Dream Forest

Resurrection

2009-11-16T00:27:00.001+08:00

Think I may start blogging on the travel blog again. Totally forgotten about it but will try to record my travels in that blog since its the only without any classified information. LOL

Feelings after a PainT

2009-07-25T19:51:00.000+08:00

The feeling in the house today had been pretty wierd. This was all the more puzzling as we had just finished painting the 2 rooms and the rearranged the furniture in my room (at least partially), which to me is quite a major achievement and thus many cause to celebrate. But strangely enough, my dad decided to go into one of his mood swings again and thus there was an awkward silence the entire morning as i was still irritated over his uncalled for outburst.

This pretty much reflect my feelings right now. It pained me when I realised that i had to put someone i liked and cared so much through such an unpleasant situation and no matter what I do or say, I will not be able to share in completely the responsibility or shitty feelings that she is going through right now because it is still she who has to say the things and do the dirty job whereas all I can do is to only double or even triple my efforts to be nice to her to make up for the bad things i have to make her do. Its like all those crappy empathy stuff that we learnt last time where u can say how much u understand or know but when asked directly, it is only words that are difficult to translate into actions. Its divine retribution as I had jokingly say before but in all seriousness, is it fair for someone else to bear my debt when i m supposed to be the one getting the retribution? Does this happen to all those whom i had criticised so harshly before or is it only just me? Would this have not happen if I had been more accomodating and understanding of others' situation in the past? No words was able to describe the guilt and apolegetic feelings that was welling inside me when I saw your tears last night. All i can say now is that I m relly sorry to have made u cry and i promise that you will never be made to cry again with me by your side...

People may say that he's mad but its usually the mad ones who come up with great things

2009-05-31T12:43:00.003+08:00

Was still a bit sore from yesterday's wimpy defeat. Bremen had indeed been performing below par this season and this was another typical example. NO shots on goals, lack of possession and pussy defending in a match which would have surely been hailed successful if they managed to win the cup. Memories of Middlesborough double cup finals defeat returned to haunt me but thankfully, survival had already been secured in this season's tumultous affair...

Woke up around 5am to catch the first train to Fussen. Once again, I had difficulty waking myself up but I was constantly reminded that I had objectives to make today and that I will definitely have 2 hours of guaranteed sleep on the train later.

The train was surprisingly crowded at such an early hour. Okay, it wasn't jam packed but I had to walk all the way to the end of the train before being able to find a 2-seater that is free. It was quite a scary journey too because it seemed that the train was full of drunk "punk". Okay maybe they weren't punks but their dress code meant that i had to be careful not to step on their toes. It was Ascension Day, i.e public holiday in Germany and I guessed that accounted for the overnight binge. I was forced to settle down in my seats as there was no more space to advance and I immediately proceeded to close my eyes and pretend to sleep.

Haha anyway enough ramblings about the journey itself. Managed to reach Fussen pretty early and embarked on my tour of Schloss Hohenschwangau and Schloss Neuschwanstein relatively tourist free. This was especially so for the former and i was actually able to absorb in all the stories that the guide told me. It was opulent living at its finest, imagine staying in a castle compound and looking out at the Alps everyday through ur window. The Alpsee and Schwansee were absolutely gorgeous and I was told that it was even more beautiful when the lakes were frozen up during winter. Ah how i yearn to live as a prince with my beautiful consort...

And maybe I was again a bit spoilt by the first tour that the Neuschwanstein turned out to be a bit more disappointing. (For the record, both castles have to be visited by tour only. I guess there must be stories of tourists getting lost and this is the only way to avoid having too many missing people reports. Can one imagine if P Tekong is open up to allowing people to wonder around as they wish...) But despite the relatively letdown in the tour, it was then made up by the castle itself. It was actually an unfinished castle by King Ludwig II. He had wanted it to be a tribute to Richard Wagner (famous poet of that time, like Shakespeare) with each and every rooms reflecting his plays but was unfortunately branded as mad and eventually "forced" into retirement by unknown forces. The white exterior of the castle gave it a dreamy appearance and set into the snowy background of the Alps, it was fairy book stuff. The view from the nearby Marienbrucke is one that must not be missed by any honeymooning couple and together with the sound of the waterfalls in the background, one can easily be transported into Wonderland if not for the noisy hordes of tourists swarming the place.

I had only previously visited the Grand Palace in Madrid and was thus not used to the splendour of the European castles. Was totally taken in by the scenes that were painted in each of the rooms. It was just like the Vatican, only that instead of biblical stories, we have heroes and heroines. It had made me wanted to find out more about this poet but it was also because of my lack of knowledge that i wasn't able to appreciate the art more. Even the servants's quarters reel of class as I made my way through the various levels. Speaks a lot when I actually get the urge to stop travelling, save up on my liquid assets and aim to carve out such a decor in my house in the distant future :p

Took me all the way till noon as I continue to marvel at the 2 castles and their stunning backdrop. The 2 lakes were buzzing with activity but their vast size meant that the activities barely caused a ripple and it was still calmingly beautiful. Sitting on a rocks and gazing out into the horizon, one can simply let go and relax. It was so similar yet so different to the feeling that I got when I was sitting on the ledge in Santorini, gazing out into the vast Aegean Sea.

Schloss Neuschwanstein was one of the main reasons why I had wanted to come back and there was much doubts as to whether the touristy nature of the place would lead to another disappointment. I m glad I did come here as it truly lives up to its billing...

Lazy Saturday in Paris

2009-05-29T13:32:00.002+08:00

Didn't really want to wake up that early, given that I had only went to bed close to 4am after walking all the way from the Effiel back to my hotel the previous night. What a waste of a superbly comfortable hotel if i were to only sleep for 2 hours. Luckily there was no complimentary breakfast or I would have to be forced to wake up to eat it.

Went to FNAC bookshop at around 10 am. Did some hunting around the day before and realised that it was actually quite an arduous task to try to get all the books that I wanted in the collection. This was my last attempt as it was supposed to be the largest bookshop in Paris, i panned all my hope on it. Simple task it was but true to my style, I hollanded immediately coming out from the metro station. All the streets looked the same and i was only told a general direction by the hotel staff so there i go trying to murk around. Saw this artistically challenged building which i had assumed to be the shopping centre, only to realise that why in the heck there was still a long queue forming outside at the entrance at 10am??? In the end, i found out that it was actually an art museum with an attached hall and everyone was queuing up for tickets. Anyway took me another good half an hour before i managed to find the correct place but luckily all the book were available. Set me back by another 42 Euros though...

The afternoon was simple. All the hype about the French Open made me quite curious to check out the legendary arena and so I took the remaining time to go to the Stade Roland Garros to see what it was all about. It was unfortunate that the tourney was being held at the same time and thus I was unable to enter the stadium grounds to take a look inside. Getting a ticket wasn't that expensive as it was the day before the official opening but i still can't bear to part with my 19 Euros. (Quite ironical given that i had already spent 42 Euros on books, 45 Euros on Bremen match and so much more on transport and food...) Haha maybe it's just that i wasn't a hardcore tennis fan :p Anyway the grounds was still quite large from the outside and took me close to 45 minutes to walk its perimeter alone. Also went to the nearby Parc de Princes to see. I did like PSG for a short while last time but its colours were just too yucky (double sin i would say since i would expect a more fashionable jersey and badge from the team of the capital) to sustain me. Its stadium was surprisingly white but otherwise nothing too impressive. Not excactly tall too and the shop was pheewww the most expensive among all the stadium shops that i had seen so far.

Concluded the day with my last European meal. Finally get to have my French onion soup as an appetiser accompanied by roast duck as main course, taken in a cosy bar which was showing the German Bundesliga. (Funny but don't ask me why. It just happen) Saw the end of the title race and an utter demolition of my Werder Bremen by the league champions but the league was over for me 3 days ago. ( I still can't believe that in the one single year that i get to go Germany over the past 10 years, my favourite team had decided to put on its worst ever showing since 2000. Haiz, how cruel fate decides to play its game...) But it somehow just sums up life that you cannot get what you want all the time but just have to hope that you get the good things most of the times and be contented with them. Took the night flight out of Paris that night, broke but contented =)

Nightlights in the City of Lights

2009-05-26T23:42:00.003+08:00

Went back to the hotel to slack for a while since I had already paid for it. Was close to 8 but the sky was still bright. The plan tonight was to make sure that i captured in all the bright lights of Paris to compensate for what i had failed to do so previously.

Winded my way through the streets of Paris close to 9pm but bloody hell, it was stil as bright as our 5pm. Was already at the Champ Elysees at 930 and I still see no artificial lights. Decided to continue my crazy indulgent way and decided to check myself into a cafe 100 m away from the Arc d'Triomphe. It was another round of ppl watching as i sat by the terrace cafe, slowing chewing away at my roasted chicken accompanied by another bottle of coke yet again. Figured out that that was the best way to get my money worth, compared to only one glass of wine for only slightly lower price. had a conversation with the waiter who kept drumming into me that "c'est Paris" and I should not let the night go ALONE :p Anyway i already had a plan in mind and thus i kindly rejected his offer of giving me some of the city's hippest clubbing place.

It was way past 10 pm when the lights were finally up and what a stunning sight it was. I totally absorbed the pictures along the Champs, the Arc, Louvre and especially the Eiffel. I must make special mention of the Eiffel. if anyone is bring their girlfriends along to Paris, do try out the following. Bring them for some shopping at the Champs (which remained open till 11 pm, it being a weekend) followed by a slow walk to the Arc. Pretend to take some pictures before embarking on the biggie. take the path that is perpendicular to the left arm of the Arc and strolled towards the Eiffel. The tower will be completely out of sight which makes the subsequent sight even more wondrous to behold. Give yourself about 30 minutes and continue walking straight. Do not stray into any of the side roads, no matter how tempting they may look and voila at the end of the street, one will be treated to a magnificent view of the Eiffel, even more splendid than if u were to see it from near. Proceed to do some bo liao stuff before seizing on the magical moment at the stroke of the hour to see an even more awesome picture (hence the 30 minutes which i had said earlier to make sure that you will have ample time but not too excessive ^_^)

Had a walk down the Seine thereafter. I had been dreaming the entire day of an exotic encounter by the Seine (my BIG plan :p) but i guessed it was too late. Saw totally nothing at all but nevertheless still managed to get in some more pretty night scenes of the Louvre, as well as, the Opera House. Not too disappointed about the day's work though as i head back for the comfort of my bubble bath

If Only Inflation Has a Name

2009-05-25T20:09:00.002+08:00

Arrived at Paris Gare d'Est at 0940 hrs, full of excitement of revisiting this city once again (I was sincerely hoping that this visit will change my impression of this supposedly charming city as I was pretty disappointed the last time round as I have been telling everybody on how lousy the place turned out :p) Took the overnight train and whew, it was really terrible. I can now finally conclude that if possible, avoid taking the sleeper trains unless you are willing to pay for the sleeper trains are actually worse than the normal trains. At least i get a full comfortable 2 seaters, rather than having to squeeze with 3 other people in a 6-seater cabin... In addition, even if one is willing to pay 30 euros more for a bed, its still a 6-bedder with an extremely low roof :(

Anyway, enough for the negative stuff. I had pretty much prep myself for the worse train ride ever for there was always the luxurious hotel awaiting for me at Paris :) Checked myself into the Banke Hotel and was extremely surprised that it actually had 5 stars on its name plate. I had planned only to give myself a 4-star treat so voila, c'est tres bien! Willl be posting up the pictures on Facebook soon but the room was not bad. A bit small and without a reading table but the comfy bed, bathtub and flat screen TV more than made up for it. Hee hee...

I was most determined to chill out in the city, given that this is a repeat visit and I did cover most of the sights in the city before already. Thus, i began my day chilling out at a cafe right by the Louvre. Given that i was previously tricked by the menus before, i did pay special attention to the menu again but ^*#*)& I kena conned again when this guy pointed to the menu and told me 12, 50 euros when it was glaringly telling of 15,80 euros. Nevertheless, given that i was in the chill mood, decided to be willingly taken in and sat down. (The additional 3 euros was for the pancake dessert i was told which i feel was totally not worth it. Bland and boring...) But i must say that apart from the dessert, the fish and the white wine that came along was good and that did cool my temper a bit.

Walked past the Louvre and was in a dilemma as to whether I wanted to enter it. Already had my dose of art in the Alte Pinathotek in Munich and thus wasn't that enthusiastic about it already compared to the time when i had initially planned for the trip. Decided to give it a miss and instead walked down the Seine to Notre Dame, humming Fish Leong's tune and doing some ppl watching at the same time. Pretty amazed by how the French has this inherent ability to pick up girls, regardless of their age. There was this old uncle who was cycling along the bridge when he saw this obviously deep in thought Japanese girl and the first thing he did was to stop his bike and started chatting up with her. I was impressed sia.. Anyway had this small brush with a Korean girl who bumped into me. Saw her again somewhere down the bank where she looked a bit lost and was looking at the roadside map for directions but the shy me did not dare offer help She's quite cute i must admit and I was tellng myself that if i did saw her again, sure must go up and talk to her. And guess what? No i didn't get to see her again so alas, so much for a romance in Paris.

Went over to the Bastille after visiting Notre Dame and had a bottle of Coke that cost 5 euros!!! Yes the price is really jaw dropping but well the idea of sitting by the terrace and watching the world go by was just too tempting an offer to pass up. Anyway just for the record and to do some justice to my entry title, that is not exactly very expensive in French terms because apparently inflation has caught up in the 3 years that I had not visited the place. The average price of a bottle of coke at restaurant is indeed 5 euros and if i were to do the same thing at the Champs Elysses, it would cost me 7 Euros!!! Even a bottle of Coke at the Supermarket cost me 1,50 Euros so that's the Paris 2009 for you. Being one that had been spoilt on 1 euro Coke at McDonald Germany, one can imagine my disappointment when the cheapest McCoke cost 1,30 euros. Anyway, back to the point, sitting by the terrace at the Bastille was a most relaxing experience. There were power-suit executives with their handphone rushing on to another appointment, chic looking office ladies who just did their shopping, lost tourists fidgeting with their maps, college girls giggling and gossiping and couples holding hands and doing their usual spontaneous PDA out of the blue. This was Paris as it should be and i was bent on savouring every (expensive) moment of it :)

A Day in the Office

2009-03-25T17:02:00.003+08:00

Had wanted to blog yesterday but the connection was too unstable. Tried to load blogger right after lunch but was still loading even AFTER I CAME BACK FROM DINNER!!!!!! The people have started their training and loud thundering noises can be heard every day.

Was at the cookhouse yesterday when the first drops of snow fell. I was told that there was already some in the morning by the airport party which i had missed. It was so surreal yet beautiful. Ran back to my bunk to get the camera to film all of it down.

Snow continued to come in spurts throughout the whole of yesterday. Its a bit like rain but yet so different. Everyone was indulging in that bit of snow, irregardless of rank, especially when we saw WR and MB joining in the fun also.

Today was even more beautiful as I finally get to see what is real snow. There was totally no warning except that I was wondering to myself that it was quite dark and gloomy when I woke up. By the time I finished washing up and changed into my uniform, voila, snowflakes were floating gently to the ground outside my window. The snow was picking up in intensity and soon the trees and ground were covered with snow. Had real fun taking photos, esp at the back of my office where the snow-covered tree blend seamlessly with the red-bricked buildings. There was even enough snow to have a mini snowball fight! ^_^ Imagine training in the snow. Its such a cool new experience...

Lazy Day, Good Day

2009-03-02T05:08:00.002+08:00

Woke up late today (on purpose) I must say because it was a Sunday and Germans don't work on Sundays. Decided to be super slack today and went for breakfast in my T-shirt and shorts. Of course, it shocked everyone as the temperature outside was still sub 10 but I was simply too lazy to change out and so just walked across the blocks in sleeping gear, Singapore style =p

Couldn't line up any programme in the nearby cities too as we were supposed to receive HN who was to arrive around midday. Pity though as I was planning to make the trip to Bremen to see them take on the mighty Bayern but oh well, their qualification meant that at least I should still be able to see them in action against St Etienne 2 weeks later ^_^

Had my first German meal today as we went to have Schnitzel. Wasn't at all impressed as it was just fried stuffed pork . Make for a filling meal but boring compared to what I had previously in Europe -- Spanish paella, Italian tagatellia, Greek souvlaki and even the duck rice in Prague. Haiz, reinforced my impression of Germany being an efficient industrious nation.

