You (S Club 7)

You are all I need to get me through (get me through now baby)
Like a falling star I fell for you (I fell for you)

Sweet anticipation
It's giving me the butterflies
And my heartbeat's racing
Cos loving you is beautiful
When you're so irresistible

So don't stop (don't stop)
What you're doing baby
So good (so good) And it drives me crazy
One touch (who-ho-hoo)
I'm in heaven, yeah
Cos loving you is so beautiful baby cos...

You are all I need to get me through (to get me through now)
Like a falling star I fell for you (I fell for you now)
You have taught me how to love
An angel sent from high above
Now I know that all I need is you

Cos I need you and you need me
And we'll always be together
I thought I knew what love was
I always ended up in tears
It's just the way my world was
Until you walked into my life
It's something that I just can't hide

Real love (real love)
Has come my way
And I know (I know)
That it's here to stay
And it feels (who-ho-hooo)
Like never before
Cos loving you is so beautiful baby cos...

You are all I need to get me through (to get me through now)
Like a falling star I fell for you (I fell for you now)
You have taught me how to love
An angel sent from high above
Now I know that all I need is you

Cos I need you and you need me
And we'll always be together

Cos I need you and you need me
And we'll always be together
You're my inspiration
My world just seems a brighter place
I just wanna tell you
I've never ever felt this way
I've never thought I'd see the day

Real love (real love)
Has come my way
And I know (I know)
That it's here to stay
And it feels (who-ho-hooo)
Like never before
Cos loving you is so beautiful baby cos...

You are all I need to get me through (to get me through now)
Like a falling star I fell for you (I fell for you now)
You have taught me how to love
An angel sent from high above
Now I know that all I need is...

You are all I need to get me through (get me through now baby)
Like a falling star I fell for you (I fell for you)
You have taught me how to love
An angel sent from high above
Now I know that all I need is you

Making a difference to others' lives =)

Anyway, Suyi has also decided to opt for Commerce when she goes to uni next yr. I have told her numerous times that whatever decisions she makes and will make in future, she can count on my full moral support. Deep inside my heart, I just know she aspires to be a doctor and i know she will make a fabulous doctor. However, due to some reasons, she decides to take Commerce. Since you have decided, go for it! =)

I actually feel that ambitions/aspirations and knowing what we want in life are strongly correlated. Recently, a few friends actually approached me to ask about this...At that instant, I thought what my good friend, Mark told me three yrs back(when I was 18). I can still remember the scene where we had that convo very well.
*************************
(2006, University of Adelaide campus)
Mark: Mingchien, I know you have many other friends who have taught you many things in life. Glad to know you have a long-term ambition to fulfil. However, do you know what leads to you knowing what you want to be in the future?

Mi: I guess, it's because of my passion.

Mark: Yes your passion is one impt factor, but do you know the purpose of the ambition you are harbouring?

Mi: The purpose you mean?

Mark: Yes, that purpose I referred to is your goal in life. This goal also answers the question of your purpose of living. Answers why we are working so hard, what are we striving hard for. Or else, you have no direction in life. Mingchien, to understand your ambition well, you have to find this purpose, in other words, what you want in life. Start thinking about this early will do you good.
******************
'There is a saying: Without vision, the people perish.'

Ever since, I thought a lot, searching deep inside myself. I even asked some of my friends about theirs. I felt one of my friends' answer to be altruistic. She said, she wants to make a difference to mankind. She was doing Science degree and she aspires to be a researcher and wants to be in the research of finding cure for AIDS patients.

But how I eventually find my purpose? I searched deep inside myself, reflecting on how I feel about the events and issues surrounding me, and how I can be a good individual at present and in the future.

What kind of characters you possess or you think you might possess? (A fundamental question in order to determine it)
What you hope to do now and in the future that will give you the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction?
What do you strongly feel about?
Your passion plays an important role as well.

But finding this purpose requires time, this includes the time required to know yourself. I took 2 yrs plus to find it. The title is the answer i have found for myself. Making a difference to others' lives. Be it a friend, spouse or others, be compassionate to people around u. Knowing what you have done has made the other parties happy, makes me happy. That's when i enjoy true happiness. This purpose in life, in which we are trying to find, tends to be sth simplistic yet powerful.

Just like what Mark always said to me, everytime he taught me about things in life, 'You do not need to realise or fully understand what I told you, you need time to realise that all these make sense.'

