We've got it going on

Re: treasures

2009-03-08T03:29:00.000-07:00

Today's sermon was on Matthew 6:21, 33 which reads: "for where your treasure is, your heart will be also"

I thought to myself, what's my treasure in this life? Is it love, or family or my career or the pursuit of $$? The answer should be so painfully clear, which may explain my current limbo..... I might have inadvertedly swopped the price tags for certain commodities in this life, some of which are not, and should not be held to be, of such value.

欲しい

2008-10-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

ものすごく久しぶりだな、オレがブログが書く事。

特に深夜で感覚がいっぱい俺は別に不満ではないけど、なんだが「今までやっている事は意味あるのか」とか「他の学びたいことがもちろんあるけど時間がない」とか「仕事が大嫌い」とか悲観的な思っていることがたくさんある。現在の経済状態もあんなによくなくなるような状況に出口も探されなくてめちゃ困る。

Just for fun I ran the above passage I wrote through an online translation software, and got a big laugh:

"The infrequent shelf, I writing [burogu] tremendously. Especially but feeling all the way at nighttime as for we however it is not dissatisfied separately, what, “as for doing until now being meaning?” that “however of course there are times when other things we would like to learn, there is no time”, that “work is abhorrence” the pessimistic thing which is thought a large quantity. Either the exit is not searched in the kind of circumstance where also present economy becomes so good and the [te] [me] [chi] [ya] is troubled."

Getting Called

2008-05-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Today marks the day where my name has been officially entered into the rolls of Advocates and Solicitors in Singapore.

In a different life, I may be teaching English full time in Japan, a missionary in China, a freelance photographer, a property agent, a flight steward, or a million and one other jobs. However, I think the time has finally come for me to decide, and set my mind and heart to, my chosen profession. As i donned the court robe and took my oath before the judge, my left hand firmly on the bible and my right hand raised eye-level, I looked upon the state crest, the judge, the representatives from the law society and AGC as I recited the vows... "so help me God". Indeed, it was by God's grace that I made it thus far, it would definitely be God's guidance that I continue on this path.

This is it. Jared, so prone to fickle-mindness and flighty whimsical ambitions of fancy finally decides today, this day, that he would sticks to his guns, and give it his best shot.

Global Update

2008-05-04T01:37:00.000-07:00

10 May - 22 May :: Cairo, Egypt

2 June - 6 June :: Xiamen, China

11 July - 14 July :: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

...in Singapore at all other dates

Endorphins....

2008-01-17T21:42:00.000-08:00

.. are good for you.

After a whole day where i felt sickish, listless and feverish, it all went away once i hit the court (tennis, not the supreme/subordinate one, the latter would probably tip me over the edge)

We all need to get out of the office

And thanks for all your help and support guys. it keeps me sane. The weekend is in sight! :D

温故知新: Best of 2007

2007-12-25T23:31:00.000-08:00

I don't claim to be an arbiter of cool or intend this to be a statement of any sort, but as we look on towards 08, i reminiscence about these gems that defined, at least to me, 2007:

Music:

[1] Timbaland's "Shock Value"

James finally gets hip-hop, years after it went mainstream. But pardon me, I'm Asian and I don't wear ghetto and/or bling. It was the collaborations that blow me away, with a whole motley list including artistes as diverse as Fall Out Boy & Elton John. These are my favorites:

"The Way I Are" (featuring Keri Hilson and D.O.E.)
"Apologize" (Remix) (featuring One Republic)
"Give It to Me" (featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake)

[2] Mr Children's "Home"

Mr. Children: my all time favorite Japanese rock band. Some J-bands tend to go overboard with their makeup, their wailing, and their over-the-top antics. Mr Children has always kept it simple, just how i like it. If glay is harajuku, Mr. Chldren is Muji. And i prefer muji. Noteworthy tracks include:

"しるし" for the soul, "フェイク" to rant and "Wake　me　up！" to pick me up.

[3] Corrinne May's "Beautiful Seed"

Singapore has hope beyond mandopop. I love the subtle biblical references in the lyrics. An asian Sarah Maclachlan, think: good vocals, a "home for Christmas" kind of feel. Notable tracks include "City of Angels", "Beautiful Seed", "Five Loaves and Two Fishes". I could leave this on repeat mode the whole day.

Watch

[1] Lust, Caution

Most Asian WWII films I have seen portrayed mostly carnage and bloodshed and overt suffering, but not this one. The S&M sex and uninspiring ending aside, i loved how this was one war movie that did not feature even one Japanese character during the entire course of the movie even though it was the Japanese occupation. There are other things to worry about, like horny traitors. Then again, I won't expect anything less from Lee Ang. I found myself paying less attention to the plot than to the intricate backdrops in the movie. Shanghai in the 40s has an old world charm its brash y2k version of itself could never replicate. Classic.

[2] "Fracture"

Watching this during PLC when I was coming to terms with studying Criminal Procedure helped. A brilliant cat and mouse hunt with defense attorney Ryan Gosling and murder suspect Anthony Hopkins would appeal not only to law students and others who know the meaning of double jeopardy, but to anyone who loves a good thriller. Brilliant.

