Making Latte

Need the machine first :x
But that pretty much reminds me of how they make our coffee at Spinelli at Science Canteen. :)

Blues

I know I should be “studying” at this time of the semester.

I have just been reading the old posts on my blog and on friends’ blogs, and couldn’t help but smile. :) And I don’t know where the tears came by.

All the little problems do turn pale in comparison with the memories of the past. :)

Ecstatic Win

It’s a win matched by a simultaneous loss to Chelsea. What better can I expect for a weekend then?

Argh…where did “life ended” thoughts go for a while now that I see the results?! =D

Life, as it ends

Life was such a strange thing, so permanent when one had it, so fleeting when it was lost—and those who lost it could never tell you what it was like, could they?

I wonder what it would be like to die. Will I get to know what the absolute truth is? Is it the time when people will realize whether or not there is Heaven and Hell? Is it the time when people will start to realize religions are but just a set of “constitutional” rules to keep people in unity, a divine politics? Or will people even ever get to realize that at all? When they die, they just die, don’t they?

---

Does it matter what people talk about you or think about you or read about you after you die? Does it matter when people (or police) read about your embarrassing moments or your never-revealed-before feelings in your private-while-you-were-alive diary (unless you keep the online diary protected by password known to you only)?

Does it matter people mourn about your death? Does it matter people celebrated your death? Do you ever get to even know that?

---

Nothing—absolutely nothing—matters once you cease to exist.

---

What is left of you when you die then? Only your love (or lack of it thereof) is the only thing that will survive, I guess.

El Condor Pasa

Was desperately trying to drive the server to have my tests run. It was running too slowly just when I needed it most! I have even tried to reduce the amount of data to have the tests run on, still it's running uncharacteristically slowly!

This is just a by-product of too much waiting for the server. I heard of the tune for long long time (at Orchard around X'mas time, there would be a group of "musicians" playing this tune for charity), so was super glad to have the title of the song!

Quote

"At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody. So this thing, where we all keep our distance and pretend not to care about each other, is usually a load of bull. So we pick and choose who we want to remain close to, and once we’ve chosen those people, we tend to stick close by. No matter how much we hurt them, the people that are still with you at the end of the day - those are the ones worth keeping. And sure, sometimes close can be too close. But sometimes, that invasion of personal space, it can be exactly what you need."

Grey's Anatomy

Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion

Again, I'm in love with the lyrics.

All By Myself - Celine Dion

I like the lyrics.

Reflecting near past

It’s mid-term break time now. So, I am gonna have this whole night to myself. That means I’m gonna be doing a lot of contemplating too which are in some way good.

Well…first of all, I couldn’t believe 6 weeks have just flied as if I have been asleep all along and juts woke up to see the world around me has changed. Another 6 weeks and I’ll be good. For one thing, I’m not enjoying the classes except the Finance lectures only. And I realized that I didn’t feel something I thought I would. None at all. Perhaps I have a lot other or a few huge things to feel for, for the time being. Or perhaps I have just been too deeply into sleep for the last 6 weeks.

If there were any good thing about the recent past, it is some kind of feeling I felt which was very good. So good that I just wanted to plunge at it and keep feeling good. I realized that I had been at the other extremity for the last few months and had been forgetting about some important phenomenon in human life.

More important, I have realized something which is a compromise of the two opposite entities. It’s not good to be at the one end but it’s, although not absolutely impossible, not really possible for us to be at the other end all the time too. As long as I’m a human, I gotta choose the best compromise between the two.

It’s also because of this compromise and the strong belief from within me that I decided not to give up on something after being torn between two choices time and time again. I made up my mind and decided what I would move towards, so I fought my way against those who are involved in this. I know they are concerned about me in good ways, but who can know me better than myself? So, I’d better let myself decide for what I want to be in the future (although at the same time I am aware that I might not hit the future). And I will try my hardest again to achieve it (once and for all). This determinism and the defense for one’s own belief, I think, could only be best understood if you have gone through such a situation in life, and for this case, I could only think of Jo.

Okay. Now here I am, doing what I believe in, against all odds, after suspending them for some time. I will keep on trying hard and I believe actions will speak louder and more clearly than words, and in the end, the actions will prove the beliefs I believe in and the means I took to reach the goals my beliefs direct me to.

All in all, in the last six weeks, I experienced something, and I was torn between two different paths, and I, based on my beliefs, chose the harder and hazier one, determined to prove myself and those involved that it’s a better option. None of the significant happenings in the recent past involved NUS and my classes; actually this semester of school isn’t playing any big role in my life anyway. Only that this time of my life is playing a significant role in my near and distant future (which again I may or may not reach at all).

To sum up this period in a few words: Turmoil; Revealing; Belief; Determinism; Emotional.

Life

If you strive to make money,

your fortune will be remembered.

If you strive for glory,

your statue will be remembered.

