Monday, July 28, 2008

Formulation of a new...relationship theory!

Had a short conversation with a friend, A, who is in US now for a work-and-travel program. I have known him for more than a decade, so he qualifies as an old friend. Conversation was great and midway through things, we touched on the topic of relationships. So it went something like this:

A: So how are things over at your side?

Me: No good. Hit a rock lately.

A: How come?

Me: I don't know...it's kind of sucky I guess. (Briefly told him my situation)

A: You should persevere!

Me: Sometimes perseverance is useless...especially if that person is not doing the same, or not worth your perseverance

[The conversation went on for quite some time. I can't really remember all the details. However, I came up with a theory of my own, which I did not expect I would in the first place]

Me: When you fall for someone, everything about him/her seems to be perfect.

Me: But when time passes, his/her flaws will start to show. His/her 'rating' in your eyes will start to drop.

Me: It keeps on dropping...until a level where it somehow stabilizes. At that point, you have roughly attained a good understanding of how 'sucky' your other half is.

Me: And if you can accept this level of suckiness, he/she can soon become your spouse!

OK there. I know I am oversimplifying things, but isn't this a rough picture of how things progress in a relationship? Although it is human nature to always be at our best, this, shall I say the somewhat false 'image' would gradually deteriorate over time and our real self will show (though not completely). Usually, the person who gets to see the protracted deterioration of the 'image' is our the other half.

And this pseudo-stability may change after marriage too. It usually gets worse...although occasionally, the level of suckiness of this other half that you are with may decrease. May only.

Thanks for reading!

Peace out~

Monday, July 21, 2008

ping.sg 2nd Anniversary - A success

The day was 19 July at around 2.30pm. I sauntered out of Dhoby Ghaut MRT station and was welcomed by a warm sunny weather, as I headed for the destination: Fig & Olive. Not too many people on the road, which was good, as I would not be late for the final preparation before the party starts. The journey was relatively smooth and within a quarter of an hour, I had reached the doorsteps of the outlet.

Preparations: An overview

As I stepped inside, not too many pingsters were there at first. Converged around two tables were about six pingsters, including NTT and daphne who were dabbling with the presentation slides and scripts for the final time. The atmosphere was casual, with most of the stuff already in place for the event.

Gradually, more and more of the committee members arrived with the necessary stuff. The cupcakes department was the first to be ready, with 64 of the sweet thingies all hiding inside the three big cardboard boxes, awaiting to be devoured. The envelope department caught up rather quickly too, with approximately 80 envelopes quickly settled by us few pingsters. Following suit are the souvenirs and audio/video departments, which brushed up their work before registration time with minimal fuss.

And I, too, grabbed a ping.sg T-shirt for myself. My first ping.sg T-shirt! Another free T-shirt to my wardrobe, although I...still haven't wore it. Yet.

The game

Now cometh one of the most exciting parts of the anniversary itself - The Pong & Poof Game! Some of the pingsters started 'attacking' others with the stickers right away, with a few of them being the popular targets for these 'attacks'. I got 'attacked' a few times as well, but not as many as the one that eventually won - the little girl who's got so many stickers on her name tag that, one would really struggle to count the exact number of the stickers.

It's presentation time!

At approximately 4pm, NTT and mintea commenced the award ceremony in tandem. Awards were given out without major hiccups, in the witness of a throng of excited pingsters. Conclusively, there wasn't a single moment of boredom within the ceremony itself.

Second round of mingling plus dinner

Due to the awards presentation finishing slightly earlier than expected (at around 5.30pm), dinner was not ready yet. Hence, the time was ripe for the unveiling of the cupcakes! 64 cupcakes, nicely arranged on a round table, was wheeled out in eager anticipation of the pingsters. A pleasant contrast was achieved in the use of the color schemes of the cake, with blue letter toppings or whitish-blue little decorations and the chocolate at the bottom sandwiching a rather thick layer of the cream in the middle. The texture and feel of the cake had the right amount of thickness, without an overly strong aroma.

The only (minor) joke of the day was...I mistook the dragees as metal balls -_- and I actually wondered why would I be needing iron supplements when I am not suffering from iron deficiency...

Anyway! Dinner was promptly served while we were busying finishing our cupcakes. A good variety of dishes were served buffet-style, and I had my share too. The food deserved between 7 to 8 marks, out of a total of 10! During this period, I also had the chance to interact with some of the pingsters which I have never seen before.

