The Abundant Life

2008-07-09T00:47:00.003+08:00

I'm going to stop blogging temporarily. Will be back soon hopefully after exams.

There's always the BRIGHTER side of Life

2008-04-26T23:11:00.005+08:00

Trials are blessings in disguise

2008-04-12T23:10:00.002+08:00

It is inevitable when one meets people who are as though born with a role that says: “I was born to bring people down”. It is unavoidable when one faces problems, trials and huge obstacles along the way.

Firstly, cheer up! That was just a side of life that requires more strength, more determination, more problem solving solutions, (notice I didn’t use the word “bad”). I could have just blatantly said that that was just the bad side of life but I chose not to for a reason I will explain later. Life is not all about the obstacles that one faces along the way. There’s more to life and fun, joy, peace and laughter are definitely and luckily one of the other better parts of it.

I didn’t use the word bad because I’ve developed a new way of looking at things after my dad has taught me this new and very valuable lesson. With additional ingredients of my own:

“Originally life had two parts, the good and the bad. The good is something that will lift us up, the bad is something that will bring us down. But what if the bad can be pictured as good? What if the bad can become good? All I’m trying to say is that if we choose to look at the obstacle as something bad, then it will be bad. But if we choose to look at it as something that will help us grow, then it will be good!”

How we look at something, will determine how that something will turn out to be. My dad told me that the fact that I’m now facing yet another obstacle, it shows that God is about to bring me to a level higher. It’s like a computer game, upon completing the game on easy, we move on to medium. Problems will only seem never ending if we look at it as problems, but if we search deeper and look at it as a growth tool, then we will instead, never stop improving.

This is the beauty of optimism. This is the beauty of looking at life from a different angle, a perspective different from the norm and which challenges the society.

One more thing I’d like to add, if people bring us down with a comment we don’t like, we don’t have to always accept it right away. Reassure that comment by asking more people and see if they say the same thing. If they do, well that means we need to change and improve. If they don’t, then choose to accept the lighter comment that most of the time, will also be the more sincere one.

PS: If it’s out of the norm to think this way at this age, I’m a lil scared. This blog was made with the intention of sharing knowledge and motivating others, but part of it also comes from my own personal thoughts. I’m still learning.

Focus or Balance?

2008-04-26T21:50:00.004+08:00

Last Friday, someone shared with me a teaching that was taught to him by his pastor. How nice of him to pass it down to me. =)

Anyway, here’s how the teaching goes: He asked me, do you want to be a balanced person or a focused person? My answer: balanced. “At first I chose that answer like you did too”, he said. But he then began to slowly explain what his pastor had said to him.

“Sometimes as much as we all want to try and balance everything, that may not be the best decision out there. If you refer to my ‘really-simplified-any-child-can-draw’ diagram, you will see a straight line. In life, or in any type of situation, there will always be a beginning and an end, a start and a finish line.

If you try to be that balanced person, you end up having to balance so many things on your shoulders. As you move along that line, you end up having to stop countless times just to take stock of all the barang barang that you’ve brought with you. – The process is extremely tiresome and you’ll probably take years to reach that finish line.

However, if you are that focused person, you are able to focus only on the things you need to carry along with you; your necessities, your journey will be so much lighter and faster. You will finish the race faster than those who try to ‘balance’ everything”

The power of focus is superb. I asked myself: what’s the point of trying to balance two heavy commitments, when you can only give 50-50 to both? For the benefit of not just myself, but everybody else, I’d rather commit to one, giving my full 100% and let someone else take over my place and give his/her full 100% in the other.

The eagle never chases 2 rabbits, because it knows both will escape. It knows how to focus on one, and that’s what makes the eagle such a skilled predator.
So friends and fellow readers out there, focus on one thing at a time. Focus on your priorities first. Focus on doing things first things first.

PS: There’s a book titled: ‘travelling light’, and it was recommended to me, I’m trying to find it and maybe you should too if you plan to find some good books to read.

2008-04-12T19:47:00.001+08:00

Now now, i know i haven't blogged in a century. I've actually got super loads of things to feed you readers out there, loads of pics and exciting stuff. Let me just simplify my entries and focus on one thing at a time.

