Closed chapter

Hi all,

Today marks another chapter of my life closed. It's been about a year since I started blogging and I told myself that I'd only do it for a year. As such, I shan't be putting up any more posts after this. To all my readers and commenters, thanks for reading my blog and leaving your comments throughout this past year. It's been a wild one for me but at least I can say that I blogged for a season of my life. Haha...

With that, I bid adieu to the blogging world. Take it easy guys...

~Slick~

P & A Project (RAW)

I know my post title sounds like some kind of wrestling show but it's not. Last Monday night, Joel, Terence, Kit, Chester, Stephen, Jack, Tim and I were in church doing our first recording session. *applause* Now, I know we've recorded some stuffs in church before but what I mean by "first recording session" is that we came together for the sole purpose of recording a couple of songs. There was no service, no meeting, no event; Just us, the equipment and God.

What am I talking about? A few of us from the Plugged & Amplified (P&A) band have started a project in the area of recording songs which we always do in church. In case you did not know, the YDM worship team band is called "Plugged & Amplified". I'd also like to stress that this is not "my" project but rather God's project initiated by me. Also that this is just a project and not a ministry. Anyways, I digress.

It was a valuable learning experience to say the least. At first we took what seemed like forever just to set up and do a sound check and balance. Of course it's understandable since we are new at this after all and it's also harder when none of us are musically qualified. It's a progressive thing and the first step is always the hardest. Thank God the hardest part, i.e. getting started, is over. I don't expect to get things correct right from the very beginning but I do want to see some kind of improvement as we progress in this project.

A couple of weeks back, we had a visiting team of musicians from Singapore do a worship retreat for us and I'm reminded of something that was mentioned. "A recording is a good way to improve your skills both individually and as a team because it gives you the reality of what you actually sound like". In that respect, I'm not particularly looking forward to listening to our monday night recordings. Come on, we're all humans with egos after all. Sometimes we all think we are like this :

but are probably more like this :

Hahahaha... If it's one thing that bands struggle with, it's trying not to sound like they're just making lots of noise.

~Slick~

Second time around

I've seen this video before but for some reason, it's only funny to me the second time around.

~Slick~

?!?!?!?!

Just admit it people. I'm so cute...... >_<

(hold shift + click to enlarge)

~Slick~

Hands

Lots of people have told me that the fact that I have long and slender fingers with very smooth skin, makes my hands very feminine. Obviously, I'm not gonna agree that my hands are feminine because after all I am a guy despite what people may say or think but I'll let you guys be the judge of that. What do you think?

(Hold shift + click to enlarge)

~Slick~

Shove it...

I've always disliked people telling me what to do thinking that they know what's best for me when they don't even know me at all. So to 'you-know-who' who told me to 'you-know-what', you can just take that thing and shove it 'you-know-where'

~Slick~

The old and the new

Just abit of randomness that has been running through my mind ever since I saw this advertisement on tv. The line went like this "Try the all new Nescafe classic." For some reason, I'm the only person who finds that sentence totally funny in a stupid way. I mean c'mon people, that's like saying "Come on down and check out all our brand new second hand cars."

Anyways, I've been listening to The Beatles again lately and I re-remember why they were so good. Their songs are just so catchy. That's one thing that I'm currently looking into. How to write catchy songs. Writing a song is difficult enough but writing a catchy song is worse. Hmm...I guess nothing is ever as easy as it seems. What's worse is when people who can do things well tell people who wish that they could do it as easily as them, "It's really simple."

!@$%!!@@$#^Y@#^&#%&^**#$%$^7.........................................like heck it is


~Slick~

Day off

Today marks the 62nd annual-coming-into-this-world day of our sultan. For some of us, *cough* Frankie *cough* it's a headache but for most of us, it is a much needed break from work. Gosh, don't you just love public holidays? Haha... And my cousin from Canada is currently staying with me for the next 3 weeks. She's really fun and her name is Pamela or Pam for short.

Anyways, my day today was pretty productive but only from the afternoon onwards. I practically slept the whole morning away. Hehe... Like I said, a much needed break from work. I do wish that I woke up abit earlier tho cos the day might have gone abit differently if I did. Oh well...

