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Just a bit of thick-skinned advertisement on behalf of an old friend (and by old I mean knew him for the better part of 13 years kind of old) of mine. His latest foray is into photography so I have done him the courtesy of putting up a slide show of his pictures on the page under the heading Pictures by an old friend (you can get the full sized version of the picture by clicking on it), and have also added a link to his flickr account under the Links of Note section of the blog. He's quite good for an amateur photographer and he's got some good shots (a favourite of mine is the one labelled Happy Monkey and his shots of Singapore's skyline is plain awesome). So if you miserable people are content with wasting your lives reading my blog you might as well waste a bit more of it and go view some of his pictures.

Paper Trail

Just a little note before we begin, as noted in the filler post "LUCKY STAR!" the blog did have a complete overhaul to a new "LUCKY CHANNEL" theme but an almost instantaneous condemnation of it led it to it's present state. And there you have it, straight talk like how I've been doing it all these years, no need for diplomacy or niceties, saying it like how it is. The question today is another one of life's paradoxes, a lot of people say money isn't everything, that greed is not good, well I say to you now, yes that is true, but wait! Only to a certain extent. Just look at us now, what exactly are we doing? Well maybe not at this very moment for some of us but we've already been sucked in to the great race for wealth and personal advancement, the great rat race of life. What is the purpose of all this studying, all this mental turmoil? It's all for that scrap of paper or papers called degrees, masters, doctorates and the like. These seemingly insignificant scraps of papers will and are already determining which roads we can and can not take in life. And what is it that all of us seek? It's wealth, you know it, I know it so there's no point in denying it. Oh sure some people might say they just want to lead and provide a comfortable life for their families and how are they going to do that? With cash of course. Sure cash may not be the money to everything, the rich and mighty are still felled by diseases and courses of nature but research fueled by cash may and will most likely find ways to overcome all if not most kinds of diseases. Everyday millions die of starvation when a few dollars could save these unfortunates. Everyday millions die of diseases which costs a paltry some to cure in developed countries. People say that money is the root of all evil, no it is not, like all weapons it is the wielder who is the most evil, and that is man itself. Money provides shelter, medical care and food. Money provides you with your posh landed-property and two continental cars. It provides you with your fine tailor made suits, exclusive club memberships and golf clubs. Money gives your family a comfortable life. What is the difference between a man who just wants to give his family a comfortable life and a man who wants to be ranked among the worlds richest? Just a few million dollars, ambition and some media exposure. Now I'm not saying that money is the most important thing in life but I would like to remind people the fact of what they are ultimately working towards. I've had enough of ignorant and hyped up religious fanatics going money isn't everything or that money is the cause of all evil. Money is the ultimate reason why the youth of today are working their asses off at educational institutions. Being broke won't save all the impoverished people in the world, but a suit case full of cash sure as hell will. If evil is to be attributed to anything in this world, it would be the hearts and desires of men.

Matters of Faith

I know this might shock you lot at home but some of the chaps down under seem to think I'm a religious person. While the notion of some people thinking that I still have an ounce of good in me instead of pure foul-mouthed scum is welcome I have to admit that I am surprised. Now I'm sure I won't be the first person to admit it (I know you assholes are just clamouring to say it too) but I am not a good person full-stop. I'm not saying I'm a bloody mass-murderer or drug peddler but I'm a far cry from being clean, having had my share of highly questionable adventures and endeavours. I mean everyone knows of how high-strung I am what with me spewing out vulgarities faster than a 6000 rpm Mini-Gun at the slightest thing that irks me. But there is one thing I always try to do no matter where I am, and that is attending mass every Sunday and for every day of obligation. Now I won't say I haven't missed a single one but I do make it a point to try my best. Now a lot of people wonder why I make so much effort seeing as it clashes with my abrasive personality. I can't really explain it to them as they're free-thinkers so religion to them is as foreign as politicians speaking the truth but I guess if I could ever be bothered to answer their queries it would be this. Since I've started living in Melbourne I've felt very much like a wanderer, not belonging in either place, every time I return so much changes making me feel like I'm stuck in the past, like I've never changed at all from three years ago. The only thing which remains a constant is the Church, the Cross and the Blessed Virgin. No matter where I go the Church is always there, always the same, a familiar sight, a most welcome sight. At least when all else fails, when I'm left all alone with no one to turn to the Church will still be there. I always feel at ease when I'm in Church, in fact I feel so relaxed and peaceful that I've got to try damn hard to not doze off. I won't say may faith is plenty and strong, but I'd like to think that it's constantly growing, maybe not by much, but bit by bit. Besides I always tell Sibu Ang Kau this, I've done a lot of wrong in this short life of mine, that's why I need to go to Church so much, to seek redemption, I'm not expecting much, I don't even know if he's listening, but the fact that I can make my peace with him, to ask for forgiveness is enough for me. Things change, people come and go, friends are made and lost, but at the end of the day at least the Church will always be there, even if I have nothing left.

