For sunrise/sunset crazy people, This gorgeous sunset was captured on the first day of spring (March 20, 2004) near Green Valley, Arizona. Southern Arizona has a reputation for rich twilight colors. An influx of moisture from the Pacific Ocean, (in the form of high and mid altitude clouds) combined with a desert landscape and a wide-open horizon, can make for startling sunsets and sunrises......

Dedicated to everyone reading my blog...Perhaps this is the second time you see picture in my blog...Enjoy it! =)

I don't really like today's sunrise. The dark clouds blanketed the sky, horrible sight. But this fellow blogger got this sunrise picture from another part of Singapore.....nice?

Nonetheless, this is dedicated to my friend who's feeling depressed.. cheer up.. :) ... the weekend is almost here... =)!! If possible share with me your problems, i rpomise i won't suan you! Haha...

Types of Leaders/ Members

Type 1: The perfect one.

Fully committed, well trained, very knowledgable, Passionate & Keen in
Scouting. Willing to share his/ her skills and knowledge, can solve
problem by him/ herself. Can take his/ her own initiative or when not
sure, will always consult others opinion before proceeding. Caring and
kind, friendly and helpful. Strict and decipline when come to serious
event like footdrills. Friendly & approachable When fellow Scouts had
question or when help is needed. Always find ways to improve him/
herself, do research and studies before every training session.

As you can see, this kind of leader/ member can say to be perfect.
Willing to learn, willing to share his/ her Skills & Knowledge,
Friendly enough to approach yet strict enough for boys to fear him/
her. Willing to help and also able to solve problems.
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Type 2: The everything don't bother type.

Basically, i don't understand why he/ she wanted to join Scouts in the
first place, Knowing Uniform Groups is also a discipline Group. Every
meeting, knowing very well Uniform is a requirement unless inform of
other form of attire is needed for. Don't even bother to bring along
and when question, can find thousands and one excuses to explain.
Worst, don't even turn up. When question, answer was sick. You can get
sick when come to Scout meeting days and being healthy before and
after, i strictly think, for your health sake, you better quit before
Scouting kills you.

When task was given to he/ she and was told to get it done by a date
and was given ample time to do so, didn't even bother untill a senior
or leaders approach him/ her with a serious tone, then willing to do
it at the last minute. Ended up doing a sloppy job.

Seriously speaking, if you're not interested and not willing to commit
yourself, i urge you to quit rather than we had no choice to kick you
out. Since you're also not keen to learn, i don't think Scouting can
offer you anything.
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Type 3: Aggresive & Live Vocano type

Basically this type of a person is quite keen in Scouting as he/ she
knows what Scouting can teach him/ her and what he/ she can gain. But
this type of people is some how selfish. He can only take and cannot
give. Sometimes also quite lazy or slow in working. Or always work
very fast, trying to get the job done but don't care about the quality
of work.

Like to control people but can't control him/ herself. When he/ she
was question, knowing he /she was in the wrong, trying to protect him/
herself, he/ she will starts shouting back to the leaders making a din
out of a small matters so as to turn the arrow back to the leaders.
Creating a diversion so as to let the rest of the boys thinks that the
leader was actually the one in the wrong.

This type of people always like to make him/ herslf shines out but
don't bother to work on it. Will only uses opportunity when it's in
grab and not those far away.

Seriously speaking, this type is not that bad and still have space to
improve and change. Just that he/ she is willing or not.
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Type 3: The Clown

Always make a fool out of him/ herslf. Come out with funny ideas which
cannot work or might even endanger other fellow Scouts.

1) Like to show off by creating trouble, commit suicide using ceiling
fan, faint all of a sudden, crying, bring very expensive stuff to
school to make people envy. When he/ she was question, he/ she usually
had only 2 reaction. Cry or shout out loud which all his words and
sentenses don't make sense. All he/ she wanted to do is trying to
attract attention.

