mr suan rants on.

I have moved!

2011-05-24T21:31:00.002+08:00

After blogging here for so long, I have decided to move on to WordPress to better integrate all my different blogs!

You will be redirected to the new blog in 5 secs! If you are not redirected yet, click on this link! http://mrsuan.wordpress.com/

Liege.

2011-05-17T20:37:00.005+08:00

If you were my friend on Facebook, you would realize that I characterized Liege as underwhelming. Totally under my expectations would be a more apt description, I suppose. When we first came to Maastricht, a professor describe this little French city as "scenic" and "pretty". What we found were dilapidated monuments left to the harsh hands of weather, and dirty streets. Possibly the most impressive sight was a simple staircase that stretched on forever.

What a convenient way of creating a tourist attraction! Maybe STB should consider building a staircase all the way up Mt Faber and call it a new attraction.

In all fairness, there are some things that were nice in Liege. Like this retro Suzuki that I saw there...

Selling for a total of EUR 5400. It's quite a steal! Almost as beautiful as the MINI Coopers that I like. And possibly the cleanest thing that I saw in Liege!

And you know what's really ironic? There aren't even any Liege Waffles in Liege!

The Mute Mimi

2011-05-17T17:02:00.004+08:00

I have taken to listening to Jay Chou's magnificient music since it's my free day today. There are so many thoughts running through my head now, but I shall attempt to put down what has been dominating my mind lately...

The foremost in my mind would have to be the realization that our short time in exchange is coming to an end. Besides spending time to plan the last month of travelling, I am also beginning to be quite scared of the unknowns that home might bring. After all, I would have been abroad for almost 6 months. Friends in college have lasted a semester without me, my family has also lasted the same amount of time, Singapore has had an election, even MM and SM are stepping down. It's just not the same Singapore anymore. How do I face the new pressures of being a year 3, how do I even cope with the workload? These are questions that keep popping up in my head these days.

Then of course, there's the present to worry about. My modules this block are hellish because I can't seem to click with any of my classmates, not to mention my groupmates. The content is hardly as interesting as the mods I've had for the previous block. All these make studying dry as a bark.

And at the back of my head is always the money that's quickly diminishing in my bank and the places we still have to plan for for the last month. Seems like I am the only one here without a blank cheque to base my exchange on. And it's really starting to get me worried that I might overspend and not be able to go home or something.

And perhaps the most depressing is the fact that I have no one to talk to at all. Beyond the people who are here, of course. I feel like I need to have some place to decompress a little, but no such place exists here. Haix. I guess I am ready to go home after all.

P.S.: If you were wondering about the title, it's 不能说的秘密

Delores from 7-Eleven

2011-05-10T17:50:00.002+08:00

It can become easy for concepts to become abstract when we are studying it in class, especially when studying in Maastricht where the focus is on the text and readings so much of the time. Sometimes, it's great to see examples at work, like what we see here in Delores. Customer relationships at the core of service!

I thought it would be good to share this article too by the Harvard Business Review, where I got this video from...

It's My Birthday!

2011-05-10T17:31:00.005+08:00

Yes, as you might know, it's my birthday today! I got two surprises today from email. One from my dearest Mother, and another from the International Relations Office in Maastricht University.

My mother sent me this really cute e-Card from 123greetings.com. I didn't know that these things still existed! In a time of social networks and "Happy Birthdays" on Walls, it was heartwarming to see an actual e-Card that she picked out for me. It had these little elephants and bears holding balloons and cakes. CUTE TTM!

Another pleasant surprise was from the IRO office in Maastricht. I didn't think that they would have bothered sending me a birthday greeting, but they did! It was something from Hallmark with a customized message as shown below:

On behalf of the whole staff of the International Relations Office of Maastricht University, we wish you a Happy Birthday! Enjoy your day!

Kind Regards,
International Relations Office

Truly warming, even though it might have been pre-programmed. NUS should have this too if we don't already!

OSAMA IS DEAD!

2011-05-03T00:53:00.004+08:00

Photo by the New York Times

But what does it all mean? With Osama bin Laden being nothing more than a symbolic leader of Al Qaeda more than a functional one, what meaning does his death hold for the world, other than allowing the U.S. to claim vengeance?

What I think about the General Elections.

2011-05-01T23:50:00.007+08:00

5 years ago, I wrote an article about the political awakening of the youth of Singapore in my 'A' levels GP essay. I argued against the view that our youth are politically apathetic and indifferent to the way our country was run. With the increasing popularity of blogs then, wrote about the increasing importance for the Government to engage the youth in conversation, to listen to the opinions we had about our country.

For 2006, they did just that. A P-65 blog was set up for MPs who were born after our Independence to talk about government policies. I remember a youth forum where MM Lee Kuan Yew spoke to JC students. Look how far we have come!

Today, my Facebook newsfeed is rife with news and videos about political rallies from both the PAP and the Opposition with encouraging frequency. I say encouraging because for the first time ever, I finally feel like we do have a say in how our country is being run. Our voices are finally being heard. Indeed, this is a watershed in Singapore history and politics, a time where citizens are filling daring to speak their mind, to talk about the issues that have been at the back of our heads for the last 5 years -- all these are enabled by social media.

To me, the results of the elections are inconsequential. Something has already changed in the air, with or without the changing of government. The PAP should recognise by now that our youth are no longer silent lambs in the realm of political discourse. Serious efforts should be made in talking to the citizens, and understanding our concerns. That's what it truly means to be a democracy!

A recent check on the P65 blog shows a blog that was last updated in 2010. The footprint of candidates on social media is paltry at best, with those who are in it becoming the most popular despite their humble "track record". Therein lies the potential of social media. Any political party that wants to gain power or stay in power in a country would have to earnestly engage in conversation with its citizens, or risk becoming irrelevant and demonized by those who dominate the social media discourse.

The SDP understands that, and has uploaded their campaign videos on YouTube. The NSP's Nicole Seah has the most number of "Likes" on Facebook other than our MM Lee Kuan Yew. On the flip-side, PAP's Tin Pei Ling has drawn criticism for her Kate Spade bag. Conversation is less about facts and figures, than about talking about the things that the people are interested in. Can your party deliver? Are you competent as a candidate? Or are you just materialistic and off-base with common sentiments? In a world where Friday is the YouTube clip with the most views in history despite being possibly the worst song in the world, hard truths and track records are no longer as relevant.

The biggest question for all the parties out there now is: "Are you listening?"

The Land of Chocolates, Clocks and Cliffs!

2011-04-29T17:24:00.008+08:00

It's been a few days since we have been back from Switzerland, but I feel that the beauty of the country deserves a post at least.

To be frank, we all had the consensus that Greece was more beautiful than Switzerland. I really think it has to do with proximity though. We were immersed in beautiful sunsets, lovely white houses and a volcanic island in Greece, but we only managed to witness far-off peaks in Switzerland. Granted, we made it to the highest mountain range in Europe (Jungfrau, if you do not know it), but the remainder of the trip played out like sitting in a cinema watching a video. Only that we were in a train, of course - The Glacier Express. But I get ahead of myself. I should talk about the trip bit by bit...

We made our way to Switzerland by going through the Dusseldorf International Airport in Germany. That meant that we had to leave 4 hours before our check-in time to train all the way to Dusseldorf. That was also the first time we were taking EasyJet instead of our usual Ryanair. Somehow it feels a tad posher albeit still budget. Anyways, there wasn't anything interesting there.

We landed in Basel and immediately started scouting out for the prices of the produce there. Ian had warned us beforehand that things were going to be expensive, so we basically brought 4 days worth of biscuits, bread, and instant noodles with us to last through the whole trip. We got some weird stares along the way for eating our bread though.. I wonder if they think that we were too poor to afford meals or something. I still can remember 2 old ladies on 2 separate trains giving us weird looks of contempt...

Back to Basel! It was already dark when we landed, so we lodged at the YMCA Hostel there, which was well-equipped and -decorated as compared to any other hostel we have been to so far. Of course, we didn't know at this time that the Backpacker's Villa Sonnenhof in Interlaken was going to pwn it for miles and miles! The villa was almost all equipped. With a kitchen for your cooking needs, a ping-pong table, computers enough to start a LAN shop, a pool table, a POOL. Amazing. Add a good breakfast and good service to that, and it's no wonder why they got themselves so many awards from Hostel World and Hostel Bookers.

We went straight to Zurich the next day, leaving the exploration of Basel for our very last day in Switzerland. It's a pity that we didn't really manage to go to the main city of Zurich though. We spent our time in Hardbrucke, where we visited the headquarters of Freitag. There was an accident that happened to Chew there. She fell off a bicycle that she was taking photographs on, and we were scared to death by that. Thankfully, the staff of Freitag were kind enough to buy here some sugar and drinks to calm her nerves. We had heard about the hospitality of Switzerland before we came, but that was our first real encounter with that.

By the time we finished looking at all the bags, and finding the outlet shop that was nearby, it was about time to head on to Interlaken.

For the two days in Interlaken, we visited Jungfrau and took the Glacier Express that gave a view of all the different mountains in the Swiss Alps.

Jungfrau was amazing without question. I have never experienced winds so strong before. I really thought when I was on the plateau that I was going to get blown away if I didn't lower myself or hold on to the ropes at the side. If I look happy in that picture above, it's because I was glad to be able to hold on to the flag pole for support!

The view was of course, magnificent. Hopefully you will be able to see them when I get more time to update my Tumblr! The winds were so cold though, that most of us almost got frostbite, and we had to head in..

There was also an Ice Palace at Jungfrau, but it wasn't anything special. Not after you have seen the ice sculptures from Harbin, at least. Maybe it was because it's still the start of the tourist season, and most of the sculptures haven't been completed yet.

For our second day, we went on the Glacier Express! What was supposed to be a great journey turned quite sour because the passengers beside us kept reaching over to our table to take photographs without giving a care about us. Their armpits were literally almost in our faces lah! Also, because we were in a train all the way through, it didn't really feel real to me. Like I said before, it was much more like watching a movie rather than being there.

The Glacier Express took us about more than half a day to complete, and we had some time to drop by Lucerne before going back to Basel. It was a beautiful city that was rich in history, and and got to see lots of swans! We even coaxed one out of the water by luring it with biscuits. LOL. It was also in Lucerne where we saw this whole bunch of people dressed up as rabbits for Easter. More on that on Facebook! Anyways, watch this cute swan in action!

Exploring Basel on our very last day was just a matter of visiting the Munster because we were too tired from the trip to do anything else. I guess there wasn't much to see there anyways other than the multitudes of museums. And with that, we flew home to good ole Maastricht. And that was that =) Switzerland in a post!

Remembering.

2011-04-27T05:32:00.003+08:00

The song "My Immortal" came on in my iTunes, and I was reminded of a younger me in secondary school.

Back then, I was still figuring out what life meant. Do you remember yourself in a similar stage of life? Everything was deeper than it looks, and everything seemed layered with added meaning. My eyes opened to the world of interpersonal relationships. I found God.

On hindsight, I figured out what I wanted to do with my life right then too. I was involved in creative things such as the Chinese Drama Circle, and I was involved in things that built people up, like the Boys Brigade. These things continue to be what I want to do with my life. I want what I do in the future to build up others, to show others that there are better ways of looking at things beyond the mercenary earning of money and beyond the pessimistic thoughts about others. I want to create - to translate ideas in my head into concrete solutions. Maybe that's why I love marketing. It's conversation, and it's innovation to make lives better.

