by | § ¶ | trackbackHello from Leicester City, China
Sometimes when I close my eyes, I swear it sounds more like I'm in China than Leicester. I can spot about 15 in my class while she says "80% of my class are from the mainland". I can almost see it in The New Paper... "Singaporean Brutally Attacked In Mistaken Identity Hate Crime".Anyways, we're still waiting (and whining) for the cable guys to come set up our place for broadband and cable tv. That's about the only thing left hanging, that and my bank account, my phone, my books.....oh and a big pot for bak kut teh. A shout out to ms timtam: Congratulations on your graduation!
by | § ¶ | trackbackRegistration Part II
Registration is almost done. Just one more piece of plastic to get and I'm all set for college life. Tomorrow's the course induction for freshies and lectures start Thursday. Timetable seems ok and very much like how it was in NP with free and easy Wednesdays!Oh and today I bumped into the cleaner and he was wondering if I knew who threw those piles of refuse outside on the porch. Thank goodness it wasn't us coz I'm such a bad liar and he'll surely have known it if I had to lie. So now we know that's not the place for trash.
by | § ¶ | trackbackI'm a little schoolboy again!
Yippe! Good to be back online after a week of aimlessness. We're both still alive and kicking, although she's still recovering from a bout of oh I dunno, Ivanitis Sensitivis Allergy, symptoms included sneezing and a wracking cough whenever I get near *cough cough*..... Posting from school using my brand new uni account while waiting for the next phase of my registration. Can't wait to get the home connected as well. Take care everyone.by | § ¶ | trackbackMessages from Ivan
16/9/2003 05.20(GMT +1)Arrived at Amsterdam. I don't think I will make many friends.
16/9/2003 09:12(GMT +1)
No pretty girls here.
16/9/2003 09:16(GMT +1)
The weather is good!
16/9/2003 11:43(GMT +1)
I'm staying in Block VV. I need a simple plastic comb. Remeber to pack the slippers and Ikea stuff.
16/9/2003 15:00(GMT +1)
I'm bored.
16/9/2003 15:06(GMT +1)
I'm thinking if I should waste 10 pounds on Peking Restaurant. I shudder to think how lonely my second year will be.
by | § ¶ | trackbackAck
I'm too busy tying up loose ends to post anything!by | § ¶ | trackbackNew RPC hole found in MS OSes
Microsoft does it again. Another critical vulnerability has been found in their major OSes (XP, 2000, NT). What this means is that once the bad guys get a whiff of this, another MSBlaster like attack can be expected very soon. Visit the Microsoft page to get the latest fixes for their respective operating systems asap.by | § ¶ | trackbackYou think you're out of Singapore?
To my dearest Ling,You have managed to get a place in the University, you have gone for the sloppy medical checkup, you have applied for your exit permit, you have squeezed whatever that is left in your parents' drying pocket.
You will soon have to survive the crappy in-flight movie and meal, you will be snubbed by the stewardesses for some reason. Before you know it, you will be in faraway Leicester. Who cares how remote that place is. The point is, you are away from it all. You will be exploring the place in excitement, soaking in the cooler air, gulping down the cheaper beer - the difference of it all.
And then you hear it ...
"Wah lau, the room so small uh? My storeroom back home is even bigger than this loh. Single bed??? Uni so jialat so ngiao one. Cannot even afford super single bed meh? The room colour don't match the bedsheets I brought leh. Piang, have to buy new bedsheets liao loh."
"I hate going to the supermarket leh. So far so tiring. Have to carry all the things myself. Ivan, can help me carry or not? I never do this kind of thing back home one leh."
"Stupid In*wo*ld, cheat my money. My friends' universities got nicer accommodation. Also got better gym facilities. Got pool somemore. Here leh? More indians than angmos only.
"Ivan, you doing computer science, correct? You know why I cannot connect to internet uh? How come the telephone plug different one leh? Die uh, so my laptop cannot use here is it? Must buy a new one uh? Since you are here, can help me see how come my laptop got this error message uh?"
My advice is, if it does happen, put your head, slowly, on the table and then bang it a couple of times and maybe grind your teeth a bit :þ
by | § ¶ | trackbackReact or Respond?
When a situation arises, which would you say you are more likely to do; react or respond? Do you understand the difference?Reacting is allowing the past to trigger feelings and stir up old memories, patterns and habits. Responding is accepting where you are, then evaluating the situation for what it truly is.
Mostly out of habit, I suspect, we too often react rather than respond to life. When we react, we are living in the past. Time and energy are wasted dredging up old feelings and hurts, blaming others and getting upset about past problems all over again. We then make matters worse by applying these emotions to our present situation or current events.
The past is just a stream of events that have already taken place. It has no real power over the present except that which we give it. The more one dwells on the past, the more it controls and limits their future.
Practice responding to situations rather than reacting. Stop, evaluate the situation on its on merit and then decide what the best course of action would be. Address the situation for what it truly is. This will help insure that your decisions regarding the matter will be more appropriate and constructive.
Look back at a couple of your biggest challenges. Were they made more difficult
because you reacted rather than responded? Only when you respond to the situation can you take steps to deal with it accordingly.
One way you can make responding easier is to detach yourself by imagining that it is someone else in the situation. Then look for at least four options or opportunities. Once you have identified several options imagine the scenarios or chain of events that unfold. Do your best to make them as positive as possible.
It is said that history repeats itself, but we are only doomed to relive our past if we fail to learn from it. The past is not a map to where you are going, it's a record of where you have been. Its purpose is not to drag you back through emotional muck, but to serve you best by reminding you of lessons learned so you can avoid them in the future.
Response to claim back your life
~Kimberly and Tom Goodwin
by | § ¶ | trackbackTo you he's just a dog, to him you're everything..
Lauren bade a tearful goodbye to her porky yesterday. This may seem like morbid planning but I'll probably have mine with shaolin before the end of this decade. Oh how I fear the day.Weep not for me though I am gone
Into that gentle night.
Grieve if you will, but not for long
Upon my soul's sweet flight.
I am at peace, my soul's at rest,
There is no need for tears.
For with your love I was so blessed
For all those many years.
There is no pain, I suffer not,
The fear now all is gone.
Put now these things out of your thoughts,
In your memory I live on.
Remember not my fight for breath,
Remember not the strife.
Please do not dwell upon my death,
But celebrate my life.
~ by Constance Jenkins in memory of her dog.