The Unforgettable...

This is crazy... It's so busy at NIE with 9 modules & so many assignments that I am constantly thinking & feeling stressed about all the things that I'm not sure about & all my deadlines! Argh! Now I begin to understand why my Mum said that she has never seen my brother work so hard before! Sigh...

MOE Olive Run!

It's been a number of years since I represented any agency or organisation in a competitive run. Finally, I got a chance to represent Farrer Park Primary School in the mixed team event Olive Run! It was held at East Coast Beach on 15 Aug.

Here are the memorable photos below. The first photo shows those who represented the school in the mixed team event & the second photo is our all-staff photo! =)

I Survived My First 2 Weeks At NIE

Wow... Time really flies... & suddenly it's been 2 weeks at NIE for my formal teacher training. It has been quite a challenge to adapt back to studying, after working for 5 years. Although I did pursue my post graduate diploma back in 2007, that was evening classes, which I occasionally skipped due to unfinished work. Part-time study & full-time work is tough, but somehow I struggled through with the assignments & exams for the entire 1 year.

Frankly, full-time study is easier... much easier... in terms of managing work concurrently, which really takes a toil on me. However, now having gone back to full-time study, I experienced another different form of struggle - a struggle for identity. Although I am coming to terms with this emotional, mentally & physically, after 2 weeks of absorption back into study life, I remember that my first week, in fact more so for the first 3 days, was excruciating.

I couldn't accept this sudden change in my lifestyle & not to mention that I don't like studying. I prefer to do things on the job & learn from daily experiences, which I honestly feel that I learn better. Seriously. I just couldn't come to terms with the fact that suddenly all the primary school pupils had disappeared & I started to miss my daily interaction with them. Strangely, though they were horrendously behaved, especially on certain days, I still feel drawn to relate with them... whether as a teacher or even an elder brother. I miss the kind of honest, forthcoming & childlike interaction that they have with me... & I believe many of them miss me as well. How do I know? I still get SMSes, calls, e-mails, class blog entries, MSN messages & Facebook invites from them. They can be so horrendously lovable at such times.

Full time studying hasn't been easy for me, contrary to what most adults percieve about NIE. Maybe during their early years at NIE, things were not as hectic or messy. Who doesn't realise by now that as things evolve, more things get added & things get more complicated? Every seasoned working adult should recognise that by now. But I am still thankful that I don't have to juggle work concurrently, just like in 2007. That was a terror... & I truly respect those mothers who manage work, evening study & children at the same time. 24 hours is never, ever enough.

Workload aside, the traveling time is horrendous too. Daily commuting time of at least 3 hours to & fro, can really sap the living daylights out of me! That's just physically, but even mentally, I feel pissed off at times, coz it is such a huge wastage of time! Even if I was physically able to stand (despite tiredness) & mentally still partially functioning to try to read my textbook or notes, the REAL problem is that there isn't ANY SPACE to do so!!! Everyone is like crammed up like sardines in a long MRT sardine tin can... & most of us can't even move. How to study? And it doesn't make me feel better that Boon Lay is such a dirty, polluted & smoky place!

Food is generally blend but edible at NIE canteen, though I believe food at NTU canteen is much better. But I think it is more pricey over there. Anyway, I don't have time to travel to & fro, coz apart from a 20 - 30 min lunch break, I spend most of my time mugging at the library. Partly it is to keep away from germs around (recently quite a number of people are coughing), but mostly it is because I have so much readings & work to catch up! I feel that 9 modules is just too heavy, especially for a 1st semester student, who is TOTALLY new to this genre of education study!

Anyway, somehow... somehow... I managed to survive my first 2 weeks... Well, let's see how I go from here...

Children Learn From What They Live

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.

If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.

If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.

If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.

If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.

If a child lives with security, he learns to trust.

If a child lives with approval, he learns to be himself.

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

Reaching For My Lowest Fat % In Years!

I bought this weighing machine from Guardian that also calculates a person's % of fat in terms of his/her body weight, as well as % of water composition in his/her body. Its pretty interesting & so far, the figures haven't fluctuated much over the past 2 months, so I think its quite accurate.

