Powerful Sunset Pics

East Coast Parkway, Singapore

Bedroom window

-Mack

'Cause our December Sun is setting

Wondering the streets, in a world underneath it all
Nothing seems to be, nothing tastes as sweet
As what I can't have

ahh 'For you I will' a very nice song
was remembering all the old music i used to listen to when i was in sec 2
this ones special
its like i dunno
i guess il let the lyrics speak for themselves

Forgive me if I stutter
From all of the clutter in my head
Cuz I could fall asleep in those eyes
Like a water bed
(and i really could)

'For you i will'

Philosphy That'll Change Your Life

Wrong. Is not an opinion, answer or view.

Is someone who refuses to accept help when he or she needs it.

Sometime in your life someone may reach out to you and offer help, with a sincere aim to make a positive impact in your life. Do yourself a favor.

1) Don't push them away. In this day and age, we keep a lot of distance between each other. When someone takes the courage to break that distance and reach out to you, hear them out. You owe them the right to have your attention.

If you do push them away, you risk permanently erecting a barrier with them, jeopardizing that relationship. They will numb themselves from you and your life, which means stop caring. You will be reduced to "Facebook friend" status.

2) Their advice may not always be right. They themselves may be misguided. Problem with people is, when they get into a debate/argument, they focus on their side of the story and mentally categorize the other guy's view as INCORRECT.

Isn't it possible that the guy giving you advice isn't thinking properly? Wait. Isn't it possible YOU'RE not thinking properly? Both are possible. The only way to find out is to give others a chance.

The following phrases mean you don't care for finding out what is the right view: whatever, shut-up, mind your business, this is MY problem...

Don't insult people when they care.

XD.

-Mack

why we should abandon hope

Hope:to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence/the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.

We hear the word 'hope' so very often so i decided to check up its definition. Hope seems to be an important part of many peoples lives.

Allan K. Chalmers believes that the Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
and according to Christopher Reeve Once you choose hope, anything's possible.

So... hope is apparently something great huh! Very often we are consumed by hope; hoping for the best, hoping for an outcome. Ironically hoping does not get us anywhere nearer to getting or earning what we are hoping for.

Personally i feel we are often consumed by hope to such an extent that we loose track of our goals and are solely dependent on hope alone instead on the fact that our own efforts are enough in achieving our goals. So i guess there is some sense in the phrase abandon hope.

If you havent realised- this phrase is often used when we are in grave peril or when the 'end' is near and i believe there is a reason why. This is because hope is a distraction and by abandoning hope we are able to focus and direct our energy into what truly matters and from that we will find that we are more effective and more able in achieving our goals.

i've given up hoping or feeling for anything except for 5 people that matter and i feel it works. I find myself more focused but i just hope this feeling of emotionless doesn't consume me completely to the extent that i loose the people that matter( already i find myself disconnected from them). But for all of you out there who hope for the best-stop hoping and focus in getting it by means that are within your grasp.

note: abandoning hope can only be done by letting go of emotion.

I came across this poem and i want to share it.

Only a few will remember these songs
Only a handful of people
Who sit in a room
Occasionally,
Between mornings,
And always the road…
Can be faithful To their breadcrumb existence,
Whose home is nowhere in particular
Save the womb
And the catacomb
Of the spiderweb mind,
Which is never here and never there

Only a few will remember these words,
Will take the path that leads
To nowhere
Always going onward
While looking back in wonder
And bewilderment;
Between the starlight evening
And the cock-crow morning
Forever tumbling
In no order really
Only a few,
Be kind,
for they are part of you…

Only a few,
who will never see each others faces
But who know and understand,
That there is a power
Which knows
Which sees
Which frees
The mind from darkness and pain;
The thought which directs the hand upon the wheel
The secret voice that says; “all is not in vain”

Only a few,
who will always be together only in thought,
For their thoughts seek each other out
And mingle,
And therein is truth born
And therefore,
They need never come too close.

“The eagle flies,
from the centre crown
At a point where the lines cross
And the eyes are vacant”

-crossing the line by john Scott ( i was reading poems and this poem touched me- the affinity i feel with this poem is scary and shocking at the very least)

I want to soar on wings like eagles

I want to run and not be weary

I want to walk and not be faint

-Pubis

Sightseeing In Singapore II

Let me take you around The Civic District of Singapore.

