It's a rarity to see chinese characters on my blog ya? Haha, but sometimes I must confess chinese words are brilliant in describing almost anything under the sun! Especially those four-letter words that could easily put many linguists to shame. I mean four-letter chinese words! What the #$%@ were you thinking? Oops.. Anyway, I came up with a poem - a guilty pleasure. Literature geek I am not, but I remember scoring the highest in class for one Literature CA in sec 2. Haha... Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was quite captivating!! Not digressing, this piece of writing is conjured by a spark of inspiration. Melancholic is something I do not want to be known for, but I like to translate my thoughts and feelings in a nice manner. For those who might suspect love or love sickness is in the air, I am terribly sorry to disappoint... Appreciate if you can (Short of only a gun pointing to your head!)
Musing of the bemused There my angel materialized, time and time again. Isn’t she an alluring flower? Or is she the devil’s advocate? To bravely acquaint would be great, but Casanova I certainly ain’t. My heart can only flutter, maybe for the wrong reason I speculate.
So close yet so far, even a loser can have more luck. Vexed, confused, I wonder what’s wrong with me? To desert infatuation is easier said than done, Thus I cling onto the hope of that chance to be with thee.
Did God not ordain for love to blossom? For romantic tales never fail to fluff one’s emotion. But the master of reality came to misshapen, Or am I the puppet of my own imagination?
For the mind is often easily deceived, As passion is the enemy of logical thinking. Loves entails more than what we perceive, Oh! Whoever said that love is only a feeling?
Written by yours truly, Rayzor'06...
Actually VJ Titanium have not shown another side of my musical influence - and that is PUNK rock music. Okay, okay, it's still rock to the common audience, but to me, it opened doors to a whole new dimension of rock! Of course, some of you might be familiar with Blink 182, The Offspring, Green Day and more recently Good Charlotte and Simple Plan. However, punk music was born in seedy streets of where else, but London again in the 70s. VJ Titanium (if I were to call him in short form, it might not go well with the ladies, ahem...) will bring an excellent track by an excellent punk band called Rancid!! It is enjoyable and won't damage your speakers or eardrums.
Rancid - Time Bomb
CDs shopping trip = guilt trip But will be trppin' to my CDs!!! Grrl! I got a GIP interview! But I dunno wat to wear... Making my soccer match comeback after injury!! The solar system now has 8 planets officially. Am I correct? Look out for updates in the near(about 70 odd years maybe) future!
Preparing to blog again tomorrow!!
Laid to Rest at 10:17 PM;
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Eventful is an understatement for this week. Period. Apart from the training and carrying out mundane tasks at work daily for my IA, the past 168 hours was littered with many insightful incidents. Little episodes directed by God, characters played by different people around me and I was the one to watch it unfold - with a myriad of emotions and afterthoughts.
Synopsis of snippets: - Heartened by my cell's concern for each other! - Needed a word from God, TAWG wasn't fruitful but was given a verse that spoke right into my spirit! Surprisingly, it was sent by a former XA camp group member! Thank u if you're reading my blog. - Needed a confirmation from God, no word this time but He gave a sign. Not affirmative but enough to relieve my burden. I will continue to trust in the Almighty. - My dad had a fall at work. Miraculously, he only sustained superficial injuries - given the hazardous environment on the grounds of Changi Airport. He did not even see the doc for an MC. Full marks for God's protection! - Experienced not once but three times the blessings of God after honouring my mum. - Tried to encourage a fellow bro after a setback happened to him, thank God all is well now. Inspired by his positivity and relentless belief. - Tried to resolve a misunderstanding between a fellow sis and myself, thank God all is well too. Got to learn how to be sensitive and thoughtful. - Witness another fellow sis following Christ in getting water baptised! Kudos to her as she takes a courageous step of faith. God has indeed been speaking, not forgetting the valuable revelations learnt in L cell, cell and service as well. Will share some lessons in time to come. Praise be to God!
Normally, VJ Titanium tends to deal a barrage of videos to kick off the weekend - not the weekdays. Guess what, going against the grain of secular norms, VJ Titanium will celebrate the coming week with a Brit Rock Special. Although sounding rather poppy or soft at times, British rockers never fail to produce impressive songs with the occasional deep lyrics! I have been to London twice and both visits were great experiences as I immersed myself into the culture, lifestyle and inevitably the music! Blessed 168 hours ahead!!!
