Along the Dotted Lines..

Ya, it's official... Mark and Tracy just signed on those very binding lines this very morning =) Congrats Mr and Mrs Plunkett! Glad to be a part of this important chapter of your lives. Truly honored to be able to put down my prints as one of your witnesses and leave my mark on one of the most important papers that the two of you can ever share...

Hmm.. so do i get to be Gan Die once again in the future say 2 or 3 years down the road? Me sort of looking forward to it.. heehee

28KM

That's the distance i cycled from home to workplace and back. Not much of a distance but its a nice enough ride on my trusted GT Ava. Furthermore, its the first time i cycled to work. I should be doing this every now and then on fri nites if i happen to be working the late nite shift =)

Afterall, the amenities are there to make it convenient for cyclist like me - we got a bicycle park area within the carpark and a shower room in the office (heater included haha).

42KM

No more no less, all done this morning on my trusted Salomon skates that took a 3 month break due to studies.

It feels good to skating in East Coast again with the sun in my eyes and music in my ears. Sure missed these skating times alot. When skating, time simply rolled by and i just enjoyed the sights that presents themselves as i passed by them.

Oh.. i almost rolled over a snake this morning during the stretch of park connector along Changi Coastal Road. Its really a tiny one - by my estimate, just abt the 50 to 60 cm in total length. Could have easily missed it with the track littered with leaves. Luckily for both of us, we both jumped when we came near each other and a good thing we jumped in opposite directions!

Scottie

Just got my bike helmet today from Chapter2Cycle with a little discount, courtesy of Mark =) Haha, always nice to know someone who knows the boss - discounts are likely esp when you can get your friend to come along and show "face".


Went for a ride tonite about 1.30am from home to East Coast and back (couldnt ride ard the park cos some marathon was going on). Must say the helmet is definitely worth the price - its really light; i could hardly feel the weight and absolutely not felt the slightest pressure point after 2 hours. Sweet!

Little Buddha

In many ways Little Buddha is a companion piece to Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor. A beautiful travelogue and history lesson unfolds in the two parts of this film: a historical text of Siddhartha (Keanu Reeves) and the contemporary quest of Lama Norbu (Ying Ruocheng), who believes he has found the reincarnation of his former teacher in a Seattle child. The ancient, magical tales sweep away the blasé contemporary action. Ruocheng's presence drives the story of discovery as the child learns about the teachings of Buddhism. A visual feast that will dazzle both young and old. In fact, were it not a religious icon, the youngsters might want Siddhartha dolls after viewing his magical on-screen adventures. Beautiful cinematography by Vittorio Storaro. --Doug Thomas

Finally, i managed to lay my hands on a copy of this film! It was a number of years ago when i first read about this picture. Since then, i have been asking around the local shops if they have a copy of this dvd. Apparently being a pretty old film, released in 1993 and coupled with the fact that this is not a mainstream film, i couldn't find it despite trying numerous places. Even so, i kept a lookout for the film whenever i go into a dvd shop.

Sunday was my lucky day - on the way home, i dropped into Gramophone (Cathay) after my classes. Didn't really have anything in mind but just ahead to browse around for awhile (since its on the way) and see if i might chance on a lucky find and boy did i get lucky!

What should i say about this film? Stunning, beautiful, breathtaking, emotions and thoughts provoking, magical, simplistic? Apologies for the limited vocab but i have really no idea how best to describe this film except that it really connects. All i can say, its really in a class of its own. =) Haha, on a note, Keanu Reeves sounds really trying with that indian accent, dubbing might have been a better option.

Studies

"The purpose of studying Buddhismis not to study Buddhism,but to study ourselves."
Quote from Shunryu Suzuki

I believe it's the same across any religion that teaches us to do self-reflection. It is a simply a way to reach deeper within, to know who we truly are and in relation to our surroundings.

Do we truly know ourselves? If we do, then how can doubt, fear, anger and anxiety continue to arise in our mind? We are all interdependent, we cannot exist without one another and all the conditions being the way it is right now.

Each one of us is just like a wave in the ocean. If you know one, you know all. Once we understand ourselves, our mind will open to others and we will also know them. Understand and know that we are all seeking happiness. At this point, all delusions will be dispel and wisdom naturally arise.