Thinking about those times puts a smile on my face - the naiveté I had, the funny little things I did. I thought I fell in love then, only to find now that true love takes a lot more than just having that warm feeling coursing down my veins. All relationships take effort and time and compromise. I see that now, clearer than ever. It's beyond holding hands and feeling nice. It's deciding to say sorry, or to admit that you are wrong, even if it's not the most comfortable thing to do.

Sometimes I wonder if I would have turned out the same way I am without knowing God. Now I know what James means when he said "Every good and perfect gift is from above". I need to remind myself of that more.

Greece!

2011-04-18T21:41:00.003+08:00

I always find it difficult to aggregate all the experiences I've had in a country into one single post, yet too tedious to write daily journals of the trip. I learnt that when I tried to keep a travel journal in Italy. So I guess the best way to communicate how the trip was is to show you an email that I wrote to my mother. I just sent it, so it's totally possible that you are reading it before she does. Hahas.. But it's everything I want to say about Greece. Because words cannot express how awesome the place is...

Hello Mother!

I just came back from the Greek Islands and just started school today. Actually I am taking the 1 hour I have before class to write to you right now!

Greece was the best place we have been to so far in terms of the scenery, the food and the people. We planned to go to Athens, Santorini (an island) and Rhodes (another bigger island), but ended up spending only 3 hours in Athens because the ferry we wanted to take initially was cancelled. The trip ended up to be more about the islands than the main peninsular of Greece.

Of the two islands that we went to, I must say that Santorini wins hands down. It's supposed to be super touristy because it's the place where they filmed "Mamma Mia", but we went there before the actual peak season started. So everyone was just starting to open their stores, and the weather was rather cold.

There was the beautiful sunset at Ia, and the panoramic view that we saw at the top of a monastery on a hill. Also, there was the beautiful scenery of the different coloured beaches (ask Sis to show you Facebook when I upload the pictures!). What really struck me though, was how friendly everyone was on the island. They were genuinely willing to help us and answer us when we had questions, and didn't get annoyed at all in situations where I think someone else would flare up. We were really just waiting for something bad to happen to us in terms of service, but it never ever came.

We also managed to get lots of free stuff in Santorini! This bar called Yazz Bar we went to gave us free Vinsanto wine, which is the locally produced award winning wine there. I bought some back for you guys to try =) The very same bar also treated us to some Moet Hennesy champagne one night when we went over there for a party they were having because it was the bartender's birthday. There were also lots of other examples of how other shops just offered us free yoghurt to try or more food. Really really friendly people!

The food there was also great. They basically eat something that is similar to the kebab that we see in Singapore, but they call them "Gyros" and "Souvlakis". They are also big on salads, olive oil and pita bread. I TOTALLY LOVE PITA BREAD NOW! What they do is they toast the pita and eat it together with a dip, normally made of greek yoghurt and cucumber called "tzaziki". I think I can make some when I get back for you all =) Other than that, the meals are mainly meat. Either pork or beef in the kebabs..

The trip in Rhodes was also very nice mainly because of the people. I didn't exactly fancy the scenery there, and the beaches really couldn't compare with Santorini. But the general warmness of the Greeks came through. There was this small incident with a very bitchy lady boss in the hostel we stayed in, but other than that, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I managed to get myself a good tan in Greece too! I was starting to feel gao wei because of how white I was becoming in Maastricht. Hahas..

I was just very impressed with how the people there were so friendly despite all the economic problems we read about in the newspapers. Frankly, I was expecting riots and strikes in Athens, and that's why we didn't plan to stay more days there. What we got out of it was so different though.. People were genuinely happy and sincere, and glad that we were there to visit their country. They were also happy to share their culture with us in terms of how to make their food.

I think it's hard for any other place to match up to Greece le!

Anyways, I really miss everyone at home! Sent some postcards back home. Let me know if you received it! I'm going to Switzerland for 4 days this Wednesday because they are having Easter holidays here, so I probably will not be able to skype again. BUT I'M ALWAYS THINKING OF HOME!!

<3

Your Son,
Dezhi

2011-04-05T03:23:00.002+08:00

It was the first day of exams today, and we journeyed to the far North of Maastricht, to MECC. That's short for Maastricht Exhibition and Convention Centre.

We overestimated and ended up reaching there 1 hour in advance, meaning we had lots of time to burn while waiting for the exams to begin. So, we ended up choping a slot somewhere and started mugging! Typical Singaporeans!

When we finally went into the hall, it was like "WHOAAAA". It was mother huge. This photo probably doesn't do it any justice. But I am quite sure that it's much bigger than the MPSH back in NUS. The exam rules here also feels much more relaxed. They could bring their lunches in, and you can basically do anything before the exam starts. When time is up, there is an announcement to tell you that the exam has started, and everyone basically just starts doing it!

The paper was rather okay, I guess. It was the first paper, so I mugged really hard for it, and I could answer all the questions. It was obvious that Caren set some of the questions easy so that we could all pass I think. Ended up getting out of the exam hall 1 hour in advance =)

And it was off to Macs after that for some feel-good late lunch before we headed home for more muggingggg...

Through the looking glass.

2011-04-04T15:16:00.003+08:00

来exchange感觉上就像时间冻结了一样，一直还以为过几个月后回到的家将会跟我离开的一模一样。昨天偶然看见了一个朋友的脸书（Facebook）后才忽然发现时间没有我地球还是不停地在转，朋友们的生活也一直在过。而我只能在这里默默的观看。那是一种好怪的感觉喔。

到底来这里值得吗？就像凯利说的，交流其实没有想象中的精彩。来这里之前还以为会认识到很多朋友，会学到别人的习俗和文化；来到之后却提不起劲去跟别人交谈，了解。想象中神奇的欧洲其实也没有多么地稀奇。也不知道是因为我的期望太高，还是因为考试的关系变得有点emo⋯⋯

剩下的时间我因该怎么充分的利用呢？是时候问自己到底要在交流的时候达到什么目的了。我不要再被课务影响了。Afterall，回到了新加坡之后有的是功课，再不享受就来不及了！

Girlfriend Down.

2011-04-02T18:59:00.003+08:00

Kai Li's ankle got injured from frisbee yesterday and it has begun to swell up. When she woke up today, she shouted in pain from the blood clotting there I guess. There is nothing much I can do about it other than boiling some eggs to rub the injured area for her and putting warm packs on the area to circulate the blood flow. The annoying thing is that our refrigerator here does not allow for ice production, making it impossible for me to use a cold pack to numb the pain.

Frankly, I think there wasn't a need for the game to be so rough. I guess I can't really blame anyone because after all, it's sports and these things have inherent risks. But this isn't the first time. When he tackled me for basketball I could brush it off since it was just a game and nothing much happened to me after falling. But Kai Li now? The least he could offer to her is an apology.\

I just hope she recovers in time for exams. If not I guess we would really have to take a cab down to the MECC..

匿名的好友

2011-04-01T23:02:00.001+08:00

This song has been stuck on my mind since yesterday...

MUG MUG.

2011-03-31T17:29:00.002+08:00

It's crunch time. Exams are next Monday and Wednesday. But guess what? I am not really studying here. In fact, hardly anyone is. I know in my mind that if I dont start, I will probably fail, but I just can't get myself up to doing it.

Yesterday was interesting! We had an AIS workshop where I got to meet nice new people from other tutorial groups and got to learn about how to properly conduct business interviews to elicit information from people. So now I know that was what the IAD people were doing to me back in the Army!

I also found out that I got a 9 for AIS Case 2, which officially means that I am the MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE! HAHAHAHAHA. Wasn't expecting such a high grade, but I was glad all those hours of trying to talk some sense into the locals was worth it =)

Spacing out.

2011-03-29T06:23:00.003+08:00

I am sitting right in front of my notes, refusing to look into them. Exams are coming next week, but I still feel lackadaisical about it. I'd much rather indulge in counting the time the mousehunting horn takes to reappear, or in listening to Yes 93.3 for some good ole Singapore goodness than study. I know this will get me nowhere, but I can't really help myself...

I have probably said this in numerous forms before, but right at this moment, I really miss Singapore. How does anyone stay away from home for a prolonged period of time without going crazy? When I eat, I think of pratas. When I cycle, I think of Mandai Hill. When I run, I imagine the park in Yishun I usually run in. And guess what? I am not even halfway in.

Yes, yes.. I know there is no other way than to suck it up and to wait it all out. In the meantime, I should enjoy the short time I have here and experience something I will never get to experience ever again. These are just moments I guess. Moments when I have the time to actually process my homesickness. Oh wells. Gonna stop whining already! Time to really hit the books hard! Marks don't score themselves.

2011-03-16T00:25:00.003+08:00

It's been a long time since I last wrote anything here. And with good reason. There is an overwhelming inertia for me when it comes to writing about trips, mainly because I am still tired from them, and writing about them with my limited language capabilities do the places no justice at all.

So with a mixed feeling of fatigue and mediocrity, I can never bring myself to finish anything I wrote about the different place we have been too. Add in the fact that the PBL system in Maastricht never allows for us to have a moment of rest where we are not reading readings = un-updated blog.

Sorry guys. I promise to get something out sometime soon! If you are a more of a "picture = 1000 words" person though, hop on to Asher Sojourns and knock yourself out. More photos from Italy coming right up! As soon as I can afford the time to sit down and pp everything. Sighs.

Kobe Bryant is, "The Black Mamba". Directed by Robert Rodriguez.

2011-02-22T16:29:00.001+08:00

This is the ultimate advertisement I think. Funny, good pace, filled with little swooshes here and there that you might or might not notice. Then again, I am a Kobe fan. Hmm. I would definitely get a Black Mamba if I come across it. =D

This Valentine's Day.

2011-02-20T04:56:00.002+08:00

"Love is a decision," I once heard from someone. A decision to take a chance with someone without hoping for any reciprocation, without caring that you will get hurt along the way.

After a year and 20 days and counting of being in a relationship, I think I can finally understand what that means. Honeymoon period has left us a long time ago, but I still love Kai Li as much as ever. We bicker at times, and get angry at each other for the lamest things, but sometimes just looking at her makes me smile.

Last Valentine's Day, we spent the whole night giving out love to others in the form of roses for Project XOXO. This Valentine's Day, we had the whole day to ourselves, and we spent it walking around town, exploring the old St. Servaas Basilica at Vrijthof, and then getting lost while trying to make it back to the Markt. It wasn't all romantic, because the relics in the church really freaked me out quite a bit, but it was nice to explore a medieval church together, kind of like a mini-adventure =)

Lunch at Vrijthof was a matter of hunting for stew that Kai Li wanted and in the end trying out Dutch food that we didn't know. In the evening, she found the Pierre Marcolini chocolates I planted in my bagpack "accidentally".

Not the most romantic date I could think of, no sunrises or seasides or even cards, but I was just happy to be spending time with her. It's difficult to describe, kind of like a warm feeling in the heart?

That soon gave way to some more bickering started by expired food. LOL. SO TOTALLY US LAH.

X-Men: First Class - Official Trailer

2011-02-11T18:38:00.000+08:00

So exciting! Though the cast seems relatively unknown.. I'll definitely watch it when it comes out though!

Sans Shutter.

2011-02-11T03:12:00.003+08:00

The lack of a camera is bugging me now. I walk the streets all day, and imagine what I can do with a camera, full of juice. The statues call out to me; they want to be shot, they want to see the beyond the corners they haunt through Facebook or Flickr, yet I cannot consent them. They must wait.

