Trudging Through The Swamp Of Life

2012-02-03T16:27:00.002+08:00

The Big Move

It's already the year of the dragon and it's already February! Gosh, time really flies without noticing. It's just less than 24 hours more till I leave this sunny island to pursue my studies in the land of Kangaroos. The past few weeks have been consumed by administration procedures, sorting things out to pack, getting down to packing itself, and of course to spend my remaining few days with the people dear to me. Honestly, it's been a really long journey from just getting interested in all things planty and now it's about time to say goodbye and start a new journey once again. A journey where I won't know what to expect, I won't know how rough the road will be, nor the people I will meet along that road, but what I DO know is that God's looking down from above and I simply take comfort in that alone. Yes, it seems intangible, but it's something that I continually believe in and hold on to dearly.

Well, my whole life has literally been packed into one single luggage bag, all shrink-wrapped and ready to see the new life I'm about to experience. I definitely have mixed feelings about leaving everything behind for about a year.
Excitement comes to mind because who wouldn't be excited and eager to go on a totally new journey. Yes, there will be a lot of new things to experience, and a lot of new cultures to adapt to. But that is all part of the experience right?
Sadness is also part of the package because I will be leaving everything else behind in Singapore. After living 23 years in the same house, in the same neighbourhood, same country, same environment, same people around you. There are so many things which I won't be able to pack into my luggage bag, and these are the things which I will most definitely miss sorely.

My family is something which I will really miss a lot because they have been there for me my whole life, and leaving all of them behind is really heart-wrenching. I will miss my mum especially because being the only child, she has nobody else to take care of but me (not that I'm complaining). I will miss all her nagging, and even though I sometimes get ticked off by it, I think I will miss the sound of her voice, and home-sickness will kick in sooner or later. Family really keeps somebody going, and I'm glad they support me all the way.

Friends are the next thing which I will miss the most! Without them, life would be really boring. They always bring a smile to my face whenever I see them and I will dearly miss each and everyone of them. Having brothers and sisters in Christ really help me because it creates a community for me to grow and develop in. Having a common set of values to improve ourselves in really builds and strengthens the bonds between us, and I will miss all their crazy antics. My army friends have also played an integral role in my life because if not for them, NS would have been a real bore. I'm glad I met each and everyone of them and I will always remember all the times and moments we spent together doing weird and crazy things. I will also miss the boys because they bring so much joy and laughter every Saturday, and I don't know what I would be doing every weekend if not for them. Seeing each and everyone of them grow up from young kids to teenagers really makes me proud, and I'm sure they will grow to be fine young men when I return. I will also miss my secondary school and polytechnic friends (those who are not studying in Australia) because they have knowingly or unknowingly influenced me when I was growing up and I really treasure each and every one of them.

I will also miss my plants just outside my doorstep. Though they are not some super rare species of plants, but they're special to me because I have also seen them 'grow up' when I first obtained them. Most have flowered religiously for me over the past few years and I'm really grateful for them as well because they really brought cheer and colour to the dull corridor of mine. I hope my mum will be able to take care of them and I will be able to come home to a beautiful corridor once again.

Of course in Singapore, food is an integral part of my life as well. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and most definitely Malay cuisine. I will miss each and every one of them because being delicious is one thing, affordable as well!? Who wouldn't miss it?! I know I would, and I'm sure cravings will slowly creep up on me when I think of home. But we will do our best to cook our own over there in Australia, and hopefully, it will satiate some cravings if possible.

Despite the recent transport breakdowns and let-downs, I will also miss the regular buses and trains. Singapore being an island city, the transportation infrastructure is top-notch in my opinion, and I will miss the constant rumble of buses going by me. I will miss the safety of just making my way home alone at 12midnight, with no worries of being mugged by some homeless person who is desperate enough to do such a thing.

No doubt I will miss all these homely comforts, but I signed up for this knowing all the things I will miss in Singapore, but I will also be missing out on greater things if I don't go. Yes, I will miss Singapore, but there are so many things out there which I have yet to explore, so yes, I want to grab this opportunity to go out into the world to see new things! Well, I guess this is farewell from me within the yellow-orange walls of my room.

~moey out~

2011-12-28T15:01:00.000+08:00

The Miracle Root

"I know what a ginseng root looks like, but how does it look like above the soil?"

That was the question that was posed to me by one of my friends, and being the ever-adamant horticulturist, I was stumped. *Insert gasping emoji* Well, I figured that I might as well find out the answer, so I can enlighten him (and myself) of how the ginseng plant looks like as a whole organism. So researching I went, and came up with a lot more than just how the plant looks above the soil.

The whole plant of Panax notoginseng

Ok, so the term 'Ginseng' is a collective term used to describe plants whose roots have medicinal value/uses. It is made up of various genera of plants, but of which, 'Panax' is the more commonly used one. 'Panax' in latin means 'cure-all', and it comes from the Araliaceae family. So you could say it is a cousin of Osmoxylon and Schefflera. It is mainly grown and cultivated in Asia, notably China, Japan and Korea. The Chinese know it better as 田七 (Tiánqī), which means 'three-seven root' because the plant mainly has three branches with seven leaves each. However, I think this is just a generalization because not all all of them look the same. Anyway, it tastes sweet and slightly bitter.

Morphologically speaking, it enjoys shade, so it will probably shrivel up and melt under the hot sun if exposed to it directly. It also has the signature palmate leaf arrangement like Schefflera. It has tiny white flowers, which will bear bright red berries later on.

Bright red berries

So why is it lauded as a miracle root? Well, it acts mainly as a haemostatic, meaning that it stops bleeding. Being antihaemorrhagic, it contracts tissues to seal up injured blood vessels. I'm no biologist, so I didn't really delve deep into the chemical and biological reactions to how it works inside the body. All I know is that ginseng contains 'ginsenocide' which helps to calm nerves, and 'dencichine' which is an amino acid, that helps to stop bleeding and encourage platelet formation. So essentially, it is very good for the blood system because it encourages blood flow and repairs. Now who wouldn't want that? Of course, the more mature the plant, the more potent the 'ginsenocide' content will be.

There are mainly 2 different forms of Ginseng: Red and White Ginseng. Red ginseng is steamed after harvesting and dried, without removing the epidermis (outer tissue layer). So this will render the root turning reddish, therefore the namesake. White ginseng is harvested, epidermis removed, and just dried under the sun.

There are also 2 different main types of ginseng: Asian and American.

Asian Ginseng: Panax notoginseng/pseudoginseng (人參)

American Ginseng: Panax quinquefolius 西洋参 (west ocean ginseng). But if you go to a Traditional Chinese Medicine shop, it is better known as 花旗參(Star-spangledbanner). (Thanks Qian Yi for the information) This is actually native to the USA, but currently extensively cultivated in China. Due to overharvesting, it is now rare in the USA.

Panax quinquefolius

However, like everything, too much of a good thing might not be that good. So an overdose of ginseng might have side effects:
Headaches
Sleeping irregularities
Allergic reactions
Menstrual abnormalities
Not recommended for pregnant or breast-feeding women

Well, I hope this has somehow been enlightening in one way or another. I for one will still not get ginseng because it just costs so much for a root. =/

~moey out~

2011-12-05T14:16:00.001+08:00

It's that time again.

Marathon. To some people, it's a once in a lifetime event that they always strive to outdo their previous timing. To others, it's a pointless event where people pay an exorbitant amount of money just to torture themselves for 42km, and I'm one of them. Well, I have just been through it and in my opinion, I still think it is still a crazy event where, unless you're a serious runner, you will end up with a pretty bad case of pulverized knees and destroyed ankles.

With strained eyes and a wobbly gait, I was able to get out of bed just to wash up and freshen up at an ungodly hour just to make my way down to the train station, which has been active throughout the whole night just to ferry participants who will be taking part in the marathon. Constant stretching and movement was the name of the game upon arrival at the start point, and gradually, more and more runners appeared. The announcement was given for the animals to queue up and line up to go into their respective pens, literally. It sounded like we were farm animals being herded into their holding pens to be released soon after. Took a shot of power gel, which was my virgin power gel by the way, which tasted really sweet, just how I like it, with a punch at the back of the throat and a tinge of citrus flavour as well. With heavy-bassed music pounding in the background, the announcers counted down to the flag-off and then it commenced! With spirits high and heart-pounding(because of the sugar rush) I coaxed Bryan to give a war cry before we started off.

The journey was mixed with highs and a lot more lows. Like any physically demanding event, the energy always starts off high, and when the thought: 'Why in the world am I doing this!?' sets in, it really hits home, and the energy level, like a mana bar, just slowly drops bit by bit. A few moments of heavy-beat songs, like a timely mana potion, raises the energy for a while, and then it loses effect once the music is out of ear-shot. Then, like clockwork, the sun peeks out of the horizon and starts to shed it's light on anything and everything. I welcomed the light with open arms and ran with renewed vigour. Like Journey to the West, the characters are seen trodding through a boring and desolate desert all alone, it was a similar situation for me when I reached East Coast. It was a torturous stretch of park without an end in sight, and it didn't help when more and more people started to speed past both of us. Demoralising much. Not soon after, the Marina Bay area was in sight, and Apollo (who is the Sun-God if you didn't already know) decided to turn up the 'Heat' knob and it rained hot rays on the unsheltered route. Water points, power gels and muscle rubs were a welcome sight and helped to distract me from the pain for a brief period of time. This cycle of drinking,rubbing,eating and more drinking kept cycling over and over again, until it was the final kilometer.

It was an awesome feeling to know that the end point is near, and suddenly, all pain and fatigue just dissipated in an instant. With sunglasses down and feet raised for larger strides, I was really happy to be reaching the finish line. With one last final stride across the checkered line, it was finally over. A High-5 was given and a shout of joy erupted from the pit of my stomach. 7 and a half hours of torture was finally over(not counting the recovery period after that) and it was something which I'm glad I was able to experience once in my lifetime. Now, it's time for me to go lie down and nurse the still-aching legs and joints.

~moey out~

2011-04-02T22:59:00.002+08:00

Thorns all around

Spiky cousins

I was just browsing through the hundreds of horticulturally related photos I have in my computer, and I chanced upon this photo. The thing is, I have absolutely no clue about cacti(plural for cactus for those of us who do not know). I mean, we learnt so much about shrubs, flowering plants, trees and all that good stuff, but we haven't really touched on cacti.
We see so many of them during the CNY period, those with the green stems( are they stems?) and red heads. From what I know, the red heads are actually grafted onto their green hosts. So apparently it works, and the cactus is able to survive, until some freak accident which will leave it 'headless', sort of.
We live in a tropical island, so it's perfectly natural for Singaporeans to not see cacti often. But office-folk like them to bits because they don't need as much sunlight, and watering them once a week is probably more than enough already.

So it's a hassle-free plant to grow, but is it? Hmmmmm, I have friends who grow cacti in their offices, and water them sporadically, but the cacti still start to rot due to excess moisture. So they turn black and soggy from the bottom up and eventually fall over due to the damaged/rotting/soft/nua base of the stem. It's probably due to the humidity and soil types being unsuitable for retaining too much water. But hey, I'm no expert when it comes to these spiky organisms, they just look pretty sitting there in their little pots. I might as well start reading up on them since I have slightly more time on my hands now. =/
Time to hit the books once again!

~moey out~

2010-12-30T21:08:00.002+08:00

Canine love

Since I was a kid, I've wanted to own a puppy. I didn't know the various breeds of dogs at that time, neither did I know how much a dog costs.But I kept imagining that one was just wildly running around my house literally like a mad dog and it would probably poop at some weird part of the house. These furry balls of fur really get to me, and when I see people on the streets with dogs, it gets me all warm and fuzzy inside. When I was in lower primary, I used to just lie in bed and curl up like how a puppy does, because they look SO CUTE when they do that. So I actually pretended I was a puppy when I was about to fall asleep. Hahaha, how weird was I back then.
But NOW I know the cost of a dog, and they can cost SO MUCH! Just to buy them, get a license and the house-keeping costs look scary.
When I think about it, it would be good to have a dog around the house, but when nobody is at home, it's going to be really hard to take care of the dog, feed it and clean up after it, so this factor always prevented from getting a dog as a pet. Well, I can only dream about having one though, maybe when I have a family of my own then maybe we might get a dog for the family. Now that would be interesting.

~moey out~

2010-12-06T17:44:00.002+08:00

Memories!

It's been exactly three years ago since I last took up the challenge by Adrian to be a leader for a bunch of 10 year-olds who were all jumpy,talkative and mischievous. Initially I was extremely nervous and uncomfortable because of the unknown environment and people. Everything was too new to me and I was far from comfortable. However as the days progressed and session after session passed, seeing the boys grow up, learning and having fun, it just felt right to be with them every Sunday. Of course like any other family, we had our ups and downs throughout the years, tantrums have been thrown, tears have been shed, sometimes even blood too. But through all those times, something wonderful always appears soon after, and I thank God for these times which really shaped the boys in one way or another. Thinking back, if I hadn't made this bold decision to serve in the childrens' ministry, I wouldn't be the crazy and childish me. The boys really taught me how to be a child again and what it means to have a child-like faith.

One more thing which I enjoyed every Sunday was the leaders and people around me. I'm really going to miss hanging out with all these wonderful people, and they really made my days as a leader an amazing experience! What with all the time we spent together in church camps, having birthday celebrations, preparing lessons together, I will definitely feel something is amiss. It has been great serving beside all these leaders and I have utmost respect for each and everyone of them!

However the journey has only begun for all of us, the 12 year-olds have only crossed the Primary school hurdle, with a whole more to overcome. There will definitely be trials to go through, but I know we have each other to rely on and that's something which I know I can believe in. =)

~moey out~

2010-09-12T20:15:00.002+08:00

Doing the Twenty-One

The singular most descriptive adjective that comes to mind is: Painful.
But it's not so much about the lack of stamina, but more of the legs feeling strained and exhausted. Well, it was my first time running such a long distance, and even though it's not an amazing timing, I still feel accomplished simply because I would never have thought that I could have completed such a feat. I'm sure that I wasn't the only one feeling good about this event, so many different people with so many different training backgrounds also made it to the end. A few of my friends were disappointed because they couldn't make their target time, and I guess you can "never get too seasoned at running such events."

