See Spot Run

I've inserted a music file, Nella Fantasia, into my blog on the column to the right. It's sung by Il Divo. I first heard them sing when they did the theme song for the World Cup 2006 when they sang 'Times Of Our Lives' with Toni Baxton. After that, I was pretty much hooked into their singing style and from then on, I tried to retreive as many songs done by them as possible.

But this one. This one song sung by them has caught me. I don't really care if you guys hate this song or don't really care much for it, because I love it. It's up there as one of my favourites. Very few songs that I listen to really makes me wanna listen to it over and over again and still make me wanna listen to it some more without me getting sick of it. I could picture myself driving some deserted road for a couple of hours listening to this music looping over and over again and still enjoy every minute of it. hahaha, yeah, I could. But I don't wanna get sick of this song so I won't. Must listen in moderation! =D

I looked up the translation for the lyrics and even though I don't really like what they're saying, I still like it only because of the melody and the singing. The Italian words sound nice, but when translated, it sounds gay. So I'd just stick to the Italian version and try not to think about what they're saying. hehe

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the song too because I do. I've chosen not to auto-play it when you guys come on because it can get annoying when somebody else's music start playing when you go into their website. So I'll leave it to you guys. Just click the play button and have a good listen. Terribly sorry for those on dial up. If you wait a while, you could allow it to load then play it at one go. Believe me, if you don't mind classical music with 'proper singing', it's worth the wait XP



Well, I've decided to blog again because after tomorrow, I won't be blogging for a good 10 days so here I am again, blogging. About what? I dunno. Let's see what we can squeeze out of this big head of mine.

Today was the last Sunday I would play for the church band in a while. I've decided to take a few months break from the band because I need the break to 'recuperate'. So in the mean time, I'm just gonna focus on the police and recover whenever I come out during the weekends. Sounds like a good plan to me.

I also went swimming today after returning back from a long day at church and going out. Usually if I have to play for Sunday, I'll have to get up at 6:30am and get ready to leave the house by 7:15am or so because I have to go outside to have breakfast. So by the time I came back today, it was 6:30pm. From there, I went straight to the pool. But it was a mistake.

Firstly, there were too many people there. At 6:45pm, I thought many people would have gone home to have dinner or something. It was a fatal mistake because there were at least a few hundred people running around the entire complex and at least fifty people in the competition pool. I definitely couldn't swim properly because there were too many people in one lane! I couldn't be bothered anyway. Been a long day. So I just did several laps. I tried out more freestyle laps and more butterfly laps. Then after that, I attempted to tread water because my friend in church told me that he had to do that in the Academy for thirty minutes or so. Not too sure if they still do it now, but they probably will.

I can't seem to float on water anymore! I don't know why!!! Is it because I'm too heavy now? Does any body know how? Please tell me!!! It will be extremely useful for me! Thanks!
I just ended up slipping on my goggles (not too sure if I can wear them if they ask us to do it) as I bounced up and down the pool. I did that for a 15 minutes and figured I could go on forever, so if they asked us to do it with our goggles, I could do it. If they asked us to do it without goggles, it might be a bit harder.

Anyway, the second reason why it was a bad idea to go swimming was because my mouth was still 'sore'. The ripped skin in my mouth only ripped some more. When I jumped into the pool, it stung. Not to mention how flithy the pool is by now with all the people going in and out. I couldn't see the end of the pool because it was too 'cloudy'. ><" Yuck. But that wasn't he worse part. The worse part happened when I came out of the pool and went to dry myself off with my towel. I rubbed my head as usual. But what happened this time, was that when I accidentally rubbed my nose upwards, there was this amazing pain that surged through my body from torn skin in the mouth. I was so scared that I had torn it further. I'm still not sure if it's torn further but I'd rather not know. I just want it to heal quickly! ={ Also, for the first time in a very long while, I played some computer games at a LAN shop this afternoon after church with some church friends. I think I'm not so much a computer game player of a guy. I only like certain games and usually, I play in moderation because if I like it, I want it to last for a long time without me getting sick of it. But usually, I don't play much computer games.

