Life is either a daring adventure or nothing

Partying? Playing computer games in LAN shops? Watching movie marathons? Shopping till you drop? Or just slouching in front of the TV and catching up on all the outdated movies?

Well, those would probably be what I would do in any other year. But this year, I decided to do something different. Something crazy. Something radical. Something that people would deem as silly.

I decided to take a walk.... not just any normal walk, but in a 100KM relay walk around Singapore together with some of the youths whom I mentor.

FRIDAY 11:45PM @ S'PORE EXPO. Warming up in the midst of the cool gentle night breeze, we were all ready to kick start the 100KM relay walk. Morales sky high and high spirited, we flagged off and embarked on this amazing 100KM journey once the clock struck 12 midnight. This would also mark the beginning of a crazy or rather ardeuos upcoming 46 hours for me. With church meetings and countdown party rehersal interjected in between, this would also mean that I would not get to sleep till Sunday 10pm! That's 46 hours without any winks! Phew!

>>>>> Fast forward, and it's 6:30am Saturday morning. Our team has reached Lentor Avenue, with aim to reach Sembawang Avenue in 3 hours time to handover the relay baton to the next time that would anchor the next part of the walk. By this time, many of us were already feeling the strain in our knees and calves. But driven by adrenaline rush, we pushed further front in double quick time, hoping to cover as much ground as possible before most of us had to leave for a meeting.

>>>>>> Fast forward again. I managed to rejoin the team again at 11:00pm after the entire day of engagement. By this time, I was purely running on adrenaline and caffeine highs to stay awake. This was the final segments of the walk and there's no way I'm going to drop out. From Pasir Panjang Road, we ventured through to Redhill, through the entire Orchard Road stretch, all the way past Esplanade, crossing Nicoll Highway to reach Indoor Stadium. Henceforth was the most tiring and gruelling part of the walk. From Sunday 3:00am till 7:00am, we had to battle hard against the Zzz-monster to stay awake as we dragged ourselves from Indoor Stadium to East Coast Park MacDonalds. By the time we hit ECP Macs, we were all flat out and decided to catch an hour's wink there and then!

Sunday 9:15am @ ECP Lagoon... Everyone gathered for the grand finale victory march towards EXPO.


HURRAY!!! After two hours, we completed the walk together, bringing an victorious closure to our 100KM relay walk campaign!

Looking back... I could have had more fun partying at any year end events or just couch at home relaxing away. But honestly, nothing beats doing something that challenges my own limits and also inspire lives along the way.

Pace Setter... Trend Maker.... Boundary Breakers... History Makers!

That's my latest tagline!

(Adapted from Mirabel's blog - mirabop.blogspot.com)

The Fern and the Bamboo

One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality.... I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answer surprised me.

"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. The same in year four.

"Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant.

But just six months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.

"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you.

"Don't compare yourself to others." He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.

"Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high"

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I left the forest, realizing that God will never give up on me. And He will never give up on you.

Never regret a day in your life.

Good days give you happiness; bad days give you experiences; both are essential to life.

--Author Unknown

Reflection:

Before another year just fly by so quickly, that time to ponder and reflection through this past year. How has it been for you? Life is like a roller coaster: Full of ups and downs. It is easy to be joyful and laugh our way through the good times, but how about the bad times, challenges or 'defeats' in life? Take heart.... bad days gives us the experience... we grow in depth, character and strength in those times. :) Read more on this article...

Hello everyone! Just came from the Holy Land - Israel last week, and sharing some spectacular and interesting photos with you guys! Enjoy! :)

Check out this spectacular view of the Great Mediterranian Sea

Flying the Singapore flag sky-high on the Sea of Galilee!

As we travel through the mountains, we look back at an amazing sight of the Sea of Galilee

Beautiful church architecture

Our first entry into the city of Jerusalem!

Almost being rocked off the cliffs at Masada

Taking time to catch a breather and ponder - I also have my serious and reflective moments ok? :)

Can you spot the fish behind me?

