a Lamentation

when i feel down i listen 2 music that either 1) depicts my mood or 2) lifts up my mood...dats y i like complex tunes that on listenin, reveal different layers n many complex moods for all occasions..

if i had to choose a piece for my mood, it would eithr b Linkin Park's In The End or a realli sad chinese piece like Wu Bai's Tong Kun de Ren..

i cannot understand e mind of some of these young female things esp e ones in University n esp esp e one who juz broke my best fren's heart back home...taken for a ride? or simpli not good enuff? or e game is over n e player is due 2 b thrown out?

my fren's heart is not a wet piece of rag 2 b thrown aroun..neithr ismine or any other guys'..i seem 2 b more up in arms ovr dis issue den my best fren..i guess when i see his pain i think back on my own 'almost perfect' relationships that r so sad on their own..

dats y i closed e door on romantic involvement a while ago (earlier in e yr) n onli One Supreme Fren has the key...n dis is y I want 2 direct my energies to achievin somethin worthwhile in dis life n in Newcastle..becos like e Israelis, i noe dat for evrythin in life i hav ever truli wanted, i've had 2 fight hand, tooth, nail n claw for..as Golda Meir (one of e women I respect e most) said, e world will stand n watch Jewish blood bein spilled n do nothin..we hav to do somethin for our own pple..n dat has made mi realise dat we hav 2 safeguard our interests in life..esp affairs of e heart..

well, i can onli cry for my fren n pray for him...n vow dat one day, we who crawl on our bellies in e dust will rise up to rule e universe...

Bronchial Troubles

its strange when optimal levels of efficiency n work r just missed completeli due to poor health..everywhere round the world children in Africa, adults in overcrowded Tokyo n underdeveloped Rio De Janeiro , even obese adolescents in the great land of opportunity, The US of A, r succumbin to bouts of sickness n ill-health that impedes e global Gross Domestic Output added togethr...

n these past few weeks, i've joined their ranks...my work is impeded by e terribl fact dat my ol' Bronchial troubles with e horribl hackin dry cough n obsceneli-coloured phelgm as well as wheezin n congested air passages hav returned in force...with e onset of a Mid-year winter dats a unique characrteristic of e southern hemisphere..

ah well, efficiency goes down n spendin on medication increases..i now noe e importance of havin an effectiv n well-tot out(indeed, fully rational) medical/healthcare system..my appointment with the Campus Doctor aka Medical Centre is scheduled for Thurs n i've 2 wait till den to get some proper medication abov e cough lozenge sort sold over e counter here...i guess dats due to e fact dat its free..so i can't complain (onli e consultation; e medicine is a different story n for which i'll hav 2 crawl half-dead n wheezin 3 km away frm my home2 get frm e nearest pharmacy...wat r e odds of dyin before i reach, i truli wonder?)

well, on e bright side...it is good 2 abl 2 see a doctor at all when sick kids in China's Anzhou provinces hav onli far-flung Chinese Physicians (not dat i'm despisin them but e medication takes weird forms n tastes while takin foreva 2 work--as all traditional n alternativ natural medicines do...lengthy time is needed for discernibl effect)..so then, i try 2 temper my Singaporean trait for complainin with a slight dose of reality n awareness..

but dis still does not detract frm e misery inflicted on my throat n air sacs of the vascular system by each consecutiv wreckin cough..like an ancient Ottoman cannon blowin holes in Constantinople's walls, i wonder if e walls of my lungs can withstand dis Battle of Lungs Deep...i betta stop complainin n start prayin in faith for healin..

About First Weeks

1st weeks r supposed 2 b relaxin where a student is eased into e work expected of him or her in e rest of e semester..n where unsuspectingli, he or she is gradualli lowered in2 a pot of boilin fat..but not dis time in my case..

a 1st assignment given on e 1st day of sch n due on e first lesson of e term(thurs) was dropped on us like 'Fat Boy' bein dropped on e unwittin inhabitants of Hiroshima...n i prepared for it e way a guy who's just dug his trench is told dat an attack is underway n he'll hav 2 do his best 2 defend wat he just dug..which is not much..

to e day i die i'll never b convinced dat teachers r not rubbin their hands in glee at e tot of bein able 2 catch students unawares (with their pants down so 2 speak) so dat we might b failed n hav our lives ruined n our futures lookin as bright as e nearest garbage can collector's..y can't we ever hav teachers like Frank McCourt..who would tell his students to clear e tables n chairs n lie on e floor in e dark for a whole period..as a primer for an important lesson..

