The Mystical Christmas.

Indeed, the lyricists of 'Sleigh Ride' couldn't have said it better: There's a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy. Christmas time has always been special to me and even though it's boxing day, I still can hear the bells ringing. Suffice to say, my experiences that led to December 25th have made this Christmas mystical. It started in end October and here it goes..

• Compiling 'Absolut Christmas 08'- The rock style playlist of my top 25 songs
  
• Listening to 'When a Child is Born' a few hundred times on repeat and singing it while taking showers
  
• Plucking a twig of Holly for a very special someone
  
• Watching Santas stream down Park Street in Harley Davidson motorcycles
• Attending a magnifique candlelit Christmas service in Bristol
• Witnessing Park street being dressed in holiday style
• Starbucks Toffee Nut Latte
  
• Strolling along Oxford Street
  
• Sporting a red outfit at the Christmas dinner at Arlington Villas
• Hardcore shopping for Christmas presents which involved alternating between Takashimya and Paragon; the piped in carols made the whole experience all the more bearable
• Chilling in the car for 10min carol relief
  
• Making a pit stop at the 10 dollar coffee shop (Cova) for rest
  
• Wrapping a present and writing cards with interesting messages
  
• Enjoying the Christmas cheer at the sheer expense of sleep
• Ice skating just outside the British Natural History Museum
• Sauntering through the streets of Bath
• Capitalizing on the Christmas sales!
• Christmas eve roast with family
• Waking up at 1am and bolting to Luke's stronghold to havoc at the Christmas party
• Had an instrumental role in finishing the keg of beer and playing pool thereafter
• Being a pseudo Zoolander
  
• Leisurely walking along the Singapore River and enjoying a quiet drink at Fullerton Hotels Post Bar
• Exchanging gifts on the Elgin Bridge
• Offering to help a random couple take a picture
  
• An insane midnight coffee rendezvous at TCC with patrons irritating us with very bad singing (was worth the laugh though)
• Celebrating the Triumph of Friendship with my fellow amigos
  

Now that Christmas is over I can't wait for the big time new year celebrations that await us. In the meanwhile, I should do some Boxing Day homework and wrap up my arguments for my essay. Happy Holidays!
-Kenough.

The Birthday

16 Dec started out as any nondescript day during the december holidays. I went for a swim, had a heavy lunch of thai food and took a long nap. I woke up, slacked around and watched tv. But things got a bit more hawok after that.

When it was 10.15 pm, I met Kenough at my place and we made our way to Wala's to buy 3 doz chicken wings for luke's surprise birthday celebration under Melia's precise instructions. However, before going to Wala's, I stopped by Kelly's place (while she was in Hokkaido) to write her a note in the Nigella's christmas cookbook I got her the week before and leave chocolates on her desk. The chocolates was a last minute decision because I thought it would be nice for her to come back and find chocolates left on her desk, on top of the christmas note I left her. More importantly, it would have been weird explaining my purpose of going to her place to her maids if I just went there to write the note; true enough, her cousin who is living with her temporarily opened the door and asked me what was the surprise and I vaguely told her I got some chocolates and was leaving her a note while heading straight for her room.

Once my first mission was complete, I embarked onto the next mission to get the chicken wings with Kenough. Once this was done, we arrived at Luke's 10 min before the stroke of midnight to prepare for the surprise birthday party. 3 funny things happened during the wait to emerge from the basement to surprise Luke. 1) Malik was somehow talking damn loudly despite Luke's presence just a few metres away upstairs. 2) Luke was talking to El from hell on the phone while the clock was going to strike midnight despite Melia's near-violent protests. In the meantime, we were raring to go upstairs with his cake in a contingent led by his mutha. 3) Luke's mutha got tired of holding the cake as he was still on the line and passed it to Malik (yes, Malik again), who somehow made a series of ridiculous noises while putting the cake down. Thankfully, everything fell into place once Luke was done with the call and we proceeded successfully with the surprise party.