[3] "Cashback"

Released in Britain in 2006 but only released in Sunnypore in mid-2007, its merits warrant glossing over the technicality of it not being a 2007 movie. It's funny, it's offbeat, it's irreverent, and it does not take itself too seriously as it ponders via voice-overs the meaning of pain, hurt, love and their intricacies. Add in a dash of british slang, mixed with a huge dose of slow motion with the "Casta Diva" soundtrack borders on pure cheesiness but if you're looking for something feel-good, this is it.

Read

I have not been reading much non-law stuff for much of 2007, as there was already so much that I should be reading, but have not been. Nonetheless the end of law school and the bar exam gave reprieve to once again read for leisure, and here are my personal recommendations:

[1] Making Globalization Work

Not only highlighting what's going on in our world, but how to go about solving it. An erudite piece of work, that has propelled my ideologies forward. Quite admittedly, it was only after reading this did i realise that my concepts and thoughts were still stuck in the 90's: that globalization and free trade is beneficial per se. The print media in Singapore does love to make a brouhaha about the merits of free trade: note all the high profile agreements as of late that we have concluded with other states, I am not pointing fingers, but perhaps we are not exposed to more critical views on globalization and its ramifications. Read this, be prepared to challenge your old long held stereotypes, and to be reminded that there is still so much more we could do.

[2] The Reluctant Fundamentalist

With all that has been going on around the world, books like "The Kite Runner", "My Forbidden Face" and "Kandahar" has helped us to understand, but none of them compare to Mohsin Hamid's version of a Pakistani man's love affair with and eventual abandonment of America. For anyone who has lived abroad and adopted the ways of the west, who would understand this conflict and angst of the protagonist.

[3] After Dark

Murakami easily ranks with Milan Kundera as being one of my favorite living writers. This one's set in real time, in Japan, with themes of isolation, strangers in the dark, and reclusiveness, everything that reminded me of a place that I have embraced full- out. I think to myself, will my love affair with Japan end up in abandonment?

Blessings in Disguise

2007-12-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite pastimes is walking around a foreign city in the mornings, having breakfast at a local cafe while I read the local paper and have a "hit-or-miss" in-house brewed coffee. Today, this city is Kota Kinabalu on the island of Borneo. These wouldnt have happened if Airasia did not reschedule my flight to a more sane noontime instead of a 10am flight, leaving me more time to scour the city for cheap bedtime Kinabalu tees and that touristy fridge magnet, which I have incidentally, not found yet. Perhaps the airport would yield better prospects.

Why blessings in disguise? Too many to speak of: Altitude Sickness + Food posioning at 11,000 ft, the decrepit Winner Hotel closing down for mandatory reparations ordered by the governent the day after we checked in, Airasia rescheduled flight, R&T starting one day earlier than D&N... all blessings in disguise, all leading to many memories, although not all pleasant.

This is a small town, i think I managed to walk around the city centre in 2 hours, and as I looked around, i can just imagine this was how Singapura was in my dad's youth, and reading the Borneo Post over breakfast reminded me once again how Malaysia and Singapore share so many common roots (including the Internal Security Act) its strange to see how the twine have diverged.

More "check and throw"

2007-12-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

"To have too many friends is equal to having no friends at all: you have certainly realized this; and this time you'll sort out your relationships so as to retain only the most trustful ones"

Horoscopes do not rule my actions, but sometimes, nuggets of wisdom like the above ought to be heeded by all signs, not just mine. Those that go straight to the bin include the "only contact you when they need help", "superficial", "emotionally draining", "not particularly nice" and other classes of rubbish. These don't belong in my life.

Auf Wiedersehen Abfall.

Life. Check.

2007-11-26T20:21:00.000-08:00

Sometimes certain events in life jolt us out of our state of automatism, to critically examine our lives:

Am I happy?
No, exam period, 5 more papers, haben study finish, and someone is not in Singapore...:(

Am I making the people around me happy?
I will make it a conscious effort starting today

Am I contributing enough to society/the underprivileged?
Think Jared, think, how can a corp lawyer contribute to society. Think weekends from now onwards

Am I living a life without regrets?
Undoubtedly, this is all that matters

生命を大事にして、勇ましく生きるべきだ

and next up...

2007-10-24T01:55:00.000-07:00

[Siem Reap Noon, October 2007]

That's me in the middle, no kidding.

Not been blogging lately, nothing much to "report" in my life, nothing that I want to say that can influence anything that I want to have changed: the inflationary cost of living here, the dismal situation in Burma, the incoherent PLC syllabus, and a certain person's stubbornness.

So I hold my peace.

(and nobody likes to read about how great someone's life is, its sickening. haha)

but who cares: Next Stop, scaling Mt Kinabalu with friends before work proper starts. I am about to put a tick against one of the items in my "To do while I am still young and able" list

High up, Down under

2007-09-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

[Sydney Downtown, 43rd floor, Meriton Tower]

Another city. Another lifestyle. Another experience. Another day has passed. Another amazing sunset. Another chance to say "this is the life". Yes, I would always say Singapore is the best place to bring up kids, but Sydney is definitely the best place to live.

decipher this

2007-09-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

In our mundane everyday lives, there is you, and me.
introducing Mr. Children: my fave band of all time

(if you enjoyed the above)
More urban commentary in Music Video format:
"Fake" by Mr Children:

una noches en cuba

2007-09-08T23:42:00.000-07:00

una noche en Cuba con mis viejos amigos
One night in Cuba with my old friends:

i am inspired to take salsa/rhumba lessons. Haha, what's new Jared, jack of all trades and master of none? Then again tonight the elusive happiness returns. Maybe it will help if i stop being such a recluse

