Still full some 10 hours after the binge at Crystal Jade last night. I don't think I want to touch another xiao long bao for another couple of weeks!!
This week has been pretty good, exercising and releasing endorphins - thanks to all the ladies who sweated it out alongside. :) Have been relacking one corner in hall for almost two weeks now. I said I would start thinking about the essay some time this week, but haha, that looks highly impossible!! Hm, maybe I'll get to it after Christmas?
I really am enjoying this period - a student holidaying after a semester of hard work and grueling schedule of exams. I remember a senior telling me that work life feels like having an exam everyday, but I guess it's how one looks at it. I think if I were to feel like I had a final paper everyday for the next 30 years of my working life, I would... I think I would just retire early.
Heh, actually, I think about my retirement a lot, which is pretty ridiculous, given that I haven't even started working!?! But yeah, I think I'm looking forward to the golden years.
Hopefully I'll still be healthy and mobile, able to go on adventures in strange lands, able to give to others, able to indulge in silly romantic things, able to climb mountains, able to play with my grandchildren, able to look up girlfriends whom I've known for decades and yabber away, able to roam the market for things to cook for my family and friends, able to serve others, able to sit crossed legged on the patio with an old man and practice taiqi together, able to stretch and touch my toes, able to eat from the ground what I've grown with my own hands, able to vote for the next government - doesn't matter if his surname is Lee as well, as long as he's a good leader, able to marvel at the sunrise, which I think I'll catch pretty often cos I hear old people don't sleep much, able to laugh at myself, able to chuckle at jokes and even bust one out myself, able to think about my life, smile and be thankful, able to read and ruminate about things the long dead have to say, able to write about tomorrow, able to sing and dance with the security of being above seventy, able to be called home at the end of all this and have Him say "well done".
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Thanksgiving
It's Thanksgiving today, and even though Singapore doesn't officially celebrate it, I think I can have my own day for reflection and gratitude. I didn't get any Turkey dinner, but I filled my tummy with yummy Sheares Hall food. (No secret that I think hall dinners are pretty good.:)) I remember the last Thanksgiving, where the Jetters had some campus students over for dinner, and the Malcolms got married over the weekend. Fast forward one year, there's still plenty to be celebrated and thankful for.
He's really looked after me this semester, and even though sometimes I lose sight of Him, little things remind me again. I'm definitely very glad to be back in Singapore, where everything's familiar but still different. You know the feeling one has at the end of a long day, when you just want to go home, even if you just spent the day at the most thrilling theme park, there comes a point when you've had enough of roller-coaster rides for a while, and all you want to do is to sleep in your own bed? I don't get it when people lament being in Singapore - I've lost track of the number of people who have said to me, "Oh! I bet you must wish you're still in the States horr!" I happily tell them that Singapore is my home, and I that I love coming home. (Oh yeah, I probably mentioned this a few times, but my pet peeve is when Singaporeans complain about Singapore to foreigners (it's different when Singaporeans are whining to one another), especially when this happens overseas. Don't do that! Singapore has feelings too. At least I feel for her.)
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the holidays. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year(this, and Chinese New Year). More than any other time, I see the world through tinted lenses. Everything seems fuzzier, little things others do for you become more meaningful, you count your blessings, express gratitude and extend a hand to those in need. I know that ideally, this should be the case every month of the year, but during Christmas, there's this added tinge of rosy warmth. Cynics will probably dismiss this as naivete, or even accuse me of falling into the commercial trap merchants lay out during festive seasons. But I think those cynics probably don't smile a lot either.
It's the first school break in a long time that there won't be an official "agenda", I'm just going to kick back and relax. :) I've thought about what I want to do, very simply, if somewhat unoriginally "eat, pray, love". And exercise a little.
:)
It's Thanksgiving today, and even though Singapore doesn't officially celebrate it, I think I can have my own day for reflection and gratitude. I didn't get any Turkey dinner, but I filled my tummy with yummy Sheares Hall food. (No secret that I think hall dinners are pretty good.:)) I remember the last Thanksgiving, where the Jetters had some campus students over for dinner, and the Malcolms got married over the weekend. Fast forward one year, there's still plenty to be celebrated and thankful for.
