Brussels!

Okay, its time for the Brussels pictures to be posted. It just goes to show that I have not been doing my work or reading for the European Economics test, and spending too much time editing the photos. Cheerios!

Survival Instincts.

Some trees shed their leaves in autumn to protect themselves from the freezing cold in winter. Cells that contain fluid freeze readily, causing them to be damaged. The tissues that are unable to survive over the winter must be sealed off and put away to ensure the tree's survival.

Perhaps its time to leave the cold and embrace the warmth of spring.

Attempts at Portrait Photography

So here is first attempt at taking Portraits with a model (just that in this case, she was the one asking me to take pictures, and i'm not getting paid). Well, she is no model, but she is Renee, one of the other international students. Lots of other pictures of her, but they were all blurry and either over exposed or under exposed.

My Room!

Okay, so finally i have decided to edit the pictures that i took of my room quite some time ago. My room still looks the same, just that the pictures do not contain the current mess that my room is in.

The sink which is just next to the stove. It is pretty cramp and it is hard to cook with the pot and pan at the same time.

The food shelf where all my stocks of food are kept.

The basin where i brush my teeth, that is just in front of the bath area.

The bath area and the toilet bowl. The thing below my towel is the heater, which is in my opinion, the second most important thing in the toilet after the shower.

My room with my funky polka dot quilt cover and red pillow cases. Blue slippers for the cold cold floor, and a chair that doubles up as a side table for my bed.

The view from my window in the evening. Its a pretty empty place, quiet at times, and not that safe at times.

So there you have it, my room and the view from it in the evenings!

Overdue Amsterdam Pictures

A sudden burst of inspiration and realization that i will be going home soon, has led me to edit the photos and put them up. So here are the pictures of places and things. Only selective people pictures are put up.

Paul explores Paris - Montmartre

Jokes about the Big Plan aside, this is the first time i have worked so hard to edit my photos on the same day i took them.

So i decided to head down to Montmartre while Paris is still recovering from the massive strikes. It was a good idea as there were fewer tourists blocking my view of the things that are around me.

A really good artist drawing a picture of a man and his wife. The drawing seems to pop up at you and life-like. And yes, it is extremely flattering.

This guy was singing loads of english pop/rock hits that most bands would perform at a pub for young people. Definitely one of the more entertaining buskers I have seen around Paris.

And here is the Sacre Coeur, the church that stands at the top of the hill in Montmartre. I don't really know the significance of the church, but it was definitely much nice than the other dark and dreary churches that I have visited.

An alternate take of the Sacre Coeur, with a slightly arty feel. Love the colours of the picture. The sharpness makes it look almost fake.

I was getting a little irritated when this couple did not budge from that spot for a long time, hugging and kissing, oblivious to their surroundings, and blocking my scenic view. But I discovered that they brought out a different feel for the scene, and gladly intruded on their privacy, using them as my models.

So after a few unsatisfactory shots that did not show the passionate kissing that was happening before me, I walked away, trying to sneak in a few more shots at a better angle. This decision, was the best decision of my day.

He knelt down, clutched her hands, and asked her to marry him. (I imagined the last part as i don't know what is "will you marry me" in french) It was a really special moment for the three of us, yes, including me as an observer. The little girl in the background was unaware of the life changing moment that was occurring just behind her. The other tourists are still being entertained by the busker, and taking pictures to bring home. A smile filled with joy and tears (of joy), a reach into the pocket, and the ring was on the finger.

It is moments like this, that make me love Paris and experience that long forgotten warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Great location to propose, but for all you male readers who are thinking of doing it, I will suggest picking a different part in front of the Sacre Coeur, because kneeling on the steps is no jokes. Unless of course, you have prior practice.

And finally, who can miss the famous cafe in which Amelie was filmed at? It looked really different from my memory of it, but well, it is the One. And as the weather was pretty bad (meaning very cold and windy), I had the perfect excuse to head into the smoky cafe and order an expresso to warm myself up. Although it was kinda expensive, there was no burnt and sourish after-taste, which i really dislike in the current coffee powder I am using.

