Soundtrack of My Life

OhMyGosh... 2009 is at It's End!

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:57:00 +0000

It's really amazing and frightening how the year can just pass so fast. It'll be Christmas Eve tomorrow and pretty soon, New Year's Day will come... So, what have I been doing lately? December has been pretty productive. The days just go by so quick.

I haven't been blogging, so I'll just update the site with happenings in my life :)

I've been good this December, getting my time fully used, not bumming (much) and well, I've been spending lots of my hours out with friends. I love it when I get to just relax and enjoy myself with the company of my peers.

I recently attended my youth church's camp, Elevate '09. What an incredible camp. Guest speaker Pr. Julie from Glad Tidings was an amazing, passionate and enthusiastic speaker. I can't remember the last camp that I attended that had a really interesting and faith challenging preacher. I truly feel that XYZ has been elevated to a whole new different level. PTL!!

I thank God for great people in my life. I am inspired and encouraged by each of you guys. 2009 is truly a year of change for me. I never really expected to find good friends but I was wrong. I enjoyed the crazy fun times we had together. And I know that 2010 will be another level greater than this year :)

Thanks guys for the awesome moments... sleepover was awesome btw. What am I talking about? Well, a couple of us went over to hauyon's house for a sleepover :) (steph, lyn, vonn, zhiwei, ivan, san and boonkeat) I think that the time spent together was just super fun, watching movies, playing taboo and just hanging around the awesome 'resort' :) Let's do it again!

And, the biggest update of all! I am finally a college student! Booya! I know most will be saying "Finally!" but it's been a good gap year okay. I am really going to miss all the free time I had. :( But, it is time for me to carry on with my life and begin a new chapter. I am nervous as to how I'll adapt to college life, but by God's grace, I know I can do it :) Fighting! :) Anyway, enrolling was just part A of the process. Since I am not an Arts student, I am required to take an entrance exam or some sort to see my 'potential'? Haha, nah, apparently they would just want to see my progress at the end of the day :s But I am super scared as to what will happen, as some may know, drawing/sketching is far from my forte. Crap! Anyway, "God! Please help me!!" :)

Keep looking :)

No, I'm Not Dead,... Yet.

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:39:00 +0000

What in the world? Honestly how can someone be so insensitive as to just do something with such a cold manner, without even being a bit apologetic or sympathetic. I mean, there's always another way to tell me something.

Okay, what the heck is this guy ranting about? This was what happened...

I've been feeling like shit the whole week at work, at home, in my thoughts... It's just not a good week. It's nothing huge or anything, it's just that things aren't just going easy. Work has been bothering me mostly. I've gotten less shift hours than when I first started working and it's really a bummer when you actually want to work but don't get the opportunity and the shifts, what's worse is that I could really use the money. So it's all good when I found out that I'll be working only for 25 hours for the week, I thought it a good thing cause the shifts were all middle shifts and at a really perfect timing. But work hasn't been as fun or exciting, instead I feel like I have just been the target of everyone working there to be isolated by. I feel distant towards my colleagues and feel as though as I have just killed someone and they are criticising me in their thoughts. i know that's not the case but I just don't feel included in their conversations and it's as if I were in a different dimension as them. So, to add to the misery and negative thoughts I have, my supervisor text me on Thursday morning, just a couple of hours before my shift was to start, informing me that I don't have to work on that day and the next. I was stunned for a second, going through my head was, "Can they do that?". Maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself, but I don't like the way they inform things. I bet they don't do this to the other older partners. so is it just the fact that I'm new? Or that they really don't give a rats ass about me? Shit, so I'm a failure? I don't thing I've done anything wrong to receive this kind of civility. I just pray and hope for things to get better, I don't know how long I can last being caught in the middle of unfair bias-ness.

Tired...

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:24:00 +0000

I'm getting real lazy these days. I don't if it's the weather or that I'm not sleeping well. But either way, I get up feeling sleepy and the whole day I'll naturally be zoning out. It could be the night shifts at work, who knows. I guess my sleeping time and habit has been altered.

Last night at work, I was literally shaking. My hands couldn't stay still and I feel not there mentally. It's as if I can't focus, everything was done automatically and I had to force myself to snap out of it. Shot down a double tall toffee nut latte and prayed for the better. What better cure than a dose of coffee and sugar to get you pumped, eh?

