Friday, November 28, 2008

An exciting weekend in the works! (if it doesn't rain this weekend!)

Millie's birthday chalet (staying overnight if not raining!) - 28 Nov 2008
Buying BBQ food (w BK n friends) - 29 Nov 2008
SF gig at ritz carlton (playing lead snare! been a long time since I played lead, time to rock the place n get it on!) - 29 Nov 2008
Joan's birthday BBQ party (6-11 pm) - 30 Nov 2008
Dinner with Joan on actual birthday (pick her up at 4 pm to bring her for a nice romantic dinner) - 1 Dec 2008

And I got a pleasant surprise, I just got paid yesterday from my firm! Went to draw money on the way home n saw my salary deposited to my bank account already! Alright, have cash to spend for the weekend n the rest of December liao!

Bought mum n bro's Xmas presents, still left my dad's present n Joan's Xmas present to be bought.

As 2008 draws to a close, some pple are already in the Christmas mood! Time to start inviting pple for Expo Christmas svc! Woohoo!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Asia Conference 2008

So many things still on my mind from the Asia Conference 2008. Some of them are really good, some not so good, some downright bad. I've not much time to blog since I assume I'll be spending the next few days in office catching up on work, but here's what I would want to blog about if I had the time, possibly later in the night:

1. personal revelations during the services
2. Strikeforce related stuff
3. Benny Hinn "prophecies"
4. overall feel of AC08
5. Joan (over the 5 day period) and her views on AC08
6. starting the day with a prayer really helps!
7. Joan's birthday

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Alright! Leave approved! Asia conference, here I come!

Really wanna thank God that my leave got approved by my boss! Now I can play n bask for the Asia Conference n attend the morning sessions by the world famous preachers, and at the same time spend some quality time with Joan, n possibly go for LAN gaming in between the morning and night sessions! Sweet!

Oh and last night went to have dinner with Joan, some wanton noodle shop at sunshine plaza, then went to watch a horror movie, REC. oh man, honestly i thought it was one of the scariest, suspenseful, thrilling zombie horror movies I've ever watched! these zombies are not slow and weak, they're fast and have super strength! And the last 15 minutes of the show was PURE TERROR!! i'm not going to spoil the ending for anyone who might be reading, but the ending was really damn scary and Joan almost pulled my arm off! Hahaha.. Even though I think its the first time I'm watching a Spanish film, and I did get a headache from the shakey camera style, the fear factor at the ending of the show is really amazing! I never thought I'd be this scared after watching The Ring (japanese version of course!) but this zombie movie is really creepy and scary! No doubt a different sort of scary when compared to the Ring, but still quite horrifying and hellish, esp the last part when they encounter IT!

One thing though, the part which is super unbelievable is the camera man running and still filming down everything in the midst of chaos and zombie chases! But I guess its still a fresh angle and something new for a zombie movie, so good effort. And I think the budget must have been super low, not much special effects (perhaps thats what made it realistic?) and all unknown actors.

Definitely worth the $15. Its been a long time since I've had a good scare! In fact, one of the cinema goers was so terrified, she vomitted after coming out of the cinema. Or maybe its from motion sickness of the moving camera. =P Haha.. Joan was complaining she's going to have nightmares, but seriously, once you're out of the cinema, back to reality, the fear just evaporates. Especially when you realise a lot of loop holes and errors in the movie. =P

Oh and the row of cool shops just opened opposite the cinema ticket booth! All the cool statues and collectibles, swords, guns, figurines, costumes, toys, computer games, movie-related stuff, etc. I seriously doubt I'll buy anything much from those shops, but still its nice to look at the cool stuff they have on display. The life-size 2 m tall Terminator robot cost $10,000!! I mean, if I had an extra $100,000 sitting in my bank, then maybe I might consider getting it, but seriously how many pple would spend that kind of money on a Terminator robot?? This isn't America. LOL!

Friday, November 14, 2008

oh how pple change when they grow up..

interesting arguement on facebook between some pri sch friends.. can't cut n paste everything here, but its basically like this

DG - invites everyone to his place at orchard for a christmas party BBQ, said $30 per person, ask if everyone is ok with the idea

Me- i said i don't mind but $30 for BBQ per person is a little expensive, i mean if 15 pple turn up then there'll be $450, which is quite ridiculous for a BBQ right?