2) Always smiley, super friendly and very approachable. Like to help
but knows nothing. Though very keen in Scouting but it's just like
jack of all trade. Know alot of things but only knows how to start but
don't know how to end. Or start something and then throw it to others
to complete and still dare to claim credits when others have to clean
up his/ her mess.

3) Make him/ herself look like a superstar but not knowing he/ she is
the public enemy or dislike by the masses.

This type of people, please beware. Eyes are on you without you
knowing. Though leaders kept quite of your behaviour but doesn't mean
they don't care, just that when the moment is right, you'll get it.

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Type 4: The half/ half type

This type is keen to learn but don't know who and when to approach or
where to go. Had no confident in making decision or taking initiative.
When not sure, don't even dare to ask, afraid to get scolding.

Only when someone is pushing and guilding him/ her then can perform well.

Or knows how to work but never do a good job.

For this type of people, basically still got hope just that leaders
had to look out for him/ her. He/ she is not lazy but yet also not
hard working. This type makes perfect follower but not leaders
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Type 5: Very committed & aggressive.

This type is another type of perfect leader but is also a
perfectionist. Like to get things done is tip top condition. Very
aggressive. Can't stand any flaws or inperfection. Will point out
fault and flaw straight to people's face loud & clear. Won't take no
for an answer.

This type of people though is very kind and generous, willing to learn
new stuff and share it with others. Willing to help and be a listener
when the boys needed one. But due to his/ her character, boys usually
stay away from him/ her not knowing when he/ she going to flare up. In
another word some afraid of him/ her, some dislike him/ her all due to
his/ her character.

He/ she is willing to go all the way for the boys and Scout group but
due to the lack of support from the boys, energy to carry on will soon
depleted.

My advice is a leader is Strict & Decipline and yet friendly and
approachable. Must learn when to be fierce & strict and When to be
friendly and approachable. If boys dislike you & don't dare to confide
in you, you very well know your method of doing things need to change
& improve. This doesn't only apply to Scouting but in your future
life. PR skill is very important.
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SIX O' CLOCK

At six o’ clock, Viareggio stirs:
Street lamps spring an amber light.
A seagull sniffs the wood smoke
and staggers beneath a striped parasol
snatching a piece of fresh fish
under the astonished eyes of a sunbather
still yawning from her mid-day siesta.

I swerve as a waitress stares, runs forward,
her sandalled feet gaping the sands
as she whips up the morning paper,
and flings it at a circling flock --
the flapping of their bleached wings
a protest against the slow blackening
of the evening across the sky.

Nearby, a boy sucks in his cheeks
to spit white gum at a pair of wrestling crabs,
his mud-soiled fingers raking through eel-grass,
wrapping a tight fist around a squirming cockle.
As dusk lingers, its yellow fog will beat back
the curled-up ends of a lazy tide:
And the molluscs will surface, to sink again.

I will stand on a jagged rock, and listen
to the shuffling of night. On a vacant shore,
a solitary bird will tuck its head to its wing,
while I will wipe the back of my hand
across a forehead, wet with brine,
watching a stray coke can topple
into a glittering sea, waking the stars.

Plagiarised from Disbelieving...Wonderfully written...I love the morning...

The rain today is to be blamed

I'm back, i have only one more week to my Mid Year Examinations. Try as i might, i still don't think i could cover the entire syllabus on time. Pitiful; locking myself in a world of books, away from humans, nothing but the accompaniment of a small radio.
How much i wanted to jostle among the crowds of a busy streets, seeing the frowns on people faces. At least, i would feel i'm not alone dealing with stress.

The rain today is to be blamed: I was caught in the rain, my good friend sang in the rain, crazy lad, the rain soaked my uniform, bleaching it translucently white. I shivered under the gale, but then we were not the only ones in the rain, yes there were the girls, dancing around as if celebrating the rain, why can't i be just like them? Rather than lamenting and cursing?

The chill of the wind and the pitter-patter of the rain made me sleepy, and so i fell asleep amidst memorising my Humanities. Damn it, after i woke up, though the rain ceased, but due to the breezy weather and gloomy sky, i dozed off again.

