11 days of toiling in the HOT sun (my love handles are almost ALL gone, and get ready for a leaner Benita), it was Great being back in civilisation. Am at an internet cafe now (I wouldn't call it a cafe though) which is located in the hotel (BEDS!! HOT WATER!! AIRCON!!!!!) we are being put up at for the time being in Siam Reap. We visited the Angkor Wat in the morning to watch the sun rise and visit the temples. It's a really rustic and intricately designed place (wonder how they built it with almost no technology), but 3 hours of sleep wasn't doing me much justice while walking distances and climbing them Steep steps. Got loads of things to share with you guys, but since I'm running low on cash, I will make this as quick as my fingers allow me. 13 days of NO technology has refreshed me and got my mind off plenty of things.

By now you can guess that I'm having a wonderful time here, eventful especially. What can I miss with 2 great leaders on the team? :D
But of course, I'm missing a ton of people back in Singapore. And I can safely announce that I've put my mind of certain stuff and I'm ready to move on for good. What's done cannot be undone, and there is no point crying over spilt milk.

The time here is -1 SGT, which is +7 GMT, so I'm one hour behind you. Wonder what you guys are doing now. Later in 3 hours I'll be going back to the Angkor Wat to visit a few more temples and watch the sunset on the hills (my ankle and knees are slightly hurting though, what's new). Tomorrow will be a 5 hour bus ride back to Phnom Penh (ugh) and the following day we're flying back. 15 days seemed so short, yet I've grown a fond liking to the peace and freedom in this place.

Alright, I'm going up to relax in the aircon now. Get ready for a long post when I get back! Take care everyone. (:

Cambodian for 15 days
i'm leaving on a jet plane - chantel kreviazuk

How on earth do you pronounce the singer's 2nd name?

I'm flying off at 4.35pm tomorrow, terminal 2, MI 608. Need to be there by 1pm to book in. Woah, my first flight in what, 5 years? Ha.

Will be back on the 20th at 1.30pm on MI 601.

Take care everybody, I'll miss you guys (you know who you are).
Pray for me - for journey's mercies, for safety, health, and that I come back in ONE piece.

I'm not joking.

Bye for now!

P.S. XB, don't forget to organise BS okay.
P.P.S. I may be reachable, so if anything just drop me an sms or say it below on the 'pierce' thing. (:
P.P.P.S. April 13, do you remember?

Copacetic
xmas girl - vanilla sky

I think I ate too fast just now, and now I'm farting like nobodies' business (yes yes I can't burp so there). Gah. A solid (pardon the pun) dump later will be perfect. I think I will miss seeing WHITE toilet bowls there, maybe even them white thrones itself. It'll be good for everyone of us kids here born with at least a stainless steel spoon (good enough) in our mouths to immerse ourselves in the culture of that of the less privileged.

If you think your life sucks, thank God you're not living in the tsunami affected areas. If you think you are a loser, thank God that you're sane. If you think you are fat, thank God that you get to eat. If you think you're ugly, thank God that you are not limbless or deformed. If you are, thank God that you're simply alive.

The grass is always greener on the other side, yes, but is that the point? Have you finished the grass on your side? Eat it first, then decide if you have been satisfied and filled. Humans always tend to drop what they already have and crave for others as soon as they see something better. Selfishness is what we are born with - we all live to die. Perhaps the only way we survive is to learn to be selfish. If we don't protect ourselves, who will, right? Then again, think about it this way - if you seem so guarded against others, others will be guarded against you. So it's a vicious cycle, and everyone just ends up not trusting each other. Does 'innocent till proven guilty' really exist in our dictionaries?

It's pretty sad to realise that no one at all is 100% trustworthy. Us humans are all fallible, that's why we need God. A person whom we know 'works for the good for the sake of those who love Him, and are called according to His purpose'.

Put it this way - if you who believe, doubt the reason why God makes things go against your wishes, understand that God's ways are higher than man's. He has your interests at heart, and yet if you choose to have things your own way, don't you dare blame God for forsaking you when you did exactly that in the first place. The 'stringent' rules and teachings of the Bible are for our own good, and no one said it was going to be easy in this world of sin. Christians will be persecuted, and it doesn't have to be the physical torture and abuse. Peer pressure, testing of morals, succumbing to the ways of the world etc. are all forms of persecution. And this is not the end of it all.

It's the beginning of the end.

"And Jesus began to say to them, "Take heed that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines; this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs. 9 "But take heed to yourselves; for they will deliver you up to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say; but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 13 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake.
But he who endures to the end will be saved. 14 "But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; 15 let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything away; 16 and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle. 17 And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! 18 Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19 For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. 21 And then if any one says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. 22 False Christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But take heed; I have told you all things beforehand. 24 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32 "But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Watch therefore--for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning-- 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Watch."

Stick to the Bible's teachings, open your eyes, listen, discern and learn.

Having a God doesn't mean that I do not have a good inner locus of control. It is not simply a belief; a religion. It is a special personal relationship in which there is a perfect, omniscience, omnipresent and omnipotent Saviour, Lord, Daddy and Friend. A real being whom I can trust in all circumstances and is forever true.

'I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.' - Phil 4:13

Have faith; and He will carry you through in His will.

You scored as Musical/Rhythmic. You are sensitive to sounds in your environment, enjoy music and prefer listening to music when you study or read. You learn best through melody and music. People like you include singers, conductors, composers, and others who appreciate the various elements of music. Musical/Rhythmic 100% Bodily/Kinesthetic 96% Visual/Spatial 93% Intrapersonal 89% Interpersonal 89% Verbal/Linguistic 89% Logical/Mathematical 57% The Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences created with QuizFarm.com

Sophomores
spoilt - joss stone

Dear Anonymous,
Since you contend that I'm 'lousy', bring out your evidence - if you have any. If you do, I will gladly admit to it. I'm open to criticism - constructive criticism. Bring it on, instead of making noise in your empty vessel and behind your anonymity. But hey, I do agree with you that I wouldn't do well in junior college BECAUSE who would do well at something they find absolutely meaningless?

This is a personal issue (for me and I believe everybody else and YOU), so don't bother to nitpick on it. I know my strengths, and NP's Mass Communications is nowhere near 'lousy', if that is what you are saying.

I balk at your mediocre attempt to get me down because it has failed miserably, and I'm not going to start any poly/jc debates because I have nothing against either educational institution, nor waste my precious time on slight, unmeritable people (which I already have, lucky person).

My blogders, ignore this issue please. I do not want a debate on my hands - not when I won't be around to fight.

NEXT.

Yesterday after Youth Fellowship, the MSC + Jem jammed at whim in Alvron, then played pool. So cool! It wasn't the best of jams, but the fellowship was what mattered to me. I'm really glad that I've found a strong small group of friends whom I can really trust and have fun with. Thanks guys - I appreciate each one of you alot! Serene too, thanks for coming all the way down to have BS and dinner with me. And the card. (:

Spent today helping my pastor with his powerpoint slides, then hanging at Raelo's. Need to start packing later.

Enjoying myself before Tuesday comes.. In 3 days. It's only going to be 15 days, but I'll miss people. :(