Confessions of A Student

I realized i haven’t been writing much about my life (isn’t what online journals are for?) so today i am going to write about school. I am currently in the second year in university, most of my friends had transfered to Australia this semester and i am feeling really bored stuck-in-singapore. I want to transfer to melbourne too! I was looking around places that i could rent around the school and this is what i found.

Modern Contemporary Home in Melbourne
$135 per week incl utilities and internet
( $540 per month for a room!)

Not bad at all! There are vast open spaces with nice views… not to forget.. bigger houses. On a closer look, one of these houses costs an average of AUD $240 000 around Berwick in Melbourne (our equivalent of Jurong to City Hall). The come at the cost of a HDB flat, amazing! You will be sure that you will not be seeing me in Singapore very soon… (hahaha). An additional note, the median salary of a business graduate (fresh graduate) in the state of Victoria (includes Melbourne) is AUD $40 000. As compared to Singapore university graduates average of SG$36 000 ( if they end up in a $3k per month job, according to NUS Business school ).

On further inspection, although the lodging in Australia is cheaper, the cost of eating out is higher (due to minimum wage, which is a good thing). Overall, the quality of life there is so much better, housing prices are reasonable (not unreasonable in the case of Singapore). I don’t want to be stuck in a pigeon hole and pay for it for the rest of my life!

The miserable pigeon hole which 80% of the population lives in Singapore.

Everyday, my resolve to migrate seems clearer and clearer. This might not be the place for me, this country does not provide my ideal lifestyle. The income gap between the rich and poor is widening. There is a restriction in the freedom of expression, and even human rights. I feel constrained in this country.

I need a break through… space… to breathe. I can’t breathe when this place is so overly congested with people and more people. With more and more foreign immigrants occupying every tiny space in this island. I could hardly find a place for some peace and quiet. Maybe that is why i am accustomed to going out at night - to avoid the crowds and unbearable heat in the day.

I might be making Singapore sound like a really horrid place. You might politely disagree and say, “Hey, it isn’t that bad, we are a safe and clean city!”. I beg to disagree, i am living in an old estate in Aljunied constituency and you will notice that most of the buildings around here are very dirty ( what are they doing to our billion dollar constituency funds anyway? ). I don’t feel safe at all with the immigrant workers sleeping below void decks getting drunk on beer. Even the public is feeling uneasy after the leader of the terrorist operations walked out of his prison cell in broad daylight.

I am sorry to have shattered your crystal clear image of what a “fine” city Singapore is. After all Singapore is ranked 131 out of 178 on the Happy Nations Index. I think we are a very unhappy nation indeed, with rising inflation and cost of living, no wonder we could barely survive without working, thus, the need to work till we drop (and still be unable to withdraw our CPF funds).

Rest assured, you can still head down to your nearest kopitiam and enjoy great food no less!

Spiritual Journey

Recently i felt something missing from my life, something that connects me with mother earth and its gifts. We are living in such an industrialized fast paced world that we are losing our connection to our inner being. Our inner being is what we truly want. What we truly want might not be riches, it might be something else.

Ever remembered a place where you feel empowered to control your life? That is where your inner nature likes to be. The beach is where i connect to my inner self, to understand myself better. It loves being near the sea. It feels good to be “alive” to hear the waves crashing on the shores as it melts my frustrations away.

I have started mediation with crystals. Crystals have certain properties that helps us attracting the things we want in life. For example, Rose Quartz attracts love and increases a person’s charisma when he carries it around. I recently brought Wilie a Tigers Eye to fuel his ambition with drive and desire.

A Rose Quartz

Yesterday i had a sudden urge to visit the crystal shop ( New Age Gems inside Dhoby Ghuat MRT), i had a gut feeling there was a blue stone awaiting me, and it was true. When I entered the shop, the woman introduced me to a few stones, and the moment she place a blue stone in my hand i knew this was it.

I didn’t get the name of the stone right but she explained it will aid my spiritual journey. I brought it without knowing why i brought it for (other than it feels good to hold it in my palm) and played with it the entire day. When i hold the stone in my palm i somehow feel stable and relaxed, like it was protecting me from something. I was browsing around a crystal website and found something that looked similar to it and realised it is called Kyanite. The properties listed in the website were somehow similar to what i experienced (although i did not know what is it really for)

“Kyanite is a stone of connection. It is a very effective energy conduit that can balance most systems of the body. It can quickly create stillness and tranquility, making it an excellent stone for meditation.”

I guess i felt it right, it was that i needed. I tend to get anxious and nervous when there are too many people around. I try to avoid crowded and congested places as it increases my anxiety level. While carrying this stone, i feel protected and safe… it somehow feels… different.

I feel that science has led us to be disconnected with our spiritual world because it makes no logic or sense at all. After all, they cannot be “verified” and “proven”, they only can be felt with our hearts. This is a disillusion indeed, there are many things science could not explain, after all, science only became widespread 200 years ago.

It is interesting that crystals properties can aid us in different ways to align our lives back in its natural order. Surprisingly, they do work like magic, no need for chemical based medication over the shelves, mother earth has took thousands of years to form these gifts for us. Now, it is time for you to experience it for yourself.
A great resource for crystal properties

Singapore Education is Stressful? Korea is Worse.

Many parents would complain that education in Singapore is stressful for their kids. There is streaming, PSLE, O levels, A levels and limited university places for those who qualify. The situation in Korea is a different playing field altogether, parents are willing to spend one third of their earnings on their child’s education.