Blur - Song 2
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Oasis - Champagne Supernova
Arsenal lost, think twice about getting their costly jersey -_-" Finally got to admire my Intune efforts! Wrote a poem, will share it after polish. To inSTEP or not to inSTEP?
Why did God endow us with two brains, but only one mouth? So that we will think twice before speaking! Duh.
No no, this is not gonna be a nasty and vulgar entry on my blog. Just pondering on how useful the modern day fork is in our daily lives, in fact, I face great difficulty eating (be it chicken rice, vegetable rice or even pasta) without a fork. The Fork, actually has a controversial history during the Victorian times, where it experienced the same amount of dispute as with today's issues of gay marriages or stem cell research.
At one time, this practice was primarily that of courtesans, prompting the Church to ban the fork as an immoral influence [Gruber]. "God in his wisdom has provided man with natural forks - his fingers. Therefore it is an insult to Him to substitute artificial metallic forks for them when eating."[Giblin]
This brings to mind two important lessons I learnt. In conjunction with PM Lee's "Every grain of sand/Singaporean matters" illustration during the National Day Rally, I believe everyone has a purpose on Earth and is important. It's just a matter of perspective of the attention he/she receives. E.g. A fork is more important than a knife or vice versa. Everyone who has come this far has a story to tell as well, and we must consciously make an effort not to judge others. The other noteworthy thing is the influence of human wisdom against the God's will. It is both amusing and appalling to think that people back then can believe it is ungodly to use a fork!! So, I guess we must constantly be examining what we are believing and not just do what others are doing or for the sake of doing. WE must not also fall into the herd mentality or the Emperor's New Clothes crowd who agreed the emperor was not naked! It definitely pays to stand strong - with wisdom of course!
Heavy eh? VJ Titanium will lighten things up with this sunshine tune by one of my first encounters with alternative rock music. Nothing heavy, promise... :) Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life
Tagboard not working -_-" but Goatee is reborned... In Flames overload :s Watched "Anthony Shaffer's The Wicker Man"(1973) Excellent story, deeply disturbing, very thought-provoking! My favourite comedy series Little Britain is out on DVD!!!
There is a thin line between being philosophical and smoky, and I am threading that very line...
Laid to Rest at 8:33 PM;
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Haha... Recently looked back at my posts and found that they were rather lengthy. If you were half expecting my blog to end here, you might as well click on your favourites and surf something else. Haha, a bit bitchy eh? Just a bit upset, infuriated at the way certain things are turning out, vexed at emotions churning out, seething that some energy is burning out. On the bright side, there is a Faith Impartation at church to anticipate tomorrow night! I shall not go into my life, but believe with faith that God will sort it out for/with me! Amen!! I am a winner, not a whiner or a wanker for that matter... Oops no offence tho'.
Anyway, was surprised by reports of a commendable rendition of Guns N Roses' Sweet Child O Mine by Singapore Idol Jasmine Tye. I did not catch it as I was watchin Rockstar: Supernova on Starhub Channel 18 - a much cooler and rockin' show than S.I.!!! As it features members of various bands[Metallica, Motley Crue & GNR](my favs.) forming a supergroup and searching for a frontman/woman(yes, the girls haave balls to rock too!!) to lead da band, Supernova. The contestants(Storm Large 4ever!!) are all super impressive and a weekly dose of classic rock tunes won't hurt ya? Highly recommended!!! Every Wed, Thur @ 8pm and repeat @ 11pm.
It is one of my all time favourite, my one time ringtone, and a gem till today! Revel back into the swinging 80s with VJ Titanium, as he will bring the house down with the original!! Guns & Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
Did not make it for next round of casting for 5 Takes sobz INSTEP sabotage! temperature of my O+ blood: boiling Applied for GIP Keeping my fingers crossed I'm freaking pissed, give me peace... Urgh! Sudoku and Subutex, equally addictivE??
If life is a rollercoaster, I wish there is a power shutdown!