Well, 2 months ago... my fat % was around 18.5 - 18.8%, when I first bought this machine. Since then, I have exercising more regularly, plus doing resistance training... & after 2 months, my fat % has now reduced to around 17.5 - 17.8%, which is a 1% drop in fat! Based on my average weight of 64kg, this means that I have lost about 640g of fat! That's great!

I have been so encouraged by the gradual results so far, that I have recently set myself a goal to reach a body fat % of 15% by the end of this year. I'm not sure if there is enough time & health to achieve this goal, but it's better to aim for the moon... at least if I miss a bit, I would still reach the stars... I read this slogan from some bookmark at some bookshop... hahaha... so here goes!

The Truth About Hollywood

In these recent years, I have started to purchase items online because I am unable to locate them in local book stores & video stores. I still find it very surprising why my favourite stuff are so difficult to find locally... you mean, there are so few people who share my interests? Hmm...

Well, I purchased my latest book from eBay & it is titled 'A Rocky Life' whereby a reporter wrote a book about the ups & downs of Sylvester Stallone's love life. This reporter must have been very priviledged to interview the star himself, plus other people such as his second ex-wife, the star's mother, etc. I wonder how it feels like to actually talk to a celebrity... Wow...

This book proved to be an interesting read, as I have read several biblographies of Sylvester Stallone, but it was mostly on the central topic of his down & out career, before he attained stardom... as well as the other centre of attraction topic on how he developed his physique for his intensely physical roles in his movies. I mean, this guy has actually been training for over 40 years! Talk about how he spent his life!

Anyway, this book was so interesting that I could almost hardly put it down... & I actually finished this 200+ pages book in about 3 - 4 days. Wow... true life accounts really reach my heart. But as I read this book, I felt a strong sense of sadness overwhelm me. Sly's life has been excruciatingly difficult ever since his childbirth... & till date, he still suffers from emotional scars from the past... some from his parents, mostly his aggressive & violent Dad... & of course, all those women that have passed by his life...

Frankly, I feel sorry for him, although he is probably not the only person on Earth to ever live through these depressing encounters. I actually felt sad throughout those 3 - 4 days as I read this book! Wow... what an impact...

There was another side to his book which I discovered... & that was the cruelty & realism of what happens at Hollywood. Movie making is ultimately about making money... & a star's pay check & awards seriously depend on how much money the movie makes. To Hollywood producers, making profits is their only concern. I'm not sure if this is something to feel sad about coz I really feel that movies have its way of reaching into the lives, hearts & minds of its viewers. In a way, movies can actually change lives... as we have seen its influence ever since movies came into play since the early days. For example, Christopher Reeve's Superman movies weren't the first Superman movie that was released. There were actually several earlier Superman versions even before his time... & they were in black & white, of course. And so are the much earlier Batman movies, etc.

Another fact that I found it quite difficult to swallow is how critical American movie critics could be. I mean, I was astonished to read about how critical & judgmental they could be! Talk about expectations... nothing comes close to Hollywood! I'm not sure about Bollywood, but they would get there, sooner or later... as long as it reaches the international market.

Its astonishing to me, coz there are so many movies that made an impact on me... or at least I found entertaining, but these are so easily shot down by movie critics, hit charts, etc. Honestly, the critics can be so brutal... merciless! I just feel for the actors & actresses... I mean, I wonder if I would even find joy acting in such an environment like this... being scrutinised for every move. And seriously, movie making is an art... & artistic views differ...

Thus, all in all, I really take my hat off to Sly... He really has the heart to go through all these for so many years. Not to mention just acting... but writing scripts & directing as well. Wow...

My List of Favourite Male Celebrities

Now that I have listed down my list of female celebrity crushes, I will move on to my list of favourite male celebrities. In this case, these are not crushes coz I'm a straight guy... but these are the male celebrities that have showed prowess, attitude & potential... which I admire... or at least at some point of my life have admired...