The main reason is that the main instruction of teaching in schools is in Korean, in the ever changing globalisation of the world’s economy, English is a very important tool for communication. Parents would spend hundreds each month for their children to attend English classes on top of tuition and supplementary lessons.

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Sayonara

You once kissed my eyes to sleep and told me not to be afraid
Now, these memories awake me from my nightmares
I want to forget everything that has happened, but it never goes away

“Saynonara”, I said to you… as i turn my back and walk away
“Saynonara”, You said to me… as you watch me walk away

I wake once again, tossing and turning in the bed
The unsettling feeling never fades

“Saynonara”, I said to you… as i turn my back and walk away
“Saynonara”, You said to me… as you watch me walk away

I wish that one day i can sleep peacefully
This time, not in your arms.

“Sayonara”, I said to you… as i turn my back and walk away
“Sayonara”, You said to me… as you watch me walk away

The clock seems to move backwards
As the world spins in another way

“Sayonara”, I said to you… as i turn my back and walk away
“Sayonara”, You said to me… as you watch me walk away

Back to the past, in front of you
You were my past, but i could not forget.

“Sayonara”, I said to you… as i turn my back and walk away
“Sayonara”, You said to me… as you watch me walk away

In a moment, you disappeared from the face of earth
I walk alone on a path of never ending sorrows

“Sayonara”, I said to you… as i turn my back and walk away
“Sayonara”, You said to me… as you watch me walk away

These. memories. will. never. be. retrieved.

( Lyrics Written by Averal Lim, Permission needed for Republication, Copyright @ averral.com )

Singapore The Welfare State?

As the saying goes, “We spend the early 20 years fighting for an education, the next 20 years being indebted for our housing loans and the next 20 years saving for our retirement”. Will you want your child to suffer the same fate as yours? No wonder our birth rates are declining rapidly, graduates are leaving for a better quality of life and foreign talent is needed to fill this gap.

The current policies should be reviewed to make Singapore a more desirable place for its citizens.
[Read more →]

Defects

Society has its way of dealing with defects.

They are kept underground where no one can see.

Ignored like out casted beings on Earth.

Violinist Of The Forest

I was looking through our past photos and found this lying around. I made the effects in a way that it looks surrealistic. (who ever heard of violet sunlight?) It was during the period when i just started photo editing and after Jeri was lazy to do so.

Model: Averal
Photography: Jericho

Taken At Fort Canning
A.D Creative Productions

Molly Lee - The Journey

She was all in smiles, with a renewed hope to make each day a beautiful one. Her happiness and laughter concealed the fact that she was suffering deep inside. She suppressed all her fears and kept on fighting despite the odds.

She was awaiting to start a new life with her husband, they had just collected the house keys and they were excited to begin a new journey with each other. The news came - she had ovarian cancer - everything broke down into pieces. Her life once shinning ahead of her, now in a thousand shards.

She began another journey instead - to be an inspiration to all young women going through cancer. She started a blog, WeAreWonderWomen.com and kept records of her fight against cancer. She did not seek respite in the darkness to escape it all, instead, light filled her world in colors.

She kept photos and memories of the people she met, she never failed to put on a smile despite knowing that her days are coming to an end. Her bravery and courage has touched the hearts of many, and it will continue to do so while she smiles from the heavens above.

I learnt a new lesson in life today… to take everything positively no matter what happens… to treasure each moment.. not matter how small or big… that life has to offer to us.

I hope it will serve as a source of strength for those in suffering. You are not alone, and you will never be alone.

http://wearewonderwomen.com

Luvie

Luvie is missing it ran away. hope it comes back soon.

Bad Service in Singapore

Jeri and I were walking around Amara Hotel and we saw a very interesting cafe, so we decided to walk in.

Case 1: The American Bakery at Amara Hotel

Owner: “Hi, how may i help?”

Me: “Just looking around, you have a very interesting shop layout.” While Jeri was standing at the side looking at the muffins and scoffles in the display.

Owner: “If you are intend to enter the building, please use the entrance at the side and not my shop.”

Me: “???”

We continued with our initial plan of having a high tea buffet at Amara Hotel. We decided to walk around Tanjong Pagar as our tummies were full. We saw a stretch and wedding boutiques and decided to look at their albums displayed outside the shop house.

Case 2: XXXX Wedding Studio

Uncle: “Hi, come in to take a look we have more albums inside.”

Me: ” We are not getting married yet…”

Uncle: “It is ok, just come in and see.’

So we entered in and sat down to look at the albums.

Auntie: “So when are you guys getting married?”

Me: (giggles) “Not anytime soon… i am still studying.”

Auntie: “Then why you come here? Waste your time, waste my time. ”

After a while we decided to return back to The American Bakery to chill despite our first encounter (maybe he was just grumpy customers are walking in and out of his shop).

Case 3: The American Bakery (Re-Visited)

Me to Owner: “Hi, what time does this place close?”

Owner: “We open at 8.30am daily.”

Me: “Erm, what time does the shop close?”

Owner: “Can you speak in proper English? I don’t understand what you are saying, do you need me to give you English lessons?”

Jeri: “Sir, you have very excellent service, and we don’t need English lessons. Thank you.”

And we walked off, i guess he was not interested in our patronage. I bet he acts like a little dog when a gold haired customer walks in.

We are contented for now as we are at a Chinese cafe, the moment we walked pass the waitress (from china) greeted us with smiles and welcomed us in. We gladly walked into the cafe after a horrifying day of bad service by Singaporeans.