"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want. Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring. Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor! Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything.
It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole...It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful." - Iroh, from "The Legend of Aang, Avatar:The Last Airbender"
Nevermind that the speech above was from an animated series created by the West to glorify ancient Chinese culture. I still think the series rocks and the themes expressed by it are very very true.
The wonderful thing about Chinese culture is that, as much as detractors deride it to be overly archaic and traditionalistic, it really is an ocean of knowledge that continues to have its place and great relevance, even in today's modern society. I learn so much about the finer things in life, from it. It has so many aspects and facets: it comes in so many different forms that it never fails to surprise me. Be it art, music, or calligraphy; the different schools of martial arts; or religion and philosophy, Chinese culture never fails to teach you something. Take the study of the elements in something Western people call Feng Shui (and you say that with a Western slang!): I think its more of a form of philosophy in life. Its something that I find highly enlightening and highly intriguing, because it not only can be applied to so many things in real life, it can also be link to Western astrology as well.
Air is the element of freedom, it teaches you to evade and avoid all forms of danger and attacks, to outwit and outmaneuver the enemy and thus achieve victory via non-confrontation. Water is the element of change, it teaches you to redirect forces directed at you and turn them against the opponent, to turn your enemy's own offense against him, to achieve offense in defense. Earth is the element of substance, it teaches you to stand your ground and endure, to tolerate and absorb all attacks, to be still and wait til the right opportunity before striking with an attack of your own. Fire is the element of power, it teaches you to defend yourself using a pre-emptive first strike, to attack while the plate is hot, to strike before others do, because the best defense is in a strong offense.
If you think about it, you can apply this school of thought to everyday life and even personality. Just like astrology, which classifies different star signs into different elemental groups, Feng Shui also studies this as well. Each personality type (or elemental type) deals with problems or live life in different ways.
Air signs are more idealistic and contemplative, they live life in a rather pacifistic manner, avoiding conflict and maneuvering around life's constant changes, preferring not to care about earthly troubles, living life in their own carefree manner. Water signs are more emotional and adaptable, they live life while dealing with their everchanging emotions, but are highly understanding, caring individuals who flow and adapt through life, taking whatever comes and modifying it for their advantage. Earth signs are more materialistic and stoic, they live life rooted to things that give them purpose, standing their ground, letting their stubborn nature outmatch the changes around them, and forging their lives in slow steady steps. Fire signs are more aggressive and enthusiastic, they live life in a rather fast paced, fiery way, driven by a strong sense of desire, will and enthusiasm to achieve things that they strive to want, to create that exciting life they desire.
See! Its just perfect. And I think its so true. Learning and knowing such things really helps you understand how people think and act and do stuff! I think we have lots to learn from Chinese culture. There's still so much knowledge to share, like opposing elemental signs, more in depth analysis of each signs etc. And the good thing about 'Avatar' is that it makes all the four elements so different, but together, they are actually just the same parts of 1 whole, because you need to understand the nature of all 4 elements to achieve a kind of peace with the world.
Just in case you were wondering, I'm an air elemental kind of guy. Just like Aang, the protagonist of the animated series. Which means I should be a master of Airbending. But I think its quite true though, because I skirt through life without seemingly achieving anything at all. Just caught up in my lovely little air filled bubble.
This is awesome! If someone dared initiate it in Singapore, I shudder to think of the consequences. Then again, if someone had the guts and balls to lead the way, I'll probably join it for the fun of it. But only if it comes after my Exams (or at least CAs) of course.
OMG! I have INTERNET! This is one of the happiest things that could have happened to me in a long long time! The past two days were horrible for me because moving house sucks. So much hard work, I really missed mugging! And not to mention the internet and SCV connection were both down for the whole of yesterday: miraculously, both services are now fully restored! Only thing left is the lack of air conditioning and telephone lines before the whole house would be restored to pre-moving order!
And guess what? In celebration of my revitalized internet connection, Blizzard leaked a photo of the new ZERG ULTRALISK! WOO HOO! I am a Zerg fanatic, and my Starcraft race of choice is the Zerg, so I'm fanatical for any amount of Zerg related information that Blizzard's willing to let slip right now, because its so unfair for them to keep withholding info on the Zerg when we have been treated with so much information on the Protoss and Terrans already. But anyway, with the reveal of the Ultralisk, it officially brings the total number of Zerg unit reveals to a miserly 5. And here they are: The mighty Ultralisk! These beasts are the largest of all Zerg units, with massive sabre like tusks to slash their opponents into pieces. It looks so different from its original form, which had a mammoth like appearance. It looks like a giant lobster on legs this time round. Lets see how Blizzard's going to tweak the character design again. Next to the mammoth Ultralisk is the tiny Zergling. Staple unit of Zerg armies. Nothing much to say here. Zerglings have always been somewhat constant in terms of appearance, so there's not much room to nitpick really.