Everything went quite smoothly at worship practice today. Not alot of technicalities but I do need to work out some kinks with the chords. Did I mention that I'm leading worship for church service this week? It's not new to me but I still am abit nervous. I don't think there's ever any getting over that.

I was really surprised that my cousin wanted to follow me to practice. Pleasantly surprised of course and interestingly enough, I found out that she's a grade 8 pianist. That's so cool. Anyways, I brought her out for dinner with the guys after practice and had a really good meal.

Overall, I guess it's been a pretty good day for me today.

~Slick~

Kiasu-ism

For those of you who don't know the first thing about "kiasu" people or being "kiasu" in life, here are the A to Z's of kiasu-ism :-

A - Always must win
B - Borrow but never return
C - Cheap is good
D - Don't trust anybody
E - Everything also must grab one
F - Free! Free! Free!
G - Grab first, talk later
H - Help yourself to everything
I - I first, I want, I everything
J - Jump queue
K - Keep coming back for more
L - Look for discounts
M - Must not lose face
N - Nevermind what people think
O - Outdo everyone you know
P - Pay only when absolutely necessary
Q - Quit while you're still ahead
R - Rushing and pushing wins the race
S - Samples are always welcomed
T - Take but don't give
U - Unless it's free, forget it
V - Vow to be number one
W - Winner takes it all!
X - X'tra means more for you
Y - Yell, if necessary, to get what you want
Z - Zebras are kiasu because they want to be black and white at the same time...

~Slick~

Is this it?

How is this happening? WHY is this happening? I thought that I did everything to make sure that it would not come to this but it's happening now and I'm powerless to stop it. I'm trying my best but it's not good enough; not worth enough.

This is wrong. This is not how things should be. A decision was decided, a declaration was declared and a commitment was solidified. All that happened when Rev. Johnny challenged us to stand. To boldly show that we would live to love God; live to bring Him praise; live as a child in awe of Him. There was a silence but then there was a stirring.

People stood...................













...................Is this the way we live to love God?

~Slick~

Welcome !

Hope you all like this layout. I'll welcome any criticism............................................. ....................................with a kick to the shins. Speaking of shins, a guy without any is called "Tony" (Toe-knee) *bada bish*

~Slick~

Revamp

I've been toying with the idea of shutting down my blog site for awhile now but now that I really think about it, it would be such a shame so I've decided to give it another shot. I will, however, want to make some layout changes to the site and revamp it abit so I welcome anyone with suggestions. Hehe...

I hope all of you can be patient until I've decided on the new layout. Tho, I doubt there are alot of ppl out there reading my blog anyways. HaaHAHhaahHAHhaaAHhaha...... why the heck am I laughing?

~Slick~

Special delivery

Santa came early this year. Check it! This is only the beginning.......kekekekekeke

*grin*

~Slick~

Pimple love

Random thought for the day:

Lots of people say that if you have a fairly big pimple on your face, it means that you're in love. I've always wondered the logic behind that saying and if there's any truth to it...


~Slick~

Update version 3.14159265359

It's been awhile since my last post because of 2 reasons:

1) Holiday in Phuket
2) My effin' e-speed has been acting up again

Anyways, just to update you people briefly on my trip to Phuket; It was extremely fun but also extremely tiring because I barely got 4 hours of sleep the whole time I was there. Tee hee hee... The night life there is just crazy, which is mostly due to the large sex industry over there. I wasn't surprised to see prostitutes and 'what-nots' everywhere because that's always been known about Thailand but seeing it in real life and hearing about it are two totally different things altogether.

The sad part of my trip was that it was only 3 days and 2 nights long. And to make things worse, I spent half the trip on an airplane. My flight schedule was Brunei-Singapore-Phuket-Kuala Lumpur-Singapore-Brunei. Don't ask me why my flight was like that, it just was. Furthermore, I was detained by custom officers at the KL airport and not allowed to leave the airport because of my 'stateless' issue. Thank God that I was able to convince the officers and still make it in time for my connecting flight. But after all that, I think the trip was definitely worth it and I would probably do the whole thing again if I could. Hehe... =D

That's all for now.

