In search of an epiphany part 2 day 2

Today was about 3 things. A fantastic morning, a 50/50 afternoon, and a wild night.

Fantastic morning.
Went to Cu Chi Tunnels. Today we went to Ben Duoc tunnels. 1st time for Yuki. I went to Ben Dinh the other time. That means I've completed the Cu Chi tour totally. You must really admire the perseverance of the Cu Chi people. No matter how many bombs the enemy drops on them, they never gave up the war. Continue digging and continue fighting. A rifle in one hand and a plough in the other. I went with a small group so not too much interaction actually. 1 japanese quiet guy, 1 thai lagi quiet guy, 1 indian chicken, 1 american bored man and 1 half-jap singaporean who slept until his neck was sore. The trip was worth it. Eye-opening for the sore necked.

50/50 afternoon
Went for massage. Yuki loves massages and I just don't like people touching my shoulder. 50/50

Wild night.
Why I could not upload the blog? First, we had a high-class dinner. We are definitely not back-packing. Then, we went to Lush. One thing I learned from a Hongkie, Saigon always has blackouts. We were hit twice within 1 hour. Many stories. But best kept in memory. I don't want to put out my best thoughts online. Just wild.

In search of an epiphany part 2 day 1

In Saigon, Vietnam.

Started the day very early. We wanted to catch the cheap bird so we did not have much of a choice (2 choices) that the tiger gave to us. Naturally, we took the earlier bird to fully utilise our time.

We were picked up and totally did not feel like backpackers. The large backpack was a total facade. The room is far from budget. Our video should explain. But our reason I cannot.



Our first stop was to get essentials. However, after a short visit to the local supermarket, our mindset changed. What is the point of travelling to another country when there is no change? We decided to do like how it should be done. We were already blessed with the room. That was more than enough. The simple act of seeing the price tag of an umbrella made us realise our reason for the trip. We didn't come here to live like how we live back home.

After a few futile attempts to contact our benefactor, we decided to walk it out. Taking photographs in a country where motorbike zoom past you with no apparent care can be quite harrowing. After a while, I hid my camera for my own psychological health. I just feel like my camera will be stolen whenever I try to keep it after a photograph. It makes taking photographs so difficult. Mentally.

Food wise? That's the reason why I came back. Pho.

Who I am.

People have facades or faces which they hide behind. There is the work face, the home face, the religious face and then there's the many different faces for different groups of friends. That is quite a bit to keep up. I do not think I am different. We like living in split personalities so that we can get the best out of all situations. Or at least we try to get the best out of every situation. Everyone tries but there can only be so many winners. So I asked myself who am I really? Actually, the pastor asked us to ask ourselves this question last week.

I sum myself up into 3 parts, 1.mind, 2.body, 3.soul.

1.Mind
My mind is too fast for myself. I sometimes think too far ahead and make decisions even before I can rationalise things. Thankfully, my mouth is still not as fast as my mind. But it is still too fast. I have made so many retarded comments that I wished I could have retracted but alas the damage has already been done.

2.Body
If my mind is fast, then my body is not too far behind. I move around alot and do my stuff quickly, although I can improve by moving faster on the soccer pitch. I guess I have a little ADHD. I've been trying to keep still for a very long time, but it is difficult when I feel there is so much to be done.

3.Soul
Lastly, my soul is way too slow for the rest. I often describe to people that my feet are moving fast trying to catch up with my mind and thoughts, and all this while my soul is still stuck somewhere at home trying to wake up. I do not appreciate the fast track life. Earn a bit less, live with a little less luxury but I get a whole lot more time to myself to just bum and do what I like. Maybe only then can I slow down and keep still.

living for the moment

People always say live for the moment. When the moment arrives, joy will overflow. I agree. But to live solely for the moment, I find that a disastor waiting to happen. How can you live everyday waiting for some magical moment while doing absolutely nothing to improve your chances of that happening. Striking the lottery may be easier. At least you put effort into queueing up for the ticket. I do not understand how some people can be so stupid. Lazy or optimistic would be their preferred choice of description.

