the afters.

tuesday

Someday

Ready or not the years are blurring
Running away the mind is turning
Skip to the end to find the meaning
Thoughts are fading, yet I wonder still
Like it or not your eyes are open
Playing around, the circles going
Face of a child, your mind is old
The clock ran down before I could begin

Chorus:
I wish we all could win
I wish we all could smile
I wish we all could make our mothers proud

Want it or not you just can't leave it
Throw it away, I can't believe it
Walking for days, I know you'll see that
Times are changing, soon we'll be the same

Repeat Chorus

Bridge:
Someday, someday, someday
You'll come around
Someday, someday, someday
Your time will come
There's nothing more that I can do
I know we all can make it through
I hope that someday you will see

---

found out 5 minutes a go that The Afters are a Christian band. i got nothing to say about that. but their music's great. it all kicked off with their first single 'Beautiful Love' but i tend to prefer this song better: 'Someday'. more so because the lyrics suit my feelings perfectly.

anyway. this week's going to be hell. i mean HELL. going to be on overtime (and obviously without extra pay) all week. got 24hr duty on thursday and a very long draggy friday to end off my work week. not sure what's up on the weekend but maybe some solitude would be good. some time to take my mind off things. some time to sit down and think about what i want to do, how i want to do it and well, get back on my own two feet.

am i an emotional wreck now? i probably am. yet at the same time it all comes together in a bigger picture. God's plans perhaps? it's funny how at our lowest we turn to God for strength and guidance. it's funny how after all that we've done to upset Him and disappoint Him he still loves us. yet that same logic or theory can never apply in real life for us. funny how some people can be so hung up on the past that they ignore the present. they ignore the obvious choices in life and reality, in hope of reliving the past memories. and well, i guess it'll be harder for them to get a move on in life till they let what's holding them back go.

sure. it is difficult. but we all got to do it sometime. like how parents have to accept that one day their kids aren't kids anymore. like how people need to realise that to really enjoy a relationship, they have to let go of their emotional baggage. as the song goes..

"Someday, someday, someday
You'll come around
Someday, someday, someday
Your time will come
There's nothing more that I can do
I know we all can make it through
I hope that someday you will see"

time.

tuesday morning

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time.
Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to
live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment.
As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".
- quoted -

i guess that's how life always is isn't it? time is never enough and we seldom appreciate things that happen right here right now. we live behind time and how true it is especially when we're always reminiscing about the past, the fun times, things we regret and well, maybe just fond memories in general.

we love the people in our lives now, sometimes forgetting those who have touched us before, or the potential ones that will somehow, have an impact on you. of course that's not to say that we should pay sole attention to those who were and are going to be in our lives, but sometimes we need to divert our attention accordingly.

we all live our lives differently. some choose to be more serious about it, others adopt a casual and happy-go-lucky attitude. one can argue that either or neither is correct but in the end, it's what we do in our lives that matter. do we live our lives for ourselves or do we try to touch the lives of others? i've always been living on the policy of touching others, putting my friends and family before myself. the sad thing is, sometimes i do it to the extent that i'm hurting but no one sees it.

holding on.

monday morning hold on. that's what i've got to do. press on and get my life back on track. most of what was needed to be said have already been said. some were left unspoken but i guess between the two of us, the status quo is suffice. for now. i truly hope she stays happy but should that fail, well, i guess it's really up to her if she wants to come to me. now to distract myself from all these, before i fall any further into the hole that's eating me.

Good Charlotte - Hold On

This world, this world is cold
But you don't, you don't have to go
You're feeling sad, you're feeling lonely
And no one seems to care
Your mother's gone and your father hits you
This pain you cannot bear

But we all bleed the same way as you do
And we all have the same things to go through

Hold on, if you feel like letting go
Hold on, it gets better than you know

Your days, you say they're way too long
And your nights, you can't sleep at all
Hold on
And you're not sure what you're waiting for
But you don't want to know more
You're not sure what you're looking for
But you don't want to know more

But we all bleed the same way as you do
And we all have the same things to go through

Hold on, if you feel like letting go
Hold on, it gets better than you know
Don't stop looking you're one step closer
Don't stop searching it's not over
Hold on

What are you looking for?
What are you waiting for?
Do you know what you're doing to me?
Go ahead...what are you waiting for?