The Name's Jude

2007-09-01T01:31:00.000-07:00

Today's one of those days. the sun refuses to shine, people are critical, the lifts are full and unboardable, tutorial's a pain, and this melancholic ditty sticks in my mind 24/7, reminding me of your absence. sa, kimi... yondekurete... kashi ga kantan nanoni, imi fukai darou...koishii na

[永遠にともに]

心が今とても　穏やかなのは　この日を迎えられた意味を
何よりも尊く感じているから
特別な事など何もない　ただ　いつもより少し
シャンとした服を着てるだけ　君はとても綺麗だよ

何かといつも忙しく　まだまだ想い出は多くないけど
やっとここから踏み出せる未来
始まりの鐘が　今　この街に響き渡る

共に歩き　共に探し　共に笑い　共に誓い
共に感じ　共に選び　共に泣き　共に背負い
共に抱き　共に迷い　共に築き　共に願い
そんな日々を描きながら…

"take a sad song, and make it better..."

Nonetheless, the joy is in the little things: savoring a bowl of kookee yongtaufoo, rooting on as the elderly couple ran and caught the bus,

"Then you can start to make it better...."

knowing that perhaps this would not last forever adds solace into the potpurri of gamut-emotion.

"And any time you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain, don't carry the world upon your shoulders...."

and so i shall wait

"Remember to let her into your heart, then you can start to make it better... na na na na na na na.... hey jude"

Eternal Sunshine of my Spotless Mind

2007-08-29T23:57:00.000-07:00

After a whole day of torturing my friend's eardrums with my belching into the mike at some dinghy KTV joint in Chinatown, ihad a marvellous time at Haji Lane with Arita-kun who's visiting from Japan, just lounging around on the Persian carpet and smoking shisha, me tweaking my digicam to take night shots of the surrounding crumbling architecture which no doubt used to be rather grand; and dodgy shots of smoke-filled laughter: of me, of him and of our equally dubious "authentic arabic drinks". It has been a long time since. Tonikaku, i've always been an agent of the night, prodding along when the rest of the world sleeps. This is my personal space, like i snapped my fingers and everything else falls away, dark and silent, with me left on this silent stage after the curtain has fallen. Loneliness? Tonight isn't such a night. Of course, the initial ritual of sprawling on the tiled floor awashed with Sun Yanzi ballads may induce a bout of self-wallowing, nonetheless, tonight was a "snap out of it, Jared" night, and i went to take some artistic shots of my tutorials (?!) with my digicam (which i am still trying to bangsqueezeshape into an SLR, fruitlessly...) when somehow adjusting some settings I accidentally pressed the format button once, but once was all it took for it to wipe away, with one thumbpress, all the photos from tonight, all the photos from "Red & White Day" (9th Aug) with the OG. Gone, gone, gone, even though i immediately removed the batteries when it started to format. Gone, gone, gone.

How many times must I erase the things that I hold so dear to myself, if not voluntarily, but involuntarily? "只怕你不懂我这样的人" ~游鸿明's [恋上一个人] It's not a waste, its a reminder to hold on dearly to the things we treasure.

Disposal

2007-07-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

I hoard. Christmas cards, old photos, private notes written to me (10 years ago), and a billion and one inconsequential presents of little worth. Today, being one of the rare days I had absolutely nothing to do, I set about my clearout mission. Re-reading all these again, seeing phrases like "friends forever" and with the hindsight of today, I realised that I had somehow left something behind, it wasn't innocence, but something stopped existing while I felt myself tightly embracing the worldly cynicism of the present, the Now, the future. My past was bittersweet, somethings I don't want to remember, some things I wonder if it is in my interest to forget, lest I commit them again, as humans are so prone to do so. I have had many things in my life, things that once meant so much, today I look upon as junk. Today, it is time to lug electronic stuff to Cash Converter, recycle my empty bottles upon empty bottles of absolute vodka (it was a cool collection when I was underaged, not now). I do not see myself as a sensitive type of guy, but today I am strangely affected by how treasure could be reclassified as junk in a matter of a few years. Perhaps what I am chasing now, what I value with the breath of my life right now, would be scoffed at by the same person, me, 10 years down the road. To swim. This is overwhelming. and Trish, if you are reading this, I miss you tremendously. I am still keeping your cards.

Work and its spinoffs

2007-06-05T01:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finally "entered society", and am now contributing to Singapore's Economy as a legal slave. Yes, enduring through the "rigorous" education system to find myself checking in at 9 and being happy if I could leave before 9.

And the whole concept of time as I know it alters irrevokably.

For starters, "leisure" as I know it on a weekday is now severely undercutted. Channel surfing just now I inadvertedly told myself to stop watching mindless taiwanese variety shows and ridiculous reality shows, for it takes time away from spending time with my loved ones (yea, if I do see them), my own personal pursuits and r.e.s.t. This, this, that, that, this, this, that that. I have found myself too old to start playing the piano again, too tired to go for Kendo training, too busy for painting on canvas.

And I wonder, with tennis, tabla, and Business Japanese lessons on the cards but with no resources (I am not referring to the monetary) to partake, I raise my white flag and iron my white shirt and black pants to wear to court tomorrow.