DG - got offended n ask me don't be so cheapskate, as if $30 is a lot of money to me

LS - told everyone that DG's party is not exclusive for pri sch friends, other pple r invited as well

J - then its not exclusive to us, not so keen liao

YY - if its not exclusive to us, won't we be intruding on another party, y not have our own event

DG - got offended n say everyone is unappreciative of his offer

everyone else in the discussion - tell him to relax, we're just talking things out n discussing, nobody is saying we don't appreciate his offer

DG - still offended, saying everyone is being so negative, its not healthy to continue the discussion

everyone else - relax lah don't get angry, blah blah..

DG - still offended.

Now doesn't it sound ridiculous? Obviously I felt like telling him how childish n petty he is, we're not saying his idea is bad or criticising his party, we're just saying what we would prefer. I thought oh man, this guy has become such an egotistic, petty person, cannot take criticism or comments from others. so annoying! i can just organise another gathering at my own place on the same day with no problems from the rest of the classmates even if they choose not to turn up, it doesn't bother me.

Isn't he missing the point? doing something to be appreciated by others, to show off his house n his grand party?

I don't really care about the place or is it in town or how grand it is or how nice the food is. whats most important is the fellowship, the friends, the pple you grew up with isn't it?

we can be eating at newton hawker center for all i care. the conversation will still be great, catching up on old times, sharing our lives n stuff.

Its not a time for egomaniacs to strut their stuff n show how "successful" they are in life, living life in the fast lane, with car, big gold chain n dress like some towkay! he needs some lessons in humility and the value of friendship. LOL!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

This week has been such a lousy week..

So pissed off.. Finally got my work done n sent out.. Whatever happens, I can only pray for the best and hope that everyone is happy, no more back and forth emails, end of the matter. i really don't want to make anymore changes to those documents, i'm so sick of looking at this matter already.

I'm going to sit back and read my book now, worked through dinner and lunch today, I think I deserve a break, let off some steam n cool off. my boss says my work is really bad, i'm not paying attention to details, etc. but that has always been my weakness. i'm the kind who like to tackle a problem headon, and leave the details to settle on their own.

i guess what pastor always says is right, attention to details are important for success. i screwed up this matter so badly because i overlooked so many details. sigh...

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

yup i'm so dead.

hahaha, my boss is so gonna kill me when she finds out that i've been sending out agreements without letting her vet through first, but then again the client and the other side lawyers have already looked through it, and i've check with my other colleague. i hope its alright. then again, i won't be around if anything goes wrong or screws up, so i can't be bothered liao.

after christmas i'm going to start doing up my CV and start looking for a new place to work. i really cannot stand getting scolded or stoning around with nothing to do, its not helping me at all, i'm not learning through scolding, i'm not gaining anything now besides spending an insane amount of time on facebook and blogging. I suppose if I were the slack type, I won't mind staying, but i want to do something meaningful with my time, not sit here n rot.

perhaps i really made a big mistake coming to this firm, since so many partners n lawyers have already quit n joined other firms. i'm quite pissed honestly, i should've seen this coming sooner. i just want my bonus for doing all the work earlier, i want to get paid properly for the earlier projects i've done.

now its 4.30 pm, another 1.5 hours till 6 pm, and my boss still has no time to see me. i'm so screwed, i need to send out the documents by tonight. that means i have to stay late lor, no choice. not like my boss who can come n go whenever she wants, even if the whole team is working until 1 am (my poor colleagues worked till 3 am again last night but she went off at 7 pm).

oh n she's a christian too. with nice verses n posters on her room wall.

