Lone Child

2:45 (;

The things I'm missing at home.

But I won't complain.

It feels.. different being alone in the house, in a good way.

Hello weekend.

A must-watch for all of us

10:37 - 26:30

There are individuals out there who must be thanked every time when we meet them.

Not for their actions, but influence.


This is a short video on his SMPfilms channel in 2008. I think it's amazing. I understand his emblem now.

Thank you, Cory.

One to be framed

I wrote my previous post to remind myself and my small group of friends about the beauty of a genuine person that's down to earth. I was really surprised to see Geoff's comment on my tagboard when I woke up, saying that my post is linked to Connie's official forum. I didn't expect this to happen and it's a wonderful feeling to be rewarded in a way, when I didn't ask for it. My blog received a couple hundreds of visitors from different parts of the world, and it really means a lot to me. I'm happy to be able to share my thoughts with all of you. Thanks for the lovely comments and responses on the forum. (:


I promised I would share a portrait of Connie with you. I think I will do a few more portraits of her next time - especially with her trademark 'Connie smile' in it (didn't do it here though). Sorry, I'm no artist but here it is, hope you like it!

Angels are meant to be discovered, not shown

There's a need for me to make a post about this. It's been bothering me, in a good way, since last night. If you're rushing off to somewhere or if you're doing practically anything, please, come back again and read this when you're not distracted. Best time would be.. midnight? I might need quite a big chunk of your time. I believe this post will be somewhat special to me now and in the future, and I hope you'll feel the same way too by the end of this. Please stay with me on this one, and I... beg you to watch the videos.

I was browsing for covers on youtube and I kept clicking over to random videos. I hate to think it as luck, but I stumbled on a video of a little girl singing a Whitney Houston's song. I was amazed by her voice and I looked at her name - Connie Talbot. Does it ring a bell to you? Connie Talbot, the youngest finalist of Britain's Got Talent. The toothless girl that sang Somewhere Over The Rainbow. She was six back then in front of Simon. Now, she's won an accolade of Gold and Platinum label record for her albums. That is simply amazing. Here's the performance that I watched by random. She's ten in this video.

That falsetto and power.

She does have a lovely voice, doesn't she? Reminds me of the classic female singers such as Celine Dion, someone with a real voice. I got hooked instantly. I found her channel and my goodness, she's no ordinary artist.

She's not the type of singer that wants to look great in videos. No mimicking of pre-recorded songs for different camera angles and acted emotions for covers, unlike most youtube artists today- Boyce Avenue, Sam Tsui. Don't get me wrong. They're great artists. They used to do it live, but I guess fancy camera work earns them the points they're looking for. But the plus point for her? Her music taste. :D She sings covers of The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, John Lennon, Whitney Houston, Leona Lewis, Louis Armstrong, Bob Marley, Wicked the musical and the list goes on. Doesn't matter if it's recorded with a simple family camera and a home karaoke system. It's best that way. I know someday, a cover of Queen will be in my subscription box. So I subscribed.

I don't think it's just the voice, but her delivery. It's just, real. You can read singers through their live performances. It tells you things about them. And after watching her videos all night, I had a feeling she's special. Her personality's special. To me, she's a league above Caroline Costa, Maddi Jane, and even most singers older than her. Not a prima donna or diva in anyway. I wanted to make sure and I did. I had nothing on today (what's new) so I used the time watching her TV and radio interviews. I think she's 8 when she did these two. Remind yourself of her age when you're watching these two videos. (and please, do watch them. 25 minutes in total)

"You are absolutely unspoiled, unaffected by all this attention,

and you're just a real warm, true, positive spirit. It's the truth."

Indeed.

What were we doing when we're 8? Busy counting cookies in our cookie jars, or in packets coz we just tied it with a rubber band. And the question about her wishlist from Santa - It speaks for itself, doesn't it? If we're asked back then, we would have our There-You-Go! list. There are other great interviews too, do check them out if you're willing. I saw a recent interview. She said her mom brings her around for shopping, but, she hates shopping. YES. Woopa! Finally. Thank you. Hahahahaha. A girl like her? She doesn't need shopping.

