Be Happy.............

We convince ourselves that life will be better once we are married, have a baby, then another.

Then we get frustrated because our children are not old enough, and that will be well when they are older.

Then we are frustrated because they reach adolescence and we must deal with them. Surely we’ll be happier when they grow out of the team years.

We tell ourselves our life will be better when our spouse gets his / her act together, when we have a nice car? When we can take a vacation? When we can save more money?

The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now. If not, then when?
Your life will always be full of challenges. It is better to admit as much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all.

For the longest time, it seemed that life was about to start. Real Life!

But there was always some obstacle along the way, an ordeal to get through, some work to be finished; some time to be given; a bill to be paid.

Then life would start…..
I finally came to understand that those obstacles were life!

That point of view helped me see that there isn’t any road to happiness.

Happiness is the road!!!!!!

So enjoy every moment.
Stop waiting for weight to be lost 10 pounds, for work to begin, to get married, waiting for a new car, for your mortgage to be paid off, to die, to reborn……before deciding to be happy.

Happiness is a voyage, not a destination………..
There is no better time to be happy than………….NOW!

Live and enjoy the moment.

Think about it for a moment. Life is very short!!!

The people who mean something to your life are not rated “the best”, don’t have the most money, haven’t won the greatest prize…….
They are the ones who care about you, take care of you, those who, no matter what, stay close by………..

project k

after all the classes ended for the term and in the midst of preparing for our final year exams.. i have been entrusted to organise a get-together after the exams... a reminiscence of our genting-kl trip last year which all of us enjoyed tremendously and would like a near similiar event... such a heavy responsibilty is never my forte and luckily i had sharon to do most of the coordinating and organising the weekend chalet for me!

thanks to simon we got the chalet cheap and good and spacious!! good enough to play hide and seek? hm... guess some of them were too frighten even to go the toilet alone! looks eerie and isolated but it is near the main road with a bus-stop right outside...

the day of the 3d2n chalet k at changi aloha finally arrived! everyone was so enthusiatic and looking forward to what steven calls it an R & R!! our day project started with shopping for food with sharon, shirlyn and xueli in attendance and helping with the groceries... we are on schedule and check in abt 3 plus, did some food preparation for the bbq... jeremy,steven and e-lin pop by later and we were ready to go for dinner at shore restaurant nearby, a treat given by the birthday boy,none other than our ar mi gor gor!

dinner was sumptuous and we did a surprise birthday cake cutting for the birthday boy! an unplanned event but was fun, just like when we all hide and wait for the birthday girl to appear on shirlyn's birthday last year!

games followed and i really admired the spontaneity of jeremy, e-lin and steven in participating in the game! they were great and boy am i surprised! maybe we were too lousy in hiding things and the clues given!! hahaha...

though we had 4 bedrooms but we decided to squeeze into one room.... easier to communicate.. the cosiness.. the togetherness... and also save air-con charges!! hahahaha....

the next day, breakfast specially prepared by jeremy as promised long ago was great! thanks jeremy for the making the effort and a hearty macDonald's breakfast!

off we went to the main event - wild wild wet, which we missed the last time (thanks to sharon! hehehehe!!!) and it was fun and we had a great time with the rides and funtimes being together there like the yakult splash time!(time to recollect the funtimes we had in sunway lagoon!)this time we had simon joining us there too! by the time we decided to call it a day, we were all tired and hungry!

full spread of food awaits for all of us for the next main event of this chalet getaway,, the bbq was great! food was great! everyone was great and did what they had to do! cheryl came along and we had 2 VIP guests (none other than merrick and edward who came in their new slick black nissan latio!) in attendance and they were treated with first class service!

another game session followed after the bbq.. the charade and boy it was real fun and everyone was so serious in cracking their brain cells and actively participating with the regular prompting and support from the game empire e-lin!! thanks for planning the game and sorry for making u guys draining yr brain cells in the middle of the night!!