I guess, he left a big impact on many of my thoughts in life. Take your time, dun think so much, eventually you will find your answer to what you want in life. Work and play hard =)

=)

Alright, my first blog entry as a 21-yr old...Received a lot of birthday wishes from everyone, be it via facebook or sms or better still. This year, me and YS decided that due to our busy timings, we did not organise any major bashes for our 21st. For mi, family issues were the major reason for me not to organise anything. I was having a long-distance sms convo with Suyi about what happened to our grandpa and our mum. Mum might have a suspected lump at her neck area, and she has to undergo surgery to determine the detriments of this lump.

While my grandpa is terminally ill and bed-ridden in hospital, everyone in my family were 'mobilised' to take care of him. I have to confess here that, whenever I go to visit him, seeing how feeble he was, makes mi so miserable. Sometimes, I always have second thoughts of stop visiting to stop myself from getting miserable time and time again. However, I admire him for his determination to live ever since his cancer was discovered to have spreaded to other parts of his body two yrs back. How I wish he can pull thru this as well. Suyi and I were both worried for these two people that are dear to us in this family. I feel for Suyi too, my current hope is that things will improve and will not affect Suyi's mood when she turns 18 next mth. =) Dun worry, meimei, we will take care of everything here. =)

More than Words (Westlife)

Long to play this song on a guitar...even though I am not a guitarist myself. If I happen to pick up playing the guitar, the first song I will make it a point to play will be this song. =) Long-time favourite


Saying I love you,
Is not the words,
I want to hear from you,
It's not that I want you,
Not to say but if you only knew,
How easy,
it would be to show me how you feel,

More than words,
is all you have to do, to make it real,
Then you wouldn't have to say,
that you love me,
Cause I'd already know,
What would you do, if my heart was torn in two,

More than words to show you feel,
That your love for me is real,
What would you say,
if I took those words away,

Then you couldn't make things new,
Just by saying I love you,
It's more than words,
It's more than what you say,
It's the things you do,
oh yeah,
It's more than words,
It's more than what you say,
It's the things you do,
oh yeah,
Now that I've tried to,
talk to you and make you understand,
All you have to do,
is close your eyes,
And just reach out your hands,
and touch me,
Hold me close don't ever let me go,
More than words,
is all I ever needed you to show,
Then you wouldn't have to say, that you love me,
Cause I'd already know,
What would you do,
if my heart was torn in two,
More than words to show you feel,
That your love for me is real,
What would you say,
if I took those words away,
Then you couldn't make things new,(no no)
Just by saying I love you.....

Oh well....

Ya been 6 mths since I last submitted an entry...So there was an urge specially this day to blog. Been in NS for 6 months, experiencing jungle, weapon, obstacle and fitness training....and experiencing the feeling of having to get out of training. It just take a back problem to cause my exit from combat training. However since in camp, when u and ur friens were having convo, one of the common topics will be university. Hmmm, a few of my friends came to ask me about my course in Australia and the learning lifestyle in a foreign place.
However, one superior of mine ytd said sth to me that gave me an impression that he did not know what studying in uni is about...Getting a Bachelor degree in something means being majoring or specialised in tt aspect and it does not mean I am supposed to know everything upon wearing the graduation gown and hat.
But for 6 months, I really miss everything in Adelaide especially those uni days. Those days when we went for lectures tgt, even crashing lects (no one except mi has this kind of habit). There was one particular day when I can still remember...I was rushing for Auditing lect at Horace Lamb lecture theatre...I called Tinyik and asked him to help me 'chope' a seat. He replied 'ok, dun worry we will get the BEST seat for you' Instantly, i knew they were up to something...Then when I arrived at the lect theatre, just as expected, they put mi to sit wif another friend of mine...I saw them laughing and giggling at the upper rows, and told mi that Fiona left the 'BEST SEAT' for mi....oh crap....haha and so then everyone also knew it....crap crap and more crap!

ok, tired signing out

Hear, Talk, Prepare and now, Experience

Time flies, been two months since I last wrote an entry. Two days to enlistment and so here we are. Over the past four years in Australia, listening to your friends' experience in NS, talking and preparing for it. And now, it is my turn to acquire my own experience. I guess, after two years, me too can share with people my experiences. Been receiving numerous 'briefings' on NS, on what to do and what not to do...basically advices here and there! Just then I realised that I cant bring all these advices with me. Too much advices is going to clog up ur brain and the functionality of the nervous system will be undermined. Come to think of it, I am coming to terms with what my friend Mark tell me, just dun care about advices, just do it and get the hand-on experiences. Advices are valuable and beneficial but if it gets redundant, one will hold back their actions and any future executions will be deferred and suitable timing to execute will slip thru our hands. Analysing reflects how cautious a person is, but excessive analysing will lead to indecisiveness and actions that were to be executed will be held back.
In the past, I always defended my position of being over-analytical of things thru the point of making astute and informed decisions in life as people usually argues that with over-analytical comes indecisiveness. However, coming to think of it now, I realised that there come to times that a person has to be decisive. A person decisive enough to act swiftly, but the feat will be whether this person is able to make a good decision while being decisive simultaneously.
My conclusion is that a person has to strike a balance between decisiveness and being analytical. The bottom line for this argument in my inner self will be to be think in an astute and informed fashion, and not frivolous ones. At least, this is something I need to equip myself with for the future to come.
There are just so many question marks in my head, and this is one of them. But I believe for this particular question, NS will be the place for the answer to be sought. Till then, on with NS preparations..Tata

