Carpe Diem

So many moments in my life I'm glad I didn't react reactively on.

That moment of anger,

That moment of hurt.

Its funny, when you're in that moment, you cannot imagine being anything else, feeling any other emotion, or doing anything else but passing that hurt and that anger on.

But once the moment passes, the sea is a picture of beautiful calm and peace.

So sometimes, when you feel that thorn in your heart taking over everything else good and nice that you're made off, try distract yourself with a good pot of tea, some good company and you realise the wave of calm will wash you over, leaving you refreshed and ready for the next storm and the calm after the storm.

I thank God for the good in the people. Even in the people we sometimes momentarily categorise as 'BAD'.

I do hope however, that we don't pass the hurt on.

If you're reading this. try this.

Force yourself to forgive one person each day, which includes not taking a second look at that car that cut into your lane abruptly or the service staff at the counter who got your order wrong and was not polite nor apologetic about it.

These people have had people cut into their lanes, and have had received bad service before. They're passing the hurt on. But if YOU can be above that, then ONE chain is broken.

And when ONE chain is broken.
ALOT of people receive less hurt.

Its not changing the world, but its a start.
One person at a time, one unhappy molecule at a time.

Carpe Diem!!

The day is yours to seize! Seize it the happy way!

oh yeah. And please check this out and buy a notebook if you can ...

" A visit to Siem Reap in 2007 started it all. We visited two schools in the village of Angkor Tom and had brought along school supplies, sweets and slippers to give away to the children. What we didn’t expect was that there were so many more children without food, without clothes and without footwear.

Despite that, the children still made their way to the village school that offered free primary education. It was their only chance of learning something that would hopefully be their ticket out of poverty and on to a better life.

Yet, most of them may never get the chance to further their education. It was just too expensive – to get a bicycle to get to town, to pay for uniforms, to pay for books. Besides, they are needed to help out in the farms to earn whatever they can to survive.

We felt an urgent need to do something for these children. Be it food, education, or that pair of sandals to protect their little feet as they walk the tens of kilometres (each way) to school.

That’s how we decided to start Project Happy Feet.

Today, Project Happy Feet has walked its way to more than 1,000 children, and more to come as we invite you to follow in our footsteps."

Especially touched by how the name was inspired by simply wanting to protect the fragile little feet of the little children.

Please help :)

Sailing off

Going on a cruise ship tomorrow for a performance with my company, oh boy, if feels like a long while since I last performed live and I'm actually pretty excited about it. A pity this time I won't be singing in that fantastic cruise ship auditorium which has such a wholesome sound you'll fall in love with your own voice when you speak into the mic.

A singer's dream.

That auditorium, a bath-tub in the middle and my rubber ducky, me singing in the shower.

Bliss.

Sorry for the jarring image.

So its the month of live singing with not only this cruise performance, but the GYSB event on the 9th at Zouk. The thought that Get Your Sexy Back is the brainchild of a bunch of smart and sexy people from the same batch in NTU mass comm makes this all so meaningful.

Like how the feed me! campaign was the blood and sweat of Stanley manley.

Anyhow, its the 9th of Dec, and Carrie and I will be there to get our sexy back. Hah! and Big Wind Blow (Weizhennie's band) , and JJ Lin, and a really cool band caled en(x) and Jillian Marie Thomas who's this cool girl who plays really good accoustic numbers and has a great sultry voice to boot!

here are some details....



And I'm ending off the year 2009 once again at Hong Kah North CC. This will be the third time I'm performing there... and I must say. It really is a great honour. Maybe I'll settle down in that area next time since I seem to have so much opportunities at that place!

This year I'll be singing with the Chinese Orchestra of Hong Kah North and will also be singing a duet with Mayor Amy Khor! But more details on that next time....

Before I end off. I just want to make an announcement especially since its the school holidays and lots of you will be making your way into Malaysia for road trips with the family.

Did you know? That at the malaysian customs, they don't only check your car boot for drugs or alcohol or explosives or anything dangerous or illegal, but instead, place more of their focus on looking out for objects which look TAXABLE.

Specially in this holiday season...

The malaysian custom law states that if you bring in a BRAND NEW item through the malaysian custom, THAT item is taxable for 30% of its full price.

For example, you happen to have a brand new pair of Pumas in your boot, and the person at custom enthusiastically reaches out for the box and will definitely ask you "is this new?????" And the ignorant you immediately honestly answers "Yah? nice hor?"

You, my dear friend, will bleed from your pockets for no logical reason whatsoever other than that the law states that they are allowed to draw blood from you.

Shoes cost $100.
Tax you have to pay: $30
Real cost of shoes: $130


OUCH.

So please, make sure none of you give them the chance to make you bleed for no proper rhyme or reason ok? If you really need to bring a present in for your relatives, make sure you remove the wrapping of the item and leave it in your bag looking not-so-new.

If you really have that much money to spare, Christmas is around the corner, and there are alot of places out there that better need that love.

And so, its Christmas.

The season of giving. =)

" we are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crashed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; perseuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."
- 2 Corinthians 4:8

Till I see you


I am not a Ashin fan.

I need the book "Artiste Etiquette" if it is ever published.

I did not read the article.

My protective friends kept the words away from me but told me what they thought I could take.

I almost once wanted to be a reporter.

I've never once knowingly hurt anyone.

