Wednesday, October 27, 2004
frankly speaking, i was not a fan of winnie the pooh until nowadays.. or rather from the day i received my first winnie the pooh bolster from my silly dear on the day after i returned from Australia.. the both of us had been feeling so miserable, being away from each other so such a long time.
subsequently, i started liking this orange bear who loves hunny, has piglet and donkey as fren, and wears this red shirt of his complete with POOH in front.. so cute!! hee.. then i insisted on taking photo with the lantern Pooh at chinese gardens during the lantern festival, and held the lantern with a pooh motif without any inhibitions.. all things pooh!! haha.. i even got pooh hp accessory for me and dear!! Lalala~
i think it must be my sudden surge in pooh's interest that pulled up pooh's popularity. now pooh has overtaken Mickey mouse and gang as one of the highest earners among the cartoon characters! must've been me!! haha..
i simply love pooh now, together with my all-time favourite hello kitty( getting my hello kitty this friday! can't wait to get my hands on my aquamarine hello kitty-- my birthstone!!)
Seeing pooh, brings my greivances momentarily away.. now, back to reality.. gotta finish typing my IT report and keep my fingers crossed so that miss almighty lao ban will accept my work.. hope to keep my head till the end of next tue.. wish me gd luck!
| posted by clouds at 11:20 PM
Monday, October 25, 2004
today is a really horrible day.. at the beck and call of someone... Argh!! sickening.. bleh!! i think PF understands how i feel.. maybe she feels stronger against this person..
I really hate it when she thinks she's so smart, yet she is not.. i hate it when she thinks so pretty but she is not.. i hate it when she impose her ideas on us, but we're not strong enough to argue wat's wrong and infeasible.. in the end, we followed her idea, and now we're struggling to satisfy her.. i think we're seriously not gonna make it for the project loh!! with 6 more days to go, and not a single word typed out!! that's absurb!!
ok ok.. i complain enough, shall do other things now.. catch up on my revision and face miss almighty tml at tutorial (i think she really looks down on us loh!!)
| posted by clouds at 3:17 PM
Sunday, October 17, 2004
- all these ways are for me to know, and for u to find out!! keke..
recently i've been treated more and more like a child.. suddenly ppl worry abt me not having lunch, suddenly i'm allocated a lunch partner, suddenly i need to report my whereabouts, suddenly i need permission to go anywhere..
hmm.. but i dun mind all the attention, it's a change from all the apathy i face at home, and with frens sometimes.. hmm.. and suddenly i'm given treats like this :
hee.. v cute, but can't replace the doggie i lost last month.. sighz.. luckily my doggie computer programmer is always with me.. tho he's so unfree this wkend, i din get to see him these 2 days.. fighting the programming monster he said.. hope he dun grow skinnier and skinnier.. his fight is almost over.. for now though.. jia you!!
and here's the family portrait:
| posted by clouds at 11:14 PM
Thursday, October 14, 2004
~I am old!!~
My results when i took this quiz: 30 years old
difference from actual age: 8 yrs
difference from actual age: 8 yrs
Childishness: 40 %
Matureness: 61%
Agedness: 31 %
Matureness: 61%
Agedness: 31 %
sobs.. i dun wan to be old!! how old are u?
Check out this website!
| posted by clouds at 11:54 AM
Monday, October 11, 2004
By Janadas Devan
JEAN-JACQUES Rousseau in his Essay On The Origin Of Language cited this parable to illustrate the origin of metaphorical language: 'A primitive man (un homme sauvage), on meeting other men, will first have experienced fright. His fear will make him see these men as larger and stronger than himself; he will give them the name giants.'
The strangers are not really giants, of course. As the primitive grows familiar with them, he 'will discover that the supposed giants are neither larger nor stronger than himself, and that their stature did not correspond to the idea he had originally linked to the word giant'.
'He will then invent another name that he has in common with them, such as, for example, the word man, and will retain the word giant for the false object that impressed him while he was being deluded.'
But why did he call them 'giants' in the first place? As Paul de Man, a literary scholar, noted once: 'The coinage of the word 'giant' simply means 'I am afraid'.'
The primitive calls strangers 'giants', not because they are physically larger than him, but because he fears their familiar exterior may hide an unsuspected ogrish character. His suspicion that they may not be what they seem leads him to make a fearful accusation - 'they are giants'.
That accusation is the result of his fear that appearances may be deceptive, that the apparent may not be the real.
Now, Taiwan Foreign Minister Mark Chen is a sophisticated man, of course, but his recent characterisation of Singapore as 'a tiny country the size of a piece of dried nose shit' shares the same logic as Rousseau's primitive's mistaken accusation of strangers as 'giants'.
