Pursue of true happiness

Sleepy Sunday

2008-06-29T17:21:00.003+08:00

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Sleepy Sunday

This morning i woke up at 6am to go for a workout, and looking back on it in the afternoon, i realised that just the life sometimes where we have to struggle through before we reach the end of the raindow, the experience of waking up early is somehow similar as when we wake up, we find it really difficult, but the moment we drag ourselves downstairs and the cold morning breeze hits us, we feel so good. I have learnt that we cannot look at the short term but, over coming the obsticles in the short term for the long term reward.

Some really nice songs

Soundtrack from sex and the city - How deep is your love

Don't dream It's over-Crowded House

Tarzan Soundtrack - You'll be in my heart by Phil Collins

Riding on a bus

2008-06-29T17:20:00.001+08:00

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Haven’t been blogging for a while, but well I think I should start again. It has already been my first month back in Singapore and its really good to be back. Just the other day as i was on my way to school, I decided to do something interesting like type out a story of a bus ride and that’s what happened. The short piece is below.

Riding on a bus

Leaving the comfort of home. And going to school is made harder by the shearing afternoon heat. Making my way to the bus stop. A sense of worry and anticipation fills me wondering if the bus would come before I reached the bus stop and if so should i run or not. And whether if i did, would i have made it. Making it would mean u get to soak in the cool air as u sat down in the bus. Failure would almost certainly result in having to feel the sweat coming out your back and neck. On my daily journeys to school. The bus trip is usually a time for me to either reflect or day dream about the future and what tomorrow might bring. A bus is like a capsule of comfort as i journey through the urban heat wave. In this capsule. I get to meet many people, all on the same journey but with totally different destinations. (END)

I was very busy this weekend buying lots of stuff. Bought a new folk guitar, a new watch and went to collect a free sound system which I am tasked to sell away. Spent the whole of Saturday hunting for the watch and in the end, it was a good thing I found the right one. All is good

An unjust world

2008-05-15T18:01:00.003+08:00

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An unjust world

In today’s economy, we do not know what is right anymore, there are just groups of people who invent legislations and laws, and we are expected to follow them. These people are human beings too, and like human beings, we all are in more ways than one, influenced by our own interest. Sure we say that we look after the interest of others, but this does not undermine the fact, that we all want just a bit more money. Money today has driven people to do things that they wouldn’t normally do without it. Well who could blame them? Oblivious to all, people are the ones who create walls and rules the others live under, and does it ever occur to you that, these people have also taken their own interest at heart when putting up all this walls.

Why do the rich get richer, and the poor simply stay poor

Well, my theory is that money is addictive, once you have it, the desire for more becomes greater. There is a fine line between needing money and wanting it. I am not saying that it is wrong to want money; we all need some extra here and there for those rainy days. But I am saying that the love for money has caused some governments to act in abnormal ways. The poor people ultimately suffer.
With taxes soaring and more policies being introduced, everyone has to pay, but ultimately, the question has to be asked, who suffers the most?

*Note: This portion of text is not against anyone or any thing. It is only for the purpose of personal expression by the author.

Back from spring break

2008-05-06T19:38:00.003+08:00

Just started school after coming back from the spring break, haven’t really had time to update my blog but I guess will just add a few more entries before I return to Singapore in about 3 weeks time. Looking forward to that. The spring trip was fun except for Milan which I hated, dunno..there didn’t seem much to do and it was the most boring city out of all the cities I have been to in my spring trip. Did Milan – Rome – Venice – London. A few cities only, but I think its fine. Bought some stuff and managed to meet up with Ms Lewis and her husband in London. Not sure, but when I finally went to the cities I always saw so much on the television, it kind of wasn’t what I expected I would have felt. Maybe it’s because of how everyone this days are exposed to the media so much that it puts the excitement and fun out of all this attractions.

Missing Singapore....be back soon...yaaay

Note: Sorry folks haven’t had the time to update, will add more pics later

Milan

Rome

Venice

London

Invalides

2008-03-08T05:20:00.040+08:00

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The Army museum
Hotel national des invalids

Things I saw today:
Arms and armor from the 13th – 17th Centuries
The two world wars 1914 – 1918/ 1939 – 1945
Napoleon’s Tomb

Arms and armor section

This was the first time I actually saw suits of armor up close. They looked impenetrable and intimidating. There was so many of them, all of different
variations and there was even some for kids and fat people. What would these two groups of people need armor for, if they weren’t going to battle. The swords were interesting, the way in which they decorated the handles of each one. Each one told a story.