I hope she continues to sing these types of songs. It's great that she doesn't have a producer or a manager or whatnots, and she picks her own songs for concerts. Her judgement should be trusted. And please don't let her be another disposable pop singer. Follow Celine Dion's path, but just be Connie. I hope she will change the meaning of music again like what Lennon did with Imagine. I think she's on path. Listen to her recent original entitled Beautiful World. She wrote the song herself. With such innocence, I believe she did, maybe with a little family's help.

I wish I knew why the clouds above are so beautiful

And I wish that I knew why they create pictures for me and you

It's a miracle for us to share

White and grey patterns up in the air

I could daydream and look at the sky forever

Can't you see that it's a beautiful world

Come with me, I'll show you

Open your eyes and see the beauty around

Take my hand, and I'll lead you

It's so wonderful, so magical

Just see other day,

I saw an angel and a polar bear playing games in the sky

I saw a king sat in a great big chair

If you look at the clouds every way

Then they tell us a story each day

And they don't make a sound but they'll share together

With a special voice at such a young age, she'll cause people to be wonderstruck. But perhaps it's her incredible personality that inspires the most. A simple girl with an absolutely gorgeous and sensible character. A quiet girl with a loud soul. It's really endearing. It really is. The way she responds to questions and interviews is extraordinary. It comes out naturally through her heart.

"It is impossible to fully appreciate Connie's character without understanding the loving environment at home with her family. While you might expect a young star to be the product of 'pushy' parents you soon realise that Connie is supported in whatever she chooses to do by the incredible love of a close and caring family."

I couldn't agree more. Her parents give her own space to be an independent little girl. But of course, it might be different coz she's a natural gift. Our parents might compare us to other kids they know, but why can't they compare themselves to other parents? Hope we'll remember that in the future. There's no blessing better than watching someone grow under your guidance, be it your junior or child.

Sometimes when I'm fortunate to meet someone like Connie Talbot, I wish I'd known about her a couple of years earlier. But better late than never. You'll feel ashamed when you take look and compare yourself to such people. It seems like our previous actions will come back and haunt us at night when we finally realized. Will it be unnatural for us to change in front of those who have known us for so long? Maybe the truth is it's a little too late afterall. Maybe.

So when you're given a chance to have a reset button in a form of meeting new people or a new environment, be sure to press it. There's always a chance to discover a better side of you.

Speaking about discovery, I'm really glad I got to click around and find Connie Talbot. You don't come across someone like this very often. Go to her channel through the first two videos and please be impressed. Can't wait to see her all grown up. She's a special gift to this world. It's a privilege to discover an angel, instead of being shown to one.

Thank you, Connie.

Some sort of natural hardisk

I remember, I was watching TV in my aunt's room and I fell asleep on the floor with my elbow resting on the remote control. Out of all the buttons I could possibly press, I accidentally increased the volume and the room morphed into a cinema theatre or some sort. I woke up and I swore I thought I was in an action film. But I saw my relatives rushing into the room - it was reality.

I remember, we were having an art workshop in a college. After presenting the final product in the auditorium, students from all the different schools gathered for a formal photo. Some genius suggested to his friends in the front row to lower their heads and show just their hairs. When the photographer counted to 3, we executed the plan perfectly. But our teacher reviewed the photo on the spot and volunteered us to clean up the art rooms for the college. Where were you, lady luck.

I remember, there were 15 continuous phone calls at midnight but I ignored them. I was too sleepy to do anything. Surprisingly by the 16th call, I picked it up. It was my friend. He asked if I was free the next day at 8am. There was silence for a good 10 seconds. Then I replied, "Hey can I sleep first?" and I dozed off. The great thing is, I couldn't recall anything when I met him afterwards. Ah, a sleeptalker.

I remember, it was raining heavily in Kahang during our overseas camp. We had to pitch a tent at the open field and by sheer chance, we were forced to change the tents and replace the spoiled parts 5 times. We were the last group and we took half an hour longer than everyone else. No umbrellas. No raincoats. It's officially the coldest day for me, literally. And a bee had to disturb our night by buzzing underneath the tent. Yes, a trapped bee under the tent.

