ITE

It's The End

End of 1 month of painful examination.

End of 2 months of mindless mugging.

End of 2 years of weary trudging.

End of 12 years of a truly Singapore-ific educational system.

End of 18 years of youthful abandonment..

What now?

Start of ? months of gaming.

Start of 2 years of National Servitude.

Start of ? years rekindling my faith.

Start of ? years of volunteerism.

Start of ? years enjoying everything and anything that my present youth allows me to.

Start of ? years of university.

Start of ? years of building up my career.

Start of ? years achieving greater heights.

Start of ? years of starting a family??

Start of ? years of leaving behind all semblance of youth and the deep embrace of age.

Start of ? years of pursuing a deeper purpose.

Start of ? years of retirement.

Start of ? years looking back at the ? of years that God has so graciously blessed me with.

...

...

Then really, ITE.

That my friend, is what life is about. No matter how you fare for your A levels, be aware that you should never limit your self-belief or purpose to one mangy piece of rotten certificate. There still is a long road ahead.

It is hard, I understand it just as well as you do. But let us not fall into this deep farce which is the elitism stemming from our unyielding national embrace of meritocracy.

Society will never judge you by this certificate, only if you let it to.

Find a way.

Lighten up

I am officially free in 27 days.

Sorry for the randomness.. Back to study.

Do something

I've got this HUGE burning desire to do something. Not play or whatever, but to really go out there in the world to help someone in need; to organise and set up some huge event; to start up a business (Ha); be the ambassador of the Zoo; start a band; to build someone a house or to learn a new skill. I'm not interested in a job but maybe a spot in a firm where I can learn something, not sure what exactly but that mystical "Something".

Argh, this is so frustrating. There's nothing online at all. And you ask where is the empathetic volunteerism in Singapore!

I need to do something Bigger with my life. Just not contented with the prosaic.

Cambridge Law admission!

After viewing several debates and moots by the UK parliament and law students, out of curiously, I went to take a look at what Cambridge law offers. This is a specimen of their 3 part entry test. All materials are taken and can be found freely from the website of the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law.

And you thought GP was bad..

Specimen questions

1. “Judges should be given no discretion in sentencing criminals: all criminal penalties should be fixed by statute. The exercise of discretion in sentencing requires an exercise of moral judgment by the judge, and judges in a modern democracy should not be allowed to exercise moral authority over their fellow citizens.” How far do you agree? Give reasons for your answer.
2. Should people be regarded as having fundamental moral rights, quite independently of law? If so, how should we decide what those rights are? Give reasons for your answer.

Specimen question

A piece of legislation (“the Act”) provides as follows:

Section 1
(1) A person who is not a party to a contract (a “third party”) may in his own right enforce a term of the contract if—
(a) the contract expressly provides that he may, or
(b) subject to subsection (2), the term purports to confer a benefit on him.
(2) Subsection (1)(b) does not apply if on a proper construction of the contract it appears that the parties did not intend the term to be enforceable by the third party.
(3) The third party must be expressly identified in the contract by name, as a member of a class or as answering a particular description but need not be in existence when the contract is entered into.

Section 2
(1) Where a third party has a right under section 1 to enforce a term of the contract, the parties to the contract may not, by agreement, cancel the contract, or vary it in such a way as to extinguish or alter his entitlement under that right, without his consent if—
(a) …;
(b) the promisor is aware that the third party has relied on the term, or
(c) the promisor can reasonably be expected to have foreseen that the third party would rely on the term and the third party has in fact relied on it.

Consider the application of the Act to each of the following alternative circumstances. In doing so, you can assume that a contract exists where two (or more) parties enter into an agreement in which they intend to be legally bound, and that a contract need not be in writing.

i. G and H are friends. In the pub one night they decide to play the National Lottery each week. Each is to contribute £1.50 and they would each choose three sets of numbers every other week, with H choosing three sets of numbers one week and G three sets of numbers the other week. They agree that any winnings are to be divided equally between the two of them and J, a friend. In the sixth week, when G has chosen the numbers, one of the combinations won a prize of £250,000. G, in whose name the ticket was registered, wishes to keep the prize. Can J sue G under the Act? Give reasons for your answer.

ii. On Mr and Mrs C’s marriage, their wealthy relative B buys an expensive 3 piece suite as a wedding gift from A Ltd, a well known department store. B makes it clear when purchasing the 3 piece suite that it is a gift for friends. The contract includes a term to the effect that the goods are of satisfactory quality. After 2 weeks of wear the fabric on the suite wears thin and frays, and after 3 weeks, two castors collapse. Can Mr and Mrs C sue A Ltd under the Act? Give reasons for your answer.

iii. X promises Y to pay Z £500 and Z, on hearing of this and because of it, immediately pays some outstanding bills. Before any money is handed over to Z, X and Y change their mind and agree to cancel their contract. Can Z sue X under the Act? Give reasons for your answer.

Specimen question

Jones (“J.”), a tramp who lived in an unoccupied building, woke up to discover that a cigarette he had been smoking had set fire to the mattress on which he was lying. He did not attempt to put out the fire, and moved to another room. The house caught fire. J. was convicted of the offence of arson under the Criminal Damage Act 1971. The Court of Appeal (“CA”) dismissed his appeal against conviction, but he appealed to the House of Lords (“HL”).

The CA asked the House of Lords to consider the following question:

Whether the offence of arson is committed when a defendant accidentally starts a fire and thereafter, intending to destroy or damage property belonging to another or being reckless as to whether any such property would be destroyed or damaged, fails to take any steps to extinguish the fire or prevent damage to such property by that fire?

Giving the judgment of the HL, Lord Diplock said:

The first question to be answered where a completed crime of arson is charged is: "Did a physical act of the accused start the fire which spread and damaged property belonging to another?”. This is a pure question of causation; it is one of fact to be decided by the jury. It should be answered "No" if, in relation to the fire during the period starting immediately before its ignition and ending with its extinction, the role of the accused was at no time more than that of a passive bystander. In such a case the subsequent questions to which I shall be turning would not arise. The conduct of such a person may indeed be deplorable, but English law has not so far developed to the stage of treating it as criminal; and if it ever were to do so there would be difficulties in defining what should be the limits of the offence.

