Tales from a Yellow Wood

Forgotten Dreams

2011-01-02T12:17:00.006+08:00

Maybe I am getting old. Or maybe I am still in a reflective mode, because it's only the second day of New Year. Or maybe it's the countless resolutions that I make every year only for them to remain unresolved. But as I was busy thinking of new resolutions for 2011, I was hit by flashes of memories of years ago. Memories of my old resolutions, dreams and ambitions when I was younger. Dreams such as.....

1. To be a doctor:
That was my very first wish/ambition/dream/fantasy when I was at a ripe young age
of seven. It was when I had no idea what the heck a doctor's job is about, but I had
to write an essay titled: My Ambition. And I thought, why not a doctor? All I need to do is to put a thermometer in a person's mouth, tell him that he has a fever, give him some medicine and that's fifty dollars down my pocket. Sweet right? I thought so too, until I realized that being a doctor is actually a living hell of insomnia, blood, gore and nightmarish patients. Definitely not the handsome doctor and the harem of sexy nurses story of medical dramas.

Grey's Anatomy

2. To be an artist:
Leornado da Vinci, Raphael, Picasso... Must be awesome to sell your paintings for millions of dollars right? But sadly, you must be dead first before you can be wealthy. And well, my "Pendidikan Seni" always end up no higher than C. So that fantasy was snuffed out pretty quickly.

Pablo Picasso's "The Weeping Woman"

3. To be a photographer:
How nice if I get to feature in America's Next Top Model photographing models the likes of Tyra Banks. How nice if I can capture scenes from the Grand Canyon, or Niagara Falls, or The Sahara Desert. How nice if I can take Kobe Bryant executing a three-pointer, or Fernando Torres scoring for Liverpool. How nice if I can afford a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. I am still holding on to that dream, but I guess I need to get my butt off from my chair and start taking photos. At least it's still possible. Hmmm...

Nice lens!

4. To make my first million by thirty:
Every guy/girl's dream. And it's a bet made between me and 2 friends during my Pre-U. Well, still got 10 more years to go. Almost forgotten this bet, but now that I remember, I am fired up!! YEAH!

Donald Trump

These are the significant dreams of my yester-years. Of course, there are many other mini dreams, such as being a chef, an author, a model etc. But these are the dreams that shaped my childhood, constantly changing as I grew older, until today.

So what are your forgotten dreams?

Strolling down a highway

2010-05-15T01:13:00.002+08:00

A highway - a place where cars zoom at frightening speeds. A place where if you prefer to go at a leisurely pace, you will be left behind, shunned aside as cars after cars race past you, towards a distant, unseen goal, leaving you only with an infinite trail of exhaust fumes.

Do they get exhausted? Do their engines whine sometimes, due to lack of care, and rest, and maintenance? Do they have such a vast supply of octane? That they do not need to stop, take two deep breaths, before moving on again?

It has been almost a year since I have first stepped on to this highway called Singapore. It didn't dawn on me at first. But within the first few days, I was caught breathless by the pace of this country. The service is fast, the MRT's are fast, the people walk fast.. Heck! Even the escalator is fast. The first time I stepped on an escalator in an MRT station, I was nearly thrown off balance by the speed. All these awed me - these scarily speedy efficiency. No wonder Singapore is a First World nation. Comparatively, Malaysia is like a snail, where the service is slow, education is slow, trains are VERY slow and food is also slow. Apparently the only things faster in Malaysia than Singapore are the cars on the highways.

But, is it all worth it? Efficiency breeds speed. And speed breeds even more efficiency. Soon enough, people will be demanding for more - more service, more productivity, more work... And all at the speed of light. Will that benefit us? Or will it destroy us? Whatever happened to stopping and resting? Whatever happened to the proverbial smelling the roses? I have seen friends who do not seem to stop. They kept running, kept working, kept studying, kept looking so far ahead towards their dreams. It's frightening. It's frightening on how much longer can we take before we break down. It's also frightening how much we will be left behind if we don't buck up and chase after them.

Perhaps I shouldn't chase so hard. Perhaps I shouldn't push my car past it's limits and see how far it can go. Perhaps.. perhaps I should stop the car, and take a stroll down the highway. Perhaps this way, I can see things, and learn things to upgrade my car, so that it can surpass it's limits. Perhaps this way, I can slowly chase the leading pack.