i guess the greatest, funniest, most r-rated fun we had begins right as we about to call it a day after being drained.... more fun and laughter followed with the courtesy of simon and sharon! a good refresher after a nerve wrecking game! boy it was real fun and many of us were laughing and playing musical beds with some hot and steamy sessions thrown in! think sharon and e-lin was so sexcited that they could not sleep after that and that they have to recite the frog game to sleep?? hahahaha..... by the way sharon... u say u want to have a guy strip show to perform full monty on yr birthday right?? guess i have found one just right for u!!.... hope the rest is supportive of this idea too!!

the feeling is always lousy when we have to call it a day and ready to leave... too short a stay and too little time for each other... perhaps it gives us another opportunity to meet again?

anyway i hope all of you have enjoyed the chalet... thanks for all the supportive and participative moments to make this chalet a successful one.... special thanks to sharon for all the hard work and effort she had put in planning most of the itenary and coodination work...

one for the family album and off we go...


the next target - children's day - passing the baton over to??

stand by for action!

tantalizing thailand

a summary of events.... a trip worth waiting for....

27 june 2005

time check : 0500hrs… the alarm clock rang… time to wake up… got to leave home by 0530hrs for the airport… its been a long while since the last time i took a flight out of singapore for holidays was back in 1985! wow! it has been a long time since i last travel on long flight, (of course not considering all the short trips to malaysia!) it was my maiden flight on tiger airways in which i was quite apprehensive about travelling on a budget airline… but the take-off and landing was pretty smooth with the 2 hour flight…

time check : 0930hrs (bangkok local time)… landed at thailand international airport… welcome to thailand… the magnificent city of angels… have no impression how the airport looks like when I was there 20 years ago… clearance was a breeze.. not too crowded and we took an airport limousine to our hotel, an outskirt of the town area, closer the bus station…

arrived at SD Avenue hotel… some 3 star hotel… check in… freshen up and we are on our way within the vicinity for our lunch… we went into a shopping centre and there we had our first meal in thailand, bangkok… nothing spectacular but KFC!! relatively cheap and nice especially the cold vegetable salad! it was great!! something different from singapore… they have added pineapples and tuna and surprisingly it tastes great! thereafter we walk to the bus station to get our bus tickets to hua hin.. a long walk and after some asking around, we finally found the place and got the tickets for tomorrow at 1000hrs and we decided to take a cab back to the hotel as we were quite tired… rest a while and we are off again on the road and this time we went to another shopping opposite the former one we went in the day time and this time this one was much bigger!! Not much time to shop… just window shopping and we were back to the smaller shopping mall to have our dinner at MK restaurant… nice good steam boat and reasonable priced and we had a side order of the roasted duck… it was good just a tad too oily for our comfort and we went for a movie after dinner… tickets are relatively cheap, only 100 baht and the system here is rather funny as compared to sg…. surprisingly tickets are more expensive in the day as compared in the evening… so that is why we chose to see it in the evening!! hahaha…

we chose to watch mr & mrs smith… a rather good and amusing show… just before the show starts and after some trailers, there is a short trailer flash thru the screen and it says, “please rise and pay respect to our king” and the everyone in the theatre stood up and stayed still to watch the 2 ~ 3 mins trailer about the king and they bow at the end… some cultural experience!

28 june 2005

buffet breakfast at the hotel… then it was off to the bus station to hua hin… about 3 hours drive… journey was hot and stuffy and certain time it was reek of some ammonia smell… upon arrival at hua hin, we were transferred by a private taxi our hotel in the outskirts of the hua hin town… we got into a boutique hotel…
nice and comfortable… actually it is a 3 storey terrace converted into a hotel…
very Balinese interior outlook and u have this nice comfortable feeling… they had some aromatherapy smell along the way to the room and the room was even cooled down for us before we check in… nice personalized service there maybe we are the only guests as this is a lull period for the season… it was hot while we were there and by the time we are ready to get out to explore… it was raining cats & dogs.. what a drastic change of weather…
we went strolling along the beach after the rain stops and it was low tide… not much people around.. cos this beach is more popular to the locals rather than foreigners… dinner was great and sumptuous… we had seafood and over ordered as we did not realize the portion given was relatively big… anyway it was good thai food but with some companions… wild dogs and houseflies!!… we love it so much that we decide to have it tomorrow evening again… hahahaha…