The floating creature is the Overlord! I think the new Overlord design is freaking cool. I love it loads, because its definitely an improvement on the original design. This new design gives it a more alien look. Cool. The green little things there are the first truly NEW Zerg units introduced into the game - the Banelings. While all other Zerg units revealed so far were also featured in the original, Banelings are totally novel. These suicide bombers are evolved from the basic Zerglings, and they look damn cool in action when they were featured in the very first Protoss gameplay demo ages ago. Judging from their introduction, I think we have lots more delightful new Zerg units to come.
The Mutalisk, the standard Zerg flier. The Mutalisk was one of my other favourite Zerg unit, the other being the classic Hydralisk. I think the Mutalisk look damn cool too, and their flying and attacking animation looks perfect in the Protoss intro video as well.
I love ZERG. Can't wait for the rumoured big Zerg release coming up in May or August. ARGH!
Well, tonight's the last night that I will be spending in the place that I had so fondly called home for the past 20 years. I've lived here all my life and now, its time to say goodbye.
My family was having a farewell gathering for the house on Sunday, with my whole extended family and all. One of my uncles asked if I felt sad with regards to the moving. I was struck dumb by that question, and told him, 'Not really.', to which my uncle exclaimed 'But you grew up here! You should have some emotional attachment to the place!' I decided to go for the smile politely and slowly back away tactic to avoid anymore questions.
If anything, that conversation got me thinking about why I don't have any emotions with regards to leaving this place. I mean, my uncle was right. I practically grew up in this house. For the past 20 years, it had seen me grow from a baby that won't shut up to a young man who knows the importance of shutting up. All my developmental milestones: my first step, my first word, chickenpox, puberty, losing consciousness - all were experienced right here. By convention, I should be sad that I'm leaving. But I'm not.
I don't think I am a very sentimental person. Or rather, I don't show my sentiment easily. When crunch time comes, I suppress or rationalize all feelings of emotion and sentiment. Deep down inside, I am sure that I probably do feel some nuance of sadness, of regret that we have to leave, but then these feelings are just not surfacing. I think I've grown up to face any feelings of sadness in the same fashion as how I deal with all trials and tribulations, that is just stand up, face it, and move on. Clear cut, no emotional drag and sentimental messiness.
Does that make me a cruel, callous, unfeeling person? I don't know. Some part of me regrets that I've grown into someone who just doesn't see the point in being sentimental over such things. But then, it just doesn't make sense to be sad over something that's just a phase in life. You think of it, you cherish it, you remember it - yes that's my definition of sentimental, but don't keep wishing it would come back and moping over the fact that is gone. That's just a whole new level of pathetic behavior. Move on, but don't forget and everything still lives on in your OWN heart.
Whatever way our stories end, some things can never be changed.
So its goodbye Green Meadows. I'll miss the whole thing about the big sheep living in the green meadows. It was funny while it lasted. =)
My cousins came up with this quiz. I think its pretty accurate!
Here it goes! Use the first answer that comes to your mind after each question (my answers are in the brackets!): 1.Imagine that you walking in a forest, and you see a house. Is the door open, close or slightly open? (close) 2. You enter the house and there is a table in the hall. What is its shape? (rectangular) 3. On the table, there is a bowl. What material is it made of? (Porcelain) 4. There is water in the bowl. How much water is in the bowl? (Half full) 5. You walk out of the house through a back door, and you notice a set of keys on the ground. How many keys are there? (7) 6. As you walk deeper into the forest, you suddenly come across a huge castle. Is it new and beautiful or old and derelict? (Old.) 7. You decide to explore the castle. In the front of the castle, there is a huge pond of dirty water with coins in it. Would you take the coins? (No.) 8. At the back of the castle, there is another pond, this time filled with clean water and full of jewels in it. Would you take the jewels? (No.) 9. You decide to take a walk in the vast gardens when you notice a box. How big is it? (big enough to fit a human) 10. What material is the box made of? (metal, with ornate symbols of ancient Chinese creatures) 11. Nearby, there is a bridge. What material is the bridge made of? (stone) 12. On the bridge, there is a horse. What colour is it? (white) 13. Is the horse eating/drinking, walking around or just standing there doing nothing? 14. Suddenly, a hurricane appears out of nowhere. Do you hide in the box, run away on the horse, or hide under the bridge? - THE END -
And now for the answer key. 1. Door is open: you are an open person Door is closed: you are a closed person Door is slightly open: you are a somewhat open, but with inhibitions
2. Table has 4 corners eg. square or rectangle: you choose your own friends Table had no corners eg. circle, oval: you don't choose your own friends