Lipdub video

Next up was the lipdub video, the masterful concoction directed by rinaz and helped out by a group of pingsters. And I have to say that, it was amazing! I have never done one myself and I didn't know it can be so humorous. (Well I had the chance to, but I was bogged down by other stuffs so I couldn't contribute =() I would definitely want to do one if I get a next chance. Heh.

Lucky draw!

After the sponsors' speech and presentation of the blog, as well as post of the year award, the final event of the day was the lucky draw. The funny thing was, prior to the draw itself, I actually had a premonition that I would be one of the winners. I don't know why, but my sixth sense usually would not fail me. And it did not, as I got myself a $20 Borders voucher! Time to shop for some books~haha.

Aftermath

The lucky draw was then succeeded by group phototaking, of which the camera lady expertly managed to squeeze all the pingsters into her photo frame. Looking outside, it was already 8pm, with the roads wetted by drizzles. As some of the pingsters geared up for the after party-party at Timbre, I had to make a move first as I had a long day prior to the anniversary.

And so off I go, making my way slowly back to the train station and beyond. The air was slightly cold, but it could not douse my mood as it had been a successful anniversary. Hope that ping.sg will get better and better!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Life lessons that I have learnt...so far

Been busy with my FYP readings these few days and haven't had the chance or inspiration to update my blog. Now I have. Hahaha. Something emotionally shocking happened a few days back, but I am gradually putting the pieces together again. Crises and misfortunes occur all the time throughout one's life, so it's your choice whether to come out stronger or raise your white flag. Though it is rather tempting to choose the second option (for the lack of fight), I have always picked the first choice.

I have a strong inclination towards deep thinking. Some friends of mine may find this statement intriguing, because they only see the crappy side of me the majority of the time. I do have a serious side as well, although not so evident at times. Admittedly, what's the use of thinking so much? I don't have the answer to my questions most of the time, but isn't life itself about continually exploring until you find the answers? It may take you 10, 20 years to find the answer. Perhaps you will never find the answer. Still, I persist staying on the road I have taken thus far.

Although 20+ years of life isn't that long, I did learn some things, some of which came from literature, others from personal experiences...most I did not once believe religiously until now...

1). Fight for the things you can fight for. Those that you cannot, just try your best and hope for the best

2). Think of how others feel before you say or act

3). Stand up for yourself when the situation requires you to

4). Accumulate as much good karma as you can, it will work for you nicely in future

5). Realize the importance of prioritization and flexible time management. It is never a good idea to cram your schedule and make your lifestyle extremely tense

6). Love with a true heart, without deception. Those that do not treasure are their losses anyway

7). No matter how popular you are, there is always someone who loves to go against you

8). Sometimes it is good to maintain a low profile. High profile attracts envy, jealousy and troubles alike

9). Act fast when an opportunity passes by. Let too many pass, and your life will be full of regrets

10). Care about those who genuinely cares about you as well

10 lessons. There may be more, but that's all I can think of for now. I am sure more lines will be added to this list as the new chapters in my life unfold...

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

I ran away from school and went uncaught for 208 days!!

The exodus...had officially ended yesterday. Yup, I am not joking...I counted. I was away from school for 208 days. When I stepped back into the school, I had to take a bit of time to figure out where to go to a couple of places. Everything looks familiar yet a tad distant, refreshing yet nostalgic. Ah. Feels so good to run away from school...

Now...what were you thinking? I was away from school because of attachment lah. I am such a good student OK~why would I do such a thing? xD Then, why did I decide to go back then, you ask? It was to meet my professor to discuss how to kick start my FYP... =p

It was approximately 2.30pm. Time for the meeting. I was a bit apprehensive as for one, I have never met that professor before (I selected the project based on recommendations) and two, it was actually my very first time during the three years in school, that I am visiting a professor alone for discussion. And so...gingerly, I knocked on the door. After a few knocks, he asked me to go in and I did.

After roughly half an hour, I was out of his office. Not a bad first meeting, I guess. I was briefed on the framework of my project...and it sounded...chim (OK OK, which FYP title is not chim?) But I have the confidence to do it, as I find it interesting and do know a bit of stuff related to the project.

Subsequently, I went to see a co-supervisor and received some administrative instructions. That's formal, you think. But the focus is not here. The focus was...I actually walked the wrong direction before I realized my mistake. Well...that's what a long exodus from your familiar environment can do to you... =(

Anyway, this re-embarkation onto the school compound marked the beginning of another journey. What will happen on this journey? I don't know, but I hope everything can go as smoothly as possible.

Peace out~