Some personal history - And so they say it's a long story

Somehow it's rather hard for me to communicate some stuff verbally. Consequently I sort of "develop" a "natural" ability to tell a story in writing/blogging. (Ok, that's really because I can go through an editing process.)
Anyway, for any of you guys who might be interested in my past, this is my submission to yesterday.sg that managed to "see the light of day". One even commented that the entry made her want to cry. (Ok, I'm really showing off here, so indulge me. :p)

How My Parents Did it
Raising the kids, that is. Looking back, I must say that it was nothing short of amazing. Here’s an entry dedicated to Mum and Dad.

When I was young, my mum was a full-time domestic engineer. (Ok, that really means housewife). I think she started the “moonlighting” when I entered primary 1 in 1987, taking on different circuit chip related jobs as time went by. By the time she was confident that I would be ok on my own, she went on to do her shift work in the factory.

But the one thing that I remember most vividly then was her sitting at a corner of the kitchen of our old 3-room flat in Clementi, (the kitchen was huge then, you could do a lot of things there) clipping away wires that were jutting out of electronic chips which she would later solder with a electric soldering iron.

Sometimes, she would be seated at the same place, with a device that looks like a giant exercise wheel. There, she would wrap insulating tape round and round the device till the roll of tape is used up. Then, she would use a 10 cent pocket knife (the kind that flips out from a metal sheath) and make a quick motion through the gaps, cutting the tape into 5cm strips in the process.

Click here for the complete story >>

Above the Influence

Here's a great site about doing the right thing under peer pressure. I think it's a great website for youths to visit.

Be cool, be yourself, be ABOVE THE INFLUENCE.

There comes a point in your life when you realise you're not a kid anymore.

Suddenly you have to make decisions.
You have to make choices every day.

This is the time when you define yourself or you let others define you.

You quickly learn that there are two ways to go:
UNDER the influence or ABOVE the influence.

I am ABOVE the influence.

What if Terminator had to protect Jesus?

Just finished watching the National Geographic Channel. It premiered "The Gospel of Judas". The first thing that came to my mind was this video a colleague shared some time back.

What if Jesus Christ had someone to protect him from the crucification?

Watch this ridiculous parody as Terminator attempts to alter the course of history.

History of a Name: Hong Kah - The Aftermath

After a conversation about the history of Hong Kah, I posted an entry on yesterday.sg. Very quickly, I realised I got quite a bit of facts wrong, like the actual names and the time/era of the incidents.

Fortunately, the good people at the Singapore Heritage Group dug up the real facts in not one but two entries:

1. Shedding Light on Hong Kah
   
2. Shedding Light on Hong Kah: Part 2

Seems like the possibility of Hong Kah being because of Christianity is very high.

For Owen: Something Children Should Watch

Got this link from a friend and thought it is something worth sharing.
A great cartoon on the truth behind the story we tell ourselves about where our meat come from.
People should be informed.
And young people can make a difference when they act according to the information.

Joke: Multi-tasking

2 Guys were engaged in some senseless banter and the topic of praying and smoking popped up...

Guy 1: Hey buddy, is it ok to smoke and pray at the same time?

Guy 2: Hmm... Honestly I don't know. Why don't you ask Pastor?

Guy 1: (walks up to Pastor) Pastor, can I smoke while I pray?

Pastor: (shocked) Heavens! No! Praying time is holy! How can you desecrate it with your bad habit?

Guy 1: (returns to Guy 2) You heard it, Pastor said no.

Guy 2: Hmm... How about I ask it like this...
(walks to Pastor) Pastor, is ok to pray while I smoke?

Pastor: Yes! Any time is a good time to pray to the Lord! By all means you can pray while you smoke! I encourage it!