29 june 2005

breakfast was simple….american with local fruits… we were supposed to check into a guest house but we changed our minds after we fell in love in this place and we decided to stay here for a another night… we had booked a private taxi for a day tour around hua hin…

first stop… elephant village… first time i am having a ride on a elephant… my usual height phobia but after a while it was ok but it was the attack of the mosquitoes that bothers me!!

next stop : pa-la u waterfall…
there is an entrance fee of 200 baht each… pretty expensive for a waterfall… there are 15 stages and we went only 3 cos the way up is rather dangerous and we are not prepared with proper shoes… we did not stayed long… a waterfall is a waterfall… looks similar to the one at kota tinggi… perhaps it may be a better view at the top but we decide to give it a missed…
simple lunch along the way and my friend got to try his favourite… fried pork with basil leaves and chilli!!

after lunch it was to some new national park which was built by the queen..
there in this park was this huge statue of this much respected and renowned monk in thailand and then it was off to hua hin beach… here the beach is much more commercialized…. lots of people and nice cool sandy beaches…
it was low tide while we were there…

we went to the town area and the night market but we were too early… similar to our pasar malam and we just stroll and browse around... nothing much to offer…

last stop…monkey mountain… lots of monkeys there and a nice panoramic view…
we did not have time there as we were there nearing closing time at 1700hrs…

we had dinner at the same place… yummy food and over eat again… sharon commented that i will lose weight on this trip but it was the reverse! i ate and ate cos things are nice and relatively less expensive! hahaha…

30 june 2005

breakfast was something different upon our request…
we had pork congee, which was smooth and nice with fried fritters! the “you tiao” was smaller as compared to our sg version but it was nice and crispy… after breakfast this was our first time to enjoy the chao takiap beach and the scorching sun! wow! it was really hot and we got burnt! hahaha…
we cooled down at the small spa pool on the 2nd level of the hotel… nice cool dip and so relaxing and then it time to leave for the bus station and we got our tickets on the spot back to bangkok…

depart from hua hin at 1430hrs back and we returned back to SD Avenue hotel in the evening… this time we has simple dinner… the road side stalls and we had wanton noodles and we end up watching another movie, (cos it was less expensive here!), “war of the worlds” but we did not think the show live up to its expectations….

1 july 2005

breakfast was a short one at 0600hrs as we had to rush… we had arranged for a package 2D/1N river kwai resotel tour which picks up at 0630hrs to kanchanaburi, a place with rich and devastating history that comes along with it… 2 hours drive from bangkok and it was much better ride…

upon arrival at kanchanaburi we visited the kanchanaburi war museum and the war memorial cemetery....
later we chose an optional long tail speed boat ride along river kwai to catch the infamous bridge over the river kwai… then it was off to our resort type hotel which we were ferried there again by those long tail speed boats… the place we stayed was some kind of stand alone huts, chalet style… lunch was plentiful but the dining experience was superb…. imagining having your meals with the river flows through it and nice green scenery to whet your appetite! it was so close to nature but be prepared for the attack of the mosquitoes again!

i guess travelling by speed boats is their way of life and faster means of transportation… we had that as we were ferried along the river to another resort, jungle raft resort, by the same owner but this place has no electricity at all… so be prepared for the nightfall survival with some kerosene lamps no luxury of hot baths, tv and air con! hahaha… we went to see the mon village and later back to the resort… followed by lots of food for dinner with some cultural mon dance show…