Slowly.. but surely..

iProjector

2010-02-05T00:22:00.005+08:00

Have you ever felt that you could be at two places at the same time?
Have you ever had to attend your son's football match, your daughter's first concert and your boss's meeting all at once?
How about a friend's performance and another friend's competition which is held at two different places at the same time?

Worry not, because the product of the Future is HERE!

Presenting... The iProjector!!

Using crystals sourced long ago from a galaxy far far away, this new generation product enables real time data transfer, allowing one to project one's physical self from about 10000km away without any lag. Therefore, now one can video conference ala 3G, but with your "not-so-physical" self present at wherever you are suppose to be.

Plus, this new product uses multicore technology which allows parallel computing. This means that you project yourself at more than one place at the same time! Now that's like a dream come true isn't it?

Furthermore, the iProjector comes bundled with the iGlasses, which enables one to see through their holograms' eyes.

Using superior motion sensing technology, the iGlass also doubles as controller, allowing your hologram to mirror your movements.

And lastly, for those of you who might thing that portability is a problem, worry not! Because the iProjector software can now be installed into the iPhone, instantly transforming the iPhone to a mini projector.

So what are you waiting for? Product retails at $30,000,000.00 and only available at Eusoff Mall. Hurry up and get the product that will change your world.

*Disclaimer: This product does not guarantee the user the ability to talk to many people at the same time.

Random Thoughts Random Questions

2010-01-27T22:48:00.004+08:00

"If you could choose to design your own dream world within a Cell like The Matrix, would you choose to live within the Matrix or outside it?"

That was the question my friend posed to me the other day.

The first word that came to my mind was "DEEEEEP", or in Singaporean slang: "Chim ah..." But you know, it really is quite a profound question. Would we choose fantasy over reality? Lie over truth? In a way, our answers will reveal our character.

Personally, I think I would choose to live in the Matrix. To earn a living doing something I like, for the rest of my life is a dream that would most likely remain a dream. But if I could construct my own world, that dream would not be too far off!

Maybe I get to live like...

Jamie Oliver?

How nice to be able to just cook and enjoy life and cook while making tonnes of money eh... But maybe my cooking skills can't compare, perhaps only in a Maggi cooking competition.. >.<

So maybe Janet Hsieh?

But I wonder if I have the guts to try all the disgusting food like insects and scorpions and spiders. And if I did, I might just very well end up like another famous celebrity...

Sigh, dreams will remain dreams I guess. And if I want to achieve my dream of an easy life with no worries, I better stop dreaming and start working... or maybe not yet. I will leave that till when the Sun is shining.

Time to return to Dreamland.. Nights!

WTF?

2010-01-19T15:28:00.003+08:00

What would you do when someone unknown decided to add you on MSN?

Well, I usually add them.

What would you do when the someone started a conversation with you?

Well, I usually reply (out of courtesy).

But would you do when the someone offer to get naked?

I say What the F*** and block them.. =D

Phew..

2010-01-19T02:28:00.002+08:00

What a day!

Dancing for 4 hours with an hour of gyming in between is no laughing matter. After going through 2 hours of rigorous butt shaking exercises which was Betty's dance, I was pretty tired, and suffering from repetitive butt muscle stress disorder. But I had already resolved to buff up a little before March 2nd - for personal reasons (i.e. my dignity) and also for the sake of the performance. Therefore, I threw away my tiredness, and went for an hour of weight lifting, ab crunching and taekwondo session.

Well, after gym, I had another dance session. And this time, instead of butt crunching, I had to roll, roll and roll. I lifted my hands up, roll to the left; waved my hand, roll to the left again; twist my body around, roll to the right this time; twist my body again, and roll to the left again. It was fun at first, but after a while, you will be focusing on how to prevent the skin on your knee and feet intact. Despite my efforts, I failed and ended up with a pretty painful blister.

Well, I am spent for the day. The only thing on my mind right now is sleep therapy where hopefully I won't suffer from body aches tomorrow morning.

