_colour my life_ my monologue

2011-05-31T23:26:00.005+08:00

It's the final moments of May, and my fondest memory of this awesome month (perhaps the whole year, perhaps even life) will undoubtedly be my 21st birthday! I celebrated this milestone with my closest friends and family from every moment in my life, at Once Upon A Milkshake in Tanjong Pagar. It was just 3 hours, but in that time, I was reminded of how truly blessed I am - with abundant love and treasured friendship that God has blessed me with (: It was also a reminder of all that I have been blessed with in my 21 years of life, and of why I have chosen the idealistic path I'm taking - to use what I have been blessed with to help make the world a better place. Thank you everyone for making my 21st so awesome! ♥

With the homies (:

With 05V13 friends (:

With 07S41 friends (:

With VJC Drama friends (:

With SHPS friends (:

With church friends (:

With my parents and spiritual grandparents (:

2011-05-30T23:17:00.008+08:00

May Days - May has always been my favourite month (second is December with Christmas and the holiday season!), and the first thing that comes to mind now is that it has passed so fast. Good things come to an end, but I'm glad that May has been such an awesome month - spending quality time with great friends, taking time out to explore the city, finding time to appreciate art and the beauty of the people and world around me, and of course, celebrating my 21st birthday! But that's for another time.

Here, I look back at a simply awesome month - simple joys, simple moments that made me smile! As always (recently), the stories are told in photos - intertwining stories and subtle joys that can be expressed best in pictures that capture the moment.

The first memories are spending a day out at the museums with Joanne, exploring the Biennale venues I missed out on. In the intense May heat, I was starkly reminded of the importance of air-con in Singapore. I love air-con. I could and do live without it, of course, and I have, in NS and home, but I just love the feel of cool air as you enter a building from the stifling heat beyond. It definitely makes appreciating finer things (art, music, theatre, cuisines) so much easier and changes the whole perspective. This stands in contrasting comparison to the crazy hot day at the Biennale in Old Kallang Airport.

Check out my favourite sign from Strictly Pancakes!

They are triplets! Talking about growing up beyond similarities, having individual personalities and styles while having that connection. It was an eye-opener, because I'm an only child.

The Singapore Art Museum!

Looking into a black-and-white office.

Yay! (:

My third time at the Biennale was with Beatrice, to revisit Old Kallang Airport. The weather was as crazy hot as before, so that didn't help much. However, we took a trip to the museums where I got to finally explore the underground National Museum exhibits - so in the end, I did see everything the Biennale had to offer! I really did enjoy the Biennale; the variety of origins, media, styles and subtle meanings behind the pieces were refreshing, especially in a nation that, while starting to find some light in art, has mostly turned its back on contemporary art until now.

Popcorn frames (:

I submitted a similar photo to the Biennale for fun, titled "The City's Been Dead, Since You've Been Gone". (Title taken from The City by Dismemberment Plan.)

A shot of the playground in a cardboard apartment block!

Don't worry, be happy! :D

A look at floating towns and villages.

The most epic day I had in May was spent exploring the city with Shakura! We travelled from Duxton Hill and Ann Siang Hill to the Singapore River and Marina Bay. We found little treasures all around - shophouses, bookstores, cakeshops, tree-lined avenues...

On Duxton Hill.

Littered with Books.

On Ann Siang Hill.

By the Singapore River at Robertson Quay!

Wonder Full at Marina Bay :D

Of course, May is an awesome month for birthdays, because mine's in there too! :D

My "twin", Ivie (:

My bubble tea friends, Beatrice and Qianyu, celebrating Qianyu's 21st (: I also hosted her birthday with her haha that was quite fun and funny too!

After three months in Travelogy as Explorer-Writer, I left my job to take a break before university. My time there has been enriching, refreshing and eye-opening. My colleagues were lovely, funny people who really took care of me and helped me to learn so much about working life! To have worked in a fast-paced startup is really engaging, and I enjoyed going on thought-tours of Singapore and beyond as I wrote my articles and crafted itineraries and walks. My articles are still here: http://comesingapore.com/user/profile/markhsx.

I end with a few shots of Tanjong Pagar and Ann Siang Hill I took after travelling down from lunch at NUS with Qianyu on her birthday (: The sky was deep blue and really reminded me of travelling overseas and I got some great shots from just walking around. The freedom was indeed refreshing! I especially love the last photo!

2011-05-01T22:26:00.018+08:00

A Road Trip in Ten Pictures.