If on the other hand the question is answered "Yes," as it was by the jury in the instant case, then for the purpose of the further questions the answers to which are determinative of his guilt of the offence of arson, the conduct of the accused, throughout the period from immediately before the moment of ignition to the completion of the damage to the property by the fire, is relevant; so is his state of mind throughout that period.

Since arson is a result-crime the period may be considerable, and during it the conduct of the accused that is causative of the result may consist not only of his doing physical acts which cause the fire to start or spread but also of his failing to take measures that lie within his power to counteract the danger that he has himself created; and if his conduct, active or passive, varies in the course of the period, so may his state of mind at the time of each piece of conduct. If at the time of any particular piece of conduct by the accused that is causative of the result, the state of mind that actuates his conduct falls within the description of one or other of the states of mind that are made a necessary ingredient of the offence of arson by section 1 of the Criminal Damage Act 1971 (i.e. intending to damage property belonging to another or being reckless as to whether such property would be damaged) I know of no principle of English criminal law that would prevent his being guilty of the offence created by that subsection. Likewise I see no rational ground for excluding from conduct capable of giving rise to criminal liability, conduct which consists of failing to take measures that lie within one's power to counteract a danger that one has oneself created, if at the time of such conduct one's state of mind is such as constitutes a necessary ingredient of the offence.

No one has been bold enough to suggest that if, in the instant case, the accused had been aware at the time that he dropped the cigarette that it would probably set fire to his mattress and yet had taken no steps to extinguish it he would not have been guilty of the offence of arson, since he would have damaged property of another being reckless as to whether any such property would be damaged.

I cannot see any good reason why, so far as liability under criminal law is concerned, it should matter at what point of time before the resultant damage is complete a person becomes aware that he has done a physical act which, whether or not he appreciated that it would at the time when he did it, does in fact create a risk that property of another will be damaged; provided that, at the moment of awareness, it lies within his power to take steps, either himself or by calling for the assistance of the fire brigade if this be necessary, to prevent or minimise the damage to the property at risk.

My Lords, in the instant case the prosecution did not rely upon the state of mind of the accused as being reckless during that part of his conduct that consisted of his lighting and smoking a cigarette while lying on his mattress and falling asleep without extinguishing it. So the jury were not invited to make any finding as to this. What the prosecution did rely upon as being reckless was his state of mind during that part of his conduct after he awoke to find that he had set his mattress on fire and that it was smouldering, but did not then take any steps either to try to extinguish it himself or to send for the fire brigade, but simply went into the other room to resume his slumbers, leaving the fire from the already smouldering mattress to spread and to damage that part of the house in which the mattress was.

The recorder, in his lucid summing up to the jury told them that the accused having by his own act started a fire in the mattress which, when he became aware of its existence, presented an obvious risk of damaging the house, became under a duty to take some action to put it out. The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction, but the basis for their decision appears to be somewhat different from that of the recorder. As I understand the judgment, in effect it treats the whole course of conduct of the accused, from the moment at which he fell asleep and dropped the cigarette on to the mattress until the time the damage to the house by fire was complete, as a continuous act of the accused, and holds that it is sufficient to constitute the offence of arson if at any stage in that course of conduct the state of mind of the accused, when he fails to try to prevent or minimise the damage which will result from his initial act, although it lies within his power to do so, is that of being reckless as to whether property belonging to another would be damaged.

My Lords, these alternative ways of analysing the legal theory that justifies a decision which has received nothing but commendation for its accord with commonsense and justice, have, since the publication of the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the instant case, provoked academic controversy. Each theory has distinguished support. Professor Smith espouses the "duty theory"; Professor Williams prefers that of the continuous act. When applied to cases where a person has unknowingly done an act which sets in train events that, when he becomes aware of them, present an obvious risk that property belonging to another will be damaged, both theories lead to an identical result; and since what your Lordships are concerned with is to give guidance to trial judges in their task of summing up to juries, I would for this purpose adopt the duty theory as being the easier to explain to a jury; though I would commend the use of the word "responsibility," rather than "duty" which is more appropriate to civil than to criminal law, since it suggests an obligation owed to another person, i.e., the person to whom the endangered property belongs, whereas a criminal statute defines combinations of conduct and state of mind which render a person liable to punishment by the state itself.

So, I would answer the certified question "Yes" and would dismiss the appeal.

Answer both of the following questions:

1. Explain in your own words, and indicating how it differed from the reasoning of the Court of Appeal, the reasoning of Lord Diplock in this case.
2. In the first paragraph of his judgment, Lord Diplock suggests that a bystander who came across the fire would not be guilty of any offence if he failed to take steps which were within his powers to put it out. Why should that be? Do you agree that such a person should not be guilty of an offence? Give reasons for your answer.

If after NS, you expect me to have that one ounce of brain material left to even understand the question, you're mistaken. 3 words. OMG. Help me.

A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt about a tragedy. He said, “I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one.” The grandson asked him, “Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?”

The grandfather answered, “The one I feed.”

Expected

Mind's a twirl, everything's in limbo.

You know, I expected this to happen. After 2 years of seeing repeat after repeat of the same thing, one does get used to it; and hope seems to diminish away. Got butt-raped in bio. Got mind-screwed in math. Got jacked-up in chem. What can I say?

It's a weird feeling. Having to know what you will get, yet hoping this will be different, and then seeing that what you expected came to pass. A tingling down the cape of the neck. A cold shiver engulfs you and goosebumps appear. Temperature check, nope, 36.0. Yet, why do I feel like something just sucked the living lights out of me? Something called Failure just swept me off my feet.

It's stupid to moan. No input, no output. Moaning and blues don't comfort, they taunt. Each time, reinforcing that which drains you.

More than a shadow. I want to be more than a shadow, of others, of myself. It's silly to say it here, but when you face let-down after let-down, it's quite easy to imagine yourself losing confidence in your abilities. You doubt these hands that work. Beyond just work. In your social life. Friends pass you, no more greetings are exchanged. To each his demon. Mine's called Achievement. Either you're It, or you're nothing. You lose your smile, your laughter ebbs away. You begin to be cynical. To question than to embrace. Humour fails you, relationships bore you. The heart is weary, the soul is in pain.

A shadow cannot live. Yet, when the Sun is at it's highest and brightest, the shadow is at it's weakest. So we seek the Sun; but where is the Sun, my friend?

Quantifying the unquantifiable

Not long after our T3A hand-ups and I'm again dealt with another chop.

