hi mum

i realize you actually read this. you get to hear my philosophical thoughts. aren't you glad.

a leap of faith

In life, there are always two choices, always.

Some choices are easy, but some are much harder.

Most times it involves a decision between the familiar and the unknown.

And most times, we choose the easier option - to go with the familiar, to stay within our comfort zones - so we need not put in so much effort in committing to that decision. 

Or so that it will be easier to follow through on our so-called 'priorities'.

But once in awhile, there comes a choice which takes us off guard. 

It falls beyond the scope of what we've ever considered in the past.

It forces you to choose between the easy priorities you've always had or to create a new parameter.

In these instances, I take a long time to contemplate the matter.

Deep thoughts, serious thoughts - the rationale, the commitment involved, the implications.

I always hope to make the right decision. 

Some times its not always the easy one.

And some times with incomplete information, you just have to take a leap of faith.

On the same note, its time to make the hard choice of getting back to work. 

Enough of thinking, more of doing. 

9 days till finals. 

9 days of guts out slog. 

It's all good. 

The hardcore workaholic in me is pumped. 

(Or trying to be at least)

Taking that leap of faith again.

life..

It's definitely been awhile since I've blogged. But I guess i can afford myself a break from all that needs to be done; my to-do-list is not short too! It seems thanksgiving is a break much looked forward to -- something I'd be definitely giving thanks for. To catch up on work, to get fit, to move forward in achieving my little goals that will improve life at Stanford, and, maybe, just a little recreation (we could all do with some).

I just planned the week out. Seems pretty packed -- reminiscent of my secondary school and junior college days. But definitely feels good to know that I'm using my time wisely. Hopefully its adequately paced though. I resolve to only go out once this week so that I can focus on getting ahead of work instead of merely keeping up.

Things seem to be falling into a comfortable cadence. I feel the push, but not the shove. Which is good in all respects. I just need to remain as motivated as I was in the first few weeks of school.

Here we go.

pleasure and pain;

after the night of fun. i guess it's time to get back to work. here i come.

on a random note, pleasure and pain mean bring to mind so many things right now. oh the conflict.

just some thoughts.

i should be doing work, but i'm here blogging just because something came to mind.

i was pondering over how some people play the piano really well

and wished i could express myself in a similar way,

and i thought of all the effort i needed to get to that skill level.

slightly daunting, but doable.

but the next moment, i thought of the years of practice and training i've put into sports,

and how i can express myself too.

through sports.

the sheer joy i feel from playing,

the frustration when i do not perform up to expectation,

channeling my emotions into physical exertion.

oh the joy.

i shall end off with a self-made quote:

some people express themselves through music,

i express myself through sports.

some people talk about things,

i like to do things.

some people like socializing,

i like making a difference (hopefully)

perspectives from boston

I am writing this from Boston. A place of much significance and memories. (and of course great company!!)

I will attempt to recount my experience chronologically.

day one.

I attended Singsem, and met many Singaporeans at the event. I realized I do not know a lot of them but it was a good opportunity to meet people 'from the same land, in the same land'. I must say I really enjoyed Prof Mabubani's plenary on Singapore's Defence and Security. Many thought-provoking questions asked, many clear responses given. It was insightful to say the least. As much as we get to learn about Singapore, it seems that a takeaway I have gained was the motivation to work harder just so that I could become more intellectually astute. It may be a stretch but something I definitely hope to work towards and not lose sight of.

After the seminar, we had a mini-RJ gathering

Toured Harvard, and as much as the buildings were fancy and all. Somehow i think stanford has started to grow on me. And i'm loving the country club feel! =]

Had dinner at Quincy's Market,

went to the Cheesecake Factory and headed back to the backpackers lodge. Walking around Boston was a pretty nostalgic experience but I think I will talk more about the nostalgia in day two. Boston Clam Chowder was the dish of choice, since we were in boston after all. and the cheesecake was just pure sin! the long walk back to our rock and roll lodge was -well for lack of a better word- long. but we managed to get there with our nifty iphone gps-es. and the shear power of bus 11. a good day overall, a tiring one.

day two.

Some of us went to tour Harvard again, but I decided to sleep in. At lunch time, we woke up to head to Little Italy. Had pasta at a decent pasta place and got cookies from mike's place. there was a queue. so i suppose it was good huh?