well, i believe it'll onli get worse with deadlines n workload overpiled from floor to ceilin..well, i've resolved several things dis sem..gettin my first distinctions inc 1 for design..e holy grail of respectability for an archi student..no, not quite..High distinction is e holy grail..n workin out 3 times a week..n gettin my drivin licence in australia..plus more involvment in SSA n FOCUS/NCS work..quite a load..

n tryin 2 be a bit more net-savvy..even goin on msn n skype more..juz to keep in touch with e guys n close frens back home..n in other parts of Australia..well e onli thing 2 look forward 2 is Autonomy Day next Thurs..we'll see how dat goes n i'll explain wat e hell dat is in e days ahead..

Alternate Persona Jon

i speak black words...wat they call a split personality disorder comes back 2 haunt these posts..

speech must b rational? but i'm delirious..so easy 2 let go..pages fly upwards or up words..n i see clear thru dark mists in foggy depths..e road said 50 km to Taree n i'm travellin on e sign post far away..

Rosevelt married his cousin n Theodore was his grandfather..so who r u? so speedy was the animal dat swung from the fence to the tree dat she was clobbered..Animal!!! like a cat or dog u thinks..but yes, its neithr cat and dog..but strangelove..Dr Strangelove

my fren does wrong things..smart wrong things..or stupid rite things? snares sugar in spring traps n lookin for love in all e wrong places while e days get cold n dull n e stars fall from e sky n e sons of e mud rise up 2 claim thin air n red giants..the man crossed the road to loud applause..is dat wat e CIA wanted?

money worries n bad gals who try e good game with good boys gone bad tell e story of a life unravellin..ripped up n thrown into e guts of some deep sea urchin dat shoots fire..many times unknown statues rise n de-errect n i no longer like Ecclesiastical Kingdoms..Babylon e Great has fallen n her works r overturned!

breakin news in e wide world causes narrow grief...n i wonder wat evil is dat often goes worser n worser till it becomes worstest...n a tale of 2 cities becomes e norm..1 town Rome n e othr declinin Spain while the sun shines n earth spins out out out..no orbit or chaos..order inverse no less..or more..

i see clearli again..flatline submarine...

Return 2 Winter

apologies for dat long lull in blog-postin but e tot of stayin home longer than i should juz 2 post somethin when i could b out with e bros n frens was just not appealin..

now i've returned 2 Australia..with e colds n lows (but thankfulli no snows) of re-newed uni life..darn u blokes at NUS, NTU n SMU who hav till August lor..but it was a good time we all had durin those 4 weeks..

watchin late nite or rather early-mornin soccer with Kian n also with Fuzz n YK followed by sleepin on e couch till 12 noon was realli WANTON decadence on a grand scale la!! n then there was e trip 2 Bintan which realli re-awakened dat love for e sun, sand n sea dat i had in secondary sch...realli tropical holiday style ala xia ri mo mo cha..dat was shiok man..

now, e return 2 Australia was fraught with some confusion n animosity(2wards my travel agent) but dats been forgotten a great deal by e excellent Wintercon '06 camp..i'm truli impressed..from e viewpoint of both a Christian n e viewpoint of an events planner..if e SSA Newcastle could b half as competent n professional, we'd begin 2 b a trulli representative body for Singaporeans..

e onli disappointment for mi was e fact dat neither Germany nor Holland managed 2 hold e cup aloft this time in Dortsmund, Germany...n dat e semi-finals n finals were both completely European line-ups..but still, Italy deserved dat win..e French were truli let down by Barthez (even if Zidane had taken a penalty shot n got it in, Barthez would still b e weakest link lettin France down)..but its been a great run for teams like Argentina, Holland n England(if onli they had been more inspired/hungry)

n to my christian frens, i've got 2 end with a great tesimony..my fren Kian, whom Richard n mi hav been prayin for since our army days 2 b saved...n whose sister became a christian in e US..brought along his g/f to meet us 1 nite outin...n it seems she's christian as well..dis wd make no sense if we had not been prayin for him 2 b surrounded by Christian frens who wd b an excellent christian witness in his life..all i can say is dat e Falaise Gap is closin rapidli (if u noe dat historical episode from WW2)..so then, e joy of a fren is my joy..n in our joy, e angels were silent...

