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?

Flurries, Flurries

Flurries,
Gently falling from the sky
She starts asking why

Flurries,
You make the background beautiful
But why are my troubles still so plentiful?

Flurries,
You come and go
But my troubles never slow

Flurries,
Darkness descend
Your pure whiteness still ascend

Flurries,
Your impermanence
Makes her see beyond all continents

Flurries,
All things are transient
She realises

Flurries,
She says
My troubles are miniscule

As compared with
The vastness
of the Earth

Aska はじまりはいつも雨

はじまりはいつも雨

The beginning
Starts with the rain

Pitter Patter
Pitter Patter

The raindrops
Hit against my window

I look out
Seeing you
Standing in the rain

Arrggghhh.....
Don't know what to write. This is such a beautiful song. Can't write these days. Can't even spell properly. Wanted to tell a friend that she looked beautiful in her wedding gown, but could not spell 'beautiful', so had to replace the adjective with kirei. What a loser. Can't even communicate properly in English these days. Is it because I have stopped reading? I should continue reading, really. Did not even get to finish reading "In cold blood". Gosh. I wish I could write as well as those professional bloggers. How to brush up my command of English? I guess I gotta read, read, and read.

Anyways, 飛鳥さん最高です！

Vital Statistics

Took my height and weight this afternoon. Can't believe that I weigh 53kg at 1.61cm. My little tummy is getting bigger too. My waist line seems to have increased by 1cm? Damn. I recall some years back, I also weighed around 53kg and my weight went back to 49kg back in 2004 - 2006. Now it's increased by 4kg! Is my weight increasing due to age? Or is it due to the numerous meals that I had with customers in the last 3 months? I really dislike travelling overseas for business. I tend to over eat whenever I am on business trips. It really sucks.

The last time I ran was last Friday. And I did only 4km? But I was panting like crazy even before I completed the run. Oh man...... I better buck up and run more regularly.

Thoughts

Super tired from all the travellings.
There's always a price to pay for.
I wish I could become a 'normal' employee again.
No travellings, no 100 over emails to respond to, no conference calls, no meetings.
Just wanna a normal and peaceful life, with regular exercise.
Sigh.
Life is not easy.

Falling in Love at a Coffeeshop

I think that possibly, maybe I’m falling for you
Yes there’s a chance that I’ve fallen quite hard over you.
I’ve seen the paths that your eyes wander down
I want to come too…

I think that possibly, maybe I’m falling for you

No one understands me quite like you do
Through all of the shadowy corners of me

I never knew just what it was
About this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while I never knew…
Ahh…

I think that possibly, maybe I’m falling for you
Yes there’s a chance that I’ve fallen quite hard over you.
I’ve seen the waters that make your eyes shine
now I’m shining too

Because, oh because
I’ve fallen quite hard over you

If I didn’t know you, I'd rather not know
If I couldn’t have you, I'd rather be alone

I never knew just what it was
About this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while, I never knew
I never knew just what it was
About this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while, I never knew

All of the while, All of the while it was you
You…
You…
You…

Misia Discotheque Asia Tour 2008

Listening to Misia live at the Singapore Expo was 100 times better than listening to her on YouTube. Her 5-octave voice is superb and she is one of the best rock singer I have ever known!

We were pretty close to the stage and could see her clearly. She looks like a nice girl to me as she obliged the audience encore twice. The concert lasted for close to 2.5 hours! Wow, I truly enjoyed myself that night! You made my day, Misia! Though I was dog tired from my business trip, you really made my day!

Saving Private I

Private I
Though stout
Stands tall
Behind the ferry wheels

The sunrise glorifies his beauty
Signifying his determination
And strength

He keeps going
And going
And never gives up

That's the spirit
She says
Keep it up
She says

Save private I
Save private I
She says

Private I is saved
Private I is saved
He says

She smiles
A weak smile
Closes her eyes
And rest peacefully
Forever

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

In 1820, Smith wrote a letter to an unhappy friend, Lady Morpeth, in which he offered her tips for cheering up.

I have my own variety of tips lists for cheering up, and I was interested to hear what someone from two centuries ago would recommend. Most of Smith's suggestions are as sound now as they were almost 200 years ago – though a few are amusingly odd, and it might be tougher today to work "good blazing fires" into everyday life.

“1st. Live as well as you dare.
2nd. Go into the shower-bath with a small quantity of water at a temperature low enough to give you a slight sensation of cold, 75 or 80 degrees.
3rd. Amusing books.
4th. Short views of human life—not further than dinner or tea.
5th. Be as busy as you can.
6th. See as much as you can of those friends who respect and like you.
7th. And of those acquaintances who amuse you.
8th. Make no secret of low spirits to you friends, but talk of them freely—they are always worse for dignified concealment.
9th. Attend to the effects tea and coffee produce upon you.
10th. Compare your lot with that of other people.
11th. Don’t expect too much from human life—a sorry business at the best.
12th. Avoid poetry, dramatic representations (except comedy), music, serious novels, melancholy, sentimental people, and everything likely to excite feeling or emotion, not ending in active benevolence.
13th. Do good, and endeavour to please everybody of every degree.
14th Be as much as you can in the open air without fatigue.
15th. Make the room where you commonly sit gay and pleasant.
16th. Struggle by little and little against idleness.
17th. Don’t be too severe upon yourself, or underrate yourself, but do yourself justice.
18th. Keep good blazing fires.
19th. Be firm and constant in the exercise of rational religion.
20th. Believe me, dear Lady Georgiana.”

*
A thoughtful reader sent me the link to PocketMod, which shows you how to make your own mini-personal organizer. I can't wait to try it out myself.

*
Check out my new one-minute internet movie, Secrets of Adulthood.
http://www.secretsofadulthood.com/