Life's (still) too exciting to be bored

In the month of August

2006-08-31T21:42:00.000-04:00

Farewell Dinner for Gean @ Muchie Monkey, NUS

NOC Homecoming at Suntec Guild House - super slick place. I was invited to share my experience as the outgoing President of SPIN

Reunion of the NCBVians, we rock!!!

To read more about our exciting homecoming, visit NOC Alumni Blog

The Energy Camp

2006-08-08T07:29:00.000-04:00

Heeeeeelllllllloooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Yes I am back. Actually I have been back for about two weeks but I did not have the chance to blog until today. A lot has happened since I returned home but shall not bore you with the details. One of the most happening things for me was my participation in the Energy Camp held in Pulau Ubin last month. Met up with alot of really cool uncles and aunties...

Over the two days one night camp, I have learnt really simple yet critical moves and techniques that re-synchronizes my body's energy systems back to its natural state. At the end of the camp, I felt like a kid again - energized, alive and youthful. There are definitely a lot I have experienced so ask me when you see me.

Here are some pics taken from a 2D1N Energy Camp held in Pulau Ubin last month.

Master James (guy in yellow) sharing with us the concept of "energy"

We learn how to breathe the right way

We learn how to walk the right way

We learn how to sleep the right way

And even get intimate with the beach, the moon and the sea

Chill in the sunny beach with all the cool aunties and uncles

The entire gang of health-fanatics! :)

p.s: There is another camp end of this month, 26-27 Aug same place. If you are interested to understand your body better, give me a buzz and I will let you know more about it. Later!

So hard to say goodbye...

2006-06-30T18:19:00.000-04:00

Another two more days and I will be flying back home. How time flies... It felt almost like Dec 13, 2003 again when I bid farewell to all my friends in California, Santa Barbara. And then two years went by in a flash and I am now bidding farewell to yet another group of friends in Philadelphia.

It is so hard to say goodbye... I guess this one year in Philly has been truckloads of fun.. so much so that I almost forget that it was work. I will miss waking up to the chirping of the blue birds and warmth of the morning sun. I will miss hanging out with all my batchmates (catching movies at Bridge, watching South Park, having potlucks at Park Towne, travelling, camping, taking pics, organizing SPIN events, gossiping, celebrating one another's birthdays...). I will miss eating at the Korean store below the suburban station. I will miss walking along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. I will miss Panorama Toastmasters and all the great people in it. I will miss the breathtaking sunset by the Schuylkill River. I will miss Philly Cheese Steaks. I will miss wearing my snowman jacket in winter. I will miss my roommate... and above it all, I will miss the freedom of expression I had in Philadelphia.

As I write this, something warms my heart. As I closed the door in Philadelphia, I know that another set of doors have opened up for me back home in Singapore. There is more to come... like I said before, life is simply too exciting to be bored! *grins*

Some pics from our Poconos weekend getaway as promised!

Wide Water Rafting with the whole gin gang. We have Alicia, Phebe, Ram, Kaian, Julia and me!

That was taken during a lunch at the Water Theme Park. I LURVE Cotton Candy hehe. And here's Julia. :)

This time round, we have Neeraj in the pic (my fave roomie!) - he is the indian guy btw haha.

How can a trip go without good food!!!??? Steak with Baked Potato and Crab Cake. Mouth watering gooooood!!!

Our final meal with the entire Batch 6 @ Banana Leaf (sells all kind of Penang food). But who needs Banana Leaf when I am flying home to Singapore, the food paradise!!! Slurrrrrrrrrpppppppp.

Calling Mr Jones

2006-06-20T23:14:00.000-04:00

Aloha! Can you believe it? My one year stint in Philadelphia is going to come to an end really soon. Whether you like it or not, I will be coming home soon hehe. Though I will miss the exhilarating journey and wonderful buddies I made m looking forward to more exciting stuff that is brewing in S'pore. As the old saying goes - life is simply too exciting to be bored!

Just got home from a chilling session with my SPIN Exco. We had a sumptous dinner at Jones (down 7th and Chestnut), recommended by Julia. And she sure know where the good food is. Check out the yummy food we had.

I will be away for one week camping in Yellowstone National Park. Boy am I excited!!! As some of you may know, Yellowstone is the second must-visit place in US, next to Niagara Falls. Both places were inspired by the documentaries that I watched at the Omnimax Theatre when I was in P6. Will upload some pics when I get back.

Frankly, there is so much to say and so much to write about my one year immersion in Philly. Let me summarize in one word - PHENOMENAL!

6th SPIN EXCO: (Left) Eric, Phebe, Melvyn, Julia (Right) Kelly, Gean. (Missing) Miah, Lionel and Iris

I had the chef's recommendation - Baked Salmon with sun-dried tomatoes and spicy ocra (we call them ladyfingers)

Phebe had Tilapia with special sauce - heavenly!

But you know what, no what how good the food is, it is incomparable with Mum's cooking!!! See ya guys in a week's time!

Meanwhile, do visit my public speaking blog for regular tips on improving your speaking skills: Public Speaking for All

NCBV Batch 6 Graduation Video: The Sixth Story

2006-06-16T23:04:00.000-04:00

Enjoy our 15 mins long graduation video put together by Mr Pacey! It is titled The Sixth Story

A Moment of Truth

2006-06-14T23:03:00.000-04:00

Phew... been quite a week. Thought I should write a bit before I get on the phone with my gf. (grins) Life just threw me a curved ball. In fact just a couple of minutes ago. May sound really trivial to most of you but it means something to me. A month ago, I signed a writer's authorization letter with Toastmasters International to publish an article which they liked a lot: Treading on the Fine Line of Humor. It was scheduled to be published to over 211,000 readers globally this July and I was planning to leverage on the publicity to drive traffic to my public speaking blog. It was suppose to be part of my bigger plan. However, I received an email a while ago with some bad news.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. We are not running your article on "The Fine Line of Humor" in the July issue. On closer reading, I thought it wasn't balanced, and the political comments about President Bush could be construed as endorsed by TI."

Anyway... it just dawned upon me that the curved balls that life throws at you are necessary. It makes life much less predictable, yet much more exciting. Imagine if everything works out as planned, it would be soooo boring. But I have to admit that I am not too used to having curved balls thrown my way. Gotta learn to get used to the fact that things don't always worked out as planned. On a brighter note, this will make me treasure what I have, especially the things that I fought to own.

Strangely this mini manifesto ties in very well with what CH, my mentor in StarCite, has reminded me today.

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO FALL COZ YOU LEARN THE MOST WHEN YOU FAIL.

Definitely an advice I need to heed. It is in my nature (or perhaps my nurturing) to make safe choices. I would do everything I can to make sure I succeed. It is not a bad thing but sometimes it prevents me from taking the necessary risks and denies me from learning critical lessons. As a result, I would mull over small things like my article not being selected instead of investing time in bigger things.

Perhaps it is time to remove my knee guards, take some risks and see what life has to teach.

Panorama Toastmasters, the place I call home!

2006-06-08T07:57:00.000-04:00

Last night was my last meeting with Panorama Toastmasters Club, a place where I found great company and friends! Gosh, I am gonna miss all of them...

666

2006-06-06T17:24:00.000-04:00

Has anything weird happen to you today? The reason why I asked is because today is 6/6/6 (June 6, 2006). Not exactly a very lucky day. Let me share with you some of the weird things that happened...

1. Some guy came up to me over lunch and told me that I should focus on God and not Satan... (coz I was ranting about the whole 666 to my friends...) And even weirder, I rebutted... hardly the usual me...

2. The security guard at the counter actually complimented me. And yes, that is extremely weeeeiiiiirrrrrdddddd! She is usually stern and super unfriendly. Ask Wayne.

3. I am hit with the laziness bug and I seriously don't feel like doing any work today... (and I did)

4. I ordered onion rings for lunch even though I HATE ONIONS...

5. Neeraj became superman... can you believe it???!!!

And the weirdest...

6. I send a friend home last night at about 1 am. And as I walked back, the public phone rang all of a sudden. For a second, I thought it could be a re-enactment of Phone Booth. In the end, my curiosity got the better of me and I picked up the phone. "Hello..." It was a guy on the other line. And he sounded really spooky. His voice was almost a whisper and he was breathing really hard. And before I could hang up, he got me jumping with his sudden "Wat's up?" There goes my adventure. He turned out to be just a normal guy (not some alien or dead man).. and the best part, we actually chatted for around 10 mins. And I still have no idea who he is...

Has anything weird happen to you?

Perspectives

2006-06-02T00:59:00.000-04:00

Ok... I know. Putting a pic doesn't really count as a post. Promise to upload some nice pics this weekend ok. Meanwhile, a lesson for all of you, courtesy from my boss CH.

Eric the Mighty

2006-05-26T12:18:00.000-04:00

Gosh.. someone has to stop all the idolizing. It is making me blush...
Check this out: Eric, the Mighty

This is where it all began

2006-05-26T07:54:00.000-04:00

Phew.... what a week! Been a while since I last posted. Last night's SPIN event - "The Making of an Entrepreneur II" was a resounding success, thanks to the dedication of the juniors. For the seniors, this event will always have a special place in our hearts because this is where it all began. :)

I will never forget how each and every one of us pitched in to make "The Making of an Entrepreneur I" a huuuuggggggeeeee success. It was FAMILY in ACTION! And SPIN in the Making! Though we are all going home in a month's time, we will take home with us fond memories of our fellowship. Gonna miss all of you...

The panelists last night were extremely insightful and inspiring too. Here's some of their golden nuggets of wisdom.

Life is not a dress rehearsal; you only have only one shot at it!
Stick to your guns, NEVER GIVE UP!
Never allow others to define your boundaries.
Leave your ego at the doorstep.
At the end of the day it is your attitude and enthusiasm that makes all the difference.
.
.
.
And my personal favorite:

Be true to yourself (always).

Creative staff working in Apple??!!

2006-05-23T07:52:00.000-04:00

The Apple Store, Fifth Avenue, is now open — and it will stay open 24/365! It's just a glass box! Where's the people??!! Relax... they are all in the underground. How cool is that!

But this isn't the main highlight of this post. Check out this pic and its irony!!!

"Creative" staff working in Apple! I wonder how Mr Sim Wong Hoo will be taking this... haha.

Is there life after death?

2006-05-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

Found this on my first amateur website (geocities) - my first attempt of writing an article. It has been four years and I still miss William...

This has been one of the question which I have struggled to answer since very young. It just popped up innocently in my head on the day my grandfather passed away. I cried and got over it but with no answers to my question. Not until recently, when I lost a friend to the will-o'-the wisp. He fell in the toilet and did not wake up.

I learn of the the macabre news on one Saturday afternoon.

"3SG William Ong from 1 PEH has just passed away at 1400 hrs. Brain dead. Report to camp at 0800 hrs sharp tomorrow."

It was an SMS from my friend and we have been activated to go back to camp to prepare for our comrade's funeral. His parents have requested for a military funeral to send their eldest son off.

It was a Sunday and all of us were supposed to be enjoying our weekend before going back to the monotonous and regimental army life. Furthermore, it was World Cup. However, that fateful Sunday proved to be differnt. A selected group of us were appointed to be pallbearers for the funeral. Though we all had different religious backgrounds, none of us objected. It was the last thing we can do for our friend.

During that one-day, we rehearsed and got ourselves prepared for Monday. The funeral was in the evening. Carrying a coffin was not an easy task. It was not like we were told to carry an Engineer Assault Bridge from one end to another. And it was not an everyday thing either.

On the actual day, as we carried his coffin into the hall, we were all adamant to do our best to send William off. No hiccups or whatsover. There was a sense of forlorn in every one of us. Tears swelled in our eyes as we carry his burden that he left behind this world. As we slow-marched down the winding road, the weight of the coffin did not bothered me anymore. Yet my heart was burdrened. Where am I sending him to? Is he happy to go? is there anything that was still unfulfilled? Were there any last words?

In the hall, where the priest was doing the final prayers, I glanced to the family from the window inside. I could see their tear-streamed faces contorted with helplessness and misery. At another corner of the hall, I saw a girl happily playing with her Barbie doll, oblivious of what was happening. And at the end of the funeral, some of the visitors rushed back to their vehicles, afraid to be caught in the jam. I even overheard a guy saying, "Want to watch Panic Room later at Suntec?"

How do each one of us perceive death? Do we grieve because we know that he will not return, knowing very well that there is no way of seeing him anymore? Or do we feel sad because we do not know where our friend has gone to?

This was a door that has been opened to William without any warning. It was his door, not ours. What we could do was to send him off and pray that what lie beyond the door would be a better life, a life without any more pain, a life with a very light yoke.

Life is so wanton. We work so hard not knowing when the door will open for us to go. So is there life after death? If there is, will his parents be consoled? William's death has set me thinking again. Some chose to think that death is an end to everything. That explains why some people live everyday of there life as if it was their last. I once read this book by Dean Koontz that vividly painted life as ice on an early winter-pond, more fragile than it appeared to be, riddled with hidden fractures, yet with a cold darkness below. And I start to ponder - is death the cold darkness hidden beneath? However, on a brighter note, I am starting to believe that death is merely a checkpoint to a better life - a greener pasture - with no pain and worries. William could well be enjoying himself somewhere,. Well, it is my guess and I may be wrong.