Small Change

Does it feel different to post from home? yes it does.. there have been so many instances for mi 2 b thankful n grateful for in life since e return for e winter hols..

e 1st thing that caused some anxiety n den relief was when i searched for some fifty cent coins to pay for my first singaporean meal of laksa n hokkien mee after 6 months(its just 5, yes)..n i realised e joy of having coins fit snugli in ur palm without feelin like u're handling spanish pieces of eight that would feel rite at home embedded in e forehead of Goliath..

dat realli depicts e differences in size, scale, physiology, psychology n thinkin of Australians vis-a-vis S'poreans..its good 2 b home among one's countrymen no matter how bluidy screwed up some o' us can get..n as a sidenote, i'v enot met some of u my frens yet..but will get to u soon once all e catchin up on 6 months worth of letter-replyin n readin, studyin for my basic theory test, liasin with IDP for e June Newcastle intake n all..

now, regardin e world cup, i've got much more 2 say as e game progresses..but at dis stage, i think dat e English side especialli r playin e most uninspired game of football i've ever seen..competent but uninspired..n i can't help thinkin to miself dat Krouch realli looks like some Japanese prisoner of war with his stick thin frame that looks like a bamboo partition..my mind tells mi its gonna be Germany or Argentina holdin e cup aloft..but my heart cries "Oranjes!!!"....Johan Cruyf n Marco Van Basten these guys may not b..but the Royal Netherlands Football Team will alwaez hav dat special place in my heart-of-hearts..oh, n sorry gals, but Zinidine Zidane has got 2 b dropped (n dropped hard) if e French r gonna hav any chance..but mayb it oredi is too late for e French rooster..Henry shd hav been captain from e start..

Ground 0

Last day b4 headin home..had a slight scare earlier with e airline check-in screwin up on mi..they had mi on a flight for Nov 10...n finalli sorted it out by callin n they tracked mi down thru my departure information (from Singapore)...i was hoppin mad n all my expletives started 2 spew oredi..mother-f***ers who shd juz F*** back 2 their mother's h**e..

i've taken enuff shite from certain ang mohs here oredi man..not gonna take any from my own countrymen n from e compamy supposed 2 b renowned for efficiency..i hav half a mind 2 make a formal complaint thru the Singapore International Foundation(SIF) n thru them to e local SIA representative in Sydney..why r members of the Newcastle Singapore Students Association bein victimised for our trouble man? i think dat we deserve a complimentary pair of tickets from SIA for such bullshite (i wish)..hahahaha..dats impossible i noe n juz a fantasy..unless i hav some pezzonovante(Big-shot) fren in high places like e Singapore High Commisioner 2 Australia (which i dun; though we've met at e darn High Commissioner's Tea Event n was dressed super-casualli;n was embarassment incarnate)

shd stop bein so aggressive..after all, i'm onli goin home for a month..but sometimes my ex-army specialist instincts n temper r recalled to service like some emotional reservist activation..better means of gettin back at pple who cause trouble there r den losin my temper..i hav lots 2 learn from Don Vita Corleone of the Godfather fame..

anywaez..e next post will b next week from home..here's my flight details for some of u frens anywaez..but i'll contact u when i get back..no need 2 meet mi at e airport act..i'll say hi if u're there n respect u for it..but i'll b goin home for some rest straight after..n catch ya guys n ladies in e mornin..SQ 232, estimated arrival 545 pm at Singapore Airport Terminal 2...

Finito

"It is Finished..." e 1st semester of yr 1 is over..along with the work involved...

now all dat remains is 3 days between now n goin home for e 1st time in 6 months..i've got stuff 2 get n pple to visit b4 i make my way home..

i must have lunch with frens who've helped mi dis semester with work..i must hav lunch with my pastor n thank him for his advice n support all dis while..i must remembr 2 get those souvenirs for my cousins who gave mi a treat b4 i went overseas..they are family n blood is thicker than water..

n finalli, i can sleep earli n in peace at nite..without worry regardin e next submission, short project, assignment, essay, report or portfolio..until e start of next sem dat is..n truli..i can go back to meet e closest frens i ever made in my life n who've alwaez stood by mi back home..kumu n e NWO, Shamir n e scout bros, Leonard n coy, Kian n e army spec mates..hmmm..if i had some1 special waitin at e airport..it would b perfect..but i dun n i shd not fantasise..else i'll soon hav 2 start smokin 2 relieve dat unneccessary stress again..