2 july 2005

after the american breakfast, we went by the long tail speedboat and bus to the hellfire pass memorial, the burma-thai railway… good walking shoes and lots of insect repellant are highly recommended for this tour…
the hellfire pass memorial is dedicated and a tribute to those Australian and other allied prisoners of war (POWs) and asian labourers who suffered and died at the hellfire pass and elsewhere in the asia pacific region during the second world war… a rich and devastating story behind the sad past as compared to the tsunami experience… many innocence lives were lost when the tsunami came unnoticed but here many lives were lost through brutality and malnutrition…many died of sickness, inadequate medical facilities & treatment and the severe punishments meted out for non-conformity… indeed a very sad and disturbing story resulting from the 2nd world war by the japanese forces when they decided to build and construct a railway to maintain their armies in burma…
a minute of silence for the those who perished…

time to check out and lunch at the jetty where a tour bus has been arranged to pick us up for
a train ride along the infamous wooden bridge railway and thereafter back to the bus back to bangkok… quite an interesting experience in kanchanaburi with bitter sweet memories left behind…

we arrived at asia hotel in the heart of bangkok at about 1900hrs… wow! it was so crowded and busy with so many people around… we went into the room and had this claustrophobic feeling as there were no windows! hahaha… after freshen up we hit the patpong area and we had KFC for dinner again…. hm… it seems that elsewhere besides sg the kfc had a much better taste! shopping there is quite an experience but prepared for lots of haggling and bargaining…

the night ended with a plate of fried noodles just outside the hotel… hm… very unhealthy… hehehe..

3 july 2005

it was a full shopping day… after breakfast we hit the sky train which is adjoining to the hotel to chachuchak weekend market…. It was huge and it is impossible to cover the whole area within a day… it takes about 2~3 days to cover! it was hot and stuffy but shopping was fun… we were lost in the maze and we just walk and browse whatever came along till we were so tired that we left in the late afternoon for a rest and then to mbk for another shopping spree… this one is much better…. air-con and prices are relatively cool! just could not stop buying but the main constraints are the time (shops closes early even on weekends), cash (too much to buy but cash strap) and luggage restriction! (we were only allowed 20kgs each for check in luggage)

4 july 2005

time really flies…it is the end of the fun time in thailand…. time to leave the country… late breakfast and check out at 1230hrs to the airport…. had burger king for lunch and then we were ready to board the plane to singapore…

home sweet home….

time to face reality again…

would like to thank my friend for his great solo well-planned programme, smooth schedule coordination work for this trip which was great and successful one... cheers to u!

am i looking forward to the next trip? hm.... keep your daily date with this page for the latest updates! ;p

birthday bash...

guess i am always late in entries.. could not make it on the same day... i have too much to do and too little time.... everyone's asking.. "exams is over, still so busy?" hm.... guess i have lots of catch up to do after delaying so many appointments due to my studies... is pay back time....

now turning back the clock and day reads 19th june 2005, sunday.... a bad start for the day but was quickly made up though i have arrived late for my celebrations.. was indeed sorry for the lateness and kept everyone waiting... my most sincere apologies...

a great day indeed... with so much preparations done to make this celebrations a overwhleming success attributed to all the sponstaneous people around who make this day a possible, meaningful and memorable occasion to mark my 43rd birthday.... wow!! am i really getting old among all these young people around... and would really wish to thank one and all for the fun and laughter and putting everything in place... the show was great... so was the bowling and the best was the "water" game in which i enjoyed tremendously... followed by the sumptious dinner.. and the best gift of all.... it is all your pressence that makes day....

my most heartfelt and sincere thanks to you all.. and not forgetting all those special guest apperances by Cheryl, Boo, Merrick and Edward...

thanks for the present and it touches my heart.. i know and i can feel it.. it was bought with all your hearts and minds with careful considerations ... an indeed thoughtful gift...




guess emotions run high again and it is time to close the page...

examination emancipation...

i know this blog came a little too late to reflect my thoughts... the aftermath of all the torturous months of preparing for the final year exams... immediately after the exams, i did have much time to do any writing but preparing for my trip to genting the next morning which we have to leave early to avoid any jams along the causeway...

recevied lots of congratulatory messages from all my good and concerned friends around me.. "free as a bird!", "graduating soon!", "tuo li ku hai!", etc... am i really happy that everything is over? very mixed feelings... a deja wu feeling? dun think so.... on one end i may feel relief that no more studies for me for a while but i did not get that feeling at all when i left the exams hall that day and on the way back home... lots of reflections... lots of thoughts..

while travelling up the journey to genting... many thoughts ran through my mind... what should i relect in my blog... the only way is to turn back the clock...

tock, tick, tock, tick... the time goes back to...