The guns, was I think what most interested me. I stuck my head as close to the display case as I could to see the mechanics behind each one. Some were really complex while others simple. What I love about medieval guns was that all their mechanics are on the exterior. Just like the swords, the guns and the bows were all decorated with complex inscriptions.

The whole tour took about 4hours and 8euros but it was worth every cent. Loved it and there was not many people there so it made it more enjoying.
After that I travelled to the two world war section. I could relate to this section more because the weapons and everything is more my time I would say. Looking at the weapons then, I really can see how modern weapons of war have developed over the centuries. What moved me most in this section was the D day landing. I got the chance to touch one of the concrete blockages that was placed on the beaches to stop the American’s from coming ashore. I also saw the little boy, the first nuclear bomb dropped on Japan.

After that went to see Napoleon’s tomb, the greatness of his tomb crawled up my neck as I entered. For a man to be buried in such a massive place he must be a great man and indeed he is.

The visit ended at around 4.20pm close to closing time. And I left the gates of the hotel national des invalids feeling satisfied and a day well spent. Although one set back was that as usual the descriptions of the exhibits were in French so that was bad. I almost wanted to buy a replica gun for 65euros but I didn’t because I was concern that I couldn’t bring it back to Singapore.

After that walked the Champs Elysees and bought a pair of shoes.

An End to another wonderful day in paris

Outside

Ticket

Inside Arms and armor section

Two world wars

Sea mine

D Day
Yet to be uploaded..

a sunday out

2008-02-25T03:32:00.026+08:00

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A Sunday out

Today had to wake up really early and go to the fleas markets. The morning was as usually cold and travelling around was great as there were very few people around. Today firstly went to the flea market near Ledru rollin, it was really short walk from the metro station. In my opinion, the flea market wasn’t as big and fabulous as the reviews said it was. Walked around for a while, and found some interesting stuff, black Levis jeans for 20Euros was one of my best finds. Didn’t buy it in the end because the cutting was not nice. After wondering around for about an hour, went to the next flea market which was at Porte de Vanves. The flea markets line the streets for as far as the eye can see. IN my opinion this is by far, the best and largest flea market in Paris. Spent around 3 hours there. There is a whole lot of things to see. (Mostly very interesting stuff.)

Thereafter was suppose to head back home, but in the metro, I saw St-Denis – Porte de Paris and since I was so close, I decide to check it out. It turned out to be a nice place to visit. There is the stade de France, a mega stadium. Haha, very nice. When I was there, I saw a big mall beside, so will probably go there over the weekdays.

All in all, it was a very nice Sunday spent

Flea market near Ledru rollin

The garden running on top, which I couldn’t seem to get to

ERA in Paris, first one I have seen

Flea Market near Porte de Vanves

Nice bikes..haha…thinking of buying one to use and throw away before I leave

Nice tram

At stade de France
Mega stadium

Walkway to stadium

Notice the lines on the ground, although the ground was spoiled, but I wonder what the lines were for. To me, it looked like lines on a running track, maybe when the stadium are full, the athletes run outside instead…haha..just a guess

Close to the stadium is a river…the place looked very calm and nice

Musee d’Art et d’histoire de Saint-Denis

Parisians having coffee and tea on the square

New book

2008-02-17T06:48:00.003+08:00

Coming soon
End of Summer 2008

A story about one boy who realized what he had and using only that, he worked against the odds and succeeded in fulfilling his dream.

The ulitmate gift

2008-02-14T06:11:00.002+08:00

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The ultimate gift

How a rich boy who didn’t care about the world realized what the true meaning of life was. For him, money was no option, and having not worked in his life, he didn’t know what hard labor was. In his mind, all he could think of was that whenever he was feeling sad, he could always use money to solve those problems. Well, at least he thought he could.