Hold on, if you feel like letting go
Hold on, it gets better than you know
Don't stop looking you're one step closer
Don't stop searching it's not over

Hold on, if you feel like letting go
Hold on, it gets better than you know
Hold on

-- off a friend's blog and excerpt from the bible --

If I speak in the tongues of men and angels,

But have not love,

I have become sounding brass or a tinkling symbol.

And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge,

And if I have all faith so as to remove mountains,

But have not love, I am nothing.

And if I dole out all my goods, and

If I deliver my body that I may boast

But have not love, nothing I am profited.

Love is long suffering,

Love is kind,

It is not jealous,

Love does not boast,

It is not inflated.

It is not discourteous,

it is not selfish,

it is not irritable,

it does not enumerate the evil.

It does not rejoice over the wrong, but rejoices in the truth

It covers all things,

It has faith for all things,

It hopes in all things,

It endures in all things.

Love never falls in ruins;

But whether prophecies, they will be abolished; or

Tongues, they will cease; or

Knowledge, it will be superseded.

For we know in part and we prophecy in part.

But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will be superseded.

When I was an infant,

I spoke as an infant,

I reckoned as an infant;

When I became [an adult],

I abolished the things of the infant.

For now we see through a mirror in an enigma, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know as also I was fully known.

But now remains faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13: 1-13

THERE ARE THREE THINGS THAT LAST – FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE. THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE.

irrational behavior and decision makings.

sunday afternoon people tend to act without thinking and think without acting. makes me wonder which of the two is the lesser of the evils. the decisions we make affect us in more ways than one, surely one is rationale enough to think things over? and make the right decision? evidently not.

feelings and maybe a bit of biased judgments put us in a tight spot, giving us a hard decision to make when sometimes, perhaps the obviously difficult decision is one that's for the better. take a relationship for example:

you may know someone for a very long time. a person you trust more and a person that you will run to when you feel down, upset or maybe just for the company. then there's the other one. someone who recently has an interest in you even though he/she doesn't know you as well. but the one thing this person can offer you is a whole-hearted commitment, a maturity that cannot be rivaled (at least with most other people) and well, just being able to read your emotions when no one else can therefore making it easier for that person to understand you even when no words are spoken.

do you therefore go for the first one? someone who on the surface is better looking as well but will almost always disappoint because he/she fails to understand you well? or do you go for the second one? someone who, for all intents and purposes, is a genuine person, one who understands you well enough as a person, a friend and maybe as a partner and can always offer sound advise and unrestricted love.

then you ask yourself. does having a close friend as a boy/girlfriend mean anything more than what it already is? is it even a good idea? i speak from personal experience when i say that it most definitely isn't. it's taken me a long while to get over delin but gotten over i have. of course the what-ifs come to mind occasionally and it makes me wonder, was it for the better or worse? perhaps it is both. while it is arguably better to go into a relationship with someone who knows you better, there is the tendency that things will take a downturn. i've seen at most two of such relationships succeed yet on the flip side, i've seen countless fail, mine included. it's more fun to go with someone who doesn't know you as well in my point of view. not so much because in the end you find out each others' quirks, habits and attitude but because the journey towards knowing each other, is the best thing that can happen, an adventure of sorts that promises to be filled with joy, love and a warmth never felt before.

rational decision making. we face that all the time and in more ways than one, people are involved. and when people are involved, emotions and feelings are affected. sometimes the hardest decision is the best one. perhaps going for neither is the best path after all. perhaps a short 2 months will be better than a long 8 months. we never know. we make our decision and live with the rewards and consequences.

what's one to do when stuck in a situation like this? knowing either way things won't work out in the end. knowing that when you leave a country, you end up missing things and people that matter the most. yet what you don't know is that, one of those who really cares for you the most, will be there with you overseas in the near future. what then do you do? what do you do?