Overall, I don't really 'enjoy' strategic type games where you have to think or build your land or something like that. Also, Role Playing Games are games that I tolerate. Usually these kinda games have a bit of action/fighting in it, so I quite enjoy that part where they're a lot of violence. But if it was just a game that involved lots of talking and lots of blabbing, I don't think I would choose to play that game on a daily basis - not unless it's a really good and interesting game.

However, the type of games I usually choose to play are those immediate action, immediate violence, immediate chaos type of games. Simply because it's awesome to cause all that chaos happen in a matter of seconds. Games that involve shooting and stuff - I like. I'm not saying I'm any good at it. As a matter of fact, I think I'm down right crap at 'em. But I don't care. As long as it's enjoyable, I like it. Even if it means having to die every single round, I don't mind. It's fun.

But on top of this, I prefer soccer video games. Especially if I'm given time to learn the game. Once I'm given that time, I believe I can be deadly. I remember back in Australia there was this one stage where I would score as many as 3 or 4 goals in one match against the World Class opponent. The only difference between computer players and human players is that computer players are so predictable. After a while, you can predict what they're gonna do. So after playing the computer for a while, you can tell when they're gonna tackle, and when the keeper is gonna be exposed.

But when you start playing with a human player, you think you can predict their movements, but the truth is, there is more 'indecisiveness' with the human players, and you can't seem to tell where or what they wanna do. Which is why it's a bit frustrating at times because you'd lose the ball from some silly mistake. Grrr.

Also, computer players don't come sliding from behind for a tackle.

Night At The Museum

A couple more blog entries before I go in. Three at most.

Firstly, it me tell you guys what happened to my mouth just a few days ago.

A few nights back, when I was brushing my teeth before I went crashing into my bed, this happened.
I was happily brushing away like I normally do, ie. away from the sink. I usually brush away from the sink because I can't stand just .... standing there brushing. I prefer to sit or do something at the same time. I believe my desire to train myself to brush away from the sink began one night when I told my auntie that I disliked brushing in front of the sink because I don't like to stand for those few minutes, brushing. It was boring. So I began to develop this 'skill', so to speak, to keep all the foam in my mouth while brushing my teeth at the same time. And a very lovely skill it is too. So now, I can wander away from the sink to sit and watch some show or to go pack my bag or even chat online.

hehe, anyway, there I was one innocent night, brushing away. That very innocent night turned into something I wished hadn't happen because it was so much more costly than I thought. I was brushing away when my toothbrush accidentally slipped out of my mouth and as it did, it went back into my mouth with quite a bit of force. So much force in fact, I felt a bit of pain on the top part of my mouth; as in the part between the lip and the front teeth. I thought I had just smacked my gum and would become swollen in a few hours.

However, that was not the case.

I only realised just yesterday that it was more than that. The gum didn't swell up but something else happened. What I had actually 'smacked' that night was actually the little bit of the 'skin' (I dunno what's the technical name of this) in your mouth that holds the upper lip and the upper gums together. I smacked against it hard enough to rip it apart, so now, it's completely ripped. It's quite painful and annoying actually. I've forced myself to limit my upper lips' freedom. I don't want to rip it any further which is why I'm trying to keep it closed if not needed. Which means people! Don't make me laugh on MSN! Please don't! Save me the pain and be boring when you talk to me. Please! Be! Boring! hahahahaha

Well, that was interesting wasn't it? I would have posted a picture of it all ripped up and stuff, but it could get messy. Plus, I don't wanna freak out the little kids reading this. hehe

There's this mixed 'excitement' about going into the PA; both the good and the bad. Both of which cancels each other out. In all honesty, I really don't know what I'm doing. Seriously. I'm just gonna go in, all blur and self-conscious that I am gonna stand out from the Malay crowd (unless I tan myself a bit more to fit in), and listen to what I 'should' and 'should not' do. But at this stage in time, I am seriously feeling no excitement what so ever. Simply because I am overwhelmed by how there are both good and bad points about going in. Here are some of the main reasons.

Good -

• Time is simply moving too slowly now. Going in will definitely speed things up because that's what I came here for.




• I need to get out of this mundane routine. Not very pleasurable or purposeful, so this will give me some sort of direction to persevere for something.




• I will get paid! Whoo!

Bad -

• They will torture me - both physically and mentally. After being out of school for 4-5 months, this is gonna hurt.