As every Singaporean knows now, Mr Chen, speaking in Hokkien, had called Singapore 'bi sai'. The Straits Times, with its accustomed clinical precision, translated that as 'dried nasal mucus'. Reuters offered 'piece of snot' instead, AFP suggested 'booger' (which is American slang for snot), and a colleague of mine came up with 'nose shit'.
The Anglo-Saxon directness of the last seems to me to fit best the spirit of the original Hokkien, so I have chosen to translate Mr Chen's 'bi sai' as 'nose shit'.
It can be added to the fairly long list of familiar insults that have been directed at Singapore's size, including former Indonesian president B. J. Habibie's famous characterisation of the island as no bigger than a tiny 'red dot' on a map.
Naturally, some Singaporeans have taken umbrage at such insults, feeling they are demeaning, but they shouldn't. Read psychologically, Mr Chen's 'bi sai', like Dr Habibie's 'red dot', is not so much an insult as it is a compliment, albeit unintended.
Just as Rousseau's primitive called strangers 'giants' because he feared what was apparent may not be real, Mr Chen called Singapore a 'tiny piece of dried nose shit' because he suspected appearances may be deceptive.
Consider this: Nobody, including Dr Habibie or Mr Chen, would dream of calling, say, Nauru or Palau, both independent island states in the Pacific Ocean, nose shits. Nauru is only 21.2 sq km, far smaller than Singapore, while Palau is only slightly bigger, but only if one combined all of its 200-odd widely scattered islands, only eight of which are inhabited.
Just as one would not insult a dwarf by calling him a dwarf, one would not insult Nauru and Palau by drawing attention to their lack of size. Why call them 'red dots' if they act like 'red dots' - when they are what they seem?
It is only when a red dot doesn't act like a red dot, when a bi sai seems to carry more weight than a bi sai should, that it makes sense to insult a red dot by calling it a red dot, a bi sai a bi sai. Such insults simply signify: 'I fear the bi sai is no bi sai, the red dot is no red dot.'
It is precisely because Singapore isn't what it seems, that it becomes necessary to remind it of what it seems: 'you are a red dot'.
It is precisely because there is a suspected - and sometimes feared - discrepancy between its unimposing physical size and its outsized influence that it becomes necessary to remind it that it should act its size: 'you bi sai'.
The moment the likes of Mr Chen or Dr Habibie feel it unnecessary to draw attention to Singapore's size, Singaporeans would know they are indeed what they seem - small.
Be glad, Singaporeans, that others find it necessary sometimes to remind you of what you seem.
It means you aren't; it means the reality is different.
| posted by clouds at 7:54 AM
Sunday, October 03, 2004
(Take some time to read it, all of us can relate to it somehow)
Mary and Susan have been friends for years. They grew up together and attended the same schools. They are now both in their 40's, and both have great careers. They both have a similar upbringing - same education, same family values, similar support and financial position.
But there was one main difference.
Mary never seemed to have enough time. She watched her life long friend Susan. She had similar responsibilities and interests. Susan
had a career, she had three children, and she had her hobbies, one of which included golf.
Over lunch, Susan was telling Mary about the golf game that she played last weekend. "Susan, where do you find the time to play golf?" asked Mary. "I never seem to have the time, now with the children older and doing their own thing I thought I would have time to play golf like we
did when we were in college."
Susan looked at Mary and laughed, "Mary, we both have the same hours in a day. You do have the time to play golf!"
With a sigh Mary replied, "That's easy for you to say. I never seem to have time. My work takes so much of my time. I am in the office at 7:30; I leave at 6:30 in the evening.
By the time I get home and have dinner, it is 8:00! And then I usually have a briefcase full of work. The weekends are full of more work. Just to keep up, I have to put in the hours. You know what it is like!"
"Of course, I know what it is like," Susan said. "But what would happen tomorrow if you got sick? Who would do the work?"
"Sick. Who has time to get sick!" exclaimed Mary. "But if I did get sick, someone else would do the work, I suppose."
"You know something, Mary; I used to be like you. I worked night and day and of course on weekends. When I got home I was exhausted but I would push myself and read my children a bedtime story. By the time I went to bed, I would be more than exhausted. The boss I had was very demanding. She was there early in the morning, late at night, and she always worked weekends.
I felt I had to do the same - I needed the job to help support my family -just as you did. But then I had a change of bosses. The man I worked for was older and much wiser, I might add! Of course, I continued to work the hours I had been working.
