I'm touched. Really.

I've recently seen a wonderful video that I've bumped into in Youtube, and it's a wonderful stroke of serendipity. It's been a while that I've been touched by a simple video.

If you've been watching movies in the cinemas in Singapore, there's this VISA advertisement that features this guy, Matt Harding:

Credits: www.ninemsn.com

At first glance, it looks like a funny and stupid dance which he is doing. It actually is, his dance is only known to his friends. Since he was travelling all around the world, his travel companion suggested that he uses his dance in every destination he's been to. The video passed around, and he got really famous.

Trust me, it's really worth watching.

I'm constantly amazed by the wonders of the world and the different places that he's been to. And it was an eye-opener to me. And I got to know the world better.

If the above video interests you, you should take a look at a recent video of Matt Harding in 2008, and I feel it's a lot more impactful! And he came to Singapore as well! You can spot him dancing with a group of Singaporeans at The Merlion near Esplanade!

My depiction of the videos after several views:

I'm touched, and I don't know if you feel the same way as I do.

A person with a simple dance, travels around the world with different people dancing with him, regardless of where they came from, which background they had, whether they're rich or poor or even which race they belong to.

It seems to tell me that despite coming from different walks of life, we're all humans. We're strangers to each other, but it is how amazing we can be united and connected as one, just by one dance and how happiness can easily be achieved.

I somehow feel so connected to Humanism. And I simply can watch this video over and over again. The song is simply awesome as well, bringing the whole mood together.

I hope you feel the same way as I do. And I'm sure you will smile or laugh after watching this video. Peace.

A message.

Note: The content below might be considered controversial and offending, which is deemed differently by individuals. Should you feel offended at any moment, please leave this page.




Dear God (if you exist),

I don't know how should I begin writing this post, but I just want to pen down my thoughts about you. I know that I've been a very selfish person when it comes about religion.

I was brought up with Taoism/Buddhism, and I used to go to the temple to pray to you weekly, hoping that you would bring peace and safety to my family.

But as years passed, as my knowledge about other types of religious views increases, I stopped believing in you. But when my examinations or my overseas trips are coming, I prayed to you again.

They said that religion are created to make people find answers in life. Sometimes, I think that is the truth.

But religion has been existing for thousands of years and even more, surely you do exist right? But what if you don't exist, and all these are just blind faith that carried over generations and generations of Mankind?

I don't know if you still remembered an occasion when a family member got possessed and got into our home. I really wondered why didn't you help our family member when you were also in our house as well. (Or maybe you did help, I don't know.)

Someone commented that whether I was an atheist, and that he finds it ridiculous that I believe in the supernatural and aliens, but I don't believe in you.

To be honest, I'm really stuck in between. I don't call myself as an atheist. But I don't call myself as true believer either.

Sometimes, I ponder where do I go when I die, and they say you can only find answers in religion. It's not that I don't want to believe in you, and who doesn't want to believe in hope?

But the thing is that I refused to be blind follower because I haven't seen you. Seeing is believing, and God if you do exist, please give me a sign.

A sign that brings me closer to you. But if not, I'm still labelled as agnostic..

A toothless grin.

I realise that I always get the chills whenever I'm in the dentist's clinic. It's like a surgery in the hospital, except that you're there experiencing the chilling moment.

Thankfully, I was numbed by several injections of anaesthesia into my gums. After taking painkillers, the dentist had to do what he had to do. EXTRACT MY TOOTH.

So in the end, his assistant had to grab my head while the dentist extracted the tooth using something that looked like pincers:

Image taken from www.oetiker.com

And yes... initially it was this:

Now, it became this:

I'm so thankful I went to The Smile Clinique for my extraction. It only costs $65 including painkillers and antibiotics. The Q&N costs me $250 if I went there, and it's because they insisted on me doing it surgically when I only needed a normal extraction.

A presentation and a toothache.

The other day, we had a presentation at the Singapore Philatelic Museum (SPM). It was a collaboration between 2 different fields: Space and Interior Design (SID) and Visual Communication (VC). And the winner of the chosen piece will be realised into life-size exhibition for the public to see.

This is my group's work.

The winner will be announced at a much later date I think. 

We also had other collaborations with Singapore Philatelic Museum, such as the SPM Children Brochure, and here are the winners:

The winners.

And then again, we were given a sneak peek at another previous collaboration that happened in the previous semester (there are already 3 collaborations) whereby we were to design a mascot for SPM. Aliff was the winner, and his works already 90% done to be exhibited!

