guys, i've moved to www.new-shrine-of-the-heart.blogspot.com. No particular reason for the shift la...hope to keep u guys updated with more corny tales and lame jokes.

I've been thinking about what I want to do in the future.

A year ago, I wrote a five-year plan. I'm pleased that some of the objectives have been met. For instance, I finally got my driving licence. I picked up salsa. I moved out. Some of my other dreams will take more time, but I'm willing to wait because I believe that nothing good comes easy.

I am struggling to overcome the massive reading list that has been plonked in front of me. It's hard not to be intimidated by the overwhelming workload. Guess what? Tutorials have not even started yet. Some of my peers are already mugging hard and spending up to eight hours a day reading case books and legal writing guides. I know that somebody in my OG has even crashed lectures before.

Well, good luck to these people. Hope they get into the Dean's List.

As for me, the two things that I am going to bring into the classroom are an open mind and a positive attitude. I've realised that reading Law is a privelege that I must not take for granted. I do not aspire to get into the Dean's List, but I hope that I will not disappoint myself. I will do my best and make the most out of this opportunity.

Just a couple of days ago, I was behaving childishly and wallowing in self-pity. I was an angry man whining about school work!

Well, I'm glad I've passed that stage. From now on, I hope to approach my work with more passion and enthusiasm. I want to be a more focussed and inquisitive learner. I want to be someone who is confident enough to form an opinion and take a principaled stand. I will choose good role models...Above all, I want to let my strengths come into the open. I realise that there are many bright aspects of my personality that have been hidden for too long.

At the same time, I hope to become more sensitive to the feelings of others. I want to make people laugh and be happy. I aspire to be somebody with the potential to make a positive difference to the people I love.

I am amazed by my sudden change in perspective. I went to bed one night feeling empty and depressed...yet when I woke up, I felt energetic and driven.

God has his reasons for leading me to this path. I have trust in his infinite wisdom.

Bitten by the flu bug...

Lying in bed now. I really hope that my neighbour stops playing his accordion or whatever satanic musical instrument he is playing now...I can't get any rest because it sounds as if a goat is being eviscerated in the house next door.

How can anybody tahan that odious noise!

Anyway, I've got two little spires of wet tissue shoved up my nostrils like a pair of soggy tampons...utterly miserable, poor little me.

Actually, the flu is not so bad. Lying around in bed in a feverish haze is probably a little like getting high on pot...You feel all light and floaty! It's the ulcers that are giving me hell. I get ulcers all the time but this time, I have a crater under my tongue and another one at the tip of my tongue.

I wonder if I should go for the beach bash tommorow...It's a Hobson's choice, really. If I don't go, people will talk. If I turn up but meet everyone with my shagged, fevered face, people will wonder what's wrong with me...I'd definitely put everyone off with my bad vibes.

So how?

I've just received my first traffic summons...Twelve demerit points for beating a red light...

Words cannot describe how shitty I feel now. In fact, I feel like I've just bungee jumped into the toilet bowl.

Ever since I got my driving licence, I've been trying my best to be a safe and considerate driver. A fatal moment of hesitation, as well as my indecisiveness, caused my downfall. If I had accelerated and cleared the pedestrain crossing before the amber light turned red, I would have avoided this costly mistake. However, I dithered and ended up stopping ON the crossing...no small distance ahead of the stop line. Unfortunately, the red light camera was not under routine maintainence at that point of time...

I don't know why I made such a silly mistake. Was it inexperience? Was it complacency? Was something wrong with my brakes? I'm still trying to find out why I lost control at the junction.

I've worked so hard for the licence...and now I have put myself in great danger of losing it. I just hope that this lesson stays with me for a long time to come. Well, I guess its time to move on...

I'm grateful that my family and friends have been coming forward to console me. Thanks guys, I really appreciate your kind words. Mum gave me a good tongue-lashing, but she gave words of encouragement as well.

It's times like this when you learn how important the people around you are. If not for them, I'd be feeling much worse...

At last!

The Daphne Khoo story is up! After weeks of hard work, Ker and I have finally finished our job:)
It's time for him to kick off his boots and take a break...I am glad that the time has come for me to move on to my other stories.

Working on the DK story was challenging yet fun. The experience really exposed me to the local indie rock scene. It was a privilege to catch West Grand jamming at HOME Club. We got invited to their exclusive album launch party too!

