~~ Missing Romeo ~~

Went to Jubilee Hall to catch "Missing Romeo"....a production by NTU Hall 13 tonight. Went there with the sole purpose of supporting a friend who is a cast in the production. Saw alot of familiar faces as well...it so happened that both the producer and assistant producer were my friends as well.

Considering that most of them were amateurs, the production was actually quite up to standard. The most important was that we could sense the effort put in by the students involved. That more or less made up for any minor glitches if there were any. I particularly liked the songs that linked the whole play together. Credits to the composers involved.

I guess its always fufilling to be involved in a group effort like this where everyone plays a part no matter how minute it is. Then again, its all this minute parts that actually contribute to any success in a production like this. I give them the thumbs up again.

~~ A very sad day for a football fan ~~

I read with empathy the latest entry on Kingmeng's blog. Its about his favourite team Spurs going down to a lesser team in a League Cup tie. I certainly did not foresee going through the same thing just a few days later. Yup...ManU has just lost to Blackburn at home. To say I am disappointed would be a major understatement.

I did mention before that I do not mind ManU losing. Its more about the way they lost it. Its really sad to see a team of talented players playing aimlessly and all the manager could do is to stand there appearing nonchalant. Perhaps its really time for a change of management. Sir Alex Ferguson is arguably the most decorated manager in the English League. But I guess past records really speaks for nothing if he is already showing signs of losing it. When you have players like Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud Van Nistelrooy at your disposal, it would only be fair that they are utilised the right way.

I do not want to be an arm chair critic here, but the fact speaks for itself. If the tactics deployed does not help in achieving the intended result...then there must be changes made. I do not see any at the moment. It really saddens me seeing my favourite team on a real steep decline. I really hope someone puts a stop to it. Divine intervention or what..I dun really care.

About Tough Decisions

Reading an entry on Blinkymummy's blog, it prompted me to share a story that I heard over the radio not too long ago. Basically its all about choosing who is the most important person to U in life...here goes....

A professor shared a psychological trivia with his class during a lesson. He asked for a volunteer to step out and named 20 person that is of upmost importance in his or her life and have it written on the whiteboard. A married lady volunteered and proceeded to list out the 20 ppl she felt dear to her. Included in the list were of course people like her close friends, her siblings, her parents, her children and her husband.

The professor requested for the lady to strike off the people that she could live without one in sequence of their importance. By striking them off, it would be as good as saying she would not mind their absence by death. Naturally, the lady struck off her close friends' name one by one. She would not bear to lose her family hence losing her friends were the next best option. At this point of time, guilt has developed in her already.

The next few names struck off from the list were those of her siblings. Much as she hates to lose her siblings, her parents, husband and children were too important for her to lose. By now, she is silently weeping. The next choice she made took her slightly longer. She eventually chose to strike off the names of her parents. By then, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

Finally, she had to choose from her children and her husband. This decision took her even longer to decide. Everyone in the room could sense the grief in her and the massive dilemma she is going through. Forced to make a choice, she eventually struck off the name of her children before breaking down and cry for the next 10-15minutes that followed.

After she regained her composure, she was asked to share her thoughts throught out the whole elimination process. She admitted that the choices made were not that difficult in the initial stages. Only when it came down to choosing between her parents, children and husband that she felt the heart wrenched. The hardest decision to her however, was the choice between her children and her husband.

Her reason for her eventual decision...Everyone of those eliminated would eventually leave u one day. Friends no matter how close, would have their own world to take care of, same goes for your siblings. Her parents are bound to leave her one day due to their advanced age. Children...will one day start their own family and have a live of their own. So...that leaves her husband who will be with her for life.


** Do not question me regarding the authenticity of this story. Ask 933 if u need to...haha. I just feel that it makes alot of sense to me. I would....most probably...make the same decision as the lady in the story. Of course life is really never so cruel that we gotta make all these choices definitely. Nonetheless, I hope I will never find myself in this situation as well.

Its halftime...

Yup...halftime break now.....Villareal and ManU still tied at 0-0....I watched with amazement how ManU failed to score yet again....I hope its not one of those nights again when ManU just cannot put the ball into the back of the net no matter how hard they try. Heh...glimpses of last season coming back again...lolz

I would also like to take this opportunity to set something straight. Guys...its MID AUTUMM FESTIVAL that we are about to celebrate....not MOONCAKE FESTIVAL!!! Though I must admit the main attraction nowadays is the mooncake itself rather than the legend behind it. No thanks to mooncake retailers. Wonderful job they have done...thank you very much. While the mooncake is indeed delectable to most of us...let us not forget the story that comes behind it.