Such is a life, either we sleep less (or for me, sleep on the train) or we do less. I am too distracted. Too distracted.

Grad Trip

2007-05-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

Because of the sheer amount of work involved in blogging about an eventful grad trip that was 3 weeks long, I decided to just use flickr and save myself a whole load of time, so guys, here's the link:

Jared's grad trip photos

Work's starting this friday. I know everyone's dreading it, but I guess its something to look forward to, at least. I'm strange that way.

Of Airplanes and Friendship

2007-05-07T05:34:00.000-07:00

Of all the many things I enjoy, not many come close to sitting at Changi Jetty with good friends and beer and watching planes flying directly above us, just talking. :)

And I thought to myself, "This time tomorrow, I will be on one of those planes to Japan"

catch you guys when I'm back.

Island Life

2007-05-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

Jared is still fiddling with the manual functions of his digicam as he is trying to take SLR-quality shots without having to use a $1000 SLR camera. Trying.

How to relax:

1 x Sunny Day
4 x Good friends
1 x Ticket to Sentosa
+ KM8
+ Frisbee
+ Board Games
+ Doing Nothing
+ Pigging out
+ Swimming in the sea =
------------------------
VERY GOOD DAY
-------------------------

Not the same

2007-04-29T23:10:00.000-07:00

Me & Trish at the SNM

It could just be another lazy sunday spent talking about life and its inconsistencies, but this might be the last time this year that we could do so, it hit me. She's off to Japan to seek out her destiny (Don't blame me, I didn't influence her) Well, I look forward to conversing with her in Japanese in 1 - 2 years time but this triggered something in me, because somehow I wonder if my destiny is really to spend my life chained to a desk drafting, drafting, even though I am going to earn shitloads upon shitloads of money.

Let's take one thing at a time shall we

Its over

2007-04-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Roughly translated as: "Orange Days: The Unforgettable days of our youth"

4 golden years comes to an end with a stroke of my pen as Maisie says "Time's up". This time, unlike the "O"s, nor the "A"s, we did not shuffle out of the hall giving each other congratulatory slaps on the back, as not everyone could share our joy. The maudlin tinge of unsettlement hits, even as I was gorging on all you can eat pizza with the guys, or playing board games overnight with the other NMPs (non-mugging personnel), this unsettling feeling of, "This is it? What now?" just overstays its due, but yet, I recognize that this should merely be fleeting, that after our orange days, we have already discovered who we want to be in our lives.

And again, we go our separate ways. Separate grad trips, separate firms, separate companies, separare futures. We make our own destinies in life, and it may or may not include the people that we have came to depend upon. I have come to accept that, slowly but surely.

僅かだって明かりが心に灯るなら
大切にしなきゃ　と僕らは誓った
めぐり逢った　すべてのものから送られるサイン
もう　何ひとつ見逃さない
そうやって暮らしてゆこう

どういうわけか、俺の気持ちは英語で述べることができない。もしかしたら、英語で言ったら変な気持ちになるだろうか。皆、輝かしい未来へ幸せに

Summing up the Minister's pay debate

2007-04-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

Sylvia Lim's Parliamentary Speech 11th April 2007

Dear Ministers,

It is not that you do not deserve to be paid well, please remember that you are drawing your pay from taxpayer's money, many whom are struggling to live with the GST hike to 7%, which is even higher than even that of Japan. I believe that you are in your post not because of the remuneration, but because of your public spiritedness, of serving the people. However, it will not be possible to continue to lead "by example", to tell the people to accept CPF cuts during tough economic times, when you are drawing such astronomical high pay. As NCMP Sylvia Lim so aptly pointed out, the mean average salary of $4.5k, which is approximately the amount that I will be paid A month working 8am to 11pm every day, would be able to be earned by you, the minister, in a matter of 2 days. I believe that good leaders would work for the people even if the pay was not excellent. I believe that our first generation leaders, Minister Mentor Lee included, who built Singapore when Singapore was still a riotous poverty stricken third world country did so EVEN WITHOUT earning 10, 100, 1000 times more than the average professional lawyer, banker, doctor, because back then, they were truly, public servants.

Regards, and with utmost respect,

Agent Jared
(who has an examination paper tomorrow.)

Help

2007-04-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

After this morning's scare (I saw my name on the Aviation Law Exam paper roster) I have been facing the com for like 6 hours I guess, but most of the time its spent sorting out itenary of round-kyushu trip, and just going off random tangents, I read anything and everything non-law related, what about err Film Festival, what some common ailments as well as the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in Wiki an hour ago, and now with Dave coming to the library to stress me with his ICF studying, I think I had better start... I am lagging behind my Team A peeps in terms of topics covered, still at Joint Ventures, damnit, in many parts due to my 12 hour sleep yesterday night trying to sleep off a flu. Doesn't work. Now I have a headache, and its not because I have too little sleep.

