The Day After My Release

It’s the first day after i’m released from the army (it’s true, my date of release is stated clearly on my ceritificate) and i’ve accomplished the following:

1.   Waking up late

2.   Packed my room

3.   Cleaned up two computer areas

4.   Cleaned my fan

i was feeling quite proud of myself, but then i realised: oh man, i’m Still doing Area Cleaning. SAF would be proud.

big effort, little effort

ever since my grandmother stopped staying at my place because she had to take care of my great-grandmother, i haven’t really seen her much. that is mostly my fault, because despite my impending ord, i haven’t made enough time to be with her. i guess working life will be gradually worse, because we seem to think that once a month is enough, although its actually 1 in 30 days.

meanwhile, i went to eat dinner with my grandma and my greatgrandma on wednesday, along with joyce. life immediately slowed down, not because of their elderly age per se, but because when you see things from their perspective, life is really much simpler than we fuss it out to be. of course, i ought to be slapped for such a generic and useless statement but i guess its just a sweet time with them that i treasure – tasting my grandma’s cooking, bickering over who should take the last of the vegetable, watching how fast my greatgrandma finishes her orange juice.

there was this moment before dinner was served, my greatgrandma handed out tissue paper randomly to joyce, i don’t know, but my heart just melted. of course, the older generation know of her as a draconian matriach with a preference for sons but nevertheless.

when we sent my greatgrandma home, she immediately ate a potong icecream (she drinks lots of coke too, and is apparently a mahjong queen!), how cool is that?she also trundled along to a table and started playing solitare while joyce and i chatted with my grandma.

sometimes, i really do feel sorry for my grandma, she has to just stay home to accompany my greatgrandma but i also believe that God will honour her filial piety, although i feel that i’m being robbed of time with her. i admit i could always make the effort to go over more often, and i plan to do so during uni, heh.

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btw, my grandmother goes to run 6 rounds around the track at 6am daily, that ought to put 99% of us to shame.

town is starting to smell like christmas

i was in town on tuesday morning. and i had a great time milling about by myself, feeling very excited at how christmas is coming again! despite alighting too early from the bus, getting drenched by the rain while doing so (i’m inclined to believe that whenever i’m done with being drenched, the rain stops), walking the wrong day while in the underpasses and the likes of inconveniences, i was pratically unaffected and simply buoyant walking around. i attribute this to having absolutely no worries from being in army (or being away, having an off-day).

meanwhile, i was left free to roam the streets and draw many insights and insignificant thoughts, heheh.

#1

i do not identify with the pictures that portray singapore in books that market singapore as a tour destination. either those, or books that showcases singapore via photography. i’m pretty sure that most singaporeans feel the same way as i do. it’s not about generalization or art, it’s just a personal reaction, a sort of dis-engagement – the mental pictures of what makes singapore our home to us doesn’t concur with the photographer (or editor, come to think of it).

then i also realised, parisians probably get the same vibe when they see books about paris. or london-ers, etc. it’s the same reaction when we walk past souvenir shops in singapore that hawk stuff that we will never ever buy, except to play lan when we were teenagers (at this point i have to assure joyce that i was not such an example =P)

#2

i seriously don’t mind being a Bigshot’s driver. Bigshot here would mean foreign dignitaries or CEOs. (speaking of bigshot, did anyone notice the sheer volume of obituaries dedicated to an old lady on wednesday or thursday?) here are my perceived benefits – you get to drive a nice car, you get to serve somebody, help him get to places in the most efficient manner, read while waiting for him and enjoy privileges such as eating in the same restaurant as the Bigshot that might come with it …

the only reason dissuading me from seriously considering this wonderful job is, believe me when i say it, the sheer number of drivers that die in movies simply because they’re the driver. hahahahaha.

#3

i rejected a kind-looking person’s offer to talk to me more about the good work from the Singapore Heart Foundation. i was a little sheepish to do so because despite the fact that i don’t really intend to commit a pledge to them, i was also in a rush to go eat KFC. now i know the irony is great, i might end up being a beneficiary of SHF one day, haha.

i also realise that you cannot chill over KFC like you do over a cup of teh. now that might sound absurd to you, of course you cannot read a book or listen to your ipod conveniently without washing your hands each time you want to flip a page of change a song, but the truth is that i seriously tried to consider any activity that could help me ‘chill’, hahaha.

#4

libraries in singapore are being taken over by a secondary purpose – studying. imagine my guilt when i took up a seat to Read a Book and the horror when i realised that it was absolutely ridiculous that i felt guilty.

#5

sorry about this, but i sincerely believe that Noodles with Fried Wanton served with Oyster Sauce should not cost you, me or anybody $18.90 ++.

crazy parking is open for definition

last sunday, i helped kentay parallel-park his long bmw. okay to rephrase, i stood outside and gave him directions while he is oblivious to the fact that i’m terrible at parallel parking myself.

i pray i will never end up parking like this person:

my aim is to be like this:

2012

must watch. to mirror obama, they casted a black president. to overshadow day after tomorrow, they have a scene of a aircraft carrier… capsizing.

it’s less than You deserve

This alabaster jar
Is all I have of worth
I break it at your feet, lord
It’s less than you deserve
You’re far more beautiful
More precious than the oil
The sum of my desires
And the fullness of my joy!