Nevertheless it was a relaxing day spent in town. No shops were opened so could only spend the day lazing around in the hotel room, reading and playing my DS. Quite a good way to chill, seeing the haze built up outside the window peppered with the ocassional rain. And so passed one uneventful day in Germany...

Memories, Memories

2009-03-01T06:20:00.002+08:00

Returned to Hamburg today to pick up stuff and what followed was basically an OTOT tour of Hamburg City Centre. Well, as I had mentioned previously, releasing me into Hamburg was like releasing a little child back to his playground and from the word "GO", I was like the tour guide. We parked our car near the Bus Terminal and started absorbing every little moment of the place. I went to take a photo at the McDonalds which was absolutely emotional because this was the place where i had my first ever bite in Europe. Gosh! I still remember the day when I was lugging my heavy backpack around and was more than relieved to be able to rest at the McDonalds.

The train station was next and I must say it had been renovated pretty well. The exterior facade remained but the interior was totally revamped. Gone was the temporary ticket office outside the station and it was replaced by a beautiful counter with an attached tourist office. The shopping arcade was also up with more than twice the number of shops and food outlets. Anyway, just for the record, my first proper meal in Europe was in theKFC at the trainstation or more commonly known as Hautahnhof.

Went to take a stroll around the old Rathaus and the 2 churches that formed part of the Altstadt. We finished pretty late and so it was again another missed opportunity to climb the steps of St Petri and conquered my first German cathedral, Hopefully, I will come back again on another day to ascend the clock tower. The Rathaus, was as usual, majestic and magnificent with the platz in front of it. Had a busy time converting all my previous film photos into digital format this time round.

Went shopping once the lights went off around 630 pm. Went to the shops that i had not gone previously, hoping to be able to get what I had failed to do 3 years ago. Yep, i am talking about getting the Germany tracksuit for my leisure purpose. Some things never changed though and once again, a sense of deja vu returned as I pondered over the 100+ Euro price tag. Nevertheless, the financial situation is definitely much healthy than previously and the moral dilemma was overcome in 5 minutes, compared to 15 minutes 3 years ago :p But like what I say, some things never change and alas, once again I couldn't find a smaller size for the tracksuit and I had to call off the operation. (I was a bit caught in 2 minds also actually because the current design with gold trims doesnt look as good as the previous ones...)

Bought a couple of tops from H&M to at least partially satisfied my cravings but I had remembered the closing times wrongly and was shut out of the electronics store Saturn. A bit disappointed as I had planned to check it out in my itenanry.

Just had a 1 euro chicken sandwich from McDonalds and I must say that its pretty filling. Feeling a bit drunk as i took it with some Konig beer. Pardon me if spelling mistakes are aplenty for I am actually blogging in a semi drunk state but still doing it cos I scared I may not get access again or I became too lazy or too busy. Signing off right now and hope to explore more come the following week. Hmmm... If only I will be able to explore the Reeperbahn again...

Bremen Against the Odds

2009-02-28T07:04:00.002+08:00

Separated the posts into 2 to demarcate the days. Had to do this cos we are sharing Internet access so as to remain economical. Haha as for the title, well I do know that it is only the round of 32 but it does go a long way for I was so disappointed that I wouldn't be able to watch more of Bremen even though I m here in Germany itself.

Despite being jet-lagged, i had left the TV on lest they decide to show the match on TV. There was only a 50-50 chance of it being available even though I was in the area because I was acutally between Hamburg and Bremen and ^&)*)*_)%^%^ both teams are playing on the same night so they may decide to show Hamburg instead. And to complicate things, there were 4 German sides playing that night. Anyway I had not kept my hopes too high and they were indeed proven right as only the Hamburg and Stuttgart matches were telecasted live. I was cursing and swearing and when I woke up in the morning, full of jitters because I saw 2-2 on my TV screen. My limited knowlege of German meant that i had absolutely no idea what had transpired and my pessisimism veered me towards the alternative thinking that this was the final aggregate score and that something might have happened during the penalty shootout or something like that. This was not helped by the fact that the team manager had a grim face when being interviewed. Thank goodness my host was a Bremen supporter and he managed to convey the good news to me. We had a good chat on the car as we recalled the dark days of Bremen flirting with relegation and our angst at how the way the current season is developing. Haha now just to see if I can somehow convince me to bring me to the Bremen-Bayern match this Sunday at the Weser =p (Anyway, just for the record, he told me that the reason for them not showing the match despite it being so high-profile was that the Italian side had demanded a fee of 1 million Euros for the broadcasting rights. Talk about daylight robbery :(

Spent the remaining time shopping for groceries and taking a little walk around the neighbourhood. Munster has a small local population and it does seem that everybody knows each other with all the hellos being exchanged between drivers and cyclists. Food selection is fair but also quite limited. Its quite unlike all the big cities that i had explored so far. Life virtually stopped after eight, with the public lights being switched off in certain areas to save electricity. Even the traffic lights were removed after 10 and no trains run through the area after 8 pm. It is also unlike the rest of Europe where PDA (Public Displays of Affections) are few and far between. This is of course not helped by the near zero temperature with chills winds and light drizzles that had been plaguing the area.

Can't do much in the area so I m logging off now. Will be heading back to Hamburg city tomorrow again so guess its more nostalgia. Will be updating again soon.

Aufwiedersehn =)

Hamburg Revisited

2009-02-28T06:43:00.002+08:00

Yep this blog is back in action again. Many months had passed since I last blogged and many things had also happened. Time was a luxury and there was little time to update myself without getting frustrated by the stupid computer. (This was of course not helped by a desktop that is behaving weird again, kept reseting the date and not recognising itself). Anyway realised this was the only way I can keep you folks back home aware of my exchange programme. Haha certain words will of course be encrypted but I m sure you guys are smart enough to decipher them =)

Haha before I get mushy and all about landing in Hamburg Airport, I must bitch about Lufthansa Airlines. Did not realise that I was actually quite spoilt by all my travels so far, namely Emirates and Malaysia Airlines. I had not realised that PERSONAL in-flight entertainment was an excess and not a given. Yep imagine the horror that was on me when I was stuck for 12 hours on the plane doing nothing except for SLEEPING!!!!!!!! Okay there was audio but imagined listening to the same songs over and over again for 6 cycles. Boooooo!!!!!!! Honestly speaking, i now realised that I should just ignore all the advertisements and price offers and go straight for Emirates when coming to Europe because the 200+ dollars savings is just not worth it. For the first time after so long, i finally understood the meaning of jet-lag =(

Anyway, managed to survive the torture and landed in Frankfurt early yesterday morning. Will talk more about it in one of my routine airport reports another time but nothing out of the blue actually. Typical airport (yes airport and not German airport) with all the silver ceilings and shops. Took the short haul flight to Hamburg which made me a bit emo again. As I stood at the baggage collection area, I recalled the time 3 years ago where I made my first overseas trip on my own. Flying into Hamburg and realised that I was going to realise a childhood dream of travelling to Europe just made everything so surreal. The retrieval of my luggage after it fell through the gap, the nice looking green arch that greeted my exit from the customs, the 8 Euro airport express to the city centre... Every liitle thing that came into view held a story of its own.

Day 1 was spent quite uneventfully. Went around in the car to find our hotel and other interesting place. Took a car tour of Hamburg and again memories returned. I still recalled looking at the Chillihaus and wondering what's so amazing about the building. Then there was the bridge which had a statue of Columbus and Vasco De Gama on each side to commemorate the importance of the Age of Exploration had on the development of Hamburg as a port and commercial centre. Then there was the cathedral of St. Catherine where I was caught in heavy rain and still decide to take a photo of it to show that I was there. It was another trip down nostalgia lane. However was quite jet-lagged (all thanks to that 12 hours of no TV) and concussed.

Chaos is good but definitely not in excess...

2008-11-04T21:15:00.004+08:00

Well the Italians may have been proud of their disregulation of which was ultimately represented in their capital city Rome, sometimes too much chaos can be a bane to development, which brings us to No. 4 on the Rotten Salted Fish with Marinated Capsican Kimchi List

Pulau Pinang (aka Penang)...

It is with great reluctance again that i had to name Penang as my 4th most disliked cities for it was the first city that i had visitied overseas and it holds many memories, even up to this day. And thus it was sort of a reflex when the first city that i thought of visiting with my parents once i started working was that of Penang. I was so happy when i took the same old Grassland bus up the North-SOuth Highway and the stops along the way where i get to look at the familiar pirated Winnie the Pooh bear and the ever tempting milk bolster pillow which i had always wanted to buy but resisted because (erm.. i shall not elaborate too much)

Anyway, i was completely dumbfounded by the lack of development in the city area, especially when compared to the other states of Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Johore. It was like how i saw it 10 years ago, (or maybe even worse). The once magnificent Komtar was now a dilapidated building with little stalls here and there selling minute stuff. To make things worse, the buses had now completely took on a life of their own where drivers decide when and where they want to go, i.e there is totally no structured transport system around =/ The nice little areas where there used to be night markets selling all kinds of food was also reduced just a few stalls feeding off the mosquitoes. It can't get anymore worse it seems. Yes granted, there were a few mega malls here and there to cushion the shock and at least provided a few areas for shopping but all in all, it was really shocking for me to see how lack of development had happened to a place which promised so much to a child long ago. Thus, it is with a tinge of sadness that i had to list down Penang as number 4...

Worst 5 cities that i have visited...

2008-10-31T22:23:00.002+08:00

Since i m so bored nowadays and completely devoid of inspiration nor motivation, i guessed i will just have to come up with something to fill up the gap. Hence, i shall now introduce the 5 cities that gave me the worst jibe on my travels.

** Disclaimer : These comments are purely personal preferences and had absolutely no ill intent or whatsoever towards the cities involved.

So introducing No. 5 on my Rotten Salted Fish with Marinated Capsican Kimchi List

ROME...
Quite a surprising choice and actually its my most reluctant choice (thats why its number 5 ^-^) as i was really having difficulty trying to identify 5 cites that i had abhored during all my travels so far. But Rome stood out simply for one simple reason -- Having an underground Metro that stopped running at 9pm!!!!!! Its totally tourist unfriendly to have a subway that ends so early. Yes, the Trevi, the Colosseum, Spanish steps and even St Peter lit up brilliantly at night but how am i to get back to my hostel when the train ends so early. It may be unsafe to roam the subway at night but still, i really can't understand the rationale behind it and thus as such Rome is number 5...

Motivation Issues

2008-09-22T23:17:00.002+08:00

Its been a long time since i last blogged, closed to 3 months i think but its really hard cos blogging requires the below formula

Blogging = Inspiration + Working computer with - Addiction
motivation good connection

Its almost impossible to get all the factor in at any one time and thus its really hard to get the motivation. But anyway, nothing much had changed in my life, at least no extra joyous occasion which i must blog to share with everyone (and maybe that's the reason why ther's not much to blog) Quite a lot of sian things did happen (although its not like major catastrophic things) but since i dun feel like blogging it, i shall not elaborate more on it.

Went for another spin down the Marina street circuit, given that it will be closed from tomorrow. The F1 never fails to bring back memories as i can still vividly remember my first racing game on the Sega Mega Drive was that of Formula One. It was an age where memory card was non exsistent and i could only play the first 10 races of the circuit. It was a time where i can only dream of using the Benetton and Minardi (dun even need to mention the Ferrari, Williams and McClaren) Jordan was a class A team then (how times have changed). I love the simple Hungarian circuit and was always cursing at the difficulty of the San Marino circuit (which true to life, is also the one which claimed lives, including that of the great Aryton Senna). Had been trying pretty hard to get another F1 game for the new generation consoles (Its out-of-stock in Singapore. Saw it in Naples but was scared off by the price. Thought i would see it somewhere else but only managed to find it in Prague which was in the Eastern European language and hence it was out also. The Dubai shop only sell it as a packaged deal, so in conclusion, i had travelled half the world trying to find it but to no avail...)

The Anderson Bridge portion was sealed off just now as i was driving through (possibly they do not want to add more stress to it) . Realised the Merlion was not in view also. Its a pity that we are travelling in the other direction for i realised that one will not be able to take in the bright lights of the Shenton buildings as we will be more distracted by VCH and the Asian Civilisation museum. The Singapore Flyer was beautiful but think they forgot to colour the spokes so it actually looked quite unimpressive. After having seen how terrible Valencia turned out (yes, Valencia is a very pretty city when walking through but the drive through totally did not manage to bring that out) . Oh one more thing, i actually had a chance to drive through the right angled bend at the bay grandstand (where my seat will be) and its really shiok. Totally epitomises the essence of a night race for its just like in the games where u drive through an undergorund tunnel to emerge out to flashing lights and making that sharp turn. Kudos to the designer. The other highlight which i wasnt able to do but is making me all excited thinking about it is the drive down the Esplanade straight. Just imagine this, u r travelling down a slope (thus negating a lot of the advantage the faster cars have and u have to make a sharp turn at the end of it. Cool right! The adrenaline of being able to brake hard into a curve is indescribable.

Ok thats about it. really feeling excited about it. Still not sure if my ticket is in the same segment as YH and JM but anyone else out there who holds a dark green or walkabout ticket, seeya at the races ^-^

Deja Vu... The Cursed No 13...

2008-06-30T21:46:00.002+08:00

It was peaceful, more calm than i had expected...

There was a time in 2002,

he lost the Champions League to Real Madrid,
then he lost the Bundesliga to Bayern Munich,
then he lost the German Cup to Schalke 04
and finally he lost the World Cup to Brazil...

Fast forward to 2006,

he lost the League Cup to Tottenham Hotspurs
then he lost the Premier League to Manchester United
then he lost the Champions League to Manchester United
and finally he lost the European Championship to Spain

Somebody just have all the luck...

Anyway, just for record purpose, Germany had always managed to rebound spectacularly and win the next European Championship that come immediately after their defeat in a final, so 2012, be it Italy, Spain, Ukraine or Poland, i will try my best to be there to witness your moment of glory...

For Glory or for Tears

2008-06-29T22:19:00.003+08:00

I was seriously caught in 2 minds as to whether i should blog. This is a stark contrast to the previous few tournaments where i had been blogging almost at regular intervals but this time round, it was partly contributed by the time constraints that had limited me to blogging. However, i realised that there is a fairly good chance that i may not be in the right frame of mind after tonight to blog and thus i should blog first... (although i know that on paper, its still 50-50)

Rewind back to the day 3 weeks ago, where i had just booked out after the 10 km RM. I had put on my 6-month old jersey (yup, increased financial means had meant that for the first time in 18 years, i was actually able to buy my Germany jersey the moment it came out, before the tournament even began ^=^) and went to take a walk around Suntec City. The location wasn't important. I just loved the way they printed the years of which the team won tournaments on the collar. It was like wearing history and having it all behind me. I was so happy that i was going around telling everyone that this is the jersey of the champions elect come end of June! Hahahahahhaahahaahah

After 3 weeks of ups and downs, highs and lows, we are now finally at the final stage. It is without a doubt that things worked in strange ways and i had initially thought that I would be unable to catch my beloved Germany in action for the first time in 14 years in a major tournament (I can still remember that game, quarter final of USA 94 where i went to sleep at half time with the score still at 0-0. Few hours later in the day, all i know was that they had been eliminated 1-2 by a certain botak called Letchkov whose bald head was plastered over the New Paper the following day). And hence, imagine the elation that i had felt on each of the 3 days where i realised on the day itself that i actually would be able to catch the match at home!!!!! It was like a godsend gift (but i also prayed for the souls of the unfortunate events that had happened to allow me such a surprise) and thus i found myself on the day of the final, still able to watch Germany in their 5th final since 1990.

But it is also precisely that i had been them at every stage of this tournament that my hopes are not high. The match against Croatia absolutely drowned my confidence. It was reminiscent of their performance in 2000 where they totally sucked from defence to attack, goalkeeping included. It was a hemoptysis inducing performance that i simply can't fathom. Subequent performance against Austria, Portugal and Turkey did nothing much to dispell my belief.

Nevertheless, i will stick with this German team as i had always done through the yeats. I mean what can be worse than the dark years of 2000 or the humiliating 3-0 loss to Croatia in 98 where a stupid Worns had to get sent off. Or even the helplessness and misfortune against Denmark in 92, Brazil in 02 and Holland in 04. But it is also with this thought that i put on my jersey again tonight as i prepared to savour the mass. Be it for Glory or for Tears, i will still be in the Germany jersey come tomorrow morning =)

Busy.. Busy.. Busy..