I'm still exhausted from last nights shift. I'm still new with the cleaning tasks for the closing shift at work. I can't seem to get things done quickly. To add to my slowness, I was working with another new partner, she came in after I did, so I guess I should know more stuff compared to her. Working the closing shift with two new partners, my manager must have stressed a little, thankfully all went well, I hope, and we managed to finish our duties not too late, but I had to help her out a lot. As if I don't have enough on my plate already, I literally was doing two tasks at a time. Hectic, but that's the job for the closing shift. Learning to multitask is always a challenge, but it is a challenge I must face and overcome. I feel suffocated sometimes, I can't seem to find myself at peace, whether at work, at home or even when with my friends. I'm still protective over myself...

Keep looking :)

Equations Of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:35:00 +0000

How does one and one become two? If only all things were so simple as to just being the way it is. Complications arise out of actions that people make and sometimes I feel caught in the lies of my own thoughts. If only life were more obvious and less twisted.

I keep thinking about my life more often nowadays, and reminiscing the past. Nah, I'm not being nostalgic or any sort. Just more of assessing my time spent over the past 10 months. I can't seem to find a sense of real happiness or satisfaction in my life over the past year. I know that I have gained a lot of knowledge and abilities, and I have definitely known myself a whole lot better. But thinking through, is it enough? I don't want to keep feeling like there's this 'thing' in me that is trapped. I don't want to keep hiding, but fear is conquering me. I'm really beyond stressing myself with my 'deep' thoughts sometimes.

And not that it's related but work has been getting on my nerves sometimes. It's tough to hold a job, no matter how 'fun' and 'easy' it is. It sucks when you have to do routine stuff and feel bored to death in the store. I ain't complaining but it's just not as easy as it seems. I try my best to do well, I really do, but it's sometimes not enough. I find it hard sometimes to get use to things and fitting in to the environment isn't a breeze. I'm still learning, and have a long way more to go to becoming a good barista. :)

Smile more, and stay happy... Those are my encouragements to myself. Doesn't hurt to be praised every now and then. The feeling of appreciation goes a long way, doesn't make you feel used. I thank God that on Tuesday, during the launch of the Christmas promo in Starbucks, all went well. I did my manager proud by being knowledgeable to the products in front of the district manager :) You know the feeling when you are able to make someone happy and proud. I love that feeling, it's as if "Finally I did something! Something right..." it's just an awesome moment for me, and I'm proud of myself... I wanna be that guy that people see and know that he can do great things, that can be counted on and is useful, I want to be appreciated for the things I've done or for the effort I've put in to something :) What am I saying, I'm sure that's what everyone hopes to achieve... Right?

Keep looking :)

Some Things Just Aren't Right...

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:47:00 +0000

Going on and on and on about what my life can offer is really tense. I can't seem to find what is the right thing to do most of the time. Is it right if you aren't happy with what you are suppose to do? I want to be happy, who doesn't, but at what cost really? Now, I think I'm playing it safe most of the time, but somehow it's not really satisfying to just not let go and be truly real. A taste of real life is what I need.

Good part of things are, that I hardly have the laptop at home anymore. So I haven't been bumming in front of the screen. Although I have not accomplish my goal of cleaning my room and redecorating/refurnishing it. I should get to that. This week was a good rest period for me, working only three days and having the few days off... That's really great, cause I got to sleep in and laze around most of the time :)

On another note, I got paid yesterday!! Suddenly the numbers in my account doesn't seem so depressing :) I'm having the urge to spend T.T But self control... I shall only get the necessities :) Cramming it down to a pair of shoes (converse) , a pair of pants/jeans and a pair of shorts. If you're thinking that I have a lot of $$, think again... I don't and that's my list till the end of the year... Ok maybe I'll add in a couple of t-shirts :)

Well hopefully things will get better and I will be a whole lot more active doing something, instead of just bumming and lazing around...

Keep looking :)

Bored Outta My Socks...

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:55:00 +0000

OMG!!! How can life be so meaningless? T_T I think I'm going crazy with the emptiness of my life. So uninspiring, so unproductive... I'm not doing anything significant and most of the day I just sit around with crazy bored thoughts in my head. Why lar? Hmm... Well, I really need some activity in my days. I mean, it's not going to be forever that time is on my side. Right now, work is cool, I'm not being held up and it isn't taking up my time. But it's not fun when you get all this free time and just end up bumming around like some loser that has no life. T_T Help! I need some excitement, I need to do something! Soon!

Goal #1 : Get ass out of chair, away from the comp and out of the house.

