It's been awhile - ass buddies

 It's been awhile since I got back from States...

It's been awhile since I got kids...

It's been awhile since I bought a bigger place...a bigger car...to make space for the bigger things in life

It's been awhile since I tried doing some things for myself...like trying to write and pen out my thoughts, so many frequent thoughts as I drive or fly alone in the past few years.

From losing my uncle a few years ago, who was a close father figure to me, he always made it a point to teach me the finer things in life and never be afraid at work if you are right, hold your ground - things my own father was unable to relate or touch on. At his wake, I found out he was a mentor to many who are now high flyers in many big MNCs. Spoke to many and realised he touched many people's hearts and lives and everyone knew him as a generous person. This set a new perspective in my life.

No more chasing after the work goals, higher titles, no more chasing after a pay scale. Family should be above everything else especially in this pandemic...family and friends. The pandemic has definitely helped to define who's the most important to you- which friends and even which family member.

So after so many life events, I still never got out to set some time to reflect and write - reflect ; yes, write ; not so important. To put off as long as I can and hopefully old age will help erase some of these reflections.

Yet today, I felt a sudden sadness,... a sadness I realise that when someone close to you, been there for you, mean a lot to you suddenly feels sad - I can actually feel the pain and sadness too. Yes the joys of celebrating your friends' successes or accomplishments are typically easy, but when I realised brotherhood encompasses even the sad events... I guess this is life. To find our soul mates in life besides our spouses...I am thankful for having great brothers from another mother...I am fortunate to have so many friends whom I can count on, and equally, I hope I can be counted on as well. Like love between two person, it takes time to build the trust and understanding; brotherhood is also built over time gaining trust and understanding - so much so unspoken words are often the default mode and we feel the joys and pain without saying a word. Like how one buddy of mine likes to call our relationship - ass buddies, or butt cheeks separated by a shit crack. All the shit comes through, we still together.

Be thankful when you meet friends you can call ass buddies for life.

Saw this somewhere on Insta recently and thought it made so much sense now. My best buds have been with me since before I turn 18. Easily about 30yrs of crazy adventures together, before army, before adulthood, before realities set in. That way we know it is all true.

I wish my kids will be lucky enough to make such friendships in life - go find your ass buddies and make it last.

Keep going

I attended a colleague's funeral a month back...it took me awhile to try to get over it. Balling was helpful, and so is the spring weather. Somehow I wished I could have done more, many of my colleagues here in Gresham probably thought so as well. The funeral was full of tears and disbelief and definitely many unanswered questions...Dave, you are missed each time I look at the empty desk beside me. Somehow I wished this video could have made a difference.

Still nothing

I am such a procrastinator....it has already been 2 months and I have yet to pen type out my long awaited blog post about my time living here in the states....haha anyway enjoy this song as much as I have.

I need you, and that's all

Recently I had a lot of reflecting thoughts, this usually occurs prior to the new year and reviewing what has been done so far. There is a long post which I wanted to write about, it has so much content, it's been hard trying to write in a way I can get the final message across otherwise it might come across conflicting. It will be blogged for posterity sake and for reflecting maybe in 10 years time. So that's the procrastinating excuse for being slow.

But a short prelude to that impending blog post is that I had the opportunity to chat with my other half and finding out what we want in life. Do we need to live a life based on the number on our paycheck? Does self-worth need to be measure by numbers? We somehow seem to be able to live comfortably here on a single paycheck with no inclinations to compete, to feel inferior from the lack of material wealth. We seem more concern with merely fulfilling our lives enriched with actual things to do, more time to think..to experiment..to explore. Isn't that what life is about? I dread going back to a life when we get caught up in the rat race all over again. I finally understand why over 300,000 Singaporeans choose to never come back though they never gave up the citizenship. For now, this song has been playing on my Nexus 7 paired with my underutilized Hidden Radio - repeat mode.

