December 2011
2 posts
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some nights you just can’t stop thinking
031211
i’ve been thinking about the mongol rally again. an actual, serious consideration. amidst piles of work, paper after paper, i’m considering taking external auto repair classes next semester. (i wonder where you can do that in new york?) i can’t explain why i’m so drawn to the idea. i just want to do it.
it’s ridiculous how fast time passes here. two weeks to finals!
September 2011
1 post
280911
Writing is like taking a dump. Everyone does it at some point in their life, voluntarily or not. Some people do it more than others. Some people three times a day, others do it once a week. But it happens. Shit happens.
Quality over quantity. You want to produce thick, rich stuff. Not a steady stream of sometimes slippery words; off-color, no form, messy. That’s diarrhea. Output may be...
August 2011
1 post
040811
it’s been so rainy recently.
someone was talking about the Mongol Rally the other day, which is this incredible driving tour of sorts. from london to ulaanbaatar. he mentioned how his present schoolmates were taking part, and that we should do it too one day. i went home to check it out, and frankly it sounds amazing. ridiculously so.
given the scale of the journey it’d be a proper...
July 2011
2 posts
220710
i’ve realised that i have, as of today, 30 days left in singapore.
the first thought that comes to mind is, of course, better make the most of what’s left. but how? i’ve been going out with friends at every opportunity, which has been at the very least socially satisfying. it’s interesting how after all these schooling years, of drifting in and out of various circles, a...
ihatemusic1943:
Anton Bruckner: Adagio from...
June 2011
2 posts
140611
loins de yeux, loins du coeurs.
i hope.
April 2011
2 posts
March 2011
5 posts
310311
back from cambodia. a lot to talk about, but this post says it all, really. i’m glad i went.
been back to school with derek to help out a bit before syf. man, i really miss teaching there. there’s always so much to do, and a little extra knowledge can go a long way. but things have changed, and like i told a friend recently, the basis of their achievement has to be personal effort.
...
080311
so, three days left.
the borders going-bust book sale was great. made a killing. picked up kurt vonnegut, chuck palahniuk, shirley jackson, a bit of scifi and even aung san suu kyi’s letters from burma. been meaning to read that for a while. 10 books, total original price $298, for $60. come to think of it, I paid more for parking ($8.50) than I paid for each of my books.
as my days in...
February 2011
4 posts
180211
how do you hand over your responsibilities when you know without a doubt that the person receiving them is essentially incapable of doing his job reliably? i signed the forms on friday, but i really hope that someone’s rifle doesn’t explode in his hands in the next two weeks. or ever, for that matter. on a professional level, just knowing that this dude’s in charge makes me...
040211
well, it’s the chinese new year, though nobody i know really treats it like the gregorian calendar new year. still, this is one festive season i haven’t spent puking my guts out or in a jetlagged daze, so +1 for 2011. ORD close, new projects, starting college. i haven’t even settled scholarships or internship applications (or USP for that matter) but my life feels right for a...
January 2011
5 posts
290111
uPenn interview at rj today. oof. perhaps i really am NUS-bound after all.
i fear that my photographic muscles, by virtue of dire neglect, have atrophied. other than being extremely out of practice, i’ve found that my recent attempts at shooting have been hampered by a flat-out lack of imagination. which really just translates to the same problem i had when i first started out; everything...
240111
have volunteered for a medical mission to cambodia in march, which marks the first major event on my post-ORD calendar. i’d like to think that being put through the grinder that is NS has built my tolerance to minor discomforts appreciably but.. only time will tell.
it’s odd, though. i used to think myself a generally cheerful person, but that seems to have changed in the army....
170111
answer: i guess not. won’t stop me from trying for the SPH internship, though. i sometimes forget that i undergo these brief periods in which i have an intense urge to write. all these episodes invariably end with zero output. too many false starts, maybe. i wonder if i should lower my expectations?
there is SO MUCH sex in Norwegian Wood.
040111
just a thought: what about journalism?
November 2010
4 posts
141110
one update before i go for duty tomorrow: i got an alumni interview for columbia! hoooooo man.
131110
the end is approaching, ever so steadily. it’s easy enough to look back and think, ‘i can’t believe it’s been 18 months already’ but in actual fact, i can. with college applications keeping me busy now and a long holiday coming up i can foresee the year passing quickly. great.
one of the prompts for the berkeley personal statement (which is, annoyingly,...
051110
after writing essay upon supplementary essay for commonapp, i’ve learned one thing: it takes a truly talented writer to sound normal. like you’re not trying too hard. i really envy people that can just take pen to paper and jot down whatever comes to mind. all my essays sound really good in my head, but somehow emerge on paper swinging from clichéd and boring to awkward and boring....
August 2010
1 post
July 2010
2 posts
ferry terminal beckons
in view of the upcoming long stay-in (hoho) i took the opportunity this weekend to splurge on a couple of books to bring. nothing too heavy, enough to pass the pockets of free time that will hopefully dot the landscape of the next two and a half weeks. it’s such a luxury to be able to spend 70-odd dollars at a go and not be guilty about it.
apparently i will be section ic. interesting....
Watch(c) Colin Rich from http://www.pacificstarflight.com/
one more for the bucket list
June 2010
8 posts
Conversations with a Bunkmate
friend: wah last weekend was great.. i finally got a girlfriend.. the time has come for me to get married!
me: ??
friend: yeah man. i told her my feelings on saturday and she felt the same. damn shiok!
me: that's great dude. how long have you known her?
friend: about a month..? yeah, a month. she's a nurse.
friend: oh, have you seen her five kids? *pulls out photo* they're damn cute!
030610
so now i’m officially a psc reject. well, all for the best i guess. still considering applying for an internship at MFA after i ORD though. by all accounts it is an awesome place to work. the overseas stints are a bonus.
saw an aquaintance in the papers yesterday. won a local brass competition, good stuff. i kinda miss taking lessons at yst, back when i had time to juggle camp and daily...
May 2010
1 post
February 2010
5 posts
garfield minus garfield →
who would’ve noticed.
280210
here’s to the end of a really shitty four months. a period which, if you were a close enough friend, i’d have complained about in great detail. without too many details up here, it’s been the most trying period of service so far. let’s just say i consider my lifespan to have been shortened considerably by the events in my life for the last four months.
but that’s...
120210
it’s friday and there’s a long weekend ahead. you have no idea how good that feels.
outcamp run meant that we were released incredibly early today. also, the family is off to sipadan for the weekend so i get some peace and quiet. great. it’s nice to have the house to yourself every once in a while, a reprieve from the glee soundtrack blasting from the computer outside 24/7. and,...
January 2010
1 post
010110
happy new year.
as i state every year, i don’t make resolutions. with the exception of the bit where i do my uni apps i want 2010 to pass quickly. there are, however, things to look forward to. sibf, class trip to taiwan/seoul, family trip to the states. anything that takes me away from.. where i am. or will be on monday morning.
as much as i wouldn’t have liked to admit it enlisting...
December 2009
1 post
November 2009
3 posts
281109
i think i’m a terrible writer. i’ve known this for a long time but, for some inexplicable reason, i get these occasional random urges to sit down and type something. or i’ll see something on the street and i’ll think, hey, something to talk about! and then i’d completely forget about it and be forced to babble on about nothing. other than the inane ns-related updates...
081109
to say that i’m dissatisfied with my posting would be an understatement. to voice out exactly why i’m unhappy here, however, would be unwise. so just take it for granted that i’m generally less than cheerful during work hours.
add in having to suspend lessons because there’s just not enough time to practice with my new schedule in effect. and the long daily commute....