alright, an update of my happenings around this jan. man, january has been a real fast paced month. good month. i like this pace.
i’ve been screwed by my director once. but it woke me up. and im glad it did.
i cant really say what projects ive been working on, but they’re pretty fun projects. its really when you get thrown into the deep and when the dateline is really tight (like, end of the day tight), you start to push yourself to the limit where you previously never knew existed. its tiring, but what you learnt will not be stored inside your “short term memory” folder.
i started giving guitar lessons and my students are awesome. i dont know if they will read this or not, but if they are, i am proud of them for learning well and having a positive attitude towards learning. dont despise what you know now. you will get there some day. just make sure your “there” is somewhere good.
also, i’ve been contacting Poh a lot, he really inspires me. what he says drives me not only to teach my class better, but also teaches me to edify people around me. seriously, this world needs that. there’s so much negativity in this world that people dont see the need to spread love around. what gives people. spread the love man! we can be fun and crazy and joke around, but there is a limit to it.
all in all, january rocks. 2010 is a fast paced year. i will get there. i will breakthrough in areas of my life i never thought will. looking forward to a febuary of awesomeness.
if i can leave you with something i learnt in january 2010, i’d say never think you’re too incompetent to do something. never think youre too lousy. never think youre too smart, because we learn something new everyday. i get afraid of the day when i wake up one day and dont have anything in mind of what to do. be it practicing on my guit or reading up on my books (people have been giving me books of late. starting to pick up the habit again) or getting in touch with design, i just dont want to be the same from where i was yesterday.
well, good bye 2009. hello 2010.
2009 has been a rather awesome year, yea, bumps here and there. but i’m glad its been a hell of a journey. Every year, i set myself three major goals to fulfill. i shall touch on these below.
i finished my service to the nation this year. i thank all who has served with me throughout my service in N.S. they have made it an experience. the one thing i really can never expect is that i’d be working alongside my APC when i was in OCS. i thank Verdy for giving me a chance to work with him. i must admit that it was quite terrifying to even imagine working under someone who made you leopard crawl to the low wall at 3am in the middle of the night with thunderflashes and smoke grenades being thrown around you. but things worked out fine. i must say i am having a lot of fun working with him and more importantly, i am learning a lot from the company and him. i can see his vision for the company, and i want to carry his vision. his vision is my vision. let’s bring this company to where we want it to be.
i spent a month in India. it was sort of a getaway trip for me after my national service. i was looking forward to it cause i could see my cousin whom i havent seen in a long while. try, 10 odd years. we had fun in india. i learnt a lot in india, and took back the good parts of the culture from india to singapore. i approach people who look lost now, and give them directions and help them. thats what they do in india. i chilled out with jamshed wadia in india. chilling with him in india is really different from chilling with him in singapore. its like, in singapore, its my home. in india, its his place, his turf. you could see a different kind of spark in his eyes. i view india as my 2nd home now. nevermind the jams, and the dirt, the rampant peeing. they’ve got good food. thy’ve got nice people. if ever i become uncontactable one day, try india.
i took up my guit teacher’s challenge to to something great. and i pieced up a gig together with a canadian friend of mine. we nailed, some, we missed some. but we tried. i thank all who came down to support me and see me achieve one of my big goals of the year. 2010 is going to be a another year to do something great. i know what i want to do already, but i won’t tell you yet. i love you guys.
2009 was the year i did my first marathon. i pushed myself to the limits, i wasnt proud of my time (thats why i dont wear the finisher tee. thats why i dont wear the singlet.) but i was happy i pushed myself to the limits. i thank Timothy, Jacky and Keith for being there with me. to the K.L chc girls who congratulated me after my run. you girls are sweet. and to kristy too!
those were some of the interesting things in my life of this year.
now, to make amendments to those i hurt.
im sorry for all the hurt i’ve caused. i never meant to do it although i had to. we need to do drastic things to make things right. you take the simple way out, things will be difficult. you take the difficult way out, things will eventually become simple. if i caused a you to tear, i probably would, in john mayer’s words, pour tears into your drying eyes. im sorry.
here’s a personal note to all who have in some way of another made an impact in my life this year.
