I've found a friend who died for me

Hey all. In my boredom due to lack of things to do during the holidays, I've decided to look into my magic crystal ball and see into the future. 14 years into the future and let's see what has changed since then...

As I step out of my office at the Integrated Resorts, with the view of the Merlion firmly in my sights, I break from my usual routine as I do not head for home straight away but instead, head towards Orchard Hotel for a gathering. I step into my new Mazda RX8, sold to me by that sales person from hell, Jun Ting. He decided to open a new car showroom so that he could leave and breathe cars. The last I heard, he had opened up the showroom together with Aaron Lim, who also shares his passion for cars. The two of them offer wonderful discounts to ex-classmates and even have wonderful company benefits from time to time.

I'm travelling down the expressway when who else calls me but Chan Junde, the one among us who slimmed down majorly after his appearance on Extreme Makeover: Singapore. Now, his spectacles are gone and gone too is his pot belly, in it's place is a well-maintained body. He's now working as a zoo keeper and last I heard, he got a promotion to be in charge of the reptiles section. How ironic. When we were young, we used to call him turtle. Haha. One thing that has not changed, however, is his penchant for nose bleeds. He got off easily in the army and was classified as PES E, which meant that he didnt have to go thru rigorous training like the rest of us. Lucky bugger.

He calls to confirm my attendance at tonight's NPCC reunion dinner. I tell him that I'm on my way. In the meantime, he tells me to give Baoyi a call and see if I can give her a lift as well. She represented our country in many tug-of-war competitions in the region and is now a trainer of tuggers in our old school, Nan Chiau High. She picks up and directs me to the new location of the school, having moved from Sengkang to the old RI school ground to accomodate more students and have better CCA facilities. With her is her long-time friend, Amanda. Apparently she teaches in the same school now. Oh well. After that big detour, we are finally on our way. During the journey, we share our common anticipation of seeing our friends and one time squad mates again. We all agree it was time we sat down to catch up.

When we enter the hotel lounge, there we find Wei Siang. A few moments of awkward silence ensues after he spots Amanda, having had that unforgettable "scandal" just after we graduated from secondary school. I attempt to break the ice and tension, and enquires about the others. I spot Junde walking towards us. In tow is Rebecca, who apparently got a lift from him. Soon after, Meiqi hurriedly walks towards us, apologising for being late. She's now the pastor-in-charge of City Harvest Church, which has become the biggest church in Asia now. Apparently, she just returned from Melbourne, where she was holding a seminar for pastors in the region. We find our seats in the function room, which Samantha kindly booked for us, with her bring the majority shareholder of the hotel, and wait for the others to arrive.

As we sit down, we hear people from behind us being a little too noisy. The waiter nearest to us shouts to the others that the soccer stars were here. We turn to look and find Yong Yi, Ambrose, Charles and Yong Li walking in. They formed the backbone of the national team which just qualified for the World Cup and are currently the toast of the country. Shortly after, we see that Zhi Yong has arrived. He is now the boss of his own jeans company, which is rapidly becoming popular in the region. He formed his company together with Hui Ting and they have both recently broken into the Forbes' Magazine 500 Richest People In the World list, the first Singaporeans to do so.

As we hear many cameras clicking away, we realise that Simin has arrived. Since winning Project Superstar and Campus Superstar, she has released 4 albums, each reaching the top of the charts in the region in the same week it was released. She walks in together with our Maam Jocelyn! Squeals of delight erupt from the girls. Our beloved Maam has wiped out the Pizza hut chain from Singapore after setting up her own line of pizza fast-food outlets called J's Pizzeria. Her pizzas are so fast and tasty that even famed chef Jamie Oliver came down to try her pizza. And he loved it so much he still comes down to eat at her restaurants. We all patiently await the last two people.

And soon, they make their entrance, hand in hand. Who else, but Jocelyn and Hwee Siang? They have been together for as long as we can remember. Nobody but them is keeping count anymore. Jocelyn's working for the CID now and is in the running for the ASP rank. If she gets it, I think she will be the first woman to get it. Hwee Siang is now a professional gamer and has won many accolades in the now annual World Cyber Games. He used to be a commando in the army but just didnt like that kinda life. So now, he spends his time and gets paid to play games. Lucky bugger.

As we sit down to dinner and talk about past moments, we all get lost in thought. As we go back to the times when we were happy kids having nothing but studying to do and having fun, we really appreciate the people who were there as we grew up. But is this the kinda life we worked hard for? Getting lost in the concrete jungle and losing sight of our childhood ambitions? I remember when we were sitting in hot stinky and dirty classrooms doing our 10 year series. Did we envision such a life ahead of us...

How was that for starters man? Haha. Well it's the first instalment of what I hope will be a four or five part series, with a new instalment coming out every week or so until the end of the hols. Till the next entry of " A day in 20_ _ ", tata for now. Please feel free to post your opinions. This is Dan, signing off for now.