This article was written in remembrance to 3SG William Ong from 1PDF. He was also a former student of NUS (Chemical Engineering)

When cute girl meets horny boy...

2006-05-18T11:30:00.000-04:00

We are one big family!!!

2006-05-17T17:52:00.000-04:00

I am going back with more than what I ask for... we are one big family (always!)

The Last Supper of Poker and Roulette

2006-05-16T10:14:00.000-04:00

With online poker going strong and Da Vinci code heading big screen, I thought a post on both poker and Da Vinci would be a great read. And guess what I found!

An advertising campaign by Irish bookmaker, Paddy Power, was stopped after a series of complaints from outraged Christians.

Now, what can this Irish bookmaker do to engineer quite an uproar?

Bastardize the ‘’Last Supper,’’ even if it IS a version of one of Christianity’s biggest enemies, (Well… Since his Da Vinci Code at least…) Leonardo Da Vinci.

Apparently, the advertising campaign features Da Vinci’s painting and then spoofs it. It shows Jesus Christ gambling with his apostles on one long table. Heck, the advertising campaign even has the Holy Grail in it. (The woman beside what was suppose to be Jesus Christ.)

Paddy Power said they received more than a hundred complaints, making it the most they had about basically anything in the past.

Well… At least you get traffic huh?

The billboard posters, emblazoned with the slogan ‘’There’s a place for fun and games,’’ adapted Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting of the event to show Jesus with a stack of poker chips and other apostles playing cards and roulette. - MSNBC

Frank Goodman, chief executive of the Advertising Standards Authority, was not impressed. He said that the advertising campaign violated guidelines regarding taste, decency and religion.

He said, ‘’There’s also a general provision that ads should contain nothing that is likely to cause grave or widespread offense, this apparently has caused widespread offense.’’

Yeah. Ya’ think?

Top Five Worst Poker Comebacks

2006-05-15T11:18:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when someone insults you at the poker table, you shoot back with the perfect, witty, incisive retort. Then there's most of the time, when you say shit like this:

5) Oh yeah? Well, your mom draws dead.

4) I may be stupid, but you're winning.

3) Well, you know, if even a retard wouldn't make that call, then I guess that makes me a super-retard.

2) Maybe I don't have brains but it takes more than brains for .... uh .... fuck you.

1) Speaking of bad calls, God made a bad call when he made your face. Like you said I made a bad call and your face, that's also a bad call. By God. The making your face the way he did. Which is worse than my call. Because you're ugly, and it's God's fault.

Grins.
Extracted from Part Time Poker

Top Ten Tips in Winning Poker

2006-05-14T11:24:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago, my supervisor called me into the meeting and his first question was "Do you play poker?" For a second there, I thought it was some kind of a trick question, only to later realize that playing poker trains you in your dynamic decision making. How cool is that! Quite frankly, I played poker specifically Texas Holdem twice and both times, I lost badly. My problem - I can't seem to hold a poker face. People could read my poker cards from my face! So I decided that if I ever want to be a better decision maker, I should start by playing poker, any kind of poker, texas holdem, online poker, any poker. As usual, I start with top ten tips on winning poker for rookies like myself.

1. Playing too many hands

Most poker beginners play way too many starting hands, in fact top poker players typically play between 20-30% of their starting hands. Concentrate on higher value starting hands and help remove the luck element of the poker game.

2. Know when to hold’em, and know when to fold’em

Learn how to fold a hand, and don’t be a poker calling machine. Many beginners keep betting regardless of the board or what their opponent’s actions are suggesting. Top poker players frequently say it’s the hands you can lay down that are often the key to profitable play.

3. Choose less skillful poker opponents

...if you want to win money. Sounds fairly obvious, but you should play at betting limits where you can beat the majority of poker players. Move down in limits if you are having difficulties winning money. In poker, always leave your ego at the door.
(E: No wonder my friends ALWAYS want to play with me!!!)

4. Watch your opponents habits in poker

Especially when you aren’t in a hand. The best time to study poker is when you aren’t emotionally invested in the hand, and you can make more prudent observations. Watch how opponents bet, and how much they bet, in what position are they betting. Learning how your opponents play in poker is key.

5. Betting in poker to gain knowledge

Betting in poker is not always because you have the best hand. Top poker players use various betting techniques to try to gain information. For example, a defensive bet is one that you can use early on to avoid calling a bigger future bet. A re-raise may be used to probe the credibility of your opponent’s hand.

6. Learn to put your opponents on a hand

Once you have mastered Tips #4 and 5, it is time to put your knowledge to work. Try putting yourself in your opponents shoes, and learn to put them on a hand. Ask questions like “Why did he re-raise me that amount?”, and “Why did he only call in the previous betting round?”, “Maybe because he only called me, he has a kicker problem?”

7. Learn how to bluff and semi-bluff in poker

...at the right times against the right poker players, and at the right frequency. Bluffing is often a misunderstood concept, and much to many beginner’s dismay most pros use bluffs quite sparingly. A bluff can be very effective when used rarely, and where there is a seemingly low risk of being called by your opponent.

8.Changing Gears in poker

Unpredictability can be good. Most pros can figure out a really loose player by waiting for the nuts and being patient. However, an even easier opponent is a tight player or “rock”, who plays only the Group 1 type hands. You need to change your poker game up, and let them see that you can run bluffs, and can play some lower value starting hands. These changes should be subtle and shouldn’t dramatically affect the flop rate we mentioned in Tip #1

9.Understand player position

...and how it is critical. Not only is it important to play strong hands, it is even more important in what position you play them. For example, the ideal position is the Button (the Dealer), as you are last to act, and have the advantage of watching all of the betting action before you need to make a decision. eg. If the action before you consists of a bet, a raise, and a re-raise, and you hold a pair of Tens, you might think that folding is the right decision.

10. Read books on poker and take notes

Players can always learn more if they want to be a better poker player. Keep notes on what works and doesn’t work for you, and eventually you will come up with a style of play that works uniquely for you and improves your poker game.

These tips don't matter unless you put them in practice. So.. who's game for a round of poker? :)

Useful links to get started:

Poker for Beginners
Tips on Texas Holdem
Types of Poker Strategies
Start playing Online Poker here
How to make money by cheating in Poker

Just one of those days with my roomie, Neeraj

2006-05-12T12:59:00.000-04:00

Neeraj(N): Say something

Eric(E): TEST 1 2 3

N: *punch face*

E: Dodge at lightning speed.. summon fireball straight at your face

N:
The leg was already at the place whr ur balls moved wen u dodged. No way you can summon fireball coz u gt no balls nw

E:
oooooooooooo.. that's when u r wrong...superheros have indestructible balls...watch out 4 the fireball, bad boy!

N:
i peed at ur fireball and the smokes of my acidic pee is nw gonna kill u

E:
woooooooow...i knew that was coming and i immediately threw a freeze at your pee, rendering it powerless... and before u realise, i tap onto my telekinetic gifts and send your acidic pee straight into your eyes

N:
Tats whr u did the mistake...the fireball and ice pee i combined to make the indestructible frice peeball, the deadliest weapon of nature

E:
And before that "deadliest weapon of nature" could move an inch towards the all-powerful witch (myself of coz), it fizzles out. No one can resist the willpower of the wicked witch of the west! Muahahaha

N: Screw..tats nt even a power - will power

E: Haha well i just proven u wrong then..ok gotta go.. mtg... bye loser!

Launch of Personal Project

2006-05-09T23:42:00.000-04:00

#1 Rule of Becoming a Successful Speaker - Be (very) LAZY!!!
A fresh and witty take on how you and I can become successful speakers, just by avoiding all the hard work. Extremely useful, with several takeway points.

read more | digg story

Public Speaking for All - No secret formulas, Just Stuff that Works!

Some of you have asked what I was secretly working on for the past month. Well here's a little part of my personal project. I figured since I love public speaking so much, I might as well dedicate a site specifically for it. And I did! Check out my latest post above! And if you like it, digg it! :)

Been trying out some tips given by Internet experts on driving traffic to blogs and guess what! I successfully raised the number of hits from a miserable 15 to 103 within a couple of hours. Small win - yeah!

Hope you guys enjoy reading the entries as much I write them!

Stephen Colbert vs. John Vine – Treading on the fine line of humor

2006-05-08T15:58:00.000-04:00

Humor is a double edge sword. Use it well and be marveled at. Use it badly and be disapproved of. Where exactly is the fine line between being a funny comedian and being an insensitive prick?

One of the common advices most of us have received was to avoid ALL political, racial and religion based jokes, no matter how tempting they may be. As long as we stay away from them, we have a shot at being funny without offending anyone. However recently two men with solid steel balls – a standup comedian and a well-respected chief constable – went ahead to break the norms. One did exceptionally well and became an overnight Internet sensation. The other – sadly – was ridiculed by the media.

Let’s first look at the man who hit it big with the audience – Stephen Colbert.

Stephen Colbert became the man ever since he delivered a 20-minute satirical speech on Bush administration at the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner last month. Although some critics dismissed his speech as lacklustre, the entire blogsphere hailed him as “the man with the iron-steel balls”. There was even an entire site dedicated to Colbert’s single speech in Wikipedia, a speech that Time Magazine Online called “the political-cultural touchstone issue of 2006”.

Here are some of Colbert’s shocker-lines:

I stand by this man (referring to Bush). I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound -- with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world.

The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday -- no matter what happened Tuesday.

I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.

I know there are some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.

My personal favorite:
And though I am a committed Christian, I believe everyone has the right to their own religion - be you Hindu, Jewish, or Muslim, I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

You can view his speech here or here.

On the other hand, John Vine, a well-respected chief constable who was also the Past President of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, left his audience stunned and embarrassed with his one-liner joke on the Iraq bombers. It is worth noting that this joke was unplanned for (and even uncalled for). But out of our desperation to revive his bored audience, he made a decision to tell an off-color joke.

The joke went like this: Two Al-Qaeda fathers are ruminating about their suicide-bomber sons. “Ah, kids!” goes the punchline, “they blow up so quickly these days.” One lousy decision and this poor man ruined his hard-earned reputation. If only he has made an early decision to improve on his public speaking skills, say join a Toastmasters Club…

Click here to read more about Vine's bombed speech.

So what can we learn from these two separate incidents?

1. ALWAYS test-run your jokes!

If Vine has tried this joke on his close friends during his rehearsal (I wonder if he even rehearse his speech?), his friends may have warned him against cracking that off-color joke. And probably the only sin he would have committed was being a boring speaker, which equates to a chance of redeeming himself. On the other hand, Colbert has been a standup comedian for a long time. He is seasoned. He has his own TV show. He knows what he is doing and I am pretty sure he has tested his jokes on some people.

What’s the takeaway for us then? Always test your jokes on your close friends before unleashing it on your unaware audience. If any of your friends feel ANY discomfort with a particular joke, consider removing it. No point risking being a little funnier for being an insensitive prick.

2. Self depreciating humor is still the safest

When I first competed in the International Humorous Contest last year, there was a portion of my speech where I joked about why Chinese were not the first humans on Earth. This joke was extremely effective and generated one of the biggest laughs in the entire speech. But I took it out after the first try. Though I was a Chinese myself (which makes it ok to crack jokes on Chinese people), I made references to the Bible. And that creates ambiguity. In the end, I focused my entire humorous speech on Singapore (where I came from) and its quirks. And guess what, the audience loved it!

This only goes to show how effective humor can be if you make fun of yourself. Not only is it safe, it ALWAYS makes the audience laugh. Try that on in your next speech!

3. Is your audience prepared for your humor?

What’s the purpose of humor in your speech? Do you want to warm the audience up? Or do you want to prove a point?
In Colbert’s speech, it was straightforward. He was the featured entertainer for the dinner. He was hired to roast President Bush and the audience knew it. As such, they expected his speech to be satirical and sarcastic. Vine, on the other hand, was invited to speak at a grand dinner attended by eminent lawyers and advocates, because of his reputation in the police anti-terror operations. What a world of difference! He was not even expected to be funny. And no one expected him to crack jokes, not to mention off-color jokes on Iraq bombers!

So the next time you want to use humor in your speech, be it a joke or an anecdote, question its purpose and effectiveness on the particular audience. Make sure your audience is prepared for your humor too, else don't be shocked if your jokes bombed!

Check out Garr's analysis of Colbert's Report here.

You gotta keep swinging the bat!

2006-05-04T13:26:00.000-04:00

If there is ONE thing I learnt from CH, it will be this: You gotta keep swinging the bat!
For the past ten months in StarCite, I was pushed, kicked, shoved (with lots of encouragement thankfully) to keep doing more and more. To proactively venture out and get my plate 150% full at ALL times. Not only did I learnt that it was humanly possible, I found myself growing exceptionally fast within these ten months. Even scored a significant amount of XP. (experience points) Sometimes I fumble and fall. I give reasons to slack. And then when I leaned back and see CH working his ass off... I knew immediately what I need to do to be successful. Keep swinging the bat!!!

One small step in CCI marks a major step for Humanity!

2006-05-02T23:35:00.000-04:00

CCI has made another small step forward. Chuck from Fox Leadership has decided to give CCI a try i.e seeds are sowed. For those of you who have no idea what CCI is, let me do a quick recap. CCI stands for Coaching Clubs International. It is a coaching movement that was started in Singapore a year ago. CCI's vision is to bring coaching to every single individual so that they can harness its power to become effective at who they are. For more information, check out my former entry "Our final stand against the bad bad world..." on 7 July 2005. Click here

This are the group of people who will be helping me make CCI a reality in States. (L-R: Shamir, Wayne, Kaian, Lawrence, Moi and Niki!)