I got lost again today, on almost the same street. I saw the same church at Tafelstraat, and walked past that same row of cafes. Something there attracts me. I guess it's the quiet atmosphere even though it is in the middle of town? A random question. Why do we not have European styled buildings in Singapore? The most we see are white colonial buildings, none of the brick and mortar I see here in Maastricht. Gracia once said it was because of climatic reasons, and it was not practical to have buildings with thick walls in Singapore, simply because we do not need them. What then of the aesthetic aspect of it all? It certainly feels great being immersed in a town where all streets are cobbled and buildings look like they are a century old!

Kai and I had an Italian lunch at the Markt today. I ate a Spaghetti Carbonara while she had Funghi Pizza. Authentic, would say, but I think we both felt a little cheated because the man in the shop shortchanged us of the 20% discount we were supposed to get by €2. Being an exchange student here is a constant struggle because everything costs too much, and ING Bank is not acting fast enough for me to get my cash locked up with the Visa Office!

I had my second AIS lesson today, and spent a bit of time mugging the first chapter of the textbook in the UM Library. There was a huge rush in trying to get our textbooks in order these past 2 days, and we ended up photocopying all our textbooks from the library because it was much too expensive for us. The PBL system seems to be posing quite a problem for us, since we have never been used to actually preparing for lessons and speaking up so much in a small group for tutorials. I guess it is also good exposure for me to learn to speak up and stand up for my own views and opinions. Frankly, I think I might have had an easier time in my tutorials as compared to the rest. Then again, I haven't had Consumer Behaviour yet. I heard it's a killer.

The rest of today was spent once again in the library, accompanying Geraldine and Jessica to print their Macroeconomics and Strategy textbooks. The story of how Chew swapped courses is another epic tale in itself, too long to be put in words here.

Finally, we went for an exchange students Welcome Tea, where we behaved totally anti-socially by surrounding a table and ravishing the nuts and tacos in our own little circle. Then again, none of us were feeling especially sociable. Stress is starting to pile up and I guess everyone was thinking of studying more than anything else.

Before long, it was time to go home again. This time, I am quite glad to be back here. There is tonnes of preparation to do, and an upcoming Brussels trip to plan, so off I go now, until next time!

Bridgestone - Carma

2011-02-07T23:51:00.000+08:00

Couldn't resist putting this up. It's just so CUTE!

First Day of School.

2011-02-07T19:03:00.003+08:00

There's a kind of travelling you can only do alone. One that involves wandering the streets aimlessly without a map, getting lost, and finding your way back again. You can only do it alone because walking is like talking to the streets. It's taking time to take in what is in front of you and thinking of how people could have come up with such architecture. I love just walking down the cobbled streets and feeling the soul of the place, thinking about the multitudes of people who have passed by the very same road. What secrets did these stones witness? What grandeur? Or what pain?

Today was the first day of school at Maastricht University. I was the only one taking Accounting Information Systems and Internal Control (AIS) in this block, so I went to school alone on Bus 1. It was slightly strange at first to be doing something alone, and yet it was peaceful at the same time because there was no need to create conversation. Simply sitting on the bus, looking at the other commuters and enjoying the scenery outside.

It was confusing at first to get to the class because level 2 of Zone E was actually at level 1 of Zone F. I went instead to level 2 of Zone F, only to find that it led to level 3 of Zone E. A slight frustration yes, but it was quickly overcome by the cautiousness of a first-day student, wanting to find his classroom before lessons started.

The way the tutorial was conducted was foreign to me. There are 14 people in the class, and one tutor. We basically read 2 short passages from the Block Book, or what would be called a course outline in NUS, and then had to see if there were any 'difficult words' and 'problem statements' underlying these two passages. With the identification of the problem statements, we went on to discuss them and to say what our understanding of these problems were. Those that we could not explain away became 'Learning Points'. That, was basically the summary of The Maastricht Approach - Problem Based Learning (PBL). Interesting yes, but terribly confusing. You never know if you got anything correct until you actually read up on it.

After the very short session of school (it lasted 45 minutes when it was slated for 2 hours), I wandered to the Student Services Centre for a cup of coffee and a croissant. The idea was to pass the time so that I could wait for Orange Bike to open. In the meantime, I also went around the Market looking for the bookstore to see how much a textbook would cost me.

And then I got lost. And I loved it.

I found old churches looming in corners of the street, I saw a beautiful suspension bridge that I never knew was there, and then there were back alleys of cafes half-open because it was still early in the morning. Waiters were sweeping the streets preparing to open, and some others were laying the tables. There were inscriptions on the walls I couldn't make out which looked like memorial stones to famous people that I don't know. The air was cool, and there were canals coming out in between houses sometimes. I felt like I was in some place that I only read off old books.

I finally did manage to find the bookstore in the church, only to find that an AIS textbook would set me back by €51. That is about SGD 100? Money that I cannot bear to part with, especially in a place as expensive as the Netherlands. I'd have to consult the rest to see if we could share a textbook or perhaps I would have to photocopy the book off the library that I don't yet know how to use.

With all my things settled, I found my way back to Orange Bike to get my repaired bicycle, and it was off home! Not before I lost myself again though.. And that was an adventure too, because I got to see Malpertuisplein from the other side, and I got to go to random neighbourhoods.

Perhaps I'll enjoy Maastricht after all.

Amsterdam!

2011-02-05T08:23:00.003+08:00

Maastricht is starting to get a little predictable, so we decided to spice things up by going to AMSTERDAM!!!! The land of Vandersexxx (Euro Trip reference) and coffeeshops!

So it is, that the 9 of us started out our journey by awakening at 9 am to take the train out to Amsterdam. Our first hurdle was the receptionist at the ticket counter. What happened was that we tried to purchase our tickets from the self-service counters, much like what we have at MRTs in Singapore. Karen managed to get an OV-ChipKaart from Yanling which gives us a 40% discount for up to 4 tickets. The problem was, there wasn't enough stored value in the card, so we had to go to the ticket counter to ask if we could buy our tickets there with cash instead! And since we were there, we decided that it was probably wise to buy another ChipKaart so that we can get more cheap tickets the next time...

Well, that turned out to be a mistake because we spent about 10 minutes queueing and filling up the form (which was in Dutch), only to realise that they needed a Dutch bank account number when we went back to the guy again. The exasperating thing is that they don't really care about you when you are standing there waiting to ask a question. The policy is really to just queue for anything, even if it doesn't require much effort from them. I guess it's a cultural thing?

Anyways, we eventually did manage to board our train just in time for Amsterdam. It was a whopping 2.5 hours train ride filled with lots of snoozing and mahjong-playing on my iPhone on my part. When we finally arrived, it was a mad rush to try to find the Tourist Information Centre so that we can join the day tour around Amsterdam. That didn't turn out too well because we ended up being too late, and the tour had already left for the National Monument.

So we went looking for them. And find them we did. But guess what? The tour was full, and we had no choice but to wander off alone in search of our own version of Amsterdam without a guide. Which was fine to me, because I always like finding out my own impression of places without knowing about it secondhand first, even though insider information would have been helpful. Then again, I guess different people have different expectations and thoughts about the matter.

Since we were lost, we decided to head for KFC for lunch so that we could plan our next step. And the next step was the Sex Museum that was just near the Central Station. Since I can't exactly put these things on Facebook, I am going to put it on Flickr! Just make sure you are above 18 to see it okae? It was a little bit too much for me, so much sex in one place, yet at the same time, it was kind of boring because there wasn't anything especially interesting there at all. Well, it was eyeopening at least.

After the Sex Museum, we proceeded to Anne Frank Huis, the secret annex where Anne Frank of Anne Frank's Diary fame stayed in during the Nazi occupation. It was quite disappointing for me to see a modern looking building in its place instead of an old WWII house I expected. After the tour though, it was explained that Otto Frank, Anne's father, didn't want the house to be left dilapidated and simply a historical monument, but rather something that would remind people to fight against discrimination. And that is exactly what they are doing even today. Part of the centre hosts educational tours to actively discuss topics on discriminatory practices around the Netherlands.

The museum itself was organized around Anne Frank's writings about the place, with large quotes from the diary pasted on the walls to describe each room. In each of the rooms were some relics from the old house. Most of the furniture though, were removed. There were also various video interviews with people who have known Anne Frank and helped them to hide during the Occupation. Although it was a larger museum than the Sex Museum, this was much more digestable because of the lesser amounts of information they tried to display in each room. When you left, you really felt for the dire conditions of the Frank family and had a feel for how their lives must have been... The museum definitely achieved its aim of letting the visitors see how discrimination against a certain race or religion causes is undesirable and horrible.

Our final stop of the day was the Red Light District tour, for which we went back to the Tourist Office. At the juncture, I would just say that a picture says a thousand words, and post some pictures up here. Note though, that we were strictly not allowed to take photographs of the girls for the sake of their anonymity, so it's only photos of everything else!

It was interesting to see the sex workers in the windows, but it was much tamer than I expected. The scene in Pattaya is much much more "dirty" for the lack of a better word. Here, it's all business and all the women are fully clothed. Nothing disgusting about it at all. Oh, but most of the girls are quite hot =) One observation though, most of them have great butts. LOL

One of the only 2 wooden houses in Amsterdam: In the Monkey

CONDOMS.

A Condomerie, where they make bespoke condoms!

The famous Casa Rossa!

A railing with the design of a woman being penetrated.

After a loooong day, the guide brought us for drinks at a pub and then we headed back to Maastricht. Tiring but really fun! Can't wait to go back there again to see the other sights! Perhaps this time, it would be less sex, and more culture.

除夕。

2011-02-02T16:02:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was Chinese New Year's Eve, and possibly the first one that I spent away from my family. Over here at Maastricht, we decided to do a little bit to celebrate Chinese New Year by making yusheng and steamboat for dinner.

Today was Residence Permit day, so we set out to Bonnefantenstraat 2 to make that. Managed to skype my sister and my grandmother a little bit in the morning, but the time difference really sucks such that there is very little overlap between my waking hours and theirs. And when it's evening in Singapore, it's the time when we are out settling things and running errands. =S

Anyways, today turned out to be quite horrible for me. I never knew it would be so difficult to deal with people in exchange. And these are people whom you cannot run away from. There is no returning home at the end of the day to cool things off because we are facing each other everyday. I have been trying my best help out and all, but I guess everyone sees things a little differently bah. It feels like we are already splitting into cliques so early into exchange, and that feels sucky.

Ahs. Life is tough.

Day 2.

2011-01-31T16:03:00.002+08:00

Nothing is open on Sundays in Maastricht except for the first Sunday of every month.

With that, we braved the wintery winds and went exploring the dead town by foot. The first thing we found was the mart at the petrol kiosk that was open. Which sold porn. LOL! But things were really expensive, so we moved along after Ian bought some Doritos. We were searching for this Pakistani supermarket that Frankie told Karen about and Orleansstraat.

So we walked.. and we walked...

And we managed to get there! Not before coming across two squares of shops and an open bakery where we managed to settle our breakfast for Monday. Still getting the feeling that they have never seen Asians before, which is strange, since Maastricht is supposed to be teeming with exchange students. Hongkongers especially.