3. The material of the bowl reflects how fragile you can be. I don't think I'm as fragile as porcelain though!
4. The amount of water in the bowl reflects how happy you are with life right now. I guess life's okay these days, but I've seen better and I'm glad its not worse.
5. The number of keys on the key chain reflects the number of best/really close friends you have. Apparently I have 7, but I counted that I actually have MORE than that. I guess it just means I tend to have quite alot of friends that I consider to be close to!
6. New castle: You can't live without love. Old castle: You can live without love. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
7.Take the coins in the dirty water: You like to flirt alot, even when you are attached. Won't take the coins: You don't flirt, especially when you are attached. (NOT LIKE SOME PEOPLE I KNOW! TSK TSK!)
8. Take the jewels in the clean water: You would not hesitate to woo any unattached person that you like. Won't take the jewels: You would hesitate to woo any person that you like, even if they are unattached. (SO TRUE, SO TRUE!)
9. The size of the box indicates the size of your ego. In my case, its big enough to house a human! SO VERY TRUE!
10. The material of the box indicates how much of a show off you are. The more elaborate the material of the box, the more you are of a show off. In my case, I'm a bloody show off! That's ME!
11. The material of the bridge reflects how strong your friendships are. In my case, its rock solid. WOW.
12. A bright colour horse: You expect your other half to be perfect A dull colour horse: You like your other half to have flaws
13. The horse is eating/drinking: You other half is someone with extremely good taste The horse is walking around: Your other half tends to be wild and uncontrolled The horse is just standing there: Your other half tends to be very causal and easy going
14. You hide in the box: You keep problems to yourself. You run away with on the horse: You go to your other half first when you are in trouble. You hide under the bridge: You go to your friends first when you are in trouble.
With the end of lessons for M2, and the last round of CAs and our 2nd Pros in sight, my second year of medical education is fast coming to an end. And right now, I am seriously running out of time. Due to sheer miscalculation and foolishness, I have given myself far more time to study then there actually is. Which is a sad thing, because now I have to enter a phase of sheer isolation and lock myself up to hasten my pursuit of knowledge, and to survive the upcoming period of severe trials and tribulations. And in the midst of it all, I have to deal with the fact that we are moving over on the 23rd and 24th, a weekend that could prove valuable to anyone's study plan. This is NOT good indeed.
As of now, I have NOT failed a single test in Med school before. I intend to keep it that way, and I really don't intend to start failing right now.
I shall now take a deep breathe and exhale slowly to allow the essence of my chi to flow from my abdomen to my heart and to my head. To clear the mind, is the first essential step to victory over your doubts and fears.
Thanks to Paul's performance at the 心年快乐 event this afternoon, this song is stuck in my head right now. I know lots of people love the original by Teresa Teng, but I must say I love the Sodagreen version best.
Its a very poignant song, with touching lyrics. I must say I was almost moved to tears this afternoon, not only due to Paul's rendition of this song, but also by David's and Joanna's strings duet of another Teresa Teng classic '月亮代表我的心' (or was it '甜蜜蜜'?) . I must be really really exhausted to feel that way. These two days have been particularly tiring and trying for me, and I have NO idea why. Feels as if I've reached the brink of exhaustion and something is struggling to pull me away from oblivion before I collapse and die.
Anyway, I wish I could sleep now. Exhaustion gives you a horribly short fuse. I hope it doesn't blow anytime soon.
Sidenote: its the end of CNY break, and I feel horribly, horribly depressed. I've never felt so sad about starting school before. But then again, I've never started school after a long break with a whole month of exams and CAs for me to tackle so I guess its only natural for me to feel this damn way.
I'm sure many of you out there gambled during the holidays, but I'm willing to bet I'm the person who lost the most. Over the course of the first three days of CNY, I've lost a total of over 103 dollars: 43 to Mahjong, and 60 to a horrific game called Tim. Yes, what can I say? I belong to a family of really really generous gamblers - we really aim to hit it big. You should see the adults play poker! At one point, my Dad lost over a thousand dollars and my Mom lost over 700 dollars.