My colleagues and I

~Slick~

A day in the life of me

Please read the instructions carefully before attempting:

1) Wake up - Always start by waking up to turn the water heater on; Lest you want to take a cold shower in the morning. Return to sleep after switching the heater on. An alarm clock which allows you to set two different alarm times is handy in this situation because it saves you valuable minutes in the morning which could be used for sleeping instead. *Warning!* Prolonged repetition may lead to a zombie like state when carrying out step 1.

2) Wake up (reprise) - For this step, an alarm clock with a "snooze" button is necessary. Once the device is in place you may use the afore-mentioned button to gain even more valuable sleeping time. This button may be used 2 to 3 times in a row..................or 7 to 8. Whatever... *Warning!* Using the snooze button too many times will result in hurriedness.

3) Shower (15 mins or so) - A shower in the morning refreshes the body and keeps it awake longer. **Note: Peeing in the shower, although gross, can help to keep the time spent on this step to a minimum. The same goes for brushing your teeth.**

4) Outer appearance - Start by laying out the desired clothes. Wearing underwear is optional as according to your preference. Put on the pants and belt before proceeding to fold the sleeves of your shirt. Gel your hair and then move on to facial care. Next, put on your shirt and end with tucking it into your pants. **Note: Be sure to check that your fly is closed before proceeding.**

5) Breakfast - Just skip it. *Warning!* Not eating may cause death...

6) Driving to work - Take a few mins to say a prayer before departing. If you are to drive like me, you're gonna need all the protection you can get. *Warning!* Traffic may cause boredom.

7) Work - Spend the next 4 hours answering phone calls, processing orders, typing emails, drinking water, going to toilet, filing documents, being scolded, making jokes, complaining, pretending to work and answering all of your boss' questions. **Note: Not necessarily in that order.**

8) Lunch - Meet up with certain people for lunch if they are available or skip it if they aren't. Return to work late.

9) Work (continued) - Refer to step 7

10) Driving home - Let out a sigh of relief at the completion of step 9 and take a few mins to say a prayer before departing. *Warning!* Driving at excessive speeds may result in a testimony at YDM.

11) Shower (leisurely) - Just as a shower in the morning prepares the body for the daily activities, so does a shower in the evening prepare the body for the night activities. Be sure to scrub every single part of your body and also to take a moment to admire your physique (or lack thereof)

12) Dinner - Refer to step 5

13) Night activities - This step is ad-hoc and will change from night to night. Common activities include going to the gym, hanging out at the mall, watching a movie, playing video games, blogging and worship practice.

14) Sleep - Ensure that your alarm clock has been set and turned on for the next morning before proceeding to facial care. Upon completion of facial care, double check the alarm clock and switch off the lights.

15) Start from the top again

~Slick~

Lazyness begets lazyness begets lazyness begets lazyness...

Lately I've been so lazy that if I was in a race for the world's laziest person, I'd finish last...... Have you ever gotten the feeling that you've got nothing to live for? Hmmm.....


~Slick~

"yuck" basses

Some basses that I would think twice about before buying them...








~Slick~

The horror of basketball

(hold shift and click pictures to enlarge in a new window)

It was the last point of the last game we were playing that night and the ball was in my hands. As the ball left my hands, I suddenly felt this sharp pain in my eye and immediately lost sight in my left eye. Apparently Mark Yapp, with his 'don't want to lose' style of playing, flew from across the court and managed to get a finger or probably two on the ball. Eyeball that is. All in all, my eye was cut and both internal and external bleeding occurred. I had to see a doctor (no pun intended) to patch up my eye in order to prevent any further infections.

I'm telling you, it sure sucks to not have sight in one eye. Living just becomes a chore. How I pity blind people, even if only partially blind. After 2 days, the patch came off but my sight was still abit fuzzy so I couldn't really drive. Many thanks to my buddies Frank and Ron for facilitating transport for me during this period. I really appreciate their help.

The funniest thing about this whole incident was that when Richard told me that Mark was joining us for basketball I said these words to him, "I don't have anything against him but it's just that every time he plays, somebody gets injured somehow." Haha... Who would've thought that person would be me. Irony can be such a bloody bastard sometimes.

