This pic puts a big smile on my face just as I am about to go to bed. Love the sunglasses. My good buddies Simian and Yasa Phua in Aussieland. Yasa's coming back in Dec, and Simian's down with an eye ulcer from too much porn. Well at least he's still being paid by DSTA while he's skiving at home.

The main reason why I love Deathcab for Cutie - The lyrics of their songs, so intricate, and beautifully crafted, compared to some of the corny lines you hear nowadays. "My humps" anyone? Ben Gibbard doesn't cheat us. They are intelligent and not churned out or recycled. The lyrics really mean something.

Debate Exposes Doubt
Deathcab for Cutie

The workadays were propping the bar quietly erasing the week
and i was in a cornerbooth thinking (pretending to read)
about the impossiblity of one to love unconditionally and
the words that we drive into the ground
Their repetition starts to thin their meaning.

Then everything got frighteningly still as they entered
and intersected the floor and i tried to choke my stare
at the perfection that others would kill for.
But all of the parts are the same on every face (few variables change).
The differences pale when compared to the similarity they share

Finally there is clarity and there is purpose after all,
but every night ends the same as i'm collapsing once more by your side.
Finally there is clarity... this tiny life is making sense. and every drop numbs the both of us, but i alone am staggering.

There's this guy.
And...he's totally depressed!

I mean, his great dream was to be a lover, an adventurer,
you know, riding motorcycles through South America,
and instead he's sitting at a marble table, eating lobster,and
he's got a good job and a beautiful wife, right.
You know, everything that he needs. But that doesn't matter,
'cause what he wants is to fight for meaning.
You know, happiness is in the doing,
not in the...getting what you want.

So, he's sitting there,and just at a second,
his little five year old daughter hops up on the table.
And he knows that she should get down'cause she could get hurt,
but she's dancing to this pop song,in a summer dress.
And he looks down,and all of a sudden,he is sixteen.
And... his high school sweetheart is dropping him off, at home.
And they've just lost their virginity,and she loves him,
and the same song is playing on the car radio,and she climbs up
and starts dancing on the roof of the car.
And now,now he's worried about her!

And she is beautiful, with a...a facial expression just like his daughters'.
In fact, you know, maybe that's why he even likes her. You see, he knows he's not
remembering this dance,he's there. He's there in both moments simultaneously.
And just like for an instance,all his life is just folding into itself and it's obvious to him that time is a lie...that's it's all happening all the time and inside every moment is another moment, all...You know, happening simultaneously.

The sun is shining and the haze has fled; the blue sky is visible for the first time in ages. I want to scream out loud, "It's a beautiful day!!" as I am walking towards the library. I scroll through my ipod searching for the U2 song of the same name, but realise I don't have it on the ipod, so I put on five for fighting - The Riddle. Japanese tutorial today and I actually understand most of what the Miss Horie is saying! Bringing japanese kids around singapore is really helping my Jap.

"The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you let people and things affect you." I am striving towards that.

I could write about how i felt slighted, about my disappointment at the way i was treated, but I don't see the point in dwelling on that. I would much rather write about how riding bestows me with a sense of freedom that I didn't feel before. Tonight I felt so free, whether it was just sitting and waiting on the couch at SGH, buying ah baling in chinatown and then sitting on a swing in Gillman Heights on a cool night.

You have a beautiful smile, even through the windows of a submarine. :)

Today marks the start of serious studying for me, deadlines galore incoming. I am beginning to feel the exam buzz, that slight feeling of panic, a dark shape at the corner of your eye, darting away whenever you turn to look. Stayed in the library till it closed, then as it was unbearably cold riding the bike down Pasir Panjang, I decided to join Shuying at Bukit Merah Mcdonald's, where i was quite productive. She had glasses on and I realise my $50 Graniph Tee shirt has a picture of a girl that looks like her tonight.

