2 roads diverged & I took the 1 less travelled

A New Year...A New Beginning

2005-01-02T01:32:00.000Z

Its been a while since i last blogged. I guess I was too preoccupied with other stuff, but then again guess I was just plain lazy. Oh well... shall make this as one of my new year resolutions then --- Always do what I can today, never put off anything to tomorrow, we only have that many tomorrows.

Once again, a year flew by just like the wind. Like most people, it is at this moment of the new year that one makes his/her new year resolutions, look back at how he/she spent the last year and question : Have I done anything meaningful last year? Have I been wasting my life doing useless stuff? Have I said rash, hurtful things to people that I dont mean? Have I put God first in my life? The list goes on and on. You get the picture.

Anyway, the main reason for this post is that I wanted to share a Strait Times article with you guys. It struck a chord in me and got me thinking.

Picking up the broken pieces
Whenever tragedy strikes, life's lessons are learnt. But how long will it be before people get swept away by trivial concerns again?
By Sumiko Tan

WHEN sending out New Year wishes to friends at the end of each year, I've started to pause and think: What should I wish for them?
When I was younger, qualities like happiness, wealth and success took top priority. Have a happy, prosperous and successful New Year, I'd say.
After all, what is life if one isn't happy and rich and successful, I thought.
And, when you're in your 20s and on the cusp of your career and adult life, those are reasonable aspirations.
But life's not a party.
Over the years, as I've experienced the death of loved ones, encountered illnesses and found myself struggling to overcome personal hurdles, my priorities shifted.
These days, health and peace of mind are what I aspire to, and which I wish for others.
Last week, another word entered my wish-list: Safe.
Have a safe 2005, I've been SMSing my friends.
Be careful. Take care. Keep well.
For, events have shown, you never know what can hit and destroy you, even on a clear, bright and beautiful Sunday morning by the beach.
THE tsunami tragedy has touched the world the way Sept 11 did.
In fact, I would even go so far as to say the aftershocks of grief have been felt more greatly.
One reason is the sheer magnitude of the calamity. So many nations hit, so many people dead, so many nationalities affected.
Another is when it struck - a day after Christmas in the midst of a holiday period of partying, giving and celebrations.
And also where it struck - hotels filled with innocent, care-free tourists from faraway lands were among the places hit.
And how it struck - out of the blue, with no warning whatsoever.
And what it left behind - thousands of unidentifiable bodies decomposing in the tropical sun, destruction, hunger, thirst.
Isn't it amazing how, just one week ago on Sunday morning when we read The Sunday Times, life was so normal and, yes, even good?
In fact, 2004 had been winding to a happy close.
The pall of Sars was finally lifted, fewer people were unemployed, many got bonuses, more were flying off on holiday and there was a lot of shopping going on in Orchard Road.
And then this had to happen.
For me, the tsunami tragedy has been so keenly felt because it was so close to home.
It happened in places I was familiar with.
It could have been you, and me, holidaying in Phuket, Krabi and Langkawi.
Of all the poignant stories that have emerged, one really hit home - that of the six Singaporean women who had checked into a resort in Khao Lak for an all-girl holiday.
They are now missing and their smiling photographs on the front page of The Straits Times were a heart-rending sight.
Like them, I, too, love the beaches of Thailand. It's a Singapore girl thing.
How we love to pack off to Thailand, shop a lot, eat a lot, laze in the sun, compare our bargain buys and, best of all, sign up for the cheap and lovely spa treatments. Getting a massage, soaking in a flower-strewn tub, the manicures and the pedicures.
Every time I go to Phuket or some other tourist island, I see so many Singaporean women like myself.
And now this.
CARS have been streaming into News Centre ever since my company, Singapore Press Holdings, announced it would be a collection centre for tsunami relief.
On the first day, hundreds turned up and one level of the carpark was quickly packed with thousands of bags containing blankets, shoes and sheets.
We've since learnt that cash is best, but you can't fault people for wanting to help.
Whenever a tragedy occurs, those who aren't affected are filled not only with sadness but also guilt.
It could have been me, you think, and so you assuage the guilt of your good fortune by trying to chip in, in whatever way you can.
So you give blankets or you write a cheque, and you also remind yourself of how lucky you are.
A tragedy helps put life in perspective.
It shows you the fragility of existence.
It makes you grateful for what you have.
It makes you want to be a better person and to lead a more grounded, upright life.
The problem is, such life lessons tend to be quickly forgotten.
How many of us had vowed to live a more exemplary life after Sept 11, only to get sidetracked as the months went by?
How many had renewed those vows when the Iraq War took place and images of death were flashed again, only to fall by the wayside soon after?
And also the good intentions that came up in the midst of the Sars outbreak?
How long will the lessons of the tsunami calamity stay with us, or will it be a matter of days before we get tragedy fatigue, block out the images and go back to our grasping, greedy ways? How long does the goodness that bubbles forth each time a tragedy happens last?
And even if it goes away, can a residue of goodness remain behind, to accumulate over time and make us better people?
I don't know.
It's the start of a new year and we all have resolutions to make.
I'll leave you to yours but, meantime, have a healthy and peaceful 2005, and keep safe.

