đσмίиίс

ocbc stock challenge

2008-09-05T04:56:00.000-07:00

so.. 3 weeks into the holidays....

2007-11-24T17:41:00.000-08:00

it's been 3 weeks thus far.. a couple of joyous occasions to remember... and two tournaments completed. sweeeett.. :) let's start on the first week.. ... .... ..... .. ... haha.. i don't remember doing on the first week? let's just skip that. I think i was still trying to get use to the holiday spirit then.. It was funny though.. On to week 2..... .. ... .... Oh yea, Monday i went out with a couple of ex-primary-school-classmates.. It was pretty funny because we had only 9 people? heh.. But it was quiet.. awkwardly quiet... We did watch a movie however, and that, perhaps, was the best part of the outing since it was when we actually had something to do. :P Unfortunately I had to leave early that day, so we didn't really do much. Oh yes, by the way, i went out with charis, genevieve, alicia, yen ling, charmaine, jeffrey, dominic tan and han long..... did i miss out anyone.......... no.. yea.. and we watched stardust that day.. it was a pretty good movie i must say... i'll tell you why later hehh. oh yes.. did i mention that most of them have changed quite a bit. heheh. alright.... on to our second outing 2 days later on wednesday. i went out with my ex-primary-school-track-and-field-mates haha. though i only went out with 4 friends.. it certainly was much livelier than the first outing heh.. you should have seen how much jasmine and cherie were talking (amongst themselves). oh yea, i went out with jasmine, bernice, cherie and harris. it was fun, and we watched two movies that day. and guess what? we watched the seeker and yes..... stardust. heheh.. you must be wondering if i mistook and said that i watched stardust TWICE.. but no........ it's not. and it was all thanks to cherie that i had to watch it again. hhah. but it was alright though. heh and we spent the entire day wandering about vivo till after dinner. heh bernice didn't join us for the second movie though.. cause she had something on. *erhem* heh.. ok where were we?... .. .... yes.. i felt that the second outing was more fun cause it was more interactive. :) hahh... yes.. oh my... and cherie was carrying her squash bag which looked funny on her. jasmine said that the bag was almost the same height as her... which was SOOO FUNNY haha. alright,. on to week 3... nothing much really happened that week because it was the SIJC week. i was elated after i won my first match cause that meant i had points already. it was really lucky that i managed to win that day. nevermind about that now.... the most memorable match i had that week was first round doubles against the defending champs. it was really close but we finally prevailed in a close, heart-stopping third set tie-breaker. that match left me with the fondest memories of the tournament. and the dinner,... haha it was great stuff. crazZY.. hahaa. okayy... on to today........ .. .... there wasn't much happenings today except that i met up with my ex-schoolmate hui shan and had lunch together with chris and christine haha. hui shan left early leaving me, chris and christine at J8. hehh... we then decided to catch a movie.. since christine didn't want to walk tooOOO much haha. yes.. we watched ENCHANTED- your typical romance-comedy. it was cool. and chris and christine were laughing their heads off.. don't know why either,.. :P and yes tomorrow's christine's b'day and the day after's julienne's b'day, so they decided to go on a shopping spree tomorrow.. she invited chris and i.. but i'm not sure if i should go haha.. youknow what happens when guys accompany girls to shop no? hhaha. besides, advance starts tomorrow for chris and i.. and we made up a lame excuse that chris had to focus on his match HAHHA. anyway, the next few weeks would be tournaments after tournaments.... and yes... we're re-painting our house now.. so it's totally messy and smelly.... eeegghhh.. hhheh and yes... i just started a facebook account and SOMEBODY's been SPAMMING MY WALL.... geeeezz.. hheh.. alright.. that's done for today... till next time.... next time.. ;) goodbye for now... :tata:

life - in a different perspective

2007-11-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

heh.. It's been a while no? Over the past few months, I was wondering what "life" was like outside of the solar system.. Could there be "life" outside the solar system? Like we weren't the only "ones" "alive"? Maybe there were "people" living and analyzing what their "world" was like? Wondering whether there were "people" living outside their "earth"? If we do take a step back and see life in a holistic view, we might see things totally differently from what we do now.
Also, I have been wondering lately, "what is it in life that we want?" hmm... pondering..

My first Post.....

