Life through my eyes...

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Something to think about...

*** 14 Lines to Live By ***

1. I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.
2. No one is worth your tears, and the one who is won't make you cry.
3. Just because some one doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
4. They say love hides behind every corner, then I must be walking in circles.
5. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.
6. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them.
7. Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.
8. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.
9. Don't waste your time on a guy/girl, who isn't willing to waste their time on you.
10. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.
11. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.
12. There's always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.
13. Make yourself a better person and know who you are before you try and know someone else and expect them to know you.
14. Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Ah Boo's dinner party

Just came back from Ah Boo's rather impromptu dinner where the menu was: laksa (Sarawakian), lasagne and roasted chicken nibbles. Yummy! Those who attended were speculating as to what the occasion was and came up with these 4 options:
1. Ah Boo's birthday; or
2. Ah Boo's farewell; or
3. Ah Boo's engagement; or
4. All of the above
The occasion of the dinner party was never confirmed so we shall assume option 4. Hehe...

All jokes aside, it has been confirmed that Ah Boo is leaving Christchurch for Dunedin tomorrow where he will start his new phase in his life. We do wish him good luck and all the best in all that he endeavours.

The following photos are of the dinner party and of course, what kind of party would this be if there wasn't any alcohol involved?! Only this time, the amount of alcohol was controlled, and all the toasts were for one person only - the infamous, Ah Boo. For those of you who didn't have the opportunity to farewell him: never fear, Ah Boo will always be here (in the weekends - other half still here ma). Hehe...


Spot the similarities!

Life is about what you make of it. Two people can attend one (same) event and leave with two very different perspectives. Call us easily amused if you like but while waiting for Ah Hock to settle his car repairs, Mark and I decided to amuse ourselves. All I have to say is: SPOT THE SIMILARITIES! Keke...



Haha... You just never know when there'll be a camera moment!

Mission: Passport Photo

I had a long overdue mission to complete tonight. The mission: to get my passport photo taken! Sounds simple? Yeah, I thought it would be as well. But boy was I wrong. I didn't know how frustrating it could be and how unlucky I was!

I initially planned to take my passport photo when Kevin was here 1 1/2 weeks ago but then, I was down with a cold and was looking terrible with a red nose and watery eyes so I wasn't in the best of moods to smile for a silly camera. Days passed and then finally on Sunday, I decided to head out to the Uni pharmacy to have my pretty photo taken only to find that it was closed! Nevermind I thought, i'll go to Riccarton Mall - there should be plenty of places where it can be done. With limited time, I drove all the way there only to find that there were long queues and I just didn't have the time to wait. My mission had failed... yet again.

After a full day of lectures today, I decided that today was the day. It had to be done. I set off late in the evening and headed to the airport where I had previously spotted one of those silly photo taking machines when sending Kevin off. 8 passport photos for $4.00 - CHEAP! Only when I got there, WHERE WAS THE MACHINE?! I started to panic... It just wasn't meant to be. But I was determined, so I walked towards the international departure lounge and there it was, amongst all the other gaming machines. I had a sigh of relief. So happily I slotted in $4.00 and with my luck, THE MACHINE ATE MY $4.00 and there was no one around to help me!! Grrr... I was so frustrated!

So I left the airport and drove home. Had my passport photo taken against a white door in the house, cropped and pasted, ready to print tomorrow. Hopefully, I won't run into further complications. In the end, after all the trouble and inconvenience, the photo isn't that stunningly beautiful or anything but i'm glad that it's done and boy, it really was an achievement! *fAiNt*!

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Another weekend gone...

Once again, the weekend has come and gone in a flash!

The highlights for this weekend:
1. Kwang & Annabel's wedding celebrations; and
2. Esther's 21st birthday

Would just like to wish Kwang & Bell: CONGRATULATIONS and we will definitely miss you when you leave for Switzerland. As for Esther: HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY once again! Unfortunately I missed the sight of her doing the traditional yardie (only it was filled with coke instead of alcohol... hehe), but it sounds very interesting - took her 20 minutes?! (must be the new record)Haha...

Anyway, these are some of the photos taken at Coyote from around 1:00am on Sunday morning after her romantic supper with *someone* (no names mentioned). More can be found under the photo section of my blog. Enjoy!


