Singapore

Often my self introduction would end up being a geography lesson.
Me : “Hi. My name is Jun Yong.”
He : "Where are you from?"
Me : "I am from Singapore."
He : "Where in China is Singapore?"

I guess if 'ignorance' is the name of his game, then 'patience' would be mine.
Me : "Singapore is at the end of Malaysia."
He : "Where is malaysia?"
Me : "..."

Nonetheless, some conversations are more interesting.
He : "There are 4 seasons in France, so how many seasons are there in Singapore?"
Me : "Two."
He : "Summer and Winter? No. It is not possible."
Me : (grinning) "No. Monsoon season and non-Monsoon."

Today a wave of nostalgic patriotism swept thought me. Thus, I decided to post a National Day Special Edition. What does it mean to be a Singaporean? I have never thought about that whilst I was in Singapore. After the countless presentations to many classes of international students, I realized that Singapore’s identity isn’t just about chilli crabs. Multicultural, meritocracy, english speaking, tech-savvy and the list goes on. I can't define it, but it is definitely not as simple as chilli crabs.

these were taken duiring a preview. I used some of them in my presentation about Singapore.

first water based perfomance.
doesn't the view gets nicer as the sun sets.
i know it sounds cliche but is that a bird?
how bout these?
uh huh. this leads me to my all time favourite Calvin and Hobbes's joke. what is scarier and deadlier than land dwelling tyranosaurs?
tyranosaurs flying F-16s. hahahaha. gosh.
im so lucky to be able to catch the firing off. too bad the background is ugly.
We have cutting edge technology. Many of you probably dun think much about the floating platform

We have cutting edge technology. Many of you probably dun think much about the floating platform at Marina Bay, but I showed them the pictures above, most of my classmates stared in disbelief. “It’s not possible? How do you make it float?”, they asked. I replied them with a wink and a nod.
I’m proud of being a Singaporean.

apology

'sorry'. Some people had used the word so frequently that it seemed to be just hanging from the end of their tongue. Sincere apologies should come from a contrite heart. It is not a word of convenience for you to use to find a quick solution out of a sticky situation. Though we can't be sure if these people are truly apologetic, we have to let them off the hook as this is what all forgiving human beings would naturally do. However, the placebo effect would probably wear off by the fifth time if one has to apologise everyday. People who apologise often are those who do not put in enough effort in the things that they do. A challenge to those who apologise frequently...

How about making people say 'thank you' for a change.

Such people really make my blood boils, their profuse apologies only adds fuel the leaping flames of my anger. I could literally feel my blood boiling, my veins throbbing and blood gushing to my head. Often these symptoms are well hidden under my facade of calm and serenity. For a moment, I thought I would be capable of doing things that are simply unimaginable to innocent minds. These people just have to incur my wrath. Have they no idea how agitated I would become? I would look at them straight in their faces and say, 'Hey smile for me and you would make my day.' Sometimes, it is just not worth it to make yourself angry.

Forgive; and it would make you a happier person.

tranquility.

This is one of those times when there are so many things that i want to say; and yet when i sat before the computer, i am unable to type out my thoughts coherently.

bon.

happy'ness

wedding ceremonies are contagious, they never fail to infect people with a heavy dose of happiness. They will flood every crevices and cavity of your body with exuberance. Children would be running around with ebullient effervescence. While adults, beaming with joy, talked among themselves.

I attended the wedding of my host's daughter's friend with Sayo, my japanese housemate. She was probably as ecstatic as the bride when she learnt that she was invited to the wedding. She can hardly hide her animation; elation was written all over her face. How i wish i can be as easily pleased as her.

Like christmas, weddings give me a feeldamngood moment. Even though we don't know the newly personally, we still went ahead to congratulate and give them our blessings. Soaking in the atmosphere of beatitude, we can see that the couple has already started enjoying their marital bliss. They were grinning from ear to ear. Apparently, I think blessedness spreads by osmosis. Soon, we were glowing with exaltation too.

