This impressionist piece by Debussy is one of my favourite piano pieces. I just love its subtlety and many nuances. And it is not easy to play… I would know, I’ve been trying to learn it (on my own, on and off) for a couple of months now…

Image Credit: Adidas SLVR

They look pretty interesting. I wonder how much will they cost in Singapore? Adidas SLVR is available at FrontRow, Raffles Arcade.

Croatian Pavillion at the Venice Biennale
Image Credit: ArchDaily

Simply stunning structure. Its amazing what a material normally hidden from the public eye (wire mesh, used to reinforce concrete) can do.

Two thirds of the year has passed, pretty fast might I add. More significant than that is the fact that it passed so quickly. God-speed. Well metaphorically speaking of course. Though that phrase itself is rather ironic in terms of usage. I mean God was said to have created the world in 7 (God) days, but the earth is around 4.5 billion (man) years old.

I digress.

Many changes have happened thus far. Firstly, and most obviously, is how time seems to be flying away from me. The same 24 hours that just a few months ago seemed sufficient suddenly make me feel as if I have been shortchanged. So many things are jostling for the same few hours that I have apart from the time spent in school – homework, exams, council, church… Well actually its just those few. I’m sad to admit it (especially for church), but what you see above is pretty much how I have prioritised things in my life at this point. I have been missing my Friday cell for quite a while already, given how busy council has been these few weeks/months. I’m not too sure about the latter, but it seems so at least.

Days turn to weeks, weeks to months. I’m losing track of time.

Days pass, I follow. Days pass, I forget.

What day is it?

That being said, while council is rather time consuming at this particular period, I would not say that it is an awful time. Rather, its enjoyable, but extremely draining and equally time consuming. Well that’s what I get for deciding to give a leadership CCA a try. I wonder what if I had joined something a little less demanding, say Art Society or something along that line. And in case you are wondering, yes, thoughts of quitting council have been surfacing in my head lately. Not because I hate it (I don’t). But more so because of how it feels like its pulling me in too many directions. Well they say what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. It has yet to do so. Besides, I am certain that God put me in this CCA for a reason, that no one is here by chance. I’m glad that the challenges that council provides help me to turn to God, even if I’m missing cell, even if I’m feeling down, even if I’m feeling tired… I still have Him. Anyway council has been quite interesting lately, Grad Night publicity, Open House 1, Teacher’s Day dance item etc. Yes it is a hell lot of work, but I’m not (okay I am) complaining.

In this span of months, I’ve been through 3 exams, 2 minor, one major. Okay, the last bit of that sentence sounds a little musical. Which leads me to digress for a brief moment. I’ve stopped music classes for a long while, for a good two thirds of the year. Simply put, I’ve been unable to find the time to practice, so I suppose any lessons would be somewhat pointless. I really hate to leave this dangling like that, considering how I’ve sacrificed a good many years learning to play the piano (I started when I was 6). And I’m unable to go any further, stuck at a 6.5 grade, nothing more. Oh well. I sincerely hope that I can try resuming piano classes after council stops for a study break in about a week or so.

Back to the point of exams. JC exams. Wow they really are different from those at the Os. The different weightage of subjects leads you to prioritise the importance of the subject. Like, I try really hard at my H2 subjects: Economics, Mathematics and Literature, while I’m mostly sidelining my H1 subjects, with the exception of GP. Another killer thing about JC exams is how close they are to each other. Just barely a few weeks after my first JC paper – MSA 1, I have my first major examinations – Common Tests. And no more than 4 weeks after that, I had my MSA 2. For some subjects, it seemed as if the teacher had just went through the previous exam script before we sat for the next one. This is probably one of the most straining aspects of JC life. Its little wonder why 2 people in my class have already dropped out for Poly.

I better stop for a minute. Yes I am listening to Keane now.

Oh and there is Project Work, and the multitude of acronyms that come with it. PI, EoM, AE, EE, ME, I&R,  WR. Gosh, there are a hell lot of them. More confusing is how to score at this subject. It may be a H1 subject, but it is one that is coursework-based, i.e. Our grades are based on a cumulation of grades of separate work. See, JC students know what you guys are going through in Poly.

I’m pretty sure that just by reading this whole post, you should be convinced that most of my life now revolves around school and its associated pandemonium (irony much?)

I should get some rest. That’s something that I also lack…

You can tell by my dark eye rings,
my eye bags and the
lately red eyes that I have.

I wish for sleep

I wish for rest

I wish for respite

I wish for [God’s] help

I wish for solace.