Heyhey. Thanks to my jsister-jin-jlaw for saboing me to do this quiz thingie.

1. song playing at the moment?
bad day -- daniel powter

2. reasons for living?
God, friends, family

3. do you think you're ok?
yeah kinda sorta.

4. ever donated blood?
nah. still young. bt i intend to.

5. fav. colours?
blue.red.black

6. accessories you usually wear?
Not much.

7. one song to describe a heartbreak in the past.
Welcome to my life

8. last place you went to?
GV Plaza.

9. last person you went out with?
Agape.

10. e most exciting sport?
10 times you ask me this it's the same answer. SOCCER.

11. ever had a baby?
no.hv 2 naughty "nephews" though.

12. movie you wanna watch?
open season.

13. any piercing?
nope.

14. e most romantic gift?
dunno leh.haha.

15. act on stage before?
yeah, acted and narrated

16. struck by lightning before?
Ha!stupid question. Next!

17. danced with your loved ones before?
Do I look like I can dance?

18. ever wished you could turn back time?
yea..Definitely.

19. What would you do if you woke up one day to find yourself to be with someone from the oppositesex?
Ha. Depends on who la. If it's the singing sensation of 3F, I might kill myself.

20. one song that's meanignful to you?
I'll be there for you -- Bon Jovi

21. missing whoever now?
dunno leh.kinda in between

22. what will you be doing tmw?
good question. haha. homework ba.

23. ever thot of robbing a bank?
LOL.I'm from NP leh.

24. onne thing you really regret doing or have done?
everything i'd done is a memory.. so, why regret having memories?

25. do ppl like you?
dunno.hope so

26. What was the last game you played on the computer?
FM 07.

27. someone who means a lot to you at the moment?
my family my friends my "family" my squad

28. the colour of your bed?
Green sheets at the moment.

29. do you hate someone at the moment?
Nah.Used to.Not now.

30. what do you wish to happen now?
have a nice meaningful talk with anyone that can point me in the right direction.

31. last time you ate pizza?
eh.. last few weeks i think. yeah.

Have you ever been given a ring?
No wedding ring, no engagement ring, no friendship ring. Only suffering.(demands applause for lame joke)

33. do ppl think you're weird?
Dunno. And I could hardly care.

34. movies now showing that you hate?
nope none.

35. most important thing in your room?
ipod.

36. last movie watched?
happy feet

37. last television show watched?
Amazing race asia.

38. who is the person you want to see right now?
dunno.

39. ever called a perosn useless?
heh. hav.

40. are you good at hiding your feelings?
quite..Hide behind jokes and corny stuff that seems so fake...

41. where did you take your friendster default pic?
lol.downloaded from web.

42. what exactly are you wearing right now?
Camp shirt for orientation camp '04 and some shorts with no brand.

43. what is your current problem?
To borrow a phrase, "heart matters"

44. what makes you most happy?
Being me.Hanging out with my squad and my cell.

45. what is e name of e song you're listening to?
You're still you

46. has anyone close to you died recently?
how recent is recently?

47. do you ever watch mtv?
of 'cos!

48. what is something tt really annoys you?
Hypocrites.Lard-face.Mr Potato-head.

5 ppl to do this:

KarL G
Jun ting
Ali Baba
Wenmin
John Fats

heh. =))

Tonight's the biggie. For the past week ESPN has been promoting it as the clash of the titans. In the red corner we have the most successful British team of the last decade and the 2nd longest-serving manager in the English game, Manchester United. In the blue corner, we have the defending champions, and the biggest mouth in Europe, Chelsea. The whole world is billing it as the most important match for both sides. Chelsea perhaps, but United? Definitely not.

The reason for this is that United have more traditional and historical rivals. Every year, no matter what happens, the most important games (in order) are Man U vs Liverpool, Man U vs Man C and Man U vs Arsenal. Why? Simple. Man U vs L'pool games are the fixtures where pride matters more than the three measly points. These two teams are the most successful British teams of all time, and many great players have played for these two clubs. Players like Rush, Dalglish, Cantona, Best, Charlton and Denis Law spring to mind. Man U vs Man C is a local derby, where anything can happen. This fixture may have lost it's lustre over the years cos of Man C yo-yo-ing between divisions, but the fact of the matter remains that this fixture is one of utmost importance. Man U & Arsenal have been rivals for a long time, especially when both clubs shared dominance of the EPL. This fixture, many a time, has provided the vital turn in both seasons. This fixture has decided the fate of the title many a time. After these 3 fixtures, the next one is Man U vs Leeds, cos that's a Yorkshire derby and goes back historically to the War of the Roses. However, this fixture hasnt been played in a while due to the relegation of Leeds. After these four fixtures then comes Chelsea. The same cant be said of them cos Man U is their biggest fixture, upstaging Tottenham and Arsenal fixtures in recent years.