I know, i shouldn't have blamed the rain, but i couldn't help it. Longing for a holiday......so much...

On a lighter note, more people were crazy about sunrise. There was a guy who talked about sunrise in bus, one talked about sunrise in school, two mentioned it in blogs, yet who's listening and appreciating their surroundings? It's just the few of them, who will take time off their schedule to just look into their environment, now i know why so many people are so unwilling to save the earth. If only they learn to appreciate, then the earth would be saved, and Earth Day need not exist to remind those ignorant ingrats. Earth Rules...

I'm the flag bearer for Wednesday assembly. Very zeh ak...we stand down there like for 30minutes, i counted minutes and seconds....

On tuesday, i teamed up with 3e4 for the Current Affairs Quiz. Buzzer got problem, press liao can't hear anything....Well, blame on myself lah, won't wanna push blames...I got third....lousy, supposed to get first. kk, don't hao lian liaoz....

I'm supposed to be commander on Thursday, but relised something very wrong, so let it go...gam xia willie help me with the commander's position.

Tomorrow i'm also supposed to be flag bearer, but then wanna let the others to try, so gave up my position again. Actually, i don't like to do such things.....

So, this week i made public for quite a few occasions, only 3 haha...den today my Geography Teacher, Mrs Chow, asked me to answer some questions. Don't know how she know i'm an environmentalist....worst thing is i failed to answer her questions....suaned by her....

Lots of moral issues going through my minds, no i did not do anything wrong.......just thinking through...

Talked to someone about happiness vs success.....She's someone out of the box, unique, so i did managed to grasp the gist of our conversation. And here i am, trying to pry into the deep profound meaning, and yet replacing with my own words, reason being that i deleted our conversation...heh heh...

...i tried typing it out, but my language abilities don't allow me to phrase properly, so too bad, no more le...HeY,don't scold me 'gey siao', 'siao gin nah' hoh...

And i told someone of my admiration for her and my little little infatuation for her....great huh? unlike me ar? And please, for Jesus Christ sake, don't pester me to tell you who she is...Heh heh, unless you give me something nice...haha. If you know who, then diam diam hoh, don't let the cat out of the bag..*meow*

I don't know why i tell her also....haiya, wrong decision lah, chaam lo, but then she still talk to me!! (automatically)....wahahaha....

*Sorry for my crazy mood....i really key siao liaoz....wahahaha*

**i opologise again for my lack of control...hahahaha, help me!!!**

***Accept my sincerest opologies, find for my screw!!! nut also getting loose***

****Nut loose, everything lose liaoz....lame man!! Gey siao!****

Influenza still unbearable. Poor brother got it too. Epidermic, lots of people also kena...strong viruses are ubiquitous now, RUN, mai si then zhao! Flee for your life!

On a less saddening note, my friend confessed to a girl of his infatuation for her, but then i don't really like his phrase of asking...very gei yan...

"haha crap oni ah...mi ah...not oni thru tokin lor...mi keep on go find her...den wana tok 2 her...even though sho mani ppl ard...i oso go find her...den is lik...i ask her tis qn on 1 day...wat u tink my intentions r 4 doin all tis tings 4 u lor.."

The girl replied...

"ohh..i din reali noe abt those stuffs u do 4 me till the time when u ask me abt dat qn..coz i din go n tink abt it n i will find myself foolish if i were to tink do so.. hhmm..how shud i say..erm..i dun wan dis to affect our studies..u shd noe v well de rgt..i myself oso duno wad i m tinking..but as fer now..i will concentrate on studies 1st..in future..will always b a qn mark in my head..hhmm yesh,although we dun reali noe each other much n long enuf but u r indeed a v speacil fren to me..to wad extent,i duno. "


Well, if i were to say, the reply wasn't direct nor hurting, rather of those model answer a good girl would give. Don' know lah, not my tai ji, but then he wasn't outright defeated or succeeded.....haha....mm zai lah...I think he also another siao gin nah, both of them won't want dating and such craps, then still say so much. Should just mention of his infatuation and then finish mah......Love really isn't fathomable...