This weekend, I headed to Malacca with Maoqian and Najib, on a geographers' roadtrip! :D

Leaving Singapore in the late afternoon, and after 5 hours on the road, we arrive in Malacca at 9pm, which is for all three of us a distant memory.

(Sungei Melaka)

The first order of the evening is food, and we head right into the chaotic, yet authentic, slice of Malacca that is Jonker Walk. The night market is teeming, with visitors from all over who have come to enjoy the long weekend here.

(Jonker Walk)

We escape the madness into a coffeeshop, where our first meal in Malacca is some of the best chendol I've ever had, accompanied by assam laksa and rice noodles.

(Jonker 86)

We finally arrive at our highlight destination - the eponymous Geographer Cafe! This is widely regarded as the best cafe in Malacca, with great live music and a casual ambience right in the heart of Jonker. The iconic globe, old maps, old photographs and name speak for itself.

(Geographer Cafe)

We take a walk through Chinatown, where the streets and shophouses have been cast in red light. We try to find a place to stay, but to no avail.

(Chinatown)

We end up by the river again, and contemplate our fates. An hour-long foot massage, drinks at the Geographer, and a walk through Malacca's heritage district past midnight, and we're back in the car - our room for the night.

(Sungei Melaka)

A breakfast of prata and teh tarik is followed by a brisk stroll through the same route we took the night before, only with no crowds, but still with long queues at the chicken rice ball stalls.

(Stadhuys)

The Geographer Cafe is no less iconic in daytime.

(Geographer Cafe)

Heading back home, we pass by the heart of Malacca's historic quarter for the last time on our journey. The red architecture are the most striking images I have of the town - uniquely quaint and picturesque.

(Stadhuys and Christ Church Melaka)

Finally, we send postcards home from Malacca!

2011-04-18T21:10:00.002+08:00

Good friends, good times.

(At the Singapore Biennale, Old Kallang Airport)

2011-04-09T23:07:00.003+08:00

I know this is becoming more of a photojournal, but that's the way I like it! After all, a picture does speak a thousand words (: I was intending to write something when the year turned into April, because we're now into the second quarter of 2011. Everything feels so bittersweet.

I really feel time slipping through my fingers, every moment taking me closer to this whole new part of my life, and I wanna make the best of the freedom I have left. So I'm thankful for good times, even just small happy moments.

2011-03-27T15:27:00.004+08:00

So in the past week, I've gone to Nabins in Kampong Glam, the Jurong Bird Park, Timbre at the Arts House, The Singapore Biennale's Merlion Hotel on Marina Bay, and Bollywood Veggies and around Kranji! I'm becoming a tourist in my own country, and I'm loving it! I haven't had so much fun exploring the island since I was young, and I'm really relishing this time in my life when I've been travelling around all over this small land with my family and bestest friends :D

2011-03-14T19:56:00.002+08:00

Yet another awesome weekend, with so many sights and sounds (and tastes too!). Friday evening in Raffles Place and along the river. Saturday through Kampong Glam, Parkview Square, NUS Open House (yes, we went.) and then Sentosa Resort to celebrate Shakura's 21st (:

2011-03-06T23:37:00.001+08:00

I wrote my longest article so far this week! And I'm kinda proud of it, because it's 3000 words long! Took one day to research, one day to write, one day to touch up with pictures and formatting and a map! http://comesingapore.com/travel-guide/article/516/itinerary-singapores-best-in-one-day

On Saturday, I spent a morning at Changi after my resuming my driving lessons: walked along boardwalk, saw A380 take off, said hi to a sunbird, spotted a monitor lizard, brunched at Changi Village (my favourite Ipoh horfun, teh tarik, and cheese bun), reflected at the Changi Museum, discussed development in LDCs with a history professor from Cardiff.

2011-02-27T23:47:00.003+08:00

This week, I got my first pay raise and promotion! I'm really happy where I am at, with an environment so dynamic and conducive but where people are still friendly, and where the work is engaging at the right level in the right way (: And I love having lunches and dinners and Sunday brunch with my friends!

This was also the first week the homies have watched a play - Closer - together since IP! (That's right, think about it) It was thought-provoking, the acting was clean, and the juxtaposition of different scenes together pieced chronologically but skipping periods at at time made for quite an intelligent show, showing how the four characters were all "closer", but still in the end, so far apart.