So, let's just take a moment from our ever busy scheule to look into ourselves to touch and release the inner peace, although buried deep down, that has always been present.

Beautiful Image

What is the most beautiful image that ever came across your mind? It differs from people to people but most of them have one thing in common; these images include the ones we loved most.
What's mine? It's a little imaginary but it's quite alright to be a little creative; i'm doing the creativity afterall and you probably say the same thing if you are in my shoes now =P

A huge green grassland lying in front of me that stretches on for miles and miles, going way beyond the sight of my eyes. A gentle breeze blows through, caressing my face and creating waves across the emerald sea. Taking a deep breath, i smell the freshness of countless droplets of morning dew that sparkles on the grass blades they reside upon.

There she is amongst the waves, holding her hands wide open across, causing the tiny droplets of dew to sprinkle about as she twirls and turns in her joyful little dance of happiness. She wears a long white dress, the colour so pure that it is not unlike the petals of a fresh blooming lily. Just below the hemline of her dress, her petite ankles are tinted with the green from the grass that she gently lands upon with her every step.

She turns around to gaze upon me and the sparkle in her pair of deep brown eyes conveys thousands of unsaid words, feelings and stories that i will take a lifetime to understand. Decidedly, she bestow me a smile with her perfectly formed lips, one that warms the very inner soul of me. A little sigh of contentment escapes my lips and i smile back to her. She waves back and with a giggle, continues her dance of joy among the greenery.

I turn my head to the right and there is a huge ancient tree upon a small hilltop, providing a cooling shade to everyone that rests beneath it. My parents are there, standing beneath the shade, looking so calm and peaceful with their hands joined together. Nodding their heads gracefully towards me, they affirm my thoughts that they are always watching over us, their children.

Not too far away, i sight my siblings, each standing tall and blessed at the start of their own path that leads away from the huge tree. Though travelling in different directions, seeking their own future, there is no doubt our paths are closely intertwined since the day we are born and will continue to be so for this very lifetime.

As i look around me, i see others as well and there they are, all of them, those that entered my life and those that i will meet and cross paths in a later stage. Some will be my closest friends while some will be no more than a passing moment. All decided by our past, present and future actions. No more and no less, be it big or small, these are the people that will be a part of my journey this life.

At this exact precise moment, i do not know how but i simply know this moment to be the exact moment, it it just right. Nothing more, nothing less; exactly the way it always is. My beautiful image. =)

愛我

A very special song.. keeps growing on me everyday.. =)
found its MV on the web - 愛我

Going 50?

Going 50? I'm looking forward to it... oh no.. not my age but to skate 50km - from Fort Road to Changi Village and back.. ya, that's what i'm thinking of right now =P

I did approx. 30km just about a week ago after work, East Coast Mac->Fort Road->Changi Village but had to stop right there as it was getting late, ard 1.30pm.. had to hit the bed, otherwise i won't have enuff energy when i start my shift at 11pm...

haha, so who wants to join me for a full course?? mark/trace/dylan/david - who
wants in?

Due to the nature of my work and some other commitments, i hardly get to meet these skating khakis of mine especially now that i'm on new york hours... Think you guys are slacking without me around.. hahaha.. esp trace, dylan & david.. dun just eat the goodies, rememeber to work out.. at least mark does biking on his off days..

Btw, I do hit the road with my bike every now and then. My ride -a drop dead gorgeous GT Avalanche 2.0 (2006). Click the link below to have an idea of how she looks like..










And i'm looking forward to get the alluring one below.. hope there will be stock coming in this late feb or early march.. its out of stock for now...

蔡健雅 Goodbye & Hello

In my opinion, one of the best album she has to date.. maybe its just me but i really like the overall style and presentation of this album =) much better than her previous albums.

Not that her previous albums were no good; they are actually some of the best albums that our local artists produced to date.. but she seem to be in her element for this..

How should i put it? It was as if she found a deeper sense of inner self, opening a new chapter in her life and this sense of being can be felt through the way she performed the songs. She seemed more at ease with herself, more relaxed, somewhat with the flow..