After an arduous three-hour bus ride, I finaly made it to the place where Indiana Jone and the Last Crusade was shot - Petra!

Light heart trip and definitely there were times I went crazy and wild!

[Disclaimer: This post has been rated PG by the author. In any case if you are stumbled, responsibility will not be borne by the author]

... (continued from previous post).... Soon, with my eyes glued to the screen, I placed one hand down, and almost instantly followed by the other. My head drew nearer to the screen to have a closer look. Before long, I was scrolling through the website, looking at every single picture and subsequently venturing further through clicking on hyperlinks which led me to more "exotic" websites.

This first lustful adventure lasted for 2 hours and I felt totally exhausted and blurry eyes afterwards. My mind was spinning and all I could think of then were the tonnes of pornographic images which I have rumaged through the last couple of hours. I felt totally dysfunctional and wasn't in the right frame of mind.

Little did I know that what started out as a curious beginning led to my indefinite downfall of pornographic "addiction" for the next decade. Not only was I constantly haunted by guilt and shame, but I had also compromised my relationship with my parents and friends. My views about the opposite gender were also distorted because the only perspective I have of women then would be those from the "dirty" websites that I had visited. Each time I try to related or talk normally to the female friends around me, the exotic images would just float up in my mind out of nothing!

The "addiction" was not only killing me softly from the inside out, but also affecting the people around me as relationships became more tensed and strained.

It was only in my army days that I decided to wake up my idea. I felt utterly digraceful about myself on this dirty little secret that finally one day I decided to put a foot down and told myself that I had to stop watching pornography, else it would destroy my future!

The first thing that I did was to confess and share this struggle I had with ....... (to be continued).... Read more on this article...

[Disclaimer: This post has been rated PG by the author. In any case if you are stumbled, responsibility will not be borne by the author]

... (continued from previous post)..... "So can you please tell me the websites that you visited so I can research about it? I really treat you as a good friend and don't wish to see you sink deeper into this digusting and perverted addiction. We are buddies, let's go through this together! 有福同享，有难同当!!"

Stupidly and naively, I scribbled down the website on a rough paper. After putting down the phone, it was time to get down to my 'research' so as to help my buddy.

It was a warm Saturday afternoon and nobody was in the house. My parents had gone out to visit my grandparents and I had the whole home to myself. Fearfully, I settled myself in front of my computer, logged onto the Internet and braced myself for what lies ahead in the unchartered realm of the cyber world.

Scrolling the mouse over to the Internet address bar, I keyed in the web address which my buddy gave to me... *typing gingerly* .... "http://www.xxxxxxxxxxxxx.com" (website removed by author's censorship board) and punched on the "ENTER" button on my keyboard.

Functioning from a 'high tech' 56K modem, I starred blankly at the screen as the webpage began to load. My mind was in a total state of confusion then.. excited on what would be shown on the screen, yet fearful about it too. As the 56K modem processed the data, the web page began on load slowly and unveil the truth that lies beyond.

*Image of the same black screen with the picture of a nude woman I had seen a few weks ago began to flashback in my mind at that moment*

The moment the picture loaded on the web page (enough to expose the nudity), I quickly covered my entire face with my both hands, letting out a slight yeeks upon catching a glimpse of the image again.

After a good 1 minute of hiding, I began to open up my hands and peered at the screen between my fingers. Soon, with my eyes glued to the screen, I placed one hand down, and almost instantly followed by the other. My head drew nearer to the screen to have a closer look..... (to be continued).... Read more on this article...

[Disclaimer: This post has been rated PG by the author. In any case if you are stumbled, responsibility will not be borne by the author]

... (continued from previous post).... There and then, my hand scrolled on the mouse and clicked on the search engine....

"NO!!! I can't do this! This is not right and so utterly disgusting! How can I be such a pervert?!?!"

Jumping off my chair, I huddled on the end of my bed and buried my face in the pillow in shame and guilt.

For the next few days in school, I was facing two fierce battles within me.

