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

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.

My real wedding speech

I took a long time to pen my sister's wedding speech from a "protective" brother, and during that unexpected long speech in her NY wedding, I realised it was close to my heart and everyone could relate to it. But for my very own, I was too busy, too tied up and too nervous that I never found the right time and right settings to write a good speech for my wife, my family, my in-laws and my friends who have been just fabulous throughout my journey in life.

Taken in our Vienna suite

It has been said that a journey is best measured in friends rather than miles. I have been lucky to have a horde of good, no, great friends. Through my many ups and downs, I remembered who was there for me to go through the sorrows, and through the best of times. So it was that selected 10 brothers, that I chose to be there with me during my happiest period. Though I really did not want to trouble anyone, I knew they were sincerely happy for me. My nature of not wanting to trouble anyone as much as I could and do everything on my own, gave way to wanting to share my joy with them and of course, giving them the chance to "do me in" during my wedding night as payback to what I have inflicted on them during their wedding night, though they did already have many stag nights in my name. I'm glad they had their fun and I had the chance to experience being completely blacked out waking up with some form of short term amnesia for about 5 hours.

Now moving on, I would like to thank my family especially my parents who have been steadfast in their love for me over the years. Their many forgetful moments, their many embarrassing shortcomings; would never take away the fact that they have been the best parents one could have. My father's 'kan cheong' nature often pushed me to be punctual, hardworking, yet never taking life head on without learning to enjoy it. My mom's perfectionist nature required me to be seizing life everyday yet I have to take care of my health with countless concoctions of bittergourd, cinnamon, vitamins etc. She also taught me to be generous, to be thoughtful yet never having to back down and let someone take advantage of me, I guess they molded me into somewhat the person I am today. I am thankful and I hope I can finally say I am an adult now, so take a seat and let me take care of you two now, but the cooking is still up to both of you..until I have my own kitchen or my wife miraculously learned how to cook over the next few months.

And next on the thank you list would be my in-laws, who have brought up my wife to be in many ways perfect in my eyes. Though my mother-in-law often cautioned me about her daughter's "imperfections" and to wary of her in many ways. But somehow I guess that's what strict and good parents' do, always pushing their kids to be the best and that's why I have such a wonderful wife. Thank you Papa, Mummy, I will do my best to take care of her now.

My wife, often so busy especially at work and now studying for her exits; actually left me totally in charge of the wedding though she would adopt the supervisory role - giving approving and disapproving looks or commands. But that goes to show that she is often so understanding despite our busy schedules and never needing to extend the ball and chain when the chain is somehow long enough for me to go for basketball nights, whiskey nights etc. Maybe it's because she is so busy or perhaps she is ever so trusting and knows where I am and who I am with. In that many ways I think she is indeed perfect - perfect that I never feel the need to change her besides the fact that she often self-medicates and I'd have no say in it. She is capable, smart, pretty and in many ways ideal to our lifestyle, or my lifestyle - without the need to change much besides the list her friends made me promise during gatecrashing - that is a whole different story.

My wife somehow can understand me without me speaking coherently, more often she knows exactly what I am about to say. Somehow in my finite world, I finally understood what they meant by soul mates. Through infinite possibilities, the future I was waiting for - finally came. Thank you for being there for me, thank you for marrying me.

Thank you all for coming to share with us our joys and our path of a hopeful, infinite happiness. Have a great evening.

Undue worries

Worrying too much? Why? Past experiences, insane fears?

There is always an fear for the unknown, and even for the expected.
I guess that's what keeps you alive...to be filled with hope amid the fears because somehow somewhere I know you are here in my life.

Counting down.

Note to self - 3

It's been a long time since I found some words meaningful to daily living.


Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of  life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon,
And some  days you're the statue.

*  Always keep your words soft and sweet,
Just in case you have to eat  them.

*  Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
Recalled by their  maker.

*  If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be  vague.

*  If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
It was  probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is  simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth  at the same time,
Because then you won't have a leg to stand  on.

*  Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and  dance.

*  Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep  late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When  everything's coming your way,
You're in the wrong lane.

*  Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you  live.

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may  also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun  to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some  are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull.
Some  have weird names, and all are different colours, but they all have to  live in the same box.