The church ceremony was held in Eglise de Blase. As we were seated quite far back, we couldn't see the whole procession of the ceremony. We were straining our ears and trying our best to listen as the priest conducted the whole ceremony in french. The priest, who is evidently very well accustomed to the rites of weddings, finished his statements all in one breathe. We were hardly able to catch anything. Nonetheless, we followed though with the ceremony.

At the end of the ceremony, the bride threw the bouquet of flower into the euphoric crowd. We quietly took our leave in the midst of uplifting exhilaration, feeling glad that we were invited to share the joy of others.

the solemn ceremony
the newly weds

Felicitation!
the bouquets that my host and I were busy with for the whole of Friday. She is a wedding planner.

p.s. this is a blatant attempt to test my vocabulary for happy words. Written with the intention to dispute my own belief that i have larger vocabulay for words to describe sadness then happiness. hs, have i succeded?

mentos experience

She forced herself onto me. Forcefully pasting her face onto mine. When our lips touched momentarily, I was totally disgusted that she had planted her lips on my face. I tried to push her away but to no avail. She kept coming at me. I tried fruitlessly to ignore her advances. Pushing her face away with both my hands, I looked helplessly into those puppy eyes. "Stop!", i barked. She growled. She forced me out of the chair and got onto the dining table. I wanted to walk away from her, but she looked so cute. I decided to ignore her and let her do whatever she likes. Grabbing my legs, her body moved rhythmically. I froze for a moment before i realised what she was doing. I thought the kiss was friendly, now im not too sure. I immediately pushed her away from me and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Bad doggy. For a moment i thought i was in the mentos 'kissing-dog' advertisement.

damn. ever been kissed by a dog?

20days

20 days ago...

The first day of school has always been exciting. New people, new faces and new experiences. Some people would be pregnant with anticipation mixed with a tinge of fear. They are not sure if they would become an outcast like the ugly duckling. To them, going to class on the first day is like stepping into the lion's den. On the contrary, I was as energetic as a bunny and was literally bouncing my way into class, . My first step into class brought me face to face with a classroom of students looking at eagerly like newborn puppies. New experiences always give me an adrenaline rush. Immediately, i turned from a meek little sheep into a cocky rooster with confidence the size of an elephant. Before lessons even started, we were already chatting merrily. The noise we made can be compared to pack of howling hyenas fighting over food. When the professor walked into the class, all heads turned towards the door, spontaneous and in sync we would have put the olympics synchronised swimmers to shame. Time stopped for a moment as we assessed our new professor like buffalos looking at a lion. Trepidation mixed with curiousity.

"Bonjour!", she chipped. Our new professor is as happy as a lark.

The class started with a self introduction. Curious as cats, we were very eager to know one another. Questions came fast and furious. During class, we had debates, presentations and games. we were boisterous as seals fighting for fishy rewards.

guess we are a classrooms of zoo animals.

everyday is a happy day. from left: omran, minh, paula(why are you holding my water bottle?), indre, juliane and carolina.
20days later...

Most of my classmates would be returning to their respective countries. the last day was sad as we have to part. We were snapping photos incessantly and exchanging emails.

"Bonjour,
Comment ça va? Avec cet email, j’ai attaché les photos que nous avons pris á Vichy. Si tu voudrais aller á Singapore, tu peux m’envoyer un email. Je serai très heueux d’être ton guide. =)
Cordialement,
Jun Yong "

clockwise: me, paula no.1, omran, indre, juliane, paula no.2, carolina, fiona

my new friends.

wonder

is your life wonderful?

for so many years in my life, i have always made decisions based on logic. Decisions that are right, thought more often than not they are cruel too. They always involve sacrifices. people have told me to make the decision that i would never regret. But i had never managed to figure out which i would regret more following the head or listening to the heart. cos i had always follow's my head's advice to cast my heart in stone. does being successful in every aspect of life equates to a wonderful life? but would life be wonderful if one is not successful?

i ponder.

"sometimes i wonder about wonder. sometimes i wonder about wonders." -cj