Everest

There was a super-fit man who wanted to climb Everest. To make his dream a reality, he trained his body to perfection until he was all muscle. He thought this would be enough. It wasn't until he actually found himself on the mountain, at base camp that he realized his stamina fell short of the mark.

His training was good, meticulous even; he could run a fast marathon, lift heavy weights and captain his body and mind through the most excruciating physical workouts.

But what he hadn't prepared for (actually, you can't really prepare for) was the actuality of being on the mountain. Because on the mountain, the air is thin. The lack of air makes breathing - even for the fittest athletes - difficult.

And the higher you go (as in life) the thinner the air gets. This is why on the higher echelons of Everest (and of life) there are very few people.

Now, although this man had been told many times in his preparations that the air on Everest was thin and it would make progress slow and breathing difficult, he never really heeded the advice. Until, that is, on day one when his chest was as tight as a fat kid's school shirt and he couldn't catch his breath.

He complained to his companions, all experienced climbers, that he couldn't breathe properly and they duly advised him (and reminded him) that, when you are on the mountain, this was normal.

"No", he insisted. "You don't understand. I'm a fit man. I am conditioned. I should be able to breathe easier."

Patiently the message was reiterated. "There is very little air on the mountain. The higher you go the less there is. The inability to be able to get your lungs full is normal." Again, he complained. He was fit. Not being able to breathe was not normal to him.

As much as his companions tried to reassure him, he would have none of it. He was convinced that his breathlessness was an early sign of some mysterious mountain illness. He bitched so much that in the end one of the climbers pulled him to one said and said firmly,

"Listen! We're on Everest. It's a high mountain. There is no air. If you want more air, climb a smaller fucking mountain."

And here endeth the lesson.

Every now and then, we need to be told to "stop the bitching and get on with it." On our way to reach higher peaks, we often find ourselves ready to throw in the towel, complaining about the discomfort, the lack of help, the inadequate industry support.

Well, I don't know about you but I don't want to climb small mountains. I want to ascend into the clouds with the legends. And if that means less air, then so be it.

Adapted from "Everything that happens to me is good" by Geoff Thompson

More than meets the eye

Came across these 2 interesting videos on youtube. So I thought I should share it with you guys. :) The videos make you think; sometimes there are more than meets the eye.

Enjoy.

It's always darkest before dawn. But what if dawn never comes?

As I write this, dar dar is in a secondary school beginning her contract teaching. Congratulations dar dar, you have finally fulfill your dream of becoming a teacher. :)

Dar dar told me that since she was young, she had always aspired to be a Maths teacher. She was inspired and motivated by her favorite Maths teacher who was very patient, great at explaining difficult Maths concepts and making sure everybody understood, even the weaker students.

The day dar dar decided that she was going to become a Maths teacher, she worked hard towards her goals, first getting into JC, then into Maths course at NUS and finally now at NIE.

I really admire and envy people who know from the very beginning what the heck they want to do with their lives and go all out to pursue it. As for myself, I'm still unsure where this current road will lead me.

When I was in primary school and we had to write a composition on "My ambitions", my favorite "ambition" was always to be a Scientist. Not that I knew exactly what a scientist does in those days. I mean my compo was very generic. I just wrote that I wanted to invent stuffs to help the world and so forth. Maybe I was "inspired" after watching those sci-fi movies or something. Ha.

A few years later, I wanted to become a wrestler. Ha. You know where that came from don't you? Yah, that's the side effects of watching too much World Wrestling Entertainment. :P

Then there was once I wanted to be a professional soccer player. I mean getting paid to play your favorite sports seemed to be the best job one can get! And the millions and millions of fans cheering you on when you score that winning goal... wow...

More years later, I wanted to be a game designer. And that dream was the longest I had. I held it all the way from secondary school until I completed my National Service.

Then what happened next siukai?

I was introduced to a friend known as "Real Life" and was hit by a dose of "Reality." Suddenly, everything seems so different out there.

I know how I have talked about positive thinking and stuffs but sometimes there are certain times when you just feel like whining a bit. Ha. And this is one such moment.