• No more freedom. I will most certainly be restricted to an allocated time where I will be 'set free'; this is the time where I can go back and 'recover'. After which, it is back to the same old torture.




• It's a long journey so it will seem like this journey is taking forever at first.

My relatives are telling me that I "can't get far" in this police thing. That during my two years here, they won't give me a good designation on the force. They're saying that I won't be as well decorated as those army personnel. Maybe it's because they watch too many shows. LoL

No one in my family, on both sides, has been in the police force before so how would they know? That's what I think. No one in our family has an insight into the police force so I don't see how they can be so sure of this.

But what I'm sure of is that I'm going in and I'm going to try to get as far as I can with whatever abilities God has given to me as I try my best. Then, wherever they post me, I can know that this was as far as I could go with the abilities I have and there's nothing I can do about it. At least this was as far as I could go and I won't have to wonder about what I 'could have' gotten if I had tried harder. Afterall, I know that God is in control and wherever they post me is where God wants me to be. What do I have to be afraid of? So let's see where this roller coaster ride takes me.

Also, for those who have been asking, you can 'reach me' in the academy via SMS at any time. Just email me and I will give you my contact if you want. It'll be nice to hear from you guys during this time. And of course, if you don't wanna waste your phone credit on me, just drop me an email and I'll try to get to it. I don't know how long I'll be sane inside there so every message will be much appreciated! Thanks guys!

Alrighty! For all those non-soccer readers out there, I suggest you just leave or scroll down to the comment section now. Everything I say from here till the end of the blog is all about soccer. WhoO!! Go me! In for the ratings I am! LoL

Let's talk the UEFA Champions League.

Even though I'm gonna be in the academy during the 2nd leg of the quarter finals, I'm pretty sure Liverpool will go through. A 3-0 thumping for PSV; no way can they come back. Not at Anfield at least. Many journalist have described the return leg as 'practically impossible' for PSV because scoring at least 3 goals in Anfield doesn't come once in a blue moon. The last time they took a beating like that was when Arsenal knocked us out of the Carling Cup Quarter Finals back in January with a 6-3 victory. 6 goals against Liverpool at Anfield is a complete shocker. I can't remember the last time that happened (if it's happened before). Definitely very rare for something like that to happen. But that was the last time Liverpool lost to a 3 goal difference.

But Arsenal is a very good team. Arsene Wenger is an awesome coach so it's not really all that embarrassing to lose like that, even though losing 6-3 at home is pretty embarrassing as is. Now, if we lost to another smaller team like Sunderland, 6-3. Oh dear, now that is extremely embarrassing. But let's not talk about that cause it won't happen. lol

The point is, PSV is pretty much out of this competition because at Anfield for the return leg, there is pretty much no hope of them coming back from this. They still have to play 90 more minutes but I'm sure Liverpool can pull it off.

As for the other teams, I think Bayern Munch will by pass AC Milan into the next round.

Man Utd will beat Roma with a comfortable victory.

Chelsea might lose the next round because Valencia play at home for the return leg and with the away goal advantage to Val, I think Chelsea will be out of this. I do hope so anyway.

And of course, Liverpool will sweep PSV away without much irritation.

So my predictions for the Semi-Finals:

Bayern Munch V Man Utd

Liverpool V Valencia

I really wanna see Liverpool go all the way. If they get through the Semi-finals, I think Rafael Benitez will go nuts and place all his best players with the most perfect tactic on field just to capture the trophy for the 2nd time in three years. I hope they can do it.

Also, a very mouthwatering final with Man Utd and Liverpool would probably be one of the greatest match in soccer history because both teams are peaking really well now. Well, Man Utd peaked back during sometime mid-season, but they're still pretty dominant now. And to imagine two great teams with a full squad fit to play at one of the biggest competitions in sport entertainment. That would be awesome! WhooO! I don't wanna go into the academy that night! XP

haha, I'll probably be punished severely for 7 years or something if I did that. haha, see you guys in 2014 if that match happens!