My recommendations (or rather my favourites):
1) Track 03 当你离开的时候
2) Track 05 越来越不懂
3) Track 06 如果你爱我
4) Track 08 It's True
5) Track 09 晨间新闻
6) Track 10 走过的路

Merlion in AMK

Went cycling ard 3 am and a little surprise from Ang Mo Kio Estate - 2 miniature merlion statues..

 

Guess, Merlion Park near Esplanade isn't the only place to see merlions =P

Goes to show little treasures are just ard corner if we know where to look =)

Nice Quotes from Recent Shows

Some interesting (and quite applicable to life) quotes from recent shows that i watched. =)

Heroes - Hiro Nakamura: "You don''t need super powers to be a hero"

Rocky Balboa - Rocky Balboa: "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place. It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

Bridge to Terabithia - Leslise Burke: "Just close your eyes and keep your mind wide open."

Bridge to Terabithia - Leslise Burke: "You are who you are - not your parents."

Ghost Whisperer - Melinda Gordon: "What happens to these people in their last moments, it really matters."

Tales from EarthSea - ゲド戦記

ゲド戦記 (loosely translated as Ged's War Chronicles) is produced by the Studio Ghibli, the studio who brought us the much acclaimed films such as Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Grave of the Firefiles and My Neighbor Totoro.

However, the film was directed by first-timer Gorō Miyazaki, son of Hayao Miyazaki and the difference in style is quite noticeable. It is somewhat lacking in warm sentimentality that was present in some of Ghibli's earlier film.

The film was loosely based on the 3rd and 4th book of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series. If you read the book prior to watching the film, you will find that some characters and some scenes were followed closely (including the dialog) but that was where all the similarities ended. The plot on the whole was pretty much on its own. The author's response sums it all up - Response by Le Guin

Even so, as a film itself, i must say it was quite enchanting and enjoyable. Spirited Away was the sort of anime that deserves 5 full ticks and i would rate this film about 4 & 1/2 ticks. =)

思念是一種病

这次只唱情歌 - 張震嶽。

Overall album's good, some of the tracks are still a little too rap or rock for my liking. But when he goes slow rock, his act just came together beautifully. Music is strong with a solid bass and the lyrics are subtle and meaningful.

Some of tracks i pretty much enjoyed -
Track 03 路口
Track 04 很難 (esp this number)
Track 06 孤獨的夜哨
Track 07 再見
Track 08 小宇
Track 11 再見 ~ 真情版

Lyrics for 很難 =)

又一天的一个晴天
阳光印在这张旧沙发
躺下来闭上眼
恍然不知寂寞枕着蔓延
昨天的激情今天的空虚
还有一张惨白的脸慢慢改变

一杯水和一支香烟
混合安静孤独的气味
是纯情是谎言
星期天的早晨别太绝对
疯狂的世界不想这些
锁在门之外

有时候想把自己关起来
还是学着把心门拉开
人与人之间的关系变得不理不睬
习惯无关紧要的冷淡

又一天的一个晴天
阳光印在这张旧沙发
躺下来闭上眼
恍然不知寂寞枕着蔓延
昨天的激情今天的空虚
还有一张惨白的脸慢慢改变

一杯水和一支香烟
混合安静孤独的气味
是纯情是谎言
星期天的早晨别太绝对
疯狂的世界不想这些
锁在门之外

有时候想把自己关起来
还是学着把心门拉开
人与人之间的关系变得不理不睬
习惯无关紧要的冷淡
有时候莫名其妙哭起来
难道这就是自愿自挨
谁不希望像飞鸟一样自由自在
谁不希望啊
谁不希望只是很难

有时候想把自己关起来
还是学着把心门拉开
人与人之间的关系变得不理不睬
习惯无关紧要的冷淡
有时候莫名其妙哭起来
难道这就是自愿自挨
谁不希望像飞鸟一样自由自在
谁不希望啊
谁不希望只是很难

Rat-a-too-ee

Yes, it's a rat film but in many ways the film is more humane than most of the shows we see nowadays. Lots of values and moral teachings are embedded within the film but one stands out as the main.

The one qoute - Anyone can cook - is repeated throughout the film. The true meaning of this qoute by the great chef Gusteau is finally revealed by the ultimate food critic Ego at the end of the film. Wanna know? Watch the film and take my word for it, its worth it. It's a ratty film but i'm not gonna rat on it. =)

Official Website - Ratatouille

My first Holga

Just bought my first Holga camera 2 days back, hopefully i will be able to try it out this weekend. Oh.. in case, you have no idea what a Holga is - you can click here to find out more.