Came across this site while surfing about cameras. Pretty cool. http://www.shinyshiny.tv

Currently reading the autobiography of Robert Capa - Blood and Champagne, terrific read. It reminded me of a documentary about him I have seen; with Rachel, a few years back, how time flies! So I smsed her. And then we met up for lunch and catchup today. We rode my bike down to Curry Wok at Coronation. The food was delicious. She obviously enjoyed the bike-ride, or the food, or both, enough to say that it was an "unforgettable" afternoon.

I walk up the brick steps,
I like the cool wind,
It brings a promise of rain,
The canteen is empty and quiet,
Dried leaves, are scattered all over the ground,
Some flutter down from the trees,
I fall in love with the moment,
the serenity, aware of not much longer.

kent ridge park/a suitcase of memories/dinner with wynne and shouye/egyptian/driving around/little india/bright lights/sights/a sea of humanity/coconut through the window/Matchbox 20/Time after Time/If you fall/ I'll catch you/I'll be waiting/time after time.....

Far away
This ship is taking me far away
Far away from the memories
Of the people who care if I live or die

It's been a while since I bought a CD, and I had almost forgotten the thrill of putting in a new CD, the feeling of discovery and going wow. (of course sometimes you are disappointed) Black-Holes and Revelations - Muse. I picked that up on the way home, and listening to the CD, (soaring, anthemic Starlight) made driving home through the CTE jam a pleasure.

Didja know? Snakes evolved from Lizards.

Paused with half a page more to go. Stopped over at 6th Avenue for Venezia ice cream with Wanxin and hear about her trip to Japan. I love travel tales. She got me a lovely happiness charm(Xin fu fu). I thought that was sweet.

Midpoint of an eventful month marked by the smell of burning in the air.

Sherpas - Sherpas were of immeasurable value to early explorers of the Himalayan region, serving as guides and porters at the extreme altitudes of the peaks and passes in the region. Today, the term has been extended to apply to almost any guide or porter hired for mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas. However, in Nepal Sherpas often insist on making a distinction between themselves and general porters, as they often serve in a more guide-like role and command higher pay and respect from the community.

Sherpas are renowned in the global climbing and mountaineering community for their hardiness, expertise, and experience at high altitudes. Despite the value of their services, the pay is insubstantial to the point where many cannot afford the modern climbing gear that Western climbers use. Many have speculated that a portion of Sherpas' climbing ability may be due to a genetically greater lung capacity, allowing much better performance at high altitudes. The most famous Sherpa is Tenzing Norgay, who climbed Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary for the first time in 1953.

On the chair-lift moving above the treetops at Siloso Beach yesterday, looking out at the sea and ships, the familiar longing returns but I realise how distant we have become. And I become aware, afraid, and maybe a little surprised that I have started to feel a faint attraction to someone so different.

TeamNus Awards ceremony.

That was dinner in JB, friday night, after which we went on our search for Dunkin Donuts, like Harold & Kumar in White Castle.

When our time is up, when our lives are done, will we we say we've had our fun?

Will we make a mark this time? Will we always say we tried?

Standing on the rooftops, everybody scream your heart ouuut

I was hoping to get up later today, but was awoken by rising voices. My mum was having an argument or rather a heated discussion with my uncle See Suan(who has been sleeping in my bed while I take the sofa) on their eldest sister, Ant Madeline. Loud, heated discussions, it seems, is a characteristic of the Foo family.

Women from 18-60 yrs are all the same, or maybe it's just me and ant Madeline(left in the picture). Woke up from my nap this evening to see Aunt Madeline all dressed up, from top to toe in bright garish pink, ready to go with my parents to visit another relative. Tell me if you don't think her dress is too pink. Haha. I said, "That's too pink." And that was enough for her to start complaining about me for the next 15 mins.

On the field today, it occurred to me that I am turning into a Weekend warrior. Since I quit the soccer team, the only time I kick a ball is on Sunday. I was huffing and puffing after taking the ball down the line, going pass 2 uncles in their late 30s. That worries me. I should start exercising more during the weekdays.

