Logo copyright Fransisco Chandra, a member of the R & D comm. This logo will will used for primary schools.

Things You Can Do!

This is a nation-wide, large-scale, conservation camapaign.

Current stage- recruitment.

Places in Research & Design (headed by Alex) are filled, but anyone who is creative/artistic/talented/keen for research is still free to join in! [note that slash means OR, which means you just need to be either creative or artistic or talented or like to research, dun have to be all 4]

Places in follow-up comm (headed by Muhd) are plentiful. If you're interested in planning a major conference next year (called CONVERSATION FOR CONVERSATION), you can join follow-up comm. If you like working with primary school kids and secondary school students, you can join follow-up comm. If you like doing something for RJC, you can join the follow-up comm.

If you are a good, charismatic speaker who feels you can give Al Gore some competition when it comes to speaking about climate change, you can join the Speaking comm. (most likely headed by the legendary Arun Vinesh). You will head down to primary or secondary schools to give a talk to thousands of young minds.

Ppl who are good in Public relations may wish to join Samuel Soh, our schools coordinator. This is a very behind the scenes tasks, but nevertheless, very important.

I need commited people. People who care. Involvement won't be too intensive, dun worry. You dun have to be in raffles One Earth to join this worthy cause. All RJC students are welcome.

We have partners on the large scale. Local NGOs like ECO and SEC. The famous Mr Wilson Ang will personally provide mentorship. Even stat boards like NEA (national Environment Agency) are helping out. Of course, I'm not saying that the minster for environment himself will know of this, but hey, anything might be possible. Right now the important ppl from the school are aware. I've spoken to the dean of SD abt this, and have spent hours discussing this with my teacher mentor.

The logo is out. It's still raw, but definitely looks nice. The head of R & D, Alex, with brilliant input from Jean, came up with this:

Tml the logo for primary schools will be published here once fransisco sends me the designs.

Thats it for now. Watch this space. The posters will be unveiled for RJ Open House.

Class camp

Wow... haven't blogged for 2 weeks. Didnt realise it was this long. Hmmm, guess I was busy... i hate that word.

Anyway, just came back from class camp. It was quite fun, though hiking and hiking and hiking seems boring... The fun starts at dusk on the first day. The midnight sharing session was simply spontaneuous and to my surprise, amazingly open. Still, some ppl dare not confess and open their hearts. Well, let's just say... it's alright. It lasted for 5 hours? omg amazing...

Samuel that wild boar was idiotic. We agreed to walk around the island under the moonlight at 530am, so we set our alarms. And when the handphone started ringing, that ass was sleeping his guts off. WTH.

I was afraid that the wild dogs would come sniffing. They never did, thankfully. The bright green light falling from the sky remains unexplained... What was it?

Watching airplanes fly on the beach at night was nice. Real nice.

The 2 days were funny. and funny days are well-spent.

The sleep inside the tent-like device on the morning of the second day wasn't exactly what was planned, but it certainly was not too bad.

I will come back to Ubin one day. It will be this year=)

From now on, I shall not comment.

That, however, does not mean that I will shut up.

I love listening to academics speak. They make you think. After I think, then I can speak.

I am not afraid. The men who were afraid, were the people who feared the truth. Ideas are dangerous tools.

The death of Socrates proved that. The Burning of the books by the Qin emperor, and the anti-communist witch hunt in America after WWII proved that. Destroying ideas is destroying opposition.

I have no political views. Zero.

I just merely have some views on society. And our society is 99% political.

technology will move man, but education makes technology. Without education, all is useless. Education is the only way forward.

Life goes on.

H3 geog started today. Aiming at NUS modules man.

Talked to LSH today. She wants me to find sponsors for the tribute concert. No problem, I'll do it. Darn but I dun think I will be in S'pore during the first 2 weeks of Dec.

Talked to Melvin today. Life has changed for the both of us. The street is much quieter now.

stop being rich, bill gates.

stop being sad, hu ching.

Leann Rimes - Amazing Grace

they sing this at the funeral.

the air smells especially fresh tonight.

Elie Wiesel:
The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.
(Oct. 1986)

sis just came home. she said mr yeo looked young in the pic. i told her, he is young.

dad was right. life is short.

i need a break

Anais Nin:
People living deeply have no fear of death.

mr yeo was courageous.

i wonder if NUS philo professors are free for coffee and a chat. I need to ask them some questions.

after staring at the ceiling for a long long time, i realised it is white

i wonder why people bite their fingernails?

i love R & B. rhythm and blues.

on friday, i'm going to the wake with seniors and friends.

the street is dark. there a lamp-post right in front of my window. but the street is dark.

i'm waiting for my sis to come home. the house is quiet.