What's with this obsession about validation? Intellectual, intra-personal and inter-personal? I mean, doesn't it all seem a little superficial to you? Yes, I am well acquainted with the notion that interviewers need to know more about the person, and that if we do not have such systems, by what means can we know a person? Hence, CVs and resumes.

But that only comes when the person has the time to build up his portfolio, and he also knows that he is about to be judged. Us? Other than the T3A's and testimonial by the teachers, I am not aware of yet another 3 qualifications that I must put down. 2 years of struggling with one's studies and syllabus also doesn't grant you the time to truly learn "valuable" life skills. Phff, this is so unreasonable. Are we expected to develop character changes over 2 years of mugging?

For example, the idea of validating "resilience" is ludicrous. If I want to, can I say that after failing exam after exam, I am "resilient" in that I never gave up? Despite no resultant achievement, can I say that I never let down? I think not, teachers won't accept it. Interviewers won't accept it. But if this is genuine, can it not be a glaring quality? That this individual does possess determination, but is merely bounded by the lack of time (2 years) to fulfill his potential.

You ask what is wrong with our system. I say nothing. There is no wrong in such systems if one is pragmatic and mercantile, getting freshly-made adults to write T3A and its like. But if you ask me, to force us to quantify the unquantifiable. To calcify the intangible. To cause us youths to grow into a people who does everything for selfish reasons just so that we can validate them in personal statements - it's just wrong.

The man in the mirror

We preen ourselves in front of it. We pop zits in front of it. We judge the capability of the hair-cutting auntie in it. We use a silver version of it to detect aldehydes. Some of you even practice kissing in front of it (I know you do haha =P) What am I talking about? The mirror.

Admit it, we judge ourselves every time we look into the mirror. We see perceived flaws so clearly where others see nothing. We obsess with ensuring that what we see in the mirror is perfect, and when it isn't, we feel defeated.

It's merely a piece of glass, yet it holds the life of us with an iron grip. Think of the bulimic young girls. Grossly thin you say? No, the mirror still maintains that they're fat. Despite all our indignant protests - no I'm not, we are stuck with the "man in the mirror".

We are also like mirrors, each of us reflecting a side of us to different people, different situations. Thus, we communicate by reflecting ourselves onto others. So when we end up in an embarrassing or awkward situation, we just feel like digging a hole through the concrete floor and dying in it. Coz we hate what we reflect. We hate what we "see", and strangely enough, we tend to see ourselves in largely third person viewpoints.

Oh man, she's probably not into me now, I can't believe I said that.. We think we know what the other person sees, but we don't.

Why, because we're stuck with the man in the mirror. He's our perceived self. Call him Personality, Character, Mindset or whatever, he's stuck with us for all eternity. So the best way is to engage him and make him work for us. Not the other way round.

Thanks MJ, good song.

Oh yea, that reminds me. I know we're all sad and depressed, FML, MJ's gone.. But honestly, will ppl just stop being retards and give it a rest. Everyone is talking about how he's so brilliant, how he's changed the world and made it a better place for you and me. Wow, he's like an angel, him with his 2 little wings and halo, spreading love and warmth to all...

Oh screw it, although we're all shitting rainbows thanks to him, can we all just respect him and let him go in peace? All of the retards out there spamming youtube and facebook with RIP MJ, erm it's pretty ironic, but you're not letting him RIP are you? So just beat it. Just beat it. Let him go.

School's been good for the past week, not getting screwed yet, and not getting sleep either. I'm starting to believe in karma. That's what you get for not mugging June away. Now I'm feeling all guilty about it. Teachers have a very sick way of getting high.. I mean, how can we study? MJ just died, they should postpone the As or something.. Dude..

You know, call me a sick ass, but I'm really looking forward to NS. You know, serving the nation by shaving our heads, protecting our shores from unknown threats, keeping a lookout for malaysians creeping over in floatation devices, ensuring the mosquitoes in tekong are fed.. Basically, National Servitude, or was it service? I forgot.

Best of all, there's no bio.

It seems bio has only 1 learning outcome. Candidates should be able to master the art of memorising. That's it. It's got to be the simplest A level subject. Disregarding the copious amount of useless information that they pry down your throat. There, I said it first, bio is the simplest A level subject.

Right, self-help guides really do help don't they. Stay positive. It's not self-delusionalism. It's having the right mindset. Think happy thoughts and sad things go bye bye. Pff. People who buy this stuff are really really sad. They should listen to Miley Cyrus or something.

Ok, I need to start now. Hmm where was I? Yes, proteins. Right, 1 down, many more to go...

Hitler vids

Haha gotta check out this series. It's all the same but different story line. Hilarious.

There are lots more different versions out there. Wtf man hahaha.

I salute Mr Michael Jackson, whatever they might say

MJ,

Your sudden loss brings with it great shock and wonderment, both to fans and critics alike. I'm no true-blue fan. However, your name still resonates within me as one who truly is the King Of Pop. I'm no doctor on music, but if I might say, your music is truly ahead of its time and your dancing, well, your dancing is in one word, astounding.

Despite your supposedly grand career, it seems to me that your private life never did scale to such heights. The amount of controversy surrounding your lawsuits, huge debts and not to mention the haters, add an insurmountable weight on the human heart. It could be speculated that you died of a broken heart, having been betrayed by the same world which worshipped you years before.

People made fun of you because of the way you looked and because of the way you led your life. I would not absolve myself of any guilt. I too have judged you based on what I saw. I pray, Mr Jackson, that you do not take this to heart. We are after all, merely human, peccable to sins as these. For you are the King of Pop, as with men with any form of fame, peccadilloes are immediately magnified, sometimes, grotesquely beyond proportion.

I am sorry Mr Jackson, for having engaged in such sins, for the more I ponder upon it all, the more I find that guilt rests not on you, but on us. Who are we to judge? We all have our own demons to fight.

The fact that the world now reels in shock is testament to your influence. At the end of the day, despite all our differences, music does bind.

I salute you Michael Jackson, whatever others might say.

I salute you for your audacity in breaking boundaries. That of race and music.

I salute you for standing up to criticism. Where many have done so before, yet few have succeeded.

I salute you for your love of music. Passion which makes the man a Man.

I salute you for your unparalleled talent. Never again will we see it in its entirety.