Anyways, bygones be bygones. I don' hold any grudges against Mark nor do I seek to gain vengeance. Of cos that's not to say that I will play basketball with him again anytime soon. Least ways, not until my eye heals completely. I'm just really thankful to God that He did not take away half my sight. It just goes to show that we are not as invincible as we sometimes think we are. We do and always will need God in our lives.

~Slick~

My mind's telling me I'm tired.....

Yeah, I know that I haven't updated my blog eventhough the internet has been up and running again for awhile now but I've been crazy tired lately. I don't know what it is exactly that's sapping all my strength and energy but I really hope it doesn't last for much longer. Anyways, here are some highlights and lowlights(?) of the past week or so :-

Highlights

1) Ron's entrance into manhood - There was alot of skepticism about Frank and I pulling off another surprise party for Ron what with the whole 'Frankie fiasco' not too long before that but in the end we somehow managed to do it. Of course Ron would argue that we just barely managed to surprise him because of our bad acting that night. Haha... Little did he know that we were acting like we were acting terribly just to throw him off. =P I must say that Ron's reaction to the surprise wasn't quite as entertaining as Frank's wailing but it was still worth it to make his face red without the use of alcohol. Tee hee hee........

2) St Andrew's School Golden Jubilee - I did not attend the actual event held on 19th April 2008 but I heard that the response was quite good. I was, however, involved in the thanksgiving service held on the following Sunday at church. Singing in a choir is not easy but it's always a good feeling when your hard work and practice pays off. Although the service did go on a bit longer than expected and Tim pulled a 'Ben' (haha to you Tim), everything went quite swimmingly. Praise Jesus !

3) The I Heart Revolution - I managed to get the new CD from Hillsong United. It's called "With Hearts As One" and is basically a compilation of selected songs performed and recorded live at conferences in different parts of the world. It's pretty cool but I'd recommend it to you as a novelty item only (unless you're a die-hard Hillsong United fan)

Lowlights (?)

1) Family Wars: The Return of the Sister - So my sister is back and as far as I know, she's back for good. I'm not talking about my younger sister, Cassie, but Gen. She's my older sister; the one that I usually care not to talk about. For as long as I can remember we've never really been on talking terms much with each other but then again I am like that with my family so I guess it shouldn't come as much of a surprise. It's been less than a week and she's already managed to clog up the toilet drain with hair. Ick!

2) The horror of basketball - Have you ever defended someone only for it to come back and bite you in the behind? This is by far the worst injury I've ever personally experienced. Pics and story tomorrow. Hehe...

Anyways, that's all for now. I'm too tired to continue.

~Slick~

Happy 17th birthday

To: Rebecca Elicay
From: Ben


Happy annual-coming-into-this-world day! One more year and you're eligible to be a hazard on the road. Hehehe... =P

~Slick~

Ministry of hell

The highlight of my day:

*phone rings*
Me: Good morning, Zuellig Pharma!
Lady: Hello? I am call from Ministry of hell
*here's where I do a double take*
Me: Sorry? Which ministry?
Lady: Hell! Ministry of hell
*confusion sets in*
Me: Ministry of hell?
Lady: Yes!
Me: Okayyyy............. *raised eyebrow* Can I help you?
Lady: I am call to ask you man to get document from 4th floor.
Me: 4th floor? Ministry of hell?
Lady: Yes!
*at this point I'm dumbfounded*
Me: Where is your building exactly?
Lady: Ong Sum Ping
Me: OHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I see. Hehe... You're calling from the ministry of health?
Lady: Yes! Ministry of hell.
Me: Ok sure, I will arrange for someone to pick up the document this afternoon.
Lady: Ok, terima kasih!
Me: Sure, trika masih!
*click*

~Slick~

Clara's dance

I thought I'd post a video clip seeing as how I haven't posted one since the last time I posted one.



She's my godmother's daughter and was 2 years old at the time. She'll be turning 6 this year and already speaks more languages than me. English, Mandarin, Cantonese, French and German. Dang! She's gonna turn out to be one heck of a heart breaker.

In other news, I got a sunburnt back yesterday for washing my car in the hot sun without my shirt on. Smart eh?

~Slick~

I'm feeling better, thanks!

