Ever heard the soundtrack of The Phantom of the Opera? It's just SO good its beyond description. I can memorise every song, I've read the book, I have the piano score...
I should never have missed it when I came to Singapore.
Sunday, September 29, 2002
I want to do these at least once before I die:
(1) Watch a spectacular sunset out at the ocean.
(2) Watch The Phantom of the Opera at least once. And it has to be the one with Michael Crawford as the phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine.
That's all for the moment.
(1) Watch a spectacular sunset out at the ocean.
(2) Watch The Phantom of the Opera at least once. And it has to be the one with Michael Crawford as the phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine.
That's all for the moment.
Thursday, September 26, 2002
I recieved a letter from Prakash today! After such a long long time, he still remembers me and he still bothered to write snail mail! He said that his computer had broken down and he lost all his email contacts. He still remembers Jay, Const, Boon Hiong and Taufiq! What a pleasant surprise all the way from Nepal. I am feeling so guilty for not replying to his mails nor to his letters. He sent me a simple scarf in 2001 and I did not even reply to him. I must maintain this friendship as it is indeed special. You don't normally meet such warm people when you travel, people who are from poorer countries from yours who bother to keep in touch just for the sake of friendship. This guy may only be 18 when I met him but he is really mature beyond his years and he has so much love for everyone it is unbelievable.
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
Been on MC the past 2 days. I have a bad throat. It can be pretty ok for awhile in the day but then extremely painful otherwise. Right now, it's very painful. Doctor said my throat is swollen and he prescribed some medication to take care of the swelling as well as my voice box. My precious voice box....without which, I cannot be a teacher at all.
Missed school for 2 days. I had a good rest at home but I am worried about the work at school that is piling up like crazy. I have tons of things to do. Top priority being the completion of syllabus for my classes. Worried about that. I also have to source for another concert hall for my band's performance. I saw SP Band's performance at the SP Auditorium. Their band is smaller than ours and they cannot fully fit on the stage. Got to look for a hall that has a bigger stage...
Xiuqing's wedding was beautiful. Everytime I attend a wedding, I always imagine how mine would be like. I mean, I'm not dying to get married, but I do think about my own wedding and what I would do on that day. Oh well, that is just the beauty of the whole thing...a whole lot of preparation goes into one such occasion. Not to mention the money...it's really not easy!
School tomorrow...got to go prepare....urgh...
Missed school for 2 days. I had a good rest at home but I am worried about the work at school that is piling up like crazy. I have tons of things to do. Top priority being the completion of syllabus for my classes. Worried about that. I also have to source for another concert hall for my band's performance. I saw SP Band's performance at the SP Auditorium. Their band is smaller than ours and they cannot fully fit on the stage. Got to look for a hall that has a bigger stage...
Xiuqing's wedding was beautiful. Everytime I attend a wedding, I always imagine how mine would be like. I mean, I'm not dying to get married, but I do think about my own wedding and what I would do on that day. Oh well, that is just the beauty of the whole thing...a whole lot of preparation goes into one such occasion. Not to mention the money...it's really not easy!
School tomorrow...got to go prepare....urgh...
Sunday, September 22, 2002
Sailing at Changi Sailing Club today. We went there as there was a hands-on session for handicap people to tryout sailing to see if it is their cup of tea. I thought I would be able to sit in the little boat too but I was wrong. Was very sleepy waiting in the heat. But it was fun and hey, we got into the sun! Abit of Vitamin D sure feels good. After that, we went to Pasir Ris Farmway 2 to get his aquatic plants and also to get some aquarium fishes. Every aquarium there was selling "Lou Han". Honestly, I don't see the big deal in that ugly fish. I don't think it tastes good either. What's the big deal man? Anyway, we bought 2 apple snails, some "rainbow fishes", 2 "puffer-looking" fish, I sucker fish and some plants. There was a pet farm and pet hotel there too. Had a fun time checking out the puppies on sale.
I have put on weight. The gowns I wore for my sister's wedding are tight as hell now. I look like the marshmallow man when I put on my white cheongsam. What am I going to wear for xiuqing's wedding dinner tomorrow?!?!
On top of all these, I have not been getting enough sleep lately. *dark rings*
I have put on weight. The gowns I wore for my sister's wedding are tight as hell now. I look like the marshmallow man when I put on my white cheongsam. What am I going to wear for xiuqing's wedding dinner tomorrow?!?!
On top of all these, I have not been getting enough sleep lately. *dark rings*
It's been so long since I last blogged. A few things have happened :
1) Got over stress by crying in first week of school. He was there with me, for me.
2) Met up with JC classmates for "chi cha" and then went to Jazz@southbridge with them. Caught up with each other quite abit. Found out that Alwyn ROM'ed last November and Ho Kit is already ROM'ed and is living with his wife in Tampines. His wedding dinner will be next January. Alwyn told me he got into a car accident some time back and has since had a phobia while driving. He was saved by the Airbag. Nissan Airbag. Tried and tested!