I remember, a group of teens was being a tad too loud downstairs at night. My parents couldn't sleep so my dad filled a plastic bag with water, tied it up, open the windows and threw it down. It was too epic and I nearly died laughing. Didn't hit them though.

I remember, I was in China for an exchange programme. Beautiful memories. Pandemonium in our double-story house. Vidcam's slow death at the top of the tall temple. A person being stuck in the middle of two beds. Damien climbing to the 2nd floor and opening the door from inside when we couldn't find the key. My buddy's homestay meal. Singing Jay Chou's songs in class. And the most humiliating moment - getting laughed at by students through their class windows when I couldn't rollerskate properly during PE session. But somehow, it didn't happen again when I played a match with them on the field. Weird. Hahahaha.

I remember, going for a photog talk. At the registration counter, I joked in front of the registration members, teasing them about having lucky draws. They apologized to me for not having one. But at the end of the talk, the speaker announced a surprise lucky draw with the winner getting a Canon cap, keychain, and bottle. And guess who won the lucky draw. Just guess. You'll get it right.

I remember, watching Jupiter in the night sky using a telescope in school. It was my first experience. I could see it's famous giant storm and surprisingly, it's small ring too. Yes, Jupiter has a ring. I thought there would be hundreds of people queueing up for the view, but the turn-up was less than 20. Glad to have more time with the telescope. Shocked to realize that not many people are interested in the extraterrestrial.

I remember, bringing my friend to changi village for a live Saturday night performance by a band called Changi Gliders. Mmm - songs that fed our musical tastebuds. When they were playing the starting instrumentals of a song by The Eagles, the lead singer came up to us and grabbed my friend to sing with him. How fortunate.

I remember, overnighting at the airport with a couple of dudes after sending a friend off at midnight. He treated us to supper at Popeye's and one of us sneaked money into his bag before leaving. We made the viewing gallery our home. I was surprised at the number of people sleeping there too. Substitute the breeze with aircon, and beach view with airplanes taking off - Picnic.

I remember, breaking a personal record for 35 hours of not sleeping - made possible by the chalet at east coast. Running around at 3am on the beach, walking to macs at the other end of ecp. Walked back to vs in the morning with our eyes closed. I crashed on the pb room's table and Quinn poured water on me to wake me up coz we had to finish up the yearbook.

I remember, being voted as the sacrifice to the big fish pond at night after SLI. Was it due to my birthday? Not too sure. But I'm sure that around twenty people chased me and Taufik throughout the entire campus. Got trapped at a dead end and they carried me away. I acted as though I had a massive cramp and they trusted me, twice. Sigh. Ran away both times. Got caught in the end and I remember hearing some sort of tribal chants and dance around me when I was wriggling around beside the pond. And then Woooosh. The taste of pond water - priceless. Hahaha. The next investiture? We tried to do the same. Unlucky - an Ipod went into the pond and someone had their front tooth removed during the struggle.

I used to blog about the little things like these that are worthy for a revisit.

I'm not doing that anymore nowadays. Or maybe in a way, I still am.

AND by the way, my cousin has a blog that's called purrfectinpynque or smth like that.

o.o

Look out for a special update post tmrw night! Gracias amigos.

The Greatest Treasure

Here it is, officially announced. The day that'll explode with different emotions, controlled and uncontrolled. Separation and discrimination are inevitable. Success will be evaluated, told, and some hidden. Mere alphabets determine one's superiority over the other.

Or.. so they thought.

I'm here to remind myself and the ones patiently watching over me through this blog, that regardless of the grades we're receiving, regardless of the quality, regardless of how people perceive you after getting that cert, the roads we're directed to are equal. Different in every form, but the same in value.

A smooth tarmac road with a vehicle to drive or an intricate terrain with a bagpack and rugged shoes? Same destination, different routes. A matter of convenience and accessibility? I don't think so.

They might label the tarmac road as a better path. Of course everyone wants it. Me too. It's a dream that even fools yearn for. But I think I have the courage now to say that these two paths presented to us are dead equal and they have their own sets of respectable features.

