It's been a while... as usual

School started, and I'm so thankful that most of the people have been genuinely nice and wonderful, and though I'm such a newb at NUS and everything, there have been people who have been just nice, and introduced to me the nitty gritty details of photostating and stuff like that.

The Global Politics module is easily the harder of the two modules I'm taking, in that, the stuff is something like a quantum leap for me to cross, and it isn't that easy going through the philosophical baggage, at the same time, trying to discuss relevant stuff, because everything seems to make sense but not especially so. So, it hasn't been that easy. I can't bring to bear the entire repertoire of my knowledge on this module, which can be quite frustrating. But there are outlets anyway, and I'm glad anyway. And the profs are nice people too. So, that's that.

On another note, I need to revise plans for my future. Life as an academic might not be that great, but I guess it depends what kind of academic you are talking about. I would prefer to be an academic working on some real-world problem, solving some kind of thing, spotting some kind of trend, rather than stuck in an office and looking at words, ideas and more ideas. Any job that allows me to do that, I think I'll be quite happy and content. but then again, I'm nowhere near that stage, so I can't really say. I would rather be outside, talking to people, sharing ideas - that kind of stuff they do at TED. Oh well.

1st Day at NUS studying!

Yeah! Today I'm finally truly, really studying at NUS! the first lesson was alright, though the lecturer covered the things i already knew, so it was all easy. except for the extremely studious students who were busy copying away sec4 ecology stuff, or something like that. it ain't that hard to understand. i think tomorrow's political science stuff might be similar, at least for my own self, because i can follow these kind of stuff pretty easy. see how larh.

thank God though. He has really, truly seen me through today, and blessed me with friendly people to talk to. so its really all great. hope to post something similar tomorrow!

just came back from a run 13/14th June

alright...

another run has ended, and today, my speed alone edged past a PB i set a while ago. edged past - thats the key term. means i wasn't much faster. so i went back, and i sort of corrected the actual timing that i set that time. it was just 11.7kph, not 12, as i thought it was. every small thing is in actual fact, a major difference...

and today i think i learnt that being immersed in the spirit of God is like breathing. You have to concentrate to feel it...

running on 11th june night

before i go for a run again tonight, just a few things.

i ran on 11th june at night, and...

the timings...

11th June
825 4’18
1650 4’14
2475 4’12
3300 3’50
4125 4’22
4950 4’38
5775 4’56
6600 4’44
7425 4’35
8250 4’39
9075 4’50
9900 5’07
54’32
3272s

which works out to about 10.89kph. so off i go then...

a few more updates. my macbook syncs wirelessly with my handphone! wee! and i found like a couple of notetaking software! woopee! even though notebook has failed, i found notetaker! alritey.

off to run!

it's another one of those days...

so, i had a pleasant time writing about NS and seeing so many responses on TOC. sigh. can't write anymore it seems. not sure what much to write about. maybe another piece about life in Singapore or something like that. but been quite drained lately, physically and emotionally, and though i really want to write, can't seem to find that energy to write it. sigh.

another run on a wonderful sunday night

tonight i did another run. maybe it was because of fatigue, wasn't able to run as much.

met a senior from gm and ac. wooh!

825 4’24
1650 4’34 8’58
2475 4’10 13’08 end of 1st set
3300 4’24 17’33
4125 4’41 22’14 stitch problem
4950 4’10 26’25 end of 2nd set
5775 4’26 30’51
6600 4’32 35'23
7425 4’23 39’47 end of 3rd set

in between sets did pull-ups and some other ab exercises. if time allows i might really try to run more...

a not-the-same sunday

i went to church today, and the message was excellent - being ambassadors of Christ wherever we are, for my case, about serving in NUS. then i stayed back awhile after service to attend a nus prayer meeting. so people gathered, and there were not too many freshmen, and i doubt there would even be USP students. so there i will be, alone but not quite alone, alone because there might be no one else at USP, not quite alone simply because NUS would have plenty of FCBC people out there.

so there i was, walking back home, thinking about me being stuck out there in USP, now, what was i thinking then... arh yes, the privileged position of being in USP itself, that the Lord has called me to USP for a reason, that as i long as i stand by that, as long as i let God do what He must in my life, maybe even somehow be in a position of influence, as long as my heart is right for Him, then.... eventually, His will for me will be fulfilled.

another late night run

as the title suggests, i decided to throw rationality aside and went for a late night run.