Monday, November 10, 2008

i'm so pissed..

just got a scolding from my boss over some agreements that i did, i think i got almost an hour of scolding while in the middle of explaining what is it i wrote out. she just kept shouting question after question which took me a while to answer and i really feel like crap.

i mean, i wanted to ask her about this matter weeks ago, n it really is a matter of payment terms, i don't know what the heck is so difficult about that. I mean, if the contracting parties want it to be done that way, why can't it be done if its in black n white? there's nothing illegal about it, n i honestly didn't see anything wrong with it.

i still got other things to see her on, but she's in such a foul mood i don't think i'll see her on anything else today except those supplementals.

really quite tired n stoned out when she was scolding me, i wanted to ask her, is it my fault when i wanted to see u like 3 weeks ago but u kept shushing me off? how do i know if i'm drafting something correctly if i don't see a senior lawyer to check first?

i'm quite zonked out now, but i know i'll be damn pissed if i wasn't in zombie mode right now. but right now i just want to get some sleep. i'm reall sick of this job n my boss, i'm going to look for another job soon. I think probably next year, i'll quit this job n find another firm to work at. i really cannot take it anymore, i'm like wasting my time here. i don't learn anything, my work isn't appreciated, i feel like crap everyday getting scolded for this n that.. i'm a freaking newbie, not an expert.. i don't want to do this any longer.. i've got to find another job soon.

what a busy weekend!

had a super busy n tiring weekend, i'm so exhuasted now i can't get through the day without dozing off man! i really need to find something to wake me up. i can't take anymore caffeine cos i'm allergic to it, n besides, i don't like hot coffee.

actually to be completely honest, i wanted to call in sick n sleep away the whole morning, the weather is so nice n cooling n rainy days are always perfect for sleeping in! i'm just so freaking tired i keep falling asleep at the com every 5 mins, its a struggle to stay awake! i have to resort to SMSing, emailing n biting my tongue n facebooking n blogging n going toilet or something, just to keep me awake enough to reach lunch time!!

anyway after fri cg, we had some ktv session, then went with william to TPY for supper, then sat morning woke up late for SF prac, but as usual, everyone was also late, i took a cab n it costs me like, $15 for the trip! ridiculously expensive, used to be only $10 plus i think.

after practicing crossing over for like half an hour or so, we went to astons for lunch, they got the orders a little wrong, as usual, the food was quite nice, but a little slow that day. rohan n christine's fish esp!

after that we took the LONGG ride home on bus 76 from marine parade to my house, took about 45 min i think, joan was a bit sick by the time we reached home! then prepared the birthday card n gift for mindice, then prepare for her party, then after makaning at the function room, we to vivocity to meet the rest of the SF pple to go sentosa for the gig at 9 pm.

oh man, we waiting so long for the gig! it started at about midnight, n we played the usual flightphesy n FHW, but due to the overly enthu audience, we played the space jam beats sequence, as well as hot summer, and ended with crazy army. quite fun n energetic through out e performance, a bit funny as well, SF pple blinded by the smoke n lights n colliding into each other. haha!

we played for a full 20+ mins, with hot summer, nana, crazy army, etc, everything except budm! the crowd was half drunk probably, but super responsive n excited, i think i heard a comment that we were even better than the fireworks. haha. i think overall it was a great performance, thank God i remembered the crazy army parts, mostly at least! smoked my way through some parts before looking at what Ian was playing to remember what to play! hahaha..

after that we went to Mac at harbour front for supper n debriefing, until about 3 am before we finally left. got paid on the spot, so yeah, thank God for the blessing, which i in turn was able to bless Joan w money for food n transport.

sunday had a quarrel w Joan over several issues on the way to church, i was pretty grumpy cos she was late n there was a miscom, n we ended up reaching expo close to 11, just before the announcements. but it was worth the trip rushing for service, Ed silvoso was really the kind of preacher businessman that i like to listen to, a totally marketplace, cultural mandate kind of message, encouraging, inspiring n interesting. took a bit of time to get used to his super thick accent, but i enjoyed service a lot. the 4 levels of christian living in the marketplace, quite sad, i think i'm currently at the bottom rung of the 4 levels! got to break thru in this..

went for lunch w some SF guys at changi airport n then went for some dog show before going for asia conf prac at 4 pm. oh man, we played games n chatted n slacked before we could finally practice at 8 pm! we waited 4 hours just for a 15 min practice. i think mariah was so pissed off she left before we even went up to stage to practice. =p honestly, i felt it was quite a waste of time also, but the fellowshipping was great, so no complaints there. haha.