Those at Harvard went to the Charles River Regatta and said it was not that exciting. So instead we went back to the Quincy area for shopping. It was quite productive. =] I got a jacket and a scarf! no prizes for guessing the colour though! (especially if you know me well enough!) Towards dinner time, we headed to chinatown and had good food at penang, a malaysian restaurant. Roti Canai, pohpiah, asam laksa, bahkuteh, chickenrice,charkwayteow, sambal kangkong, stir fry veg. DURIAN MILKSHAKE, CHENDOL, PEANUT PANCAKE. I was a happy kid.

After that we went to visit Peabody Terrace. It was so wonderful to be at a place that was all too familiar. Almost surreal. The apartment buidings are still the same, the play grounds still woodchip. The function rooms, the diagonal walk way leading to our apartment. The water fountain's gone though. Needless to say, I was taking many many pictures of the place.

Momentarily lost my bearings but soon found the familiar route Marc and i used to walk to school every day. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and an insurpressable grin on my face -- such a nostalgic experience -- I recalled all the memories I had of boston, of peabody and realised how 11 years have just flown by and I've come back to the place where i once lived on my own this time. The school was very much as i remembered it as well. Those green doors the black words on a white washed building. The play ground at the side. but i guess i didnt get to explore more since it was at night and the school was closed!

we headed back soon after, stopping by 7-11 along the way to pick up some food for the hungry. the long walk back to the backpackers inn seemed less dreary this time round and we prepared to depart for California the next morning.

also, a picture of our truly humble abode.

my first attempt at photoblogging. =P and some of the pictures are pretty terrible. I will improve on my camera skills!

looking up, looking down

i saw a poster.

on it, the player shown was looking down intently,

in what appears to control a soccer ball.

my first thought:

soccer is a sport that makes a person look down a lot,

people should focus on looking far.

(possibly my usual bias against soccer coming into play here)

my next thought:

wait, actually the good players don't look down much,

controlling the ball has become second nature to them.

and they only glance down occasionally, just to check?

what makes them good, is not just their strong fundamentals,

but because they now have the ability to look far.

to make the incisive pass, the crucial kick, the deciding goal.

my parting thought:

let's all build that foundation now,

so in the future, we can focus not on how the ball gets to the destination,

because that's trivial,

focus on where that destination should be.

on my jukebox and worth a mention:

don't let it go to your head

jordin sparks

perfect two - auburn

this shall be a trivial post.

i just discovered a new song. i like the tune. not very applicable lyrics at the moment. but that doesn't take away from the catchy tune.

out the whole day, down to work now.

ihum essay,

cme #4,

engr 15

HERE I COME!

the deafening silence - a moment of contemplation

Its a thursday night, but it is uncharacteristically quiet. A dead silence seems to blanket the whole atmosphere. I suspect it's because many people have IHUM papers due tomorrow and possibly midterms? Or maybe I'm missing some really exciting party that the whole campus is attending.

But then again, what constitutes missing out? For everything we do there is surely an opportunity cost. Today I am pretty content to stay in my room and just mull over the intricacies of life, over my priorities and over my IHUM essay (that is fortunately due on Tuesday).

I decided to look back at some of my reflections done during my UGPMET course. Growth, Influencing Others, Meaningful Work. To what extent am I subscribing to the values I purport to hold dear? I may be a poor judge in answering this question -- all I can say is that I find it very interesting that I've sequenced them as such.

Stanford has been extremely intellectually stimulating. I was commenting that the environment in which one learns cannot be more conducive. Lessons are taught with much enthusiasm, there is great clarity in the knowledge being transferred, class participation is motivates you to participate as well. Office hours are on offer when you need help. There is little more you can ask for to help you grow.

As an alien (an affectionate term my Singaporean friend has decided to use for strangers in a foreign land), I must say I am acutely aware of the subtle differences in our social interactions.

"Hey, how're you doing?"

"Good, how about you?"

"Good"

Replaces the familiar.

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

As we pass by along the corridors.

We talk and its usually about random things. But it's been interesting to find out about things I've been unfamiliar with, their slang, their education system, their 'culture', their political system. I feel like I should step out of my room more than I currently am doing. But I guess I shall be satisfied with slowly learning the ropes and adapting to the social culture of America. At the same time coping with my 'growth'. I will learn how to make deep conversations with the people around me, find out their opinions on whatever tickles my fancy, agree or disagree, find firm friends, enjoy myself.

Influencing others, who and how?

Meaningful work, what and why?

The answers can be very apparent and obvious, but it could also be open to change. I will continually contemplate these questions in my 4 years.

