Remember Sesame Street?

During the exam period, i was spending tons of time on you-tube developed a liking for Madtv. This is really damn funny:

An email from a dear friend

One of my dear friends since uni days use the below as her sign off always and its been like a good 6 years since i have started receiving e-mails from her, but no matter how many times i read this, it just remains so beautiful and inspiring...

So you should view all of the fleeting world -

A star at dawn, a bubble in the stream;
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud;
A flickering lamp,a phantom, and a dream

- The Diamond Sutra

Who are we?

I had always known that the left and right side of the brain was different, but this is truly amazing.... something really interesting:

http://static.videoegg.com/ted/flash/fullscreen.html?v=/ted/movies/JILLTAYLOR-2008-2&cid=/ted/movies

和世界面對面

I was on the bus to Vivo to have lunch with my colleagues a few days ago and suddenly this song poped into my head and i asked my colleagues if they remember watching it when they were kids and guess what they do! Haha. This is one of those beautiful childhood songs that are just so beautiful:

Tales of Agriculture!

This is so cute: http://www.crunchyroll.com/media-183395/Moyashimon-Opening-Curriculum.html

Gonna Soak up the Sun

This Song is just so beautiful and Meaningful. It never fails to lift my spirit. Today i hope to share it with all of you. :)


Title: Sheryl Crow - Soak Up The Sun lyrics

My friend the communist
Holds meetings in his RV
I can't afford his gas
So I'm stuck here watching tv
I don't have digital
I don't have diddly squat
It's not having what you want
It's wanting what you've got

I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna tell everyone
To lighten up (I'm gonna tell 'em that)
I've got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I'm looking up
I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna soak up the sun

I've got a crummy job
It don't pay near enough
To buy the things it takes
To win me some of your love
Every time I turn around
I'm looking up, you're looking down
Maybe something's wrong with you
That makes you act the way you do

I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna tell everyone
To lighten up (I'm gonna tell 'em that)
I've got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I'm looking up
I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna soak up the sun

I'm gonna soak up the sun
While it's still free
I'm gonna soak up the sun
Before it goes out on me

Don't have no master suite
I'm still the king of me
You have a fancy ride, but baby
I'm the one who has the key
Every time I turn around
I'm looking up, you're looking down
Maybe something's wrong with you
That makes you act the way you do
Maybe I am crazy too

I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna tell everyone
To lighten up (I'm gonna tell 'em that)
I've got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I'm looking up
I'm gonna soak up the sun
I'm gonna soak up the sun

I'm gonna soak up the sun
Got my 45 on
So I can rock on

Isn't it amazing how Wisdom is embedded in the most unexpected places around us and how it just shouts out to us at times... Perhaps, just maybe this is the way some higher being talks to us... Haha. So just listen and you will hear his/her wisdom. :)

Lyrics taken from: http://www.lyrics007.com/Sheryl%20Crow%20Lyrics/Soak%20Up%20The%20Sun%20Lyrics.html

Watch the MV here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCBUzzBm4cg

Happy CNY everyone!

Hello!

Happy Lunar New Year to all who reads my nonsensical scribbles! :) May the year of the Rat bring you health, wealth and happiness for you and your loved ones. :)

This year chinese new year was especially dull for me. Its the first time in many years where my relatives decided to skip my household on the 2nd day of the new year, which ofcourse is not necessarily a bad thing, but it also means that there will no longer be the usual hustle and bustle of my relatives crowding around and playing cards at home this year. Somehow without that, Chinese New Year felt incomplete.

The first day of CNY was the usual visit my grandpa and get all the angpaos followed by the usual "interrogation" by my aunties on why i don't have a GF as yet, which predictably is followed by my usual answer of "I am too busy for that.". Its the same thing year after year.

2nd day was spent at home sleeping, studying and going for my swim ( to burn off all the BBQ meat and fried foodstuff i had at my grandpa's place the day b 4).

