The philosophy of thought.

Guy: I love you, you are so pretty.
Girl: Do you love me because I’m pretty, or am I pretty because you love me?
Guy: (confused) huh?
Girl: If you love me because I’m pretty then you love not me, but one of my properties (my looks). What if my looks fade? Will you still love me?
Guy: (flabbergasted) it’s the other
Girl: But if I’m pretty because you love me, then I’m not really pretty then. You evil boy!

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A re-adaptation of the passage from Euthypro. When you find a contradiction, kick it and don’t wait for it to stand up before you kick it again.

The unbearable lightness of being.

K.Y, J.L and I caught up over dinner at Fish and Co and later, the Starbucks at Wisma. We didn’t have the time to catch up properly during my revelry and I hope KY liked his birthday present, and that he will have a fruitful time over at UPenn. Another good pal that I’ll be missing in the coming months ahead, but nonetheless, life goes on!

RH3 has been good. Watched it with Song and Chao. My NUS password has been changed to reflect our camaraderie. May it carries us well through our university life.

School has been fine so far. There are many readings, from political science and sociology, and while some parts are really very new knowledge, there are parts where the readings are very hard to comprehend. Philosophy has been a fair game for my mind so far. Perhaps I am still a bit rusty. Despite that, I can’t wait to read more! I can’t wait to gain new knowledge and make it grow! : ) I pray God stretches my capability to understand and let the passion grow into a continuous quest for knowledge!

Managed to get hostel room into a decent condition. Had lunch with Yiqing and Disong at NUS and of course some random ramblings. I hope it brings me away from the distractions of home (the TV, Sofa, Newspaper, Bed, Books etc…) Thank God again for letting me get all my first choice tutorials (it is done through balloting) and giving my timetable a nice look to it.

An important 3 months ahead, and I will treat it accordingly to its importance. Lots of things to mull about. A. claims that she admires my ability not to bear grudges. But sometimes, I wish I can, so I can make a stand for myself.

Rondo Alla Turka, Radetsky and Pachelbel’s Canon

Canon de Pachelbel

I always do a bit of youtube surfing for string music after cello pract. I realised it helps me better in my appreciation of music and of course give me things to look forward to. This must be one of the best Pachelbel Canon I’ve heard for some time. Enjoy.

Rondo Alla Turka, Radetsky and Pachelbel’s Canon

And I especially like the last one. The Double Bass guy is really funny. Something that you and I can do in our gap year together one day, with our yet unknown hot keyboardist in tow. : )

That moment will really be worth training and waiting for.

范文芳 – 再见荧光兰

范文芳 – 再见荧光兰

Was doing a bit of surfing and I came across one of my favourite songs from those old time TCS serial.

building a lighthouse!

Received a postcard from Jie yesterday for the whole family. Was trying to imagine her walking around in a Yutaka and watching fireworks… haha. Had a good dinner with my ex gp teacher and some jc classmates at Jerry’s after school today. Laughed much again and had a few updates about each other.

Had a nice lunch with Meimin and the rest of the NM classmates too. What a pity Khoa isn’t around. Which talking about him, I checked-in my room at PGP today. It is a bit noisy and facing the road, but I guess it is alright. Talked to my neighbour who is a Vietnamese named Khoa too! We already struck up a form of understanding so I hope things will get better in the semester, especially when I’m taking Vietnamese as one of my modules. : )

And yes! I’m going to have to spring clean the room a little bit and make it a bit more cozy. Maybe I can hang my birthday tapestry on the wall. : )

Philosophy lecture though was not 100% comprehensible to me, was pretty much enjoyable and interesting! Gabriel and I arranged to sit together and act as each other’s buddy for throughout this module since it is the only one we are taking together. I’m supposed to remind him to play less while he is supposed to remind me to rely on Christ more often.

And that sums up my first week of school. Can’t wait to catch up on my readings and for next week to come.

first week of university life@NUS

I had my sociology and my political science lectures already. Both have been interesting in their own right. The lecture theatres were packed with people! Not to mention the Central Library too. This is only the first week of the new semester.

I got a surprise yesterday. Found out about my belated but successful application for Prince George Park Residences. Mom and Dad were the first to share my joy (Jie would be too if she is around). After that, I told my buddy, Hui Cheng and Yubao Laoshi and Min.

