王力宏的故事

因為堅持，他實現了美夢！

這個男人，沒豪宅豪車。 31歲才買了一輛1.2萬的二手車作生日禮物。這個 男人，十幾年沒買過新衣服。這個男人的父親，美國著名醫生，回國四處免費義診，所有的花費，都來源這個男人。這個男人，一年賺幾個億。這個男人，用90%的錢作慈善，10%的錢作音樂，做電影用的是別人的錢。

1976年，王力宏出生在美國紐約一戶富裕的華人家庭。他的哥哥比他大3歲，9年後，媽媽又給他添了一個弟弟，一家五口幸福美滿。像其他美國小孩一樣，王力宏從9歲開始就靠打工掙零花錢。那...時候，他以為紐約就是宇宙的中心，每天騎著腳踏車去送報紙，覺得好像跨越了無數海洋，而飢腸轆轆地回到家裡，吃著媽媽的甜餡餅則是他一天中最開心的事。

王力宏6歲開始學小提琴，8歲學鋼琴，別的孩子都願意選擇看電視和玩遊戲，王力宏卻可以連續拉琴3個小時，教琴的老師常對媽媽誇他有天賦，有毅力。一次，王力宏在院子裡面練小提琴，天突然下起了雨，雨濺到了琴上，王力宏卻閉著眼睛渾然不知。看著兒子如痴如醉地沉浸在音樂中，媽媽被深深的打動了。

一天，媽媽去學校接9歲的小力宏，教他小提琴的老師對他媽媽說，你的兒子對音樂的感覺和表現力很強，他應該放棄其他的活動，每天保證四個小時的練琴時間，堅持下去，他有可能成為一位優秀的提琴家。

媽媽點點頭，沒有回答老師。她想起從前學提琴的朋友，從小不敢打網球，不敢滑雪，童年不能參加體育活動，只是因為害怕手會受傷-------媽媽覺得孩子快樂比做音樂神童要好。可是才9歲的王力宏對媽媽說：“媽媽，我最喜歡的還是音樂，我還是想把更多時間放在音樂上！”媽媽大吃一驚，她覺得這句話好像是從兒子心底說出來的，既然兒子天生就與音樂有不解之緣，做媽媽的更應該尊重兒子的選擇。

媽媽為王力宏請了專門的音樂老師，王力宏也自覺的放棄了自己的許多“外事”活動，一心一意練習鋼琴，小提琴。 13歲，王力宏就寫出了他的第一首歌，受到了親朋好友的一致好評。

離家出走，只為圓一個歌星夢

高中畢業時，王力宏寄到台灣一家唱片公司的錄音帶被看中，唱片公司給王力宏打電話，極力讓他加盟，還承諾要給他出專輯。熱血沸騰的王力宏向父母提出自己想進演藝圈發展，誰知道，家中就此爆發了超級大戰。

王力宏的父親是個傳統守舊的人，在他心中，好好學習考個名校，將來找個高尚的職業才是人間正道，王力宏的哥哥已經考上耶魯大學的醫學院，給弟弟們做了很好的表率，成績同樣優秀的王力宏怎麼能夠放棄這一光明大道呢？父親生氣的對王力宏說；“你看看，你看看，在美國搞搖滾的不是迷上吸毒就是性格怪異，舉止像個瘋子，你怎麼能和那些流氓混在一起？”父親還扔給王力宏一句話，如果你不上大學去搞音樂，就斷絕父子關係！

連一向最支持他搞音樂的媽媽也站出來反對：“你遠離重洋去台灣發展，你連衣服都不會洗，離開家的日子，你能過得習慣嗎！”

家人如此強烈的反對讓王力宏煩躁不安。晚上，王力宏把自己鎖在房間裡，胡亂的翻看電視，這時一檔音樂節目吸引了他，電視裡面正在放庾澄慶和林志炫的歌，王力宏被兩個台灣歌手給震驚了，他覺得自己的喉嚨在發癢，他不能失去這個機會。

王力宏沒有再提去台灣唱歌的事，家人都以為他回心轉意了。大家沒有想到，17歲的他還另有“陰謀”。

1994年暑假的一個早晨，王力宏背上了簡單的行李，一步一回頭的離開了溫暖的家，在飛機上他忍不住落淚了，到了台北，王力宏往家裡打了個電話，他聽見媽媽哽咽的聲音。就在那一刻，王力宏想還是回去算了，結束這場叛逆的旅行，不要讓媽媽傷心。誰知道電話那邊的媽媽對他說：“你一向好乖的，我知道，你一定是為了實現你的音樂夢想，偷跑到台灣去的。我已經拜託了你的表叔李建復了，他在台北做音樂，你要好好聽他的話！”

王力宏心裡樂開了花。媽媽還是沒有責怪他的叛逆舉動。王力宏很快聯繫上了表叔李建复，出了第一張專輯。李建復是當年大名鼎鼎的首唱《龍的傳人》的歌手，他十分喜歡自己這個為了音樂夢想離家出走的外甥，把他引薦給台灣著名音樂人李壽全。