Anyways, so we got there finally, and it wasn't open! And since it was still early in the day, we decided to take a bus down to the train station to grab our lunch since the kebab store was supposedly open. In the end, we found ourselves in the central square because passed through it and decided that it was probably a better place to walk =)

I wish I had my camera with me, but I didn't. So no photos here. You'd have to look at Xiyu's album to see all the beautiful photos of the place. Really European, I think. Just what I imagined =) Little cafes lined the streets facing the square, and these cafes were open! So were most of the fast food places. Thank God! And so we managed to settle our lunch and our curiosity of the place at one shot. We are definitely gonna go back there when everything else opens up!

First Day in Maastricht.

2011-01-31T15:49:00.003+08:00

I should really put my blog to better use now that I am overseas. Sadly I didn't take much photographs these past few days because I thought my camera was low on juice, while it was in fact, full.

If you have me on Facebook, you would know by now that we took 26 hours to actually get to Maastricht from Singapore. It was a back-breaking 2 plane rides where we got incessantly woken up by the air stewardesses for meals that we did not really need, and then a train ride where we got lost in.

The train ride was especially hard for the boys because the 3 of us had to help carry the luggages for the girls. It was okay for the first few times, but we tired after a few more times. It didn't help that the Hollanders gave us weird looks that said "Wow, I have never seen Asians before!" or "I wonder why they are here?". But anyways, we managed to endure those 2 gruelling hours by playing Name the Capital and "Who do you prefer". LOL. That was fun.

Sadly, it didn't end happily with us reaching Maastricht train station. We were left in the cold while we tried to find something to eat for dinner, and then we had to figure out how to take the bus over to Browerswag to get the keys to our apartments. THANKFULLY there was a college student there to help us find our way!

But of course, Browerswag was not the end of the journey. In fact, it was 2 km away from our apartments. You know, it really sounds easy on paper (blog) but imagine us each carrying a 30 kg luggage and a 7 kg hand carry, and lugging it all around town in the dark and cold. It was hell =S

When we reached Browerswag and got our keys we gave up and just ordered cabs to bring us finally to Talienruwe. They weren't as expensive as the rumours put them out to be, and we were glad to finally get here. And from there, it was just a matter of quickly putting on bedsheets, and falling deeply asleep.

Gatherings.

2011-01-27T01:55:00.006+08:00

I had another gathering tonight. This time it was with my LOCC coursemates: Zhimin, Chee Wee, Chio and BJ. It was amazing how we could just talk about our lives and relationships and what we were up to for this semester as if we never parted. Gatherings with old friends always brings back fond memories for me, and oh boy, have I been meeting up with a lot of people this past holidays! In a sense, I am using my SEP as an excuse to reconnect with the people in my life!

We went to Commonwealth for some awesome zi char and talked on and on about the Army and the people who were in the army and what they are doing now, and what we are doing in school now, and all that.

There are parts of my life now that I really miss, such as kayaking and the Army days, and parts of my life that have shaped me into who I am today. I am soooo happy and thankful to God that I have all these friends with me in my life, and that I am still able to talk to them and all =)

I will really miss Singapore a lot when I am overseas I think. Because everyone I know is here, and everything that I hold dear is here too. Man, can't believe I am actually going to leave in 2 days time.

And it still feels as if things haven't really been sorted out yet in my family, and I don't really even know if things can actually be sorted out. I just hope that everything resolves itself with time?

Now, maybe this is a better car ad...

2011-01-24T11:01:00.001+08:00

Joy made them No. 1?

2011-01-24T10:44:00.002+08:00

I saw this advertisement on Saturday's Straits Times and couldn't help wondering what Joy had to do with Performance Motors being the Number 1 Luxury Car Retailer.

Was Joy a person? Like their top saleswoman who sold so many BMWs that they shot to the top? Did being really happy and joyful make their employees work harder to get better sales?

Then I found out: JOY IS BMW is BMW's (no, this is not a typo) new marketing campaign as shown in this video:

My question is, is BMW really joy? I mean, it is definitely performance, even the local dealership's name spells it out clearly. BMW is definitely power, masculinity, strength. Raw brutish energy even. But joy?

So I checked the inside of that gigantic spread out. Well, basically it said that joy made them No.1, and their employees are filled with joy. But that didn't really do it for me. Why BMW then? I could replace it with any other brand and still say that my employees are gleeful. To me, this was an advertisement that didn't work. Simply because I had to go online and google "Joy BMW" to find out why in the world they wrote that.

Joy did not make Performance Motors No. 1. BMW did. BMW's legacy of making great cars that perform, great cars that are a joy to ride in. Cars that bring you to where you want to be in the way that you want to be brought there - in style and aplomb. Nay, not joy.

我有真正快乐过吗？

2011-01-17T21:05:00.002+08:00

又吵架了。这次是姐和哥哥。

不记得这个家没有吵架的日子。小时候是因为老爸脾气坏，拿妈妈做出气筒，他失业过后也是。然后是妈妈学会了吵回他。我们搬去婆婆家的日子又是阿姨们的争吵不休。搬回来后又是爸爸妈妈为了钱而吵。

现在是年轻人的时代了。姐姐越来越倔强，越来越不听家人的劝告。哥哥也越来越孤僻，不告诉我们他在外的事。

我好想小时候的我们喔！一起到唐城，虎豹别墅，圣淘沙游玩。一起玩。我是有快乐过的。快乐的是在父母吵架时，我们还能一起哭，一起笑。那是很久以前的事了。也许他们都忘了吧？

现在的我们根本不象一个家。一起吃饭难免会闹得吵起来。真的好累喔⋯⋯也许这次去荷兰能当作是休息吧！

我们大概回不到小时候了吧？

I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D3100!

2011-01-06T12:39:00.004+08:00

And he shall be named, Nick.

The Kit...

...and all the free gifts that came with it!

With enthusiasm, I tried it out on my collection of Absolut Vodka! There's really a clear difference in terms of vibrancy between my Lumix FZ-8 and this. Played around with the manual focus and the delayed flash too. Impressive! =DD

Here's my entire collection! Sans the Vodka Peach which was in the kitchen in the process of being finished up. Wah.. I do have quite a few don't I? Too bad my Vodka Pear was given away by my dad =(
Without flash...
..and with flash!
YAY! Now I have a DSLR to call my own and to take nice photos of in Maastricht! Can't wait to test it out in the open. But before that, I am going to get it an LCD screen protector and a proper bag so that I can haul it up the airplane.

-EXCITES!-

Of Resolutions and Reminiscences.

2011-01-05T02:10:00.002+08:00

If you have been reading this blog for many years, you would realise that I am not big on resolutions or remembering the past. Most of the time, I live it, and then I forget most of what I have done. And I do this because I always believe that new experiences should never be shadowed by the past. Then again, there are times when it's good to look back and reflect on what I have done for the past year, and to set goals for what I want to do in the future.

Reminiscences
2010 for me was really a year of maturing and finding out what I am good at. It was also a year where I believe I found my one true love. At the same time, 2010 was the year where I wised up to the world, which may not be a good thing.

2010 was the year which Bizad lost the Rag and Flag title to Science, who I might add, didn't win it gracefully, cheating on their no touch time, and refusing to meet with Dr Helen to even discuss some kind of concession. Then again, it was their chance to finally win. Perhaps playing fair wasn't exactly top of the list.

I managed to get my best semester of results yet in the previous semester, but I think it was still not up to par in the view of some of my family. To be honest, I was expecting to do better, but I was still glad to be able to improve fromt the previous few sems.. So good enough for me!

In the year, I matured significantly as a designer all thanks to the training that the Bizad Club gave me. I can't say that I am anywhere near being pro, but I am really proud of my body of work, and I really hope to be able to build on what I have and become better at what I do! Interestingly, Design has also affirmed my intentions in taking Marketing as a specialisation. Taking a course in Asian Marketing has reaffirmed that Marketing is truly what I like to do, and what I can see myself doing despite all the uncertainties and fears that I will not be able to land a good job when I graduate.

Of course, needless to mention, the greatest highlight of 2010 was finding Ms Oh Kai Li. We may have or little quibbles here and there, and sometimes we don't get why we do certain things and we get upset over each other, but at the end of the day, we are always able to talk through these things and realise that we truly love and care for each other. I can really see us being together for a looooooong time. And I am so glad that I managed to find such a wonderful girlfriend. Thank God!

-

Resolutions
I thought I would write myself some resolutions, not as things to complete in the year, but rather as things to work towards, a list to remind me of what I should be doing amidst the busyness of studies and all.

1) Maintain my relationship with God
Sad to say, i think I have lost a bit of that in 2010. I could feel myself leaning more on myself to chase after my grades and what I want, often ignoring what God wants, or what would glorify God more. I remember the days back in CCC where there was such emphasis on glorifying God and finding out what He wants to do in my life that many other things are secondary to that singular goal... I think I can find that back. And I really want to.

2) Lose weight!
Yes, I think if I wrote resolutions every year, it would be an annual item on the list. I am now at my heaviest weight ever. I have already been taking steps to lose some of my gut, but I think you can never have too much of a good thing. My target for this year is really to complete a triathlon. Let's see what I can get when I get back from exchange! Hopefully I am not tooooo fat then,,,

3) Have fun in Europe!
I'd better promise myself that so I will do it! Hahahahahas!

4) Get even better grades.
I really want to pull it up to at least a 2nd upper. And I know I have what it takes in me. I just need to keep the discipline when the going gets tough and the books get boring!

5) Save up enough money.
I don't really spend on big ticket items, but I think food for me is huge. So I always spend more than I need to on food. So here's reminding myself to cut down on spending so that I can have a better future, and have more money to spend next time!

6) Be a better designer.
I really need to learn everything from the basics, because so far, it has been intuition. I think in order to advance, I have to really practise practise practise. Who knows, maybe in the future I would be a graphic designer!

Well, that's all I can think of for now actually. Shall add to this if I can think of more!

The Last Day of the Year.

2010-12-31T13:26:00.003+08:00

It was another sleepy day for me. I woke up at eleven and actually still intended to eat my regular eggs and toast breakfast. I decided against it in the end because I figured I would need more calories to last me through tonight, and so opted for the U-Mian instead. And now, after watching Prince of Persia with my father, I thought it would be good to spend some time blogging and putting down the things that I have been thinking about lately to paper (or more accurately, screen).

Changes

I was just thinking about this the other day - I have definitely changed this year. Some part of my innocence has been robbed from me by the University system I feel. Endless chasing after the grades and making sure you hit your participation points by everyone around has rubbed off some of the effect on me. The result is a CAP that is the highest I have got since I have entered Uni, albeit lower than many others.

You see, I never did believe in the faking. The answering of questions because it would earn you marks. And I still don't believe in it. I believe in liking what you study, and studying hard because you have a passion for it. A case in point? My Asian Markets and Marketing Management module. I absolutely loved the content and how Prof Xiao Ping taught with such conviction. That's why I always made sure I had something to bring to the table, or something to share whenever she asked questions. And I really think that's why I got an A- for the subject.

An opposing example might be Macro-economics, I guess. Our tutor seemed perpetually bored in the lessons and gave us nothing in teaching. Although I was also interested in Economics, I felt so dreary having to sit through the tutorials that one day I just gave up trying the tutorial exercises, even though I still did the necessary to maintain our participation grades.

Well, the point is, I can FEEL myself changing. Feel myself getting used to the system. Well, it isn't exactly a bad thing, but I feel that somewhere along the way, I have started to rely too much on myself and less and less on God. I used to live my life trusting that God will provide no matter what. That my grades were how they were because that is how it's supposed to be. Now, I fear for my future because I don't know where I can go with the grades or experience I have. A little chat with Ryan on Wednesday got me frightened that I didn't have an internship to show for, and that it might cause me to have a horrible future of mid-tier jobs. That really got me thinking. Is that how I am supposed to lead my life?