This was the first time I was responsible for managing the photo shoots. It was definitely a steep learning curve. Initially, I was a bit apprehensive when I found out that Paul was not behind the camera...I was like, " this new guy can anot? " Thankfully, my fears were unfounded. The photo shoot was brilliant. I felt a small sense of achievement for conceptualising the shoot and successfully managing our conflicting schedules!

Daphne was also very friendly and approachable...which made the whole process fun for everyone.

This marks the end of my first attempt managing the project. Now to move on to smaller things:)

Anyway, here's the url to my story:
http://www.funkygrad.com/campus/displayarticle.php?artID=782&subcat=personality

I love days when my creative juices flow!

I'm currently planning the menu for my 21st Birthday dinner. It's going to be a cosy and intimate affair. I'll be having a few of my closest friends over for a great meal and some fabulous wine.

Initially, I wanted to attempt something grandoise and awe-inspiring...something with an element of showmanship...something that would make Ferran Adria or Emmanuel Stroobant look like dull and dreary prudes. I wanted to make their emulsions and soup bubbles look safe. Fortunately, sensibility prevailed and I changed my mind. Eventually I decided to stick to something tried and tested. However, I am pretty certain that my guests will still be in for some pleasant surprises!

Usually, I am very careful to steer clear of what is commonly labelled "Fushion Food". Personally, I am not a big fan of oddities like spaghetti laksa and lemongrass pudding. I have always prided myself for not succumbing to the "Fushion" fad when it was still in season. To me, it is important for different cuisines to preserve their cultural identity. I am a sucker for authenticity and I am a purist when it comes to traditional dishes. Fushion is confusion. However, I have decided to throw my prejudices to the wind and do some experimentation this time. When I was planning the menu, I tried to build bridges between different culinary cultures. The results proved to be quite refreshing.

I had alot of fun conceptualising the canapes! I am trying to make each item a visual art piece. I sucked at Art in school, but I am thoroughly satisfied with some of my creations. Hopefully, they would not be overshadowed by Brian's masterpieces on the actual day. I shall refrain from going into details. All I'd reveal at this point of time is, "small is beautiful".

The main courses proved to be very challenging. I tried to come up with dishes that allow the beauty of each ingredient to express itself. At the same time, I had to ensure that the flavours compliment each other. I wanted contrasting flavours, but I was also careful to make sure that the more intense flavours would not overwhelm the subtler naunces. I'm glad that I managed to harmonise everything, on paper at least.

I really want to surprise my guests with the dessert;)

Dinner with the Senior Counsel was simply beautiful...

The Acacia provided a great Al Fresco experience. We were in an oasis, dining amidst verdant palms and the fragrance of Frangipanis. Thankfully, no mosquitoes came to bug us...it would have ruined this wonderful setting.

The food definitely needs to be improved. A credible rendition of Aglio Olio was marred by rubbery mussels that were unbearably dry...The Caesar's salad was pedestrain and lacked panache. It was also missing the mandatory poached egg. Needless to say, I was unimpressed. Worse, we had to pay for chilled water...and that came in a bottle of Ice Mountain...The pauper's Pellegrino...

The menus were quite tatty as well...I spotted at least half a dozen spelling and grammar errors...I don't usually do this, but these mistakes were just too glaring and obstrusive...

"Ceasar's salad" anybody?

"Muzzles in white wine"?

When a menu contains too many typos, it reflects quite badly on the establishment.

The saving grace of the bistro is the warm and unobstrusive service. The wait staff were attentive to our needs and even placed a mosquito coil under our table. Of course, this was after they overheard me complaining! Rather vocally, if I may add.

After dinner, we went for some sweets at Olivia's in Serangoon Gardens. I am a big fan of gelato. I've always had a soft spot for lemon and tiramisu, but I decided to give other flavours a try. The emerald green apple looked enticing enough, but it was cloyingly sweet. There was no semblance whatsoever to the taste of green apples. It tasted as fake as a silicon implant. The Mocha was not too bad...I was pleasantly surprised by the thin topping of rich coffee dust.

The Senior Counsel had the Oreo gelato...she got her teeth black, which I found really cute.

At the end of the evening, I sent her home. It was very dark and I could not tell which house was hers ( I swear I know the difference during the day!). I sent her to the wrong house...but she was cool about it.

In a sense, the past two weeks have been surreal. I still can't believe that we are doing stuff together. It seems as if we never lost touch in the last three years. I don't know what the future brings. As of now, I am perfectly contented to enjoy her company. It's great to just take her out for dinner once awhile and listen to her talk. I feel very blessed that she is back in my life.

Somehow, I believe the feeling is mutual.