I should be checking-in on Friday and moving in by next week.

Went for the VCF tea party yesterday. Irving was very nice to accompany me. Gave out some thank-you cards that I’ve wrote for my OG. It made me paused to think how can I be a lighthouse for God in campus with the skills that I’ve picked up like Sanfu. These people also serve a gentle reminder that in my pursue for academic excellence this semester, I will not be walking alone. : )

I’ll be choosing my CCA soon. May I have the wisdom to make the right choices.

He changes times and seasons;
he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.

ちょっとロンドンでべんきょうをして来ます。

The supper just now after Japanese class made me realised that I would miss them so much when they leave for London in a month’s time. With them, I get the best of the both worlds. They set good examples for me while at the same full of fun and laughter.

Today is the time when the realisation that we are embarking on very different highways started to sink in deeply. There would not be the warm and familiar face that greets me in the JLPT prep class from next month onwards. I’ll be walking into the test center without him. There will be no buddy that I can conveniently dump my academic questions on. I take Chao’s and Song’s words very seriously. They are forthcoming with what’s good for me and even if I disagree sometimes, I will eventually reflect and change.

I have two very rare friends who are deeply steeped in my history, present and future at the same time. The level of comfort when I’m with them will be sorely missed. All these while, I thought of helping them to adjust in leaving in a foreign country. I totally forgot about helping myself first to adjust to the hole that they will be leaving behind in my life.

School is a welcome distraction. Knowing they will be mugging in their rooms on a cold winter day will make me pick up myself when I feel distracted and like giving up. There are many ways this year can hang on a good note. Like passing my JLPT3 and scoring As for my modules.

It may feel like a Herculean task right now. But the thought of these two friends will keep me on the road, and let me find strength in new places within myself that I’ve never thought I possess.

I did not shed any tears on my 21st Birthday revelry even though it was a very heartwarming affair. It will be very hard not to when these two friends take their leave. But I will try my best for the good of their hearts and mine.

Happy and Blessed 21st. :)

I’m blogging about Sister’s 21st even before I’m done with mine. But I think I can live with that. : ) Happy and Blessed 21st again! : )

12 years of friendship and still counting has been a great great blessing! That is like more than half of my life and we did have our fair share of ups and downs. Ah! There is no formula to maintain such friendships. Just a dose of everything that is good.

It was really a privilege to be there! Among all the future to be litigators… and to see what type of friends you hang out with. You have really great pals! When Ruishan asked me how did I manage to survive you all these years…   *telepathic qns. Haha! No wonder she is one of your bestest friends! *grinz

Ah! It was great time to be with the primary school friends. Like with Wei Chao and Anni, our banter was so comfortably casual, funny and relaxing. And it is nice to know everybody else is till doing well after so many years. : ) I mean after so many relentless years of changes and unique individual experiences, there is still yet the sense of familiarity through camaraderie; to be here together is really really a privilege to me.

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*Erjie should be in New York by now. The first of 6 good pals leaving for overseas studies. Lectures starting next week already. That is my priority.

a Cambodia Trip.

A little bit lag with my pictures, but I shall clear the Cambodia trip first!

Phnom Penh, or Cambodia in general is a place where everybody thinks of creative solutions with the simplest of materials to everyday’s problems.

Vanishing trades of old time Singapore can still be found in Phnom Penh, like this roadside barber.

The roads are wider and bigger than Vietnam, but the main transport is still by motorbikes. The roads are also filled with old toyota corollas that are refitted with airbags.

And like Vietnam, French influence in Cambodia’s architecture remains.

I thought this sign was a bit ironic in Cambodia where money and power talk.

Not a weird sight to see monks holding handphones in Cambodia, a country where the average factory worker earns 45USD a month.

Queuing for tickets to the Royal Palace under the scorching sun.

Part of the Royal Palace decorated with Gargoyles at the guardians of the temple.

A french house dedicated to the Cambodian King by Napoleon.

Along Sissowath Quay. The place gets filled up in the evenings with lovers and families coming out for picnics.

A very kind family by the Quay who offered me some of their food and kindly allow me to take this picture of them.

One part of the quay was decorated with the flags of all the countries in the world, in alphabetical order. Singapore’s flag was just located right in front of FCC (Foreign’s Correspondent Club) in Phnom Penh, which was our favourite hang-out.

A child soldier.