A long day of catching up (wif Long-time-no-see friens)

Was planning to write this blog last night the moment I came back home, but I was so drained to do anything other than falling asleep.
Yesterday I spent most of my days outside, went for dental appointment and then popped by my cousins' place to say hi to my two cousins since the clinic is so near to their place. After that, I proceeded to meet Jinwei, my ex-colleague from MOF. It was in the late afternoon and I went so famished that we went to Shokobu restaurant which is at the basement of Raffles City for late lunch. Then we went scouting for clothings around the City Hall region. I fancy the shirts they sold at Topman, but we have to understand that the clothings sold around the region was so ex, bearing in mind that my finance was overstretched in recent history. However, I did not go home empty-handed. I bought a pair of cufflinks @ Robinsons for $35. Well, quite a reasonable price, thanks to the advice of Jinwei. Or else I will have spent $80+ on cufflink at another shop, which was not worthwhile. And so we walked from Raffles City to Suntec City and finally stopped at Marina Square. Apparently, one store @ Marina Square selling good polos that has caught my attention. Might go there and have a look again. Was tempted to make frivolous decisions of buying tops when it comes to 'scouting' ytd (a new term I have set when it comes to looking for clothings)
Then sat down at Starbucks and had a long discussion or convo wif him on career matters, well at least our endeavors of getting a job and exchange of knowledge of the current job market.
After that, I went to PS to meet up wif Tze Peng, a bud I have not met up wif for 2 yrs!!!!! Walked to and fro PS and the youchakuey store near Paradiz Shopping Centre....simply because we had so much things to catch up on after two yrs.
And ya also due to the need of applying the financial concepts we have learnt in uni (or else it will rot after NS), I have put in S$200 (don put in $2000) to invest in pounds. I can only devote that much because of the scarcity of financial resources just as mentioned...hmmm pls appreciate, GBP!

Mahjong Course....

Gosh! It is 7am and here I am blogging. This is so random, I woke up at 6am. Not feeling obligated to wake up so early and yet, here I am sitting on the chair, feeling energised. To think, as a normal student, I will always feel reluctant to wake up so early to prepare for school. But now, really for the first time, I have no school to attend to now. My mum will always feel amazed by my wake-up time in recent-history.
So woke up sending email to a frien, taking into consideration the time difference between here and Adelaide.

And yes, ytd, after going to Driving Centre to book for BTT for foreign conversion, I went to Vanessa's place for mahjong. You all shld noe, for learning anything, you will have 'jiao xue fei'. Mahjong, too, was not spared from this saying. I had a few times coming close to 'hu-ing' but I won 0 rounds in the end, taking into account that that was my second time playing and somemore with 'tai'. Milk and Alex taught me the 'gai-tai' version, I thought when I first played mahjong at their house.

Then went home, while encountering both traffic jams on the road and on the MRT track. The MRT system going to Pasir Ris then was stuck as there were a crowd of people clotting up the platform at Clementi MRT. So mi and a frien decided to board the train at the other platform to Jurong, to avoid the congestion. Den so boarding the Pasir Ris train at Jurong, realising my slippers were stepped on by people for many times in the process of boarding. Then I realised I should have bought a smaller pair of slippers in Melbourne back then; bought a size-twelve instead of size-ten....GOsh, I fell down at the platform.

Dandelion's Promise 蒲公英的約定-Jay Chou

My friend once told mi, at least for once there will always be a tune or a song that will remind you of a particular person or even any events in life that had happened to you in Australia. This song really brings back fond memories of my time in Adelaide, and has also become one of the favourites of a few of us, including myself.
A nice song, really bai ting bu yan!




With English Transalation:

小學籬芭旁的蒲公英　是記憶裡有味道的風景
The dandelion next to the hedge in our elementary school
is a flavored and fragrant memory that’s worth savoring.