Ant Madeline from the USA, whom I always cross debating swords with over US foreign policy and George Bush(she's a die-hard Republican) has come to visit.I expect some fireworks.

Riding my bike back home and turning left after the Paya Lebar exit, a random thought came to my mind. I used to regard Shuying as Kaori's best friend, but lately the tag has fallen away and I have come to see her on her own terms, as Shuying. She's really sunny and infectious. I find myself worrying that life and growing up may cause her to lose her idealism and optimism. Some people say it's inevitable, the practicalities of life dictate it.But I hope she never loses her sense of wonder.

Woke up at 4am. Can't seem to get back to sleep anymore.

"There was a man back in '95
Whose heart ran out of summers
But before he died, I asked him

Wait, what's the sense in life
Come over me, Come over me

He said, "Son, why you got to sing that tune
Catch a Dylan song or some eclipse of the moon
Let an angel swing and make you swoon
Then you will see... You will see."

Then he said, "Here's a riddle for you
Find the Answer
There's a reason for the world
You and I..."

Lately it seems, I keep reminding myself to live my life, the way I want it. Go about it with a spring in my step. Keep an open mind. Do not expect too much. Life isn't fair. Make the best of what you get. Be confident. Challenge yourself. Everything new is a new experience. Savour them. Life's surprises. Every second is unique. Be spontaneous. Live according to your own principles. I think that sometimes I am lazy or I am afraid and I compromise or I try to conform. I am 24 but I am still searching for myself, trying to become the me I want to be. I hope I keep my sense of wonder. Don't compromise. Don't sell out. Don't slouch.

Reading about the Universe and quantum physics, Schroedinger's Cat, Heisenberg Uncertainty, Blackholes and quarks; The vastness of the Universe is impossible to comprehend, how small I am in contrast, our lives, the world we know, the earth so insignificant against the whole backdrop and how seemingly accidental, but I am sure there's a reason.

We Live and Love.

This is a lomo-esque photo taken by Darren from the deck of the dive boat using his disposable underwater camera. Nice. I like.

Do one thing everyday that scares you. I did something like that today. I donated blood. And I learnt that it is nothing to be afraid of. I was apprehensive at first, especially after the person lying next to me fainted just as the nurse was about to stick the big needle into my arm. It didn't hurt much. And so I sat there watching my the blood drip into the bag, the most blood I have ever shed. After a while my fingers felt a little numb, and i experienced some tingling at my fingertips, but that was all. 15 minutes later, the bag was full and I was free to go.

Coming home from school, I witnessed a horrific accident. A car overturned on the pavement and smashed out of shape.


On another note, I am not impressed. If I am happier now, my life hassle free, why should I go back? To bailing out unappreciative people. For friendship? For people you cannot count on? No thanks. Totally different issue and different circumstances, and maybe I am more like Kaori than I had thought.

10 Rules of Lomography:
1. Take your LOMO everywhere you go & whenever you go. 2. Use it anytime — day or night. 3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but a part of it. 4. Shoot from the hip. 5. Approach the objects of your lomographic desire as close as possible. 6. Don't think. 7. Be fast. 8. You don't have to know beforehand what you've captured on film. 9. You don't have to know afterwards, either. 10. Don't worry about the rules.


I want a Lomo Camera!!

Diving Buddies

divingbuddies
Originally uploaded by wxlimwx.

I miss diving,the sun, sand, sea, the beautiful world underwater.

The sun refused to come out today. Played some court soccer at Bukit Timah Campus. And then the heavens burst.

Deathcab for Cutie - Transatlanticism.

The Atlantic was born today, and I'll tell u how...
the clouds above opened up, and let it out

I was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere
when the water filled every hole

And thousands upon thousands made an ocean,
Making islands where no island should go.
Oh no....

Those people were overjoyed; they took to their boats.
I thought it less like a lake and more like a moat.
The rhythm of my footsteps crossing flood lands to your door have been silenced forever more.
The distance is quite simply much too far for me to row
It seems farther than ever before
Oh no.

I need you so much closer