Angels & Airwaves - The Adventure

I wanna have the same last dream again,
the one where I wake up and I'm alive.
Just as the four walls close me within,
my eyes are opened up with pure sunlight.
I'm the first to know,
my dearest friends,
even if your hope has burned with time,
anything that's dead shall be re-grown,
and your vicious pain, your warning sign,
you will be fine.

Hey, oh, here I am,
and here we go, life's waiting to begin.

Any type of love - it will be shown,
like every single tree reach for the sky.
If you're gonna fall,
I'll let you know,
that I will pick you up
like you for I,
I felt this thing,
I can't replace.
Where everyone was working for this goal.
Where all the children left without a trace,
only to come back, as pure as gold,
To recite this all.

Hey, oh, here I am,
and here we go, life's waiting to begin.
Tonight,
hey, oh, here I am,
and here we go, life's waiting to begin.
Tonight,
hey, oh, here I am,
and here we go, life's waiting to begin.

I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me

Hey, oh, here I am (do this with me),
and here we go, life's waiting to begin (do this with me).
Hey, oh, here I am (do this with me).
And here we go, life's waiting to begin,
life's waiting to begin.

RBD - Tu Amor

Mi amor I'm not sure of the right words to say
Maybe these simple words will do best to best explain
What I feel in my heart
What I feel more each day
How to make you see
How to let you know
How to say, how to say, how I love you so
With words you understand
Words that get right through to your heart
Here's the place to start

Tu amor, I will always be
Tu amor, means the world to me
Estarás siempre en mi corazón
You're the one in my soul
And I live for tu amor, tu amor.

Mi amor I love you more with each look in your eyes
Maybe these simple words will do best to best describe
What I feel in my heart
What I'll feel for all time
How to make you see
How to let you know
How to say, how to say, how I need you so
With words you understand
Words that get right through to your soul
Words that let you know

Tu amor, I will always be
Tu amor, means the world to me
Estarás siempre en mi corazón
You're the one in my soul
And I live for tu amor, tu amor.

You're the one that
I need in my arms
Believe me these words
I say are words that come straight from my heart
How do I make you believe
Nothing else means as much as what you mean to me

Tu eres el unico en mi alma
Yo te quiero
Te adoro
Tus labios
Tus ojos
Mi amor

Tu amor, I will always be
Tu amor, means the world to me
Estarás siempre en mi corazón
You're the one in my soul
And I live for tu amor, tu amor.

games.

thursday morning and so they have begun. the moving of pieces, the plotting of strategies and the reviewing of game plans. it's like a game of chess but i'd rather use american football as an analogy. take it as it is, two teams, each with their own 'special units': attacking lines and the defensive ones.

every step, every move, every decision is calculated to maximise its effect. to attack blindly will merely lead to a quick counter. a defensive approach will lead to one being slow in attack and though biding his time, he eventually wilts under the pressure and loses.

it's the same when going in a relationship. the courting phase is a game of wits, feelings and decisions. then comes the phase when the relationship is stable. the football phase. getting to know each other's weaknesses, learning to live with it, giving in to one another and living with each other's quirks. and in the event there's a breakup, not one, but both parties are hurt. perhaps one may deny it but surely both will be hurt. and so the mind games start again, each blaming one another and trying to find a solution to things for an eventual patch-up or more often than not, going their separate ways.

sometimes we take things at face value. we see the act of giving of gifts as well, giving. it could very well be a complement of sorts. the subtle references to song titles (and lyrics) may actually very well reflect what the person is trying to say. little things said and done add up to a bigger picture that says hey, maybe this guy is really serious after all. it's not a crush. certainly not an infatuation and definitely not a rebound.

