verification 1:48 PM

i was on my way to cgh to visit h when a little voice inside prompted me to check if he was indeed at cgh. turns out he is not, so it's a good thing i didn't end up there, searching frantically for a non-existent patient.

i picked up a golfing mag for h, even though i am completely clueless abt golf or mags, based on the assumption that a golfer would find it a compelling read. and just in case the mag doesn't do the trick, i brought along a slice of fruit cake too.

desperation 2:14 PM

i've just been kidnapped by gangsters for owing 80 grand!

or so the 'loan shark' on the phone is saying to my dad right now. mom just made a police report as my dad is keeping the scammer talking with realistic pleas and negotiations. heh, he's a good actor.

our valiant men in blue said they've received numerous identical complaints. these are desperate times. be careful and be safe, everyone.

stop! 10:17 PM

lil, the culinary genius, threw together a coffee-walnut cake, vanilla sponge cake and spicy beef stew for a gathering today. this is my impressive contribution: carefully sliced bell peppers in 3 vibrant colors, known in exclusive foodie circles as 'traffic light', for the medley of grilled vegetables which also included asparagus, eggplant and portobello mushrooms.

duets 9:37 PM

2 things happened today.

there was an engaging and thought-provoking workshop which was followed by a lazy yet delightful dinner at putien of the light-as-air-bee-hoon fame. now the day is done and i'm so ready to hit the sack. big time.

good night.

escape 9:06 AM

we are attending an all-day workshop at tampines. it's shaping up to be a scorcher of a day so i'm glad for any excuse to be indoors in air-conditioning.

need food 8:30 PM

instead of the usual upper back massage, i opted to have my feet worked on today at refresh.

believe me, oh, believe you me when i say a foot massage can be used to wring secrets from captured enemies. it didn't help that the therapist didn't look at me even once to observe my facial contortions indicating various stages of pain and suffering.

anyway i managed to make my way to shalom when the ordeal was over and am now waiting for the ssc to conclude so we can have supper. it feels nice to be here.

evidence 3:24 PM

a couple of weeks back, i received my degree from australia (apparently the aussies refer to it as 'parchment') proving the last 2 years of school have not been an elaborate joke, or worse still, a figment of my fertile imagination. there was a teeny little problem though, the title on the degree/parchment was incomplete, and on a completely unrelated note, it was also bent.

i'm heading down to the local representative office now to have this fixed, the title, i mean. the office here will send the offending degree/parchment back to perth in disgrace, and a spanking new one will be issued and mailed to me in due course. hopefully very, very soon and error-free.

the loop 1:08 PM

i am loathe to mention 'white sands' yet again in my posts this week, but since i seem to be constantly found there, i suppose i have to respect journalistic integrity over mundane repetition.

thanks to p & a for the little after-dinner catch up and dessert at, *roll eyes*, white sands last night. i loved catching up with you both, and let's try to meet unexpectedly at other locales in future (this also holds true for all you readers) lest grossly untrue descriptions like 'boring', 'hermit' and 'loser' become associated irreparably with me.

departures 11:59 PM

elegant and deliberate in execution and pace, departures is one of the most sensitively-unfolded stories i've watched of finding oneself and discovering release through it. the japanese culture of traditions and rites lend understated dignity throughout while accompanied by a poignant and yearning cello motif.

absolutely beautiful and moving.

people matter 6:18 PM

late afternoon, i popped into shalom where i delivered coffee and updates; after which i took the scenic beach route, bumping into a familiar face jogging, and finally ending up at white sands where i have a dinner appointment in 45 mins.

in a somewhat pensive frame now as i churn over some thoughts, surrounded by rows of neatly shelved books, in the library. i want a freezing cold drink for company but will responsibly resist in the light of the impending meal.

what's up, doc? 5:41 PM

just ran into someone i knew at white sands, and through the slightly awkward exchange of 'how-are-you-what-are-your-plans-and-take-care' i realized how badly nasal i sounded - a little like donald duck but with half his energy and none of that zest.

play 11:38 PM

seems like it was gaming weekend that just flew past!

we had the chance to play cranium today, a clever and exciting amalgamation of charades, pictionary, trivial pursuit and more. it's supposedly not available locally so if any of you readers see it lying around, please alert me asap!

happy birthday day to a, for whom cranium was a birthday gift, and the reason we were able to have such a wacky and loud time this evening. it's also because of him that we got to enjoy butter-stewed chicken wings, butter-based tomato pasta, popiah from glory catering, as well as the, *shudder*, (in)famous goodwood park hotel durian cake which i fled from.

sniffle 7:56 AM

i'm leaky, gooey and cranky this morning, and have been on an unstoppable tissue rampage. say hello to, *sneeze*, the flu.

