A quick reflection of today...
Tommy, Shawn and Zhaowei are... using a familiar phrase... people I would go to war alongside with.
If there is something I have truly learnt, it is the value of being steady. It is the mark of a respectable character.
Thank you all.
Thursday, November 26
Thursday, November 19
Yes Yoda
Having just finished the six Star Wars episodes, here's some words of wisdom from the old Master Yoda.Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
Powerful you have become, the dark side I sense in you.
Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is.
Grave danger you are in. Impatient you are.
Yes, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight
Do or do not... there is no try.
[Luke:] I can’t believe it. [Yoda:] That is why you fail.
Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.
Feel the force!
Friday, November 13
Tournament Tidings II
Yeah, I have just been notified that I will proceed to the next round of the 60th GameKnot Tournament, even though I was not the top of my round robin table group! Haha.
Congratulations on being the winner of your group in the 1st round of Advanced Chess section, 60th GameKnot tournament!
The player with the top score in your group has been moved to the next higher section due to their top rating in the past 90 days exceeding the rating limit of the section, so you will be advancing to the next round as the runner-up.
2nd round will start on Thursday, November 19th, 2009.
19th November... why does this date ring a bell? In any case, the 60th GKT kicked off on the 3rd August and it's been three months... I'll just keep rolling with the fun, until I'm knocked out.
Wish me luck!
Congratulations on being the winner of your group in the 1st round of Advanced Chess section, 60th GameKnot tournament!The player with the top score in your group has been moved to the next higher section due to their top rating in the past 90 days exceeding the rating limit of the section, so you will be advancing to the next round as the runner-up.
2nd round will start on Thursday, November 19th, 2009.
19th November... why does this date ring a bell? In any case, the 60th GKT kicked off on the 3rd August and it's been three months... I'll just keep rolling with the fun, until I'm knocked out.
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, November 10
Quiet Charms
Excerpts from an article from the Straits Times Urban, dated 30th Oct, by Imran Jalal.
Compared to glitzy neighbour Vivocity, the ambience at Telok Blangah and Bukit Merah is decidedly laid-back. But that itself is an attraction.
Before there was Tiong Bahru in the 1930s or Queenstown in the 1950s, there was Telok Blangah.
Snobs may well consider the shopping here to be stuck in a 19th-century time warp, what with its small neighbourhood shops being overshadowed by the glitz of the sprawling Vivocity nearby.
However, Urban uncovered some nice surprises, such as the nyonya snack store in Telok Blangah rise run by Shreen Peck, 57, and her husband, 61. Ask Lim why he chose this spot for his business and he says: The ambience here is very laid-back, very quiet and nice. (This couple looks so familiar to me, I have often seen them before...)
Currently, driving or using the feeder bus service are the best ways to navigate these two neighbourhoods, which include the sprawling Mount Faber. The upcoming Telok Blangah MRT station on the Circle Line should make shopping here more of a breeze soon.
To find out more about the variety of shops and eateries in HDB estates, visit www.hdb.gov.sg/where2shop.
Fast Facts:
At 105m, Mount Faber is Singapore's second highest point after Bukit Timah Hill. Today, the 36m-high Henderson Waves bridge - the highest pedestrian bridge here - links Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill Park.
Recommended shops:
Teck Neo Pineapple Tarts, 01-303 Blk 35 Telok Blangah Rise, Tel: 6275-1330
Ms Black (black glass jelly soya milk) 01-1702, Blk 111 Jalan Bukit Merah, Tel: 9101-4528
Tian Tian Hainanese Curry Rice, 01-253 Blk 116 Bukit Merah View, Tel 9821-0200
Compared to glitzy neighbour Vivocity, the ambience at Telok Blangah and Bukit Merah is decidedly laid-back. But that itself is an attraction.
Before there was Tiong Bahru in the 1930s or Queenstown in the 1950s, there was Telok Blangah.
Snobs may well consider the shopping here to be stuck in a 19th-century time warp, what with its small neighbourhood shops being overshadowed by the glitz of the sprawling Vivocity nearby.
However, Urban uncovered some nice surprises, such as the nyonya snack store in Telok Blangah rise run by Shreen Peck, 57, and her husband, 61. Ask Lim why he chose this spot for his business and he says: The ambience here is very laid-back, very quiet and nice. (This couple looks so familiar to me, I have often seen them before...)Currently, driving or using the feeder bus service are the best ways to navigate these two neighbourhoods, which include the sprawling Mount Faber. The upcoming Telok Blangah MRT station on the Circle Line should make shopping here more of a breeze soon.