The most hawok thing that happened took place at 3.15 am. After sending Andrew and Malik home, Luke dropped me at my car which was parked some way down Ladyhill Road to ensure that the birthday surprise was complete. I decided to reverse back to his house instead of doing a troublesome three-point turn. However, a lethal combination of bad luck and terrible oversight on my part by not moving further away from the curb before turning my wheels right to reverse along the centre of the road caused the front left rim to be violently and thoroughly scraped along the curb. I knew from the sound of the scraping that it was a bad one, but only when we surveyed the damage a minute later did I realize the insane extent of the damage. There were 4 options available to me in order of attractiveness: 1) Steal an unlucky fellow's rim from an HDB carpark 2) Get it repaired in half a day before my dad comes back 3) Admit liability to my dad 4) Hope he doesn't see it. Option 1 was the quickest and cost-free (I was assuming we wouldn't get caught) but it failed because even Luke's weight could not force the tool to unscrew the rim nut. Option 3 would be a life sentence on my driving skills and reputation with my dad being Judge Dredd; hence it was the second last resort. Option 4 was the worst option because any blind man could see the fucking butchered rim from a mile away. Option 2 was my best bet then.

Option 2 was proceeded with following Luke's recommendation of this car workshop in Sin Ming called Yew Lip, which in my opinion should be called Yew 'Messiah' Lip. The boss's fair and well-spoken daughter goes by the name of Angie Soh, which should be changed to Angie 'Mother Mary' Soh. Although we couldn't reach her for the better half of the day, our persistence paid off at 2.30 pm when Luke finally got her on the line. She remembered his voice instantly and also his name. However, there was long waiting list. After I explained the situation briefly, she said in the most reassuring manner to 'just drive down and I'll see what I can do'. We drove down and after inspecting the rim, she said in the same reassuring manner that she 'knew what to do' and that it could be done by 6.30 pm. In the meantime, I bought a few beers to celebrate the favourable outcome of the 'Bonnie Situation' and Luke, Melia, Kelvin and I chilled in the pool with floats and our beers. The car was done by 7.15 pm - the job was done perfectly according to my specific instructions of the damage to be rectified yet not being made to look too new so as not to arouse my dad's suspicions.

The mystery that remains unsolved is whether Angie agreed to go out of her way to help me get the car fixed due to her kind nature, my convincing, Luke's recommendation or because she secretly likes Luke. Perhaps it's a combination of the above. We ended up arriving half an hour late for Luke's birthday dinner at Longbeach with everyone else waiting. I felt really bad for making everyone wait, but was relieved that things turned out better than I could have hoped for. And of course, my dear friend Luke's (ok Melia, you deserve credit for this too since you were dragged onto this adventure while suffering from a terrible 'headache', haha) invaluable company and assistance on 17 Dec is a perfect manifestation of the ancient adage 'a friend in need is a friend indeed'.

Intermission

Hey amigos, I'm taking a short break from studying and just writing down some random thoughts. I don't really know why I'm blogging right now cos I really don't have anything to say. I guess I'mjust damn sick of exercising my brain with exam nonsense and need to express some frivolous thoughts that have no bearing on my future. I'm chilling and listening to my stash of 50 Cent and Tupac mp3s and I'm wondering (as I've wondered many times before) what is it like to step into their lives. It sounds like a damn interesting life that is totally alien to the relatively boring life I'm leading down here. 50 Cent: Many men many many many many men... wish death on me Lord I don't cry no more dont look to the sky no more have mercy on me have mercy on my soul so when my heart turn cold have mercy on many men. Tupac: I ain't a killer but don't push me, revenge is like the sweetest joy next to getting pussy. When they're not emptying clips on fellow niggas, they're having orgies, when they're not having orgies, they're rapping on mtv. These lives that are being lived on the edge trivialises the shit I'm doing right now, stuck at my desk for the better part of the day engaging in intensive bookish masochism. I wish I could rhyme trigga with nigga instead of property law and financial accounting that don't even rhyme. Well, the temporal frivolity has to unfortunately come to an end now. Christmas is coming and despite my current despair, the yuletide gay is making her way into my heart. And it sure is a nice thing that everytime I log into the blog to check up on the tagboard, I'm greeted with an uber festive interface (thanks luqman). So, bye for now and see you guys soon. It feels really sad to pry myself away from this back to my dastardly stack of books. Oh well.

Exams

Boy, I sure am glad I don't have exams this year. I get to enjoy completely unadulterated holiday cheer. I guess that is the silver lining of this nonsense research year of mine. I get a final long vacation, the likes of which I won't be likely to see again until I retire. I am making full use of it, having started on the project of reupholstering my furniture and training for my black tip in taekwondo.