Frankly speaking, as of now, I really have no idea what the hell I want to do with my life.

It's already July of 2008 now and that means more than half the year has gone by. And well, look where I am now? Did I make any progress? What have I achieved?

Sometimes you work hard and when you hope to see results, you see none. Sometimes when you lament how some people get the easy life while you have to slog and sweat and endure all those crap life throws at you and worse, at the end of the day, you are still at square one.

Sometimes you just ask yourself, when will all this ends? When will you ever see that light at the end of the tunnel? Heck, when will you even get out of the tunnel? Well, how do you even know you are in a tunnel in the first place? Maybe you are in a sealed box - with no way out.

Sometimes you look up into the sky and ask whoever is up there, GOD, ALLAH, LAO MU, JESUS, SHIVA, whatever, whether they are done with you yet. If not, how long more? If not, is that the best they can do?

And you really want to scream at them, "Just bring it." But you are afraid that worse will come because your spirit is tired, your body exhausted.

They always say that it is always darkest before dawn, that once you have endure the darkest moments, good things will come your way. That it was darkness that invented the light.

Right, spare me those crap. I'm too old for that. Ha.

Sometimes you just wonder what if dawn just never comes? Or whether you will be stuck in the darn box forever.

But siukai loves challenges. He has always relish being the underdog. siukai don't believe in GOD, ALLAH, LAO MU, JESUS, SHIVA, whatever. Because he believes he creates his own destiny.

Stuck in a box? Then tear your way out.

Dawn won't come?

Then I jolly well got to create my own dawn.

Moral of the story? Just because life deals you a bad hand doesn't mean that you have to accept it. Fight for your future. Fight your way out of the box. It's never over until you say it's over.

Life never gives up on you until you give up on it.

Wow siukai, that is really one load of bullshit. But hey, it's very good bullshit. Ha. :P

Rude People should be shipped to Africa

Went to Dar dar's commencement ceremony last Thursday. As mentioned in the previous post, it was also our 3 years anniversary! Thus it was a double celebration! Ha.

Surprised dar dar with a bouquet of Sunflower while dar dar also gave me a pleasant surprise when she baked some chocolate cookies for me! Thanks dar dar. Ha.

Normally it's the other way round cos I'm the one who's doing the baking, thus it was really unexpected when dar dar presented me with a tin of freshly made choco cookies. Muacks. :)

As for the commencement ceremony itself, it was kinda boring. Ha. Reminded me of my own graduation ceremony back in the poly days. But this one was more high-class and a very solemn affair.

Everyone was dressed in robes and the professors were seated on stage, facing the audience and there was this pro-chancellor who was like the "King" of the whole ceremony. Ha.

Everything was like so god-damn serious that I was afraid that my breathing would disturb the person sitting next to me. Ha.

And they even banned people from bringing flowers into the hall and the reasons given were that some people might be allergic to flower pollen (This reason I accept) and secondly because some wrappers might be a bit noisy. (That I find it hard to swallow.)

Come on guys! Relax! It's a graduation ceremony! Not some court, parliament or anything like that. It should be a time of celebration right? Ha. :P

But I guess it's the tradition of university graduation; it's kinda like a big deal and thus everything have to be perfect and SERIOUS. Think the national day parade when the parade commander will ask for the President's permission to begin the parade. Ha.

Perfect the ceremony was not because the first glitch occurred right at the start of the presentation. There was this Chinese guy who was the first to collect his scroll and the name that was read out was one of a Malay guy. Unbelievable. And the poor chap reluctantly went on to collect his scroll.

The second disappointing thing about the ceremony was the clapping. This one I can understand because who would continue to clap for someone he/she don't know for the whole ceremony? The same happened during my graduation a few years back. Clapping was almost non-existence unless you are a big award winner or you were very popular.

Fortunately for me then, the guys were there to cheer me on and I swore there were even shouts of "I love you siukai!" Ha.

It's about time we do something about this "clapping problem". Siukai's suggestion? How about we hire part-time clappers? Pay them like $10 an hour and sit them among the crowd and these guys will clap and cheer throughout the whole ceremony. It sure makes the whole event more lively right? Ha.