This movie really moved me more than any others did, when one has everything, you forget about those who have nothing. And for many of us brought up in a well to do family, most of the times, we neglect this things. All along I have left this in some way or another, but I guess, this movie really reflected what I truly feel.
Now did I fully realize what my father was teaching me all this while. I know that people reading this might think this guy is emotional or something, but I really feel that it is true, and I am thankful for that. My dad was always a humble man, and he had always taught us to be humble. Not to over spend and to invest. All along I thought that he was being bad to us, and not giving us what we wanted. But what he did was made us think. Every time I buy something now a days, I will think of if it is practical and the long run.

Only when I am in Paris did I fully thank my parents for what they instilled in me. (Being considerate, roughing it out, fending for yourself and most importantly learning to love yourself first, before you can love others.)

Reunion Dinner in Paris

2008-02-07T06:06:00.000+08:00

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Reunion Dinner in Paris
Today we went shopping at Chatelet and i finally found a nice pair of brown sharp shoes...good brand for a price that is cheaper than Singapore...hmmm...my search is over...now got to find a black formal jacket.

Dinner was at Hippopotamus and it was very nice..but just hoped that the amount of food given could have been more...hmm..and our water was 4.50euros. the most i have paid for water.

Breakfast cum lunch
Gathered almost everything i got...and made something nice

At the hippo

Dinner
Starter

Main course

Dessert

Expensive Water (4.50Euros)

Other stuff my friend praks orders

Ratatouille with chicken

Women wearing formal doing bartending (UNusual)

Thing i bought today
Brown sharp shoes (31.90Euros)

Haha..today was a nice and complete day..at lest i spent my day to the fullest..

Louvre

2008-02-03T21:14:00.000+08:00

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Inside the Louvre

Denon section

Ceilings inside the louvre

The winded victory of Samothrace

Italian paintings

The wedding feast at Cana (Veronese)

Mona Lisa (L. de Vinci)

Gallery

To be continued…….

End of another week

2008-02-02T05:14:00.000+08:00

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Well, today after the end of the last lesson for the week, we went to buy groceries. Today's lesson was very interesting, because we had to negotiate with others. This gave me a chance to see how the French people think and react to certain situations. Today I bought a pair of headphones, because listening to my ipod all day using the small ear phones just isn’t going to do it. Since coming here, I am finding myself listening to the ipod more often. The headphones I bought was about 20euros and they are from Sennheiser. The headphone produces very sharp and crisp sound quality.
I always liked going to school to eat, cos its cheap and you get to take a lot of stuff which makes you full. What makes it better is the free flow of bread.

Lunch

Dinner
Seafood fried rice with lettuce and ham

Lunch yesterday

Noodles with eggs (Simple but reminds me of home)

Nice food

2008-01-31T19:38:00.000+08:00

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A slice of heaven right here in Paris. The best breakfast...

Ham and cheese omelette with freshly toasted wheat bread topped off with a slice of camembert cheese. Heavenly.

Sliced ham with tomatoes and blenched pickles.

Long beans pan fried in butter sauce with cubed potatoes and a salmon streak.

ipods

2008-01-29T03:55:00.000+08:00

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Thankyou dad for letting me have the ipod for this trip...really enlightens my life each day..haha

Nice cake at the school canteen..haha..yummm

shoes i think its nice...lol

first day in school.and more pics from the Eiffel tower

2008-01-29T03:03:00.001+08:00

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View from the Eiffel tower

Paid 11.50euros to go up to the top..worth every cent

Bombers below the Eiffel tower.haha

The united shoe nation

View from the 2nd floor

3rd floor viewing gallery

Paris my love

2008-01-28T05:24:00.001+08:00

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The Eiffel tower

A magnificent structure from the moment you set your eyes on it. As I strolled up to it, I could only begin to understand why the French were so proud of this structure. Stepping up to it, you could really see man’s ambitions to reach for the stars. As I rode the elevator up the Eiffel tower, I couldn’t get to grids with, how man could even build such a structure. And to add to that, the tower was completed in the year 1889, without much modern technologies as what we have now. I guess this structure, is really a testament that (IF YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING WHETHER BIG OR EVEN BIGGER, WITH THE WILL AND PLANNING, YOU CAN ACHIEVE ALL THINGS YOU HAVE SET OUT TO ACHIEVE.)