Anyway, I would like to bid good luck to Justin and Malik for your exams. As it is every semester, it won't be too long before you cross that magical line seperating the exam period from the post exam period. And when you do cross it, to sweeten the deal, I shall be waiting for you guys at Wala's with an extra beer and ginger beer on the table, on the house.

Cheers!

-Luke

The Shot to Stardom

Amigos, checkout Emperor Justonian as he gets dangerous and journeys to silver/blue screen stardom. He may not be halfway there but he'd make it I swear. After all, if anything and everything is possible, something like that should not be an issue.

Emperor Style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4U7Dypf1m8

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

-Kendaman

The Vexed Day.

Today is the first time I've blown up at anyone in ages. I felt thoroughly vindicated by virtue of being totally correct and having the other person acknowledge it. Suffice to say, my verbal outburst did not stem from mere anger but also the hurt that accompanied it. Furthermore, I did not lose my temper but meant every word I said. I find it ironic that on occasion, we say caustic things and commit hurtful acts to people we care about since we've their interest at heart/mind. The common justification for doing so is to retaliate against the other's defaulting behavior. It is especially difficult to apologize in such situations, notwithstanding that that might just be the way through. Hence, many wounds are left open or poorly stitched. As mentioned earlier, this move has brought me immediate vindicative relief but I suppose this tenuous victory may become increasingly insignificant to me with time. Life has taught me that anguish eventually kicks in. This is because sometimes when we hurt others, we end up hurting ourselves double time, particularly if you care for him/her. Very aptly, c'est la vie and peace-out amigos.
-Kenneth Wong

Do you hear what I hear?

You might just be able to hear it if you try really hard. Like a whisper, lost in the wind. The sweet pealing coming from afar. Pleasing the ear with its dulcet tones. A herald of joyous times. Do you hear what I hear?

-Luke

Kotton Fields

Hola amigos, I just discovered that 'cuando yo era jovencito' is the spanish equivalent of kotton fields. I just got the version by Ramon Ayala and I'm already a big fan! Go check it out man. Nevertheless, I still prefer my rendition at ladyhill. *Ha-Ha*
-Ken the Kountry-man

The Surgery

Hey guys,

This blog entry is coming to you from the comfort of my chair in my room on this nice sunny thursday at 1523. It feels good to not be at work.

I got back from surgery a few hours back. The new scar though longer, looks significantly better than the old one. One cool thing about the surgery is that they are gonna prepare histological slides of my old scar so that I can look at it under a microscope.

At the moment my entire leg is completely immune to pain. I was injected with local anaesthesia about ten times. The surgery itself was not very unpleasant. In fact i suspect taking the plaster and dressing out will be more painful then the actual surgery.

Anyway, its really nice to have some time to myself with absolutely nothing to do and nothing to worry about. I'm sure kenneth, still on his summer holiday knows exactly what I'm talking about all too well. I plan to do nothing for the next few hours other than listen to some music, surf the net and maybe play some PS3.

On an unrelated note, something has been weighing heavy on my mind for the past week.

I can't believe I will be 26 when I graduate. 26 seems like such an absurdly old age. Unthinkable a few short years ago, when juston and myself were still messing up our O levels at RI.

Somehow, these 2.5 years since I started uni seem to have slipped past so quickly, barely leaving me with a chance to get acquainted with them or to arrest their inevitable rush forward.

I can still remember exactly what I was doing when 1999 was giving way to 2000. I can remember where I was, what songs were playing in the background, the conversations I had that night.

And now, having carelessly blinked my eyes without preparing myself for what I would see when I opened them, its 2008. Soon, an entire decade would have passed since then. It seems that the older you get, the faster time seems to pass. At least that's what it feels like to me.

That being said, the last 2.5 years have been memorable ones, filled with many moments of joy and happiness, many of which involved all you guys. Watching the World Cup, Kenneth singing cotton fields twice, going deaf at rock city, seeing the pyramids, enjoying the Aegean Sea, suprising my parents with a last minute trip back to sg and too many others to mention.

And let's not forget just chilling out. At Dan Ryan's with Justin, at Coffee Club with Kenneth, at Al Azhar with Malik.

We best treasure these precious moments, because in what may not seem like a very long time, another decade would have passed and these moments we have with each other may be few and far between as we get caught up in our careers, families, explaining to our children how when we were young, there was no such thing as the internet, TVs had curved screens and weighed a tonne, handphones looked like suitcases and then like bricks, photos were taken using something called film and how everything was so much cheaper back in the day - all the kind of things we find so strange and unreal when our parents talk to us about them - mee goreng for 30c? black and white TVs?? vinyl records???