Moi in Action

The guy in the extreme right is Chuck! He is the man! :) And of coz the students who will be running the club. Awesome!

It may be one small step for CCI. But we are one major step towards awakening humanity!

Weekend Getaway: District 38 Toastmasters Spring Conference 2006

2006-04-30T12:38:00.000-04:00

Here's a breath of fresh air from all the thought-provoking posts I wrote for the past week. :)

I attended my very first Toastmasters Conference after being a Toastmaster for 1.5 years. And it was absolutely awesome! It was two days of fellowship and fun!

I got really chummy with my entire division especially JJ (from Temple Uni.), Kyle (from Indepence Square, also our Area 30 Governor), Debbie, Grace and Maryellen (all three from Positively Charged). They are such a fun bunch of people to hang out with! I can't imagine I will find so many like-minded friends when I first joined Panorama last year! Check out Aug 4, 2005 entry: I am feeling really high!

And this is THE man!!! I competed against him for the Division C contest. Though he did not win, he is an amazing speaker. Full of charisma and presence! Doug beat us both with his touching speech on 911 and his mum's death. But in the end, both of us coached him for the District contest. And he even gave up his huge room for us! Both JJ and myself were the youngest among the group so we got a lot of special attention (not that we are complaining haha). If only his girlfriend joined us! Oh and we tagged team for the "Whose line is it anyway" improv game. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!

That's my bed!!! Check out the large cushions and pillows that you can sink your head in. After soaking in the jacuzzi and trading pointers on public speaking, we headed to the club to drink and dance. And after that, we slept like pigs. Only 4 hrs of sleep but it felt like 8!!! I need to have this kind of bed when I get back home. Mum, can I?? Please la!!!

After an evening of fun and drinking on Fri, Sat was a full day of conference. And it was sooooooooooo worth the money I paid. They invited famous speakers from around the States to share with us how we can accelerate our speaking skills. And thanks to Chloe (my mac), I recorded every session and diligently took notes.

This speaker is also a magician. And he was sharing with us some leadership skills. But check out his assistant who isn't really happy working for him. (at least it appears so in this pic) How ironic. Haha.

I was so absored in the District 38 International Speech Contest that I did not take any pics. In summary, it should be an International Eulogy Contest coz 4 out of 7 speakers talked about death. They talk about how some of their members died. I thought it was an overkill. Too many deaths for one afternoon. Hence the other three speakers who talked about their dogs, environmental agenda or children were a breath of fresh air for all of us. The theme for the conference was "Shoot for the Stars!". But seriously they should consider changing it to "Ticket to Hell" with all the death speeches. We even have a Grim Reaper who comes up on stage if the speaker speaks overtime. Haha.

The conference ended on a high note! We had a pool side dinner with MORE drinks and great music. Very classy. And the food was finger licking good. I had broiled beef, with asparagus and spiced rice. As for drinks, I had a couple of beers and a Cosmopoilitan. Yummy!

And how can I blog without mentioning my IDOL!!!!!!! Mr Jim Key! He is the 2003 champion speaker with his "It is never too late to dream" speech. Mind you, he started out as an IT guy okie. Haha. Anyway, he was the guy who inspired me to speak. I chanced upon a speech seminar led by Terence (who is now my mentor). And in one of the sessions, he showed us Jim's speech. At that moment, I told myself that I want to be like him! And that was how I started my Toastmaster career in late 2004. When I met him yesterday again, I thanked him.

During his workshop, I asked him how intense was his preparation for the finals? And he replied with "You don't want to know!" Haha. Not surprisingly, he put in hundreds of hours into practicing and writing. But at the end of the day, he told us that it was worth it! This is yet another important moment for me. Now, I am even more resolute to be the FIRST Asian, specifically Chinese, to get into the finals and win of coz! Tough but possible. :)

My experience in the conference was a reaffirmation of my dream (at least one of them). I found a game that is worth my time and effort to play. Have you found yours?

DUH! Aren't we like that sometimes?

2006-04-28T10:08:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we can come up with the most elaborate solution to solve an extremely simple problem. So DUH!

Lesson from Google & the Wall Street Journal

2006-04-26T16:37:00.000-04:00

Came into office this morning and was given an article to read by CH (my boss). It was from the Wall Street Journal titled "Management a La Google".

It talks about why Google is different from the rest.

"Companies haven't been changing as fast as the world around them. What the laggards fail to grasp is that what matters most today is not a company's competitive advantage at a point in time, but its evolutionary advantage over time."

A company's success does not lie on how fast it can grow within a short period of time. It is about how constant it can grow over a long period of time. Take Google for example. Their vision is to organize the world's information i.e to raise the world's IQ. And that vision gives them a lot of space to manuverve and evolve over the years. Unfortunately a lot of companies fail to appreciate that the capacity to evolve is the most important advantage of them all.

Isn't it interesting how you can apply this piece of wise saying into our individual lives as well?

Two questions for you to mull over.

1. Are you equipping yourself with the right skills to compete in the future?
2. Are you giving yourself ample space to manuvere and grow?

Just Let Go

2006-04-25T22:32:00.000-04:00

"Just Let Go" was my competition speech that brought me through the club, area and division level speech competitions. And yes, it ended for me last Sat. I was placed second, after Doug Pike whose speech was on 911, titled "Sorrow, Solace, Sunshine". Personally, I think JJ should have won with his "Love Centric Leadership" speech. His use of the mirror was extremely memorable when he was demostrating how most people don't show enough love for themselves. And without love for oneself, how can one show love for others. How apt, don't you think?

If you ask me, I was disappointed for quite a bit. Enough to get me in bed by 4pm that evening. I guess I was just tired. And then today, something hit me. I listened to my speech again. And this time it was ME who reminded ME to JUST LET GO. I was holding on so tightly to the fact that I COULD have won, and that has prevented me from moving forward, from asking myself how I can be better.

I see light now. I see freedom in letting go. And I shall conclude this post by a quote I gave in my speech.

Sometimes you have to let go, to see if it is worth holding to.

Thanks Eric.

Take a walk on the wild side by George Bush

2006-04-15T21:48:00.000-04:00

Imagine yourself happy
It is easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

Imagine all people
living for today
The color girls sing
Take a walk on the wild side
1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Imagine yourself (???)
It isn't hard to do that
Nothing to kill or die for
No religion too

Imagine all the people
living life at peace
The color girls sing
Take a walk on the wild side

Imagine no possesions
I wonder if you can
No greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people
sharing all the world
The color girls sing
Take a walk on the wild side

PEACE!

Click title to listen to this song

Sidetrack: How not to be bored

2006-04-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

Hahaha... I just realize that my blog ranked 8th in the Yahoo Search when you enter "How not to be bored". That's so cooool!

That's BS!

2006-04-12T23:19:00.000-04:00

That's total BS.

We can all FLY as HIGH as the DREAMS we DARE to LIVE (period)
With FULL INTENT, even chickens can fly...

And pigs, and elephants, and cows, and horses... (this line is added by Mei)

Choices

2006-04-11T23:46:00.000-04:00

Life is all about choices, isn't it? Each choice takes you to another set of choices. And the cycle goes. Yet we can all take comfort in the knowledge that no matter what choices we made, we will always be on the path that we are suppose to be.

Tonight was one such moment. Had dinner with my boss and mentor, CH Low, together with Kelly and Rex. We wanted to pick his brain on a venture idea we had. We were expecting this to be a conversation about the market, the value proposition etc. Instead, he sent us in disarray with his first question - Why do you want to do this? We stumbled... and tried to answer his question. Change the world? Urm... there is a market need blah blah blah.

More questions came along. How much time can you put into this? How committed are you? What's going to motivate you? Are you in the right position to pursue this potential opportunity. On a sidenote, he testified that what we presented was intriguing and investors would want to put money in. "There is potential," he says. In fact, he told us as a matter of fact, that if we do not pursue it, he will.

But the real lesson boils down to a reality check. Starting out is NOT easy. It is NOT as glamorous as people think. And tonight I got to experience the reality. I may have to commit five years of my time in his venture. Am I willing to do that? Am I willing to take a paycut to pursue this venture that on paper, looks good? What's going to keep me going?

CH made his choice. And he went through five start-ups. Some failed. Some worked pretty well. And from living in a $99/mth rental room, he is now living in a $1 million house. Our conversation ended with a drive aruond the neigbourgood. Those houses were really huge and I wonder if I would ever own one? I guess part of me wants to be able to enjoy these riches. Yet I know there is something even more valuable that money...

Choices. I hate it when I am tempted with golden opportunities like this esp. when I THINK I know what I want to do. Planning to sleep on it. I want to change the world. I want to awaken humanity (however u interpret it). And somehow I don't see how this venture can help me realize that dream of mine, except that I could make it big (after all the sweat and MORE sweat). And this dream of mine is NOT easy either. In fact it is going to be an arduous journey. Am I willing to sacrifice the big bucks to pursue this dream, with nothing but resilence and faith?

Hmm.. come to think of it. I had this conversation almost 9 months ago. On the last night at Kelvin's place. Right after CCI.

Right Back At'cha!

2006-04-09T02:57:00.000-04:00

How odd when someone quotes what you have just written to remind you of life's lesson (which you have just learnt). Deafening.

Sometimes it takes another person to be your mirror... how nice. :)

We (too) have the power to turn stone to gold!

2006-04-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

Noticed a lot of people around me reading the Alchemist. (grins) And I wonder what each one of them got out of it. I remember very fondly of this quote: "When you want something so badly, the whole world will conspire to get you there." And I was like "Wow!" And it is true. It is all about intention. But recently I was reminded of something else from the book (also inspired by an article written by Steve Mitten). This time is about the art of alchemy. In the book it talks about the power alchemists have in turning stone to gold. And in real life, we have such power too! Allow me to explain.

The alchemists presented an alternative solution to dealing with the everyday challenges. Instead of fretting or stressing over the ordeals we faced, we accept it and then look for ways to turn every ordinary moment into a spectacular one. Just like turning stone to gold. :)

Take my recent "catastrophe" for example. In the middle of the week, I fell sick. Really sick - stomach flu. And I spend a couple of days puking and shitting. Had really bad stomach cramps and a non-stop fever. It totally wrecked my week. I could not focus on my work. Work was piling. School projects deadline are closing up. And as you guess it, I was miserable and cold. And instead of giving power to the flu, I accepted it. I took the medication necessary and refuse to run any stories. "Oh I am so pitiful. Why must it happen to me?" kind of crap. Instead, I looked into ways to make the best of my situation. And I did. I may be physically weak but I was running a marathon in my head. I spent a lot of time reflecting on my growth, my fears, my promises, my loose ends & my priorities. What I got at the end of that "miserable" two days was peace with myself. And alot of action (in my personal project). Somehow after the two day ordeal, I am left with a healthier stomach (thankfully) and a more focused mind. I felt rejuvenated!

Somehow amidst all the rush and chaos, I was able to stop and enjoy the flowers literally in Philadelphia (since it is spring). Gosh.. it really brings me back to perspective. No matter how challenging life can be, never ever lose sight of the big picture. There is so much to be enjoyed! :)

"Life, even in the hardest times, is full of moments to savor. They will not come this way again, not in this way."

-Paula Rinehart

Goodbye Winter(Taken on Apr 1)

Feeding my Boredom with a Questionaire

2006-03-29T12:46:00.000-05:00

Out of pure boredom and curiosity, I did this questionaire. And here's the results.

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.
Just becoz I like horses??!! ( U will know what I mean when you do the questionaire) But yes, I like to be with someone who has freedom in expression.

In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored.
Totally!

You'd like your lover to think you are optimistic and happy.
Haha. Not just that la. But well, very often she sees the side of me that others don't. Consider that a priviledge :)

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.
Damm true sia.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.
Ideally yes. But in reality... still working on it! But growth is definitely a yes yes. Not just for me but for her too.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.
I pride myself for that. :p

You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.
Guess it is by my parents' influences (which isn't a bad thing of course). But marriage is way toooooo early to think about.

In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted.
Absolutely! There are so many possible people you can be with. And there isn't really anyone perfect for you. You simply chose.

Alright back to work. Ciaoz!

Girls can be such a turnoff sometimes...

2006-03-24T12:11:00.000-05:00

You may be pretty BUT... please DO NOT BURP in my face. It stinks... :(

Privacy? Hardly...

2006-03-23T17:27:00.000-05:00

Was checking my mails in class when my friend beside me started nudging me really hard. And he got my attention to the screen. And it took me 3 secs to register what was causing a huge commotion in the class. My dear professor apparently put my pic up on his PPT slides to explain about the types of persuaders. And he labelled my style as a NEOPHYTE. Shan't go into details (not the main point anyway).

What amazed me most was the pic he used. I could not even remember the time I took that pic??!! I later found out that he googled for it. Gosh... this is scary. That aside, I am still disturbed by the fact that he picked such an goofy pic of me. Hmph. :(

So much for being a "neophyte" yeah.