Goal #2 : Get a life...

p/s: I'm loving free Starbucks Coffee everyday :)

Keep looking :)

Here We Go Again...

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:53:00 +0000

Ah, another weekend is here... I've been bumming around the house for the last 2 days, what a way to spend my first few days of the new month huh? Well, I can't say that I've fully hated the lazing around, but sitting at home the whole day is pretty tiring and it gets old. But of course I didn't just sit around not doing a single thing... I've been watching back-to-back episodes of the super awesome Coffee Prince :)

Yea, it's Korean drama, but hey, it's really entertaining. :) Ok, so by now you should know that I watch chick flicks a lot huh? But, who cares ;)

Life's been pretty good, but there are certain worries in my mind that I sometimes can't shake off. I mean, college recently has been on my mind, that and my future. And many other things, that just makes me really anxious and confused. Rolling around bed at night and having my thoughts running so freely is pretty tiring. And to make things worst, it's yet again another Saturday... That means another day spent in church with a group of overly energetic, stubborn & restless 13 year old's... I don't get it, why is it so hard for me to just call a quits? Why must the weighing of pros and cons be so tedious and detailed? Can't I just not do something because I've lost interest and heart? I'm suffering, don't you know? But then again, what matters...

Ahh, two days and I miss work already. Haha, not that work is super awesomely fun, just that I feel at ease there and I occupy my thought with something other than my life and future. It's hard feeling alone at times, I mean, everyone does go through different things in their life, but I just feel like the situations I get myself into are really a bother. Aish, life does get pretty annoying sometimes eh? :)

Keep looking :)

Seen & Heard...

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:07:00 +0000

18.09.09

Just having fun with friends can get really awesome, especially with these bunch of people! Our usual Friday-get-together helps us bond. Well, friends can make you happy or relieve you from stress and boredom, but I think being able to communicate and share almost anything that's in your life and mind is above special. These guys are just the best when it comes to friendship. Not everyone can be reliable and a great group to talk to.

19.09.09

XYZ Leaders' Retreat! @ Kuala Rompin...

Beach side, with a relaxing scenery and refreshing breeze... An escape haven...

26.09.09

I've been working @ Starbucks! It's a part-time job and it's great working there. Well, the hours are real flexible and I learned a whole lot about coffee. Making them to tasting them, knowing the difference in aroma and taste between the different blends. It's definitely an experience that's worth it.

I am really enjoying the work atmosphere and my fellow partners (my colleagues). An interesting bunch of people, friendly, kind, helpful and very genuine. Of course I do get picked on sometimes, I guess it's because I'm the youngest and the new guy but it's all in the fun of it. It's never tiring being at work, just that for me, I get stressed out learning how to work the register, taking orders and making the beverages. But work ain't a breeze and learning is never a walk through the park. I'm just glad i have something to do everyday :)

Keep looking :)

Over The Past One Month

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 01:57:00 +0000

It's amazing how time passes so fast... I can't believe that it's already mid September! Anyway, a lot has been happening and awesome stuff had been done!

29.08.2009

The car crash incident...
On the way to youth, my sis accidentally crashed into a motorcycle while making an illegal U-turn... Door was dented bad and the driver's side window was completely shattered... Thank God no one was injured.

Now I think I'm quite afraid of motorcyclist, especially when they come near your car...

02.09.2009

My mission trip team's thanksgiving dinner @ Carnaval, DJ. Sorry that there aren't any pictures... But the place is awesome... Serving you meat non-stop, nothing can top that. Food is great and the price is reasonable. Meat-lovers must-go-place. :)

06.09.2009

Movie and walking around the night market in TTDI :) Great fun on a Sunday, with Choonyee and Eilyn.

rojak :)

Super amazing food there, in conjunction with the "buka puasa" the food sold there are even more delicious...

samosas...

Eilyn went: What are those? I replied: Samosas... Eilyn: Ooo... What's that? A Famosa's brother ar? Choon and I: T_T

11.09.2009

Gym+Movie+Cookies+Sampat-ing+Cg= AWESOME FUN!!!

Friday morning, the day started out with an intense workout at the church gym for Zhiwei, Deb, Waisan and myself.

We then had lunch and headed straight to 1U for a movie! Gamer was a very smart plotted film. I honestly don't know why some fella hated the show so much... But for me, it was a realisation on human character. The writer sure did express the sickness and cruelty of a human thought and perverseness. As disgusting and wrong some parts of the film were, overall it is an amazing movie, entertaining and good play.