it's genuine love, care, concern and the feeling of wanting to be there always despite the physical distance, despite the fact that there are others involved. finally it's sincerity that i hope wins. material assets aside, one can only offer so much in terms of feelings, and feelings are immeasurable in monetary terms. whatever it is, the feelings will remain because for a fact it is real. over long distances it may be, but sincerity and genuine feelings are a promise. and it's a promise i have no intentions of breaking.

what the fuck's wrong?

wednesday morning you know how it is when sometimes what your parents deem are best for you, may actually end up to be something negative? given their good intentions and all it's sometimes hard for them to see things from your point of view.

i'm alright with going overseas for the rest of my NS life but somehow it just doesn't seem right. and here's why i am apprehensive:

1. australia uni term starts around februray/march, i ORD in june. the idea of disrupting is tempting yet the thought of serving NS again after graduation kinda stinks.

2. the place being a chinese-speaking place, well, i just can't survive as well as i would like to simply because my grasp and understanding of the language is basically poor.

3. $3000 a month with all the perks is one thing, the lost of friends/family and all the things i love is another. money can never substitute the joy and fun of being able to be with my friends and family, playing floorball and watching soccer with my buddies. no way. $3000 can't substitute any of that.

4. granted, the experience would probably be valuable but the lack of usage of whatever i studied in poly coupled with the 2 years of NS would mean i'm very out of touch with what i want (or am considering) to study in uni (of which i would talk about later..)

5. in the very unlikely event of conflict between this country and it's larger neighbour, i don't want to be caught in the middle of it all.

6. i don't see how 3 NSFs and the regular officers will eventually develop the relationship that goes beyond work; i.e., developing close personal friendships that i like especially from my days in BMT, SISPEC/OCS and presently in 3SIB

there are more reasons that i do not wish to state here simply because they're too personal to me and in most cases, it's just a biased feeling that i have and it shouldn't even be listed in the first place. but well, i guess the most important reason is simply because i'm afraid. i'm afraid of losing and leaving behind treasured friendships and the comfort of home. i'm afraid and that's all there is to it.

now as far as studies go, i'm looking at different options but i'm fixed on australia. it's a choice between Melb Uni or Uni of New South Wales. guess i'm going to drop my much-desired Aeronautical Engineering. so that pretty much narrows down my choice of courses to the following:

1. Computer Sci (Melb and UNSW)
2. Info Systems (Melb)
3. Mass Comm/Journalism (Melb and UNSW)
4. Business/Commerce (Melb and UNSW)
5. Law (Melb and UNSW)

the ambitious me is also looking at double degree programs but most of them take 5 years, and i don't know yet if i really want to do double degree. perhaps it'll be good in the long run but as it is right now, not really bothered by it. funnily enough, i'm more willing to leave singapore to study in australia merely because i've got friends there that i can call upon. arguably i've got 2 more months to sort things out before my overseas posting is official so i'm thinking this one over really hard. i hate to make major decisions like these, worse because they affect my future directly.

lousy feeling.

monday well. what more can i say? sacrifices will have to be made. and going for my overseas posting is definitely one of the biggests i've ever made. leaving behind family, friends and all the things i like to some place different, some place that speaks more chinese than i've ever spoken in my entire life. not to mention her as well. though nothing is confirmed, i'm pretty sure i'm headed that way so i'm trying to prepare myself mentally. not sure what to expect and stuff. leaving behind opportunities and such.

saturday was great. match against pasirians sucked real bad. unnecessary fouls, unnecessary lost of tempers. put it all together and it equates to a game lost. went back to shower before heading out to meet shuren ben and shaun at muddy murphy's for drinks and soccer. headed to coco latte after that for some unsw party that julian organised. had a hell of a time though to be honest, towards the end of the night i was pretty distracted, thinking about things that i have not allowed myself to thus far. let's just say i was pretty upset, even till now..