*A  truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a  detour.

Life is short...and I am enjoying every moment of it.
Sometimes good experiences come and go, quicker than you would have expected. Yes, we all would love to relive, relish, and try very hard to revive it. But time waits for no man, and we make the best of what is given to us. Be thankful that bad experiences would probably be as quick to go. And for me, I always believe that the best is yet to come, so I will always be looking forward to tomorrow.

What you mean to the other

Clark Kent and Lois Lane

I love Superman since I was a child. The concept of immortality and invincibility is just too cool for a boy, though he had weaknesses with Kryptonite and Lois Lane. Kryptonite is Superman's Achilles' heel, and very often used by his enemies to bring out his vulnerability, similar to Lois Lane. She is Superman's primary mortal love interest and quite often I wonder why a Super-being like him, doesn't date Wonder Woman, Supergirl (Superman's cousin) or some other less frail Super Hero.

"Post-It" Notes

Sometimes in life, we need little reminders because we forget that we are on a journey, where the destination is unknown. When the road you are travelling on, can throw surprises good or bad along the way, but we just gotta keep going.

Do you know you have been "Smoked"?

Like this article over at Temasek Review which compiles and compare stats given out by our Shitty State Times, and actually give the true account of the painted numbers we read.
Nice quote to end the article -

“There are lies, damned lies and statistics” - Mark Twain.

Leap of Faith

Sometimes we need to just try, and realise that unknown leap across obstacles, which really weren't there in the first place. Sometimes our minds plays tricks on us, so always attempt - never give up. Be thankful that, with obstacles and difficulties, we can know if that's what we really want.

Effort

“It is the time that you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”  (From the 'Little Prince')

You can't be too safe

Being cautious and wanting to be safe probably lengthen your existence. But the meaning of existence is to live your life. Carpe Diem!

Courage is what preserves our liberty, safety, life, and our homes and parents, our country and children. Courage comprises all things. ~Plautus

Courage, my friends; 'tis not too late to build a better world. ~Tommy Douglas

Would you stand up for change?

Quote for November

Haven't been travelling lately, it has been a while since I shared a quote.

"We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel content. The young, brash and impatient, must always break the silence. It is a waste, for silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people together because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking. This is the great paradox."
— Nicholas Sparks

20 Great Quotes R(A)

Ok found these quotes online and found them to be hilarious - for those under 18..please leave.

20. "During sex I fantasize that I'm someone else."

-Richard Lewis


19. "Sex and golf are the two things you can enjoy even if you're not good at them."

-Kevin Costner


18. "I like my sex the way I play basketball, one on one with as little dribbling as possible."

-Leslie Nielsen


17. "Sex always has consequences. When Hitler's mother spread her legs that night, she effectively canceled out the spreading of fifteen to twenty million other pairs of legs."

-George Carlin


16. "It isn't premarital sex if you have no intention of getting married."

-Drew Carey


15. "If it wasn't for pick-pockets and frisking at airports I'd have no sex life at all."

-Rodney Dangerfield


14. "Sex is one of the most wholesome, beautiful and natural experiences that money can buy."

-Steve Martin


13. "Bisexuality doubles your chances of a date on a Saturday night."

-Woody Allen


12. "It's not true that I had nothing on. I had the radio on."

-Marilyn Monroe


11. "My love life is terrible. The last time I was inside a woman was when I visited the Statue of Liberty."

-Woody Allen


10. "It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it."

-Winston Churchill


9. "When the authorities warn you of the dangers of having sex, there is an important lesson to be learned. Do not have sex with the authorities."

-Matt Groening


8. "The big difference between sex for money and sex for free is that sex for money costs less."

-Brendan Francis


7. "There we were in the middle of a sexual revolution wearing clothes that guaranteed we wouldn't get laid."

-Denis Leary


6. "An intellectual is someone who has found something more interesting than sex."

-Edgar Wallace


5. "I'm such a good lover because I practice a lot on my own."

-Woody Allen


4. "We had gay burglars the other night. They broke in and rearranged the furniture."

-Robin Williams


3. "Don't have sex man. It leads to kissing and pretty soon you have to start talking to them."