The third day was the most amazing i have ever had! There were a few firsts, let me list them for u:
1. First time i row in a 3G boat in Kallang River!
2. First time i row with the Grey Owl Cub paddle ( blade slightly smaller than the competition grade paddle we usually use)
3. First time i row beside a foreigner!
4. First time a foreigner (non -chinese) greeted me "恭喜发财" in chinese, live some more!
5. First time i carried a 3G boat!
6. First time i get to flip the boat over!
7. First time i think i can row better on my left than my right! ( Although the left side still lacked the power of the right, but i think that will come in due time. :) )

It was truly exciting to be back after so long, in the words of WJ ---- "It seems like it has been a long time..." and i can't agree more. SDBA was unusally quiet on the 3rd day of CNY. Other than NUS, and another poly team i think this was the only other team that was rowing on that day. I could not remember when was the last time i rowed, but it was truly enjoyable and it brought back lots of memories as usual. We did not go beyong Shears bridge but to be back in the middle of Kallang river after such a along time was truly amazing. This image of the surroundings when we are in the middle of the river... its something one will never see or experience unless one is a dragonboater or canoeist (or maybe as a consolation, one can always hop onto the Duck Tour and take a tour of Kallang and Singapore river, but dun expect the boat to stop in the middle of kallang river for you to enjoy the scenery. :P ).

It was a nice 1 hour row, a nice warm up after my long break. The 3 of us tried to blend in by acting as rookies and 2 of us went to the extent as so leave our paddles and live vests at home (i was actually planning on using the SDBA paddle! Can u imagine??? ) but after a while it was more than obvious who was the newbies and who had some experience rowing, but hey, you must give us the benefit of doubt, its really been sometime since we rowed, so our skills may have dwindled to that of a newbie. The sun was kind and we had a cloudy late morning. It was a good exercise and after that we had to transport the boat back to the nursery and flip it over. Then we headed to Suntec to change and had Subway! Finally some healthy food after all the unhealthy CNY goodies.

It was all in all a great day, the only pity is that we did not take any photos for keepsake... haiz. I am still waiting for the day where me and my friends can row together in a boat again. :) I am sure that day will come somehow someway.

After the row I went home to sleep. Was damn tired. Think i "lao liao", cannot row without feeling tired anymore. Later i woke up late evening to rush my appraisal (of myself). Its my first time writing and i think it looks and feels funny, i think asians are not used to this sort of "self-bragging". Remember when we were kids and someone commends us and our parents will go... "No no no, dun say that it will cause him to have a big head, he is not that great....". I think in this society, it no longer pays to be too humble, when its time to brag, go ahead and BRAG! If its right that you or your child for that matter (Pls take note for those planning to have children) to take a compliment, go ahead and receive it! You deserve it, not taking it or watering it down may do more harm than good in the long run.

The fourth day of CNY was Sunday. i spent the morning at home watching the old "Journey to the west" on you-tube. Kinda miss the series, its really a classic. Oh did i mention that i woke up with back pain and muscle soreness in my shoulders??? Think there is no denying the fact that i am no longer young! :( Lunch was spent with Andrew and later coffee at Starbucks with Andrew and YZ. It was a nice chat. Later was home and now here i am writing my blog.

Ok, now that CNY is more or less over, its time to look forward to the next event.... the Ex-rowers-oh-so-sinful-breakfast-at-Tiong-Baru-market gathering! --- consisting of nothing less than the Chwee Quay glistering with oil and the nice nice Chai Tao Quay ( in black or white, but to save ourselves the problem of choosing, think we will just order one of each! haha. :P). Haha. Really looking forward to it! You guys take care and see ya! :)

Happy CNY again!

Regards,
YM

Waiting for the sunrise...

The road to one's deams is often tough and filled with challenges and uncertainty. There will those who are kind enough to provide you with a helping hand and those who give you harsh words and say that those are but the truth. Its discouraging and sometimes painful. Maybe its the truth, maybe it will help me in due time.. i dunno, but i know i will remember them but focused on my goals i will remain... I am glad to have friends who have given me words of encouragement and provided me with opportunities. I truly appreciate their kind intentions. I always remember this phrase "After the storm, comes the sun and the ranbow...". I believe in your darkest hour where you feel most helpless, is the hour where you are put to the test, give up not and you will see the rainbow, the sun in the horizon and be ready to feel its warmth.


Yes there will be pain, tears, anger and fear, but when the Sun rise comes i will be there to smile again. That's me, that's who and what i am.