Relationships

Another highlight of this year is of course the fact that I got attached to the lovely Miss Oh Kai Li. Last night we had this conversation about how she thinks the flame has died. Meaning the excitement of being attached and being loved and going places together I guess? Well, I don't think so. The flame hasn't died for me because I still yearn to see her everyday, to listen to her talk about her day and her thoughts, to see her being real stupid and spout nonsensical rubbish while shopping. LOL.

But I can't deny that we are running out of places to go. It's like we are hunting down places like animals or something, and these places are starting to go extinct. And the time that we have together is decreasing because she's working and I no longer have a car to drive around during the wee hours of the morning.

I still can see us being together for a long time though, even though Mother claims that we are not "steady" to my aunties, I really think we are in it for the long haul. (Which begs the question, who the hell came up with the term "steady" anyways? And who the heck still uses that term?! Gosh!)

Weight

It's an endless battle against myself. And I seem to be losing lately. I am at my heaviest ever, and nothing seems to be working. I so much want to go back to kayaking, but I know both NUS Canoeing and Canoe Polo wouidn't want a noob like me. Which leaves Dragonboating. LOL!!!

But seriously, I am taking over the reins and working out every single day at the gym just so that I can pass my IPPT before going over to Maastricht. And I have The Spartacus Project blog to show for. It's just a very long-drawn process. I wish I could have some free personal training help =( Maybe I should ask if Eng Keat could help me! Or new friend's brother. Hahaha.. Just a thought.

-

Well, I think that very much sums up my year. Brief eh? There has been so many things, that words will not adequately say everything. I managed to find my direction in terms of interest and career also. So i am just working slowly towards my goal. It may not be easy to excel and yet keep to my philosophical grounding, but I can definitely try!

Daily Routine.

2010-12-24T12:56:00.002+08:00

I am really starting to enjoy what my typical day these days after I returned from Dubai. A day starts with me waking up at around 9 am or 10 am naturally (sans alarm) and then lazing in bed for a while more, before I get down to really starting my day by freshening up and eating breakfast at the coffeeshop downstairs. I always order the same thing: Set Meal with Teh C, which includes eggs and toast.

Then I will come back to the computer to tweet, read up on the news, find out about the latest fashion, surf mindlessly about random things, and watch Family Guy. Today I tried playing DotA but my computer "illegal operation"-ed on me. Now I am reminded why I am a Mac user -___-||

Anyways, after that would come the journey to the gym for my daily dose of exercise in preparation for IPPT in January. Afterwhich, i would either head back home, or to town to meet my lovely girlfriend for a nice little dinner and walking around in town. =)

Now, that, is the life.

Giorgio Armani S/S 2011

2010-12-21T10:57:00.004+08:00

I was doing my usual browsing around GQ.com and I saw this double breasted coat. And I was like "OMG! Damn cool!" Which made me wanna browse through the whole Giorgio Armani SS 2011 show, and it turned out to be great. Love the fabrics used and the silhouettes. Aww. Now I wish I were thin again and magically rich!

See it here: GQ.com - Fashion Show - GQ.COM (UK)

I'm home!

2010-12-21T10:28:00.002+08:00

You know, yesterday when I was still back at Dubai, I was telling myself that I have to write down everything that happened so that I can remember it all. But right now, I am overcome with a laziness that doesn't seem like it's going to abate anytime soon. LOL. I will still post all the 10 days of fun up though! It just means that it's going to take more time than I anticipated.

It was great taking the taxi back from the airport and seeing all the nicely planted trees whizz past me. You never see that in Saudi Arabia. It's all sand there. Even for Dubai, you see more buildings and sand than anything else. Of course, there are some trees, but they are mostly shrubs. So it's really refreshing to see our trees again. And our buildings that fill the entire land. In the UAE, buildings only appear in cities, and for most places other than Dubai, buildings are really short. Even shorter than the HDB block I am in now. So it's a welcome scene too =)

So what exactly am I doing now? Catching up on my American TV series! Watching Bones now, even as I am talking to Kai Li. Just caught up with TBBT, and it's gonna be Supernatural after, and then on to reading mangas! Somehow not being at home really disrupts my daily routine. I don't really remember what I did before I went to Dubai. LOL. Even though I suspect it's pretty much what I am doing now!

Alright. Bottomline is, I will get to blogging soon enough! Thinking of setting up a blog for the STEER trip too. So that we can consolidate our experiences! See how it goes!

STEER Day 3: Jubail, KSA.

2010-12-13T01:46:00.002+08:00

It's only Day 3?! Feels like its been a long time since we first landed in Dubai.. and we have really learnt a lot since then.

Today was truly an eye-opener for me. We were treated to the true wealth of the Saudis in Jubail, an industrial model city. Jubail was first decreed in 1975 to be a city built to develop the petrochemical industry in Saudi Arabia. Our first stop of he day was to the Royal Commission of Jubail to learn more about the city and how they planned it. If you thought Singapore's infrastructure was impressive, Jubail is even more so.

Jubail has the benefit of being built out of nothing at all. They took the opportunity to build a masterplan for a city that had industry, commerce and residential areas. The result is a city where all water, electricity, waste, fibre optics are built underground and where the streets look more like Australia than anywhere else in KSA. At the Royal Commission, we learmt how they built Jubail from ground up, and how the city functions now. Apparently every university graduate there gets an average of 5 job offers! The courses in their university are specially tailored to suit the demands of the job market, thereby creating a self-sustaining workforce.

We also had the opportunity to have lunch with some of the students from their university. Makmur especially interacted with them and found out how life really is in KSA. I also had a chance to chat with them a little and i realise that we are more similar than we thought initially. They play computer games too, they like hanging out with friends, going to the beach, etc. Kinda cool actually. The students are alot more approachable than the adults it seems.. maybe because of the smaller age gap?

Anyways, after lunch, we went on to SHARQ, which is a petrochemical company manufacturing plastics for Asian markets. The plant was huge, but we couldn't take any photos.. SHARQ is also an affiliate company of SABIC, KSA's second largest oil company. After the SHARQ visit, we went to Petrol Steel Co Ltd, a joint venture company between a Saudi firm and Singapore's Rotary Engineering. There, they shared a bit more about how KSA is diversifying into petrol-related products to decrease reliance on the oil industry. It was also that i realised how comforting it is to hear a Sinaporean accent when you are in foreign land. Ahh!! Missing home already!

That, by the way, is the end of the itinerary of the day. It seems really short, but we actually took a whole
day to finish the touring. Shagged!! More to come in the next few days. Hope it gets better!

STEER Day 2 in Saudi Arabia.

2010-12-13T01:23:00.004+08:00

An entirely random photo that I took at the King Faud International Airport at Dammam, Saudi Arabia. After flying off from Dubai Airport finally, we reached Dammam in 2 hours on board Malaysian Airlines MH154. Not entirely friendly, I must say.. There is really a difference between SQ and the rest it seems.

The atmosphere in Saudi Arabia is a lot tenser than that in Dubai because of the stories we have heard about how strict their religious police were. When we landed, everyone was solemn and afraid to draw attention to ourselves. The late hour of our arrival didn't exactly help matters, since we now feel like we are stowaways from another country... The customs didn't help matters either. We had to scan in all ten fingerprints and our passport was detained. I never felt the importance of a passport until then.. They were perfectly able to take it away and I would never able to go home again, I thought while waiting.

Eventually we did get our passports back, and we cleared the checkpoint without much problem thankfully! And on we went to our hotel!

We are staying at the Crowne Plaza Al Khobar for the KSA leg of our trip. It's the same Crowne Plaza that we have at Changi Airport back at home. 5 stars! By the time we reached the hotel, it was 6 am and had been 26 hours since I woke up. Luckily, there was nothing much on the itinerary for the day, and I slept the day away...

To do the hotel some justice, it is only right to write a bit about how marvellous it is. When we first entired the hotel, we were greeted by a waiter offering us Arabian coffee and dates. our bags were left in the bus and carried for us into the hotel by the bell boy. Check-in was incredibly quick and all we needed to do was to get our card keys and head to bed. Before that though, we tried out the buffet breakfast at the mezzanine floor. The spread was awesome. Kind of reminiscent of the spread I got at Angsana Bintan. I haven't seen it for myself yet, but some said that the pool at the top floor has an awesome view and great amenities such as a jacuzzi (yay!), sauna, turkish bath, etc. The Saudis are truly very generous!

The next item on the itinerary was a shopping trip to the nearby Rashid Mall at around 5 pm. It was smaller than Dubai Mall, but more than enough to make our legs ache. The things there were more or less what we could find in Singapore though, so I didn't manage to get anything other than a scarf for my SEP.

One interesting thing we observed at the Mall was the call to prayer at sunset. The PA system sounded the call, much like what I heard in the Bruneian jungle, and suddenly all the shops started closing or the shop owners to go pray. Interestingly, there were some who chose not to pray but took the time instead to have a smoke and slack a bit. Kinda new to me, since Singapore is a secular country, but really quite cool!

After shopping, we were shown the 30km long causeway that linked KSA to Bahrain. Can you imagine a causeway that goes across the sea by 30km? It's totally insane! Pity we couldn't see much because of the night.

And that was actually all that we did today. Not much, which I am actually glad for. At least we got the time to replenish our energy!

We are going to Jubail tomorrow to visit the Royal Commision, SABIC and Rotary Engineering, a Singapore company based there. It's gonna be great!

STEER Day 1 in Dubai.

2010-12-11T06:10:00.004+08:00

It's 6.11 a.m. in Singapore now, but it's only 2.11 am here in Dubai Airport. We are now waiting for the connecting flight to Damman, Saudi Arabia after our flight from Singapore earlier today. Been awake for more than 22 hours, and our flight is only due at 5 am. Sleepy TTM!

After we reached Dubai, we made our way via the Metro to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. The tower wasn't the main aim of our visit though, it was more of the 12 million square feet Dubai Mall that we really wanted to check out. It's a stunning 8 times the size of Vivocity, and a supposed retail haven. And haven it was indeed!

There was virtually every single design house in that place, and there was a Gold Souk that housed a whole wing of jewellery stores. Then there was the fountain that we all thought looked a lot like the Singapore River and Clarke Quay. There are water shows every 30 minutes at the fountain, and we were lucky to catch 2. Simply amazing! Although we all tried capturing the beauty of it all with photographs, I think the magic of the moment was in the fact that it was so fleeting. I have got to bring Kai Li here one day...

Anyways, other interesting sights were the indoor aquarium in the mall itself where we saw sand sharks and gigantic groupers. There was also H&M which we didn't have time to go into. I really really wanted to check out the Kinokuniya Book House, but we didn't have enough time for that either.

After one day here, I can really see the opulence and lavishness of the place. The Emirati have spared no expense at displaying their wealth. And wow, do they know how to enjoy the life!

One other thing I noted was that even though Dubai is considered quite liberal in the Middle East and has some latitude in what they allow, the advertising here is still much more conservative as compared to Singapore. Guess? advertisements do not have their usual flaunts of cleavage, and most advertising do not even show people in them. Brand names are the big thing here, but not so much advertising. I can imagine how hard it is for a new brand to strike it out here. Seems like in order to make it in Dubai, your company must have already made it somewhere else.