My dad used to say he sought his contentment from deriving knowledge found in books. I think I'm starting to understand what he means. If there is one thing we know for certain, it is that knowledge we mastered is ours to keep and not subject to the exigencies of life.

Ironic. My essay I am now going to write so starts:

Knowledge is power.

the news you can use.

This sent the Singdollar to as high as $1.2886 against the greenback in early trading. -guess it's a good time to be in the US!

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_590591.html

IPPT! -i'm glad, looking forward to staying fit fit fit! =] but when does this mean we have to take our IPPT? hmmm.

http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC101012-0000081/Soldiers,-its-time-to-chin-up

What are you going to do with that?

http://chronicle.com/article/What-Are-You-Going-to-Do-With/124651/

Excerpts

"There is an alternative, however, and it may be one that hasn't occurred to you. Let me try to explain it by telling you a story about one of your peers, and the alternative that hadn't occurred to her. A couple of years ago, I participated in a panel discussion at Harvard that dealt with some of these same matters, and afterward I was contacted by one of the students who had come to the event, a young woman who was writing her senior thesis about Harvard itself, how it instills in its students what she called self-efficacy, the sense that you can do anything you want. Self-efficacy, or, in more familiar terms, self-esteem. There are some kids, she said, who get an A on a test and say, "I got it because it was easy." And there are other kids, the kind with self-efficacy or self-esteem, who get an A on a test and say, "I got it because I'm smart."

Again, there's nothing wrong with thinking that you got an A because you're smart. But what that Harvard student didn't realize—and it was really quite a shock to her when I suggested it—is that there is a third alternative. True self-esteem, I proposed, means not caring whether you get an A in the first place. True self-esteem means recognizing, despite everything that your upbringing has trained you to believe about yourself, that the grades you get—and the awards, and the test scores, and the trophies, and the acceptance letters—are not what defines who you are."

"And it's a never-ending proc ess. At that Harvard event two years ago, one person said, about my assertion that college students needed to keep rethinking the decisions they've made about their lives, "We already made our decisions, back in middle school, when we decided to be the kind of high achievers who get into Harvard." And I thought, who wants to live with the decisions that they made when they were 12? Let me put that another way. Who wants to let a 12-year-old decide what they're going to do for the rest of their lives? Or a 19-year-old, for that matter?

All you can decide is what you think now, and you need to be prepared to keep making revisions. Because let me be clear. I'm not trying to persuade you all to become writers or musicians. Being a doctor or a lawyer, a scientist or an engineer or an economist—these are all valid and admirable choices. All I'm saying is that you need to think about it, and think about it hard. All I'm asking is that you make your choices for the right reasons. All I'm urging is that you recognize and embrace your moral freedom.

And most of all, don't play it safe. Resist the seductions of the cowardly values our society has come to prize so highly: comfort, convenience, security, predictability, control. These, too, are nets. Above all, resist the fear of failure. Yes, you will make mistakes. But they will be your mistakes, not someone else's. And you will survive them, and you will know yourself better for having made them, and you will be a fuller and a stronger person."

Thought-provoking.

The Calm before The Days Ahead

Today I feel extremely relaxed. I've kept up with my work pretty well so far and I think I've started to settle nicely into the routines of school. The next homework is due this coming Tuesday so I do have some (or rather ample) time to complete it.

I've also finally received my package! Which was quite thrilling because I finally got all the things i wanted from back home. It was pretty exciting to look at all the random things my parents packed for me. I got my beloved pictures as well so I can decorate my room! Plus, i got my speakers today as well, enhancements of sound in my room. All these little creature comforts just makes college all the more better.

I feel like i need a hardcore exercise regime though. =P Sport hunting has been fun. I guess I won't reveal what I'm participating in yet. We'll see how it all goes before i declare my new found sport? No netball here though. A pity, though its always an option to start a netball club. But the challenges exist -- varying skill and interest levels, possibly few coaches (although i could try to coach in as an ametuer), even if we get good and get the resources to play, who do we play against? (at the moment I do not know of any netball league). We'll see how it goes, options galore.

But in retrospect, it's merely the 'calm' before the frenzy. This weekend is going to be pretty fun! At 8am today(tomorrow really cause I haven't gone to bed yet), I'll be heading to the housing front desk to get the tools so i can loft my bed up all the way! And unleash the space below it for my mini fridge and microwave! Something I'm pretty excited about because I'm creating space in my room! More space in my life! =] Classes will follow, but the plus side is that I'm done by 12! (although people here are already partying on a thursday night, just because they have no classes tomorrow -- nice right?)