Apart from the running, the whole experience was rather enjoyable, because just running the new Marina Bay area was exhilarating enough, and on top of that, all the lights and environment made it more spectacular. Sadly there was still a lot of construction going on throughout the route, but that's the only thing that sort of dampened the running scenery.

I actually met a lot of old friends along the way, and it was great to see them all. It just adds to the purpose of the event, which was to bring people together. Hardcore marathon runners, to seasoned ones and to those who were also running for the very first time, everyone did their best and ran all the way!

The anti-pain aerosol spray apparently works wonders, because I see long queues of runners waiting to get their aching legs coated with the soothing liquid. Hahaha, it really works because you definitely won't feel the pain anymore, mainly because the spray gets into the face. Into your eyes and nostrils, so the pain immediately goes from the leg to the face, LOL. But hey, it's all in the spirit of running and to get the experience of such an event!

~moey out~

2010-09-11T00:32:00.000+08:00

Got snow?

~moey out~

2010-08-17T21:01:00.000+08:00

Thailand

The plane touched down in the darkness of night with immediate sighs of relief and whoops of joy from the passengers inside. We were finally home. I was firmly back on Singapore soil after 3 whole weeks in Thailand.
Well, it was a rather interesting experience in all. I spent almost all of my time on the roads sending food to the field, naturally, the roads of Kanchanaburi seem like familiar roads already. However I can only provide photos taken from our R & R, which also pretty much help me portray my point.

The roads in Kanchanaburi are not very populated like ours, because it's in the slightly less developed part of Thailand. So small towns and villages scatter the main roads of the area.

The most popular modes of transportation are pick-up trucks and motorcycles. You will hardly see sedans around this part. The amazing thing is that most adults drive or ride, but sometimes youth can be seen driving as well. And I do mean really young, like 9 year old boys riding a motorcycle, or 13 year old girls driving their own pickup with friends enjoying the ride in the backseat.

There is so much land that plantations can be found almost everywhere possible. One of the most popular crop which I noticed is the tapioca, fields and fields of them can be found in a lot of the areas. Padi is probably the second most grown crop out there, and since it's the rainy season, all the better for padi as well.

Not forgetting the harsh weather as well! The mornings and nights are quite cooling and comfortable, but it was the afternoons which felt really really bad. The afternoon sun is very hot, and the heat lasts from around 10am(Thai time) all the way till around 4pm. Mysteriously, it doesn't rain the afternoons, but usually only at night, so it makes it really cold as well, not that I'm complaining though.

The scenery is rather nice to admire though. With plantations spread all over the foreground, while mountains line the back. It really made me feel at ease amidst all the rushing and chaos in the field. The view is really something to experience firsthand, no description can depict the real view there. Even the roadside greenery is a lot lusher compared to Singapore, mainly because it's more of a forested area than maintained strip of plants along the road.

The locals seem to like orchids a lot, because on the outside of almost every house is at least a pot of Dendrobium or Oncidium hanging around. There are also a lot of stray dogs all around. Only a handful of cats did I see, I can literally count with 2 hands the number of times I saw a cat(even domesticated ones). Of course with so many wildlife roaming free around the place, roadkill is something which happens once in a while as well. I saw a few casualties along the whole course of time there, but I won't describe them because it's just too sad and bad to discuss it.

Well, will I get another chance to go back to Thailand? Maybe, but even if I do go again, it will be something where I can learn so much more, both about my job, as well as the about the country. It was an enjoyable trip while it lasted, and I'm glad that I went.

Now it's farewell to Thailand and hello Singapore once again!

~moey out~

2010-07-27T21:47:00.002+08:00

Leaving

Wow, it's been such a long time since I last had an entry here. After 2 whole months of hiatus(more like laziness), this is the post that will,hopefully, get me back into blogging once more.
No, I'm not leaving the blogosphere, but I'll be flying off tomorrow morning to the land of a thousand smiles: Thailand. It'll be for a military exercise for just over 2 weeks. I reckon it'll be an experience simply because the whole context of this trip will be military related. Well, it will definitely be fun, nerve-racking, hot, dusty, dirty, but most of all, unforgettable. I know there'll be road bumps along the way(literally as well), but everybody will make it through somehow.
So this is farewell for now. =)

~moey out~

2010-05-28T20:00:00.000+08:00

Fish

A story was told about a person who had a tank me fish at home. He would go home everyday to check on his fish for deformities on the skin or other exterior portions. If he found any, he would just take that fish out, put it the toilet bowl and with a push of a button, the fish would get flushed away. He continued this until one particular day, God spoke to him, asking why he would flush away the imperfect fish. If God were in this man's position, He would never flush us imperfect humans away.

Among the chatter of my boys around me, I was listening to Steve who was anchoring worship. That story really got me nodding my head a million times inside my heart. It's really true that God hasn't flushed us down the toilet, because if it wer‭e true, we would all be swimming inside the sewers right now.

All of us have imperfections, so shouldn't God be laughing at us? Even I sometimes flush other people down the social toilet, and reflecting back on it, it definitely wasn't the right thing to do.

From just a simple story told by Steve, it made me realise that a simple 'press' of a button can really hurt people. Well, if we don't want to get flushed down the toilet by God, I guess we should stop doing it ‭to other people for a start.

~moey out~

2010-05-08T17:49:00.003+08:00

The silver years

As time passes by...

places,

and people grow older.

But even as things seem to be gloomier,

we gather over special events.

When there is a bridge between different generations,

patterns will be passed on as well.

And who knows, you might find a new talent among them.

Happy Birthday to the Grandmother who has been such a wonderful role model to the family!
75 years and still going strong I might add. =)

~moey out~

2010-04-03T10:57:00.000+08:00

T.G.I.F

2010-02-27T15:58:00.002+08:00

Intangible tangents

Remember this device with loads of buttons, of which you only dared touch the lower half of it, while trying to avoid touching the other buttons with weird symbols, as though trying to avoid getting some horrible germ infection? Well, I had to dig this old piece of apparatus out of the dusty old drawer in my room. The last time I touched this was back in school during the Horticultural engineering classes which I simply loathed. I guess I have to face my arch nemesis once again: math.

Now I'm not saying that I'm totally a useless bum at doing math, but let's just say it takes me slightly longer to process mathematical formulae which I come across. And the latter will be crossing paths with me once again in camp, IN CAMP! Hahahaha, I mean, how weird is it to be using a calculator and your math skills in camp? Apparently I have to since I have to do a lot of calculations to find out wind speeds, quadrants, angles and trajectories etc. We have yet to touch on topic though, so I guess it's a way to revise and brush up my math skills once again since I have not done any for such a long time. No doubt it will be difficult, but it should be something new and interesting, and if all else fails, at least I can be comforted by the fact that Hua Hng(World Farm) is just a fence away from my camp, now who wouldn't want that?? =D

~moey out~

2010-02-21T16:38:00.001+08:00

Lightspeed

... the pace which we Singaporeans go through everyday...

2010-02-14T20:17:00.002+08:00

Reunions

It's the lunar new year people! Festivities! Food! Pineapple tarts! Hong Baos! Visiting! Mahjong! New clothes! More pineapple tarts!
It is indeed a festive period which many people have anticipated, mainly because it's the longest holiday period in a year and the usual 2-3 days of rest is always warmly welcomed by everyone. The lower limbs will always be tired and sore at the end of each day because after hopping to a bazillion homes and walking all over the island and getting lost along the way without fail, always adds to the extra distance.

I mean apart from all the festivities and merry-making, there is always something to keep in mind during these times: Family. Indeed family is the core structure where we all grow up in and get influenced by. We learn from parents and relatives their habits and ways, and we usually imitate them. Just hanging around with family is something to enjoy regularly, even if it's with the extended family. Talking to everyone and learning a little bit more about them adds to the enjoyment of it all. This year in particular has been meaningful to me because I really realise how special every family member is to me no matter what happened in the past, forgiveness is something to be given and I realize that.

Other than the biological family, our spiritual family and close friends whom you call family are also not to be forgotten. Spending time in each other's presence is something that I enjoy and cherish. I really want to thank God for such people in my life and am grateful for all the wonderful memories that we had, and the many more to come in the future. =)

So among the firecrackers and sound of mahjong tiles being passed around, why not think and reflect about the people in your life and how precious each and everyone of them is to you this festive period? ;)

~moey out~

2010-02-06T12:52:00.003+08:00

Gastronomical wonders

I always love to watch cooking shows when I am consuming a meal. Don't you all? I feel that it really whets the appetite before/during/after the meal, especially if the cook knows his/her stuff and occasionally injects humour in as well. Friends ask me why I love such shows, but I just can't put my finger on it to answer them directly, because it just feels so right to me to watch someone else cooking when I'm eating. Even though the food in the black box looks much more appetizing, it kind of 'adds' flavour to the food I'm currently eating.

Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson, just to name a few, have great cooking shows, and I just love to watch them cook up a storm. Thinking of it, both of them have English accents, so I probably enjoy watching English people cook? Hahahahaha. Sadly, even though I watch so many of such shows, I cannot cook for nuts, and even if I know most of the names of herbs and such, I still cannot cook a proper meal, but hey, watching and learning is step number one.

Of course, enjoying a good meal is also something which most people enjoy. I for one, am still sitting on the fence because to me, good food is good food, if it's affordable, it tastes that much better. Lavishing in pricey meals once in a while is difenitely good for the body, but if I were to eat at restaurants everyday, I'll probably be washing up the plates and dishes after my meal. =/

On a totally separate topic, it's coming to the end of my course already?! One more week to go and it'll be over. This batch really flew by SO fast, much faster compared to last batch, probably because doing it over again seems easier? One more week to go crazy in camp before moving on and going our separate ways. =( But that's what Facebook and MSN are for right? =)

~moey out~

2010-01-23T23:49:00.002+08:00

The big two-one

Somehow, it just dawned on me that I am already twenty one years old, the age where most, if not all, things are made legal. Aside from that obvious fact, a lot of things will eventually change as time goes by. I am no longer a kid anymore, I was reminded of that by Loy earlier tonight, and I guess lame jokes and not-so-mature comments should be kept to a minimum. With that being said, I don't feel like myself if I restrain and abstain from lame talk, because it's part of me and it kind of defines me as well. No doubt I have to tweak my mindset just a bit to adjust to the adult psyche, and I would probably have a job, a car, a flat and family in no time! But until that day comes, I think I'll just stick to the comfortable me. =)

~moey out~

2010-01-20T20:03:00.002+08:00

Derma-trouble

Imagine having a foreign organism crawling inside of you. Moving ever so slightly,trying to find a door with an 'Exit' on it, and in the process creating visible tracks of its past movements just under the cutaneous, aka skin to you and me. Well, it's essentially the larva of Ancylostoma braziliense crawling inside. Their usual hosts are animals like cats and dogs, where they enter the animal into the intestinal area and eat and reproduce. Luckily, they are only restricted to the skin for humans, because they cannot dissolve human muscle tissue, so I guess they settle for drawing doddle lines under my skin.

Well, 'Crawling' by Linkin'Park really sums it all up in the very first sentence:

"Crawling in my skin, these woulds they will not heal".

Ok, they will eventually heal, but only about 6 months will the marks start to fade off. Reactions upon looking at it for the first time, the usual ones are ''ewwwww, gross'', ''how you get it sia?", the best was from Darren:"dude, you might end up having a worm as a leg".
I guess it's really disgusting and extremely itchy, not to mention painful, fortunately, when you all see me, I will still have both legs intact. Modern medicine will have to prove itself over the next few days to me, and kill those parasites living inside of me. And if you are wondering, NO, they do not eat any skin tissue or any part of my body for that matter, they are just trying to find the exit under a huge blanket of skin.

I hope that the worms will die off soon, because I don't want them to develop into butterflies. =P

~moey out~

2010-01-17T12:40:00.003+08:00

What I enjoy...

Different people have different interests which keep them motivated whenever they are going through something tough. Interests spur people on to achieve and complete the obstacles in front of them so that these people will be rewarded with something they like at the very end. Indeed such things have a huge impact on everybody, be it a small or big motivating factor.

For myself, no doubt I enjoy trips to the mall, movies with friends, gaming together, but something which only a small group of us love is to visit nurseries around the island. Though it might seem like something which weird people do, I feel that visiting such places makes me feel at ease and something which I can always fall back on when there's no place else to go. The wonderful company which accompanies the visits always brightens up my gloomy day and brings a smile everytime we head off to such god-forsaken places once in a while. The sights and sounds of nurseries is definitely not everyone's cup of tea, especially when mosquitoes are constantly poking your skin up down center. Despite all these irritations, at the end of the day, being able to appreciate plants is something I hold dear, and sharing this interest with like-minded friends makes it all the more enjoyable. Every trip brings about new things to learn and especially after booking out, it's a good way to de-stress myself from the regimental life for that moment of time. Now, don't go around saying I like outfields, because I don't. I prefer to admire plants in pots, not in the ground. =P Now this is just something which I love and is definitely rare, but it's still an interest nonetheless.

So what do you guys enjoy?

~moey out~

2009-12-31T20:48:00.000+08:00

... Like flowers in the sky...

"...when the parachutes bloom, like flowers in the sky!..."

Indeed we have come to the end of another amazing year;2009. We can look back at all the wonderful times we all had, the things we did and the friends we made. In a few moments time, we will bid farewell to 2009 and welcome 2010! And no matter how much we miss the good times in 2009, I'm sure there will be a whole lot more fun next year(and you all can definitely bet on it)

Well, fireworks will be up high in the sky, where planes fly high...
And to me, fireworks in the sky=blooming flowers in the sky
I do hope that everyone will have a good time and welcome the new year with a renewed spirit and mindset.
See you all next year!