but i'm also leavin some good frens i made here behind inc my housemates dat i'll miss till i get back..many pple say i'm very sociable..mayb i am..but i like to think dat i've been blessed with good frens whom i could develop a connection to..some more some less..some like kindred spirits drawn to e same flame..but all whom i appreciate..of course, i've also had bad frens whom i often rant about here...but a bad fren is simpli a fren who could hav been my good fren but chose to cause mi harm n hurt..n it is alwaez my wish dat so-called bad-frens can make good in their life n mine..

so, to those of u still havin exams, all e best n God bless...to others, see u over there..where? Home...beyond e western shore..byond e sunrise (though u can't actualli go beyond e sunrise technicalli speakin)..

People are people

"People are people so why should'nt we? u n i should get along so awfulli..i noe dat u hate though i've done nothin wrong"..e lyrics of Depeche Mode's People realli say it all bout e complexity n confusion of human relationships n human responses..

lateli, i've been so tired , not juz of sch work n all..but also by e multitude of small wars n conflicts regardin pple i noe here in Nescastle..its tirin 2 get involved in it all..but sometimes, we got 2 step back n let e storm blow itself out..

2 those who noe wats goin on, i think we shd juz concentrate on our work n e gd parts of e frenship with othrs..2 those not in e noe..lets juz sae human beins r sensitive creatures esp guys with our egos n frail hearts..dats 1 reason i refuse 2 work at home..even at 9 or 10 at nite..i'll still come 2 e library/studio 2 do work...we all need 2 get away frm it all sometimes..n besides..i hav a very clear dichotomy..home is for sleep n sch for work..i dun traditionalli do work at home or sleep in sch..its part of my work-life philosophy developed in e army..

i wish dat life were less complicated with such inter-personal human relationship comedies n tragedies (not 2 mention e drama serials n documentaries)..i mean..i've learnt more bout human problems in Newcastle den in e army..n dat is a lot lor...well, i'm juz gonna do mi part in everythin liao n not b so worried even if pple i noe decide 2 fight World War 3..

one trick i will appli...seein e gd side of things as they appli 2 mi..whethr its regardin gals or frens ..dats y i'm a happy-go-lucky person..i used 2 b more easili affected n am by nature broodin..but i've let lots of things go in life..n as a Christian..i alwaez see it dat wateva insults n injuries for mi fall on Christ' body on dat cross.."the wounds inflicted on u hav fallen on Mi" ...n there is healin..

Mounties

Jamie up high-n-lofty

The Horse n his boy

Horse was placid; but fought mi on mounting

Weird Tots

when u're tired, things start 2 pop up in e head like some strange mental Brownian Motion..unexplained, unaccounted for n definiteli unwelcome..

i figure its probabli at e confluence of e realms of dream, suppressed desire n exhausted delirium dat causes such tots n feelins 2 arise..but strangeli as a side note..i find i write extremeli well in such chaotic circumstances..on e wellspring of creativity i find miself..n i can feel e urge 2 write/draw on my tinglin finger-tips

i find miself askin wat e term,sophormoric romance means..i saw dat phrase 1st on Shian aka Rex's blog..n wonder wat it all means..does it mean puppy love..or dat strange time when everythin is magical n u r given to attractions to membrs of e opposite sex?or simpli common infactuation dat constructs an image of someone dats false but loveli to our sight?

i'm not doin dis cos of any rubbish relaionshp probs of mi own..cos i've come 2 a point where i honestli say i dun like any1..not even myself..onli Christ n He's different..hahaha..i'm delirious afta not sleepin for a whole nite..dats y..so indulge mi..

i fell prey 2 dat tendency often times in mi life 2 noe dat franli, its a hidden desire 2 run away from e problems of life thru such poppy-cock(dats a new term)..so i advice walkin away when such desires threaten...n learnin 2 watch e danger signs is very relevant 2 such troubles..just bcos we think we like some1 does not mean we do..some of my frens i noe need 2 realise dat n realli wake up 2 e harsh light of day..