After the movie, we went to Steph's house, where they were baking cookies for us. Hauyon, Vonn and Choonyee were there too... Talking and just spending time together was real good. I couldn't ask for a better Friday. I think I had way too many cookies, I literally felt like puking after consuming like 7 cookies, but I managed to control myself :) We moved our 'session' to the playground opposite. We as usual made fools of ourselves... but who's judging... It was all in the fun of it :)

steph
choonyee
hauyon
waisan
zhiwei
vonn

Then, Zhiwei and I headed to our youth pastor's house for Cg. A great session on the next generation, how we are to rise up and lead the next generation. I was inspired by the video session of City Harvest Church during their Emerge Conference. How they grew in numbers. One part of it that really impacted me was when one of their cg leader in their youth group shared about how they reached out to their members and saw growth in their cg. And all they did was care and spent time with their members. I was amazed at what such little things can do to impact people. I definitely learned a lot, hopefully a time will com where my cg will be impacted as well...

Keep looking :)

Go Genting!

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:23:00 +0000

28.08.2009

An incredible trip of fun-filled excitement. GENTING!! After many many years of missing out in the great thrills and fun of Genting theme park, I finally went there! And with this bunch of happening people!

Clockwise: (bottom left) Deb, Zhiwei, me, ShuJian, Steph and Eilyn..

It was really cold, and chilly. And smart me, before entering the theme park, we had Starbucks. And guess who ordered a Blended Dark Mocha... :) But it was really good, the coffee that is... not the cold :)

Lucky for us there wasn't much a crowd in the theme park. So we got to sit rides without a long que, and many many times... My friends went on the Space Shot like 7 times. I only went on twice. Okay, I ain't no thrill seeker and was actually scared shit just thinking about riding it. At last of course I went for it, and it's super awesome!

We also sat the Corkscrew, the one that goes around and you end up upside down, still awesome though... We sat that like 3 times. The other rides weren't as happening as these two though. But I think the freakiest ride for me was the really tame-looking swing. You know the one that goes round and round with you in the swing?

Of course, we also went for a little less life-threatening rides...

As most fun trips goes, an end has to happen. But fear not! For it can always happen again! Looking forward to more fun with you guys!

thanks Steph for the awesome shots...

Keep looking :)

Experiencing Cambodia

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:50:00 +0000

Overdue, I know. But here are some pics from my recent trip to Cambodia.

First up, meet the team. The ten of us made one good team, different in many ways yet vital and none unimportant. We had fun with each other and I think laughed more than ever...

From left to right: (top)Ian, Daryll and Robin; (bottom)PeiWern, Sarah, Esther, Zhiwei, Purdy, Jon and myself.

Cambodia is just beautiful. Our outreach was out of Phnom Penh (capital of Cambodia), in a village called Baray. Most of the villagers are either farmers or fishermen.

Among the things we did there were, village outreach, children's ministry, preaching, teaching and a youth camp.

Playing games and having fun with the kids was awesome, seeing joy in them really brings joy to you.

youth camp
one of the sketches we did
we even had a bonfire night

Of course we had lots of fun too, food I must add is really delicious. I think we were really blessed by our caretakers there. It was pure joy to see food served to us in really large portions. In town we had our chance to try on some delicacies, spiders, crickets, they have it all. Fried till crisp, that's how they eat it.

this is me eating a cricket...

The fun never ends with us. All in all, it was an experience that I'll never forget. I had fun and learned a lot. I now know that your limit to do something is as high as you want it to be. You make the difference n your life, and I am very blessed by the people of Cambodia.

Keep looking :)

Simply delicious....

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 03:37:00 +0000

It's been exactly one week that I've been back from Cambodia. And I've been loving every waking moment of it. Hanging out with friends, surfing the net via neighbours wifi, eating and going to the gym. Life's been keeping me busy... I can't really explain much about my mission trip, so i'll just photo blog it once I get the pics.

Let's see, I noticed that I've been having a lot of pastas and pizzas since I got back. Sunday dinner, wednesday lunch, thursday lunch and thursday dinner... Too much? Nah, it's delicious... Food can't be bad for you, not italian anyway. But truth be told, eating has been a way of life for me. I can splurge a whole days worth of salary on just one meal. But I don't... I just eat according to my liking :)

taken on wed 19.8.2009

Free and faster internet connection! What more is better than free connection? Well, life at home ain't so boring once you get a companion like the internet. Downloading songs via youtube ain't so bad too... Ooh rite, I got a new phone fyi! Yups, nothig big or fancy, it's actually second hand-one year old... N95!

