looking back at how far i've gone.

i realised that i was pretty inspired back then.
i had dreams.
i had things to look forward to.
i had a hunger, a yearning to do well in the exam hall and on the field.

but alas, they would end up saying, "y'know what happenes to the best laid plans..."

it's not too late yet though. cos the big one's coming up.

45 days left.

all the best.

to all the J1s in Pioneer, here's wishing you all the best for your Promotionals later today.

i have a hero and his name is Jonah.

rest.

[now i can take a breather, just for a lil' while.]

maybe she's getting the hang of it.

she sounds focused.
determined.
happy? maybe.
she's found her purpose. perhaps.

she's found someone,
that i'm sure.
smiling like the Cheshire Cat she says.
indeed, indeed.

i have to admit that life is a funny thing.
how quickly things change.

what more can i say?

[regrets i've had. but simply too many to mention.]

proposal.

[lend me your strength. and the enemy will be whatever is tormenting the world.]

world in union.

oh damn. it's beautiful. the vocals for the 2007 version were awesome.
the 2003 version was the one i heard at the rugby camp this year.
the lyrics are really inspiring and i believe, should serve as a reminder to players everywhere.

win or lose, it doesn't matter.
what matters most is not what happens on the field but outside it.
matches are played, some are won while others are lost.
but the team spirit, brotherhood and friendship, these we can take home and have forever.

World in Union - theme of the IRB Rugby World Cup

"There's a dream, I feel, so rare, so real
All the world in union, the world as one
Gathering together, one mind, one heart
Every creed, every colour, once joined, never apart
Searching for the best in me, I will find what I can be
If I win, lose or draw, it's a victory for all

It's the world in union, the world as one
As we climb to reach our destiny, a new age has begun
We may face high mountains, must cross rough seas
We must take our place in history, and live with dignity
Just to be the best I can, sets the goal for every man
If I win, lose or draw, it's a victory for all

It's the world in union, the world as one
As we climb to reach our destiny, a new age has begun
If I win, lose or draw, it's a victory for all

It's the world in union, the world as one
As we climb to reach our destiny, a new age has begun
It's the world in union, the world as one
As we climb to reach our destiny, a new age has begun"

word of caution.

[reading carefully before starting is a good way to start.]

no turning back.

[the world behind me, the cross before me.]

embrace your dreams.

embrace your dreams.
and no matter what happens,
never forget your pride and honour.

untitled.

life is like a never ending series of battles.
one finished battle just leads on to another one.
we just keep fighting
and fighting.

there are good battles, and some bad ones.
we make some good decisions, we make some poor ones.
sometimes, we win.
other times, we lose.

sometimes, we prevail with our own strength.
as it was once said,
"there may not be I in TEAM,
but there sure is I in WIN."

other times, we get lucky and have others to rely on.
others who are stronger than ourselves.
better. faster. stronger.
and with them, we manage to get to the next battle.

fight as we may,
in our hearts, there is one battle we all know we cannot win.
and hence,
it is the battle that we fear the most.

so while we keep fighting our other battles, may we always keep in mind that all battles are not meant to be won. perhaps, for some reason or another, we cannot win all our battles.

totally unnecessary.

children do not need reminders on their backs to tell others that they can succeed.
rather, children need reminders in their hearts and minds to tell themselves that they can succeed.

-my random thoughts about the school uniform of one of the secondary schools near my college.

is this true?

most of the time, we console people that are crying by telling them to be strong and to stop crying because we don't really know what to do.

surely, we ask too much of ourselves sometimes.

on the outside, she seems fine.
but on the inside, she's anything but that.
words written in anger, hate, and fear.
words written to a world that doesn't care.

a world she cannot comprehend.

not a world
but a system.
in which lies hypocrisy at every turn
and fallacies scattered at every turn.

she feels she does not belong.
she feels that she is going to be left behind.
she feels the dreams that she has are empty dreams and aspirations.
she feels that she will never make it.

she sounds strong;
and yet so weak.
complicated; for she speaks in riddles at times.
but most of the time, she just speaks her mind.

really, it's sad.
not because i know her.
but because i used to feel what she felt.
and this feeling, i hope, will just go away.

forever.

i wish i could help.

no turning back.

we are all at the point of no return.
our fates will henceforth become different and divided.
we all work hard,
but not all of us will prevail.

i pray for wisdom, strength,courage and humility for the great battle ahead.

Reminder to Teachers and Teachers-to-be.

"Glory built on selfish principles is shame and guilt. When we chase awards, we lose our humility. When we emphasize programmes and frameworks, we lose our humanity. When we lose our humility and humanity, we stop being educators. Always ask ourselves why we became educators in the first place."

-Mr Michael Kwok.

here we go again.

i realise that every time the Straits Times runs an article about joan liew, everyone seems to be so critical about how she looks and all.

comments like, "wau lau eh. so man, even more muscles than me." and "huh? that one girl ah?" or worse, "(insert some colourful hokkien)! she look like man siah. damn (hokkien adjective)!" [at this point, it might be good to note that i was checking out STOMP, which kinda explains why the comments are pretty much like that.]

uncalled for, if you ask me. one; if you don't have enough muscles it's either bad genes or you being SUCH A LAZY ASS THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN BRING YOURSELF TO THE GYM. yes, it's prolly your fault, right? second; i think she looks a lot better than most of the other contestants in those body-building contests(seriously, go check it out yourself) and she has a nice, sincere smile. and finally, she's doing what she loves and is doing well, and i guess this is the most important part and i suppose people are just jealous of her success and instead of doing what they can to steer their own destiny, they try to put others down. seriously, REALITY CHECK.

and really, to get that far, you're gonna need more than sheer willpower. respect mann, respect.

nothing beats going "home".
quiet.
yet loud.
call it irony, or paradox.

but i'll simply call it home.

Work - Jimmy Eat World

YouTube - Work - Jimmy Eat World (With Lyrics)

this is awesome stuff from Jimmy Eat World, which i remember to be one of julian's favourite bands.
and if you have the time, go check out Always Be too.

you are my living legacy.

i remember someone telling me that St Augustine once said to choose against your human nature; that is to choose the choices that you won't normally choose.

now i see why.