of course, if i could do it all over again in my past failed relationships, i would not change a thing..n sometimes, just sometimes, when i hear a certain piece of music, e magic comes back..n i feel alive once again..n i realise how far i've fallen from e magic of those days..schrage musik is wat e Germans call such deja vu acoustics..they remind mi of my ex..but honestli, i would not do wat i did for her to anothr gal now..or any1..n i would not want 2 b hurt by someone else e way i let miself get hurt back then..for her yes all over again if i went back in time..for someone else today, i dun think so (as far as i can tell)...on e same level of paradox as e statement, everything i say is a lie..including dis statement"

when i was a teen, i was like a lamb...but there was magik..when dat lamb was butchered as blood sacrifice for e adult 2 rise, dat magik died with him..now all dat remains is a sleek black form..smooth as shadow n dark as nite..i miss dat lamb sometimes...

Wing-roll

i alwaez tot dat e end of sem was a wonderful opportunity for a victory roll..end of sch, end of troubles..end of all sorts of pressures n time to miself..n dat trip to Tioman with Kian n e guys..

did we not enjoy e "Lord dismiss us with thy blessin, thanks for mercies past received" n hated e same hymn with e lyrics for beginnin of term in secondary sch?

i'm not doin a victory roll now..n i'm not singin any endin of term hymn..if any song, its "Amazin Grace" when i get thru...

e sum of my experiences dis sem can be stated with some ease..with work, double hard n a design inclination towards e tutor's style..i'll give him back wat he likes..but with some curves..afterall, am i not part of e Newcastle University Anti-Box-n-Square-Edges Design Group?

where relationships r concerned..i'm playin Qing Fei De Yi n K Ge Zhi Wang a lot..i need some solitary time n time with frens who giv a rat's ass bout mi...n e strategy of keepin my distance from e female species seems 2 b workin juz fine..i've ended e semester happier n with less worry than b4..

wats left? Faith? i wish i could say honestli dat i dun need more of dat but uh-uh...i can't in all honest openess say dat..faith is a little thing dat goes a long way they say..well den, who's e guy who does not need or want more of dat little thing for life's long, n arduos, n oftentimes, bitchy journey?

i giv e final word to the DeLirium..newest addition 2 my charactr..dis gets chaotic from here...computers let go of mi n i fell into e air of the sea..now there i am without a head..brain left under my arm n i'm sayin hi..left of rite is e wrong way as i board e plane to sail for there..where is there? here? coming away n i-want-2-tell-my-housemate-2wake-up...no more cat love-makin..no more fren-sad bizness..i can't go near pple..i'm afraid of gettin hurted..huntin now..no more hurtin..

Innocence lost?

at 12:53 am in e mornin 1 day b4 sch ends u'd think i'm havin a ball..but further from e truth u could not hope 2 b..assignment rushin is no joy or fun i tell u..e insane side of mi u saw juz now i suppressd a while back with great difficulty..

i alwaez tot life overseas was cool until i came 2 e rat-hole called Newcastle..a rat-hole dats wat it is...n i'm a rat dat got himself down e wrong hole n can't find my way out..man, for all u noe its e labyrinth of Kronoss for mi..

its very dumb la,comin 2 a rural place for a tertiary education..i dun usualli say dis cos e opportunity 2 study abroad is a divine gift oredi..but at 1 am now, how bad it is gets 2 mi real hard..

oh, wat i'd give for a listen 2 class 95, Perfect 10 or even jiu san san..i miss home man..feelin so screwy with work 2 complete still after dis n prcious lil' time 2 sleep..n frankli, i dunno how well i'll do cos tutors alwaez giv mi marks less den dat for local students..

man, i gotta stop indulgin in dis rotten self-pity dat eats mi from within..guess university is anothr case of innocence lost for mi..i oredi hav precious little of dat remainder of childhood as it is..

Evil birds of prey

e insanity-dat-perceives is back n here it is..be warned..dis gets chaotic from here on..

bird flies past e nest n prey birds arise from cukoo's palace..y i hav 2 do bad in life i noe..or mayb i dunno u? a grey wall comes up when i walk on my giant bridge dat spans cities n universes..how 2 see byond..

black mark on head or is it in head of urs..or mine? aeroplane flies thru sea of fish (guppies!)..bad marks drop from wheels of plane n swim b4 explodin like 10 million Tokyos...no, it should b Hiroshima..Nagasaki? no sense..

noe cents? 18 cents change for 36 fishes(guppies!) ..17 dollars for a million? n mr bad bad card cometh..sorry..wat goes wrong here? y can't it b wright? eat e rats carcass..kitty...onli rats left when u fail...hav i failed? schwork? 1 mark short? or mayb it goes swimmingli tomorrow..n i pass..livin in a land under e sun where white is e colour of e rainbow..yeloow is bad...God made yeelow too..but white man think white god is God n yeelow has no cover frm white god in land of white where e rainbow falls..

different n wats-e-othr-word-for-bad...not good enuff..unhappy..unsatisfied..undelighted..unhinged..ANGeR dragon stirs in sleep cavern..i need mi God...