I believe in remembering the past, living for the future and waiting for the moment. Since I have been living by these 3 principles, I have experienced success to certain degrees. Yes it is true that when the moment arrives, the success you achieve will be beyond your wildest imagination.


Principle 1: Remember the past
I learn from my mistakes so I will not commit them again in the future. Whatever mistakes another does in the past, I will remember because no one can say they have forgotten. But I will try not to bring it up to affect my judgment of the present. It is simply not fair to judge a person solely based on their past. But this is an unfair world.



Principle 2: Live for the future
Don't just sit there and wait. Work for it. Create opportunities for the moment to appear. As a Christian, God saved us by grace but not so that we can go back to living in our evil past. We have salvation but we must show gratitude to be good examples of his followers. In the same way, we must create options for the pass, if not the goal will never come.

Principle 3: Wait for the moment
This principle I cannot explain because it is too simple.

Where have the originals gone?

Everyday as I take the train back, I can't help but people-watch. Yes, the art so many Singaporeans have perfected. Both eyes staring straight down into oblivion but at the same time curiously observing people so that their comments list can be lengthened.

At first glance, it would be easy to spot the originals from the crispys, or so you think. The crispys have since integrated themselves so much into our culture that some look down-right original. You can no longer judge the flavour by looking at the skin. You need to taste to know the flavour.

It is very simple once the chicken opens its skin. The flavour cannot be wrong. No matter how hard you cook it, crispys remain crispy and originals still shine through with their spices.

So where have all the originals gone to? We are now left with a nation eating crispys and no one to support the originals. Remember the spices. They are the ones who brought glory to the name. The crispys may have caused the franchise to go global but it is the original that gives us the name.

Re-living the last day of WW1

November 11, 1918 will forever be remembered as the last day of the First World War. The day the rest of the world heaved a sigh of relief while some power-hungry war maniacs carried out some unforgiveably stupid acts. Was there a need to push on even though the end of war was eminent? Why weren't the troops informed of the impending end? Most crucially, hardly any senior ranking officers fought on that crucial but pointless 11th hour.

Put into perspective the lives we live today. Are we not committing the same mistakes as those senior officers? Are we not guilty of pushing the lower, dispensible foot soldiers to take unnecessary risks while the top vie for greater honours from the comfort of the plush roller-chairs? There is no denying that some great leaders that the share of the blame, if the not the greater, when things fail. That is the minimum of responsibility one should take when leading out a task. However, the danger is the development in the trend of up and coming leaders who seek to replace the topnotch. Because the topnotch is obviously not going to go so soon, the struggle for supremecy becomes heated up as the affluence of the new generation means more candidates for the same number of positions. Dog eat Dog? More like Dog devour Dog.

There needs to be in place a system of renewal with fair chances to all who strive for success. Or at least opportunities for growth should one fail. With that abundance of talent, why not create a new position? Then again, that would be utopic. We live to fight with one another. If not, how can we improve.

P.R.C.

Haven't made any entries in a while because I had someone to talk to and so did not the need to express myself to a reaction-less environment.

I recently made an interesting discovery which I believe the people who heard me did not quite catch. I only discovered it myself a few days later. When asked to describe who I was, I described myself as Practical, Realistic and Calculative. It would of course backfire at a joyous later event.

I've always prided myself as a practical and realistic person. Recently, I developed the calculative nature after several disappointments in our moral system forced me to think harder about my present future. Just like the ideals, I seek equality in treatment and pure democracy and meritocracy, fully understanding that the pure-ness of both would ultimately result in anarchy. But it is the jealousy of unequal treatment that drives me in my thoughts.

But, on the lighter side, these powerful symbols are often idolized on t-shirts and logos worn by people who do not really bother about governance issues promoting an anarchaic world.