2008-06-16T22:15:00.000+08:00

Yup havent posted anything since my return to Singapore. been on a really tight schedule with every minutes and seconds being importantly accounted for. Anyway, will try to blog a bit more from next week onwards where my schedule is expected to be a bit looser. Updated a bit more on my travel blog already so i guessed i will focus more on that area in the coming weeks as it doesn't require much thinking, compared to this :p

http://magicalenchantments.blogspot.com/

Sunshine in Santorini and Pioggia in Prague

2008-04-26T16:34:00.002+08:00

It's a big change of weather no doubt, from the warm sunshine of Santorini to the typical coldness of western Europe here in Prague. As expected, there was no free internet access back at my hotel so i m resigned to using the free comps here at the conference centre in between breaks.

Santorini was really cool. Met R, an Australian who was travelling around Europe as a way of seeing the world while her boyfriend was serving his tour of duty in the Middle East. Explored pretty much of the island on a MOPED (yup, its the 4-wheeler tuk-tuk look alike & i m the driver). Mingled around with a bunch of Texas medical students on their post-graduation tour and had a smashing good time. Definitely a place to re-visit again next time (and for those lovey-dovey couple, it's definitely highly recommended)

Prague was next thereafter. Had to shuffle between the conference venue and the city centre (which are by no means near) and so had to take about 2 days to visit Prague castle. Didn't get to see the crown jewels though as there was a super long queue for it (yes, its comparable to the nonsence queuing in Florence) and i simply refused to commit 3 hours of my time to it :p Anyway, took my time to slowly explore the place and also lazed around in the hotel room. (Wouldn't bore u guys with the contents of the conference but i did make it a point to come every day for the lectures i m interested in ^-^ There supposedly was another colleague here but didn't get to see his poster though :( Anyway, was trying to get an earlier flight to Athens but realised they only had 2 left so will be missing out on the fireworks there tonight...

Haha it does all seem a bit incoherent again but i guess its the effect of too much meat and drinks. R was mentioning about this detoxifiying diet that she took back in Austaralia which had set me interested. Anybody with any idea what is it about? Oh well, till next time...

Quick Roundup So Far

2008-04-21T03:34:00.002+08:00

Well, the same pattern once again emerges. Upon movement into a true hotel for the final leg of my journey, i had to stop blogging for there's no longer any free internet access left. Anyway, just a quick summary of events so far...

Firenze is without a doubt a romantic city in itself. To put it simply into words, if Venice was like a love concerto tugging at your heartstring with every beat, then Florence will be a gentle melodious love song that leaves you savouring its sweetness after hearing it. Yup, the city had given me so muh emotions that i would have love to blog it on the spot lest for the accessibility (Well to be fair, the hostel did have internet access but it was occupied)

Milan, fashion capital and true to its reputation, everyone look trendy and cool. But sadly, the things are so happy that it makes a joke of the label "Ready to Wear" when all i can do is just see and dream. Oh but the San Siro is a different thing all together. I was pretty disappointed with the stadium tour, museum or store for it was not even up to the standard of Weserstadion but... The atmosphere that was transmitted during the Inter-Fiorentina match was indescribable. Pity, i can't remember the lyrics for the match song though but it was really an experience of a lifetime. The tremors of the stadium, the holy chanting, the firecrackers going off and finally seeing and supporting one of your teams in a historical stadium and being with them when they score the winning goals, WOW!!!!!!

Had a small stopover in Singapore for 3 nights after Milan. Did a call which was okay but the jet lag almost killed me. Did not acheive my aim of doing the ops tough for i think i sprained my wrist during my "Escape from Milan" (That's another story which doesn't fit the brief title) but yup tried to avoid going to OT because i feel that i can't do a proper job. The wrist still hurting today.

Yup and now i am back in the Meditarranean. Everyone kept talking about Santorini back home and the first impression that it gave me upon touchdown was that it was truly up to standard. Beautiful beaches, houses and rocks, now it makes me feel that 2 days is just too short. Anyway, since i just arrived, will try to see if i can blog more about it. There's a queue for the computer so ciao for now...

One Rainy Day In Rome

2008-04-09T00:09:00.002+08:00

Well its 6 pm here in Rome and i bet u guys must be wondering what i m doing here blogging. It has been raining since morning and there is no way i can go anywhere. I had already done the option of going to the Vatican but i came out too late so there was not enough time to explore the museums and that can offer some shelter. As for the rest of Rome, well the monuments are all outdoors so its virtually no go. Sigh...

Anyway, just some words on Rome. Its a nice place really (not that i will say beautiful) but nice. Imagine walking down the streets and seeing monuments that were built by people hundreds of years ago and yet u r walking down the same pavements as them. Wow! I will not call it romantic but it has a special charm which distinguish it from the other Italian cities and more importantly saves it from the bad feel of many countries' capital. And the other thing i can't believe is that the metro stopped at 11pm. And for that matter, i had to make the entire journey back from the Spanish steps to the Vatican on foot. Was so exhausted that i totally dun feel like moving today (so it may actually be a good thing, the rain), not to mention the various blisters that are now on my foot. £&#@£$&%$7"/)

3 cities and 3 different feels. Italy is turning out to be quite an amazing experience. Will be having 2 more days here before i go to Florence. A bit worried though, Florence is the city i anticipate most but yet i now fear that it may not match up to my expectations so hopefully...

Beautiful Venice & Dangerous Naples

2008-04-07T04:36:00.003+08:00

Finally embarked on my long awaited Italy trip. Spent the first 3 days in 2 cities which are simply contrasting in styles. Venice, one of Europe (or even the world) romantic cities and it definitely lived up to its name. It may have been replicated (both in Vegas and in Macau) and although i had never been to either, i truly believed that its spirit can never be replicated. Yup, comparing this city to Paris, it doesnt disappoint. St Mark's Square, a place that we read in books allures in the day with its courtyard full of pigeon yet continues to exude charm when night falls as the light emits a beautiful aura. The Rialto, a bridge made known to me from Shylock's mouth is bustling in the day, yet releases a rustic Venetian charm among the hustle and bustle. But what really moved me the most was an aspect that is not written in books. Take a stroll along the Canal behind the Academia (not the Grand Canal, but another whose name just slipped from me). The nice soothing breeze against the back drop of a setting sun as one views from afar the various churches with their beautiful domes on the outlying islands. Venice -- truly lovely...

And then we move on to Naples. Could have been the toll of travelling on the train without sleeping well or it could have been my eagerness to rush to my hostel for i let my guard down in the one place which i know i have to be on high alert. End result -- i got pickpocketed. They were really well prepared and organised for the action began the moment i crossed the road. They blocked my way to the entrance of the bus and i dunno what possessed me to actually board from the back. I was thus blocked and sandwiched in between the gang and the stupid me still hasnt realised i was duped. It took a good 30s before i felt a hand going into my left pocket when i realised what was going on. I slapped the hand but i realised i was already in trouble. And what nailed it was being offered back my card holder. Was pretty demoralised after the incident for i was upset with myself for being so careless. Also didnt know whether i should laugh or cry after the incident for the pickpockets were actually very "helpful" in the way that i was not allowed out of their net untill they returned me my documents. Yup they were quite good at blocking me out there and then. Fortunately for me, well i did not have a wallet so that was not stolen. The spare money that was put inside were not spotted, my handphone in my left pocket were saved in time and my camera was still in my bag. I don't think there was any loss but seriously i am still too stunned to do a proper check. Anyway, that incident spoiled the day for me and whole day i was reflecting on how careless i was. No longer felt safe in Naples after this and the look of the people on the streets after 8 all looked so shady. The shops were all closed also. One can say that i am biased after the incident but this is really one city which i do not dare venture out alone at night...

PS : To those who are reading, please keep Incident 2 from my mum...

Sleepless in Singapore

2008-03-21T18:50:00.004+08:00

Stages of Planning for a Trip

1. Sleepless euphoria
Initial euphoria and excitement upon seeing the air ticket prices of the places u want to go become affordable to poor little budget traveller like me ^-^ Sleepless as i look at all the guide books and drool at all the potential places that i can visit.

2. Sleepless outlining
Sleepless nights as one tries to match the cheap prices to his leave dates. Not a simple task as cheap tickets sell like hot cakes whereas popular leave dates also disappear rapidly. Its also challenging to get a general feel of how many places u want to go and the days spent in each as airline companies usually dun allow date change on discount tickets

3. Sleepless purchasing
More sleepless nights after securing the tickets and deciding on the location as one now has to micromanage and finalise the number of days spent in each city and thinking of the transfer connection between each. The decision on airplanes, trains or buses is not particularly helped by the fact that information on the latter is not readily available online while that of the former is not exactly cheap or time efficient. To save more money, one can even take the risk and try projecting a night spent on the bus or train =)

4. Sleepless booking
Now that one manages to get the broad picture on deciding how many days to stay in a place and how he is going to get to the next place, its another headache again as one searches for the accomodation. Hostels for a budget traveller like me will mean screening through all the numerous options that is available. Experience showed that there's no point relying on the hotel description for more often than not, they are way off in terms of location (which is very important) so its hours after hours screening through reviews and comparing prices.

5. Sleepless dreaming
And when u finally think that u have done it all and booked your flight tickets, connecting transport tickets and your accomodation, u get even more sleepless nights as the excitement and anticipation overwhelms you as u realise that everything is booked and you are definitely going on your trip.

Yup and that's what i had been precisely going through for the last 2 weeks as i planned out my
April European Renaissance - Embracing Greek, Roman & Bohemian Cultures ^-^
Reminded me of my MBBS days where i was planning for my Virgin European Tour while studying. Quite challenging this time round for i had to plan 2 trips at one go and it did really took its toll on me. (Was like a walking zombie every day as i always slept way past 12 despite always telling myself that i REALLY REALLY need to sleep earlier). Anyway, it was also more difficult because this time round i had to start from scratch to choose the best location (Too much screw-up in the past had made me a wiser boy =D) whereas previously i only had to choose one near the girls' hotels so it narrowed down the choices significantly. There is another issue of me booking too late for a lot of the connecting flight so that was another headache. (Was dily-dallying too much in the beginning by indulging myself in the guidebooks so was shocked to find that a lot of my initial intended flights were either sold out or had soared to unreasonable prices).

But yup, finally settled it so now i m one happy boy again. 2 more weeks to long leave. Whooopeeee!!!!!!!!

Magical Enchantments

2008-03-06T23:31:00.003+08:00

Haha this will be a short post. Have been thinking of how to preserve all the memories of the places that i have been to, in addition to the photos i have taken. Realised that i usually dun blog about them much. Well i must say its due to the lack of time and by the time, i have it, the mood is gone. Oh well, anyway, i have decide to have a spinof of my own blog which will focus solely on my travel experience. Just made one post so far and hopefully i will find both time and inspiration to blog more there also.

麻将如人生，人生如麻将。

2008-02-16T23:12:00.004+08:00

朋友们，非常感谢你们在这个时候通通都回来了。因为你们，我胡了生平第一次的 “十三幺” (而且还是自摸得）...

Yup, i did something which i never would imagine myself being able to do so previously on the mj table. And like what i say, its a good feeling to see all your good friends in ur hand. But i guess, the old saying may be true after all, to those who know what i mean. And this is especially so when it happened exactly during the round which i was thinking about it. Not exactly a good sign i guess.. Haiz...

Well...

2008-02-13T22:36:00.003+08:00

Haha i didn't know that i hadn't blog for close to 2 months now. Frankly speaking, i really thought i had blogged before but guess it must be that i m hallucinating or something..

Just a few updates. Firstly, my regular foreign escapade. (See, that's why i can't believe i actually forgot to blog about that). Went to Cambodia last month and was pretty much recharged. I must say that its absolutely chaotic and polluted in the capital city of Phnom Penh so its not really an ideal getaway location but the serenity of the Khmer Angkor remains in Siem Reap are a complete opposite. Haha compared to the cathedrals of Europe and the temples of Japan, one definitely has to work harder to savour it but looking back now, it was really quite an amazing experience ^-^ But i guessed it was helped by our strong currency that i was able to get a good hotel and therefore was able to laze around after sunset, surfing the numerous channels available on TV, soaking in the bathtub x1 hour and bouncing on the King size bed, all to myself. Felt really refreshed after the trip =) Took quite a lot of pictures of the grand remains but i guess a big part of emotions of this trip lies in those which cannot be taken. If Siem Reap was a reflection of Cambodia's past glories, then Phnom Penh would be an indication of the misfortune of its people and the bad timing of the occurrence. The secret prison and the killing fields now lies quiet but its eerie calmness tells the stories of the genocide regime where the country lost one generation of its best talents through reasons nobody can explained. The skulls in the pagoda and the photos in the museum made me shudder as i realised that they all belonged to people who had previosly lived and walked the land but whose lives were cruelly ended. And for all these to happen during the age of technological explosion, the Cambodian people now have to work doubly hard to make up for lost time and i think it will at least be a decade more or so before that can happen. Images of my Sec 2 literature text came back to me. The Cambodias are a bunch of happy people but it does really feel sad when u realised what they had gone through.

Anyway, will be going back to serve the nation in a couple of months time. Time really flies and much had changed. (To think i can still remember the time when i was saying 3 years to gorge and 5 years to condition. Ha its now 4 years and 10 months and i had yet to condition :p) Oh well, hopefully, i can become fitter (and maybe leaner, instead of the swollen face now)

On a last front, i guess some of u would have known what's going on. I am still trying hard and although i know the prospects may not seem that good, guess i will just keep plugging away. I mean this is keeping up with the usual pattern of happenings in my life. Things seem to be going well now and so its seems just like a nice time for this thing to pop up and make me go into disarray again. But i had learnt my lessons from previously, so i will just keep my spirits up and prevent myself from going too overboard to have all those things come back again. I must say, its really been a long time since i suffered a very heavy loss on the mj table already lor...

Stressed..

2007-12-21T01:18:00.000+08:00

This had nothing to do with work or okay partially but not really related to it. Anyway, i realised that i had told myself to do certain things at the start of this posting, using the facilities that are close to me to enfit myself but its now 2 months gone and i realised that i have yet to utilise any of those. Aaarrgghhh..... How? How? The clock is ticking down already... Disaster...

On a side note, think its time to revise my french again. Realised the MSW peux parler le francais aussi so it's a good opportunity to practice practice ^-^

Round Trip Around the Island

2007-12-11T23:37:00.001+08:00

How do u get about the island going through all the expressways?

Enter the ECP through Singapore Expo
Continue onto the AYE at Sheares Bridge
Head towards Tuas into the KJE
Leave via the BKE at Woodlands
Go into the SLE at Yishun
Transit into TPE at Jalan Kayu
Back into the PIE at Changi

and voila.. we are back onto the ECP

So how do we add the PLE into the equation? I wonder....

Pas de titular

2007-11-29T22:56:00.000+08:00

Been a busy 2 weeks i guess. Got called back on 2 successive passive calls just reinforced my belief that next time, i should choose a workplace that is nearer to home. Going at 120 km/h and still need 30 minutes to rush back for an op is no joking matter sia. Anyway, its been a long time since i went post call at 7 pm and for once, the 2 hour bus ride actually seemed too short :D

Updates on other front. Don't think i will be able to meet the deadline for the Australia thingy so i will be free again in January for my short trip. Jetstar's offer is till this Sunday so i guess this weekend will be spent thinking if i can balance my budget well enough for Cambodia. Any takers again on that front? Haha

Anyway think i am a bit swakoo but does anyone know that there is now a Burger King outlet in campus. Quite a lot of changes to school in the past one and a half year that i have not been back. All the carparks are now reinforced and there's no longer any free car park around anymore. Yes, no more tailgating in Science, hoping for barrier to be up in Eusoff or even the under renovation LT 13. Even our dear old Satellite station is limited to NUS staff nowadays and there's a barrier blocking the KE carpark. Plus, they have even extended parking times to 730 pm now. Guess its a good thing i graduated one year early :p

Back to the Burger King issue, Arts canteen is completely different. Gone are the heaven, earth and hell setting and in its place is the old Lau Pa Sat feel. It doesnt even look like a school canteen anymore. Wow! And yup, BK is located there too.

Addendum : Jersey costs 95 dollars. Should i buy? Should I buy? Hmmm....

Ooooh.....

2007-11-22T23:05:00.000+08:00

Germany's new jersey is so chio. Can't wait to get my hands on them ^=^

PS: Anyway took the woodlands route home yesterday. Another 2 hours brain freezing experience. Wahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not Interestomg

2007-11-07T22:02:00.000+08:00

Decided not to drive to work today. Its partially due to the fact that i was quite tired out by the distance , as well as, the cars that lay the road during my journey. I would say the traffic is not excatly that bad but compared to last time when i can just go full throttle and be limited to 80 km/h, the current stop-and-go routine can be quite exhausting.