Friday afternoon plans are - run, watch a free movie at cubberley auditorium (insider job), go out for dinner with my awesome dormmates, do some work?

Saturday - do work, go for the game, sleep.

Sunday - west coast SPORTS DAY at berkley, work, sleep.

I guess I don't have to elaborate on these activities. But, I hope i actually do WORK during the 'between plans' hours! But as much as my reluctant heart wants to take a break, I suspect the workaholic in me will pursue it. After all, Tuesday homework's due and I've a MIDTERM on Wednesday. The first one too. Hope all goes well.

Boston weekend's on the 23rd! I am really looking forward to that, but after there are yet a few more MIDTERMS. Guess it's time to pick up the slack again and do some work after this short break.

On my jukebox right now is a fantastic song!

Down by Jason Walker.

Haven't seen the lyrics yet though, but I do like the tune.

It's definitely my kind of song. My genre of music. =P

choices.

the easiest and hardest decisions really are the choices we make.

and how hard they are really depend on one's priorities, values, ideals.

right now, I've nearly got my 4 year plan set. a few minor adjustments will probably be made, but, academically, i believe i've got all my plans made.

what next?

-my driving licence

-my flying licence

-my sports

-the people in my life.

there will come a time when i have to decide, on whether people come first or work/sports etc. but for now, i am just busying myself with work, so i don't have to make the choice a priority.

so right now,

physics45,

cme 100.

here i come.

what sport shall i do...

"good question"

i notice americans, especially professors love to say this.

and what i find so interesting about it is that it is a very simple phrase.

but it displays a markedly different perspective about society.

a simple praise.

but something often overlooked in singapore society.

it encourages intellectual curiousity.

no question is any less valuable than another.

it makes people so much more interested in questioning things,

it incentivizes critical thinking and

rewards those who voice out their views.

it is something we can all learn.

on another random note.

its the weekend, and parties galore.

too bad i'm too lazy to attend. =P

things i want to do.

loft my bed,

get a fridge,

microwave.

car,

fly.

in that sequence. hopefully i accomplish the first 3 by the end of next week.

Random Musings

Reading Othello now, and thought i'd post up an interesting passage:

BIANCA

Save you, friend Cassio!

CASSIO

What make you from home?
How is it with you, my most fair Bianca?
I' faith, sweet love, I was coming to your house.

BIANCA

And I was going to your lodging, Cassio.
What, keep a week away? seven days and nights?
Eight score eight hours? and lovers' absent hours,
More tedious than the dial eight score times?
O weary reckoning!

It seems like they're conveying their longing for one another after some absence, something like what I feel now, though in a somewhat different context of course.

On another note, here are some random musings i've put down in my note book:

1) I thought of a chem analogy: we are like atoms, sitting in alternate seats in the lecture halls and only sitting together if we know someone, or if there are no more seats left. (if someone could just remind me what the law associated with is called, its just at the edges of my mind but i just can't get to it)

2) for physics lecture, our lecturer just broke a beaker in class, on purpose. and swept it up after himself. (and here i think, how likely is that going to happen in singapore -- all this i say out of the great appreciation i have of the opportunity to be here to do my studies)

3) i love the wonders of online shopping. especially in the US! woohoo. the stuff i ordered are coming in.

just because we're freshmen

last night we watched american football!

and stanford beat wake forest by a lot!

such a thrilling experience,

since we actually had a side to support, and enthusiastically no less.

imagine a singapore sports game and the fans. it wouldn't be as colorful or exciting.

no one is more enthusiastic than freshmen.

who paint their bodies with the word 'go stanford!'

one person one letter.

who all wear red (the school color).

who cheer so loud and with gusto.

who support their friends and more.

(and yes, sometimes) who boo at 'bad' referee decisions or at our opposition.

we lift our keys and jingle them with pride every new kick-off,

we cheer on the offense

we bang our benches so as to distract the opponent when its their turn to attack.

we sing along and dance to the tune of our one and only Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band.

we clap.

we jump.

we do so much and more.

other than the match, i went fountain hopping with some of my dorm mates.

yes you heard right, fountain hopping.

singapore is hot, stanford is cold at night,

but guess what, we run around like mad men,

i'm in shorts and a t-shirt,

but most are in less.

and we find the iconic fountains in our campus to run around and jump in

the one at memorial auditorium,

the CLAW at white plaza,

the one near the library?

the one near old union?

pardon my uncertainty,

i am still new,

and we did run in circles a few times.

lost freshmen, orientating themselves around campus.

in what better way than fountain hopping.

here i shall end abruptly.

strobe lights and spontaneous parties

we get free blinking bike lights (red and white) and they some how make wonderful party tools. all you need is pretty loud music and a room to host everyone.

too bad i'm not much of a party person. =P i bet someone would enjoy it though.

tomorrow will be yet another eventful day... so much going on. so much.

of awesome acappella and random runs

Its officially been a week since I have come to the United States.