I am a sucker for limelight

2006-03-21T00:37:00.000-05:00

Man, it has been a looong time since I have updated my blog. Sorry about it (I really wonder if anyone is reading it anyway haha). It has been a really fulfilling 2 wks. A lot has happened. I guess the most memorable one would be the Acapella Summit that I attended last weekend. It was a weekend full of singing, jamming and schmoozing with the up and coming singers. At one point, I felt like their groupie. Rushing to get their autographs and snap pics with them. Haha. What an experience. I bet they must be feeling so good about themselves. But I have them to thank. They re-ignited my passion for singing in particular acapella. Learnt a lot from their workshops too. Interestingly a lot that the experts taught about singing can be applied into public speaking. In fact, I got a couple of fresh ideas which I will share in a later blog. Can't wait for xxx in June (secret!!!) Probably I am just a sucker for limelight. (Will post some pics and probably videos soon)

The international speech contest has started again and tis the season to win some trophies again hehe. I was quite lucky in the area contest. Swept two first prize trophies for the International Speech Contest and Evaluation Contest. BUT... it was a close fight. VERY CLOSE. I guess the judges played a huge part. The crowd may love u but if the judge is biased to a certain style of speech making, you can jolly well not win. During the area contest, I won by just one point. That was how lucky I was. Only goes to show that I still have a looong way to go. But well, that's the fun of it. My dream is to ONE DAY be the first asian to get into the finals. So far, none has gone that far. The closest was the regional contest. I am soooo gonna play this game!! And win it of coz.

Come to think of it, preparation for this contest has been shamefully lacking. My script was ready at the very last min. (the day before the contest). But I was not nervous at all. In fact, I was very excited to get on stage and do my thing. I just wanted to soak up the atmosphere and charm the audience. The adrenalin rush prior to the speech was addictive. The energy during the 7 mins delivery was overwhelming. And the anticipation for the results was heartstopping. How can anyone NOT enjoy public speaking, particularly competing... I guess I am just a sucker for limelight. Not sure how far this contest is gonna take me. But I am very sure I am going to have loads and loads of fun! Wish me luck peeps.

Promise to upload some pics soon. Meanwhile, chill!

Thank You!

2006-03-08T00:28:00.000-05:00

Was having dinner with a friend this evening and something that he said got me thinking. "Eric you are damm lucky. You always have mentors to help you along the way..." He's right. And tomorrow I plan to give some of them a call. Just to say thank you.

Kelvin: Thank you for showing me sky. Enough said.

Andre: If not for you, I would not have been in SCC. I would not have the privilege to experience entrepreneurship. I would not have the courage to explore my potential here in NUS. Miss those days where I stayed over at your place to rush presentation slides for our potential clients. Or the advice and sharings over toast and half boiled eggs at Killney. Thank you for believing in me (when I did not).

Cpt Chandra: "Eric, it is all about the attitude". That was the first thing you told me on my first day in Maju Camp. I remembered that you pulled me aside at the training shed to have a little "chit-chat". That conversation totally changed my perspective of life. Thank you for igniting the fire in me.

I would not have been where I am without them. With that, I am eternally grateful. :)

Down @ Rhode Island, A Glimpse Ahead

2006-03-05T23:17:00.000-05:00

Yew Zhen, Julia, Me, Iris, Tze Ling and Miah

This is one of my fave pics taken at Rhode Island many many months back. I think it was in Nov, during thanksgiving period. Looks really retro right. Almost forget that we went there until Miah sent me a link last night. Brought back fond memories. I wonder what I will be thinking and feeling when I look at this pic 20 or 30 years down the road. What will I be telling my son or daughter? How will all of my friends be? Will we be still in touch? Will our friendship still be growing strong? Something tells me that when we meet again after all these years, we will smile and give one another a hug. Words are unneccessary.

This was how I felt when I looked at the pic. 4 months left... It has been good so far. Every day has been well spent. Been learning a lot from my boss, my mentors, my batchmates, my new friends, myself... I am just so present to every moment the last 8 mths have presented. I am sooo gonna cry this June when I graduate. How embarassing... but at least I know I won't be alone...

Bring it on!

2006-03-01T00:46:00.000-05:00

Morning was lacklustre. It was just an everyday morning (except for the phonecall)... and I never imagine the day to end so powerfully. I can't wait to wake up tomorrow... 4 months left. I shall recreate my BLP (Basic Leadership Program) experience right here in Philly. In short...

I am going to be the cause of miracles around me.
I am going to kick my own ass and demand only my best.
I am going to milk every single second of my time and turn it to gold

Tonight, I sleep knowing that I have been fully used up.

Bring it on!

What I got out of Principles of Seduction

2006-02-28T10:35:00.000-05:00

For those who are thinking about doing POS this spring... let me share with you what I got out of taking the program.

I went into POS with the sole purpose of learning how to attract the female kind (grins). And I end up getting more than I asked for. The biggest takeaway was my ability to connect with anyone immediately. I ended up earning the title of being everyone’s best friend which I considered to be very flattering. Recently in my one year work-study exchange in US, I found another practical use of my new-found skills. I was able to attract a lot of powerful mentors who offered to help me succeed in my career. They have been instrumental in accelerating my growth here. In TCC, Kelvin blew your mind away. In POS, YOU blow your mind away…

Have fun!

You sure you know who you are? (Think again)

2006-02-20T01:09:00.000-05:00

There has been a recent craze over the Johari Window. People will send you a link through your MSN, asking you to fill up this 5 by 11 box with 55 adjectives. And you are suppose to select 5 words that best describes your friend. And the result will show you a square grid divided along two axes into four quadrants. One axis represents Known/Not Known (to self), and the other represents Known/Not Known (to others). You have the "arena" quadrant that represents qualities that are openly known. "Facade" that represents qualities that your friends do not know about. "Blind Spot" that represents qualities that you do not know about. "Unknown" which is self explanatory.

Not to discredit this heuristic tool but I seriously think it is way too simplistic. It is really crazy to have people label you by just these 55 qualities. Oh hi, my name is so and so and I am known by my friends as "positive" "cheerful" "giving" "relaxed" blah blah blah. If these traits are taken away, who are you then?

I am sure we are much more complicated right. The sudden craze of these "tell me what you think i am" goes to show how curious (read longing) we are to know what people think about us. But can the thirst of self knowledge be ever quenched? And the very interesting thing is this: Almost all my friends who did this has "self conscious" in the Facade i.e. qualities that your friends doesn't know you have. I don't know why but all these craze tells a story. People are shouting to be heard.. to be seen.. to be loved...

And the question remains for all to ponder: Do you really know yourself? When your personality traits, your titles, your accomplishments, your failures, your relationships with people are taken away from you, do you still know who you are?

I should tell you

2006-02-19T11:39:00.000-05:00

ROGER
I Should Tell You I'm Disaster
I Forget How To Begin It

MIMI
Let's Just Make This Part Go Faster
I Have Yet -- To Be In It
I Should Tell You

ROGER
I Should Tell You

MIMI
I Should Tell You

ROGER
I Should Tell You

MIMI
I Should Tell I Blew The Candle Out
Just To Get Back In

ROGER
I'd Forgotten How to Smile
Until Your Candle Burned My Skin

MIMI
I Should Tell You

ROGER
I Should Tell You

MIMI
I Should Tell You

BOTH
I Should Tell

Well, Here We Go
Now We--

MIMI
Oh No

ROGER
I Know--This Something Is
Here Goes--

MIMI
Here Goes

ROGER
Guess So
It's Starting To
-Who Knows-

MIMI
Who Knows

BOTH
Who Knows Where
Who Goes There
Who Knows
Here Goes

Trusting Desire - Starting To Learn
Walking Through Fire Without A Burn
Clinging - A Shoulder, A Leap Begins
Stinging And Older, Asleep On Pins

So Here We Go
Now We--

ROGER
Oh No

MIMI
I Know

ROGER
Oh No

BOTH
Who Knows Where - Who Goes There

Here Goes - Here Goes
Here Goes - Here Goes
Here Goes - Here Goes

No Day like Today!

2006-02-13T20:49:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday was absolutely sweet... and cold. Love every single minute of it.

First, we had la-mian, made on the spot by the chef. And really delicious Guo Tie. A total of 30 of them, 15 fried, 15 steamed. Slurp!

And shortly after that, we had ice-cream in Cold Stone. :) Yes yes... kill us. And off to the musical. Peiling with Lion King. Joan, Iris and myself with Rent. Ok, I got to say this. I have been waiting for months to watch it. And it was really awesome. So much so that I am planning to watch it again. It was much more ROCK than Fame, much more touching than Phantom and most importantly, unbelievably bohemian. I could totally relate to the characters in the musical. Especially Mark. Shall play a couple of their songs in the coming weeks. There's simply no day like today!

And then we headed for Sushi in K-town. Ok mind you, it is SUSHI BUFFET. The "Eat-all-you-can-till-you-die" kind. And boy did we eat. We eat and eat and eat. Till they closed shop at 10.30pm. Check out the line of sushi, sashimi, salads, grilled food, soups and deserts.

Me and the girls. Check out the colorful food we have on the table. I swear that every person who walked pass me was grinning from one end of their cheek to another. With so much food, who can control their estascy?

One more pic with the food. And boy, did we gossip. Haha. Oh and I learnt a lot of "what not to do with girls" from these wise girls. Feel like a pro after I left the table.

And the best part, I got home safe even with the snow storm. Check it out!

So if you ask me, I sure had fun. There's simply no day like today!!!

A night of realization: Let go...

2006-02-08T16:01:00.000-05:00

With a stroke of luck (or possibly divine intervention), I successfully caught this recently released documentary film: What the Bleep: Down the Rabbit Hole. And boy was it liberating.

That night I could not sleep. Lying on my newly positioned bed (would need another entry to explain why), I could not wait to start my day. Change that. I could not wait to work and be used up. I could not wait to be with my friends. I could not wait to tell my parents how much I love them. I could not wait to do the things that my mind says impossible. I could not wait to experience whatever there is to be experienced. I can't help being alive. I can't help but to smile all day. I can't help but to appreciate the beauty (or the lackof) around me.

It is not just a momentary high that goes away after a while. Instead, it is an intrinsic high that stays with you because of a realization I got after the film. At that instance, I was freed from the duality of my choices (whether it is right or wrong). I was freed of the emotional bondages that I have grown so attached to. I feel so free. And with the freedom comes immense energy. I am even more committed right now to soak up the marrow of life. We always hear people saying it. Life's too short - we got to experience it fully. But seriously, how many of us really do that. In my opinion, it is all lip service.

That night I caught a glimpse of what it is like to experience life fully.

Two words: LET GO!

Coz only by letting go, can we have the eyes to see things that we may have missed, the ears to hear sounds that we may have forgotten, and the heart to experience the true beauty of this world that we thought was only a dream...

I found freedom in falling

2006-01-31T10:42:00.000-05:00

*
Each time when we fall, a line is drawn.

For most people, this line becomes a glass ceiling that limits them, restricting their possibilies.

This line could be something else too...

It could be ground for them to stand firmly on. The lowest line ever. And from that line, they climb up higher into the sky of possibilities.

I manage to figure out the disconnect with some help...

And I am reminded that every fall, in every flight, the learner learns, the worthy fight. Until we stand on groundless ground, until we step out of our survival mechanistic way of being, the possibility of being who we are remains just that.

Instead of dreaming about the possibilities, we can live the possibilities if only we let go and fly

And I finally found freedom in falling... very very free... wheeeeeeeeeee

*Graphic credits go to my dearest coach, friend and sister, Mei! Future cartoonist for sure.

Fixing the disconnect

2006-01-30T10:23:00.000-05:00

I need a break. A break from everything... the disconnect with myself is starting to manifest itself in everything that I do. It is time to stop and do a stock check. It is quite scary when you realize that u have been behaving like a machine for god knows how long. People start pushing your buttons and all you do is react. Not even stopping to think about your actions (or inactions). No wonder I feel so drained these days. It is time to stop and be with myself again. Pardon this meaningless droning. Later.

Work Prayer

2006-01-23T15:08:00.000-05:00

Something I learnt @ work:

Grant me the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,
the courage to change
the things I cannot accept,
and the wisdom to hide
the bodies of those people
I had to kill today,
because they pissed me off and
also help me to be careful
of the toes I step on today as they
may be connected to the ass
that I might have to kiss tomorrow

Amen.

In the company of great friends...

2006-01-20T09:51:00.000-05:00

It takes great comfort to know that you are not facing the world alone.

NCBV Batch 6. The company of you guys make all the difference here. WE ROCK! :)

NCBV Batch 7. The addition of the juniors further enrich our experience here in States!

The college has organized a ski trip this weekend at Blue Mountains (Poconos). Will put up some pics soon. Take care guys!

Moments of laughter

2006-01-16T19:11:00.000-05:00

RAJ: My life sucks

CW: Don't worry. It will be over soon.

RAJ: What?! My life?

ALL: Burst into laughter

A week full of shit!

2006-01-09T13:36:00.000-05:00

You know how sometimes we procrastinate and assume that problems will be resolved AUTOMATICALLY? But the truth is it doesn’t. It becomes shit. Shit of all shapes and sizes. Some can be lumpy. Some can be sticky. Some long. Some short. At times, you even get diarrhoea and your shit becomes watery. But generally, they all stink. And when they accumulate, you become so full of shit that you don’t even realize it anymore (which isn’t that bad) The downside of it all is this. You become so burdened with shit that it drains you. You start losing energy leading to more shit. And the vicious shit cycle begins. Until someone points it out to you. “Hey Eric, you stink.” And then you look at yourself and almost forget how it feels to be free of shit. That’s how I feel right now. Haha. FOS!