Let mi Gush

truth b told, i've alwaez been an arts sorta guy..esp stuff like writin or drawin abstract rubbish..

i've just discovered dis great work of architecture dats called the Hurva Synagogue in Israel, designed by Louis I Kahn, a Jew of the diaspora..too bad it was never actualli built..it would hav been a counterpoint on the landscape to the Dome of the Rock, which was less than 5 km away..afterall..e original building was demolished by the Jordanian army when it occupied the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem in 1947..

Its one of 3 buildings i've seen so far dat realli says somethin 2 mi..e other 2 are the Church of Notre-Dame Du Haut in Ronchamp, France by Le Corbusier n e Soviet Pavilion at the 1937 Paris Exhibition by Boris Iofan..

they realli show dat God allows human hands to glorify Him with earthly pastels of concrete, steel and brick..especialli since 2 of these 3 structures were constructed (or were planned) on e site of ruins of e same name..n e 3rd is a reminder dat nations brought low can rise again like e mythical phoenix..I want 2 see God rebuildin e walls that were torn down by men (in Nehemiah) n uncloggin e wells that were the legacy of our forefathers (as with Issac)..i remembr dat line from Lord of the Rings, "Reforged shall be the sword that was broken, the crownless again shall be king"...some of u noe who n wat event i'm hintin at rite?

Muses and Flutes

music alwaez accompanied mi thru e dark periods of my life..throughout my adolescent years, angry music like Green Day, Bon Jovi, Guns and Roses and Linkin Park was an outlet for no small number of angst-ridden issues..

in e army, retro songs like Square Rooms took mi far along my flights of fantasy n dark insanity..oh i forgot 2 mention, soppy love ballads brought mi thru my junior college years..

n as i get older, i return once again 2 my Han Chinese roots with Chinese music of complex harmonies n on-key croonin..the songs of e past dun just leave or fade away..they r filled with memory..sometimes sad, sometimes joyous..n some remain favourites 2 dis day, like e worship of Hillsongs n e praise of e Planetshakers as well as e unforgettable Christian cynisism of Jars of Clay..but undoubtedli, all these thousands of songs (at least as many as i can get my hands on) remain on my I-pod for listenin..

sometimes, its not dat as we get older we adopt different philosophies or tastes..its just dat we see more from different perspectives..n we all need a standpoint for our views n faith dat sythesizes n integrates wat we are at a point in time n space in dis universe..dats called a worldview..

Basics of faith n values will remain thruout each age in our lives..but worldviews change as we relate to pple n events differentli..how can i reach out 2 pple of a certain mindset if i dun understand e way they think n feel? i dun hav 2 be like them, but watever is good, n noble n pure of somebody's thinkin i can relate to easily, n use dat 2 springboard a witness in2 their lives of my faith n ideals..

i've alwaz admired Matteo Ricci who brought e gospel to China (albeit in a Catholic form)..he wore e robes of a Buddhist monk n carried e bible in e external form of an ancient sutra so e Chinese could understand dat dis truth was old yet strangeli familiar to e hearts of men from their most primal instincts..

wats good n true has e tendency 2 point 2 the Almighty..but it must b brought out..how can dat b if my choice of language is outdated n useless for today?