Laid to Rest at 10:43 PM;
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Greetings to all the silent, and the occasionally vocal followers of my literature shrine(no lah, not my cult website{freudian slip}), I am still recovering from my ankle injury and I hope that I won't need to wait till Power Weekend to get healed(tongue firmly in cheek). My sore throat has been as a rollercoaster affair, on and off so often, or as often as an ambivalent girlfriend, that I lost count! Furthermore, to pile on my physical toil, I showing signs of having flu!! I guess, even for those with butter-fingers, the easiest thing to catch is the common cold!!! Thus, without sounding like a whiner, my workout schedule is severely compromised... :(
Industrial attachment has begun to integrate into my life(it's my 7th week already), as I don't have trouble waking up early and cherishing my weekends evermore! I also try to observe, try and learn as much as I can, except that I have not really got down to start writing my logbook, oops! On hindsight, I have prepared a draft and contents of what to elaborate on already.
Qi'En and I continued to litter our conversations with almost anything under the sun, from our musical interests to our Christian faith(though approx 70% is the former). And we just realized that our other IA mate, Reza is a true entrepreneur as he has been doing various business ventures and receives an attractive(4 figures) mthly income even as a student! An so you thought being a tutor is lucrative enough huh?
Life without the stress from the tutorials, quizzes and projects is evidently a tat better than I expected, but I am missing out on the freedom to control much of my time and the fun that I can have without being constricted to my office/lab for that matter. This IA experience let me discover with much shame how much spare time I have during my school term! Again, it is a reminder to be a good steward of time.
For those who are not always really interested in VJ Titanium's segment, I am sorry to disappoint ya'all as this part of the blog will remain till the blog cease to exist! Haha. Anyway, it serves as a way for me to introduce and keep track of my favourite songs and their videos, killing two birds with a stone rite? I also hope that it will entertain some who are daring to try a new music genre! Today is a serving of old school metal by a very young American band called Trivium. It starts off with devillish growls (you may fast forward), then angelic crooning of the chorus(surprisingly by the same 18-year-old frontman!!) and the best part is a double whammy of melodic solos by the frontman and the lead guitarist! Amazing!! Be amazed, be very amazed!!!
Trivium - Like Light To Flies
I was in AV club for 6 years! Hence the audio and visual treat.. hehe Waiting for my payday already Wanna grab the new Arsenal FC jersey Gonna indulge in some metalcore recommendations Looking forward to another weekend! Need a day off to go back to school to settle admin stuff...
I am the guy your mother warned you about!
Laid to Rest at 8:22 PM;
Saturday, August 12, 2006
A lot of people know me for being funny and also responsible for that occassional (i hope) morbid joke. Macabre humour aside, I am ranting about pain seriously in this entry. I have suffered from various degrees of pain (physical, mental & emotional) throughout my life thus far, but this week was pretty intense - on the physical side. No pictures will be posted as I will spare you all the visual details, but enjoy my vivid take on my predicament(s).
First member inducted into my "Hall of Pain" was my ongoing bout of sore throat. Despite watching what I ate, taking liang char like water and drinking water like breathing air, all these never seem to alleviate my plight. What made it worse was that I still have my voice but it hurts when I talk; and I don't cough much this time round, but every time I cough was a dry one that makes my throat want to emigrate to Afghanistan - simply unbearable. This, is just the tip of the iceberg.
On Tuesday, I was having dinner with my mum at home after I knocked off from work and ta bao home some hawker food. Before I could even tuck in my bowl of bak chor mee (with ter kwa mind ya), the unthinkable happened! To make a quick unwrapping of the disposable chopsticks, I clenched them in my fist and jabbed them onto the table surface. Like being struck by lightning, although I had never experienced it and I hope it will never happen, a searing pain shot through my thumb! In a flash, a 2 cm long wooden splinter was embedded in my mother of all fingers!! My mum froze just like my thumb, and the pain soon paralysed my brain. Ok, forget poetry in motion. The time of my affliction seemed like eternity as I tried to use brute force to pull that prick (hey friend, not you la, don't be offended) from hell out. My mum wanted me to go to the GP to remove it but my faith paid off in the end. As I pulled and mumbled indecipherable prayers, I begin to sense progress in my own DIY operation. Soon, with final tug and a last gasp of "Amen!", it came out!! Thank God it's a boy, oops I mean there was no blood whatsoever and only a barely visible scar. Dinner resumed.