Here’s good advice:

When dealing with shit of all kinds, use a healthy dose of RESPONSIBILITY, pop in a few CLARITY pills (as opposed to the medically recommended charcoal pills), and always, always flush after shit.

Take a good look at yourself. You might find shit on yourself. Go clear it up. And remember to flush! :)

Looking back...

2006-01-02T22:46:00.000-05:00

Time passes really fast. (What's new?)

My family will be flying back to Singapore in a couple of hours. It is as if they just got here last night. I will never forget my excitment and nervousness as I waited impatiently for their arrival. I even rehearsed what I wanted to say to them. In the end, I forget all my lines. I just rushed towards them and gave them each a big hug. Nothing beats a hug to express how much I miss (and love) them!

As I sit by the window journalling, I could hear the loud snores from my dad (or was it my mum?) *grin* I could even hear my mum's laughter, dad's footsteps and sis's chatter in my head. The hours we spent in one another's company. Priceless. On the eve of new year's day where everyone counted down to 2006, time stood still for the four of us. Sitting in Starbucks (for the first time together), we talked about the future. Priceless. If there is one regret in the world, it is not telling the people whom u care about how much u love and treasure them. And I am glad I did.

2005 has been a very fruitful year for me. I found my sky and flew as a free bird. Exploring. Growing. Living. And along the way, I made new friends whom I have a feeling is going to stay with me for a long long time. And that's good coz' the journey is long.

This year, my resolution is the same as 2005. To be present to what life has to offer, both its beauty and its challenges.

And to everyone out there, thank you for being part of my sky! Love ya all.

Have you ever wonder what it really feels like just to be you?

2005-12-19T14:15:00.000-05:00

Have you ever felt so alone in a crowd?
Or noticed that everyone seems to be talking....
but no one's listening?
Have you ever wonder what it really feels like just to be you?

I did. And here's whatI told myself on that fateful day...

I'm home.

From an angel to another...

2005-12-14T23:28:00.000-05:00

"If you have been searching outside of you for something, just look inside you... for it is already there..."
Thanks Mei!

Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There’s always one reason
To feel not good enough
And it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty
And weightless and maybe
I’ll find some peace tonight

In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there

So tired of the straight line
And everywhere you turn
There’s vultures and thieves at your back
And the storm keeps on twisting
You keep on building the lie
That you make up for all that you lack
It don’t make no difference
Escaping one last time
It’s easier to believe in this sweet madness oh
This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees

In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here

Some things don't really break down

2005-12-14T09:56:00.000-05:00

I just realize something.

An escalator can never really break down. At worse, it only becomes stairs. You would never see an escalator with the "Temporarily Out of Order" sign, just "Temporarily Stairs... Sorry for the Inconvenience"

Interesting.

Savor the Journey!

2005-12-11T21:50:00.000-05:00

I will never forget my POS. 2 wks after TCC. Extremely confrontational yet truly awakening. I only started living then. Sometimes I slip back into breathing mode and just sleep my way through life. And then I wake up. And started living again. It gets tiring at times but definitely better than staying in slumber for your entire life.

Today when I woke up and saw the bright sun outside the window, I smiled.

Who needs to see the world when its beauty is within the reach of any person who has the eyes to see, the ears to hear and the heart to feel...

I felt so loved.

Leave you guys with this poem by Gwendolyn Brooks

Exhaust the little moment
Soon it dies

And be it gash or gold
It will not come

Again in this identical disguise

Life is too short to sleep through it. Savor the journey!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2005-12-05T00:27:00.000-05:00

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight,
Walking in a winter wonderland!

Winter is finally here, marked by a thin layer of snow right outside my apt. Here's some pics we took on a cold windy Sunday.
From now till 20th, it is gonna be really hectic. But well, what's new?

Isn't life sucky?

2005-12-02T21:54:00.000-05:00

Have you ever experience a day where you started with "It is gonna be a great day!" and your day turned out to be a sucky one as the hour goes. Esp. so on Friday the 13th. I kinda experience a mild version of it tonight even though it is just the 2 Dec (despite being Friday)

Raj was bitching about how life sucks and I replied him with a "Depends on how you look at it."

Yeah right.

Checked my bank account balance and found myself cheated of $20 from yesterday's dinner. Apparently the waitress added a $20 tip without my permission and I have no proof.

Left the room to dry my clothes and the dryer ate up $2 worth of quarters.

Came up to get more $$ and found a long letter by Park Towne Mgt which in essence was a "We are gonna charge you heat and hot water from Jan 1st." Nice. Just when we are having winter. No sweat. I shall saunter around the house with my winter jacket.

Went down to top up my washing card and found another letter in the mail. This time it is my phone bill - $83.20. Almost a 25% hike from my usual bills. Thanks to all the overseas call I made.

Decided to save one quarter by using the dryer card. Throw in the clothes and realize that there is no linen filter (an essential for a dryer). Wasted another $1.75.

After an hour or so, I find myself losing over $120 and my clothes are still wet. And I am too tired to feel the impact of all this. I shall let it sink in tomorrow. Isn't life sucky? It really depends on how you look at it.

Right.

There's something about Singapore

2005-11-29T16:41:00.000-05:00

Hey, the background song is dedicated to YOU! (I'm sure u know who right?) See ya soon. =p

Been a while since I pen down an entry. And I decided to cheat a little by letting you guys have a preview of an article that will be featured in two publications: NUS Enterprise (not sure which month) and SPIN Publications. I could not have done it without my friends in BV and S'pore. And to myself, what game do you want to play next? *grins*

There is still time to back out. Find an excuse to leave. Tell them that something happened at home.

“Our third contestant is Eric Feng. His contest speech is There’s something about Singapore.”

Too late. I stood up, shook hands and turned to face the audience. All fifty of them. It started to dawn upon me that my fear of public speaking had never left me. It merely found a strategic time to attack. Right when I was contesting in the International Humor Contest (Division level).

I began. “Singapore is an island 24 miles by 14 miles.”

“About the size of Bill Gate’s living room.”

The audience tittered.

“If this 40 storey building we are in is United States of America, you will know the size of Singapore when you visit the Men’s room.”

The audience burst into laughter.

“Third cubicle.”

The laughter grew louder and more intense.

“Under the toilet seat.”

Even more laughter.

“Let me move on to tell you more about Singapore…”

Everything after that went in a flash.

On hindsight, I still have no idea why I joined the humor contest except for the fact that I have always had this natural ability to make people laugh, or so I thought. The truth is I have this knack of doing the silliest things that cause people to laugh at me. Not that I am proud of it.

But hey, I am going to give myself some credit. Joining this contest had been a serious act of courage for me. It all started with finding a Toastmasters club to join. Imagine an Asian visiting an American club he doesn’t know of, interacting with a group of strangers who are already proficient in speaking (with a cool American accent) and doing it all by myself. But I did. Without getting lost too. And that’s a good thing especially since I have been known to get lost all the time.

And then the next test of courage came along when I was invited to take part in the humor contest. And with a Singaporean mentality, I joined. “Even if I lose, nobody in Singapore knows. So confirm won’t lose face…” And one thing led to another.

What really struck me most throughout the competition period was the tremendous support I had along the way. Living one’s dream is exhilarating. But having your friends to support you and get you there is priceless. My room mates would have me rehearse my speech every night without fail. And then they would unleash their feedback, Simon Cowell style. I would even have friends that would call me in excitement.

“Hey! Just the other day, something funny happened. You want to use it in your speech?”

Now you know where I get my speech material from! And of course, the presence of my friends at the contest was a great morale booster for me. Even Gean, our NCBV program manager was there, despite the odd timing and blistering rain. In my opinion, their presence made a huge difference in the contest. I believe they laughed extra hard at all my punch lines and even offered a snigger at the duds, just to help me score more points. What else can you ask for?

That night, I came home victorious. Not because of the trophy I won but because of the affirmation I received from my new-found friends in Philadelphia. You guys rock!

When words don't do justice...

2005-11-17T23:47:00.000-05:00

Thought of showing you guys some pics that I took while travelling to a couple of places. In this entry, I am featuring three. The first is a WET-DREAMS-COME-TRUE @ Niagara Falls (Toronto). The second at Fairmount Park just to catch the last sight of Falls. And the third is my latest 2D1N trip to New York (last week) with Iris. All three left me wanting more and words just don't do justice to how beautiful these places are. Good news to Chuan Wei and my family coz I will be bringing them there in a month's time. Can't wait!

Niagara Falls (Toronto)

Tat's my gang of frens that headed up north to visit the Great Niagara Falls. Trust me, it wasn't a smooth journey at all. Check out Neeraj's blog. He will tell u why (sniggers)

There you go - we took the Maid of the Mist and went as close as we can to the Horseshoe Falls.

Imagine being sucked into the whirlpool... O_o

One more close-up!

Check out my room mate - he is VERY violent!! =/ Poor Phebe (and poor me)!

We may be drenched & cold but we sure had fun!

Now here's Chinatown of Toronto. They have one of the best Asian food here but we din get to try it though.

instead we went for the traditional hotdogs - yummy!

And off we went to the highest building in the world - the CN Tower! Below are a couple of pics we took of Canada's landscape.

Some cool structure.

Guess who's feet are these? No brainer to guess Neeraj's feet - tsk tsk!

Check out the recycling bins - din know they recycle sea turtles too haha.

Tze Ling & all the cute mooses! =)

A quick pic of the guys who went and conquered

Look how drama-mama Neeraj is. Oh by the way, he does theatre ok. So dun play play ah!

He loves Rocky like crazy. Probably should marry him or something.

And the poor Jaron lost some $$ at the casino. But we had fun nonetheless. There goes our school fees money. Sniff.

Fairmount Park

That's Ziliang (my house mate) and me

He is very fond of taking highly entertaining pics. This is merely one of them. He did an eagle stance somewhere before too. Haha.

New York

Here's a couple of pics we too at Central Park. U need a whole day to explore the place. There are many mini performances around with a zoo and big pond.

check out the lovely couples on the boat. Romantic it may seem but how on earth are these people gonna kiss with all of us snapping pics at them?!

Check out the crowds!

Couldn't resist. The gal in pink is simply cute, behaving like a little adult.

We stood to watch an entertaining puppet show as well. I havent quite figured how to put videos on the blog. Once I do, i will show u some.

Another really cool structure.

And then in the afternoon we headed to the UN building. Frankly it is boring. But some of my travel mates love it. I wonder why.

I shall not make fun of them. In private maybe.

Time passes really fast when u are having fun. It was getting dark already and it was just 4pm. Gosh...

Oh and thanks to Iris, I manage to snap this pic. It's my fave channel in US - WB17 where they show CHARMED! What not to love... =)

Here's the infamous Time Square. It look so much better at night with all the neon lights. Reminds me of Las Vegas.

That's a really cool statue outside Rockefellar. It has all the astro symbols and horoscopes carved.

Is that the same gal in pink that we saw in Central Park???

And the Iris brought us to this very famous restaurant to have cheese cake! And the food they serve is for giants. They have a sandwich that is almost 30cm in height. I wonder how people actually finish that up. Here's ours - shared with Iris. It's salmon with cream cheese. Notice the cream cheese - you can eat it for days.

Look how delighted Iris was!

At night, we headed to watch an Improv Comedy. That was the highlight for my day. I watch so many standup comedians on TV but I have yet to hear them live. Now here's one!

I wish one day I get to perform on an open mike too. Definitely something I want to try before I fly back to Singapore. Watch me!

Now here's Day 2 as we wait in line to take a ferry to Elis Island.

Check out the landscape of NY!

Can't help but to fall in love with the sky and the possibilities it present. Again, this is something very personal that my ECI friends can relate to. Right? Right!

The next few pics are all about Statue of Liberty. Surprisingly I had a lot of fun visiting the museum there. And we snap quite a lot of pics of the lady. Seriously I have no idea why she is so famous. She has a manly face with really huge feet and ears. Who will fall in love with such a lady?! Maybe that's why she is dammed to stay on the island forever. Haha.

Reach out for the sky......

Here's the wonderful people whom I travelled with to NY. One of the them is a French (Jean) who taught me French - how cool is that! Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Moi Cei Soir?

And the tour ended with a broadway @ Time Squares. We watched Chicago. To tell u the truth, you have not been to NY if u havent watch a musical. And we sure did.

Thanksgiving is around the corner and we are planning a 4 day trip to Rhode Island & Cape Cod. Show u guys the pics soon. Meanwhile have a great week! And remember to catch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. We r catching it tonight - woohoo!

Conversation with my boss

2005-11-10T19:34:00.000-05:00

Had a great conversation with my boss, CH today. We do that almost every fortnight. He will come by my desk (which is just outside his office), and with a big ball in his hand, he will always start the conversation with a "How's it going Mr Feng?" When you hear that 5 words, you know that it is time for the regular talk. The talk. However, tonight's conversation was different. It kind of cross the invisible barrier into the "I am your friend - we can talk about anything." And we did just that.

He shared with me an analogy.

CH: "Imagine you are in jail. And you meet this really big black guy named Bubba. And he wants to shove his dick into your ass. Would you like it?"

Me: (shocked but later remained composed) Erm.. no...

CH: That's right.

Me: Phew...