Well, I did enter the toilet for a laugh, recalling the scene where the Tabac lady saw some action with the Possessive Bummer in Amelie. The interior as you can see, is not much like the show, being much darker and smaller.


And so my day ends with me trying to squeeze into trains that were packed with office workers trying to get home. It was worse than a can of sardines. The proposal at Montmartre made the journey easier to bear with.

I leave you with a few other pictures of the day.

A Renewed Effort

So i lied about the next post being about my room and life in school. Well, instead of that, let me share with you my BIG PLAN!

First off, let me share the reasons that sparked this "BIG" plan. I was reading one of the free reports that AC Nielsen distributes on their website titled "Trust in Advertising", and the headlines of the front page states: " 'Word of Mouth' the most powerful selling tool." Therefore, we have premise number one: word of mouth is a good selling tool.

Second, i can't seem to find the article anymore, but i think i read it off some news or marketing webpage. If i remember correctly, the article contains the idea that blogs are circulated in cyber-world much faster than company websites, and the power of bloggers as opinion leaders for consumer goods and products are continually rising everyday. This leads to premises number two and three: blogs potentially have higher traffic than a website, and have the power to influence the perceptions of people.

Finally, some singapore friends have been asking about the status of my love life which i do admit, is pretty much lacking in a certain perspective. Comments which i should not mention less they reveal these 'concerned' friends of mine and potentially lead to arguments, lead to premise number four: its time for me to get off my butt and starting looking.

This leads me to my big plan - a renewed effort in blogging to show how cool, funny, mature, interesting and desirable i am. Based on premises two and three, the traffic that my blog will receive can be HUGE, and will convince my readers of my good qualities. Following that, because of how IMPRESSED they are with me, they will start RECOMMENDING me to their female friends, where premise number one will kick in; word of mouth is a good selling tool.

So there you have it, my BIG plan of getting hooked up with some smart, cool, intelligent, and nice girl. =)

The Most Beautiful Sight

A short excerpt from my email to my cell group. Just want to share the thought with more people...

Many times people travel around the world and return home, bringing along photos and experiences of beautiful scenes that they see, beautiful memories that has changed their lives etc etc. Some who might not be so fortunate to travel the world often, spend a year saving up enough money to travel to some place to grace their eyes with one of the wonders of the world.

Likewise, being in Europe, I thought about the beautiful pictures that I can take, the fondest memories of my life might be created while in Paris, or perhaps I might get some great inspiration from the graves of Picasso or Van Gogh.

But God reminded me of the most beautiful sight that was ever created on earth; two planks of wood and a few long nails. In the midst of searching for a better tomorrow, fatter paycheck, 1st class honors, 10 page resumes, or even that significant other half, the beauty of Christ's sacrifice for us, gets pushed to the back of our minds conveniently.

Sure, you can ask me about my travels in Europe and I can tell you about the great things that men have created. But I can say for sure, that you have already seen the most beautiful sight that I have seen - salvation. You are not missing out even if you don't travel beyond Malaysia.

First post about Paris!

Dear readers, sorry about the lack of updates from Paul, as he has been slacking too much in Paris. Well, this post will be about some of the sights that he saw in the city of Paris, and more will follow after he has edited the photos. These photos can already be found at my facebook account, so yeah, if you don't have facebook, this is the place to see my photos.

As you can see, Paris is a really beautiful place to be in. The place that I am staying at is pretty far away from the city center, but i try to head there at least every weekend that I'm free. The next post will be about where I stay and my room.

Greetings from Paris!

Hi everyone!

I just got my internet working yesterday French time, so sorry for the lack of updates! Traveled to Central Paris today, and everything was just so beautiful!