1. I hated and was digusted with my friend for watching those dirty websites. I just cannot swallow down the fact that he does such things! I mean... he has always been a nice guy... how did he turn out like that??? *the word PERVERT slides across my mind*

2. That split second image of the naked woman still haunt my mind. It seems that the more I don't want to think of it, the image become a stubborn stain that refuse to leave. I need a brain transplant!

Suddenly, a seemingly righteous inspiration struck me! A true friend never give up on one another but will help each other through crisis. Since my good friend is caught up with this dirty little secret of pornography, the very least I could do would be to help him and stand by him through this rough journey. And so I decided that I must help my friend..... But HOW?!?!?

In order to help my friend out from his pornography addiction, I decided that I myself need to do up some "research" and find out what really is pornography all about! I thought to myself.... I need to experience it so that I can help my friend! (Yes, silly, stupid and naive thought then...:O)

I braced myself up for this intimidating path ahead, boosted only by the fact that I must save my poor friend from the slavery clutches of pornography. I picked up the phone can dialled his number..

... ring ring..... ring ring..... "Hello bro? Hey, I just want to tell you that I am still disgusted with you for your dark secret. But I am not giving up on you, and in fact I want to help you. So can you please tell me the websites that you visited so I can research about it?"...... (to be continued).... Read more on this article...

[Disclaimer: This post has been rated PG by the author. In any case if you are stumbled, responsibility will not be borne by the author]

... (continued from previous post)..... To my surprise, I let off a shrek, "ARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!! YOU DIGUSTING PIG! YOU ARE SUCH A PERVERT! I DON'T WANT TO FRIEND YOU ANYMORE!!!!"

Displayed before me on the computer screen turned out to be a picture of a woman naked without any clothes on. Within that split second, I had sprang out from the chair and ran towards the door. With both my hands covering my eyes, I kept hurling those accusing remarks at my so-called good friend.

Huffing, puffing and totally shaken, I left my friend's house almost in tears and totally flabbergasted at what he had shown me. As I sat in the SBS bus on my way home, mixed feeling started to well up from within me.

Frustration.... Anger..... Digusted. Strangely, amidst of all these highly charged emotions, the image which I had only seen for a split second kept coming back into my mind.

The black background with the picture of the naked woman in the middle of the web page.

Yucks! I literally had to slap myself awake in the bus as my mind on and off drifted back into that dirty minded image. And through that whole day, the image keeps popping back into my mind again and again, despite my frantic attempt to intentionally not think about it. But it was of no help... it just stayed rooted in my brain! I felt really dirty, really shameful and really guilty ..... But I just can't seem to erase the image off my mind.. I wish I could change a new brain!

That night as I sat in front of my computer surfing the Internet, the mental image popped into my mind again. There and then, my hand scrolled on the mouse and clicked on the search engine..... (to be continued) Read more on this article...

[Disclaimer: This post has been rated PG by the author. In any case if you are stumbled, responsibility will not be borne by the author]

I still remembered vividly it was 13 years ago when I had my first exposure to pornography. Back then, computer were still in their 386 or 486 processor systems and Internet was still a relatively new age technology which many still have not gotten into. There was no MapleStory nor World of Warcraft then.... Neither was there Broadband, as we were still running on 56K modem dial-ups.

The word "Pornography" was considered a taboo and bad word in those days, and I would sometimes overhear my guy friends in class talk about these "interesting things" which they see on the Internet. It didn't strike any interesting in me and neither was I interested to find out more... I rather spend my time and energy then playing the "Championship Manager" game where I would be controlling players like Ryan Giggs and Robbie Fowler!

Terror struck on one faithful Saturday after a morning soccer game. I went up to my good friend's house to catch a shower and upon stepping out of the bathroom, my friend called out to me.... "Hey EeJay! Come come! Let me show you something really cool!"

I was really excited there and then, wondering which new player in the game that my friend may have bought at a cheap transfer fee, or whether he had discovered a new player with great statistics. Estatically, I rushed over in my fluffy semi-dried hair and sat down in front of the computer screen.... "Come on man! Show me what you've got! Show me what new discovery you have found!"