PS: I see Meihui and Han's blog posting increasing exponentially as well. SCARY

i wonder

2007-04-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

Anyone who can identify with this video after watching it probably understands the Jared right now

また土曜日の夜が来るさ。またひとりで勉強していて、また窓の外へ夜の景色を見ていて、また悲しい曲を聞いていて、「瞳をとじて君を描くよそれだけでもいい。たとえ季節が僕を残して色を変えようとも記憶の中に君を探すよ、それだけでいい。なくしたものを越える強さを君がくれたから君がくれたから」という歌詞で心に悩みごとが多くてさあ。

犠牲を払っても結果が？

2007-04-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

On the roof of my PGP block, surveying the port and the black sea ahead as I think:

There is a time and season for everything
A time to live, a time to die
A time to play, a time to focus
A time to reap, a time to sacrifice
A time to hang on, a time to let go

What's important, is not making popular or feel good choices,
rather to be accountable to myself and the people I care about

Lessons in Morbidity

2007-04-12T22:59:00.000-07:00

Spotted at UniSIM.

o.m.g.

2007-04-11T04:35:00.000-07:00

Our lawyer friend/teammate Shahdy has just offered to take care of us Team A teammates when we go to the Maldives after call break next year, and look where we will be staying:

You have to see it to believe it

I think I won't be able to work on Bank Docs tonight. I'm reeling!

Irrelevance

2007-04-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

The most amusing vid i've seen the whole week. I think everyone in law school thinks of me as some Japanophile. They aren't half wrong. ;)

今日の単語は「前向き」。やっとICFの交渉は終わるぞ！ベットに寝っころがって宿題のほかに考えて、考えて、にっぽんの全てを思い出す。関係ない物は一つずつ僕の胸によみがえった。ごま、ジンジャーエール、グレープフルツジュース、新鮮なお刺身、えっ！なぜ全部食べ物なんだい？ハハ。もうすぐね、もうすぐ

Doesn't everything else seem so much more appealing now that work has to be done?

Departures in Exasperation

2007-04-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

~~Aviation Paper 8500 words~~
Negotiation Written Paper 2500 words
Assessed Negotiations
~~Journal Annotations & Final Entry 8pages + 3 pages x 4 journals~~
~~ICF M&A Financing Exercise~~
~~Bank Documentation 2nd Paper 2000 words~~
ICF Exam: in 10 days. Sheet. I have never been so unprepared before, but yet I am so apathetic

You cannot blame me for wanting to leave. Really.

End of an era

2007-04-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

i will miss trainings, even though I never really was very good at it

For those in need of comfort

2007-04-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

Things fall apart,
Romance fades,
Friends drift apart
Families are not immortal,
Satisfaction is sought but only temporal
I wonder if there is anything that is forever
And then, I remember Your suffering and sacrifice for me

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort that we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows"
~2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Addictive. Distractions.

2007-04-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

I fling myself into the throes of work to keep myself from thinking too much.

「あ」という間に、もうすぐ期末が来るさ。論文みたいなレポートがたくさんあって、もう慣れてきたね。なんでもしょうがないで、なんでもコントロールできないさ。君の代わりに仕事がだんだん生活の大きな部分を占めるようになって、俺は相変わらず文句が言わなくても何だかうれしくない。

B. Brunch

2007-03-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

Birthday Brunch at Marmalade Pantry with Trish and Keith

Law ball/Collegiate dinner

2007-03-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

Jared can cook

2007-03-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

Thai night: Chicken Green Curry ( Kheng Khaw Waen ), Thai Fried Fish Cakes & Thai papaya salad (Som Tham)

Once in a while, I outdo myself.

What I have to do

2007-02-10T01:01:00.000-08:00

Am currently juggling writing 3 research papers. Basically it takes a tremendous amount of self-discipline and motivation (which increases exponentially before the deadline). I am setting my own deadlines this semester because,

(i) I want a decent chinese new year
(ii) I want to be able to hand in satisfactory works (by my own standards, usually profs beg to differ)
(iii) I need to be disciplined and motivated anyway.

And I think I might work better if I was here at the New York Public Library. Why doesn't singapore make their libraries look like this?

IPPT next week! Better do it before Chinese New Year lol

Flowing water

2007-02-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

Niagara falls

The trick in life is often to look for the less obvious, the other rainbow. I have not been seeing many lately, perhaps its time to be more observant and mope less

I miss Boston

2007-02-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

Boston old town

Lucky harvard students get to hang around here

Underwhelmed

2007-02-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

The more I give the more underwhelmed I get. And I keep thinking to myself, is this what I want. Somehow I always find myself being bound by doing what is right, and what should be done. Finish the work, fulfil that obligation, keep that promise. And the inner person just needs to rebel. Screw everything I wanna do what I want. yea. Right the very next minute I silently like the lemming that I am revert back to mundane normalcy. On a sidenote I am giving up ALL my vices because of another duty, this time national, in the form of IPPT.

Moovie

2007-01-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

Just. thought. provoking.

Washington DC

2007-01-30T07:16:00.000-08:00

Paying last respects to the late President Ford over the New Year
I should have been more sombre. :P

Back Home

2007-01-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

Back from an all expense paid firm trip to Hanoi. It was fun, but basically it gave me time out to think about many things, some of which cannot be published here, but mainly about how time is going by so fast, and how I have already found my anchors in some areas but yet am so, so lost in others. Another resolution should be to be contented with the blessings that I have already received. 3 more months, and I end my academic life. I wonder what this feeling is, its half dread shaken with a shot of fear mixed with uncertainty and a dash of hope.

Faith. Hope. Charity.

Now back to the life I was leading. Its good to press pause but its not good to leave it in semi-permanent suspension. 4am.