IF i were him, i would date her or something, then tell her face to face, direct and square, then it would be so much easier. Can observe both facial and body expressions, haiya, don't know lah. However, the guts must be there? Haha.

Maybe life too boring liaoz, everyday hovers around home and school, adding some spice to life...haha...

Long time no cycle, felt the itch and want...I got a touch of my leader's bike when he came down for meeting. I just scooted off with his bike and enjoyed a ride around the school's concourse......wahaha, everyone scolded me after that, teacher saw me and say i gey siao...haiya, i want ride bike!

Monday got 2.4, scared not at my optimum health then fail...haha...laughter is the best medicine on earth, it allowed my throat to be worst........ehheemmmm...

Hey, long time no post. I kena flu, v chaam, then got good friends come and suan somemore. Siao gin nah! Very lethargic liaoz, koon until bui koon liaoz, lim zhui until bo zhui liaoz.
Still got another Siao gin nah, a friend of mine, kena tekan by me. I call him by the name of PMS, he very the guai lan one, everyday also key siao, took class key and draw ang kong kia, si bei gey yan.
But then he very fit, wear school uniform tag-team with Mr chan (PE teacher) trashed me and one of my good friend during Basketball match...bui da han, run like siao gin nah liddat...
English Department key siao, allow me to go final for the current affair quiz...must pair up with one siao gin nah from Sec3...
Haiya, tired le...koon liaoz lah...bubbai

Venus and Pleiades

March 31, 2004: The Pleiades are elusive. You rarely find them on purpose. They're best seen out of the corner of your eye, a pretty little surprise that pops out of the night sky when you're staring elsewhere.

Venus is just the opposite. Dazzling, bright enough to cast faint shadows, it beams down from the heavens and grabs you, mesmerizing. You can't take your eyes off it.

This weekend, Venus and the Pleiades are coming together. It happens every 8 years: Venus glides through the Pleiades star cluster and, while dissimilar things don't always go well together, these do. It's going to be a beautiful ensemble.

Step outside after dark on Thursday, April 1st and look west. Venus is the improbably-bright "star" about halfway up the sky. Just above Venus lies the Pleiades, often mistaken for the Little Dipper because the faint stars of the Pleiades trace the shape of … a little dipper.


If you go outside and look several nights in a row, you can see how fast Venus travels across the sky. On Friday, April 2nd, Venus enters the Pleiades, just below the dipper's bowl. On Saturday, April 3rd, Venus scoots upward to join the stars in the dipper's handle. On Sunday, April 4th, Venus exits the cluster altogether. Compared to what you saw on April 1st, the two have switched places.

Here are a few things to think about while you're watching the show:

The Pleiades are a clutch of baby stars. They formed barely 100 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs on Earth, from a collapsing cloud of interstellar gas. The biggest and brightest of the cluster are blue-white and about five times wider than our own sun.

The Pleiades didn't exist when Venus first emerged from the protosolar nebula 4.5 billion years ago. No one knows what Venus was like in those early days of the solar system. It might have been lush, verdant, Earth-like. Today, though, it's hellish. A runaway greenhouse effect on Venus has super-heated the planet to nearly 900° F, hot enough to melt lead. Dense gray clouds laced with sulfuric acid completely hide Venus' surface from telescopes on Earth. The smothering clouds, it turns out, are excellent reflectors of sunlight, and that's why Venus looks so bright.

As seen from Earth, Venus shines about 600 times brighter than Alcyone, the most luminous star in the Pleiades. During the weekend try scanning the group with binoculars. You'll see dozens of faint Pleiades invisible to the unaided eye. Among them, bright Venus looks like a supernova.

But, really, it's just an ancient planet gliding in front of some baby stars--a dissimilar ensemble that you won't want to miss.