The Proboscis Monkey

2008-02-15T22:37:00.009+08:00

The Proboscis Monkey

It's been so long since i actually took a few hours off just to sit down and watch the richly educational and eye appetising Animal Planet! Yeah one of my favourite shows on tv. Today i followed in detail, the life of a Proboscis monkey; there was a really cool story line attached to it. Anyway, here's what i've learnt:

One of the world's rarest primates are the unusual looking Proboscis monkeys. They are one of the largest monkeys in the world and are especially known for their huge noses and pot bellies. They are also called 'Orang Belanda' or 'Dutchman' because their large belly and nose resembled that of a Dutchman, according to the Indonesians. Their lifestyle is both arboreal (tree living) and amphibious, living mainly in the mangrove swamps.

The male proboscis monkeys have extremly large noses while the females and juveniles have smaller upturned noses. The male nose which can reach up to almost 7 inches in length are used mainly for attracting mates. They say the larger the nose, the more attractive the male! The nose is not in proportion to anything else so dont think otherwise. haha! Other than attracting mates, their noses are also used as resonators to make loud honking warning sounds when they sense danger.

Juvenile Proboscis Monkey

The pot belly on the other hand is the result of a very unique digestive system of the Proboscis monkey whose stomach is divided into compartments and filled with cellulose digesting bacteria to help digest leaves and other poisonous foliage of the mangrove.

Male(left), female (right)

To date, there are only about 3000 of them left, and they can only be found in Malaysian Borneo. Sadly, these monkeys are on the verge of facing extinction as evaluated by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (ICUN) Red List.

Took more information from these sites. Hope that there'll still be hope for these Proboscis monkeys and hopefully our future generations will get to see them.

http://www.proboscismonkey.org/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proboscis_Monkey

http://travelmalaysiaguide.com/proboscis-monkey/

Inspirational Stuff!

2008-01-31T23:21:00.000+08:00

Today i watched a video of a person who lives a life that is less than the ordinary lives we live in, but yet he makes it so extraodinary!

This man is by the name of Nick Vujicic. His less than ordinary life is that, he has no arms and no legs! But the extraordinary thing is that, he still lives to this day to tell us his story which has made such a great impact on thousands of people!

Watch the intro first to get a glimpse of his life. Then watch the other 3 parts which features a motivational speech given by him. Very inspiring! I shall blog a bit more abt what he said in my next post. Enjoy the videos!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DxlJWJ_WfA&feature=related (Intro)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_24_qTNac&NR=1 (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bL3GR4iAW0&feature=related (Part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O6OluBxGtM&feature=related (Part 3)

A new lesson learnt!

2008-01-31T00:01:00.000+08:00

Sometimes in life, we just get so caught up with our own issues or with that someone that concerns you that we forget about the rest who are just as important and just as impactful to us.

There are greater things in life to look forward to than to fret about the small little obstacles we face along the way.

This also brings me to the subject of being able to "accept" and "detach". Let us accept the way things turn out to be in every situation, and detach ourselves from it be it good or bad.

If it's good, then let us not rest on our laurels for too long a time for we may become complacent.

If it's bad, then learn the lesson and stop getting bitter over it. No matter how hard it can be, always remember to accept and detach.

What the class did last holiday..

2007-10-21T20:50:00.000+08:00

A class gathering during the hols and b4 school reopens is one that is inevitable..how can such a class filled with happening people not meet up during the long term break?

So we did...

And here are the pictures which will assist
you in your curiousity...

Ms Pay Chia Chee and her
Million Dollar pose!

And she strikes another one!

This time beyond words of description...

The host doing the preperations..

Chia Chee and Daphne helping out...

and testing their culinary skills at the same time

Chia Chee waiting with much anticipation to try the deliciously barbequed sausage which she herself cooked...

Daphne! what time is it only? Already sleeping in broad daylight..

Wenyao and Daphne!!

Ooohh...Daphne woke up already!

Rayson, Jingyang & Dan

Rayson, i see some reluctance in your face...was the satay that bad?

Mr Sim still shining with youth!

If i didn't tell you the one on our extreme left was our teacher, you would have thought he was one of us right?

Now did the satay tasted better this time, Rayson?

