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.

Happy Chinese New Year

Yes it is that time again for bah kwa, for pineapple tarts and for friendship...and not forgetting the time for weight gain. Just not too long ago we celebrated New Year and before that Christmas, hardly any chance for enjoying a break from good food and good company. As I get older, I am starting to realise that good company is hard to find. I am starting to get bored. Some reunions or gatherings started to become all too obligated. Not sure why I am feeling like that. Perhaps I am getting older and time is becoming a precious commodity? Or have I been filling my head with more info and out seeking for better advice or better conversations? Life is an every changing process. Some people are meant to drop off; we are suppose to make new friends, meet new people, learn new things. And every one of those experience can be a positive or negative experience. The most important thing is knowing which direction do you want to go. Because the journey is not over till "The Fat Lady sings". Like my driving in a foreign country, often I get lost, make a U-turn or reroute or find a new road to get to my destination and sometimes, it brings happy experiences perhaps a more scenic drive. All in all, you never know what you are going to get, till you make that journey. Good or bad, we have to take it all.

My drive towards Dufftown with my wife as we missed a turn but we saw snow-capped mountains!

A Wonderful Surprise

Still can't believe it's over and our friends did this performance for us as a surprise! Everyone loved it!


Glee - Video Marry You HD (wedding cut) from GùiFún on Vimeo.

Buddies

As I start the big countdown, I realised that besides adversities, even through joy we can find out who are our true friends. It is often easier said than done that friends who stood by you when you are down are your best friends, friends you can count on. But lately, I find it even harder to find friends who are truly happy for you, and who share your joy with you.

I am glad to know I have lots of great friends who share my joy and have always been there for me. They say life isn't complete without friends, I am glad I have many great  buddies. Now all I wish is that they will spare me and I am truly sorry I was damn happy for their wedding and thus they got dead drunk and the toilet bowl was their best friend for their big night. :P

No more Mr. Nice Guy

It's time to take down the big cheese...time to forget friendship...time to finally let go the fact that I will be a bad friend...it just sucks to go through all the emotions of why I made the mistake of trusting someone you thought would have been more credible.
Never lend out $ without considering the fact you will never get it back...Debt collection is worse than loaning $...when people borrow $ from you..they are your best friends, they claim ancestral relationships, they worship the ground you walk..but when you want back your $...they somehow fell off the face of the earth...you are a parasite, you are detestable...it's like I owe them $ instead.

Anyway time to kick ass and no more looking back...I am coming for you Big Cheese, this time no mercy.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

I'm not sure why I am in constant struggle with the apathetic or self-centred people, who love to think/comment about others who care to even speak up, complain about injustice or ridiculous situations deserve to take shit from their idiotic comments. Shouldn't they remain silent since they seem to be pretty good at that?

These group of people somehow think they are above everyone else or everyone should be just like them. How about those who can't help themselves - like the old, feeble and unspoken for? Are they doing something to help them since voicing out seems to wrong? Or it's pretty much only about themselves? I know there are people who are just all talk with no action, but what's worse IMHO, is those with neither a whimper or movement seems to resemble a dead man just being rolled over to get his daily sodomy fix from men you somewhat deem fit and civil with "betterer" decency to do the right thing.

Have a fab 2010

Cornering at 80kmh with my 125cc go-kart with great panning skills from Andrew.

A mighty fine 2009 as we close it out, despite the recession looming, I managed to keep the heart pumping on go-karting and great travels ...especially at the 2nd half of the year with 2 great vacations. Ticking off one of my long-awaited concert list - U2 in London, and a great photography trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Fulfilling a new country every year list (so far 121 cities in 22 countries), next year's one is already in planning - Next photography trip to Vietnam with double the number of great photography pals..super excited on the potential shots we will be taking at UNESCO sanction Halong Bay!!