More New York

2007-01-18T05:16:00.000-08:00

Manhattan

Brooklyn Bridge

Times Square, New Years Eve

Deli Comforts

NYC Selected Scenes

2007-01-10T16:09:00.001-08:00

All American Hot Dogs

Broadway

Atop the Empire State

More to come. I'm unbelievably lazy

Addictive. Distractions.

2007-01-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

2007

2007-01-01T05:03:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years!! from Times Square, New York!

(pics to follow I promise) ;)

Kendo camp... owari!

2006-12-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

2 hr Kendo training session x 3 times a day x 3 days... and I DIDN"T DIE! muhahaha

My peers. :]

Extravagance

2006-12-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

Childhood upbringing definitely has impacts on our lives as adults. I remember as kids, my parents (prudently) did not buy everything that we wanted, with the one exception of food. He would buy us anything we wanted to eat. Even now, i feel that sometimes I act very irrationally when it comes to eating... i would eat whatever I wanted, regardless of the price, and all my friends know my penchant for (good quality) Japanese food? Die.

And who would pay $6 for (air-flown) Sarawak Kolo Mee?

Me, even though its glorified wanton mee.

I'm eating my savings away, what a bai jia zi. :P
[Picture Taken by my Vodafone 903SH]

Art

2006-12-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

Me & Trish at Singapore Art Museum

My fave

Our works

Chen Wen Hsi and Georgette Chan, artists of our time. Yet another weekend gone.

Recuperation

2006-12-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

Just had wisdom tooth surgery the day before, so all the relentless partying, outdoors and hanging out had to stop, along with 2 of my favourite activities: Eating and Talking. Basically, reading non-law books, watching endless TV and internetting are some of the things that I have not been doing throught the whole sem, so its a nice change. Then again, me being me, just 2 days of these and I'm bored out of my wits. Anyway, here's next semester's timetable. I had a nice "easing-into-Singapore-study-environment" Semester this year, but next year is going to be hell:

Monday
Bank Documentation [ 9am - 12 ]
Japanese 6 [ 4 - 6 ]
Kendo Training [ 6:30 - 9pm ]

Tuesday
International Corporate Finance [ 12 - 3 ]
Japanese 6 [ 4 - 6 ]

Wednesday
Negotiation [ 9am - 12 ]
Aviation Law & Policy [ 12 - 3 ]
Japanese 6 [ 4 - 6pm ]

Thursday
International Corporate Finance [ 3 - 6 ]
Kendo Training [ 6:30 - 9 ]

Friday
Japanese 6 [ 12 - 1 ]

Let me enjoy this holiday first before next sem starts

Something to look forward to

2006-11-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

Guess everyone should be in their throes of last minute study like me by now. However, whatever we do, we must always do with the hope that everything will get better. :) Here's a tentative holiday schedule of mine.

3rd Dec: Japanese Language Proficiency Test 2nd Kyuu

4th Dec: iBook overhaul + new OS installation

5th Dec: Pulau Ubin/Malaysia Pengarrang with Foreign Students

9th - 10th Dec: Canoeing Expedition

10th Dec: zoukOUT!

12th - 14th Dec: Kendo Camp (-_-;)

16th - 18th Dec: Emi and Yasuko visiting from Japan

17th December Kendo Year-end Grading

20th Dec: Fadil visiting from Brunei

21st - 24th Dec Hosting the Shimizu family from Japan

25th Dec Christmas Celebrations!!~

1st - 8th Jan New York Trip

This is my last year as a student. Its now or never!

Seasons

2006-11-06T23:09:00.000-08:00

I believe there is a time and season for everything

今の季節は勉強の季節かなあと思って、もし自分の力で１００パーセントをあげるなら、自分は何の結果をもらっても満足べきだけど、時々１０１％をあげたけど思うような結果が取らなってしまうこともある。日本語は一段と時間がかかる科目だね。時間がかかったけど、僕は成績でがっかりした。もっと頑張らなければならないね。とりあいず毎日繰り返して勉強したり、運動したりをして、生活はつまらない！〜だけど、冬休みを楽しみにしてる！期待ですね。今の僕は期待しか持っていない。

And that is all I am holding on to, this season.

18th LKC Tournament

2006-10-29T17:57:00.002-08:00

Ok, after months of training: The tournament

:)
Yea, next up on the list, Japanese Presentation/Oral test and Final Exam.
过了一山又一山

More Exchange Inheritances

2006-10-26T21:19:00.001-07:00

Jamie flew in from Manila to visit her Bro jeff so we all had dinner at Holland V, which incidentally was one of the most internationalized place in Singapore. Jamie was going on about how much she likes Singapore, and I thought to myself... "Yea, this place ain't half bad, I'm just spoilt beyond belief"

When december comes, my Japanese friends would come to town too. Apparantly Singapore is a major pitstop for many people. Good. :)

On another note:

PGP laundry nightmare #1
One of the most disturbing things I saw was a pair of dirty basketball shoes being dried in the PGP laundry room clothes dryer (the one we use to dry clothes and undergarments AFTER we have washed them). It really reflects the mindset of some people, and how inconsiderate and they can get even though they are apparantly here getting an overseas university education. No suspicions where this guy is from. Man! I took out the shoes (they were making a din, spinning in the dryer), but I pity the poor sods who used the dryer after that.