-Steve Martin


2. "My girlfriend said to me in bed last night 'You're a pervert' I said, 'That's a big word for a girl of nine'."

-Emo Philips


1. "If someone had told me years ago that sharing a sense of humour was so vital to partnerships, I could have avoided a lot of sex."

-Kate Beckinsale

Personally love the quotes by Drew Carey, Steve Martin and Woody Allen!

Quote for the month of June

Travelling - will be back in June. So a quote by Guy Kawasaki - managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. The difference between Singapore and Israel was neatly summed up by Guy Kawasaki in one of his recent visits to Singapore.

"Israel has 5 million people, six million entrepreneurs, and fifteen million opinions. Singapore has 5 million people, six entrepreneurs and one opinion."

Really a innovative, "out of the box" kinda guy that we need more of in our tiny nation. Do read his "A practical blog for impractical people" -

Quote of the Month

Something I learnt long ago, but never should have done so, because sometimes fate changes with choices.

“If you love it let it go. If it returns to you cherish it, if not it was never truly yours.”

It is time - Carpe Diem

Shared from a courageous friend who is living his life the way he wants it.

Life is short
Break the rules
Forgive quickly
Kiss passionately, love truly
Laugh constantly
And never stop smiling
No matter how strange life is
Life is not always the party we expected to be
But as long as we are here, we should smile and be grateful.


The girl in the video clip is Katie Kirkpatrick, she is 21 . Her fiancé, Nick is 23 and is in love with her since the 11th grade (16 years old). Their wedding ceremony, held on January 11, 2005 in the US. Katie has terminal cancer and spends hours a day receiving medication.


Katie died five days after her wedding day. Watching a women so ill and weak getting married and with a smile on her face makes us think..... Happiness is reachable, no matter how long it last. We should stop making our lives complicated.


After watching this video, I realised that though I often say Carpe Diem ~ Seize the Day, I am nothing short of a procrastinator where I have a tee shirt that goes, Procrastinators Unite!...Tomorrow.
So life is short, embrace it like it's going to slip away from you anytime.

Price to pay

Is oppression a price to pay for stability and peace?
Are you willing to be muted in order to live safely?


The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act, as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of the word liberty; and precisely the same difference prevails today among human creatures. - A.Lincoln

When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered. - Dorothy Thompson


The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers. - M. Scott Peck

Quote of the month

Will be travelling every month if budget holds. So probably will blog less now. A quote for the month.

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you."

Lewis B. Smedes

Morals

Markets need morals - British PM says.

The world's economic system needs reshaping to reflect global values, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

"Unsupervised globalization of our financial markets did not only cross national boundaries -- it crossed moral boundaries, too,"

Seriously, words like unsupervision, accountability, transparency is long overdued.

The world has enough problems dealing with crooked and corrupted greedy high paying officials, business leaders, bankers. And the state we are in and will be in another 18 months time, I do hope we all have our jobs still. But of course there are rich SOBs out there, with "old" money or big bonuses, please spend more!

Fail to read

I love to read, and recently online material especially when our state media have indicated that online material is more of fallacies without truth. So I started reading more to find out the truth. We read to learn, to gain perspectives, alternative views. Same reason why we indulge in criticising and crapping.

Another good read which is a lingering ponder if Sillypore will fail.

I was particular impressed with an excerpt of the blog entry which reaffirms why I think SM Goh was an impressive PM.

The older generation of Singaporeans has fully absorbed the virtues of ethnic harmony. I experienced that when I accompanied then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on an official visit to Malaysia.

We stayed in the Carcosa. One day, the Malaysian butler asked Goh what he would like for breakfast. He expected Goh to choose either a Chinese or English breakfast. To his amazement, Goh said: “Get me thosai from Brickfields.”

I would have chosen 2 egg pratas from coffeeshop behind Sunway Lagoon. But then again, who cares what I would like for breakfast.


Would like to reiterate that I have no affliations to the person writing that blog entry or I have any affiliations with any political parties. I openly declare that I love my country and my ruling party, who gave me one of the lowest personal income tax rate in the region and my subsidized education... And I really don't drink kopi.