~moey out~

2009-12-25T13:27:00.002+08:00

Merry Christmas!

Greetings and salutations my friends! A very blessed Christmas to everyone! Just a big shout-out to my God for being born this very day in Bethlehem, so a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY is in order! Just want to thank God for all of you all who are in my life!

Well, during this period of festivities, everyone should be happy about something in their life and I for one, am really happy that I gave myself a wonderful Christmas present. I gave myself a shiny Silver standard for my IPPT! From a lowly failure straight through to a silver is something big for me, and I was so excited when I saw my results. God has been really gracious and if I just relied solely on my own strength and stamina, I might not have made it. I was extremely nervous for the whole duration of the test and right at the end of the day, the results told the full tale. However, it was not only I who had such a good result, my dear friend Tan Zhi Yu also improved from a failure to a silver!! Woooohooo!! Praise the Lord!=)

~moey out~

2009-12-18T14:23:00.000+08:00

Black & White

This wonderful piece of instrument/furniture has been in the family for about 15 years now. What started out on an electric keyboard, has become a full-fledged piano. This piano has accompanied me through over a decade of practising and memorizing of piano pieces. Back then, my interest in playing fueled a continual use of the piano, all the way from Grade 1 up through Grade 5. Considering the amount of time and effort put into going through so much, I think that it is well worth the memories and money spent.

I can still remember every Friday when Aunty Rahimah would come over from work, knock at my door and come teach me a new piece or prepare me for the upcoming ABRSM exams. Once in a while, she couldn't make it, so my mum fetched me all the way to Aunty's house to have a lesson with her own piano(which had quite a few strands of golden strands of feline hair easily identified on top of the black and white keys) I'm really thankful for Aunty Rahimah for her extreme patience with me, because FYI, I cannot sight-read for nuts(which means I have to scan a totally new piece in about 3mins and play it right away) she knew that was my weakest area and most of the time(if not all the time) she had to gingerly guide my fingers to the correct keys. Thinking back, I guess it must have been quite frustrating to do it over and over again.

I guess this piece of memory will not be possible if not for my mum's persuasion of me taking up piano lessons. If I have not taken up these lessons, my fingers would not be as flexible as they are today and I would probably be tone deaf and unable to sing properly. So fortunately, those days were to be preceded with me taking up the guitar and starting to have an interest in another instrument. So I guess I can say that those black and white keys paved the way for a much brighter and colourful time ahead. =)

~moey out~

2009-12-11T21:20:00.000+08:00

Facelift

Yikes!! I guess it's time for something new and fresher for this page. It's been a long while since things looked different, so change is good right?

On a different note, it's finally the weekends!!!! Somehow, garrison life is not as interesting as before, probably because it's the down period right now, so there's nothing much for us to do. However in a week's time, the new batch will come in and things will get hectic once again and I will eat my words of life being monotonous. There definitely were a few peaks in the programme; like catching cartoon movies to kill time, and of course my all-time favourite: zombie ownage!

Aside from that, I finally got a new camera for the family! It cost me a whole month's allowance, but I guess it's a worthwhile investment. My mum also kept pestering me to go get a camera so that she can take pictures once again. It all started when our previous camera started to go on the fritz and finally fizzled out on us despite us sending it for repairs which was NOT CHEAP. But hey, the past is the past, so no point talking about it.

Oh, for those who know and were involved in it, my toilet door FINALLY broke off. HAHAHAH... yes yes, you heard right, it finally decided to unhinge itself from the rusty latch and attempted to fall on me when I was about to close the door. But anyhows, that murderous door is out of the building and probably somewhere else. =)

~moey out~

2009-12-05T21:51:00.000+08:00

Just having a little fun...

~moey out~

2009-11-28T00:25:00.000+08:00

Friends of old

-taken during my Malacca trip in June '08

I met two group of friends today, both of which I have not met most of them in a really long time. The early morning was spent at the Botanic Gardens(of course) with my previous cell group. Just sitting on the border of Palm Valley, gathered together worshipping God. A simple yet enjoyable moment in such a really long time. Even though I was the only guy(yes, the rose among the thorns =P), it was just great to bond with my sisters in Christ and just catching up with everybody and thanks to Pei Ling and Eunice who initiated the meet-up, and though everybody is busy with life, we still made an effort to meet up. Thank God for all the good memories together, and just re-living them was a great thing, and recalling those old times really made me realize that all of us have come a long way from when we first met. But the thing which brought us together was the bond we had with each other last time, and it really shows that such bonds are not easily broken even though we were apart for such a long time. Thank God for you sisters!

My next gathering was with my ex-bunk mates from Tekong. It was simply great just knowing that everyone is surviving in their respective places and work. For half a day, we just sat down, reminiscing the times back on that little island. Running through all the weird and funny things which we all did together, and after going through it all, it was a time which we all had a lot of fun even though we did not know it then. Listening to all the different stories from everyone was great, and I'm really glad that we met up to just while the time away with good buddies and good conversation. It's just something which you can never get by just staying at home the whole day, and it is such company which makes the gathering worth-while.

~moey out~

2009-11-20T20:35:00.004+08:00

A joke which I heard from somewhere:

My oven is so hot that when you open it, you will come back with a suntan.

Have a great weekend everyone!

2009-11-18T21:40:00.001+08:00

Of tears & joy

Well, it's already been 5 months since I first embarked on this new journey and it's actually been a really rough ride all the way. But I'm not going to dwell on negative stuff here, but rather the good things which I have found along the way.

Oddly enough, the past 2 months have been rather interesting and fun because there are a lot more things to enjoy and with good company, it just makes everything that much better. Today marked the end of this wonderful journey, and I honestly will miss everyone and everything which/who I have come to love. All the weird stuff and funny things we do to each other; I will really miss them all. New friends and old friends will not be forgotten, and I'm really glad that I'm in the Platoon which I am in now. Even though two halves of us come from different companies, I think we really made it good together throughout our stay together.

We might all go our separate ways to different places, like my buddy Zong Han said: even though the banquet is over, it is just the beginning of a new journey(hahaha, or something like that... he said it in Mandarin, and you all know my grasp of Mandarin is like holding a wet bar of soap; really bad)

And indeed there will be new beginnings for everybody!
For myself? A lot of friends say that I can actually strive for something higher to crossover from where I am, even my superiors expected me to crossover. I didn't know that so many people supported me, and I unknowingly let them down by not passing out. Well, there's one more chance for me to prove myself, and whether I make it or if I dont', I will know that I really put my all into everything and I will make Platoon 2 of the 53rd batch proud!

~moey out~

2009-11-07T12:36:00.005+08:00

Monsters in your pocket

After all the high-key events have been over and done with, the inhabitants of Section 2 decided to chill out and think of something to play. After some discussion about childhood toys and experiences, Zhi Yu brought up the topic of Pokemon, which we all know and love so much eons ago. Those cute (and some not so cute) monsters and like which live inside our Gameboys and Nintendo DS. Those were the days when most of the kids all were seen walking around with their parents holding a Gameboy to play regardless whether are walking, eating, talking or even sleeping. The thrill of training up 6 different Pokemon to use to defeat countless baddies and irritating villains was just the norm last time. Now with all the new versions coming out, Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum, Gold, the list goes on and on and on, but the love of these characters never seems to cease.

Once the whole franchise expanded into the virtual world, it began to influence the card game industry, and the Pokemon Trading Card Game began its rule over the whole world(or the gamer world at least). It started out with the very first 151 Pokemon cards, then came all the millions and gazillion more newer cards and Pokemon.
Finally, just about a week ago, the old interest of this game got revived in the bunk and now, more and more Pokemon card decks are starting to appear. Daryl even spent money just to buy his very own starter deck just to join in the fun. I myself don't have any deck to start with, but Zong Han kindly lent me his incredible grass-type deck(for obvious reasons =P) and the Pokemon fire just got bigger and bigger with each passing day. I won't be surprised that there will be a tournament of sorts held in our bunk due to the sheer number of decks being brought in. So imagine 20 year old guys (all commanders-to-be, mind you) gathered around a table, with cards spread out and flipping coins, just to pass the time. What a wonderful way to bid farewell to the 2 months of training we all have gone through.

Anyways, I have downloaded the old Pokemon Trading Card Game into my computer, so despite having no physical deck on hand, I have my own virtual one! =P Oh man, can you say peer pressure?

~moey out~

2009-10-24T14:21:00.002+08:00

Plop!

The rainy season seems to be upon us already. It has been pouring quite often, not that I'm complaining, but it kind of hinders training and the schedule always gets pushed back due to the weather. Fortunately, lessons and lectures seem to be the norm for almost everyday, so there's not much to worry about.

A few interesting things happened over the week, and one of them is the donning of a hip-hop suit coupled with a gas-mask. It was really fun to go through the whole experience, and look ridiculously weird/cool at the same time. The feeling of tear gas is really new, like a trillion needles prickling your skin at the same time, and it causes your tear glands to excrete the transparent liquid which we all know as tears(tear gas,duh...) It was a good day nonetheless and fresh air never felt so great entering my lungs.

Walking around in the forest is also not that fun either. With soft and muddy ground, the result is ending up with muddy boots, socks and pants. Nine full hours of my life spent in the jungle is nothing new to me, but walking around the tough terrain is a whole different story. With creeping bamboo everywhere, ready to snag unlucky cadets, it's an experience which I hope I won't have to relive anytime soon. At least I had a good time with my buddies along the way and walking around at night really brings out a new side of me. But hey, I'm still human, so being paranoid(overly) is totally fine right?

Well, after being plopped down for over a month now, life is slowly getting easier, learning more things, getting more and more serious by the day as well. But after this one more month, hopefully I can move on to something new where I can learn a whole of new stuff and feed my brain with new information. =)

~moey out~

2009-10-03T16:43:00.002+08:00

Moeyvation

Moeyvation /'moei-vey-shuh-n/ -noun
1. the act or instance of motivating
2. something that motivates, inducement

Its week two of my new posting into one of the western camps in Singapore. Although not the most prestigious of them all, it's still a place where I can still learn to hone my skills of becoming a leader. A lot has happened, but I'm thankful for a few things; that my bunkmates are all from the same platoon as last time, so there isn't much of a need to make friends all over again. Honeymoon week was definitely good of course, and the idea of entering and leaving camp in normal humane clothes is also a good thing.

Where I am right now, marching is essentially part of everyday life, and literally everywhere we go because you can't just gallivant down the road to the next lesson as if you would at Orchard Road. Songs have to be sung out as well while doing so, and thus I have to refresh my memory due to 1 whole week of non-military contact, not that I am complaining though.

So there is this one song which has the word 'motivated' in it, and since my surname's pronunciation is so close to this word, we thought: why not substitute my surname instead. Now, we're singing this song with my name in it, and I dare say that I am absolutely honoured, hahahha, but thanks to the guys for coming with such things. Thanks to Zhi Yu for the wonderful drawing as well due to our boredom. *note: the thing sticking out from the bottom is nothing more than a bayonet(knife)* =P

More silly stuff to come.

~moey out~

2009-09-17T20:41:00.002+08:00

Thanks...

Thank you for a great 3 months together.
Fun times.
Sad times.
Painful times.
Touching times.

We will all be moving on to different paths soon, be they good or not so good vocations, hang in there!

Here's wishing everybody all the best, good luck and God speed to you guys!

~moey out~

2009-08-27T22:00:00.000+08:00

Left-Foot. Right-Foot

Sixteen kilometers of marching around can really put one in a disoriented state and really suck out all the breath from your lungs. Hiking this distance will probably be quite simple and enjoyable minus the presence of a nearly-20 kilo load hanging off your shoulders all the way.
However, looking back, I think it's actually a huge achievement for all of us to complete it together. From morning till afternoon, none of us gave up and our morale was still high halfway through, so it was a really good march for the whole lot of us! Was chatting with Benny and he is really enjoying his work right now, and sends his regards to all of us and is really proud that all of us have gotten stronger! Thanks bro.

Now the only results are a good few blisters for souvenirs on the soles and stinky clothes. Other than that, there's nothing much to complain about. This phase is also drawing to a close real soon and we will all be moving on to different places. Keeping that in mind, there's still quite a ways to go before we end, so it will be a good experience wherever we go. Ganbatte~!

~moey out~

2009-08-22T16:12:00.002+08:00

It's been a long long while...

Time indeed does fly; 10 weeks have already passed since I entered this phase of my life. And just booking out a few moments ago, it simply feels good to be back on the main island. Lunch was spent with Loy, Mark and Qian Yi(who graciously made their way from the other side of the planet to meet Loy and myself who have also just reached mainland. It felt good to talk about the things which we love best: Plants. Somehow, one way or another, the topic always ends up about the green stuff around us. Orchids, Colocasias', Hoyas', Amorphophallus' and the list just keeps going on and on. Honestly, I have forgotton about 70% of what I learnt in my poly days, and I have to keep asking the guys to remind me of what they are talking about; see what happens when you don't keep revising your work!

I realise that during this period, I really have to keep a positive outlook on things amidst all the frustrations and negativity around. It is by no means an easy task, and sometimes even I will get affected. But I'm still glad that I'm still alright with everything around me, and it really helps to have friends who share the same mindset.
Another thing which I find is a good stress-reliever is laughter. And nobody can compare to Jason, who can go on ranting about anything and everything when he is in the mood. Today was no exception, he already started talking animatedly about things before sunrise, all the way till this afternoon, he was still going on and on and on. And me being so easily humoured, it just makes me forget about where I am and the things which I have to go through because of all his extremely animated hand gestures, flailing arms and his ever-so-bitchy tone. (no offense Jason!) I can simply write a whole new entry about his escapades, but I'll probably leave it for another day. =P

Thinking back, I have taken so many things for granted:
- my bed (sure beats sleeping on the hard ground)
- the refrigerator (sometimes a cold coke would be nice)
- the shower (to ease the discomfort of 6 days of not bathing)
- the computer (staying connected to friends and the world is very important!)
- the fan (no, not even aircon, just a FAN is good enough)

Well, just 2 more weeks to go!!