On a budget? Then how about pre-recorded clappings similar to pre-recorded laughs on those cheap-skate comedy shows. Ha. Any clapping is better than no clapping right?

Seriously, someone should take note of my suggestion. I'm quite confident that it will add to the atmosphere and make the whole event more worthwhile and memorable. After all, if you are the one collecting the scroll, you would want to do so to the company of thunderous applause and even some wolf-whistles right? Ha.

And for an additional price, these professional clappers can even give you a standing ovation. Ha.

One final thing about the ceremony. At the end of it, there were hundred of balloons that were released to the audience. And guess what happened? Everyone started to pop the balloons! I was really shocked by the people's behavior. Was this tradition too? Ha.

Frankly speaking, I had no idea but it was amazing seeing people dressed in suits and ties popping and kicking balloons like there was no tomorrow. Ha. Really an eye opener for me.

Well I still have not gotten to my topic of the day on why rude people should be shipped to Africa. Ha.

This afternoon, I received a phone call from an unknown number. I picked it up and there was this guy on the other line.

"Hello?" I asked politely.

"HELLO?!" the guy shouted.

"Hello? Who are you looking for?" I asked.

"AH CHOO?! AH CHOO?!" the guy continued to shout.

"I think you got the wrong number." I replied.

"Ah CHOO?!"

"I think you got the -"

He hung up the phone.

A few seconds later, he called again.

I picked it up.

"Hello. Who are you looking for?" I asked one more time, in my nicest voice.

"Mei Choo in?" the guy asked.

"There's no Mei Choo here. You got the wrong number."

"No MEI CHOO?"

"No, how did you get this number -"

He hung up.

What the *&%@&#^% is wrong with this guy?! He's really so darn rude! Twice he never bother to say sorry for wasting my time and dialing the wrong number and twice he dare to hung up on me. His mother surely never teach him properly.

Gosh. It was then I suddenly had this thought that all rude people should be shipped to Africa in a FedEx box labeled "Defective" and in their exchange a starving kid from Africa would take their place and get a chance to live a normal life. I'm sure these kids will appreciate life much better and treat their fellow human beings with respect and kindness.

There are three types of people that get on my nerve. Firstly, rude people. Then, lazy people and finally inconsiderate people. Looking back at the commencement ceremony, there was this auntie who was yakking on the phone for a good 30 minutes. Come on lah, your son/daughter might not be the one taking the scroll while you are talking but do show other people respect right?

What if it was your child who was collecting the scroll and there are people who are talking like nobody's business? You would be bothered too right?

Some people really don't know how to think. :(

But the world is just like this. If everyone was so nice and perfect, there wouldn't be war. Everyone would be happy, smiling and laughing. People would be sharing stuffs, greeting each other good morning.

But these only happen in fairy tales. In our world, rude people are still getting on fine with their lives while malnourished kids in Africa wait to die.

However I believe that eventually, their actions will come back to haunt them. This quote by Wayne Dyer, an American motivational speaker describes it perfectly, "How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours."

Right, someone please get me a box. Ha. :P

Happy 3 years Anniversary Dar Dar!

Today is a special day for dar dar and me.

Yes, today is Bring your own bag day. Oops. Sorry that was yesterday! Ha.

Well, as you can read from the title already, today is dar dar and my 3 years anniversary, that's 36 months of togetherness = 156 weeks of blissful union = 1095 days of missing each other = 26280 hours = 1576800 seconds of thinking of each other = one load of mushy crap! Ha.

Sorry, my dar dar gets a kick when she sees numbers. Sometimes I do get a kick too. From my dar dar that is, for my careless mistakes when it comes to solving maths problems. Ha.

I was kiddin about the dar dar kicking me part. Dar dar loves me so much how can she bear to kick me? :P

Oh for goodness sake siukai! Please stop all this mushy stuffs! I can't bear to read on further!

Then don't. Ha. If you think that was bad. You have no idea what you are in for. Ha. Come on! Today is my 3 years anniversary lei. It's only fitting if this entry contains the most mush-iest crap siukai has ever written till date. Ha.