EAT! EAT! EAT!

Our famous magician going to perform some tricks soon...

Our dear Nicklaus with our class advisor, Mrs Chui!

Ooops..whose fingers are those?

What's with the unwillingness Chia Chee?

我们班上的六位校花

Doesn't the scenery look a bit like we're at the beach?

We truly missed the presence of those who didn't come for the bbq. Hope you guys will be able to make it for our class outing the next time.

A new beginning..

2007-10-14T20:57:00.000+08:00

It is always very pleasant to take some time off to spend a moment of silence and start reflecting on oneself..

The effect of having done self reflection is one that is very rejuvenating - it's sought of a healing process that wipes off your past and sets you ahead for your future.

I personally enjoy doing self reflection and it is even more enjoyable when you can have it done at a place rich in nature and be wrapped around in an atmosphere full of peace and quietness.

Something i would like to share after i did my reflections was what i've learnt from those past few months of my journey in life, and apply it to my new semester.

I've learnt that in everything we do, we should try to enjoy it. Because only when we enjoy doing something, then will we do it with an open heart and mind. It is only through the process of doing something than can we learn a valuble lesson out of.

I've learnt that forgetting the past is not enough. But take a step further and forgive the past and those who have hurt you - because that is the only way to clear your mind and free your heart from clogs of hatred and revenge. What's more, your trespassers may have changed for the better!

I've learnt that it is important to accept people as they come and not judge them by their appearances or the first impressions they give us. Instead, why not unravel the better side of them and see the goodness they have to offer. (This is not an easy task though)

Mooncake Festival

2007-09-25T00:34:00.000+08:00

The chinese Moon Festival also known as the Mid-autumn Festival, falls on the 15th of the 8th lunar month (according to the chinese calendar)

In short, lets just call it lunar festival

Like Christmas and Halloween in the West, the Lunar festival is one of the most celebrated tradional events for the Chinese

It's a time where families get together to eat mooncakes and drink wine(now chinese tea is more common), while admiring the full moon.

Children would go out and light up their lanterns and play with one another

(I hardly see the adults playing those things nowadays)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pd4daae8625f328c038c103a4f67e20de/ea87a736.jpg

Okay i don't have a picture of children playing with lanterns so this is the closest i can get.

Legend has it that "Chang Er", gave up her mortality to become a moon fairy so that she may pass her powers to her lover to help save the world.

http://home.iprimus.com.au/godmanlee1/moonfairy_wallpaper.JPG

But there was a price to pay, that is the 2 love birds are not allowed to see each other at any point of time, because immortals were not allowed to fall in love

However, they were granted one special day of the year to see each other. At that day, it was noticed that the moon was fully rounded. Hence this was how the Lunar festival came about.

These are just one of the many stories and legends of the Lunar festival.

Here are my whole collection of mooncakes

Mooncakes from Shangri-La!

Mooncakes from Raffles the Plaza!

Ritz Carlton Mooncakes! Yum!

The most prestigious and pricy of all...

The Fullerton Mooncakes!

Look at the beautiful packaging!

I'm definitely gonna keep one of those boxes

Inevitably tastes the best too!

Today's talk of the day

2007-09-29T20:10:00.000+08:00

5 mins passed...

10 mins passed...

20mins passed...

1/2 hr passed...

Finally...

the queue passed and it was my turn to order my food

Today was the first time i waited half an hour just for a bowl of curry chicken noodles.(which i never will again)

I didn't manage to take a picture of the incredibly long queue

But i guess sometimes it pays to wait for good food

The queue's always very long during lunch hour everyday!

So this stall must definitely be something

Ok! so here it is!

the curry chicken noodles accompanied with a glass of sugar cane juice to clench my thirst

I would say that i wasted half an hour for this bowl of noodles.

It was nice. But that was all, there was nothing special about it.

No fragrant aroma. No unique taste.

It just tasted pretty ordinary to me.

Anyways, headed to food town - Holland village

Famously known for its myriad of restaurants and cafes

Where i decided to end a scorching hot afternoon with something nice..

BANANA SPLIT!!

The sweet blend of MACADAMIA NUT and STRAWBERRY ICECREAM with the

BITTER SWEET CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP ICECREAM whipped together

with a pair of FRESHLY SLICED BANANA!