Saturday, September 24, 2005

Actions today, consequences tomorrow

I do believe that in many instances, I have allowed myself to be affected by minute things amongst larger, more important issues. Most of the time, the repetitive occurrences of those minute activities that I initially chose to overlook, will end up being a bigger issue because the effect caused has been harboured deep within, thus, making things progressively worse.

Many times, I have been remembered to nip things in the bud, to solve the issue when it's small. Sometimes I question whether it is a downfall in my nature to allow those activities to repeat or whether it would be in my very own interest to combust immediately to avoid such a thing from recurring. Disregarding how we are connected, you should still show respect to me as a person, a living human being on this earth. Indeed, some of you have taken it for granted that you can treat me however you like. Let me tell you one thing, you can't!

You may be under an umbrella now, shaded from the truth but when that umbrella is lifted, you may find that while it has protected you from the rain, the storm has been brewing and it will hit when the time is just right. Just you wait.

My tolerance and patience will run out eventually. You have neglected to realise that you will get back what you have given. How you will learn of it is not my concern. The main objective is for you to realise one day and for you to be sorry because in the end, everyone gets what they deserve. This is not out of spite, it's just reality. One day, you will face the consequences of your actions because you never took it to heart to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Luke 6:31)

Thursday, September 22, 2005

It must be said...

I am not certain of the intentions of my entry but I feel like I have to say this:

I have known some of you for many years and some of you for just a few but no matter how long or how short, how far or how near, you all are always in my thoughts and if I have somehow lost touch with you, you do still appear in my memories. Without knowing it, each and everyone of you have made a mark in my life either to change me for the better or worse. Either way, it has been an adventure to have walked with you in some part of your life.

Some of you have slipped away. Some of you feel neglected. Time is a constraint for every living person on earth. It is something that we must learn to accept and deal with. We are by our very nature, selfish. We have our own priorities, which mine may differ from yours. These priorities lead to the fulfillment of our dreams which in turn, awards us happiness. How you interpret, is your respected opinion.

To question friendship is being foolish. Everyday, we are surrounded by people who we consider as friends. It is only when you're down, that you learn who your true friends are and they are only but a few. It is indeed a very sad thought.

Those of you who are currently going through very tough times (making very important decisions in life which you may later rejoice or regret or coping with the decisions that you have already made), who have sought my advice, I can only impart the knowledge that I have gained through my own experiences and they are not guaranteed to be the right answer. I have tried to be there for everyone of you but I am only one person.

Who I am to you depends very much on which phase of my life you were a part of. People change over time, and I am not an exception. Not everything is under my control. People talk. People walk. Which angle they take and which direction they face, is up to them.

Inspite of everything, there is only one conclusion - whatever will be, will be...

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

"Coach Carter"

Rented the DVD and watched "Coach Carter" in the weekend which is based on a true story that hit headlines in California during the time. Decided to watch the movie after watching an interview a couple weeks back on the "Dr. Phil" show between Dr. Phil, Samuel L. Jackson (leading actor in "Coach Carter") and the real Coach Carter, Ken Carter. For more information regarding the movie, visit: http://www.coachcartermovie.com. For more information regarding Ken Carter who is now a motivational speaker, visit: http://www.coachcarter.com.

A quote from the movie:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness which frightens us. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Monday, September 19, 2005

The White House, The Lady of the House & I

The following photos were taken just outside my house at around 12:00pm, after the snow had stopped and the rain had just passed. The photos are of:
1. My black beauty baby levin parked outside the garage
2. My bro's mr2 parked on the street
3. My mum in her russian hat
4. My "white house" and
5. Me ruining the snow covered driveway with my footprints!








For your information, Uni is CLOSED today (Thanks to Seng Cheong for letting me know). The airport is closed as well because the runway is covered with snow causing many delays. The sun is up now... the snow is slowly melting away. Maybe we'll get another snowfall tonight or tomorrow - unlikely but we can always dream yea? :)

ChRiStChuRCh --- SnoWiNg!

Good morning Christchurch! Have you looked outside your window today?

It's snowing in Christchurch at the moment in the midst of spring! Yes, freaky weather but who's complaining? It used to be very rare for it to snow in Christchurch until a few years back. Until yesterday, I was beginning to think that this year would be the exception. However, it does seem to be snowing almost every year now. It's great!