Anyway the point I'm making it is, let's cherish the fling of youth before it clandestinely passes us by.

I don't wanna grow up, I wanna be a Toys 'R' Us kid.

Here's a toast to some of the best moments in life.

Cheers.

-Luke



P.S. Here is the customary picture of the damage.

Whooyeahhh...

I decided to sneak in an entry just before the start of school tomorrow to draw the final curtain on a supersmashing summer (for me, at least) that is and will remain a milestone one.

This has been a very eventful as well as enjoyable summer for me as it unfolded with a bang and ended off with a series of bangs:
1. I jetted off to my 51-day Mediterranean adventure less than a week after a gruelling week of exams and had fun of seismic proportions during the trip
2. I completed a fucked-up 6-day reservist in-camp 4 days after returning from my trip
3. I did 2-wk and 3-wk internship stints at Gabriel Law Corp (undoubtedly the best law corp around (an achievement only of late due to the recent and fortuitous signing of a star advocate called KDT)) and A&G respectively right after my in-camp
4. I went to Cambodia to get some good done for 5 days
5. I got myself hooked up with an amazing girl
6. I managed to spend quality time with worthy friends

And in old-fashioned resignation, I put hedonism on hold for 3 1/2 months and embrace the menacing head of a new semester in law school.

Our Anthem

Amigos para siempre means..

you'll always be my friend

a love that cannot end

friends for life not just a summer or a spring

****

Today, Luke and I sang our anthem on behalf of theamigos man. Cheers to our friendship once again! In fact I remember that we were supposed to get high at Sentosa and record our very own rendition 2 years ago. Lets make it a reality this year.

We share memories I won't forget
And we'll share more, My friend, We haven't started yet
Something (too many havoc things) happens
When we're together

-Kenneth Wong

Traversing the Mediterranean, Backpacker Style

Gazing up at the piercing cornflower-blue sky. A dry, cool breeze sweeping through my body. Lifting yet another forkful of linguini alla frutti de mare* to my lips and unleashing the smorgasbord of flavours into my olfactories. Washing down the lingering freshness of the sea with a sip of vino bianco**. I close my eyes, gratefully savouring every moment…

It was truly a pleasure experiencing three unique age-old civilisations and peoples. After a month of thoughtful planning, Kelly, Dawn and I scooted off to Mediterranean Turkey, Greece and Italy for 51 days. We arrived in Istanbul and were immediately plunged into an exotic realm boasting the curious confluence of Eastern and Western cultures. The Ottoman and Muslim influences of Turkey may have succeeded her glorious Byzantine past, but grand monuments of Roman and Western influence stand tall against the test of time. We were overwhelmed by the Church of Saint Sophia that was built 1800 years ago by Emperor Justinian, proudly erect in defiance to the magnificent Blue Mosque that was built in the 1600s by the Ottoman sultans. The otherworldly landscapes of Cappadocia, the blindingly whitewashed travertine terraces baptising the ancient hillsides at Pamukkale, and the impressive ruins of Ephesus are among the other experiences that alluringly coloured our sojourn in Turkey. However, for those who loathe lamb and kebabs, Turkey may be your worst nightmare yet!

Inter-city traveling in Turkey was done by bus, but to get across to Greece, we took a ferry from the western coast of Turkey into the Greek islands. The Cyclades islands were definitely a major highlight of our trip. We spent 1 ½ weeks soaking in the hedonism of the sybaritic Greek islands as we hopped between Mykonos, Santorini, Naxos and the Peloponnese. Our days were overflowing with sun, sea, booze, mind-blowing seafood and pork gyros*** amidst the mazes of picturesque streets and shops which characterize the quaint beauty of the islands. Moving north to Athens, we were glad to have touched and smelt the cradle of Western civilization (despite the fact that many parts of the Acropolis were draped in scaffolding). Most of all, the spirit of filoxenia (Greek hospitality) followed us throughout our travels in Greece, all the way from the islands to the mystical ruins at Delphi, the towering cliff-side monasteries at Meteora, and the bustling city that was Thessaloniki.