It seems really short when I am blogging this, but the tour around Dubai was truly an eye-opener, be it from the narrow-mindedness of what luxury is, and also from a cultural viewpoint as an observer looking at how the Arabs behave and lead their lives. They are really family-oriented (everyone is almost always seen in the family unit), and somehow there is an aura of dignity that they carry as Emiratis that one can feel around them. I can only imagine the pride with which they have for their country. Something we can all learn as Singaporeans, I believe.

We are headed to Saudi Arabia later, and from what I have heard so far, the culture would be quite different from what we have here at Dubai. That means more interesting things for me to learn. I am still wondering how they conduct their marketing and advertising if all depictions of humans are disallowed. Looks like I am going to find out real soon!

Dubai, here I come!

2010-12-10T01:22:00.002+08:00

If you didn't know already, (and I think some of you actually don't know, since I got an sms asking me to go out for lunch despite me saying just on Tuesday) I am flying off to Dubai tomorrow morning!

To be honest, I am not as excited as I thought I would be. I don't think it has quite sunk in yet that I am actually leaving tomorrow. Hmm.. Anyways, I will try to blog as much as I can about the happenings there, so stay tuned for updates! =D

Total randomness.

2010-12-07T21:34:00.002+08:00

Just read this awesome article on Wired about optical lift. Light can lift stuff by passing through them! Is this the beginnings of a lightsaber in the future?!

By the way, I just came back home from a karaoke session with Alan, Zilun, Andy, TYL and Chun Tong. Shioks! Managed to send my Picard bag to repair at Shaw Centre at the same time. Hopefully they can get back to me fast so that I can pick it up before I go to Dubai!

Managed to shop around a bit before coming home too. Hmm.. I don't know if I need anything else for Maastricht. I'm worried that what I have might not be enough to fend myself from the cold =/

The Black Swan

2010-12-06T14:04:00.000+08:00

A definite must-watch on my list. NATALIE PORTMAN!!!

Good morning!

2010-12-06T08:58:00.003+08:00

I woke up with aches all over my body, with the especial pronounced pain on my shoulders. Which is strange because I didn't run with my shoulders, did I? My abs are hurting too, which totally shows how much they have degenerated over the past two years =/

Today marks the very first day I have to myself without any real plans. YAY! This means I can finally get down to clearing the stuff I have to do for my SEP and STEER Trip. First up, I will go to the bank to deposit the cheque for our hotel in Dubai, then I'll head over to SingPost to Speedpost my documents over to Maastricht. Hmm.. that should do it actually.. Looking forward to relaxing in the jacuzzi in Safra!!

There were plans to play Mahjong at Teckie's but I doubt it would materialise with Ivan not replying and Chow sleeping. Shall just enjoy my day alone by reading my downloaded books! Hehs.

Updates!

2010-12-05T23:37:00.002+08:00

It was Kai Li's birthday yesterday, and we went out for a short evening, just enjoying each other's company. Feels like it's been a long time since we were able to do that, and I'm glad we managed to get some time to wind down before she has to start interning, and I have to start prepping for my Middle East trip.

The USP clique also celebrated it for her the day before by playing laser tag, watching The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Trader, and then playing board games at Mind Cafe. Cool! I think they really are a cool bunch of people to hang out with. Looking forward to the next outing!

In other news, I just finished a half-marathon! I wrote an entry about it in The Spartacus Project. So I'm not going to elaborate more here. All I can say is that I need more exercise!

I've Got Mail!

2010-12-01T23:53:00.003+08:00

Guess what was waiting for me when I got home from singing at Party World?!

ASOS! Wonderfully air-mailed from the lovely United Kingdom.

I decided to make my virgin buy about one week ago because there was free shipping and my pants were all starting to break down from chafing on my thighs (URGH!). Excites!

So here's my loot:

Ben Sherman Black Polo Tee

ASOS shorts

Yay! I shall be vain and wear it to the movie outing tomorrow =D

MAssacre.

2010-11-30T20:17:00.002+08:00

What a sorry end to the first examinations I thought I would be able to do well in. I lost more than 20 marks because I didn't have enough time, and I was basically battling my dizzy head. Ironic that I arguably spent the most effort on MA. Urgh. Then again, it's my weakest topic, so I guess I should have expected it.

A survey of a small sample size of students (ALLITERATION FTW!) shows that the exam was considered quite tough, even for the smart ass people. So I guess I can harbour some hope?

I didn't feel as glad that exams are over as I expected myself to, possibly because of the lurch in my stomach I was feeling. Plus the fact that it was raining when I got out of the exam hall. =/

Oh wells, at least that's the end of another mugging-filled semester of my life! On to other better and more productive pursuits!

Luis Borges by Kenton Thatcher for Hit Mag

2010-11-29T12:13:00.001+08:00

When I saw this, I just knew I had to post it. It's not just his really funky hair, It's also the fact that he's wearing just the kind of blazer that I would want to get if I had tonnes of cash to burn. A tweed plaid jacket with elbow patches! HOW CUTE!

Luis Borges by Kenton Thatcher for Hit Mag

Things to do RIGHT AFTER exams.

2010-11-28T14:15:00.004+08:00

Yes, my heart is no longer in Activity-Based Costing. I want to fly like a bird, I wanna run away...

Okae, seriously! I have a lot of things that I want and have to do right after my exams, so here's writing it all down so that I can tick them off one by one.

Watch HP7.
Train for the StanChart Marathon that I will be running in a few days time.
Run the StanChart Marathon.
Prep for The Big Secret
Cut my hair
Sun tan!
Complete the Bizad Club website
KBox!
Play mahjong!!
Pack for KSA/UAE.

Edit:

Play DotA
Learn graphic design!

Leave this place.

2010-11-27T15:12:00.005+08:00

I don't want to study MA anymore. I want to leave this place. Leave this town.

Leave behind this city that is so stifling, that's filled with so many rules and regulations. A place where we concern ourselves with where Hougang's borders are rather than how well we are taken care of in terms of healthcare, in terms of the economy, in terms of the poor.

Leave this university where what you do in your time doesn't matter, as long as you produce a 5.0 at the end of the day. Where mugging is rewarded while living is scorned. Where friends are for attaining a certain end in the future.

Leave my home where there are so many unsolved problems. Leave the quarreling every Sunday morning, leave the petty grudges we hold dear like ammunition. Where hurts are so deep that we just learn how to tune them out or ignore them till they fade.

Leave, even though there is no where to run to. Just to breathe, even for a moment.

NTT DoCoMo Samsung Galaxy S 'Darth Vader' Video

2010-11-26T20:57:00.004+08:00

NTT DoCoMo launched the Samsung Galaxy S in Japan with a Darth Vader as the personification of your smartphone. Even though there isn't really a link there (other than the fact that the phone has a space name), isn't it kinda cool to feel like you are bringing a Sith Lord around as your phone?

Makes you feel safe with someone so powerful following you around. Which I am guessing, is kinda the point: Cool, powerful, always with you (like the Force).

My Coat! My Coat!

2010-11-26T18:03:00.003+08:00

I was surfing The Fashionisto just now, and guess what I saw! My coat I bought from UNIQLO! Apparently this guy, Douglas Neitzke, is fronting the 2010 Winter Down collection for them. Wah. Super cognitive consonance!

How to murder an ache.

2010-11-26T09:29:00.005+08:00

I have been having this horrible aching in my stomach since yesterday morning and I endured through it for the whole of my Macroecons revision and examination. Then it got worse, waking me up several times last night just so that I could go to the toilet only to find that I can't get anything out. -___-|| Can you imagine? I woke up at 3 am to burp out the Pepper Lunch that I ate at 8 pm! I can still smell the hamburger steak.

So I have decided to murder it. And I knew just the people and place for the job: THE UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTRE, or simply, the UHC.

After each a scrumptious breakfast at Ya Kun as I always do (he's Hainanese by the way, so I must support!), I went over to the UHC across the road to kill the bastard.

The doc started by pressing all over my stomach, and concluded that it was some gastric juices wrecking havoc in my stomach. Urgh. So I got Antacids and some Famotidine to quell the acid juices. Oh stomach, why do you rise up against me!

In other news, Macroecons paper was a bitch. You just need to log on to Facebook to see everyone complaining about the repeating questions, the negative marking, the fact that they made us read so many articles that wasted our time but didn't help us to answer the questions. I think this would be a definite B. I just hope I can get As for my 3 spotted subjects so that I can hope to get a 2nd-upper CAP score.

Oh well, that's that for this morning! Have a great day.

2010-11-25T09:38:00.002+08:00

Spent my breakfast looking at photos that Enqing and Chee Keen posted, dreaming of things I could do if #Idonthavetostudyfoecons. Had a sudden urge to start reading books again. Greek tragedies. English classics. Even the Harry Potter series before I actually go watch it on the 2nd. Alas, resources are scarce, even the human capacity and time, and I have a paper to do today.

Snap back to reality... webcast time!

Reminders.

2010-11-24T23:49:00.003+08:00

My lovely girlfriend reminded me that I have not been catching up on the lives of my friends lately. Which make me realise: I haven't actually caught up with myself either.

This whole semester, I seem to have been so caught up with school and studies that everything else just took second stage. I found some out some cool new things about myself, I learnt a lot through watching TV series, but I think I also forgot about how it was like to be me, before this me.

I guess this was a little wake-up call for me to start thinking about how I am living my life and to constantly reevaluate what I am doing with it. This means that I should blog more and chronicle more about myself before everything goes down to dust!

Okae. Resolution of the day set!

N. Korea fires artillery shells on S. Korea's

2010-11-24T00:10:00.002+08:00

Is this the beginning of WW3?

I can't believe that they actually initiated a unilateral act of war. It's one thing to sink vessels, it's quite another to fire artillery shells into another country. Which makes one think: they must be either really confident of winning a war with one of Asia's tigers, or they must really be depending on the fact that S. Korea would probably not retaliate in such shitty economic climates.

Hopefully everything blows overrrrrr. I don't want to see a WW in my lifetime.

Spoils of the Day!

2010-11-20T16:56:00.005+08:00

I went to UNIQLO at Tampines 1 today to do some shopping for my student exchange! Look what I got =)

Premium Down Outer Coat.

I love the furry hood that is gonna make me look like I am an Eskimo! Really like the shininess too =)

My FAVORITE! CHECKS!

UNIQLO's flannel shirts were going at an offer of $29.90, so I thought I'd grab one. Muahahaha! I'll use it in exchange anyways what! I am not wasting money okae!

Heat Tech Long Johns

I also got myself some really long johns. Come to think of it, it might have been cheaper if I bought these at Winter World. Oh wells, at least now I have everything I need for exchange. Hopefully this supposed Heat Tech holds up to its name!

Now, I actually went out today to take my StanChart Marathon race pack with Wei Lun. So here's how it looks like! I kinda miss when they used to give us gym bags instead. These drawstring bags are totally useless =/

The loot wasn't very fantastic. I guess the only thing of note was the free 7-day gym pass to Pure Fitness that I might use if I can figure out where Knightsbridge is. And the shower gel that they gave. What happened to all the Berocca and 100 plus??

But anyways, I have half a mind to pon this year's marathon. I might just die during the run with my level of fitness now =( Time to train up!

It was a great time of catching up with Wei Lun over lunch at Kim Gary today too. At least now I feel a semblance of a social life! Can't wait for exams to be over so that we can all hang out and take a breather again!

The weekend.