I am sure many would associate the origin of mooncakes to the existence of Chang-Er and the little rabbit that is supposed to reside on the Moon...if my memory does not fail me...I am sure there is other guy named Wu Gang who is supposed to chop off a tree on the moon also. But apparently the last time I was told...he is still not making any headway on it. Haha. But hey! I thought the record had been set straight the day Neil Armstrong set his foot on Planet Moon itself. A trivia for all....which foot did Neil Armstrong first set on Moon on that very fateful day? Right or left...make ur choice. :p

This is another story behind Mid-Autumm Festival and mooncakes though. This story certainly makes more sense....and its backed by history somemore. It was said that mooncakes were used as a mean of secret communication by one of ancient China's emperor to be in organising a revolt. Apparently, stripes of paper were hidden in the mooncakes and distributed to households to spread the message around. Innovative indeed....for that he deserves his place as emperor :p

I guess I only have time for this much because the 2nd half has begun...now back to the match where I will root for ManU for the next 45mins....hope they enjoy better luck. Hmm...enjoying my mooncake with a can of Tiger...ahhh....pure enjoyment. Whoever created mooncakes...I give u the credit...haha. I love Mooncake Festival! Err...no...Mid Autumm Festival! Haha...

~~Yet another typical week....yawnz~~

Its like I am living my life for the sake of living right now...haha. Not doing much to enrich my life...Its been a long time since I posted for the sake of posting...this will be an exception. Just a simple re-cap of what I have been up to which is worth a mention, apart from working, for the past few days. Its gonna get really boring...so U might wanna click on the x on the top right-hand corner anytime U feel sleepy :p

Mon 05/09

Went to Wine Network at Dempsey Road after a meeting back in office. My 3rd visit to the area..the first 2 being visits to Wine Company which was just right behind. I realise that both outlets are quite similar anyway. Had 2 bottles of white wine between the 4 of us. Something new for me since I usually prefer red wine. Not that I am a wine connoisseur since I still cannot tell the difference between a $25 and a $100+ bottle. I just like the lingering taste that red wine leaves in my mouth after downing it. Anyway...we had a good time chatting about good old army days...haha. We admit it. Between guys, there are not many other topics besides army and soccer. :p

Wine Network and Wine Company are really cool places to be. No frills...just a simple layout ideal for cliques to settle down and chat away the evening over a few glasses of wine. In our case, into the wee hours of morning...haha. The prices are okay...if you are not too fussy about the wine that you order. Tucked in a secluded spot not faraway from the hustles and bustles of city life...its really a refreshing change rather than to immerse yourself in other entertainment outlets where you are exposed to ear-drum bursting music. At least for me...I will choose this over clubbing anytime. The only drawback is that it is highly inaccesible. A strict no-no unless U have your own mode of transport. For me, I had the luxury of having friends fetching me there...heh!~

07/09 Wed

Met up with Rachel and Huiyan for dinner at Genki Sushi in TM. It was supposed to be a treat from Rachel....haha. But then how can I let a ger pay for me?? Its just not right...haha. Actually I am looking forward to Phin's Steakhouse. (Their steaks are good man!!) I won't reject your offer to treat then. Anyway, we didn't eat quite alot for our usual standards. But I made sure I had the salmon sushi that I have been craving for since the last time I ate there. I do not know the name for it. Only Huiyan knows...haha. Basically its just rice wrapped with salmon and mayonnaise and roe on top of it. Heavenly!! :p

After dinner, the gers needed to get presents for their bfs so i guess they were expecting me to
be a good company and to offer advices. Haha...I dunno what they were thinking but they should have known me well enough to think otherwise...lolz!

08/09 Thurs

Met up with Gabriel for supper at Macpherson after a hard day's work. Its nice seeing him after all this while. Infact if my memory does not fail me...its been more than one yr since we met up. He is still the usual crazy self...full of nonsense. Which is why we clicked so well in the first place...haha. If thing go my way...I might be seeing him very often in the future....make up your mind soon Gabriel :p

09/09 Fri

It was back to lesson in the morning back in office. A continuation from Thursday...but its only half day so my morale was slightly higher. Prior to that, I had to borrow a financial calculator which is needed for the test at the end of the lesson. It was nice of Dawne to send it over to my place in the early hours of the morning when everyone should be sleeping. I have such nice colleagues...haha. Thanks to Michelle for offering to lend me yours as well. Its just that I didn't have the car with me on Thurs nite so it probably does not make sense for me to take a cab to and fro your place just for the calculator....heh.

Back to the test, it was really quite fun since we were doing alot of redundant stuffs with the only aim being to complete the test asap. Of course it helps that I had a nice partner to work with. Nice working with u Janet....though I doubt you will be reading this anyway...haha.

Headed straight for home to catch up with my sleep after the test. Concussed the whole afternoon as expected. The effects of having less den 10hrs of sleep for the past 3 nights added together. Very unhealthy...haha.

10/09 Sat

Nua-ed at home for the whole day until evening to watch soccer with Junwen and Jiancong. Manchester Derby!!! Ended up 1-1 at full time...very disappointing since Chelsea kept their winning streak going on. Anyway it was a lacklustre performance by ManU, so nothing much to complain about. The only saving grace is that Arsenal lost to Middlesborough after that. Quite an upset by my standards.