Image Credit: Dezeen

I’ve been meaning to post this for quite a long time. I fell in love with the concept – the integration of dwellings into the hills, without marring the scenery with tall obscuring blocks of concrete or glass. I’m also in love with the cavern like interiors, that may seem cave-like without being dark. Rather they are flooded with light. It is a humble design, one that doesn’t impose itself (aesthetically) on its surroundings. However, that being said, I have a feeling that this requires a large displacement of soil and sand, and hence it may not be as environmentally friendly as it looks. Nevertheless, an interesting and rather well integrated concept.

Talent is God-given. Be humble.
Fame is man-given. Be grateful.
Conceit is self-given. Be careful

John Wooden

Quote from The Rules of a Gentleman

Image Credit: Massimo Dutti

Herringbone tweed, brown leather straps. Tres chic.

I’ve been hunting for a new bag for a while…

I wonder how much this will cost…

Image Credit: Louis Vuitton | 00o00

Image Credit: ArchDaily

Simple, modern architecture that isn’t minimalistic or sterile. That’s hard to get these days. Juranda House by Apiacás Arquitetos.

I love the way the Eames lounger looks in the first image…

Image Credit: IMDb.com

I’m not too sure why, but I love the way Bodoni/Didot is used on this poster. Really classy, looks like something Vogue would do (it is after all the font which they use in their magazine). As for the disheveled Joaquin Phoenix, err… well its a little gross.

But we persevere God gives us hope
But we still fear what we don’t know

A Dustland Fairytale – The Killers

I love this song.

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Image Credit: The Sartorialist

I would love to have a navy blue suit… tres chic. Though one thing I’m not feeling in this picture is the ruffles at the seam lines. A tailored suit shouldn’t have this problem.

Oh that lovely black check blazer at Zara, so chic, yet too warm for our climate…

It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.

Psalm 18:32

More specifically, I need to rely and trust God more than I have ever did. Its time to focus less on my issues and problems, and more on how God can guide me, and help me solve them.

Teach me dear Lord,
to live all of my life,
through your eyes.

Image Credit: Tokujin Yoshioka

Simple. Austere. Serene.

Something I learnt from a sermon at church today…

1. Trials make you stronger, temptations make you weaker.

2. Temptations are from within – they are fed by our very own weaknesses and desires

3. The devil, the father of all lies, deceives us into believing that its okay to fall prey to them – he makes us reason our way out of responsibility of falling into temptation

4. The only way to combat temptation is with God’s power

5. Christ understands what we face as He came down to earth as a man

6. God will never allow us to face anything more than what we can handle.

Well that’s it. Words of wisdom, words of truth. Words from the Bible.

Image Credit: ArchDaily, Derek Swalwell

I don’t ever remember posting this on my blog before, but this Ong & Ong restoration project is by far one of my favourite pieces of architecture in Singapore. It is a restored Art Deco (personally I disagree with this, but this is according to the website) shop house that beautifully fuses modernism and Asian cultures together.

This is pretty close to my dream home…

Image Credit: Yaniv Berg

You're gone from here

Soon you will disappear

Fading into beautiful light

'Cause everybody's changing

And I don't feel right

Keane – Everybody’s Changing

Well that’s pretty much life, isn’t it? I truly do miss my friends from Secondary school, its been eons since I’ve last seen them…

Kloumba Museum by Zumthor
Image Credit: ArchDaily

“Grey brick [is used] to unite the destroyed fragments of the site.   These fragments include the remaining pieces of the Gothic church, stone ruins from the Roman and medieval periods, and German architect Gottfried Böhm’s 1950 chapel for the Madonna of the Ruins.”

Dunhill SS’11
Image Credit: GQ.com

Love almost everything about their outfits, though I think the models’ faces are quite creepy…

Image Credit: Ho Sung and Jacqueline from Photographic Society

Our first council project, completed. Signed, sealed, delivered. I believe the preparation team did a massive load of planning prior to the event actually running, which explains why it ran quite smoothly. Kudos to them [the Open House Committee].

And in case you are interested (probably a very unlikely scenario though), here is a brief summary of what went down that day:

1. School tours, a pretty interesting experience. You meet all sorts of people, those who genuinely want to know more about the school, those who just want to take you for a ride [e.g. like myself when I attended the Open House earlier this year, before I was a student at SAJC], and those who came with their really interested parents. I must say I quite enjoyed this part of the Open House, and yes I finally understand why things went the way they did in the Open House which I attended.

2. Principal’s Dialogue. This part of the programme, was honestly, quite sad. And that is all that I shall say.

3. Mass Dance, a flashback to Orientation days. It was a blast doing it, I don’t deny it. Its just that we [the Council] did have a bit of an oversight as to when to place this programme… It ended up being a ‘Finale’, which took place unfortunately when most Saints were busy closing and packing up their CCA booths, such that there were very few Saints left to join in the mass dance. Oh well, its a learning experience I guess.

Next event. Teacher’s Day.