午睡操場傳來蟬的聲音　多少年後也還是很好聽
The chirps of cicadas on the playground flowed into our siesta
The sound is still mellifluous, after so many years.

將願望折紙飛機寄成信　因為我們等不到那流星
Come fold our wishes into paperplanes and letters
Because we cannot wait for the coming of shooting stars

認真投決定命運的硬幣　卻不知道到底能去哪裡
With all your heart, throw the coin that would determine our fate
though never knowing, where it goes and where it will take us

＃一起長大的約定　那樣清晰　打過勾的我相信
Our promise about growing up together, in stark clarity.
I believe in deals made with interlocked fingers

說好要一起旅行　是妳如今　唯一堅持的任性
We said we would go travelling together
and that is the only willful consistency I can find in you now

在走廊上罰站打手心　我們卻注意窗邊的蜻蜓
On the corridor, our palms were slapped as punishment
but we only noticed the dragonfly on the window ledge

我去到哪裡妳都跟很緊　很多的夢在等待著進行
Wherever I went, you followed closely
Many dreams were waiting to be realized

Repeat ＃

一起長大的約定　那樣真心　與妳聊不完的曾經
Our promise about growing up together, in sincerity,
a ‘once’ that we could not stop talking about

而我已經分不清　妳是友情　還是錯過的愛情
though I can no longer tell whether it is friendship
or a love that has slipped through my fingers

Here we are in Jan 2009....

Every time I update my blog, I will always start with: It has been ages since I last updated my blog.

After 3 mths of inactivity, here you go....Ushering in the new year 2009, here in Singapore now, awaiting for enlistment. Yesterday evening, knowing that my friends were having a gathering in Adelaide, I made a long-distance call to Fuilin and utilising her phone to speak to everyone in the gathering. Glad to hear their voices once more...specially during this period of time when I am starting to miss every single one of my friends back there. Sounds sappy I know, and I hate to admit it.

We talked over the phone for quite a while....Then after the call, I started to reminisize all the recent events that had happened over my last few weeks in Adelaide.

Going down the memory lane....
(Feel free to read the trilogy titled: The Clock turns back, pictures were also uploaded!)

Ok, welcome back to Jan 2009, and 4 yrs in Adelaide has officially ended. Frm Bradford College to University of Adelaide. 8th Jan 2005, the day when I left my comfortable home in Singapore for an environment which was totally unfamilar to mi. This will be the day that will always be remembered. Cant imagine then a 17-year old young boy left for Aust. and returned as a 20-yr old uni graduate. I will say that MingChien was considered pre-mature then to study overseas, but for the past four yrs, he learned a lot of things from his friends and matured over this process.

Truthfully from his heart, he says to all of his friends 'It has been a wonderful four years, not bad, not bad at all!'

Now, bearing in mind that the challenges he will face in NS and also in turn working life, he will face them positively and with fervour optimism, pledging that any challenges will not weaken him but will further strengthen his resolve. And so, enough of studies for now, Bring on National Service!

The clock turns back III: Farewell Party 2008 and Graduation 2008 (Adelaide)

My dad came down to Adelaide on the 12th of December to attend my convocation on the 19th...But there was the Farewell party event the next day, with all of my coursemates and this time finally we could meet Tinyik after such a long time since the last gathering we have had. Went to Kbox after a dessert session at Pancake House and a few rounds of 'Mafia'...it was a much larger mass gathering than the last one in end-Nov.

(The 'characters' in Farewell Party 2008)


The guys @ the Party: Mi, Lincoln,Tinyik and Edwin


Ok, Tinyik wat was tt for? :D

Then there was this China song which happens to be both Edwin's and my favourite..titled Xiang Tian Jie Wu Bai Nian. We tried to sing it but the pitch of the song was so high that we couldnt hit the notes and being caught breathless. We ended up ROFL instead of singing it to the end.
We spent the night till 1 to 2.30am.

Enuff of the Party, then 6 days later was the day that had come after 20 yrs of patience and basic education: Uni Convocation 2008.



Lincoln, 'Ex-Health Minister, M'sia'


The 'Flower' Gang, lolx!


Wif my cousins and sister




This is our moment!


Wif Fiona


Wif Shuai while returning our gowns and hats!

After the ceremony and spending the last moments with coursemates, I joined my cousins and sister for a graduation lunch @ Ding Hao! Thx for the treat! Then followed by a lan game of CS, haha! Den off to Chiangwei, Yan and Kim's Convocation @ Adelaide Convention Centre.

It was a sweaty, busy day in Adelaide, travelling from Uni to Chinatown, den to the Convention Centre, indirectly moving around two different venues of convocation, having to cover a long distance.