At the top of the Eiffel tower, you could see the whole city of Paris, the sight, no words can describe.

Something amazing - from xinyi

2008-01-27T18:13:00.000+08:00

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Part of your world - Give us your voice contest Nick Pitera

Me Singing A Whole New World Disney's Aladdin Nick Pitera

Hey xinyi, this is really nice..thx for sharing it...haha

Some of the songs that touched my heart - i hope it will touch yours too

2008-01-22T06:34:00.000+08:00

Rememberance – My friends..love you all

2008-01-22T06:18:00.000+08:00

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Today while sitting by my computer, I was thinking back of how I missed my friends. I realised that when your friends are close, then you do not appreciate them, but when you are far, that is only when you miss them the most.
The pictures below are the pictures from the outing I had with my church friends before going to Paris.

A night of dinner and pool.

Pics of my poly friends
Sent off at the airport

Crazy times..haha

Love - Music and Lyrics

2008-01-21T05:16:00.000+08:00

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Today was sunday and most of the stores were closed, so apart from sleeping late, me and Praks went running. Enjoyed it. And i really wanna thank Praks for at lest taking the first step, by doing all the dishes for dinner today. Thanks dude..(Thanks for steping out of your comfort zone)

Movies watched today - Music and Lyrics & Rush Hour 3

After watching the movie Music and Lyrics, it really melted my heart. I was reminded of how wonderful love is. The relationship between two people can be so heartwarming.

Dinner - Soup with potato,tomato and onions. (Loved it..very flavourful)

Some really nice and weird cars in Paris

2008-01-20T22:30:00.000+08:00

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Citroën 2CV (People's car)

Aston Martin DB9(common sight)

Hummer H2 (American made)

Visiting the sights – Postcard perfect

2008-01-20T18:21:00.000+08:00

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Yesterday the 4 of us went out to the Champs-Élysées to shop and look for some cheap stuff. The shoes and other appeals are really cheap. Before I go back to Singapore, I will probably get myself a pair of Onitsuka Tiger and Adidas shoes. They cost S$65 and S$64 respectively. Besides the day’s shopping, we went to the Eiffel Tower and the place du Louvre. It was once again a picture perfect moment with the Eiffel tower standing tall against the clear blue sky. Upon walking closer to the Eiffel tower, what struck me first, was how man could have built such a structure. The Eiffel tower is truly a testament of man’s purseoftheneverending. To end of our day, we went to the place du Louvre. We reached there in the night and this was the first time I saw the city in the night. Since it was dark after that, we decided to take the metro home. Each metro ticket cost about 1.50Euros The Metro was kind of confusing and scary as everywhere we went we got the stares from everyone.

Lesson Learnt - Thx Mom and Dad

2008-01-19T15:47:00.000+08:00

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Today I realized that my parent have really taught me well. Although being sometimes dependent on my parents at home, I managed to come out of that box and fend for myself. Well I guess when we go overseas and live with others, it’s essential to give and take and try to accommodate others. I really thank my parents for the upbringing I had. Although we were more well off, my parents still taught me to be humble and be teachable and willing to rough it out. Thanks mom and dad.

Well I hope we will all give and take. And try things that we have not learnt before and rough it out.

That way all of us can share the work and live together for these 4.5 months at least.

Walking in Paris – Visiting the sights

2008-01-19T15:41:00.000+08:00

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Hey all…

Well it’s the 3rd full day in Paris and we really did a lot walking. Yesterday the weather was really bad, pouring rain and blowing strong winds. But it was special because we manage to visit a few of the sights like the famous opera house and the Arc de Triomphe. In a postcard moment, I managed to see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The road leading up to the Arc de Triomphe is the so called orchard road of Paris. We had a Quick bite at the Quick burger restaurant and moved on to shopping on the Boulevard. On that boulevard, there was the largest LV, adidas and Nike stores in the world. (At least I thought it was really big).

More pics

2008-01-18T01:48:00.000+08:00

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Just passing through on the way to Negocia

2nd day in Paris

2008-01-18T00:13:00.001+08:00

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Today was a rather nice day to begin with. We awoke early to go see the sun rise over the city. The temperature today is a cold 7 degrees Celsius. We spent today walking to Negocia (our school). Today I really left like going back to Singapore, but I guess I have to make it through to the first few weeks. Really hope I will be able to do very well for my studies.