He's really looked after me this semester, and even though sometimes I lose sight of Him, little things remind me again. I'm definitely very glad to be back in Singapore, where everything's familiar but still different. You know the feeling one has at the end of a long day, when you just want to go home, even if you just spent the day at the most thrilling theme park, there comes a point when you've had enough of roller-coaster rides for a while, and all you want to do is to sleep in your own bed? I don't get it when people lament being in Singapore - I've lost track of the number of people who have said to me, "Oh! I bet you must wish you're still in the States horr!" I happily tell them that Singapore is my home, and I that I love coming home. (Oh yeah, I probably mentioned this a few times, but my pet peeve is when Singaporeans complain about Singapore to foreigners (it's different when Singaporeans are whining to one another), especially when this happens overseas. Don't do that! Singapore has feelings too. At least I feel for her.)
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the holidays. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year(this, and Chinese New Year). More than any other time, I see the world through tinted lenses. Everything seems fuzzier, little things others do for you become more meaningful, you count your blessings, express gratitude and extend a hand to those in need. I know that ideally, this should be the case every month of the year, but during Christmas, there's this added tinge of rosy warmth. Cynics will probably dismiss this as naivete, or even accuse me of falling into the commercial trap merchants lay out during festive seasons. But I think those cynics probably don't smile a lot either.
It's the first school break in a long time that there won't be an official "agenda", I'm just going to kick back and relax. :) I've thought about what I want to do, very simply, if somewhat unoriginally "eat, pray, love". And exercise a little.
:)
Friday, June 12, 2009
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been reading. In part inspired by my trip to Switzerland, and in part feeling the need to suffuse my brain with some non-tech/business knowledge. I headed down to the library and borrowed “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and “The Year of Living Biblically” by A.J. Jacobs.
Both offered rare insight into the human spirit, and while I would hesitate to say they changed my life, they’ve definitely given me a refreshing perspective on things.
I’ve already finished “Three Cups of Tea”, so I guess I can talk about that first. The basic premise of this non-fiction story revolves around this man named Greg Mortenson, a multi-hyphenate in that he is a trained nurse, a mountaineer, an educator, husband and father. He is an American who went to Pakistan first to scale its mountains in the Korphe region, but due to his physical limits, he failed to reach the summit. However, on his descent, he discovered that the region was so cut off from the world, and was painfully lacking schools. And so he embarked on a decade long mission to build schools for the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Although that wasn’t his original intent (which was purely to provide education for the kids), he realized that building schools that teach moderation, as opposed to extremism, was key to combating militant Islam and terrorism in a non-violent way.
The book chronicles his adventures in the Middle East as he befriends village mujahadeens, Taliban leaders, reporters, and normal civilians who live among the mountains he loves. His major relationships are all marked by a simple ritual – exchanging three cups of tea with the other person. The first cup signifies peace and goodwill, the second signifies friendship, the third, signifies a bond between family.
I’m currently reading “A Year of Living Bibically”, written by Esquire editor A.J. Jacobs. People might know Esquire as a lad’s mag, as secular a publication can be. So it was interesting that one of its editors would choose to take a year from his life and try to emulate the Bible’s laws, as literally as possible, all while living in New York City, and holding a job at a magazine that has a section called “Best Dirrtyy Talk”. (Fiiine, I don’t know if that section actually exists.)
It’s actually surprisingly funny. (I’m now more convinced that God has a kickass sense of humor.) I’m definitely recommending it to Jamison, reformed hippie turned campus paster :)
Both offered rare insight into the human spirit, and while I would hesitate to say they changed my life, they’ve definitely given me a refreshing perspective on things.
I’ve already finished “Three Cups of Tea”, so I guess I can talk about that first. The basic premise of this non-fiction story revolves around this man named Greg Mortenson, a multi-hyphenate in that he is a trained nurse, a mountaineer, an educator, husband and father. He is an American who went to Pakistan first to scale its mountains in the Korphe region, but due to his physical limits, he failed to reach the summit. However, on his descent, he discovered that the region was so cut off from the world, and was painfully lacking schools. And so he embarked on a decade long mission to build schools for the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Although that wasn’t his original intent (which was purely to provide education for the kids), he realized that building schools that teach moderation, as opposed to extremism, was key to combating militant Islam and terrorism in a non-violent way.
The book chronicles his adventures in the Middle East as he befriends village mujahadeens, Taliban leaders, reporters, and normal civilians who live among the mountains he loves. His major relationships are all marked by a simple ritual – exchanging three cups of tea with the other person. The first cup signifies peace and goodwill, the second signifies friendship, the third, signifies a bond between family.