After 36 hours on the move by bus and ferry, we heaved a sigh of relief when we arrived at Italy’s Amalfi coast. We explored the rougher Southern Italy and Naples (pizza’s birthplace!) before sweeping through Pompeii, Rome, the Vatican, Florence, Pisa and Venice. We loved mighty Rome for the seemingly inexhaustible reminders of her exalted past - at every corner we turned, there was always some fascinating ruin, piazza, fountain or monument to feast our senses upon. Florence was a particularly delectable experience as she oozed the thriving wonders and culture of the Renaissance – we gladly lapped up the world-famous art pieces and sculptures from the likes of, inter alia, Michaelangelo, Carravagio, and Da Vinci. The idyllic fishing villages of Cinque Terre did not disappoint with their stunning views, turquoise beaches, and peerless seafood. Our last stop was Milan, where Kelly raided the Ferragamo, Prada and Armani stores, before flying back to our meepok, char kuay teow and tom yam…

* Linguini pasta with fruits of the sea ** White table wine
*** Greek pitas stuffed with roasted pork chunks, fries and yoghurt

Mykonos, Greece

-Kenneth Wong

Cairo, Egypt.

-Kenneth Wong.

The butterfly effect

It has been some time since I checked in, and I decided to make this tag to liven up our almost dead blog. After all the exams and stuff, we are finally experiencing our much deserved rest. Luke and Justin have already started working, but I am sure it is very much more relaxing than the stressful period they experienced whilst studying for their exams. At the very least, they are finally together in the same country.

What I really want to talk about is the chaos theory, and more specifically, the butterfly effect. As you are all very well aware of, the butterfly effect is about how a butterfly flapping its wings in Singapore could lead to a hurricane in Argentina. Anyway, this got me thinking about our exams. The exams are really a marathon, and it certainly cannot be won with a last minute burst. The trick is in consistent studying and several other small factors. Like how these posters show all the top PSLE and ‘O’ levels students crediting their success to drinking brands chicken essence, I am sure we can credit each of our successes and failures to several events that have happened during the course of the year. Next year is of utmost importance to all of us except Luke, who is going to slack his entire year in Singapore. As such, I hope it turns out great for all of us and all the small events can eventually aid us in achieving success.

This butterfly effect is usually ignored by a lot of us. Recently, Luke, Ken and I played some warcraft. Although Ken had the lowest score amongst the 3 of us, and his contributions may (arguably) not have been as significant in bagging our victory, I still feel that he was extremely essential. One particular incident comes to my mind. Ken’s secondary hero was coincidentally Luke’s primary hero. Towards the end of the game, although kens hero was only level 2 while Luke’s was level 7, I could not dismiss the role the level 2 hero played during our key battle. When Luke’s hero was doing her ultimate, the starfall, Ken’s hero was a perfect distraction for the enemy forces and everyone attacked it instead of Luke’s hero since they looked the same. Therefore, Luke’s hero was able to complete her ultimate and destroyed everyone while Ken’s hero died a heroic death. Hawok!

PS: Ken, the first part about consistent studying was not said to diss you in any way. It was just part of whatever I felt about the butterfly effect. The second part, however, is just ha ha.

Malik

The Change of Plans

Luke and I have left Cairo for Mykonos. We realized that our original plan of heading to luxor was not worth a harrowing 10 hour train ride. Hunting down Aphrodite is certainly more worth it. The Greek gods have greeted us in big style by welcoming us with its turqoise waters and many Helen of Troy lookalikes. Tonight, we will havoc at SpaceClub and give our livers a good warming up. This means getting smashed. On the following night, we will set foot at Cavo Paradiso and get inebriated among a myriad of hot- hopefully topless- girls. This is la dolce vita man. Maybe I should consider retiring from studying ha-ha. Anyway, I had better enjoy myself before the results come out in 3 days! Have yourselves a worthwhile summer amigos and see y'all in a jiffy!
-Kenneth Wong