A brief intro -

It's a little toy plastic camera with plastic lens, very poorly built and you have almost no control on how the picture will turn out to be when you sent it for developing. Sometimes you might get nothing out of the whole roll of film or every shot is a masterpiece.

Simply said, its a camera where one simply have fun at taking pics without having to give a further thot about the usual guides and rules that binds conventional photography and learn to expect the unexpected, that is to say, don't expect at all!

Bridge to Terabithia

The Bridge to Terabithia - a truly heart-wrenching experience to a magical land that can only be built with the power of imagination and love.

Jess, the son of a small time farmer, was mostly by himself in school as he dwells in his own world surrounded by drawings of imagination. Things change when a new classmate, Leslie transferred to the school. Leslie was not too unlike Jess, she often lived in her own world of imagination created and relayed through her flair with words.

Both were neighbours separated by a road, living on their own plot of land near the woods. Although the friendship started off on an uneasy note but it grew as time goes and they became each other's best friend. Tired of being bullied in school and neglected at home, they escaped into the woods, to a place that belongs only to them and no one else.

Leslie, a very beautiful girl as she is both outwardly and inwardly, opened up Jess's mind to a magical kingdom, the kingdom of Terabithia. A secret land that belongs to them truly and where all became possible. Their love for each other, powered with imagination took them to places and experiences that they can proudly say its theirs and no one else.

When everything was going so wonderfully for them, Jess lost Leslie to an unfortunate accident while Jess was out with his teacher on a school trip. Jess went into a state of shock and denial as he couldn't bring himself to believe the fact that Leslie was gone. But the love of Leslie was strong in him, along with the love of his family and advice from his father, he learnt that despite all, Leslie still live in his heart.

With that, he rebuilt Terabithia, the way he knew best to remember Leslie - through a world they built that belongs to them and all who believe in the magic of love and imagination.

This is the link to the Official Website.

I'm not too sure why but somehow i felt a kindred to the film. It brought laughters and smiles to see such love and bond between the two of them. And it brought tears to my eyes when Jess learnt that Leslie was no longer around and it still does now when i think of the scence again.

Couple of Quick Updates

Just finished laying out Ling & Lawrence's coffeetable book for their wedding day and sent it for prints. 1st time doing such layout, so hopefully the prints turn out as good as they looked on screen. =)

It's the second week with my new colleagues and so far, been learning lots of new stuff from them. Work's really fast-paced there and learning curve is really steep especially for the people in London shift due to the high volume of work.

ICT in September has been cancelled as our unit performed very well in the recent overnite exercise during end June. Good news for me - i can concentrate on work without taking time off for ICT especially now that i'm on probation.

Ling's Gettin Married! =)

Ling, one of my closest friend, is getting married in a couple of hours! Yup, a whole day event, traditional, ROM and dinner all in one day, 07/07/07. Blessings to you Ling if you happen to read this. =)

Anycase, just got back from my London shift abt an hour ago, and now its already abt 2 plus in the mornin. Haha, i'm still charging my batts for Ling's big day. Dun think i have time to charge the batts for my F828 which i usually bring as a backup cam in case my Alpha fails.

Just gotta trust my Alpha =) and its not really gonna matter if i bring backup cam or not since i'm not the main photographer. Will be there just to back the main up in case of some unplanned incidents, but more than likely, i will be having fun capturin all the candids for the day! =)

Me poppin the bed soon, gotta wake up in less than 5 hrs time. Gonna be a busy day! =)

First Shift

Officially started with the bank this monday but like most of the staff in Credit Suisse, i have to go thru an induction program. Mine was a 3 day program which happens to be over today, so i will be meeting my team members officially tmr, thursday. =)

Will be starting on the London shift, meaning my official work hours for the next few months will be from 3pm to 12am. Didn't really expect to start so quickly on shift work but since my buddy (the one who referred me into the bank) happens to be on London shift, it will be easier for me to tag with someone i know rather than someone i don't.

Guess i might be able to meet up with some of you for lunch one of these days before i hit work =)