1st time i seen snow in years!

2004-11-21T16:59:00.000Z

Oh man, cant believe the weekend is over AGAIN! Time somehow always flies when you are enjoying yourself. Anyway, i had a long weekend this week. No school on friday. Friday went out shopping with some friends at Oxford Circus but didnt really get anything...just wasnt in a shopping mood i guess, especially since the shops were like overcrowded. After which we went to a japanese restaurant called misato in Chinatown. We queued for approximately 45mins, but the food was definitely worth the wait. For 6 pounds i had a gigantic serving of teriyaka chicken rice. The chicken was just heavenly and crispy. Which reminded me of my terrible attempt at making crispy sweet and sour pork on Thursday's dinner. Coated the pork with cornflour and egg, but still as soft as ever. Sigh, never mind, shall master it one of these days. =)

Saturday was definitely the highlight of the weekend. Day trip to Windsor Castle (Until now i still dont know which part of London or England it is at...opps...haha. Only know that it is a 1-hr coach ride from Victoria Station and the castle is one of the few castles the Queen resides in whenever it feels like it). We arrived at the castle just in time for the changing of guards, though it wasnt really impressive or anything except for the uniform they were in plus the famous black, tall furry hat that they put on. Haha. U can see it when i upload my photos. The castle was indeed an eye-opener. It has been around since the 1500s!!!! Can u imagine, this castle has existed way before Singapore was founded. The architecture of the place was flawless, perfect to the smallest detail. Too bad the security didnt allow any photography inside the castle, cant show u guys what u are missing out on. The only bad thing of the day was that it was raining! No nice sunset to watch at the castle, shoes and jeans getting wet from stepping into puddles of water, camera getting wet etc. Fortunately it wasnt a heavy rain, so we still manage to walk around and take photos. And the best thing was...........it snowed!!! Was so surprised!!! We were walking in the rain when i looked up and saw white specks falling to the ground and i realised...."hey, its snowing!!!". Haha. Wasnt actually a spectacular type of snow, but its good enough, considering that its only in November now and winter is coldest in January.

Sigh....have a computer mcq test tomm first thing in the morning. What a way to start the week man. Looks like its some late night mugging for me tonight.

Finally....

2004-11-19T09:27:00.000Z

I have always been skeptical about setting up an online journal. I guess that's because I always felt a diary is supposed to be something private & not meant to be shared with any strangers online. Actually i still stand by that belief, that's why you probably will not see me posting much issues on affairs of my heart or things I believe to be really personal to me.

Hmmm...so why then did I start a blog? Yong Cong pointed out something very true to me. Its quite a hassle always emailing everyone the SAME thing telling them how my life in London is getting on, etc. So i figured the best way to update everyone on how i'm surviving out here and share with everyone photos of places i have visited was to set up a blog. Whoever interested and come and visit this blog and i wont have to constantly repeat myself. =)

I know I know, i should have done this like ages ago and not wait until like 7 weeks of sch passed before setting up one. But i was really busy playing the past few weeks. Haha. What can i say man, London is sucha fun place and I would definitely recommend anyone to come here to study.

Anyway I promise to TRY and update this blog as much as I can. =P I will also try to make this blog look more presentable and upload all the pictures i have taken.

Alright, enough of this. A short update of what has happened to me the past 7 weeks. I arrived 1 week before school start and basically been doing school admin stuff and visiting tourist attractions in London. Freshers' Week was one heck of an experience, still remember there was a period of a few days that i drank more beer than water. Opps. Haha. But then again its the culture here and its Freshers' Week of madness for crying out loud, so u cant blame me. Haha. Ever since then have been doing lotsa ramdon stuff like making new friends from all over the world, chilling out in pubs and their rooms, trying out new stuff like ice hockey, training for soccer and tabletennis, learning how to cook (which i really come to enjoy alot and must say i am not too bad at it now...haha...so probably can whip up a sumptuous meal when i get back to Singapore. Will definitely be looking forward to that. In the meantime, shall be polishing my cooking skills.), shopping, etc etc and the list go on and on. Basically in a sentence, I am having a blast in London. But of coz i'm missing my family and u ppl back in Singapore too.

Oh yea, last weekend went up to Nottingham for Notts Games. Its basically a sporting competition whereby the singapore societies of all the universities gather in Nottingham for a day of competition in various sports such as soccer, netball, volleyball, blar blar blar. And of coz i took part in the soccer competition. It was extremely rough, I was shovelled, smashed to the wall and hooked at my ankles thousands of times and quite a few fights broke out too, good thing i came back not injured seriously. But we lost in the group stages, that totally sucked. Oh well, hopefully next year we can do better. Overall I had a great day, playing soccer, cheering my friends on in other sports and meeting up with friends from other colleges, and not to forget the drinking session with all my soccer guys too. Haha. Cheers mates!

Wow, got really carried away and didnt realise how long this first post was. Hope i didnt bore anyone. =)