So just like during student days, i decided to challenge the mind and take bus 10. And voila, it was a real test of endurance. Sleep was in abundance as it took me 2 hours 15 minutes to reach home. Just to put things into perspective, half an hour into the trip and i had barely reached vivocity. There was even enough time to finish 2 and a half CD of songs for the journey. Gosh, i still can't imagine i actually did it, but well i did feel much awake after the ride.

Not a very interesting entry but then again, i don't feel interesting today also ^=^

Long Time No Blog

2007-10-25T23:12:00.000+08:00

Haha just to put things into perspective, i haven't been blogging for so long that i have forgotten my password :p

Well almost finishing my surgical posting and did have quite a good (or goofy) time. Can't really stitch well still and i guess its pretty embarassing. Well luck does play a big part again (and of course i was praying so hard for appendices on my last weekend call but still a big zlitch. Bleahhhh..)

Going to CTVS in NUH next. A bit of mixed feelings actually. Was a bit disappointed that i did not get an ortho posting to make things easier but on the other hand, i had always wanted to see how CTS was like since medical student days (SIP wasn't that enlightening last time). But then again, i keep wondering what in the world possessed me to choose a posting that is at the other end of Singapore when i could have chosen one that's 10 minutes away...

Nothing much had changed in life except for a bigger financial burden (to those who know of course) In fact, the expenditure had been so great that i registered nett $0 last month despite the fact that only $200 was spend on food, clothings and other miscellaneous stuff. Trade off is of course putting in jeopardy plans for a january trip to one of our friendly ASEAN neighbour. Quite a difficult thing to do especially when i see the good deals that seemed to pop up every week on Tiger's and Jetstar's website. Well hopefully, when i m in better control of my finance, a good deal will pop up. But to my dear friends out there, Italy (+ 1 more European destination, subject to leave's availability) is still on

Language wise have been pretty smooth sailing. Still can't read the Italian and Spanish website as well as my French one though. Pity that only French and German books are available in Kino. If anybody know where to find books in different language, can tell me so that i can progress in the others too ^-^

Ok that's about it. Hopefully it won't be another 6 months before i blogged again Ciao y a bientot!!!!!!

You'll never walk alone

2007-04-14T18:17:00.000+08:00

I realised a few interesting points this time round while i m in Japan , significant difference between travelling alone and travelling with others.
It all boiled down to an issue of discipline but the contrast can never be bigger . First , its regarding waking up. Sad to say , i m still very ill disciplined in this aspect and i tend to laze ard and refuse to wake up . (Sigh, still can't forgive myself for not waking up early enough and had to forego Nikko as a result). This , in contrast with the times in Europe and Hong Kong where i had to sort of "force" myself to wake up early. Haha can u believe it? I failed to wake on any of my appointed time and only twice did i wake up before 9am :p
Difference number 2 is a big contrast to the above . I realised i m a slave driver when travelling by myself. (And maybe thats why its so siong actually) Usually, when i meet up with the girls, that day itself will actually be a slight respite but this time round, whew its day after day after day of climbing hills, mountains and roaming the streets . Talk about walking, its basically 4 km road march everyday on rough terrain. And gor me, hittin g the target is more important so as u guess it , its only eating after being able to hit my target point of visit or it happen to be along the way . No specific hunting for food :p

But sigh, Japan tour has ended and there are still so many things that i havent seen or feel. One week just doesnt seem enough . Don't even know when i m going to come back again. Earliest schedule seem to be after NS :(

JAPAN I M GONNA MISS YOU!!!!

Greetings from the Land of the Rising Sun

2007-04-10T22:43:00.000+08:00

Greetings from Kyoto. Just completed the Tokyo leg of my Japan tour. Still cannot forgive myself for oversleeping on the 2nd day. As a result, i had to miss out on travelling to Nikko. Was having quote a hectic time while in tokyo. All in all, 3 days is definitely not enough for tokyo and think i will have to go back there another time to really see the whole of tokyo. (To be honest, i have not even completed tokyo city by itself yet -- the artistic centre in ueno, akihbara and even tokyo undeground shopping street, not to even mention the outskirts region of nikko and of course a more detailed exploration of hakone and Mt Fuji)

Anyway, first day in Kyoto today and i am running into cashflow trouble. The problem with Japan is that card is not widely accepted and as a result, i have to pay for my hostel and transport fees via cash. Lesson learnt, exchange more cash and heck about credit. If really bo pian, at least open an account with citibank (and not our lousy UOB or DBS) At least u can withdraw cash from ATM at convenience stores which are open 24 hours.

First impression about Kyoto. Its temples, temples and more temples (plus the ocassional cemeteries guarded by the temples). Temples to Japan is like what catherdrals to Spain. Had a whale of a time jumping from temple to temple, and just like my cathedral hopping, i can spend up to an hour in each. And it is here that i realise the greatest difference between Catholic and Buddhism. In Christianity, the focus is the cathedral wth all the mini chapels housing the tombs and potraits of various bishops, popes and saints which the masses can pray and relate to. In Zen Buddishm, the focus is on nature where people carry out activities and reflect on their way of life based on the teachings of Buddha. Statues of Buddha are seen, together with the altar of many great abbots but the main focus is nevertheless still on self reflection admist the calm and beauty of the various gardens.

Halfway through my Japan trip now. Feel sad that its ending soon and the thought of me having to go back to work at this time next week just make me sian. But anyway, it will be deer watching at Nara tomorrow so i m going to sleep now

O-yasu-mi-na-sai!!!

The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow

2007-03-27T22:53:00.000+08:00

Di solito, i tend not to type my schedule onto my blog but this time round i really can't help it. Maybe its a way of keeping me in focus, but this is one of the few times i m well below confiance of toughing it out through this period. I kept letting the events race through my mind but i somehow dread the way its going to play out. Something is not right somewhere, just that i dunno where its gonna go wrong. But anyway, here's the schedule for the coming fortnight

Tuesday Night lessons

Wednesday On call

Thursday Post-call

Friday Night lessons

Saturday On call

Sunday Post call

Monday Free day (supposedly)

Tuesday Night lessons

Wednesday On call

Thursday Post call

And FINALLY on Good Friday........

Japan! Japan! JAPAN!

Yup i know its very enticing and morale boosting, thinking of the big pot of rainbow that is hanging at the end of these 2 weeks but i m really dreading the process of getting there. Confidence is still not high and i somehow think there is gonna be a screw up somewhere out there... Sigh...

Worse still, i realised i will most prob be back to face a darn packed schedule again. To think that i still have yet to watch 300 and TMNT, alas i dunno how am i going to find time or strength to drag myself to the cinema to watch them. [Haha i basically need someone to organise or somehow come up with double the energy or motivation to do it :p]And there is a high chance that they may already be off when i come back from Japan... Sigh...

How? How? There seem to be so much things to do yet so little time.. Sigh...

Have to think of how to squeeze in the time to cut my hair also... Sigh...

Random thoughts

2007-01-30T00:07:00.000+08:00

Finally my first post in 2007. Firstly to use back some familiar old phrases. I m currently one month into my new posting now and sad to say, i think it was like that time when i was learning German, ITS NOT SMILING AT ME. Sigh, i know it wasn't my first preference but at least i did have good memories of it last time. maybe its the work environment where the enfermas simply irritate the hell out of me. I really cannot stand some of them and everyday is a test of my patience where i sometimes just feel like throwing the file at them or scream at them in the face. I think this is the first time in my nine months so far that i am so irritated... Luckily my superiors are not that demanding and it somehow soften the impact. Nevertheless, morale is still damn low cos simply put ITS NOT SMILING AT ME!!!!!

Anyway while on the bus back from class today, some random thoughts popped into my mind. I guess i finally understand the reason why German did not manage to smile at me last time. I think it must have been my perception of the language. Its just simply too pragmatic and business-like sounding that it doesnt tug at the emotions within me. Both French and Spanish seemed to have find a niche within my inner self. In case u guys havent notice but does anybody realise that i tend to blog in French when i m feeling down or dispirited while the converse apply to Spanish which tends to be jovial complaints. Haha not that i m slamming the French but it just seemed that my emotions tend to flow more easily when i complain or lament in French ^=^ And Spanish just seemed to make me happy!!!! (Haha its the only source of motivation in this day and age when Paeds just refused to smile at me)

Anyway i must make an apology here. I think i did mention about trying to get a chalet in March but the lure of the Malaysian Airline offer is simply too great for me. Heheh so its now a straight fight between Japan and Germany and as a result, need to conserve resources for the trip. So guess i will have to push back the chalet thing to kiv July then. But in any case, think i will only finalise my decision next week so if there is anyone who wishes to join me, please sms me or post a comment k. Haha it will be a study trip instead of a sightseeing trip if i were to go alone this time :p

Medicine @ SGH -- Enriching, Exhilirating, Exuberating

2006-12-31T23:17:00.000+08:00

Today is the last day of posting of generl medicine. Many thanks to K who offered to take my last call on Tues (i m definitely grateful for that, although i m still quiite pissed with the secretary for giving me the most number of calls, as well as, most numbers of public holidays calls) among the 30 HOs that are posted to SGH. [and esp when there are like 10 ppl who never had to do a single PH call, its simply gross injustice]

Medical posting this time round is mainly full of ups i will say (except for the ocassionally hiccups here and there). Maybe its the shaking off of things from the previous ortho postings or maybe its because i have learnt through the harsh experiences of interpersonal realities in the last posting that i should learn to be smarter and less kind when doing certain things

Think i have really been blessed with really nice tutors and supervisors this time round. Most of them are more than willing to teach and i definitely feel more confident in looking after my patient right now than i was before. (Hee hee my trip to HK was timed to such perfection that it may have helped me avert a potential disaster) Credits must also be given to my previous posting. Being thrown into the deep end right at the very start and making all those stupid blunders had actually provided a good foundation for me to further strengthen my medical knowledge and for that i m grateful also. Last but not least, i must also thank my stars for showering me with good fortune most of the times. Only when the workload is low, then is there room for learning and i do think that a lot of the time, i wouldnt be able to learn as much if i were to face the numerous work that some of my colleagues had to endure. A good example of that would be all that had happened during the first week of my last rotation.

Anyway, maybe its my lack of time to blog but overall this 4 months had been a good experience. Pediatrics was not my first choice but i shall adopt the attitude that i had always held throughout the years. Things happen for a reason and if i had to do paeds, then there must be a reason too. Although i must admit that i did try to change it, but the difficulties i had to face while trying to change it just make me feel that i should just accept what there lies for me

Happy New Year everyone
(2007 - another odd number year)

Ma vie!

2006-11-17T21:58:00.000+08:00

Je suis fatigue... Non, tres fatigue est une plus que convient mot.
Je ne sais pas que la raison (pas du souci, ce n'est pas romanesque) mais je m'immerse en une situation occupe. Lymphoma est une tres difficile sujet, surtout je n'etudie beaucoup dans mon temps en l'universitaire par le sujet. Tout le monde sont alien!!!

En addition, je ne sais pas que la raison mais je me leve tout le jours avec douleur tout mon corp. Le bras, le jambe et le dos, je ne les demenager pas. Haiz, c'est tres intrigue parce que j'ai eu une vacane.. Hmmm.. il semble que il y a une microorganism joue avec moi... : (

Malgre tout, j'adore beaucoup mon courant faire de stage. Haha ca va fatigant mais je pense que je suis la manque quand ca finir. Je suis sadique!!! ^=^

Blogging

2006-10-07T11:48:00.000+08:00

Funny enough, nobody seems to be updating their blog much nowadays. Haha i am one of the guilty parties also but hey sometimes its not my fault. When the inspiration comes, the comp decides to go on strike and conversely when the comp is performing at top level, my inspiration refuses to flow.

Hmm...

No calls for the next 2 weeks...

2006-10-01T17:16:00.000+08:00

Yeah thats absolutely true. By some wheeling and dealing, i managed to end up with no calls for the next 2 weeks but then...

I will have a whooping 5 calls in 15 days!!! Ha shiok, sure gonna kill myself with this kind of schedule but i am actually looking forward to it and see if i can emerge from that stronger.

El Loco? Hee hee aqui mi ^=^

I thought i was...

2006-07-23T23:45:00.000+08:00

I thought i was, being cooped up in hospital all this while, less dark than before. An indoor boy or so as to speak, but definitely still healthy with all the numerous walking around. But..

1 min into the game, i was huffing and puffing
2 min on, i was beginning to see stars. My shots were weak and i can't mount a simple challenge
3 min and i was feeling nausea with the intention to vomit.

Guess what, i was not fairer but was instead pale from dunno whatever reason. Ha so much for the improvement in fitness

PS: But on a side note, 2 goals (one an extremely ugly one) in 10 min of play is still not that bad an achievement. May it be a sign of good things to come ^=^

Addenum

2006-07-09T11:52:00.000+08:00

Well Germany won to prevent a sianess to the max situation but my phone suddenly went blank just before the match. So i am only able to receive phone calls but am unable to know who called me or read or sent SMS while i get a replacement phone. And to think that all my beautiful Europe photos would be gone when i sent the phone it for repairs... Sigh... Sian x 6

Another Sian Day

2006-07-08T21:14:00.000+08:00

An example of how a sian day

Wanted to see Car A and went to the showroom but realise Car A no longer have manual transmission so sian x 1

Went on to see car B instead. Car B has manual transmission but does not have my yellow colour. Asked the salesman whether its possible to get a yellow one, he said it wun look nice and that's why they not importing. unlikely to hae a yellow one so sian x 2

Went to Peninsula to want to get Germany jersey. Think the 2004 one looks nicer so was thinking of getting that one but salesman says that one go museum already. They not selling anymore so no jersey. Sian x 3

Never decide to lower expectation. Asked for 2006 jersey but dun want the white one cos like not really very outstanding so asked for the away red one cos think that one more unique. Got a bewildered look from the shopkeeper and instead showed me the black one which ahem does not look as unique as the red one. So no jersey in the end despite making such a long trip. Sian x 4

Wanted to go bowling to sweep away all the sianess. Went to the bowling alley to find it fully booked. This was a weekend and i was prepared to pay more but no lanes for me to bowl. Sian x 5

Sigh.. All these in total plus another overall sian secret in the backgorund makes it a super super sian day... Now all it needs is for Germany to lose the 3rd/4th placing match tonight to cap it all off and make it sianess to the max...

Sighhhhhhhh....

The End of a Era

2006-07-05T11:43:00.000+08:00

I guess it's really the end now. 4 years of waiting, hoping that everything will end on a high seems to fade away. I was sad after the 2002 final but not that sad cos i was really convinced that they will win this year but now guess it has all disappeared. Its also the end of what i will describe as youthful exuberance in watching Germany play from now on. I do not know whether in the future, under the many life stresses that i will be facing, will i still be able to support them so whole-hearted and unreserved. Will i derived as much joy as i do now when i see them win or be so sad when they lose or will i instead be so numbed by the many life stresses that i m facing that it will just be seen as another game. So many defeats that i had witnessed and all the memories still remained etched inside me. Denmark's 2 goals in 92, Balakov's header in 94, Worn's foolish red card in 98, Kahn's mistake and Neuville's shot in 02 So what if i will be able to go Austria and South Africa to watch them play next time but will it be as nice and wonderful as now when i m an adult and not as a young child anymore.

Its sad that it had to end this way, admist all the expectations and respect for this newfound German team yet the unparallel skeptiscm and sacrasm at how disbelief one can get in seeing a German team who did not follow their traditional roots. It was definitely their best chance in many years but sadly, i doubt such a progress is reproducible in the next 6 to 8 years. Anyway, the curse of Pele's mouth is as strong as it can get, an unrivalled force of darkness in the world of international football

Sadness....

Tired but HAPPY!!!!