The past week has been awesome, X'mas celebration with my close buds started Wed late night, with more drinking with family/relatives on X'mas eve and an unintended wrong choice Christmas party, which was meant to be a slow wine-aka-detox session but turned out to be a crazy night of singles and lots of booze and drinking games. Finally after an awesome 44-point victory over Rays on Saturday, a great stag night for the best ass buddy one can have - Jase. Congrats to him and boo, can't express how happy to see this couple finally getting settled down.

 Family and friends, things we can never take for granted and always try to stay close to.

Next stop back-to-back parties - Ed's NYE party and Jase's fabulous wedding.
Onward to a great 2010...and thanks for being part of my life guys...Happy New Year!

Merry X'mas and a Happy New Year to all

Just before the year ends, I would like to enter my final 115th blog entry for the year compared to the 9 post I made from 2004 to 2007, I guess I made quite a progress.

This has been a tumultuous year for me, losing some good friends and going through tough experiences which only strengthened my belief that "What doesn't kill you only makes your stronger". It also marks good things such as the start of many new found friendships I made from attending a Singapore Slingers game and shooting a free throw amidst a drunkard state to win some $ to treat a bunch of bloggers.

Blogging has open many avenues of expression and I am just glad my name is briefly mentioned by my fav blogger Mr.Brown whom I have faithfully followed since my army days back in the 90s when his SNEs were downloaded on my PDA.

It was a year which I managed to travel quite a bit, start a new venture and recharged my soul and even gotten myself a great new job.

So I hope despite all the impending financial meltdowns and possible loss of the many things in such turmoil times - we could all sustain kinship and friendship. These are things which should mean something to all of us and not material wealth.

May all be blessed and stay tough in the darkest of times and may 2009 prove to be another refining fire which we would all walk away from - stronger we will emerge. I will be on leave from X'mas to New Year, so feel free to contact me for some hoops or food.

When friends should stop being friends...

I guess when one chooses a friend, a good friend to be more exact. What are you expecting from a friend? Just superficial concerns of how-are-you; how-is-your-day sort of questions? I have been frank all my life and the thought of being appreciate of the truth, of true words coming from a friend is somewhat valued and treasured.

Never have I thought that friends can find opinions and comments or views coming from a friend a nuisance, especially when its out of concern and there is no hidden agenda or edited-for-easier-listening truths. And of late, I have pissed off or actually I got pissed off by 2 close friends.

It's especially painful when you realised that all they want to keep them company is just being a yes-man. Seriously, sometimes it's best we just keep our concerns to those who deserve it. And no point thinking about how best we should adjust to our friends to match them. We should always be who we are, and if things do not work out - like a relationship, sometimes its best to let it go...

To really sum up how I feel about this issue at hand, is through some quotes I find that I can relate to.

A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

My friend is he who will tell me my faults in private.
-- Solomon Ibn Gabirol

An honest answer is the sign of true friendship.
-- Proverbs 24:26

Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.
-- Sicilian Proverb

Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends.
-- Czech. Proverb

One of the surest evidences of friendship that one individual can display to another is telling him gently of a fault. If any other can excel it, it is listening to such a disclosure with gratitude, and amending the error.
-- Edward Bulwer-Lytton


I guess in life, even friendship has a tenure...

Training for the Million Dollar Shot!

The upcoming Slingers game will be on the 13th Feb, where there is an opportunity for some guy or gal to win a million dollars, that's S$1,000,000!
For those of you who haven't tried..quick register here.
So taking the opportunity we had a ball game on Sunday in NUS..I seriously trained for it..man..was it tough..
Did not managed to get in any after about 10 throws, it was tiring!! Not the throwing but the running after the ball after shooting the missed shots, I do need the workout..but hey we did have a fabulous time playing 3 on 3.
The perfect combination will be either Kels, Ben and myself...we managed to trash the opponents either 7-0 or 7-2. Too bad no pictures..but it was captured in our minds as it brings back old memories of playing there every Sunday during our Uni days. Thus came the term Sunday Boyz.
More blog pictures of the CNY gathering we had at Jem's place after the game..where we have some kickass wonderful Satays.