但王力宏的父親無法原諒兒子的舉動，他斷了兒子的經濟供給。王力宏帶到台灣的錢也很快用完了，他很長時間都靠吃快餐面“混”日子，人變得非常清瘦。

暑假過完了，王力宏如願以償收到了大學通知單，他回到美國，在麻省理工大學的音樂系學習音樂，又進入柏來萊音樂學院研究所學習。

王力宏用自己出歌碟掙來的錢交了學費，生活基本可以自足，父親的經濟制裁沒有威脅到他。但他還是非常想念自己的家人，雖然大家在爸爸的“禁令”下不敢理他，但是他一有空還是忍不住往家裡跑，希望能與家人和解。最後，在母親的勸說下，父親逐漸原諒了兒子。一家人重新恢復了和睦。然而父親對王力宏搞音樂還有個條件，一定不能荒廢學業，而且，要拿到學位。王力宏自信地說：“沒有問題！”

龍的傳人，有一顆不變的中國心

王力宏的中文遠遠沒有英文好，這是在美國第二代華人的普遍現象。投身演藝圈後，王力宏往返於台灣與紐約之間，有的時候還要到國內許多城市開演唱會，由於中文不夠好，他鬧了很多笑話。

一步一腳印，王力宏最終實現了他當個成功歌影視三棲一人的美夢。他寫的歌曲，風靡了整個亞洲的華人歌壇，在中國，《王力宏》三個字，就是家喻戶曉的名字。他譜寫唱紅的代表作多不勝數。 《你不知道的事》、《柴米油鹽醬醋茶》、《大誠小愛》、《心中的日月》、《改變自己》、《落葉歸根》、《Julia》、《心跳》、《十八般武藝》。 。 。 。 。 。

因為堅持，才有了今天的王力宏。

The 20 Things You Need To Stop Doing To Yourself

I do not own the following post.
I just find this inspiring and thus serve as a personal reminder, especially when a year is coming to an end.
Credit of this post is as below. :D

We are our own greatest enemy. We doubt ourselves, complicate our lives, cloud our minds with unimportant thoughts and negativity, we punish ourselves, hate ourselves and then feel sorry for ourselves because “outside forces” are making our lives a living hell.

Life is beautiful — you’re making yours a living hell all on your own. Each of us does things from time to time that make living happily more difficult than it needs to be.
Surely some of us have it difficult because those are the cards that we’re dealt, but most of us — especially those who are better off financially and don’t live on the streets — make our very own lives more difficult for ourselves. But there are things you can do to stop the miserable cycle that you have found yourself in — a cycle that I know all too well. Here’s 20 of them:

1. Stop Running From Your Problems and Procrastinating.
Problems don’t go away on their own. You can either make them go away or live with them. If you know you can’t live with them, then don’t procrastinate because the weight of them on your mind only increases over time. If you have a problem, then accept that you have a problem and face it — deal with it. Life is a long list of problems that must be overcome. The faster and better you overcome them, the better and happier your life will be.

2. Stop Lying To Yourself.
People will lie to you left and right throughout your life; don’t add to the pile of lies. It is one thing for others to be lying to you and an entirely different issue if you’re lying to yourself. You are the only person that you can trust…but if you have a habit of lying to yourself, then you can’t even trust yourself. You have to be able to rely on yourself and on what you believe.
If you know something to be false, then stop convincing yourself that it is or could possibly be true. Improbable is one thing, but impossible is another. Feeding yourself lies or half-truths will lead to the forming of a reality that doesn’t actually exist past the confines of your psyche.

3. Stop Living In The Past.
Yesterday was yesterday — it’s gone and will never again be. Everyone carries emotional baggage with them. Some of us carry the weight of a depressing past while others live in those happy long-gone moments that we consider to have been the best of our lives. You can reminisce if you’d like as long as you don’t forget that your reality exists only in the present.
It can be a dangerous thing to dwell on the past. Nostalgia can overcome us and make us feel that the world we are living in today falls short of the happiness we experienced in the past. Other times we will punish ourselves for mistakes that we have done and dwell in the negativity and bad feelings that we had. Whatever the case, be wary of focusing on past events and do your best to live in the moment.

4. Stop Attempting To Buy Happiness.
I’ve tried; it doesn’t work. You can buy drinks, buy drugs, buy sex, buy trips, buy experiences, buy toys and clothes…none of it will make you happy — at least not past the day that you buy them. I always revert to Paulo Coelho on this matter: happiness must be something attainable by each and every person no matter what his or her circumstance. If the poorest of the poor can be happy, then happiness cannot lie in the material.

5. Stop Relying On Others.
People have their own lives filled with their own headaches, own problems, own mishaps and own successes. Friendship is great, but often doesn’t weather the storm. Be self-reliant. Be independent. We all find ourselves alone at several points throughout our lives. If you find yourself on your lonesome and don’t know how to deal with it because you are used to having constant support, then you will drown.

6. Stop Fearing Failure.
Failure is such a derogatory term… I don’t understand why. Failing is learning in the real world. There is only so much that you can read up about the way the world works, but true knowledge comes from experience. And no one gets it right the first time around. You failed. Great. Try it again. And again. And again. The more times you get it wrong, the more ways you know NOT to do it.

7. Stop Doing The Same Thing Over And Over, Expecting Different Results.
At the same time, don’t keep making the same mistakes and expecting different results. If you tried something one way and it didn’t work, then guess what will happen when you try again exactly in the same manner? Failure is only good if you learn from it. Otherwise it really is just failure.