I’m currently reading “A Year of Living Bibically”, written by Esquire editor A.J. Jacobs. People might know Esquire as a lad’s mag, as secular a publication can be. So it was interesting that one of its editors would choose to take a year from his life and try to emulate the Bible’s laws, as literally as possible, all while living in New York City, and holding a job at a magazine that has a section called “Best Dirrtyy Talk”. (Fiiine, I don’t know if that section actually exists.)
It’s actually surprisingly funny. (I’m now more convinced that God has a kickass sense of humor.) I’m definitely recommending it to Jamison, reformed hippie turned campus paster :)
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
I realized I never really kept up with the aim of this blog - which was to record memories and observations from my everyday life. As the days fly past, there is a very real and increasing risk that the moments will run and blend into each other, the months will pass like a flurry and eventually, the years will just seem like a thick haze. If I don’t record anything down, I am sure my memory will fail me, I will forget the wondrous sights, the lessons learned and it will be like all this never happened. Well, I exaggerate of course, but I think it was Socrates who said that an unexamined life is a life not worth living. Also, it would be nice to pen down the mumbo jumbo that’s in my head into actual sentences, even though I run the risk of rambling. :)
So. There is a whole backlog of things to talk about, and I’ll start with the one that pops into my head now.
St Gallen Symposium, Switzerland, May 04 – May 10, 2009
I was honestly blown away by this event. The quality of the speakers, the participants, and even the organization of everything, from accommodation, transport and food (oh, the glorious food) was so impeccably arranged that I think based on that alone, I was inspired by Swiss hospitality and their commitment to quality.
But beyond these comfortable trappings, the conversations I had with the people I met during this week were extremely enlightening. These people honestly seemed to have a fervent desire to contribute positively to the world in very tangible ways. I’ll admit that I felt inadequate at first, because my self introduction tended to end at “I’m a finance major.” Period. No side project to eliminate world hunger, no non-profit to teach youths in third world countries entrepreneurial skills, no Silicon Valley startup. (I’m actually not making this up, Wyovhek and Ben are just some of the youths I met who are doing just that.)
The Keynote speakers were generally well-credentialed, although my interest in what they had to say largely depended on their individual charisma. Having said that, I did in fact learn a tremendous amount from the speakers, who included a Nobel Laureate, several politicians (even one of our own…), Presidents and luminaries from academia. I discovered that journalists tend to be the most engaging speakers, I guess because they have had to deal so much with people, and some of the lessons in communication naturally come across in their speech I guess.
My favorite keynotes:
Misha Glenny
Ex-BBC journalist, expert observer and commentator on Balkan states. (The President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, who also happened to be there later commented that Glenny probably knew more about the Balkans than he did. ;p) He delivered this fast-paced opus on global crime, and managed to pique my interest in the subject. It really was a bit like watching an action flick, but injected not with Hollywood bravado but the weary optimism of a man who’s been on the ground chasing the crime lords around.
Joseph A. Stanislaw
I was naturally anticipating this talk, because of the fact that his video “Commanding Heights” was one of the saving graces of my APB class. (I remember whenever the Professor said it was video time, I would be like “YESSSS”.) Stanislaw turned out to be a most riveting public/academic figure who has managed to retain a very sincere earnestness even after all these years. His mantra of changing the world a little step at a time really resonated with me. It all starts with that little lightbulb! (Go make sure your household is using an energy saving bulb.:))
Boris Tadic, President of Serbia
I was just impacted by his honesty. His country is not exactly thriving with prosperity, but he is extremely candid about what needs to be done and how to go about doing it. The much talked about EU candidacy may be given a hallowed glow under a more slick politician, but he gave a very down to earth response to this thorny issue: “Serbia just wants to develop for the sake of our own country, not for the sake of joining the EU.” And I thought, that seems like a very obvious statement, but on hindsight, it took no small amount of courage to say that.
Tharman Shamuragatnam
Singapore’s Minister of Finance was really solid in terms of his stance on pragmatism and simply the clarity in which he delivered his message. Surprisingly, he managed to get appreciative chuckles out of the audience, so kudos for having a sense of humor too. Having heard his spiel all my life, the message was nothing new to me, but I do think he is one of the few Singaporean politicians whom I’m drawn to.