2011-02-21T12:05:00.004+08:00

My first week at Travelogy has been interesting and quite good actually! It's a small, dynamic startup, and my colleagues are friendly and nice (: Amidst the admin work, helping to sort out different websites, I've written these articles on my first week! (Coolest part - the map links open in the Maps app on smartphones! So you can use the GPS on your phone to guide you through the tours)

http://comesingapore.com/travel-guide/article/505/the-civic-district-trail

http://comesingapore.com/travel-guide/article/506/the-heritage-trail

http://comesingapore.com/travel-guide/article/508/the-singapore-river-heritage-trail

http://comesingapore.com/travel-guide/article/510/the-bras-basah-and-bugis-walking-trail

2011-02-17T00:35:00.002+08:00

Valentine's Day was fun, and even though it was a rush, meeting good friends actually made my day (: I think this might be the last Vday when I actually have time to really spend with the people I love, but I hope it won't be!

2011-02-14T00:52:00.000+08:00

BLESSED 21ST JOANNE! ♥

2011-02-10T22:48:00.003+08:00

It's been a great CNY! With family, friends, colleagues, and my last day of work at HDB because it's time for me to move on to other things (:

This is our first cousin photo in a looong time (:

Celeberic!

My colleagues from the Research & Planning Dept at HDB (:

The officer in charge of my project at HDB, Fiona

And the colleagues who work with me in the Fieldwork Room at HDB! (:

And they gave me a farewell gift today before I left, SO SWEET :D

And it's times like this that I realise, I am indeed blessed (:

2011-02-02T11:24:00.004+08:00

January was funner than I expected to be! (: Starting off at my first job ever, spending time with awesome friends, great food, and days of random walks! But it's now fab Feb, time to move on!

2011-01-21T22:15:00.004+08:00

I miss the sunbird that nested outside my window! It totally brightened my dreariest days, and was the brightest part of my time in the army, but its nest blew off one stormy evening :(

2011-01-17T20:48:00.003+08:00

Most of all then, life is bittersweet. Weekends are awesome, packed full of enjoyment and indulgence in everything I look forward to, but tinged with small disappointments arising here and there, conflicting emotions now and then, and most of all, the awareness that time is passing too fast. Yet I know I've lived fully, and regrets are few and small in between. These steps are taken in faith, drawn through hope, and reaching towards love.

"Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done.
Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are."

2011-01-04T21:23:00.002+08:00

My first job ever, and I've a bit of sunshine there. That's Toa Payoh from HDB Hub! It's busy, it's like H3 Research for the whole day, but the people are nice (: I iss the holidays! Rarr!

2010-12-31T16:17:00.004+08:00

It's been a week of reunions, a fitting end to a great year (:

And it's the last day of the year, so make the best of it!

2010-12-24T13:01:00.013+08:00

2010 in Review

We're nearing year's end, and this calls for a review - a review of the best of the year past :D It's been a great, awesome year, and these are my favourites from what I've seen, heard, tasted in 2010!

Places I've been overseas

3. Kuta Beach, Bali - the classic friends' getaway of surf, sand, sea

2. Mount Kinabalu, Borneo - cool mountain air and breathtaking country views

1. Disneyland, Hong Kong - the magic kingdom where dreams come true!

Sights I've seen overseas

3. The view of the Crocker Range in Borneo - Such a great view just across the sea

2. The foggy skyline of Hong Kong - an almost magical Christmas sight

1. The night sky over Taiwanese countryside - countless stars in a sea of black

Places I've been here

3. Keppel Island - a classy getaway great for weekends

2. Ann Siang Hill - a quaint corner of cafés and shops tucked away in the city

1. Robertson Quay - west of the typical hangouts, the walk feels like another country

Sights I've seen here

3. Singapore from the Marina Bay Sands Skypark - the classic bird's eye view

2. Downtown Singapore from atop Ann Siang Hill - a different perspective

1. Downtown Singapore at 2AM - seems alone and asleep, but really isn't

Movies I've watched

3. Iron Man 2 - smart, sexy, believably futuristic
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 - the red dress, of course, and almost a travelogue of Britain
1. Inception - mindblowingly simple or complex, we don't really know

Albums I've heard

3. John Mayer's Where The Light Is - a live album which plays like you're there
2. Cee Lo Green's The Ladykiller - retro-soul, classic big band blues, smooth voice
1. Britt Nicole's The Lost Get Found - both rocking fun and touchingly meaningful

