A long 4-liner =)

Niccolo Machiavelli once said...

“Men nearly always follow the tracks made by others and proceed in their affairs by imitation, even though they cannot entirely keep to the tracks of others or emulate the prowess of their models. So a prudent man should always follow in the footsteps of great men and imitate those who have been outstanding.

"If his own prowess fails to compare with theirs, at least it has an air of greatness about it. He should behave like those archers who, if they are skilful, when the target seems too distant, know the capabilities of their bow and aim a good deal higher than their objective, not in order to shoot so high but so that by aiming high they can reach the target.”

"Do You Need Help?"

With regard to my lacklustre content previously, here is a story by one Netizen I would like to share. It's unoriginal content on my part, but good nevertheless.

--posted by jaydeebug on Jan 1, 2009

One evening I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was, what society would consider, a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of the "don't want to be bothered" times.

"I hope he doesn't ask me for money," I thought. He didn't. He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop and he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a very nice car," he said. He was ragged but had an air of dignity around him.

I said, "Thanks," and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside me said, "Ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say yes, but I held true to the inner voice.

"Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke three words that shook me.

"Don't we all?" he said.

I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help. Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that.

You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see. -- Cal

This story shook me, I believe, as much as the bum surprised the author. But how do I know when someone needs help? Do I go up to him and ask? Do I naturally find out due to closeness of a relationship? Do I now, walk forward with an open heart, receptive to your heartbeat? Seems plausible enough! :)

Please Do Not Say...

This to girls: "You are flat." Since the bosom is usually considered an aspect of a female's physical beauty, saying that means you are conveying a message directly across to her that she is lacking in certain areas. That is not nice. No one does things like saying "You are not pretty/suave."

Ok random thoughts spiralling across my brain today.

Some of the 4A kids came back. VJC had their CNY celebrations so they had an early dismissal. My squadmates missed DHS and me so they came back. *感动到流眼泪* As usual wenkai was being wenkai-ish and gregory was behaving in an amatuerish fashion. Really, I thought you had grown up. Maybe it was just your physical appearance. Your obnoxious airs greatly bother me so.

Happy CNY! Linwei if you happened to see this don't eat too much bak kwa!

Just got back from PPCC. Saw huo yan (karen!) and michelle haha.

Ok so now the throat inflammation monster is half gone the cough spirit is here. Life seems to be picking up as of now, with a little more rhythm, a little more strength. But overall the day was gone in a flash, the only interesting thing that happened to me was that I had to cough up cash for GP math fund and past chalet so that I was left with $3 to last recess and lunch! The free periods were insane - 6 in all - and we ended up studying in our homeroom till the H2 csc tutor popped by.

Stronger, stronger! Longer, longer! The filling will!

Pink was for guys =O

Boys loved pink.

xC should change his favourite colour. For pink was not in the least gay.

Tardiness

Call me a beatnik, but I wouldn't give a hoot if I have to go through the looner niu ear without new clothes. CNY had and have no significance to me - the red packets are nice lump sums of cash, but in the end they are our parents' money; the visits are routine and monotonous; the food is getting moth-eaten. I rather spend the money on archery equipment or save it for rainy days.

Getting caught up by last minute work now. Some of my writers have yet to submit their articles, while at the moment everything is quite screwed up. I have to do entire articles which are assigned but not done, while promised articles are really not even finished yet - whether due to tardiness or not I'm not sure. Someone commented I should just concentrate on my test tomorrow and finish up my schoolwork and heckcare about the rest.

I detest that kind of indifference. It is detestable to me, for it is the essence of self-centredness and lack of responsibility. And besides, I am not in such a nice and comfy position to do that. I have to answer to my in-charge. Maybe that's the difference between you and me.

The throat inflammation monster has gotten me! D: just like how the stomachache monster got wing. Alright end of first week of lessons, status updates: Phy test on all topics except thermal next monday, chem test wk 4. Orientation was 普普通通, school was 简简单单, peers were 吵吵闹闹. Pardon the abysmal descriptions.

GP film status updates:
Jerome has committed suicide, while Vincent flies to space. Anton is probably still upset that Vincent the borrowed ladder has become valid, while Irene is busy making love or something (that's what they always do other than watching the sunset once).