3) MOE ExCEL day competition at Changkat Changi Secondary School. Been working so hard for it, together with the 4 othe teachers from my school and 5 other teachers from Swiss. We competed against other schools. Three prizes (in no order of merit) were given out for those in our category and we clinched one of the prizes! Well, at least all the hard work and stress was not wasted.
4) Xiuqing's wedding day after MOE ExCEL competition. Jenny and I turned up the latest, I think, but at least that gave us the opportunity to sit and chat together for the whole afternoon at Xiuqing's place. I learnt about the financial requirements in order to get married and to set up a home. It takes so much to settle down! (for the house, I mean)
1) Got over stress by crying in first week of school. He was there with me, for me.
2) Met up with JC classmates for "chi cha" and then went to Jazz@southbridge with them. Caught up with each other quite abit. Found out that Alwyn ROM'ed last November and Ho Kit is already ROM'ed and is living with his wife in Tampines. His wedding dinner will be next January. Alwyn told me he got into a car accident some time back and has since had a phobia while driving. He was saved by the Airbag. Nissan Airbag. Tried and tested!
3) MOE ExCEL day competition at Changkat Changi Secondary School. Been working so hard for it, together with the 4 othe teachers from my school and 5 other teachers from Swiss. We competed against other schools. Three prizes (in no order of merit) were given out for those in our category and we clinched one of the prizes! Well, at least all the hard work and stress was not wasted.
4) Xiuqing's wedding day after MOE ExCEL competition. Jenny and I turned up the latest, I think, but at least that gave us the opportunity to sit and chat together for the whole afternoon at Xiuqing's place. I learnt about the financial requirements in order to get married and to set up a home. It takes so much to settle down! (for the house, I mean)
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
I cannot tell if I am complaining in the usual way or am I really under stress. I have gone through stressful periods before but have pulled through. I woke up on Monday morning feeling extremely negative. I was up early and was actually rather awake when I sat up on my bed. Then I muttered a very sincere "shit..." and I proceeded to the bathroom.
This morning, I woke up in a jolt and actually felt this sense of fear. The kind where you feel your whole body shiver as if you've woken up late on the day of your O Level English exams. It took me awhile to look at the clock and to register the time and recognise that I was not late for school.
Dear Diary, I worked so hard in school today. People pissed me off and there were many halts to the smooth flow of my work as I needed to gather my information from many different people who could not give me exact answers on the spot. I was frustrated but I knew I only had one direction : ahead. I could only move ahead. I could not pause to take a breather (or even to take my lunch) as every free period that I had was precious and had to be used wisely and as efficiently as possible. I was in the constant fear of things not turning out right should I not get this issue settled by the deadline. The responsibility on my shoulders is far too great and there is no way I can shake it off or lighten the load. I am tired. I wish I had 48 hours a day. We had a half-day yesterday to celebrate our school's good O level results last year and everyone could leave at 11am. I had wanted to leave early too, to take the day off and really enjoy the benefits of the half-day given. But on and on I worked, settling each of the many different areas that I was in charge of. I finally left at 6pm. I was the last person to leave the school. I left without managing to clear all the work. In this line, you can never finish clearing everything.
Am I stressing myself too much? Am I managing my time badly? Am I being too much of a perfectionist and therefore giving myself all this undue stress? I don't know. But what if I do not do all those work? What if I slowed down my pace and strolled along instead? I wouldn't meet the deadlines on time. And who will suffer the consequences? Other people who are depending on the efficiency and speed on my part to get the job done.
Life is not fair. Who said it was meant to be fair in the first place? Some of us have to work harder for our bread and butter. I think I am turning into a robot. I think I have little or no more passion or positivity in the adminsitration duties that I have.
But I am not a robot. I am human. I have feelings. I tire out too. I feel fatigue too. I have limitations to the maount of work that I can do at one time. It's getting harder and harder to prioritize as everyone tells me everything that I am doing now is a top priority.
Tell me, should I see a shrink for help?
This morning, I woke up in a jolt and actually felt this sense of fear. The kind where you feel your whole body shiver as if you've woken up late on the day of your O Level English exams. It took me awhile to look at the clock and to register the time and recognise that I was not late for school.
Dear Diary, I worked so hard in school today. People pissed me off and there were many halts to the smooth flow of my work as I needed to gather my information from many different people who could not give me exact answers on the spot. I was frustrated but I knew I only had one direction : ahead. I could only move ahead. I could not pause to take a breather (or even to take my lunch) as every free period that I had was precious and had to be used wisely and as efficiently as possible. I was in the constant fear of things not turning out right should I not get this issue settled by the deadline. The responsibility on my shoulders is far too great and there is no way I can shake it off or lighten the load. I am tired. I wish I had 48 hours a day. We had a half-day yesterday to celebrate our school's good O level results last year and everyone could leave at 11am. I had wanted to leave early too, to take the day off and really enjoy the benefits of the half-day given. But on and on I worked, settling each of the many different areas that I was in charge of. I finally left at 6pm. I was the last person to leave the school. I left without managing to clear all the work. In this line, you can never finish clearing everything.