~moey out~

2009-06-12T12:59:00.001+08:00

2009-06-08T17:40:00.002+08:00

In the mood for food

Yesterday there was sort of a farewell dinner thrown for Dickson and myself by Adrian and Joan(his girlfriend). It was a congratulatory dinner for Dickson who ORD-ed from army last month, and an 'all the best' dinner for yours truly. So both of them brought us 2 young ones to a night spot which they themselves frequented when they were our age: Hard Rock Café Singapore.
The amount of food the four of us ordered was more appropriate for six people, because it being a night spot, the food served was also in extra large portions. We had a good time just talking amidst rock songs of the 70's and 80's and a few occasional 'happy birthday' songs as well. By the time we ordered dessert, we already almost filled to the brim, and when dessert arrived, you could say that our stomachs expanded a few more inches, permanently.

Went out with Zailand and Syarizman to watch Aliens VS Monsters, in 3D. It was a really cool experience for all of us, the last time I watched a 3D movie was back in Korea, so this was a first for all of us in Singapore. Aside from the extra charges for the movie tickets, it was good to watch a movie somewhat differently. Even the advertisements for future movies were also in 3D! I guess AWESOME is the word used to describe such a phenomenon.
We then stuffed ourselves at Pizza Hut with pasta, baked rice and of course, pizzas'. It was so filling, and even thinking of it now is still making my guts toss around for a while. Well, 1 more week till I say "hello" to Pulau Tekong, so remembering good times on the main island is a good way to distract myself from all the demoralising moments in camp. Well, till next time then!

~moey out~

2009-06-06T19:16:00.002+08:00

One day, a food critic walked into a Japanese restaurant to rate the food served. He took a seat, placed his order and ate when his food came.

After the meal, he asked to speak with the chef who prepared his meal and told him:"mi-so disappointed."

~moey out~

2009-06-03T10:09:00.002+08:00

Worrying news

As of now, there have been 8 cases of the H1N1 influenza in Singapore. Just simply hearing the news is saddening enough and thoughts of more cases surfacing seems likely in the future.

This viral strain definitely has a higher mortality rate compared to the common flu we all usually get, however people also still die from the common flu. Therefore, the H1N1 might just be another flu strain which we should all be aware of.

Well, I guess it's simply worrying.

~moey out~

2009-05-28T21:53:00.000+08:00

New developments

Aside from the obvious fact that Singapore is really warming up rapidly these few days, the sudden news of 1 H1N1 case early this week and 3 more new ones appearing this evening, (causing much worry to say the least), there have at least been some interesting and exciting developments in my own place.

A lot plants sprang up outside my doorstep where emptiness once stood, and thankfully, a few of them are flowering to the delight of my mum and myself.

Hoya mindorensis

This is the reason why I like this genus so much. Also commonly known as 'wax plant', the flowers of Hoyas' all bloom in umbels (ball of flowers), and this species is one of many which actually bloom in near-circular umbels. It just bloomed yesterday, and some flowers have yet to open, but my mum was so happy to lay eyes on this ball of flowers. Although mine is not as huge and well-rounded as those found on the web, I think it's really cool to see it bloom nonetheless!

What was once in the Asclepiadaceae family, is now re-assigned to Apocynaceae which is related to the common Frangipani. They are really nice and quaint plants to keep at home, and they are really fun to admire when they flower! Some of them have fragrances ranging from perfume-grade scents to the other extreme odour of mild puke. Accompanying the aroma of fragrances, sap is also produced (although not in copious amounts, but certain species do produce loads of sap) to attract pollinators to the plant such as flies and ants. However, be warned: although the flowers are really pretty to look at, the overall plant form of most of the plants in this genus is not the traditional upright form. Most of them are climbers, creeping here and there and may look messy of not taken care of properly. However, some are able to grow upright in a shrub-like manner and are able to lignify their stems to carry the weight of the whole plant.

Brassavola nodosa

This orchid flowered for me not too long ago and is still flowering till this very day. It was a gift from Loy, and I'm glad to have made him proud by keeping it alive and flower as well. When I first got it, I was waiting impatiently for it to flower, but of course it didn't, so I had to just diligently take care of it, and one day two spikes suddenly appeared. I was so happy to see them grow slowly, but sure enough, they finally bloomed, and it was really satisfying to see them bloom. I thought the petals were of a darker shade of green, but I guess they looked nicer in the orchid books.

They too emit a certain fragrance, but mine has not been emitting any since they flowered, but I don't want to persue the matter, because they just look too beautiful to blame for not emitting any scent.
To add to this, 1 more spike also appeared at the time of this photo, so now it's about half-way from blooming. Like Mark said:"flower power man!" Yes, I totally agree with that, and I'm really proud to be a flower boy (in a way). =)

~moey out~

2009-05-23T00:18:00.001+08:00

Birthday Mum!

There comes a time in everyone's life where you celebrate your birthday once a year. Well, today's was my dear mother's. She knew something was being planned for her, but she had no idea what was coming. Every attempt at trying to pry out information from me just resulted in a universal reply: "I don't know.*smile*"

My cousin, his mother(my aunt) and myself planned on cooking my mum a meal about 2 weeks ago, and we had to keep it a secret from her as much as possible. Calvin and I had to come up with dishes to cook, and I found it considerably harder to do it because I don't really have prior experience in cooking except for the occasional pasta or cup noodles. The first thing which popped into my head were the dishes which my mum used to cook quite often as well, so at least I had an example to work from.

So after a shopping spree for groceries with Calvin and his mum, we headed on back to start whipping up the dishes. Then Fredrick dropped by after school to help us out with the cooking as well, and it's been such a long time since the three of us cousins spent time together.

And when the birthday girl appeared, we started to plate up the dishes for the starving adults waiting at the dinner table.

Tomato-based salad - Ritz-Carlton recipe, a new and tasty dish, only a tad sour.

Lemon-grass chicken - Really good! Shouldn't have micro-waved though.

Chicken omelette wrap - Another of Ritz-Carlton's. Ingeniously delicious!

Ngoh Hiang(minced meat and water chestnut wrapped in dried flour skin) - Met Pam's high standard, only a pinch too much salt.

Curry-puff shape wantons - A lot of filling, skin too thick though.

Blueberry Cheesecake - Pam's creation. Delicious! Nothing else to comment.

So other than the cheesecake, all the other dishes were done by Calvin, Fred and myself, with the supervision of my aunt. Without her, we would have crashed and burned (the house) literally.

More cooking to come during the festive periods. =/

~moey out~

2009-05-18T15:29:00.006+08:00

Greetings from Dubai

Included in the trip to Russia, there were also 2 free days out in Dubai, where my mum had to transfer flights. So during their time there, she and her travelling buddies enlisted the help of their old friend who is staying in Dubai with her husband. So simply put, they got a free tour guide around the place.

I just chose 1 picture to represent Dubai; that of the Burj Al Arab, also affectionately known as the only 7-star hotel in the world. Ring any bell? It might not look much, but being in such a prestigious hotel is definitely overwhelming, which of course was the case for my mum. It really depicts the grandeur of the stunning architecture of the whole contry, even in shopping centres, the ceilings and decorations are made up of beautifully crafted and arranged ornaments and oddly, there seemed to me that there is a lot of symmetry going on, but I'm not complaining, being a lover of symmetry myself, though not to an extreme extent.

Apparently you can only get in if you have reservations, have accomodation there, or of a certain level of status. So it means you can't even step foot onto the entrance carpets without a reservation, or someone of certain stature accompanying you, which was how my mum got the chance to go in. Her friend's husband works there as a consulate, so being the wife, she also has the same benefits. Sadly being a burmuda-loving individual, I was sad to hear that males and females are only allowed in if they have jeans of pants on.

Well, my mum describes how magnificent the place was, (which makes me wonder if Dubai left more of an impression rather than Russia), from the heavily carpeted floors to the gold-frame elevators. Regrettedly, my mum couldn't really describe much of the plant life around Dubai though, but since it's in the Middle East, of course the vegetation will definitely be made up of mostly drought-tolerant plants, and not to mention palms as far as the eye can see. (and it also conjours up the image of the palm island estate there as well; the very expensive and man-made island in the shape of a palm, if you don't really know what I'm talking about.)

Aside from the blistering weather, dust-encrusted vehicles(which,by the way, cost half as much there as they do here), sand everywhere and a really expensive hotel to top it all off, I think Dubai is a place which is beautiful in its own right and since I haven't been there myself, I cannot say much more.

~moey out~

2009-05-14T16:45:00.002+08:00

After 3 years...

Graduation was on Monday and what a big day it was for everyone! It marked the end of three whole years of studying horticulture. Some will move on to further their studies while others will not, and there are still those who have not made up their minds on what path to choose yet. Whatever the case may be, everyone will definitely find their area of specialization sooner or later.

I made a lot of good friends along this journey and will not forget any of them. Indeed I will miss school, the lectures, projects and company, but I know a lot more of those await me after my National Service, so I don't think I want to experience going back to school anytime soon though. There is barely a month left before I enter the next phase of my life, and despite the gloomy days ahead, I think that such things will definitely come to pass, and there really isn't much I can do about it, but nonetheless, I know all my like-minded peers will definitely strive to do our best when any challenge comes our way, that I'm sure of!

~moey out~

2009-05-07T21:33:00.001+08:00

Bla Bla Bla...

Mum's on a tour in the land where fighting full-grown grizzly bears is a mark of a true man, Russia! She left last weekend, and she entrusted the household to yours truly, and it's really going well so far. It forces me to be more independent as well; doing my own laundry, ironing, cleaning and there isn't a car to travel in, but other than all those homely comforts, I find that it's a good way to slowly learn how to fend for myself.

Well, since mum's not at home, I have also been keeping myself busy so that I don't have to stay cooped up everyday. Went out to look and admire the beauty and charm of plants located at the far west side of our little island. (Check out Clara's blog to find out more) Really had a great time with Clara, Loy and Mark, what with all the screaming, laughing interspersed with note-worthy nuggets of information from our ever-so-read-up Loy. Finally got a chance to catch up with Nisa as well after such a long time of not seeing her. Keep working hard and find the path which you want to follow girl!
Got my hands dirty at Sunset Avenue as well and it brought back to many memories from the attachment days, and thanks to Mark who so graciously opened up his house to accommodate me as well. =)

On a side note, it's good to know that the H1N1 virus is slowly becoming less of a threat now. However, I seem to think that it's not that simple to just forget that this ever happened. It certainly is much more severe than the common flu, and although it is easily treatable, let's not forget that it took countless lives in the Americas, and it really saddens me that such viruses cannot be contained easily. But what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, and it really woke me up from my little bubble of a home.

The weather's also been on the fritz lately, soaring temperatures in the morning and cold windy rain at night. Well, not that I'm complaining about the weather though. It certainly helps to cool everything down after the hot spell a couple of weeks back.

Graduation's just around the corner as well, I guess we will part with our beloved lecturers who have helped us love/hate this line of work in these 3 years. Whatever the case, it will be sad to not return to school to study anymore.

~moey out~

2009-05-01T21:55:00.002+08:00

Around the world

From:

Thailand
Family: OK, let's eat crab!
Noel(my 5 year old cousin): I want to bring home the crab shells
Family: Why? You have to clean out all the meat before you can keep the shells.
Noel: I know, but I will get Aunty(their housekeeper) to wash it for me. =)

To:

Japan
My grandmother takes a plate of sushi off the conveyor belt and is about ready to munch down on sushi.
Grandfather: WAIT! You have to take out the green paper around the rice to eat!

To:

Indonesia
A plate of fried fish is served.
Calvin: Rotate the plate, I don't want to see the mouth of the fish when I eat it.
Me: *Splits the whole fish lengthwise, exposing the fried black brain of the fish*
Calvin: WAH! Can change to a new fish?

Culinary adventures all over the world during this Labour Day period. =)

~moey out~

2009-04-28T22:44:00.009+08:00

Happening Happenings

It's been quite a while since this blog saw updates, much like how Singapore experienced rain nowadays. But since it rained island-wide today, might as well add something new as well. It was good to see precipitate falling from the sky due to the condensation of water vapour in the air, and it was a good break from the extremely humid conditions we have been facing recently.

Anyways the post-school period is really going well for me. Ate at so many new places around the island, which I would otherwise scrap the idea if I went there alone to eat. Friends are all over right now, some working, some studying already, some relaxing, while others are already in NS. And yes, I'm heading into camp on the 13th of June, so it'll be two whole years before I can get my ink IC back.

So today was an interesting one for me. Went out with Mark, Loy and Clara because they wanted to try the reverse bungee ride at Clarke Quay, well, only Clara and Mark wanted to try it. I was supposedly roped in to join them, but after looking at the post-rain sky, I was really worried, so I chickened out of the whole thing. Sorry!! hahaha, yes, I'm not one to take risks. So both of them had a load of fun while Loy and myself just stood below and filmed everything down, hahahaha. It was also exciting for me because I have never been so close to these rides, and it was something new for me. My heart also raced when they were on the rides.

This photo looks as if both of them are in a giant fish tank, hahaha! =P

This was taken during Easter weekend about 2 weeks ago in church. I was playing a Sponge-bob-like boy who didn't know anything about the whole Easter event, and the middle-eastern guy on my right is Timothy, who plays Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus. The extreme left girl in white is our costume designer Stephenie and on the extreme right is our honourable director Alexandra. Hahahah, that was the very first time any of us were appointed such roles in an event, and it was a unique experience I must say. I was really apprenhensive about it at first, but after rehersals and looking at the whole set-up, i actually felt honoured to being this message across to the kids that day.

Well, all I can say is that suspenders are the in thing nowadays!! =D

~moey out~

2009-04-20T10:10:00.002+08:00

Not related to plants

After a whole day of resting and lying in bed, hours of extreme bowel movements, fever, a small instance on the edge of blacking out and eradication of toxins, I'm feeling much better. =)
But none of that is important now, I'm just glad to be alive and kicking once again, and the world is still spinning.