2007-10-10T03:12:00.000-07:00

FINALLY... 3 months and 5 days since my last post.. and the day my EOY ends! =D i don't know what to post about.. so i'm just going to make it short and not so sweet.

back to school :(

2007-07-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

Phhhooooww... And it's back to school for term III now. The June holidays this year have been pretty enjoyable i must say! Well actually every June hols is very much fun..fun..homework..more fun! We went to soooooo many places this hols. well it seemed like many but we probably went to only two places. heheh.. first week there was age-group so we pretty much spent our entire week here in singapore. then in the second week i can't remember what we did haha.. hmmm.......................................... now what did i do????? anyway, back to the holidays.. we went to genting for 3 days and 2 nights during mid week 3. The place was sweeeeeeeeettt... as expected.. nicee cold air brushing against your face as your roller-coaster reaches the peak of genting.. and you await the climax of the ride.. you wait.. and wait.... and before you realise it.... it's over.. haha and we sat on the same ride sooo many times... by the way, did i mention that we haven't went up to genting for ages? almost ten years by now. what seemed attractive then was..... not so now.. though we still manage to find some pleasure from a couple of "thrilling" rides. and i wanted to go for the "free-falling" thing where they bring you all the way up and then suddenly drop.. you know.. that "thing". However, i sure am glad and relief that i didn't go for that ride.... Did anyone notice the newspaper article on the girl in florida (if i'm not wrong) who sat on the ride and due to some technical errors, resulted in her leg being sliced off.... *ooooowwwwwww* i sure feel for her.. sadd... anyway, back to my holiday>>>>>>>>> After spending the 3rd week there, we arrived back in Singapore on thursday. oh yea! did i mention that we took a shuttle bus to and fro genting. s0 many things happened on the bus.... which i'll tell you another time :P.. soo.... where were we.. yesyes.. we're back in Singapore on thurs and on Saturday.. we left again the country again.. but this time to Indonesia.. Jakarta to be specific. We met so many familiar tennis faces while we were there and trust me... it was SOOO FUN there. The main reason we were there was for the ITF tournament which was held during the last week of the holidays. Unfortunately, most of us were out of the competition by day 3 or 4, thus most of our free time were spent on either watching matches, playing pool, playing cards.. or out at the mall(where we had our dinner a couple of nights). And honestly speaking... pool and cards were soo much fun... We played cards through the night and there was so much stupid things going on that it'll take me another blog to talk about our "carding" experience. There, i made many new friends.. some of whom i've met last year at this same tournament. We stayed in an apartment which was just next to the tennis courts........ and i'll continue another day.... just realised it was so late already.

Current Affair assignment (3) : Sex education still taboo in India

2007-05-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

6 states in India ban sex ed to preserve culture
Sex education still taboo in India

Certain states in India ban sex education in public schools, claiming that it was against Indian culture and "learning modules are too explicit, and some pictures are too graphic." This can be seen as India has the world's highest number of HIV cases at about 5.7 million.
Furthermore, over 40% of Indian women have not even heard about AIDS. In addition, ignorance about sex is apparent in the land of Kama Sutra where explicit sex acts are celebrated in ancient temple architecture.
I personally feel that there should not be bans on sex education as it is important for people to know the importance of safe sex, and that they have the right to know how to protect themselves from STDs. (sexually-transmitted diseases)
Also, most religion advocates preservation of life. But by banning sex education, people stand a higher chance of contracting STDs. Parents also feel embarrassed talking about such mature topics with their children. However, if no one educates these children about sex, when they grow older, many of these children would become victims of STDs. As parents, they should not feel shy about discussing such matters with their children especially since no parents would want the worse for their child.
Sex education should also be taught at a tender age because youths tend to be more adventurous and try certain things which are new to them, such as the experience of sex. Without prior knowledge of safe sex, or even pre-marital sex, the chances of these youths contracting sexually-transmitted diseases are high. Besides, it would be too late if the parents regret not educating their children about sex issues before they become victims of such diseases. Another reason behind sex education being a taboo in India is that people perceive sex education as encouraging sex, which is completely untrue. Sex education teaches one about the possible risks of unsafe sex and also moral values which include not having sex before marriage.
Thus I feel that sex education should never be banned because in order for the people to live longer, they must have the right to know what they should and should not do.