And I must say its been pretty exciting.

Some things I notice as an alien of the region

-food portions are huge

-people are super friendly

-i don't know how the four-way stop junctions work but it seems like first come first serve

-90% of the people park head in

-the sun is intense

-

In any case, i have finally met my roommate. And she is pretty cool. Aside from the fact that I was secretly hoping she'd bring a fridge, I think we should get along just fine. We kind of love our laptops a lot. =P Plus we both sleep pretty late (case in point: it being 1am now and we are both still up but doing our own stuff.

On a very enthusiastic note, 3 things really made my day today.

1) the awesome acappella groups in stanford!!

-how often do you get a bunch of talented passionate people sing for you during your first ever lunch break?!

2) the random bandrun!

-we literally combed the whole campus with the school band leading the way and people had the most expressive attires. (trust me!) i would NEVER imagine this happening at a campus on singapore. woohoo stanford!

AND

3) reflecting back, convocation was very meaningful to me and even though my parents weren't there, what professor Elam said resonated with me and I could say I was moved to tears. It made me think of my dad and what he told me. I really look forward to my next 4 years and stanford to maximise the opportunities available to me.

On a completely unrelated note, i'm thinking of someone. How random.

Should I be? At the moment, I'm really too busy to think further. We'll let things settle down into a routine before I invest more thought into this.

Letters Owed, credits to be transferred, activities to be visited, much to be done. And yet i am blogging. or then again we could say that this is also an essential part of the whole experience. Not just going through it, but actually reliving it in our minds and realising what was truly meaningful to us.

Its late, and its also a disjointed post. But I'm done for the night.

I think i need to expend my energy else where?

photos and videos await.

after i figure out how to upload them from iphone to laptop.

i'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when i'll be back again.

so much to look back at,
so much to look forward to.

-disconnecting from the internet for awhile, probably until i get a new laptop-

consolidation

I'm packing my room right now. and i've been gradually putting my things into boxes. I just cleared my 'certs and trophies', all of which were dusty from neglect - and it seemed pretty apt that, in a way, I was stowing away the achievements of my past and moving on into university.

As the saying goes, "Past performance does not guarantee future success". I guess its time I put my head down and get to work; but in the next FIVE days in Singapore, I am determined to enjoy what little time I have left with those dear to me.

When it comes down to the crunch, we finally realise what is important to us; there is also a greater sense of urgency to accomplish all the things we set out to do at the start. what I have learnt in this past month or so is the need to keep my drive and motivation up especially in the middle of a long period. Hope I bear this in mind when I get over to the US.

SNIPPETS OF SONGS

"My head keeps saying "no"
But my heart keeps giving in
So hard to let it go
When it's there, under my skin."
-anybody there, the script


"Ignorance is bliss
You'd always hear me say
But at times you can't deny
Those eyes lookin' your way

Let me begin by saying what I mean
It's a crime against the heart you know
To be somewhere in between"
- i won't disagree, kate voegele


"I've tried not to let anyone in until now
I guess conversations never allow
and I've been feeling like I'm on some sort of merry-go-round...

And I've tried not to let anyone in until now
Misunderstandings are an easy way out
And I've been feeling all this pressure just to figure it out
And I know, don't know, yeah I know, don't know..

It's kinda hard when I'm planning for something
to get across this hole without jumping..."
-nice piece of art, fm static

"So you can see what I can't say
I'm dying here (I'm dying here)
'Cause I can't say what I want to"
-bleed, hot chelle rae

I could almost say, analyse this as a literature text. Once again, an indirect way of communicating.

COUNTDOWN

Just thought I'd do a little 'consolidation' of the things I'm currently looking forward to.