The good news is that I managed to recover some losses. I just finished a game of Mahjong with my mom, dad, and brother, and I managed to win a total of 20 dollars. Wonderful. I was actually winning over 130 dollars at the end of the 1st round, but my family insisted on playing at least 2 rounds, which did not go well with me. I KNOW MY LIMITS. I have absolutely no stamina in long games of Mahjong (or anything for that matter) and whatever amazing luck and brilliance I had in the first round promptly vanished with the commencement of the next round. That was how I lost 43 dollars in the previous days as well. It was through sheer perseverance and grit that I managed to even hold on to any amount of winnings today. Thank god I did because if I were to lose even more money today, I would freak out and throw myself down the gutter.
I sometimes wonder if this sort of behavior is really good for our moral development, and that if we are that rich to squander such wealth away. It is not only us, adults who gamble quite heavy handedly, my younger cousins also gamble quite heavily as well. Their average winnings per round of games range from like 10 to 15, which was way more than what I played for when I was their age. And they are crazy about winning money! You should watch them fight it out for their money, its really scary. And when the younger ones lose money, they'll come asking you for a loan, which I find totally amusing and a tad bit alarming.
AND, lest some pesky friends of mine start taking attempting to take the mickey out of me, I must hereby state that I am NOT that rich. I think my family just loves gambling during CNY, because it makes the whole festival so much more festive. I probably wouldn't love CNY that much if I didn't have this annual gambling fest to look forward to.
Another note: The first week of CNY is coming to an end, which means, my break is over. By right, I am supposed to start revision for the upcoming CAs, but by left, I am not doing so. This is very very sad indeed.
Random note: Mahjong is really such a deep, fascinating game.
Happy CNY! I know many of my English educated friends hate CNY, but then I also happen to know a number of my Chinese educated friends who hate CNY as well, so there's really no understanding why so many of my peers dislike it. Despite the overwhelming dislike for it, I must say that no matter how cynical and jaded I become, CNY will always be an important part of my social calendar. That's because I'm an oddity in this world! I know it can be a pain in the ass to go on all those sometimes meaningless house visits but when you are like me, who witnessed a gradual decrease in the number of house visit stops you have to make annually, you realise the importance of such annual visits - there's no knowing who you won't get to ever see again in the next year.
And thanks to my brother, I don't have to face any questions about whether I have a girlfriend or when I am getting married! He absorbs all such questions, while I face the obligatory furore about being a future doctor.
And there's mahjong. And Bakwa. And pesky cousins. And more mahjong and bakwa. Its the perfect season to fall sick.
Must make a mental note to do some studying too!
Wishing you all a very very prosperous and non verminated year of the Rat! HUAT AH!
Last day of school ever before the year of the Rat arrives. I think I was sort of determined to really live it up today, but lots of exciting things happened - like me collecting my stethoscope and sphygmomanometer and tendon tappers. And it was Szejia's 21st Birthday celebration today. It was hilarious because we wanted to surprise her during her PBL lesson with a cake, but somehow, the liaising was screwed up and when the whole OG burst in the room, the PBL group looked at us as if we were crazy or something. Totally weird.
After that, a bunch of us went to Shihui's house to play a round of Mahjong, while waiting for the rest of the people to finish their respective PBLs. It was a most excruciating game for me because I was locked in an eternal struggle with Edwin, as we both tried to out-niao each other and outplay each other as well. In the end, I lost horribly. I was the biggest loser of the game, which was quite sad because I was the first winner. I swear I will get my revenge when we go visit Minjia's house on Sunday! Oh yes I am!
We waited for the rest of the folks to finish their lessons, and also played with Shihui's dogs Sparky and Wa-wa as well. I am so jealous of my friends who have pets. Its quite sad that my mom hates dogs and absolutely forbids me to keep one. I would love to have a dog, preferably a Labrador or Golden Retriever. I'll probably give him a real smart alecky name or something and make him chase people. Haha.
Then a bunch of us went of to meet Szejia and Yinxia to have dinner and watch a movie. I had a really good bowl of japanese noodles with scallops! And although some of us wanted to watch "Sweeney Todd", Szejia didn't want to so in respect of the Birthday Girl's wishes, we decided to watch a movie of her liking instead.