8. Stop Rejecting Prospective Partners Because Of Your Past Sh*tty Relationships.
You fell in love and had your heart broken; we all have. Luckily for you, now that you have experienced the pain of a broken heart, you have fully experienced the love cycle and can grow as an individual. Relationships, like the rest of life, are learning experiences. Don’t generalize and make yourself believe that all relationships end in heartache because that doesn’t have to be the case. Ultimately, you and your partner decide whether or not the relationship will work. Check your baggage at the door.

9. Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself.
Life is tough for everyone. The richest of the rich have problems. The poorest of the poor have problems. We make problems for ourselves — they don’t exist outside of us. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and start interacting with the world around you.

10. Stop Trying To Change Others.
People don’t want to be changed and most often can’t be changed. You must learn to accept people for who they are. The less you focus on all the things you find wrong about an individual, the more you can focus on how to deal with them and all their discrepancies. Don’t fix people; learn to deal with them and — I hate to say it — learn to manipulate them into doing what you want them to do; mind-f*ck them.

11. Stop Making Excuses.
I understand that the time isn’t right, the place isn’t right, and the stars have yet to align perfectly. The setting will never be perfect for anything. Perfect is not the alignment of outside forces; it’s making havoc the perfect opportunity. Stop making excuses and start making opportunities for yourself.

12. Stop Worrying.
Sh*t happens. Then it happens again. Then sh*t won’t happen for a day or two…and then it returns with a vengeance. The more responsibilities that you have the more you have to potentially worry about. The key is to not procrastinate and approach all problems logically. You only have so much time in a week to work on the things that need to be worked on. You can do so much with that time. As long as you do as much as you can do, there is nothing you should be worrying about. The only thing worth worrying about is your own laziness; everything else is out of your control. If you worry about things out of your control, then you are setting yourself up for a mental breakdown.

13. Stop Focusing On The Negative.
Negativity is overwhelming and contagious. It tints the way we look at the world and makes us believe that we are worse off than we actually are. Negativity and worry go hand in hand and can be the downfall of all that you have worked so hard for. Living in a world filled with your negative thoughts doesn’t leave any room for the positive. Focus on the negative and you will hate your life.

14. Stop Being Ungrateful.
Statistically speaking, if you are reading this then most people in the world have it worse off than you do. That may not be very comforting…but consider that most of these people are likely to be happier than you. Happiness does not lie in the material, but in the immaterial. Be grateful for what you do have — especially those that play important parts in your life. You could be worse off and may very well be worse off some time in the future. Enjoy whatever prosperity you have.

15. Stop Wasting Time.
You are only allotted a sliver of time to call your life. Use those minutes and hours to make the most of your life. Ever hear your elders complain about how fast time flies by? Listen. They’re speaking the truth.

16. Stop Overloading Your Schedule.
Doing more does not necessarily mean getting more done. It’s all about efficiency. Human beings require certain things in order to live tranquilly. Divvy up your time for all the things that you MUST do and then divvy the rest for the things that you WANT to do. Just make sure to be clear on what you need before you start going after what you want.

17. Stop Trying To Impress Others.
It’s not worth it. The only reason you should ever try to get on someone’s good side is if you need them for something — only in business. When it comes to more personal relationships you can’t do anything more than be yourself. If they don’t love you for who you are, then they will never truly love you.

18. Stop Wishing You Were Someone Else.
Make sure that you know who you are and do all you can to develop — not change. People don’t change, they develop and grow. You are a great individual because you are a human being. You have the potential to do anything you want. Figure out what it is that you want out of life and go after it. There is no need to change who you are to match some preexistent notion of who you should be. Of course, certain situations you may find yourself in will have certain rules of etiquette, which you will need to learn and adopt. However, who you know you are and who others perceive you to be does not have to be the same person.

19. Stop Overlooking The Simple Things In Life.
The simplest of things are the most beautiful of things. Take walks. Talk to strangers. Look up at the sky, the trees, the birds. Connect with nature and all that which comes at little to no price. We often do our best to reach for things that we believe will make us more in tune with reality — happier — only to find out that we were greatly mistaken. Life offers us simple beauties. Relish in them.

20. Stop Hating Yourself.
We are often too tough on ourselves. We hate ourselves for our failures and our inabilities — which makes no sense whatsoever. Failing is learning and inabilities can be turned into abilities with enough work and patience. Whatever you dislike about yourself can be changed… just be sure that it’s worth changing. My advice: learn to love yourself the way that you are. Changes are easier to make when you already have a good relationship with yourself.

Credits: http://elitedaily.com/life/motivation/the-20-things-you-need-to-stop-doing-to-yourself/

Time can't erase a feeling this strong;

"Never steal, lie and cheat. But if you must steal, steal my heart. If you must lie, lie in my arms. If you must cheat, cheat death so we'll grow old together."

Everyone of us is losing something precious to us. Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again. That’s part of what it means to be alive.

But inside our heads, there’s a little room where we store those memories. A room like a library.
To understand the workings of our own heart, we have to keep on making new reference cards.
We have to dust things off every once in a while, let in fresh air, change the water in the flower vases.

In other words, we’ll live forever in our own little private library.




There’s a lot of things you should make back up plans for, but love isn’t one of them.