Incredibly, I have been attached for 3 years. Sometimes I still wake up in the middle of the night and wonder whether I am in a dream. I will pinch myself to double confirm. Sometimes I pinch myself so hard but yet I feel no pain. It's only in the morning when I see my brother's bruised arms that I know the reason. Ha.

To think that a few years back, I was still whining and worrying whether I would ever get a girlfriend. But now I got more than I bargain for. I got myself a lao po. Ha. If you cannot bear to read on, it's okay. I understand. This entry is mostly for my dar dar also. Ha.

Of course we all know that getting into a relationship is the easy part. Maintaining one is more difficult. Come to think of it, 3 years is not really that long. I've met people who has been in a relationship for 6 years yet it did not end in a marriage. But there are of course others who do.

Like the overused cliche describes, "It takes two hands to clap." Just like it takes two hands to make a prata. Or it takes two hand to fry hokkien mee. I mean you can try doing it with one hand but it would be quite a feat. Imagine trying to crack an egg and continuing to fry the noodles to prevent them from being burnt. Ha.

3 years of relationship might not be long for some but for a first-timer that's not too bad! Give me a high five! Yeah!

So is siukai a born natural when it comes to relationships? Maybe it's because I read widely and manage to learn something useful about the opposite sex. A highly recommended book is "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus". That's actually the bible for maintaining a relationship.

However if you can't afford the book or you rather spend money to buy Playboy or Maxim, you can always read the alternative, siukai's blog: Men are from Queenstown, Women are from Bukit Panjang Ha. :p

I think one very very important thing that is needed to sustain a relationship is communication.

Yes, you heard me. Communication is the most important thing. A lot of times we guys think we understand what a women is thinking and women thinks they know what guys are thinking. Well, sorry to burst that bubble. Unless you are a mind reader, most of the time we are clueless when it comes to interpreting the opposite sex.

That's why it is very important to let your partner know how you feel about him/her or when something bothers you. Don't keep it to yourself and assume he/she knows. How in the world would he/she knows if you don't tell him/her?!

Most misunderstanding happens because of miscommunication. Don't take the chance. Communicate. If you find it hard to tell him/her to the face, write a letter, like what yours truly does every month. Ha.

Yah, for the past 36 months, I have been dutifully writing a monthly letter to dar dar. Okay I admit I missed about one or two months but I still make it an effort to write some crap. Ha.

Sometimes when I run out of crap, I draw. Ha. With dar dar's permission, here is a glimpse of the comic strip I drew for her for our 33 months anniversary. You need to click on the picture to view it in its full glory.

The Legend of the Dugong

Not that bad lah. I'm not exactly an art student. Ha.

Besides communication, you also need to do reflections on yourself. How have you contributed to the relationship? If there is an argument, what went wrong? Why did he/she reacted that way? Most importantly why did you reacted that way? Always ask questions and try to think from your partner's point of view.

Don't always assume you are right. And especially if you are a guy, sometimes even if you are right and the matter is not that big a deal, you should give in too. Come on, be a gentleman! And for our efforts, girls should also make it a point to acknowledged that the guy has given in not because he was wrong but because he still love you and do not want to continue with the meaningless squabber.

No relationship can ever be without arguments. Sometimes it is these conflicts that make the relationship stronger. Dar dar and me have our fair shares of ups and downs.

No matter how bad an argument is, at the end of the day, always remember why you love him/her in the first place. Find that reason and your heart will soften and your anger will subside.

Well, that's all the advice I can give now. Ha. For more, you can visit my "dating" blog as mentioned above. :)

Incidentally, today is also dar dar's graduation day! Congratulations too dar dar! Muacks! I am so proud of you!

Ha. Double happiness. :) Oh yah, last week I bought a Jacket for dar dar as a 3 years anniversary gift. And guess what, dar dar also bought me one! Ha. Thanks dar dar! Muacks!