think sometimes we all have to let go of something. something or someone. guess it hurts more when you have to let go of someone you love a lot. like i said. sacrifices. it's bad enough to be in a win-lose situation but worse in a lose-lose situation. as it is, things aren't turning out the way i hope because the potential is already lost. doesn't help that i'm at a certain disadvantage so it hurts a lot and sometimes i just don't know what to do anymore. i'm trying my utmost and i've reached the point where there's no turning back, and i absolutely refuse to.. so yeah. i'm headed straight for an end that i know would hurt me bad but i guess like some people say, it's not the destination that matters, it's the journey. and so far the journey hasn't been all that bad. now if only one or two things change, maybe the destination might change too. =|

ouch.

saturday morning wow. i'm actually awake at 9am on a saturday. how rare is that? have a very boring saturday to look forward to. am till deciding if i want to head down to ngee ann for the guys' training, if not to play a bit then at least to watch and talk to them since i've got the whole day free. anyway. one week of ivp's over. girls are doing surprisingly well with a win against smu and a hard-fought draw against ite. the guys on the other hand, drew with tp and lost heavily against nyp. nothing much else to say really. blooper of the year: referee falling over side-boards. what a joke. and so i fell. with a huge bruise on my right shin. everyone laughed (like duh) so i stood up smiled and continued refereeing. haha! what the hell man. and i didn't exactly fall-fall. i was trying to get out of way of the ball and 3 players. so i jumped over the boards, but somehow i just fell. what the hell eh?

watched borat last night (or rather this morning at 1.30am). was a pretty brainless movie but it's worth the money purely for the laughs. oh, it was a bit gross too if i might add. watch and you'll know what i mean. so yup. i think i shall just stay home afterall. still a bit ticked off by what happened yesterday. hah. what a let down.


Busted - Build Me Up Buttercup

Why do you build me up (build me up) Buttercup, baby
Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around
And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby
When you say you will (say you will) but I love you still
I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darlin'
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don't break my heart

"I'll be over at ten", you told me time and again
But you're late, I wait around and then
I went to the door, I can't take any more
It's not you, you let me down again
(Hey, hey, hey!) Baby, baby, try to find
(Hey, hey, hey!) A little time and I'll make you mine
(Hey, hey, hey!) I'll be home
I'll be beside the phone waiting for you
Ooo-oo-ooo, ooo-oo-ooo

Why do you build me up (build me up) Buttercup, baby
Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around
And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby
When you say you will (say you will) but I love you still
I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darlin'
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don't break my heart

To you i am a toy but I could be the boy you adore
If you'd just let me know
Although you're untrue, I'm attracted to you all the more
Why do I need you so
(Hey, hey, hey!) Baby, baby, try to find
(Hey, hey, hey!) A little time and I'll make you mine
(Hey, hey, hey!) I'll be home
I'll be beside the phone waiting for you
Ooo-oo-ooo, ooo-oo-ooo

Why do you build me up (build me up) Buttercup, baby
Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around
And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby
When you say you will (say you will) but I love you still
I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darlin'
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don't break my heart
I need you, more than anyone, baby
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don't break my heart

floorball cycle.

friday morning and so the cycle begins again. floorball never stops. with the end of divsion 1, there's division 2 to referee, then comes pol-ite and now ivp. have been going down to ngee ann the past few days to watch np play, both guys and girls. i miss playing with them but there comes a time when we have to let go of something that means a lot. i can't say how much i've worked my ass off (together with yazid) for them and whether or not they appreciate (or even know) is another matter. as it is, it's in their hands now. i've graduated and have done all i can.

so after watching 2 of the guys games, guess somethings never change. silly mistakes and lack of concentration. it was a great match watching them come back from 3-1 down to earn a draw with tp but last night's game was well. one to forget really. 6-1 loss. feel pretty bad for them. but their fighting spirit was fantastic. guess it's a ngee ann thing. the fighting spirit. in the 3 years that i've played for np, we've always had the knack for doing things the hard way. coming from behind to draw and occasionally win. but mostly it's a matter of too little too late. as far as the girls are concern, well, it was a good win against smu but honestly, it was a tad lucky but hey, a win's a win. fear for them in the coming matches though. if they could play a little harder, run a little faster, things would be so much easier. so anyway. figured i will make good on the 5 earthquakes i promised the guys (and possible the girls? hahhh) after ivp.