Well, with the end of a busy day of attending convocations, my sis and I rushed back home for packing for the Gold Coast trip the next day, and Singapore (after the trip). I brought the 'whole room' of clothings and a few important books back, so all of you can imagine how heavy was my luggage? And so, there goes 19th Dec 2008; my last day in Adelaide.

(Will talk about Gold Coast another time) Back to the Present: Jan 2009!

The clock turns back II: Early-dec 2008 (Adelaide)

Auditing was a subject I dreaded the most, with me racking my brain throughout the 12-week semester over how to deal with this particular course in uni. The lecturer also proved himself as the most nothing-to-do person I have ever come across in uni history. He just failed so many of my friends for plagiarism with regards to our first Auditing Assignment.
One of my friens (anonymous) even went to the extent of shredding tears, which did not make mi feel gd eitherat that time.
And so on the 2nd of December, the final verdict of my eligibility to graduate lies on the outcome of Auditing. I went to the school lab to check my results with Devern. And here comes the defining moment, when I knew I passed the course of Auditing, I lied down on the floor of the school lab and screamed. It was just so emotional for me, and I wasnt able to contain it! After 20 yrs of education (both in Singapore and Australia), all the hard work had paid off. It wasnt just about the last 3 yrs of education, but also about the last 20.
So, with that our graduation celebration events commences, Hula came back to Adelaide, carrying the thought that she had to retake the Auditing paper. However, the lecturer passed her and her purpose of returning had been replaced with holidays and sightseeing of Rundle Mall in Adelaide haha!

With Fuilin and Hula at David Jones, enjoying Boost)

That happened after I had helped Shuning with her luggage as she returned from Melbourne (and wat a pity, u din bring back Crispy Creme from Mel?! waHaha). Then rushed off to meet Fuilin and Hula(mentioned), she subequently passed her Auditing and off we went to celebrate by walking around Rundle Mall. In fact, she was one of three fortunate pple that day who initially had to sit for sups, but passed in the end without the need of retaking.

On another event, went to this prominent Vietnamese restaurant (selling marvellous cold rolls) wif Kwong, Edwin and Hellen for dinner. The business was so good that there were a pack of people waiting at the counter for vacant seats. If my memory did not serve me wrong, we took 20 to 30 mins of our life waiting....


Wif Kwong and Edwin...
Kwong and Edwin then calculated that I was the one who ate the most number of cold rolls and the one with the fastest pace of consuming the ingredients...Kwong even dubbed mi as 'the no. 1 person whom he will not desire to be with when a famine breaks out' haha!

A closer shot...


(to be cont.)

The clock turns back I: 2 mths ago (Adelaide)

And we are back in end-Nov 2008!
This post-exam period (from end-Nov 2008 to Dec 2008) has proven itself to be the most hectic celebration period out of my entire tertiary life or even my entire studying life (from kindergarden till now).
Here comes the first page of the story....after the exams, we have to wait for a time when Tinyik was free to come out. Come to think of it, he is like a modern-day Cinderella. Finally that day came, so we drove to Spats to have desserts and who knew that we still were not contented with what we had enjoyed. Thus we went back to Chinatown to have supper at Ming's Steamboat.
Us coursemates suppering at Ming's Steamboat
(left to right: Daphne, Fiona, Mi, Hellen, Edwin, Tinyik and Fuilin)

Uni coursemates/ Bradford College friens, known them for 4 yrs: (from left to right: Fuilin, Hellen and Edwin)

And that was the first mass gathering after the exams, we had pretty much fun that day, the highlight of that outing was that Tinyik was bomb-blasted with so many qns regarding someone!!! Haha, and Hellen was such a great questioner/ interrogator, constantly putting our poor Tinyik on the spot. However, that was how fun was generated that night. The euphoria finally ended at 2am, with the two drivers (Edwin and mi) driving pple home.

Of course, celebrations did not stop there, during that period of time, usually during the weekdays, Edwin will jio mi to his house quite frequently to trade shows, this includes several HK dramas such as Jia Hao Yue Yuan, Tang Xing Fong Bao and Gem of Life. Throughout this celebration period, I hung out pretty much with Edwin and Hellen, for the several visits I had made to their house.

Yes, next, sumptuous lunches wif Edwin and Hellen, but this particular one was also wif John, sending him off as he was flying back to KL.

Wif John and Edwin @ Cafe Kowloon, Chinatown


And here were the members of the lunch that day
(l to r: Mi, Edwin, Hellen, Daphne, John)
Subsequent celebration events happened for the next few weeks, but that was basically what happened in end-Nov 2008.