HAHA DID I GET YOUR SENSES DROOLING?

Balls of Fury

2007-10-01T22:46:00.000+08:00

http://www.blogdecine.com/images/2007/07/balls%20of%20fury%20psoter%20nuevo.jpg

Went to watch the movie "Balls of Fury" today @ Plaza Sing

And if you're wondering what the show is about - it's about ping pong, thats it.

It wasn't as nice as i expected it to be..

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0424823/02569.jpg

The show was just comedy, but the humour in it was rather dry.

Pretty stupid actually.

And it totally humiliates the Asians as a whole(Chinese esp.), body builders

And table tennis - which would probably have lost some of its prestige

You'll get what i mean when you watch the show

http://www.wweek.com/photos/3342/screen99.jpg

I thought the only rewarding part of the show was to see Maggie Q in her sports wear thrashing 4 brawny guys in table tennis.

Yeah that was pretty funny and hot to see

Other than that, nothing extraordinary.

http://www.trailerdownload.net/createthumb.php?url=cats/Balls%20of%20Fury/ballsoffury3.jpg&always=2&width=600&height=400

There was one site that gave it a review of 2.0 out of 10 - chud.com/reviews/11620

So i won't highly recommend this show though there's no harm watching it.

Laos, here i come!

2007-09-07T18:44:00.000+08:00

I'll be going to Laos, Vientiane

The 'Land of a million elephants'

I'm only a few hours away from my official flight @ 0645hrs

Just thought that i would spend some of my free time now blogging some of my thoughts

And views of the trip

What a beautiful picture of the Mekong River @ sunset

I read up a bit to prepare myself for the trip

Websites tell me that Laos is a very calm and peaceful country

The people there are generally very friendly

The place is very laid back in culture

And there're lots of religious practices and beliefs there

Another picture of the beautiful Mekong River

I've set my mind upon a few goals for the trip

And driven myself with a few purposes

My goals and purposes are:

To take a break from home and sink myself into the peaceful and laidback atmosphere of Laos

To learn and appreciate a different type of culture

To widen my knowledge by
Living and observing the daily lives and happenings in the country

To experience nature in abundance
(70% of the country is mountainous)

To live independently & survive on my own commonsense

And to be a blessing to the people whom my team and I will be helping in Laos

Pictures were taken from and more information can be found on this website:

www.travelplaces.co.uk/mr-stopovers-laos.htm

I'll be back soon with a whole new adventure to share

Yet another exciting adventure

2007-09-06T23:08:00.000+08:00

www.cgnews.com/images/troika_ap2.jpg

I was watching One Planet on Animal Planet in the evening

Its documentary was on Cheetahs

And here are some of my thoughts and interesting facts of the day about Cheetahs

http://home.mweb.co.za/te/teknovis/T-M0096%20Stalking%20Cheetah.htm

Cheetahs are another unique breed of the big cats

They're known for their lightning speed

Reaching 50km/h in about 2secs and able to reach a top speed of 70miles/h (112km/h)

They have weak jaws and small teeth

But what they lack in power, they make up with speed

www.cathouse-fcc.org/gifs-jpegs/zulurun.jpg

Cheetahs are actually non-aggressive animals as compared to the other big cats

But it sadens me to hear that Cheetahs are on the verge of extinction

And their extinction are caused by human greed

Some people kill these beautiful creatures for their skin

Others (esp. farmers) kill them because they are a threat to the farmers' livestock

http://www.cheetah.org/?nd=home

However, not all hope is lost in preserving this endangered animal

My heart lightened when i saw organisations like "Cheetah Conservation Fund"(CCF)

Who are doing their best to save these Cheetahs from extinction

They reach out to people

Educate them about the animal

Encourage farmers to use alternative ways of keeping away Cheetahs instead of killing them

And inspire people to share their goal of saving Cheetahs

I'm really touched by all these animal conservists

I will definitely to do my part

And i hope that people will put away their selfish human needs and save these animals from extinction

Choices

2007-08-29T00:29:00.000+08:00

Lets firstly define the meaning of "choice"

To have a choice is to have the ability to choose.

