December 09

A tiring journey
Colorless, meaningless, and hopeless

What is life?
It's a journey, isn't it?

But it's such a tiring journey
Day after day
Month after month
Year after year

The earth revolves
Seasons change
People change

But nothing changes me
Life is still a tiring journey

1st Nov 2009

It's 1st Nov today. Nothing special, not a special day for me.

What can I blog about? Gundum? Nah. FB? Nah. Anime? Nah. No interest.

Went to the library and was disappointed that no books there interest me at all. I was trying to find books written by Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, or some other Japanese authors, but was unable to find any. There were a couple of books by LEo Tolstoy, but I have already read those.....Hmm...a boring Sunday afternoon.

Will be going to the incredible India for about 10 days. Mumbai, Pune and New Delhi. I am excited about going to Taj Mahal....that's it. Do not fancy Indian food, so not sure how I am going to survive for the next 10 days!

Wish myself luck and more luck, need to look for four-clover leaves in the garden.

Satantango

Survived the 7hours 12 minutes Hungarian film at the National Museum. When it started, I thought it was kindda boring coz the take was extremely long. However, as the film moved on and as the audience further immersed themselves in the movie, the film didn't seem that boring afterall. It was a bleak movie, interspersed with some dark sense of humor occasionally. I could identify some characters with myself, and with the people I know. The movie is so surreal, so much so that I started imagine myself to be one of the characters.

The poor gal, Estika, killed herself and her pet, a cat, by taking rat poison. Why did she do that? Why did she torture the cat before she killed it? And why did she kill herself eventually after the cat died? I have answers to these questions but I guess a child really learns from the adults around her.

Well, 10 days to go...BeBe.....

School Friends

Met a college mate at the Hanoi airport some 3 weeks back. Interestingly, I instantly recognized him when he walked into the lounge. OMG, he didn't change a bit at all. Still looks the same, this guy has not aged at all! It's been 20 years! I wonder if he remembers me as his college mate? I guess he did coz he stole a look at me too...Guess I didn't change much as well except for a few pounds.

Time flies and lots of sweet memories from school days are still fresh in my mind. I hardly bump into schcool friends the last 20 years; maybe not at all. But maybe I did, but it's just that they have changed so much that I can't even recognize their faces now.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Some of these pics are just a stark reminder to buy an external hard disk. Too many pictures not saved from the XD card!

Borobudur - Yogyakarta

Time and tide wait for no man. It's been more than a year when we last visited Angkor Wat. We went to another world heritage site over the long weekend - Borubudar. It didn't leave me with a very great impression. Ironically, it was the Prambanan temple that left an indelible mark on me.

More pics coming up.

In Memory of You

You came,
And left
Without a trace

Was it joy?
Or
Was it sadness?

The hustle
And bustle
of life
Overtook
Your existence

A thousand
Apologies
Will not
Heal

My heart
Bled
When I saw
Pieces of You

R.I.P.

B: Late May 2009
S D: 6th July 09
O D: 7th July 09

LOVE LOVE LOVE／DREAMS COME TRUE

Dedication to AL

The conversation goes like this:-

Anonymous: Hey, AL. How are you today?
AL : Well, pretty ok...

Anonymous: So, what have you been up to?
AL : School work, CCA, more school work...damn busy

Anonymous: Poor gal
AL : Sigh... what to do? I am taking my "O"s this year.

At this time, Anonymous thinks to himself: "AL, you are even busier and more stressed out than a working adult! Adults have more problems, you know. They have to spend most of their time at work, take care of the family, take care of household chores, ensuring that their relationships among their spouses, colleagues, friends, loved ones are maintained. Adults have to take many many things into consideration when making decisions. Some adults are taking part-time classes, so they have exams to tackle as well! Can you imagine, juggling with sooooo... many things at one time!"

So, Anoymous advised AL:-

Anonymous: Hey, AL. Take it easy, man. Learn how to relax and do not get too stressed out. School is just a part of our lives. It is something that most of us, the lucky ones, have to go through in our lives. Many children in the 3rd world countries do not even have a chance to go to school! This is just a phase of our lives..

AL : Ok, ok. I know, I know. I will learn how to relax more and be good to myself!

9th March

Told myself that I have to post something on 9th March.....

in the middle of the flowing seasons,
I suddenly feel the length of the days.
during the days when it is too busy,
you and I sketch out our future.

Placing their love on March's wind,
the sakura buds continue on through spring.

rays of an overflowing light,
little by little, warm up the morning.
After giving a large yawn,
I'm a little shy being by your side

Standing at a new world's entrance,
I now notice that I'm not alone.

If I close my eyes, you are there.
under my eyelids you live.
How strong it could become
As for you and me, I want to be together

The dust carried by a whirlwind,
entwines with the laundry to be done,
Just before noon the white moon in the sky
I was somehow fascinated by how pretty it was.

Although there are times when I can't do it right,
if I look up at the sky, even being that small

The blue sky is sharply clear
the sheeplike clouds quietly sway.
the joy of waiting for flowers to bloom
if it's sharing that with you, that is happiness.