Besides the Symposium itself, I got the chance to meet lots of fantastic people – Jasmin, my very gracious host. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to hang out as much as I would have liked to because of our crazy schedules, but I definitely felt very welcome in her house.
St Gallen is a very small town, and there’s not much to do at night. We ended up going clubbing very frequently, and I guess because of the ongoing Symposium, everyone remained highly professional and conservative, meaning no skanky dances and what not. I wished we could have done something else, but I guess it was a good way to let loose for a while.
The Symposium really left a deep impression on me, and I’m committed to trying again next year. :) Heck, an all expense paid trip to Switzerland, throw in awesome learning and meeting cool people from around the world. I’m in! In the meantime, attack the pile of books!
So. There is a whole backlog of things to talk about, and I’ll start with the one that pops into my head now.
St Gallen Symposium, Switzerland, May 04 – May 10, 2009
I was honestly blown away by this event. The quality of the speakers, the participants, and even the organization of everything, from accommodation, transport and food (oh, the glorious food) was so impeccably arranged that I think based on that alone, I was inspired by Swiss hospitality and their commitment to quality.
But beyond these comfortable trappings, the conversations I had with the people I met during this week were extremely enlightening. These people honestly seemed to have a fervent desire to contribute positively to the world in very tangible ways. I’ll admit that I felt inadequate at first, because my self introduction tended to end at “I’m a finance major.” Period. No side project to eliminate world hunger, no non-profit to teach youths in third world countries entrepreneurial skills, no Silicon Valley startup. (I’m actually not making this up, Wyovhek and Ben are just some of the youths I met who are doing just that.)
The Keynote speakers were generally well-credentialed, although my interest in what they had to say largely depended on their individual charisma. Having said that, I did in fact learn a tremendous amount from the speakers, who included a Nobel Laureate, several politicians (even one of our own…), Presidents and luminaries from academia. I discovered that journalists tend to be the most engaging speakers, I guess because they have had to deal so much with people, and some of the lessons in communication naturally come across in their speech I guess.
My favorite keynotes:
Misha Glenny
Ex-BBC journalist, expert observer and commentator on Balkan states. (The President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, who also happened to be there later commented that Glenny probably knew more about the Balkans than he did. ;p) He delivered this fast-paced opus on global crime, and managed to pique my interest in the subject. It really was a bit like watching an action flick, but injected not with Hollywood bravado but the weary optimism of a man who’s been on the ground chasing the crime lords around.
Joseph A. Stanislaw
I was naturally anticipating this talk, because of the fact that his video “Commanding Heights” was one of the saving graces of my APB class. (I remember whenever the Professor said it was video time, I would be like “YESSSS”.) Stanislaw turned out to be a most riveting public/academic figure who has managed to retain a very sincere earnestness even after all these years. His mantra of changing the world a little step at a time really resonated with me. It all starts with that little lightbulb! (Go make sure your household is using an energy saving bulb.:))
Boris Tadic, President of Serbia
I was just impacted by his honesty. His country is not exactly thriving with prosperity, but he is extremely candid about what needs to be done and how to go about doing it. The much talked about EU candidacy may be given a hallowed glow under a more slick politician, but he gave a very down to earth response to this thorny issue: “Serbia just wants to develop for the sake of our own country, not for the sake of joining the EU.” And I thought, that seems like a very obvious statement, but on hindsight, it took no small amount of courage to say that.
Tharman Shamuragatnam
Singapore’s Minister of Finance was really solid in terms of his stance on pragmatism and simply the clarity in which he delivered his message. Surprisingly, he managed to get appreciative chuckles out of the audience, so kudos for having a sense of humor too. Having heard his spiel all my life, the message was nothing new to me, but I do think he is one of the few Singaporean politicians whom I’m drawn to.
Besides the Symposium itself, I got the chance to meet lots of fantastic people – Jasmin, my very gracious host. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to hang out as much as I would have liked to because of our crazy schedules, but I definitely felt very welcome in her house.
St Gallen is a very small town, and there’s not much to do at night. We ended up going clubbing very frequently, and I guess because of the ongoing Symposium, everyone remained highly professional and conservative, meaning no skanky dances and what not. I wished we could have done something else, but I guess it was a good way to let loose for a while.