Progressing oneself

haha

Sometimes we just need to be still

Fall colors in Portland

Hate the cold.. But I'm loving the colors. My first fall in US. Having been to US many times but terrified of the low temperatures, I always chose late spring or summer to visit America and miss the appendage freezing moments. Any impending regrets? I seriously hope not... But bball in such cold weather is really painful... And winter has not even started.

Why they keep doing that?

Losing memories...because of high rental, businesses have to fold.
The place where I first met my wife....
Sigh...making new memories here in Portland now...
Source

From Monday, Hai Bin Bishan Prawn Fishing will shut its operations after six years, following a rent dispute with its landlord.

Their landlord, Nature Park, which runs Asian Golf Academy at the same location, recently notified them of the new rental figures - $65,000 monthly, up from $26,000 they were previously paying.

Hai Bin, which has two other outlets, said they could not afford the new rent and decided to shut its operations at the Bishan branch.

Hai Bin's group manager David Ng claimed that they were then asked to clear out of the premises in three days. They asked for more time and claim they were charged almost $35,000 for the 15-day extension.

Mr Ng said Hai Bin Prawning will commemorate its last day in Bishan tomorrow (Sunday, Sept 8) by inviting customers for a three-hour prawning session free of charge. From 7am to 11.59pm, each customer will get one rod to fish for prawns for a three-hour slot. They have imported 500kg of live prawns from Thailand for the occasion.

National Day...again

Well I did not miss National Day last year, but I wasn't exactly celebrating as well...I think I might have missed it 6-7 years prior to 2011 and this year I am missing it again and I am really losing count and some patriotism along with the numbers. But even when I am away, I'll be travelling on the day for work here in the USA. So I guess my reflections for Singapore will come earlier this year.

These are my past posts on N-day and it is a good day to reflect over the years and what has changed.

2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 ... 2011 I was just too busy with my own big day planning...

Anyhow, this is an excellent article from one of the local respected bloggers Andrew Loh. I shall repost it below in case censorship starts occurring in Singapore and this article summed up my sentiments over the years. It is exactly 4 days to National Day (US time) and after reading it, it makes me wonder what holds for us, Singaporeans, say on our 65th National Day celebrations? Would I be retiring or have migrated elsewhere? On my recent trip to San Jose, I found out there are 3 ex-Singaporeans working in my office there. 1 ex-teacher turned engineer left back in the 80s, while others as recent as 2008. I am not sure if they are part of the 200,000 (Singapore Gahmen numbers) or 300,000 (UN numbers) who are working overseas or in the other basket of Singaporeans who are permanent quitters already holding US passports.

Though we relished on the thoughts of our greatly missed local hawker fare, we found that there are Singaporean/Malaysian food easily available here, not as authentic, but it helps. Besides food, were there other discussions? Politics? Housing? Well weather and haze came up instead of the worries of our country's governance - apathetic or "given up"? They were concerned of their other loved ones, friends back at home but the every 3-5 years visit seems to suffice. Would Tan Chuan Jin's call for "Help to build a Singapore one can be proud of" be heard from here? Or deaf ears have grown since our own politicians have stopped listening years ago? Thought-provoking articles like Andrew's are aplenty on the internet, but will they change anything? That's something for generations after us to judge... if there are anymore true blue Singaporeans left. My guess would be those on the greener pastures looking and hoping.

Love is Weird

I don't know anyone that doesn't like Calvin and Hobbes.

Reading the comic makes me sometimes wish I stay weird.

Sometimes love is just weird.

Sometimes my wife is weird, but I love her weirdness, though I don't say it...haha

I am not everybody who wants the same old thing...

Love in many ways

How does one love a porcupine? Cute as it may it, it hurts to be near a defensive creature ain't it?

Quote

As a follow up to my previous post, I just read this quote.