Yesterday I found out that I made a $5,700 mistake at work and eventhough I didn't have to pay a single cent of it, it took me about 3 minutes to move past the mistake I had made. It probably sounds a little ridiculous to be able to just look past such an expensive mistake but I've learnt to accept mistakes because it reminds me that I'm still only human after all. Of course there are REALLY 'nonsense' mistakes that even I find ridiculous. Like my colleague who beat herself up the whole day because she left out one page in a document she prepared.

Seriously, she was depressed the whole day. THE WHOLE DAY.....!!!!!! That's just friggin' ridiculous..... =P

Did you ever try to be funny but get the feeling that you were being annoying instead? Of cos I'm not talking about me cos face it, I'm never annoying. Shaddap! =P

Did you ever feel like you were slowly being left behind? That everyone else is getting ahead except you? Every once in awhile I get the feeling that I'm being left behind by all my peers which leads me to do alot of what i like to call "ketchup" work. I guess in a way, it helps me to be a better person but I wish that I didn't wait til I was far behind everyone else before actually doing anything about it.

I just remembered that my personality is that of a CS (Competent Submissive) type so I'm technically not made to lead and I'm glad too because I know that I can't. This is not to put myself down or anything so I don't wanna hear none of that "Aww, I bet you can lead if you really tried" stuff because I accept the fact that certain people are made in certain ways and sometimes trying just isn't enough.

Anyways, I'd like to end this post with a congratulatory shout out to my pal. I'm so proud of you dude. HahhahHAHAhHAAHhaHAhAHAhAHAhAhAHAHAhaHaHahaHaHAhaHA.........

~Slick~

It's tempting but.......

For those of you who have been tempted in life (who among us have never been?) and have often wondered on how to be wary of it, here's a tip from me. While it is inevitable for all of us to be tempted at some point in all our lives, it is certainly not indubitable that we will give in to it.

Curbing temptations take lots of constant practice and hard work. You will have to reach a state of constant unwavering awareness of the things that you do, say, see, hear and even think. The most important thing to have (next to Jesus) is of course "will power". However, do not be discouraged if you seem to keep on falling into temptation for the bible says:

"Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" Matthew 26:41

Know that it happens to even the best of us and it is all the more reason to strive not to fall into that temptation again for the bible also says:

"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance and for this we labour and strive, that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the saviour of all men, and especially of those who believe." 1 Timothy 4:7-10

For starters, the next time you are tempted, say to yourself "It's tempting but....." and I guarantee you that you will think of a reason why you shouldn't do it.

~Slick~

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

It's been quite awhile now but I still don't have a reason and you don't have the time. It really makes me wonder but lots of people say that quitters never win. Of course this makes me feel like I'm walking the plank on a sinking ship because other people don't see you like I do. Having said that, things will never be the same again because it's just the beginning and not the end. All I can hope for is if I let it germinate, it'l be worth the wait. Peace out!

ps: This post isn't supposed to make sense to anyone else except me. Hehe...

~Slick~

Funny, but not so

It's funny how it seems...

1) like the bad always outweighs the good
2) that I can never do anything right
3) to rain on the same day you wash your car
4) you think you're unique but you're not really
5) you think you're like everyone else but you're not really
6) like people on "diets" never really seem to get any thinner
7) the older you get, the younger you wish you were
8) that ignorance truly is bliss
9) like Hollywood is real
10) like people will readily criticize but hold back praise
11) like it would be easier to be the opposite gender
12) that the sword is mightier than the pen
13) like the purpose of life is to find out the purpose of life
14) that we never have quite enough stuff
15) that for whatever we have, there's always something which is better
16) that you're not really the way you think you are
17) like sleep is the greatest painkiller
18) like having a car is not all it's cracked up to be

~Slick~

Brunei's internet is pathetic

I apologize for the lack of posts but E-speed has been experiencing "technical difficulties" again. Seems like it's a never ending problem in Brunei. What with the growing degradation of the current internet connection, they really should start calling it E-pathetic.

Anyways, here is an update of what's been going on with me over the last 2 weeks.

What with the government having just ended it's financial year, a huge chunk of stress has just suddenly disappeared. Haha... The stupid thing about Bruneian culture is that 90% of everything is done last minute. So imagine having to do almost half a year's worth of invoicing in 2 weeks and you'll understand why I've been so stressed out lately. The bright side to it is that I actually managed to do it so I'm very relieved. Phew!