The reported temperature is currently 0 degrees celsius. Snow flakes are still falling as we speak, on a rather dry ground so the snow is piling up and getting thicker. This is a good sign for the ski fields that were being threatened for early closure this year. There seems to be no sign of life outside at the moment. The neighbourhood seems rather quiet. Maybe everyone's too busy with their life to bother about the snow. I'm sure most students will end up not attending classes to enjoy the weather.

As for me, i'm going out to take photos so that those of you who are missing out on this experience, won't miss out entirely. Don't you wish you're in Christchurch now? :P

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Happy Mooncake Festival!

Just in time to wish all of you: "HAPPY MOONCAKE FESTIVAL!"

Some of you missed the mooncake festival evening on Thursday, held by the Singaporean Society (UCSSS). There were 25 mooncakes for us to eat and other goodies... Yum! 6 of us (namely, Andrew, Esther, Hock, Jwin Hxen, Mark, and I) actually made it out the door and walked from Ilam Flats to the Mac Lab (underneath the Uni Central Library) and back, holding lanterns. Goes to show how sporting the rest were, eh? :P Anyway, here are the photos, (courtesy of Jwin Hxen):





As it turns out, this weekend wasn't absolutely outstanding. I was terribly sick with the usual sore throat, sneezing and runny nose. Luckily I was being looked after by Kev and with a lot of rest, i seem to have recovered at a much faster rate than I thought I would have. I guess in a way, we were blessed to be sick - it was the perfect opportunity to have a nice quiet weekend to just rest and enjoy each other's company.

As promised, the photos of Tee Chek and Jing Yi's engagement celebration are below (courtesy of Carolyn). Once again, congratulations to them on the long awaited engagement and best wishes for their wedding early next year.



Friday, September 16, 2005

Passion drives better than pride

All of us are from different walks of life, no matter how similar we think we are. Every second of the day moulds us into who we are and what we will become. Some of us are born fortunate while others, less fortunate. The factors vary from health, wealth, principles, morals, to duties and obligations. What we personally deem to be unfortunate, may be deemed by our peers to be a fortunate thing. Nevertheless, our future is not merely determined based on how fortunate we are or have been in life.

It is a common thing between parents to unknowingly brag about their childrens' performances, whether it be in sports, or most importantly, in academic studies. However, unknown to them is the pressure that we face because of it. A good example of this is illustrated in the well known book and movie called the "Joy Luck Club" whereby it depicts how a child's life can sometimes be ruled by their parent's pride. Not only is it the pride of our parents that drive us to excrutiating lengths to satisfy their needs, in some cases, it is our own pride to not be a failure, that sometimes destroys us.

Pride can be a very destructive emotion - once you own it, it's hard to let go of it because of what is associated with it. However, the returns derived from pride driven accomplishments does not always provide us with the joy and satisfaction that can be derived from those that have been passion driven. A lot of the time, it causes more anguish and torment than a person can handle which often leads to depression. It is something that we must overcome if we possess it.

On the other hand is what some us possess, some of us possess and do not know it, or some of us just do not know what it is... is where our passion lies. What we are passionate about leads to great love, joy, hatred or anger. But it also awards us with the enthusiasm to strive to achieve and rewards us with the satisfaction of the achievement. A person who has been passion driven in their task/job, returns a better result because it is what we find intriguing, where we will gain personal satisfaction, and it is this, that we are best at. The only problem that some of us face is finding our passion.

We always compare others to each other and sometimes, even others with ourselves and wonder why we have not achieved the standard or the rank that they have achieved - be it in academics or even on the corporate ladder. But unknown to us is the lack of passion that we have which is the negative factor and affects our performance. I do not think that we can grow to have a passion for something and if we think that we did then it is just foolishness. We are either born with it, or we're not. It's something that plagues our modern society because of the vast career opportunities that are available to us.

Therefore, I believe that our failure and success is largely affected by what our passions are. Each and everyone of us has been given a gift which if utilised, will reward us with much joy and satisfaction which in turn, leads to happiness. How we find out where our passion lies is through much trial and tribulation. In the end, we all hope to have discovered it before it's too late so that we can be truly happy. If we don't, we can still be successful... just not as successful as we could have been.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

The weekend of September 9 - 11

Had a hectic schedule this past weekend trying to squeeze as much in the 47 hours available from Kevin's arrival to departure, and yet we were still unable to complete everything that we had planned to do. I guess the most important thing is that everyone enjoyed themselves, and memories and tales will continue to be shared for more years to come.