CH: Bring this feeling back to your work. Every time your system goes down, it is almost as if Bubba has broken out of jail so that he can shove his dick into your ass. And you won't want that right? So you gotta quickly pull up your pants and run away. Same thing at work. You don't want it to happen so badly that you will make sure you do all you can to prevent the system from going down... so that Bubba will not fuck you. You understand what I mean?

Me: (Turning red) Yes...

CH: Unless he is gay of coz.. then it won't work...

Me: (Thinking) Not true. If he is a bottom, he will love to be fucked. And to be fucked by a big black guy.. that's kinky..

Well, that was only the beginning to a very interesting conversation that included pornography and naked girls. But his intention was good. He was sharing with me some management principles. In fact, I am arranging to have dinner with him in 2 wks time to discuss this issue further. In Penang.

Talk about getting to know your boss better. Kaching!

Have you try googling yourself?

2005-11-05T01:27:00.000-05:00

That's a pic of us today @ this Asia Chamber of Commerce Gala Dinner. Highlight of the day: Food! Haha. And of coz the man in the center is a big shot. He looks big shot with a long title to boast of! Executive Director of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Asia American Affairs. Can u say his title in one breath?

Have you tried googling yourself?

I did.

I type in "Eric Feng" in google and I realized a few interesting facts about myself. And I am impressed with myself.

1. I work in Microsoft Research Lab together with 20 other Chinese programmers
2. I am an amazing artist who has a studio named Feric and a totally arty farty website www.feric.com (not to mention tons of fansites about me!)
3. I am also a Program Manager for SQL Server Express
4. I am into Astroparticles (Dark Matter and Quantum Gravity) and I recently moved from Berkley to Chicago
5. I won a Youth Award at May 6 for my strong commitment to community service
6. I wrote two papers. (1) SafeMem: Exploiting ECC-Memory for Detecting Memory Leaks and Memory Corruption During Production Runs (2) FS2: Dynamic Data Replication in Free Disk Space for Improving Disk Performance and Energy-Consumption
7. I am also a big shot in University of Toronto. My position: New College Marketing and Communications
8. I was recently awarded ROBERT C. BYRD HONORS SCHOLARSHIP (god know what is that)

And here's one of my latest work.

But the most important of all..
I am fucking insignificant! (But don't I know that already?) =)

How will you die?

2005-11-04T09:44:00.000-05:00

"You are going to get lost in the woods on a hiking trip. You will be exploring, but you won't find your way out of the woods and will starve to death. But before that you will have a great life."

I usually don't believe in such crap but this one... I'm not sure coz
1. I am famously known to get lost ALL the time
2. Food is EVERYTHING to me

Frankly, the last line is NOT comforting at all. I mean who cares if I have a great life when I am lost & hungry!!!
No more hikes to the woods...

How will you die?
brought to you by Quizilla

That's just the way it is...

2005-11-01T20:01:00.000-05:00

Learnt something very valuable in class today.

When you face a group of venture capitalists and they question your business plan, all you got to do is to say these magic words and they will leave you alone. Here goes. With confidence and a tinge of cockiness, look at them straight in the eyes and say it as a matter of fact: "That's just the way it is!"
And it applies to your daily life too.

When your friends question your dressing: That's just the way it is!
When your boss questions the quality of your work: That's just the way it is!
When your girlfriend questions your commitment: That's just the way it is!

Ok I'm kidding about the last one. Hehe.

And guess what. It is 8.30pm and I am still working my ass off at office. But well, that's just the way it is! Damm.

I wanna grow old with you!

2005-10-30T11:48:00.000-05:00

This song speaks straight from my heart. I miss u... a lot.

Another day
Without your smile
Another day just passes by
But now I know
How much it means
For you to stay
Right here with me

The time we spent apart will make our love grow stronger
But it hurt so bad I can't take it any longer

I wanna grow old with you
I wanna die lying in your arms
I wanna grow old with you
I wanna be looking in your eyes
I wanna be there for you
Sharing in everything you do
I wanna grow old with you

A thousand miles between us now
It causes me to wonder how
Our love tonight remains so strong
It makes our risk right all along

The time we spent apart will make our love grow stronger
But it hurt so bad I can't take it any longer

I wanna grow old with you
I wanna die lying in your arms
I wanna grow old with you
I wanna be looking in your eyes
I wanna be there for you
Sharing in everything you do
I wanna grow old with you

Things can come and go I know but
Baby I believe
Something's burning strong between us
Makes it clear to me

I wanna grow old with you
I wanna die lying in your arms
I wanna grow old with you
I wanna be looking in your eyes
I wanna be there for you
Sharing in everything you do
I wanna grow old with you

Where's John Pino?

2005-10-27T22:16:00.000-04:00

Gean and me @ Philly 100. You should see how the guys flock to her, like bees to honey. =p

And that's Kelly, THE man.

Check out the winners for the night... If only our seniors' graduation is held at this hotel...

Tonight was the Philly 100 event where the top 100 fastest growing SMEs in Greater Philadelphia were being throned. And StarCite (the company I am working with) was ranked 34th! (With 186% growth rate and $20MM revenue) Def. worth celebrating except for the fact that NONE of them turned up. I spend almost the whole night hunting for my chairman (ex CEO) John Pino but he was no where in sight. How disappointing! And the funny thing was the organizer gave me a name tag with this blue "winner" ribbon. I have accidentally became the sole representative of StarCite for that evening. And boy did that make me a star that night (or so I hope). During the annoucements, my table applauded for me. And John Pino was still no where in sight. So I got all the credit. I could nearly pass off as the "founder of StarCite" until John Pino's pic appeared on screen and ruined my lofty scheme. At least I had a lot of wine to drink, both red and white. But I got a bit tipsy after the 2nd glass. What a loser. (And guess what Kelly had - Sprite! Haha)

But well... it is nice to be the pseudo-founder of StarCite even it is for a couple of hrs. Burp.

Awoke from slumber - watch me swim!

2005-10-26T00:06:00.000-04:00

It has been 108 days since I left Singapore to pursue the American dream. One that took a long time to materialise. But every day I reminded myself how much it took for me to be here. Persuading my parents. Convincing my uncle. Surviving the three rounds of interviews PLUS all the ups and downs that accompanies it. Filling up tons and tons of forms. Attending briefing after briefing. And then here I am. Now what? Have you ever dreamt of doing something so bad that you will go all odds to get there. But when you finally did get there, you don't feel that great afterall. And then you pursue another dream... Do people pursue their dream to enjoy the temporary moments of ecstasy or are they after the process of getting there. Both? Always the safer answer (grins)

But today I am reminded to make everyday count. Ironically from watching a free chickflick "Shopgirl". (Talk about making everyday count?!) How many of us really put in 110% in whatever we do? Let's not even talk about the small things. I am talking about our dreams, people. How many people dare say they throw in everything that they have to achieve their seemingly unachievable dreams?

Sadly I am not one of them. But to me this is no surprise. Somehow I feel that I need to feel safe. I need to have a backup planJUST IN CASE I cannot achieve my dream. And so I held back. I put a little less effort in pursuing the dream. Giving way to adversity and letting excuses take control. And when that happen, nobody wins. The dream loses its meaning and the pursuer loses its purpose. He then take the easy way out and blames it on the realities of life. Sounds familiar right.

I am glad I caught the chickflick. Another opportunity presents itself - an act of courage. Here's my reality: I am halfway out from shore. Do I save some energy to swim back or do I go all out and swim till I reach the horizon? I chose the latter. Watch me swim.

Did HE said that???

2005-10-20T12:51:00.000-04:00

A brief recap - Entrepreneur Seminar 13 Oct 2005

When the time comes for pleasure...

2005-10-17T21:39:00.000-04:00

When you are all alone by yourself in the blistering cold weather, you need pleasure food. In the company of three beautiful babes. The Charmed witches I must add. What's there to complain. For cheese lovers, check out my home-made recipe. Really simple and you can't go wrong with it. Lots of room to add your fave ingredients. Haven't your heard that cooking is a form of self expression?

Baked Pasta with Ham & (lotsa) cheese

Check out the mozeralla cheese.

Here's the recipe for two servings.

Ingredients:
Half an onion (diced)
2 slices of ham (chopped into cubes)
1 pkt of mozerella cheese
Parmesan cheese (powdered form)
Pasta (or Macaroni, depending on your liking)
Spaghetti sauce (any kind)
Garlic powder
Basil leaves
Pepper
Bacon bits (optional)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Prepare a casserole or aluminium container (u can buy it at the dollar store)
3. Cooked pasta in boiling water (sprinkle some salt to taste)
4. Mixed diced onions, ham cubes, bacon bits, dried pasta and spaghetti sauce in a bowl
5. Add 1/2 cup of water
6. Sprinkle garlic powder, pepper and basil leaves (bacon bits too)
7. Wrap aluminium container with Aluminuim foil
8. Bake for 15 mins
9. Remove foil carefully. Sprinkle mozerella cheese and parmesan cheese (up to your liking)
10. Bake for another 15 mins. And there u go - piping hot baked pasta. Best eaten with a glass of apple cider juice!

Chill at Maryland last Sat as well. Here's some more pics for your viewing. Promise to blog soon. Writer's block!
Din do much there. Ate crabs. Play with crabs. Visit apple orchard. Hayride. BBQ Marshmallows. Drank more apple cider juice. And then headed to Chinatown for dinner. It's a food trip I realize... 0_o

Started the day with a magnificent rainbow - havent seen such a complete rainbow for a while.

That's the crabs I am talking about. Frankly, I prefer chilli crabs... But at least we learnt from the woman next door, how to break crabs apart in 3 simple steps. Talk about skill.

Crab cakes! I first learnt about it in one of the Friends episode. Again, it is so so la.

And the prawns.... damm fishy. =/

Check out the crab!! Frothing in the mouth - how gross is that! I think it must have freaked out when it realised it is gonna be eaten. Crap!

Say hi! Helppppppppppp me!!!

I would prefer ducks really.

It was dusk.. and we were at Linvilla, an apple orchard. But we came too late. Apple picking ended at 6. Damm.

Entering the other section of the orchard. Halloween's coming and it is the pumpkin season!!

Check out the pumpkins!! I am gonna curve one Jack O' Latern next week (if I am not lazy) Seriously why do Jack O' Laterns all look so scary?

Have u ever see a fortune cookie Earthquake kinda thing? We see strange things here at Philly. Celebrating Jiaxian's bday. Look! She has so many fortune cookies to open. How fun is that!

All right.. u must be wondering where's EVERYBODY. Coz it's a food blog entry! Why will there b people??!! Ok, I am a bit zany today. Prob coz I ate too much... Heres's the peeps that made Maryland daytrip so fun. I promise to show u some Niagara pics soon k. Meanwhile check out Jaron's pics. http://jaronliu.pitas.com Burp!

Happy now? ^_-

(Wettest) dream come true!

2005-10-09T22:58:00.000-04:00

It has always been my dream to visit Niagara Falls since 11. It just occured to me while watching the Falls at Onimax Theatre (Science Centre). And after 13 years, this dream was fulfilled. And man, was it wet! =p

More pics to come.

Believe it or not!

2005-10-02T22:09:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I am amazed at how I can make a fool of myself time after time. Believe it or not!
At Ripley's Believe it or not (Alantic City)

We were vying for the silliest face ever, right in front of the mirror.

And then, we realise that it is double-sided mirror (at nearly the end of our tour). No wonder some people were sniggering when they see us...

And of coz who can miss this authentic headless chicken? Private joke within the ECI community.

Thanks for being my sky!

2005-09-25T19:30:00.000-04:00

I had a great run today with my house mate, Ziliang and it was during the walk back that I really got to know him better. You know how we always assume we know someone only to realise later that we were utterly wrong. It is the same kind of feeling I had. During the walk back, we talked about our aspirations. We spoke about the countries we visited. We asked about each other's family. It wasn't anything intellectual but it was a conversation that brought us to a deeper level of acknowledgement for each other. We are not that different afterall.

Somehow after that conversation, I don't feel so alone anymore. I don't feel like I am the only one fighting. Although we all experience moments of low, we can always take comfort in knowing that our friends are also fighting their battles alongside with us. And that gives me a lot of courage to go on fighting... Some things tell me that this run is only the beginning and there's more to come. I'm pretty sure.

And to my friends at ECI, thanks for being my anchors. Thanks for being my sky!

I got 108 cards - short of 4, from my friends. And TADA! It's a HUGE message from home =)

Heaven in a Wild Flower

2005-09-21T17:36:00.000-04:00

We all have different interpretation of Heaven. To most people, Heaven is a desired place where we will go to when we die. The image of heaven has long been imprinted in us since young via cartoons. It is place where angels sing and dance. A place where we ride on colorful clouds. A place where pain doesn't exist. A place where we will always be happy. As we grow up, we learnt of the "conditions" that we need to fulfill to get to that magical place call Heaven. You got to believe in God. You got to be good - be filial to your parents, faithful to your family, loyal to your country... Yet we are undeterred. We like to know that there is life after death. We like to know that there is something good waiting for us. What if Heaven is merely a concept? Who can really prove that there is such a place call Heaven. Who can really prove there is life after death? Did anyone who died came back to tell us what it is like after death? I doubt so.

