Much ado about nothing

The current buzz is really about the announced GST hike that is going to happen in 2007. Gosh it really has been that long since GST was introduced. Remembered it started off at 3% and went up to 5%. Remember it being 5% for quite a while. Well, its announced that it will go up in 7%. Something which was talked about before. Its finally happening.

Yeah, sure, things are going to be a bit more expensive. Been hearing a lot of murmurs going on. Complains mainly. You wonder for a people who buy handphones whenever a new model comes out or new gadgets all the time, we complain a whole lot about spending an extra 2%. Here is a secret for you, instead of buying so many things, you might want to try and save. That way, the 2% hike isn't going to cost you your next meal.

The Kyrgyz have a saying, "A wise man is not one who knows much, but one who has travelled far". I personally like that saying. For a global trotter wannabe, I've been to quite a number of cities in the world. Of all the developed countries I've been to, I've seldom encounted a goods and service tax as low as Singapore's. They usually are in the double digit. So whilst there is an increase in GST, its really not that big a deal. Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy having to pay more either, but in perspective, we aren;t worse off than a whole lot of people in the world. Just puts things into perspective. Myopia. quit complaining.

Just a day,
Just an ordinary day.
Just trying to get by.
Just a boy,
Just an ordinary boy.
But he was looking to the sky.
And as he asked if I would come along
I started to realize
That everyday you find
Just what he's looking for,
Like a shooting star he shines.

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Winding pathways

One of the exhilrating things is to drive on a winding road. Taking the corners at high speeds will definitely get the adrenaline glands into overdrive. Yes, I know its dangerous, but that experience is really out of this world. It usually safer (and saner) when its in the daytime. You can see what's ahead of you and anticipate what's coming up.

Not to say that you can't do in the night. You can of course switch on the high powered Xenon headlights. The problem is that light travels in a straight path and it usually illuminates the path in front of you, blind-sighting you to what is not infront of you. Thats where the danger lies and its difficult to anticipate what is ahead, especially around the corners.

I sometimes feel that way. Especially when things seem uncertain, there is darkness about everything and you cannot see what is ahead. Its difficult to anticipate what is going on and whether we are headed in the right direction. And if we attempt those high speed corners in those conditions, we are headed for trouble.

Uncertainty is always going to be part of our decision making. There will always be a blind-spot as such. The soultion is a simple one. Slow down, that way we can take life's corners as they come without making any wrong and rash decisions. Slow down... Hump ahead.

And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

Standing on top of the edge it feels like it's going down
Everything stays in my mind feeling in a daze on the ground
Feels like it's gonna give life's to hard to live anymore
I think I've had enough things too tough
I'm out the door

All in all it's just another day now
You're falling down
What you gonna do
Standing on top of the world tonight
No ones looking back at you

Stand tall
It's going on
It's going on
It's gonna be just fine
You're holding on
Holding on today

Give it a little time

It takes a little time sometimes
To get your feet back on the ground
It takes a little time sometimes
To get the titanic turned back around
It takes a little time sometimes
But baby youre not going down
It takes more than you've got right now
Give it time

Spin

Everything I know has let me down
so i will just let go
let you turn me inside out
cause i know i'm not sure
about anything at all but you wouldn't have it any other way

Spinning Turning Watching Burning
all my life has found it's meaning
walking crawling climbing falling
all my life has found its meaning

Storm against the window

One of the "privileges" of living in Singapore is the unpredictability of the tropical weather. It can be hot, humid and sunny one moment and the next, its raining cats and dogs. Imagine being caught in that situation without an umbrella! It quite amazing actually, when you least expect it, it will hit you. There is nothing like being in a car when the storms hit. The rain pounding relentlessly on the windscreen, but unfazed, you continue on your journey, wherever that may be.

un·fazed Audio pronunciation of "unfazed"
Pronunciation Key (n-fzd)

adj. Not fazed or disturbed.

Things will always be unpredictable and storms will always rage, important thing is to have a refuge where you can go when the storms come. Where is your refuge? What is your solid rock? What are you anchored to?