PS The taekwondo session was fun! I can finally kick and punch! Now I gotta work on my left hand and leg...

Selfish lover?

2010-01-15T02:55:00.002+08:00

A short story to ponder about...

X is just like any other guy. He studies hard, plays hard, sleeps hard. He hangs out with his clique every day after classes and lives a life of contentment. But suddenly, he faces a problem. Day by day, his friends are getting attached. Slowly, gently, they drifted away from X's circle. He then realized that he is still single, available and desperate.

One day, he met a girl from school. A tingling feeling rose from his heart as he admired her beauty.

"Is this love?" he thought.

X decided to take action. Although his feeling for her is but for a fleeting moment. Although he only know her by name. X wanted her. He rounded up his friends, pleading for them to help him. And they did. They rose to the occasion and set up situations where X and the girl can be intimate. They chased off other potential suitors of the girl and the poor girl, thinking that only X appreciated her, slowly fell into X's trance...

Unfortunately, I don't know the ending to this story. The story is based on an observation I made and it has only developed till this stage.

However, I can say that I do not appreciate X's way of doing things. What do you think?

High!

2009-02-15T21:57:00.003+08:00

In NUS, there's a nifty little course called Industrial and Systems Engineering whose main focus is in minimizing input and maximizing output. Sound's great doesn't it? Not when you are on the receiving end of such a concept!

Tonight, my family and I decided to treat ourselves to Western food and we went to Denny's Sandwich - just behind Klang Parade. We went there before, and the food was good. So we were looking forward to savouring some delectable western dishes. It started out well. The atmosphere was serene; the service was fast and efficient; and the water didn't taste like tap water. However, when our food arrived, I had a sudden notion that whoever was in charge here is probably an Industrial and Systems Engineer.

The salad that my dad ordered arrived first. The price tag was RM7.00 before tax, but instead of lettuce with olives, bacon, tomatoes, potatoes seasoned with olive oil, lemon and salad cream, it was just a few leaves of plain "pasar malam" lettuce, a few pieces of cucumber and shreds of carrot topped with thousand island sauce. I mean, how much do those veges cost? And they actually had the guts to charge us RM7.00 for THAT!

Then, my Garlic Butter Chicken Chop arrived. Boy, was my stomach disappointed. It looked good. But the piece of chicken fillet was soooo tiny that it couldn't even fill half my stomach! I finished it in 10 minutes and I was still hungry. So much for paying RM13.00 for such a "dinner"!
Seriously, the boss of Denny's Sandwich is definitely minimising cost and maximising profits!

Well, we finished our "dinner", paid our bill.... and headed to the nearest mamak stall in Eng Ann!
There, we had a feast on Roti Canai and a sugar-filled Roti Tissue and teh tarik. Now, THAT'S WHAT I call FOOD! And it's half the price of my chicken chop... GO MAMAK! XD

P.S. I am high on sugar now... thanks to that roti tissue.. >.<

Boredom hell

2009-01-11T00:07:00.002+08:00

Okay, I am bored out of my wits here. Which is probably why I am even blogging about being bored. See how bored I am?

So what does a bored guy like me do? Why, I go and search the meaning of boredom in wikipedia of course... =.="" (No, seriously, I did just that)

Now according to wikipedia, boredom is a state of emotion we experienced during periods where activities are lacking. In other words, when we are staring off into space! But hey, I like staring into space. I used to do that all the time. And at least it's better than doing ABSOLUTELY nothing.

Reading on, there's even a philosophical definition of boredom: "a condition characterized by perception of one's environment as dull, tedious, and lacking in stimulation." Hmm.. So it's about perception, huh. Meaning, if I view my environment as interesting, I would not be bored, right? So I am sitting at home, doing nothing but stare at the computer, no job, no life, and I would not be bored if I imagine my surroundings to be something equivalent to a rock concert...

You know what, I think I will just get a job...

2008

2008-12-31T21:44:00.004+08:00

The final minute of 2008 approaches, and the first moment of 2009 nears. So what do I do? I do what most people do on New Year's Eve - reflect back on this year and make soon-to-be-broken resolutions for the next.