we love the wii! 9:32 PM

for the longest time, the nintendo wii never did anything for me. i despised the kiddie-oriented games and simplistic graphics which i thought were hideously ugly by playstation 3 standards.

however, there's a good reason that the wii is currently the best selling game console the world over. it's spectacularly fun; and even more so with a group of young-at-heart friends wielding the innovative controllers and screaming together for team events or competitions.

thanks to g & e for a fun-filled afternoon, opening your beautiful home to us, and for teaching us to stitch together open wounds, speed recklessly around race tracks and beat each other up.

all on the wii, of course.

overstayer 3:28 PM

there's this unsettling scratchiness and clogging in my throat and nose that's been bugging me since sunday. it feels like i'm standing right on the cusp of a fever/flu, expecting (and wanting!) it to kick in, but it simply remains in annoyingly defiant stasis.

downing my 2nd steaming cup of herbal tea now, enjoying the bitterness in the soothing black liquid and meditating on atmospheric songs by delirious?.

saved from me 1:44 PM

as i was driving to lil's place last evening for dinner, i noticed a spectacular sight overhead. the baby blue of the day had deepened slightly and voluminous soft clouds were catching the rosy pink of the setting sun. i decided, very naturally and sensibly, that i absolutely had to take a picture of the vision as i was driving on the tpe during rush hour.

i fished the camera out of my bag, fumbled with the controls with one eye on the road and set it atop the steering wheel. blank. the camera screen was blank. i turned it off and on again, still with one eye responsibly on the road and looking out for inept motorists. but nothing, the screen remained inexplicably and frustratingly blank. this had never happened before and i looked despairingly at my exit coming up, knowing that i had missed my small window to immortalize the scene.

when i pulled up at a red light, i was fuming. i grabbed the camera again and hit the power button. the screen flickered on as it always had in the past, ready to capture whatever i pointed it towards. my jaw dropped.

my tantrum vanished as the words of a song i recently heard flashed through my mind:

we give You praise, we give You praise,
and the King of all the earth has saved us from ourselves.
we give You praise, we give You praise.

blue perfection 11:33 AM

on my way to the station, the sky was a smooth and broad blue, like a fabric stretched taut overhead. wish i could have lingered in the park to soak the expansive sight in.

i've been a bad piano student the week gone by; wonder if my instructor will scold me for having slacked off?

dragonball evolution 11:05 PM

i can think of so many things wrong with this: cheesy script, tacky characterization, low-end cgi, horrendous acting and plot holes bigger than the grand canyon. but despite all the above, there's also a goofy charm to it that elicits some laughs and good-natured eyeball rolling.

thanks, j, for the company and yummy iced-chocolate drink.

bionics up ahead! 1:12 PM

i can't decide if this is gross or awesome.

man loses finger in accident.
surgeon designs a prosthetic finger with a usb drive in it.
man now has 2gb of storage built in. literally.

read full story here.

biblotheraphy 4:12 AM

"i saw this book on the library shelf as i passed." lil told me as she got into the car, "here, maybe you'd like to read it first?"

"oh yeah. it sounds cool," i said, looking at the title but thinking of the mound of other books i'm behind on.

i took it anyway and added it to the dusty pile when i got home.

past midnight, the supper craving kicked in so i quietly made some noodles, after which i grabbed the top book for company in the kitchen.

3 hrs later i've yet to put this down!

delirious?: majesty 11:46 PM

here i am humbled by Your majesty
covered by Your grace so free.
here i am, knowing i'm a sinful man
covered by the blood of the Lamb.
now i've found the greatest love of all is mine
since You laid down Your life
the greatest sacrifice.

majesty, majesty
Your grace has found me just as i am
empty handed but alive in Your hands.

here i am humbled by the love that You give
forgiven so that i can forgive.
here i stand, knowing that i'm Your desire
sanctified by glory and fire.
now i've found the greatest love of all is mine
since You laid down Your life
the greatest sacrifice.

majesty, majesty
Your grace has found me just as i am
empty handed but alive in Your hands.
majesty, majesty
forever i am changed by Your love
in the presence of Your majesty.

earthy goodness 9:58 PM

dinner today was very kindly and deliciously hosted at h & j's, where the abundance of laughter and all manner of leafy greens were deeply (literally!) appreciated. what a welcome sight after the fiber-lacking meals provided over the conference which leads to, you know...

g12 11:36 PM

the past 3 days have seen me at the expo where the international g12 conference, organized by fcbc, was held. i've come away with my eyes opened wider, my horizons stretched further, my understanding pushed deeper and my heart challenged harder than ever before.