In my opinion, the concept of Heaven is not a bad thing. It brings hope to people. It brings security and comfort. But here's the thing. Why do we have to wait till we die before we enjoy the "goods" that Heaven promises? Why do we need conditions to determine whether the person goes to Heaven or Hell? Why do we need to believe in ONE person to get to Heaven?

Here's what I think. Heaven is created by us. It's a choice. We can choose to be happy or not. We can even choose to suffer or not. It's a personal choice. Instead of fast-forwarding life to enjoy "Heaven", why not create it in the present. Why not enjoy the company of your friends. Why not enjoy the unconditional love your parents have for you. Why not enjoy the capability to love others. Simply put, enjoy what you have right now and be present to what life has to offer.

As we all know, living is not difficult - all you got to do is breathe. But being alive is a choice.

William Blake's poem - Augeries of Innocence speaks so much to what life is all about.

To see a world in a grain of sand
And heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

If only...

2005-09-21T13:01:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine sent me an email today "Hey you back in S'pore? Mingyan saw you...."
Haha. Either I have the power of astral projection or he had saw someone who looked like me. Nothing unusual really esp. since Americans think we Chinese look alike. But I kinda wish it was the first. How cool is that - to be at two places at one time. I can be working and holidaying at the same time. I can be dating two people at the same time. Talk about being efficient right. But I wonder if my mind can manage since guys are known to be sucky at multi-tasking. I might actually reduce my efficiency by half.

Or maybe, just maybe I do have a twin hanging around in this world. For more drama, let's make him my evil twin. How awesome is that. He is doing all kinds of crazy things in the world. He hooked up with all the babes in the world. He rubbed shoulders with all the baddies in the world. Who knows he might be in top secret meetings on how to destroy this world right now. And me... (let's not even go there) Simply put, he is all that I am not. Man, won't that make him super attractive. Darn!!! I want to be bad sometimes. To pay no attention to consequences and just do what I want. To do what I feel like doing. When will I ever walk on the Milky Way and proclaim that I am truely free?

I gotta meet my evil twin someday.

A quick Update!

2005-09-19T11:35:00.000-04:00

Club Humor "Contest" @ Panaroma Toastmasters

Turned out to be a walkover as I was the only one competing. But it was still fun coz I get to make people laugh. A great priviledge indeed. But what makes this day even more memorable was the support of my friends in Philly. They came irregardless of the heavy workload. And they laugh extra hard when no one laugh at my punchlines. Where else can you get such great friends? =)

We may be seas apart but hey look up, we are all part of SKY...

It started with 4-5 innocent postcards with incomprehensive drawings. Then more came. 10 on the second day. Then 20. Then another 20 more. I started noticing numbers at the bottom of the cards. I started seeing similar, incompleted drawings that fit together. And then it all starts to make sense. It's a huge postcard puzzle! Spent a night piecing these cards together. There is more to come I am sure. Thanks guys - love u loads!!! I miss you all too.

Some random pics near Park Towne

On the night of Mid Autumn Festival... the moon can sometimes make people go crazy.

Here comes the geek in pink =/

2005-09-16T10:32:00.000-04:00

You know how some songs speak straight from your heart. Here's one. By far my fave. Let the geek take a shot at it!

Well let the geek in the pink take a stab at it
If you like the way I'm thinkin' baby wink at it
I may be skinny at times but I'm fat fulla rhymes
Pass me the mic and I'm a grab at it
Well isn't it delicious crazy way that I'm kissin'
This baby listen to this don't wanna miss it while it's hittin'
Sometimes you gotta fit in to get in
But don't ever quit cause soon I'm gonna let you in but see

I don't care what you might think about me
You'll get by without me if you want
Well,I could be the one to take you home
Baby we could rock the night alone
If we never get down it wouldn't be a let down
But sugar don't forgetin' what you already know
That I could be the one to turn you out
We could be the talk across the town
Don't judge me by the color, confuse it for another
You might regret what you let slip away

like the geek in the pink pink pink
well like the geek in the pink, yeah

Well this relationship fodder don't mean to bother nobody
But Cupid's automatic musta fired multiple shots at her
Because she fall in love too often that's what the matter
At least I talk about it keep a pattern of flattery and
She was starin' through the doorframe,and
Eyeing me down like already a bad boyfriend
Well she can get her toys outta the drawer then
Cause I ain't comin' home I don't need that attention, see

I don't care what she might think about me
She'll get by without me if she want
well, I could be the one to take her home
Baby we could rock the night alone
If we never get down it wouldn't be a let down
But sugar don't forgetin' what you already know
I could be the one to turn you out
You could be the talk across the town
Don't judge it by the color, confuse it for another
You might regret what you let slip away

Hey baby look at me go
From zero to hero
You better take it from a geek like me
I can save you from unoriginal dum-dums
Who wouldn't care if you com...plete them or not

So what I've got a short attention span
A coke in my hand
Because I'd rather have the afternoon, relax and understand
My hip hop and flip-flops it don't stop with the light rock
A shot to mock you kinda puts me in the tight spot
The hype is nothing more than hoo-ha so I'm
Developing a language and I'm callin' it my own
So take a peek into the speaker and you'll see what I mean
That on the other side the grass is greener

I don't care what you might think about me
You'll get by without me if you want
I could be the one to take you home
Baby we could rock the night alone
If we never get down it wouldn't be a let down
But sugar don't forgetin' what you already know
I could be the one to turn you out
We could be the talk across the town
Don't judge it by the color, confuse it for another
You might regret what you let slip away
like the geek in the pink pink pink
I'm the geek in the pink ya'll
geek is the new color for fall
i'm the geek in the pink
so i'm the geek ya'll
in the pink ya'll
geek is the new color for fall
i'm the geek in the pink

Sometimes you just gotta keep paddling...

2005-09-13T14:17:00.000-04:00

It takes a good friend to remind you at times to stay grounded when your head is over the clouds with feet dangling in the air. A lot have happened for the past one year. Started after knowing the conscious gang at ECI. My life somehow took a turn for the better or worse, depending on how u look at it.

Instead of mulling over the specifics of life, I began to appreciate life's bigger picture. Instead of pursuing vanity and fame, I began to enjoy the simplicity I was blessed with. Instead of taking the easy way out, I took the path less taken. Yet now I somehow felt derailed.

Sometimes what lie ahead of me is crystal clear - I know exactly what I want and how to get there. At times (in fact most of the time I realise) I struggled to make sense of what I am doing here in Philly. Yet amidst the struggles, someone reached out to me and reminded me that: "Sometimes you just gotta keep paddling"

Thanks and come what may!

What I go to school for ^_-

2005-09-11T11:02:00.000-04:00

Her voice is echoed in my mind
I count the days till she is mine
Can’t tell my friends cuz they will laugh
I love a member of the staff

I fight my way to front of class
To get the best view of her ass
I drop a pencil on the floor
She bends down and shows me more

That’s what I go to school for
Even though it is a real bore
You can call me crazy
But I know that she craves me
That’s what I go to school for
Even though it is a real bore
Girlfriends I’ve had plenty
But none like Miss Mackenzie
That’s what I go to school for
That’s what I go to school for

So she may be thirty-three
But that doesn’t bother me
Her boyfriend's working out of town
I find a reason to go round

I climb a tree outside her home
To make sure that she's alone
I see her in her underwear
I can’t help but stop and stare

Everyone that u teach all day knows your looking at me in a different way
I guess that's why my marks are getting so high
I can see those tell tale signs telling me that I was on your mind
I could see that you wanted more when you told me that I’m what you go to
school for
I’m what you go to school for

She’s packed her bag its in the trunk
Looks like she’s picked herself a hunk
We drive past school to say goodbye
My friends they can’t believe their eyes

Let mum tell you what's best!

2005-09-11T02:43:00.000-04:00

That's my mum's discreet way of "Let mum tell you what's best for you..." Here's an abstract of our msn conversation a few days ago. Yes I know, my mum is super cool. Hehe.

Doreen
boy, i read your fortune from lilian too website

Eric @ StarCite
show me

Doreen
Although u may feel there is something missing in your early life, u will start to enjoy good fortune when u r older. Although u will not inherit much from ur parents, your career and livelihood will prove more than ample for u. u will enjoy good fortune when your time comes. Place a (dragon tortoise) in the north sector to help boost your career luck. Marrying the right partner is crucial to your career luck. Getting hitched to the wrong person could be your downfall so be very sure before u commit yourself in a marriage.

Doreen
this is your fortune. u understand what it means? so u must be very careful when you find a girlfriend ok

That's my mum folks. Tsk Tsk. 0_o

Oh hail to the one and only Super Hero - Mr StarCite Man!

2005-09-02T11:08:00.000-04:00

That's our StarCite man!! He's the man and never let him catch you slacking at office else he is gonna give you a big wallop! Oh btw, the kids love him!

That's where I work! My little StarCite corner!

Isn't today gonna be a great day?

2005-09-01T10:32:00.000-04:00

Coffee makes you do the strangest things.

I said hi to Brian only to realize his name was Chris.
“You change your name?”
“No, it has always been Chris.”
“Good choice.”

I brought this new Chinese developer (whose name I can’t remember) around the office to meet the associates from other departments.
“Hi! He is new in StarCite.”
“Oh that’s nice.” (To him) Hi! (To me) And you are?”

I greeted EVERYONE I met along the way back to my cubicle.
“Wassup sunny boy?”
“Erika you look awesome today!”
“You know what, the perfume smells good on you!”

I walked into John Pino’s (my CEO) office and went “Isn’t today going to be a great day?”

No more coffee for me.

And why is my bagel so chewy?

Heaven knows

2005-08-31T15:41:00.000-04:00

My friends keep tellin me that if you really love her, you've gotta set her free
And if she returns in kind, I'll know she's mine
So tell me where do I start coz it breaking my heart...don't wanna let her go.

A Shopper's truimph @ Franklin Mill

2005-08-29T08:25:00.000-04:00

The week started well and spluttered to the end. But thanks to shopping therapy at Franklin Mills, I will welcome the week with a big smile and new hope, along with a pair of new slick sneakers.

Spend a total of USD240++ after 5 hours of shopping. 2 pair of jeans, one from Levis and the other from Guess. A green tee from Guess again, one long sleeve shirt, one khaki berms with belt, one sweatshirt and a leather wallet. Not to forget 2 pair of shoes - Asics running shoes and the one and only one slick green sneakers! Best buy!

Close up of the sneakers - cost me USD60. But I simply cannot resist. I could start a collection here in States. U should see the number of shoes I have back in S'pore.Keke.

My commitment to running 3 times a wk.

One more thing I realise in States. Back home in S'pore, we will usually select the design and then pick the size. But here in States, you got to seleect the size and then pick the limited designs. How sad. To be able to find a pair of jeans that fit is like finding a needle in haystack. But with patience, nothing is impossible!

And to Franklin Mill, I will be back!

Some things never change

2005-08-26T17:14:00.000-04:00

I was bored at office and decided to browse my old blog. And then I realise that some things still never change. This is still my dream house.

Without sounding too nostalgic, I miss the old me. He is much more ignorant and carefree.

A Walk to Remember

2005-08-22T22:13:00.000-04:00

As I walk alone down Schuylkill River, I can't help but get absorbed by the setting sun.

Suddenly all my worries became insignificant; hardly worth thinking about...

Have you ever wonder if the sun gets sick of doing the same thing over and over again?

A quick distraction from the sun... squirrel trying to find its way home.

The bridge might look strong and sturdy now. Give it time and it shall become the dust in the wind. Just like me and you.

Give me a boat that can carry two... and both shall row, my love and I...

As I sat by the river, a familar feeling came back and hit me doubly hard. I miss home...

I wonder where the river ends. Does my pot of gold awaits me there? Or is someone too longing for home at the other end?

If I could fall into the sky...... and soar like the birds. Then I can fly anywhere and shit at anybody I want! >.<

Summer romances begin for all kinds of reasons, but when all is said and done, they have one thing in common. They're shooting stars, a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, fleeting glimpse of eternity, and in a flash they're gone.

I din know I have it in me...

2005-08-18T10:18:00.000-04:00

Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder that involves the fear of enclosed or confined spaces. Claustrophobes may suffer from panic attacks in situations such as being in elevators, trains or aircraft. Conversely, people who are prone to having panic attacks will often develop claustrophobia. If a panic attack occurs while they are in a confined space then they will be unable to escape the situation.

I din know I have it in me.

I was on my way home after an evening of Toastmasters. Taking the elevator from the 47th floor, I happily chatted with some new-found friends. And made an innocent comment "Din know they make the elevators slow for the senior citizens as well...How thoughtful of them. Imagine if it stops halfway" (laughs)

(Shortly) "Urm... why is the lift not moving?"

It was that moment we realize we are stuck!

At first, it was just nervous laughter.
Then mambo jambo sentences.
Followed by silent prayers.

"How long are we going to be stuck here?" I asked.

"I was stuck for 5 hrs last month... but don't worry they will get it fixed." a 60 over yr old residents replied.

"Let's try the emergency phone" another suggested.

It was a spark of hope which died as fast as it came. There was no phone in the emergency box.

I nearly fainted.

All of a sudden, I felt light-headed... like I was floating. Then I felt a pressure over my chest. Quick breaths.

"Please.... I don't want to die..." I muttered to myself.

And before I make any more embarrassment to myself, I thought I heard the sound of an angel.

"Is anyone inside? We are going to open the door."

Shortly, we were rescued.