Desserts I've tasted

3. Strawberry Shortcake at Canele - light and delightful

2. Truffle Ice Cream at Saizeriya - the deep, rich taste of chocolate

1. Antoinette at K-Ki - soft, smooth, sweet

Places for brunch

3. 15 Minutes at Laselle - airy, perfect for hanging out with friends

2. Prive on Keppel Island - classy, waterfront establishment with great eggs benny

1. Epicurious on Robertson Quay - riverside views with homely, hearty dishes

Places for tea

3. Caramel at Shaw Towers - brightly, colourfully decorated with cute cupcakes

2. Once Upon A Milkshake - the whitewashed decorations, great mini milkshakes

1. K-ki on Ann Siang Hill - a tiny, cosy corner in the middle of the city

2010-12-18T14:22:00.005+08:00

HONG KONG WAS AWESOME! :D

So much food, so many photos, so much shopping, so many moments (:

2010-12-05T23:31:00.002+08:00

People and places, loves and locales (:

(and I just realised it's been a month of freedom! an awesome month! and many more to come :D )

2010-12-02T17:36:00.001+08:00

YAY NEW PHONE!! And I LOVE it! :D

2010-11-17T00:53:00.000+08:00

From where I am.

2010-11-16T14:35:00.002+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARISSA :D

2010-11-16T14:32:00.003+08:00

The sky darkens against a rising sun
Raindrops hiss upon steaming sidewalk
The time has come, lo and behold
As things fall apart
The Centre cannot hold.

2010-11-15T18:17:00.001+08:00

Because we're now like the pillar - in between childhood and marriage.

2010-11-12T00:00:00.004+08:00

It's been an amazing first week after ORD! I've climbed ORD bridge, cycled through the night from ECP to round the bay at Marina, suppered at Gluttons Bay, cycled on to Marina Barrage, through Cantonment to Keppel Island and back, had a platter of sashimi at River Valley, shisha at Arab Street, found the best LAN shop at IOI Plaza, played till 2am, and went to the Airport at 4 to welcome home our Army, visited the BMW World at Marina Bay Sands, lunched at Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao, had two cups of Eskimo grass jelly milk tea (my fave!), a Turkish dinner at SOFRA, and LAN again!

2010-11-06T16:35:00.004+08:00

My first day free was totally awesome!

ORD Bridge, then Night Cycling from ECP to Changi to Marina Bay to Marina Barrage to Keppel Island and back! :D

2010-11-04T23:19:00.002+08:00

ORD LOH! :D

2010-10-24T23:25:00.003+08:00

My ORD List! (The Civilian Conversion Course)

We've been caught up in NS for so long, it's time to live life, enjoy the days ahead, before life gets real again. So these are the little things I wanna do, the small blessings that I wanna appreciate as much as I can before life goes on!

1. Go to ORD Bridge (along the Singapore River)
2. Travel
3. Watch a sunrise
4. Read
5. Visit museums
6. Food-trail
7. Sing (with all my voice)
8. Photo-trip
9. Write
10. Be a poet
11. Find true love
12. Drive
13. Fly
14. Appreciate God's creation
15. Get back on the right path
16. Find optimism
17. Physical training
18. Learn
19. Have cake and eat it too
20. Catch up with friends
21. Draw
22. Monopoly Deal
23. Visit places I love
24. Visit CSC in Jurong Camp
25. Live

2010-10-23T22:47:00.002+08:00

The night air in the east is cool; it calms my beating heart. Through the misty shroud, I see lights in the vast distance, shadows cast by this metropolis of continuity, change, of life in clockwork. Cycle after cycle of chasing dreams, different yet born by the same seeds, clouds of wishes and aspirations made of the same stuff.

2010-10-23T00:48:00.002+08:00

Gosh the haze is back and it's always during exam period. I remember feeling sick and sian during every finals, including the IP and A's. They should either stop those farmers from burning those forests or shift the exam period to sometime else (hmm which is easier actually?)

2010-10-22T16:37:00.003+08:00

He is walking down the avenue, past the bright lights and through the rain that has left the sidewalk in slight reflection. His stare is blank, centered on the distance ever so far away. Yet, it is at this moment that he catches a glimpse of her standing on that same street corner - she's intense as ever, intoxicating as always - he does a double take, and remembers.

2010-10-18T23:53:00.006+08:00

Today was a truly Victorian day! After visiting VJ and seeing all of the few familiar faces I know, sitting in during a lecture, being in the geog room and staff room, (and feeling Victorian again) we went for lunch at Caramel.