If i see any healthy person attempting to commit suicide, I will give him/her one hard punch.

reflections

花开堪折直需折,莫待无花空折枝.

Dad told me this phrase just now, sounds cheem. It roughly means treasure the things you have now, with you, today, or you 'll regret it.

Ok, from now on, no more lies. No more secrets. No more taking things for granted. No more getting angry over minor things. No more cursing the people that I love (yes i admit sometimes i curse my parents, but who doesn't do that when they angry?). I'll try my best. No more does not mean no more. It is impossible to have no more lies, no more secrets. I'll just try my best to cut them down.

I think tonight I'll dream about Mr Yeo. Then I'll see his smile one last time. Like the smile that ah-mah gave me when she bid me one final farewell 2 years ago. And like the nod of assurance that gong-gong gave me when he passed away. And like the look of humility that my grand-aunt gave when she departed the world.

I think doctors are truly important people. For all my schoolmates aspiring to be doctors, best of luck, for you will be making a difference in the lives of many in the future. Promise me at least one of you will develop new weapons in the fight against cancer and all other diseases. The enemy has taken too many lives. If we want war, we have it. The war now is against diseases.

Death is no longer taboo. It has finally revealed itself.

I am going to sleep with a notebook and pencil beside me, so that when I wake up tomorrow, I can sketch mr yeo's last smile.

And he will tell me, 'it's okay', like he has always done.

i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo. i am not emo.

No number of As will bring back mr yeo, or ah mah, or gong gong, or grand-aunt. Counting As and Bs, pretending it is life and death. HOW STUPID.

:(

News. Ignorance is bliss. Sometimes the truth hurts. Like this one.

When i got home today, i received a call from Bing Liang. He told me that our ex-conductor of RICO, Mr. Yeo, had passed away this morning. Mr. Yeo had been a great mentor to all of us. He had a heart of gold. He was patient, kind, understanding and never once scolded us. Discipline, in his opinion, came from the heart, not from harsh words. We will miss him bad :(

Words. Can't express a thing.

Quotes:

Never has there been a good war or a bad peace. Benjamin Franklin

Lee Harvey Oswald, shooting from the top floor of the Book Depository was able to take 3 shots from an old Italian bolt action rifle. From a distance of over 258 feet and shooting at a moving target he was able to score 2 hits including a headshot. Now does anybody know where he learned to shoot like this? In the Marine Corps ladies! (Full Metal Jacket)

Violence is the first refuge of the incompetent. Issac Asimov

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." Winnie the Pooh

To know is to know that you know nothing. Thats is the true meaning of knowledge . Confucious.

They deem him their worst enemy who tells them the truth. Plato.

A love affair with knowledge will never end in heartbreak. Michael Garrett Marino.

An empty stomach is not a good political adviser. albert einstein.

"As a young man, my fondest dream was to become a geographer. However, while working in the Customs Office, I thought deeply about the matter and concluded that it was far too difficult a subject. With some reluctance, I then turned to physics as an alternative."
Did einstein say this? Apparently it remains unknown.

weekend

that sums up term 3 week 2. pretty fast, i dare say.

Arm getting better, thanks everyone for your concern!

Health is truly the most important thing. Nick is down with chicken pox. Man I hate chicken pox. Took out my entire sec one end of year hols. So i couldn't bring my cousins fro the States around S'pore when they were visiting. When you get sick or injured, you can't do anything. So health is very very^n, n represents infinite, important.

Weekend spent slacking away. Saturday woke up at noon, went borders, went to see the chinese physician again, night BBoO match. Gone. Sunday woke up at 0530h (I couldn't keep myself awake the whole night), went east coast to help out with some saucony run thingy, slept the entire afternoon, watched the core. Gone.

Have to go now. Bye! (i swear this s the lamest ending i ever written)

right arm hurts

This morning was unlike other mornings. I woke up with an excruciating pain searing through my entire right arm. The pain was beyond description. It woke me up immediately, functioning better than any alarm clock on Earth. In the darkness, I tried to stay calm. I had experienced no such pain before, but I was quite sure it will go away.

