backseat thoughts.
As I travelled to our dear neighbours Malaysia today, the long car ride made me think. How come the final destination always seems to take longer to reach the closer you are to it? Then I wondered how come this doesn't apply to school holidays? That way, the closer school is to reopening, the longer it seems to take to reopen. =)
justin.
haven't done this in a long time...
... but here are some song lyrics.
Imagine - John Lennon
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one
justin.
this was supposed to be up before i went to korea. but here it is belatedly...
Ponder this question.
If a very VERY ugly girl/guy tells you she/he loves you very much, will you accept her/him?
I forsee most answers to be along the lines of "I'll look at character". You know what I will say? I'll give you a clue. It starts with "B" and ends with "ullshit" and it's another word for cattle organic waste. I bet 99% of those coming up with the character answer is just lying to others as well as themselves. I sincerely believe that everyone would want their other half to be at least decent looking. For a few reasons.
Firstly, it's for self. Be frank, who would want their other half to be ugly? What more very VERY ugly. I am sure if this type of people confess that they like you, you would be somewhat afraid or revolted. It is true. Humans are visual beasts. Superficial. To a certain extent that is.
Secondly, it's for others. It is probably a fact that people would like to show off their other half to other people. Thus, there is a need for at least decent looks. If one shows off a very VERY ugly other half, he/she would be the subject of mockery. Not nice.
However, my argument does have some exceptions. Firstly, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Therefore, very VERY ugly is subjective. An exceptional beauty in your eyes could be an overweight hippotamus with buck teeth and acne on the butt in others eyes. Therefore, when you see some overweight hippotamus with buck teeth and acne on the butt with a guy on the street, don't be surprised. She might be exceptionaly beautiful to him.
Next, character is really an important part of a person. So i guess it's just cattle organic waste to a certain extent. However, it takes a period of time to get to know one's character. Therefore, if you don't know the person except that they are very VERY ugly, it is not right to say "look at character" because you DO NOT know the character.
What is my stand? Theoretically, of course, I would want a hot and very pretty chick with wonderful character. Realistically, I would like at least a decent looking person with good character. Not a very VERY ugly one. Superficial? That's human.
Probably there won't be any such genius posts for a week because I will be developing nuclear missiles in Korea. This is typed right after the previous post. But I will spread it out. It would be another time when this is up.
justin.
please insert post title as you wish
I have moved to the new blogger. Seriously though, there's nothing much new that I would put to good use. Weather has been bad. If it has to rain, then rain so heavily that school will be postponed. =)
justin.
Dream for sale: $600
I don't really know why I have been doing alot of thinking lately. About what to do with my life and stuff. I think it stemmed from Ronald and Mella helping me to sell my bass, believe it or not. It probably has been one problem(if it can be termed that way) that I have been avoiding ever since I was unceremoniously booted from Decon. Probably due to clash of attitude, my lack of aptitude and a host of other reasons which I shall try to refrain commenting on.
Ever since then, I was wondering what to do with my bass and for the past few months, it has been lying in it's bag, a dream being cast aside, either temporary or permanent. When I commented about selling it, Ronald and Mella helped me to look for buyers. That was when I started thinking about whether I really wanted to sell it. Did I still harbour dreams of having a kickass rock band. When the crucial time came, I decided that sometimes, old dreams have to make way for newer, more practical dreams. Sure, I wanted to play in a rock band. But my aforementioned lack of skill and commitment would probably mean I would be doing a half past six job.
Since I was probably never going dabble into such stuff again, I decided to come clean with myself with a self-reflection and tried to find out what was actually going on before I got my ass kicked. It was surprisingly simple. A chat with Gen Rong, whom I was still on good terms with probably did it. I found out(confirmed actually, since I already had that notion when I got them calls) from him the source of the mysterious phone calls which disturbed my football matches and how the problem is actually because of a very simple matter.
Growing up, and some peoples refusal to do so. Some lack the maturity to live their lives in a dignified manner, choosing to go against the flow foolishly, without considering whether the flow is moving in the right way. "A rebel without a cause" would be the right cliche. Some who might have needlessly thrown away a bright future in one of life's phases. And some who were born with brains but without morals.
The immature mind would probably not understand the meaning of "There is a time for everything". Sometimes, it's not about getting what you want. It's not about doing something because you want to and you think it's cool. It's not about living on the edge, as attractive as it may sound. It's about knowing when to do what and how to go about doing it. And sometimes, it's about sacrifice. Not others but yourself.
Sometimes, along the way, dreams get distorted and people who used to share that common dream drift or even violently split apart. Because, in everyone's eyes, that common dream is perceived differently. Sometimes, the parting may not be on good terms. Sometimes, giving up a dream is like breaking up with a long-time partner or a first love. It hurts. It takes time to accept. But when one eventually accepts it, he grows up a little. He learns that everything moves on. To something greater? That depends on how one conducts himself and how he chooses to handle the matter.