Am I stressing myself too much? Am I managing my time badly? Am I being too much of a perfectionist and therefore giving myself all this undue stress? I don't know. But what if I do not do all those work? What if I slowed down my pace and strolled along instead? I wouldn't meet the deadlines on time. And who will suffer the consequences? Other people who are depending on the efficiency and speed on my part to get the job done.
Life is not fair. Who said it was meant to be fair in the first place? Some of us have to work harder for our bread and butter. I think I am turning into a robot. I think I have little or no more passion or positivity in the adminsitration duties that I have.
But I am not a robot. I am human. I have feelings. I tire out too. I feel fatigue too. I have limitations to the maount of work that I can do at one time. It's getting harder and harder to prioritize as everyone tells me everything that I am doing now is a top priority.
Tell me, should I see a shrink for help?
Sunday, September 08, 2002
"In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends. We eat, drink, sing, dance and flirt with them. We wed and christen with flowers. We dare not not die without them. We have worshipped with the lily, we have meditated with the lotus, we have charged in battle array with the rose and the chrysanthemum. We have even attempted to speak in the language of flowers. How could we live without them? It frightens one to conceive of a world bereft of their presence. What solace do they bring to the bedside of the sick, what a light of bliss to the darkness of weary spirits? Their serene tenderness restores to us our waning confidence in the universe even as the intent gaze of a beautiful child recalls our lost hopes. When we are laid low in the dust it is they who linger in sorrow over our graves"
Kakuzo Okakura
The Book of Tea
Kakuzo Okakura
The Book of Tea
Friday, September 06, 2002
Dear friends
I chatted with a friend online last night. His name is Kelvin and he's just home from being hospitalized at SGH.
Kelvin as soft tissue sacoma. Its an unusual type of cancer that attacks the soft tissue in our body. Because of his cancer, he had his left leg amputated from thigh down sometime last year. I got to know him from a sports event by the Handicap Welfare Association at Ngee Ann Poly some time early this year. He was perfectly fine at that time and was one of the most positive young amputees I got to know. He showed keen interest in being a volunteer for the camps I organize. He volunteered and was very active in helping other amputees at Alexandra Hospital.
Kelvin's cancer has reoccurred. They found it in his lungs this time. He was hospitalized for chemotherapy. He is now home for 3 weeks of rest, and then followed by 5 days in the hospital again for the chemo treatment. Chemo is painful. It kills the bad cells as well as the good ones. Side effects include loss of appetite, loss of hair, nausea, vomitting, diarrhea, fatigue etc.
Kelvin is struggling to be positive. It's so easy for us to tell him to be positive, be strong, fight, etc. But its really difficult when he's the one facing the treatment and undergoing the physical and mental trauma. He can still smile and joke with me and with Jason, but he is at a loss of words to describe how he feels. He had only one word. Lost.
I have so many thoughts about him. About cancer. About my father (who lived with it and fought with it for 7 years). About life. Life is so fragile. We have our health and hey, I think that's the most important thing. We may already know this fact but we tend to forget to cherish what we have.
Please, in whatever way, help me pray for Kelvin.
Thanks...
I chatted with a friend online last night. His name is Kelvin and he's just home from being hospitalized at SGH.
Kelvin as soft tissue sacoma. Its an unusual type of cancer that attacks the soft tissue in our body. Because of his cancer, he had his left leg amputated from thigh down sometime last year. I got to know him from a sports event by the Handicap Welfare Association at Ngee Ann Poly some time early this year. He was perfectly fine at that time and was one of the most positive young amputees I got to know. He showed keen interest in being a volunteer for the camps I organize. He volunteered and was very active in helping other amputees at Alexandra Hospital.
Kelvin's cancer has reoccurred. They found it in his lungs this time. He was hospitalized for chemotherapy. He is now home for 3 weeks of rest, and then followed by 5 days in the hospital again for the chemo treatment. Chemo is painful. It kills the bad cells as well as the good ones. Side effects include loss of appetite, loss of hair, nausea, vomitting, diarrhea, fatigue etc.
Kelvin is struggling to be positive. It's so easy for us to tell him to be positive, be strong, fight, etc. But its really difficult when he's the one facing the treatment and undergoing the physical and mental trauma. He can still smile and joke with me and with Jason, but he is at a loss of words to describe how he feels. He had only one word. Lost.
I have so many thoughts about him. About cancer. About my father (who lived with it and fought with it for 7 years). About life. Life is so fragile. We have our health and hey, I think that's the most important thing. We may already know this fact but we tend to forget to cherish what we have.
Please, in whatever way, help me pray for Kelvin.
Thanks...
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