So i await for the sunrise. :)

So lazy

I'm suppose to be doing one of the following today:

1. Study. ( I have 2 projects, one of which is at current status of 0% completion and a deadline less than a month away.)
2. Go gym to work out ( It has been a week since the last time i set foot in the gym)
3. Prepare for my interview tomorrow.

But guess wat, i slept more than 1/2 the day away and when i thought i would head for the gym after that I decided that since my friend is not going, then i won't go as well.

The passion to gym seems to be starting to die out. Nowadays, it takes an enormous amount of effort for me to do any weight training and i have become highly dependent on the combat and body pump classes to keep me going. This is not gonna be good, i can forsee myself standing infront of the mirror one day and wanting to kick myself for all the laziness.

Even after i concluded that i am not heading for the gym, i am merely filpping papers and chatting over msn.. that is so super unproductive and considering that i only have 1 day free everyweek these days, guess i should treasure it more... maybe that is why i am so bent on squandering it away doing nothing rather than working my butt off like what has been happening everyday of the week. Oh well.... wish me luck for the interview tomorrow and hopefully i will get down to preparing for it soon.

It's all about people.

At this stage of my life, i have come to realise that life is nothing more than about the people around you. Unless you are a hermit dewelling in a cave and deeply ebbed in meditation with the ultimate aim of reaching Maha Prina Nrivana, else you cannot help but depend and interact with the people around you.

Whether its about getting that position you desire, the job/promotion that you have been aiming for, to stay or move on, or even if you can linch that deal that you have invested so much energy and effort, whether your other half decides to spend the rest of his/her life by your side.... its all about whether the other party believes and trusts in your ability or if he/she appreciates your effort and whether there is some magical chemistry between 2 or more people. I have seen small cases erupt to problems of epic proportions just because 2 or more people decide that neither wants to give way and conversely seen big problems reduced till its totally insignificant because the group allows space for negotiation and talks and they are focused on solving the problem... not pushing the blame.

2 years of working life has taught me that screaming the loudest does not necessary mean you will get your way ( which is contrary to what a CIO of a big bank once told the group of us who was in her lecture). You will be surprised at how subtle requests get done faster than loud demands. Sometimes in life, we gotta be flexible, give a little, take a little and when you go the extra mile for someone who appreciates it, you will be surprised that the extra miles can take you a long long way . On the contrary, when you choose to do things your way and your way ONLY, you shut yourself out of a whole lot of open doors and usually it only makes things more difficult as people are less willing to offer solutions.

Someone once offered me these words of wisdom and today i offer it to my friends and those who are reading my daily nonsensical scribbles...

"People do not run away from companies or Jobs, they run away from BOSSES". How true, it is. :)

Its 2008

I wanna Wish everyone a Happy 2008 and may everyone be happy and healthy in 2008!
2008 Crept in while i was sound asleep last night.

This morning woke up with 12 sms unread, after that i rushed off for a 2 hr bodycombat lesson as usual.. Need to burn some 'stuff' off before i put them back again! haha. Now that everyone are more or less done with their new year resolutions, its my turn now.

1. LOSE WEIGHT ( Perpetually on my resolutions and to do list, but somehow never seems to be done.. so sad :'( ... )

2. Study hard. Damn it! This morning i woke up and read my e-mails and already my prof sent out an e-mail at the end of 2007 about the module and project that we have to do this coming sem and he 'suggests' that we start reading the stuff even b 4 class starts officially. =( Dun think i will do it tho.. :P )

3. Spend more time with family. Think 2007 had been a busy year and i know 2008 can only be busier but somehow i gotta allocate more time for my family, to care and share with them... guess that means 1or 2 body combat classes less for me... =) )

4. Earn more $$$. This is like so important.. i gotta keep working at it. Hehe.

5. Find a Dragonboat team to Join! Woot!!! Hey i will complete school somewhere in Oct/Nov 2008, guess i will have more time during the weekends, so i can pick up my fav sport again! I think i better start to look for a nice team to join.. hehe. Anyone any lobang???? Helloooooooooo.. Sun, Sand and Sea!

Ok, that's about it. Everyone Happy new year again! :)