PGP laundry irk #2
Drying my clothes in (another) dryer, set timer for 1 hour, came back an hour later to find my clothes taken out and placed in my basket, still wet and soggy. Apparantly someone needed to dry her clothes more than me. On instinct, I took out her (unfashionable) clothes, placed it in her basket, popped some money into the dryer, and returned my wet clothes to the dryer. PEEVES.

Anyway. Come this weekend, you guys will find out why you havent seen much of me lately. :)

Inheritances of Exchange

2006-10-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

My French friends, and the Raffles Hotel

With Anna & Rosie, having Singapore Slings at the Swissotel

Somehow when my foreign friends come I always take them to try the real Singapore Sling, and not the nonsense sling that Japanese bartenders make ('cept for Emiko at Underground)

Bizness venture

2006-10-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

Board Game cafe

I still strongly believe that a Board Game cafe is a profitable venture. Comeon, the 4 of us Jason Marc and Lionel spent just 3 hours there, and it came up to $50. We could have bought the board game already with that amount of money. Then again, I can't seem to find that game that we were playing ("Ticket to Ride": where we built train lines all over Europe) in Toys R' Us. Perhaps therein lies the justification for that price tag. If I find that game, you guys are invited to my house on weekends and we can play this game over beer and japanese snacks.

I prefer NIGHTS

2006-10-10T23:56:00.000-07:00

Photoshop

2006-10-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

In the balance

2006-10-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

Life is all about balance isn't it?

After spending the last 1.5 weeks working on some legal papers, catching up on tutorials after my Nanjing trip and my mid sem Japanese exams, I decided the antidote to prevent misery is a weekend of doing absolutely nothing productive. Absolutely theraputic

Friday

The haze was so bad in the west that I could smell the smoke. After walking aimlessly around Orchard with CK and failing to get our hands on snow-skin white lotus mooncakes (well, there's always next year) I knew I had to head back to the east where the air was better. Arriving home to home cooked food, NHK on cable TV, and pia-ing the night away on my Nintendo DS. I felt as though I was a primary schoolboy again, with nothing warranting my concern except for my Nintendo.

Saturday

Sleeping 10 hours and waking up just to read travel novels by the pool after countless laps on a sunny day (no haze here in the east!) brings stress down to level zero. After that, its more home cooked food, and in the evenings there was a RC Karaoke Singing contest which i was thinking of participating (not for the glory but for the $1000 prize money which would fund my Europe trip) but one look at the list of available songs I knew I am not in this (auntie and uncle 70's karaoke song) league. Nothing to do, sleep! (another 10 hours. Sleep is good for health)

Sunday

Church with Trish. Today's sermon at Wesley was eddifying (as usual). Not merely about christian legalism vs worldly sin, but more like a wake up call for myself about using our lives as a testimony for God, not only for missionaries, but for all of us. Something stirred in my heart today, am not sure where God is leading me to now, but I will continue to place my trust in Him. Headed down to Vivocity to watch clueless Singaporeans walk around a half-opened mall . We promptly got out of there to the nearest Starbucks and whiled away the whole afternoon just chatting. Sunday afternoons are the best. :)

Thought for the week:

"Am thinking of doing some things that I have always been doing differently. Lets see if it works."

I usually never post MSN conversations

2006-10-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

We have a lecturer with the initials p.c.c.

-------

... dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort says: (10:57:38 PM)
anyway

[ James ] more than the watchman waits for the morning says: (10:57:40 PM)
ya?

... dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort says: (10:57:48 PM)
did pcc say that he will call on ppl tmr?

[ James ] more than the watchman waits for the morning says: (10:58:15 PM)
I dunno

[ James ] more than the watchman waits for the morning says: (10:58:20 PM)
anyway stop saying PCC

[ James ] more than the watchman waits for the morning says: (10:58:34 PM)
if you ask Eugene what PCC is he will laugh

[ James ] more than the watchman waits for the morning says: (10:58:43 PM)
as in ask him. "What does PCC stand for"

... dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort says: (10:59:00 PM)
huh really

... dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort says: (10:59:07 PM)
so in guy lingo what does it stand for??

... dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort says: (10:59:07 PM)
quick tell meeee!

[ James ] more than the watchman waits for the morning says: (10:59:13 PM)
isnt he online

[ James ] more than the watchman waits for the morning says: (10:59:29 PM)
i should have corrected you the first time i heard it. haha

... dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort says: (11:00:15 PM)
he is beside me haha

... dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort says: (11:00:22 PM)
but on the phone

... dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort says: (11:00:22 PM)
so can you just satisfy my curiosity!!!!

[ James ] more than the watchman waits for the morning says: (11:00:33 PM)
WRITE HIM A NOTE

... dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort says: (11:01:16 PM)
what an unfortunate name

[ James ] more than the watchman waits for the morning says: (11:01:19 PM)
HAHHAHAH

... dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort says: (11:02:40 PM)
so poor thing! coz in workplaces i think generally ppl are referred to in office emails etc by their initials

... dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort says: (11:02:52 PM)
i wonder if the staff call him P*C too

[ James ] more than the watchman waits for the morning says: (11:06:14 PM)
poor guy

Nanjing Part 1

2006-09-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

Zhan yuan in Nanjing. Autumn is coming :)

Break

2006-09-23T01:09:00.000-07:00

Heading to Nanjing for the one-week break. see you guys when school opens.

