I liked his songs so much that my mom bought a tape for me when i was still too young to start schooling and I would swing my toy sword around, thinking that I'm some wandering wuxia swordsman.

Hall 6 Blk 34 Rm2646

Cleaning up my computer and found these. Should be from junior year (2008/09) and my last semester in Hall 6.

Blanket from my mom for the army but found its way to university. Chungking Express for my 22nd Birthday spearheaded by Zak. Mr. Bean's bedsheet from Feebs (or should I say ASP Tan).

The kids from Moggallana and Linguine. And dreaming of wanting to become a cop back then. Ok wish fulfilled.

Joyston my baby nephew.

So proud to wake up in the morning and seeing you guys on the papers. This place has been my home through my growing years and glad to know that it will continue to be a haven for you guys, and hopefully for future generations of teenagers to come. It made me think a lot today and especially the pioneers of the group and the mentors from the previous committee before me, whom you have to admit established the pillars of the group. Though thru' the years, people come and go and differences arose, we should still be mindful that everyone was only serving the Mission in ways in which he/she felt was for the best.

Continue to work hard and keep the group growing in spirituality, wisdom and compassion. Remember that spiritual friendship should always be at the very heart of this group and that the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha shall always be our Refuges.

We deserve a Singaporean Thanksgiving

It's easy to criticize, and yes, we should, as right-minded citizens, always question and demand the best from our government. But lets also count and appreciate our blessings.

We deserve a Singaporean Thanksgiving
— Richard Hartung

On the fourth Thursday in November, the United States virtually comes to a halt as Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. The story of Thanksgiving dates back to 1620, when the Pilgrims arrived in what is now Massachusetts after fleeing from religious persecution in England, then celebrated the success of their first harvest with a thanksgiving feast a year later.

Today, Thanksgiving is said to be a bigger celebration in America than even Christmas, since it’s a secular holiday all can embrace. Millions of Americans travel by car, plane or train to celebrate the holiday with family and enjoy a feast of turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie and other delectable traditional dishes. And with the emergence of everything from tandoori turkey to kimchi side dishes, Thanksgiving has become a multi-ethnic feast in many households.

Here in Singapore, thousands of Americans will head home this evening to a traditional Thanksgiving repast with turkey and all the trimmings. Just like in America, they’ll give thanks for the many blessings in their lives.

Even though Thanksgiving is an American holiday, it’s worth taking time to stop for a moment on this particular day and give thanks for all that we have here in Singapore.

We can be thankful that we enjoy an abundance of foods from around the world that pour in to replenish our kitchens. From turkey and tofu to chilli and kangkong and more, supplies are available to make everything from local delights such as char kway teow to traditional American Thanksgiving dinners. For those without enough food, organisations like Food from the Heart and the Jamiyah Welfare Association help to make sure needy families receive the supplies they need.

We can be thankful that we enjoy this food in our own homes. Singapore’s home ownership rate of nearly 89 per cent is one of the highest in the world. The Housing and Development Board has helmed an amazing programme that has built high-quality flats housing millions of Singaporeans, and in the private market we have choices of everything from shoebox condominiums to waterfront landed property villas as well.

We can be thankful that our children enjoy one of best education systems in the world. Whether they attend a local school or an international school, students receive an excellent education. Singapore ranks near the top globally in maths scores, for example, and schools around the world have started to use Singapore’s maths curriculum.

We can be thankful that we can head around the corner to a clinic or a few kilometres down the road to a hospital to receive superb medical care if we fall sick. The World Health Organisation has ranked our healthcare system in the top 10 worldwide, and the relative cost is among the lowest in developed countries.

At a time when individuals in many countries struggle to make a living as they experience high unemployment and even higher underemployment, we can be thankful that Singapore faces exactly the opposite situation. Unemployment is low, there is a scarcity of workers, and we may need to bring in more people to fill the gaps.

The pilgrims who went to America seeking religious freedom could hardly have imagined the situation in Singapore. We can be thankful that we can walk down the streets in safety and worship in the temples, synagogues, mosques and churches scattered across the island in multi-religious Singapore.

It’s easy to complain about the difficulties that underlie many of these accomplishments and how families are facing challenges. This writer and others also occasionally provide well-intentioned commentary on opportunities to make a good system even better. Yet as we look around us we see an amazing Singapore that has perhaps exceeded even the wildest dreams that founding fathers like Lee Kuan Yew and the late Dr Goh Keng Swee had when they set out to build the modern Singapore decades ago.

So, today is perhaps the right time to join with Americans in pausing to give thanks for the many good things in each of our lives, which we often take for granted. And while Canada, Grenada and Holland are the few other countries that celebrate a thanksgiving day, albeit on different dates, perhaps it’s time to start thinking about a day of thanksgiving here in Singapore too. For we truly have much to be thankful for.

(22) The General's Daughter

"Are you a soldier or a policeman?"

I think this is one excellent line in the movie that sums up the conundrum behind every military policeman. Soldiers follow orders. Policemen enforce laws. So what about a MP?

Conversations with my colleagues brought up this film. Was recommended by the regular in my section back during National Service. It continue to inspire a couple of years later, for a semester project back in university.

Cleon looks like he was terrified with Mao Mao doing a Backstreet Boys I-Want-It-That-Way.

Johor Bahru, 1735hr.

Had an early dismissal so we went across the Causeway for a good hour and a half.

disconnected

I respect that some of the netizens see it as a patriotic duty to play an alternative role to the mainstream media, but somehow or rather, I get an uneasy feeling that most are really a group of disconnected citizens.