Jackets of Love

Happy 3 years Anniversary Dar Dar! We will have more good years ahead! Muacks. Love you lots!!! :D

Dream$ are made of the$e

Hey, it's me again. Think I'm suffering from writer's block or something. Ha. Don't worry though, this happens to me sometimes, nothing too serious. :)

Having a writer's block is like... well... imagine a choked tap. Water just does not flow out as before. Like you know how long it took me to write the above few lines?

2 hours.

Ha. I was kidding. It was actually 1 hour 59 min.

Hey, I feel my crapping powers coming back now! Yeah!

Actually I had a couple of topics to blog about the last couple of days but every time I sat in front of the PC, it's like all my desire to crap just disappeared. Even the mere thought of logging into blogger seems intimidating!

Maybe it's because I'm tired after coming back from work or maybe because my current work is draining me of all my creativity! Ha.

For the curious, I'm currently working as a promoter at this gigantic supermarket, stationed in the electrical department. It's a no-brainer job, maybe that's why I'm becoming dull. Ha.

Anyway, back to today's topic. Kok once mentioned a few weeks back, "Everyone talks about dreams but to fulfill a dream, what do you need? You still need money in the first place."

I think that is very true. Some people dream of becoming their own boss, of setting up their own cafe or something. But at the end of the day, you still need the capital right?

No money, how to set up cafe? Unless your parents are damn rich or something. Even if your parents are damn rich, they still need to fork out the money to pay for the rent, supplies and misc stuffs for the cafe, which brings us back to the point, Money is still crucial if you want to reach that dream of yours.

I think this is the point I finally understood after like 4 years since I completed my National service. Darn kok! You should have told me this earlier! Ha.

Recently, some of my peers and even my cousin who is only a few months older than me have already gotten married or are planning to get engaged. As for me, I'm nowhere near that! I'm still studying for goodness sake!

When I complete my studies in another 2 years time, some of them might even be Daddys! And me? I will just be starting my career!

Why the diff even when we are the same age? How come there are those who already have a successful career while there are those who are still trying to make ends meet?

As I mentioned in my previous posts, what and where we are right now is all based on the decisions we made before.

Straight after my National service 4 years back, I made my first important decision; that was to join Gys and Kok to setup a dough nuts business at the pasar malam. As I have said a few times over, though that venture was not successful, I truly believe that it was a very very valuable experience.

My next very important decision came when I decided that my first real job was to become an IT trainer at a secondary school. It was there that I met my dar dar and we are together since.

I think the universe works in a strange way, everything happens for a reason. You see, if I had not joined the guys in the doughnuts venture, I would never had become an IT trainer because I would have took up another job when I completed my NS.

And if I did not become an IT trainer, I would not have met my dar dar and well things now might be a lot more different.

Everything happens for a reason I guess. Including Gys's death.

When Gys passed on suddenly, I was jolted from my dreams. I realized that we are not invincible and life is so fragile. One moment I was still talking crap at his house on Tuesday and he was gone just like that two days later.

I now appreciate the people around me more, especially my dar dar and my dear buddies because life is just so unpredictable. So, if you are not doing it already, tell your love ones how much you love them every night before you go to bed.

I also begin to see life in a different light; life is too short to be angry or unhappy. Last time, I had quite a bad temper. My dar dar can "vouch" for that. I even threw temper at my IT HOD when I was an IT trainer. It got to such a bad extent that he wanted to fire me.

I could go on about the nasty stuffs I did when I was angry but I am afraid that after reading, you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore. Ha.

Anyway, nowadays I can control my temper so well that I was wondering whether it is still around. Ha. Even dar dar remarked that I have changed a lot since she met me, I mean besides the fact that my tummy seems to be growing forward by an inch every week. Ha.

I finally understand that there is really no point to be angry at someone or something. If someone or something upsets you, go and do something to change it. If you just shout and whine and complain, losing your temper in the process, would you achieve anything? Maybe your blood pressure will increase and you will feel like crap, that's about all.

If you can't do something to change the situation, then change your mindset. It's that simple. Live and let live. To forgive is divine.

Ha. I think the weekends Buddha teaching lessons are doing wonders for me. Just kiddin. :P

Back to the money topic. My financial health is so bad right now that I can barely afford a single table at a wedding dinner. And I'm like what? 26 already this year? Maybe Kingston was right after all. I'm indeed darn old!