To find out more about the variety of shops and eateries in HDB estates, visit www.hdb.gov.sg/where2shop.
Fast Facts:
At 105m, Mount Faber is Singapore's second highest point after Bukit Timah Hill. Today, the 36m-high Henderson Waves bridge - the highest pedestrian bridge here - links Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill Park.
Recommended shops:
Teck Neo Pineapple Tarts, 01-303 Blk 35 Telok Blangah Rise, Tel: 6275-1330
Ms Black (black glass jelly soya milk) 01-1702, Blk 111 Jalan Bukit Merah, Tel: 9101-4528
Tian Tian Hainanese Curry Rice, 01-253 Blk 116 Bukit Merah View, Tel 9821-0200
Monday, November 9
Matilda Moments
We kicked off the BBQ before last light, at a familiar old place...
Welcome to Zhou's Kitchen! :) In ZW's words "Our Course Chef!"
One Shingz, two Boomz, and a little friend somewhere in between...
Only the 3rd bottle, & halfway between sleepiness & drunkenness.
Baked banana with melted chocolate! Sorry, if u missed this one!
Do you know someone who knows everything? I do :)
Kelvin's music really perfected the evening! Incredible ambience.
Starry Starry
I was out near the rural areas over the escarpment last week, with SL and SP. It was a smooth pleasant trip out over the escarpment.
It was so dark at night, and the lights of houses and villages were not distinguishable from thousands of stars in the night sky. I felt like I was just standing in a sea of stars, reminiscent of a scene from Immortal Beloved, when after the young Beethoven escaped from his abusive dad, he found solace as he jumped into a lake in a dark forest and swam.
The scene was unforgettable, as the young protagonist stay afloat (and looked up to the starry night sky) on the lake which reflected all the thousands of stars in the night sky. For a few minutes, I immersed myself into that haven as I looked far and around me.
There amongst the sea of magical lights, laid the good old Orion, as well as the Subaru-logo-inspiring Pleiades', which you cannot see but you can notice with your peripheral vision if u look away from it. I was also excited to catch Aries, which is quite a faint constellation to find. Thankfully it was a dark night, and there was no city light pollution.
In my childhood, I heard of how in the older days, navigators used the stars to find their way across seas. I was impressed when I learnt of that; I wanted to be able to do that when I grow up: to navigate with the help of the stars! though I never really thought about becoming a sailor.
In recent years though, someone close to me told me that he had wanted to be a sailor, but his parents disapproved of it. That was kinda strange and nice to find out, because one, he had never shared much of himself with me, and two, he had opposed my ambition too.
There is a hymn from the fifties with a line of lyrics that read "... in the stars His handiwork I see..." but I did not think of that song when I saw the stars, perhaps because the beauty of a starry night is too poetic for a song to match... sometimes only the quietness of the night can be the right accompaniment to such a sight.
I found a clip of the scene from the aforesaid movie, eloquently tracked with the last movement of the composer's monumental ninth. Quite well done really.
It was so dark at night, and the lights of houses and villages were not distinguishable from thousands of stars in the night sky. I felt like I was just standing in a sea of stars, reminiscent of a scene from Immortal Beloved, when after the young Beethoven escaped from his abusive dad, he found solace as he jumped into a lake in a dark forest and swam.
The scene was unforgettable, as the young protagonist stay afloat (and looked up to the starry night sky) on the lake which reflected all the thousands of stars in the night sky. For a few minutes, I immersed myself into that haven as I looked far and around me.
There amongst the sea of magical lights, laid the good old Orion, as well as the Subaru-logo-inspiring Pleiades', which you cannot see but you can notice with your peripheral vision if u look away from it. I was also excited to catch Aries, which is quite a faint constellation to find. Thankfully it was a dark night, and there was no city light pollution.
In my childhood, I heard of how in the older days, navigators used the stars to find their way across seas. I was impressed when I learnt of that; I wanted to be able to do that when I grow up: to navigate with the help of the stars! though I never really thought about becoming a sailor.
In recent years though, someone close to me told me that he had wanted to be a sailor, but his parents disapproved of it. That was kinda strange and nice to find out, because one, he had never shared much of himself with me, and two, he had opposed my ambition too.
There is a hymn from the fifties with a line of lyrics that read "... in the stars His handiwork I see..." but I did not think of that song when I saw the stars, perhaps because the beauty of a starry night is too poetic for a song to match... sometimes only the quietness of the night can be the right accompaniment to such a sight.
I found a clip of the scene from the aforesaid movie, eloquently tracked with the last movement of the composer's monumental ninth. Quite well done really.