had dinner with joan at BK at city hall, where we talked about several issues.. i guess we're still quite different in the way we see things n we need to communicate more, rather than jumping to conclusions. but its good, at the end of the day, we were the loving couple again. haha! by the time i reach home n took a bath, it was almost midnight.. time really flies so fast on a weekend n drags so painfully slowly on weekdays, esp monday morning!

i want to take my leave n just chill out n relax for the asia conf weekend!! spend some quality time with Joan, catch up with non-church friends, etc. or just "nua" away, slack n watch tv n laze around at home, or chil out at some coffee place, sipping a drink n relaxing. the fast pace of life is really getting to me.. need to slow down. be still n know that He is God, no wonder even God has to command us to stop all the activities once in a while, be quiet n still, n know Him better.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

What if?

What if Earth in the year 2008 was simply part of the Imperium of Mankind but we didn't know it yet, until one day the tyranides show up and we're helpless in defending ourselves until the appearance of the majestic, powerful, god-like SPACE MARINES?

---

Up in a satellite floating over the earth, all seems peaceful, except that this is a spy satellite of the US, spying on Russia.

"Report in, Sergeant Roy." A static-filled voice came from the transmitter.

"All's quiet down here, nothing to report. Same old for the past 5 months.. Sir, you sure we aren't just wasting tax dollars on this hunk o junk?" Sergeant Roy joked with his superior.

"Just do your job and I'll do mine, over and out."

Sergeant Roy relaxed in his seat. Half a year of space duty didn't seem as exciting as he thought it would be. Initially he was thrilled at the chance of a trip to outer space, to see the world from heaven and literally look down upon humanity. The earth looked so small and peaceful from up in space. But after a few months, the novelty wore off, and it became just another day on the job for him. A fellow astronaut joined him with a cup of decaff.

"Roy, have you noticed the interference with the sonar equipment? We're getting weird signals from here." 2nd Lieutanant Herbett pointed to the screen.

Roy just snorted and replied, "But that's coming from the other side of where we're supposed to be looking at sir. Russia's down there, Mars is at our 6, and where you're pointing is just open space."

At that moment the screens flickered again and the interference kept occuring. This time, it got both personnel worried. When communications are disrupted, it could mean someone or something was jamming their frequency. Someone knew they were spying on Russia!

"Better get a message back to station control Roy!" Herbett began checking the other scanners and various switches. "And activate the squad to be on standby for evac!" One can never be too careful, he thought to himself. He was soon proven right.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant cluster of objects appeared on the scanner! "Sir, what the heck are those things? They've got to be hundreds of miles away but there's nothing out there!" Roy exclaimed while trying to send a message to station control on earth.

"I don't know.. but I think we'll find out soon enough. They're approaching us at incredible speed!" Herbett seemed to pale as he stared at the screen. "Quick we've got to warn control!"

"I can't get anything sir! Its just static.. and that awful sound!" Roy finally began to panic.

Herbett pressed the emergency evacuation button, and the rest of the crew, some waken from their slumber, hurriedly made their way to the evacuation shuttle. "We'll keep trying Roy, let's hope the Chinese aren't listening to all this.. no wait! transmit to all satellites in range! We've got to get the message across before.."

It was too late. They never knew what hit them as a blast of bio-energy hit the satellite and blew them into pieces.

The huge bio-ship lumbered onward, its escorts at its side and front, with thousands of smaller bio-ships protecting it from all flanks. Even then its mission was simple - knock out all satellites and communication. The larger ships had even yet to pass through the warp.

---

"Yes, yes I'll send you those documents by tonight!" Grifter almost yelled at his client on the phone. It was 6.30 pm on a Thursday evening on 6 November 2008, and here he was, stuck in office working when he had plans to go out with his girlfriend Joan.

He sighed and looked at the clock again. Sometimes he almost wished he had chosen a different career path, one that didn't require him to stay back almost everyday, with demanding clients and bosses who hounded him the moment he stepped into the office at 9 am every morning.

Oh well, at least his life wasn't as bad as his colleagues, who were having a shouting match with other lawyers over the phone, having worked until 3 a.m. consecutively for the past week. How can you complain when your colleagues are having a worse time than him? But still, he felt so dissatisfied, no doubt the pay was good, but then again, should he be working purely for the sake of money?