The mascots of SPM.

Aliff the creator and his mascots Max and Phily.

And this is me, looking and interacting with the exhibit.

Recently, I've been plagued by this toothache which caused me incessant pain. I've consulted a dentist and she said that I needed to remove one of the upper tooth which was the cause of the pain because it affected the main ones:

(A bit disgusting though)

That tooth is blocking the rest and is causing the pain.

But there's a pain in my wallet as well, because it's a whopping $250 to extract that bloody tooth out surgically in a dentist clinic and it will take an hour's time.

I would never understand why are dentists' fees so expensive. That time when I asked about wisdom tooth, they caused around $500 to be extracted out. I never extracted it and it is still in one of the rows of my teeth because it hasn't cause me any pain since.

And when I went for this consultation, it caused $22 for the consultation which lasted like 5 minutes? But at least the painkillers only caused $10.

I will try to bear the pain and go to a polyclinic to pluck it out, in order to save costs.

I hate toothaches, and I hate dentists. 

Excuse me now, for the throbbing pain is getting a bit unbearable and I need my painkillers.

My public transport encounters.

I am a frequent public transport traveller. Although most of the time I take the same routine over and over, there are always some personal encounters that I'm irritated with some commuters.

PEOPLE WHO BLAST THEIR MUSIC THROUGH THEIR PHONES.

Headsets and earpieces are invented for a reason. And there are still inconsiderate people who are oblivious to their surroundings and that nobody gives a shit about what kind of music they listen to, and most importantly, NO ONE IS INTERESTED IN WHAT SONGS THEY LISTEN TO, and that it is obviously noise pollution.

These people loves playing rock and metal music, and it gets screechy and real loud most of time, I could see some fellow commuters' ears bleeding.

THE GRUMPY OLD HAG.

I was taking the bus the other day, and there was this old hag kept looking back and scolding softly because my legs kicked her seats, which caused a slight jerk. My legs are big and the capacity for leg rest is so ridiculously small so it was difficult for me and I had to squeeze.

There was this primary school kid who wrapped one of his hands onto the pole for support. And it accidentally hit the old hag several times. She started to get really irritated and looked at the kid with those menacing eyes and keep hitting against him.

(I wanted to give my seat for the primary school kid twice but he just refused to take my offer.)

Bloody hell, what is wrong with old people nowadays? What ever happened to their social grace?

THE FAT WOMAN.

Everytime I think about it, the only word that came to my thought: disgust.

You see, there was this particular day when I was returning home and the bus was extremely packed. I found a seat and quickly dozed off.

Then, subconsciously, I kept realising I keep hitting onto something. Something soft. When I lifted my head up, I REALISE I BUMPED INTO THIS SHORT AND FAT WOMAN'S BOSOM.

She didn't even notice me or whatsoever, and I felt so disgusted, I stood awake for the whole journey.

Happy Valentine's..

For once, I felt a little happy, although not anticipating it. 

Pizza Hut!

Finally, after a hectic week of submissions, I managed to have time to rest. Unfortunately, I still have one last submission and a presentation to our clients, Singapore Philatelic Musuem.

And I've spent a whopping $100 or even more with anything related to my work! I'm so irritated because of the amount of money spent on printing and fancy papers.

I've been wearing plenty of red recently, and that's probably because the Chinese New Year fever is still on?

The day Eekeng wore her Yukata for one of our projects. Super nice, she's very much into the Japanese culture.

And our lecturers, Mr Ransome and Ms Lee treated us to Pizza Hut today! Perhaps it's a treat for all of our hard work this semester.

During class, the ladies were asking me to put my sideburn on the back of my ears and sport a right-sided fringe.

This was the end result:

OH. MY. GOD.

They kept laughing and said I look like as though I wore a wig.

It's a pity that some of our mates couldn't join us for the treat.. Oh well..

Photos while in Pizza Hut:


Cheryl and me.. She claims she looks fat, but she's not!

Fazal and me.. Acting cool.


Shi Li, Mareena, Fazal, Aishah, Chloe and Ms lee..

What is Shirley looking at?

Aishah and Chloe! Love these nice people!

With Mir-ene! Sweet girl!

With beloved Ms Lee. She's the nicest lecturers around.

With the guys! Tyron, Yao Zhong, Fazal, Mr Ransome and me..

Today was such a coincidence that Wei Qi and I happened to wear the same colours together!

Some photos also!!

Looking shocked!

She can act sexy, but not me.

Somehow, I just like this photograph.