What a hoot!

2006-09-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Rare find, CJ Koh Law Library

I was supposed to be researching for my "Law, Governance and Development in Asia" paper when I stumbled across THIS. What a hoot! Hahahaha

Memory Linkage

2006-09-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

Singapore Motorcycle Festival 2006, Clarke Quay

At this point of time, at this very place, this atmosphere, that cool night breeze, I felt that I could have easily been anywhere in the world, Shanghai, Barcelona, Fukuoka? The latin dance items reminded me of certain spanish speaking friends back (dare I say) "home"?

Wonder how Charles and Hiroki are doing. Guys, my spanish vocabulary needs work!

Real Evidence

2006-09-14T04:21:00.000-07:00

Its just one of those late nights, trying to make sense of legal cases and doing tutorials way into the night (I sleep in the day), when hunger strikes. Out comes the packet of instant noodles and instant curry, authentic Jusco Kashiihama goods.

If James can cook so can you. Japanese styled curry noodles. Umai!~

September 11

2006-09-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

Drivers lunch, Munchie Monkey's on campus

Old chums are worth the long bus ride from Bukit Timah Law Campus to Kent Ridge where everyone else is. September 11, 5 years on. I remember when it happened, the 4 of us were in camp (Army camp, for the uninitiated) doing some field exercise and I only got to know about it when I booked out. 5 years on, Bush is still president, Osama is still on the loose, and we still have our makan sessions.

Spizza for friends

2006-09-05T23:03:00.000-07:00

Reunion dinner with the Singaporeans who were on exchange with me in Kyushu

Spizza with Friends
(which, incidentally, is the store motto)
Incidentally, its my favourite pizza place, hands down

Talking to all of them tonight, I found out the reason of my inexplicable chronic depression, my anti-social grumblings, my needless frustrations.... I am still undergoing reverse culture shock: I am no longer in Japan

How do you pronounce "Biennale"

2006-09-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

Singapore Biennale 2006 Opening Ceremony

At the Padang

Impressive as it was, celebrated as it was, daring as it was (~~defacing~~ decorating our city hall), touted as it was, reported as it was, even though mediacorp stars were there and the Prime Minister switched on the balloon sculpture, I wonder are we trying too hard... to show the world before the advent of the 2006 IMF meet that we are artistic and cultured. If we are, someone please tell me how to pronounce "Biennale". Then again, pronouncing French alone should not be a gauge as to what "cultured" or artistic should be. What then, should be the standard? Wrapping trees in Orchard road may be baby states in a bohemian push towards unconventionality. I remain unconvinced at the present moment, but perhaps if this becomes an annual affair with or without the IMF meetings will I finally declare "Singapore: City of the Arts". Till then

WOMAD

2006-08-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

WOMAD 2006: World Of Music And Dance

Fort Canning Park

What I have always enjoyed about WOMAD is the casual atmosphere... Heineken beer on the lawn grooving to music from all over the world

This year, performances from Jamaica, South Africa, China, Aboriginal Australian.. tribal, drums, flutes, guitars, jazz, blues, raggae... nice!

With the Australian Exchange Students. Ah. I will give anything to go on exchange again. It was a sunday night but I met up with Kareen and her Ang mor friend, Alex and his friend, and Joan who just came back from London! Imagine what saturday night would have been

Palawan, Sentosa

2006-08-26T23:12:00.000-07:00

Bloomberg Summer Party 2006!

Dearie Trish and I went for her company's summer party, where they blocked out half of Palawan beach. Before I went, let me say I had no idea what to expect... but on arrival, seeing open air massage, fake tattoo parlours, free flow diner & buffet styled food and a all-u-can-drink bar lets just say I was bowled over. Now you know what the corporate people do for themselves

Kick started the day with some trampolining. Lets just say this isn't your typical backyard trampoline. Flip, flip flip!

Dancing the night away on the sands of Palawan. Quote of the night: "Where did you learn to dance you heathen girl?"

Me & Trish

Sidelines

2006-08-25T23:10:00.001-07:00

Because last-lap will be a predominantly literary exercise reflecting the fact that the writer does in fact, possess some semblance of a brain, pictures will be available at Singapore SWINGS!. Basically because I am still reeling from the hangover of my Japan exchange, the blog will be an exhibition on how I can, as a resident of this country, still have fun as if I am still an exchange student. wooha!

Beginnings

2006-08-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

Why do I feel the need to start a new blog?

Firstly, the time of exhibitionism in [lifetransplanted] should, ought, and will come to an end. Secondly, choosing not to return to the old blog will enable me to leave all my baggage behind, because my whole notion of life and what it should be has been radically altered since the Japan stint, i see it fit to start anew on a new template and on fresh ground.

So, what has Jared been up to since he returned to the embrace of the Merlion? Well, too many to encapsulate here in the first post, I shall allow it to unfold over the course of my blog writings. In essence, it is akin to telling him "you have one last year to do everything you want/need/have to do before you are swallowed up into the corporate world. Ready, steady, go!"

And hence, lies the justification of everything that is going to happen in this year. In essence, everything can be boiled down to reveal the basic elements, including my precepts and principles. Indeed, this is the final lap. Don't stop, just run!