Anyway thoughts aside, today we walked about 1 and a half hours to Negocia and it was a different experience. Being able to see the people of Paris go about their daily life is somehow kind of exciting. Paris is really a place of beauty and romance.

A city of slights and sound, as one stood in the busy streets; I could hear the rush of reckless driver’s race past me in all directions. As I strolled down the narrow stone road, I was surrounded by old buildings full of history and beauty. The city of Paris although old and dirty with dog shit, I still find that Paris is a place worth visiting.

Summary of the things I did today
- Visit a Catholic church
- Walk to Negocia
- Buy food at the super market
- Run in the freezing weather

Well anyway right now I am still trying to adjust to the situation here.

Trip review

2008-01-17T03:53:00.000+08:00

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Qatar Flight to Paris via Doha

Once first boarding the flight, the interior looked good enough to rival SIA. But I was soon proven wrong, the food tasted blend and the service poor at some times. One big improvement was that Qatar aircraft did not have that weird (vomit casing smell present in most other airlines).

Reaching Paris

Note: This post is an add-on of the previous post

Today, since we arrived in Paris at such a late time, we only managed to go to the Basilique Du Sacre-Coeur De Montmartre. It’s a very grand catholic church that stands on a hill overlooking the city of Paris. First impressions of the city are that it is rather safe and the buildings don’t really change much. I could foresee that being independent will be harder than I first thought

Paris – A nicest place on earth

2008-01-17T02:49:00.000+08:00

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Wow, after a grueling 16 hour flight, we finally reached Paris 20 minutes before 1pm on the 16th Jan 2008. Having stopped over in Doha, it was really an eye opener to have been to the middle east of the first time. During the stop over, we did not have a sky bridge so we had to walk from the plane to the bus in a freezing 7 degree Celsius temperature. Having arrived in Paris, it was really the nicest city I have ever seen. I would have regret not coming to this city. The city is magnificent in terms of its building style and the old unchanged architecture.

Having checked out our apartment, we walked the old stone layered road ways and explored around with the limited amount of daylight left. The city is just surreal in terms of its charms and history. Having spent just a few hours in Paris, I can already sense why so many people call Paris the Romance capital of the world.

Paris (A place that is a must visit in one’s lifetime)

Some pics with my friends who came to send me off at the airport...thx guys

Wine and dine

2008-01-13T16:00:00.000+08:00

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Well, yesterday, my dad brought home some wine...and I have yet to try them. Hope it’s good. And the 77 brand chocolates are really nice, but they are bitter because of the high coco content. Well. As the days draw nearer, I am starting to miss more of everyone.
Went out also yesterday with my church friends and we had lots of fun at AMK hub. We decided to rough it out and bought lots of different foods and had a picnic. What fun it was… Pool was fun, and me and Amanda won a few times…haha
“Never pocket the 8 ball, haha, a fair game is one where you play to the end”

Paris - A city of Romance

2008-01-12T14:45:00.000+08:00

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Well, I will be flying to Paris very soon. A start of a brand new adventure in a foreign land where people dislike English. The preparations leading up to this trip was a difficult one, but with GOD’s help, I was able to pull through.
Paris a place of style and fashion. Interesting to see the painters sitting by the river’s edge, with just a paint brush, being able to encapsulate the scenery in a mix of colors and textures. Oh well, I guess enough of what the media and books say about Paris, it’s time to go there and see for myself the true beauty of the city of Paris

Paris la ville de couleur et des lumières

Will be missing all my friends and family here in Singapore…
Well that’s just life…I guess…. (you come and go, but your relationships will always be with the ones you care for most)

Pursuit of Happiness

2008-01-11T14:23:00.000+08:00

After watching the "Pursuit of happiness" yesterday, it made me think of life and the people around me.

How a television can sometimes be a picture of your own life fast-forward.
And how sometimes these images help change and shape your life

The movie was about a father trying to give his son the happiness he himself never got to experience. The show also portrayed a father's drive to succeed for his son and how he struggled through life.

This was one of the movie's that is really heart warming...lol

haha