Keep looking :)

I Don't Like YOU!

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:07:00 +0000

Notice how sometimes you just get sucked in to doing something so damaging to yourself? What am I talking about? FOOD! It honestly is a sin... Care to agree? Anyway, food is and very tempting, especially the unhealthy ones. It's so frustrating to actually think about food, my body is weak, I'm sorry and everytime I see fries or chips or cookies or Coke I can just kill myself. All that exercise just went down the drain. As I'm typing now, I'm actually chewing down delicious-unhealthy 'pisang goreng'... Stupid banana that tastes so awesome -.-

I think I honestly generally just don't have strong self-control. I mean I actually do give in to things rather easily. Even something like food gets the better of me. Now, I feel like I've gain way a lot of weight, thanks to junk and fast food... I need a healthier lifestyle/eating habit... So, Goodbye fried food and oily snacks, Hello veggies and fruits :)

Keep looking :)

Another Day In The Office

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:05:00 +0000

Was there an eclipse or some sort this morning? I heard about it on the radio and was puzzled. Apparently this was going to be huge... Anyway I got into the office and found out it happened at 8am (somewhere that time) and well, I was already awake then, so I guess nothing big happened... I'm 'stuck' in work again... I don't know but I'm starting to get bored and sick of working here. Somehow I just can't do on thing for too long, the excitement just disappears... Anyhow, I'm stopping real soon, like in 11days (including weekends). Then it'll be me and the team heading off for missions... (I feel like sneezing but can't, ever gotten the feeling where your nose is so irritated that you can just sneeze but then it just holds back and then your eyes start getting watery and you get annoyed? That just happened to me...)

Anyway, today is a new day, I'll be heading to gym tonight... Last night though, I helped one
of my church friend, Choonyee to move house. She rented another room after getting 'kicked out' of her previous room. So, another friend of ours, Deb, and I helped carry choonyee's luggage and drove her from BU2 to TTDI. :) Well, her new place seems alright and the auntie landlady there seems very nice. Yups, well it's always good to be somewhere that's almost like home when away from home.

Keep looking :)

Jalan Jalan, Drive, Eat, Talk Talk, Sleep...

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:52:00 +0000

It was that day again... Saturday... Well, life seems so much more interesting these days. Not because it's fun or anything, but time just gets occupied more for me... Okay, maybe there was a little fun involved. Last night the most terrible thing happened. I was taking a shower after getting back at night (actually you can say morning, got back at 1a.m. :D). Anyway, half way showering, the water pressure was so weak that no water came out of the shower head. I was like so annoyed cause it was late and I wanted to sleep. I can't just walk out, I was already covered in soap... So I opt for the sink... Yes, I had to cup my hands to collect the very little water that was coming out and splash (more like sprinkle) it on my body to get rid of the soap. I ended up cleaning myself and finally got to bed.

Rewind back a few hours... Throughout the week, my friends and I were all planning some dinner outing thingy... It was the girls tradition of some sleepover or some sort. Anyway, we (Vonn, Deb, Choonyee, Shujian, Eilyn, Waisan, Hauyon, Steph, Jeremyloh, Boonkeat and myself) headed over to IKEA after church to makan! It was fun to just go out as a group, compared to my usual 3-4 people hangouts (not that I don't appreciate it or hate it) but it's different when there are more people around. The more the merrier, no? So that was dinner. After eating and stuffing ourselves with Swedish meatballs and fries we went walking around Ikano. Then we had to leave, cause the girls had their sleepover thing. Some had to go back to get stuff and others needed to just go home to sleep. So we split, two drivers, two split-ed groups. :) I had my passengers (vonn, waisan, eilyn and deb) we were suppose to buy junk for later (oh, hauyon, jeremy and I crashed their sleepover, no we didn't sleepover). So yea, the five of us wanted to buy Steph something for her b'day so they decided to get Famous Amos cookies... At the store we saw the staff scooping them into a big plastic bag, they were about to throw them away! Such a waste, we tried to ask him to give them to us and of course he didn't lar... Company policy, so yea, but it was a super sampat moment, I feel bad for the worker. xD So yea, we manage to get the guy to give us a few extra grams. So I guess we were satisfied. After that, we headed to Vonn's, but before that dropped Eilyn and Waisan at Eilyn's. At Vonn's we had a nice real talk about life and somehow ended up talking bout our leadership crisis in youth... But yeah, I think some of the others were lost... But it was nonetheless fun to just talk openly about stuff...