division 1. how soon it is. starts on sunday at ntu against ntu (duh.). am really looking forward to the game and the start of the league but i have niggling feelings. somehow somethings just don't add up. the team chemistry is missing, some players just can't get along. i worry for the coming season. doesn't help me one bit that i'm to play in a totally new position. never expected mr amir to put me as defender but well, guess i have to adapt and get on with the job. hoping to utilize my long shots more this time around. so here's to the next 11 games.

national service. i have no idea what in the world's happening now. i've more or less confirmed my pes downgrade so off to msd in february unless something else happens. something which i'm not able to say other than that i'll be out of singapore for a long long time..

press f5 to refresh.

saturday morning well. almost 1 week into the new year and it's been a hectic time so far. been caught up with work in the office. haven't had much time to look back and reflect on the year gone by. so here goes.

the start of 2006 marked a turning point for me. the fact that it was to be my last year in poly dawned on me and the friends i've had (and still have), simply amazing. another chapter of my life was coming to a close and a new, exciting one was about to be opened. 3 years of poly education. i've no qualms with my grades. a 3.0 gpa is fine by me given that i more than made it up with a healthy and balanced school life.

i've met wonderful people who've made me smile, laugh, cry and even pissed but i guess without them, life wouldn't have been as interesting. so here's a big shout out to the following:

• shuren and shank. for being my best friends till now. that pretty much sums it up

• shaun, ben and ivan. for being friends on whom i can count on and friends who tolerate my outbursts when i'm pretty worked up. and oh. drinking buddies. hah!

• delin. for being the girl who taught me lessons about myself. for being a close friend with whom i could have shared my deepest and darkest secrets. for being perhaps, the biggest (and most upsetting) thing in my 3 years of poly. you have no idea how much you meant to me.
  

• sarah. for being there when i needed someone to talk to at awkward hours. for tutoring and mentoring me in my school work. i still feel that somethings should have happened and you know what i mean.

• brandon. for being a floorball mentor of sorts even though you're younger than me. for being someone i can count on.

• t15. for being a class of colorful characters and personalities. glad to have known all of you.

• egarage (with people like zhixiong, wenru, patricia and milton). for being the best cca i've ever joined and having the best group of friends. the opportunities i got. microsoft student champion. infocomm security sig. wireless java jam. just to name a few. great times.

2006 was also a year of developement in terms of floorball. transferred to a division 1 team where i picked up a lot of stuff, learnt a lot about myself and the sport itself. it was probably the fastest progress i've ever made. memorable games like those against nus saints (where i hit the post 7 times), moosemen (where i had a concussion and spent a night in hospital) and pasirian (where i got to see the drunk caucasian players in my team score and even miss easy shots).

perhaps the most important thing to have ever happened was enlistment. 8 june 2006. the day i stepped into pulau tekong, mohawk company. the weeks that followed were to be life-changing ones and i'm proud to have passed out as a mohawk trainee. what came next was the biggest disappointment in my life thus far: not making it to ocs. i have always believed (and still do) that i'm more than capable of making officership. i guess sometimes life just prevents you from being what you can. God's will? perhaps. but i've come to except life as it is and in some ways, thankful for what has happened. if i hadn't gone to sispec and gotten injured (which i regret still), i wouldn't have been able to catch up with old friends. people like julian, jolene, kenneth, clare and yeni come to mind. 2006 has been a good year in terms of rekindling 'lost' friendships. and if i weren't in hq 3sib now, i wouldn't have met great people like bertrand, radzif, norman, timothy, ronald, david, iswandi, ma'am wati and others.