Dili Force

when i started dis blog, i said dat certain parts would b devoted 2 religion n current affairs..e faith part has been addressed sufficientli regular but i've neglected e current affairs portion a bit since comin 2 Australia..

e recent armed intervention of Australian troops in Timor-Leste jolted mi out of my quiet reverie (i checked guys n its not revellie as e semi-educated n semi-idiot SAF CSMs call it; but reverie)..

of course, any country bein called 2 intervene in another's troubles will tend towards a high-n-mighty attitude..we dun hav such problems so we can send troops 2 help u poor losers..n of course pictures of M113s n Australian soldiers carryin Belgian Fabrique Nationale General Purpose Machine Guns n Austrian Steyr-Aug Commando Carbines is great political capital for e John Howard government..we r e great peace-makers n we r e great defenders of civilisation..

havin served in e armed forces before, i say dis not 2 e discredit of the soldiers on e ground doin e hard, hazardous n thankless work, but 2 e shame of their political task-masters who milk them for every ounce of political advantage possible..i applaud those who serve in e brotherhood of soldierin anywhere..but boo the armchair generals n Cabinet of skeletons in power..

i wonder when Singapore will send her troops in..mayb e PECG (Peace-Keepin Engineer Construction Group) for re-construction purposes..or medical teams..milkin soldiers for political capital i despise..but issuin political statements thru e labour n sweat of soldiery is somethin noble..the Timorese n Australians must b told.."where is Singapore? n where is Timor-Leste? Yet y are they here n helpin pple n how do they do it?"

What a sight! RSS Intrepid n Enterprise sailin in2 e harbour of Timor-Leste 1 warm evenin..e Singaporeans hav arrived....

Anti-Rationalism, Revolution n Rebellion

i like the Sandman n associated series of stories by Neil Gaiman bout the realms of the heart, subconsious, soul n spirit..n my favourite character is not Morpheus, Lord of Dreams or even beautiful n mysterious Death, embodiment of ending n conclusions...no, my favourite character is Delirium..with her associated lack of sanity n chaotic mixin of words in complex phrases..like "wats the word for the start of somethin that is not the same as wat was there before and which u dunno wat it is?" Change..

i think dat in life we should not b so rational n logical..its not the Time of the Modern Movement anymore..the age of the machine gods of modernism is past..the age of the post-modern world of religion, spirituality n pluralism is upon humanity..

i may b Christian, but i dun believe Christianity is a by-word for the intellectual worship of the Rational Deity..nor is it the the deification of the primal forces of Revolution and Rebellion..Christianity is so much more..n in the post-modern climate of things, i can say that a Christian follows Christ thru e Bible n worships Him..but the modes of worship need not b purely rational...its time dat Christians return 2 truth n spirituality (in e Bible but) apart from intellectualism n rational logic..

see e wind in e willows? it blows leaves everywhere..i like the leaves dat blow the wind..a great house is being built by the wind...n its name is called The Bible according to Faith n with less wats-that-thing-dat-feels-like-sponge-in-my-head?oh Brains.......

The Christian message has been harmed so greatly by liberal, rational theology that doubts God's power..now with e Post-modern Movement, those who believe hav found a force as powerful 2 strike back..unleash e winds of change..

X marks e Spot

sometimes we all need to reach out into our surroundins n explore..we need to form a new synthesis of our internal being (thoughts and feelins) n our external surroundings..dis is e essence of Metabolism in architecture..n a good philosophy for life..

i reached out into mi surroundins yesterday nite...went with some archi classmates (locals n international students) 2 catch my first movie in Australia..X-Men 3:Last Stand..its like a theatre at Golden Village back home..same large viewin theatres(8 in all) with e same pop-corn n coke combos..except they also offer nuggets n french fries meals for eatin in e cinema..n e same video games arcade next 2 e theatre where e latest versions of House of the Dead n Daytona can b found..

of course, its a single storey sprawlin complex instead of a multi-storey vertically sprawlin complex..e movie was ok wth unexpected outcomes n more main charcters bein killed off than would hav been imagined..suits e title Last Stand realli...n a few insignificant, sideline creatures comin in who were realli of no consequence to e movie..

n of course, e ang mohs behind were up 2 their loud laughin n commentary tricks as usual which was quite iritatin at times..but its been said that e company one watches a movie with makes all e difference between a great n a mediocre movie..n with e crowd i was with, it was agreat experience..i got 2 noe dat first year afgan classmate of mine betta..n found out he was actualli an Iranian Parsi..n my fren Dimitri, Russian national who's goin back to Russia in June n who speaks excellent Russian (Shaun will love him) n Japanese..

well, i'll definiteli want 2 go out with these guys again..plus e other Local Aussie frens like Leon n Gary who organised e trip to e movies in e 1st place..i think i understand e meanin of e term Fellow Travellers now..which reminds mi..i gotta check e library for a copy of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress after dis..God bless guys..