2006-07-01T12:49:00.000+08:00

I like to see penalty shoot-outs but i especially hate it if they involve my favourite team and there it was, with my heart in my mouth as i watch the shoot-out taking place. I must admit i was less nervy than in 96 where i almost got an heart attack because if there was anything good about Lehmann, it was his clownish antics during shoot-outs that tend to put the taker off (and thank goodness it really works)

Anyway was pretty disappointed with myself last night because i actually OVERSLEPT. (Lucky Ade called, otherwise i could have missed the entire match and i would be blaming myself for it. A very big thank you here!) Reached home at around 630 after going without sleep on call the previous night and i just plonked myself on the bed with my hair still wet. Dunno why i didnt leave my tv on yesterday to serve as an alarm clock but before i knew it, it was already 12am when the phone rang. Fortunately, the score was till 0-0 when i woke up (just like in the Poland game but the stakes were not that high in that match) And just when i was still recovering from the anger at myself, Argentina scored. I was like oh-no, how how??? Then i realised that shucks i was not in battle gear. Immediately i changed into my Germany jersey and sat down to cheer them on. (And in case some of u are going to scold me for being superstitious again, well the other 3 times i wore the jerseys, the goals all came within 5 minutes of the match starting) Was so upset when i see all the time wasting by the Argentines and the defensive substituitions. Then whew, the equaliser finally came. I was so very happy, jumping up and down my living room. And after the final whistle, i was elated. It had been such a long time that i last since my Germany winning such a big game. Yayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!! But haha i was so tired out at the end that i dozed off before the Italy match even started and i m having muscles ache all over now. So what even if i did have a bad call the previous night. As long as Germany win, i m HAPPY!!!!!! ^=^

Finally a WORLD CUP of epic Proportions

2006-06-28T21:19:00.000+08:00

Whew its finally break time for the World Cup. By comparison, i actually looked forward to this lull period compared to previous year. Last time, i always dread at the fact that i will suffer from withdrawal because of the lack of soccer but this time round, its a real good break. Been real blessed this month, being assigned to a team which has very few patients. This means that i can actually stay up late for certain matches because i would be able to recuperate the following day without any compromise to my patients.

Anyway it has been a really predictable World Cup, so predictable that i gave up betting after one attempt. For the first time in dunno how long, all the favourites actually got through their group stage intact and i really mean ALL. (Some might say the Czechs did not but come on, i am saying on the level of Germany, England, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Holland, France, Spain...) Anyway, i think the last time any tournament that come close to this level was Euro 96 with Italy being the only sad case. Yup but it also showed that despite having big names, the football from some of these sides are pretty disappointing (heheh stars have shifted. Germany is playing such attractive football nowadays that i actually can say this :p) Leave coming up soon and hopefully the chalet plan can materialise although i must say i m really too busy nowadays to even contact anybody, much less to say to organise a successful chalet. Just have to see how lor

Anyway, just some updates

World Cup : On a super high in this aspect, especially with the way Germany is playing. Though fearful of the match up with the Argentines, i have the fullest faith in them (provided Ballack dun go AWOL again like what he always like to) ^=^

Job : Its going on the up, especially after all those unhappy inital moments. Plug setting skill is still a bit koyak but should get better, i hope : )

Love : Working hard but making no inroads it seemed.. Hopefully its progressing slowly and not regressing progressively.. Sianzzz.. : /

Money: Making money but doesnt seem a lot. No chance for a coupe. So sad... : (

Study: Study? What study???

Werder Rules

2006-06-10T09:56:00.000+08:00

Yes the World Cup is finally under way. It may not be as powerful as the statement made 4 years ago when they opened with a 8-0 banging but then nevertheless, they managed to cook up up one of the most exciting opening match ever (haha although i will not say its really very exciting cos it feels more like a friendly) but at least the attack is still there from last year's Confederation Cup (sad thing is the defensive joke is still there also. Poor Metzelder, not only has he become lousier, he has become uglier too) Ha anyway, it pays to field more players from the best attacking team in the Bundesliga. 3 of the 4 goals coming from Bremen players. Bremen rules!!!!!!!

Haha anyway, now that the first match is over, really need to go back and settle my calls in the coming weeks. Its totally screwed up. My 4th call is on the day immediately after Germany plays Poland, i.e. a potential 36 hour no sleep day coming up while my 6th call lands on the day where they are likely to be playing in the round of 16 (if they qualify as group winners) Sighz... What is worse is that the 4th call that i m intending to change is likely to fall on the day of the 1st quarter final. That sucks totally... Haiz... Really hope i can change my calls...

All future doctors should start playing more mahjong

2006-05-06T08:05:00.000+08:00

Today is Election Day. Fortunately, i am free over this weekend and get to really soak in the atmosphere but getting to do my favourite activity again during Polling Day, which is filling in the numbers on the newspaper centre spread ^=^ Hee hee me just love numbers (but no i will not be accountant or engineer cos those numbers got no drama :p)

Yup work has started. Its tiring but i think so far i m still quite lucky that its still okay Mood has been pretty high so far (oh well at least untill yesterday where i spent 1 hour setting a green plug and yes that pretty much spoil my week for me. Damn sian about that but i guess i failed to hit my gold standard liao. Things should get better i hope) Anyway had my first night call on Wednesday. Did not sleep till 10pm the night after but like what i had said, the years of mahjong trainng had no doubt train me well and so i was still pretty high when i left the hospital at 9pm. I really hate fluids, with all the balancing and calculations that was required and at that late a time, the brain was totally not functioning (not to mention that i was already poor at it during school time.) The patient's had both hypotension and fluid overload. It was a terribly big headache lor but heng heng nothing happened to him in the end so at least the call that night was uneventful.

Week 2 starts after a 48 hour break (and a wedding dinner prior to that. Yummy!!!!) Must again pray hard that all goes well too next week (especially when i have 2 calls next week...)

Lesson 1 learnt
Green plugs do not necessary need to be pushed in all the way. Would have saved one hour if i had know that philopsophy. Haizzzz....

Lesson 2 learnt
Must really know how to balance fluid :( My inepitude during med school is coming back to haunt me. 2 different patients (one in the day & one at night but both with similar problem) equates no sleep for 36 hours... sob sob...

Dou Dou de Ji Jie

2006-04-27T01:55:00.000+08:00

Yayyyyyyy, i've finally managed to complete Da Chang Jin over the last one week so now i m left with a day plus to prepare for my ACLS , as well as, work next week ^=^ Was actually too lazy to blog today after all the late nights of the past few days but i think i need to lament a bit after my horrific discovery today in the toilet...

I think i m stepping into PIMPLE MUSHROOMING SEASON :(

Yes i m not kidding. Felt 2 on each side of my nose this morning and thought it was due to the sinus i was having from all the late nights. Felt another one under my chin while i was attending lecture and when i go to the toilet, i saw 4 lined up side by side on my eyebrow when i went to the toilet. Aaaarrrggghhhh... how to handle when all come up at the same time. Usually its only one or two which will be easier to coax it back to its horizontal state but 7??? Plus think i had another 2 more on my scalp, whihc are remnants from Europe. Its bad and its CRAZEEE!!!!!!!. Guess i'll have more things to think about before work starts next week. Must create a hurricane to destroy them all so that it will not be allowed a chance to blossom fully. Haahahahahahahahahahah ^=^

Sorry...

2006-04-23T22:34:00.000+08:00

Sorry guys for not updating my blog despite being back from Europe for a week liao. No choice, top priority now is to finish the Jewel in the Palace dvd as soon as possible. Will resume normal service once i finished it. 10 more episodes left. Gogogogogogogogo!!!!!!!!

Dubai International Airport -- Part II

2006-04-15T04:53:00.000+08:00

14th Apr 2006 Friday GMT: 2055

15 days, 3 countries & 9 cities (including 2 stopover cities). Yup i m just hours away from finishing my trip now. Had an exciting time travelling around Europe but due to time constraint, shall mention more of them in the days to come. Had logged on just to check my results. Seemed like a good decision now cos i somehow had this naggy feeling that i m going to be severely disappointed if i were to see my results on the day that it was released. It was good enough to know that i had passed but i also knew that i would not have done very well because of the posting so i thought it was wiser to chicken out and not check. The signs were all there. Horrid nightmares 2 nights before the results were out, checking into a terrible hotel the night before and being assigned a room with the number "53" just hours before. Haiz dunno what happened also. Thought i did reasonably well this time round. Guessed must have been the poor CA marks that contributed, especially in the Medicine track...

Anyway, will have 7 hours to feel sad over my results on the trip home. Hopefully, i would have gotten over it and arrived back in Singapore happy and carefree again (heheh my reason for wanting to check here so that i dun carry any baggage over : p)

PS: On a side note, my 2nd visit to Dubai International Airpot was a disaster. It had totally marred the good impression that i had of it the first time round. The cleaance was crowded and disorganised. No trolleys were available and the net access are all corrupted and full of spyware. Aiyoh, what a waste of it centralised location...

Spanish Whirlwind

2006-04-06T21:56:00.000+08:00

Date 6th April Thursday GMT 1400

Did not get a chance to update over the last few days. The computer that was full of spyware on sunday was inaccessible after i made it easy to access the net cos there was always someone at the booth. Valencia's internet cost money so i decided to give it a miss =p

Ok just to round out on Barcelona first. Realise i did not do my homework at all when Jas asked me whether i had visited La Sagrada Famillia and all i could give was a blank look. (Oh well my only impression of Barcelona was mainly the Nou Camp... heheh... =p Yup anyway rushed through both the cathedral and the LSF. Contrary to Jas, i thought i preferred the Cathedral more, in the sense that its more peaceful. BUt i m very impressed by the Sagrada. I really await its completion but sadly i think its highly improbable to witness its completion in my lifetime (its only slightly more than 50% complete, in case u guys are wondering, after 100 years) It will definitely become one of the wonders in the future (that is if the future engineers adn architects dun screw it up) Sears, Empire State Building adn the dunno what tower in Taiwan. Ha i think they should just forget about trying to outdo each other by seeing who is taller cos the Sagrada just put them to shame adn make their efforts look futile

Went to Valencia next. Haha this is another place where i had contrasting comments in comparison to the 3 gals. Maybe its because they did not stay the night to really fully explore it in it entirety. The Ciudad de las Artes y las Cientas may be just like our own Esplanade but the park that leads up to it from the city centre is a stretch of very long park that is interspersed by soccer fields, basketball courts and skateboarding parks. And there are people jogging along the park even at very late hours. It definitely seemed like a safe place. That whole stretch reminded me so much of Singapore. However, the old part of the city retains its Gothic charm (the cathedral adn all the other iglesia that is everywhere) and so its like the best of both world. In particular, i liked the Real Basilica, the soothing effect it had on me after the visit to the Holy Grail was like wow! In summary, Valencia is definitely an area which i wouldn't mind living in =) Just a side note, the Mestalla looks pretty much like our Kallang, nothing impressive adn its right smacked in the middle of the new part of the city.

I m currently in Seville now. It doesn't seem as exciting as the other but had to forego my plans of visiting the nearby town of Carmona cos it had begun to rain. Went to the Alcazar and the Cathedral (yup another cathedral but funny enough i dun seem to get bored of them and managed to spend an average of 2 hours in every one of them) The Alcazaar was a bit crowded and thus did not really appreciate it. The gals did say that the Al-Hambra in Granada was more impressive. Oh well, maybe next time...

Yup tonight is my last night in Seville. Last night in a hostel too, so doubt i will be able to have free internet access anymore to update my blog. Hopefully that will not be the case though =p But for the moment, CIAO.......

Bueno Diaz de la Espana

2006-04-03T04:41:00.000+08:00

2nd Apr GMT 2042

Taking a real big risk here cos i got a feeling that this computer is full of bugs and spyware so it will not be surprising if the hackers got into my account. Today is my 2nd day in Spain and 3rd in Europe. Dusseldorf Airport was surprisingly internetless so i was unable to update despite the fact that i spent a whole night at the airport there.

Quite an exciting 2 days i had had i think. Firstly, stupid me forgot that there was locker service available at Hamburg hbf so i was lugging my luggage around the city. My poor hip is still suffering from the effect of that day and i can't really external rotate it still :(. Anyway had an "amazing" time getting lost in Hamburg. Interestingly enough though, the first lndmark that i hit was actually the Hospital of Hamburg. Talk about job affinity!!! But Germany is really a very nice place. They are ever so willing to help. And i met this lady who insisted that i visit the prostitute street and gay avenue cos it was an eye opener. She didn't know that i had already stumbled upon it unknowingly. Yes, the first shop that i went to was actually a gay book store. Didn't know it was that from the outside. Only knew when i went in and saw the books. Its all the usual romantic novels that we see in normal bookstores, just that it had pictures of 2 guys plastered over the cover pages...

Arrived in Barcelona and i was really exhausted. the hip was still aching. And i was tricked by the guide book. There was actually a difference between the various oficina tourista and therefore i spent like more than 4 hours hopping from metro stations to metro stations looking for it. Gave up in the end and went back to the hostel to sleep. Went to Nou Camp in the evening to see how the preparations for El Classico. The entradas here is cheaper but still cost 280 Euros. Decided that i should spend more money in the Barcelona Megastore than on the match tickets. Oh forgot to mention that Joan Gaspart actually walked past me and i didn't ask to take picture with him. Haha what a got eye cannot see Tarzan :p The fans in Europe are definitely more passionate than back in Singapore. When they party, they really mean PARTY. They dance in the streets, sing on the metro and just drink cheers to their bottle, greeting strangers adn friends alike. That was the same case in Germany too. But i think i was lucky. In both instances, the home team did not lose. Cannot imagine what will happen if they lost...

Met up with Jas, KL and HY last night. Went sightseeing and phototaking the whole day today. Ha they are really mad when it comes to photo taking. Can't believe how much trick they have when it comes to posing. had a really good time today and it was topped off by 2 splendorous meals. Will be on my own again tomorrow since we are not going to meet up until in Seville. Its reallyquite sad when i realise that i canot take a lot of photos of myself when travelling alone. Haha too bad for the narcissistic me ^=^

K think i have enough update for today. Will be scouring round the city for more of Gaudi's architeture tomorrow. Till next time, adieus :)

Dubai International Airport

2006-03-31T11:23:00.000+08:00

Day: 31st Mar 2006 GMT: 0324

Yayyy!!!!! I m now typing this account from Dubai International Airport. Pity i will not get a chance to go out to Dubai when i come back due to budget constraint. But the sand dunes were really beautiful even though it's like 530 in the morning when i look out from my plane window.

Can't believe that the first thing i did when i stepped out onto the airport is to look for a toilet. Yes, it's such an embarassment especially when one consider how i manage to tahan 5 days without shitting during field camp last time. Well that's not the only unbelievable thing . There are 4 toilets here and guess what, there are queues in the male toilet in everyone of them :( But luckily they have real time cleaning (ie. the cleaner will the cubicle once someone finishes, so its not that bad despite the high usage... heheh...)

Hmmm.. it's not a bad way to start a trip to be granted internet access so early but well this is the airport so i guessed i shouldn't take it as a sign of things to come . Well will try to update whenever possible. And i will put my timing in GMT (haha back to the good ol' days in DHS when i try to be funny and put my watch to GMT timing)

Time for more airport exploration ^=^

Whew...

2006-03-26T03:12:00.000+08:00

So much had happened over the last 3 weeks that i guessed it surpassed last year again. Yup its the final MBBS but sad to say much more things happened (keeping in tradition with how my preparations for exams always got thrown off track one way or another) I mean having Grandma passing away minutes before the first paper and having to accompany Dad to the A&E on the day before my clinical exams are not exactly the ideal built-up to one's examinations

But in any case, i finally finish my MBBS examinations, one of the 30% of the class who got it over and done with today. Went out with a whimper instead of the bang i hoped so was rather sian today despite the fact that its over. Panicked at my 2 short cases today and totally fumbled. Hoped that my 2 examiners are as nice as they looked when they keep assuring me and i won't be faulted too much.

Went Orchard after the clinicals to look for Eli and walk around a bit. Like i said, was a bit sian so did not really jump around with excitement that its over. Oh well at least there is still the Europe trip next week for me to look forward to ^=^. Went to watch V for Vendetta with Phile they all in the evening. The dialogue was pretty thought provoking (though the action may not be tath much). But all in all, not a bad show to watch after the examinations. Resumed normal activity of mahjong and supper after that. But ha cannot go other people's house at the moment so they have to come to mine :p

Anyway, MBBS is really a pretty nerve wrecking experience (especially when one realises the opportunity cost. Seriously speaking, i doubt future examinations will be as scary and with such high stakes) I think i did okay and did not say anything too wrong ba. Think my examiners all appear quite nice as in most of them will try to guide me to the diagnosis or as least help me here and there. But then again can never take things for granted because of past experiences :( [where i tot i did okay cos tester was quite friendly and reassuring then in the end -- mati) so must at least continue praying and hoping till when the results are out before i can breathe a sigh of relief. Anyway i had been quite thankful for my cases and examiners and just hope that i can do well enough to get the posting of my choice. Have to leave it to whoever that is up there liao and hope that he will be looking after me as he has always been doing :)

Walk down nostalgic lane

2006-03-16T23:55:00.000+08:00

Today was the last day of the theory papers. A lot had happened over he past few weeks and even more so over the last few years. Found myself walking through a big part of the campus today unexpectedly but i think its a sound way to cap off my uni life (just like what they always do in the final episode of Survivor every season.. heheh..)