The Karate Kid

This is gonna be a quick one because I don't have much time. In fact as many of you have noticed, I haven't had much time to blog at all. With my dad here and everything, everything else 'minor' has been put aside. And that is where the blog is classified in. Minor XD

Firstly, I'll just say that the picture posted in the previous blog entry is in fact an actual photograph. I retreived it from the WWE website under WreslteMania 23. I was completely shocked and surprised that it was possible to break a steel ladder like that. Jeff Hardy, the one on the guy, jumps from another ladder set up in the ring and lands onto the guy on the ladder, Edge, as it breaks on impact. Awesome stuff. Sadly, I didn't watch it happen. =( But you can see the story with all the pictures from the WrestleMania23 pictures.

I went swimming with Melissa on Thursday and boy is she good. She is quick and strong. Just comparing myself to her, I still have a long way to go. Also, if she comes online commenting saying stuff like, "Nah man. Not really. Blah blah blah." Don't believe her. She's freaky. XP And I don't say that very often.
Oh, silly me. Who is Melissa? haha, for the many of you who don't know, she is Amoz's Primary School lover--, I mean... errrr, Primary School crus--, oh dang. That came out all wrong. Lemme try to focus. Focus Boaz! Focus!
What I meant to say was that she was Amoz's Primary School girlfrien--. ><" Hmmm, that doesn't sound right. XP hehehehehehe

I'm just kiddin'! haha, don't kill me Melissa or Amoz! XP Melissa is Amoz's Primary School classmate back before we left Singapore in '96. So yeah.

Oh dear. They're gonna kill me big time. XP *runs*

Anyway! It was nice having someone else there. I mean to not swim alone and to have someone push me to swim harder, it was nice. It was to my advantage and seeing that Melissa is a good swimmer, I had to force myself to keep up with her as she flew ahead. I didn't want her to overlap me so I had to try to follow her the best I can. hehehe

Besides that, this is my last weekend that I will be playing for church in a while. Even if I have time out of the academy, I'm not sure if I will take up the opportunity to play because I need a bit of time-out. Maybe in a while, I will think differently about it but for now, I need a break. It'll do me some good I reckon.

So I've been here for around 4 months now and I think it'll be nice to just have a little bit of a think of the things that have happened since coming here.

But firstly, lemme say a little bit about what I 'wished' had happened before I came here. Back in Australia, just weeks prior to my arrival here, I wished to have gone into the army in January. Which was why I left Australia in December - to have a chance of getting in in January.

However, it was not to be. There was an extremely slim chance of that happening so the other 'alternative' happened. I was placed for enlistment in March.

So during that time, I managed to do quite a number of things.

Now, I'm trying not to do the same list thing that I did a month back. So lemme try to do it this way.

Coming here, I've managed to pick up swimming and push myself to do 50 laps.

I got my first full-time job as an admin. That was really suckie and I don't wish to do it ever again.

I started playing for the new church here and in the process, I managed to pick up a lot of new skills on the drums.

I was given a lot of opportunities to finally catch up on a bit of English Premier League action live on TV! How cool is that!?! Sucks in Australia because back there, they don't broadcast EPL, they show AFL. ><" I mean, c'mon. Who wants to watch that stuff? Boooo! And please, don't get me started on cricket! hehe Someone's gonna attack me for saying that. XP

What else.. ermm. I was able to brush up on my clarinet and I reckon that's going on really well. I'm able to play a lot more notes now because I have, well let's just say, a lot more 'air power'. This allows me to reach those higher notes and other funny fingering notes with better ease.

I've also started something else which I will not broadcast over my blog. But just know that I've started to learn something else too. Maybe if you ask me in person, I will tell you. Maybe. If I think I should. XP
I went on two holiday trips with my mum and managed to spend a lot more time with our dad while he was here for those 3 days.

And most importantly, I managed to stay on MSN for hours waiting to terrorise my 'friends' as they came online. I like to call them 'friends'. Not too sure what they call me now. Probably something along the lines of 'stalker' or 'annoy-er' or 'avoid at all costs'.
Well, it was somewhat pleasurable; until they decided they had to attention their annual English-Speech classes with Antonio Banderas. I'm sure after all that terrorising, anyone would prefer an annual English-Speech class with Antonio Banderas over a friendly conversation with little o'le me. ={

In any case, just know that I will be gone on the 10th of April. Gone! See if you wish for me to come back then! Maybe then will you realise what you took for granted! Hmph!

haha, I'm just kiddin'. But seriously though. I will be gone on the 10th for 10 days. It will be an exciting 10 days because it'll be a whole different 'playing field'. Everything will be different and everyone will be in chaos. Imagine all these boys, screaming their heads off crying out, "Mother! Mother! I want to go home!" Just as I did back when I was here. Oh yes. And how amazing will it be when you see a whole stretch of 'men' crying out for their mother. We are truly manly man aren't we? I know I am. =X

In Her Shoes

We played 2 hours of street soccer yesterday, and I'm on the verge of collapsing.