Ha. Sorry, just could not resist taking a dig at him. Alright alright, I know, to forgive is divine right? Yah yah, I have already forgiven him, it was just a harmless tease okay? Ha. :P

But well, since we cannot change the past, we'll just have to cherish the present and make full use of lost time. That's why I have been doing all these kind of "sai kang" job for the past few months. Jobs that if given a choice, most people would not want to do.

I've also met a lot of different people from all walks of life. Like there was this auntie who told me that she was earning $3.50 an hour. I was shocked and stunned when I heard that. It's really exploitation. It's not ethical for me to reveal the place she works at. But here's a clue. "Yah coffee".

You guys are so smart, shouldn't be too difficult to guess right?

Doing these kind of "sai kang" jobs have also made me more determined to help these poor people. Some of these people are really stuck in the poverty cycle. Because they are not educated, they simply cannot find a way out and most of them are too old. Not because they do not want to upgrade but simply because they don't have the means or are clueless how to go about doing it.

That's why they stayed on to earn a miserable $3.50 an hour.

Sometimes when I see old folks going around selling tissue papers or uncles playing an instrument along busy orchard road, I wished I could just give them $50 and tell them to take a break for the day.

$50 might be small change for a rich person but for some people, it can last them for a month (before inflation) or one to two weeks. (after inflation).

That's why I swear that I have to be very rich and give a helping hand to those deserving people, starting from my parents and relatives. I think the moment you realize you have reached another stage in life is when you start to think about others and not only about yourself. Sadly, there are people who never get pass the "It's all about me" stage.

There are a lot of things I would like to do and a lot of people I would like to help and a couple of dreams I would like to fulfill. But like what Kok said, it all starts with money. Without money, you cannot do anything no matter how much you desire to do it.

That's why I have made up my mind that I will work very very hard for the next few years and build up a successful career. Pay off my debts, save money for marriage and give back to society. Hmm... I'm starting to sound like a potential MP. Ha. Vote for siukai? Ha.

Was watching Spiderman 2 on Sunday and this particular quote struck me. Spidey said this to Dr Oct towards the end of the movie during their final showdown:

"Sometimes... to do what's right... we must be steady... and give up the things we desire the most... even our dreams."

Of course Spidey was also talking about himself because he had decided to give up leading a normal life and getting married with Mary Jane but instead choose to become a hero to protect his city.

Well, siukai like spidey is just so selfless. Ha.

A final note on money, It's good to save money for the future but there are times when if you can afford it, you should spend it, especially on special occasions like anniversary or birthdays.

Which brings me to this other quote I would like to share, "What's the use of saving it all for later. When money cannot buy back the experiences you lost along the way?"

I'm almost at the end of my blog entry now. Pardon for the disorganization of the topics, this tap is still a bit clogged up. Ha.

Anyway, remember life is too short to be sad. Smile and be happy. Hope you will have a nice rest of the day! Take care! :)

The Banker and the Fisherman

Hi there! My creative juices are not really flowing at the moment and...

Ha. You see, I don't even know how to complete that sentence. I think I need a break! :D

Well, for today's post, I'll share with you guys this story which Kok sent me via email. It's a nice read. Hope you all enjoy it. :)

The Banker and the Fisherman

An investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, "Only a little while."

The banker then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"

The fisherman said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The banker then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, go for walks with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my friends. As you can see, I have a full and busy life."

The banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat! With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats.

Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to
a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to the capital city. After that, who knows, maybe you could take on the world!"

The fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the banker replied, "I'd say about 15 to 20 years."

"But what then?" asked the fisherman.

The Banker laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions?...Then what?" the fisherman continued prodding.

The banker said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, go for romantic walks with your wife, and in the evenings you could sip wine, play guitar and sing songs with your friends!"

To which the fisherman mused, "Now isn't that strange? Isn't that what I'm doing now?"

Hmm... something for you to think about eh? Makes you wonder why you are in the rat-race in the first place...