2006 was also a year in which i traveled a lot. manchester, stockholm (twice) and taiwan. i got to see old trafford, watch floorball games (including the world championships) in stockholm and fireworks at taipei 101 all in the same year. how great is that?

more importantly, 2006 was a year in which i bonded more with my family. perhaps being in the army helps because now every bit spent together means a lot, more so to me than anything. friends come and go but in the end, family is the one that really matters and are always around. now that i'm 6 days into 2007, it is time to refresh myself, and start a fresh new year. greater and more exciting things await. lessons have been taught and learnt, friends made and lost and after putting it all together, life goes on and in God's hands i place everything. thanks everyone for everything that happened in 2006.. i only pray now that things work out between me and a certain someone. and that i'll be able to make the best out of this year's league and the rest of my national service.

taiwan. no more.

friday morning got back from taiwan yesterday morning. i must say the trip was rather interesting. got to see the pretty and ugly side of the taiwanese populace. what an eye-opener. here's an everyday example:

train station - everyone waits to get onto the train, all rushing at the same time to get to the solitary seat. when they get to the station they want, they all rush out to stand on the right side of the escalator (where they stand and 'enjoy' the ride up/down much like how we're encouraged to stand on the left). they then proceed to take their own leisurely stroll to the fare gate, holding up everyone else behind them. in the midst of all these they:
1. remain ignorant to the people they've elbowed
2. remain ignorant to the people behind them in the fare gate 'queue'
3. are still all smiles when they look at you, realising they've stepped on your toes and then fail to apologise
4. stop in the middle of a queue to fish out their ez-link-styled cards or better yet, to talk on their cell phone
5. attempt to pickpocket you

as far as their famed good service industry is, it's much like japan. very robotic and very much a mockery to say the least. few actually greet you and serve you with a smile. most just go through the motion and it gets very irritating after a while. granted, they've got a heavy japanese influence but surely they can do better by being more original? they fashion industry there is in dire need of a revamp. i saw a guy all decked out in black/white hip-hop stuff that actually looked good. i was impressed till he put on a pink fubu velvet cap. so much for a fashion statement. someone call the fashion police please.

shopping. well. did quite a fair bit. surprised myself even when i bought 3 pairs of shoes and a bag. did loads of shopping for other people too but i think it was all worth it. i was shocked though when a pair of Lee jeans that i was interested in, turned out to cost S$350. i think it's one of those where you have to bathe and sleep in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

so ok. back to the trip. did a lot of walking (and climbing for that matter). hiked to the top of a hill to catch the skyline and landscape of taipei city, the night markets which started to look all the same to me after two trips to two supposedly very different markets. the most disappointing bit of the trip came during new year. was to catch the fireworks at taipei 101 (the world's tallest building) but the weather conspired to blow the smoke in my direction instead thus obscuring the view of a rather fabulous firework display. it's funny and amazing how i can be so uninterested in the new year celebrations in singapore and yet be the total opposite when i was in taiwan.

so for all the places we went, the food we ate and the shopping we did, taiwan was a great trip (save for the very horrible last day which i shall not talk about lest i flare up and start cursing and swearing again). managed to meet up with arland and his wife too (fyi- the wife, jennifer, started up Awfully Chocolate in taiwan together with local singer Stella). so yeap. that's it about taiwan. too tired to write more about it.



Trademark - I Could Live On Loving You

I need you now
And tomorrow is too late
In you I've found
A million reasons I can't wait anymore
And for me it's now or never
I need to start loving you forever baby

I could live on loving you
Holding kissing touching you
You don't know how long I've waited for you
Holding on so I could
Live on loving you

You heard my voice
Through my silence crying out
I am here
Can you feel me reaching out
With my heart as far as I can go
I'll go on if you let me
Cause I'm trying to let you know oh baby

[Chorus]

Tell me that the smile I see
The angel eyes
Looking back at me
Telling me you are
The only one for me

[Chorus]