And suddenly, I thought of Miss Laia. Her happy-go-lucky attitude makes me miss her so much

My wonderful SDP project mates

Public

I have come to a conclusion that most people here abuse anything that is public... be it communal kitchens, TV lounges, Washing machines, etc.

And most of these people usually take very good care of their own private property. So this refutes the point that they don not know how to take care of things; yep they are plain selfish.

So for those out there who thinks that working in the public sector is easier than in the private.... i suggest that you think again.... Public = abuse.

It's really a wrong time to be down with a cold. But i'm really glad I am recovering quite fast.

Hope I get well soon... that pile of work on my desk is waiting for me.

Please knock before you enter. Basic courtesy. Thanks

Guilty conscience =(

Life must be full of ups and downs because it is only when you experience the downs then will you cherish the ups.

My thighs are aching now. I crazily attempted an unintentional 20km run on saturday. Of course I did not manage to complete it... probably finished only 17km before my thigh cramps set in... had to walk/limp back home; it's really an experience that I haven't felt for a long time (since NS)

It certainly taught me a lesson: never plan a run route without calculating the distance. Was feeling adventurous on saturday and yearning for a bit of sun tanning so i decided to venture out of my neighbourhood abit but that abit proved to be too much for me. Ran from hougang to Punggol and decided to follow the LRT track only to realise that it covers a really long distance... wanted to turn back but i was in the middle of nowhere.

But I must admit the view along the way was really nice, especially at Punggol... it was so peaceful and there were still many patches of open grassland. I even saw the occasional remote planes zooming over my head and also not to mention the countless make-shift squatters for the foreign construction workers.

Even though my thighs were busted, I guess I will do this some time again. This time I hope to be able to go all the way to Punggol Jetty. Not sure if it is a good idea... but i guess that would take me a bit of training.

Oh my I think I am indulging myself in too much candies. I seriously should stop. You can help by dropping by to finish the candies in my room.

Last morning, I was taking a bus to buona vista mrt. It was such a refreshing feeling to be taking a bus admist the morning rush hour; seeing the crowds, the young executives rushing for time, old ppl enjoying their morning stroll. It made me realised that my 4 years of stay in a hostel has made me lose the morning rush hour sensation. I have no idea if that was good or bad but I know it certainly made me appreciate that feeling more (I think most ppl hate it anyways).

It made me come up with this weird analogy:
"if there is ever something in life that is routine and not enjoyable for you but absolutely necessary, you should try making it less routine. That way you will appreciate it more and maybe learn to see the more enjoyable side of it" - In short, it can make you a happier person.

And never ever become a perfectionist because I think perfectionists are naturally pessimistic people; they are constantly searching for problems and worrying that things are not complete enough. And very sadly, if you ever become one, you will deny that you are one which means that you will remain that way and lead a relatively unhappier life. Maybe this could be termed as "The Perfectionist Vicious Cycle".... A good topic for a sociology thesis... perhaps...

Lau Pa Sat

Finally after working so hard for a week, I treated myself to an overly-sumptuous dinner at Lau Pa Sat. Surprisingly, even though it has turned into a tourist kind of hawker centre (like Newton Circus), the quality of food is still quite good.

Ms Glutton and I had bbq sting ray, satay, kang kong and mussels. It was definitely too much even for 2 gluttons.

A spicy meal = a sweaty and messy event

It was a bit too much for Ms Glutton and me... but we still managed to empty the plates.

To end off the spicy meal... we had an ice kachang for cooling down which left both of us bloated.

Lau Pa Sat is definitely worth a second visit.

my childhood and a temple

I still remember during my childhood days when my ah ma was still around. She would take my little sis and me to this temple near where i live very frequently. She's a really devoted taoist. I remember how everytime she would pray for our good health and good academic results while all I cared was the free sweets and stationery that we can get from the temple. (the temple i visit used to give sweets and stationery to kids as some form of lucky objects)
Obviously they don't give these out for free, you need to make a donation and my ah ma is never stingy when it comes to making such donations.

I never really like going to a temple because it's always hot, stuffy and filled with smoke from the incense; it has never failed to make me sweat and tear even up till today. Nevertheless, I still went upon the instruction of my ah ma.

Despite the numerous visits I made to that same temple, i still have no idea about the correct sequence i have to pray to the huge variety of deities in the temple.

Today, I had the chance to pay that temple a visit again. It's the year of the pig and there's something about those born in the year of the pig needing to pray to this deity called "tai sui ye". Yes, i sweated and teared again.. so did my mum.... I guess there's no way one can ever get used to the amount of smoke inside.

The visit gave me mixed feelings: My parents know that I see myself as a free-thinker but they still decided that I should go pray. Frankly, I do not mind going but I seriously feel i do not deserve the blessings of the deities since I have zero knowledge about the customs and beliefs and more importantly, I do not observe any of the practices. I do respect the religion but I somehow cannot get myself to put in my commmitment which is the main reason why i decided that i should just become a free-thinker.

And so today I went; i went thru all the rituals but this time round, I did not ask for any blessings; i feel i do not deserve it. It was purely an act of respect to the religion that my family believes in.

Perhaps I am too practical; i believe in ancestral worship not because I believe that they will offer some kind of spiritual protection but more of it being an activity that allows me to remember who they were and the times we spent together.

I hope my parents are not too disappointed in me.