KAPOWWW!!! PUNCH!!!!!!

My cousins were able to fit nicely into my mum's car boot, talk about a tight fit, which, in this case, is not the case. =)

While I was cleaning up my room(Finally!), I came across my favourite primary school pasttime-car model kits. These are my 4 prized possessions, and when I stuck batteries into them, it was like giving them new life after so many years of not moving. It felt good to remember a slice from the past.

~moey out~

2009-04-16T12:23:00.002+08:00

Birthday Girl!

Apologies for the late upload of photos for Eunice's birthday. Anyways, really glad to be able to gather with my spiritual family once again. It's been a really really long time since I have seen most of them, and this particular outing was a good time to catch up with everyone. After the Good Friday events, it's really good to just sit back and enjoy the company of friends.

To make it better, we went to East Coast to cycle, and it's been a really long time since I touched the peddles of a bicycle, and this time, the ride was exhilarating as always. Retiring back to Gerald's cosy place for a delicious dinner. And it made me smile to see that everyone is back together eating once again, because it has been a few months since we last sat down to eat as a cell group. Really happy that we also got a bit of time to squeeze in 2 rounds of the ever-famous 'murderer' game, narrated by the ever-so-talented Adrian. Hahahaha! Wooohoo!!

Now it's just waiting for the NS enlistment letter to come in, because a few of my friends have already recieved the letters to enlist, so it's about time before the rest will get the letter. Well, all we can do is wait, and contemplate on the implications of NS in our lives. =P

~moey out~

2009-04-09T21:01:00.000+08:00

What an honour...

2009-04-06T23:03:00.002+08:00

Sun. Sand. Splash.

Had a great time even though only a small group appeared
Went shopping at Giant
Ate junk food for lunch
Introduced Dog 'n' Bone to birthday girl
Contact sport
Splashed into the sea
Been a long time since I went into the water
Played 'Monkey'
Attempted to cross over to the small island on the other side
Stepped on nasty black algae on the seabed
Earwax seaweed =)
Wrinkled hands and feet
Creamed the birthday girl
Handphone took a swim
Discovered the wonders of an inflatable soccer ball
Cleaned up
Girls were screaming out the song played on the radio(audible from the guy's side)
Got bored and played with the wonderful sequence shots
Someone snapped the chainlink while waiting for skytrain
Left Sentosa. =D
Glad to be able to keep entrance card

~moey out~

2009-04-02T21:05:00.004+08:00

Jamming Good Time

Finally got another chance to jam with the guys at Fiz's place. Met up with him, Rino, Ayun and a new friend Nina. Well, the 3 of us attempted to play songs together, somehow, they didn't turn out audibly pleasing,hahahaha, but hey, we're still all learning. At least we got 1 song down before Fizz's dear mum cooked up lunch for us.

I have been going over to his place ever since Secondary 2, and his mum will always graciously welcome us into their home and make us all feel so homely. I wish my house is able to host guests ever so often, but who wants to come into a boring old home.

Finally got a chance to play Guitar Hero after such a long long long LONG time. I guess we all kind of made more noise than music, but of course, it was still fun and crazy at the same time. Amidst the mugginess of the afternoon, a cake suddenly appeared while we were playing, and it was my dear friend, Rino Ratno's birthday. Although it was kind of belated, but still a birthday nonetheless! The three of us are now 20 years old, neither a teen nor adult, we're, as Ayun puts it: Twen-teen, or as we like to call it: lost.

OH! This is Rino's FYP work showcased: Link
(click on 'An Ordinary Life')

It was cut short to fit the bandwidth size for the webpage, but still, it was great nonetheless. The full version is so much nicer with music too man. Cool stuff! Really glad to be of help for your FYP man! and whatever you think, it's a great piece of work in my opinion. =)

Happy belated 20th bro!!
Happy 20th Birthday to my girl, Malyna too!!!!

~moey out~

2009-04-01T11:35:00.004+08:00

Banzai Bonzai!

It's coming to the phase of the holidays that there isn't much to do around. Most of the computer games have been tried and tested, some of the movies have also been watched with mixed reactions. So I'm just heading to friends' places to chill and play even more games, hahaha, ah man, can't get the gamer out of me.

On the other hand, there is a Pasar malam (night market) around my area, and as usual, the food stalls are the big winners every night, but they aren't a huge favourite of mine, mainly because I can get the same kind of food cheaper if I go overseas. But then again, cost of living is also much higher here.
So the only chance of me purchasing something would be from the plant stall, which is always located at the farthest region of the pasar malam, so I went to check out the stall 1mile away, only to find out that they sell bonzai plants. Now I'm NOT saying that bonzai plants are boring, they are just as beautiful in their own right, but to see beautiful bonzai plants is one thing, to see dried up rootballs (who puts bonzai plants in black plastic bags,exposing the rootball?) is a totally different thing altogether.

Oh well, there will still be another pasar malam in a few months time, so there's no worry, and it's not as if my corridor will grow any larger for me to fit in more plants. BANZAII !!!

~moey out~

2009-03-28T20:30:00.000+08:00

Happy Earth Hour everybody.

If you're reading this, shame shame on you! You should not be on your computer during Earth Hour! =P

2009-03-27T11:17:00.001+08:00

Random Duo

Was looking through my photo archives and these two appeared. =)

~moey out~

2009-03-25T21:38:00.000+08:00

Small news

Well, ever since school was out, there has not been much of events going on. Just a few outings splattered here and there with family and friends, not much actually, I'm a homely creature by nature, BUT! I'm trying to break out of that shell nonetheless.
Been playing a lot of games as well, bringing out my gamer side once again, muahahahahah! It doesn't help that I love computer games, and hanging out with friends who love gaming just as much doesn't really help much either. =P
Time to get my gardening mojo back though, if not I'll totally lose it in NS. =/ Too much of staring into the computer is not good as well...

But of course, I still settle my head on my pillow before 11pm-12mn most of the time, so that side of me still remains intact, just in case you're wondering.

I also finally touched my piano after about half a decade, and I really need to revise everything I learnt back in the old days, but other than that, I can say I'm having a relaxing time at home. Everything going slowly and peacefully, no more rushing for projects or waking up super early(notice I didn't say 'early') to go to work.

Well, that's all about what's happening on my side of town.

~moey out~

2009-03-18T11:58:00.001+08:00

Note-worthy Notepad

"... we will talk about the obsolete Notepad which has ran its course."

-Blog entry dated: June 20th 2007

Obsolete? Or is it?
If you would kindly refer back to the entry stated above, I was talking about the PowerPoint programme, and the next installment of this series was slated to be about the Notepad. And indeed, this entry log IS about the notepad.

Most, if not all of us, are still using the default Notepad software included with both the Windows XP and Vista operating system (OS). This was just the most unused programme in any OS because we all have the Microsoft Word programme, so there is hardly any need for the notepad. Everybody can testify to it being almost redundant and taking up hard disk space in the computer, well, at most the programme is used for really minute recording or blogskin HTML coding.

However, with the release of the Windows 7 OS, a new and improved version of the Notepad will also be released: Wordpad 2008.
As of this point of time, the Windows 7 OS is still being tested for programme bugs and anomalies, thus the Beta version was only released last year. Oh, and 'Beta' programmes mean that it is not the real programme yet, any Beta versions are usually used for testing and feedback from people who download and try out these new softwares. Alright, so back to the new Wordpad: it's very simiar to the current Notepad, but with a few improvements. The new version is just a simplified version of Word 2007. All the ribbons (buttons) look very similar to the Word layout, and it is essentially just like Word 07 as well.

Well, why come up with Wordpad 2008? It is kind of like the poor man's Word 07, because some people cannot really afford to own the real Word 07, so Wordpad 2008 is a free software for people, and still maintains the basic functionalities of Word 07. Well, the fonts, colours, justification, etc are all the same as the current Word 07, so there isn't much of a quantum leap in user-interface (UI), but it is simply because of the similar UI that makes it easier and faster to get the hang of this new programme, and for all new programmes for that matter.

Below are the two programmes side by side. The first is the ever-familiar Notepad, while the next is the newer Wordpad 2008. It is quite a big change in UI, from a bleak and boring white layout to a more familiar UI similar to that of Word 07.

So has the Notepad ran its course? Indeed it has, but it paved the way for a newer version of itself, a much more user-friendly and engaging UI for people who just want to record things easily. Well, the operationally-ready Windows 7 OS is not out yet, of course, but when it does, I would suggest NOT to get it right off the shelf right away, because there will still be bugs and errors present, so maybe wait about 3-4 years before committing yourself to get the new OS.

Well, this brings us to the end of this mini-series of computer software updates from me. Till next time!

~your resident tech geek out~

2009-03-16T12:47:00.002+08:00

G12!!!!

Finally!! After waiting for 2 years, the G12 Conference is back!!! Oh anyways, G12 stands for: The Government of 12, which is the vision for my church.
Learnt so so much from these 3 days, and it was really enjoyable because the first time I attended the conference was only 1 day, so I didn't bring home much, but this time, after sitting through every single session, I brought home so much. Honestly, I brought home even more than I expected, and it'll just be a matter of time before our cell grows!
Delirious? also made a pit stop for this conference as well, and they really ministered to a lot of people through the music. Wooohoo!! I'm so glad for the whole event, and it was even cooler with the concert by Delirious?. Wonderful!!
Dickson, Eunice, Alvin and myself also got a chance to catch up with our old buddy Ryong after such a long long time as well. We went over to Gerald and Esther's place to cook up a farewell dinner for our korean buddy before he leaves later today. It was great to see him again, and it was such enjoyable night.
Well, till next year then!~

~moey out~

2009-03-07T09:22:00.002+08:00

Good Gracious

It departed from Bukit Merah only to end up at Yishun about an hour later. It was crowded but quite restless at the same time. My bus journey was quite enjoyable all the way home mainly because of one simple thing: Graciousness.

At that time, the bus had to stop at almost every bus stop, and people boarded and alighted. Those who boarded were mostly senior folk, and it was really heart-warming to see that people willingly gave up their seats eve though the bus was crowded. And the ones who gave up their seats were youth, and that kind of changed my perception of how Singaporean youths are. Last night was just literally like a scene taken from a Musical Chairs game; people getting up and others sitting down. Honestly, it was simply joyful to see such a sight.

This brings me to my next point: The Aging Populace.
So after the whole baby boom scene during the post-war period, after 30 odd years down the road, more citizens are becoming senior citizens. And I can't help but realise that the younger folk will have to take the country by the reigns and continue to lead us on. Indeed we have succeeded as a country because of the government, but because they are all retiring soon, the youth need to fill in the gaps, and it definitely will not be easy to fill those gigantic shoes left behind. But I for one do not wish to see Singapore fall from grace because of this, but rather embrace the older folk and still make Singapore, well......Singapore.

On a side note, Prom Night was fabulous because everybody I knew had a whole load of fun. Some had more than others, but disregarding it, I personally enjoyed it thoroughly with the friends I love and whom I will miss dearly in years to come. But that will be left for another story in the future, for now: All the Best to every Horticulture & Landscape Management Student out there!! =)

PS: Here's wishing my two dearest friends, Mr Hafiz Mustafa & Ms Marie Ho, Happy 20th Birthdays!!!~Belated by 1 day, but oh well. =D

~moey out~

2009-03-04T20:28:00.000+08:00

What I think about when I can't get to sleep...

~moey out~

2009-03-02T19:25:00.004+08:00

Wet Weather Programme

With the recent bout of rain after a scorching season, here is a list of 10 things which you might/might not want to follow:

!Individual Discretion Advised!

1) Take out your umbrellas!! One of the best inventions in the whole wide world.

2) Auto irrigation for your plants, so you can save water by not watering your outdoor plants. Indoor plants have no such privilege though.

3) Close your windows!! Unless you would like to have your very own swimming pool.

4) Bring your clothes in, lest they be knocked off from the bamboo poles and land on the floor all wet and dirty.

5) You can sing your heart out as well because nobody will be able to hear you sing with the loud background music from the rain.

6) Make hot soup!! Cream of mushroom or minestrone soup, whatever the case, a hot beverage or soup will warm the body up.

7) My personal favourite: Lock yourself at home and play computer games! Even if the rain stops, there is still the option of continuing playing. =D

8) For those who have completed their Intership Presentation can Dance In The Rain!! For those of you who have not, all the BEST! Then you can dance in the rain as well.

9) SLEEP! One of the most favourite pasttimes of Singaporeans.

10) If you just want to stay at home and do nothing, well, staring at the rain mysteriously has a therapeutical effect.

~moey out~

2009-02-27T11:11:00.001+08:00

Fun, Funny, Funnier

Well, it's 3 more days away from my final presentation in school. Most of the exams are also over for everybody(I think), so I dare say that this is the best time for students. No more work, no more projects and certainly no more papers to sit for. For myself, honestly, I have just been having a ball of a time. Playing the games which I miss so much during my attachment, catching up with friends, games and of course, sleep.
I also have yet to announce where I will be going for my NS, because tentatively, I'm entering the Commando Unit. Shocker!? Hahahaha, it's not 100% confirmed, so I might not enter it to begin with. But in another point of view, I find that entering such a unit is quit honourable and cool, because you don't see THAT many commandos' around, and I really cannot imagine myself going through everything that we will eventually go through. Ah well, the letter has not arrived yet, so there is no confirmation on my posting.
Anyways, having fun, watching funny shows, and catching up has just been a blast for me because I don't have much to worry about, so I really thank God for every single thing that I have right now. =)

~moey out~

2009-02-25T22:01:00.002+08:00

Memories

Headlines:

Hundreds of photos were posted just moments ago in the all-popular social networking website;Facebook. Many people associated with the photos have looked through them and wondered:"Why is it that only after almost 4 years, these images suddenly mysteriously appear?"
Well, it was one good samaritan by the name of Shu Hua who kindly released these images for everyone to see. She claims to be looking through her computer and stumbles upon these old photos. In only a matter of hours, classmates all flock to take a look at these photos once again after such a long time. This is one report that ends well with everybody.