One day he came to my desk and passed me a card that had a quote on it which said, 'What I do today is important, because I will never have today again' - and then he left.
I sat there stunned. I suddenly thought of what was important to me.
While my work was important, I realised my children were more important. I also realised that time for me was important. It was 4:30, the official closing time of the office. I straightened my desk, felt a twinge of guilt about leaving, but I forced myself to leave.
I was home by 5:00. My children and husband were surprised. I had a wonderful evening. It was not a chore to read that bedtime story that evening."
Mary was looking at her friend thoughtfully and then questioned Susan about the work she had left on her desk. Susan replied, "I never thought this possible, but I actually accomplished more the next day than I had in weeks. As I was leaving the next day I stopped at my new boss's office and thanked him for the quote.
He told me a story about advice his dad had given him many years ago when he was working night and day. He referred to it as 'Balance of Life'.
His dad told him to keep balance in his work, in his family life and in time for himself. He explained to me, while all aspects of our life are important, without a balance, you become addicted and like all addictions you lose:
No balance with your family - you lose them
No balance with your work - you lose your perspective and you actually lose focus on the
important aspects of your job.
No balance with yourself - you forget who you are and when you retire you have nothing! Or worse than that, if you lose your job through a company sale or downsizing you lose your identity.
He went on to tell me that who we are is NOT what we do to make a living.
Who we are is a balance of our family, our work, ourselves! It truly was the best advice I ever received."
Mary took a drink of her tea and tearfully looked at her friend, "But I would never get my work done if I left at 4:30!" Susan looked thoughtfully at her, "When you go to work on Monday
1. Look at what you have on your desk
2. Make a list of everything you have to get done
3. And beside that list write the impact of not doing it
4. Then focus only on the top three items that have the most impact.
5. Do that everyday for a week.
At first, you will find it difficult to leave. But, after awhile, you will find that you will have more energy, and you will be more focused in your work because you have BALANCE! There are times when we have to lose balance- a special project at work, or a family matter at home but consciously focusing on balance keeps everything in check."
Mary smiled at her friend, "Thanks for talking with me. We have been friends for so long. Thank heavens I have balance with our friendship!
You have convinced me. I will leave the work in my briefcase this weekend.
On Monday, I will make the list first thing. Perhaps next weekend, I will have the time to go golfing with you!"
"Balance of Life" - important for us ALL!
They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis."
It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realising that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like.
You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.
You start realising that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones.
What you don't recognise is that they are realising that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.
You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realising that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.
Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realise that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't.
One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realise that the past is drifting
further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.
You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person.
One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a
decision.
You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd
just like to be a contender!
What you may not realise is that everyone reading this relates to it.
We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.
Send this to your twenty-something friends...maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion.
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.
| posted by clouds at 10:05 AM
Friday, October 01, 2004
Yawnz...
been waking up everyday at 5 plus to go to sch early to study.. or trying to (both the study part and the going to school part).. yupz, the stupid midterms are coming.. imagine 4 midterms within 2 wks!! sighz..
things to look forward to:
- last episode of "burning flame 2" on coming mon 1045pm-- i watched it once before but it's so nice i'm watching it 2nd time on tv.. but vvv irritating, channel u changed time slot to every mon nite when the story ending soon, why dun they just get it over? not a nice show meh? why nobody watch?? really frustrating.. "burning flame 2" is part of the memory of staying in PGP.. stay alone in the room, not doing hmwk, just watching my drama serials.. sobbed ALONE during the touching parts, smiled ALONE during the cutie yaoyao parts. actually i didn't really mind.. but now everyone agrees with me that it's a fantastic show! hee..
- Movies after my midterms!! "Ladder 49" by john travolta similar genre as "burning flame 2", i think, less the cute little gal..
and dear was talking about "wimbledon" by kirsten dunst.. 
hmm.. yup, sounds quite gd as well.. hee.. haiz... deprived yun.. desperately need some retail therapy, a movie marathon and KTVs (!!!) to get me back to life.. soon, soon...
in the meantime, to everyone who's studying: "good luck in the coming midterms!" and to those who're working: "it's Friday!! be glad u all haf the wkend to enjoy! Enjoy the Wkend!" and to those who're young or young-at-heart: "HaPPy ChiLdren's Day!!" everyone take care! dunno when i'll have the feeling to blog again.. yawnz.. going to bath and go sch le..
p/s: jia you dear! fight the programming monster tomorrow!! i am going to battle with MAthematical ProGramMing as well! wish me luck! Love ya!
| posted by clouds at 6:18 AM