My good friend for the past 3 years scrolled the mouse and clicked to open up a window, with the web page slowing loading from the slow 56K modem. I still remembered that the web page had a black background and as it slowly loaded, a picture began to slowly be revealed in the middle of the page.

To my surprise, I let off a shrek..... ARRRGGHHHHH!!!!!!!! (to be continued) Read more on this article...

Runny nose like a leaking old tap.....

Body aches like a battered Evander Holyfield....

Sore headache like hammering on a brick wall....

Tired and drowsy like I haven't been sleeping for a week....

Well, that's basically how I am feeling now. Just came back from the doctor and was diagnosed with the flu bug and the doctor gave me a four-letter word advice....

R.E.S.T!!

This is the third time this year I have fallen sick and had to take an MC from work. It's rather a bad timing to fall sick because a couple of us at work are rushing in preparation for a major presentation tommorrow!

For a body-kinestatic person like me, falling sick and lying in bed is a killer man! I just wish that I was back at work, on the move and doing something!

BUT, I must learn to take care of my body and rest for today at least. It's time for me to live out what I teach because I always scold others for not resting when they are sick.

Today I rest.. tommorrow, I will be back stronger and better! ROAR! :) Read more on this article...

In a span of one week, I have stepped foot into three different countries... Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. Just within 4 days of touchdown back in Singapore from the exciting Tokyo trip, I left swiftly together with my colleagues on a work planning trip to Johor Bahru, Pulai Springs. Phew! It really is quite a mad rush!

But in this season where everything seems to be zooming by at an incredible pace, I have taken snipnets of time here and there to ponder and reflect more about myself, my working style, the way I relate to people and where I get the most job satisfaction out from. Let me share with you these interesting findings and maybe you my dear friends can share some views if these thoughts are accurate!

1. I set very high standards and demands for myself when it comes to work. I demand nothing but excellence from myself.

2. I need alot of sleep. But generally I can still function with little sleep.

3. In busy times, alot of things become functional to me. One clear example is eating. When busy, I don't eat beacause I am hungry, but because I need to.

4. I tend to produce better quality of work when I am hard pressed for time (or given a very tight timeline).

5. I cannot stand sitting around with nothing to do. I must be in the thick of action!

6. I can't sit still for very long.. I will doze off very quickly!

7. Whenever I meet up with people, I will make the best of every effort to share something to value-add to the person. (sounds preachy =P)

8. I am quite a long-winded person.

9. I am a very focused shopper. Get what I need and move on to the next item or event. Thus, window shopping may not be my cup of tea.

10. I tend to process my thoughts within myself first before I would share it with anyone else.

If you have any other inputs which you may have noticed about me, do feel free to comment or tag me about it!

We all live in a crazy hectic world. But learn to take short breaks during these times so as to catch up with your real self. The ancient chinese saying is so so true, "Rest is so that you can go the extra mile!"
Read more on this article...

I was never a fan of Japanese food.. I didn't like cold noodles, neither did I like goobling down raw food.. and least to mention the taste of that brian-choking and stimulating Wasabi! Yeeks!

But every since last year when I came to Japan, I fell in love with Japanese food. The sushi are really fresh and delicately made by the sushi-master LIVE in front of you. The juicy-ness (pardon my English.. can't find a better word to describe the feeling) of the fresh raw prawns, tuna and salmon... *I am drooling already*... and the formerly yucky Wasabi has turned out to be something exciting and thrilling! It's just like eating spicy stuff... though you sweat like a pig as you eat it, but you just keep coming back for more!

This trip to Tokyo, I had the joy of going down to the Tsukiji Fish Market right smack early in the morning (5:00AM to be exact!) and witness the largest wholesale transactions of fresh seafood! To honest, I wasn't too keen on sushi and sashimi after that morning tour of its origin.. check it out yourself....


Here's how a typical stall in the Tsukiji Fish Market looks like. This is only 5% of the entire wholesale centre!