Will update more as it is 11.35pm over here, and I'm going to snooze first before editing my photos. Also, I haven't found a church to attend yet, so do keep me in prayers in that area. =)

Bon Nuit! (Good Night!)

1st Round of Goodbyes

Said my first goodbyes to my colleagues at Eli Lilly and to my classmates at French Class. Would love to post photos, but i never took any! Haha!

With the remaining sections of this chapter closing, I'm looking forward to the beginning of the next chapter. The feeling is tantamount to pining for the release of the next Harry Potter book (when the Deathly Hallows were not yet released).

Adventure beckons!


The mug shot of my cell group. =) Just a note to anyone of those who appear in the photo, that all the photos are already up. Click on photos at under links to go to my shutterfly site.

"the journey of a 1000 miles begins with a step" - a wise man

often used to encourage and motivate to take the first step towards a better tomorrow; we often place too much emphasis on the beginning of a journey. many of us are paralyzed whenever something goes wrong early on in the journey, and we think that the remaining steps will be doomed. we begin to equate "get a C" = "end of the world"

it is true that a small mistake early on will cause a large diversion later on in our lives. take for example the boy who made a small mistake and broke his leg jumping off the high wall, he may pretty well walk with a limp for the rest of his life. however, his life does not end with the broken leg, or limp. life goes on.

to me, the true beauty of a tree is shown by the process of growth it goes through. though it may go through numerous prunings, it is the way in which the tree grows after each pruning that, shows its strength.

therefore, "the journey of a 1000 miles will never be, unless a 1000 miles is walked". the beauty of that journey is shown by how the traveller withstands the trials and learn from mistakes he has made.

life is marked with difficulties, but never give up.

"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of of crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is. Do you believe in a miracle-working God, and will you go out in surrender to Him until you are not surprised an atom at anything He does?"

taken from Oswald Chambers - My Utmost For His Highest, Day 2

the core of the thoughts that are boggling my mind now.

1) self reliance and dependence

thought of this today while considering what should be done in view of my dire circumstances.

usually, people use the idiom "when push comes to shove" to express the concept of forcing one's way into or through something when the circumstances do not help him.

i think i have been "shoving" my way through life for too long and too much. it is time to PUSH instead. and that is to Pray Until Something Happens.

no more shoving and depending on my own strength .. but to PUSH with His strength.

2) covenents

some people have wondered why i have stayed single for so long. some even suspect that i'm gay. but the fact is that i'm in a covenent with my Lord. a covenent to set my life aside for Him to use me to the max before i get attached.

this is to remind me of this fact.

how will you respond if Jesus was to ask you this question?

" (insert your name here) , do you truly love me more than these?"

by "these" He is referring to the things that you find around you, the small comforts that you enjoy, the assured food on the table, and the security of life.

i still don't fully know how to answer this question before Him.

1) life.

sometimes we just label and brush off the troubles and pains that some people face in their daily lives with a comment that likens their lives to drama serials.

but sometimes we fear that our lives will turn out to be more complex than any other drama serial that has been written.

2) uncertainty.

because there is no pre-destination, life becomes uncertain.

uncertainty results from the lack of parameters that the consequences of our decisions must follow.

3) foolishness or just being a clown?

someone: human beings are funny people, even though they know that a relationship will never work out, they still get emotionally involved.

is this foolishness on our part or are we just being a clown?

1) on the road to recovery..

firstly thanks to all who are reading and have shown concern. it kept me sane for a bit during those sick days. =)

2) the journey to fight.

i think i got overly bored at home, and got depressed from staying at home too much. i need to go out to civilisation! but i'm going to move on. three more days to my release from this 'prison'.

but this time of illness has made me realise that there is a need to fight for joy in our lives. not just joy, but we need to fight for the things that we want. especially for me. i will love to explain more, but i just cannot put all the thoughts about this subject matter down. perhaps after i have consolidated all of them and organized them, then i'll blog about it.

but for now, it's time to FIGHT!