Warning: this is gonna be quite long and lor soh... ...

Stop 1: King Edward VII Hall
[First visit: Year 1 Orientation]

The venue of my exams this year. Still remember how i hated the place when i stayed there in my first year of university. Looks old, feels old and smell old. Still remember how i always feel like "tiao lou"-ing whenever i walked down the stairs. The dining hall was so old and stuffy and not to say the food.. yucks. Did not even went there for dinner once in semester 2. Haha and of course there was that stupid decision to run for JCRC which totally ruined me (dun think i ever recover from that emotional trauma but thanks Tor for ur card then) Realised how foolish it was of me to choose KE hall when everyone was telling me not to. Oh well was stupid enough to choose it then because of JW and also somehow influence my friends to choose there together with me. Well it was lucky to be staying with u guys (and gals too although they dun really come down that much) in the end, sort of make hostel life more interesting and exciting, especially those late nights going over to Kelvin's room and my constant whining then :p Hee hee...

Stop 2: Science canteen (aka science faculty)
[First visit: June in secondary 3 when i came over for the maths camp]

Still remember how excited i was then for it was my first visit to an university. Always dreamed of going to the university (part due to parents' influence also) but wow it was an eye-opener. The mere feeling of being there awed me. Still remember the beautiful seminar rooms in maths facaulty where we had our lessons. First impression always last and thus was quite disappointed when i realised not all seminar rooms look like those. All my subsequent visits to the university were almost always to Science but strangely enough, i never really explored the faculty after i joined the university.
Claypot stall was my favourite stall then. Must admit that the canteen did put in a lot of effort to revamp itself and currently there are definitely more food stalls that is worth our patronage :)

Stop 3: Faculty of Medicine
[First visit: Medicine interviews 2001]

Still remember my interview very vividly. Was feeling really nervous then. Had applied for quite a few scholarships after the "A"s but this was the one that really matter. Was hoping that the other scholarships would somehow train me up and prepare me for the BIG one but stupidly enough, all those interviews had their schedule after my medical interview. Doink! so i was still as unprepared as i was before. My interviewers then were Prof Voon, Prof Lee C W and a MP who i dunno his name (just know he look familiar). Haha still remembered how i fumbled during the interview then :p
Anyway, its been my home faculty for the last 5 years. Really hated some of the bureaucratic practices of the faculty and how i just pushed my way through my taking of CFMs without even asking the faculty. And how can i forgive them for screwing us throughout the 5 years.

- Rubbish PBLs without going thru clinicals
- Patho forming a big portion even though we havent had clinicals
- Numerous CAs in year 2
- No elementary clinics plus further shortening of our big postings
- Say paeds not impt then now everyone must take paeds exam
- CAs & exams NEVER start on time and always make us wait in hot and stuffy areas

The list is non exhaustive but nevertheless, there are still a few nice lecturers whom i can remebered over the years (Prof Ling, Prof Raj, Prof Gopal, Prof Chan & of course many of th enice clinincal profs who had one way or another showed why they are so well-loved by so many) and they did make life more bearable.

Stop 4: Yusof Ishak House
[first visit: health check-up]

A relatively benign place in terms of memories. Nothing much except that always come here for adminstration matters and the name which relate to our first president. Miss the western food stall although somebody told me that he is still around just that its "behind-the-scenes" now. The sushi sucks and quite sad that i never been to Munchie Monkeys. The one place that change the most during our 5 years. They even have a Cheers and Old Chang Kee there now...
Oh yeah, how can i forgot how badly i fumbled when i went to tried out for the Mandarin varsity debate team. One of 2 wishes i hope to acheive when i enter university which i failed. Sigh... :(

Stop 5: University Cultural Centre
[first visit: Matriculation]

Went there for matriculation but did not leave much of a impresssion except for the law ppl who were in white and black throughout (their tradition it was said). The 2nd visit there to watch the KE hall production was the one that left the most deep impression. Definitely one of the lousiest production that i had seen, even worse than those put up by my secondary school's drama socieies. The timing and co-ordination was just not there. Maybe it just highlighted the lack of discipline in varsity life and thus the importance of self-discipline in ECAs. Went back again in year 2 (courtesy of Derrick and haha we lamented how we got cheated again) Dunno whether they got progress cos never went to see another one again :p
Went there again for performances and seminars here and there again but i m definitely looking forward to the big one, Commencement 2006. It would be boring but i would definitely hope to be part of it (for obvious reason.. haha..^=^)

Stop 6: Faculty of Engineering
[first visit: NUS Open House 2001]

It was the time of indecisiveness between medicine and law. I did not know which one to choose and i was hoping the talk then would help solve the issue. Haha i still remember how impressed i was by the person giving the law talk. In contrast, the medical one was terrible. I was really swayed towards law then until the law lecturer reminded me about what law often entails -- CONTRACTUAL LAW. I was like, oh no that's so boring. Sort of lay the path for my inclination towards medicne in the end.
Haha that was a fun time then, going around the campus with JW, Eli and Carolyn. Can't remember whether LKY was with us or not. I am always amazed by how well the girls want their logisitics to be done. They would want to have an itenary and everything and would panic if they can't come up with one. Haha well, its always good if someone wants to do the stuff but hee hee i always have faith in my own logistics ability when the need arises

Stop 7: Central Library & Faculty of Arts
[first visit: year 3 sem 2 when i was applying for French 2]

A part of the school that was supposed to be the most vibrant yet one which i haven't fully appreciate or visit to say the least. Had always wanted to take up foreign language in the school but was quite put off by the large amount of red tape that i was put through. Will never forget the bouncing that i got when i sent them enquiries at the beginning of year 2. (I still got the mails in my inbox as evidence) Was really quite distraught by my situation with PC then and somehow it provided me with the push to just go do it and heck care everything. Really wanted the distraction then and also was looking forward to knowing new people and a change in environment. And hence begin a journey that lasted 4 semesters and 2 languages in the faculty. Hopefully, by laying the foundation, i had made it easier for subsequent interested souls to ignore the red tape too (hmmmph... still remember the time when they took 2 sems before sending me my result) Hee hee even the girl at the Centre for Language Studies know me and my register first, plan later attitude liao ^=^
Yup always look forward to my language class as an extra curricular activity. Made a few friends there too (Justin, HY, and Benita) Constant formatting of my phone meant i lost contact with a lot of them liao but think we will still know each other when we see each other next time (and then can exchange number again) But haha never met any girls during the lesson that swept me off my feet so didn't acheive the side aim of taking CFMs. C'est tres mauvais...

Stop 8: Faculty of Law & CJ Koh Library
[first visit: law interview 2001]

Yup even the law interview came later than my medical one. But by then i had already made up my mind that medicine would be first choice, so i was quite relaxed about it. Had 2 interviewers then and they kept grilling me about my Science background, saying i would be unable to adapt. Used my GP result to rebut their point. Haha and of course there was the funny thing about me not being able to recall the titles of books that i read but i can remeber the contents perfectly well. Its a habit that i had even until now. Ask me the content of any songs or books and i can say but ask me for title or author/singer? Sorry dude, i dunno. The law aptitude test was very exciting too. It was very open-handed yet it allowed you to scrutinize and reply to every line in the question. I had a whale of a time writing my answers then. Very high man!
And what else can i say about the library. Its my favourite library and i think my favourite place in NUS. Went there to research on my elective project in year 1 and i had fallen in love with it ever since. The nice colouring and lighting, cozy air-con and voila, the beautiful scenery that greets u on the other side. Its simply pure paradise.......

Stop 9: Faculty of Business
[first visit: Yr 1 HRM lecture series]

The series of waste-time lectures in year 1 which until today i do not see its relevance. Its telling us how to be hypocritical and to put up a face even when we dun feel like it. What the heck. Can't everyone just be natural? Anyway, it's one of the most waste-time thing that the school provided us with and the worse thing is i can't believe that it still forms 5% of our final MBBS grade. Gross man. Not much visits there after that except when i m transiting there or popping by the canteen to find my friends who are taking business modules.

Stop 10 (final stop): Prince George Park Residences (PGP)
[first visit: Year 1 orientation]

How appropriate it is to end memory lane with a place where it almost starts too. PGP was built just as we were entering uni, ahving only beginning accepting students the semester prior to that. Was really impressed by the place then and i had said since day one that 1 day i must stay there (cf to my old KE hall room) times have really changed and i must say it is really detiorating by the day. Finally got the chance to move in to study for my exams (and fufill a dream, it seems ^=^) Did not regret it though. it may look old (the walls in my room are like wrinkled) but the overall feel is still good. Pity that i was under exam stress when i moved in so didn't really get a chance to know my neighbours well.

Yup and that ends my journey through the school today. Like i said, it was not intentional. Just that i had forgotten that bus A did not enter engine fac proper and so i was like to lazy to retrace my steps back to raffles hall and decide to just walk all the way to business via all the links lor. Think its a fine way to end the day though. Anyway, many much things had happened throughout the 5 years in school but they are just too many and thus i only list out those that left the deepest impression on me. Hope i didn't bore u guys :)

Le France, La Espana, Das Deutschland

2006-03-04T21:27:00.000+08:00

Funny that my last post did not get published so it seems that i was away longer than i actually was. But ha anyway, i decided to change my mind at the last minute and instead had managed to push through now a sudden unexpected plan. It's quite an open secret cos i think most people who read my blog should understand what i m talking about but just in case some unexpected (? unpleasant) development gonna take place, i shall not elaborate too much on it.

Well as a side note to explain my disappearance, i had moved into PGP. Yup, the place i said i wanted to move in during Year 1 but waited four years before moving there. Hehe there was quite a lot of factors to consider before i decided to force throgh the application but i just decide for my own good, i had better do that. Anyway, it turned out to be a wise decision in the end cos the town council decided to start drilling work at my place during this critical period (coupled with the demolition & reconstruction of the secondary school opposite my place) and hence i was spared of all the noise polution that were taking place. Decided not to bring my computer there so that i can concentrate on studying for my exams so yup no net access equates no updates ^=^

Its 3 more days to the start of final exams. Honestly speaking, i am quite tired of all the studying already. The events that had led to the build-up of the exams certainly are not good stuff but i guessed its just part of the routine sian things that tend to pop up during all my exam times over the last 5 years in medical school and i just have to live with it. Without a doubt, i am looking forward to the trip after the exams. I really hope that after the trip, i will come back recharged and motivated to start afresh, leaving all the bad and sad memories behind... (Haha how appropriate to leave them all behind in the old and bureaucratic yet supposedly world class instituition that is a 100 years old). Its the only push factor that is urging me on now and its the one thought that is reining in my focus when the mind feels like wondering off to think of other unpleasant stuff...

" Reading a thousand scrolls does not necessarily make one wiser,
It just means more paper is wasted... "

Ich gehe nicht nach Deutschland

2006-02-05T13:18:00.000+08:00

Balloting results are out and my application for World Cup tickets didn't succeed. Guess i will have to wait another 30 years before being able to go Germany and see the World Cup again...

So demoralising... :(

New Year resolution. At last!!!

2006-01-21T01:15:00.000+08:00

I m pleased to announce that 20 days into the new year, i have finally found my resolution for the new year. its to be able to understand and read with relatively ease all the opening tabs in the starting window of my Firefox browser

Sounds chim and confusing? Haha its something private after all ^=^

Stress

2006-01-19T16:59:00.000+08:00

I am stressed or at least i think i am,

But am i really stressed if i need to keep reminding myself that i m stressed?

Hmm...

I dunno...

Karma

2006-01-16T23:19:00.000+08:00

Think i've gloated too much over the last 8 weeks. 15 patients on my team list today.

My favourite phrase this time last year "the stars have shifted"

A case of bad karma perhaps

Starking reminder that its indeed the new year.

The New Year celebrations continues on as i wake up to the smell of coffee... ...

Bursary Day

2006-01-14T17:21:00.000+08:00

Past memories are coming back to me. Am i dying? I dunno...

Today was the day where they gave out the bursary and it was to be my last time collecting it. I recalled the days in secondary school when i was very excited collecting it. That was despite the long wait that came with it. I was excited about going on stage to collect the envelope, the handshake with the MP and the subsequent photo-taking. The money was not as much but as i looked on at those who are older than me, dressed in plain clothes, collecting their envelope, i thought to myself that one day, i will return like them too.

Zoom to the preent. There i was going to collect the envelope as a tertiary student. Maybe it was the notion that it was more of a need than a reward that had doused my enthusiasm. Or perhaps it was due to something else. But all-in-all, i passed up on my final chance to go up the stage, to fuffill what i thought i would do years ago. Youthful exuberance that seemed to erode slowly away with each passing day... How sad...

Yup another familiar yet no so familiar event. Thank goodness, it was from the last millenium and not 2005...

Finally, something familiar...

2006-01-13T22:27:00.000+08:00

I got my first MC in 5 years

Think its about 3 years since i last fell sick within 2 weeks of the new year.

Finally something familiar to remind me that its a new year...

Yay.

Issue, issue, issue

2006-01-12T20:46:00.000+08:00

Came back from OSCE today feeling tired but knew there was another issue to be resolved. Yup a new issue that just popped up yesterday morning but similar to the way thing are going, its another issue from 2005. No sleep, waste time but got it over and done with.

Issue 3 solved (at least for the time being) Wow, i m clearing issues as fast as my tutors discharged their patients but i think the tempo is most likely going to slow down a bit now. Very amazed right now so must "suey" myself a bit so that i can catch my breath.

PS: To a friend out there, its definitely hard but be strong in whatever decision u choose to make. Will always be around to support if u need it :)

Wei Wan Cheng

2006-01-11T23:55:00.000+08:00

2 days after...

Therein lies the dangling carrot
To tempt and lure it beckon to me
Undecided and confused, a bit I waivered
But resist i finally did (with much help from the rain gods)

Next week the crucial week it is as i had but only took the first step
A small step for mankind, a big step for me
Slowly slowly i shall take
Issue 2 to be resolved soon

Funny how thing works

2006-01-10T15:10:00.000+08:00

The day after

A sudden and unexpected closure

Thank God (and i really meant it) for the impeccable timing

Belated New Year

2006-01-09T23:03:00.000+08:00

Hmm.. rummaging through so many people's blog, i realised that everyone had been summarising their year. Took me a while to decide whether i should do the same and that's why its now 8th January and yet i seemed not to summarise my 2005.

Oh well, actually, i think 2005 was better than what i had predicted in the beginning of the year. I wasn't expecting it to be good, with pitfalls looming here and there but it did brought along its fair share of joys and happiness.

However, i think 2005 can be best summarised up using the phrase "to be continued" I got the inspiration from a newspaper article that day which mention the looming globa and nationall issues that are unresolved, going into the year 2006. "What a fair reflection of my thoughts too," i thought to myself. Coming to the turn of the year, i realised that there are too many unresolved issues left for me too, be it in both my family and school life. To quote the simplest of all examples, preparing for the exams just made New Year seemed like another public holiday and the feeling of welcoming a new year just wasn't there.

All-in-all said 2006 will hopefully be a better year. (By right it should be, because its a even-numbered year, World Cup's gonna be held in Germany, and 2006 just look pleasing to the eye. But i m really scared of cursing myself. Just looked at how 2004 turned out in the end admist all the high hopes :( Oh well i've been looking forward to 2006 for dunno how long liao (more than 5 years perhaps) and hopefully it will really bring about the psychological spark that its name suggest (yup despite all the bad predictions that astrologists had been predicting for those born in the year of the dog)

Happy New Year!!! (again)

Sanity or pure madness???

2006-01-01T09:02:00.000+08:00

Since i m so undecided after seeing the inviting options that's available, i shall leave it to Heaven's will to decide for me :p

Based on current situation: Yes 10% No 90%

(but if i manage to get a place in hostel... .... Yes 85% No 15%

Oh well, as the situation stands, i shall await the result of my hostel application before i shall seriously consider whether to commit hara-kiri or not in the coming semester... ...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!!!

Wow... I actually passed...