In the future as well gently smile next to me.

If I close my eyes, you are there.
under my eyelids you live.
How strong it could become
As for you and me, I want to be together
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


流れる季節の真ん中で
ふと日の長さを感じます
せわしく過ぎる日々の中に
私とあなたで夢を描く

3月の風に想いをのせて
桜のつぼみは春へとつづきます

溢れ出す光の粒が
少しずつ朝を暖めます
大きなあくびをした後に
少し照れてるあなたの横で

新たな世界の入口に立ち
気づいたことは 1人じゃないってこと

瞳を閉じれば あなたが
まぶたのうらに いることで
どれほど強くなれたでしょう
あなたにとって私も そうでありたい

砂ぼこり運ぶ つむじ風
洗濯物に絡まりますが
昼前の空の白い月は
なんだかきれいで 見とれました

上手くはいかぬこともあるけれど
天を仰げば それさえ小さくて

青い空は凛と澄んで
羊雲は静かに揺れる
花咲くを待つ喜びを
分かち合えるのであれば それは幸せ

この先も 隣で そっと微笑んで

瞳を閉じれば あなたが
まぶたのうらに いることで
どれほど強くなれたでしょう
あなたにとって私も そうでありたい

Huh?

Damn, most of the videos that I posted online have been taken down due to patent rights. How sad! Those were the songs that I truly love and will remember for the rest of my life..... but I guess I can still find the songs on Youtube, but it's just that those are the videos that I really adore most.....

Well, well.

Finishing the book 'Stalin'. Kindda "admire" this crook though he was ruthless. He was able to maneuver and convince intelligent people around him to support him and plege allegiance to him; thereby ensuring his position as the leader of Communist Russia. Under his ruling, he arrested 40million people and 7million died during his regime and under his command... You may go "Huh?", but that was real.

One of his sons died in the early 90s. I wonder if he has any grand children? Would love to meet them...:-)

Quote

"It's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

Benjamin Button in a letter to his daughter

Health! Health! More Health!

It's important to be healthy, really. The idiotic illness that struck me 2 days ago really put me off. Though my overall well-being was ok, it caused a lot of discomfort so much so that I was not able to sleep at all. DBS Bank CEO was diagnosed to have leukemia. Who would have expected that to happen? C'mon, life is short. We do not have to take things too seriously. Learn how to let go. Well, having said that, it is important to take our work seriously, coz we are paid to do a job. Always do a good and proper job, no run-of-the-mills performance. If we know we can't cope with too many things at one time, we must learn how to manage our time and our own expectations.

I am glad that I was given 2 days medical leave. Alas, I can rest well at home. When I say rest well, it's really resting well.

This pictures show an oil boomtown in the 1930s. Who would have thought that we would be hit by such an economic crisis which could be worse than the 1929 depression? Life is so unpredictable, live each day as it is. Just be happy.

Time After Time

Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
and think of you
caught up in circles confusion--
is nothing new
Flashback--warm nights--
almost left behind
suitcases of memories,
time after--

sometimes you picture me--
I'm walking too far ahead
you're calling to me, I can't hear
what you've said--
Then you say--go slow--
I fall behind--
the second hand unwinds

chorus:
if you're lost you can look--and you will find me
time after time
if you fall I will catch you--I'll be waiting
time after time

after my picture fades and darkness has
turned to gray
watching through windows--you're wondering
if I'm OK
secrets stolen from deep inside
the drum beats out of time--

chorus:
if you're lost...

you said go slow--
I fall behind
the second hand unwinds--

chorus:
if you're lost...
...time after time
time after time
time after time
time after time

Mr. Tambourine Man

Mr. Tambourine Man
Bob Dylan

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Though I know that evenin's empire has returned into sand,
Vanished from my hand,
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping.
My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet,
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship,
My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip,
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin'.
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way,
I promise to go under it.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Though you might hear laughin', spinnin', swingin' madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escapin' on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin'.
And if you hear vague traces of skippin' reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind,
I wouldn't pay it any mind, it's just a shadow you're
Seein' that he's chasing.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind,
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

New Year's Resolution

Another year has passed with a wink. Time is so cruel, it passes even without one notices how fast it flies. What have I learnt? What have I improved on? There are so many things to learn everyday. It takes more than a lifetime to learn and absorb everything in this universe. What's going to happen to me and the people around me tomorrow? No one knows. Is Gundum everything?:-) Haha, of course not! Is David Achuleta everything? Is the Killers everything? Is fine dining everything? Is money everything? Is career everything? Well.....it's up to the individual. Most importantly; sincerity, peace of mind, willingness to let go of things, no attachments, nothingness....are key.

Dedication to JL

Gundum Gundum
My fountain of Happiness
My fountain of Sadness

Gundum Gundum
Your Fasination
Is my Obsession

Gundum Gundum
You are my Everything
Even when I have Nothing

Gundum Gundum
Your world is Heavenly
My world is Hell

Gundum Gundum
Who will I be
Without You?