The Symposium really left a deep impression on me, and I’m committed to trying again next year. :) Heck, an all expense paid trip to Switzerland, throw in awesome learning and meeting cool people from around the world. I’m in! In the meantime, attack the pile of books!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Yesterday, I discovered that I haven’t completely abandoned that old, mean streak of competitiveness within me. Under frightfully calibrated circumstances, it continues to rear its head. The incident that elicited this sudden realization was minor, I was at the gym when a person I lack fond feelings for – let’s call him L – happened to be on the treadmill next to me. I looked at the speedometer on his treadmill – he registered a speed of 7 miles/hr. I then nonchalantly proceeded to ramp my speed up to 7.2 miles/hr. This was significantly faster than what I am normally used to, but I just wanted to prove, to him, to myself, to some invisible extension of my ego floating around or a random stranger who walked in, that I could run faster, perform better, be more well-liked, be smarter and on the whole, just live a better life than him. I don’t know how I made the mental leap from running 0.2 miles/hour faster to all these life projections.
I know, it sounds crazy and completely immature, but I realized that in some twisted way, I was pushed to really run faster in order to keep up with my silly façade. This silent battle of the egos lasted for a few more minutes before he eventually stopped and left the gym. I don’t think it was a sense of triumph I felt, but more a sense of embarrassment at having indulged in this ego feeding frenzy.
However, I will say this, in the long run, such negative forms of motivation are not sustainable, and one grows weary, almost at an exponential rate.
It absolutely takes more to be humble, to turn the other cheek, and after all these years, it is a lesson that I will have to relearn. Again and again. I’m sure the Lord has many more such lessons in store for me.
I know, it sounds crazy and completely immature, but I realized that in some twisted way, I was pushed to really run faster in order to keep up with my silly façade. This silent battle of the egos lasted for a few more minutes before he eventually stopped and left the gym. I don’t think it was a sense of triumph I felt, but more a sense of embarrassment at having indulged in this ego feeding frenzy.
However, I will say this, in the long run, such negative forms of motivation are not sustainable, and one grows weary, almost at an exponential rate.
It absolutely takes more to be humble, to turn the other cheek, and after all these years, it is a lesson that I will have to relearn. Again and again. I’m sure the Lord has many more such lessons in store for me.
Monday, March 02, 2009
This was such a joyful weekend I felt like I had to make a post about it. Encouraged. :)
Campus Retreat, Spring 2009
Our awesome log cabin in the woods. They were pure play cabins, so none of those silly heating systems that city folk like. Woke up at 4 am from the sound of my teeth chattering in the bunk.
With Kiara. This girl's morning ritual is...amazing. ;p
Ever seen 274 people gather around and try to play dodgeball? Go Philly! (I, unfortunately, had to sit out due to a minor skiing accident from the previous weekend. But that has to be reserved for another post.)
The Hampton Road sisters! Meeting 34942 new people is on of the things I love about Retreats. There were Michael-Cera-in-Juno types, people with tattoos and multiple piercings, aspiring rappers, sports jocks, goth kids...all sorts of people, but with a commonality amongst them. :) It was amazing to just hang out with all these people and listen to the lessons.
On the road with the resident clown. I don't think I've heard a white boy do such an uncanny impression of a black gospel singer before. The four of us had a crazy time in the car. (Discounting all the times I peaced out after stuffing myself.)
By His grace, all this was possible. I don't know about the others, but I was encouraged. Now it's time to get to the living it out part. :)
Campus Retreat, Spring 2009
Our awesome log cabin in the woods. They were pure play cabins, so none of those silly heating systems that city folk like. Woke up at 4 am from the sound of my teeth chattering in the bunk.
With Kiara. This girl's morning ritual is...amazing. ;p
Ever seen 274 people gather around and try to play dodgeball? Go Philly! (I, unfortunately, had to sit out due to a minor skiing accident from the previous weekend. But that has to be reserved for another post.)
The Hampton Road sisters! Meeting 34942 new people is on of the things I love about Retreats. There were Michael-Cera-in-Juno types, people with tattoos and multiple piercings, aspiring rappers, sports jocks, goth kids...all sorts of people, but with a commonality amongst them. :) It was amazing to just hang out with all these people and listen to the lessons.
On the road with the resident clown. I don't think I've heard a white boy do such an uncanny impression of a black gospel singer before. The four of us had a crazy time in the car. (Discounting all the times I peaced out after stuffing myself.)
By His grace, all this was possible. I don't know about the others, but I was encouraged. Now it's time to get to the living it out part. :)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
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