2008 is a year of "change". Our country experienced a dramatic one during the March Elections, the world underwent a bigger one with Barack Obama's rise to presidency and I myself, went through a change in academic environment by enrolling into the SAM program.

My School for 2008

What a change it was! No more broken chairs and desks; no more dusty and hot classrooms; no more ugly uniforms and no more "missing" teachers! It was such a different world from studying in a government school. Of course, that means I can't ponteng class and school like I used to.. but I can live with that! =)

The best part of SAM - Friends

SAM was great. We had cool lecturers and interesting lessons. But having great friends was what made SAM 2008 so memorable. I did not expect to make really good friends after leaving high school, but my classmates of G4 made me believe that I can make friends anywhere anytime.

Some of the most enjoyable times during this year was spent with friends - having group lunches, group "discussions", sunway pyramid outings etc etc... I will always remember our "tortoise" group. Because we are always the last to leave the class. Whenever a class ends, everyone else except us would have already finished packing. Then when we finished packing, everyone else had left the class and the next class were already filling in. The "tortoises" of G4 are also an undecided lot, especially when it comes to lunch time. A typical lunch outing would go like this:-

Location: At Taylor's Main Gate
Jason: So, where shall we go this time?
Yvonne: Um, dunno laa, where you guys went yesterday?
Leslie: I think we went Foh Foh... eerr.. We go AC?
Susan: AC? Dun want la. Everytime also AC.
*Silence for 2 minutes*
Ke Er: Wei.. You all decide edi onot?
Yvonne: Faassterr laaa.. I hungry edi...
Susan: Ok la Ok la, we go AC la.. coome.. tortoises!
*Then we all followed our mother turtle - Susan*

Ahh.. I missed those times...

The tortoises of G4

The awesome class of G4

Well, it's a few minutes more till Jan 1st. So what about 2009? I think I won't make any resolutions this year, because I am bound to break them. So till then...

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! =D

Last words...

2008-12-17T15:27:00.002+08:00

Just a few empty thoughts... (in a story form, of course) ;-)

1 May 2080 Monday
What is death? I have pondered over this question for several years, ever since attending my grandmother’s funeral – my first brush with death. Road kills reported by the newspapers weren’t counted – they were impersonal and I was too cold to care. But when I looked at my grandmother’s face through the glass casket, I felt a twinge of loss. The doctor said she died peacefully - and she certainly looked it – but I was pretty sure the mortician had a part in that. Could death be that peaceful? Is letting go of everything Earthly that simple? Unless, she had an afterlife to look forward to, but is that still considered death?

As I went through all the funeral rites with the rest of my extended family members, I slowly recalled the times I spent with my grandmother. They were few, and mostly concentrated during my primary school years, like when I brought back a new soap bubble blower. We spent the whole afternoon blowing bubbles then, marveling at the subtle shifts of blue to green to yellow. Since then, I started to grow estranged from her, especially when she developed Alzheimer’s. Perhaps that was when she died, within me. I barely acknowledged her. I did not feel anything for her. It was like she no longer existed, even though she was right in front of me. And if one does not exist, one is as good as dead right?

The Taoist priest was chanting mantras amidst the clashing and banging of mini cymbals; we were kneeling on the straw mats, eyes closed, holding joss sticks close to our hearts. Then, I heard quiet sobbing beside me. It was my little cousin brother, and he looked at me with red eyes and asked softly, “Why is grandma leaving so soon? I haven’t got a chance to say goodbye to her.”

I felt another twinge of loss. And this time, I felt guilt too. I was so uncaring towards her. I was not cruel to her, but neither was I kind. I was merely a statue, a corpse in front of her. Maybe I was the one who died. After all, without feelings, I was no better than a zombie.

But I feel it clearly now – the sense of loss. I was sure many at the funeral felt it too. We gathered in tiny circles after the prayers, teary-eyed, telling each other stories about my grandmother. There were funny ones, touching ones, mischievous ones and happy ones. I listened quietly to their chatter, recalling once again my limited memories of her. I realized that I treasured those moments now. Perhaps this too is the meaning of death: to be remembered, and to let people appreciate you in a way they never did while you were still breathing. Perhaps, dying is another way of living on, in the memories and hearts of others.

Birth, life and death... The holy trinity of mankind. A fate we can't escape from...