Well. One thing that has been said is true though. It's pretty safe to assume that either of the clubs will end up as champions come the first week of May. It's hard to look past both teams. Even at the start of the season when everyone tipped Liverpool to be Chelsea's main rival, I wasnt all that sure. Yeah Pool bought a bunch of players. Big deal. When you buy people like Pennant and Fabio Aurelio, please make sure you look at their videos first. That's what scouts are for innit? Everyone wrote United off cos they sold Van Nistelrooy, a player who couldnt deal with being dropped in favour of Giuseppe Rossi at the end of last season when there was virtually nothing left to play for. However, in doing so, they improved the team spirit and are starting to reap the benefits now.

While both teams have a fierce rivalry on the pitch, the managers have a mutual respect for each other. If Chelsea loses, a six point gap would be opened up at the top. But if United loses, there goes the outright lead. Therefore, all neutral fans are rooting for a United win just so we can see how good Chelsea are at chasing down a lead. I certainly am. 4 hours to the kickoff.

Once again it's Dan signing off for now.

Ok. So that day when my sister-in-law had some emotional problems, she turned to me. Then upon remembering the 8 master questions that Des used to mention, I told her to think about some questions. I then came up with these 11 questions that somehow just popped into my head. Seriously. Didnt check any websites or stuff liddat. But somehow, in a weird and strange way, the questions nearly all made sense. But I must admit. Somehow, they also mostly just applies to girls, and only in some cases to guys. And here they are, complete with my reasons why or my attempt to reason why it appears so:

1)when ur down n out,whose shoulder dya wanna lie on?

Somehow, this almost always applies to girls. Dunno why. Maybe that provides a sense of security and belonging? Which according to a TV show I watched a couple of weeks back, are two of the most important elements to a relationship.

2)when ur alone at nite,who dya tink of?

Normally, I would think that this person would be someone very special. Cos in my opinion, you would only think of a person who has made a strong impression in your mind in such a time. I mean, we wouldnt be thinking of a boring teacher at night. We would be thinking of someone we view very highly right?

3)who dya first tink of when u first wake up?

Well. This one definitely appealed to me before. So yeah, I believe that this person whom you think of when you first open your eyes in the morning, is the one that will fill your thoughts for e rest of the day. Obviously, if this person happens to be a boring teacher, please do not hestitate to see a shrink. Btw, of cos this excludes family members.

4)who dya tink of when u juz before u go to slp?

This was based on a very logical thinking. If this answer tallies with e one above (it usually is), then that person would be in your thoughts usually for the majority of the day. Meaning that the person would be the first one you thought of when you first wake up and the last person that leaves your conscious mind for the day, probably in the hope that the person would be in your dreams? This logic is the same one as the reasoning behind the principle of not letting the sun go down in our anger.

5)when ur ard him,n he touches u,be it accidentally or wat,do u immediately feel faint or flushed?

Ok. This is a total ripoff of something I read on the Internet. Strange but true. One of life's wonderful mysteries I suppose.

6)when u tink 5,10,15 years down e road,who dya tink u'll be with?

Hmmm. I wasnt really thinking about this question. Dunno. It's the most inconsequential question of the lot.

7)in daily life,does everything seem to remind u of him?

Right. This seems to appeal to girls. Never applies to majority of guys I think. Maybe cos girls are supposed to be more emotional and sentimental? But I've read somewhere that this happens cos we have that person in our mind, so much so that something common or mundane like a regular teacup can remind us of that person, maybe reminding us of a previous similar experience, like having a spot of tea with that person.

8)when u gaze into e stars or moon at nite dya get e feeling tt u wanna b right nxt to him at tt moment?

See, I have this belief that the night sky is a mystical thing in a way. The myth of wishing upon a star or a falling comet originates from the old belief that the things of the sky represents part of Heaven or a good luck sign. And it's common to find couples gazing into the night sky. Night time normally represents the time where our bodies start to relax and feel most comfortable, and we somehow get drawn to think about our "heart matters", to steal a phrase. Where our heart lies, we get a representation of the person in the sky. Like the star constellations, stars can somehow show a representation of our thoughts. But that's just my theory.

9)at times,dya hv e urge to call him n just tell him hw u feel?

Dunno. This one just seemed pretty important at the time, but I dont really think it can point to anything other then constant frustration due to the other party not getting the hints (This one's a 2nd level joke).

10)when u hv absolutely no one else to rely on,who dya expect to b there no matter what?

This one's the most practical one. See, this person is one that you trust with your whole heart and feel that when the world is against you, that person will still be there for you. It's another question about how secure you are. We will all have times where we go thru a rough patch and get the feeling that no one understands us. But we somehow will be comforted by this person's presence. I feel this is the greatest indicator of who do you have feelings for. This person will ultimately be who you want as your pillar of strength.