Back in Black

Buona sera, amigos. This entry's title is that of my favourite AC/DC song, and I'm using it to announce my grand return to home-soil. I arrived back home this afternoon, and it sure feels great to be home. For the first time in 51 days, I'm not experiencing things completely new to my senses, not going out hunting for the next meal, not living out of a backpack, taking fresh clothes out of a closet, eating a homecooked asian meal, seeing my parents, and using free internet. That aside, the familiar feeling of ambivalence is creeping in just barely 8hrs from touching down - the wonderful comfort of home versus the lack of new and exciting experiences. The great feeling of being home is somehow slightly dampened by the fact that I will be waking up to a normal day tomorrow dewoid of potentially pleasant and/or hawok experiences. But yes, it is definitely fabulous to be back after traversing the mediterranean and experiencing 3 unique civilizations and peoples.
In short, the ancient spirits of Greece juxtaposed with the modern hawok hedonism of her islands, the exotic and mystical wonders of old Byzantium and the Ottoman empire in Turkey, as well as the foundations of western civilization complemented by the thriving wonders of the Renaissance in Italy did not disappoint.
Will try to post some pics on facebook soon once we consolidate the photos. For now, I'm gonna conk out for some well-deserved sleep.

ps. Luke and Kennef, when will you guys be travelling and when will you all be back?

Lots of lurve

What would you do?

Greetings Amigos! I am currently spending my last night at Tiberias, which is by the Sea of Galilee. 3 nights ago, a girl from Namibia entered my hostel and begged the owner for a discount rate as she claimed she had no money. She plucked the heartstrings of the owner by saying that she would be stranded on the streets if he did not give her a place to stay. As a gentleman, he took pity on her and gave her a room for the night.

Like the owner, I also had sympathy for her and wanted to offer to pay for her stay. However, I did not. This is because I found her demeanour very dodgy; I was afraid that if she were to be put in the same dorm as I, she would steal my belongings. As the title says, what would you do? Is self preservation so vital that we should sacrifice compassion based on a premonition? I don't know.

To me, I find it terribly difficult to reconcile my surival instinct with my heart. They exist in tumult and complete disharmony. On one hand, doing the pragmatic thing would be utterly selfish and make my heart heavy laden. On the other, I may have to deal with every unpleasant consequence of putting myself in a vulnerable situation just because I had a heart. This is perhaps why I reserve altruism for very few people in the world.
-Kenneth Wong

P.S For the record, that girl lied to the owner about her lack of money because she returned for 3 nights with a host of excuses. She essentially didn't want to pay the full rate and paid 2/3 the normal price.

Tel Aviv Panorama

I am gazing at the vast expanse of the mediterranean as I pen this down. As always, the waters are multi-hued and glisteningly blue, like a massive jewel resting on a cradle of sand. While the sun blazes, the constant winds soothe the heat on my skin. What can be more perfect than enjoying a sunny yet kool day at the beach? Not to mention, the relentless crashing of waves echoes the voice of nature which harmonizes with its aesthetic beauty.
I have to go now, or else I will get a nasty sun burn. Thus, I shall leave the rest to your imagination. Tip: add a couple of danceable bikini clad babes to the frame. Horizontal salsa would do just fine.
-Kenneth Wong

P.S I'm off to Megiddo (site of armageddon) tomorrow. Hopefully armageddon doesn't arrive before I reach it.

The Last Day.

This is officially my final day as a Year 2. I hope that I emerge unscathed from the recent exams. They were tough and I hadda pull 5 harrowing all-nighters to compensate for my year of laziness. We will know if my this pays off in a month. Then again, although the results matter, my year 2 experience does not turn on this single event. I must say that on the whole, I am pleased.
-Kenneth Wong

On Intelligence.

The smartest people I know always manage to find the simplest solution to every problem. This is truly an art I must say. It can be a surprising paradox that such people are rather complex in nature. But these folk are like that out of necessity, not foolishness nor ignorance.
-Kenneth Wong

Creating Something Out of Nothing.

The title of this entry is often elusive and most people, including myself, belief that it is a myth. But let us put that on hold for a while. Sometimes, all we can do is but hope. For a start, I hope that I can retain at least 90% of whatever I study. I find that a pretty incredulous task to undertake because I lack familiarity with the law. There are two reasons why. First, I dodged school for an entire year and devoted little time to my work. Next, even when I studied, I never actually put in much effort in attempting to grasp and remember the relevant literature. Consequently, I find myself learning nearly everything from scratch again. Grrr why must law be so tough? On my brain at least.

Maybe I would be much better off with an extra brain. I desperately need the extra ram and perhaps a duo-core to cope with this information overload. With 3 demanding exams subsisting over a span of 4 days next week, my pornographic memory had better not act up man. As much as I've mentioned about hope, it ends here because I know that our brains can operate beyond the limits of a computer. Our capabilities extend beyond mere regurgitation and learning from trial and error. Let us summon creativity and our analytical prowess to save the day, save ourselves. Let our ability to critically judge not fail us, for it could even plague the most knowledgeable of us.