In life, we have to make choices.

All the time

I just feel that one should never say "i had no choice"

Because we always have a choice

Even if it's a choice to accept who we are, what we've been given.

Everything we do is governed by the choices we make.

It's up to us whether we want to chase our dreams

Whether we want to make a positive impact in this world

Because we only get to live once

Whatever the outcome may be, it all depends on the choices we make

Make a choice today to do something good.

Do it for the person you love and don't wait till it's too late.

Remember, we always have a choice

Transformers!

2007-06-24T19:10:00.000+08:00

Gosh! I still can't get enough of transformers!

The movie was awesome!!!

Digital graphics, storyline, everything!

It's hilarious too!

And it does give you the "hair-raising" kind of sensation during some parts of the movie!

Not the eerie type but the "woah!" type of sensation

Just to sum it up..

This movie's about a war between 2 types of robots

"Autobots" and "Decepticons"

And earth is caught in the middle of their war

The fate of mankind however, lies in the hands of Shia LaBeouf, also known as Sam Witwicky

Accompanied by his new found girl friend, Megan Fox also known as Mikaela Banes

Many more cool characters such as

Josh Duhamel who plays Captain Lennox

Tyrese Gibson who plays USAF Tech Sergeant Epps

The movie explains its storyline at the start so be sure to look out for it!

Hope Part 2 comes out soon!

Check out this link.. i got all my photos from there http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/transformers.html

Lets talk about the blue Planet

2007-08-11T17:51:00.001+08:00

I was watching Blue planet on Animal Planet today. That took away some of my precious study time but i did learn some interesting stuff!

Sea Dragons

http://www.divegallery.com/Leafy_Sea_Dragon.htm

Only found in the southern oceans, this mystical-like yet beautiful creature is noneother than the Leafy Sea Dragon!

Sea dragons are close relatives of sea horses but i'm sure you can tell their differences apart!

http://www.divegallery.com/Leafy_Sea_Dragon_2.htm

You'll be amazed by how these sea dragons take care of their young.

The male sea dragons make such devoted fathers as they carry and incubate the mothers eggs until they hatch.

Though that makes them a good source of food for other predators, their leafy body however, allows them to camouflage in the myriad of underwater leaves and seaweeds.

If you want more information about this unique creature, it can be found on http://www.divegallery.com/Leafy_Sea_Dragon.htm

Australian Squid

www.abc.net.au/storm/exposure/forty6.htm

What attracted me to this australian squid is their fancy ways of mating.

Haha cheeky but cool!

As you know, in the Animal Kingdom,

All males have this irresistible hunger of breeding (horny) with females

So competition is inevitable and most males end up fighting violently with each other

Even for Giant Pandas - the cuttest things on earth,

Their males actually fight for dominance and access to the females

www.abc.net.au/storm/exposure/forty6.htm

Australian squids however, are very different.

The males challenge for access to the female by doing a "ballet"

Their "ballet" is a sequence of movements where they ripple with zebra-like stripes,

While changing their body colours at the same time

Charming the females off their feet (or fins maybe)

The smaller males called sneaker males, live up to their name.

Since they're unmatchable to the bigger size males,

They actually camouflage themselves as females to get close to the real females to mate.

Sneaky but smart! Size doesn't matter all the time huh? haha!

Dolphins

www.blueoceansociety.org/.../2%20dolphins.jpg

Yeah! these guys are my favourite! As you can see, top 3 favourite animals!

There are many types of dolphins but i'm not here to touch on that today

What i saw today was something unique!

We know that dolphins are playful creatures

But little did i know,

They actually played games like "pass the leaf" among themselves!!

Just picture dolphins swirling and spinning around while passing a strand of leaf.

They don't have hands to pass it so they use their fins and body to try to catch the leaf!

How interesting!

www.hawaiipictures.com/.../dolphins11024x768.jpg

Dolphins make such wonderful friends!

Okay folks! thats all for the day! remember to tune in to more of Simon's wildlife discovery! Haha just kidding!

Advert on service

2007-06-24T19:00:00.000+08:00

Below the picture says:

"Service means more that following instructions. It means individual attention, making a connection and, above all, exceeding expectations." - Anonymous

I thought this was quite interesting. Found this when i was doing my project halfway.

