happy new year

the manchester united festive season team:

ole gunnar solskjaer a.k.a. the baby-faced assassin wishes everyone merry christmas and happy new year

paul schols a.k.a. the ginger devil delivers the present, complete with wrapping paper and ribbon

cristiano ronaldo a.k.a. twinkle toes provides the party for everything to happen

thank you manchester united. and thank you fulham and reading. especially stephen hunt.

it's fourteen minutes to the new year. as insignificant as it seems. 2006 is about to end. another end. another beginning. forget all the 'new year resolutions' and whatnot. new years mark the continuation of life, of our lives. be happy to see the new year. many are not as lucky. be thankful. be grateful. remember all the good times that you've had, not just in the last one year, but in the entire lifespan you've had before this coming year. because there's no point simply remembering what happened the last one year when you've forgotten everything else. remember the good, but remember the bad as well. because for every bad memory, something good will come out of it. we learn the most when we make mistakes, when we are struck with tragedy. because then we are forced into action, and then our true selves will appear, and all that can be learnt, will be learnt.

2006 has been a year of tragedy. of earthquakes and executions. of wars and wastage

but 2006 has also been a wonderful year. a year of friendships formed, of flames rekindled, of self-discovery, of the world around us.

remember 2006. just as you should remember the years before that

and embrace 2007. because you have been blessed to see life go on.

but most of all. just remember. remember, and learn. for that is the story of our lives

underdog

i love underdog sports movies. very commercial, but good to watch nevertheless. yesterday was coach carter (a high school basketball team coached by Samuel L. Jackson) and today was The Longest Yard (an American Football team of convicts plays against their own guards, led by Adam Sandler). i'm not sure why they appeal to me so much. maybe it's the basic rags-to-riches theme. maybe it's the inspirational theme behind it all (usually with an associated inspirational message).

maybe it's simply the love of sports

how much my life has changed in ACS. and i have no doubt that there is more to come.

coach carter

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

- Timo Cruz, from the movie Coach Carter

bleh

today has not been a good sunday.

my nose is clogged with dust

a companion has ventured to the other side of the world

and the lead is now down to two points.

this can't be happening. at least not on the same day

4 hours

it's barely four hours, and i miss you already

and guess what. i've never even heard your voice before

memory

my memory is a warped thing with a mind of its own. it decides when to recall stuff, such that i end up never recalling some things when i need to (like in an exam) yet i remember vividly things that are utterly useless (like knowing where the tv remote control is when i'm on the train). it also decides how much to release at one time, such that sometimes i strain and strain to remember things associated with a particular subject in hand (like during an exam), yet other times when i think of something, suddenly everything, and i mean everything, comes flooding back at once (like when i think of something several years ago). and i am also more likely to remember something that happened two months ago compared to something that happened two hours ago

irritating thing. powerful as it is.

i never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever want to see fishing line in my life again, after this week is over.

never.

ever.

ever.

ever.

DIE YOU STUPID ROLL OF GREEN NYLON THAT CONTROLS MY FUTURE

that felt good

ME

koped this from ngeeee blog

http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You are not looking merely for a girl/boyfriend - you are looking for your life partner. Perhaps you should be more open-minded about who you spend time with. The person you are looking for might hide their charm under their exterior.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.

The seriousness of your love:

You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Your views on education

You may not like to study but you have many practical ideas. You listen to your own instincts and tend to follow your heart, so you will probably end up with an unusual job.

The right job for you:

You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success.

How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of things that you cannot control. Sometimes you show your anger to cover up how you feel.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

eerily accurate

eragon

"First, let no one rule your mind or body. Take special care that your thoughts remain unfeterred. One may be a free man and yet be bound tighter than a slave. Give men your ear, but not your heart. Show respect for those in power, but don't follow them blindly. Judge with logic and reason, but comment not.

"Consider none your superior, whatever their rank or station in life. Treat all fairly or they will seek revenge. Be careful with your money. Hold fast to your beliefs, and others will listen." He continued at a slower pace, "Of affairs of love...my only advice is to be honest. That's your most powerful tool to unlock a heart or gain forgiveness. That is all I have to say."

Uncle Garrow to Eragon and Roran, just before Roran left for his own life, from the book Eragon by Christopher Paolini

music

i guess it's taken a long time, but i've finally realised. music plays a significant part of my life. it's never at the forefront of the things i do (well, most of the time). but it's always there. when i sit on the train, when i'm doing tok essay, whenever i watch a movie, music is always there. it keeps me company on long journeys, it provides ambient sound to think more clearly, it stirs the emotions. most often i have a tune running in my head, be it a Dvorak symphony or justin timberlake. it adds spice to life, it provides an emotional channel out, it calms the soul, it does so many things that i couldn't possibly list everything here.

morever, some of my best experiences in my short life have been around music. playing in ac phil and the other concerts, watching performances of everything from Beethoven to Ronin. these were the times when i had really enjoyed myself. and the last, and possibly best, thing that has sprung up from the musical portions of my life is the number of friendships i've made in music, through concerts, through friends, any way. friendships blossom in the unlikeliest of situations, and i'm not sure, but maybe this qualifies as one of them. i'm not born into a life of music, like some people, but music is as much a part of my life as any of them, and maybe it's having a positive effect.

hello princess

"Jet - Hold On"

You tried so hard to be someone
That you forgot who you are
You tried to fill some emptiness
‘Til all you had spilled over
Now everything’s so far away
That you don’t know where you are, you are

[Chorus:]
When all that you wanted
And all that you had
Don’t seem so much
For you to hold on to [2x]
For you to belong to

When it’s hard to be yourself
It’s not to be someone else
Still everything’s so far away
That you forget where you are, you are

[Chorus:]
When all that you wanted
And all that you had
Don’t seem so much
For you to hold on to [2x]

Hold on [8x]

[Chorus:]
When all that you wanted
And all that you had
Don’t seem so much
For you to hold on to [3x]
For you to belong to

for the win!

henrik larsson for the win!!!

talk about an unexpected move. but most certainly not unwelcome

critics of fergie, eat your hearts out

hmm. for some reason everything seems underlined. i'll have to fix that

Entry 1(?)

chamber party was funn. pizza galore. followed by us trying (enphasis) to read dvorak's symphony no. 9, as well as some strange piece that some people declare perfect. well. i won't comment on it.

now off to watch snyo at victoria. playing quite an interesting repertoire of pieces.

and i'm still not sure whether i want to declare this the official first post.

1

testing

this is not the first post. this is like post zero