FCC is the Starbucks of Cambodia. It is a place where you go to find comfort in familiarity. Foreign journalists that covered the civil war used to fill up this place to file their stories and also to grab some drinks and comfort food.

Mekong Express. The cheap and good bus that we took to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh. Budget travel rendered us unable to take an airplane. But it was a terrific experience.

NGOs are everywhere in Cambodia, for the better or worse.

While capitalism is rapidly catching up in the country.

We had damn good food there. Mostly Khmer food with the odd Vietnamese dishes.

Teaching you how to use chopsticks… The instructions were bad…

The Old Market in Siem Reap was filled with live eels and catfishes in the most unhygienic environment that I’ve came across in my life. Mosquitoes freely feast on the produce…

 

Countless of shops selling very beautiful paintings of the temples of Angkor and also daily depictions of Cambodia life..

Cambodian children by the sidewalk of the Old Market doing their Chinese homework…

Volleyball is one of the favourite games of the local residents.

The temple of Bayon, second in popularity to Angkor Wat.

Tourists pay good money to relive the experience of the early French explorers who travelled to the temples of Angkor by elephants.

There was a guy sitting by one of the ‘windows’. I thought it was very emo…

Independent restoration projects by the French, Japanese, Germans, Indians and Koreans are ubiquitous at Angkor Wat.

A restored project by UNESCO sponsored by Japan.

This is the only angle where you can see the three stone heads at the same time. The human likeness of the Buddha face is due to the Jaya King VII dedicating the temple to his father; and had the sculptures of Buddha done to his father’s likeness. 

 

A Cambodian Picasso.

The Elephant Terrace.

This used to be a library. One of the many libraries that dotted the area leading to Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat. Under heavy restoration work…

It was a hot and steeped climb to the top shrine of Angkor Wat.

Adrian, Elroy, Zihao and Me.

The guys threw a surprise bday celebration for me at FCC Siem Reap. Everybody participated spontaneously… It felt really special to celebrate my birthday in another country.

Preah Kean. One of the less visited, but highly preserved temples. Made of pink sandstone. I think the artisans then were incredible to hammer out such lifelike bas relief.

Visited the landmine museum… It was a sobering affair.

Poker cards of landmines that teach you to recognise what type and which country they’re from.

Some of the defused landmines on display.

Cambodia is still covered with many landmines, with many more new casualties each day.

Ta Prohm is a temple hidden deep in the jungle. The place is left nearly the same as when the first French explorers discovered them.

Entrance to Ta Prohm. The place is very atmospheric… You can hear the jungles slowly reclaiming the space that is once theirs.

a pretty Cambodian girl who I believe should be in school studying rather then selling bracelets…

A soon to collapse library inside Ta Prohm.

The battle between man and nature is amazing.

On top of the highest temple in Angkor. You get the view of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and almost all the other buildings.

 

Everybody is up there trying to catch a glimpse of the sunset.

and a daring camera man who defied tourism police orders…

The clouds blocked out most of the sun, but it was very very windy up there. I love the tranquility of the atmosphere.

And I met Chun Yang up there. What a small world.

Although we didn’t get to see the full sunset, it was not a wasted trip. I finished two postcards up there! One for Jie, another one for Jianhui.

Went to the Cambodia Cultural Center. Apparently, Cambodia blame the UN for most of its ills…

Training to be Apsara dancers.

Young girls who aspire to be great Apsara dancers at the cultural centre. Not all will make the cut.

 

A segment of the Apsara dance.

A traditional Khmer wedding.

Kim, our tour guide in Siem Reap.

UK, our friendly driver. Cambodians speak quite much better English than their Vietnamese counterparts.

Fried cockroaches and grasshoppers… I was too grossed out to try any.

Beautiful skies in Phnom Penh.

The Russian Market in Phnom Penh. You can buy original Adidas or Nike Dri-Fit there for 4USD.

On the Tuk Tuk to the airport with all our luggage!

With Mr Tang, our friendly and honest Tuk Tuk driver. Adrian loves him.

Me trying to upload the pictures from all of our cameras onto my computer, while playing bridge at the same moment to kill time. Our Silkair flight was delayed by an hour and fifteen minutes.

*There are other side stories to this journey which included encounters with headless frogs and first-hand account on the lack of order in Cambodia. If you are interested, ask me!