'A' Journey

Lessons commenced today with less than half of 6c35 in tow. So it was math gp econs chem. I came out of math feeling no smarter than when I went in, while gp was a slurred affair of a film on genetics, h1 touched lightly on appreciation and loan interests slashings, and chem had me gripping the chair in agony in futile attempts to find partial pressures.

In a distant part of my brain for some obscure reason I wish orientation for the juniors will go on and on, and then perhaps the 288 days to the big 'A' would never decrease.

Contrary to popular belief, arrows do not travel only in a straight projectile path.
-

image courtesy of http://phyllis.pluu.org/

They flex.

image courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Archers-paradox.svg

Dweams :))

We should live out our dreams, not in.

I had a strange but sweet dream yesterday night. It started with me and a fellow archer shooting, but in a classroom aiming at the whiteboard at point blank range. Then I talked to her just as she was about to release the arrow and she screeched (not literally, no (: ) at me for being a distraction, then I poked her. >_> Okay this is not the strange part.

Then a classroom setting. Chem lesson. An officer of the Kempeitai finished chatting to his subordinate and came in for class. Miss Archer and I were sitting together. Mr. Kempeitai taught stuff like what can be inferred from a dark solution:

“If the solution is dark, it rejects shimmering light particles and can be inferred to be mild water. An example of mild water is turkey water.”

???

Then the questions came:

“Name 3 solutions to drink if a teacher wants you to confess to heinous crimes.”

?!!

I think I dreamt that I was going to sleep, because when Dad woke me up I felt as if I had just lied down on my bed with my arms in a ‘V’ shape.

-

Sunny didn't upgrade me to a 30lbs! ):

How Cows Get Fat

111th post (85 deleted) =X

I'm sitting here in the boring room
It's just another rainy Sunday afternoon
I'm wasting my time
I got nothing to do
I'm hanging around
I'm waiting for you
But nothing ever happens and I wonder

Random Photos =))

Come Home to DHS

Went back to Tanjong Rhu to tour the school. Reached at 11 just when everything was over. The colours were not as bad as some people said, though the upgrading wasn't as impressive as projected. There is now an additional junior block behind the 2A-2H classrooms (I know it's A to H but just felt inclined to put '2' there). The field and library aren't done yet (library's been taken up by staffroom). thought I saw minru (our sec1squad n!) at the junior high block. couldnt be sure.

Then yongliang me and chiatsiang went to eat at macs, and ran into shining! D:
Er I mean, =D! Then bus-ed home, and woke up in time to get off, or I would be shipped to Buangkok. Bleah.

P.S. I hope tommy is convinced that many ppl take 158.

小酒窝

Just popped back after an outing; it was cards, sing, cards and pool. Then we trooped down to dhoby ghaut to try to watch colourful explosions in the air. I was going "Oh there goes another million dollars of sparks!" Then Bedtime Stories was fun to watch, if not succinct, but then again some movies nowadays are rather simple in plot and brief on details.

Have you ever missed a friend so much, but when you see him or her you wouldn't know what, and how to say?

Came across this song in the KTV room - sounds sweet. I think dimples are really sweet =)

小酒窩长睫毛
是你最美的记号
我每天睡不着
想念你的微笑

小酒窩长睫毛
迷人的无可救药

So 2008 is past, remnants of which still linger around in my head. Many occurences have been pushed rudely to the back, and I try not to touch them again. I call it looking forward, but really, deep down I know I am running away from my past mistakes and lousy experiences. Whatever, today is a new beginning. Every moment in life takes one breath away from you; are you going to waste more breaths sitting down and sighing your life away?

-

Now I try to find something substantial and non-superfluous that I find passion in, so that I can do it with gusto and excel in it, but sometimes it is ever so difficult to charge through adversities alone. We all have friends to help us through no doubt, but sometimes our friends have different goals in life. They have far different aspirations. And you get the occasional low-security friend who sticks to you when he is left out of the social circle. His sense of security is pitiful, and he desperately needs to feel involved. But when he is finally involved, getting his attention is harder than getting shit off a fly's hairy legs, and goodness knows how much of it there is. So he claims to be your friend, and all along you have tried accepting that. And when you finally do, you see his true character, in all its blatant glory =) Oh and when in doubt, tell the truth:

"I think you are fucked up and boorish".

-

But never mind all that, there is no time to sigh your life away. With every step we take we learn to live.