Switch by Timbre

Switch by Timbre
73 Bras Basah Road #01-01/02 Singapore 189556.
Conveniently located beside the Singapore Arts Museum and Bras Basah MRT Station (Exit A)
Tel: +65 6336 7739

Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday: 6.00pm - 1.00am Friday & Saturday: 6.00pm - 2.00am Sunday: Closed

Yes, I was there some time back before ah xun flew for his exchange.
We had the urge to go karaoke back then!

Aww, I'm missing this group of lovelies already.

I personally prefer Switch to Timbre. Probably because I listen to more Chinese songs than English ones, I find myself more comfortable at Switch! Or maybe it was just the company for that matter :)

I heard that reservations are possible but it has to be made way in advance to avoid disappointment (Only 50% of their seatings are available for reservations!).

Anyhow, that lady above sang pretty well.
Yes, I love ladies with thick, husky type of voice. That type of voice inflict some sort of pain naturally, at least for me. And I will never be able to sing that way (Probably why I look up to people who have that type of voice naturally).

I remember chatting with a friend on the topic of local bands. 

There are a lot of talented musicians here in Singapore, and so I rally hate it when people say there's no talent here. Talents don't necessary mean that they make it big somehow out there, that they are popular and well-received. 

When you attend festivals like Baybeats and Mosaic you get to hear awesome bands! The freshman is one of my favourite! Atlas is another. 

Local bands are good. They just lack that exposure and support. Or probably because we only have such a small market here. One has to risk to another more established music circle overseas in order to be more successful. 

Chasing Riches

I chanced upon this piece some time back.
It was being displayed at the museum for The Artsy Affair (TAP 2013).

This is a piece of art by an artist name Zhi Yang (Lek).
Take a minute and have a good look at it. What did you see?



The lady in the picture, she's so beautiful. In fact, I find her flawless. Yet, she's chained up, she's tied up. I felt so disturbed, so so disturbed.

Quoted by him, 'In the future, when the world has changed for the worse, people would be so focused on chasing material wealth and possessions that it becomes an obsession. Ultimately, it consumes so much of their lives that it suffocates them."

And this is clearly evidenced, being reflected in our today's world. The picture depicts the true reality. It's not just women. So many of us, are obsessed with pursuing what the "norm" beauty is, the beauty that commercial often focus too much on. We dedicate our life in getting the material goods, the surface beauty, the things that do not last. Whatever happens to the real, genuine, and pure beauty?


& it's killing us, slowly. We are our own murderers.

Be Generous; Be Grateful

Today was a good day.


Thursday is a day I dread of; plus the pour this morning was just too much.
Being the only person who alighted at the bus-stop, I have no choice but walk in the storm. God pitied me, and sent me an angel. There he was, sheltered me and ask me if I needed an umbrella.

I placed a note next to his car after school (but I guess it's all wet by the time he sees it :( oh no). Thank you so much for starting my day right.

Being an Aquarius, it was predicted that I would get pretty down today. No, I couldn't figure out a single reason. Everything went well today, and I was anticipating JJ being interviewed by FM Yes 933.

Exhausted, I soon fall asleep after bathing and drying myself. There's praying session tonight. Waking up late, I had to rush through my dinner and preparation. I forgot about the broadcast, long-forgotten. You could imagine how frustrated I was when I finally managed to recall it after praying session. Even Eunice couldn't cheer me up, feeding me with food.

I have no idea what got over me this year; I don't know why in a way, it felt worst than a breakup (exaggerating). And then, this video. I chanced upon this video at the right moment.

Disclaimer: The above long-winded story (and a boring one) has no meaning to what this post and the following video is about.

I'm not too sure if someone cut onions or what, but I could not stop tearing.
If you have about 12 minutes or so of your life to spare, please watch this video. (There's English translation :))

Sometimes we know that we are not obligated to do certain things. Yet, there is something especially important to everyone. Everyone.



Although it may not be linked directly, I drew different thoughts after the video.

When was the last time you give your loved ones a hug and tell them you love them?

I'm saying this because I'm extremely guilty towards my parents. It was my daddy's birthday 2 days ago, but I forgot about it completely. So in the midnight, I wrote a really short message on a normal A4 paper for him. I placed it on the desk in the living room, so that would be the first thing he sees the next morning.

He always treasures every single little thing I gave for him. Even if it's real ugly, he would still keep it somewhere safe. Sometimes back, I flipped through my mum's cardboard because she wanted me to help look for some documents. There, I saw all the cards I drew for her. Some of those cards were drawn back then, when I was as young as 4 years old. There was this sense of guilt being inflicted.

You know, it's so irony that most of us would spent hours and hours doing up gifts, choosing presents for our friends or lovers. I'm not saying these people are not important. We all need friends and lover, and to show them our appreciation towards them. But yet, how many of us actually spend equal effort for our parents. We owe them so much, that no matter how rich we are in the future, it would never be adequate to return back them the love they gave us.

They are not obligated to give us the best of everything that they could afford. Please don't take it, take them, take love for granted.

Bai Fangli: Ordinary People doing Extraordinary Deed

In 1987, a 74-year old rickshaw puller by the name of Bai Fangli came back to his hometown planning to retire from his backbreaking job. There, he saw children working in the fields, because they were too poor to afford school fees. 

Bai returned to Tianjin and went back to work as a rickshaw puller, taking a modest accommodation next to the railway station. He waited for clients 24 hours a day, ate simple food and wore discarded second-hand clothes he found. He gave all of his hard-earned earnings to support children who could not afford education. 