Earth Shaker

Being very much a routine person who needs stability with the familiar, unchanging schedules etc, it can get depressing and discouraging when things don't seem to be what they are. Was watching this show about disasters and there was this portion when it showed a building collasped suddenly, without a warning, killing many people in it. A building is suppose to withstand the element, providing protection for those who are in it. But when something like that happenes, the very foundation of our beliefs are shaken!

Marriage, an institution I very much believe in, is challanged as we see spouses becomin gunfaithful with no rhyme or reason, I just heard from a friend that an associate's wife walk out on him out of the blue. It saddens my heart.

The more time passes, it seems that there is nothing certain in this world. Things which are suppose to be trustworthy fail you or play your out. Then what is the point in building anything? What if all that I have built just decides to collaspe?!

I am reminded that there is one thing which is certain. My faith in an faithful, unchanging God. My foundation, that is unmovable, certain and solid. That gives me strength to continue living. Yes, things may change, just like the weather, but I know that my worth as a person will never change!

My world shall be my petridish

A wise man is not one who has lived long, but one who has travelled far - Krygyz saying

Time really flies when you are having a good time! I've flown to Kyrgyzstan and come back! That is another "-tan" country to add to my list. So far, its been Tajikstan and Afghanistan. Looking forward to visit Uzbekistan next!

I particularly like the Krygyz saying and I tend to agree with what is said. Its easy to become myopic if we continue to live in our small world, we really need to venture out and see what the world has to offer. We are all prone to complain about our circumstances, but only if we knew how other people in the world are suffering. We complain about the high prices of petrol and how expensive a car cost, but in another part of the world, people are struggling to buy wood to warm their houses in winter! Puts things into perspective don't you think?

I am thankful for the opportunites that I am given to widen my horizons, to learn abotu other cultures, to converse with and to learn so many other things. I just heard that some schools today organize overseas trips to other countires, in particular Mongolia. I'm particularly pleased to hear that. Perhaps when our young learn about other cultures, they will learn to be more grateful for what they have and not take things for granted. Get your world view perpective broadened!

Blank

Mind is pretty much blank for the past month or so. Been trying real hard to keep head afloat. You know they say that when it rains, it pours? Guess that has been happening. One after another, just like waves crashing onto the shore.

But every rainbow has an end, and seasons come and go. I'm coming close to the end of yet another busy season. Taking a deep breath for now. Everything will be alrite.

Watch this space for more confessions.

The heat is on...

Everyone's changing, I stay the same
I'm a solo cello outside a chorus
I've got a secret,
It's time for me to tell that you've been keeping me warm

Just sweet beginnings and bitter endings
In coffee city, we borrowed hea-ven
Don't give it back, I've never felt so wanted
Are you taking me home?

This straightjacket feeling...

strait·jack·et also straight·jack·et
Pronunciation Key (strtjkt)
n.

1. A long-sleeved jacketlike garment used to bind the arms tightly against the body as a means of restraining a violent patient or prisoner.
2. Something that restricts, hinders, or confines: the straitjacket of bureaucratic paperwork.


tr.v. strait·jack·et·ed, strait·jack·et·ing, strait·jack·ets

To restrain, restrict, or hinder by or as if by confining in a straitjacket.

Have you ever felt controlled in your life? Not by just someone but also by circumstances. You cannot do the things that you want to, because you need to spare a thought for others. Or because someone is preventing you, or because of yourself?

Feels like having a straightjacket around you. Its so stifling and you just wanna scream out! Makes you wonder sometimes if you are just another patient living in an asylum - your world.

What happened to prevention was better than cure?

Read in an article today of a Mexican man that was grossly overweight and was considered to the one of the heaviest man in the world. He's 40 years old and weighs 86 stones (dunno how much that is but you should see his picture). Apparently he has appealed to the doctors to reduce weight, cos he does not want to die. "If they can operate on my stomach, then ... listen, I am not afraid of dying, we were born to die," he said. "But I'm afraid to die without trying. That, yes, I am frightened of."