In any case, I have to thank Ronald and Mella for trying to help me sell my bass, though the prospective buyers didn't want it in the end. I am selling my first dream of rock superstardom for $600(price negotiable). And when that happens, an old chapter of my life closes for good.
I guess it is fitting that all this has come so close to New Years Day, where I may usher in a new chapter of my life along with 2007. I have to say that this part of my life as affected my development as a person to some extent. It all soured in the end but I was thankful it happened.
A little more grown up now. And as for my new grown up New Year resolution, I'll blog on New Year's Day. =)
justin.
since it's too late for Christmas....
Happy Boxing Day everyone!
Had great fun today, with my friends and my mum's friends and their kids (who are actually my friends) coming over and the kids going to the supermarket and shopping and cooking Christmas dinner for the adults with negligible help. Menu of the day was
1. Pasta with god-knows-what sauce
2. Cream soup
3. Potato salad
4. Potato wedges and fries
5. Chicken wings
6. Garlic bread
7. Ice cream
In the end, everyone brought home some potato salad because we forgot to take it out from the fridge. We didn't touch the ice cream too. And there were some leftovers here and there. But was quite a success overall since the food didn't taste too bad. Had gift exchange and I got la bi xiao xin's Ferrero Roche, which I cannot eat due to instructions from the doctor. But I got something so I guess there's no point complaining. My bro got what I believe is the best gift. Patrick soft toy. Anyways, Merry belated Xmas, Happy Boxing Day and Happy New Year to all!
justin.
some summary of some trip to some country.
Hello whoever is here. I am back from the land of trannies. First things first, I didn't die. That's why I am back. It was a relatively enjoyable trip. I am using short and simple sentences. I think. That is why there are so many fullstops in such a short paragraph.
So anyway, Day 1
I had to wake up about 6 hours before my normal waking time to get to the airport 2 hours early for the flight. I saw many people there which I did not know, such as my mothers friends and their kids and 2 fat guys, one in orange, one in blue, saying "Eh mummy leh?" Then according to I Chun(one of my mum's friend's kids), my sister and brother and I laughed nonstop for quite some time. Took some plane. Reached Bangkok soon. Went to MBK and bought some stuff. Sleep.
Day 2-3
Woke up. Eat breakfast. Too full. Took some 10-12 hour bus ride to the unknown border between Thailand and Myanmar. Stayed in some "hotel" with outdoor squatter toilets and a faulty heater. And catfish that eat your spit. You could choose to bathe with cold water or iced water. Ate food at the temple. As I was eating, I was pondering how my food would come out. I was dreading the squatters. Really.
Helped to distribute rice, salt, clothing and other stuffs to the people of the village. It was okay but I felt kind of good helping those people. I could see they were genuinely happy at receiving those gifts. Because I have good eyes. So anyway, after we have given out the stuff, we went to play with the little kids. It was really a great experience, seeing little kids who were so happy at receiving just a sweet.
There was Spiderman(named after Jason), the martial arts boy, the quiet at first boy, the quiet and handsome boy and another quiet boy who was Amos' first favourite boy. They were like parrots. So we taught them easy phrases like "poet sucks" and "LQ sucks". Totally roxzorzxz.
We also visited the dorms and schools. The kids living there had to walk quite a distance to school. I was thinking how lucky I was when I was there. But I have changed back my thinking. Talked to them in English even though they did not understand. It was very fun. I offered them a 10 years walk to Singapore to visit my house. And told them not to eat too many sweets as it could cause diabetes and the nearest hospital was 5 years walk(I think) away.
Detoxed on day 3. My capacity for human excretion is quite small. But my capacity for bull excretion is quite big.
Day 4
Went to Myanmar on a boat. Did the same thing as in the little village. We did not use our passports, hence we were illegal immigrants for a short period of time. That little village in Myanmar was ruled by 2 groups of soldiers. They said something in their own language. I interpreted it as " You better listen to us or I will shoot your ass off. I mean it." but it was actually some words of appreciation according to others. They better brush up on their language. Because shooting me does not sound like appreciation.
After we were done, went to Mae Usu Cave back in Thailand. It was a limestone cave and it was BEAUTIFUL. Seeing it in Strahler & Strahler and in real life were totally different things. But I will still not study for Geog. Have to go there again. Went to hotel and detox again. Legs cramp. Badly.
Day 5
Take bus.
Day 6
Went to floating market. Was quite interesting because our boat man was some young punk who loved to speed. Did not buy anything there. Threw a banana into I Chun and my sister and Hsiang Yin(I Chun's sister) and my brother's boat from mine and Jeff(another of my mum's friend'ds kids and also my friend) and Jeff's brother's and Amos' boat. Saw a wooden dildo-like thing in one shop. Did not buy because i preferred my own.