In 2001, he drove his rickshaw to Tianjin YaoHua Middle School, to deliver his last installment of money. Nearly 90 years old, he told the students that he couldn't work any more. All of the students and teachers were moved to tears. 

In total, Bai had donated a total of 350,000 yuan to help more than 300 poor students continue with their studies. In 2005, Bai passed away leaving behind an inspiring legacy.

Too many times, we were stuck with this common misconception that one can only achieve big things, when he is affluent.

Too many times, we were stuck with this common misconception that one can only do things that are impactful when he has enough power and authority.

Or maybe, we were just pushing the responsibility away, pointing fingers at others. 



Too many times, we did not notice heroes like the Mr. Bai just because he is not the norm definition of attractive that will seek our attention.

Too many times, we did not respect people who deserve it just because we judge only the physical appearance of others.

Too many times, we complaint others are not doing enough, when we could do so much.

Too many times, we were just waiting for others to fix things. 



It's clearly not Mr. Bai's responsibility to make it happen for these children to go to school. Yet, he chose to do it when he witness them not able to receive education.

Mr. Bai, thank you for doing so much for people who have no blood relation with you, for your entire life. You have such a big heart, you are so amazing. I'm not too sure how many of us could be this selfless and assist those who need our help.
Nonetheless, your story remains as one solid reminder, for all of us.



Think again: If a rickshaw-puller who wore used clothes and had no education can support 300 children to go to school, imagine we can do with the resources we have to bring about positive change in our world. 

Not in the same place, at the same time

One will never really understands the weight of his actions or words to someone else. Maybe it's not about any thing in particular that has happened but pent up anger from a long time ago, and the inability to cope with it and everything that is going on.

Too overwhelming and too many voices contained in an area so small that it suffocates. Too many people telling you there is something wrong with you that you start thinking it is true because you don't have anything to say in your defences.

So many so many, feel wronged and victimised.

God, so many people are in a hurry to the next best thing. But I want to learn to enjoy what you have paced before me. Sometimes I need to be slowed down so I can soak up in this impressive world I live in.

God, please teach me how to allow myself to be happy and enjoy the good things you bring. Please help to slow me down and shut my mouth. Please allow the good to flow to me.

I know I'm blessed, for that I have found the purpose for my life

Thank you God, for gracing me with such a comfortable weather so I can sleep well.

Thank you Mummy Daddy for making me so delicious breakfast in the morning.
I know I'm spoilt.
How much more could I ask for? This is just too yummy!
My daddy is a cook, and he cooks the most delicious vegetarian food that no one else can ever come close to! I love you.

Thank you Pei Hong jiejie for accompanying me to study for the past week, otherwise I would have wasted my days away lazing around.
I'm sorry for always being late :(

I wonder if I could find such a good studying partner from next semester onwards.

I am back to my old love. Sorry for ditching you for quite some time. Soy green tea latte is still the best that none could replace. Thank you for letting me find you back!

Thank you idol! We'll probably never have the chance to meet in person, but still I wanna dedicate this appreciation to you. Thank you for making so many beautiful music, for that they have inspired me, reminding me of certain values I should hold on to, and for accompanying me through many moments. Most importantly, thank you for appearing in my dreams!! This may sound silly, but those are certainly the sweetest dreams I could ask for (except one when you told all of us that you were engaged :O). Thank you for having those little conversations in my dreams - okay this is sounding ridiculous. I shall stop. But these are really the little things (or maybe there are big things to me) that never failed to put on a smile on me despite these crazily pressurised days.

There are many many people I want to thank. For that I was down for the past few days and you dearests were there. 
I love it when people give encouragements that caught me by surprise. Thank you for initiating to accompany to study with me Gordon and Shuan. Thank you for wanting to prepare snacks for me to cheer me on Joshua. Thank you for willing to fight with me and stand by me when results that bad hit me Xing Jun. Thank you for always being there and never leaving me, with your special words Nickie and Jia Min. Thank you for making me laugh with your unique sense of humour Rong Her and Eunice. Thank you for your little notes, messages, etc, and encourage me to push on Catherine, Kheng Leng, Sarah, Aaron, Michelle, Joanne and many many more! Thank you for giving me a midnight call when you realised I was suffering from insomnia Nicholas. Thank you for recommending products just so hoping I can sleep earlier Yi Hao. Thank you Eugene for constantly nagging at me just so wanting me to sleep earlier. I hope I don't miss out anyone. But I really wanna thank all of you for making my days so much more bearable. I'm well now and I'm sorry for making you worried. I'm back, fighting! 




When we appreciate more, we find more joy in everyday life.
I know it seems so commercialised, but one day I will make it a good habit. I will learn to see the good in everything, not in the naive way.
That day will come soon I know, for that that will equate to happiness.

Do you still remember who you love?

Today was such an ineffective day; full house for Starbucks and Library was freezing cold.
I booked an consultation with my tutor, along with Xing Jun - hopefully they can convince me and move on.

I was feeling rather dejected I won't deny. D+ and a A- differ so much; this is just too much.
I was so hoping I wont be blinded with just the academic results; I felt I was so shallow.

In an attempt to make my day a little better (rather than sulking whole night), I went to visit the newly open Fairprice opposite my house (renovated). It is so neat! And much more variety - the first that caught my attention was the myriad brands of cheese!