If one day I wielded a pen, I could use it to stab or to defend,

That is, after making an informed decision.

Anonymity is not the priviledge slander.

Anonymity, if used well can actually be for the general good.

黑玫瑰(the real one in history.) was a heroine who stole from the rich to give to the poor.

Its one thing for people who know nothing about a person to bitch,

Its another for a friend to bitch.

Its one thing for the ill-informed to bitch,

its another for someone who holds the keys to so many things, and has probably graduated with honours from some journalism course to swing the course of things with an intent to hurt.

I'm hurt. I really am.

But now that you've given me a tight slap on my left cheek, and persecuted me left, right, up, down and centre for something like this when there are artistes out there toying exploiting their status to cheat and to dishonour music. You expect me to say "ok, noted. Repented." ??

I didn't do anything with the intent to hurt, and I know at the gate of heaven. I can still walk in with my head high in the sky. I may bleed, I may bruise. But my heart is clean, pure.

I ever once thought of being a journalist.

But now shudder at the thought of how powerful words can be, when used to hurt.

You could have written it in my defence, but you went ahead with the naysayers and wrote the lines that could cut and cause open wounds.

What a tough lesson this has been for me.

My wounds will heal, and the cuts will close up.

And then I'll say...

"here's my right cheek. take it, you pharisee."

Keep your spirits up diya. 我也廷你 ... !

Until the day worldly pain ceases to exist,
my prayer is that I'll do more than just survive.
I'm not a survivor.
I'm a fighter.

Painkiller

My left face feels fat, puffy and heavy.

Arghhh, its not the thousand needle kind of pain, or the excruciating kind of pain, its the kind of pain you get from running 10 kilometres when you haven't had a run in 10 years, and now you're suffering from some kind of muscle ache/pain coupled with a few bruises here and there.

And I've been getting ulcers, on my gums.

It really hurts right now, and I do hope it goes away soon.

Really need to control my food intake.

I love fried stuff TOO MUCH. stop.

Sleep on it. Go away ulcers and the pain on the left side of me *ahchoo!* OUCH.

I need antibiotics, I need Captain Lu's new album. Oh yeah.

Conflicted bunch

we look for signs, but only those that go in line with OUR dreams and OUR desires.

If the sign points in the other direction. even if its right in our faces, we ignore it.

We live, but we detest living.

We die, but then we fear death.

We arrive, but all we want to do is leave.

We hope, but all we have is expectation to fail.

We're such a discontented bunch. Singapore wasn't made from nothing. It came a long way, and yet, we always still think the grass is greener on the other side.

Maybe if we start looking and appreciating the things close to us, close to our hearts, God will open up our horizons, in his own way.

The problem is, we think we know what we want, and what we're meant for, but the truth is, you only truly see and feel when you stop looking through the world's eyes.



In his heart a man plans his course,
but the Lord determines his steps.
- Proverbs 16: 9


A man's steps are directed by the LORD.
How then can anyone understand his own way?
- Proverbs 20:24


Can we ever not be made for the life we're living?

A tiny being living on a planet in this vast universe to which a definite sovereign power has created and watches over every second of our lives.

Are we saying, he made a mistake?

He placed each and everyone of us someplace, somewhere for some kind of purpose we might never understand. But as we push on, pursuing our dreams our goals, our happiness, let us not forget for one moment, that as much as we may never understand, we were made individuals in our individual circumstances, that were in no means a coincidence.

Learning to appreciate and love, starting from the little things.

林宥嘉 - 另一个自己

曲:宋念宇(小宇)词:施人诚


我发射我的歌当作讯号
去找你或被你找到
我升起我的梦当成座标
去导引你前来拥抱

不同的脸孔但同步心跳同一套细胞

我就是你你就是我另一个自己
我在这里你在哪里哪天能相遇
你寂寞吗
(我就是你你就是我)

不被谁了解有什黱重要
这世界上有你就好

不同的姓名但同样渺小又同样骄傲

我就是你你就是我另一个自己
是因为你才不哭泣不怀疑自己
我很努力为了让你看得起自己
你知道吗





林宥嘉 - 感同身受

曲:skot suyama 词:林夕


有谁流过眼泪请说
有谁没有哭过请说
你怎黱能挨过如果那个是我
可能比你更失落

我想说每个人都差不多
不一样的血肉之躯在痛苦快乐面前
我们都是平起平坐
全世界的脉搏(像你像我)
让我们用心抚摸(是你是我)
别人的眼泪随时来自你和我的双眼
有那黱多人在寂寞就没有人寂寞

有谁曾经要死要活
想像连呼吸也很难过
给我会怎黱做有同样的遭遇
是否有相同结果

我想说每个人都差不多
不一样的血肉之躯在痛苦快乐面前
我们都是平起平坐
在同一本小说(像你像我)
主角无分你我(是你是我)
别人的遗憾当中看到自己犯过的错
有那黱多人在寂寞就没有人寂寞

那些笑容都是为了甚黱
那些折磨是怎黱样解脱
有人快乐我们都会快乐
有人寂寞谁还敢说寂寞

Sigh.

Alright,
read, reflected upon and digested.

Just so you know.

I typed and typed.
But i thought, there really isn't a point fighting a case like this.
I could whine and defend and in turn throw judgements back.
But as nat quoted on his blog:

"An eye for an eye, makes the world go blind" - Ghandi