6th june 2005... counting down to last day of exams... 2 days to the last paper... was in the library early in the morning... did my revision and concentration is perfect today.. maybe the D day is getting nearer... went with jeremy for lunch and during that time, we refected our past, our walks of life in SIM, how much time we had invested, walking down memory lane...

all in all we had spent six years of studies in SIM... from being a naive student for the certifictae course to the diploma course to this decision of taking the UOL degree.. a long six years... not counting the number of days spent here and certainly it would hit more than that as i have a year or so intermission between my certificate and diploma due to my work commitments in KL.. have to shuttle here in sg and m'sia.. tough going but still i proceed on to the diploma...

6 years.... is it a long time spent in my life span? short enough to kill my brain cells? i dun know... all my friends are so frustrated with me... they keep complaining that my studies never ends... each time they call me out i will be telling them either i got classes or i am having my exams... and they always say, "how come you are always having yr exams, your studies never finish one huh?" they are so tired of me having to book me months in advance to meet me for some coffee or meals togther...

sentiments grow fondly during these six years... made many good friends along the way... made a silly mistake that will create a deep cut for the rest of my life... never been so helpless.. always been playing along without breaking the law... however this has made my mind in a criss cross situation... wanted to leave SIM very much to hide away from reality but at the same time wish i could spend more time with all the good friends around me... always faced with such unpercedented predicament...

7th june 2005.... lost and all alone, last day of preparations for my icp paper... was it good? still got lots to cover... never failed to admit that i was never better than last year for this year.. dun know why... lots of procastination deep within me... jeremy did not join me for lunch today... went to canteen to have "one ton noodle"... sharon's suai ge was busy so we did not talk... went to table and met the photocopy lady asking where are the rest of the gang... suddenly the lost feeling crept into my spine... everyone is slowly getting out of SIM... the feeling and thoughts of leaving SIM soon fills my thoughts with great emotions.... six years..... six good fun years... the happiness, the exams stress, the fun and laughter filled the air... the same thoughts when i was about to leave my BMT after sharing all the 3 months of fun and hard work together with all the great buddies and friends made along the way.. the comradeship... the strength of unity... fighting together as one as well as being punished together as one... one big family...

sharing the tears, fun and laughter together with the UOL family created a greater a bond among one another... the closeness... the togetherness... the care and concern for each other and the support for each other when we encountered with numerous ups and downs.... no one is pefect... no one shines.... no one is wrong... no one to blame... each has its own merits, strength and weaknessess... each trying their very best to unite the family as one.. stay closely as one... fighting the battle across the hurdle as one... one united family...

the night falls... time for dinner... went to patronise the chicken rice stall for the last time... suai ge was manning the cashier... same thing.. ask about everyone.... joke about each and one... but it was his words that strike my feelings... my emotions... told him that today will be my last day here for meals and supporting his stall for the last time... he said he was happy for me that i will be graduating soon but sad to see all of us leaving him...

it is so strange that only the last few months that i started to make friends whom we have all along just acknowledging each other with a nod or just a wry smile... somehow along the way i get to talk to many people whom we did not bother to talk to during the years in school... why now? an unexplainable phenomena... but glad we close the gap along the way...

why am i having all these sad deja vu feelings when i wanted to get out as fast as i could? get out this place which is getting more and more an autocratical environmental status? no place to run... no place to hide... as the night crepts in, slowly packing my bags... leaving my favourite seat and walking out of the library for the last time....