If it wasn't for chairs, I think I would be sitting on the floor for the majority of the day. Better still, lying on the floor. Despite how it only lasted for 2 hours before the rain came, those 2 hours were very intense, seeing that I haven't played any sport since coming here. So having to run so hard under the blazing sun, it took a lot out of me.

The game was such that the team who scores first wins, and then they'll play the next team. On average, 1 match would last for 5-10mins, but during my second game, we were playing for around 20-30mins because no one could score! It was terrible! I was playing striker, so I had to run so much, I was on the verge of collapsing because my feet were killing me, and on top of that, I found it so hard to breathe. Maybe it was because of the hot humid air, or the fact that I had 'puffed' myself out from all that running. Either way, I was exhausted in that match.
My shirt was literally soaked in sweat, and my legs were covered in another nice shiny layer of sweat. Also in that match, I managed to pop one of the water blisters on my left foot that formed sometime during the first or second match. I felt the blister go 'pop', spewing liquid all over my socks. Mmmm Yum!

Sometime before noon, the clouds came in, and it cooled down a bit. From then on, it was a lot more bearable. I was able to run without finding it too difficult to breathe. The only thing that stopped me from performing better was the number of water blisters on my feet. They weren't very small ones. They were pretty close to be considered large, and not just one or two, I could say there are just about half a dozen of them, scattered around both feet. Now, I struggle just to walk. But I'm guessing they'll be gone in a few days time.

Anyway, now my body is aching all over. After sleeping on it, I feel the aches and pain all over my body, especially in the abdominal region. However, if we were to play again, at the expensive of all these pains, I would do it in a second. But for now, I need time to heal. XD



Now for a totally different story.
On the way to church this morning, as I was sitting in a very silent Chinese New Year Day train with very few people on board, there was this young blind man who came onto our 'carriage'. And out of all the seats he was 'helped' to, it happened to be the one next to mine. This was a whole new experience for me, because I had never encountered this situation before in my life. I guess that was a part of realising that this world is filled with many different people in many different situations.

So this was what happened. The young blind man was helped into the carriage by these two indian guys who then directed him into the attention of another man who sat 3 seats away on my right. That man took a hold of this blind man and sat him down next to me. I was thinking, "eerrrr, thanks mate." lol. So there I was, sitting there, not knowing what I was suppose to do as this young blind man did the following.
When he came in, he was all teary and 'sniffy'. At first glance, I noticed that there was a tear that ran down his face. I'm not enirely sure why, but there was a tear running down his face. Anyway, when he sat down next to me, he was fully pressing against me with his left arm invading my 'personal space'.