Reaction from the people(well, me at least):

Missing those times. =)

~moey out~

2009-02-21T19:54:00.003+08:00

Just Bored

Hahaha, I was just looking through my past photos in my computer, and came across this. Taken during the last SGF last year.
Really looks hilarious, and it WOULD BE funny if I were really a specimen plant. But I don't think there are records of Homo Sapiens suddenly changing into plants though.
Ah well, at least everything to do with our final presentation is done, so now all of us just need to wait it out this coming week and brace for the final presentations in our Polytechnic lives. Time really flies, and everybody is moving on to different things, some to school and some to further studies. Well, at least we will have our Dinner & Dance to end of the school year. Something which I will look forward to even though I don't usually go for such events. A final time to see the lecturers and friends before embarking our own ways.

PS: Happy Birthday Alvin!!!!!!! God Bless you and see you very soon!! =D

~moey out~

2009-02-18T11:57:00.002+08:00

Poetic Pangs

Paw prints in the sand, a line is cast,
It's the end of school, how time flies so fast.
Breeze against my face, sound of waves in my ear,
My question is: "Is there a toilet here?"

A man sits alone, what a carefree life,
Probably his birthday, turning fifty-five.
We exchanged smiles, which made our day,
Something which, I'm glad, I don't have to pay.

Sun against the skin, birds in the air,
Glad I didn't gel my hair.
I was at the beach, no denying,
But I thought to myself: What's my presentation timing?!

Hahaha, just something which I came up with while I was there. =)

~moey out~

2009-02-12T19:12:00.003+08:00

Tooth Fairy

My mum came home today with her mouth closed. Only the words:"Mmmmm, Mmmmm? and Mmmm-Mmmm!" can be audible. Hahaha, an indentation was found in her mouth. One of her larger bottom tooth has been removed because it was very painful (not because she had too much money). Amidst all the similar sounds, flailing hands and text messages are a few other methods of communication between both of us. I guess it's a bit like playing Charades, and I am one person who likes to play charades anytime,hahahahaha!

So effectively,I'm the only person in the house who is able to speak properly. So in case I collapse all of a sudden, I can't be saved because only "Mmmmm!!!!" can be heard over the phone, so if any of you get a phone call from me, and hear such a thing, please call for an ambulance.
Hahahaha, she isn't even getting an MC for the extraction, guess it might take longer to recover.

~moey out~

2009-02-08T23:04:00.002+08:00

Viva la Dendrobium

I thought that I would finally post something which is horticulturally related, since I AM in this course. So this is a mini Dendrobium, but I'm unsure of the full botanical name because this is one of those orchids which have been crossed a bazillion times to come up with the right blend of flowers, colours and all the other stuff.

This is my pride and joy of my potted plants so far. It has bee with me since June Last year, and has flowered all the while, but up till the new year, there were only a few flowers, but this year, it started to grow dramatically and out popped dozens of flowers, and I mean dozens: 49 to be exact. All blooming on about 6 spikes, and there are 4 more spikes which have not flowered yet, so my mum and I are eagerly awaiting the new arrivals. The flower spikes really remind me of Phalaenopsis orchids, all flowing down gracefully on both sides.

What is surprising is that my orchid is taking root in cocopeat, which is utterly unconventional to orchid growers in general. Like what Mark and Loy said: this is something which is surprising, and the orchid is better than fine. The next surprising thing is that it was my mum who repotted the orchid right after she bought it, and put it in pure 100% cocopeat, so this is partially thanks to her as well. Hahahaha, everytime I walk pass my orchid, I just like to admire it for a while before moving on, and for a novice grower like me, it's something which I'm really proud of.
I just need to watch out for spider mites and fungus, but they usually come only when there are orchids concentrated in any particular area, but I'm not taking any chances though.

Well, this is something close to my heart, and I guess there'll be more interesting stuff to come soon. Till then, take care and good night everybody!

~moey out~

2009-02-02T22:05:00.001+08:00

Wonderful Journey!

Today marked the final presentation of our internship in NParks and all 13 of us had a great and enjoyable time. Nerves were flying everywhere yesterday and this morning before the show started, and just like any other presentation, there were bouts of nervousness all around. But being youth, we all coped and adapted quickly to the situation and enjoyed presenting our experiences to everybody. Hahahaha, really glad that a few of our lecturers turned up to support us as well, and it was good to see all their faces after such a long time.

It has been a wonderful journey indeed. These 6 months really changed us all a lot, and we benefitted a lot from this programme as a whole. I doubt that any of us regretted joining NParks for our internship, and I'm really glad that listened to Mr Saiful and joined.

I can safely speak on behalf of everyone that this has been a great experience working together, and it really put a smile on my face to see that all of us enjoyed ourselves today. We were once strangers, but after this 6 months, we really bonded together, especially towards the end, and I'm really really happy to see everyone mingling with each other. It just warmed my heart, and I'm not exaggerating here at all; we had a good time on the bus when travelling around, and I'm sure that we won't forget this for a long time to come. =)

PS: Happy 20th Birthday Ben!!! WooooohoooO!!
PPS: Thanks Ayun for helping me with the favour! =D

~moey out~

2009-02-01T17:40:00.000+08:00

7 days to go.

7 days from now, most of us will be relishing the freedom from out internship. Now, I am not saying that our internship is not pleasing, because I personally learnt a whole bunch of things which I did not about back in school, and I'm sure that everybody agrees that internship is something which is actually quite enjoyable when you look back at it.
With the closure of our attachment nearing, it will start new chapters of our lives. Some of us will be deciding where to go after the attachment, some will go back to school to finish whatever they have yet to learn, and some others will be serving the nation soon. Whatever the case may be, it certainly has been a great 6 months, and I must say that it flew by quite quickly, now that it's almost the end. It definitely did not seem fast during the internship, but looking back, new friendships have been made and existing ones have been made stronger as well.
With the festive season over, everything is dying down for those in the private sector as well, so it's good that everything is coming to a good close.

Just 7 more days to the end of our 6 month internship, 7 more days to enjoy working, 7 more days to learn things from our superiors and 7 more days to the next chapter of our lives.

~moey out~

2009-01-25T23:08:00.002+08:00

Mass
Spams
Jams

Wow man, it's finally the eve of the lunar new year. Everybody's out and about doing all their last minute shopping, some going for reunion dinners, some just staying at home doing their thing. Hahahaha, but whatever the case, the whole island will be crowded the whole day tomorrow. Visitations!!! What else? So the whole mass of Chinese citizens will be going around visiting our elders and relatives. Red packets being exchanged at a rate of unbelievable proportion, hahaha. It's going to be a whole tiring day for most of us, and just like Hari Raya, it means food, food, FOOD!!! Wooohoooo, I miss my Bak kua so badly, hahaha, and even though the prices have shot up, I will at least try to get my hands on a few pieces at the very minimal. All the other New Year goodies just comes along with the whole package, and it will be a whole day of just stuffing our faces silly, and then worry about how fat you are the next day(hint hint marky,HAHHAH)

Of course, just like any big festive occasion, there will be loads and loads of sms-es which will be sent out around this time right now. I hope the network will not be jammed by the million over sms-es being spammed out in one milisecond. Hahaha, but I don't think they will jam up too bad, hopefully. And of course, jams do not just occur in the text message highway, but as well as the vehicular highway as well. Tomorrow will be a day filled with jams as well, because COE prices have been dipping ocne again by the low demand of cars at the moment, so now people are starting to get new cars once again, so like my mum puts it: "Ya lor, the roads will be jammed like Bangkok liao, so many cars." So not looking forward to travelling on the roads tomorrow, but ah well, it happens once a year, so it's not a bad deal anyways.

Alright, so here's wishing all of you out there:

A BLESSED PROSPEROUS CHINESE NEW YEAR!!

And for those of you who are nto celebrating, it's a really really long weekend and it means more sleeping in, more free time, more relaxing!!! Wooo, hahahaha, sounds so fun! Whatever your case is, just enjoy yourself and have a great week ahead! =)

~moey out~

2009-01-21T21:36:00.004+08:00

The Big Two-Oh

Well, having your birthday start with a number '2' is not too bad. Hahahaha. I think that it's a time where things will get tougher, more serious, and of course, more fun as well. Firstly, before I go rambling on, just want to thank every one of you who sms-ed me in the millions(one was even in malay! hahaha, what can I say, I'm half malay too~), tagged me, wrote on my wall, presents, cakes and all the weird stuff like asking me about my alter-ego, and all the other stuff. Thank you all!! =D
After coming into this world after 20 years and 18hours later, I have come a long long way from a little kid. But hey, I'm STILL a kid at heart, hahaha. Not much happened today because it's the middle of the week, with CNY coming up, reports to submit, posters to beautify, but hey, one thing I'm glad about is that I'm done with all of these, so I can sleep well tonight! =D
Nothing much to talk about now, cause I'm expecting some crazy guys over for who-knows-what, so I guess I won't be sleeping early tonight.

Anyway I was talking to my mum in the car on the way home, and we were just talking about my attachment. Then we shifted to talking about all the other plant lovers on attachment, and she said she missed all you characters! Hahaha, awwww, she misses you all! Hope all of you are doing fine and keep going for the remainder of these three weeks!! =)

And anyway, there are also about a few more million people celebrating their birthdays today, so a big shout out to all of you who have January 21st as your birthday! A beautiful day to celebrate it! =D

~moey out~

2009-01-14T18:50:00.003+08:00

Seen the recent 7-UP Revive advertisement on the roads?
Well, mine is:

''Completing reports on time is a competitive sport.''

~moey out~

2009-01-09T20:54:00.005+08:00

*The Little Nonya alternate ending airing on Sunday at 9.55pm only on Channel 8!*

Guess the viewers really want to see a happily-ever-after moment.

And I can't believe that I have 2 posts talking about something which I don't even watch, hahaha. All the media's fault, LOL. =/

~moey out~

2009-01-05T20:52:00.002+08:00

The door closes with a loud bang.

The instant the plastic bags of food touch the old wooden table,
"Jon! Change to channel 8! So sorry, but I want to watch the Nonya show, today last episode!"
"Your show can watch other weeks, today last episode, 2 hour special, must watch!"

I have no idea why this show is so popular, neither do some of my friends, but hey, we can't speak for all the other 1 million other people who dutifully follow this drama serial. Indeed, to day is the final episode for the Nonya show, and I bet that a million other television sets are tuned in to this channel as well, is yours one of them?

~moey out~

2008-12-31T19:28:00.006+08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

2008 has passed so quickly, so many things have happened as well. Events which affected the world both positively and negatively. Even ourselves have been affected by these events, and not just worldwide events, but also the growth of the individual. We have grown up so much, some more than others, but we all have matured in one way or another, and it's really great to see all the changes from the beginning of this year up till this last day of the year. We all have learnt so much and mistakes have been made over and over again, but from these constant mishaps, new lessons can be drawn from them, and improvement filled the temporary gap of discouragement.

I personally have gone through so many bad times, sometimes, it just feels really bad and lousy, but from these I learnt that He somehow carried me through these tough times. I am absolutely sure that there will be so many more difficult situations which I will go through next year, and I just want to wish all my friends out there a really HAPPY NEW YEAR and enjoy yourselves as much as you can!

I just want to leave you all with this poem, some have heard it before, some have not, but this really touched me and it helped me get through the tough times in life: =)

~Footprints~
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed He was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from His life. For each scene He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to Him and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of His life flashed before Him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of His life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of His life.

This really bothered Him and He questioned the LORD about it. "LORD you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied, "my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." - Margaret Powers

~moey out~

2008-12-28T21:48:00.002+08:00

The final youth service in EXPO for 2008, and essentially forever! Ah man, the last time I will be attending service with everyone else, because we are making a big move from 3 services, and squeezing everybody into 1 single service. So I will be with my boys during the service, so I will miss the Rah-Rah-Rah atmosphere which I absolutely look forward to every week. But nonetheless, a lot of things will change/ have already changed for 2009, so it will be an action-packed year to come! XD

Well, just a mini post to add to this bloggy. =)

~moey out~

2008-12-21T22:14:00.003+08:00

Alright! Wooohooo!! Sorry, I'm kind of hyper today because, well, I just feel hyper today. What have I been up to recently over this weekend? I will tell you all later, but last Friday, I was supposed to go for Mel's BBQ at her place with the rest of the plant lovers, but so sorry! Last minute arrangements for my Christmas party was made, so so sorry! Hope you all enjoyed yourselves, but my dear Ina said:"Aiya, you come then more fun what" *AWWWWWW* Hahahaha, my apologies, this week can meet up, no worries!
So preparations were done on Friday night, and Saturday was the Christmas Party. Honestly, it was the first party which I liked, because the past few ones were with adults, so there was a little awkwardness on my part, but yesterday, it was mostly youth, so it was really really good. And I really enjoyed myself because I contributed to part of the planning, and was able to help with carol singing, so I really feel so good about it.
Small group of us, but got to know so many more people. Just want to thank my whole cell group for putting in effort and time to make this possible, and of course to God, who oversaw the whole process from start to finish.

This is my surprise gift during the gift exchange, and among that whole mess of vermiculite, are Petunia seeds, which my brother Dickson specially bought, and ensured that I was the one holding it in my hands, hahahah! Thanks! I will try and grow it as best I can.

Well, small group of us, but still had a wonderful time together and a good celebration with my dear friends.

More festive occasions to come, but till then, here's wishing every single person out there:

A very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! =P

~moey out~

2008-12-10T21:44:00.005+08:00

BUCKLE UP!!

