One day, you wake up to news that your friend has leukaemia. The world comes to a standstill and it's all system shut down. It's like being in a vacuum, you feel breathless like your air supply will run out any second. And you feel around you, three hundred and sixty degrees with no one, no pillars to hold, feeling faint.
And this is the moment you truly experience the saying, "Do not fret over the small stuffs in life". All these tantrums, emotional mood swings, being overly-sensitive to things you hear and choose to interpret as rudeness or insults. Do we really have time to find reasons to frown upon?
I know he will do fine. It's a passing phase, a challenge of Love and strength. But I questioned this evening, why him? Why someone who seems the healthiest, most health conscious and exercises regularly? Why someone whom so many of us care for?
My heart was truly shattered today.
24 February 2011
22 February 2011
My mum doesn't quite understand the concept of "working from home". She thinks it's my excuse for not going to work or is my boss' polite way of telling me she doesn't want me in the office. The last time I went on extended MC for chicken pox, she actually asked if my boss was angry that I was absent for so long.
If only parents remain old-school this way, only in the good way. Where authority in school counts more than a word from a spoilt child. Mr. Y will then have an easier time as a teacher, not having to attend to overwhelming no. of complaints from parents in future.
My parents never spent much time with me growing up but they never once gave me the leeway to disobey teachers or to lodge a complaint with every whine.
A balance. Hopefully, working parents do not overcompensate their children for lack of time spent together, by overriding teachers at school.
Or so i say now. :)
If only parents remain old-school this way, only in the good way. Where authority in school counts more than a word from a spoilt child. Mr. Y will then have an easier time as a teacher, not having to attend to overwhelming no. of complaints from parents in future.
My parents never spent much time with me growing up but they never once gave me the leeway to disobey teachers or to lodge a complaint with every whine.
A balance. Hopefully, working parents do not overcompensate their children for lack of time spent together, by overriding teachers at school.
Or so i say now. :)
21 February 2011
Shaolin
It would be really cool if my son can be sent to Shaolin. to be instilled priceless values, disciplined through rigorous martial arts training at a culturally rich and historical "institution".
According to HDB...
According to a Customer Service Manager, Ms. Low Ai Ling, whom I spoke to at HDB today, securing a flat in Singapore very simply boils down to "pure luck" because of the random computer balloting system. No further prioritization to assist helpless, desperate homeseekers who are in a greater urgency to move in than a couple in their early twenties who just graduated from college.
The HDB officers we met and spoke to at the seminar told us to call / write in to HDB. Only to be given an answer that yes, it's based on luck.
This is the best part. She told me to expand my BTO options to "non-mature areas" that are so far from our parents, totally contradicting the government's call to stay near them. Now we are wrong for wanting to be filial? We also want to respond to the government's call to set a family earlier, having been together for 9 years now. But how so? once again, because we don't have a house...
I'm confused. All these mixed messages and media coverage. False sense of positivity around the new public housing policies. I don't feel anything. How do you feel a sense of belonging and patriotism to stay in Singapore when you can't even find a home at more than half a million dollars?
We have been scammed before, when we first moved to Punggol a decade ago. Punggol 21 didn't happen. Now all these new plans are announced in the lead up to the next General Election. Once bitten, twice shy. It's only normal that I'm so skeptical.
Prove me wrong, PLEASE.
The HDB officers we met and spoke to at the seminar told us to call / write in to HDB. Only to be given an answer that yes, it's based on luck.
This is the best part. She told me to expand my BTO options to "non-mature areas" that are so far from our parents, totally contradicting the government's call to stay near them. Now we are wrong for wanting to be filial? We also want to respond to the government's call to set a family earlier, having been together for 9 years now. But how so? once again, because we don't have a house...
I'm confused. All these mixed messages and media coverage. False sense of positivity around the new public housing policies. I don't feel anything. How do you feel a sense of belonging and patriotism to stay in Singapore when you can't even find a home at more than half a million dollars?
We have been scammed before, when we first moved to Punggol a decade ago. Punggol 21 didn't happen. Now all these new plans are announced in the lead up to the next General Election. Once bitten, twice shy. It's only normal that I'm so skeptical.
Prove me wrong, PLEASE.
13 February 2011
MTV EXIT - Support the cause
Every agency has pro bono clients. And very often, it's for a good cause.
It's MTV EXIT as our client this time round - the stories touch you and the stats and figures are beyond your expectations.
Support the cause to stop trafficking for sexual exploitation.
It's MTV EXIT as our client this time round - the stories touch you and the stats and figures are beyond your expectations.
Support the cause to stop trafficking for sexual exploitation.
MTV EXIT AND BLACK IRIS FEATURING BETHANY COSENTINO JOIN FORCES TO RAISE GLOBAL AWARENESS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Source: MTV EXIT press release (Our Client)
In an exclusive collaboration, MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) and music collective Black Iris featuring Best Coast’s lead Bethany Cosentino have produced a music video which raises awareness of human trafficking. When Will I Feel Love hauntingly highlights the impact of trafficking for sexual exploitation, particularly of young women.