Then, he started to sniff his 'mucus' (I'm assuming that was what he was sniffing in). It was ok at first, but then not long after, he started sneezing. It was the type of sneeze that could be heard throughout the train. I can still 'replay' the whole sneezing experience again. ><" It was awful because I was the closest person to him, and he was sneezing all over the place. He didn't cover his face or anything, so I couldn't help but pray for mercy from the Lord. If I happen to fall sick during the next few days, I think I can relate it to this incident. So I sat there next to him, trying to decide whether I should move seats and get away from him, or remain seated, supporting this young man. I then thought about the things he would have gone through being blind. I'm very sure he has been rejected for his disability many times in the past. Surely I couldn't leave him now. It would only add insult to injury. Plus, on many occasions, I will put myself in the other person's shoe to determine if I would like it if something I did would hurt the other person. In this case, would I like it if I was the blind man and the young gentleman sitting next to me left me because I was blind. Obviously, I made sure I stuck with the guy, even though he was invading my personal space. I tried to focus on my iPod as much as I can, but it was hard to not watch the people opposite me dissect the poor blind man apart. I mean seriously, is it so hard to mind your own business? And he was blind as well. Even if he can't see, he should be given some respect. It was very distressing watching these people stare at the blind guy. It got worse when he started to pull out his walkman which was plugged to this little redbox speaker. He was fiddling around with it, and this caused all the 'spectators' to watch even more intently. Argh! I will usually try to give people their privacy, even if they're doing something like this. But it was hard not to watch these people stare at this blind guy. There was this one guy, seated directly opposite me who leaned forward, and placed his arms in such a way that his elbows rested on his knees and his chin on his open palms, just so he could have a more 'comfortable' look. I should have done the same to the guy. I should have rested my elbow on my knees, placed my head on palms, and stared at the guy staring at the blind man. Anyway, after the blind man took out his walkman, he started to configure this cubical redbox which I assumed was his 'headphones'. He was rotating the box round and round, trying to figure out why it wasn't playing his CD. He eventually concluded that there was something wrong with the walkman itself. That was when he started to wonder if the battery had died. He turned to me and asked, "Is there battery a not?" Passing me his walkman, I took a look at the walkman and tried to turn it on, but was unable to. I replied to him in my 'still-morning' voice, "No. The battery has died." Handing back his walkman. A few seconds later he asked me again, "What time is it?" I couldn't hear him at first because he spoke in the other direction and I wasn't aware that he was in fact talking to me. I was actually listening to my iPod blasting into my ears because I didn't want to be distracted by this blind man, so music would have to distract me. I asked him again what he had said, but I was still unable to hear him. He mumbled some slang which I couldn't hear. It was kinda embarrassing to have to ask him the third time, considering all the eyes and ears attentive to our conversation. By the third and final time, I was able to reply him, "Eight fifteen" The whole experience of having to deal with very different people has taught me more about putting yourself in other people's shoes. Generally, I tend to do that a lot because I wouldn't like it if someone did something to me which wasn't really nice at all. So I'd try to treat people the way I want to be treated. But so far, my adventures on the train in Singapore has shown me that there are many people like this who you will meet because there are people like this. People who God created and loves unconditionally. Just imagining God loving this blind man shows that God favours no one but loves all, despite our disability and weaknesses.

The Godfather

No no, I'm not dead. No, I haven't collapsed on the bedroom floor from an MSN overdose.

I was simply, out.

I went to my auntie's house on Saturday to visit my cousin returning back from Brisbane, Australia who was on his way to Dubai, Abu Dhabi. It has been a while since I last saw him. So to see him with his little son again was good. On top of which, he was able to tell me things about the 'universities' of Australia because he was a lecturer in Brisbane. I was there for lunch and had to run off soon after for music practice at church.

I was placed on the drums for this sunday, and I have to admit, it was much more 'demanding' this time round. No doubt, the music standard is much higher here as they try to imitate as closely as possible the way the artists of the songs play the song. This was good cause it meant good organised music where all can enjoy. And of course, being the drummer, everything I play is crucial. So when we started on the first few songs, which I have not heard before might I add, I had to be 'shown' what to do. Naturally, I picked it up in a few goes and was able to play it somewhat flawlessly. hehe, it was fun. The only thing I'm worried about is how the sound from the drums 'reflect' back because there is a 'shield' that surrounds the drums and so this makes my eardrums go crazy. Also, the people on the other side of the shield said that the volume was significantly softer, which meant I had to play louder. Ultimately, my ears were ringing everytime I walked out of that booth.

However, the music was awesome and the worship was awesome. Last night (sunday night/new year's eve), they had a watch night service and I was asked to play the drums again. At the end of the worship, the songs sang were unrehearsed so we played by ear. Despite how most of the songs were really 'intensed' as I had to blast the drums resulting in my ears to ring soon after, it was a very memorable night. As a new visitor mentioned to me after the service, "It's the best way to end the night and the year." No doubt it was.

So basically, my weekend was filled with church stuff which turned out to be quite enjoyable. At least it brought me out of the house.

I just returned from watching an English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Bolton Wanders downstairs at the local coffee shop, and as I was watching, I noticed that there was a couple with a little kid. The kid was probably 2-3 years old. The family of 3 were seated just a few metres away from me, behind the plasma screen which was suspended on a pillar, so I managed to catch glimpses of their activity as I watched my soccer match. What caught my attention was how both parents were smoking as their little toddler roamed around the horribly smokey environment. I really have a lot of sympathy for the happy child. Sadly, I doubt there would be much of a chance for the toddler to live a healthy life. I'm pretty sure that the parents smoke at home every single day which will inevitably damage the kid's lungs one way or another.