It didn't show how nice the food is, but showed how badly I needs a haircut.

Shi Li and Mareena!

Who is Ms Lee taking?

Oh, and I also tried to force a double-chin as well.

This is probably what I looked like if I'm over 100kg.

Once again, thanks to Ms Lee and Mr Ransome for the treat!

A wonderful day spent with polytechnic friends.

Definitions..

I have failed to distinguish the definitions of mature and sensible.

Sometimes I love to find the definitions of new words that I come across but the most ironic thing is that I still failed to define certain words. Perhaps that comes with experience and time.

I'm super stressed out with submissions for the next 10 days, though I'm fully aware I've been blogging rather irregularly..

A random post.

Went to Dempsey Hill; which is my first time there..

Credits: doublewees.blogspot.com

Dined at DOME with friends, and it was rather expensive. I ordered a Banana Smoothie, and it was nothing compared to the one I drank in Cambodia.

But I've got to say that Dempsey Hill is a rather nice place; tranquility at its best with fine dining. A place that I'll bring my girlfriend to, because it's romantic.

Oh ya, speaking about girlfriend.. My long-distance relationship has remained stagnant with no improvement at all. Sigh, but hopefully we'll hang on there ya, since we've made each other promises that we'll find our own love in our own respective countries.

And some mundane photos:

Credits: Beck

This is only the sole form of entertainment when we're super stress with our projects.

With Beck's sunglasses.

In the Mac room..

Sigh, many things going through my mind right now.

And I want to treat my mum better and be a filial son. She's a strong and independent mother, a role-model anyone can emulate. 

I have to prepare for my portfolio, because I might go for attachment soon. I just hope that I'll get into a publication company and gain some experience.

And also for the benefit of people in Singapore who's interested in Nike..

Info and image taken from: http://www.greatdeals.com/sg/2009/01/nike-expo-sale

This coming friday: 5 Feb - 8 Feb

Venue: Singapore Expo Hall 6B

Admission: Public- Free Admission

5- 7 Feb: 10am - 7pm

8 Feb: 10am - 6pm

Gotta get going for now!

Chinese New Year Celebrations.

This year's Chinese New Year celebrations was not as happening compared to the past few years. The mood wasn't there. Some relatives were absent, some weren't even close. But I guess it's also a time for us to take a look and catching up with one another, probably talking about grades or work.

Speaking of which, I think one of my cousins scored 9As for her 'O' levels this year. She's pretty and smart. Talk about beauty and brains! Sometimes, I just feel so inferior compared to them. I guess life's like that, especially when your family are educated-driven people. You start to put stress on yourselves and you just feel inferior. But then again I should look on the bright side and be happy for her.

Yeah, that's right. Be merry in Chinese New Year!

Had my reunion dinner with the relatives, and we celebrated it at my paternal grandmother's house. I love and respect her a lot. She's like the matriarch of the family, taking care of everything despite her age.

My dialect group is Hakka, so most of the time we have to eat traditional dishes like the Abacus Beads, which is sliced yam cooked with minced pork and other stuff:

Just in case you're wondering, the reason why it is named Abacus beads is because the Hakka believes that it will bring in more money, just like how you count your money with abacus in the olden days!

On the first day of Chinese New Year was rather boring, except to collect red packets from relatives.

Just some pictures...

My eldest cousin in the middle, with my younger brother.

Yes, my brother is TALLER than me. But it seems to be the case for my family line!

My brother again...

With my eldest cousin, Jace again.

She's actually 26, and I'm going to be the first to join the ranks of the decade of 20s after her!

Another of my beloved cousin, Ningning..

On the second day of Chinese New Year,

went to my maternal grandparents' house for lunch..

Steamboat!

My favourite food: Breaded prawns!

And I finally get to see my beloved little girl.. Kayley!

She loves watching Barney.

When I sang: I love you, you love me, we are one big family.......... and she will give me very cute hand gestures!

I like it how every single one of us garnered our attention for the little one, observing each and every move of hers and get amused easily.

My grandparents and Kayley..

When I saw my grandparents laughed and smiled at the actions of Kayley, I felt touched and my heart felt happy. Perhaps it's because they went through a lot of hardships and I rarely see them smile.

Ahh, and they commented my hair looked like it was being blown by some huge winds or something.

I can't help but agree:

I just look weird in this photo, probably because of the fringes that are missing.

And of course, I resumed my bingeing on Chinese New Year goodies. I suddenly find it so ironic that I hate pineapples as fruits, but I simply adore pineapple tarts in Chinese New Year. And contrary to the belief, I don't really eat much of barbequeued pork in Chinese New Year.