And that is why and/or how I got back home late... Unexpected turns comes by every now and then, it doesn't mean we have to panic when it happens. Just take it step by step, take your time to figure things out and enjoy the moment, cause you're only there once...

Keep looking :)

Shout!

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Pretty bummer for me last night. Sat home alone, doing absolutely nothing. So it was because no one was free to accompany me, or to fill my time. Never mind though, I still have my ever trusting best friend of my life, my TV :D (no that doesn't make me a sad sad person k...). Anyway, I was kinda anticipating the much talked about awards show, and voila! I was able to do so. :)

It was the Shout Awards '09, the very first local awards show that tributes to the local entertainment industry. What I find awesome is how far Malaysia has come. I honestly didn't expect a whole lot from an event like this, but having to watch it live on the tele was pretty spectacular. Alright, I confess that I don't tune in to our local acts/bands, and honestly have never heard of some bands. But that doesn't mean they aren't good. I do feel that sometimes we undermine local acts just because they aren't internationally recognized, but some of these bands actually have good sounds... (if you're into the whole indie, alternate rock genre that is...) but truth be told, I think they just lack support. Personally, bands like Estranged and Bunkface have what it takes to go far... Keep rocking and finding the heart of music...

Keep looking :)

When In Japan... (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:31:00 +0000

Day 3 ~

Starting the day off with a good delicious breakfast...

On our way to Hakone... (Mt. Fuji), it took us around 3 hours to get there... This was where we stopped for toilet :D

On the way out, we passed the military... (random shots) :)

We finally arrived, and it was time for lunch!

After lunch, we visited the Sulfur Volcanoes... (the unpleasant smell didn't keep us there for long...

Next, we went to another temple... This one is famous for their huge bell, and a smaller one... (apparently you ring the small one for peace) but we were warn not to ring the big one, it calls all the monks out... :D

Then we headed to a garden uniquely filled with lavenders... and of course other flowers too...

Mt. Fuji, we finally arrived...

View from the view of Mt. Fuji... It was very misty and I couldn't get a clear shot of Mt. Fuji, that and my camera is not that awesome... But... The view from the view of Mt. Fuji is just as cool... ;)

After a long and winding day of traveling around, we retreated to our hotel...

It has a very typical Japanese tradition home feel... Serviced with a hot spring spa and yakata are provided... Keeping to the culture, we wore it during our dinner... :)

End of Day 3...

Day 4 ~

Traveling, yet again... Today, to Tokyo!

First stop in Tokyo... Asakusa...

yes it rains a lot, but it's no excuse to stop shopping... ;)

Walking around works you an appetite... Luckily, food there just satisfy your needs... :D

Ginza 8th Street - high end shopping street...

What's up Harajuku... Land of lala-ness...

At night, we headed off to Shinjuku, the dark and dangerous street (or so they say). Yes, it is the red area of Tokyo, where gambling, drugs, alcohol and sex is the main attraction... But there are other things obtainable too, if you're into shopping and gadgets that is...

Finally we reached our hotel... At last rest is an option...

But seeing that we only are in Japan once, we decided to roam the streets...

There isn't much, well it was pretty late (in Japan)...

Day 5 ~

Tokyo Disneyland!!

Fun-filled games and beautiful landscape... It's really a fairytale, storybook come to life...

and then there's the parade... all characters align to give you a magical show... :)

Well, all that happiness sure makes you beat... After an amazing day in Disneyland, the wonderful BBQ-style buffet dinner was served... After driving for about 20 minutes to the restaurant we finally enjoyed our last supper...

Well, Japan has been great fun, everything and everyone was just perfect. Being in a country far away from home doesn't bother me much. Of course there's the language barrier, but the service you get there is incomparable to anywhere... It doesn't hurt either to be in a country so developed and modern and clean too... ;) All in all, this was a vacation worth a lifetime...

That's the end of my Japan experience, hopefully, one day, I'll be able to re-visit that beautiful country again...

(more photos can be seen in my facebook profile)

Keep looking :)

When In Japan... (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:11:00 +0000

Day 2 ~
The journey gets tiring at times, but the view of the city is not that bad...

Buildings are just so amazingly designed...

We reached to our destination... Day 2 was mostly visits to great temples...