attended by christian leaders from 27 countries, the conference was an eye-opening (for me, at least) opportunity to experience God in a very different way. i was especially struck by the messages delivered by pastor cesar castellanos, the founder of the g12 movement, who really moved me by his spiritual insights towards practical and victorious christian life.

i also came away with a deep respect for the music by the uk band, delirious?, who proved to me that God can speak through any form. i am humbled by the reminder that He especially loves to communicate in unexpected ways and i was ministered to by this group of rock musicians whose love for God is so evident in their music and testimony.

it show 2009 2:46 PM

i'm at the it show at suntec city, rubbing shoulders relentlessly with other geeks from all over our island, marveling at the endless cacophony of shiny gadgets as much as the sheer number of bodies crammed in here.

my presence is required as advisor and bellhop to big sis. i can live vicariously through her shopping spree so i'm guaranteed a great time save, perhaps, for a slight tinge of wistfulness at all the droolsome toys i don't get to own.

think zen 9:55 AM

brought my mom to kallang area, home of student drivers, goods trucks and service centers, to get her blood pressure equipment repaired. driving around here is quite aggravating so the newly-restored device will be useful for me when we get it back in about 30 mins time, or so i hope.

muddle, be gone! 3:47 PM

the searing sunshine today was a stark contrast to the unexpected gloomy rain of the past week. i gladly bounded outdoors for a walk by the beach. half-enjoying the stinging brightness in the still air, i began sorting out some thoughts within the relative quietude.

not sure why but it's been tough to gain much clarity lately. maybe the sunshine will herald clearer skies ahead.

food for the soul 9:06 PM

just returned home from dinner at putien, where they serve the lightest (and bestest) bee-hoon in the whole wide world. seriously. i'm convinced one of the ingredients in the bee-hoon must be air.

dinner company was a classmate from my short stint in bible college who contacted me out of the blue after nearly 4 years. i was a little thrown to hear from him last week but i suppressed the little cynic within me who pops up from time to time. turns out we had a great time catching up, and i was very encouraged to hear how God has been molding him and preparing him, no doubt, for bigger and greater work ahead.

the sharing of lives is so meaningful and uplifting - why is it so rarely done?

some of my encounters the past few weeks have been rather significant. i think God is trying to tell me something.

in-between 2:46 PM

it's a sweltering afternoon. respite comes in the cool comfort of an icy drink and a most brilliantly-named magazine. we're at the library, killing a little time before visiting my grandparents. i hope my grandmother is feeling much better.

only hidden 1:40 PM

there was a moment this morning, in that hazy space between sleep and wakfulness, where i could hear my dad on the violin, my mom in the kitchen, a conversation between strangers walking past downstairs, the clear call of a bird up in the trees; all blended into one seamless fabric. and then there was this weight, it felt like the weight of the world, flattening me against the bed - all my fears and hopes came alive, lunged at me in a desperate cry.

then i opened my eyes and there was only my breathing.

it's a zoo out there! 8:34 PM

midday @ the zoo 12:16 PM

the weather has been wonderfully cool all morning as we strolled through the exhibits and sat through the highly-entertaining water show. surprisingly, the zoo is swarming with noisy packs of school kids all over. now we're lunching under a canopy of trees on greasy kfc in the hope that we can burn these calories off in the afternoon.

the zoo 9:42 AM

hopefully the wet weather over the past week has moved on to other regions so that our zoo outing today will be sunny. i have chilled water in my backpack and my finger ready to snap on my cam. let's go!

chickens do tango 1:31 PM

the piano instructor added more complex chordings to my already feeble bossa nova rhythm. it sounds great when he demonstrates, whereas my version is, how can i say it, clunky at best. i really should draw up a regular practice schedule from now on if my intention is to improve.

was mulling over what's for lunch when i remembered the soup spoon in the basement of bugis. it's been ages so here i am about to enjoy a hearty chicken stew.

jolt 9:10 AM

the block i live in is undergoing re-painting so there have been workers in creaky gondolas scaling up and down the past week. at 9 sharp today, they were right outside my window, presumably scraping something, which made noises loud enough to propel me out of bed in a fright.

ah well, i needed to practice a bit more before my piano class anyway - now if only i can get my heart rate back down to a normal level.

cool 6:58 PM

so i'm on my way down to tampines to make payment for a course that lil and i have signed up for. i was supposed to be there in the morning, but it rained cats and dogs (whine); so i thought i'd go in the afternoon, but the rain made it so snooze-worthy. now that it has stopped, i'm all out of excuses.

doused 6:24 PM

the night safari had been the plan for the night, but the thunderous clouds threatened us out of it. so i guess it's just a dinner & dvd to wrap up the day.