Then it was an afternoon spent at the Museum's Pompeii exhibit. Truly impressive, with the actual artifacts and pieces from Pompeii presented in that setting, the life of a Roman town in all its aspects and glory before the fiery doom. And speaking of fiery doom, the CGI piece by Museum Victoria was my favourite exhibit! It's photorealism coupled with detailed audiovisuals brings you back to the eruption itself.

After that, dinner at Fika on Arab Street, Swedish cuisine, homemade and unpretentious (: A perfect end to a perfect day! And teh on the sidewalks before the journey home!

2010-10-15T15:10:00.002+08:00

Back from Kinabalu, from the mountain to the city! Scenic and quite an awesome getaway!

2010-10-10T19:44:00.003+08:00

This is the last week we're all together, as one batch of specialists and soldiers, and what an awesome week it has been! Preparing to ORD together, throwing the ORD treat, and our last time turning out soldiers and our last exercise. And beyond camp, a wonderful weekend playing Monopoly Deal for FIVE HOURS with Beatrice and Qianyu, shopping, eating (a lot), and the perfect day (10 10 10) at Ann Siang Hill! :D

2010-10-05T17:58:00.000+08:00

It's a month left and life in the army has never been better :D And I've this slight feeling that maybe this is THE life, but I do hope life will be better than this further down the road.

2010-10-03T01:14:00.005+08:00

I was saved from boredom today by Monopoly Deal! :D And it was a perfect day for that. And first time seeing a drive-in movie ever! And in Tampines somemore!

2010-09-30T01:00:00.004+08:00

It was 2AM when I watched Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist in my bed at the Hard Rock in Bali. Somehow, seeing those scenes of the city in the early morning, watching soulmates meet and fall in love, how everything was so surreal, both that moment in my life and in the film tugged at some heart string of mine. At that point, and some points after that, and actually, right now, I want an adventure like that, traveling through the city past midnight, and watching the sun rise with the one - because you could only appreciate a moment like that with that someone special..

2010-09-26T01:19:00.003+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SERENE :D

2010-09-18T21:03:00.003+08:00

It was over dinner with friends yesterday that it struck me - time has passed so fast, and for a fleeting moment I couldn't grasp that it's already September. All that happened over the past few months, living by the weekends, and bam, it's like wake me up when September ends!

It's actually been fun, walking (running too), talking, sometimes just sitting and catching up, brunches, teas, dinners, photographs, books - weekend life now seems so carefree and maybe, just maybe, I don't want this to end. After this, it's a one-way ticket to school, work, and all that lies beyond the next decade of my life..

2010-09-16T23:59:00.002+08:00

50 DAYS TO ORD! :D

2010-09-12T23:31:00.004+08:00

I'm so drained right now, in every way, maybe it's just fatigue from a long morning, or just every moment from a long week. But today was the first time I've seen the sun rise over the city in a long time, and that view was a beautiful sight to brighten up the days gone and the days ahead, makes me smile just thinking about it - sunrays painting the clouds in all those warm colours at once..

2010-09-09T20:44:00.000+08:00

Saw this on the way to ECP this morning!

2010-09-03T23:00:00.002+08:00

"Wake up
I'm trying to show you
I wanna come clean
You mean more than you should mean"

Are we more than what I'm longing for?
Or are we just a step away?

How could I ask you for even more than this?

2010-09-02T22:42:00.000+08:00

Today begins my second year in this Jurong Camp, 3rd Division Signal Battalion. We've come a long way, our batch of specialists, from the first local exercises by ourselves to incredibly huge setups and then overseas in foreign lands.

And now, the best part, being the old birds and clearing offs and leave, waiting, waiting, waiting, for 5 November.

2010-08-31T00:47:00.001+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY XINHUI :D

2010-08-28T10:57:00.004+08:00

This is my home (:

2010-08-23T15:49:00.000+08:00

Today, we woke up way too early in the morning for a run to, up and down the knolls in the training area. But it was the view of the sun rising just as I reached the summit of the Elephant, with its rays painting the rolling hills blanketed in that magical fog that made it totally worth it :D This is the one view from my NS that I will remember for life!

2010-08-20T07:19:00.001+08:00

Why is it that around this time every year I feel like I'm losing such a big part of those I love? :(

This is a mistake I might just make, please forgive me.