And above all, I salute you for being who you are. Just as other defining stars, you defined a new generation. You appeared at the cusp of the millennium, and just as quickly as you came, you are now gone.

Negative, Sir.

Block test 2 postponed by a week. What a difference it makes eh? Sarcastic, I know.

Even before I sit for this test, I've already failed one, NS aptitude test. Wtf. More than half of it is on spatial, math and again, wtf, physics skills. I think subtletly, they're telling us that if you have been doing bio and chem for the past 4 years of your life, you're fucking screwed in the army. Can you create an electro-magnet from a nail and the wall socket? How the fuck would I know, not like I'm signing on to be James Bond or Mcgyver?

Haha. pardon the expletives, just real tired that's all. All the E math shit still ringing in my head, 30+ sums in 14 min? Haha. Screw you GC.

In retrospect, maybe the tests were useful in some way, just don't wanna know my results..

..Candidate is deemed to be fuck in the head. Unable to complete simple sums within the short designated time. Potentially retarded. Incapable of imagining complex spatial arrangements after being mind-fucked by a truck-load of simple mathematical sums. Mental state can be likened to one that is constantly inebriated; as seen by the almost drunken stupidity he displayed in tackling simple physics. (May require at minimum, 2 years of training to learn to construct an electro-magnet out of a nail, copper wires and a wall socket - Trainer must be mentally and emotionally prepared for the worst).

Analysis: Pregnant goldfish : twit as above-mentioned candidate : soldier of any sort. Unlikely. Good day..

No wonder people are inventing cyborgs with built-in GCs for their metallic butts...

Stephen Chow is god-like

Hahahaha this is fuckin' hilarious xDxD

Awesome-ness

It could be for me.

It may not be, but I definitely I heard her say..

"You can drive it too when you get your license next year."

Excuse me, could you repeat that? 

My mum's getting a new car, and I could potentially be in the driver's seat next year. What more can I say?

Awesome.

Be a Millionaire

Just watched Slumdog Millionaire today. Fantastic show. A sweet exploration of this idea of destiny, "It is written". The show is about a slumdog, Jamal, battling all odds to find his Latika. Really poignant. Haizz, I can't find the words to describe it. All I can say is that he became a millionaire, not because he won the money, but because he could find Latika. That made him a winner. 

Another review which calls us to question, "What's MY destiny"? All of us, especially at this turning point of our lives, would definitely feel this question resonate within. What are we trying to pursue? What would make us the millionaire that we all want to be? Better still, do we, or should we, believe in this proposition of destiny and fate? There are too many grey areas, clouded and shrouded from view... Like I said, a poignant film. 

And of course, thanks to Filbert's effort, the CT2 topics are now up. Practically everything is tested. Apparently, the school wants to test our limits. Not long now before you see zombies coming to school.. Year of the living dead. 

Bummer.

Be aware

Singapore has recently been awarded as having the highest standards of living worldwide. For such a small, almost unnoticeable country plopped on the map, it is of great wonder that we should have been able to achieve such a ranking. However, it does come with a price.

I would like to draw your attention to but one today. Noticed how our children and youths no longer care what's happening outside this small bubble we call home? Awareness and thought are being dulled by our comfortable lifestyles. As we grew up in such an utopian milieu, albeit certain concerns about our politics/way of governance etc which I shan't go into, it's not a surprise that we no longer care about this world. We think the world is a safe, perfect place where people have the luxury to complain, complain, complain. We think the way of the world is as simplistic and blissful as our life here in Singapore. 

But we forget, Singapore is an anomaly in human history. 

We weren't meant to be born. We were destined to be Malaysians once upon a time (thank god we didn't go there). We are an accident, a shot-gun birth nobody wanted to claim responsibility for. But somehow, it turned out to be a fairy tale. We didn't become a communist fortress or some failed fishing state. We became the best country in the world for anyone to live in. People don't starve, they are stuffed instead, with all your delicious hawkerware. People don't turn blue from drinking tap water. People aren't persecuted for their ethnicity. People aren't forced under dictatorial rule (some will disagree, but hoot). Girls aren't forced out of school and moulded into breast-feeding, clothes washing, submissive cooking machines. No one poaches and kills off our wildlife, disrupting our biodiversity (assuming we have any). Instead, we are a PSP-wielding, ipod-holding, broadband connected bunch. With a Starbucks in one  hand and a blackberry in the other, we have lifted ourselves beyond the life of your normal human that you would see elsewhere. Such comforts have diminished our perspective of what this life is about. 

~ "If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other had, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence." - Bertrand Russell, Roads to Freedom ~

What I am trying to say here is that people live in worlds of their own and we are living in a world which would not be feasible elsewhere. I just wish that as a society, we would be more attuned to the cries of this world. Thus, it really irks me to see teens wasting their time on nonsense like underage smoking and sex. Skipping school and having a slanting fringe because it's cool, not being responsible for their education and blaming the system for their failure in life. The potential growth in everyone of us blessed bastards living within reach of such amazing educational infrastructure is exponential. It's irritating to see these wasted youths not seeing what they can achieve. All because they see through the comfortable eyes of a Singaporean. If they think beyond this box of ours, they will see how competitive the world is out there and if they don't wake up, that's it. Where's the ambition? Where's the drive?

I hope this is a fact we'd all take time off our facebook breaks to scrutinize and think about. 

Be more alert and critical. Be aware.

The Scientist

Coldplay - The Scientist piano sheet

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Sheet Music & Lyrics piano scientist

For all you Coldplay and piano players. A gift.

What a cruddy time to fall sick. Right smack during the nationals. Bummer. This freaking virus sure can pick a time to infect my cells. Screw you bug. You and all your other like-minded clone cronies. I'll pump in some Fedac and see how you like it now. See if you can transform fast enough to gain the Fedac resistant plasmid haha. Even if you do, you still have to come up against my Anarex. You are so messed up this time. Picked the wrong dude to infect. Die you f-ing bug, die.

Sigh. I do really want to play. After training so hard for the past 4 months, you can't expect me to just sit through the entire season as a twit-like linesman right? Argh, this is so annoying. Especially when the medicine makes me drowsy and I lose my ball-hitting motor skills. Damn, I tried sparring with the wall and guess what, I got owned. Haha not like you can ever beat the wall anyway. 