“It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.”
~ L.R.Knost

Hard Knocks

Been wanting to post for a long time, but never having the time or will to complete my thoughts which has been on my mind for a while now. Some days I just want to update on my current busy schedule, travelling a bit for work and home errands. If you follow my other blog, you probably know which countries I have been popping by; and possibly because of that, the blog is gaining traction and views.

Self worth

Been a long time since I blog - I am currently busy blogging about cycling over here. Do drop by to read if you are into cycling.


If I had things going my way, perhaps I would like to be a professional basketball player. But by 25, I started to realise I am not talented enough and I guess that was when my degree kicked in to get a real job.

Beijing 2012 with Olympus OM-D E-M5

Loving my first mirrorless micro 4/3s camera - the Olympus OM-D E-M5. It's light and the lens available are of amazing quality. Though the prices of the lens are similar or more expensive compared to my Canon lens. So no savings there...but the weight and handling of the camera is worth every penny. Perhaps with the next release, I can let go of my DSLR and have both bodies as my travel photography companions.

Here are some of my black and white filter pictures I took in my recent trip in Beijing.

Return to the Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall

The last time I was in Beijing climbing the Great Wall was about 14-15 years ago. It was repeatedly told to us from the local guides at the wall as well as fellow visitors, that there is a Chinese saying "不到长城非好汉" - meaning "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man". So for this trip...we became men 3 times over as we went to Badaling Wall, Mutianyu pass as well as Jinshanling. The view was spectacular despite having climbed once many years ago. So am I 4 times a man? Haha


After about 80,000 steps,and about 2000 shots later. I realised that the OM-D is a great travel camera and my Air Jordan 1 Low is a great travel pair of shoe; having climb Angkor Wat and its temples 4 years ago and this time it even managed a run down the Great Wall.

Singaporean These Days

...are damn Guniang.

And this is the proof.
Cut hair call police.
The mollycoddling mother and child team 

Back in the days when I was schooling. Never wanted my parents involved in the shit and stunts I pulled in school. One unfortunate incident when my mom had to register for my sister in primary school and the Vice Principal exclaimed to my mother, " LL is your son?". And of course, I had a earful of questions when my mother came home.

In my time, no one wanted their folks in school. Everyone had a reputation at stake to uphold. These days, all we hear are kids calling for mommies. When I left secondary school for about 5 years, I heard incidents of my junior scouts calling in their parents after they did push ups as punishments. OMFG! We once did 1000 push-ups, non-stop because a fellow scout letting our troop flag touch the ground. I suffered cramps for hours and I was pretty sure the ground had a hole dug out as well.

In my recent gathering of JC classmates at my place, 20 sweet years of memories....a prison officer mentioned a funny incident. That one of those hooligans or gangsters these days who got jailed for gang related fighting, was overheard saying: "If I don't get my milk today, I complain to my mom!" OMFG!

Seriously, Singaporean men these days..I am pretty ashamed of their farking "macho-ism". Is it just the kids in Singapore or has everyone gone soft these days?
Parents - seriously stop your mollycoddling! You don't know the repercussions you have in your kids' lives in the future. They must be strong enough to learn to live on their own. Spare the rod, spoil the child.

47 years of what?

So National Day just breezed by..though I was in Singapore these couple of years, before that I was away during National Day period for 5 consecutive years. I doubt missing National Day made me less patriotic; but definitely the quality of Shitty Times/Papers these days have diluted a lot of nationalistic pride.

So besides having BBQ on a roof top of a wife's friend condo and watching the partially blocked fireworks - I have missed 7 years of the parade on TV. Did I miss much?

Food for thought with a quote by George Carlin.

Saw this on limpehFT's blog - love that guy, not just because we were actually schoolmates.

But he made a whole lot of sense which many Singaporeans need badly.

New toy - OM-D

Loving my new Olympus EM-5 - National Day at 730am

The Simple Things

Where have you gone? Can't the simple things stay forever?
Taken using my new GS3. Just met up with a friend whom I haven't seen in at least 10 years, and the events surrounding her baffled me, scared me and worries me.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.6