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sick…

First word: Tonsilitis

Second word: owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww…………….

it hurts to talk….

course course course…

learning open source now at SMU… nice blg, nice facilities. I wish we could use facilities like these when I was in NUS or NTU instead of the seedy, sad tutorial rooms and run down computer labs. I mean, this is like pretty top end compared to ours lor

haiz… nothing to say… anyway, think I go shopping for pi xiu later… kekeke….

Books….

2 fantastic books to recommend:

THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini

Over two years on the New York Times bestseller list, and published in 42 different languages.

Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan nonetheless grow up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan, the son of Amir’s father’s servant, is a Hazara, member of a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When the Soviets invade and Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him.

The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship, betrayal, and the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of their lies. Written against a history that has not been told in fiction before, The Kite Runner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. But with the devastation, Khaled Hosseini also gives us hope: through the novel’s faith in the power of reading and storytelling, and in the possibilities he shows for redemption.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Every few decades a book is published that influences the life of its readers forever. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is such a book which has already achieved the status of a modern classic”.
“To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.”
Paulo Coelho’s enchanting novel has inspired millions of delighted readers around the world. This story, dazzling in its simplicity and wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who ventures from his homeland in Spain to North Africa in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a beautiful, young gypsy woman, a man who calls himself a king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is or if Santiago can surmount the obstacles along the way through the desert. But what starts out as a boyish adventure to discover exotic places and worldly wealth turns into a quest for the treasures only found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, Santiago’s story is an eternal testament to following our dreams and listening to our hearts.

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Both are books from ReadAsia’s recommendations. Seriously, I must say both are worth reading and re-reading I particulary like a few lines from The Alchemist

“To realise one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation. And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

“When Narcissus died, the goddesses of the forest appeared and found the lake, which had been fresh water, transformed into a lake of salty tears.

‘Why do you weep?’ the goddess asked.

‘I weep for Narcissus,’ the lake replied.

‘Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus,’ they said, ‘for though we always pursued him in the forest, you alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand.’

‘But… was Narcissus beautiful?’ the lake asked.

‘Who better than you to know that?’ the goddesses said in wonder. ‘After all, it was by your banks that he knelt each day to contemplate himself!’

The lake was silent for some time. Finally, it said:

‘I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected.’”

“When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.”

I am back :) :) :)

kekeke… I’m back in SG… quite an eventful 8 days in China, touring Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuzhen, Hangzhou, Nanking, Wuxi… trying to load pictures while waiting for my hair to dry. But it’s taking a very very very very long time.

Anyway, just a quick breakdown

Day 0: boarded China Eastern flight at 0055, Terminal 1. Slept fitfully.

Day 1: Reached Shanghai at around 5 am. Toured Shanghai briefly before proceeding to Suzhou
Shanghai – MagLev Train, The Bund (daytime), Oriental Pearl Tower, Cheng Huang Miao
Suzhou – Suzhou – Singapore Industrial Park, Panmen 3 views, Qili Santang, Han Shan Si, Wangshi Gardens

Day 2: Went from Suzhou to Wuzhen, then to Hangzhou
Suzhou – Silk Factory
Wuzhen – Traditional Village
Hangzhou – Xihu (Listening to Orioles Park and Long Bridge Park), Watched performance “Hang Zhou Zhi Ye)

Day 3: Went from Hangzhou to Nanjing
Hangzhou: Xihu (Boat ride, Watch Fish Flower Harbour), Tea Plantation
Nanjing: Fuzi Miao

Day 4: Went from Nanjing to Wuxi
Nanjing: ChangJiang Bridge, Zhonghua Gate, Xuanwu Hu, Jade carving
Wuxi: Lihu

Day 5: Went from Wuxi to Shanghai
Wuxi: Taihu Lake Film and TV Studio, Zisha Arts Gallery, Pearl Cultivating Farm
Shanghai: Madame Tussads, Nanjing Road, The Bund (River ride)

Day 6: Shanghai
Qipu Road, Tong Ren Tang
Day 7: Shanghai Free and Easy
Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Shu Cheng (Shanghai Book City), The Bund (by night)

Day 8: Shanghai Free and Easy and back to SG.
Xu Jia Hui, Qi Pu Lu, Cheng Huang Miao, Pudong Airport.

Highly Recommended:
1. Hangzhou: Xihu cruise
2. Shanghai: Cheng Huang Miao (shopping and eating)
3. Shanghai: Oriental Pearl Tower
4. Hangzhou: Hangzhou Zhi Ye
5. Nanjing: Fuzi Miao (Night Market)
6. Shanghai: The Bund cruise
7. Shanghai: Qipu Road (cheap shopping)
8. Shanghai: Shanghai Museum (if you like the stuff, be prepared to spend a whole day there)
9. Shanghai: Shanghai Book City (if you like books, be prepared to spend another day there, and bring $$$! The books and CDs are very cheap!)
10. Suzhou: Hanshan Si
11. Suzhou: Wang Shi Yuan

Food to eat:
Shanghai: Xiao Long Bao and Tang Yuan (from Cheng Huang Miao), “Red Chicken”
Suzhou: Beimu Gong Tang
Hangzhou: Dongpo Rou (Very Fatty Pork meat, but very nice)
Nanjing: Small Cakes, Salted Duck
Wuxi: Wuxi PaiGu (Pork Ribs)

okay… that’s all for now… to be continued later

leaving soon

I’m typing in the departure lounge. Have a few minutes time – 12.20 am… kekeke

Excited!!!

OMG… I don’t believe this grand old dame who is all of 27  is getting so excited! Think this is one of the first overseas tours I’ve taken since like 12 years ago? Been backpacking and doing FnE in neighbouring countries for the past few years. Watch this space!

18 Reasons Why Best Friends are Better Than Boyfriends/Girlfriends

1. You don’t have to call them every day, just to let them know you’re not fighting

2. You don’t have an anniversary–you just sort of “became” best friends.

3. When someone calls your girlfriend/boyfriend your “partner” it makes you think of marriage. When they call your best friend your partner, it’s more like cops.

4. You never have to touch your best friend when it’s hot outside, but you can stull huddle close when it’s freezing.

5. Your parents usually like your best friend.

6. Your best friend doesn’t care if you get fat, you’re ugly, or if you get a bard haircut.

7. You don’t have to get jealous of “girls only” night or “guys only” night — You’re part of it!

8. You can laugh at your best friend with no consequences.

9. You can plan on still having a relationship with your best friend in 20 years.

10. Never in your life will you need “space” from your best friend.

11. Your best friend won’t be mad if you want some time alone, and will only ask you “what’s wrong?” once.

12. Your best friend is someone you get in trouble with; your boyfriend/girlfriend is someone you get in trouble with if you get in trouble.

13. You don’t have to get dressed up to go anywhere with your best friend.

14. You’re allowed to have multiple best friends.

15. No one ever spreads rumors or talks about you and your best friend’s relationship.

16. No one is ever trying to fix you up on blind dates for a new best friend.

17. It doesn’t matter what your “other” friends think about your best friend.

18. Your best friend is the first person you call when you get a new boyfriend/girlfriend, and when you break up with them.

How to Stay Upbeat and Positive!

• Expect positive outcomes every day!
• Start each day by planting positive seeds of thought!
• Look forward, not backward…
• Take time every day to daydream
• Dare to aim high
• Attitude is everything!
• Learn from your mistakes and move on
• Enjoy the sunset
• Accept occasional small setbacks
• Live your dreams!
From Alexander Lockhart, Positive Charges, 1994, Zander
Press.