Yes, on a happier note, this is my first post on my new Mac. It's super sexy, and the sound system stuns, much better than windows although it takes some getting used to.

Ok, let me just go and finish off my bio SPA now.

Hmm, wow, I can't remember when was the last time I came online. Pardon me here as I try to re-learn typing on the keyboard.. It's just been so hectic and busy these few days. Training and all. Pure madness. I think I've practically wrangled out every last minute I have of Mr time, but yet, I still feel that more could have been done in those minutes.

Urgh, work work. Dammit, I wish I was a wee bit more hardworking last year. I think I pretty much played away 2008, dang, what a waste. I could well do with an extra 365 days worth of time.

Simple laughs

Some things

I love tennis.

It's my absolute passion. Training was pretty wicked this week, probably will stay reddish-black for life. Now I wouldn't mind that sexy over-tan, if it weren't just my face haha. Singapore's weather rocks my polka-dotted socks. It reminds me of a mood-swinging girlfriend who just can't make up her mind to either rain or to burn. Messed up bro.

Nothing beats the satisfaction that comes from a well-placed forehand and backhand. In a game, you just give it your all. Run down every damn ball like a dog and when you get a winner, oooh yea, it's a winner. That burst of accomplishment is addictive, especially when you know that you deserve it.

The technique behind the game is immense, top spin, drive throughs, slicing and all. You have to be 100% aware of all your shots. From the crouching to the back swing to the ball contact and drive through. I think the most satisfaction comes from having improved your game. The drive to constantly emmulate the best, ehem Nadal, is always there, so it seems.

Yep, Nationals are coming. I'm hoping to make it into the first team. That means I'm going to push it even harder. I can make this, for the love of the game. The aching shoulders, screwed up ankles, black face, it's all worth it.

~~~~~~

Today has got to be the greatest JTS I've been to. Not that I've been to any other but yes hell, it beat last year. Dang, you can't help but love the juniors, totally surpassed expectations. Impressive indeed. Hopefully we are really cutting it out as seniors given their wacked up enthusiasm.

Hehe, it's weird to see the girls so hyped up in the juniors. A complete reversal from us. I would say that us guys are the more crazy ones in class. Fish & Co. was an excellent choice. Didn't know it was that in, what with their fishy cheer or something like that. And not to mention the mother lode of Victorians present.

Right so I'm pretty much aquainted with the juniors and that's great. So on to STJ then shall we. Such dinners are the ultimate stress relievers. You just forget all else but the good time you had with your friends.

Oh yea, Happy Birthday Teng and Sze Zhin. Lucky buggers =)

~~~~~~

Ok, a couple of friends asked me why I didn't plan for a tag box here. Well, truth be told, I did consider that option. Yet, I felt it better not to do so. People have different purposes for different things. I prefer not to have a tag box to keep things thinking here.

I've seen so many blogs wasted for mindless purposes. Usually, people just regurgitate every specific detail of their day in their posts and expect their friends to tag something spectacular. You become very dependent on it and it somehow kills your desire to truly write when all you care about are the tags.

Your blog becomes shallow and it won't last long. There's no purpose in broadcasting every mundane crook and cranny of your life because there's no thought into it. There's no sincere reflection, and I think that genuine reflections or feelings are the ones worth sharing and reading. I don't give a damn that you changed your toothpaste or that your dArlinG xxBoIFreWnXX ate polka and was so cute as he munched away this morning. Seriously.

EIE camp pics

There, I finally got the pics yes =) Haha, if you click on the pic to enlarge it, there's this girl in white, the very first from the right, second row. She's a Mrs teo spawn right haha, she's ST by the way yup. Oh damn, can't imagine Mrs teo doing that mid genetics lecture.

It's really coincidental, but I recently met up with 4 of them last Saturday for the economics talk. Speaking of which, it was fuggly boring. All I remember is there were a bunch of fuggly old dudes who seriously must form a superhero band to rid the world of insomnia. Ok there was this game theory prof who was not bad. The last ang moh speaker wasn't bad too, just that his armpits were uber sweaty. Yikes.

Good thing I met some old pals. Not only from EIE but from pre-u sem too, imagine that! Didn't know my friend took H3 econs. Impressive. Rashid (first guy from the left, first row) shaved botak haha, he's really friendly.

Cheers

For I wander alone

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

- William Wordsworth


Beautiful poem. Who'd knew he'd quote Wordsworth...

Every June, as my birthday comes round the corner, my grandfather would send me a pink envelope wishing me fortune. There, at the back of the envelope, is a short paragragh, written in cusive. The first of these 4 paragraghs came 5 years ago, the last coming in in 2008. I never knew who he quoted from, till now, he never said, but each paragraph would end in a "to be continued..."

I treasured these 4 letters. Although I was puzzled by his choice of poem, especially when I received the first one, it seems clearer to me now. Life as a teen is full of incidences and laughter, it is fast and it is furious. With one getting so caught up in his coming-of-age party and the world, it is rather easy for him to forget himself, or the simple pleasures that solitude can bring.

We chase after wealth. We chase after companionship and recognition. We chase after grades. We chase after trends. We chase after that cute girl in school. We chase and we chase and we chase. Life is always in motion, a constant pursuit of new found material wants. We innundate ourselves in our hedonistic ways, oblivious to the world, yet fully immersed in it.

One day, when we look into the mirror and see the first signs of aging, will we start to panic about the youth lost accomplising nothing? Will we see ourselves moving so fast, dashing through all the beauties of this world yet not truly experiencing any of it?

One has to take a step back from the faceless crowd. To bask in himself as he breaks away from the presto pulse of it all. Solitude cannot be underestimated. It allows a person to enjoy, not life, but his living it. Solitude tempers the soul, strengthening one from within as he removes himself from this malestrom called society.

To live in this flux-ed up world and yet hold on to the simple truths that Man was created to uphold. Optimism, contentment, fortitude, kindness, charity, temperance, justice... All of this characters cannot be forged while we are still caught up in the corporal. We have been distracted for too long now, pushing Solitude out of our lives. It beckons us to return, when we are bogged down by school and when the weight of it all bears down on us. We should listen and do so.

So for once, fight that incessant need for your cellphone to be switched on 24/7 and seek Solitude for a minute. You may just find that rejuvenating daffodil field that Wordsworth did.