But even with all that workload on my back, I was still able to play basketball with the guys at the gym. Seems like it's becoming quite a regular thing now for the guys and myself. Though we have to pay a few dollars each, I think it's worth it. Glad that's working out. Next thing I'm looking into is badminton. I haven't played the sport in awhile but maybe it'd be fun to try it out again. We'll see how it goes.

I'm also supposed to sing for church service this week but I'm not too sure how it'l turn out for me since I'm now having a sore throat. It was fine on tuesday at practice but now it's acting up. Some would say it's because of overuse at practice and others might say it's spiritual attack but I think it's a little bit of both. All I can do now is put my trust in God and maybe also abit in Robitussin. Heehee...

~Slick~

Muahz!

This one's for the ladies...... heh!


~Slick~

Dear ol' granny

Today, I gave 10 minutes of thought to my grandmother. I really miss her. She was always very warm and hospitable but the thing I miss about her the most is her cooking. She could never fail to cook up a storm in the kitchen. Her food was so good that it was actually worth getting fat with...

Love you and miss you lots granny. I hope you're having fun cooking up a storm in heaven. =)

~Slick~

Some people.......

My company held it's customer appreciation dinner tonight and it went considerably well given the fact that we only started planning for it 3 days ago. The dinner was held at Emperor's court on the 3rd floor of Hua Ho Manggis Mall. I was abit nervous at first because I'm not particularly apt in mingling with business minded people but as the night progressed, my boss mentioned that I was doing a good job so I guess all I had to really do was try.

After the initial mingling came the food, which was absolutely scrumptious. We started off with yúshēng, or "Yee Sang" for those who don't know pinyin spelling. Personally, I've had better ones but I've also had worse ones so this one was pretty average. Other than that, everything else on the menu was positively delectable. Yum!

Soup - gooood
Chicken - good
Fish - goood
Prawns - gooooooooooood
Broccoli - gooood
Fried Rice - good
Dessert - goood

The night would have been perfect for me if not for this one person that really annoyed me the whole night. Well, it's actually 2 people if you count my colleague that never makes it for any of our company functions. That kinda annoys me too.

Anyways, this person I was talking about was, for starters, not even invited to this dinner but showed up anyway. Talk about being thick skinned; She happened to tag along with someone who was invited. Sheesh! After mingling abit with everyone, she proceeds to ask people for donations for some kind of charity program going on in Kuala Belait. And as if that wasn't bad enough, she complained about the food throughout the whole dinner. So, she shows up uninvited, asks people for money and then complains about the food. What audacity! I was wondering to myself the whole night just what the heck was wrong with her. Friggin' loafer...

$~!#@#$%^*^&^%%$$@%#$&*$%#$$!@#$%&$%^%@$#%*##$^

Annoying lady aside, everything went swimmingly. Everyone else had a great time and the food was great. Safe to say, our dinner was a success but all that mingling really tired me out so it's time for me to rest my head now. Ciao ppl!

~Slick~

Jumper

I managed to catch the movie "Jumper" with Ron last night. We didn't plan on watching a movie but we were too bored to do anything else so we went anyway. Haha... The movie was ok. It's story was abit cheesy and the action was lacking but the most annoying thing about the movie were the girls in front of us, who kept screaming every time the people in the movie "jumped". Yeah, like as if it was scary. Sheesh....


One thing I like about the movie though, is the title, which is too bad because I already had plans to do my own movie titled "Jumper". It would have been such a hit. Starring :

and

Oh well....................................... ='(

~Slick~

Snapped back to reality

It has often been said that the only thing bad about going on a holiday is coming back from one. What with the Chinese New Year celebrations having just passed, well the bulk of it anyways, it's now time for reality to kick in again. Rev. Johnny made everyone say "Xing Nien Kuai Ler" in church on Sunday morning. Personally, I prefer to say "Gong Xi Fa Cai". No particular reasons whatsoever, I just think it's easier to say.