Tim – dude, this year, will be our tenth year as buddies. i think the fried rice nonsense, the fire incident, it will all keep surfacing once in a while, and will definitely come up again at our weddings. the first ten years was crazy shit. we still get each other’s jokes and only laugh at our own stupid stuff.i’m glad i’ve got you as a buddy. although you like to talk a lot about your stuff. and you used to not give an opinion about my problems (but you’re changing! really. you start telling me your views on the opposite gender and i totally feel you on that!) you’ve got me as a friend.
Keith chan- dude, you’re one of the sweetest , most tolerant (haha!) boyfriend ever. just keep on keeping on in your studies and you will see where you’re headed. im sure your career will turn out awesome. thanks for being the gentleman. always.
Keith he – oh wait, you dont read blogs. haha. in any case, if you stumble upon this. STOP BEING HYPCRITICAL. whenever i ask for your opinion, its like, up to you, and when i do it, you scream at me. “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!” for real, bro?
Jamshed Wadia (im full naming you cause google will inform you. i remember!) – we seldom talk/hangout, but i still regard you as my friend, my close friend. i know that whenever i have got a problem, i can approach you. and i will approach you. i regard your opinion highly. everytime i see you, i smile, because i know you wont judge me because of what i have done. i’ve got a friend in you.
Verdy – thanks for giving me a chance to work with you. i really learnt a lot. i want to grow in design in the company, and carry the vision of the agency. and im glad i’ve got you to mentor me with my journey here. and yes! we got really screwed up thinking and funny nonsense ideas. we cannot run for presidency because the world will be more screwed up than what it already is. we must do what we must, to the ends of the earth, across the universe!
Matthew – how can i talk about one of my director and not talk about my other director. how can i not thank him who feeds me? thanks for giving me a chance to be part of the team. i really believe if we work our ass off, we can get to where we want to go. and i am happy to be working under you. just for you today, Liverpool rocks.
Ah Yong – ahyongyongyong. im glad we trashed things out yesterday. im beginning to see that you really have changed. i hope things between us are like that forever, got any problems, we trash out. we talk, like guys. Arsenal FOR THE WIN.
Jiayu – thanks for everything. you know me really well huh. people are surprised when they ask me about my schedule and i direct them to you instead. thanks for listening. i hope things will work out between joseph and you!
Kristy – my sweetest friend! you arent afraid to tell me i am wrong. and it pisses me that you dont get my point, but when you reiterate your point to me, my point doesnt really matters anymore. stay rock and cool. and hey, pow and you… it will work out. just chill and dont put pressure on yourself.
Jiaying – i know you will be reading this. and if you dont see your name, the princess will complain. so. hey princess. learn to make milo at least la. if not next time your child want to make milo. how?! get your doctor boyfriend to make huh?!
RYAN WRONG AND VALERIE RIIYON – BRO! SMLJ!! yes, you’re damn vulgar and always always always trying to make a fool out of me. but i know beneath that clown, is a boyfriend to his devoted to his girlfriend. beneath the “SIOLA, THAT GIRL HOT SIAL. CAN TOUCH NO NEED TO PAY MONEY ONE” is a guy who would protect the integrity of his friends. thats what a brother is. and HEY SISTER, you gonna do great things for design. just chill and do what you do now. you’re already good. dont pressure yourself ok. sisterhooooood yo! MAN UTD CITY POWER!
Luke – hey dude, im glad we gayed out last night. i am glad you and the Wrong are my friends i made in N.S. lets just keep on keeping on. if you need a helping hand. i’ll pull you up. i’ll be there. lets just walk.
to the rest of my friends out there: there are so many of you i want to thank.
to david, for teaching me all that i have to learn in logistics. i salute your dedication to Team D.
To adrian, thanks for the nonsense every week!
to adelinnnnnnnnnneeeeeee, $@#$$$^^Y^@@%%^&^&&##&$%$#&%$@@$^^@$$^@&@@&$$@%@%$@$%%&%&$%@$%$%&$$#@#$@#. decipher that! i think you’re a lovely girl.
to jacky, LSKLSKLSKLSK <-lau sai kia. :/
so before i i end this post, to all my friends and loved ones, this one IS for you.
so every year, i set aside three goals for myself. i completed one during the middle of the year. and i just finished another one yesterday.
honestly, i thought it was impossible. throughout my run/walk/stretches, i felt like it was impossible. sure, i wanted to give up. sure, i thought i was too weak to go on. but faith kept me alive. i finally realized that when you hit long distances,its your own race that you’re running. just keep on keeping on.