EIE camp

It was a 2 day, 1 night camp, entitled Explorations in Ethnicity by onesingapore.sg. Despite it being so short, I believe I had a rather raw and unrestrained discussion regarding this issue of racial discrimination in Singapore. It does happen, indeed it is rather naive to think of us as a completely racially blind nation. Although we are not as bad as others, ahem, think neighbour, it still is present.

As part of the majority, it is impossible to fully understand what your fellow friend of another race is experiencing in his daily life, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't care. I am very blessed to have led such a life hitherto, and I finally have an insight into the lives of other races.

~~~~~~

The camp was pretty fun. Our facils, Shera and Audrey were really friendly and the group I was assigned to was really awesome, other than the quirky 2.. xS Too bad I had to mug econs till late at night.. kinda ruined things. My new friends were mainly from PJC, seems like it was some sort of class chalet thing haha. But yea, I met really cool people. Rashid, the poledancer, Fareez, the shredder and Daryl, the insurance salesman wannabe. Hmm, there was giggly Vivien, with an "e", ST, who looked and behaved exactly like Mrs Teo and XY, the anime prodigy.

WE ARE THE "BALL BANGERS"! hehe

~~~~~~

Sigh, after such a break, it's now back to work.. So I'll leave with a poem.

Looking out

It must be odd,
to be a minority
he was saying.
I looked around
and didn't see any.
So I said,
Yeah
it must be.

Spam

With CTs in just 2 weeks away, all I can do now is hope that I fail gracefully, and not achieve another epic failure. Oh crap, so much for wanting a morale booster. All I need is to see myself getting at least a D for something, anything. It's not funny seeing yourself flop exam after exam you know. Argh, what a pain in the ass.

~~~~~~

You know how it's like to see someone exactly like yourself a few years back ago? Well, I mean to say that in those few years, you have experienced some changes, and suddenly, lo and behold, you meet someone who reminds you of your previous self. What a weird out of the body experience huh? Now you really see how people saw you, what kind of zany antics I was capable of doing. Hmm, now that I think about it, others must have thought I had a major screw lose back then. I was crazy, I didn't care. Now, I still am mad, but more of a matured madness. Ok I have no idea what that means.

~~~~~~

I hate people who bitch. Seriously, they are my ultimate anathema. It's such a drain on you to have people start complaining about their teachers, classmates, work, life, lack of attention from the ladies due to the lack of "goods" or whatever self-perceived nonsense life is hurling at them. These people suck big time. It's no wonder they have no friends. Only a masochistic being will allow himself be filled with all this pessimistic vibe. Honestly dude, change or f**k off. The reason why all this crap is happening to you is 'cause you see life that way. If you had the mindset of "my teachers just f**ked me upside down, inside out. ooohh I'm lovin' it" life would seem so much more fun.

~~~~~~

I love cross country. You wake up at 6, go to school, run till your balls drop, and go home. =)Muacks victoria. Haha but I did enjoy the run.