45 MIN to GERMANY vs Uraguay World Cup Match
10 HRS to my BMT Girls Meet-up
22 HRS to Dinner with Grams
1 DAY to Picking my Parents and Visiting Squadron
2 DAYS to the VISA Interview
3 DAYS to the Pre-Departure Brief
5 DAYS to my Dad's Birthday
6 DAYS to a possible IJTP Netballers Meet-up
7 DAYS to a play
13 DAYS to watch N-D-P!
21 DAYS to emplacement?
40 DAYS to the ceremony
58 DAYS to the US of A!!
62 DAYS to ORIENTATION!

It seems I've gotten my activities settled in the short term! But above and beyond these, I think I'd want to set myself some goals to aim for in my 58 remaining days before I depart for the US to start on a new phase in my life.

1) Spend time with people that I won't be seeing for a long time.
2) Do well for the rest of UGPMET
3) Read 6 Books (working out to be 1 book every 9-10 days, so it should be a feasible target)
4) Run a cumulative total of 180KM (working out to 9KM over 20 days, so i'll have to run roughly 3 times a week!)
5) Research the modules to take for the first Quarter!
6) Enjoy Uniquely Singapore food at every occasion possible
7) Learn how to use the Macbook

These are some of the goals I have come up with, not exhaustive, but I do think its quite comprehensive. I guess the gist of it would be to get fitter, get some brain juices flowing, and ultimately savour the good company and food in Singapore.

As abrupt as it seems, I shall end this thread here.

RENEWAL

UGPMET
So I have spent the past 3 days in my UGPMET residential programme and I felt it has been quite beneficial on the whole. As I started this blog with the intention to reflect on what I hoped to do and achieve, I guess this programme came at an appropriate time as it allowed me to reflect on my values and my purposes as I begin to move on in my new phase of life -- university life.

What I have distilled from the course is as follow:

My 3 key values are GROWTH, INFLUENCING OTHERS and MEANINGFUL WORK.

Which seems quite apt really as I evaluate how I have led my life in the past year and a half. Spending my time in OCS growing as a person, so that I may contribute to in my way to society (and in this context it would be throught the SAF)

My envisioned life purpose is (to excel in all that I do and to make a difference) or as revised: to learn from the past, live in the present and work for the future!

And this is aligned quite closely to my values! However, I guess I need to work on the more specific goals and objectives I hope to pursue in order to meet my purpose in life.

But i guess other than what I have determined to be my VALUES and PURPOSE during this 3 day course, one of the most important lessons I have learnt is the importance to constantly keep your VALUES and PURPOSES in mind so that when I decide to take a certain course of action, these will be of my foremost consideration.

Of course, there exists the possibility that values and purpose could evolve over time as I gain more life experiences. Hence, I have resolved to reflect upon them on a regular basis, though I have not yet determined how often that should be (Probably one or twice a year?). We will see how that goes, though it is an interesting coincidence that I am typing this reflection at the end of June so if I base it on my twice yearly self-evaluation schedule, that would make it a 'year-end' or 'new-year' resolution!


SAF DAY PARADE
Kudos to those squadron people I happened to spot marching in the contingent! Its hard work. (as well as the many fellow officers from my commissioning batch, its so good to see them again). It was really quite interesting to watch the parade from the perspective of a spectator -- one who went through a similar experience -- its as if I now watch them with new lens as I appreciate the significance of the commands and the hard work behind the execution of good drills. Familiar tunes were played, familiar pledges made, familiar anthems sung -- with gusto no less -- as we young impressionable officers felt that renewed conviction to our cause (after going through this residential phase). You may dismiss this as being 'garang', or overly-enthusiastic/'siao-on', but hey, all I can say is that it was a pretty good feeling.

REBIRTH

I must admit that I have been on a perpetual hiatus from blogging. It has been amusing to look back at my many posts in the past -- a good 400 plus of them -- and see the sometimes meaningful, but often ridiculous things i say.

But I guess I have been trying to 'grow up' these past few years. And I thought that I should renew my habit of reflection. I have always thought that DOING things, constructive things, has been the way to go, but on hindsight, there is so much to be gained from organising one's thoughts and priorities.

Facebook forces us to broadcast our often complex thoughts in a mere sentence, and it could be argued that this really trivialises what we want to convey. Hence I have decided that this shall be my avenue through which i process my thoughts, opinions, and ideas AND to put them into logical, coherent sentences.

There is truly so much to write about, my priorities, my aims, my goals, reviewing them and modifying them, my new-found or revived views of the world. I will reflect upon some of these aspects in time to come, but for now, I think this is a good start as I soon embark on my university life.