He got another call and he picked up the phone in annoyance. "Yes, Grifter speaking, how can I help you?"

"Dude, you gotta catch the news! Right now!" James Boon, his long-time friend sounded excited for some reason.

"Look, I've got no time for this right.." "Aliens are attacking the U.S.!!"

"Wha..?" Grifter clicked on the internet to find the latest news..

"Haha! You actually believed that load of crap! Jeez! Hahaha..." James Boon bowled over in laughter. "Listen man, we're thinking of going over to the shooting range tonight, we'll be there until about 11 p.m. join us if you can alright? Ciao!"

Grifter sighed. He was good with the bow and arrow, won several competitions. Even had a personalised cross bow and long bow, displayed prominently at his home. He attempted to take up fencing and swordplay, but decided that he preferred shooting projectiles at distant targets. He had his own paintball gun, and even a rifle which shoots out rubber bullets. Illegal no doubt, but it wouldn't kill a person unless you shot him in the eye at point blank range. But still, it packed enough punch to shoot through wooden planks, and would tear muscle tissue if fired too close to a person. The things that rich boys play with.

But he had his job to do. So back to the keyboard, he typed away again, thinking of dinner as his stomach growled.

---

"Sir, satellite R43 hasn't reported in today sir. All attempts to reach them in the last 2 hours have failed."

Major Sternly sighed. An imposing figure, his light grey moustache around his muscular jawline giving him his nickname "Stern". He bet that Roy must be asleep or goofing off somewhere again!

"And sir.. we just received a message from the Chinese. Said their satellite picked up a message from R43 two days ago. They demand to know what a U.S. satellite is doing in their space and what does the message mean."

Sternly raised his eyebrows and felt the first sign of trouble. "Let me hear the message! Those buffoons better have a damn good reason for broadcasting it!!"

---

In a coal mine somewhere in Central America, workers were calling it a day as the sun set.

Suddenly there was a rumbling sound from the tunnel, and young Edwardo turned around to look. "Hey whats that? Sounds like someone's still back there!" he motioned to his buddy Holly.

Holly had a pretty hot bod for someone who worked in a mine. If you didn't mind her large biceps, that is. She was carrying an oxy-acelyn torch and removed her mask. "Well go tell em to get their butts out! This tunnel is ready to blow in half an hour!"

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

US election results - Obama has won!

Most of my friends and incidentally most Singaporeans favour Obama over Mccain, and in the US election results, America voted for Obama as well. Enuff said! Cool young black dude vs old balding grumpy white dude, the answer was pretty damn obvious. Haha!

I hope he comes up with some sort of New Deal like FDR to take US and the world out of this financial crisis.. When the economy is down, everyone's in a bad mood, everyday you see gloomy faces, everyone knows Christmas isn't gonna be really joyous this year.

To be completely honestly, I think its really a bad time for me too. not cos of the finances, but becos of other reasons. work related mostly. sigh.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Busy weekend, nearing the end of 2008!

Dear God,

Its been quite a while since I've written to You here on my blog, and I hope You're still happy with what I'm doing most of the time.

Building fund pledging weekend is over. I know the amount I gave wasn't really by revelation, the amount which I thought You wanted me to give was way way way over my current earning capacity, so I don't think I am able to fulfil that amount. I would have to empty my savings totally to do that, and now that I'm saving for a house, I don't think thats a very wise decision. Nonetheless, I've definitely pledged more than last year, a lot more. I pray that You help me to keep strictly to my budget to fulfil the building fund quickly and totally.

God, right now, honestly, I'm very bothered about Joan's situation. I've never seen her so worried and stressed in the past few years I've known her. I pray that we're able to come out with a solution for her financial problems, that You are able to show her that You're a God who provides, never too late, never too early, but just in time. Somehow, I know that You will provide a way out for her, and strengthen her faith in You once again. I don't like it when she's upset or unhappy, as it really affects me as well.