LUCKY STAR!

An anime which I had the good fortune of coming across while on vacation at home, simply put it's super funny and cute. The show doesn't have much in the way of a plot or a story, just the daily happenings in the lives of a bunch of high school students in Japan and it has an awesome opening song, really upbeat and catchy. Really great and relaxing show to watch after a long day, I rate it a massive five stars. But for those of you who are only interested in serious anime with clear defined themes and storyline I suggest you give this one a pass as you'd most most likely describe it as a fiendishly childish show. The current blog layout has been derived from the ending segment of the show called "LUCKY CHANNEL", a spoof talk show manned by two characters from the show. This sudden change in layout from the previous dark and imperious trappings of red and gold to more cheerful tones is my future direction for the blog (either that or it could just be a one-off special depending on the feedback I get).

Directions

Ever lie in bed at night and stare into the abysmal darkness thinking what exactly are you doing with your life? What have you accomplished at this point in your life? Do you feel happy and fulfilled or just emptiness. We spent all our younger days wishing we could get older faster but now we're clamouring to go back to the ole' days. The great paradox of humanity. I sit here now typing this blog while trying to answer these questions myself and the answers I have come up with are very grim indeed. I have no idea what has become of my life, in fact I think I lost track of it as soon as I set foot here. And I'll be perfectly blunt, no offense to anyone, I'm stuck in a fucked up third-rate university which the better part of Singapore hasn't heard of before, I have failed to make any acquaintances at the mother-fucking place no matter how hard I try and I'm living in a cess pit. That about summarises my miserable life, add in a few more touchy matters for insult to injury and there you have it, shit, pure unadulterated fucking shit. I'm alone, I'm pissed and I'm at my wits end. Let me tell you something I didn't become bloody cranky and moody overnight, trust me you'd be the same if you were in my over-priced Nike Air Force One shoes. Most of my friends already know what they want with their life, already taking the steps to secure it. Friends and Brothers of Old in various elite units of the military, some already offered places in the prestigious National University of Singapore (NUS) and equally lauded Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and no matter what those Caucasian ass-clowns say NUS is one of THE top universities in the world. Others finishing up their Polytechnic diplomas and Millenia Institute (MI) 'A' Level's preparing to enter National Service (NS). All if not most have found their direction, a path laid out before them, all except me. Here I lay struggling in some third-rate university, here I lay lost and alone. Another night has come to pass, and once more I stare into the depths of the night.....and pray for a miracle.

Almost time......

So it seems that as with my previous trips home I usually tend to be swamped with so many appointments that my blog is left to stagnate and rot like my old secondary school Chinese textbooks. And since I am simply too bloody lazy to document every bleeding thing which has happened since my return I shall simply put up the very few pictures which were taken at one select event (in fact these were the only bloody pictures I took throughout my entire holiday here, except of course for that single solitary one when ole' Morg dropped by). So without much further ado I present to you the pictures that were taken when I went to meet Ian and crew for drinks at Siglap.

Tim's and I

And again

Now Ian

And again

Altogether now

And don't forget, smoking is bad for the health. Oh, and so is excessive drinking.