Contrary to common belief, CNY celebrations do not last 15 days. They last for as long as you don't have to work. =P

This year's CNY for me was pretty interesting to say the least. Take for instance, my parents driving to Sabah to spend 2 weeks with my relatives there, leaving me alone at home with 6 dogs. Now that I think about it, it was rather stupid seeing as how I barely feed myself let alone 6 dogs. Haha... I was all too happy to oblige when Nikki's mum asked me for a dog. I was sad to hear of the demise of Nikki's grandma but as her family would undoubtedly tell you, it was harder to mourn than to celebrate the passing of one that had such a fulfilling life.

With Nikki's family back for CNY and also for the "celebration", I got a chance to meet Nikki's older sister and also her cousin Geneive which was a wee bit weird for me because I have an older sister named Genevieve whom I love to hate. Sibling rivalry and all that... Anyways, Nikki's older sister wasn't what I pictured her to be. For some reason unbeknownst to me, I just couldn't help but picture her to look like this...

Hi Dee Dee... I assume that's how you spell your name. Haha...

Anyways, I gather that I'd have had a nicer holiday if I didn't fall sick on CNY eve on account of someone. Haha... Don't feel bad lah bro. I mean, how could you know that I'd be allergic to Hugo Boss perfume?

Well, all good things must come to an end. It's now time to snap back to reality and I'm already hating the hustle and bustle of work again. Oh well........................

~Slick~

Interesting, schminteresting......

Why is it that people worry about offending fat people but not about offending skinny people? Why do people look at tall people with awe but short people with ridicule? Two very interesting points that Daphne brought up amidst our discussion in YDM last Saturday. Among the present were Bell, Daphne, Denice, Vuina (hope I've spelt that correctly) and myself.

It's true if you think about it carefully. People are always teaching you to be tactful when talking about fat people but never for skinny people. The fact is, a skinny person would feel offended the same way a fat person would be. We have to realise that skinny people have feelings too and we should watch what we say about them as well. The same can also be said for short people and this post serves to create awareness for that very purpose.

So, I hope you guys remember this post the next time you talk to a skinny / short person. Remember, we all have feelings.

~Slick~

Emergency time

It's funny how you can never seem to get a hold of certain people during times where there is an emergent need for them. Haha...

So, I got another haircut today eventhough my last haircut was less than 2 weeks ago. Few people have noticed that I've not worn my cap for over a month now. Not that I'm complaining or craving for attention. I'm just stating facts. My resolve to keep short hair and not wear my cap is going well so far.

My next resolve is to not eat lunch for a month. I really hope it bodes well with my stomach but we'll see how it goes. Tentative date of start - 1st Feb 2008.

Sorry lunch buddies but it's only 29 days. Hehe...

~Slick~

Know thy path

"You broaden my path so that my ankles do not turn"
2 Samuel 22:37

Which path do I take? I look ahead and see 3 paths before me. One to the left, one in the middle and one to the right. I can deduce where these paths lead to but I dont know what lies at the end of these paths. As I stand here investigating every detail of the paths before me, I start to take notice of certain things about these 3 paths.

Path to the left
This path leads down to a place I've already been in my life. A part of my life where I was genuinely happy and almost carefree. Days were spontaneous and activities were abundant. Nights were long and sleep was not even close to being a necessity. Distance was nary an issue but trust was. Concern became distrust which eventually led to dissociation

Path to the right
This path leads down to a place of "what could have been." A place in which I can make up for a part of my life that has long been disjunctioned. Maturity has reared it's head and decisions seem easier because of hindsight. Words of others no longer clouds my judgment and clarity is evident. A mistake that can now be made right.

Path in the middle
This path leads down to a place that I have never been to. A place where the past does not matter and yet it does. With the promise of surprise at every step of the way. A path that could prove to be the longest one I've ever taken in my life or intersect into any of the other paths.

Which path do I take?

~Slick~

I couldn't do it

Eventhough every inch of my brain was telling me what to say, the words just wouldn't come out of my mouth. Darn it, this is harder than it seems.

!@%@#$%**&*&*^^%&%@$%@#$#@%#^$^%*)*(&*%^$#@#&^&(^%%$@#='(

~Slick~

Weetameal

My latest craze in meal replacement... I've been eating alot of these in lieu of meals lately. They're good for your body, have low fat percentage and taste fairly good.