2005-12-28T23:54:00.000+08:00

Haha can't believe my eyes when i actually saw my French 4 results. Guess what the rest had been saying was true that its although its not easy to score in NUS module, its difficult to fail too. Oh well i guess i should be grateful. I started French in year 1 on my own outside and i m glad that i actually managed to complete a sort of intermediate level where i now feel comfortable reading and using the language in my final year as a NUS student. With the result i got from my first 2 tests, i really think its by heaven's grace that i actually passed the module (even though i know i had passed the module based on my own appraisal of my understanding of the language). It was a tumultuous semester with all that had happened, rushing to and fro between CGH & NUS, taking Malay lessons and many many other stuff. Haha though my initial secondary aim of taking up French was not fufilled, i think i can finally give a good close to this chapter of my life :)

PS: Dun worry my friends, currently i am still sane and not brave enough to dare to take up the challenge of taking German 2 next semester :p

Merry Merry Christmas... ...

2005-12-27T01:50:00.000+08:00

2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 ... ...

4 years... As i stared upon the beautiful night and pondered over the events that had happened over the years, i realised that 2001 was the last time i actually had a peaceful and optimistic "silent night"... Its been a long wait but i believed eventually it will come. May peace be upon me come next year

Haha! Studying week???

2005-12-24T18:58:00.000+08:00

This week is supposed to be the one week break after 2 months of intensive postings. Nevertheless, the underlying truth is that it is not supposed to be one. Had full day lectures from monday to wednesday (and thats excluding a self-imposed holiday on Thursday plus inability to wake up for morning sessions). Been busy revising but sadly, whenever i read my books it always made me think, will reading up past legal cases stirred up more interest than all the stuff now which somehow just seems too logical and sensible that i can't stimulate my brain to memorise them :(

Oh well, maybe thats why i was so bored that i began to watch the "White Tower" vcd which i bought in Melaka. Was supposed to be with KKK liao but his neverending affinity with the ED drama had resulted in a postpone of me lending the CD to him. And oh boy this turned out to be a big mistake on my part. The drama is really gripping and it really highlighted the difference between the medical and the surgical side yet emphasise the need for the 2 to work together. It also provides good food for thought for a lot of other stuff... Haha thats a interesting thing to do for this xmas i guess :)

Yup as my msn nick suggests, i do not really feel like playing mj on a supposed "ping an ye" but i think its an inevitable consequence for the 2nd year running liao... There was supposed to be an alternative but honestly speaking i do not think spending 33 bucks on a kbox session on xmas eve is worth it...

Group A -- Costa Rica

2005-12-24T18:34:00.000+08:00

Costa Rica (or los Ticos), a relatively unknown from the CONCAAF region is however no stranger to World Cup, this being their 3rd World Cup over the last 20 years (missing out in 1994 and 1998). If not for the exploits of Roger Milla and gang in Italia 90, the world may have already taken notice of the team. Unfortunately, failure to qualify for the next 2 editions consignated them to football wilderness again. Their return in Japan 2002 was overshadowed by a rampant Brazil and a Ilhian Mansiz inspired Turkey. The draw against Turkey was not enough as they failed to outscore Turkey when matches against China (But on a side note, their 2-5 defeat against Brazil did earn me some money and it will be forever remembered by me for the excitement that took place that day while watching the match)

This time round, they are drawn into Group A against hosts Germany and thus have the honour of playing in the opening game at the 2006 World Cup. They would definitely fancy their chances this round as the underdogs had traditionally enjoyed the good fortune in the opening game, albeit it used to be against the champions, not the hosts. The strong showing by their club side Deportivo Saprissa in the recently concluded World Club Championship, finishing a creditable 3rd place with their fighting spirit would surely do good for their confidence.

Without a doubt, their most famous players to local population would be Paolo Wanchope, the striker who piled his trade in the English Premiership. He may be getting on in ages but he still had a bit of stuff left in him to lead the team to Germany. Among the unsung heroes are Walter Centeno, the 31 year-old midfield veteran who plays for Saprissa, as well as, young defender Gilberto Martinez, currently plying his trade for Brescia in Serie B. Young upstart Cristian Bolanos would be the one many would want to keep an eye on in the coming World Cup. Playing for Saprissa, the 21 year-old was voted as the 3rd best player of the tournament, adding to his name the numerous awards he won at youth level for los Ticos.

Nevertheless it is also important that coach Alexander Guimares is back to lead the team, rescuing them from what had seemed liked a disastrous attempt at qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. He left after the team failed to make it past the group stages in the 2002 World Cup but being wiser now from his experience, he must be quietly confident about his charges’ chances for the coming World Cup.

Post-call sianess

2005-12-13T19:01:00.000+08:00

If i m not wrong, post call should begin only after one finishes the stuff for the day or at 1 pm, which ever is earlier and not at 8am... Anyway was quite disappointed today but luckily the aunties in my ward made my day for me. One commented on how appreciative she was to see me always smiling and in a happy mood while in the ward and her neighbours actually all agreed. It was a simple statement but i am glad that i managed to rub off a bit on them, especially when they have to be subjected to blood taking every day.

Countdown to World Cup begins... ...

2005-12-13T18:57:00.000+08:00

Yup the draw is out and the battle lines drawn. Think i will just give a intro to the teams on my blog based on my own opinion, so that at least i won't feel so frustrated when i see views in newspaper that are contrary to mine. Haahahahhhahahahhaha

PS: Its a pity though that i can't load the pics in. Will find a way somehow i hope...

Group A -- Germany

2005-12-13T18:45:00.000+08:00

Germany, only 2nd to Brazil in terms of World Cup achievements, boasting a record 3 victories, 4 runners-up, 3 semi finals appearance and at least a quarter final finish ever since the World Cup was started. They had also participated in every other World Cup except for the first edition which they were not invited to make the journey across the continent to faraway Uruguay and the 1950 World Cup where they were just recovering from the war.

Boasting such a rich tradition, it had therefore been considered an embarassment where they exited at the quarter final stage in 94 and 98 to Bulgaria and Croatia respectively, the supposedly lesser teams. But the team won back some admirers with their fighting spirit and discipline too reach the finals in 2002 where they were unlucky to lose to Brazil in a match where they were more than a match for their opponents. It was only a mistake by their goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, who had been superb throughout the tournament till then, that allowed a rejuvenated Ronaldo to sneak in the opening goal.

Under new coach Jurgen Klinsmann, Germany had been through a roller coaster ride. Ditching the so-called boring old Germany, Klinsmann had seen the transformation of Germany into an exciting and vibrant side with a maturing Michael Ballack helming the midfield and Sebastian Diesler & Bastian Schweinsteiger creating havoc for the opponents. Sadly though, gone are also the days of their famed defence. With Christoph Metzelder plagued by injuries, Klinsmann is still trying to search for a reliable steady centre defensive partnership. And the erractic form of both Jens Lehmann and Oliver Kahn will not help his cause either. Furthermore, they also have to deal with the curse that had been inflicted on the left back position. Tobias Rau and Philip Lahm are both out with long term injury and experments with Bernd Schenieder and Thomas Hitzelperger had yielded distastrous results. Up front, the rebirth of Miroslav Klose and Kevin Kuranyi and the blossoming of young striker Ludovic Podolski had certainly raised the country’s hope for a successsful 4th victory.

Mandate of Heaven

2005-12-10T15:41:00.000+08:00

(Just to emphasise: this entry is purely soccer related with no hidden meaning)

Its a fast and furious week all right, with me doing like 5 to 6 discharges every morning for the past couple of days and with the soccer action coming in thick and fast, on and off the pitch.

Man U was eliminated from the Champions League and that brings the team i support in the competition down to 2.5 (I dun like Bayern but for Germany's sake i just have to support them). Anyway i did wake up at 430 to watch the match and bleahhh.... they simply sucked. Haha but i was still a happy boy after that because haha Bremen qualified. Yes when the chips are down, the miracle happened again (just like how they qualify in the first place) and it was with only 5 minutes left. Sorry Man U but i was looing at Eurosports news and willing for Barcelona to score throughout the last 10 minutes instead of hoping u will get the equaliser against Benfica : p. Thus i conclude, it seems that they are destined for great things this season (after the baptism of fire by Lyon last year, i m sure they can pull off more surprises this season). So let's bring on Juventus in the next round, before revenge on Lyon in the quarter finals.

Yup and Germany got a relatively easy group in the World Cup draw. I really hope they can win it this time round. The group opponents are manageable and the next round is the exciting one with Rooney and co as potential opponent. Anyway i learnt my lesson to not think too far ahead. But i really seriously hope that i will be able to fly over there and see them play in the final. Whoever's going to be in the same posting as me next year and happen to read this, please do not compete with me for leave during the week of the final please. I scared it may be another 30 years or more before i will get to see Germany host another World Cup ,,,,,,,,,,,

Time does flies

2005-12-09T18:32:00.000+08:00

Time really flies and it's been 3 weeks SIP gone. Conclusion? I haven't done an urinary cathetherisation, my blood culture still sucks and i m still tyring to find my way to stabilise the needle without drawing air. And of course there's still teh ABG... ....

Sounds quite terrible right

Playing playing games...

2005-11-19T18:27:00.000+08:00

Haha i know i have been missing on my blog for quite some time now. Well, am i busy? Hee hee my answer is both a yes and a no. Why yes? Simply because the week before last week, i was so busy with tuitions (5 that week) adn in addition, there were 2 french tests (both oral and written) adn 2 clinical tests. So i did not even have time to even switch on my computer, not to even mention blogging.

Had another busy weekend after taht where i spent the entire saturday and sunday trying to upgrade my comp while making sure that i did not erase any of my important stuff. The result was not bad, at least i now have a slightly faster computer with higher RAM and an additional DVD-rom. The downside though is that i cannot use my burner. Dunno what happen but i guess a change in the motherboard/cable/power supply sort of prevent me from having 2 drives.

But anyway, was so burnt out that i had to declare the following week (yup i.e. last week) playing game week. What do i mean by that? Wel, it just meant no academic pursuit for a week. Yup, purely going to school adn then returning home to play computer games. And true to my words, i hardly touch my books at all (apart from carrying them to and fro from school :p) And of course when i m engrossed playing games, there is no way i will go online and waste precious game time right. Hahahahahhaha. Its quite amazing that i managed to do this even though there was a clinical test this week but i survived and i think reasonably well too. [Yup, i will not shy away from the fact that luck plays a big part again, being given a nice tutor and my pet surgical topic. Thank heavens for that] ^=^

But sigh SIP is starting next week. Maybe that's why i was so determined to enforce my playing game week. Otherwise i really feel that there is unlikely to be any more chance to totally spoil myself in the coming months. Haha i guess the frequency of my future updates will reflect how true my fears are :p

Painful arms

2005-11-01T22:41:00.000+08:00

Haha i realised the last time i gave my arms a serious workout was ages ago. To be precise, i think the last time i really did anything with them was... yes during army. So it was no wonder that i spent my entire day lying in bed and slowly nursing them. They were really stiff and i can hardly move them. Haiz, it was a big regression form studying again since i can hardly get out of bed. Oh well, maybe it won't be that painful once the arms get ove rtheir necrosis and regenrate.

Slacking for health

2005-10-30T18:21:00.000+08:00

Had been slacking for the past 2 days. Haha guessed this must be the hangover effect from finishing the abdomen examination catch-up reading. Yup so had been basically lazing around and doing nothing but the feeling is good :)

Went ktv on friday night and voila the katong place is still alive and well.Yup that was the place i went to during my jc days, before the influx of k-box and party world. And guess what, its still as cheap as ever. Plus, they had so much more selection of english, korean and japanese songs that put k-box to shame. So my friends, its time to relive our past and go back to our katong karaoke instead of wasting money away at k-box (whatever place)

On a more sombre note, actually i got a bad feeling about one of my friend. I think it's likely he is having some relationship problems, based on what i see and what i hear from others. Haiz, actually wanted to ask him one but i scared it may sound a bit too kay-poh. He didn't mention anything that night though so hopefully i m thinking too much. And of course, hopefully (again) everytime will turn out fine for him.

PS: The difference between hyper- and hypo- no longer becomes so distinct when one reads it out and hence good and well-articulated speech is always a necessity

Blind Faith

2005-10-24T01:25:00.000+08:00

Haha so Chelsea dropped their first points today but that doesn't make Mourinho a lesser manager than he was. In fact, after reading through today's report in TNP, i think i realised what makes him the best in the trade.

Yup as u guess it, the word is blind faith, or rather the lack of it. Look at Eriksson, look at Keegan, look at Ferguson and so on and so forth. They kept their belief in players who are not performing, Heskey, Shearer, Scholes and the list just goes on. but look at Mourinho, he axed Drogba when he's not performing, he axed Carvalho & Feriera despite them being his supposed "loyal servants" for inept play and look at the way he disposes Kezman after realising he was a failed investment. Ferguson used to have this ability too but i think old age made him senile already. Stick with Scholes even though he's not performing. Sell Stam and Beckham when they are really good. Refuse to drop Veron...

Yup Mr Mourinho, u are the best. All u need now is to have a golden crop of Portugese youngsters whom u can lead to international glory to cement urself as a legend. Haiz, if only Klinsmann would do the same...

Die richtig Zeit

2005-10-22T20:56:00.000+08:00

There are things which one thinks one is quite cool about until somebody mentioned something or heard something which reminded one of it. One innocent comment from a friend and a statement from another's blog. 2 unrelated people who make the same comments in a short time frame, even though they didn't know it could strike a chord with me. It told me that maybe i wasn't as comfortable as i thought i was. I hate myself for this, i hate to hide and i hate to pretend but i m unconsciously finding myself doing that. Why is it so???

Yeah yeah i know i promise no more flowery stuff but ha no choice. There are just some topics which i guessed its not the right time to express my thoughts about it yet. Mais quand le temps?
Haha, back to the old statement, i believe u will let me know when is the right time and everything i do and say right now is part of the big picture for my good and everything will fall into its place when the right time comes.

Surprise or not surprise

2005-10-22T13:03:00.000+08:00

Should trilogies be intricately linked so that they formed a continuous story, one that couldn't be properly told in one or 2 volumes or should they be so different that they each become a vehicle for different expressions of a single theme.

And haha of course, they could always be cheap excuses to milk the stupid and fat cash cows out there.

Hmmm... why is my blog being spammed. Its not if i update it so often...

2005-10-21T02:34:00.001+08:00

Haha actually i was quite saddened on Monday when i saw my first failed resuscitation case but it had somehow settled over the past few days. Wanted to blog then but there was some server error or something like that and hence i failed to do so.

Oh well, been having a hectic time, trying to catch up on my reading for both medical and french. Sad to say, my overall mark for my French currently is still below the passing line by a single mark. My luck seemed to have deserted me a bit in university. The questions will somehow one way or another be on those parts which i just happened to accidentally not cover it, not like last time in secondary school or junior college where the questions will somehow be those which i have better memories of.

Anyway, i think i should cut down on the more flowery stuff and go back to the usual mundane ramblings (that is until a melancholic me decide to come up with something poetic. But hey i have always been quite poetic since secondary school days, my one new poem per autograph entry then, so its hard to keep that in check ^=^) Will have more updates that way too.. hee hee..

PS: Cardiac muscles are a form of specialised skeletal muscles, not smooth muscles

A Tale of 'A's

2005-09-27T00:39:00.000+08:00

A month after my parents resumed their work,
A week after i got back my handphone,
A day after i am reconnected to the Internet,
Things are looking up or it seem?
Not true.

A week of clueless tutorials,
A weekend of aimless soccer,
A weekday morning of irritating traffic.
Sianess to the max?
I feel humbly so.

Many thanks for the nice SMS this morning. I was surprised by the appropriateness of it. Hee hee dunno whether is it u sent to the wrong person (cos it was really out-of-the-blue) but it was really timely, hence the particular reply. Thanks again for brightening up my morning ^=^

PS: Forget to add the following erratum

1) Defibrillation is only used for

a) ventricular fibrillation
b) pulseless ventricular tachycardia

2) A CXR is only considered good if

a) its well penetrated when we can just barely see the vertebral column
b) its well inspired if we can see 7 or 8 anterior ribs or 10 posterior ribs
c) its well positioned when we see equidistant between the medial edges of the 2 clavicles and the spinous process
The CXR is a PA film if we cannot visualise the scapula.

3) Radio-femoral delay is a sign of coarctation of the aorta whereas radial-radial delay just means there is some obstruction to the blood flow, e.g. a thrombotic big artery in the right upper limb.