2010-11-14T22:20:00.003+08:00

The weekend was not the most productive one I have experienced. Spent a lot of time clearing by backlog of American TV series so that I can really concentrate on my exams next week. One thing good though, was that I acted upon my resolution to start learning graphic design proper by buying this book:

Although books are no substitute for the rigours of a design education, I figured that I don't have the option of going to a design school full-time. Besides, lots of designers have learnt this by themselves. I'm sure I can figure something out too! =)

The next week promises to be one that is packed with mugging. Hopefully I survive! Please pray for me eh? And I hope you have a great week too =)

Sesame Street

2010-11-12T18:36:00.000+08:00

Sesame Street has done an amazing job at reinventing itself beyond the typical kids' show. I think they realise that beyond the children, there is an increasing market of teenagers and young adults who have watched Sesame Street as a kid, and still love the characters. The content that is posted is consistently relevant, child-friendly, yet not so kiddy that I cannot enjoy it as a 22-year-old.

It's amazing how a children's show can educate kids beyond the alphabet, teaching them current affairs such as the American mid-term elections, and also about the things around them, such as this video about Apple's App Store. Not to mention the myriad of videos made based on popular culture such as the Old Spice commercial, Katy Perry, and more recently, Willow Smith's I Whip My Hair Back and Forth.

Awesome!

O cool unnamed person...

2010-11-10T10:27:00.002+08:00

Somehow whenever I check out your blog, I would get that yearning to lead your kind of life.

Heck care and fun, you just live your life without bothering about the future because you already have it secured. You can pursue your dreams because you don't have to worry about your livelihood.

I just need to keep reminding myself that I'm not that, but that would make chasing my dreams all the more precious.

Conan O'Brien Show Zero // Diet Coke "Stay Extraordinary"

2010-11-06T21:48:00.003+08:00

I chanced upon Conan O'Brien's blog on Tumblr, and before I knew it, I was watching Show Zero that you see here. What caught my eye, though, with all due respect to Mr O'Brien, was Diet Coke's new ad "Stay Extraordinary".

Well, to be more exact, it was the song that caught my attention. But I thought the ad was well executed. It communicated that Diet Coke was for the working professional - the office rat who hung out with his friends, the free spirited graffiti artist, the glitzy fashion editor, or even the resident who needed to stay awake.

Diet Coke is both cool and functional. Diet Coke keeps you awake and enjoying life and your job. Diet Coke is creative and fun.

All that packed in a 1-minute ad. Wow.

See the full ad at Vimeo here!

My favourite scene in The Social Network.

2010-11-06T12:14:00.001+08:00

This is a cool typographic rendering of my favourite scene in The Social Network. Mark Zuckerberg totally pwned the ass of that lawyer!

Oh, watch till the end to see what the words become. Awesome.

The Social Network.

2010-11-05T00:15:00.003+08:00

Just got home after watching The Social Network at Bizad to the Movies. Somehow the movie got me thinking about what I was doing with my life. I mean, Mark Zuckerberg is what 4 years older than me? And he's already a billionaire. Where am I going with my life?

Of course, I don't yearn to become a rich man overnight. But the movie really got me thinking about pursuing your passion and letting it be the driving force of your life. So what's my passion? I would like to think that it is graphic design now. I know I am not very good at it, but I really want to work harder at it and somehow be able to work with it in the future =) Maybe I should take up Mum's offer to study at Laselle...

Anyways, I suddenly had the urge really prove my worth. Be really good at what I am doing now, be it Marketing or design, so that I can really show the naysayers that these are not frivolous pursuits. Just watch me.

The Bucket List.

2010-11-03T14:33:00.002+08:00

Pass grade 8 piano
Be a taxi driver for a day (at least)
Work in P&G
Enroll into a graphic design course
Bungy jump off some huge bridge

TBC!

Breakups.

2010-11-01T10:16:00.002+08:00

Everyone around me seems to be breaking up. First there was X who is still living in denial everday, thinking that the boyfriend still has some feelings for her. Then there's Y who told me her boyfriend broke up with her yesterday. If I count all the peripheral ones happening around me, the number will easily go up to 5 or 6.

Why is everyone breaking up? Is it really because they weren't meant to be together, or they discovered something in their counterpart that they could not tolerate? Being together is a choice. And when one party decides to withdraw his love, for whatever reason, there is often no way the 2 can pick up the pieces. Perhaps breakups happen because people don't think of the gravity of being in a relationship. How many people rush headlong into the 'love' they imagined because they couldn't stand to be alone? Somehow love has been twisted into something that is used to satisfy one's own needa instead of a self-sacrificial one like it's supposed it be.

Every break up puts me down a little because it makes me think that the ideal love or world that I grew up in could not possibly exist. Every break up wakes me up a little because I realise that relationships are not something to be taken for granted - we have to work continuously at it. Every break up surprises me less, because I guess anything can happen to anyone, even if everyone thinks that your love is like solid rock. Only the two know the truth, and even then, that's 2 versions of one truth.

New MacBook Airs Now Available

2010-10-21T09:40:00.001+08:00

Apple just launched its two new MacBook Airs today. At first glance, it seems like they have made it even thinner by removing some of the thickness at the bottom of the trackpad. The rest of of it looks pretty much the same though. Also, the MacBook Air now comes in an 11.6" and a 13.3" model.

Take a look at the video and the specs at the Apple Wesbite.

via Mashable: New MacBook Airs Are Like iPads With Keyboards [PICS]

Google Puts the Emphasis on Location in Search

2010-10-19T15:54:00.000+08:00

It seems like everyone is moving towards location-based services. I just signed up with foursquare and started checking in in various places. It's quite cool to just go into my iPhone and check out the comments that people had about places that they have been to, or about what food to eat where you're at. Of course, I think I mentioned Facebook Places quite a while back. This is definitely the way to go as more and more people start having smartphones and get their information on the go.

I guess it's only natural that Google is jumping on the bandwagon. Google now tailors searches by finding out where you are and showing searches that are more relevant to where you're at. Great stuff!

via Mashable: Google Puts the Emphasis on Location in Search

Father and Son Launch iPhone Into Space [VIDEO]

2010-10-18T11:37:00.001+08:00

A Father and Son launches an iPhone into space using a weather balloon. HOW COOL IS THAT?! I think the much cooler thing is that at this day and age, they are able to share this with the world.

Somehow I am reminded of how Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity in the kite experiment. Just imagine if YouTube was existent then! Okay, it's rather impossible since YouTube runs on electricity, but my point is that our mode of sharing information and experiences has changed so much over the past few years that it's just mindblasting, as Russell Peters puts it. The possibilities are simply endless.

via Mashable: Father and Son Launch iPhone Into Space [VIDEO]

Mum's Birthday @ Jumbo!

2010-10-17T20:46:00.006+08:00

Mother's birthday is coming up this Wednesday and we decided to have an early celebration last weekend at Jumbo. Somehow it has become an annual thing, whether we go there for my brother's birthday or Mum's or for no reason at all other than to imbibe some of that succulent chilli crab

My brother and sister!

Mum and I =)

We actually ate this much later, but since it's the show of the day, HERE IS OUR VERY DELICIOUS, VERY FRESH CHILLI CRAB!

I checked out foursquare and found out that the seafood fried rice was supposed to be highly recommended, so we tried it. A little too bland for my taste, but the eggs was very well fried into the rice. Kind of reminds me of the Egg Fried Rice from Din Tai Fung.

Last but not least, we have the yam paste! My favourite dessert ever. You don't really find this around Singapore restaurants much. This particular one was slightly too heavy for my taste, but it still tasted great =)

It's been quite a while since we just went out like that for a dinner, so it was really fun for me. Hahas. And somehow the things that we talk about when we just go out like that always makes me laugh. This time we were wondering if the waiter who served us thought that we were some pigs who ate too much.. But hey, this is much less than last year, and we weren't even full at the end of the day!

Anyways, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!

Sesame Street's Old Spice Spoof

2010-10-13T11:23:00.002+08:00

OMG THIS IS SO CUTTTEEEEEEE!

How Has “The Social Network” Changed Facebook’s Brand Perception? [STATS]

2010-10-13T11:15:00.001+08:00

I thought this particular article on Mashable was pretty interesting because I didn't know you could measure brand perception so quickly. Or that a movie could affect the brand image by so much. The brand perception of Facebook doubled amongst young people of the age from 18-34 after the release of the movie, "The Social Network". Way cool!

How Has “The Social Network” Changed Facebook’s Brand Perception? [STATS]

Disappointment has a name.

2010-10-13T11:00:00.003+08:00

Now that there is some critical distance from the midterms, I feel like I can finally blog about them. My results for both Macroecons and Managerial Accounting were right smack at the median and around the average scores for the whole class. If you thought that sounded alright, it is not. This means that I have to work very very hard to nail my finals so that I can even dream of pulling some As. The fact that my Biz Comm class is highly competitive does not help matters at all.

The semester started out with me thinking that this could be my chance to pull up my CAP before going over to Maastricht. Now I really am not sure anymore. Am I not putting in enough effort? Did I get lost along the way? Or more ominously, am I just plain stupid?

It sucks to see everything going so well for some people while I struggle to even make it. The way everyone complains about their grades when they are actually much better than mine just makes everything feel worse. Almost like carving out my skin with a blunt knife.

Oh wells, what else can I do but apply my mantra: see how lorh.

Microsoft Launches Windows Phone 7

2010-10-12T01:12:00.001+08:00

Yes, you heard it! Microsoft is launching its Windows Phone 7 so long after Apple's iPhone and Google's Android phones. I think it's going to be pretty exciting especially since Apple will start taking its competition more seriously if it turns out to be a good product offering. Honestly, I haven't been too happy at how Apple is playing with us loyal fans by just slightly upgrading specs and expecting us to pay so much more. =/

Then again, will this thing be a dud like Bing?

Microsoft Launches Windows Phone 7

Dreams Come Alive.

2010-10-11T22:46:00.003+08:00

I was led to a blog written by a teacher of mine in Junior College while looking through Facebook about half an hour ago. Mr Lawrence was the teacher-in-charge for Nanyang Kayak Racing Team, the CCA I was in back in JC. Every single time I read his blog, it never fails to amaze me how he manages to blog in perfect English.

I would always have the tendency to lapse into smiley faces or colloquial speak while blogging so as to sound more relational and close to heart. Another reason would also be that I actually blog like how I think. This style though, comes at the expense of careful thought put into what I want to write about. That is also why I am so impressed by Mr Lawrence's entries. He always stays in context on what he wants to write about. That requires a great deal of discipline and training.

Well, of course, being a professional speaking coach now, I think he would have to present a certain image. Yet, I do not think that what he writes is unnatural or coerced. In fact, I can actually picture him saying whatever he wrote. Now, that's the greatest attainment, I feel. To be able to connect at that level without the use of the crutches of emoticons or colloquial language. I shall aspire to reach that too!

With all that said, commenting about his writing style does his blog no justice at all. Reading about his endeavours in conquering the Sahara, the Gobi and now, the Antarctica is simply overwhelmingly inspirational. It makes me believe that if someone so close to me can do such seemingly superhuman feats, maybe I have the ability to do them as well. That was just the dose of confidence and hope that I needed after 2 bouts of disparaging midterm results =)

My Dream Car.

2010-10-08T23:56:00.002+08:00

I know I have said before that I am ditching the Mini for the Porsche Cayman S, but I just can't resist it!