Check out the size of this GIGANTIC Tuna fish! In length, it is comparable to the height of a 6 year old child.


Alright.. here's my close encounter with this monster! *hey fishy fishy fishy fishy...*


And after come samurai slashing and slicing... here's how they all end up... honestly it was quite a bloody scene on site.


And the prices are really cheap! :)


And typically that's how they all end up. Food on the table for all of us, beautifully designed for our pleasure and consumption. :)

Anyone game for Sakae Sushi buffet soon? :P Read more on this article...

For the past 10 days, me and my team here in Tokyo have been having a wonderful time at the conference, experiencing the hospitality and warm culture of the Japanese friends here, witnessing the unique traditions and most importantly, feasting on the sumptuous food here!!!! Check this out... presenting to you....


The Japanese pizza - Okonomi-Yaki! Oh, I 'drew' the smiley face on the pizza.


The tradition Japanese rice set with curry chicken!


The assortment of drinks you can get from the thousands of vending machines around!


Cold Soba with tempura! Specially yummy when you eat this on a cold chilly morning!

And many many more!!! But WAIT..............

There were times when we just miss home so much that we decided to indulge in....



Well... I still grew up with MacDonalds too you know? *wink* Read more on this article...

All right everyone back home in Singapore!!! Check out all these goodies that are awaiting you to claim when I touchdown next Thursday! From Wasabi beans to uniquely flavored KitKats to Japanese crackers and nuts… You name it, I’ve got them all!

Watch out for JayJay, your friendly Japanese Garang Guni man dropping by near your neighborhood next week! Read more on this article...

A very special birthday celebrate with my team!


Check out the crazy traffic junction of Shibuya streets!


It wasn't all just sushi and sashimi.... Got indian food too! The naan taste great!


Woohoo!! We stayed in a traditional Japanese style tatami room! A bunch of guys staying together definitely a bit more messy. Pardon us!


And most importantly, the universal food culture everywhere you go.... MacDonalds! Check out this never-seen-in-S'pore burger - MacGriddles! Read more on this article...

Date: 26 September 2007
My location: Tokyo, Japan
Distance from home: Approximately 5315km

What's the occasion????

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!!


Trust me, I do miss home alot and you have no idea how strange it feels to be spending this special day of my life away from home. This is the first birthday of my life that I spend overseas!

Distant as I may be from Singapore, but I also received one of the greatest, most heartwarming and special present...

Check out this birthday blog: http://eejay-u-r-so-old.blogspot.com/, set up by a group of young people whom I have worked together for the past 3-4 years.

What is the very purpose and passion that keeps driving me on these past 10 years? Well, this quote below best sums it up for me:

There's no more nobler mission than positively impacting people in their lives. - Author Unknown Read more on this article...

One moment I was in reservist (last week), and the next moment, I have flown 7,000 miles across the oceans of South East Asia and touched down in the Land of the Rising Sun - Japan! This is a picture of my small but sweet and cosy hotel room. Armed with LAN connection, I am still very much connect back to homeland Singapore via the cyberspace.

Why am I here far far away in the land flowing with Sashimi and Udon noodles? Well, am here with my colleagues on a conference trip, hearing some of the top researches in the gaming industry present their latest findings about the cyberspace and its social impacts. To be honest, this is definitely an eye-opener cos I never knew there was so much to understand and research upon regarding computer games and internet.A "mountain turtle" like me always thought that computer games were just about.... Hmmm.. Games?!?! Never thought anything further until I saw this......


Ten thousands of people (both Japanese and foreigners) travelled far and long distances, battled through squeezy and confusing Tokyo train system, endured the warm and weird autumn heat of 31 degrees... just to have a first hand look and try at what are some of the latest games on Playstation3, XBox 360, Nintendo Wii...etc. Amazing!!!

More updates coming up from me soon, so stay tuned!

This is reporter, Sashimi Jay Jay, reporting live from Tokyo. Read more on this article...

With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable. - Thomas Foxwell Buxton Read more on this article...