1) Sylvester Stallone


Sly tops my all-time list of favourite male celebrities. I first came across this amazing star in his early Rocky movies. I still remember that when I was in upper primary, I used to stay over at my grandparents' home over the weekend during the school holidays. There was once that they brought me out & my grandfather brought me the cassette tape soundtrack of Rocky 3. I still remember that I would listen to this soundtrack over & over again on his cassette tape player. Up till this day, I still enjoy listening to Sylvester Stallone movies soundtracks! Of course, Sly also showed great performances in many other movies e.g. Daylight, Cliffhanger & especially Rambo. His bibliography touched my heart also as he was an underdog turned star.


2) Jean-Claude Van Damme


I first came across this physically well-defined movie star when my cousin introduced to me the movie 'Kickboxer'. That was in the 80s & during that era, Van Damme starred in several adrenaline pumping movies like 'Bloodsport', etc. Although he acted well & could do perfect leg splits, his physical body cannot be compared to Sylvester Stallone, who is well known for having one of the best bodies in Hollywood. In terms of marital arts, Donnie Yen definitely overshadows him. So he's quite an average martial artist movie star... except that he was one of the early martial arts movie stars that I encountered on screen.


3) Jackie Chan


This fella is famous around the world & has produced many excellent movies during his time. I guess he is best known for his dangerous stunts & humour in his movies. He is quite versatile too, being able to star in both English, Mandarin & Cantonese movies... of several different kinds of movie genre too. So I would say, he is the most adaptable movie star of his time.


4) Donnie Yen


He caught my attention when I was watching his Hongkong TV series 'Fist of Fury' back in the mid 90s, in which he acted as the role of Chen Zhen, a replica of Bruce Lee's 'Fist of Fury' back in the 70s. Donnie Yen is a fantastic martial artist & his stunts in his movies were never the same, unlike that of Van Damme (after all, Van Damme's moves are boring). Donnie Yen tried to act in a few English movies, but I guess his limited English & Cantonese accent didn't pull through. What attracted me to his movies are basically his stunning martial arts moves & intensity.


5) Jet Li


I read somewhere that Donnie Yen & Jet Li studied under the same kungfu master back during their early childhood days. Some say that Jet Li got more successful movies made because of his looks. To me, both of them speak terrible English accent, but both are a rare talent in kungfu. The difference is that Jet Li managed to move into the Hollywood film industry & got several roles, whereas Donnie Yen couldn't manage with any success.


6) Johnny Depp


There is not much to say about this guy, except that I find him eccentric. I noticed him the most in his later movies 'Pirates of the Carribean' where he played the role of Captain Jack Sparrow. Other than that, his on screen character didn't impress me much. But I like his style as Captain Jack Sparrow!


7) Tom Cruise


He strikes me as an old time actor that was more successful during the 80s & 90s, rather than in the 2oth or 21st century. His big hit came when he starred in the movie 'Top Gun' during his early days. I guess the 'cool' look & youth played a big part in the American film industry back then. Later on, he kinda got older & fatter... so lost some of his charima & looks. But nonetheless, he was a star in the 80s & 90s.


8) Jim Carrey


This guy is weird... mad, perhaps. Apparently he has acted in many films, mostly of comedy. I think its because he is that eccentric, that's why people pay to watch him. I think he can sing pretty alright too, but mostly its his humour that caught people watching his movies.


9) Owen Wilson


This is also another funny guy. Not as hilarious as Jim Carrey, but he has a mix of nonsense, dry humour & an occasional inspirational bit that made people like him. I like this fella a lot... I guess he ranks top in my list of favourite comedy actors. Definitely above Ben Stiller & Adam Sandler.

My List of Female Celebrity Crushes

Hahaha... this thought came to mind recently to blog about my list of female celebrities & see how far I have come. I think this is going to be an interesting list... hee hee... for old times' sake. Let's start from the early beginnings of my childhood onward... =)

1) Amy Jo Johnson

This girl was probably the first female celebrity that I came across at my youngest age! I admired her when she was acting as the Pink Power Ranger in the TV series back in the early 80s. At that young age, I thought that she was pretty & has good figure. Well, I guess as I grew older & came across more female celebrities... she didn't look so pretty after all...

2) Elizabeth Shue

I found her a bit cute (though relatively plump) when I watched her star in the movie 'The Karate Kid'. I watched this movie also in the 80s & 'The Karate Kid' 3-part movie series captured my heart. I remember that I was learning Taekwondo during my late primary school years & I used to still watch this movie & listen to the soundtrack all the way through secondary school.