If I get it right this once, I will redeem myself for the months of pure laziness all at once. I shall do my best to make this miracle a reality and score a last minute salvaging goal- just like John Arne Riise. No time for regrets but double time work.
-The Die Hard Sloth.

Paradiso.

I am sure that everyone has their own version of paradise. Right now, chilling on a lazy afternoon with a couple of beers would suffice. I don't need no deckchair nor swimming pool. Damn, it's only been a short period of slogging and I'm already suffering from slacking withdrawal symptoms.
-Kendaman

The Prayer.

Once again, I find myself holding out for a miracle. The exams are drawing nigh and I have so much more to learn, let alone effectively apply my knowledge. Perhaps I've been too foolish to pursue the path of law, especially when its relevant qualities clearly aren't my strengths. Moreover, I was lazy. Nevertheless, I am already stuck in this rut. I will haul myself out of it with every ounce of determination. Above all, I believe that the grace of God will see me through. This belief, although elusive to some, is not unfounded to me. If God didn't compensate my inadequacies with his grace, I would never have had the chance to study law in the first place.
-Kenneth Wong

Weekends, Brainwashing and Stress

Just some random things i thought i would blog about before getting down to some work.. I was discussing the 3 day weekend we just had in aus with one of my friends and we came to the conclusion that the world would be a much happier place if 3 day weekends were standard... thursday would be the new friday and if u took mc on monday, u would only have to feel irritated at work on tuesday and wednesday before feeling happy again on thursday... imagine being able to go on a short trip every weekend.. The past weekend itself was evidence of how great it would be if all weekends lasted 3 days. I got to go home to sg and he got to go home to whichever suburb he lives in which is apparently far enough such that he cannot go home during normal school weeks..

Brainwashing used to be a concept that puzzled me when i learnt about it as a child.. How could one possibly be made to think that something he did not previously to be true is indeed so. However, while i was showering, it struck me that all religions have managed to brainwash their followers.. and not even with the extreme methods used by militaries in wartime etc., but simply through repetition, without any evidence whatsoever, and perhaps promises of rewards. (this is not aimed at you, malik)

Lastly, I would like to talk about stress.. namely, stress associated with exams.. I have made a decision not to allow myself to feel stressed at all during this exam period.. Of course i will still study excessively and take ridiculously short breaks. but the thing i am trying to avoid is that nagging feeling that you have to do work that comes to you when you are eating or showering or just watching tv during your break. Hopefully, I succeed...

Anyway, thats all from me for today. I have a fair bit of work to do and am catching forgetting sarah marshall later so i had better get down to it.. Happy holidays to Malik and Juston and happy studying to Kendaman. Perhaps u can try my stress free method of studying as well.

Cheers,
Luke

The Calm before the Storm

Hey guys. This weekend was extremely strange for me.. For the first time since I can't remember when, I had no work to do... I have been chilling and playing computer games.. Also I made a last second kendaman style decision to fly home for just under a week.. Anyway.. I'm enjoying this period the best I can.. because for all of us except that bastard justin, finals are Koming Soon... Looking forward to tomorrow.. cya guys!

-Luke

Summer

I can't fully express how grateful I am for post-exam breaks nowadays. Especially when the semester has been an attritional battle littered with law tomes, lengthy cases and moots; an international econs module that bored me to tears mastering the 535-page textbook of trade and finance concepts and graphs; and an utterly ridiculously useless university core module called Technology and World Change that must surely be the biggest mistake of the curriculum.
Although, as usual, all the feverish anticipation towards the last paper culminated into nothing more than a silent sigh of relief, the load of a semester is finally off my back.
And best of all, the Mediterranean awaits and beckons with her azure skies and turquoise waters...
Wishing all you Amigos the best for the exams; and may summer yield a bountiful harvest of forgiveness, understanding, and friendship.
Cheerios Amigos!

Schoooool's Out For Summer!

The grand summer plan from 28 Apr to 17 June...