~~~~~~

Girls shouldn't be too sick. Not that I mind, quite sexy if done properly, but it does feel a wee bit weird in excess. Especially when you can't think of a reply which doesn't sound sicker. You have to make a 180 turn and go " Nice weather today *smile dammit maybe she won't notice. Oh crap smile's too horny..* "

~~~~~~

Have you ever wondered when people go "WAHAHAHA! HAHAHA! OMFG Josh you're so funny XD" on MSN, are they seriously laughing like that? I mean, damn, if they are, that's just freaky man. I should just log off for good. If I laughed like that for real, and if people saw me, that's it. Woo hoo I can go and dig a hole somewhere, stuff my face in and laugh all I want. I won't get another MSN convo ever again.


Right on people!

Organ transplant

A question that's been bugging me for a few days now. This issue of organ transplant was highlighted by the cause celebre case of Mr tang wanting to buy a kidney illegally.

So pardon me as I list down some pointers to assist in my analysis of this problem.


YES to legalising kidney sale.

- We own our bodies, thus, we have been endowed by the god-given right to do with our body as we see fit.

- Kidney sales increases the donor pool, thus resulting in more saved lives. The average time a person must wait for a kidney is 9 years. This can be cut down with legal sales.

- If there is a demand, there is a market. Better have it out in the open than to allow such risky procedures to take place in shady regions.

- Exploitation of the poor can be kept in check by laws. (But how? Easier said than done)

- It is a win-win situation. Since no one loses out (yeah, losing a kidney isn't much huh) why not?

and lastly, can anyone out there give me an answer to this very irritating rebuttal. "If prostitution is legalised, and it is the epitome of the act of commodification of the body, why can't something helpful and not as harmful like organ sales be done?"

Try as I might, I just can't seem to differentiate the two. At an empirical level, both are the same. Both treat the body as a good to be exploited for money. So indeed, if prostitution is allowed, why not organ sales? What is that factor which makes the two different? Anyone, if you have an answer, please tell me.



NO

- There can never be a right, standard price for a human organ. A poor Indonesian farmer might think $20 000 is a lot, but a Singaporean might think otherwise.

- Let us not set potentially self-destructive antecedents for the future. If organ sales are allowed, it makes the argument for the non-commodification of the body less impactful. Next, we'll have liver sales, teeth sales, sperm sales etc.

- For all that you might say about regulation, the fact is, only the poor will sell. This is outright discrimination and exploitation. Instead of being helpful to these poor farmers, you rip out their kidneys and say this is a good thing.

- Moral issue of seeing the body as a good.

- Our right over our bodies is not infinite.

- With legal sales, exploitation will increase, not decrease. There will be firms set up specially to harvest poor people for their kidneys. Eg. Look at your maid firms now. (The way we work them, we'd might as well take out their kidneys and let them go).

- As with all government policies, there must be a weightage between the individual and the nation. Look at YES, all its arguments lead to the same point - individualistic benefits. But with NO, we stem exploitation. We stop consumerism of the body. We encourage altruism. We make it more imperative to research for medical technologies.


Hmm, I just have to settle this issue or I'll be bugged down for days. Of course, there are many other pointers which I have yet to write here. I would say NO, but why?


HOTA

"The Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) allows for the organs (kidney, liver, heart and cornea) of Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents to be donated in the event of death, for the purpose of transplantation only... HOTA was again amended in August 2008 to include Muslim Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who were excluded from HOTA when it was first enacted in 1987. The amendment meant that Muslims who have not opted out of HOTA would receive the same priority as those who are included under HOTA or MTERA should the need for a donor organ arise." taken from www.liveon.sg

With friday night's mass dance came with it a sense of surrealism and deja vu. Here I was, standing at that very exact spot as I did a year ago but so much has changed. All I saw were a bunch of revved up J1s screaming and shouting for what they were worth. I was looking through very different lenses.

A year ago, at this very moment, at this very spot, I was free. Free because I was released from the load of the O levels and not yet burdened by the As. Free because I did not know many, and thus had little commitment to any. Free because I had come of age. I was filled with intense anticipation and excitement at what I was about to embark on. An adventure of sorts.

Fast forward 365 days. How many of those prancing J1s would look at their juniors and feel the same electrifying intensity of the moment? How many would look forward with the same fortitude at their adventure? I always wondered why adults could never enjoy a good dance or song. You hardly see any adult smiling or laughing boisterously on the MRT or bus.

Why?

Have their adventures turned out to be disappointments, with the youth around them serving as a constant mockery of what they could have been? Is school merely an orientation to reality, a sheltered haven from which we would appear to know, and anticipate what is to come, but when it hits, damn it hits. Reality is a sledgehammer.

In 2 years, I've been propelled further than I had planned for. In some ways it's good for me, there's no waste of time and the best teachers are your mistakes. I'm past caring for all that I did once upon a time. This is the long shot. Ah, the freedom of letting go of all that's insignificant in your journey is sweet. It's like dropping all your luggage and just lunging forward with the wind in your hair. Perhaps I've finally decided to aim far and high. No more pubescent craving for social recognition or plain idiotic idealism for me that's more sure.

I'm heading down the road, to the faceless mass of unsmiling adults. But guess what, it feels so free not to care. It's not a bad thing, not like I'm going anti. It's just so free, to have only one ultimate aim.

Hope

A little passage I happened to chance upon by provenance.

"Joshua son of Nun... Remember how he held back the sun and made one day as long as two? When his enemies were threatening him from every side, he prayed to the mighty Lord Most High, and his prayer was answered with a hailstorm of devastating force..."

- Sirach 46

Yes, when you need strength, it will come. One way or another.

Obama forever

OMG.

There, I can't think of a better way to describe Obama's 2009 inauguration speech. I am completely baffled, stunned, astonished, amazed and surprised that any man had the ability to rouse a nation the way he does. He's eloquence is one unmatched by any other politician living in this galaxy and his charisma is like a hook to the very inside of your heart. It pulls you to him, you thirst to follow him, your heart follows the rhythm of his words. As much as you try to stay objective and question his abilities, you can't.

What kind of man is this? His speech is so imaginative and colourful, abound with hope and certainty in this day of uncertainty. For that 20mins, I was uplifted, filled with intense excitement and anticipation at what this man could do, will do. To hell with all the naysayers. The fact that this "untested" man could, despite his origin, stand up against the clinton/mccain machines and push through successfully, bringing the most powerful nation to its knees in wonderment is testament to his gift.

This man is not a politician. He is a leader. An American god.

I say, never in my life have I been so spell-bound, so enchanted by any man than the salient Barack Hussein Obama. The way the crowd reacted to his every cue, excited by his every gesture, it was just so child-like, as if a father was reading a fairy tale to a mesmerised child... There was Bush sitting in a corner like the insignificant fool that he is, and here was Obama, teasing and stirring the crowd so easily and naturally. Unlike Mr B. who had to try so hard, yet still failing, to defend what little ounce of self-respect he has now.

The atmosphere was drunken, heady with Obamania. Seeing America so open and vulnerable to this man, I really wish and hope with all my soul that he does not disappoint. To do so would be downright cruel. When the world has placed her heart with him, let Obama take his responsibility with good stead.



God Bless America at last.

Te te te

You know, after Wednesday's relationship talk, club music seems so fun all of a sudden. Our trainer, Bong, was quite hilarious. He and his adventures around Labrador Park haha.

"I could love you like this, I could love you like that" Haha wtf, he's singing is really one of a kind.

Oh yea, I was reading up on his Law of Requisite Variety and it's truly fascinating. To control the system of relationships, one must be flexible since only variety can destroy variety. It was derived from a mathematical law of the same name, something to do about sets. It's really takes a bit of thinking to grasp the concept behind it so I'll leave you to find out more about it, if you want. The course was really informative, and of course, anything beats having double GP and double chem.