It was a terrible mis-judgement on my part. The pain subsided a little, but never left my right arm. I couldn't use it to brush my teeth. I couldn't use it in the toilet. I couldn't use it to do the so many little things it had executed so humbly, without complaint, over the years. My right arm was my best friend, and it was going to die.

I thought of all my dreams, perhaps going down the drain because my right arm couldn't perform its functions. Cycling to Paris, the KL ex, the aviation dream... Was this the end of things?

Well, obviously my right arm has returned to life. I went to see my old friend, a Chinese physician immediately after school. This guy was the guy who healed my fractured index finger 2 years ago. This guy was the guy who brought my sister's knees back into action after a sport injury.

Using herbs and heat, he treated my arm, slowly bending the injured nerves back into position. I trust his unorthodox methods more than western medicine. It was worth the long wait I had to endure before my turn.

today is the 4th of july

Independence day. a team of brave men risked everything to fight for the rights which they believed in. They fought for a better life, a better future, for self, for country, for posterity. Led by Thomas Jefferson, these men left their signatures on a piece of paper called the declaration of independence. The United states would finally break free from foreign rule.

There are a lot of things I would like to complain about, but i will not. To complain without taking any action to rectify the problem is merely a sign of despair, a sign of weakness, a sign which manifests itself in the shape of an L. I will take steps to change the problem. I shall speak to Ms M Lim. Then we'll talk things through.

Sam, let's do it.

recurring nightmares

I have been replaying the album minutes to midnight by linkin park for days already, ever since I watched transformers.

last night, while I was on the train back home at around 10.03, I looked around at my fellow singaporeans. Different races, different ages, different education levels. Then i imagined what if a bomb just exploded right here, right in front of me. Try reading this while you play hands held high (found in the video below). Then feel it. Feel the song while you think of war and chaos.

Many people never seen people die before. Die right in front of them. Me too. and precisely because of that, they make stupid decisions. Now, please note that countries have a ministry/department of defence, but never a ministry of offence. Countries should never engage in warfare unless they are attacked. So was the US right in going to war? Maybe. maybe they were right. They were attacked. But the problem is, are they retaliating correctly? are they fighting the right people? at times, I hate Bush. at times, I pity him. Because if he doesnt do anything, people will find him a coward. a coward that refuses to fight back after 911. But he has done something, and the people are cursing him. Either way, he had no choice.

Back to the MRT. There are many people. People minding their own business. a couple perhaps getting to close for comfort. many asleep on the seats. many talking. just minding their own business. Now, shoud a bomb blow up, can you imagine the chaos? I couldn't. I didn't dare to.

I was having recurring nightmares. It was freaky. A few months ago, I had a nightmare. it involved a ghost, a girl who was raped, and a man and a dog. And I was the investigator. Oh now i remember when exactly did i have this nightmare. It was after watching 956 (korean horror flick) with muhd and tze. anyway, i just forgot about this stupid nightmare.

But today, it replayed again, exactly the same thing. There were 2 sisters. Very pretty girls. But i didnt have a good look at their faces. the dream was happening too fast. They met this (rich) man. This man is wicked. He raped one of them. The other sister doesnt know what happened. she continued to be friendly with the man. Meanwhile, the man killed the boyfriend of the sister. the boyfriend became a dog, and came back to warn the other sister about the man. Then there was a ghost. This ghost could change faces. Then I woke up. The scene where the dog came to find the sister was too long. It took up too much time. I could not sustain sleep until the story ended. But I was freaked out. And in between the dream, H3 popped out. You know, H3 for a levels?

Although i was having this dream in bright daylight at home, i was still scared. Firstly, because the dream happened before. Secondly, there are construction works happening nearby my house, and strange noises keep coming from it. Thirdly, there were dog barking. There are a lot of dogs in my neighbourhood. fourthly, there's this gaint poster of a jack sparrow in black clothes, surrounded by mist, at the foot of my bed, and the first thing which I saw when i woke up were his long hair. I was so scared, i woke drenched with sweat, despite the fan blowing directly at me. I wanted to take off my clothes and squeeze out the sweat (not joking), then I remembered from a russell lee book that spirits like to attack bare bodies first. I didnt dare to remove my tshirt. I was so scared, I lied on my bed for 10 minutes, shivering. The whole house was quiet, sis sleeping, door locked. mum downstairs, not making a sound. dad out. for once, I missed noise.



I wanted to fall asleep again, so that the story can continue and i can find out what happened next (I forgot the ending from the same dream from last year).But i couldnt. Maybe later, when i sleep, the dream will come back.