Or see Part I first, although it's unrelated:

http://poolside-ana.blogspot.com/2008/05/tourist-in-my-own-country_11.html

First place I took pics of was colonial-style Raffles Hotel, circa 1887, built by a quartet of Armenian brothers. The hotel is patronized by nobility, both the real and the soidisant. Queen Elizabeth II, Ava Gardner and Rudy Jiuliani have all checked in before.

Trivia: Singapore's last tiger was shot and made extinct here...

Next, I popped by St. Andrew's Cathedral. 1862, Anglican, Gothic and Awesome.

The first Cathedral was closed because of 2 (not 1) lightning strikes to the building!

I went inside. The Nave is grand. Visitors are welcome and thye have guided tours.

Singapore effortlessly blends its the old and the fresh. Glass corporate towers and colonial monuments share control of The Civic District.

We end with the old Supreme Court. The new building, unfortunately, is modern and stale. The old one is flanked by massive pillars, adorned by statutes and oozes authority.

The Civic District. Home to governments, former and present; corporate empires and architecture lost to this age.

XD.

-Mack

And bend through alleys and bounce off all the buildings

Overload

i swear
its like my school waits for the holiday
and right before it
they make your life a fucking hell
and the worst bit its the second last day
and im fucking swamped
ANGST!!!
i fucking just spent the last 2 hours writing bloody TOK and trying to understand the garb i wrote
and im still 400 words of target
ZOMG
and to add on, i skipped remedial chinese to fin the fucking essay
and just got an email from her, asking why i did not attend
omg for fucks sake i also have coursework along with than alien language
ohh and its sooo not over there
spent the whole of bloody recess doing chinese
so i effectively had 3 chinese lessons non stop on an empty stomach
fucking great
hahahah cant wait, bloody hell cant wait to see the retribution for skipping econs earlier (FOR MY TOK ESSAY)
tommorow should be a blast
yep cant fucking wait
and YES THERES MORE WHINING
arghh i am listenin to always while thinkin of u
nd tml is the LAST day to make a move
yep cant wait for tommorow

-lemon

Movie Reviews: What Happens In Vegas; Made of Honor

It's a good movie if you enjoyed it.

What Happpens In Vegas. 4 stars.

Sometimes I feel that the critics are up in their own towers of pretense. This is a good movie, unfairly blasted by movie critics. This isn't your standard romantic comedy. The jokes are actually funny, the plot isn't half bad and the actors- Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher- are a refreshing break from the whiny, weepy regulars that infest the rom-com genre.

So the movie is in the romantic comedy genre. It promises both comedy and romance.

The comedy is genuinely good. It is not (limited to) the standard off-colour fart-humour you'd expect from an Ashton Kutcher movie. There is a decent amount of (laugh-out-loud variety) wit.

The romance here is administered in healthy doses- something dudes can appreciate (tolerate?). It isn't too mushy and it's more teen-like, which I like.

The movie will make you happy.


Made of Honor. 2 stars.

It's just like My Best Friend's Wedding, except gender-reversal. And maybe more fun to watch. But this rom-com was disappointing.

The storyline was sickeningly cliched and ridicuolously unrealistic. Highly predictable.

The comedy was stale, like in Two Weeks Notice. Worse still it was desperate comedy. Think jabs at fat people and bespectacled dorks. Not funny.

Like I said, the predictable and fairy-tale-like plot disappoints too much to provide any warm fuzzy feeling a rom-com might provide.

I have to add: Starbucks and Scotland Tourism went all out in getting themselves advertised in this movie. Lots of frappucino sipping in this movie, and the Starbucks logo always prominently on display. Half of the movie is also set in Scotland, with prominent focus on scenery, nightlife and people. But it truly is a beutiful country and watching the Scottish countryside feature so prominently was enjoyable.

The movie is time-pass.

XD.

-Mack

A meaningless movement... A movie script ending...

Goeie Dag

Whoa, Mack! Third post in 2 days... Awesome stuff...

Naw, I was just scrolling through ANA's SiteMeter when I saw that we have our first visitor from the Dark Continent. From South Africa. I got excited.

Now it's just South America that hasn't experienced ANA. But you guys are still kewl.

-Mack

There are roads left in both of our shoes

Feeding Humans vs. Fueling Cars

It is heralded as the next big thing, languished and slathered in praise by the gurus, environmentalists, politicians, magazines and celebrities. A wonderfully clever way to make nation's energy needs greener, sustainable and domestically supplied.