825 4’18
1650 4’12 8’30
2475 4’15 12’45
3300 4’15 17’00
4125 4’16 21’16
4950 4’19 25’35
5775 4’15 29’50
6600 4’24 34’14
7425 4’31 38’45
8250 5’24 44’09 stitch round
9075 4’32 48’41
9900 4’44 53’35
10725 5’01 58’06
11550 3’45 1:03’51

and those are the timings.

from left to right,

cumulate distance, individual lap timings and cumulative timings. rightmost are remarks.

in that slowest round, i had to overcome stitch on my right side. so, i switched the footing on my breathing. whereas it used to be inhale/exhale on my left foot, i had to switch to the right foot, so it was difficult, but i got it done at in the end.

conclusion, i can run 11km in about 1 hr.

had plenty of other thoughts too...

before saturday is over...

here i am again, in front of the macbook, punching keys, doing a bit of quiet time before i go do a bit of running. earlier today i heard another testimony of overcoming family objections to conversion, but with a tinge of sadness. i still have time, and i feel the same thoughts of hypocrisy but not quite the active church leader, not quite active in ministry, things are different but also not that different. maybe Lord, You are really serious in dealing with my family. have mercy.

the other thing is that i still have no idea what the heck i'm supposed to do, it might have something to do with studies and academic leadership, to be really good at studying, and that the university is really a marketplace, though i might help others in their studies more than their spiritual needs. i mean, i hope helping them with studies will also lead me on the way to helping them fulfill their spiritual needs... even if they don't believe, all the more will want to minister to the in their studies or whatever. and of course, helping friends - no matter believers or not, with their work, f.o.c, no obligations, no... nothing, just help because i really want to.

Lord, i really have no idea what it means to be in USP. of course people might think there's some kind of aura, but the truth is, there isn't really anything that special (i think) about USP. but there is a reason, almost like being set apart from normal students. again, i have no idea what i means, i refuse to believe in my own ambitions and visions, because i know that You will have something out there even better for me, somehow, and that always, always, always, i want to choose You, because You have the better way for me, in my studies, in my life, in my relationships, in my family, most importantly.

this life i leave unto Your hands, knowing Lord You will not let me go to waste, but instead You will somehow use me to fulfill something in Your grand ultimate plan!

amen.

a really long weekend

This weekend feels rather long, because of certain things that are happening. somehow the tears managed to get past my emotional dams and i just cried. somethings gotta give, and i think i've really reached the end of myself, and really need to get back to who i am, what i can do, what i can't do. how to truly love my parents and not just merely pandering to their emotions. with my mum, with my dad. i still think getting a wii is a good idea keeps them active, keeps them thinking, and not being too bored. i have to define the boundaries, and to just know what i really can do, and what i should do.

how to truly love my parents... these few things keep getting back, but its inevitable. soon i'll be at university, and my dad should really get someone to help him, and my mum really needs to learn to let go of the family and do something productive, like learning how to use a handphone! and maybe my dad can somehow learn english after he retires...

Lord, do the work that You must in my family.

i pray for my brother to get his act together in life.

i pray for myself for the right attitude, that my brother is right, that the girl was a wrong decision by my parents,

a rather late run

I decided, out of no particular reason, to try a late night run.

1. 4.38
2. 4.24
3. 4.15
4. 4.16
5. 4.13
6. 4.16
7. 4.20
8. 4.33
9. 4.58


After the ninth round, i began to feel the accumulated effects of the workout i had on tuesday. despite resting for the entire wednesday, it still wasn't enough, and adding to that, i realised i had a sprianed ankle, which obviously didn't help matters. but it was fun still.

9x825m = 7.425km

in about 40min.. which would be about 5min 30sec/km or 3.09m/s or 11.1km/h

if... (which is nearly impossible) i can maintain this speed for a marathon, it would be nearly 4hours to complete the whole 42km. add in fatigue and its more like 5hours.

which might be fairly alright...

long distance running...

another day comes and goes...

I have been slightly occupied with NUS modules stuff, and everything seems fine for the moment. And now I've looked through the courses schedules, and I'm wondering whether I might have bitten off more than I could chew. It means a lot of preparations beforehand, a lot of reading and stuff. But things will work out.

Meanwhile, home is not a pleasant place, with the arrival of a guest. mum and dad are both rather anxious people, and that has passed on to me, meanwhile it feels extremely stifling. makes me want to get out of the house everyday.

had lotsa fun yesterday, gymming and running with eugene. anxious about camp...

I was sunburnt today but I still had a lot of fun the only downside...

I was sunburnt playing beach volleyball with eugene, alan, kenneth at sentosa today. it was boring and inane, but it was also fun all the time, laughing at our inability to keep the volleyball in the air on a sustained basis. we caught up with each other as usual, and i was talking to alan how our sec 4 form teacher would be so proud of all of us, with two docs, one architect, various engineers and specialists in our own fields, and hopefully, if i can make it till the end, a PhD. Then we might be able to come back to GMSS with a sense of pride and dignity, and hopefully, perhaps the school might be proud of us at what we all achieved and still remembering the school, the class and the teachers there who bothered to nurture us. But thats the future to drool for, have to work asses to get there.

Meanwhile, it was just plain clean guy fun at the beach, talking about looking good, halls, courses and friends and the usual.

the downside was that the module registration system had some glitches, which somehow cuts out the usp modules. can't help feeling pissed. if things don't work out tomorrow, its another trip down there again... sigh.

testing out MacBook Quicktime

I managed to convert the current Quicktime Player to Quicktime Pro, and now I can record vids of people using the camera on my notebook. quite nifty, and its great fun too! and now, beginning to really appreciate the power of the macbook as a project utility...

anyway, had a gathering with some friends planning on going overseas. though not a social person myself, i consider myself really blessed to have such wonderful friends who are so worldly-wise in the things they do. oh well.