Belt -noun: a band of flexible material, as leather or cord, for encircling the waist

Hahaha, of all days, I forgot to bring home my belt after bathing after work, fortunately left it in the office, so not too bad. Even so, I forgot to bring wear my belt! You might be thinking: OI! just walk back into the office and get it right? Well, I was outside the office, which was already locked, so I had to go back home in loose shorts. Oh man, it was the most uncomfortable thing in the world for me.
Fortunately, my mum came to pick me up to go for dinner, so it settled the journey back home. And while walking, I had to keep both hands in the pockets, one hand was not enough, yes, that's how badly loose the shorts was. Furthermore, I have my mother laughing at me all the way from work to dinner, through dinner, and all the way home. Hahahaha, some mum, but hey, she was THAT close to maikng me carry things on both hands (which of course meant that my shorts would just slide off -_-'')
So ya, hahaha, just an interesting and hilarious thing to add here, and please BRING YOUR BELTS wherever you go if you are wearing loose shorts!

~moey out~

2008-12-07T20:45:00.002+08:00

C's everywhere

IT'S been such a LONG time since I last touched this blog. Even my mum(yes, she reads my blog) also pointed out that my last post was way back in November. AHHH!!! Hahahaha, sorry, too occupied with reports and games =P
Anyways, so since I haven't blogged for eons, this might be a lenghty one, but it will be as long as my fingers can type, hahaha.

Alright, so it's the 3rd week of our attachment in the 4th month at the Gardens, honestly, it's really slow and clam at the nursery, which, by the way, is OUT of limits to the public, but people still stray inside with that trademark 'lost' look on their face. Now I know what everyone is talking about when they mention the slow lifestyle in the nursery, and even though I'm all alone inside, I feel that i get some, wait, A LOT of alone time, they just flew pass really quickly and the day is over, so it doesn't feel lonely at all. So Christmas decorations are mostly up in the Gardens, so all of you can go down and enjoy the beautiful stuff which we help put up, and see if you can squeeze in a compliment note to us interns as well =P

Friday was my checkup for NS as well, and it went well actually. Me and Syarizman went down early to see if we could do the checkup quicker, and indeed we could, wooohooo!! Furthermore, we were the last to enter the room just before it closed, so there was hardly anyone behind us, so it wasn't that crowded. Everything went smoothly and I'm going in as PES A, yes, a big fat 'A', so it means that there's nothing wrong with me or my body. (Now don't go around saying how perfect I am, hahahahaha, so not true)
PS: hahahaha, sorry Man for making you eat that burger, hashbrown and milo, MAAF!!!

After the checkup was the clique dinner date with everyone, so went down to support everybody taking their NAPFA, because it also fell on my checkup date, so I had to try and book another test date. Anyways, the test really lasted 3 hours long( yes, I counted) and I was surprised that it really took that long, but anyways, had a really good and filling meal at Seoul Garden at Marina Square. It was a bit steep, but it was alright considering that the company I had was really good and we really had a good time catching up with anyone and everyone. Of course, we had to have the trademark chatting session at Starbucks, and Nisa's discount was no exception. But honestly, it was a really really short gathering, no thanks to the NAPFA test, which is also causing a lot of people to hurt from the exertion from the physical activity, hahahaha. Hope I won't turn up like that. =X Sadly no pictures yet, because the photo banks are not anywhere in sight of the MSN 'online' category, so I guess it'll have to wait.

Saturday was another eventful day. Morning went with my BB company to the Sharity Gift Box at our HQ, went late but still the operations have not started yet, so it wasn't too bad. Had a good time chatting with my juniors because it's been about half a year since I last saw them, so it was good to show my face again. So Gabriel and I went to drop some of our Boys to various CC's at the East side of the island, and I tell you, Gab's driving is CRAZY!! Hahahaha, we were all squeezed into a van, and it was not some nice van as well. Hahahaha, wooooo~ but it was a good ride to just while away the time before he dropped me at TP, where I met up with my other crazy group of guys.

Rino needed our help with his FYP, and he had this really cool idea and concept. Everything was down and drawn out for us to take a look, Haris,Fiz, Daryll and myself were to be the actors for his animation. Of course our handsome faces will not be in the animation, but our body postures will be, so we were given various scenes to act out, and it was really cool to help out ,even though we will not be inside. But still, our actions WILL be showcased, so look out for his final work in this space, I know it'll be way cool and well done. (now just have to coax that bugger to show his work to me =P) Anyways, thanks to him as well for treating us to a humungous Ballsy stacker burger after the shooting at BK. Thanks bro!!

Of course, everyone has already heard of the dramatic drop of the COE (Certificate Of Entitlement) prices to a whopping S$2, and seas of people flocking to buy cars again, and of course, my mum also did. Hahahaha, and we now have a new car, wooohooo!! And at a reasonable price as well, so it's not too bad considering that huge rise in COE prices soonafter. Really glad we have the new car, because the older one was kinda rattling at some points of time, so not too secure anymore.

So now I guess my fingers have ringed in to tell me that they are about to call it a day here, so I'll not type much more, only to tell all of you: Have a great week ahead and God Bless every single one of you people!!!!!~~

~moey out~

2008-11-21T21:03:00.002+08:00

It's reaching the end of the year, and of course, the thing that comes to mind during this period of time is rain and snow! Well, rain for our matter, but still, a cold atmosphere is really a change from the humid and warm air we are so used to. Yay for the cold winds and rain! =D

~moey out~

2008-11-15T07:51:00.001+08:00

.Wonder what it's like to see the world from its little point of view.

2008-11-14T20:22:00.002+08:00

It's been such a long long time since I touched this web page, but since I'm already here, I might as well make the most use of it.

Today marks the half way point of my attachment programme. It's really amazing how time flies, and looking back on when we first started in the Gardens, I really think we all have grown outwardly as well as inwardly. I used to dislike the feeling of perspiration, and I still do now, but having gone through all the different aspects of job scopes and requirements during work, I realise how hard it is to maintain such a big place, so those little beads of water and sodium do not really matter that much, compared to all the work put in by everybody who has worked there longer than I have.
Since I'm on the topic of people working there, I'm really glad to have worked with the supervisors so far. They have really been a lot of help to me, and a lot of information has been drained out of them due to all our questioning and curiosity, and sometimes just plain ignorance, hahaha *Guilty*. They are actually more fun than I expected, they are just like any of us, wanting to relax at times, play around, make a fool of ourselves, they can be fun, crazy, lame, funny and insane all at any one time. All I can say is that I'm very happy to learn from these bosses.
Let's not forget the 60 plus contract workers who work their guts out to earn money, only to send it back to their families back in their home country. These guys are actually the backbone of the Gardens as well because they are literally the hands and feet which allows the Gardens to function properly, without them, heavy work and mundane tasks cannot be done efficiently. I really salute all of them (even though I don't know all of them yet). They are also really funny, caring and basically good-natured people, and despite the communication breakdown, it's comforting to know that they are working for genuine purposes and doing it so well.

I know, I know, a lot of words in this post, but it's really satisfying to know that half of the attachement is history, and a lot of friends have been made throughout this short period. It might sound weird, but I can stay at home playing my computer games everyday and become really good at playing, but I find that by working during these 3 months was really enjoyable, and the fun is only half-enjoyed. There is still 3 more months to go, a lot more things to learn, more ropes to grapple and of course more reports to write as well, hahahahaha. =X

Ah well, let's just enjoy the weekends and rest up for the next upcoming week shall we?

~moey out~

2008-11-04T21:10:00.004+08:00

B is for Birthdays
E is for Economy, Elections & Expressways

Tomorrow will be Calvin's 21st birthday!!! For us guys, the 21st birthday isn't really much of a cause for celebration because we don't spend a whole year planning what to do for the the big two-one. Our family celebrated his birthday together with my grandfather who also will be having his on Friday. Tomorrow Cal will be going through the last and final test before he graduates to become a PTI(Physical Training Instructor). Really kudos to him for having made it all this way thus far, so tomorrow will be his big day! Really praying for him and I know he will be able to pass it and come out to teach/torture newbies who enter NS (me for example =X).
*This just in!! Calvin passed his PTI test, and will definitely be moving on to torturing new recruits in NS!!!! =D*

Well, of course all of us are aware of the dire economic situation, I don't know what to make of it because one one hand, everybody seems to be pressing the panic button(PRESS PRESS PRESS!!!) on their endangered investments, and losing money in the process. But on the other hand, things like fuel prices are dropping, so good news for drivers and even passengers aboard planes. Because of the dropping oil prices, fuel surcharges will be lowered as well because there is no need for the flight companies to charge extra for something which is getting cheaper by the day. So will there be clear days ahead for the conomy? Well, I don't have the answer, so don't ask me. =/

Today also marks the first day of the US presidential elections. And after 21 whole months of campaiging and getting people to like you, Senator Obama and McCain can only sit back and twidle their thumbs while waiting for the millions(about 100 million or so) of Americans to vote for their favourite leader, and possibly the new president of the US. I personally don't really follow the race to the white house, so the number of comments I have is the number of plants I have at home; Three. So anyways, this will definitely mark the turning point for the US as well as the whole world. Let's just wait and see what happens when the votes are in, because I am quite sure that there will be quite a few re-counting sessions for the votes.

*Obama has won the US elections!!! Being the very first African-American to take a seat in the White House.*

Lastly, I just want to touch on something closer to home: expressways. The LTA teamed up with Mediacorp radio to bring across more traffic reports to the driving community of Singapore. I was on the way home with my mum just now, and I heard this report on the radio:

''Heavy traffic from the TPE to the AYE at the exit of SLE heading to Tuas.''

Now, I am NOT making fun of the LTA or Mediacorp, but I personally was astonished at how many acronyms of expressways can pop up in one sentence. Hahahaha, yikes!! My mum and I were staring at each other because we didn't know what to make of the report. She was trying to figure out which part of Singapore this was, and I just literally LOL-ed because I'm so glad I don't drive,yet, so I don't really need to bother about such things. But when I DO drive, I will be so worried when such a report comes out because I hardly know which expressway I'm travelling on, and with so many intersections and exits, it's all just a blur to me. Well, that was an interesting thing which brought a good end to this day.

PS: All statements with * were just updated 24 hours after this entry.

~moey out~

2008-10-26T20:34:00.002+08:00

Well, a really long weekend this time. 3 whole days of relaxation and recuperation, and I am SO glad that there is no work tomorrow. Not that I hate it, but I guess working non-stop is really draining, and weekends such as this is excellent to re-energise the whole being.

The economic situation is also taking a swin in the deep end of the pool which doesn't really have any lifeguards, hahahaha. But all comedy aside, I don't really know how bad this will get, what with all the bad news and ever-dropping market shares and mumbo jumbo which I have absolutely no idea what they're all about. All I know is that the prices of certain things will increase while others decrease, and that's about it I guess, hahaha. Ah well, I don't know what else to say about this issue though.

On a lighter note, this weekend has been a worry-less one, and I'm really glad that there is still one more last day before the work week starts all over again. Learnt a lot since my last post here and I'm so so thankful that nothing bad has happened yet. But I believe that it will not so smooth sailing all the way, challenges will definitely be thrown at me for a particular reason: Moulding, but I like to call it Pruning (which is much more relatable to some of us). While others see it as a 'why must I go through this torture' moment, I guess it's actually a way that God uses to mould our character. All this pruning will eventually pay off, like how you would prune a tree, it will eventually turn out the way you want it to, likewise, we will turn out just like that. Hahaha, yea, I might sound preachy and all, but I just want to pen this down to help me remember things like these. Pruning will initially be painful and ugly, we all go through these kind of moments, and most of us complain, even I do, but I learnt that complaining is not really the way to go. Just bite your teeth, just go through it, and then reflect on the stuff which you did. It won't be easy during the process, but I feel that when we go through these obstacles, we come out stronger, character-wise. I was taught that the character is THE most important thing which God looks out for, not the car which you own, not the big bank account you have and not even the multi-million dollar house you live in. It is this intangible thing which is important, and it's something which we all have, just whether we want to develop it, or just throw it aside whenever we like.
Hahaha, I might come across as the good and innocent guy, but I also have my own flaws, so don't come and say that I'm perfect, because I'm so far from it, hahaha.

Hahaha, I guess this little post ends here, my sermon is done, HAHAHA.... ah well, just wishing everyone a good week ahead and a very Happy Deepavali as well!!

~moey out~

2008-10-15T20:41:00.002+08:00

Jeepers Creepers

It's already the middle of this week, time really flew by this particular week. Well, all over Singapore, creeping plants can be found all over and, sadly, sometimes some creepers end up as weeds in a particular area instead. Although they can bear extremely extravagant flowers and foilage, some places just cannot fit all these different plants in such a small place. With all these plants growing over each other, dead plant matter just accumulates, and a small thug will release a truckload of dead leaves and branches on you.
The amount of climbers is astounding, and it's quite amazing that these plants are able to grow and creep on themselves, hahahaha, talk about holding your own weight.

Anyways, it's already reaching the end of this week, and a whole lot more things to learn every single day. Alright then, take care everyone and rejoice, for the rainy season is upon us!

~moey out~

2008-10-08T19:43:00.002+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARKY CHOOOO!!!!

So fast another birthday this month, hahahaha.
20 full years, a lot more years to come as well. Thanks for all the laughter and fun you brought to us, especially yours truly. Really glad that I know you and a true brother in Christ, if only you were my real brother, hahaha, ah well, thanks anyways for always being there when needed, stay healthy, stay happy, but most of all, don't stay single!!! LOL =P

~moey out~

2008-10-04T10:36:00.003+08:00

Now everybody's releasing new touchscreen phones, they're really cool and interesting, but all the major handphone makers keep releasing new phones at one shot, it's just overwhelming. First it was LG with the Viewty, then Sony Ericsson, the Apple with the iPhone, now it's Nokia with an iPhone look-alike.