Current Affair assignment (2): Bullying

2007-05-15T06:48:00.001-07:00

More students call for help against bullies

I'm sure many people have been victims of bully cases before. Bullying does not only mean physical abuse. Bullying comes in many forms - extortion, threatening, physical abuse, cyber bullying etc, all of which leads to a main point, which is to assert one's authority. The rate of bully cases in Singapore has gone up by approximately 47% in the previous year. Such cases were that of a boy being beaten up on his birthday and another, of a girl being slapped, stripped and filmed by her schoolmates. Bullies usually target their peers who are of a smaller build. They also tend to attack their prey in secluded places, alongside fellow bullies.
Now, why would somebody want to bully others? Perhaps the most important reason is that they want to assert their authority to show that they are "bigger" and stronger than others. They put on a front so as to make others fear them, but deep within themselves, they too, are afraid of those who are bigger and tougher than they are. Have you ever realised, as I mentioned earlier, bullies like to prey on those smaller than they are? If they were spoiling for a fight, why wouldn't they approach someone of their own size rather than someone whom they know they can easily defeat? This is largely due to the fact that they have low self-esteem or are lacking in self-confidence and need to boost their ego by picking on somebody to trample over.
Furthermore, although many people get bullied constantly, they seldom or never do speak about it, which makes it hard for someone to help because they would not know what had happened. I believe that the main reason for not speaking up is that they too, have their pride. They could well be thinking “Would my friends think that I’m a weakling if I told them that I was bullied?” Another possible reason could be that they are afraid to anger the bullies by bringing up these matters to a higher authority.
Anyhow, keeping matters to themselves and not speaking up about such cases could lead to undesirable consequences. Bottling up that anger within oneself, could result in mental outbreak. They might contemplate suicide, or worse still harm those around them, just like the Virginia Tech massacre that happened not too long ago.
However, have you ever noticed that most of the bully cases brought up were by the victims themselves and not by their peers? Well, it could be that most victims did not want their friends to talk about it, or that their friends or any passer-by simply could not summon that courage to stand up for the victim lest they get victimized too. Thus I feel that it is a test of one’s moral courage to be able to stand up for their weaker peers. I’m certain that most of us have been guilty of turning a blind eye to bully cases that we are aware of.
What goes around comes around, remember?

back to blogging.

2007-04-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Finally after an entire month, i'm blogging again! :) And guess what, i took more than half an hour trying to figure out MY OWN account details.HAHA. Kinda sad huh. Anyway, there was an article that i read a couple of days ago that till now, is still lingering in my head. I think everybody was aware of the US mass killing in virginia tech. iT certainly left a GREAT impact on me as well as many others. Then, when i first heard about it, i did not think much of it, now however, the terror is creeping up to me.. oooo... i'll continue another time...

Back from JDC in Bangladesh

2007-03-05T05:28:00.000-08:00

heyy everybody! Just returned from Bangladesh at 5am yesterday morning, and just to share the joy, we've qualified for the next round! Which means... We get to go to Thailand!
Bangladesh is a whole lot different from Singapore, and much less developed as well. The hotel we stayed in was not great, but i suppose it was of acceptable standard.(about a *** hotel in Singapore perhaps?)
I'll tell you more details in my next post as I'm not feeling too well since the third day i was there. Could have been the food i guess? :( it was great fun though! (I mean the trip, not the stomach feeling unwell part) hehh

-signing off.. for now*

Current Affair assignment: Racism

2007-02-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

source: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/
mm-mexicocity.html

source: www.obama.senate.gov

"SPRINGFIELD -- Senator Barack Obama Saturday launched "an improbable quest" to become America's first black president, brazenly claiming the mantle of Abraham Lincoln, the US icon who ended slavery. "
- Source: http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070210-121014-4339r

Two years ago, when I was in secondary one, I remembered reading a book about racism, titled "Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry". Even with the abolishment of slave trade, Americans discriminated against the Negroes.

Years later however, black Americans took a step forward to get themselves involved in the society and be recognised for who they were and not what they are. I can still recall vividly the newspaper article about the death of an Australian sprinter, Peter Norman, who took part in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico. He became part of a memorable and significant moment in history that took place during that very event.

That event was to become a milestone in America's civil rights movement several years later. It happened after the two-hundred metres finals, involving two black Americans, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who were both prize-winners. On the podium during the prize ceremony, both black American athletes raised their black-glove-covered fists in the air to represent black power and unity in black America.(top picture)

Although, actions as such are of no great significance now, it certainly caused a lot of uproar back then, even to the point of both black athletes facing death threats. In addition, both of them were suspended from their national team after their bold protest.

I personally feel that it took immense courage for them to have done so, and if it was not for their daring acts, the movement of America's civil rights might have been far less great.