And if that wasn't bad enough, I dunno who they were, but friends or relatives of the family soon came trampling along and soon I noticed that they too were smokers. They were all smoking around the little kid, but that wasn't the worse part. The relatives were all very harsh on the kid. In those few minutes that I was there, I noticed that the kid was bombarded with painful slaps, shoutings, and of course, the unscapable smoke. I took quick looks at the kid to notice that he was simply happy and joyful as most kids are. He did nothing wrong and yet, he was bombarded with so many negative elements.

This really makes me reflect on the grateful upbringing that I have. I think our parents or guardians are what really shapes us as we approach teenage-hood. Generally, teenagers are shaped into who they appear to be through the influences of their environment. If a child was brought up in a loving, caring environment, where they are felt to realise that it is 'ok' to be who you are, they will usually turn out to be more confident and assured that they are safe, and loved. And of course, if a child is brought up in a natural selection environment, on the outside they will appear tough and hard, as they resist affection cause they know they might get hurt if they 'open up'. blah blah blah, i'm sure most of you know that. lol, I hope I'm not starting to sound like Dr Phil.

So how does this relate to that adorable kid and me? Well, I have much sympathy for that youngster and also for the many of you who are reading this and understand what the kid is going through. I can't help but feel sorry for anyone who is in this situation so I'm very glad that God has placed me in an environment where there is love. Praise the Lord!

School Of Rock

Well, I did it. I went for the music practice. I was scared actually. To go to a new place which I've only been to once, for something which 'members' are usually committed to do, but now all of a sudden, I am a part of it. Somehow, I pictured myself gradually adapting to the church and eventually joining the band after 2 or 3 months, but it never occurred to me that it would happen so soon. I guess in a way, it's good. I am given a reason to return, and not feel the need to 'church hunt' as Amoz has done in the past. hehe, you could say that they are 'forced' to put up with me because their beloved pastor has been referred to me by my dad. The guy said that the only reason why I am a part of the band so quickly is because, "We know your dad."

So go me! I'm a daddy's boy!

They had a drummer for Sunday, so I was given the guitar. I'm not complaining that I got the guitar. Actually, it's quite fun to play the guitar. You can stop while the music is going (but not when you're the only one carrying the music of course lol), and no one will notice. We ended up rehearsing for 3 hours straight. At the end, there was a 5-10 minute break before we had to play through the songs again. Normally, I wouldn't have to play the guitar for so long. I don't even play the drums for that long. So ultimately, my slightly calloused fingers took a beating. I just hope that tomorrow, it won't be so painful.

Anyway, I asked what time I had to be there, and they told me 8:30am. I was kinda shocked to hear that, but I also understand why it's so early. It's just that for me, it takes approximately an hour to get to the church, which means I'd have to leave around 7:30am, just to make it in time. Well, that's what you get for serving God. lol Now, I say I won't mind. Let's just see how I'll fare tomorrow when my body is whining for rest.

Besides that, I haven't been getting up to much. I've wanted to train, but it's been raining the past few days. I really should get started again because I'm feeling quite unproductive. It's not that I don't like being unproductive, but I feel guilty for not being productive. It's my conscious that gets to me.

I contemplated training tonight, but there's a soccer game happening tonight. Live telecast from England; Charlton Vs Liverpool. So I didn't wanna train knowing that I have a time limit to quickly train, and to quickly have a shower, as I tend to sweat a lot. Not to mention the humidity here which helps me.

Currently, I'm waiting for a job which I have already applied for. My dad's old time friend has given me an application to fill out, so I'm just waiting. Waiting for any reply on whether she can give me a job or not. I don't want to work, but I need a bit of cash and I need to feel a little bit less guilty. Sitting at home all day, isn't exactly how I pictured myself wasting away. If I had a PS2 to play Fifa07, I'll be glad to stay at home. lol Just gimme food, water, and my Ipod, and I'll be happy. Oh yes ... I could picture myself going insane doing that for 2 years.

Oh dear.