~Slick~

Die die die die die

Funny, but driving around today was a little bit scary...

~Slick~

Life goes on

I'm still trying to get used to writing or saying "2008" instead of "2007" because it's so easy to cling on to the past. But, as they say, "Time and tide waits for no man." Life goes on...

I had worship practice for church service today. It was the first practice we've had on a Tuesday since we got the approval to use the church. God indeed answers prayers! We've had a couple of services in the church and already we are having to deal with so many kinks with the system. Safe to say, it'll still be awhile before we actually utilize the efficiency of the church's new system. But anyways, I'm just happy that our wait is finally over. Praise Jesus!

Worship practice went really well today. I admire the way Chester always knows what he wants in a song. I've had my share of under prepared worship leaders in my experience and it has always irked me. What frustrates me even more is when they say that they are leading by "faith". Sorry to say, but I feel that that is a really poor excuse. Personally, I feel that every worship leader should be as prepared as possible, to plan for every single detail and then leave the rest to God. When you plan for every single scenario and know that God will take care of anything that might still go wrong, THAT'S leading by faith.

After practice, we managed to have a short jamming session before packing up. I finally managed to introduce my "punk version" of the song - One Way. Eventhough the word "punk" has kind of a negative connotation to it, it's not as bad as you may think. Chel thought it was ok. I've had the idea for the song for almost a year now but was never able to properly introduce it. I even remember teaching it to Terence once but we didn't have a drummer and a singer so it was scrapped. But who knows, maybe we'll be able to use it sometime. It could be a hit for when Youth Harvest comes. Heh Heh... Hopefully, you guys will get a chance to hear it.

~Slick~

Sweet embrace of solitude

My brother left for England today. There weren't any tears or emotions flaring and such but I did meet a girl at the airport. She's from Canberra, Australia and she was pretty interesting. Hope I get another chance to meet her. I'm beginning to wonder how things will be around the house now. With me being the only child at home now, I imagine that things will be pretty different. More chores, responsibilities, etc. Still, I think I'm gonna enjoy this phase of my life.

It may seem a little bit sad but I have already begun to draw plans for how I'm gonna re-arrange my room. Seeing as how my brother brought most of his junk with him, I'll have more space to play around with. Yay! Hee Hee...

I think it may take me a couple of days to fully re-arrange everything but I'll post up some before and after pictures when I'm done. That's if I can find someone to lend me a *cough* Nikon D80 *cough* camera.

**Note to self, get a camera**

~Slick~

Corn roast...

I didn't get a wink of sleep last night thanks to my brother. Ever since he got his ipod, he's been on a 'convert every single mp3 and ripped cd in the computer and uploading into his ipod' phase. I mean, what the heck man? Every single song I've ever ripped since we first got this computer 4 years ago is now gone and all he had to say was "Just rip it again, lah!" Sure, give me another 4 years and I'm all set. Jerk!

Of cos, I know that doesn't really explain why I didn't get any sleep. You see, unlike me, my brother doesn't have to work until he leaves for England on Friday which means that he doesn't need to sleep when I do. Being on holiday and all, his body clock is all messed up for now and you can imagine the amount of noise he makes given his new phase (mentioned earlier). Jerk!

I'm actually really glad that he's going to England for good cos I'm kinda sick of living with him. Many people don't know it but the two of us are very opposite in character when it comes to neatness and cleanliness. I secretly call him a pig under my breath. Heh heh... please don't tell anyone. I mean the guy leaves dirty and clean clothes on his bed, his wet towel on the floor, cd's and everything else in between all over the place. And since we share a room, it makes MY room messy as well. Jerk!

His last night is tomorrow and I guess I should spend some time with him before he leaves. Although we did have dinner together on New Year's eve, I don't think telling him what sushi I wanted to eat counts as conversation. At least I gave him respect as the older brother and let him pay. Err....Jerk!

Anyways dear brother, if you ever read this, I wish you a fulfilling life in England. You never liked Brunei much so I guess it's only fitting that you probably settle down somewhere else. All the best from your lil bro.

ps: Hope you like this roast. Jerk!
pps: Definition of a roast

~Slick~