Now, however, America's civil rights have progressed and have even allowed for black Americans to take part in political activities. A great example is Barack Obama's presidential election that occurred just this year. He is also currently serving the United States Senate.(bottom picture)

It has come to my attention that racism is also still present in Singapore. One case is that of the Singaporean who posted racist remarks on his blog. Even though freedom of speech is practised in many countries now, we must ensure that it is not being abused. We have to be responsible for our own actions and not say things that could cause potential conflicts. However, due to the actions taken on these racists, I must commend Singapore's government for being extra sensitive to such issues, which is essential to Singapore's growth as a multiracial country.

Frankly speaking, as you are reading this, ask yourselves whether you are also involved with racist acts of such. Do any of you still remember the 1964 race riots? Do you know how many casualties there were in that particular year because of the riots? Just to refresh your memories, 36 people were killed, 556 injured, and an estimated 3000 people were arrested.

Each one of us has a part to play in making the society racists-free. We should never say anything insensitive to other races in a moment of folly. Therefore, I am urging those of you reading this blog to say "NO" to racism.

Source:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=obama&id=257849

"SORRY" seems like the HARDEST word

2007-02-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

Was there ever a time when you've done something WRONG,
but were too PROUD to ADMIT it?
To say that you were WRONG??
To APOLOGISE???

Have you ever once felt REGRETFUL,
DEJECTED,
REMORSEFUL,
or just feeling LOW because you could not
pry open your mouth to say a word 'SORRY'?

Have you ever said something which made someone
MISUNDERSTAND your intentions
but never got a chance to CLARIFY?

Have you ever tried to say 'SORRY',
but don't know how to,
or didn't DARE to?

Sometimes, even though you MIGHT
or MIGHT NOT be in the wrong...
It's always ALRIGHT to say 'SORRY' first
and EXPLAIN later..

It's nothing to be SHY of,
AFRAID of,
let alone ASHAMED of.

There's nothing to LOSE, is there?
PRIDE?
FACE?

Are these MORE IMPORTANT than RELATIONS
with FRIENDS,
LOVED ONES,
or FAMILY?

Sometimes saying 'SORRY' not just
LIGHTEN your emotional BURDEN,
but also makes the OTHER PARTY
feel CLOSER to you.

Besides, it's not
PRIDE nor FACE
that LOOKS OVER YOU,
GUIDES you,
in the future...

BUT FRIENDS,
FAMILY,
that make sure you're SAFE AND SOUND,
ensure you STAY OUT OF HARMS WAY,
that are willing to SACRIFICE THEMSELVES FOR YOU.
Does PRIDE do all those for you?

So always remember...
It's NEVER TOO LATE to get back your PRIDE
or FACE,
but never wait until it's TOO LATE
to say "I'm SORRY.."

My first REAL post :)

2007-02-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

:D I'm so happyy today! I won my match and thus qualified for junior davis cup! Which means.... I get to go to.. BANGLADESH!! Heh sweeeeett! I was so nervous and worried that i might not pull through.. But after two gruelling hours, i so luckily managed to. LOL, SERIOUSLY! woot. By the way, i've added a tagbox, so feel free to come and tag! heheh ;)
*And one important lesson that i brought back from that match.. Always remember to smile when you're feeling tensed! :D >>>--Anger-management->

Intro of myself

2007-02-07T03:49:00.000-08:00

Oh yes.. I forgot to do an intro on myself! Heheh. Anyway, i'm Dominic. LOL Now that's redundant. Woot! Back to serious business.. I'm a tennis player, and an ex-tracker. Sure am glad that that's past! =D I'm currently a student in Raffles Institution and was previously from Rosyth Primary. I do most sports as long as they are convenient, like tennis! Heheh that's about all that you need to know for now.. *Anymore details and this is not considered an intro*
>> Above is what i like best!! And below that, is a picture of me in P6 when i was still in track, and on my way to WALAA. << ↑↑↑↑↑
d^L^b

My second bloG

2007-02-07T03:28:00.000-08:00

Heh... finally FINALLY! Something decent. I've done up my blog and edited it. Hope you'll enjoy reading it. *Once I start posting* ;)

My first bloG

2007-02-06T06:44:00.000-08:00

Heyy.. This is my first blog. Sure looks kind of fun huh! I'm a newbie, so I'm still alien to the customizing part. Thus, it's rather plain, so please bear with it. I'll improve on it once i learn how to.. =)