HOT FUZZ

2007-06-24T18:37:00.000+08:00

Went to watch this movie called "HOT FUZZ" yesterday with mom and dad at around 9pm at Plaza Sing.

I thought that the movie was awesome! Really funny! story line was simple but yet interesting! and it sets you thinking as you try to figure out some of the jokes while predicting what's going to happen next in the movie. There was quite a lot of vulgarities - "fck here and there" but that just makes it even more funny!

Basically, this story is about police offices. The main character Nicholas, played by Simon Pegg, is a top police officer in London. He was so good that his chief posted him to some faraway countryside called Sandford Village, so as to preserve the reputation of the other offices.

Sandford Village was known to be a very peaceful village. The deaths of the people living there were all associated as "accidents" and "crime" was a word nobody there could accept.

However, things were not that simple when Nicholas reached the village. That's when the whole story begins.

If you want a good laugh, go watch the show!

Words for the soul

2007-06-20T00:53:00.000+08:00

Hey, i thought that this was quite meaningful..actually grabbed it from my friend.

Words for the Soul :

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-18T00:14:00.000+08:00

Hey i am 20mins late to posting this father's day post all thanks to my classmates who were asking me about project. haha anyway for ur info...father's day is always on the 3rd sunday of june.

I just dont know how i'm going to repay my dad's love for me but let me just tell you wad my dad teaches me

daddy doesnt just teach me about school work and to study hard
he teaches me how to play hard
how to speak (since i was born)
how to draw
how to cook
how to get that girl (thats if i consult him :P)
and many other things!
but most importantly
how to live my life wisely!

Daddy you're the greatest dad that i've seen and known.
you're hip and cool
though we're like 30yrs apart
yet you can still understand me so well
you bring me to extravagant and expensive places
but you also bring me to the most happening cafes in town like cafe delma(the one in sentosa)
something that not many dads will do.

You're just the perfect role model for me.
When i become a daddy like you next time
Your principles will definitely be passed down from me to my kids
And i'll never forget how much love you have gave me
and how much you have done for me

Dad, Happy Father's Day!

Like father, like son-in-law

2007-06-17T00:00:00.000+08:00

Check out this article on the world section of the Straits Times (st) Saturday newspaper! It was published on 16/06/2007 and thats like just about half an hour ago from the time i blogged about the article.

So this article talks about girls, who have good relationships with their daddys, tend to pick guy partners who are of some resemblance. It talks about "sexual imprinting" a process where the girl uses her father's facial characteristics as a template when choosing a mate. They did some sort of study and showed that daughters who had better relationships with their fathers were most likely to prefer the faces of men who looked like them.

But of course not every guy can look like the daughter's father so character does come into play too. As stated on the paper,"women with happy childhood relationships with their fathers are more likely to select partners who bear a strong resemblance to them" And that means, if your character also resembles the character of the girl's father, chances are she would pick you as a partner..but of course that's if she has had a good childhood relationship with her dad.

Furthermore, the article goes on to point out that because the process of sexual imprinting do exists, it proves that "our human brains don't just build up prototypes of the ideal face based on those we see around us, rather, they build them based on those whom we have a strongly positive relationship", which i think is true because a person does get attracted to someone when that someone actually resembles another party whom that person has had a good relationship with.

I dont know how true this is.. but i just thought that maybe the next time before you go dating that girl, try to get some info about her dad? Cause it may give you some points of reference to what sort of guys she likes. haha

When things don't go your way

2007-06-12T21:24:00.000+08:00

In life, things don't always go your way
Even if you had already gave your say
The best thing to do when that happens is to meditate
Reflect, look back and open the gates
Of your powerful mind and think
Why did that happen and was it meant to in the first place?

No doubt your heart sinks
Like how the titanic sank in the deep ocean space
But the human heart is not something that sinks forever
Because it should only get stronger

Life will always have its ups and downs
The ups bring happiness, the downs bring sorrows
But at least you know that everytime you feel down,
It's just yet another chapter of your life where you will discover and learn something new
Because that's the beauty of life.

Here's some photos of my class.

2007-06-12T21:11:00.000+08:00