And so I tried to cook :O
I failed so badly. The pictures below will justify why.
I thought it gonna taste damn good HAHAHA. I think too highly of myself! Well, I had fun while it lasted.

Here I am, listening to my playlist.
This is the first music being played tonight.

Although it is definitely not one of his best pieces, it does bring about a different kind of beauty.

“怎么走，怎么还原。我好想回到单纯的世界。”
Racing in this ever fast-paced world, how many times have we paused and reflect?
Racing in this ever fast-paced world, how many times have we leave time for our dearests?

When was the last time you had a proper meal with your family?
When was the last time you gave your best friends a hug?

In life, too many of us regrets on the things we did, and we missed.
In this year alone, I have encountered too many deaths, and people contracting major illnesses. It reminded me how fragile one life can be. It reminded me the purpose of life.

I realised I have been cursing and swearing at so many judges/tutors in these recent years. I felt that there were way too many unfairness and there is also so much that I can do.
Then again, 5 years down the road, 10 years down the road, will this results/achievements still matter that much? Will it destroy you? Or will you learn from it and do better?

Yes, I'm reminded. It's not about accepting and being a loser. It's not about not accepting and wanting to take revenge, proving that he/she is wrong. It's about how you GROW in person. It's about how much you have given, and be proud (I mean for yourself) in years to come.

Be brave. Be kind. Dare to love. Dare to dream. Dare to live!

New Addiction: Frozen Freeze (JJ Lin)

Too stressed up with life recently; I have one of the my worst outbreaks recently.

If these images happen to scare anyone in the middle of the night, I'm sorry :O

I have been trying this new mask recommended by peihong jiejie and rongher; hopefully it's suitable for me!
It's from The Face Shop: Aloe Vera. (I'll do a review if it's good alright!)

How long has it been, since you spend time with just yourself?
Each and every day, too many of us are busy doing the repetitive work - waking up, work/school, meal time, off to bed, and the cycle repeats.

Since JC period, I have been leading a life, sometimes too exhausting for me to handle. As a result, I somehow managed to bury most of my inner emotions deep down, well.
Even though so much has happened, I have yet to really face these issues.

And so tonight, while waiting for a late-night bus home, I plugged in my ear-piece, listening to this new addiction. JJ Lin's new song: Frozen Kiss. I have mentioned to some that I find the melody a little too familiar, not in a bad way.
It's a beautiful song, yet some form of pain is inflicted each time this song is being replayed.

Facing that quiet road, memories start creeping in with this melody accompanying me that night. It's not exactly this song that reminds me of a particular someone, but a feeling that I have been missing.
I'm not trying to imply Im desperate for a someone to depend on - in fact I'm happier than in the past, with all the love and care I have now. It's just those night, once in a while, when you starting missing those feelings.




I know this is a social networking site and I am aware I should not post too personal feelings here; I just want to share this beautiful and powerful song, hoping it can relate to another.
It's not exactly being stuck in the past, wanting to go back in time.
I have moved on, because I have learnt. I have learnt the pain of losing someone, I have learnt the pain of regrets.

I listen to a familiar melody, so as to remind myself of the times that I have cried in pain; I listen to lyrics that depicts my situations and feelings then, so as not to hurt again.

I'm gonna quote from my idol JJ Lin, "The antagonizing moments which I used to scream and pray would pass quickly, would be the same moments I eventually miss after the pain has gone away. I sing, to remember these scars, To celebrate these memories."

Confessions

As the title suggested, I'm going to do a blog post all about me.
I wanted to do this for a long time; I decided to pen them down so I could sort out my thoughts better too.

1. Phobia towards Phone Calls
I don't really know when this have developed. Perhaps phobia is way too an extreme word to put this across, but since this is the no. 1 confession I have made here, I wanted it to sound impactful. Meh.

Yes, I do like to interact with people. I believe it is a good source to learn more about lives and to gain more insights.
Okay, I do want to be there for my friends. Yet at times, I can't help it but to think phone calls are a total waste of time. Most of the time phone calls I had have no content. For most of my long chats over the phone, we would end up talking about the same damn thing over and over again, and back to square one. Things didn't improve. Perhaps we were in a too comfortable environment like lying on our bed - hence ended up engaging in endless senseless talks.
And the very reason that I don't really enjoy long chats? I'm not a someone who can multi-task well. If you know me well enough, you should have realised I actually couldn't perform that at all. The same thing for phone calls. When I talked with someone on phone, I usually don't engage in any other activity. Yes, literally sat down with just the phone. It's not a bad thing, giving your fullest attention. Yet, this has contributed to many of my nights just burnt like that. Too tired the next day, undone assignments, scoldings from parents and the list goes on that make me dislike phone calls a lot. Not really the process if you understand where I'm coming from.
And at times, sudden phone calls just disrupt my momentum of doing wahtever I am doing.
I do love texting though. I can attend to my phone any time I want.
Touching on this, I guess I can make another confession? My phone is always on silent non-vibrating mode. That's the very reason why I have one thousand and one complaints that I don't even answer the calls during emergency. :(

2. Emotionally Unstable
Many times, I felt like I don't know myself at all. This is normal for this period of time by the way. I'm still in the midst of exploring my identity. Sometimes it's quite bad I couldn't even identify my own emotions. Yes, most of the time I smile and laugh like I'm happy with life. When I was alone though, I always end up indulging in unhealthy thoughts. And yes, I enjoy time being alone. I enjoy that a lot. It's a good time to sort out certain emotions. I love Bucks by the way! Like I have told my dearest Nickie, I couldn't let go of certain terrible things that happened. Some things just can't be erased, can't be undone. I'm not too sure how many of you can relate to this. That aside, I am thankful for life - and that leading to my next confession.
I cry a lot too. Guess AJCSB would know this. :/ Yes, I don't hold them back when I'm comfortable with the people.