11)if u were stranded on a desert island,who dya wanna b stranded with if u cld onli choose one person?

This one's a total ripoff. But it still shows who you really wanna be with in life I guess, the person whom you feel will be your better half. I have personally never understood fully the meaning of this. Maybe I will in the future. Personally, I'd hate it if one day I vanished from Singapore and appeared in a desert somewhere just cos my best friend wished that I was there with him. I mean, cmon lah, I'd be pissed, not super touched. That being said, given the choice I'd choose the one person I could stand the LEAST.

So. That's my 11 questions of knowing if you really like a guy/gal. Maybe I should put in on Friendster and do it into a bulletin. Haha. Well anyone who wanna try this on yourself is welcome to do so. And if there's anything that anyone might wanna add or rebutt or offer their own opinion on, feel free to leave a taggy.

Till the next time, Dan signing off.

Your EQ is 133

50 or less: Thanks for answering honestly. Now get yourself a shrink, quick!51-70: When it comes to understanding human emotions, you'd have better luck understanding Chinese.71-90: You've got more emotional intelligence than the average frat boy. Barely.91-110: You're average. It's easy to predict how you'll react to things. But anyone could have guessed that.111-130: You usually have it going on emotionally, but roadblocks tend to land you on your butt.131-150: You are remarkable when it comes to relating with others. Only the biggest losers get under your skin.150+: Two possibilities - you've either out "Dr. Phil-ed" Dr. Phil... or you're a dirty liar.

What's" Your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)?

Hey all, I'm at home on a fine holiday so feeling super sian. Decided to do something which I havent done before on my blog. I shall post song lyrics. (Yeah tt's how bored I am)

From the Inside Out (by Hillsong United)

A thousand times I’ve failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
I’m caught in Your grace
EverlastingYour light will shine when all else fades
Never endingYour glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting Your light will shine when all else fades
Never endingYour glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out

EverlastingYour light will shine when all else fades
Never endingYour glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

Lord, I Lift Your Name on High ( by Sonicflood)

You came from Heaven to earth
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debt to pay
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord I lift Your name on high

Lord I lift Your name on high
Lord I love to sing Your praises
I'm so glad You're in my life
I'm so glad You came to save us

You are holy
You are holy
You are holy, my God

You are awesome
You are awesome
You are awesome

Bring Your freedom
Bring Your freedom
Bring Your freedom

Here I Am to Worship (by Sonicflood)

Light of the world,
You stepped down into darkness.
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you

And here I am to worship,
here I am to bow down,
here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely,altogether worthy,
altogether wonderful to me.

King of all days, oh,
so highly exalted.
Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly you cameto the earth you created
All for love's sake became poor.

And here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely.altogether worthy,
altogether wonderful to me.

I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
And I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
No, I'll never know how much it cost

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me

And here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful
Yes you are God

I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross

I think that's all for today. Still have loads more yet to type out.

Heyhey.I'm stuck at home and feeling bored.Then I realised I havent updated in a while so I decided to blog about a few things that I'm feeling thankful for.Oh before I start,I wanna say this: I dun care who you are,but nobody demands a post every month just so you can start spamming my tagboard. Now that it's been said,here we go...

1)I'm thankful for my beloved squad 3. I dont think I would have said this at this time last year, and really, I'm just glad that I had the chance to get to know em. In this squad, we have all sorts of different characters. There's people like Jun ting (Mr. Detailed,disgusting old ah pek/pervert), Hwee Siang(Heartbreaker,Lamer,Joker), Junde (Noddy/Lamer/Joker/Record holder for fastest chicken wing consumption), Jocelyn(Apple Quek/Tomato Quek/Sister-In-Law) and even me. The beauty of our squad isn't cos we're perfect or appear to have no flaws, but that everyone is capable of covering one another's weaknesses. And unlike NP squads in other schools, not everyone is fighting for personal gain. And I'm proud to be part of such a special group of people, in a squad where true brotherly/sisterly love can be found. We really do look out for one another,and it's not something we do unnaturally, but it's really part of our subconsciousness and inculcated into our daily lives. It comes naturally that we stick together even when someone screws up real bad. Although we do have the occasional quarrel, I really believe that this squad is made of Grade A superglue. Our bonds were built thru thick and thin. And it is my prayer that these bonds will never break.

2)I'm thankful for God's everlasting grace. I have been amazed by His wonderful plans many a time,but this one takes the cake. It just shows how God can work and then seemingly stops only to be moving all e while from another different angle. Just goes to show. Never doubt Him. To you,my dear new Sister-in-Christ, I will keep you in prayer. Always have and always shall. He will always be there for you.

And I think that's about all for now. Haha. Dan signing off for now..