Corn becomes ethanol is fuel. Very clever.

No, not really. Fact: the corn required to distill enough ethanol to fill your tank just once could instead feed someone for a year. Trees versus Human Beings. Save the human being or save the world. At this point, I'd like to refer you to my post "Tree Hugger Are Morons".

It is morally depraved to fuel a car at the expense of feeding a human being. It's a vital factor in global hyperinflation in food prices. I say hyperinflation because that's what you call a 25% rise in the price of wheat. Rice is at its highest price in 20 years.

I'm all for renewable energy, but let's get our priorities straight. There are more efficient ways to produce clean and renewable fuel. Solar, wind, tidal, geothermal are all excellent ways to go. Pick one.

XD

-Mack

Misguided by the 405 'cause it led me to an alcoholic summer

Hello, Korean

So I'm checking out the blog's SiteMeter and I see that we get a number of visitors from Seoul, Korea. Not sure why that is. Does ANA mean somehting in Korean maybe? Anyway, I just wanted to say "Sup" to our Korean readers. Also, I love Kimchi (bet you get that ALL THE TIME, eh?).

No, I'm not really culturally ignorant. XD.

Back from camp, hence this post. Right now I'm chilling to MTV with Lemonfruit. Here's a thought to the 9 people (on average) who visit poolside-ana.blogspot.com daily: Add a comment on what you're doing right now.

Anyway, I'm running out of things to say. I don't get newspapers at Boot Camp (no politics), there aren't any girls there (or girls) and I'm hacking tired.

-Mack

I wish we could open our eyes and see in all directions at the same time

Hospitalised

Hospitalised! thats what happened to me on monday! learnt alot from that experience and i kinda realised that sometimes public hospitals can be better then private hospitals.

well i woke up on monday with just a light headache so i popped 2 panadols went to off to school. i kinda fell asleep in the bus (no.14) and woke up feeling super dizzy and nauseous. I got off the bus and i didnt know where i was. i threw up by the side of the road and flagged the first cab i saw and told him ACJC and shockingly he knew where it was. When i reached school i was so disorientated that i didnt know what i was doing. Thank heavens the student councillor in charge was a good friend of mind and rushed me to see the matron. The matron called my form tutor and they decided to send me to the hospital. Upon arrival i had a temperature of 38.2 and had high blood pressure and a high heart rate- so they rushed me into emergency. At this point i lost consciousness.


woke up 2hrs later and apparently 2 injections later. my nurse was really really really nice and pretty and she said i have nice hands! but that's besides the point. After taking my heart rate again the doctor decided i needed to go on a drip. when they first wanted to drip me on my right-hand my veins receded into my body cause of my fear of needles, eventually after 2 tries on my right hand( it swelled) and they decided to get me on the drip on my left hand.

Since i was now not in an emergency position they moved me to the recovery area. This is where my public hospital experience began.

Generally if i need to go see a doctor or go to the hospital i generally visit private doctors and hospitals. The visit to a private hospital is generally quite quiet. There is minimal interaction between patients and you get to see a doctor in under 30 minutes. There is no talking to the nurses and the doctors are generally dressed in the latest Zara or Luis vitton and these hospitals have a doctors car park that can make a motor show proud.

However while i was waiting in the recovery area there were 5 soldiers, a man involved in a accident and policeman flanking him and Bangladeshi worker and a Chinese worker.

The man who was supposed involved in the accident spoke to everyone, he spoke in Tamil and hokkien to both the foreign workers who were apparently hurt in industrial accidents. The soldiers remained quiet but i did learn that 3 soldiers were from rangers and the other 2 were from artillery.

their ranks are as follows: Rangers:leftanant (2nd officer rank)
Sergeant
Private
artillery: Private
Private

During my time in the recovery area 2 military policemen came,cuffed and removed the guys from artillery and i can only guess that the guys from rangers were involved in a training accident.

The man who was involved in the accident apparently was some kind of gangster and he had to pick a fight with one of the nurses and the policeman removed him. I then decided to ask the Bangladeshi worker beside me what his thoughts were and he was like he is afraid he will have to sent back home. At this point in time the nurse came ruffled my hair and told me i will be going to my ward- i was initially expecting a normal ward but because of my dad and stuff i ended up in a class A ward and it returned to like being in a private hospital again.