2010-08-16T23:52:00.005+08:00

today i went to the happiest place on this island :D

2010-08-08T18:53:00.006+08:00

It feels like every time I make a choice, I lose a chance to live life the other way. Dreams fall to the wayside, reality overcomes hopes of the past. Bit by bit, slowly but surely, I'm headed where I was meant to be, but I think of my other lives. Perhaps I'm right, but I'm gonna live this life with no regrets - don't look back on the footsteps behind you - those are steps you'll never take again.

2010-08-02T01:01:00.008+08:00

Today was an awesome Sunday spent with friends I haven't seen for way too long! :D An awesome worship service, an afternoon exploring many spots, a play, and a night walking through town, and shopping!

One beautiful April morning, in search of a cup of coffee to start the day, the boy was walking from west to east, while the girl, intending to send a special-delivery letter, was walking from east to west, but along the same narrow street in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. They passed each other in the very center of the street. The faintest gleam of their lost memories glimmered for the briefest moment in their hearts. Each felt a rumbling in their chest. And they knew:

She is the 100% perfect girl for me.

He is the 100% perfect boy for me.

But the glow of their memories was far too weak, and their thoughts no longer had the clarity of fouteen years earlier. Without a word, they passed each other, disappearing into the crowd. Forever.

A sad story, don't you think?

Yes, that's it, that is what I should have said to her.

- On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning, Murakami

2010-07-28T16:10:00.000+08:00

Today, I remember shouting the battle cry, as we flanked our enemies that had descended upon us.
Today, I remember snaking through the jungles, finding our way through darkest night.
Today, I remember the grueling marches past quiet homes with families sound asleep.
Today, I remember flags raised high, waving in the high breeze as we pledged our loyalty.
Today, I remember crawling under fire through the madness around us, as mud splashed onto our faces.
But this mud was land, was and forever will be our land.

It's 100 days to ORD and the countdown begins!

2010-07-26T11:04:00.002+08:00

I think that every step I have taken, every experience I have had, every opportunity I have missed, every chance I have taken, every choice I have made, every lesson I have learned, every mistake I have made - each and every day has brought me to where I am today, and that every today I have will prepare and guide me in the same way for every day to come. To live life with no regrets, never looking back on what you can't change.

2010-07-24T11:23:00.001+08:00

These will never fade totally.

2010-07-12T14:46:00.001+08:00

Actually, maybe someday, Mondays will learn to love me :D

2010-07-06T21:39:00.003+08:00

After the SAF Day Parade, I headed to Bali with the homies for a weekend getaway! Beaches, buffets and bars (: Awesome fun! Riding the waves, walking the streets in flipflops and just nuaing in bed. Woots!

2010-06-25T10:35:00.001+08:00

On days like these, when I look at the clouds float by through the panorama that is my window from my bed, I always always get the feeling that I'm away on another journey. That I am being whisked away to yet another land with places to explore and people to meet.

My first feeling is wanderlust, and then wonder - I wonder if perhaps my heart still lies where the clouds are..

2010-06-18T18:06:00.001+08:00

HAPPY 20th MICHELLE :D

2010-06-17T20:58:00.001+08:00

But I know that this is part of how God is turning me back to Him.

2010-06-16T21:57:00.001+08:00

I really do need patience and faith.

2010-06-11T22:19:00.001+08:00

Then why do I feel like time is running out?

2010-06-09T16:35:00.001+08:00

The What-ifs floating around your Mind will capture It one by one (or It will capture Them, it depends on your perspective). Then It will be immersed in the pool of Thoughts so deep that the deeper you search for its meaning, the deeper you sink into its grasp. You long to understand why, but sometimes, you don't really need to know why after all. In the end, there is only Truth - nothing but the Truth. And only time will tell.

2010-06-05T23:08:00.004+08:00

I think art expresses what we cannot describe in the matter-of-fact way we use to talk about the other aspects of life. It's about wanderlust, love, the deep, raw emotions, that we have to use photographs, pictures, literature, poems, songs to paint. It's in every lyric, every phrase, every fibre of our being, crying out to see the details in the fabric that we have before us.

2010-06-05T15:20:00.005+08:00

It was in an early morning conversation that my good friend asked me about love - why couldn't we be paired up at birth by God, to fall in love with each other, and live our lives together? I thought about it for just a moment and it came to my lips naturally, that we treasure love because it can be lost. If love came so easily, it wouldn't be love, would it? It's just like happiness, success, peace and so many other things we treasure yet take for granted when they become part of normalcy - we only treasure what we feel we can lose in just a moment.

