The road not taken

Two roads diverged in a wood and I...

I took the one less travelled by and that has made all the difference.

These meaningful lines were taken from a poem written by Robert Frost, and how well it reflects life! Everyone's life is always sealed with 2 choices. A great life, or a mediocre one - which by definition, is the more commonly travelled path.

But life is such a big topic some might say... so for those who are not sure where to start, consider starting by just choosing to have a great week, day, or even just a great hour.

So...

Do you see the two roads in your life?

What went right?

Good question.

There is enough time?

Whenever an illusion of such thinking creeps up!

Stop thyself...

For when one thinks there's time to spare,

That time can easily be spared away.

Do we really have time to spare... for facebook for example.

When we are 1 hour away from an important examination?

How about if we're 1.1 hours away?

5 hours?

10?

100?

Conversely. How much preparation is enough for an important exam?

100?

10?

5?

1.1?

There is no such thing as too much time. One will only know whether our preparations should have been longer or shorter after the actual exam itself.

At least, if one fails an examination, sometimes there's the opportunity to retake it.

But what if the important task is life itself?

How much time does one need in life, to succeed in life? (Effectively how long does one need to live?)

Do we really have enough time in life? To achieve the really important things? Our life's work?

How much time will we need?

30 years? 20 years? 10 years? 1 year?

a month?

a day?

There may not be enough time...

The proof for disbelief

Is
Very
Long

Singapore Rain

The Asian rain
Sweeps down meadows
Of mountains green
And Singaporean
Windows

Forte
the wind cries
the clouds do follow
and the only thing resisting
windows...

Life the chess game

I noticed that the only time I'm ever serious is when I'm in a chess game.

Child of Mugging distraction

In the simpson's there is one episode (Last Exit to Springfield) where Homer was faced with 2 ideas in his brain.

1. Lisa needs bracers.
2. Keg of beer or free employee dental plan.

While it would have been obvious for us to see that any person of reasonable intelligence should see the relation between these 2 ideas namely, that Homer should choose the free employee dental plan because Lisa needs bracers; In the episode Homer in that instant did not realize this and it was quite amusing to watch such stupidity.

Until of course, I realized that I myself am often guilty of such idiocy as well.

Many ideas exist in our mind. Unfortunately unless we consciously try to see connections between them, compare them, or combine them, these precious ideas remain unactivated; floating, and destined to the mind's recycle bin.

With that in mind. Consider, the collector of knowledge. How smart can knowledge make a person who does not see connections between them and utilizes them? At best that person can become a walking encyclopedia. Even if homer had all the ideas conveyed in the Britannica Encyclopedia, with his level of brain activity. It is plain to see that it wouldn't make much of a difference.

Therefore dear friends. If these symptoms fit your heart too, consider changing professions... from a know it all - to a connect it all.

The end of a curse?

In retrospect, I should have just resigned earlier...

When I felt it was a dead end job.

Seriously.

It's in the genes

All gazillion of them.

Prancing about my room the banana brown beetles knock themselves out. Light is nice to the beetle... though lethal. Yeah, what to do... it's in their genes right.

Yes, and it's in my genes too or rather an interplay between my genes and environment.
Something inspired a thought in me today... what is the clearest personification of my identity? What am I now that I have always had since I was born and will continue on till the day I die?

Manifested by every cell in my body. If ever I have a soul or essence, it must be made of deoxyribonucleic acids.

What I am today is the result of a 21 year waltz between genes and reality. Yes, if I had poor nutrition for example, I would have never been able to grow up to 173 cm even though my genes would have been the same. I would also never have learnt how to swim if I hadn't had access to a swimming pool. Genes give us capacity. But having the capacity to do or be things doesn't necessarily mean that it is innate. A glass that has the capacity to contain orange juice doesn't mean that it contains orange juice. But it will have OJ though if one pours OJ into it.

so...
do you know your genes and what you're truly capable of?

Humans and Machines

Humans,
and Machines,
They're different.

Machine capacities, the more one uses them, the more they degrade. That's why we need warranties.
Human capacites, the more one uses them, the better they get. That's why there will never be warranties against change- For that change is called growth.

Also;

Machine capacities, don't use and it will inert at best
Human capacites, use it or lose it

Nothing worth having

Ever comes easily

Another grateful day

1. I'm grateful that I managed to complete viewing 5 webcast lectures in half a day.
2. I'm grateful for a renewed zest to be independent.
3. I'm grateful for loving friends.

Butterfly printer

The butterfly flutters
Lands on Printer A
How are your Printer B
Oops I am
mistaken bye now!

The butterfly pierces
The air in
The happy room
The hymn of chicken pies

Elucidate this sun
demands the butterfly
till I return
for now I'm off
to Mars

1st Day of the Tiger Year

The atmosphere of new year arrives once more. This time last year I did not come back. This time I did though.

Anyway, coming back to KL has it's good points. Sleeping on my bed aside, I get to do some shopping and tick some items off my shopping list.

random.
I'll be shameless now and record 3 things that I'm currently grateful for:
1. I'm grateful for really good buddies that I have been hanging out with for the past week. Palpably the good times we share in this life are finite and transient, but at least our memories of them will last much longer.
2. I'm grateful for renewed perspectives and self knowledge that I have discovered recently.
3. I'm grateful for the good relationship between CKL and myself and to know that she has been doing fine.

Yep and that much I will record for now.

After a long long time

Yes folks. After almost 11 months this blog has come alive again. The weeds of thoughts again spring from them fingers of mine. My comma key isn't working on my keyboard. Oh well.

Week 4 has just ended. Time passes really fast in NUS.