That afternoon, we had the chance to ride on the bullet train... We traveled for about 2 hours to get to the station. We only took one station, which only lasted for about 13 minutes, but it was an awesome feeling...

We reached the place where our hotel was, the city was famous for their music and electronics... Everywhere you'll see stores selling gadgets that cost way less than what we have back home.

You can't complain much about the night lights. All I can say is, you have to see it to believe it...

Keep looking :)

When In Japan... (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:01:00 +0000

Day 1 ~

Arrival to Kansai Airport, Osaka.

First stop - Universal Studios, pretty awesome sightings...

Next, its off to the city streets of Osaka, to roam for food... Nah, dinner was arranged...

Shabu shabu!!

After dinner, we went walking the never end streets of Osaka shopping area... The street goes on forever...

That's Day 1...

Keep looking :)

Back From Nippon!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:06:00 +0000

Konichiwa!! So Japan.... It was AWESOME! What more can I say, having the opportunity to escape work and just relax and have a good holiday. Well that was a sure good one week I had. I don't think words can ever show my gratitude to my two aunties who sponsored my trip. :D It is even more awesome that I didn't have to pay a single cent for this amazing vacation. Anyway, Pictures will be posted up real soon, I promise. For now, it's back to work and real life. :)

Arigato-gozaimasu...
Keep looking :)

Just Having Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:10:00 +0000

Tired and delusional... That was how how I felt waking up this morning. I literally felt as though I just woke up in the middle of the night. Even though I had at least 7hours of sleep, I still didn't want to get out of bed. Unfortunately for me, sleeping in is not an option for now. Work work work... Sigh, apparently that's my daily routine for now.

Yesterday was the awesome-est day I have had for a really long time. After work I went to the gym with Choonyee, Eilyn and Waisan. So it was that we just did crazy insane stuff that made us laugh and laugh till we got cramps. Maybe it was the air, but the four of us had a blast working out, taking pictures and fooling around. Later we were joined by Shujian, we were heading to Steph's house after gym. steph just got back from YWAM, Australia...

Anyway, we all had fun catching up and doing silly stuff, in the gym, in the car, on the way to steph's house and probably everywhere in between. It was a really fun night.

All the laughter from last night must have exhausted me today. Hopefully I will make it through the day. On another note, Transformers is a no go for me... Sadly my friends changed the timing, and I can't make it in afternoons... Crap job. But I shall not complain much as I'll be heading to Japan!, Sunday night! Really am looking forward to this trip/tour... Hopefully it will be fun.

Keep looking :)

Gives You Hell

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:34:00 +0000

"I wake up every evening,

with a big smile on my face,...

truth be told I miss you,

truth be told I'm lying..."

I keep telling myself everything is ok, everything will be alright. Who am I kidding, I am lost in a world of the unknown and have no clue what to do or what my next move in life is. It's one thing to hide your feelings, but to lie to your own self is beyond messed up. The one thing you owe to your self is your honesty. I know that what ever happens, I will always have myself. I know it sounds weird but it does help. Telling yourself that it will work out and seeing things as it really is, that is what I have been doing, and truth be told, it does make life so much easier. I mean, lying to people is hard enough, but to have to lie to yourself too? That is just too much, life is to short to live in misery.

Last night, watching Fighting with my close friends was awesome. The show was alright, but getting to catch up with people I have not seen/met up for almost 3 months was really what I needed. I guess I can say that we have all moved on, and grew up. But some things will just stay the same. I need people like this in my life, someone I can count on and just have a good time to talk with. Unfortunately not all things always have a happy ending, the movie lasted from 9.25pm to 11.15pm. I only reached home about midnight. God, was I beat when I reached home. I really was exhausted to the last drop of energy, I crashed and when I awoke, it was 7am. I feel really agitated now in work, and I hate feeling tired when in an environment that is just so stressing in itself. Ok. so maybe the office is not as terrible, but when you're new and holding a temp. job, you need to just show that you're at your best, and I guess up your game. But that's not the case for today... I'm sleepy, sad, annoyed and just need rest.

I got a text message from Venuga this morning, a friend of mine from sec school, asking if I want to go for a movie with my prev prefect board. That will be amazing, as some of them are leaving to further their studies overseas, but the downside is, it will be a midnight movie, or at least a late night movie... God kill me now!! Should I go? Should I not go? !!! Did I forget to mention it's Transformers: the Revenge of the Fallen? :D We'll see...