Prechorus:
Like you spilled your blood,
I spill my heart as an offering
To my king
Here I am, take me
As an offering
Here I am, giving every heartbeat
For your glory take me

The time that I have left
Is all I have of worth
I lay it at your feet, lord
It’s less than you deserve
And though I’ve little strength
And though my days are few,
You gave your life for me
So, I will live my life for you

Worthy, worthy
You are worthy
Worthy is the Lord

and He shall live for-ever and ever

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:10-12

The sweet thing about fellowship in Christ is that we have wonderful support from each other. Today, dot reminded me of something that i shared with her before. Am sheepish to say that i’ve forgotten when i’ve shared that and obviously don’t always live according to it. I told her (something i’ve heard from somewhere)

When you consider eternity, decisions become easy to make.

Gone Fishing

joyce and i found the best hobby to chill that still gives us the option of a tan:

haha kidding. i just had to include that in because it seems such a tiring sport. even when you’re slacking (i.e. off the ball), you have to keep peddling!! sounds like the type of thing greg might try out.

well, on saturday, i went with joyce’s family to fish!while kentay asked me out to queue up for gaiman tickets with him, i had the pleasure of telling him for the very first time in my life “Sorry, Gone Fishing.” (paraphrased)

i had a crash course in Simple Casting of Rod by joyce’s dad and then went on to hook delicious McPrawns as bait and we waited! and waited..even though we didn’t catch anything (joyce’s father did though), i really enjoyed myself just repeating the motions, waiting, talking to joyce and her family and basically, chilling out. awesome, i foresee us taking this up as a permanent hobby, heheh.

reading

contrary to what most people think, i don’t really read alot.

i don’t read economist, time etc. i read straitstimes regularly.

i do not follow the blogs or others, or have any sensing of what alternative views there are out there.

i used to read up alot on apologetics but grew disenchanted along the way because it’s hard to push your selfish nature down when you are trying to put a point across convincingly and completely.

i love history, but i have un-read books about history that i enthusiastically buy off the shelves and load them back onto the shelves in my house.

of all the books made famous by global buzz, in-your-face displays or friends’ reviews, i’ve probably read a pitiful percentage of it. probably single digit.

yet, i love to read.

i love how ideas can be enunciated so clearly in the manner that makes you shout mentally, “YES THATS WHAT I HAVE BEEN THINKING/FEELING ALL ALONG!!!”

the way tension can be wound up so impossibly tightly over the print of words

how certain paragraphs can make me put down the book for awhile and think to myself, how nice, i want to enjoy that with joyce too

the world i can get lost in without even seeing it for myself in the pictures (movie adaptations disappoint most of the time because they can’t match up to our imagination)

how different genres can all expound on the same ideas but still enthrall

how the characters you grow to know more about as the plot develops, making you want to buy all the series that carries his exploits

how real fiction seems to be and how surreal non-fiction can be (imagine, i can sit in a canteen and i can read about Bill Bryson’s adventures in europe)

best of all, how i can transport myself into different realms and planes as i put down a book and pick up another (sometimes reading both at the same time but obviously not at once), without compartmentalizing my appreciation and sense of wonder.

A Few Good Chow

the last couple of days, i ate at a few really good places. some places i’ve told you before, others i have not. those that i have told you before, allow me to salivate over them more extensively in a couple of lines!

1. Mufiz Restaurant.

my fantasy football team is Mufiz United for a reason, hahaha. well this place that took over Pizza Hut is doing great! this is because they serve really good indian food and not just your usual 39183985 types of prata but also great naan, barbequed chicken (the red, dry type), bite sized buttered chicken,  just to name a few that we tried out. the teh there is also fantastic, looking deceptively bitter but tasting full and flavoursome! it has ventilation that exceeds expectations and a washing point that eases the guilty of oily hands and encourages you to stay a little longer to chill. if you want to chill, just mention mufiz and i’ll be there!

2. The Daily Scoop

Best ice-cream in town. Sorry if you don’t buy my sense of taste, but i seriously think this place serves the best ice-cream in Singapore, better than island creamery or udders. before you start flaying me with your indignant examples of other Ice Cream Parlours, do keep in mind that i’m a 20 year old who doesn’t have much money to spend on expensive icecream. i thought udders was kind to provide a steady stream of available water but i realised it was because their ice cream was too rich. over at daily scoop, joyce and i bought water to wash down the cream but we realised there wasn’t any need, it was that great and smooth! credit also goes to them for daring to have outrageous flavour like wasabi mango and friendly staff. the line of illegal parked cars just to grab a cup or cone is a good testament to their great taste!

3. Red Lacquer

Pretty sure i spelt this wrongly. the esteemed mr. wong ah yoke has already been to this authentic peranakan restaurant and gave it a pretty good rating (pretty much convinced them to serve complimentary water too, yay). all i have to say is that i will go back again. if you don’t mind paying abit more for the rich taste of spice in dishes that obviously requires alot of kongfu than your usual casual franchise pickings, then i suggest going to this place located at jurong point! 4 of us shared 5 dishes coming up to $60 and we were really filled with the yummy food!