Shopped in many places. Spent alot of money. Bought some jerseys. Bought some shirts. Bought some berms. Bought some cartoon briefs and boxers. Lost 2 jerseys. Basically shopped the whole day. Went for a full body massage at the massage parlour. VERY GOOD. I Chun did the aroma oil massage, said it felt like molest and did not let the person massage many places. So I offered to molest her at half price. Jeff even offered for free but I didn't. I like to charge for my services.
Sleep.
Day 7
Wake up. Eat breakfast. Went to massage parlour to try the foot massage. VERY GOOD also. Again I Chun got special service. Her massuer can answer the phone. Cool right. Bought a common shirt with everyone. Bought a pair of shoes. Went to airport. Take plane. Arrived in Singapore. Dad fetched us home. Detox and bathe.
Day 8
Wake up. Brush teeth. Detox. Play soccer. Eh wait. This is irrelevant already. Already in Singapore.
justin.
NOTE: Actually on day 5 we bade farewell to the kids there. Some were really sad and cried. So I offered them a 10 years walk to my house again. But they did not understand. I also sponsored Spiderman with my brother and sister since there is the Hollywood trend of adopting little kids from poor countries. Which means I give him $60 every year for his stuff. And my brother and sister too.
I should really end this here. What a long summary.
justin again.
hello. bye.
I am going to Thailand later today for a community service cum leisure trip. I guess it's good to do at least something constructive during the holidays other than sleeping, eating, shitting, playing football, such as buying my fake jerseys and dvds. And of course whatever community work I do. Well. See whoever reads this next time then. And if you happen to read this from the 13th-19th and ask me to help you buy something on the tagboard, I can't. Who am I kidding? Noone comes here. =
justin.
smile! singapore. situational social commentary of some sort.
I was making my way home from Orchard Road after an unsuccessful attempt to find FM2007. While walking along the road, I suddenly recalled something funny that was stuck in the back of my mind, surfacing occasionally at the weirdest times(such as this) and suddenly broke into a huge retarded looking grin. I realised how lucky I was that noone was around at that time. Or I would have been stared at like I was some moronic creature grinning at nothing in particular.
However, as I contorted my face back into the expressionless look preferred by most Singaporeans, I realised that I was, in fact, grinning at something. They just didn't know what it was. Furthermore, I get the feeling that walking with a smile on your face would only be weird if you were in Singapore. In other countries, if I was grinning at nothing(to others) in particular, it would be interpreted as "that guy is happy". In Singapore, what runs across the minds of most people would be "QUICK! WHAT IS THE NUMBER TO IMH! IT IS AN EMERGENCY! THERE IS A PATIENT SMILING TO HIMSELF ON THE ROAD!!" or "I BET THIS MORON STUDIES IN [insert school name] SPECIAL SCHOOL".
The next thing I wondered was why Singaporeans had to be so uptight. It brought my mind to the Smile Singapore campaign, the one where there were pictures of people smiling. I mean, if you had to be taught by the government to smile, it must be really quite sad. Maybe if everyone could just relax and smile a little more, it would be okay to break into a moronic grin at nothing in particular once in a while.
justin.
taking the bad with the good.
I realised something during the holidays(actually I probably realised sometime ago), that when there is nothing to do, when all is smooth sailing, it gets boring. There is no inspiration for anything, the brain stops working and you become stupid. But i realised it more in depth now, if there is such an expression. When did I realise it more in depth? When I was watching cartoons. It's probably weird to think of all this while watching cartoons but that's how it happened.
Anyway, what I happened to think of is how if there is no setback in someone's life, when everything is really smooth sailing with nothing going wrong whatsoever, then that someone probably has a miserable life(in my opinion). Fortunately, the numbers of such people are close to zero. Everything, however well planned to make sure nothing go wrong, will go wrong in some way. Therefore, the challenge is to react to what goes wrong. How one reacts to the setbacks are very crucial. This reaction is what makes the brain work, and what gives inspiration. To have a problem to solve is the whole point of starting out on something anyway. Except maths problems anyway. That is an entirely different proposition. Homework as well.
Also, I believe greater satisfaction is gained from overcoming a setback than having no setbacks at all(as I have already mentioned maths and other homework is a different proposition). Why? Because you work for your reward. You don't get rewards for nothing(it's difficult to anyway). And if so happens there are wastrels like I watch on TV which spends all the families money and cannot earn any money, it is very sad. Fortunately, I think that happens mostly on TV only.
Therefore, with my weak argument that I believe can't convince anyone, I hope to convince myself anyway, that I would rather have some minor setbacks in my life rather than a plain smooth sailing one. Note: MINOR.
justin.