Guess everything's going to go touchscreen, from food menus, to computer monitors, to microwaves and maybe, just maybe, toilet seats. I won't be surprised that they already exist right now. Maybe even textbooks will become touchscreen, so kids can just scroll their fingers over a screen to flip to a certain chapter or something, and typing on a keyboard can be done on your bed, while your monitor is actually projected on your room's wall. The prospect of it sounds very very cool, but then human beings will just become lazier by the day, and soon, the depiction of humans in WALL-E will really come true. Anyhows, I guess we will just wait and see how long humans can control technology before the roles are reversed(sounds like some Terminator story line)

Let me leave you all with this: Technology is an essential component in out lives(hey, it's enabling me to blog this entry now), but will it become such a big part of our lives that we start to lose the authentic human touch?
-Food for thought, maybe you can throw in a dessert while you're thinking as well.-

~moey out~

2008-10-01T00:11:00.003+08:00

HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY TO MOHAMAD ELFIE!!!!!!!!

Hahahaha, finally your birthday has arrived!!! Enjoy yourself and stay crazy as always man!! =P

~moey out~

2008-09-27T21:11:00.002+08:00

Right now, nothing beats a good weekend rest at home. During each week, so many things happen, so many new things to learn, so many new things to absorb. So weekends are really precious for rest and recuperation, and preparations have to be made for the upcoming week once again. Hahahaha, ah man, I miss school, not the projects and all, but just the atmosphere of the whole place, lecture theatres, hanging out with friends, canteens, breaks between lessons, and of course, not-so-long schooling hours. Apart from that, work kind of makes up for the rest of it. No doubt a lot of things has to be done, but it's not as stressful as schooling. Oh well, entering the working world is really this tough I suppose.

Now I really know what my parents mean when they say:"Jon, you better enjoy your schooling life as much as possible hor, next time you come out to work, you see how stressful and tough it is lor."

~moey out~

2008-09-21T21:02:00.003+08:00

The end of the first month of attachment. Done with trees, now moving on to smaller plants shorter than me.
Really glad to have recovered from my illness and my bowels are back to normal.
Weather is starting to become a killer.
Had a great birthday celebration for Zailan, with Syarizman, even though it was only 3 of us. HAPPY 19TH YO!!!
Had a really good rest over the weekend.
Finally my cell group leader brought his prospective girlfriend to church and cell group! WoooohoooO!!! Hahahaha, finally man.
Drank coffee after a long long time.

7 things which have left impressions in my head regardless big or small. =)

~moey out~

2008-09-15T13:30:00.002+08:00

I should be at work right now, but I'm not due to a really really bad fever last night. My whole body was feeling extremely tired and worn out, and I think it's the first time feeling like that. I really hate it, and I know I will recover before tomorrow. I don't think missing work is very good though. Hahahaha, but on the other hand, I can feel more refreshed for tomorrow, and I wonder what we will be doing. I actually still wanted to go to work today, but my mum forced me to stay at home, and when we went to the doctor's, she actually requested the doctor to take a blood sample from me to confirm that I'm nto having dengue. Ahhhhh!! Hahaha, it was insane to even think that I have that illness, but it's all for safety I guess.
Anyhows, really thankful for all your prayers for recovery, thank you thank you.

Results were also released this morning, and like always, I'll just put it up: (in order of grades)

~AD~ Effective Negotiation
~AD~ World Issues: A Singapore Perspective
~A+~ Landscape Design III
~A+~ Leisure & Park Management
~A~ Plant Identification
~A~ Final Year Project
~A~ Project Management
~B+~ Horticultural Engineering
~B~ Turf Management

Grade-Point-Average: 3.8438

Hahaha, honestly, it turned out very well, and I'm so thankful that my results are this good. I know it's still not as good as other people, but I realised that a lot of work has been put into this semester, and I'm glad it all paid off.
Would I be happier if I got better results? Of course (who won't?)
Getting distinctions in IS modules is something which is very common for me, and it would have been better if it was for a higher grade module, but I guess this shows that I get really good team members for my IS classes even though I don't really know them that well. For engineering, I wasn't expecting much, so that B+ is something which I'm contented with. Maths is something for all the other engineering people out there, I think I'll stick to plants. Hahahaha.

Well, I couldn't ask for anything more, and I'm very thankful for all His help in everything. Now I guess all that's left is this final semester of attachment, but I don't know how I'll fair, so I'll just give it my best to make it through all the way.
Ok, I need to go rest once again, need to fully recover before tomorrow, bye bye!

~moey out~

2008-09-13T21:41:00.002+08:00

Sleep & Sombreros

Well, the weekends are almost over as fast as they arrived. Another week flew by for IAP, did a lot of the same things, and getting better I might add. I know that this page is really inactive compared to the schooling days, and it can't be helped, because this is what I ALWAYS do after I step through my house door: bathe, unpack, eat dinner (if necessary), pack, check email, sleep. I hardly have any time to chat with friends, let alone blogging, so I guess this will be the most I will blog each week: once (or twice if I have the extra time on hand).

It'll be the final week before switching our respective sections and, of course, our job scopes as well. But I had a really good sleep today, and thankfully, I didn't automatically wake up at 8am. Had a relaxing time at home, then headed out to celebrate my Ah Yi's birthday! Hahaha, woohooo~! I can still remember exactly 1 year ago, where we went to Hog's Breath to celebrate for her, now, it's in Dempsey Hill, coincidentally opposite Botanic Gardens. We all had mexican food, and it was really delicious. The price was a little steep, but once a year isn't all that bad. That whole place is place for a late night out, and wine bars are everywhere in this kampong-turned-atas/chic eating place.

Alright then, I need to get to bed soon, (yes yes, I'm like a small kid, have to sleep early), chat with you all soon!

Happy Birthday Ah Yi~!!

~moey out~

2008-09-05T19:58:00.002+08:00

Cakes of clay

~interfacelift.com~

It's finally the weekends once again, and also marks the end of Week 2 of IAP. Honestly, this week passed really quickly. Even though it was extremely tiring, it somehow ended fast, and it's already Friday night. Amazing how time flies when you don't look at it. The weather has also played a supportive role as well, and the erratic behaviour, much like a small child, helped and paralyzed operations as well. Hahaha, part of me welcomed the rain, and the other part hoped that the rain would stop so it wouldn't be so muddy, which still happened anyways.
Why do I say Cakes of clay? Well, when planting, the soil around the area is actually quite clayey, so whenever I dig up a whole chunk of clayey soil, it struck me how appropriate it is to call it cakes of clay, since they are so huge, layered, and of course, made of clay. Hahaha, furthermore, today is also Shiwei(one of our supervisors) birthday, so we celebrated with a cake of rum and chocolate. I'm not a big fan of liquor, but the chocolate helped. And its a little weird when you celebrate a supervisor's birthday when you're not very close with her yet, but honestly, her smile is really sweet, no wonder she's already engaged =P

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHIWEI!!!!

So I'm off to enjoy my weekend, and I'll blog again soon (which will be next week I guess, hahahhahhhahaha =P)

~moey out~

2008-08-30T08:37:00.002+08:00

Good morning everyone! Hahaha, I guess I'm so used to waking up so early, that I cannot sleep any longer today even though I was thinking of sleeping in. But nonetheless, I didn't have to wake up to an alarm blaring in my ear.

Finally the weekends are here, and I can at least enjoy myself a little before going back to work next week. Hope everyone else is doing well in their respective attachment, and for those of you who have holidays, lucky lucky you!! Hahaha, oh well, enjoy while you all can!!

~moey out~

2008-08-25T20:37:00.002+08:00

Aches & pains

Examinations are finally over, what a relief! Somehow, I feel confident of both papers, and even though I didn't so that well in the Engineering paper, I still think that I did as best as I could given my weak mathematical background. =P So had a brief weekend of somewhat relaxation, and prepared for my next 6 months at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Today was day 1, and honestly, I thought that this IAP at SBG would be a really tough and demanding one............ and well............... I was right. Hahahaha, oh man, I tell you, the whole park is extremely huge, and there are places that we, seasoned HLM pupils, don't even know about! Like wha~! Hahaha, we had an orientation tour of the WHOLE, I mean WHOLE park, which took us the full day of walking/running up and down the whole park. Starting the real work tomorrow, and like I told the rest: Only 5 months and 30 days to go!!

~moey out~

2008-08-21T20:14:00.002+08:00

1 down, 1 more last paper to go tomorrow!! Muahahahaha, I'm so glad that I can stop using my calculator for now, phew. Turf, here I come!!! =)

~moey out~

2008-08-20T08:11:00.003+08:00

Hahaha, yupyup, so this our video for my FYP project. Very fun video, and a good introduction to what we have done from the start of this semester to this point. You can really see the transformation from an abandoned piece of land, to a beautiful garden taking shape. A lot of work has been put into this FYP, and I do hope you all enjoy it!!! XD Thanks to Ben for uploading this once again!!

~moey out~

2008-08-17T22:08:00.002+08:00

Our Balloon Buddy.

Complements from Dickson and myself. =)

~moey out~

2008-08-15T19:01:00.003+08:00

FYP Feevaaaaa....

Finally, after a whole semester, today is really the last day for every single thing a schooling student should worry about, leaving the last hurdle to cross; exams! Today's FYP presentation went very well actually, the only worry for me was that all the important people didn't turn up on time, but thankfully, they arrived just in the nick of time, and everything fell into place soon after. Woooohooo!! I think Ben and I did a wonderful job of wrapping up this final presentation of this semester. The video (which will be posted once Ben uploads it) of us doing the work was amazing, and I could not have asked for anything more. Personally, I felt that I overdid my slides with all the brushes and all, but I guess it's alright in the end, because we were presenting to Mr Saiful, so we could be a little more casual compared to all the other FYP groups.

Well, I dare say that all of us had a really good time throughout this 4 months of hard work, sweat, tears, anger, frustrations, happiness and of course, satisfaction after looking back at our progress and result. WE DID GOOD!!
Really glad that we all made it through, and although 1 of us didn't really make it, I guess the majority of us are glad that we did it, hahaha.

1st row (from left): Ebellia, Yan Shan, Qian Yi, MinYi, Mr Saiful, Daniel
2nd row (from left): Gregory, Ben, Poh Chuan(his birthday was yesterday by the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CO-LEADER!!!!!!), yours truly, Hanif

Candid shot!!!!!~~~

Cheese cheese!!! (Literally a cheese standing in the middle, hahahahaa!)

Final thanks to everyone who came to support us(when we were still doing our FYP, as well as today), now let's study hard for our exams and make it through to our IAP!!!! AHHHHHH~~

Oh, and I just read that Singapore has FINALLY won an Olympic medal as well!!!! WoooohooO!!!! At least a silver in table tennis, and after 40 years, FINALLY!!! Hahahaha, good job by the whole table tennis team!! Guess it'll make big headlines even if we only get a silver, but gold is that tad bit more shiny, hahaha.

~moey out~

2008-08-14T20:27:00.002+08:00

3....2....1....GO!

What a week it has been; rushing for our FYP report and presentation which are both due tomorrow. Honestly, I thought we had to a lot of last minute work. but turns out that I'm done with everything already. I'm just typing this because I cannot get my hands off the keyboard, woooo, hahahaha. This is one of the few times when I'm proud of my work, both for the report and the presentation preparations. I guess you cannot compromise anything for one of the most important presentations in your life, and right now is our FYP presentation.
Very glad to have worked with so many new people and so many different ways of solving problems. Had a lot of fun together, if only all of us had a bit more time together. So now I'm just chilling, and waiting for the final moment where Wen Xiang and I go up to present. I totally agree with Wen Xiang that this is our finest work we have done so far,hahaha, wooohooo!!! A lot has gone into the presentation and report, so I really hope Mr Saiful appreciates it all.

The final countdown indeed.

~moey out~

2008-08-12T23:42:00.002+08:00

..Words galore..

Hahaha, exactly one week ago, my work at my computer was design intensive, right now, its all about words! Just complete 90% of my FYP report in about 6hrs. Not a bad achievement, and I'm really thankful to everyone who have helped to do their part and passed it to me on time somemore, thanks a lot you guys, and even to my Friend on high who helped me as well!! It really made my job that much easier, so now I'm off to catch up on sleep, and I'm really glad that everything is coming to an end.

~moey out~

2008-08-09T19:21:00.002+08:00

The Singapore Spirit

The Singapore Spirit indeed. 43 years ago, we were once a dependent nation, but 43 years on, we are here to day right here and now, as a cosmopolitan and modern city and society. We have really come a very long way from being a swamp village to one of Asia's most(if not the most) modern city state. Prosperous and safe, our little homeland is one chilli padi not to be messed around with. Yes, we might be a small country, yes we might have no natural resources at all, and yes we might not be the most influential country of all time, but we DO have the things which we are all familiar with - determination, perseverence, a stable economy, a secure nation, a peaceful society with so many different people from different backgrounds. All of whom come from all over the world to settle down here, a hotpot of different cultures and customs, and yet, we still find a way around all these different things and breach the gap between each individual.

I am watching the National Day performance right now, and I know it might sound extremely cliche, but everytime I see the flashbacks of Singapore's past and how much we have grown as a country, I can't help but feel this tingly sensation all over and a smile creeps up ever so slightly. It's times like these that we all hardly feel anymore, and I think such occasions should be experienced every single year. I can still remember 8 years ago when I was at the National Day parade, and that feeling has never faded at all. The full spectrum of senses hits you right in the face, from the loud roars of the jet engines of the Black Knights overhead, the sight of vivid bright colours of the performances, the ever-so-familiar taste of your favourite snack in the goodie-bag, the feel of perspiration all over from sitting down for over 5 hours straight, and the smell of excitment from every single person involved in the parade. All of these things, some comfortable and others not, add up to a spectacular experience at the parade. Even right at home, you can hear the planes roarring past your windows and the ever-so-familiar sound of the much-anticipated fireworks just stir you up and gets the patriotic mood going. Furthermore, those nostalgic songs we are all familiar with just keep coming back year after year after year, and now in remix versions as well. How can anybody not like the National Day Parade at all? Even the most un-patriotic person will find something interesting, hahahaha.

Yes, this post might sound extremely patriotic and all, but this is my country, and this is my homeland, and I just love it. My shout-out to all those who always make the Parade a wonderful one, and I guess it's something which will always be in our hearts.

~moey out~