A guess what i learnt is that doctors at the public hospital didn't drive such fancy cars but yet they seemed more human- they have compassion and patience to be able to deal with the wide range of patients. that is truly respectable! Their interaction with you makes you feel more comfortable and it seems that they really care but then again eventually these doctors will end up in a private hospital when they realise that money comes first. The sad reality eh.

hold,touch, feel, kiss, taste
oh yes i'm well aware i'm dying
you are one thing i wont regret

-conflicted

-pubis

6 feet

hold me now, I'm 6 feet from the edge'

yep me and sam are 6 feet, and weve already fallen
so let me say; maybe 6 feet aint so far down..nope we could do worse yea?

On a related issue the reason i'm 6 feet is, well not you, my pride.
And know what
i dont think your that special, twas a crush thats it..yea well knowing my fickle self
come next week, i'l be listening to blink 182' always thinkin of you.

So, just hold me now, i feel the cold rushing through my veins

And on another this time unrelated issue, let me just ask you this 'X', honestly how would you like it if I was trying to steal your best mates? Yea it would suck cuz u know there just that blind and stupid and get impressed if you done shave for a week. And we all know no one will beleive that immature, lesson skiving, joming...(yes its a long list) paki, but have some godamn soul. Your a good guy, overrated in mine and alot of our opinions, but you cant have it all.

- Lemonfruit

Sightseeing In Singapore

I had a university interview yesterday at SMU. My parents dropped me there and on the way while passing Stamford Road, I was taken by the sight of Stamford House's Venetian Reneissance facade.

So I went on a history trip today and collected some pics of Singapore's colonial heritage.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

And after that I went straight to check out the Armenian Church on Coleman Street. It is an immensely beautiful church with somewhat simple architecture. The Armenian community is now too small so the church is used by the Coptic Christian community.

After the church, I took this pic of Central Fire Station's Italian-looking building. It was built in the early 1800s in reponse to a devastating fire in the area, which was the British government's administrative centre. See how I spell "centre"? That's their legacy...
Next I ventured into Fort Canning, an old British fort intended to defend Singapore from an invasion, which they concluded would invariably come as a maritime invasion from the south. The fort never helped when the Japanese invaded from the north... But it makes for a pretty awesome picture... That there below be "The Gothic Gate".
I ended my trip with the Singapore History Museum. The building oozes this stately, imperial vibe that's sooo good to soak up.

Wierd how you can be a tourist in your own country...

XD

-Mack

I was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere when the water filled every hole...

shake it of, get up

yes I cant beleive i did something so stupid
yes I'm an idiot
and YES I know the outcome was bad

but you know whats really really weird

I AM HAPPY


- Lemonfruit

'I see the stars, they're in your eyes
A playful kiss, can you tell I'm excited?
A fast escape in the nick of time
You lost your wish, can I help you find it?
I'm on my knee, to sworn to start
A fresh new start, to be undecided
If love’s the word, that you say
Say and I will listen'

Dabblings With Heavy Metal

I'm an indie person. But Black Sabbath is some good shit...

Thats right. Although I normally listen to dreamy, lyrical, AWESOME indie, I also rock to Ronnie James Dio and company...

It's not just Black Sabbath. Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Delain and Motley Crue score pretty high on my iPod.

It's prolly cos I enjoy something HEAVY and LOUD and freaking out of control to balance the sweet indie.

But mostly cos my high school/secondary school friends are heavy metal nuts who feed me the stuff and I've joined the dark side...

Sleep with the devil and then you must pay...

XD

-Mack

Ocean Avenue

Lemon here. I kinda hate life right now, every little detail, every aspect, it sickens me.

If I could find you now
things would get better
we could leave this town
and run forever

'when will it be my turn? when?'

- lemonfruit

And on a side not
People i hate at ACS International:

REDS: I just hate you.
Sylvanas: I hate how I cant stop thinking bout you, even as I try and study for that major econs test tommorow.

the cruel singaporean- are you one?

They say there is good out there in the world-but why dont i ever see it. The world is hard and cruel and we should accept it. Just ytdy i went to the post office to pay my cousin's phone bill and there was this elderly man about 5 people in front of me in the queue and he was paying his electricity bill- his electricity had apparently been cut and he didnt have enough money to pay his bill. He was 9 dollars short and he started to cry- i mean wtf the 5 ppl in front of me just ignored him and this man with his family told his kids to look away. I was just so pissed and saddened. I walked over to the man payed his bill for him and i'll never forget the hug or the look of gratitude he gave me.