There is a Chinese saying as well as a Hokkien one that basically says that trouble/mishap happens more than just once, and I can attest to them. On National Day, I met up with several church friends and their own friends to play a 11-a-side friendly soccer match. With good weather, a nosy referee and even a few supporters, it was destined to be a great day, or so I thought. The half time score was 3-1 in my team's favour and I scored 2 goals in the process!! The second half was to be the time I search for my elusive hat trick, or so I thought again. However, I was only on the field for 5 minutes into the second period. As I was jumping to head the ball, it flew above me and I missed, but my next move proved to be my undoing. I landed with my toes pointing downwards and upon impact with the ground's pot-hole, my leg gave way. I sprained my ankle and was out of action immediately. What a bummer!!! It was an agonising premature trip home and boy it was one of my worse National Days ever as my mum gave me a ticking off for my act of self affliction, although the fireworks did took my suffering off for a while. I got a day's mc after visiting a sinseh who gave my a foot "massage", acupuncture and electro treatment! On the pathway to recovery...
Ok, something to lift up the mood with VJ Titanium is a favourite that never fails to make my body move, I also bought their T-shirt recently. Raise your hands and stamp your feet!
Funeral For A Friend - Escape Artist Never Die
Added tagboard on blog Received encouraging comments about my Nanyang Chronicle Intune articles Received flattering comments as well, ironically, I myself have not seen it yet! Did not waste my Power Weekend handbills Was impressed by my cell's efficiency in handing them out Great ice cream at Swensons, but.... cough, cough Looking forward to No Signboard seafood tonight!!
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Laid to Rest at 4:31 PM;
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Even as my country of birth, Singapore celebrates her 41st birthday today, I would like to share ten fascinating (i hope) facts about me and this day! 1. I participated the 1993 National Day Parade by performing with my school's military band. 2. I then hated participating in NDP due to the amount of hard work needed to perform and the countless weekends burnt. 3. I was on a TV programme (Channel 8's wu3 hou4 xian2 qing2) because of the band. It was an interview but I lost the video footage ages ago. 4. I got to watch the NDP preview once during my secondary school days. 5. I get to watch the fireworks every time the NDP is held at the National Stadium. 6. Thank God I was never mobilised during my National Service days for the NDP. 7. Apparently being a member flag bearer team for SAFTI MI needs a minimum height and cannot wear spectacles, regardless of rank though. Thus, I escaped... Phew! 8. I sang backup vocals on one of the National Day songs! 9. I submitted a poem about Singapore too, did not win anything though. 10. I made up points 8 & 9 up ... Hehe
More interesting stuff I wanna share from one of Singapore's renowned writers, Catherine Lim. The following is an excerpt from her AMUSES/MUSES section in TODAY newspaper dated August 7 2006, Monday. Be amused nonetheless
Said the priest: "Beware this sinful organ I shall not mention it by name It gives man so much pleasure But causes much regret and shame!
'Though it's only a small roll of flesh From it all mischief has sprung I will now show you this monster!" And the priest put out his tongue.
Today, VJ Titanium also decide to go a little candid by bringing you a spoof video of the Nirvana video I posted up in my last entry, super funny & excellent videography as it looked like the original! Sans the ridiculous lyrics that is. Btw, the artiste made a living doing spoofs of famous songs. Go for a pee first before pressing "Play"! Weird Al Yankovic - Smells Like Nirvana
Realized the habit of having lengthy blog entries. Looking forward to soccer match later! Looking forward to fireworks later!! Enjoying CDs borrowed from Qi'En!!!
Happy Birthday Singapore!! P.S. "My passport made me do it."