So maybe you're that half of my heart..

2010-06-05T12:55:00.002+08:00

Like a fermion and boson, we're so different but we need each other :D
(You couldn't really understand either without the other)

2010-06-04T00:29:00.002+08:00

Your response totally made me smile, I know right? :D Thank you for listening to me and being here for me :)

2010-06-03T21:06:00.001+08:00

best friends aren't just those who can tell when you're happy when you dont say a thing, they're the ones, when you call them to wish them a safe trip, to pray for journey mercies, who look through your veil of words, who know enough to say "are you okay? you sound sad."

Just so you know, that's what friends are for (:

2010-05-31T22:00:00.001+08:00

I'm so glad to be back! (: R&R was fun, walking, photos, shopping till we dropped!

2010-05-26T11:11:00.002+08:00

On my birthday, I thanked God for all the blessings in my life - the ups and downs, the opportunities I've taken, the lessons I've learnt, the people who love me, my wonderful family, myawesome friends, for people who cared enough to wish me happy birthday though we were oceans apart :D

2010-05-23T01:48:00.002+08:00

Today, we finally started talking about the end of exercise. The packing of stores, R&R, going home (: When I think of home, besides my friends and family, what I miss right now are: Starbucks' Chocolate Chip Cream, a full Western breakfast of comfort foods, cereal, icecream from either Island Creamery or Ice Cream Chefs, a walk by the river and bay, cloudy skies to shade the sun, the comfort of my own bed and chair at home, a room to call my own, the environment of Singapore that has a perfectionist streak, shopping, normalcy as I know it.

2010-05-21T02:08:00.001+08:00

// It's a lonely night on the midnight train // I'm counting down the days till I'm home again // How can I sing when my words have run dry // How can I smile with a tear in my eye // Summer's so lost when it's raining in June // That's how it feels // When I'm missing you

2010-05-20T03:09:00.003+08:00

If there's one thing I'm looking forward to in Singapore, it's another breakfast at Epicurious followed by a walk down the river through Robertson Quay. Which is what I did before I came here, and what I will do when I'm back. Then I'll explore all those places we haven't been to in a long time. And write again. And read again. And think again.

We're moving again later today, the 20th, the toughest 24 hour stretch of this exercise. We'll pull through, we'll make it back, and we'll damn well deserve the many offs we're gonna get (:

2010-05-16T12:12:00.004+08:00

I'm about halfway through my stint in Taiwan. It's my second Sunday here already! The weather's the same as Singapore, conditions are somewhat better and worse than home in different ways. It's been really busy, but we're all hanging in, the days pass faster that way anyway. It's lonely without my bestest friends here, and we don't have weekends or nights outs, but the late night suppers, roughing it out, and having to and being able to count on those around me, as well as the music and photos I've brought here helps somewhat. I'm really missing home, can't wait to get back!

When the better decision is the harder one to make..

2010-05-05T19:53:00.002+08:00

It's been a weekend well spent indeed (: Journeys around the island, good food, breathtaking scenery, heart-to-heart talks, sleepover, cooking at 3am, quality time spent with the people I love; I'm almost ready to fly away! I'll be at the airport this evening at 11PM, will be back on the last day of May, the 31st, at 3am. I'll be missing all of you! Please keep me in prayer and I'll catch you when I'm back!

2010-05-04T11:31:00.003+08:00

"I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.."

So set me free, leave me be, please
Don't let me hold on to you any longer
To any wisps of expectations of us
Be beside me again, fighting you away..

So just let me know, or let me go..

Don't let me leave with this heavy heart.

2010-05-03T01:06:00.002+08:00

cos we're slow dancing in a burning room..

2010-05-01T23:06:00.005+08:00

Today, I took a trip around Singapore Town :D

2010-04-29T08:08:00.001+08:00

When you start seeing everything around you in faded tints of autumn colours; when words (especially those from) read themselves out in schoolkid cursive handwriting; when songs compose themselves into croony boyband ballads about love and loss (with that particular tune); when the life before you seems like nothing more than one huge tumbling rollercoaster..

2010-04-26T23:52:00.001+08:00

Today was the best Monday I've had in a long time! (: Watched Mao's Last Dancer in the morning, Ajisen for lunch, then spontaneously went out to ECP in the afternoon for a walk by the sea and oyster omelette :D A few hours in the library, then family dinner. And I'm sure, even better days are to come!