*******
"A holy trinity, eh?" she said, a wide grin forming on her face, "So are you done yet? I have other people waiting for me, you know?"

I looked at my grandmother who was standing just behind me, and closed my diary with a sigh.

She appeared an hour ago, but she said she wasn't my grandmother. She was death. She took the form of my grandma only because that was my greatest regret.

"Well," I said, "I have faced my regrets now. Can we get this over with?"

Her grin grew wider.

"Sure," she whispered and put a forefinger on my heart, "Sleep eternally, my dear boy...."

Una Noche de Elegancia (A Night of Elegance)

2008-11-21T13:31:00.009+08:00

"Shirt.... Check. Pants.... Check. Coat.... Check. Tie..... Naahhh... Alright! I am all dressed up and ready for prom!"

That was at 4.30 pm last Wednesday. I was standing in front of my mum's bedroom mirror, doing the finishing touches before THE big event of the year - SAM Corroboree Night (SAM prom night). It was an important night after all: a night where we officially graduated from SAM, a night where we say our final goodbyes and a night where EVERYONE gets to dress like Datuks and Datins attending super-posh social parties (and being treated like one too! ^^).

When I arrived outside the Sunway Resort Grandballroom (where the prom is being held), I was taken aback by the scene: All the guys suddenly looked like CEOs with their smart black suits and the girls evolved to ladies with their elegant gowns, make-up and classy hairstyles. All those must have cost a ton! And just for ONE night too! Compared to them, I was literally priceless.

Shirt: Dad bought few months ago = RM0
Pants: Bought for last Chinese New Year = RM0
Coat: Borrowed from Dad = RM0
Tie: Did not wear = RM0
Hair: Style myself = RM0

Therefore, Shirt + Pants + Coat + Tie + Hair = RM0.00 ^^

Outside the Grandballroom

Well, moving on to the main event. It was worth every dollar I paid I think. The night started off with a band performance to keep us entertained as everyone settled down at their tables. Then, after some opening speeches, we were treated to more performances by lecturers (imagine that!) who danced very enthusiastically to ABBA's Dancing "King" (Queen) and Madagascar's theme We Like to Move It Move It. Then, it was dinner time! The food was average. It was a Chinese 8 course dinner and well, I have tasted better. But the service was excellent. We had one waiter per table and our waitress was kind enough to dish the food on to each of our plates as we got really really busy taking pictures. XD There were performances throughout the dinner too. There was a super hot salsa dance performance where my classmate Daryl was one of the performers. Then, he also sang onstage with his self-composed piece. After that, another classmate - Gitanjali - sang a Spanish ballad. I think alot of guys fell in love with her after that performance. Hehe...

Anyway, here are some of the pictures that were taken on that night:

A band

Daryl performing

One flower 8 bodyguards

The guys...

The gals...

Three guys, three gals and a mentor (Mrs. Lim)

G4!!

Susan, Chuan Shinn, Mr. Red Indian, Me and Ken Yaw

Ke Er, Susan, Mr. Yap (Physic) and Me

Ken Yaw, Me, Mr. Yap (Chemistry), Sze May and Ke Er

Leslie, Susan, Dr. Santha, Ke Er and Me

Me, Mrs. Kalpana and Leslie

Me and Bren

Me and Henri

Me and Jeff

Me, Chuan Shinn and Leng Lui's...

Well, to sum it all up, it was a great experience and an unforgetable night. Our last night as SAM students, our last night as students of class G4. I will definitely cherish and treasure these memories and, to all my friends.. All the best!! ^.^ Will miss ya all!!

The Beginning...

2008-11-18T18:39:00.001+08:00

"Life has no endings, only new beginnings". This is my favourite quote from the manga, Rurouni Kenshin. Indeed, I can't think of more apt a title for the first post in my blog. This will be the beginning of my blogging life, which is hopefully free of writer's block and full of inspiration. This is also the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Now that I have finished SAM, I have finally reached the fabled crossroads in life. So where should I go? Left? Right? Or forward? Whichever way I choose, it will definitely be a new beginning. Only time will tell how the ending will be. So I think I will just take a break, and celebrate this new beginning... wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....