I'm not struggling as much as I am anxious. Anxious that my engine is not quite started yet when the race has already begun 4 weeks ago.

Education is to me perhaps... preparation to be of service.
And I shall leave it at that. as the predicate following 'perhaps...'

For it is not wise to overconceptualize things.
It is not wise to point at the moon and focus on the finger.

Whilst missing all that heavenly glory.

jet lag

jet lag, also known as kapal terbang hancur, aeroplane slow-slow, desynchronosis, is an ailment affecting me now. 

Oh how this ailment disturbs my bailiwick as a pacifist would a benevolent junta. Indeed, it is within my sphere of operation to choose the words that would lace my blog posts, as salad dressing dresses cabbage. And I'm glad that my cabbage is still tasty.

Despite the reports of the corner of my eye; sights of mid-term vultures lurking beyond the clouds of the present; I am grateful still. For today eureka has married my bailiwick.

Yet being the unnatty nut that I am. Was it ever a surprise that my bailiwick eluded me, like a dog it's tail? or mother theresa cruella de ville?

Nope. Not a surprise at all. Just that sometimes it does take a plane or 2 to crash.  

Boston

As the azure sky once again veils the portrait of night, so begins day 10 of the Harvard leg of ISAGE.

To describe my experience of Harvard in brief, I have this much to say: 

Good Exposure =)

I would be uploading photos soon, either here or on facebook. Stay tuned!

Mid December Updates

How time flies!

My first caroling experience at Tanglin Club with the NUS choir on the 4th of December. We were caroling for an event that was filled with old ladies. lol.

... and a big christmas tree!

Later that same day, went to a NUS Student Leaders' Networking session on the 4th of December at the Asian Civilizations Musuem.

Took a fancy picture on a fancy chair

People, people everywhere~

here and there...

The turn-out was pretty good! This was my first networking session. Met some old friends and made some new ones. Overall it was great. Though I should try to make sure I have name cards in future... haha.

Went for my first sponsorship meeting on the 5th of December at EmitAsia,

Outside the Emitasia office.

We discussed the collaboration area interest of both parties and the meeting ended with a second meeting to be scheduled shortly thereafter.

Went to Bugis later, tried Ceasar Salad. LoL. A bit sour, and has eggs too, lol

Oh and the Bugis fountain was quite nice too, with water shooting out and colliding. It was the first time I've seen anything like it since the last time I came it was under maintenance.

Then on the 6th of December I went night cycling with the Civil Engineering Club.


Night Cycling had always been one of these things I've wanted to do in Singapore, and so when I saw an advertisement for night cyling as Sim Chuan's personal message I literally jumped at the chance! lol. Spent a total of about 9 hours cycling. Even going through cemetaries and passing by NTU, a great experience overall. =)

NES HNEEP meeting the next day at the NES boardroom. I've been given a new job role as the Academic Executive. lol.

Oh and I went for our second sponsorship meeting with Stacey to Talentpreneur's office on the 8th of December. Unfortunately since the day coincided with Hari Raya Haji it was a public holiday and the person we were supposed to meet had a mix up and wasn't able to show up. The meeting was rescheduled to a later date. Fortunately, all was not for naught as since we were nearby chinatown, Stacey brought me to a restaurant which was famous for porridge. And so I tried some frog porridge. lol. Yep, its the first time I tried frog meat... and its quite tender.. a bit like scallop.. mmm.. eating hot frog porridge on a cold rainy public holiday morning in a traditional chinese restaurant.. quite the experience =)

Anyway, after that I basically attended choir camp for a few days, MC-ed for the Hall 11 and Raffles Hall exchange... haha it was my first time MC-ing too. Most enlightening. hehe. And I discovered that Senior Simon is in Hall 11, lol. Went caroling again with the NUS choir on the 12th and 13th at the Forum and Hilton at Orchard, as well as Marina Bay. Also went caroling with the Raffles Hall choir, which was quite fun, at whitesands. Helped out as a volunteer for RHeady's camp X'posure for underprivileged kids. And tomorrow (today) I'll be going to Heartland mall to perform some christmas music! =) This will be my last carol/unplugged performance of the year.

Yep that's about it. And oh, tmr my parents are coming to Singapore!

They're coming down for a holiday. =)
So, later they're going to fetch me back to KL. LOL no need to buy bus tickets whee~ =P

Harlo December ~

The exams ended and holidays have begun. whee~

So, semester one draws to a close~ but my work has just begun. too. Mmm.

Currently have a very owl-like biological clock.

Work. Work. Work. Currently uncluttering my laptop.

This blog needs more life...

and pictures.



and frequency!


I guess it's not feasible to make a blog entry everyday after all. Need to renounce my earlier decision then =P... Haha, oh well, we live we learn.



Hehe, wonder how's my little sister doing.

The decisive battle

Ok. So it has come to this. It's all or nothing now.

Innovation Program concluded today. Passed! 4MCs! =)
Professors gave good feedback for our project. Grateful. =)

Kinda inspired to take a level 4000 module. lol.

Rained the whole day. Car Wash auxillary totally destroyed. =P

Went with CY and Gail to see an OSA officer to negotiate an approval for a deal between RH and MS. OSA people are nice and professional - in the sense that they really do follow the regulations as best possible. Basically the negotiations concluded with the OSA officer planning to discuss the matter with her superiors before getting back to us in a week's time.

NUS Choir. Conducted sectionals with JS. Haha, simply hentam. =P
Rupa-rupa the easiest thing to do is to simply play from the piano and everyone else can normally catch it easily.

Unplugged. Practiced Guitaring accompaniment for CQ.

mmm. all or nothing...