Look at how CUTE and SLEEK the Mini Cabriolet is!! Imagine the wind blowing in your hair as you sit in front of the dashboard. IMAGINE THE DASHBOARD!! The retro looking round dashboard. OMG.

I WANT A MINI CABRIOLET NAOOOOOOO!

Creative Examples of Infographics

2010-09-30T11:02:00.002+08:00

I was talking to Yew Ming on Monday about what makes up each type of coffee, so this infographic struck me when I was digging around. Check out the rest of the infographics! Really cool =)

Creative Examples of Infographics

MA Midterms.

2010-09-27T21:24:00.002+08:00

Just came back from dinner after my Managerial Accounting midterms. Frankly I'm quite disappointed with my own showing. Didn't manage to finish everything..

I really think the maximum I can get now for MA is a B at best. And that really sucks. URGH.

A pleasant reminder.

2010-09-22T02:30:00.003+08:00

To be able to have someone hear you bare you soul. To have someone who is willing to listen to you and understand you more than anyone else. Isn't that enough? It doesn't really matter who that person is, or how others see you. Just as long as you love each other.

Just saw a photographs of a friend of mine and got reminded of this. So thankful I have you, love =)

LG Portugal.

2010-09-17T00:07:00.005+08:00

Advertisements are moving away from merely stating the impressive specifications of products or showing how cool stuff look. Marketers are looking at how to alter the experience that consumers have with the product, and the image that the overall brand portrays.

What LG Portugal tried to do here was to show that LG brings the family together behind a TV Screen. In quite a literal sense, actually.

Of course, the video serves the purpose of targeting the expanding social networks market. By creating a compelling story, LG increases the chances that the video will be shared by people, hence creating far reaching impact than a typical TV commercial. Of course, it doesn't hurt that it's free and how a 7-minute TV ad worth probably be really expensive.

Armani Jeans

2010-09-16T21:37:00.001+08:00

The new video of Cristiano Ronaldo in Armani Jeans. Cheeky!

Post 777.

2010-09-16T21:35:00.002+08:00

And the dark cloud that has loomed over my head for the past two days cleared as if it were never there. Maybe all we needed was a little talking. =)

What a number, by the way!

According to the American publication, the Orthodox Study Bible, 777 represents the threefold perfection of the Trinity - Wikipedia

IE9 -___-

2010-09-16T14:28:00.003+08:00

So I had a rough day and half my brain cells drained from watching Macro Econs webcast and I decided to go on to Mashable to see if there was anything interesting I could read (there often is). But guess what? All I see today was the Launch of IE9. Grr...

From the article, it seems like quite a good offering from Microsoft since it promises to be faster than Chrome and to "beautify the Web". But honestly? If I trusted IE, I wouldn't be using Firefox now. And IE's not even my 2nd or 3rd choice of browser. When they finally have IE9 for Mac, I will download it and try it just so that I can say "ha! I told you so!".

Internet Explorer 9 Has Arrived via Mashable

Edit: Okay, ignorant me just realised that Microsoft stopped support for IE for Mac since IE5. It's just as well I guess =P

The end of all things Supernatural

2010-09-15T18:01:00.002+08:00

I just finished watching the very last episode of Supernatural. There's Season 6 that's being showed in the US now, but it doesn't really count since the producer only ever wanted to make 5 seasons.

I know it's lame to feel this for a mere show, but I feel a sense of loss, which comes with any ending, I guess. Supernatural has taught me that family is the most important, and that we should always treasure the things that we have without always looking for that greener pasture that's never going to happen. Of course, there's the greater theme of God being in control of everything towards Season 4 & 5. Who says a show about the Supernatural is only about spooks and effects?

Now that my source of indulgence has been depleted, it's time to look for a new one! Okae, just kidding! More like it's time to really focus on studying and getting my 4.75 every semester. I don't know if I can do it. Hell, I'm inclined to think that I can't. And I know no one actually honestly thinks that I can. But what are dreams for if they are achievable? Let's kick some ass here! I feel the blood coursing through me!

2010-09-15T17:55:00.002+08:00

Have you ever had something to say but didn't because you didn't want to hurt someone? Well, I have. And I guess I should have just stuck to that principle. But what if you thought saying that thing could make things better?

5 Winning Social Media Campaigns to Learn From

2010-09-15T11:11:00.001+08:00

Take a look at this article about the Top 5 Social Media Campaigns this year. Quite interesting to see what companies are doing to engage the growing population of netizens. Somehow YouTube seems to be the top influencers with regards to viral marketing...

5 Winning Social Media Campaigns to Learn From via Mashable

Dilbert Takes on Social Media Marketing Managers

2010-09-14T13:56:00.003+08:00

I totally LOL-ed. I hear more news of companies doing the exact opposite though. Which begs the question: What's the balance?

Dilbert Takes on Social Media Marketing Managers
via Mashable

Head-to-head: Kindle vs. Apple

2010-09-14T10:48:00.002+08:00

This is a video about Amazon marketing their Kindle as anti-glare and superior to its competitor, the iPad.

The implicit message is also that Kindle is sexier than the iPad as shown from the hot babe vs. the geek. The Kindle is also marketed as more user friendly since it doesn't take a geek to use it.

New York Times Will Go Out of "Print" Sometime in the Future

2010-09-10T10:26:00.002+08:00

Personally, I still like the feel of holding a newspaper, smelling the ink, and reading stuff without having to strain my eyes because of the back-lit LED screen. Then again, revenues are falling, and I am guilty of not subscribing to even the Straits Times. It's true that all the information I get comes mainly from the Internet instead of the papers or even the television nowadays.

The day will come soon when we will have to part with nostalgic trappings and give up the newspaper as we know it now...

New York Times Will Go Out of "Print"; Sometime in the Future via Mashable

Google Instant Search

2010-09-10T10:05:00.002+08:00

Just read an article regarding the implications of Google's Instant Search.

Are we becoming even more impatient and accustomed to fast information that Google would have to resort to this? Personally I think it's a great innovation on the part of Google. I never did think that they could squeeze something like this out of something as simplistic as a search engine.

The article also spoke a bit about Predictive searching. If that comes true, I think we would really have arrived.

Read the article here via CNN

A backward glance..

2010-09-09T02:23:00.002+08:00

It is a cliche, but in the twinkling of an eye, I have become a sophomore in university. The army experience that seemed so fresh just a few months before now seems lodged far away in the recesses of my memory.

Today (or rather yesterday) marked the Bizad Club's AGM for AY 09/10. It also marked my handing over of the post of Director of Digital Media and Publicity to Jolene. She will now become the 24th Management Committee's Director of Publicity and Publications. Which makes me the only Director of DigiPub ever to live.

The scene was familiar yet not. We have been in their shoes before. I could totally relate to their hopes and dreams and that feeling of hitting the ground running. Personally, however, I was feeling a little tired of having to sit through another Bizad event which only we attend. Somehow we would need to address the issue of apathy on the part of the average Bizader.

But that's not the point. The point is, I will probably never sit together with this group of people I call the 23rd MC ever again. We have officially disbanded. Will everything be the same ever again?

The Future of Ad Agencies

2010-09-08T15:09:00.001+08:00

Just read a good article about the future of marketing and advertising beyond the mobile apps and social marketing that we see now.

Take look, as my Asian Marketing prof says it: via Mashable

New Nike+ App for iPhone!

2010-09-07T10:27:00.003+08:00

I am so going to buy this new app! Finally something that doesn't require Nike+ shoes or the chip that they had.

Perhaps this is just the motivation I need to start running...

Nike Unveils New iPhone App Just for Runners via Mashable

Out Goes the 23rd.

2010-09-06T15:25:00.002+08:00

Today is the first day that I am going to school not wearing the hat of a Director of Digital Media and Publicity. I was shocked to feel a tinge of sadness when I sent out that email blast to Clement that Kenneth requested. There was a sudden realisation that I would not be doing this anymore. Jolene, my successor, would be doing all of these things from now on..

I thought I would be glad to finally give over my duties to someone who is still fresh and raring to go - the work can get demanding at times when everyone is breathing down your neck for that email blast or that poster that you have to design. Never did I imagine that I would actually be sad that this phase of my life is over.

Honestly speaking though, Bizad Club gave me some of my closest friends in NUS today. I am really glad that I had the 23rd MC to call home. We might not have been the best performing MC, or even the most cohesive one, but in my opinion, we are DA BEST!

Personally, my role also allowed me to grow both as a person and in my technical skills. I don't think I would be able to work as well under stress if I didn't take on this job. Of course, perhaps I would have just let my Photoshop skills rot throughout the whole of last year. You know, Digital Media is really something that I truly love, and I'm glad I had this channel to express it =)

Now that it's all over (even though I still have a whole lot of things to handover to Jolene), I feel kinda empty. But I am sure God will lead me into another phase in my life! =)

I <3 Bizad!! If you are reading this, don't forget to support our activities and watch out for that new website that I will be rolling out!

iPhone 5?

2010-09-06T15:19:00.003+08:00

via BizarroComic

Spartacus Project: JUMPSTART!

2010-09-03T01:09:00.001+08:00

Yes, I have decided to jump start my Spartacus Project once again starting with swimming tomorrow!

Ping?

2010-09-03T00:35:00.002+08:00

The whole world is talking about Ping right now, and Apple apparently said that it will be immediately available to 20 million people in 23 countries. Well, I'm not seeing it here in Singapore. Hell, I'm not even seeing iTunes 10 anywhere!

That said, when it actually comes, I am so gonna miss the CD on my iTunes =(

See NYTimes
See Mashable

Morals vs Law.

2010-09-02T23:50:00.003+08:00

I was discussing with a friend of mine today about the morals of downloading American series off the Internet. The whole topic was sparked off because she was watching Mad Men via a streaming site and lost the connection midway. I suggested torrenting it to save all the pain, and somehow it led to the morality of downloading material off the Net.

Well, to be sure, it's illegal due to licensing infringements and all, but is it actually immoral?

All too often we equate the law with morality, almost as if the law is our conscience. Well, the truth is, a lot of immoral things are legal, and a lot of what is considered illegal is well, not immoral. Take for example the speed limit on a road. You would get a traffic summon if you sped beyond 10 km/h. But what is the difference between travelling at 90km/h and 91km/h? Well, none. I hope you didn't start beating yourself up because you did something immoral!

That said, I didn't have a problem with what my friend felt about downloading stuff off the Net. Just a thought that popped into my head that I felt I could share =)

New iPod Touch with Camera and Apple A4 Processor!

2010-09-02T12:20:00.001+08:00

The new iPod Touch has front and rear facing cameras! That plus the fact that it has an Apple A4 processor that also powers the iPad and iPhone 4. Looking great as usual!

But then again, it seems like the gap between the iPod and iPhone are narrowing. Why still use an iPod then? You know, when I was at an Apple store in Bugis the other day, they don't even sell iPod touch covers anymore. Is the iPod coming to an end?

Why the Apple A4 is the iPod Touch's Killer Feature

Looking awesome, Google Voice.

2010-09-01T14:32:00.003+08:00

It's just too bad that they only have it in the US now. Can't wait to try it! Hopefully it doesn't become another one of those stalled projects like Google Wave..

Guess what I got in the mail today...

2010-09-01T09:53:00.003+08:00

Looks like Nike is telling me to start prepping for that half-marathon I am supposed to be running at the end of this year! Should I sign up for Nike 10K? Personally I am quite disgusted with my level of fitness and fatness, so I think I should really start doing some exercise outside of the meagre IFG swimming trainings...

To go or not to go..?