There is nothing good about Singapore, nothing to live and to fight for, if we were to believe and accept everything the alternative says. Every post and article is a criticism to the country and the way it is run, even in policies that actually do benefit. Every Singaporean is brainwashed. Every citizen has poor social etiquette. Everyone is a coward, so much so that some worship a mat salleh who lords himself as a saviour to an enslaved citizenry cowing in fear.

Is there nothing to celebrate, nothing to be proud of? Medals we have won, artists and small-time entrepreneurs with lauded ideas, but that which needs your support? Why so ashamed of your fellow citizens and your own country?

Or maybe it's that disconnected holier-than-thou facade that needs to be dropped.

motherland

One of the many disturbing whines against our own country is the fact that 80% of the population have to stay in a HDB flat. We should recognize that spatial constraint is a major flaw in our small island-nation. Even if we are to take away all the foreigners here, it is still impossible for every Singaporean to enjoy a huge land property as citizens of nations elsewhere would. This is a physical problem but as citizens shouldn't we understand better and accept and accommodate the best we can? Besides HDB living is first world standard, just compare it with any other public (and even private) housing elsewhere in the world, even in so-called liberal democratic free world.

We can't choose our own mothers, we accept every flaw that comes with her. Likewise, we can't choose our own motherland. Our desire to protect and honour her should really stem from the fact that this is the very land on which we build our homes, and the soil that which nourishes our hopes and dreams, even in our most dissenting voices.

Me in 40 years time

No, my Dad lah.

CEP Pre-Camp

Rev. Heng Sure

I have been following the writings and works of Reverend Heng Sure via the Internet since my army days 5 years back. I have sought solace in his wisdom and have found inspiration in his Dhamma music. His song, Dedication of Merits, is also sang by youths in Camp Ehi-Passiko and Camp Lions.

So it seems almost like coming to a full circle to finally meet Reverend Heng Sure in a youth dialogue here in Singapore, a rare appearance from the revered American Buddhist monk.





Another spiritual recharge on an inspirational weekend.

(21) $61.15 Million

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 earns $61.15 million in its first opening day. Here.

Even Vader is a fan.

"... Singapore will always be my country, and I will never hesitate to defend it. No circumstance could make me consider disowning my nation."

"My ancestors settled here and I was born here. As Singaporeans, we may have differing opinions about Singapore becoming a global city, but we must agree on one thing: that this will be our nation, for better or for worse."

"We should love our country - with no strings attached." And rightly so.

Hope. 希望。

我什么都没有，就只有那么一点点的希望。

the real Harry Potter himself?

Mai siao siao.

I like this chap. All passionate people. Did I mentioned that I'm a Harry Potter fan too?

Bought a 50mm f1.4.

Exploring if the 5DMkII can record audio directly with the ZoomH4N via the audio jack.

The funny thing is I've spent close to 5k on the camera and the peripherals but have yet to shoot anything for myself. This cannot become a prediction of doom.

(20) We are the Sex Bob-omb!

Funny how everybody is jumping onto the bandwagon, that youths today are turning haywire with two recent slashing cases. Anyone old enough to remember the 90s and early 2000s will realise that the situation was much worse then. Remember pocket knives and combs with sharp ends, gang fights almost every other week and when the Ah Beng/Ah Lian culture really took its root.

2 incidents do not mean a revival of gangsterism but strong action by the authorities should be taken and supported to nip the problem in the bud. There's always a good need for CL(TP) in a small society like ours, despite repeated calls from the opposition parties to review the Act. The current situation is one such example.

ONE year ago

One from Liew Shi Xiong on Vimeo.

This is a shorter version for a NE competition with its ending some what abrupt. We couldn't do a longer edit as the hard disk crashed and it's going to take some time and effort before we can resurrect it. Ok, Zeming?

High Crime

I like all these 60s, 70s poliziotteschi films/the Italian cop dramas/euro crimes..

Cops, detective and crime always make good material.

(19) FUBAR

Saving Private Ryan

"Fucked up beyond all recognition."

Looking for Each Other

The moon of freedom has returned to me,

everything I thought I had lost.

From that moment on,

and in each moment that followed,

I saw that nothing had gone.

There is nothing that should be restored.

Every flower, every stone, and every leaf recognize me.

Wherever I turn, I see you smiling

the smile of no-birth and no-death.

The smile I received while looking at the mirror of the moon.

I see you sitting there, solid as Mount Meru,

calm as my own breath,

sitting as though no raging fire storm ever occurred,

sitting in complete peace and freedom.

At last I have found you, Blessed One,

and I have found myself.

There I sit.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

(18) Due Date

Ethan: My father always had a saying "When a day starts like this it's all uphill from here.
Peter: Uphill? No, it's all downhill from here.
Ethan: But nobody wants to be down, everybody wants to be up. It's all uphill from here.
Peter: But it's easier to go downhill. So your dad had no idea what the fuck he was talking about.

Wouldn't wanna be caught in such a situation. I have a couple of friends who are really as eccentric as Ethan yet they are some of the purest people around. Comedy is tough but if written well with all the right actors will make good money.

Oooooooooooorrrrchard Road uncle

I always thought this was brilliant when it was aired 4 to 5 years ago. Finally found it online.

(17) Midnight Cowboy

The random meeting of two young men out in the wilderness of the city, searching for a piece of their American dream, or rather the hollowness of it all. Heart-wrenching, one of those films that you know is gonna stuck in your brain for a long time. What are your chances to find a former X-rated film on the shelves of local shops?


Oscars 1970 Best Film, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Nominated for a Golden Bear in 1969. Amazing filmmmaking techniques, with moments of avant-garde montage sequences much like the adaptation of New York underground filmmaking. Haunting theme song. Dustin Hoffman shines, awkward to see John Voight so young. But this is 1969.