http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=OPMeCrIiqOw

This song healed me and my heart.

I stopped smoking.
I stopped it for he who cares.
I stopped it for he who matters.

I have done it.

SECRET

After visiting a fair share of "Thailand Forums" one notices that newbies will often ask if they should go to Bangkok, Pattaya or both. They also usually want to know how long they should stay at each place - if they go to both.

As a seasoned traveler to Thailand for over 30 years, I tend to be a bit cynical and advise most to just go straight to Pattaya. But, there are arguments to be made to stop by and visit Bangkok for a few days too.

I have toned down my advice a bit and usually tell the newbie to visit Bangkok for 2 to 3 days at the beginning of his trip and then spend the rest of the 2 or 3 weeks in Pattaya. Everyone should see Bangkok at least once.

There is a lot to see in Bangkok if you can ever get to where you want to go. Traffic is usually moving along at a snail's pace and the meter in the taxi keeps ticking away. Walking around is hot and the streets are lined with vendors that block the sidewalk and will try any tactic to get you to stop and buy something from their stall. And, if you are walking around at night, you will have to watch out for the lady-boys and the muggers (as you would in almost any large city).

Once you suffer taxis and heat, there are numerous clubs, bars, and restaurants that would rival the best anywhere in the world. With prices being extremely low (despite the strengthening of the Baht), you can have a great night out on the town for a minimal amount of money.

Throw in inexpensive hotels, excellent shopping, and the friendliest people in the world, and you will have an experience unlike any you have ever had. Then, on your second visit to Thailand, you can just go straight to Pattaya.

I was pondering over this word.camaraderie.

Dictionary.com says

a spirit of familiarity and trust existing between friends
Goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among friends; comradeship.

Mr Lee (yours truly) says
a sense of comfort and belonging within the zone of a select few friends.

Some may say my select few are 1 too many.
But Those who know me, know me that i place my friendships above all. Above women.
To choose btw bro or woman.

That's easy.
That's perhaps why I m still single.

Someone reminded me in early Jan 2011, you've been single 7 or 8 years ah. why like that.

My reply shocked myself.

小时候的我们都是... ...笨蛋

小时候，我们常有不平凡的梦想.
长大了，残酷的现实毁灭了当初天真的梦想。

小时候，我们可以为了一只棒棒糖而开心一整天。
长大了，哪怕是一大箱的棒棒糖也满足不了我们。

小时候，我们天不怕，地不怕。
长大了，恐惧与怀疑从不曾离我们而去。

小时候，有任何不满或委屈我们都可以毫无顾虑的哭。
长大了，我们失去了大声哭泣的权利。


原来，小时候的我们，已近随着年龄的增长，... ... 慢慢的... ... 消失了.....

Aging

As I grow up, I find myself more and more different from yesteryears. I have no clue as to what has happened and transpired btw the years... Is it my distrust of strangers or is it my blind loyalty to friends.

Many.. And I dare say much more than many times, I would risk life and limb for a friend in need. But look again now today.. I will tink and consider before responding.. Its not abt nt wanting to help but to really tink of the consequences and the many what ifs and what nots and what what's.

I look back and rethink my life. Its kinda depressing. Kinda worrying too.

If I die, pls give me more pek kim. No need funeral and the works. Just collect pek kim and torch my body in some random ulu place.. Hahhahaha..

Secondly on aging, 1 of the tragedies of LIFE, as we grow up, our parents age too. 1 of the things which no matter how much I do, I always find myself not doing enuff. Is caring for my mother. Coz my dad is no more. Deceased as it says.

I do think that I can do a lot better than birthdays, mothers day, anniversaries etc etc.

I endeavour to improve myself. Work harder to provide for her remaining years.

Lastly love.
Sent from BlackBerry

Expectations

National day 2011 is different for me this year. *smiles*

Post national day was nite marish.
My system latency problems went into over drive from 20mins to well over 3hrs.

All I could muster was 'wait and see'

Lately I caught onto sumtin...
My boss has this expectation of me being able to answer everything whenever she wants it.

I sometimes find it hard to do this.

Yet I manage to pull thru always.
I tink I damn lucky.

God, anyone out there who shares my deep deep love for BO. Business objects, you idiotssSsssssss...

End of the day I find that having a someone up there mentality really helps to take away most stress. Its really impt.

Sent from BlackBerry

Happy Birthday Hope of God Church

This is the video for our 20th anniversary.

I joined Hope in Dec 1993.
Thus began my journey with my God and my friend.