But if you live for others,

you will be remembered

and you will live forever in the hearts

of those you gave hope and love to.

Status Message

I just saw this status message from a friend (or rather a collaborator) from my FYP:

"A beautiful relationship does not depend on how well we understand someone. It depends on how well we avoid the misunderstanding."

The first line is quite true: it would be impossible to understand someone completely at all. But it is not impossible to avoid misunderstandings; they are bound to arise from time to time but they are not the kind that do not have a solution at all—sometimes they present multiple solutions that could even lead to a better situation. :)

Random Note

I wanted to think about it and I wanted to do it. Yet, suddenly time is nowhere to be found for it coz I was surprised by two exams that are looming in the last two days of Week 6.

Anyhow, that’s something I have to think about soon. I’m just gonna have to take it out of my mind for a while at the very least to concentrate on the exams first; it’s more important in the long run definitely but the exams couldn’t be ignored for the time being also.

Is it human nature, when confronted with so many things at the present, to just “assume” that other things are, in some way, disposable or not indispensible and to tend to ignore them in the present even though they are not that disposable in the long run?

You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift

Quote

“Desires cause peace to disappear. You think that acquiring things will make you feel secure, but the reality is that the more you have the more fear there usually is of losing it, and the further you are from peace

Desires are the cause of all conflicts. When you want something and cannot get it you become frustrated. Learning to be free from desires is learning how to stay peaceful.”

This is possibly one of the best quotes I have encountered.

Happy Birthday: Jo and TY

Got message from Jaspie on Sunday if I was gonna join the birthday celebration.

I got some stuffs to rush for FYP, but … birthday only comes once a year! So, why not!

Got a physics lab in the afternoon, but thank god. My lab partner was quite efficient and we managed to beat everyone else in the lab to leave on time! Well…that’s one good point. But, on the other hand, I was patronized by the lab partner once he realizes that Physics was not my domain (that I’m coming from SoC). He reached to a point where he assumed I didn’t know “clockwise” and “counter-clockwise”. =S

After the lab, went to have my lunch at Engin canteen and waited for Jo, Evie and Jaspie till they finished class at 6pm. :)

Now, here we are, on 151! Too bad Jo’s 450D got AF broken. =S I hope it’s from the lens, but not from the camera body itself. (By the way, this is when Evie started to drop his game planning notebook and took up camera. Before that, he was so engrossed in game planning! LOL! It was also when I realized I’m that diligent a student =D)

All along, I didn’t know where we were heading to. Finally, we got to a place called Serene Place. =)

Our super-hungry Jo planned to have McDonald first followed by delicious ice-creams!

Didn’t know that Chi Xian was coming too. The last time I saw her was late June or early July. That’s really long! Good to see her again this evening :)

Must thank Jing for arranging the pressies! She must be really tired then ;)

They’re gonna be 24 soon!

Do I envy?

Imm…is it even a question?

Anyway, congratulations to you two (especially after all those that happened!!!)

I did love the ice-cream! Really nice!!! Too bad I forgot the name again :x

Okie…now the cakie time for the 22-year-old and the 27-year-old! Happy Birthday to you again!!!

This is my first ever attempt at video using D90. Focus wasn’t that right. But, anyway, it’s the first try and things can only get better with time =)

The moment captured is more important than how well it was captured (:

Now come the pressies!

This is very nice of JIng! Very personalized :)

I’m really intrigued by the size of the pencils! What a good pair of eyes for spotting them!

Yeah…this is the best part of the presents. :P She’s gonna love it. Heh… =D

Now the birthday girl with the pressies all around. :)

Here comes the actor! I really think the sunglasses do go well with him!

Someone also said the sunglasses were too big, trying to put it on her spectacles. =S LOL

Oh haha…the massage pen! What a useful accessory to keep in the pencil case! Whenever I feel sleepy, I can just take it out and give my temple a shot!

Oh yeah…mountain turtle! I got the meaning now. =D

Evan seems to be enjoying it a lot! Look at the smile on his face. LOL

Well…this can’t be more “mountain turtle”! Suddenly, all of us seemed like we never saw a file transfer on a laptop before! :x

Here comes the photo!

Another fun and relaxing evening with the Tsks. :)

Loved it and enjoyed it to the fullest. See you guys soon…

And Happy Birthday to Jo and TY again!

Resemblance

I’m starting to realize that I’m more similar to someone than I thought—someone I have thought have become somewhat distant.

In terms of thinking, beliefs and lifestyle, I’m really more close to those of that someone. It strikes me so much coz I have never thought it would even remotely be possible to find such resemblance.

For one thing, I don’t know whether these thinking and beliefs are good or not. Neither does that someone.

Flood Gate of Thoughts

I have been able to close the flood gate of my thoughts for the last few weeks. That was good. I used to think and contemplate on things from the near/far past and, more recently, things in the near future.