8th june 2005.... the final countdown.... could not concetrate much... could not do much... always had this cold blank feelings when i step into the exam hall... mind not flowing as freely as many would have expected out of me... did not perform as well as i should have...

do i get the over the top or hill feeling after the clock ticks at 1730hrs? nope... not at all.... nothing of that sort... heave a sigh of relief that i dun have to rush back to my books? not at all too... guess i am still a walking corpse at heart... no feelings of happiness... why??? cos i am dwelling in complete indulgence for studies all these while and now embarking into murky waters where i have left where it belongs... coming to senses that the road is long and winding with many turns and unexpected blocks... there is so much to do after today... getting a job is the greatest hurdle and clearing my obligations is my main concern, so there comes the questions many posed to me along the way... is my studies a building bloc or a stumbling bloc? am i much happier person now? guess i will have to look for Coco Lee for "the answer... "

" 爱 活 在 心 上... 不 是 时 间 可 轻 易 打 断... 就 算 是 交 会 时 短.... 记 忆 会 超 越 岁 月 边 疆... 爱 活 在 心 上... 不 受 谁 的 决 定 改 变 方 向... 你 真 爱 过这 就 是 答 案"...
and this is dedicated to all my friends out there.... especially for all the members in the UOL family.... wishing you one and all happiness in your future endeavours... live life to the fullest... stay heathly and happy always... having you all out there is the greatest gift of my life

disappointment after disappointment...

though with so much preparations, the extra guidance from the family members and the intensive grilling by the DM, i still fail to make sense out of the MA paper.. was completely lost in transaction with the variance when i m supposed that i have invested the most time into it but i still stare blankly at the question when i got it in my hands, attempted it with nearly an hour and a half but still could not make sense out of it.... sigh.... really hopeless when comes to figures... destined to be that way.. now only praying for a miracle to happen... think i m going to start my "thank you" speech to all those invloved.....

"thanks to sharon, shirlyn, jeremy, xue li, steven and eileen for all the support in one way or another!!!"

hitting hard after that still fails to trust me into concentration on HRM the following... sharon says i m cool about it... yeah pretending to be cool when in fact i m so worried when i found out she remembers more than me!!! but what can i do?? have to pretend i know everything because she will never believe when i say i m not really prepared.... was lost when i walk in the vast cold exams hall and suddenly everything blank... could not remember what i have just read few hours ago.... guess the worse is i got mixed up the topics and putting the researchers and their research at the wrong places!! what a muddle head.... dun know why i could not concentrate and guess my head is spinning around and a big mess.... everything seems "rojak" in my mind... hm... what is going wrong with me?? study too much?? dun think so as i know i did not put in much effort as i m supposed to with all the time i have comparing with rest... still floating around....

well, well... there goes my 2nd and 3rd papers.....

how will i fare in my last paper which is supposed to hvae ample time to study?? hm.. looking at the notes today after leaving them on the shelf for a while to concentrate on my earlier three subjects.... i need more time than that to remember all the facts in the notes which suddenly looks alien to me......

alien? hm.... walking corpse v alien?? hm.... who will win the final battle??

what else!!! watch this column for the results!!!!

stand by for action on the 8 june.... right after my icp!

vesak long weekend!!!

while everyone is preparing for their trips for the super long weekend holidays, here i m struggling in the library, burying myself with those boring books!!! worse of all, is HRM!! so sleepy and tired!!

back to back papers next thursday and friday is MA followed by HRM..... sigh..... hope the agony is over soon!!!

but that is not over yet!! still got another paper on 8 june 2005!!! hope it will be lucky as with the number on that day!!

however, still so unprepared with so many things still digesting in progress....

here i m .... in library... waiting for the library to close.... which means i m going home!!! hehehehe.... waiting for that moment in time.....!!

My first entry

Well, this blog wasnt set up by me.. in fact it was by Sharon..

and also this entry is not done by me...in fact it was by Eileen..

So what's the purpose of all this? Just to have another site to visit when u are feeling bored in the Library.. and having so-called someone to "hear" me.

But, in fact, I am not that kind of guy who will write and express my feelings to others... not even real life.. those who know me, know me as a "walking corpse" as I proudly claimed myself to be.

Ok.. here I am done with "blogging", just to get close to the "young" and know what they are doing...

Sharon, u shld go update yr blog too, let yr siblings know yr feelings, as u always wanted them too..

cheers!