Laid to Rest at 12:05 PM;
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Interestingly, the 7th month hungry ghosts festival will be "celebrated" twice in two subsequent months this lunar year, as it is to "balance" the chinese lunar calendar. Amazingly, in my neighbourhood (geylang area) and at my workplace, people are extremely superstitious of what they say and do. Words associated with death are taboo and neither can one complain about the constantly distracting getais, or the customary dinner with ear-straining blares from the ever present auctions, and even the PSI level of the Singapore air. Many may argue that the population of people really conducting the rituals and ceremonies are on the decline, but one can never refute the strong belief in the spirits of the dead amongst the living - including Christians. Disappointingly, preachers also hardly touch on this issue - once in a blue moon perhaps. On hindsight, I came up with this useful conversation tool out of curiosity. If you are a fellow Christian, I hope you will find it useful for SALTING. For my fellow friends who are of a different faith or belief system, I will really appreciate and sincerely hope that you will be open minded enough to read on and ponder upon my quip.(Not a fib ok?) Here it goes:
Do you think there are ghosts or spirits? Are you afraid of the dark? Or do you get the nerves when going home or to the toilet late at night? Or are you on the alert not to offend them? Do you believe in their existence? Even if only 1 answer is yes, and you can truly believe in something based on knowledge and people's accounts per say (pardon me if you had an unfortunate encounter), why don't you believe in a God that truly exists or that Jesus is not fictitious? There is written evidence(the Bible), irrefutable existence(even our historic calendar uses B.C.and A.D. [Before Christ and After Death]), and the constant influx of testimonies of His miracles! Dear friend, if you have the faith to belief in a set of cables and a metal box that can transport you up and down several hundred feet off the air daily (it's the elevator, duh..), why not take a step of faith to belief in Jesus? Take this win-win gamble and you will be guaranteed your returns!!
There is no pun intended, but VJ Titanium will like to share one of the songs that got me into rock music. This song caught my attention in a split second, and they were a household name during the 90s. The frontman, Kurt Cobain, may have passed away, but the grunge kings' legacy remains till today. Savour their crowning moment!
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Holidays have ended for many, jia you for all! :) Under the reign of irritating sore throat :s Must start to be diligent at work! :o Countdown to EPL starts now... erm :p Application woes :(
From Kurt's suicide note, quoting Neil Young: It's better to burn out than fade away
Laid to Rest at 8:08 PM;
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Don't get me wrong about going poetic, philosophical, spiritual or even wanting to send you on a guilt trip or guide you on the pathway to nirvana. But more often than not, especially in a place like Singapore and this age where there's no room for all things slow, we take things really for granted! Whether it's the paper chase that we signed up for since we start to mouth words, or the corporate ladder climb that ensues which got everyone so consumed. From selfless acts for noble causes, to selfish pacts that only gratifies oneself, we tend to forget the simple things in life. Personal confession: I also fall victim to being busy, so this is just my 2 cents, and I will try too!
My bottomline is, though life sucks, we can constantly be living contented! Just like adding sugar to coffee for less of the bitterness, try to make the conscious effort to be thankful for your health, the posessions you have, the intangible gifts like wisdom and heart of love, appreciate people like family and friends, or even trivial things that draw that effortless smile! The world is already fully packed of whining people, so do yourself a favour. Quoted shamelessly from Apple Mac - THINK DIFFERENT. Sounds difficult, now just think about one thing you cherish most(Thanks to Nigel for that thought-provoking question)... Got it? Heartened that you have it? Aren't you grateful?!
In conjunction with the one thing thingy, VJ Titanium dedicates this wonderful rock ballad to everyone out there - happy or sad. Be touched...
Finger Eleven - One Thing
Just became a Sudoku convert Had butter overload... Hey, what were u thinking my friend? It's just too much toast bread!! Dropped my iPod twice in two days!! Three times overall. 1st time was a miraculous survival from the clutches the evil porcelain throne(ma2 tong3).
Sore throat is killing me!!!
Laid to Rest at 8:31 PM;
ABOUT ICH
Psycho faraday.gonzo blogger.fanatic metalhead.gig goer.follower of Jesus.bhb church team striker.wld strip for Arsenal FC.
dean of sch of lameness.materialistic engineer.plays tennis/pool/snooker/bowling for fun.goes gym for vanity.
winning eleven addict.disillusioned guitar/air guitar hero.surfs the web but not savvy.self-proclaimed heterosexual fashionista.
avid reader of best-sellers & heavy metal magazines but no textbks.movie-chrondraic.TV/Youtube couch potato.habitual liar?!