3. I'm a big fan of mother nature
Okay, maybe this isn't something so unique no more. Who doesn't love mother nature right?
I would rather take a longer route home - purposely a stop after so I could enjoy that short walk at the park, so I could enjoy the beautiful sunset.
Yes, I love beach. Be it the sight in the day, or at night, it feels different every time I pay them a visit. I love the sound of the wave. I enjoy socking my feet at the shore. Yes, I do collect seashells.
The very reason I love roller blading is because I am closer to the beach when I roller blade.

4. I have always wanted to master piano.
I know these 2 instruments are the most popular, and many of you know how to play them well. It's different on my side. I'm a slow learner, a very slow one. Plus I'm not a well-off family. I don't have the privilege to learn piano or ballet when I was younger. I'm trying to save up now though so I could afford the lessons, soon.
On a side note, I have terrible rhythmic sense and I'm guessing I might be a little tone deaf. Meh.
And that's the very reason, I have a thing for guys who can play piano well. It's a plus plus plus point!!

5. I'm a dreamer.
I'm not just talking about those dreams one would have at night/nap. I'm talking about day-dreaming here. By the way, I think my dreams at night are ridiculously funny. Sometimes I would force myself back to sleep so I could have a conclusion for my dream. LOL. Don't judge me.
I'm bad at remembering people names' and faces. Random.
If you do notice me when I'm alone, most of the time I would either plug in ear piece and stare blankly into the space, or out of the window; or reading a book. I like to imagine myself in different scenarios, playing different characters. And I like to relate to song lyrics. Yes, like being the female lead. All the time. I like to imagine having this big stage like a superstar. My mummy always says one doesn't need to pay to dream. HAHA.
And maybe instead of saying I'm a dreamer, I'm someone who think a lot. I meant it when I say a lot.

6. I'm a judgemental person
As much as being a social worker, I still do judge. I know it's unethical to do so. This was never made known to me only until recently. Social Work modules really allow me to understand myself, discovering my own weaknesses and strengths. I never know I judge so much; from my BFF's reactions to things, to total stranger who is taking the same train. And so now I know that I always do so subconsciously, I have to keep them in check. :)


7. I talk to myself in the mirror

Lastly, I wanna share something that is more positive about me. At least I perceive it that way. As weird as each sound, yes I do. I would look myself in the mirror, giving myself encouragements on long days or when I feel exhausted psychologically. It's one of my ways to reassure myself and so to push on. Sometimes I sing myself praises. Not so much about living in self-denial, but I guess everyone has to know their strengths which will give than more motivation in life!


These are the little 7 things I wanna confess about myself today.
Okay, I realised it's more about things I have discovered about myself. Guess it didn't really conflict with the supposed agenda so oh well.

How well do you know about yourself?
Do you notice yourself doing certain things/habits?
Have you tried justifying these actions? Do they tell something about you?

Engaging in senseless thought in a lonely night

Bloody move on.
I turned around, and am still turning, too many times.
And yes, it's too tempting.
Now, I'm dreaming for the impossible.
Hopes dashed.
So much so to undo things; so much so to live up to expectations.

You have heard of it; we all did.
That, "nothing is too late".
But what do we meant by nothing?
It very much just is, the twisting the words; forcing to think and look from another.

We all know happiness is a choice.
Yet, sometimes we are just too tired suddenly.
Because to stay happy, we need to think of reasons. Reasons that make our day or anything, better.
And so, sometimes we felt as if we are lying ourselves.
Sometimes we felt that we are a coward who just can't face our own feelings.
So tell me, what is right?

What is right, and what is wrong?
What is then the truth, and what is then a lie?

Confused. Confused?
Can one really be confused with their own feelings?
Or is one just running away from facing their own feelings?

God, this post just makes no sense.
Pffttttt.

P.s. If you are looking at the moon right now, you can spot Jupiter - as the brightest star - below it :)
Credits to: Kenneth Leong

Another day - yet I learnt to treasure my life more now

I started off my day by doing SW Project with my classmates.
I was late, damn.

For once, I was pretty not myself.

I was rather quiet. Perhaps it's the first time we actually spent time together. 

Then it poured, made my day worst. I felt.

Someone shared with me her personal life stories today. 

From being in a not-so-welled paid family, to meeting a two-timer boyfriend, then being backstabbed by her loved ones. 

She is really strong, and I admire that she could still stand tall and earn a good place now, with a much better boy. On top of that, she still believes that the world is a good place, and tomorrow will always get better. :') 

Then I realised, I'm so blessed. 

I have yet to experience a really bad thing like hers, nothing came close to it. 

I wonder if I could still be as positive if I were hit with such incidents. 