The statement the man made really set me thinking. I was pretty much brought up in a culture of prevention is better than cure. If you want to lose weight, you watch what you eat and you diet. If you don't want to fall sick, then you take care of your health, if you don't want to come to a point where you don't have money, then you save! But soemhow it seems that culture has changed. It has become somewhat of a passive attitude towards life and of self.

This man chooses not to watch his diet and he claims he's afraid of dying. Sheesh, you would think that if he really was, then he would not be in this state. People today are very good at copping out. When they face a problem, its usually the easy way out. If they are having a hard time at work, they quit and change jobs. When a task is too hard, they give up. Perseverance is no longer a virtue, its virtually dead.

On a morbid note, for those who have caught the movie "Saw and Saw II", the plot of the movie is about a psycho who places peoples in situations where they have to do something in order to live, it can be painful and self-mutilating, but if they go through it, they will survive. The lesson he was trying to teach those people to appreciate life, and only when they are about to lose it, do they realise its preciousness. Scary thought, but its true isn't it?

How would you live your life if you knew you had a couple more months to life? Would it be any different now? If yes, why? Let's endeavour to live life to the fullest.

The thing about instant noodles

Our society today in general can be described as an instant society. Where culture follows the same principles of instant noodles. Everything needs to be fast, instant. The buzz word is efficiency. Needless to say, I'm pretty much caught up in that same kind of mentality. Gone are the days of wasting time, sitting about doing nothing or waiting for something to happen. Its all about planning and thinking ahead nowadays.

The past couple of days have been "tough" for me as I had to resort to taking public transport. My car was involved in an accident with a particular wall. The wall escaped pretty much unscathe, my car unfortuantely was not so well off. A bus ride home took me more than an hour. Changed buses twice just to get home. But the thing was that during the ride, I had so much more time to do thing about stuff than usual and that was a break. I could day dream (something which I used to do so much more) and sit back and relax, watching the world go by and how having to worry about the traffic. If I was tired, I could just take twenty winks and not worry abotu hitting the car in front. Ah the life...

Well, I got my car back yesterday. And even as I'm reminded of what I've lost, its ironical because of the time I've gained because I can do so much more with the car, but at the same time, all the personal time that I've lost. Determined to reclaim my lost time.

Here we go again...

Its that time of the year when new projects starts and all that stress of meeting deadlines again. Somehow time has passed by and its already the 5th year I'm going through this phase. I worked till late yeaterday and left the office around 8pm.

Took my usual route which required me to make a U-turn before I can head home. After the U-turn, I will come across a traffic crossing after which is a bus-stop. I passed by the bus-stop yesterday. It was raining and the place was dark. I remember standing there with my umbrella waiting to take bus 100 to Shenton Way and then 196 home.

The journey usually took 45 minutes and by the time I got home, it would be almost 9pm. Now, I can head home regarless of the rain and can be back in 20 minutes. Counting my blessings.

Random Ramblings

Did you know that smells can trigger memories? Well, they do for me and offhandedly there are 3 smells that will always trigger mine.

1) The rain - triggers my memory of my grandmother
2) Fresh plastered cement - triggers my memory of my time in primary school
3) Head & Shoulders - my ex.

Refined by fire

Apologies. I know that I have been MIA for like the longest time. December has come and gone. Usually the busiest time of the year, friends returning home from overseas and catching up with them already takes up so much time. No to mention the festive mood with all the parties and activities goign on, its good to finally be able to sit down and take a breather. 2005 has come and gone and 2006 is here!

Looking back, 2005 was fraught with much pain. Many changes took place, many heartaches and most of all, many experiences that I had to endure. But that's it isn't it? Its all about refinement. Its a changing of norms. No one likes change, we all like to be status quo.

Change only comes about from an external source. Imagine, what changes a dirty piece of carbon in to a brilliant diamond? Pressure, a great deal of it. Well, I'm no diamond (yet) but I look forward to the day when I become perfect. Its a process and I look forward to more change this year...

New Beginnings

Yeap, 2005 has come and gone. New beginnings yet again. Belated wishes for a blessed Christmas and a even more blessed New Year.