While it’s good to not have to think about the next few months (less worry), I don’t think it’s possible to do that indefinitely. Once I started to let the gate open a tiny bit, a lot of things just force themselves in with might.

I don’t think it’s any bad thing to be thinking of the future again. But, sometimes, it also means remembering things from years ago that I don’t wanna recall at all.

Well, I just hope things are gonna be ok and mysteries will unravel themselves in the end. I’m gonna end the many thoughts for now to pay some attention to the assignments. :-s

Untitled

Everyone thinks you make mistakes when you’re young. But I don’t think we make any fewer when we’re grown up.

Osmosis

When I was little I used to pour salt on slugs. I liked watching them dissolve before my eyes. Cruelty is sort of fun until you realize that something’s getting hurt.

Nineteen Minutes

Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Isn’t the mere act of arresting a form of assuming one’s guilty? If people are innocent until they are proven guilty, why are they arrested first before they are proven guilty?

When was the last time the police apologize enough for wrongfully arresting someone? Can an apology (in the form of an oral or written statement) redeem a person’s public image which was ruined in the first place by the arrest, even after the person has been acquitted?

Doesn’t the notion of being just a suspect for a crime—murder, rape—indelibly damage one’s reputation?

911 Again

Eighth Anniversary of a very significant event in the world history.

I guess many people can’t bother enough with it now that they have more to worry about their jobs. :)

09/09/09 09:09:09

Maybe I’m too late to post on 09.09.09. But, this is a Google celebration of the 09 moment that lasted one second. ;)

Absolute Truth?

Saw this paragraph while reading the religion textbook. I’m not into Christianity, but I just like how it was phrased about the absolute truth that we could never know purely.

We live bounded by time and that our perception and grasp of truth are always conditioned by our epistemologies (ways of knowing). Truth may be objective and absolute, but we never know it purely. We always interpret it, and hence color it. As the human race learns more about life, it must incorporate the new data into its understanding of itself and the world and into the struggles of real people.

Windows 7 Commercial

I love the music in the commercial. :)

Stressed again

Till week 4, things were quite ok. Now that I have decided to touch one assignment, the stress level has risen to the “usual” one again. :x

I know I’m stressed again coz I’m eating a lot and constantly. :x

No Promises

Hey baby, when we are together, doing things that we love.
Every time you're near I feel like I’m in heaven, feeling high
I don’t want to let go, girl.
I just need you to know girl.

I don’t wanna run away, baby you’re the one I need tonight,
No promises.
Baby, now I need to hold you tight, I just wanna die in your arms

Here tonight

Hey baby, when we are together, doing things that we love.
Everytime you're near I feel like I’m in heaven, feeling high
I don’t want to let go, girl.
I just need you to know girl.

I don’t wanna run away, baby you’re the one I need tonight,
No promises.
Baby, now I need to hold you tight, I just wanna die in your arms

I don’t want to run away, I want to stay forever, through Time and Time..
No promises

I don’t wanna run away, I don’t wanna be alone
No Promises
Baby, now I need to hold you tight, now and forever my love

No promises

I don’t wanna run away, baby you’re the one I need tonight,
No promises.
Baby, now I need to hold you tight, I just wanna die in your arms

I don’t wanna run away, baby you’re the one I need tonight,
No promises.
Baby, now I need to hold you tight, I just wanna die in your arms
Here tonight.

Extend the Student Card

I was told to re-personalize my student card on 1st Sep 2009. I was also told to do so latest by 15 Sep 2009.

But, the card has already expired on 1st Sep. =X I couldn’t go to library and couldn’t get into COM1 level 1.

Why was the email sent to me after the card has expired and why did they expire the card before the deadline they asked me to extend the card by?

Quote

If you gave someone your heart and they died [or disappeared], did they take it with them? Did you spend the rest of forever with a hole inside you that couldn’t be filled?

Nineteen Minutes

CS1101

Why did I decide to take up a UDL session for CS1101 this semester also while I’m saying I’m all too busy with my studies and other personal matters?

It’s a gateway for most of the students to the curriculum and it could be a deciding factor and a defining moment of their journey through School of Computing. For myself, the experience was good enough and I didn’t encounter so many problems in my journey except possibly for some math. But, for some, it wasn’t so great, and it being arguably the most important gateway into the course, what could have been a great journey turned into dreadful semesters of nightmares.

Not that I’m particularly good at explaining. But, I just feel that I should be giving back to the students what I have learned, and more important, want them to have a good (if not great) start into their curriculum and have the necessary motivation to carry on. In part, I am doing this for something I didn’t do some years earlier—something I believe, if I did it, could have meant something and could have changed a journey. I know there’s nothing I could do to change it back now, but that’s the best thing I could do for the time being, so there I am doing it again this semester, out of my busy schedule.

You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins

Found this from KTA blog. I'm just getting tired going to the URL to play the song. So, gonna keep it in my archive. :)