my first marathon. definitely not my last. pushing myself to the next level again come 2010!
this one’s dedicated to all those who believed in me.
i reallly wasnt into him until only recently.
jams was driving me back and his stereo started playing this song. i guess he does have very good songs on falling in and out of love. hey! dont ask if i know what he’s singing about. i am chinese. i can make out at least 50% to 60% of it. tsk. besides, the music arrangement is really good. emo jay songs FTW. AND, his videos usually have got eye candy in them. ok, maybe just one video.
anyways, works cool. people are nice. clients, well, its areally an experience working with different clients. its funny how people work. i think im beginning to understand the meaning of what is it like to cannot wait to go to work. david ogilvy once said, “pay your workers well, you will reap your benefits” i totally agree.
on a more serious and spiritual note, poh told us something really cool during lessons. he mentioned about musicians being too familiar with songs that they take it for granted, which actually gives God to ground to work through them during P&W and if God doesnt flow through them during P&W, how then is the congregation going to experience the presence of God. there always will be something special happening even though we keep singing the same songs. its just whether you want to let go and let God or not.
i’m waiting for my parents to finish their yoga lesson before they bring me out for one last dinner around.
this trip has been an awesome one. i did a lot of firsts here in new delhi. it is the first time i met up with a friend overseas and he brought me around delhi. first time i met my cousin after a period of 8 years, she told me a lot about working abroad and life as an asian in canada. the grass always seems to be greener on the other side because you dont see the sad part of their story.
i think india is rising up and i hope they rise up. some singaporeans i met here told me something very negative about their opinion of india. they told me about the flaws of the way how indians work, and how they hope these people remain that way (indians take their time to do stuff), because if the indians rise up, they will overtake Singapore. its just typical singaporean mentality, the “dont steal my ricebowl mentality”. it disappoints me to see that even when one is given a chance to go abroad, he or she does not want to expand his horizons and break into the city’s social circle. i hope that sickening mentality ends at that generation. i hope my generation will want the world to develop into the next level.
i love india, the food. their curry is the best curry i have ever tried. i am not a curry person, or so i thought. in singapore, the curry is so spicy that it numbs your tongue. but the curry here, although its spicy, you can taste the flavour of the spices. the palek paneer is the sex, its a whole new way to make spinach. i love spinach now.
the people here are friendly, i see people driving beside me and they wave at me, smile at me. the people here should stop making eyes and winking at my cousin though. its rude and awkward. the waiters here provide such lovely service. they are proud of their service and i must say they put their heart and soul into everything they do. one such example is my driver. he’s patient when he drives around the busy streets and he is very polite. he still calls me “sir” even though i tell him to call me andy. i will miss him a lot.
well, now its back to singapore. there are several things waiting for me, but i am looking forward to two most important things. i look forward to seeing you!
i hope i am.
now whenever people talk about indians/india and they started saying how dirty it is, how horrible the place is, the first questions that pops in my mind is that of whether they have actually set foot here. i think i’m falling in love with india. its food, i had some spinach mixed with cottage cheese paneer today, AWESOME STUFF. and the Chai, sickeningly nice, i wonder how they do it. thanks jams! it people, my driver is a very diligent worker. he drives us around and he is always safe. he doesnt earn a lot, but he takes pride in what he does. very polite guy.
if ever i want to start my campaign of clothing a child and such, i would start with india. i love india so much that i feel that i want to give back to india. i get annoyed when i start discussing with people about the standards of living here, and they just brush it off. i always feel that what we are given, our talents, we can use it to bless the needy and then the world will be a happier place. i want to go on and impact the world like that. but sometimes its real difficult when the world thinks you wont make a difference.
its really difficult to tell you or explain to you how or why i like this place. its more of an experience for one to jump into.
i was watching VH1 last night and this MV appeared. very cool cover of a song.
anyways, india has been awesome. i’ve seen parts of india where it is indeed poor but i also see parts of india where skyscrapers fight to reach the sky. yes, there are certain rude people in india, but indians work diligently. my driver is the most patient man ever, if it were me driving in the streets of delhi, i think i would have already killed a few people.
really looking forward to the next couple of days. tomorrow, i’ll be hanging out with Jams. sunday, my cousin from canada would be flying here for a month.