To Fulfill the Great Commission in our Lifetime
By Building Strong & Biblical disciples to plant Strong & Biblical Churches in Singapore and All over the world.

I remember those days where we recite this to death.

Along the way i met many friends.
Many have left and we still remain as great friends.

Some stayed on. And those that remain, we remain close and tight buddies.

Today years on, we are in different stages of our lives.
Though not many are doing what we want to do but in our heart of hearts,
We persist to be the best we can be, in our own realms, in our own worlds.
at least i know i do. And not counting the countless times i fail
(ED: YEsh i suck.)

1 day, we will just sit down, sip our lattes and smile at each other all day long and nothing else will matter then.


1 day. Just 1 day.

INK

有一些人很多时候都是疯疯癫癫的，可是心里却是很不开心的.
他们会用微笑或笑声来留著身边的每一个人，
不想负的面情绪影响别人，因为身边的人不开心，他会更伤心...
只要身边的人开心，他也会跟着开心了~
即使自己不开心，也希望身边的人可以开开心心的活下去... ...

Remembering father's day

Today marks 4 years of my dad's death anniversary.

Hope he is enjoying himself. Wherever he is.
Sent from BlackBerry

因為有你 (Because of you)

Today Service they sang this song.
I stood listening to the lyrics.

Why dun you take a moment and listen to?



因為有你 我揮別過去
因為有你 生命能延續
因為有你 我不再有恐懼
心能夠得安息

因為有你 罪已得潔淨
因為有你 恩典豐沛如雨
因為有你 生命有新旋律
你已釋放我心

因為有你 軟弱的能剛強
因為有你 破碎的能歌唱
因為有你 心中充滿盼望
我能活出夢想

無盡的愛 毫無保留
主你寶血 為我而流
如今我能 得著自由
因耶穌拯救我

天堂門今敞開
神大能降下來
神百姓近前來 宣揚主愛
天堂門今敞開
神百姓來敬拜
全能神已同在

Good things do happen

As above.
Sent from BlackBerry

INK

I guess this image is one of the most heartwarming one.

Life And How To Survive It

Adrian Tan is a litigation lawyer at one of Singapore's leading law firms. Outside the courtroom, he is known for a variety of funny things, including The Teenage Textbook, which he wrote in the late 1980s. The book became a cult classic among students of that generation and was adapted into a film 10 years later.

This was his speech to the NTU graduating class of 2008.

Frankly speaking 3 yrs down the road, it still applies.

I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It’s a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.

My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.

On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I make my living being disagreeable.

Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home. That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.

And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men: when you’ve already won her heart, you don’t need to win every argument.

Marriage is considered one milestone of life. Some of you may already be married. Some of you may never be married. Some of you will be married. Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.

The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You’re done learning.

You’ve probably been told the big lie that “Learning is a lifelong process” and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters’ degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on. You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers. Don’t you think there is some measure of conflict of interest? They are in the business of learning, after all. Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.

The good news is that they’re wrong.

The bad news is that you don’t need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone. That may come as a shock to some of you. You’re in your teens or early twenties. People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.

I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people. But I’m here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.

You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy. We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There’s very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup. Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.

Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.

So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you’ll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and prosper.

Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they’re 50, 40, 30 years old. Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation. They would be very disappointed that they didn’t meet their life expectancy.

I’m here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy.

After all, it’s calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average.

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.

That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don’t need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life’s a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it. Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Your degree is a poor armour against fate.

Don’t expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.

What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.

The most important is this: do not work.

Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable.

Work kills. The Japanese have a term “Karoshi”, which means death from overwork. That’s the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there’s nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust.

There’s a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are “making a living”. No, they’re not. They’re dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful.

People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free. The slogan "Arbeit macht frei" was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps. Utter nonsense.

Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.

Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself.

I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator. I enjoy it and I would do it for free. If I didn’t do that, I would’ve been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction – probably a sports journalist.

So what should you do? You will find your own niche. I don’t imagine you will need to look very hard. By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do. In fact, I’ll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions. By this time you should know what your obsessions are. If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.

Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don’t, you are working.

Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth. I’m not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things. The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth. Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.

In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror.

I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it’s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one’s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn’t say “be loved”. That requires too much compromise. If one changes one’s looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.

Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We’ve taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work – the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul.

Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn’t happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.

You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.

You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don’t, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Don’t work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.

You’re going to have a busy life. Thank goodness there’s no life expectancy