God I also want to pray for my job, I wrote on the offering envelope yesterday, for clearer direction in my job. Honestly, I should've listened to my gut feeling n go into litigation n try it out, and move into corporate only after i realise litigation isn't my forte, but now i will never know becos i didn't dare to try, n simply choose the path that most of my friends took, being the "safer" choice. I sort of regret it now, but i can't do anything about it since the choice has already been made, i've just got to learn to live with it and adjust myself to it.

Happy birthday to Sharlyn, Rachel, Lydia and Mindice (3 of them on 8 November!) and I must say, everyweek there's a SF person celebrating birthday n its getting rather expensive to keep buying presents for birthdays! Hehz.. its kind of weird, usually people don't celebrate their birthdays, but this year seems like almost everyone close to Joan n I are having some party or celebration. its fun of course, but draining on the wallet too. =p Nevertheless, I believe in blessing people who have been a blessing in my life, especially the friends that God has sent to me to help me and make life more meaningful to me.

God, i'm beginning to wonder. is this it? Working n working n slogging it out for the next 20 over years of my life? Am I able to retire at 50? If my job brings me little job satisfaction, isn't it a clear indication that i'm not walking in Your will for me? But what else can I do? At least until I finish paying off the house, I don't feel the security in any other job that I'm not well equipped to do.

Honestly, I really want Boon's vision to come to pass, about the 3-in-1 music venue, the music school, jamming studio, music shop and music cafe. And from the past 3-4 years of following Boon, i realise that he really brings his dreams into reality, n doesn't just talk the talk, he actually does the job through prayer and sheer hard work n determination! He doesn't care what others think, or if the task seems impossible, as long as he believes in the vision from God, the fulfilment of the cultural mandate, and with the support of pastor Kong n the music team, he is ready to go for it all the way. I really want to be a part of the 3-in-1 music venue, hopefully as one of the board members of the company that he may set up, and I'll quit my lawyer job the moment the music company breaks even. Not that I don't have enough faith in the sustainability, but simple economics show that it takes a while to break even. probably a year or longer? Hopefully i won't have to be a lawyer all my life, i don't wish to practice law for so long, its merely to pay for our house n store up my savings for the future. I really hope to quit practice in about 15 years time, after paying up for the flat n having a comfortable amount of a few hundred grand in the bank.

God, another dream which I want to see fulfilled is the Strikeforce show at the IR! i mean in las vegas they have those weekly shows n performances to bring in the tourists as well as the casinos, a family entertainment centre, which doesn't have to focus on gambling all the time. I really believe the Strikeforce can do it. have a 1.5 hour show on our own, with fantastic set ups, innovative sequences, n something so unique that sets us apart from the other drumming groups in Singapore, and in fact, even the world. I envision the show to be a mix of hippickles, stomp, blackfire percussion, marching band, slick drumming skills, entertaining gimmicks, ultimate drum machines, lots of jumping yelling energetic dances, etc. we can do half hour shows for F1 and Banthai, why not a show at the same venue, instead of running from place to place, the audiences comes to see us?

If that day comes, or rather WHEN that day comes, I want to be a part of it. maybe not even a player, but background crew, director, cheorographer, etc. marketplace ministry? it doesn't get any better than this! God, that's one of the few things that I actually look forward to in life.

I pray that I'll be able to fulfil those dreams, that You continue to give me direction and inspiration for my life. If not, i'll probably live just a mediocre life, of an average lawyer, earning quite a bit, living life comfortably, but not really doing anything great for God. the fact is, that sounds scarily good to me now, to sort of "settle down" and drop into a comfortable pace, staying in the comfort zone, enjoing life n its little pleasures. But i know that is not Your will for me, I still have yet to find that opening in politics, I still have yet to fulfil that dream of being a writer of fiction and stories.

I guess i'll have to start somewhere if I wanna become a writer, see if pple like my works, or am i simply writing for the sake of self-entertainment? of cos if pple like it, there's a way for what i like to do to become profitable, of cos i'll do it.

In conclusion, please bless my relationship with Joan, n my family members. I'm really so fortunate to have a great family who loves me n blesses me, n a wonderful girlfriend who simply adores me n loves me so much, i'm so thankful to You for sending her into my life. I will try to be a better Christian for You, to really change my bad characteristics and habits, and focus on Your Word for me.

In Jesus name,
Amen.