can’t wait to fly back to singapore too. i’ve got this feeling that something great is going to happen. i know whats about to come, but i just cannot wait to announce to everyone. i’m still in talks with the people.
so, tim if you are reading this, tell me, when are you free for your birthday lunch/dinner with me?
indians are a helpful bunch of people. i think singaporeans have got far more things to learn. we were looking for a local tour agency that would bring us to nepal. we got lost in the maze of buildings and as soon as my mum pulled out her hand written address of the agency, a guy came up to direct us with his limited english. i think a total of seven people help us find out way there.
i am pretty certain that if i see a tourist in singapore lost and has his map out, i wont go over to help him/her. but after experiencing how is it like to be helped, i will want to help these tourists next time too.
i think singaporeans do need to climb out of their walls and stop thinking about india as a backward country. yes, they do have backward towns and people do beg for money. but indians men are gentlemanly, the offer to buy the food for the ladies after the ladies sit down. they ladies are lady-like, come to think of it, i haven’t seen any indian lady smoking.
but i still love singapore. the guy beside me the other day told me Singapore is a great city to live in. the food, the people, everything. come on singaporeans, lets take one step further to make singapore a better place for us and foreigners to live in!
(the below entry is going to be read by quite a number of people, so, i might have to introduce the who’s who in my life. haha.)
Hi guys!
i’ve officially touched down in new delhi. travelling alone the first is really an experience. i sat beside and engineer, who happened to work as an engineer in Caterpillar Singapore. he’s an indian too, so he sorta reminded me of Jamshed, a very close indian friend of mine i met in church. he flying down to new delhi for a meeting this month so i’m meeting him! jams, my mum says the i.t village is very near our place, so dinner… at my house? heehee.
so, anyways, i touched down the airport and my parents was there to pick me up. they had this special pass which allowed them all the way to the check in counter.
anyways, i spent my first day going around the “i.t village” of the Delhi. real eye opener. i managed to catch a protest! my first protest. i took a photo of it but i havent really got down to seeing it yet. the driver (yes! i got my own chauffeur!) then brought us to Ambience Shopping mall, its somewhere around the outskirts of Delhi. i was floored by what they saw. First store i saw, BMW SHOWROOM, then EDHARDY, then ALDO, then UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON , BODY SHOP, ADIDAS… and SO MUCH MORE. people should stop thinking about india as a backward country! i can safely say their fashion trend is way ahea than Singaporeans. no kidding.
dinner was awesome. i had authentic briyani. REAL AUTHENTIC briyani the rice was fluffy, fragrant, nice. the chicken was fantastubulous, and they even gave us local mints to eat. it tasted like hacks candy but it really soothed a tummy that was fighting a battle with the curry warriors. their Chai is is For The Win. Apparently, they boil the tea together with fresh milk. sickeningly good.
im really floored by the people here. whenever i am in jams, and i turnmy head out to see the neighbouring car beside me, they would smile and wave, one even gave me the thumbs up signal (for my hair, i hope, haha)! Singaporeans usually give you the, “you siao ah?!” face. come on people, we may be a cosmopolitan state, lets learn from others and learn to be like our indian compatriates.
i really have no idea what’s the title of this, so, here’s a random title.
friday night was fun. had the greatest time with Jamshed and his colleagues. his friends are the most fun people to be with. and very sweet and nice of them to compliment me, even though i think i’m far from what they say i am. i’ve got more to learn in life from people like them. the ride home however was a rather sombre one. i hope singaporeans in general will start looking into breaking cultural barriers with regards to their foreign counterparts. and not just accepting them into their social circle, i mean stepping into their lives too. say if your indian friend loves a local indian dish, try it together with him. singaporeans, speak in a language everyone understands when together. don’t just welcome the eurasians, get the room to cheer for the persian, the indian or the singhalese.
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i realized that God really is everywhere. His treasures are really hidden. even in daily life, in your routine, if you tuned your spiritual sensors up, you can see and hear and pick out the treasures of God.
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i feel like i’m entering an entire new season in my life. i hope its a good one.
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oh yes. keith chan was awesome today.
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here’s one, for those who want to give up in whatever they’re doing. this one’s for you jams.
Defence chief Leon Panetta gives the first details of America's new naval strategy in Asia, saying most US warships will be based in the Pacific by 2020.
and to kristy too!
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