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I reckon everyone would be blogging about their CNY experiences, so I decided to take a different approach with this blog post. By the way, thank you to all who have comforted me when I was feeling lousy last week. :D
Everyone in my CG is enthusiastically hyped up about the "Fashion in the Sky" event. The girls have put in so much effort, and I really pray that it'll be a success. I've been roped in by Royston as a performer, and I intend to contribute as best as I can to the maximum of my abilities! :)
I just don't know what to sing though... The songs I've been listening recently are R&B and dance numbers which I definitely can't pull off. And for a fashion event, R&B and rock are the more suitable genres, and I'm not too good at rock either. I guess I'm more well known for singing emo love ballads *lol*. :P
If anybody has suggestions, do give me a heads up. Let me introduce the songs from my playlist for 2010 thus far...
Oh gosh... I hate Korean boybands (except for Tohoshinki) but I just can't get this tune out of my head. And for a dance retard like me, I actually learnt the chorus and tutting (the Indian/Egyptian-like dance) segments. (=.=) Search up "Sorry Sorry Misheard Lyrics" on Youtube for some nasty English 'translation' (on purpose).
Japanese R&B/Soul at its best. Watching J-doramas introduces me to alot of good Japanese songs. If you think Jay Chou's MVs are over the top, watch this and you'll have a second opinion *rofl*.
The perfect romantic love ballad to sing to your lover. Too bad Japanese girls can't understand Chinese though... HAHA, I'm not implying anything... :P
How did I totally missed out on this awesome song for more than a year!? Within minutes of listening to this great track from Craig David, it made its way to the top of my playlist.
Westlife's albums have been flops since their peak in the early 21st century with radio hits such as "Flying Without Wings". Having lost faith in the iconic boyband for years, this album renewed my faith in their musical talents. They're pretty much still using the same formula but at least the songs are more credible enough to be chart-breakers.
Hope you enjoyed listening to those songs, and I hope that I've helped you revamp your playlist a little. (^-^)
Humans, by nature, subconsciously and consistently compare oneself to another. Let's bring it down to something more specific - family. My friends often openly voice their envy for me because I have a good family. Well, at least, on the outward...
My financial life has been stable ever since when I was young. Probably cos' my parents are thrifty and the value of thrift has been inculcated in me. Also, I've been granted freedom when I proved my independence in NS. For those reasons, many friends envy me.
Yet, no one family is perfect. I envy KC for having such a warm and friendly mum who would try her utmost best to relate to her sons. I envy Debbie for having such a close-knitted family who would go on outings together regularly. I envy Jonathan Tan for having such supportive parents who would even go the extra mile to support his graduate studies in Japan if he were to pursue a Masters!
When I told my parents that I intend to fly and return from Tokyo, they just snapped at me (cos' I would incur transport fees to get to and fro Fukuoka). Which is about $300 but I can also finance that myself. My mum yelled "WHY MUST YOU GO TO TOKYO SO MANY TIMES? YOU WENT BEFORE SO MANY TIMES ALREADY AND THERE'S NOTHING THERE". And the occasional "SIAO AH". My father became irritatingly inquisitive. "You go there do what? Got friend ah? Go so many times already" x10 (you get the idea).
My parents have been penny pinchers all their lives. I shouldn't have been so surprised at their reactions. When I grudgingly muttered "aiya don't go, don't go la" to my dad, he just went back to his room and watched his TV. Does the man even understand his son? Not even 10%?
My family pretty much lead our own individual lives, esp. my bro and I. Alot of my church friends wonder why I didn't pick up guitar skills from my brother. It's simply cos' we don't have that close of a relationship.
My parents occasionally reminisce about the past and grumble a little about their parents. How my grandfather never gave my dad attention. How my grandmother had been ruling the house with an iron fist. Ironically, the ills in my family line have persisted another generation.
We take after our parents the most because we have their DNA. No matter how you resist, your parents' characteristics would manifest within you. Which is why I'm thankful that I have God by my side so that He might guide me in wisdom. If you're reading, keep this in mind. It might just come in useful if you plan to marry and have kids within the next few years. :)
I don't wish to go on further cos' no matter what, they will always be my parents and I should honour and respect them. So, after reading this post, do you still envy me? Wendy, you're not alone. Let's jiayou together. :)
I've not heard about Rev. Paul Scanlon throughout my 6 years of Christianity so I wasn't expecting much from today's service, thus I was genuinely pleasantly surprised by his charisma and wit! He also spoke of a message which is so real and applicable to our lives, and I am deeply impacted by his words.
"Kissing the frogs before we meet our 'prince'". Yeah, living in a real world, survival is of utmost importance. Never be a spiritual loony who prays mindlessly daily for manna to drop from the heavens. God listens to our prayers, but we must do something physically concrete so that He can move through our actions.
It could never be more timely than this cos' I just started work as a data entry clerk, and the job requires me to perform mundane tasks. I'm earning less than some of my female peers who are younger and have lesser qualifications. A typical Singaporean male's ego would never accept it, but I did (cos' I'm no typical Singaporean :P). It's nothing fantastic but at least I can have the means to pledge for the upcoming Arise and Build, so I thank God for the opportunity, no matter how small it is.
"The rejection I face can be my new direction". I started making a stand for my own beliefs 2 years ago, and not surprisingly, I've ran into criticism and ridicule. I began to see things in a clearer light. The flaws of the Singaporean society, the ill trends within the youth circle, or just simply the vicious cycle of life. Some people may think I'm a sadist who loves making an ass of people for nothing, but being critical is my way of moving forward in life.
I've been a simple nice guy for 20 over years and it brought me nowhere. It's only when I stepped out of the shell before I could see the vision for my life. I reckon the rejection would only escalate, and it'll push me to the direction which I yearn for, which is to live a life away from Singapore in Japan.
Alot of people who don't know me well think that I'm a naive, ignorant fool who blindly loves Japan. But truth is, I've taken courses which educates me about the harsh reality of Japan, and I know the situation clearer than anyone. Then again, as Rev. Paul Scanlon said, the challenges at every stage of our lives are meant to be conquered.
Don't belittle yourself because what others say about you. Pursue your dreams with confidence.