Some starsearching to take off some stress in you. Stargrazing is always very inspiring, 'shi qing hua yi', stars are something that you can see and can't reach...The power of Nature...awesome

Young, Successful and in search of a Dream
Business Times
Published October 11, 2003
Young, successful and in search of a dream

By DANIEL BUENAS

UNHAPPY - that's how I feel as a young Singaporean.
I feel this way not because I'm jobless, poor or uneducated.
In fact, I have a good job, a stable income and a good education.
By most standards, I should be considered a successful young man.

However, I am slowly realising that the achievements I have been chasing are,
perhaps, a chimera. I have sought and yearned for success, when perhaps what I
should have been looking for was happiness, or meaning in life.

This is the dilemma that the youth in Singapore face - we cannot reconcile our
apparent success with our gnawing dissatisfaction with life, and nobody can tell
us why.

What we suffer from is a crisis of the soul.

Young Singaporeans are getting lost in a world in which our worth as human
beings is tied to our material, social and physical successes.

However, as we look behind these successes, we often find the faded vestiges of
what once were our dreams. Thus, our life's purpose has been drowned in the
ocean of practicality.

This distinction between success and happiness was brought home to me
recently after the death of a friend. He had passed on suddenly and in the prime
of his life, and his death shook me from the stupor of endless days of work.

I realised that I had perhaps neglected my family and friends around me and,in
so doing, had lost the true meaning of life.

It is too late now, but if I could speak to my friend one last time, I wouldn't
say anything. Instead, I would listen to what he had to say.

Why?

Because Singaporeans are too busy rushing to work, rushing from work and rushing
at work. We don't take the time to listen to others.

His death made me reflect on my own life, and the search for happiness.

Sadly, the need to find meaning in life wasn't one of the things I learnt at
school. The need for success, however, was.

The desire for success is ingrained in our national psyche, and has been pursued
with a fervour that equals - and often surpasses - religious zeal.

From young, we are streamed, labelled and forced into educational
moulds,emerging as world-class products of our world-class education system. We
graduate equipped to be successful in life.

Yet, I feel that in some way, we are lacking. I was never taught to pursue my
dreams. Instead, I was taught to be practical. I chose my field of study,
computer science, and my university based on practical considerations. I thought
this would eventually lead to success. But success doesn't always translate into
happiness.

Perhaps my idealism is brought about by a life that has not known the cruelty of
war, or the bitter struggle for survival. Yet, I have met those who hold on to
similar ideals, despite going through great suffering.

For instance, I recently interviewed a well-respected academic who spoke at
length with me on the virtues of finding meaning and purpose in what we do. He
was no stranger to suffering, having lived through the Japanese occupation, the
Communist revolution in China and nearly starving to death as a young boy. After
so much hardship, one would expect him to extol the virtues of being practical.

Instead, he spoke of passion, desire, purpose and happiness in what we do. I
found it ironic that it took a senior citizen to point this out to what he
called 'a handsome, energetic young man' (what I found even more ironic was his
use of the word 'handsome').

Singaporean youth need to learn that our lives are not just about achieving
success and that we cannot rely on the government or society to provide us with
the reason for our existence. If we do, we will surely come away disillusioned
and disappointed.

More than anything, Singaporean youth need to know that the beauty of life lies
in fulfilling our own dreams - not someone else's - and that we should not fear
pursuing them, whatever they may be. Therein lies our road to happiness.

As Eleanor Roosevelt so eloquently put it: 'The future belongs to those who
believe in the beauty of their dreams'.

The writer is a BT journalist. He is 24.

Hmm, this is so damn true. Sometimes, i even started to hate the world, hate this hate that. Well, i received an SMS of relevance:

"Sometimes the world gives me so much reasons to hate..but whenever that happens, i just stop and think, how can i possibly hate this world when you are a part of it..."

Well, don't you think it's nice, maybe i should go find someone to love so that i won't hate the world...haha