New blog

Heard of WordPress but never did do anything about it. Decided to after checking it out. It’s more user-friendly for sure.

I even managed to import my old blog in here. Rather amazing. But somehow the titles of the old posts turned into a series of numbers. It’s baffling.

Anyway post-Prometheus… Many thoughts, many feelings. Shall share them in a later post. Plus lots of photos, from FOC, DND and Prometheus. Haha. More to come.

Right now just trying to get settled back into the workflow and catch up on stuff. I’m so far behind…

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I’ve had it with long bus rides. Or at least long bus rides in Singapore. First, there’s the countless repeats of those makeover shows. And every break, it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll get not only one, but TWO Singapore Idol adverts, or Pirates of the Carribbean trailers. I’m hoping Mediacorp hire some real people to work in programming or maybe they should remove TVMobile completely. Would be a nice favor to all of us. If I may speak for all.

Today marked my official retirement from my band playing days. Felt good.

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I was at dinner with my godparents today when they were telling us about their recent 3-week long vacation to UK. They brought up the point that the security climate in London had changed drastically compared to their previous trip that was pre-9/11. In part, it was the accidental shooting of the Brazilian guy a year ago that contributed to the very tense situation. Apparently, there are CCTVs installed at tube stations and bus stations. That’s still okay. What’s funny is there are less trash bins around now. They don’t want terrorists dumping bombs anywhere.

Even traditionally quiet and peaceful places like Lake District now has police patrolling and guard dogs sniffing around everywhere.

Oh well. It’s a really bad time to be alive. What with all the Israel and Lebanon unhappiness going on. Even here in Singapore, we are not spared from it all. Just saw some of our northern neighbours kicking up a big ruckus on news about the Lebanese attacks, Israel is wrong, religion, ethnic, XXXX…%$*#@

Bah.

Anyway, by the end of the night, I tried to steer the conversation towards Sweden, where I hope to go for exchange next January. Didn’t work. After some comments like “Oh, it’ll be so cold in January.”, “You have to eat fish all day. Chicken and eggs are expensive there.” “Why not Finland? It’s the cheapest among the Scandinavian countries.” And then it was back to “Oh Jeremy, luckily you didn’t apply to Durham. It’s so unsafe now.” And the topic whittled back to UK.

It was UK all the way. From Rooney the Looney to Old Trafford, from Oxford and Cambridge to University of London, from Lake District to Manchester to Edinburgh, from Bed & Breakfast at the Browns’ to Bed & Breakfast by “China Chinese”. I tried once again to steer World Cup talk towards France’s glorious run to the final, but I lost out to the old man in the tube with a tattoo that read “England forever”.

Rest my case.

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Yuanting’s convocation collage of The F.Four

I was walking along Citylink on Sunday when I spotted a sign that read “SALES DEDUCTION”.

The whole of last week was spent at orientation camp for the incoming batch of freshies. I think orientation camps are more enjoyable for seniors than freshies somehow. One of the OGs was a horror story in itself. I think I speak for the seniors when I say some of those bitches completely stumped everyone with their behavior. I can hardly wait for school to reopen to see what’s going to happen to them. It’s terribly saddening because one of those bitches is my junior from Fairfield! She remembered me (who wouldn’t, given my dad and all.) and she called me “Prefect! Prefect!” throughout the camp. It was embarrassing to say the least. Tried getting her to stop calling me that but to no avail.

Anyway, on the last night of camp, it was Fright Night. I was acting as a weirdass Chinese boy with his grandma.

Weiyi and me. No, I didn’t put on lipstick.

Shisi and me trying to look scary.

Me. In state of shock.

Jönköping

Sweden, I am dreaming about you right this minute.

Gimme my HUGE Euro adventure, please.

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Grabbed this off Becky’s blog. Fairfield past v. present games day. 29 July 2006.

Been busy the past few weeks. Did the survey job for a prof’s project. Bummed some. The occasional rehearsals for my hall production. Planted my ass down at settler’s cafe for some quality time with army pals, plus Sean (whom I’ve not seen for such a long time). Watched France whip the asses of Spain at JE Macs with Ian and Jean. Bummed more. Back playing the oboe with NJ alumni and Phil Youth as well. Reminded myself I need to lose some weight. And felt guilty that I’m never able to exercise twice a week at least.

Well.. I am a bummer, after all.

I have decided to call time on my band days. It’s been a good 10 years, since i picked up the oboe in Sec One. It was a good hobby and I learnt so much and had so much exposure being in SAF Central Band. Met most of my friends from being in various bands as well. My last performance will be this Saturday with NJ alumni at Esplanade. Some sort of a last hurrah before retirement, I suppose.

When I was in Central Band, it wasn’t a complete breeze. I found myself in a slack unit, thinking that army couldn’t get any easier. True to a certain extent. Expectations were high, maybe particularly higher for me being an oboist. I’ve never been a fine musician. Ask me to play solos, I’ll try. But being a musician requires talent and passion. When you have neither, you’re a goner. Music is but a hobby to me and nothing more. After so many years of performing, I think I prefer being the audience. I love it, I just don’t love it that much.

That said, it’ll be a semi-retirement for me. Only band I’ll play for will be Fairfield Alumni if they do revive. And probably NIE band so that I can earn easy credits. Haha.

And this is off Ting’s blog. Taken at Gladys’ birthday dinner.

Happy 4th July, America!

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My vacation has become a time of just doing absolutely nothing constructive. Aside from some odd jobs here and there, it’s really been a complete season of zero achievement. This is something I have to work and improve on for future vacations.

That aside, some things I’ve witnessed at those jobs. I have rethink work ethics. Mine, in particular. I’m probably at a stage of my life where it’s time to shape up or continue living in the doldrums. It’s a terrible thing to have to face up to, I think. But there comes a time when you know you suck at what you’re doing, and you don’t want to suck no more.