Adam Khoo learning technologies group. Hmm it seems that the fastest way to become a millionaire is to start a learning center teaching people how to become millionaires. Teaching people how to use their common sense is the best idea ever. It's a niche market and the demand is not exhaustive since common sense is not common at all. Heard he was a Victorian too, haha. Who knows, maybe I can be as successful as him at that young age. Go Biz club.


Anyway let's dance.


"I'm out of time and all I got is 4 minutes, 4 minutes..." ta dadada hahaha

First Lego League at NLB

I think I'm mad,

because I love doing CIP.

FLL was a great success, the kids had fun, we had fun, the teachers had fun, everyone had fun. Just so you didn't know, FLL seeks to cultivate the love of engineering amongst youths from 8 to 16 through, you guessed it, lego robotics.

The theme was Climate Connection, although I couldn't see the link between picking balls up with toy robots and climate change, it was still really cool. You have these super small 8 yr olds, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, assembling their massive robots in under 4.83s without breaking a sweat. Imagine F1 pit crews, just way way tinier.

It was all fun and laughter, despite me waking up at 5.30 and sleeping at 2 'cause of a retarded re-assessment the next day, which I might as well not take. Absent looks better that Ungraded. Ok so here we have some super blur pics, courtesy of my co-team usher, Vincent.


Alright, Vincent's the dude on my right. He's got the coolest CCA, youth flying club. I didn't know they actually flew real planes. Dang, I'd have joined if I knew.. Beside me is Stanley, and the uber short girl, oops, in front is Jolene, our IC.


One of the teams under us won the stylo-mylo award for best costume. Whew, who'd knew handling a bunch of young girls was so tiring? Not this team though, another, this was a good team.

And that's the sneak preview for you.

The volunteers were mostly from JCs and polys. Filbert, Jonathan and I were there together. I'm going to try pump as many more CIP events as I can from now onwards, the leadership opportunities and camaraderie, it really makes you an even more all-rounded person.

Right brain, left brain

may not spin here so go here --> http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22535838-5012895,00.html

I came across this last year and found it truly delightful to know =)

"The Right Brain vs Left Brain test ... do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?

If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa.

Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it"

It seems that the dancer turns clockwise direction for me. Although I can change her turning fairly easily.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

How now?

"Israel's tough choices in zero-sum game"
by Fania Oz-Salberger, Prof and chair of Modern Israel studies at Monash University.

I quote, "Imagine your next-door neighbour - with whom you have had a long and bloody feud - pulling out a gun and shooting into your windows, from his own living room, which is densely packed with women and children. In fact, he's holding his daughter on his lap as he tries to target your kids. He claims he will not stop until your family is dead. Police are unavailable. What should you do?"

An article in the Straits times which matches my sentiments exactly. With the Israeli-Gaza conflict robbing the headlines since 27 dec, two global camps have been aroused. Pro and anti Israeli. Yet from what I see, Israel is getting heavy flak for its actions.

On one side, it is argued that this is an unprecedented humanitarian crisis which could shift the status quo in the middle east towards more bloodshed than is needed. On the other side, the view is that Israel is fighting a just war against an unreasonable enemy which only goal is to see the destruction of her. Thus Israel's actions are justified and acceptable.

With all the poignant and heart-wrenching photos and videos captured and put to good propaganda use by media machines worldwide, there seems to be a global consensus that Israel is the aggressor and it should stop. The death toll now hovers around 530 with over 80 children dead as compared to a handful of Israelis. People all over the world have come up in arms baying for Israel's punishment for causing so many deaths and suffering. But who sympathises with the Israeli cause? George Bush definitely, but that doesn't really count as helping things does it?

I'm worried about this war too, outbreaks in the middle east never amount to anything good, yet I'm starting to feel indignant that few, if any, are helping Israel find a solution to its problem. All call for her to stop. None give her a reason to stop.

The humanitarian crisis is caused by a bunch of uncaring gunmen who fire rockets all day to spite their enemy from the midst of its civilians. "Try as Israel might to target militants alone, civilian bodies are being pulled from the rubble, because militants and civilians inhabit the same urban space in Gaza... no regime has ever used its citizens so deliberately as tools to arouse world sympathy, as hostages to modern sensitivities." How can an army defeat an enemy rooted between its people without killing anyone else? What kind of government brings war to its peoples' doorstep so that their deaths can be used as a media weapon against its enemy?

Israel just wants to protect her people from daily rocket fire by crushing Hamas. Yet I fear they may again pull themselves into the losing end of the war. If they pull out before completing their goal, their enemy will gain recognition and standing in defeating her. Of course, Israel can just level out Gaza with its bombs. Like Stalin once famously said during the purges, "Death is the solution to all problems. No man, no problem." But Israel doesn't want that, hence the ground offensive. For those who say that Israel is reacting disproportionately, should they then fight fire with fire by "firing 10 to 80 rockets, indiscriminately aimed against Gazan homes and schools, every day for the next few years?"

Instead of being an unreasonable, short-sighted bunch by calling for yet another temporary ceasefire, the world should start looking for long term peace plans, otherwise Israel has to start taking things into her own hands. Stop getting swayed by pitiful pictures, that is not the issue here. The issue is how do we stop this from reoccurring? Either send in an UN peacekeeping force with a strong mandate of stopping Hamas militants from firing rockets, or somehow broker peace for the long run.

Let not history repeat itself. Truces made, truces broken, fighting restarts. George Santayana puts it succinctly, "Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them." Stop fighting and do something now. Stop protesting like a bunch of infantile monkeys and get down to the crux of the problem.

Work towards peace, not inflame it further. If the world truly was matured enough, they'd find ways to stop things instead of jumping up and down on Israeli's flag.. If people around the world truly cared about others, why not start protesting against crimes in Darfur or deteriorating health conditions in Senegal? That would be much more purposeful..

I'm unsure how this will turn out. Chances are, it will end up like the Lebanon crisis last year, problem still unsolved. So, how now?

Here comes 2009
Happy New Year!!!

Last night was strangely really.. Normal. It seems after 17 years, you somewhat lose the boyish anticipation for the new year. Not like in P6 and in sec 4..

Had a dinner party at Amanda's house last night and it really felt as it should be - your average dinner party. There no longer was this kick and excitement you get when you count down to the very last second and burst into "auld luang sy".

Hopefully this is not part of growing up. To lose certain emotions and perceptions as we mature. I know it happens. Look at your parents and you'd have a clear picture of it.. Well anyway, I don't want to ponder over anything that's to do with 2008 now. It's 2009.

So I guess I'll have to predictably state my new year resolutions.

2009

- Shit happens. (Brilliant advice from a good buddy) maintain this mindset and you'll never go into clinical depression.

- Get organised. My files are bursting, my papers strewn across my keyboard, my mum is yelling that I should clear my drawers. I'm feeling that this are signs. And oh it makes mugging this year loads simpler.

- Grow up. Seriously I have to start maturing and taking my future into my hands. That means less fooling around. This is A level year bro. But hey, boys will be boys so we'll see haha.

- Maintain a good work-play relationship. I like staying actively involved in things. Be it organising projects (ironic), doing CIP and reading up and musing over current events, sort of like a mini-debate in my mind on germane issues. I know it's weird but hey, Obama did that too in uni and see where that thinking has brought him.

- Stay healthy. I like this best 'cause it means more tennis for me yes!

- Continue with my music. Pretty wasted if I just lay off on the piano after grade 8. Especially since I have a huge one sitting in my living room.

- Have a clear mind. This is the key to leadership. The quality of judgment. I find some decisions I made were impulsive. Like Randy Putsch said. Do not make a decision till the last minute. Well said.

- Get my 4As. Self-explanatory.

And last but not least get a girlfriend. Haha ok that was just me bull-shiting again. I'm seeing this resolution so many times in so many places. Loads of lonely desperate men and women out there this new year, I feel sad for them. But dammit I ain't jeopardising my A levels now, so stay focused Joshua.

So there you have it. Pretty boring stuff but there seems to be a corelation between mediocre resolutions and success in maintaining them.

Cheers this 2009! I do hope you achieve whatever goals and aspirations you set for yourself this new year! Above all, enjoy life the way you want it!