Tuesday, November 3
Most Missed
For months I have been looking for her.
She works at Happy Union Restaurant, about twenty minutes drive away. Yet, I have missed her every time I drove down to look for her; What a cruel trick of fate.
When my friends heard my song for her at the KTV, they heard a man with a void... a void that only she can fill. Ask me, what would I not give for a lunch date, or a dinner date with her?
Everyday, truly so, thoughts of her permeate my mind. Without this love consummated, and this thirst quenched, my life is a desert at mid day.
And today, finally, when I walked into the restaurant, there she was. It was however a scene for which I was not ready; it was a pain for which I was not prepared. She was with another man, and I could only look with a yearning so hurtful.
Crestfallen, I left the place with a pain that eats me like an endless hunger. Yet, I still think to myself, when will I see her again?
She works at Happy Union Restaurant, about twenty minutes drive away. Yet, I have missed her every time I drove down to look for her; What a cruel trick of fate.
When my friends heard my song for her at the KTV, they heard a man with a void... a void that only she can fill. Ask me, what would I not give for a lunch date, or a dinner date with her?
Everyday, truly so, thoughts of her permeate my mind. Without this love consummated, and this thirst quenched, my life is a desert at mid day.
And today, finally, when I walked into the restaurant, there she was. It was however a scene for which I was not ready; it was a pain for which I was not prepared. She was with another man, and I could only look with a yearning so hurtful.
Crestfallen, I left the place with a pain that eats me like an endless hunger. Yet, I still think to myself, when will I see her again?
Monday, November 2
Terabithia Tops
Amongst the three movies I watched over the weekend, Terabithia is the most deserving of a recommendation, ahead of Nicolas Cage's Next (about a man with the power of seeing the future) and Clive Owen's Children of Men (about a dystopian future where childbirth had mysteriously became impossible on a global scale. It's a reincarnated nativity story, really.)
The protagonists of Terabithia were Jess and Leslie played by Josh Hutcherson and Annasophia Robb respectively. The latter had gained earlier fame, starring in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as the gum chewing and aggressive Violet Beauregarde.
Another child actress, Bailee Madison, deserves much praise too. It is an exceptional performance for such a young starlet. A familiar childhood image of Alice in Wonderland, she plays the younger sister of Jess and they attend the same school.
Leslie's family had just moved to live beside the Aarons. Both Jess and Leslie were pretty much outcast in the school, and both possesses a rich world: with Jess a talent for drawing, and Leslie a positive and happily imaginative child.
A friendship blossomed and and unto them a world was born, a forest at the hill on the back of their houses became their own world with mystical creatures and trolls and magic.
The innocent story got quite emotive towards the ending, and there was a heartfelt sensitivity that I thought was surprisingly eloquent and immense, especially for a movie that, on first impression, seems like a children movie.
Here, some will find the world changing magic of imagination through the eyes of children; while others will find the charm of friendship and family. Personally I quite like what Jess father told him near the end of the story (although it's probably not original). Oh yah, I also just remembered there was a good beautiful scene and adage when Jess spent a day at Leslie's house with her parents, painting their house.
The movie is about 90mins long, and like a well won soccer game the trophy justifies the journey; In other words... go for it! I trust that you will find some treasures here.
The protagonists of Terabithia were Jess and Leslie played by Josh Hutcherson and Annasophia Robb respectively. The latter had gained earlier fame, starring in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as the gum chewing and aggressive Violet Beauregarde.Another child actress, Bailee Madison, deserves much praise too. It is an exceptional performance for such a young starlet. A familiar childhood image of Alice in Wonderland, she plays the younger sister of Jess and they attend the same school.
Leslie's family had just moved to live beside the Aarons. Both Jess and Leslie were pretty much outcast in the school, and both possesses a rich world: with Jess a talent for drawing, and Leslie a positive and happily imaginative child.
A friendship blossomed and and unto them a world was born, a forest at the hill on the back of their houses became their own world with mystical creatures and trolls and magic.
The innocent story got quite emotive towards the ending, and there was a heartfelt sensitivity that I thought was surprisingly eloquent and immense, especially for a movie that, on first impression, seems like a children movie.
Here, some will find the world changing magic of imagination through the eyes of children; while others will find the charm of friendship and family. Personally I quite like what Jess father told him near the end of the story (although it's probably not original). Oh yah, I also just remembered there was a good beautiful scene and adage when Jess spent a day at Leslie's house with her parents, painting their house.The movie is about 90mins long, and like a well won soccer game the trophy justifies the journey; In other words... go for it! I trust that you will find some treasures here.
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