Most of all i'm disappointed. Disappointed at my countrymen. what kind of society has my country become. Heartless,cruel, impatient bastards is what i believe my countrymen are. Even at the bank when i'm taking out my wallet before walking over to the teller the guy behind me pushes and exclaims loudly for me to move( never mind the matter that i can break his face).

Forget Singaporeans- my country has a hell lot of expatriates and foreigners and i believe that they are the worst. Forget the fact that the majority of them are from India and china. What i really hate about them is how they always criticise Singapore and how much better their homeland is and the way look so degrading at anyone else.

Firstly, if your homeland is so much better what the fuck are you doing in my country and secondly they should remember that perhaps they form the elite in their country but in this country they arent the elite and they should learn their place and they should really keep their sniveling sucking up to themselves cause it aint going to work on me nor my mum and especially not my dad. The government should really consider having some kind of Compatibility test to determine if these foreigners will be able to fit into society before allowing them to work or live here.( something like what perhaps Australia has)

i may sound like some elitist arrogant toerag- well if u want to believe so its your problem. I just believe i'm privileged to go to a top school and have my parents trust me to have my own condo but what i cant stand are rude impatient dis-compassionate assholes. Singapore is a society, lets act like members of a society and help one another or perhaps even smile once in a while. I've never felt so ashamed to be Singaporean before.

To all my friends who say i've changed-i'm still the same person.

Misguided by the 405 'cause it lead me to an alcoholic summer.

-pubis

Beach by Starlight

I'm an average guy. I'm disdainful of emo songs and emo observations, I prefer actiities to personal reflection and I don't care for tranquility and peace and yada yada yada...

Yet I had an awesome time with Pubis and Lemonfruit at the beach tonight.

I felt small and spiritual and awed by looking at the stars that adorn the sky that drapes the space above us.









I'm an asshole of an arrogant debater. But looking at the endless sea and feeling its waves lap at your feet threateningly is very humbling and daunting.

Ooooh mannnn there is nothing like lying on the cool beach sand at night, listening to the waves lapping and hearing Soul Meets Body (Death cab For Cutie).

Wtf. This post doesn't sound like me.

Maybe when I surf through this blog again, I'll cringe at the whiny tone of this post and delete it...

I think I'm so stressed and tired from boot camp (P and LF from exams) that this natural setting just hit the spot.

Seriously, if you're reading this, next time you're thinking of what to do on a night, go to the beach.

Or get outta your landlocked country. XD.

-Mack.

And Labour Day Came And Went...

I know I haven't posted in a while. I had stuff on.

Thursday was labour day/may day/whatever the hell its called in your country. So I was off from camp for a day. I feel like calling us back on thursday (still a public holiday) has gotta be unconstitutional or smth... It was like an oasis in my week. And it came and went...

Today is Friday. Tmr I go back for a physical fitness test. They're encroaching on my weekend. I can't tell you how much I don't appreciate that. I have a family and friends and LIFE to catch up with on my weekend.

Ah well. Duty calls.

I thought I'd talk about music.

I am a huge Death Cab For Cutie fan. My obsession started (I'll admit) the O.C. on which the band was featured. the O.C. basically opened the door for me into the indie music world, where I currently reside, while making the occasional visit to the Heavy Metal world.

Other indie bands score my approval. See: Stars, Nada Surf, The Decemberists, The Format.

I introduced DCFC and indie into ana-poolside and now Pubis and Lemonfruit like them A LOT too. XD.

I shan't tell you about the partay. Atleast not now.

-Mack

may day/labour day

argh! played a match today. we only needed a draw

at half time we were winning 2-0

full time we lost 3-5

i scored one and
i missed a penalty flick that could have drawn us at 4-4
was fucking miserable( never missed a flick in 15 flicks in all matches played in my life)

then i went to coach my hockey babies- for some reason i play like crap around them- i hope they dont loose faith or trust in my coaching abilities. also thinking abt the potentially good players we will loose to the student council. sigh stupid council.

thinking about the next party- 3 weeks time should be good

here are the pics i have of the last party.(not all though- i was wasted rmbr)

damn a'level spa tmr

imgaine sparkling the world with what alice found

-imagine wonderland

-pubis =D