Un voyage a bibliotheque

2005-09-12T22:18:00.000+08:00

A trip to the library je suis allee,
Books i borrow numbered three.
English, malay and chinesisch,
Food for the soul to nourish thee.

Happy a man i can easily be,
But with expectations that is hard to please.
Bolehkah saya tahu memahu,
Ne rien chose tracasser moi.

It a winless situation

2005-09-08T15:33:00.000+08:00

Just when one had thought the teacher can no longer pull off any stunts, i kena another stunner again. After 2 semesters of French and 1 semester of German, hmmm... by right there should be no more new patterns right. The french are really a mischievous bunch. French 2, they decide to come out for the civilisation section in the test something in one small corner of that little textbook that we had and eureka it was taught in the first weeel of school which i couldn't attend becasue of admin red-tape. French 3 passed without incident and i had thought they no longer did these kind of funny stuff. But nevertheless, i would always scrutnise thru every little corner of my textbook in case something like this happen again. Then today, kaboom -- name a actor who acted in a lot of police movies in the 1960s and name one of his movies. Match the following 10 songs to their respective singers. Aaaaarrrgggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was taught during one of the lectures which i did not bring my exercise book to copy. End result: I think its going to be a goner liao. Not that good a way to start the module man...

PS: Anyway just got pissed off moments ago...

Help! I m too IT dependent

2005-08-31T16:27:00.000+08:00

Its been close to 2 month since i blew my modem and oh man have i really been suffering from its side effects. Most importantly its really affecting me because i m now unable to access the net as and when i like. Yeah i know its not that i used my net often but i like the feeling of being able to look for information whenever i feel like it. U know its like having all ur books in front of u when u study and u can refer to them whenever u want. I am a very "mood" person and so its quite hard to note down those stuff and go to another place to use it. (Yup now LL, u know why i was so unproductive that night at ur place) Anyway, hopefully, i will be able to stumble on a cheap way to regain my net access soon or i think i will continue to be in my dazed and blur mood, be it geriatircs, french or even malay :(

Anyway, been in quite a delirious (?dementia) mode recently. Think i'd better start recording down things so that i can remeber them... Haizzz

PS: i know, i know
i) topical antibiotics doesn't cause skin thinning
ii) phenytoin doesn't cause neuroleptic malignant syndrome
iii) we dun eat using poons and sporks
iv) dementia is diagnosed by amnesia +
1) decreased executive functioning
2) apraxia
3) agnosia
4) aphasia
v) agraphia is the loss of ability to write while agarophobia is the irraational fear of going out into open spaces

Stubborn family

2005-08-17T16:42:00.000+08:00

Stubborn granny
Stubborn father
Stubborn son

Happy Birthday to the Greatest Guy ever to appear in Dream Forest!!!

Down & Out

2005-08-11T01:39:00.000+08:00

Though i know i do not blog that often but haha this time round, its definitely out of my own free will. Been struggling with a monitor problem for close to a month already but now the problem has just escalated and i think my modem just got blown up too. Yup so dun exceot to see frequent updates unless i happen to strike lottery and can fork out the few hundred bucks needed to buy both the modem and a new monitor.

PS: Juat in case u guys are wondering how did i still manage to blog. Well i m using Kelvin's laptop and hee hee u all should know how desperate a situation i m in right now

Deja Vu

2005-08-06T13:24:00.000+08:00

Deja Vu, a taboo word in the realm of the Matrix. It is with the same apprehension that i now feel when i see all those things that are unfolding around me. I seem to be undergoing the same routine as last year over the same period -- taking temporary charge of my cousin's tuition, taking an external language course and a cross faculty module in school. There are things which i shall not mention that are uncanny similar to what happened last year and these are the things that are deeply worrying me right now. I m really afraid of what is going to happen and i sincerely pray that lightning doesn't strike twice...

On a lighter note, i think i realised where my egoistic streak comes from. This morning, after a night call at the hospital, i was treated to a good laugh when my dad actually asked my mum to call him "yan dao ko ko" right in front of me. Oh man, that degree of bhb-ism, think only i can match it ^=^

Sleep est tres importante

2005-07-31T15:40:00.000+08:00

Never drive when one's feeling very tired. This is especially when it is associated with a co-morbid status of progressive detioration in mental and congnitive function. End result will be Kapong! Shattered and short circuit rear end signal light on the blind side...

A Delayed Appreciation

2005-07-16T11:47:00.000+08:00

Been suffering from bad kharma recently. Seems like everything i had said in the past or maybe did was coming back to haunt me. Think i will realy need to be more prudent about what i said or do from now on.

Anyway, i know its been a week but i think i really felt very blessed that i managed to win the best poster presentation last week at the KKH ASM. I know its a 1-in-4 chance then but must still thank heaven for presenting me with this opportunity. I recalled the disappointment i had when i realised i was not going to France for my elective and the astonishment when i missed out on my first 2 choices of orthpaedics elective posting and eneded up doing my 3rd choice psaeds posting at KKH ICU. I was a bit shell shocked then as i was not even one of those who wanted to do paeds among the people i know. Oh well, i know i stepped into KKH thinking things always happen for a reason and thus went about on my first day of posting apprehensive but happy. I still remembered being given 2 projects to choose from between me and KY. The slackness was still inside me (hangover from hols) and thus i was actually tempted to choose the other proj which i think could be completed relatively fast. But the nice me decided to let KY choose and sadness... he took it and so i was left with the one which need continuous follow-up. I was like oh-no there goes my dream of slacking...

But like what i always believe in, things always happen for a reason. In the end, i actually completed my project before him, him running into problem with protocol and everything, leading to a delayed commencement of his project. And whoa, my paper actually made it all the way to the end. The reality did not really sunk in until the dinner when the presenter used flowery terms to credit my paper and i was like is it really that good? But one thing for sure is that i realised i may have just opened up a path to do paediatrics if i so desire, (just like the video i have filmed for surgery last year), only that this time round its twice the prestige. I really felt very blessed for things to turn out this way, grateful to the way my guiding stars have been watching over me. I mean i went into the elective with expectation of other things and yet i came out of it with something that could have a big impact on me in the future. What else can i be complaining of? Though its true that i have experienced happiness, anger, sadness and joy (xi, nu, ai, le) throughout this 3-month period, my belief that things always happen for a reason remained strong. Just have faith and trust whatever heaven has put in place for me, taking things as they come along. Like they have always been in the past, i believe they will turn out right, impossible as it may seem because i have faith :)

2005-07-12T01:43:00.000+08:00

Decision time has come and i've decided to not continue German for this semester.
So to make up for this decision......

Vote me as Class Rep.
I m serious!!! ^=^

Combined Scientific Meeting

2005-07-10T01:11:00.000+08:00

This weekend was the combined scientific meeting, an event to mark the end of all the research work that i had done during the elective period. Haha I marveled at the symbolism of this event. After the presentation this afternoon, I really had the urge to want to expand my study, to set up a protocol that could be implemented to collect results. The entire elective posting has been the most beautiful moment of my life so far, and I really treasure everything that had happened during those times. Deep in my heart, I wish to follow up on this project and every other thing else, a continuation of all things rather than a termination. Yet I also understand that I had to balance these against the backdrop of being distracted during my final MBBS. What if things do not go according to what I had hoped it would be? Is it worth that big a risk? I know its never going to be easy but I think the joy and satisfaction derived beats everything else. The uncertainty of what will turn out may seem daunting but I believe the end product will be worth it. And thus at this point of time, I think I m still more inclined to being willing to take such a risk. Haha may the Force be with me ^=^

Oh just in case u guys are wondering what my project is about, well, if I do not remember wrongly, I did promise to say something about the project that I was doing after I had done it, so here it goes. The project is about whether we should do X-rays in kids who just had their ETT removed. This procedure really seemed outdated and thus my aim was to get some concrete evidence (EBM) to support our case. Yup, i realised that it is only when u start writing papers that u realize the significance of doing such studies. I mean last year CHP project was quite a farce. I dunno why but maybe its because I did not understand the full meaning of such projects. Thus I was more excited about the logistics aspect of the project, doing the design and setting up the area of study rather than analysis. Analysis and results were all Greek to me then. But this time round, I felt the impact of embarking on my project. I realized that if I managed to do it well, and achieve good results, I would be doing a lot of good. The patient will not be subjected to unnecessary costs and radiation. And as I explored and realized the possible loopholes in my project, I wanted to do much more to ensure they are corrected, not as a mean of covering my ass but a mean of ensuring the idea is put across strongly. Such results would have lesser impact if there were major flaws and it would turn out to be a waste of time and money with no true values. This had been a real eye opener for me and I think I will be more keen to do such stuff in the future should suitable opportunity appears again. I do feel a bit bad though cos i didn't really put in my 100% effort near the end of the paper and the poster design because of certain distractions. Hopefully, everything turn out fine in the end :)

Perfecta oder Imperfecta

2005-07-08T02:26:00.000+08:00

Firstly, my condolences to the people of Great Britain and to the people of London especially. This was a most unfortunate event to happen, especially given the jubilation and joy that had been experienced 24 hours earlier. Its really a case of heartfelt joy to heartbreak pain in such a short period of time and i think all other personal problems and stuff seemed so insignificant. Nevertheless, its a reminder to us all (yeah i know its a bit cliche) that we should never let our guard down. London was at its weakest, this morning after all their top personnel had been deployed elsewhere and the feel good factor was all around. (Honestly, speaking, i think this would have happen to whichever city that had won yesterday) Oh well at least they now had a new focus to the spirit of the games. The reason i had wanted New York to win the vote had now been passed on to London and the 2012 games will hopefully be a game that celebrate the victory against terrorism.

Today was the last day of dermatology and things that had happened lead me to think about this word, "perfection" a word that we yearned for in everything that we do. But what do we do if we realised that there is some imperfection in the thing that are presented to us?This is especially so in life, where nothing seemed to be ever perfect. 1. We will grow to like this imperfection and will instead view it as something that makes this entity unique. What others may see as demeaning will appear as lovable and adorable and we will grow to love and live with this imperfection 2. On the other hand, if we are unable to see past this imperfection or if this imperfection is simply too great a thought to bear with, we will view it as a eyesore. Whenever we view it, it will be the first thing that attract our attention. There will be a constant urge to get rid of that thing and our lives will always be miserable if it remains there. Thus the urge to pay big bucks to go through expensive surgery and procedures to make ourelves feel better, to destroy all the imperfection. Which kind of person will u be if u are faced with such imperfection? Haiz... Life...

Je ne peux pas comprendre tout le chose est passe par mon mais je crois ils se passe pour un raison. Je suis triste mais je choisis du croire quel poserait pour moi et peux le ciel donne le paix sur ma ame.

First Day at NSC

2005-06-27T22:31:00.000+08:00

School resumed today after 3 weeks of holidays (13 weeks if we want to include the electives). went ot NSC for dermato posting. Things are going to be rapid and non-stop from now on and soon i will be sitting for the last of my exams where i have to pay and yet not get paid.
Saw a sgith that stirred me during the clinics today. There was this husband and wife who came into the clinic. The wife had a growth on her little finger and she was worried as to what it may hold. Knowing her insecurity and fears, her husband was there every step along the way, providing support. Every few words that they exchanged, every looks that they gave each other and the body language was so evident. They loved each other a lot, even though they are no longer that young, the youthful exuberance expected in teenagers. It was really sweet to see them, the confidence and faith she placed in her husband and the security he responded with. Ah its such a ling4 ren3 gan3 dong4 scene...

Temptation of Fate

2005-06-26T21:40:00.000+08:00

Am i attempting to go against Fate when i willed for it last night? Is it my punishment for telling me that i should not rile with Destiny and must understand and accept what is being placed in store for me and to face the pain that challenging it brings?
Before the start of the Confederations Cup, i was caught in 2 minds. Italia '90, Sweden '92, England '96, Japan/Korea 2002. 4 finals i had witnessed Germany played in and it was win, lose, win, lose. I got that naggy feeling they are going to lose already when they met Brazil 3 years ago but haha it could just be a coincidence and thats why its such a dilema this time round. Do i want to see them in the final of the Confederations Cup which they will no doubt win or should i prefer them to wait till next year, which i had believed in since jc 2 that they were destined to win the World Cup :) Yup so it was my fault that i had willed them to win yesterday's match even though i knew it was not possible because destiny states that i will only see them win alternate finals and the victorious ones is supposed to come only next year. ( i was actually hoping for them to win this one first and then see what happened next year, whether the curse will be broken then) Oh well i guessed its foolish to tempt fate. Served me right for feeling so devastated at the final whistle but it was a gamble i was willing to take and even though it backfired, it was still worth the try. Hee hee Ah Q (or in Singaporean terms, Ah Hock) spirit at its best ^=^

Heaven's Will

2005-06-26T01:59:00.000+08:00

There i was with my hands crossed and eyes closed hoping for you to show me the sign that i was so hoping for, to give me the strength, the hope, the belief and the courage but it didn't come. I thought it would come given the way it had bounced back from 1-0 and 2-1 within minutes of going down. But somehow when the 3rd goal came, i knew it wasn't going to come. I see the look on the faces of the German players. Yes they were tired but i hoped (upon the slightest of hope) that they will muster enough strength to get that equaliser to at least give me hope for another 30 minutes. There i sit close to the final whistle, recalling the brilliant form of attacking football that they have displayed over the past few weeks, the improvement they have made in teamwork, rapport and communication adn the dream and hope that i had for them in this tournament. I just couldn't that it was all going to be over within minutes. Is it true that all they had built up was only an illusion, unable to withstand the Brazilians, their 2nd real test in the tournament. I summoned all my inner strenght and tried to will them on. I was closing my eyes and praying feverishly for the miracle to happen but in the end the sign didn't come... Its close to a year now since their exit and like i said before it led to a multitude of unfortunate events. Lets hope that this time round it would not be events going one full cycle before the year concludes.

The past a guiding light ot the future?

2005-06-20T22:10:00.000+08:00

I know i did not want to bring up the past again but sadly i realised its hard to forget the past. Without the incident that happened last year, i would not be so caught in 2 minds right now. I could not really bring myself to put in 100% in my effort to persuade because what happened in the past still lingered on in my mind. It was supposed to be a simple procedure, just as it would be now but i dunno. I really fear that there are hidden unknowns behind every corners. I know i m holding back a lot just now. Maybe its because i m afraid to take up responsibility again. I know i m not alone in this as i can see from the look on my parents' eye but i m really afraid. I know that that should be the ideal course from what i've read and understand. But yet I have no idea whether i will be able to withstand a second blow if something were to happen again (touch wood). Haiz...

Most Bizarre F1 Grand Prix

2005-06-20T02:16:00.000+08:00

2 weeks ago, i was watching the Canadian Grand Prix on tv, admiring the beauty of the scenery and at the same feel the adrenaline rushing as i see the Renaults, McLarens and Ferraris fighting it out, wondering how nice it would be if i were to be in Canada then.

Fast forward to today, the USA Grand Prix is being played out now on my tv screen and how glad i was that i was NOT there. Haha this is indeed one of the most bizarre F1 race ever, a farce if i may even put it. The last bizarre race that i had witnessed was Brazil 4 years ago, with cars lining up to "retire" on a particular corner. In the end, the race had to be cut short because there was just too many interruptions by the safety car and they were overtime. The winner that race was the leader of the previous lap which incidentally was a huge upset because all the front runners didn't know that was going to happen and had just went for their pit stops and dropped behind (which they had thought would be temporary)

Haha today's one was funny. Michelin tyres had been the darling of F1 racing for the past few seasons. The only one not on Michelin tyres had been the Ferrari team and they had been the sole flag bearer. Poor performance this season had seen them coming under heavy criticism. But today, the Michelin tyres are deemed unsafe and as a result, all the cars on Michelin tyres withdrew from the race. Yes, all the F1 cars that are on michelin tyres returned to the pit lane after the arm up lap. That means, the BMW-Williams, Renaults, Mclaren, Toyotas and virtually all the cars in the top 14 places, leaving behind only the Ferrari and the last 4 cars who are on Bridgestone tyres. As a Ferrari and Schumacher fan, of course i m glad that Ferrari is going to win. Of course they should have shown some sportsmanship and agreed to the changes but then again, Michelin had to be held responsible for their mistake. So as i m in here typing, its the 4 back markers cars (2 Minardis and 2 Jordans) fighting for a place on the podium. Imagine how weird more can it get. anyway, its quite a comical sight also as i looked at the numerous Americans who had paid more than a 100 US bucks to come to the races giving the thumbs down sign all over the tracks. Can't blame them, for feeling cheated though :)