1. Get my ass to Istanbul

2. Wander round the Ottoman Empire to places like Troy, Ephesus, Cappadoccia and Ankara

3. Take a ferry to the Grecian islands

4. Explore the Grecian islands, def not missing out on Mykonos and Santorini!

5. Travel up mainland Greece

6. Somehow get my ass to south Italia, perhaps Sicily where hopefully I'll get to meet some mafiosos

7. Travel up Italia

8. Hopefully I'll have time to somehow get to Vienna

9. Make a hook back to milan to fly back

Lectopia

I just realized that the website my lectures get posted on is called lectopia... Derived from Lectures + Utopia , I presume.. Ridiculous hahahaa.. anyway... in case anyone is wondering, I am still 7 lectures behind time.. And I'm trying my best to find a way for me to come back for 3 weeks in March instead of 2... Wish me luck because I will need it and then some, since I am already on the faculty's most wanted list. Cheers Amigos.

-Luke

The weapons of FightClub 08

Zeus is In Da Club

What do y'all think, homies? Ha ha

Finishing Strong.

Although having to study an entire years work in a mere few months is rather burdensome, I have inexplicably managed to feel constantly relaxed all this while. No, that ain't because I don't give a flying damn about my studies. On the contrary, I have been working everyday as my knowledge and understanding of the law accrues little by little or poco da piccolo, as the Italians say it. Even then, I still fall pretty far behind all of my friends in terms of work. However, this does not worry me at all because I know I have time to catch up and that I cannot be pressured to rush things. Rather, I am more concerned about studying efficiently and relentlessly pressing on. Finishing strong is what really matters at the end of the day. And yeah, although I've half the time to get double the results, somehow by hook or by crook, I must have my cake and eat it.
-Kenneth Wong

Going the distance.

With inspiration from Juston, I will swim 2.5km free style tomorrow. Somehow, I will finish the laps.. and hopefully in Mega Style too.
-Kenneth Wong

Looking the Ghosts in the Eye

Recently, 2 developments have surreptitiously crept their ways into my life. In fact, they're not exactly developments per se, because they are really phantoms of the past coming back to rattle the relative stasis of my happy university life. The first is the hint of returning mediocrity amid the highly competitive environment and demanding rigours of law school. And the second is the grand return of uncle sam knocking his m16 barrel menacingly on my door of individual rights and liberty. The 2-pronged onslaught of an uphill struggle to regain academic dominance, as well as the prospect of going back to the godforsaken jungles for reservice in june, is poised to take me down wholesale. However, these bigtimers know not who they're dealing with. No one fucks around with Juston.

No one.

The Situation.

I've half the time to get double the results. The road ahead is expectedly long and winding but it eventually leads to the Emerald City. Now that coursework has ended, I have to start dedicating hours to studying and fight for the prize at the end of this path. This means fun haha.
-Kenneth Wong

Courage

I was mulling over the concept of courage today... One of the key forms of it is obviously bravery in the face of fear... However, another slightly different form caught my attention.. It involves stepping up to do the right thing when nobody else dares or is bothered to do so... A scenario to illustrate my point would be if you saw a 12 year old boy stealing from the coffers of a homeless man... Obviously there is little fear involved for someone who stops the boy, as a 12 year old boy would be unlikely to be able to inflict significant harm upon someone who tried to do so.. Yet, I believe that the majority of people would be unwilling to interfere for two reasons.. The first reason would be that the wrongdoing does not affect them. The second reason would be that seeing no one else in the vincity doing anything makes them feel less inclined to do something themselves and also allows them to justify to themselves that they are just doing what anyone else would do by walking past and ignoring the situation. I think that these situations in which we can act in the name of good, without any intention of personal gain, when no one else is willing to do so are situations which require courage as surely as fighting a tiger does... To break away from the crowd that sits idly by and take a stand to exercise the power to make changes for the good is something we could all probably do more.

-Luke

Rules of FightClub

1st RULE: You do not talk about FIGHT CLUB.

2nd RULE: You DO NOT talk about FIGHT CLUB.

3rd RULE: If someone says "stop" or goes limp, taps out the fight is over.

4th RULE: Only two guys to a fight.

5th RULE: One fight at a time.

6th RULE: No shirts, no shoes.

7th RULE: Fights will go on as long as they have to.

8th RULE: If this is your first night at FIGHT CLUB, you HAVE to fight.

-Tyler Durden

Speed

Some people run away from their problems. Not I.. I drive away from mine.. at 100mph..

-Luke

-Kenneth Wong