The exclusive video is driving the launch of the new phase of a unique partnership between MTV EXIT and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to combat human trafficking in Asia. This year, a new series of 12 documentary films, hosted by local and international celebrities, will premiere across Asia-Pacific featuring the stories of real people caught up in the web of human trafficking.
The music video will premiere across MTV properties on-air and online around the world on February 14th 2011, and will be available to download on iTunes from 15th February at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/when-will-i-feel-love-feat/id417870235?ls=1. Proceeds from iTunes sales will be directed to anti-trafficking organisations working to rescue and rehabilitate victims of human trafficking. The video will be seen across all MTV platforms in 161 countries, and has the potential to reach more than 640 million households worldwide.
About MTV EXIT: http://www.mtvexit.org/index.php?lang=1
Read this at tan tock seng hospital ward the other day
当我老了，不再是原来的我。请理解我，对我有一点耐心。
当我把菜汤洒到自己衣服上时，当我忘记怎样系鞋带时，请想一想当初我是如何手把手地教你。
当我一遍又一遍地重复你早已听腻的话语，请耐心地听我说，不要打断我。你小的时候，我不得不重复那个讲过千百遍的故事，直到你进入梦乡。
当我需要你帮我洗澡时，请不要责备我。还记得小时候我千方百计哄你洗澡的情形吗？
当我对新科技和新事物不知所措时，请不要嘲笑我。想一想当初我怎样耐心地回答你的每一个“为什么”。
当我由于双腿疲劳而无法行走时，请伸出你年轻有力的手搀扶我。就像你小时候学习走路时，我扶你那样。
当我忽然忘记我们谈话的主题，请给我一些时间让我回想。其实对我来说，谈论什么并不重要，只要你能在一旁听我说，我就很满足。
当你看着老去的我，请不要悲伤。理解我，支持我，就像你刚开始学习如何生活时我对你那样。当初我引导你走上人生路，如今请陪伴我走完最后的路。给我你的爱和耐心，我会报以感激的微笑，这微笑中凝结着我对你无限的爱。
当我把菜汤洒到自己衣服上时，当我忘记怎样系鞋带时，请想一想当初我是如何手把手地教你。
当我一遍又一遍地重复你早已听腻的话语，请耐心地听我说，不要打断我。你小的时候，我不得不重复那个讲过千百遍的故事，直到你进入梦乡。
当我需要你帮我洗澡时，请不要责备我。还记得小时候我千方百计哄你洗澡的情形吗？
当我对新科技和新事物不知所措时，请不要嘲笑我。想一想当初我怎样耐心地回答你的每一个“为什么”。
当我由于双腿疲劳而无法行走时，请伸出你年轻有力的手搀扶我。就像你小时候学习走路时，我扶你那样。
当我忽然忘记我们谈话的主题，请给我一些时间让我回想。其实对我来说，谈论什么并不重要，只要你能在一旁听我说，我就很满足。
当你看着老去的我，请不要悲伤。理解我，支持我，就像你刚开始学习如何生活时我对你那样。当初我引导你走上人生路，如今请陪伴我走完最后的路。给我你的爱和耐心，我会报以感激的微笑，这微笑中凝结着我对你无限的爱。
Valentine
As with the last 7 years, Valentine's Day is not going to be fanciful tomorrow. Simplicity is key. It should be an everyday affair, not a once-a-year sudden expression of emotions and Love.
Yet I admit, we feel "obliged" to spend the day with each other. Otherwise, who? Not that easy to shake off social conventions and neglect the partner on Cupid Day.
And one day, we might find ourselves on the other side of the fence. When the number of people that celebrate Valentine's Day becomes negligible, we find ourselves changing our mind about being part of it. It's like an obsession, trying too hard to be different.
My exception? Well, I am a fan of all "cliche" weddings. The hotel wedding banquet, the photos, decor, ten-course menu, friends, family... ... They come at a cost too so there are increasingly more people who think they are unnecessary spendings but to me, they are all worthwhile. I truly enjoy myself at weddings, no matter how templated they are.
Yet I admit, we feel "obliged" to spend the day with each other. Otherwise, who? Not that easy to shake off social conventions and neglect the partner on Cupid Day.
And one day, we might find ourselves on the other side of the fence. When the number of people that celebrate Valentine's Day becomes negligible, we find ourselves changing our mind about being part of it. It's like an obsession, trying too hard to be different.
My exception? Well, I am a fan of all "cliche" weddings. The hotel wedding banquet, the photos, decor, ten-course menu, friends, family... ... They come at a cost too so there are increasingly more people who think they are unnecessary spendings but to me, they are all worthwhile. I truly enjoy myself at weddings, no matter how templated they are.
It's a little morbid that I enjoy crime dramas and real-life documentaries so much. Especially since it's not like I'm not paranoid enough when I walk through the really safe streets of Singapore.
Now that we have the additional channels, there's really no reason not to come home earlier and treat myself to the episodes marathon. Might as well, by staying home, I save more. :)
Now that we have the additional channels, there's really no reason not to come home earlier and treat myself to the episodes marathon. Might as well, by staying home, I save more. :)
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