I shall end it here, and with around 3 weeks or so before holidays begin, I have A LOT of projects in hand!

Hope you guys have fun during your Chinese New Year and for those who doesn't, hope you had great holidays too!

Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy Lunar New Year to all, and I hope everything goes smoothly for everyone in the Year of Ox!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Faithful readers will know that this picture was created for last year's Chinese New Year. I didn't have time to do one and busy for other stuff, so I'm using this.

Have fun for your Lunar New Year, and get immersed into the mood in welcoming the new year.

Now I gotta get MOOOOOOOOOOOOving!

There will be an eclipse this coming Monday.

Be prepared, as there will be a solar eclipse this coming Monday in Singapore, which is 26 January, the first day of Chinese New Year.

An eclipse is a phenomenon whereby the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is being blocked.

This will probably be what you see.

Yes, it's something like turning day into night..

According to islamicevents.sg:

Eclipse begins at 4:30 p.m.

Maximum Eclipse at 5:49 p.m.

Eclipse ends at 6:58 p.m

However, I've received information that the eclipse will begin at 9am too. I'm not sure about this information though.

Anyway, do watch out, because it is really awesome!

NOTE: YOU CAN ONLY SEE A PARTIAL ECLIPSE IN SINGAPORE.

Days With My Father..

I've been really busy, especially with schoolwork with under around 9 projects in hand. With Chinese New Year around the corner, I've got so much stuff to do! I'll blog soon.

Just in case if anyone's interested in for a light read, you can visit http://www.dayswithmyfather.com .

It is actually a photojournal about the days this guy Phillip Toledano spent with his ageing father. The photography isn't really that fantastic, but the photos somehow manage to capture the emotions really well. With heartfelt words, this should something that everyone can relate to. It's really awesome and a must-read!

Phillip Toledano's works are also featured in the Esplanade, where you can see it from the underground passageway from Citylink to Esplanade.

It's another gentle reminder to treasure your loved ones I guess. I'm thankful for what I have, and the peace around us. It's 2009 and you still have wars like the Gaza War happening right now. 

It's going to be a hectic week because of Chinese New Year.

But I'll be back. Real soon. 

If you're interested in Nanyang Polytechnic's School Of Design..

Now that the 'O' levels are released in Singapore, many students are contemplating which course they should go to. Just in case any of you would like to go to Nanyang Polytechnic's School Of Design, do continue to read here.

Taken from: www.nyp.edu.sg/sdn/sdn.html

School Of Design is probably the smallest school in Nanyang Polytechnic, occupying only 1 and a half floors of Block R.

Despite being small, I feel that School Of Design are generally filled with fun-loving lecturers and being down-to-earth. And they are more than willing to help you should you approach them.

Being in Visual Communication for nearly 2 years, these are some of things you need to get prepared when you become a design student. Please note that these are actually points which I garnered based on my own experience and opinion, and these are unbiased views.

1. You need to be hardworking.

They say design students are the most hardworking- that is an understatement. Hardworking is important because you need to be consistent in your work for your GPA. You will probably have 6 to 8 projects in hand every time, and you need to be motivated and persevere for the semesters. 

2. You need to have good time management.

With many projects in hand, you need to have good time management. Procrastination will result in sleepless nights, especially when deadlines get closer and closer.

3. You need to have money.

Be prepared to buy lots of stuff such as sketchbooks, pencils, mounting boards, art cards, paintbrushes, markers etc. You will start to see yourself going to art material shops like Artfriend, where Artfriend is really your friend.

Taken from Artfriend.com.sg

And you will still need to print out research materials as well. Oh, do be prepared to familiarize yourself with Sunshine Plaza, Bras Basah Complex, and Peace Centre. 

You need to go to these places for quality prints for some/most of your projects. They'll be happy to make your money, as you print more: either you reprint because of some wrong settings, or you're asked to redo your work.

4. Be prepared for your polytechnic life to be ruled by deadlines and deadlines.

Lecturers will give you projects after projects, that means deadlines and deadlines. It continues from the start of the semester till to the end of the semester.

I know it sounds scary, but this is an insight to the lives of design students. These hurdles can be overcome, and it depends on how you see it. Ultimately, it boils down to one's character, attitude and discipline!

P/S: My friend Jun Ping, who scored D7 for his English in his first attempt at 'O' levels, gets a wonderful grade of B4 this time round! Congrats!