the first sign of a different xmas this season

i just read  an article titled, Parents' desperate plea: No more ads for toys from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27969265/

i really think this will be a different christmas for the middle class americans who have struggling been this whole period of time. i don't know why but i always think the americans families won't care so much about their kids. probably it was cause of misperception of that americans kids are more independent.

anyway, it is quite sad to hear that parents are worried that they can no longer afford the toys for the kids. some are like even going to the desperate ways such as prostituting to get the money for the toys. perhaps it is a good time to let the kids know what they are going through right now especially this whole economic situation is just gonna be different for a period of time. giving in to them all the time is probably gonna make them a spoilt brat.. i will think people grow faster in dire situation. anw.. i do think spending time as a family will be a good way to get through this special xmas.

i wonder whether this will be happening in singapore. i know it won't happen cos of xmas.. but how about stuff like parents slogging their lives to get to prestigious schools and to ensure that their kids don't get left out among their classmates. sometimes as a kid, we could hardly understand what parents are going through to get us to what we have today.

this article just serves as another reminder for us to get home and hug ur parents and say I LOVE U to them. it is never too late to appreciate what they have been doing for u.

mugging

these thoughts just cross my mind when i was on my mind walking back to biz library to resume studying...

for the past 2 weekends, people have been flocking to the various study hotspots all over NUS to study for the finals. at least hundreds and i am sure of that number. the only thing one their is to mug. pinning their hope that through mugging, it will bring the best out of their academic result. however, i don't believe studying and results are proved to be positively related for sure somehow. if you study 100 hours and the another guy who did 20 hours, you might not necessarily outscore him. it doesn't work that way and we all know it. a stroke of luck and genius on the actual day play a greater role for sure.

if you really study hard, then the more you sure get a good CAP score to reflect it. no one will know how much effort you put in if your result doesn't qualify you for the honors. that's the cold hard  practical fact of the society. the only way for people to recognize your effort that you have put in throughout the uni is to show it in your CAP score.

no one gives a damn if u can't do well academically. so what if you excel in your sports, the head of some 20 man committee or what so ever, no result now will mean no dreams for the future.

as i continue to watch people mug their life out, i wonder who will the stepping stone for others to their greater future. there's bound to be losers and winners. no one hates losing but someone gonna lose. it is just the cold fact..

sometimes, i wish that everyone is a winner... no losers in this world.

youtube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=casUr9UsabY

catch this video... kinda funny

customer services

Northern Optics.

one of the reasons why i keep heading back to northern optics for continuous supply of contact lens is their good customer services. the moment i stepped into the store last week to order my new pairs of contact lens, the optician immediately recognized me and called out my name. the last time i saw her was probably 7 months ago and yet she remembered my name. the check up and purchase were done in less than 10 mins. i then returned on the weekend wanting to purchase some daily lens as the ordered pair is still yet to be delivered. the optician then gave me 2 pairs of daily lens with astigmatism for FREE. i wanted to pay but he just said it is okay and i can have it for free. probably he felt bad for making me need to wait so long for my new pairs of lens but by giving me the free lens is a good of making it up.

chapter 2
the moment i stepped into the bugis branch on monday, i was almost stunned. all the hairstylist were ah beng and ah lians. what happened to chapter 2? anw, if the front is to be kept long and i said i want short for behind, it is quite obvious that that's wasn't a need to be too short. that ah lian hairstylist got everything wrong. there is no point in asking whether i am fine with the length of the hair when it was cut too short. it was a disaster hair cut. no wonder the ah lian then give me her name card after everything was done.

the sleep b4 the storm

i can't believe how long i have slept. i slept till 1030 am in hall and then i drove home. i started sleeping at 1230 till 4 pm. woke up for late lunch and watch tv. continue to sleep after dinner from 9 till 12 midnight. so a total of 12 hrs~!!!

my goosh.. i am turning into a pig. but seriously, i m feeling much more energetic right now that any of the past few days.

i am thinking about my final terms. seriously, it seems like an uphill battle. my mid terms are pretty average except for one screwed up stats module which did real badly. and because of that particular module, i have to get an A somewhere to pull it to average of 4.0 or else it won't have any effects on the overall score. and this sem could turn up to be as bad as previous...

u see how screw this whole system of scoring is.. one damn module can do the sufficient damage that will condemn ur result.

i better hit the books b4 i got hit by the books.

say sheares

this year night cycling was really a different one. for the past few night cycling that i went to, rain never cross the mind and i got a good bike finally !  

everything was fine, kinda enjoyable. from sheares to harbor front to lao pa sat, the journey was good. the rain came at four when we were leaving the stadium and from then on, the cycling journey became a different story.

the rain came and went a few times, we were cold and some were shivering. really a different experience. the rain forced us to seek shelter at various places and i guess the hot drinks were the only warmth we could get at that point.

as time was running out, we really had to cycle in the rain back to ECP in the end. i put on the helmet and water started dripping down. somehow this reminds me of my army days when i had to RTU during rain. the mind was switched off for a moment and i was thinking what the hell am i doing all these.. haha exactly same thoughts as the army days when things were really screwed up. i just followed the person in front and hope for the journey to end soon.

the rain may have spoilt the night but it could just add on to the memorable hall one could get. nevertheless, with me around, the night is never accident free. haha.. thanks andee for crashing into me at the corner and sorry yifeng for crashing into you at the top of the speed.