And before i forget...check out this software man at http://earth.google.com !! A satelite map by Google!! Its really cool man. You can basically look for any places in the world and it really does appear to be so authentic. I had a fun time looking for my home...and the various camps in Singapore. The structure and layout were displayed so clearly. Talk about national security...haha!!


**So that's how the week went by for me when I am not at work. I did warn you its gonna be boring eh...not my fault :p Boy!! I am so looking forward to my Bangkok trip!! A real need to get away from this boring and stagnant life man! Haha!!

~~ September 2005...a happening month?? ~~

The reason why I am posting my entry now is because I really cannot get to sleep. I am not suffering from insommia though. I think its because I had abit of alcohol just now. I am beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with me. Its a common consensus that a little alcohol helps one to sleep better...but its the other way round for me. I have reasons to believe so since I have been drinking for the past few nights and never fail to stay awake until the wee hours of the morning. Maybe something is wrong with my biological clock or its just me thinking too much...as usual.

Anyway...much has happened since the last time i posted. Its barely been 3 days since the August page on my calendar was torn off. In case you are wondering...I am not talking about my luck. Its one of the only aspects I hope have changed but sad to say no. I still have much to lament about it but I shall leave till another appropriate time.

3 days into the new month...Singapore got a new Superstar. A controversial one at that. On the same day, SR Nathan swore in as President for another term and I am beginning to digest the impact that Typhoon Katrina has brought along. Alot of thoughts on all these incidents so I shall talk about it one at a time

Project Superstar

Yup..on thursday nite at the Indoor Stadium...Chen Weilian was crowned as the new Superstar by public voting. Controversial I would say since the debate on whether the choice is justified is still lingering on in the press and forums across the net. I don't get it though. Is it really so hard for people to understand that he won because more people voted for him? I hate to repeat this even though I feel a need to. Much has been said about his progress in the competition. Sceptics suggested that he would not have made it so far had he not been visually handicapped. To a certain extent, I would agree that his handicap has unwittingly transformed into an advantage for him. But should we undermine his efforts and talent just because of this. It would be a gross injustice to do so. The fact that he is one of the few that really touches my heart everytime he sings is sufficient reason for me to accept the outcome even though I would have preferred Kelly to have won.

I sincerely wish him good luck for his singing career soon to come. Its time that reality would start to dawn upon him. Being visually handicaped..I am waiting to see how his record label goes about promoting him and sustaining his activities in the entertainment industry. I figure that its gonna be a tough road for him. Being blind certainly deals him and his record label alot of limitations as to how he can develop. I hope they can do a good job on him and hope the media cuts him some slack come time for reckoning.

However I am just wondering...in years to come...if things do not turn out well for him...what would actually become of him? His life has changed dramatically since the day he auditioned for this event. I doubt there is anyway he can revert back to his good old days busking on the street. It would be too much for anyone to take definitely. In other words, I think the only way out for him is to succeed...at least earn enough to make sure that his future is well taken care of. I can imagine the pressure he is undertaking now. I wish him good luck once again.


President Nathan

Its quite a shame that we could not have a say in the personnel that is to be our president for the next 5-6yrs to come. To have the authorities and the local media proclaiming that he is the people's choice certainly tells much of what they think of Singaporean's intelligence. Heh.

Its an irony that President Nathan's swearing in ceremony happens to coincide with the grand finals of the Project Superstar. If only I could get my hands on the viewership rating for the period when the two live events clashed. I am sure it will further reinforce my views that most Singaporeans(the chinese speaking community) have their TV sets tuned to Channel U instead of CNA. I am subtlely confident of my assumption. Why wouldn't they? At least they know that they had a hand in determining the results of the competition hence showing more interest makes more sense.

President Nathan? No...we didn't even choose him. We were "represented" by 3 person to make that decision for us. And no...we didn't choose that 3 person to decide for us either...haha. That pretty much sums up everything. I don't think i wanna go into details lest I get too incensed with it.


Typhoon Katrina

Seriously speaking, I didn't think too much of this disaster until I realised the magnitude of its damage from the internet. I think the media has played down the impact of Katrina even though I feel it deserves the same attention that was given to the Tsunami Disaster. A friend suggested that the reason behind it is probably because it happened in America. Somewhere far from us. Another reason being that the world thinks highly enough of America to handle their own affairs. After all, they had painted a picture that they have adequate control and influence over the world...what more their own turf. I am waiting to see how the Bush adminstration copes with it. I read with empathy the interviews of victims who proclaim that their government is more concerned with what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan than what's happening behind their own doors. Perhaps its time for the relevant authorities to re-think about their policies and their priorities? I guess it does the Bush administration not much good for the world to witness their inadequacy in dealing with their internal affairs...how much trust would they be willing to place in America to influence and dictate what goes on the global stage thereafter? I really think its something worth pondering about.