If we ever view the tarmac road as the better path, shame on us. That means we've yet to open our inner senses. We've yet to understand the things we see growing around us. We've yet to understand the scents and essence. We're afraid of tasting true sweat and tears that nurture a person. We heard, instead of listening.

We can't say that.

Imagine yourself in the driver's seat cruising through... the road of your dreams. You're urging to have a breather and absorb the scenery, but you can't. There are other vehicles all around you, driving through that popular road. Eyes focused, in front. You tried winding down the side window to pick up the scents, but you just can't - going too fast. You're restricted by the traffic lights and rules. It's a.. It's a trade-off. We can't have  everything, it's just the way it is. But there are special drivers coursing comfortably through the road having the best of senses, and they get to enjoy, understand, and appreciate these things. Well, lucky them. They're unique.

For those who aren't given the opportunity to be on the road, they'll have to deal with the physical terrains. Now picture yourself as that.. traveller who's dwarfed and humbled by the challenges ahead of you. Will you moan in disgust about your fate, or will you have the heart to say, "I'm extremely lucky"? No pit stops. You don't have to watch out for traffic except for elephant stampedes or a lioness creeping up behind you. Stocking up on berries and watching out for food along the way.  I mean, it's different. It's how we perceive things to be. Well off course, there's a higher chance of us being lost and distracted from whatever destination we had in mind, but if we can keep ourselves together, live by our simple principles and keep a caring eye on the people we meet, I'm pretty sure we'll have better things to tell at the end of the road. Be mindful and keep on walking. I've heard of a saying - The one who suffers much will know much. You may feel nothing if you understood that. But you'll smile inside if you've truly experienced them.

One path holds the affluence, comfort, luxury. The other holds.. not as much. But I believe they're worth the same, neither one better than the other. It'll take time for us to understand. We're too young for it. We'll have to watch our peers travelling down these different routes. Only time will tell us.

I don't think sharing this is a good idea but I guess I should be a little open about this. It's a little related to today's definition of success. Monetary problems. We're all gonna have it someday. Be it having problems to get an apartment with the best view in town or having problems to worry about your children's meal. They're still problems. We all have them. I know some of us seek comfort by hiding them so extremely well, while others share them to feel better. I don't think I'm the only one having these kinda probs, so you might go "Hey that's me!" after reading this.

My dad's income is around 1.6k, I think. And he's supporting my mom's almost daily dialysis. Everything's a little better since he turned 55 - yay for CPF. (That's why I get to add some geeky items in my inventory) But all along before that day, I get to experience things like the panic attack of the loss of electricity (they usually do it in the evening). Had to do my stuffs with a battery lamp and fan or be outside at night. Incomplete online work? Serve me right for not doing it earlier. Project work matters? Oh crap better knock on my aunt's door late at night and use her internet. Hahaha. Seriously, I don't mean to beg for sympathy or anything but I'm actually thankful to be lucky enough to experience these kinda things. And I think some of us here do have real problems that are far worse than mine. Maybe you've went through more things and you never told a single soul about it. Man, that's..... I admire you.

I mean, it leaves me confused watching some of us react when we can't get that '5 digit income' grades we dream about. Maybe it's the way we're differently brought up. Didn't get the grades you wanted? Be thankful and move on. If your friends ask, "What happened?". Smile, and reply, "Things happened." And walk away. They aren't your friends. (: But of course, for those of you who'll get the colourful grades, we're going to be proud of you. Hug your parents.

Look at the society we have today - which is us btw, that's the way it is, and that's the way it will be in the future. Moving forward to survive. Should that be our incentive? Hmm. Go with the flow, but always have that courage to step out if necessary, and let no one define you except for yourself. Draw the line between laziness and satisfaction. We'll be fine. And when you have kids in the future, ask about their aspirations. If they answer with an occupation, tell them that it's not the best answer. It makes a difference, I feel.

Sometimes, we humans do what's best for ourselves, but it was never up to us to determine anything. Someone reminded me once of a question, a "question that won't be answered by any certificate, be it one with straight As or one with straight Us."


Keep on going and have a look around.


Someday, if we're permitted to,


We'll find the greatest treasure on our journey -

Contentment.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A little confused? Put your headphones on. Close your eyes.

And breathe. You'll need this.