I never thought I would watch it, but yes, I ended up watching '27 Dresses' in honor of Szejia's birthday celebrations today. I must say it was actually quite enjoyable, undeniably cliche, but still enjoyable. Yinxia says its because me and Sara were making alot of funny comments and sound effects. Like me saying "Ooooooohhhhhh" when bad things happen (to the total silence of the theatre) and Sara laughing for absolutely no reason. Yinxia thinks its amazing, I personally think that the rest of the movie-goers must think we are pests! But ANYWAY, it was quite an entertaining movie. It had some really witty lines, and the acting was quite good. Thought the storyline was most predictable: Sara had the whole formula out halfway through the show, which was absolutely hilarious.
The start of the CNY break! I have a total of 8 days without school! HOW COOL IS THAT! Of course, I have to start studying then of course... but still. Pretty pretty happy baby!
For the first time in ages, I'm really ill. This is so sad. I'm feverish, with coughs and uncontrollable sneezing. My head fills like its filled with liquid all squishing to get out. My eyes are watery and tired. My chest hurts and fills locked in a state of constriction. I feel like I'm dying. It looks like I've gotten my annual CNY virus, but only this time round, it has decided to pay me an earlier visit. Which kinda sucks because it means I'll be laying off the delicious (but sadly, super unhealthy) CNY goodies for the time being.
I strongly suspect that I caught whatever Junjia had on Friday at Suan's birthday party. She was ill then and Geraldine, Alex and I shared the same desert and appetizers with her. And now Geraldine and I are both sick. Put one plus one together and you get your straight forward answer. Which totally sucks because I absolutely CAN'T concentrate in whatever I'm doing, which includes listening to lectures, studying for CAs, playing computer games and watching TV.
My nose feels like a tap. *snivel*
I bet I could produce enough nasal discharge to flood the whole room. *snivel snivel* Provided, of course, that I don't die from Pneumonia!
I CAN'T WAIT FOR CNY TO ARRIVE SO I CAN SLEEP THIS VIRUS AWAY.
Every weekend, I watch repeats of the classic Channel 8 drama, "东游记" also known as the "Legend of the 8 Immortals". Its one of my favourite Channel 8 dramas ever, and one of the last before I entered secondary school and stopped watching Channel 8 dramas altogether.
What I loved about the show then was its charismatic cast, that while not Hollywood perfect, had perfect chemistry and really portrayed their characters well. And of course the story between the characters, especially the whole friendship and camaraderie theme among the 8 Immortals, in particular that between the three 2nd generation immortals (who later became the most powerful of the lot): Lu Dong Bin, Han Xiang Zi & He Xian Gu. Now that I'm rewatching the series, I find that I love the show for exactly the same reasons, though I must say the animation, based on today's standards, is really tacky.
My favourite characters are Han Xiang Zi, He Xian Gu and Zhang Guo Lao. Han Xiang Zi because he is the perfect gentleman and I wanted to be like him, He Xian Gu because of her strong sense of righteousness and loyalty to friends and Zhang Guo Lao because he is so funny! How I wish I were an Immortal and I could be flying in the clouds and saving people!
Oh and it had an amazing theme song too! Absolutely loved it!
This happens to be from the last ever performance of Wicked! by Kristin Chenoweth, who was the very first, very original Glinda. Its so sad to watch the two actresses, who bonded so well, had so much chemistry together, sing this song for the very last time together. Its so apt.
Why doesn't anyone like Glinda? She's quite pitiful too, stuck in her eternal cycle of being a slave for the system. And honestly, I am probably more like her than Elphaba.
This happens to be one of the best songs (if not the best) in Wicked!. Its so touching, and the lyrics are amazing. Perfect for graduation ceremonies and celebrating friendships.
"Because I knew you, I have been changed for good." Sigh.
Name: voldemort33
XY, 01/06/1987, s'porean typical geminian free-thinker moody & eccentric thinks far too much for his own good med student (be afraid. be very afraid!) demon45_6f@hotmail.com
crazy craves
music (jazz, rock and lounge) day-dreaming drawing & photography animals (sheep!) chocolate and tea! seafood, noodles and soup!
pet peeves
noisy crowds over-possessive, insecure, whiny people two-faced hypocrites housework and homework being called 'rich' rushing to do stuff crying, pesky kids
deepest darkest desires! (aka wishlist!)
to be a doctor (with a heart of gold!) a dog my own condo apartment a driving license and my own four wheel drive my own comic line someone to hug