Din they say NOC was a life changing experience. You bet! I don't think I am going to take any more elevators in a short while.

Quick question, how long does it take to climb 16 flights of stairs everyday? And 47 flight of stairs every alternate Wed? I might have to wake up a bit earlier. Damm.

Just Once, Baby!

2005-08-17T18:27:00.000-04:00

What's love?

2005-08-11T20:34:00.000-04:00

I have been eating at this small Japanese diner for 3 weeks. Almost 4 out of 5 times during lunch. They don't really sell very fancy food. Just the usual bentos, sushi and udon. But I just keep coming back. The lady boss (a korean) never fails to greet her customers the moment they step in and out of the diner. On Fridays, she will wish them a great weekend. After the third time I visited the diner, she remembers my order. No salad dressing. One extra bowl of rice and one cup of water. Even when I had udon, she would still give me an extra bowl of rice (for free)

Just the other day, I brought Dawn to have lunch and the lady gave us a free pot of green tea. And she gave me and Kevin a discount. Ever since, I have been bringing colleagues there for food. Then it dawns upon me the essence of doing a business. Sometimes it is not just about the quality of your product. What really impacts your customers is the experience they have using your product. It's in the experience that determines if your customer is going to come back for more. It's true, when it comes to doing a business, it is all about the customers.

Does the same principle apply in relationships too?

What if loving someone is not about possession?
What if loving someone is not about engagement or marriage?
What if loving someone is not about "Me and You, Forever"?

What if all that matters is the experience of being in love with that special someone?

Then it doesn't matter if you possess him or her.
Engagement and marriage will merely be a formal procedure.
And forever becomes a non-issue.

I want that.

They eat almost everything...

2005-08-08T16:01:00.000-04:00

An innocent conversation we had at dinner last night.

Neeraj(N): So I heard that people in China eats almost everything. Tell us what u have eaten?

Eric(E): (interject) Maybe it would be easier if u tell us what you have not eaten...
(Some laughter)

Ram(R): So have u eaten a snake?

Ziliang a.k.a China-man(Z): Yea

N: Cow?
Z: Yea
E: Deer?
Z: Yea
N: Rabbit?
Z: Yea
R: Pigeon?
Z: Yea
E: Dog?
Z: Yea
N: Pussy?
Z: Yea

Silence...

Chill out @ Hard Rock Cafe, Philadelphia

2005-08-06T22:30:00.000-04:00

To sum it up, here's what I have been up to... 0_o

Here's the coolest BVians ever! We rock BIG time! (Guess who's the b'day boy/gal? No brainer right!)

Posing in front of Hard Rock Cafe

My housemates. We are the E411s! Everything for the price of $11.

And that's me with the infamous Beatles of coz! I really got to put on more weight!!!

Plan A - Eat ALL I can! *Gobble burger* while eyeing on Phebe's chicken - yum yum!

Neeraj (my room mate) trying to be chinese. C'mon!

Revisit the Times Square - really gotta watch the broadway soon. And ...

Visit the one and only COLDSTONE! They should have a franchise here in S'pore! Not only do you get to choose the flavor of ice-cream, you get to choose 2 toppings like marshmallows, cookies, hot fudge, fruits etc, and they will mix it up for you.

By the really cool dudes in Cold Stone.

That should really be part of my daily diet if I want to put on some serious weight here.

We definitely love the ice-cream! One more plz!

Visited this catherdral that was built hundred of years ago. Very serene. Very authentic.

Also went to Ground Zero when the bombing took place - the fateful Sept 11. It could really bring tears when you read about the actual happenings on that day. It was said that the cross was what remains during the aftermath - not sure how true it was.

Ok I am really sleepy... if u want to see more pics, click the links below. U know what, I have yet to take a single pic. My frens are photo fanatics. They diligently bring their cameras everywhere they go and they snap pictures every step of the way. Saves us 10 seconds of time per picture if I don't bring my camera.

A (to stranger): Can you help us take a photo? (smiles sweetly while the rest nod earnestly)
Stranger: Sure!
B (Upon hearing "Sure!"): Here's my camera - can you help me too?
C: And me...
D: Here's mine!
E: Wait a sec, I have one too...
Stranger: Erm, this could take a while..............

A-E and more: Act blur and pose... *CHeeezzzzzz*

Repeat above procedure for every single building. Multiply that by min. 5 cameras. Now you can see why I could save us all quite a lot of time by not bringing my camera.

I was on the phone with mum while Julia snap it. *grin* See you guys soon! More pics coming up I assure you. Meanwhile, chill!

More Hard Rock Cafe pics courtesy of Julia. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CYuHDhw3bMgk

I am feeling really high!

2005-08-04T20:33:00.000-04:00

I am super high today! Oh boy, head rush!!!

1. Extremely fruitful day at work

I was actually busy, all the way till 5.30pm. Started to flow with the Americans at my workplace. Learnt to make causal chats with my colleagues and skilfully retrieve vital information or get "helps" from them. Geneva, a manager from QA Dept is my angel at work. She brought me around meeting "key" people that would be able to assist me in my projects and just 15 mins, I got all that I need. Key people to get input from, nuggets of info to manuvere my way around, special grants to allow me access to some of the systems and even a possibility for me to move my desk to another side of the company. That's efficiency baby!

2. Visited a Toastmasters (TM) Club this evening

Definitely an act of courage for me. Imagine an Asian Chinese visiting a club he doesn't know of, interacting with a group of people who are already proficient in speaking (with a cool Amercian accent) and doing it ALL BY MYSELF... But I did. Without getting lost. One brownie point for myself!

And boy, it was definitely an eye opener for me. The club was held in a hotel, 45th floor overlooking the entire Philadelphia City. They are fairly friendly (not as warm as some clubs I visit in S'pore) and I got to meet a nurse, a stand up comedian, an artist, two TV producers and a few IT professionals (whom I am starting to respect ever since I work at StarCite) I would definitely come back again next Wed and probably sign up as a member. I have a wild aspiration. To take part in the Evaluation and Speech Contest. And the fun thing is I will be competing with Americans. Who knows, I might be lucky. But then again it would be a super duper great experience to rub shoulders with some of the top speakers.

3. Met this really talented stand up comedian, his name is Avish.

This is one of the main motivation for joining the club. He is also a member for an Improv Club in Temple Uni. (think Who's Line is it Anyway?) And I was thinking of joining to brush up my wit and probably have a fighting chance to be a stand up comedian in S'pore. Or probably be one in States. Ooh, the Asian Boy with a Singlish Accent or something like that. Ok, I am dreaming.. but isnt that what I do best. Except I am gonna make this one come true.

4. Have a social life (finally) - kind of, I think

As I was walking home, I was thrilled coz I am not at home slacking. I am out there making friends, learning & growing. I know it is nothing great. Just a club. But hey it is a start! Hopefully I would get to meet more locals here and start clubbing too. Or stay over at a friend's place or something. That would be so fun! But I got to keep myself in check. I have the tendency to fill up my schedule and life here would be no different from the one I have in S'pore. Bleah!

5. Rented three funny comedies

Haha. For the kick of it. Monty Python's Flying Circus (keep hearing it in ECI community), Chris Rock Comedy and Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo (to prepare me for the part 2 in Europe!)

6. Know this sweet chinese girl, Jasmine

Finally a chinese not from my NOC gang. *grin* And she majors in IS too - how cool is that!

7. Got a few more recommendations of places to visit this weekend

A few museums to visit and we would probably be cycling down Kelli Drive too. It's along the river. And I heard it has pretty good sceneries. Will take pics if I am going there this weekend.

8. I am really hungry now and we r going to throw a surprise b'day party for Jaron who stays upstairs. So I would have chocolate hot fudge for supper. Gonna have TWO big slices - yum yum!

9. Outing at Hard Rock Cafe tomorrow evening. Picnic Friday evening. And then weekend. It just gets better!

10. And finally during the impromptu session in TM, I left my audience with a fairly good impression... Nothing fancy but still, good... So proud of myself.

"It's not the big things you do that made you an angel... It's the small things you do for people that made you their angel..."

What a day! *yawns*

Can we have some efficiency plsssssssss?

2005-08-03T20:32:00.000-04:00

Americans may be able to spell the word "efficiency" but they have no idea what it means to be efficient. But then again I may be wrong.

If efficiency means putting me on hold for 20 mins, then they are efficient.
If efficiency means transferring me around the calling centre, first to the phone dept then to the DSL dept then to the billing dept then to God knows where. Yes, they are efficient.
If efficiency means asking me repeatedly for my first name, last name, full address and how they may help me for every god damm transfer, oh boy they are sooooo efficient.
If efficiency means spending one hour on the phone with 6 callers and getting no where in solving my problem, yes, they are FUCKING efficient.

And all I wanted was to change my billing account...

I miss Singapore.

From Philly with Love

2005-08-01T20:32:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, I called T-mobile. Wanted to change my billing address. FYI, the calling centre is run by a voice recognition system. So this female bot picked up my phone. Below is our conversation.

Bot: Hi! Welcome to T Mobile, how may I help you?
Me: Fuck you!
Bot: Sure! Let me get you an operator.
Me: Wow!

Time passes real fast over here. It's already 2 wks plus and I would be getting my first paid check in a week's time. Woohoo! Just yesterday we (all 10 of us) went for a day tour in New York and boy, it was definitely an eye opener for all of us. It was huge fun albeit tiring from all the walking. My room mates and myself plan to watch a Broadway (maybe Beauty & the Beast) and a stand up comedy the next time we visit NY. Can't wait...

Some of the highlights - Dim Sum @ NY Chinatown, quick glance of Statue of Liberty (the ferry queue was way too long), Wall Street Tour, Time Square Shopping, Ice cream at Cold Stone, Ground Zero (Sept 11 bombing ground) and New Jersey! All in one day.. so u can imagine how exhausting we were.

Nothing much happen really. We just miss a station and end up in Coney Island (10 miles from Ellis Island where Statue of Liberty stands), got lost again while heading back from New Jersey to Philly at 2am, speeding at 140 MILES per hour...

There's just so much going on right now here in Philly. It's not all exciting everyday. A lot of times it is just mundane and plain boring but we all make the best of it. And even crack some jokes out of the boring situation we r in. I think that is what makes life here fun. Just like today, we woke up like 1pm and wanted to throw some trash in the basement. Took an elevator down and guess what, we were presented with a whole assortment of furniture - low table, dining table, 2 leaning chairs, one kitchen dustbin with kitchen assessories. All FREE! Just last wk, we picked up a shelf and two brand new tables. I wonder what we will have next wk. We need sofa!!!

And then later at 5pm, we went down to the basement to pick up our laundry and we saw some more furniture!!! Our eyes lit up for a second! Then we saw two puzzled guys near the pick up point. Apparently, those were their furniture. We were like "Oh oh... did they just lost some chairs and tables???!!!" And we walked away innocently. We r planning to go down later to see if they left anything behind. I am eyeing on their nice carpets and CD closet! Keke... What a day!

The raging bull in Wall Street! (Check out my frens' pics: http://photos.yahoo.com/neerajkumar84/)

Here's my room! =)

Philly, here I come!

2005-07-13T20:31:00.000-04:00

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeow!!! Peeps, I am back! In my temporary apt at Philly! And guess what, it is early morning 7.15am! Man, I am an early bird yeah. Looks like I am up for a great start. Hopefully I keep that up for the next one yr. This place is a huge mess though. Spacious yes, that's why there is MORE space for mess. Seniors have left all their stuff here for sale. Look more like a flea market. TV selling at $25, mattress at $5, dining table with cushioned chairs at $40, rice cooker at $5 etc etc. They even have all the mattresses piling, reminds me of Princess and the Pea. Haha.

I miss u all sooo much k. Esp my family! It would be another 4 months before I see them again. They r planning to visit me in Dec. And Chuan Wei in Dec too! Can't wait sia..... I realise that the most difficult thing to do is to leave your loved ones. And the feeling of missing someone is terribly unbearable. In the 25 hours long flight, I keep thinking of u guys. Read and re-read all the cards and sms-es... This is soo hard!!! And I guess I will not stop missing all of u. Got to get used to this.

But here's some gd stuff to share.

1. I am freeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Not free as in dollars and cents of coz. Keke. LAME! But I am free as in nothing to do. I will just walk around. Looking out of the window, checking the stuff left behind by seniors and retyping my blog coz I keep deleting the entry accidentally. Time is slow here. I have noooo idea what to do after blogging. But I find it realli refreshing.

2. I am staying with 2 gals now. Haha. What an experience right. I heard sooooo much abt gals and now I have two besides my room. This morning when I woke up, I found the toilet lid down and I was reminded of the girls. I am sure more fun stuff will come up in the later days. Just hope that girls will be by default able to do at least the 2 Cs: Cook & Clean!! Keke. *crossed fingers*

So what am I gonna do later. Just some admin stuff like sourcing for a permanent apt for six. We r looking at a three room flat with three bathrooms and a large living room. 4 guys n 2 girls. That's a great combi for an adventure - what say u? And we gotta set up a bank account, apply for social security number, student card etc etc. I am more concerned about the foooood actually haha. Oh and the weather is fine. Just like S'pore temp realli coz it is the summer.

Ok la... I am gonna bum now. Here's some pics for your viewing pleasure. Hehe. *chatting wih my mum on msn now* How cool right! She is still typing... can imagine how she will nag me online. Sweeeet! Laterz!