The photos below are taken at Mona Vale on the beautiful Saturday afternoon before the spring weather decided to take a turn back to winter.






Random photos of Kevin and I in the house which is soon to be sold...



Who's your daddy? Hehe... This photo is of Mark at the pre-drinks session - he's still sober, he's just easily amused. Hehe...



I'm still trying to get the photos from Tee Chek and Jing Yi's engagement, and will upload them when i get my hands on them.

If you ever have time on your hands with nothing to do, contact Ah Hock and he'll get you to read a really long story, with quite a lame, predictable, sad ending. :P

On a more serious note (for those who are unaware), Sunday marked the 4th anniversary of 9-11 which wounded and killed thousands, while the full impact of hurricane Katrina is still yet to be known.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Problems are constant

We often get so caught up in our own lives, that we forget those who surround us. Some people may judge us as being selfish and therefore, unworthy of friendship, but the lack of understanding leads to misunderstandings.

It is natural for a person to be so consumed with their own problems and issues that they forget that others may be facing similar situations or even worse, tougher times of distress. Often, we manage to convince ourselves that whatever problems we are encountering surpasses that of the rest. It is often misconceived as being self-absorbed. Rather, it is just human nature to put ourselves higher on the priority list. However, despite our self-centeredness, a consoling soul does exist for those who are in times of need. The problem is identifying when we're needed.

Just as we learn something new everyday, we also learn that we have yet another new problem to face. Our problems are only known when they are too much for us to handle ourselves because like usual, we always hope that we can handle everything ourselves. It's time for us to admit defeat - that despite how strong we may think we are, there's always a certain limit that we cannot exceed.

Everyone hopes for the day that our problems will slowly be solved and eventually leave with none. It will never happen. As for me, there's always the constant thought and hope that i was in a different, better situation. Then again, we always seek what we don't have and neglect that which is ours. It's a fact of life. Sad... but true.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

SPRING TIME!


Have you guys noticed how warm the weather has been lately and how the streets are lined with cherry blossoms? Daylight seems to be longer nowadays too. That's because, spring has officially started as of 1st of September!

I personally think that spring is one of the most beautiful seasons in the year, along with autumn. It's the best time to visit the botanical gardens where you're sounded by the beauty of the gardens which are carpeted with the vibrant colours of the spring flowers. It's an awesome sight!

I must go one day! I must... I must!

Monday, September 05, 2005

I'm back~!

I keep imagining that today is Thursday and that i'm getting ready to leave for Auckland tomorrow. It feels like the term break has only just begun. Maybe it's the Uni blues...

For those of you who don't know, I arrived back in Christchurch late last night. Sad to leave Auckland but life must go on... The flight was terrible due to the weather. The turbulence I experienced last night was one of the worst in my life - even the flight attendant injured himself when he knocked his knee against the seat as he went around collecting the rubbish from the light refreshments that were served during the flight. Poor guy...

Well, I guess it's back to reality - back to Uni and back to studying. Exams are only less than 2 months away now. *SiGh*. Isn't Uni life fun? :P

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Property search and open homes

Most of us are still young and purchasing a house is too far into the future for us to give it some thought but after 4 hours of driving around and visiting open homes... i'm physically and mentally tired!

The idea of buying a house seems simple enough - if you've got the money, what's the problem right? But like always, not everything is as easy as it seems. How much money is enough? There's always the problem of location, location, location... Then there's the look of the house - whether it's impressive and practical. Some houses are like a maze... It'd be good to play hide and seek though...? *SiGh* Some houses have amazing architecture but the price range may be too high. Either way, there seems to always be a problem, or a downside to a property - the land area, type of building materials used, surrounding houses, level of maintenance required, layout, wear and tear of the place, etc. It's so tiring! *YaWn*

For those of you who haven't experienced the joy of property hunts, now at least you know you've got something to look forward to in the future. Isn't it exciting? *fAiNt*! Now, consider yourselves lucky when you've never had to face such a situation and everything has been given to you on a silver platter. No, consider yourselves damn lucky!