3) Kelly Preston

Thinking back now, I'm not sure what I liked about her, when I first watched her in the movies back in the late 80s. But I guess at that time, I was still young & she looked pretty too! I don't even recall which movie that I saw her act in, but for the record... this was one of the girls that I had a crush on...

4) Ali Landry

I first noticed her in one of the earlier movies that I watched in my mid-school years (probably late secondary or JC school years). Looking back, she doesn't look that fantastic, but I guess at that age, there weren't that many movies that I watched so far.

5) Denise Richards

Its interesting to see her seemingly 'demure' side when I watched her star in the movie 'Starship Troopers'. At a young age, this science fiction movie captured my young mind & I remembered that this movie used to be one of my favourite; also because of the hero 'Johnny Rico' that starred in this movie. Apparently, this girl's role as a seemingly 'demure' on-screen personality vanished after this film... well, at least based on the small number of movies that I have seen her act.

6) Jennifer Love Hewitt

I have watched a few movies starring her as the lead actress, but I really started to take notice of this cute girl, when I watched the movie 'Heartbreakers'. She played the role of a scheming daughter who followed in her mother's footsteps to gain big & quick fortune by cheating on men. In this movie, she really showed how 'manja' she could get... & I guess it drew my attention... not to mention her laughing eyes & stunning good figure... I have admired her figure in a number of her movies... except that this particular photo that I have chosen, just doesn't do justice to her younger looks back then!

7) Brittany Murphy

I started to find her attractive in terms of her figure & on-screen personality, when I watched the movie 'Just Married'. It was about this young couple who just got married, without knowing what to expect, experienced a horrendous honeymoon & nearly broke up upon returning home. Now that I look back, she doesn't look so pretty anymore... Movies seem to have a strange effect on me, for a while... then... well... hahaha...

8) Lindsay Lohan

I remember watching her during her very early acting years in the movie 'Parent Trap' & she was really more demure & innocent back then. Later on in years, she caught my attention in her movie 'Mean Girls'. Maybe it was the make-up, but she looked quite pretty, except for some pigmentation on her face... but I think she acted a good role in that movie.on her face...

9) Jennifer Aniston

I watched a few movies starring her as the lead female actress & one of those movies which I felt a little bit attracted to her, was when she was acting in this comedy with Ben Stiller, called 'Along With Polly'. It was so hilarious! I'm not sure why I felt attracted to her, as she looked much older than my age... even now, she's probably in her 40s already... but I guess it was the way she did the sensual salsa dance scene in that movie that captured my attention... plus the tight red mini shorts that she wore in another scene... Wow... not bad for her age! But she's old now...

10) Winona Ryder

I find this girl is pretty when she was younger. I first saw her appearance in the movie 'Edward Scissorhands'. It was like crush-at-first-sight! I guess it's the cute & demure face & personality that I liked, since a young age. There were other later movies that she starred in, but this was the first movie that impressed on me.

11) Kristin Kruek

In much recent years, I had a crush on this girl for about a year because of her demure look & personality in the TV series 'Smallville'. This TV series has had more than 7 seasons & it is still going relatively strong, I think... Kristin is quite skinny though... but she has a nice smile, beautiful eyes & cheerful on-screen personality. It's no wonder that I had a crush for quite some time.

12) Jessica Alba

My latest crush is definitely this girl. She is one fantastic girl who really captures the attention of men all over the world. Apparently, she has been ranked Top 100 sexist women in the world! No wonder she has mentioned to be one of the most downloaded over the Internet. She first caught my attention in the movie 'Into The Blue' & I just enjoy watching her underwater dive scenes! And that slight tanned skin makes her look so sporty! That aside, what really attracted me to her is her 'next-door-neighbour' kind of girly look which can melt the hearts of men. She has this charming demure look which just draws my attention & of course, her smile... Wow... & not to mention her cute chuckling laugh that just tickles the heart! She is so cute! I have watched some of her interviews online through You Tube & her personality just charms me... she is eloquent & knows how to engage those around her... & her humour is so amazing... Wow...