2010-04-25T23:08:00.001+08:00

Will miss all of you!

2010-04-25T22:34:00.003+08:00

You don't know me, and I don't really know you; we haven't met before. But we share the same passions, we share the same beliefs, we share the same interests, we share the same faith. Your words inspire me in their Garamond-in-black-and-white; in your words, I see myself. I see beauty in you, beyond your good looks to the wonderful heart residing within you. If only time shifted so we could meet. Just so you know.

2010-04-25T15:36:00.002+08:00

The scene that really makes me smile in 500 Days is at the end of the movie, when summer changes into autumn and the sun suddenly shines.

2010-04-23T23:24:00.001+08:00

I guess we're all blessed in different ways, and that makes it fair right? (:

2010-04-23T22:49:00.000+08:00

2010-04-16T11:41:00.002+08:00

Summer holidays are coming! :D These are the days I always looked forward to when I was still in school - trips overseas and just slacking around and going out and hanging out with friends! Though I'll be in Taiwan this time, but yes summer summer is coming! (and when it comes, that means half a year till ORD!)

2010-04-10T22:54:00.001+08:00

Shopping today with Beatrice and Qianyu totally made my week! (: So did catching up with my friends over the past few days, awesome awesome! :D

2010-04-07T22:18:00.003+08:00

I've always been honest with you, and I'm telling you now, I never meant to feel this way. If I could grab at the strings of my heart, if only I could control my emotions, I would change it all. Yet, don't you find that we'd be happy together? That somehow when our paths cross, everything seems brighter, easier? That the time we spend together is always full of joy no matter what? Something here is unfair to one of us, and I'd rather it be unfair to me. Perhaps this is just a passing moment, but have faith in me, you'll always be in my heart in one way or another.

2010-04-03T21:21:00.003+08:00

I must admit, I'm not the best example of a Christian around. You, my friend, you know me well enough. You know my personality, my actions, my faith, my words, my strengths, and most importantly, my weaknesses and flaws. I must admit, there are things I do that are questionable, there is some amount of guilt in my heart, there are sins I've committed before. No one is perfect, including me. This weekend, we celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and it's a good moment to come clean. There are times I may not be the best testimony to my faith, but I do hope that I have been a blessing to you, and most importantly, I hope that I have been a light bright enough to show God's love and salvation and hope and faith in my life to you.

"My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace"

2010-04-02T23:30:00.002+08:00

Good Friday (:

2010-03-31T13:41:00.001+08:00

I just want to be as special to you as you are to me.

What if we grew up together just to fall in love with each other? What if the years we've spent together turned into lifetimes together?

2010-03-28T14:38:00.004+08:00

I know that it is through you and what we shared that I am learning about love (as per romance), love (as per unconditional), forgiveness, forgetting, pain through the joy, joy through the pain, heartbreak, heartmending, going up and coming down (like a rollercoaster), coming down and going up (like an aeroplane), to fall from the clouds, to bounce back up, to find joy in those around me, to find joy in myself, to count on something more than just mere humans, to count on God and all that I still believe in.

2010-03-23T20:58:00.001+08:00

There's not a more emo scene than someone going away, staring out the window, as the raindrops splash against the glass, slowly leaving their trail as they go down.. and down..

2010-03-21T17:57:00.000+08:00

What a lovely Sunday! (:

2010-03-17T21:43:00.003+08:00

Things I'd be willing to give up to you just to be with you, because you're worth every one of them: my freedom from being single, my mornings to make you smile, my afternoons to accompany you, my sleep at night to talk to you, my sunrise for the day to be ours, my sunset for the night to be ours, my weekdays to spend thinking about you, my weekends to go out with you, my choice to go another way to go yours, my chance to be with someone else, my heart to trust you totally, no holds barred.

2010-03-14T01:01:00.000+08:00

This weekend totally made up for the past few days :D

2010-03-07T19:49:00.002+08:00

In this time, don't lose hope, don't lose faith. Stand up, stay strong, face what you must. At the end of it, you'll be better off, you'll be wiser, stronger - you would have seen the silver lining cast against this cloud. I believe in time, you'll see the light at the end of this tunnel. And know, you're not alone :)

2010-02-28T23:34:00.002+08:00

We live because we have been forgiven, how then can we not live our lives in forgiveness?

2010-02-28T00:22:00.001+08:00

Today :D