It is time to grow up.

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I recently realised that I haven’t done much thinking for some time. The kind of thinking that must be done alone, some place quiet, and with a clear mind.

Recently I also realised that as much as I try, clarity evades me. I try looking for the light, and all I see is grey.

I mentioned on friendster that nowadays, I feel detached from myself. Standing right next to my physical body and observing all that goes on. Maybe my soul and my body are not aligned.

My father said to me during my army days that I’ve changed and he didn’t really know who I was anymore. My first reaction to that was one of stubbornness. Now? Looking back at it, I think I accept what he said. Because I too do not seem to know who I am anymore.

Who am I? What I stand for? What do I want? I used to know, but no longer.

I always remind myself not to be too emo. I think that has made me terribly melancholic.

The confidence that I thought I possessed, I think it is gone. Never been so unsure before.

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Was finally able to catch Xmen yesterday with Sin at Cathay. For a while, the little boy in me stared wide-eyed with awe at all the action going on. I was especially impressed with the scene of Jean Grey aka Phoenix when she destroyed the Professor. But she looked incredibly ugly each time she started exercising her electro-magnetic wave/anti-gravitational powers (read: I failed physics). Maybe it was an attempt to make her look scary or monster-like. Didn’t work. I thought the baptism of fire that a phoenix goes through is supposed to make it more beautiful and stronger. Apparently she wasn’t strong enough to stand against the love of Wolverine. As a side note that I gotta add, Jiali made the amazing observation that Wolverine’s rate of regeneration is greater than the rate of Jean Grey’s ability for destruction. Somehow, there was a math equation involved to that.

Anyway, my disbelief was temporarily suspended during the movie. Therefore, the movie was good enough by my standards. Haha. The whole good triumphs over evil thing.

Results were also released yesterday. I can only say it’s been an up and down semester for me. But overall, I guess I should be satisfied la. At least my cap went up and not down. And I can still go for exchange. That was my major worry.

Currently reading Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. Quite interesting so far and I actually like some parts of it. Will share some in a later post.

The Da Vinci Code

For some reason or other, lizards like my bathroom alot. I don’t even know how they get there since the window is perpetually closed. Anyway, it is a bad idea for them to be there because there have been three occasions a lizard got slammed and squashed by the door. And it isn’t till a couple of days later when I detect a foul smell (that isn’t from my toilet bowl) and the search for the dead lizard begins.

Still on the whole toilet thing, I was at the new Cathay to watch The Da Vinci Code last Friday with Dylan and Justin. Was there previously to catch Ice Age 2. Anyway, I was peeing at the urinal when I looked ahead and saw Elizabeth Taylor staring right back at me. I felt incredibly sorry for her and the other Hollywood legends plastered to the wall since all they do now is watch people do their business while having to endure the wafts of piss in the air. But i have to mention that they still look extremely dignified and every bit the star.

My thoughts on Da Vinci Code. I have to admit I have not read the book (to be honest, my last book was Life of Pi when I was in BMT. and I only got through half of it.) It was disturbing to have the entire movie centred on Mary Magdalene and the search for her tomb. I’m not about to spoil the movie for those who haven’t watched but here’s the truth. It’s fiction, that is far removed from fact. Now I start to seriously doubt what Dan Brown based his book upon.

1. Apparently, Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. This is not true. Yes, they were close, as close as Jesus was with his disciples and other companions. But Jesus was never married.
   
2. Mary Magdalene was pregnant with Jesus’ child. No, she wasn’t. She fled to deliver her baby after Jesus was crucified. No. She was one of the women who visited Jesus’ tomb on the 3rd day with offerings and spices only to find that Jesus’ body was gone. And Jesus appeared to these women to tell them to pass on the message of his resurrection to his disciples. The only descendants from Jesus’ family are those of his siblings, the other children of Joseph and Mary.
3. Mary Magdalene was in Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. No, she wasn’t. That was the apostle John.
4. The Priory of Sion exists in real life. But they were founded in 1956. Therefore, anything related to a possible secret society which included members like Issac Newton and Leonardo da Vinci, to protect the so-called descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, is nothing but fancy fiction.
5. Alternative gospels such as that of Judas and Mary Magdalene could be real but not compiled with the Bible. During the compiling of the New Testament in 367 A.D., church leaders applied important standards. The writings had to be written by people who walked and talked with Jesus, should not contradict the writings of other apostles, and the writings had to be accepted by the entire church, from Jerusalem to Rome. Finally, church leaders also trusted the Holy Spirit to guide and lead them. Alternative gospels that were recently discovered were not included in the Bible for not meeting these standards. Furthermore, when the Bible was completed, the Holy Spirit instructed that no additions or changes could be made. This is also why other denominations who have their own version of the Bible are not accepted by the Church, e.g. Mormons, Jehovah’s Witness and Seventh Day Adventists. They modified the Bible according to their own beliefs.
6. The Opus Dei is a conversative religious group within the Roman Catholic Church. They urge priests and laypeople to strenuously pursue sanctification through everyday discipline. They have taken criticism for its conservative views, zeal and secretive practices. There is, however, no evidence that their members resort to murder; nor has the Vatican entrusted the Opus Dei to violently guard the church’s deepest secrets, as mentioned in the Code. Therefore, once again, it is fictitious in the movie’s portrayal of the Catholic priests who kill in the name of God, and then ask forgiveness for doing so.

Yes. Dan Brown has written a very popular book. A religious thriller that blurs the line between fact and fiction, and questions the origins and legitimacy of orthodox Christianity. If you were to watch the movie or read the book, please be discerning about what you decide to believe in.