For now, I want you to know you are really a beautiful one. We aren't born to make everyone likes and understands us. If they choose to hurt and not accept us, there's a limit to what we can do. Ultimately, we just have to do what is right to us, and be true to ourselves. :)

My younger brother (handsome right! - he's single by the way, *hinthint* HAHAHA) is enlisting soon, a day before valentines. No more roses from him :(

I know you will do well; remember to eat more!



& he gave me this :D
Strawberry cheese fruit pizza for supper :D

Let me post some over-dued pictures!

I met up with my girlfriend yesterday, Nickie :)

She taught me piano. 

I know I'm really slow when it comes to picking up new things, but she was really patient with me! :')

I love you :)

We had a drink at bucks a few days back, actually to do some work but failed. Damn!

And hey, it's out! JJ Lin. His new album will be released on the 13th March, and preorder starts on the 20th Feb. 4 days after my birthday! *hinthint! HAHAHA.


Do support him! He chose to work with A Sa. :) He's mainly working with people he had worked with for the past 10 years! And of course, some new faces too! I'm so excited! :D:D:D

I didn't change; you just never knew me.

I wasn't really feeling too good when that feeling of emptiness overpowers me.
I have no idea if it was you.
You know, it's so common for teenagers to have these feelings overpowering them. I read it somewhere before.
Teenagers like to compare their life with others, and often felt that they were a 'loner' - either they don't know where they are heading, they have no directions, their life weren't as happening, or that they have less friends, or they don't have as many people loving and adoring them, whatever.

I felt like breaking down for that moment. But I held back.
I felt lost, so so lost.
For that moment, I questioned myself many things. And it just got worst.
Am glad there were people talking about random stuff to pull my mind off these horrible feelings.

I know how scary this blog title sounded.
It is as if I were being accused by someone I least expected.

Hey no, that was just a random line that cross my mind.
I'm stepping into the 20th world in a matter of 2 weeks time.
How much have I grown? How much have I changed?

Yes, in terms of knowledge and wisdom I guess I could say proudly I definitely have gained a lot more; given that I have went through much, especially these two years.

And so, how should I lead my next 20 years, to make it a better one, for myself, my my family, for my friends, for my loved ones?

I have a dream; a dream I never once admitted to any.
It sounded too far away from me that I don't dare to think about it any longer.
Yet recently, it has been calling out for me, louder and louder.
I'm afraid, still.

Confidence.
Courage.
These 2 Cs are the one I have been dying for.

Frankly, I have much more now, compared to the me say in lower Secondary.
Still, I don't think I have an adequate amount of them.
I doubt myself in a myriad of things that I do, even when I was told otherwise.
I doubt my own capabilities, my judgment, many times still.

But one thing I'm certain now at least, (I have shared this with my new friend Sing Ping in one of the Social Work Tutorial) I cannot lock myself out in search of answers.
Maybe it might work, but it will take a longer time.

I have got to get out and meet new people, gain new perspectives, allow myself to see through their eyes, a different world.

Only then perhaps  I will find the answer to what's life, how should I lead mine.

Chad Eastham - A new author I adore!

Healthy relationships involve two people who nurture one another, give hope, listen, care,and ask for care in return. They grow. They bring joy and peace. They heighten your dreams and scope of the world, and they inspire you to move mountains.

You are free to make your own choices. But make them well. You deserve care, and the people around you do too. And you deserve to make decisions that will serve your heart and the hearts around you well.

I have recently been obsessed with this book titled, "The Truth about dating, love & just being friends. And .." Author: Chad Eastham

You may question why is it a run-on sentence for a title? It offers more than just about dating.

Well, although I have to admit that Chad is not a fantastic writer to some, he does not use bombastic vocabulary, he do jump here and there for some content, I still like him a lot.
And here are the reasons why:
1. He is one entertainer. I just had so much fun and laughter while reading and enjoying his books. I like how he chose his words to interact with the readers. I like the mood he set, the atmosphere.
2. He is one humble person. He does not try to manipulate and buy his thinking and all; he just offers his opinions from his point of view and they are pretty constructive I would say.
3. He has a great story to tell. A person's life experiences is definitely his or her most powerful tools. Being a teenager, he got himself into deep shit. And am glad he managed to make it thus far; and now, as an inspiration and motivation to many.

It's a book recommended for youth.
I really do like the part where he thinks that as a youth, it is more important to find your identity before stepping into a relationship.
There are very few upsides to high school relationships, but a great number of downsides.
So, I am learning to too; not be obsessed and rushing into one.

Meet new people, embrace life. Meeting new people is good. It always allow me to see and view life in a whole different perspective.
One of my new year resolutions, stop being so lazy and engage in activities outside - to meet new people, new friends :)

I was able to relate rather well to many in his book.
If you have read his books before, do let me know how you find them ya? :)

HAPPY 2013! :D

Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt.
So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.
The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

Year 2013, a bold year it shall be; a year where my dreams will be drawn closer to me.
Year 2013, a loving year it shall be; a year where I forge stronger ties with my love.
Year 2013, a bless year it shall be; a year where all my love have good health and are happy on most of their days.

Year 2012 has been great with all my love:)

It was pouring like no tomorrow before countdown yesterday since noon.
I was pretty worried that it might affect the performances and fireworks.

I was wrong. The rain was trying its best to wash away all unhappiness of year 2012 :)
Just before countdown, it stopped.
Clear sky, we were all ready to welcome a brand new year.

Year 2013, a good year it shall be. :)