A Rare Update

Wow I've stopped blogging. The simple reason being that I've not found any recent goings-on interesting enough to pen down.

Well just to let you guys know (why would anyone want to!?), school life has been pretty smooth sailing this trimester (Feb - Jun'09). Had a mid-sem exam last week for one of my modules (Exercise Physiology 1). That was alright. I studied everything in the notes but there were still things I didn't know. But I thought the exam was alright, just a little on the difficult side, while many others found it hard going. Sunday saw me passing a practical on Care & Prevention (taping up an ankle, a thumb, and splinting a finger), while I just had a presentation a while ago for the same module. Just 2 assignments left for ExercisePhysiology 1 and 1 practical exam for Principles of Resistance Training other than the 3 end-semester exams.

Despite the looming deadlines for assignments, I find myself looking forward to Labour Day. Night cycling is my cup of tea. Even though I do not envisage anything as dramatic as the one I experienced with the NS group(!), I do expect it to be a fun time of fellowship and banter. Hope I can use my bike! I do, however, have a little seed of doubt as to whether it will really happen - such events are almost invariably cancelled at the last minute, mostly due to the lack of planning, or to make way for other more important or less exhausting activities.

I am impatiently awaiting the moment where I attain my savings goal of $3.5k. Then I can go about seriously looking for a neck-through walnut/maple bass with swamp ash wings, spalted maple top, 18-volt preamp, 19mm string spacing at the bridge, 35-inches of scale length, and soapbar pickups. MIAs please apply! Currently the only thing that fits the bill (and the $3.5k price range) is a Carvin XB75. I am rather bored with my current MIM Fender Jazz Bass V - my iBass. $1k more... Please let me know if you meet anyone who wants an Epiphone Wildkat! Too many electric guitars in my stable when I'm a bassist... SIMON TAN, I don't think you'll read this, but WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO HELP MY REPAIR MY EPIPHONE LES PAUL!? I need the cash from the sales~!!!

On another note, my parents are away in Taiwan, the land where politicians throw chairs at one another to resolve debates (do correct me if I'm wrong on this!), till 30th April. The family car is sitting at the multi-storey carpark a block away just waiting to be driven, but not by he-who-does-not-have-a-license (me). My mum & dad have allowed my friends to drive it if I'm with them. Friends who are not p-platers or female (unfortunately), care for a spin in a 2-litre?

Unstoppable is coming! Man it's expensive this time round. But it'll be my first church camp at pasir ris! Missed last year's 'cause I was at East Europe ogling the um... pretty scenery and old world charm.

I seem to be getting into cars again recently. A bad sign. My current relatively affordable dream car is a Fiat 500 or an Alfa Brera. Italian & French cars only please! No German and non-continental cars for me, definitely!

Something to share - I was on the way back from school at Bukit Merah earlier today and had to pass by Bishan. I hadn't had dinner, and I felt that my back was almost touching my front, so hollow was I from hunger! Add to that a craving for XXL chicken from Shih Lin Snacks, and a late hour, and you have a man desperate enough to pray , so pray I did! Well, suffice to say that I did not hold much hope of encountering an open stall at J8. Not when I saw a woman being spurned from the stall before rounding the corner. Upon reaching the stall, I was a seething cauldron of emotions - relief at finding the stall still open, crestfallen as I observed the attendants clearing up in preparation of closing, and of course, grumpy with hunger! So I asked, rather unhopefully, for an order of XXL chicken and the cashier gestured to a packet sitting on the counter, the contents of which I had presumed were patiently awaiting consumption by a wandering customer.

I was stunned into momentary disbelief - an emotion I rarely experience. I simply could not believe that there was a last packet of XXL chicken just sitting pretty for a last customer to come by and grab. I simply could not believe that that particular aforementioned wandering customer was me. I didn't even have to wait for my order! And it was still hot! The realisation that I had not made a simple prayer to God and have it come to pass like that in a very long while hit me like a ton of bricks. I thanked God all the way back home, such was my gratitude! And you know what? I never made a single mention to God of being filled by that puny paper bag of chicken, yet I was feeling most satisfied having polished off the snack at the bus stop! Hallelujah! A powerful, humbling reminder of the childlike faith evey Christian should have, the goodness of God and how he knows us so well personally, and the piddling, smaller-than-a-mustard-seed extent of my faith in Him came thundering out of the blue, just like that. Thank you so much, God!