Keep looking :)

Under My Skin

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:57:00 +0000

There's this feeling in me that is not recognizable. I feel annoyed and agitated. I can't seem to calm down and I get frustrated over everything. I feel inferior and vulnerable, I keep thinking the worst of things and that people secretly hate me. I can't seem to be at peace or feel happy. I think it's hard being invisible and unnoticed. I can't put on a mask to hide my true feelings, it just doesn't work anymore... I am afraid of being alone or ridiculed and can't seem to run away. I want out of this life. I want to get away, escape from this tension and pressure. I want to be set free, to feel a life that's worth living for, I don't want the thoughts of hurting myself or other people running through my head over and over again every night and I hate to ever again cry myself to sleep. I don't want to have to look back at my life and find that there was nothing accomplished, to look back and see a life I don't recognize. I don't want to have regrets or have this guilt feeling anymore. I want to feel clean and pure. I want to come out free and not having to withhold anything back. I do lie all the time, on my feelings, on what I'm going through and about the things I do, it's only cause I put my guards up very high. Is it wrong to not reveal myself? I don't, can't have anyone knowing the things that are happening or running through in my head. It's tiring to have this feelings and burden set on me as it is, I don't want to have people talking stuff about me or judging me. I know can't save myself, I can't get out of this supposed life I have. I want to be renewed, please just let me be me, to be who I want to be, to do what I want to do. So forgive me if I sometimes cross the line, I'm just trying to find the real me again. In order to get this uncomfortable feeling away, I need to do this...

Feeling Good

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:58:00 +0000

"Birds flying high, You know how I feel,
Sun in the sky, You know how I feel,
Reeds driftin' on by, You know how I feel,
It's a new dawn, It's a new day,
It's a new life, For me,
And I'm feeling good..."

Awesomeness doesn't happen naturally, so to say that my life is awesome is probably not right. I'm not kidding when I say that I don't exactly have a good friend character. I'm probably the worse friend you can have. But not necessarily someone you can't hang out with. I know I have the tendency to be controlling and maybe sometime demanding but all these years, somehow when needed, people still stick around me. I try to not give up friendships that have been made over the years, but it's not easy to stay in contact or meet up, given the varied situation everyone is in. Nowadays everyone is so caught up with their own lives and too busy to be able to meet up. I'm not complaining, well, a little, but I guess it's different for me since I am not studying yet. But I am working hard to keep the friendships I have alive.

Every now and then I randomly contact people via facebook mostly, and it's getting pretty awesome to just send messages to some people you haven't seen in months or years. I realize how different some people are now and well, I guess growing up does that to you.

Last night, after work I went out with a couple of friends for a movie. It was I guess fun for me, considering how lifeless I feel now working. Like they say, all work and no play makes one dull. Forgetting everything and unwind... That has got to be the best thing to do...

Stay Alive.

Keep looking :)

Hate (I Really Don't Like You)

noreply@blogger.com (Jared) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:46:00 +0000

"Hate is a strong word, but I really really don't like you..."

Notice how some things just never leaves you alone? How bad memories and experiences just comes back to haunt u? I don't like feeling afraid of the past and I don't like the bittersweet experiences I have had.

Nowadays, I have these flashback memories of the past. And it sucks that what I had back then was so free and fun. I did enjoy my life last year, eventhough I had studies and exams. Now, it seems as though everyone is moving on with their lives and I am just stuck in the middle. I can't seem to get over the fact that I can't exactly have the kind of relationship I had with my friends back in high school, and well, I don't exactly hang out with the people at work. It ain't fair how things like college and work can interfere with bonds and friendship made. But it doesn't have to be that way I guess, I'll need to work harder to reconnect back with the friends I had...

I can't seem to shake the thoughts of self-worthlessness off of me. I keep going back and forth trying to convince myself that alright and that I don't have to conform with the norm. I don't know if what I do most of the time is right or wrong, I keep telling myself that I have to do this or it's just the way it has to be. Decisions are often hard but their harder when you have no foundation or facts on the positve results. Life ain't easy, and we all know that, but it's only when you're faced directly at its challenge that you see the real difficulty... !!! I need help to move on!!

Work has recently gotten really boring and busy. I don't like the office hours at all, screw getting used to it. Honestly, I find deskjobs the worst. I know I shouldn't complain or can't but it's just so frustrating to just work. That's why I'm feeling the weekday blues very often... I guess I'll just have to suck it up and stop whining...

Keep looking :)