時をかける少女 - The Girl Who Leapt Thru Time

Saw this posted on Aki's blog and my inherent love for anime meant I watched it immediately when I had the time to... Its a simple show, but with strong meaning to it...

I always thought about how great it would be if I could turn back time and re-do those things that din turn out the way I wanted them to... I'm sure I ain't the only one guilty of this thought... when something goes wrong, everybody will think, "If I could turn back time, I would have...."

But after watching this show, its not as if turning back the clock is the best way to make right something that was wrong... sometimes, turning back time only made things worse... also, should you be happy after making things right, more often than not, someone else will suffer in your place... just like the Chinese saying goes, "把自己的快乐建立在别人的痛苦上”. That's just kinda mean.. several times, when Makoto travelled back in time to correct something, another disastrous incident will occur such that she has to travel back more than once before she manages to put everything in order..

Not exactly sure what the ending means.. At first I thought it was simply that Makoto has Chiaki waiting for her in the future, which is sooo sweet... but then again, how far ahead of time had Chiaki came from?? Can Makoto really 'run' there??

Read elsewhere about the novel from which this anime had been adapted.. If there's an English version available...

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Some sad shocking news...

My cousin just told me that one of the singers from Soul (finalist of the Superband competition) had passed on yesterday! SHOCKED!! He's a great dancer and also a dance instructor... News said that he was found dead in his car but the cause of death is still unknown. There're certainly speculations going round, but no point speculating... A life's lost, a young one (he's ard 25, 26) and that's a fact...

If it was "a moment of folly" that led to the end of his life, its really a pity.. I don't reckon there's anything in this world that cannot be resolved... a moment of folly that leaves u with no room for regret and the opportunity to make things right again... Life's just too fragile...

I might not know him personally, but yet I feel the loss.. perhaps cos he's a fren's fren... I suppose its also cos I'd been following the Superband competition throughout... watching them for that couple of months, sometimes even at live events... he's always seen on screen to be someone who's very happy-go-lucky, fun-loving etc.. but wat's going on behind that farce... *shrugs*...

If he could travel back in time, I besiege him to turn to his family and frens or whoever he's comfortable with to share his troubles... nothing is worth more than ur life!!

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Cried while watching the show... tearing as I typed this entry... gonna get puffy eyes tomorrow...

What do you think?

Here's my intended schedule...

1. GMAT by 2007 end
2. CFA level 2 in June 2008
3. JLPT level 3 in Dec 2008
4. CFA level 3 in June 2009
5. MBA starting Fall 2009

That's 1 major exam to contend with every half a year... Do I have the discipline and aptitude for them all? Hmmz... I doubt myself...

I perhaps have to shelf ALL travel plans until after June 2009... for those who know me, they'll say that its almost next to impossible to stop me from travelling... I know that very well too...

Overly ambitious plan... but I really wish that I can achieve these milestones...

The Weekend

Paw kindly invited us to her chalet on fri nite. As usual, had gone home for dinner first. I was so darn tired (been working till wee hours the past couple of days) and almost fell asleep... but reluctantly dragged myself out of bed to join them... its a grp i like hanging out with... we no longer hang out as much as we used to... and the nos at each gathering is dwindling..

They played a card game which paw's hall mates had came up with... really hilarious to watch them.. Didn't join in cos I had head that was pounding so badly, I could barely lift it off the pillow... XiaoHuang (aka SL) and her hubby DaQing (aka Dan) is such a great couple. I've never seen another couple who can stand the other party's scolding as much them. What's more hilarious is how the 2 of them end up sabotaging each other... in the end, both of them were so high that the 'scoldings' escalated. The rest of us were kinda of like watching a free comedy... the only thing lacking was the popcorn... *LoL* They were all either staying over/staying late. I couldn't stay on bcos I really need to reward my sleep deprived body of some good rest.

大哥 was as wonderful as ever and offered to pick me should there be no one to send me home. That was like almost 2 in the morn. Instead of sleeping when he can, he stayed up and waited for me to be ready to go home. So touched! Really blessed to have such a doting big brother! My 大哥's really good at taking care of others. Lucky sis-in-law and their kidz!! Must have taken after my dad who also always gladly picks me up whenever and wherever. Whatever happened to my 二哥 and myself then? OopS!! must have been too pampered... keke

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RCIA as usual on sun... I've always been envious of people who can play the piano sooo well because I just don't have the flair for it... the guy who played the hymns last week... OMG! completely mesmerized by the music! I'm also full of admiration for one of the sponsors' for his prayers are always so soothing... really heartfelt prayers... when will I be able to be like them? be able to play music (not just making noise with my organ) and to make heartfelt prayers...
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Due to my lack of sleep... my throat's starting to hurt once more... I betta give my body the requisite rest and vitamins... would hate another dose of medicine anytime soon...

Life's a learning process

What is it that I am searching for in life? I don't seem satisfied nor contented with what I have. I know that I am searching, but what is it that I'm searching for, I am completely clueless. Things are acceptable now, but there's always the hope that things will be good, not only acceptable.. But I also know that everything is relative. How do you know something is better if you don't make any comparisons?

There're so many things I wished I had done in the past, just so that things are a little different now. But there's no way time can be turned back and what I ought to do is to be forward looking, figure out how I can move on instead. Of course, things are always easier said than done. Perhaps I should have put in more effort in school, perhaps I should have majored in something else, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.. I won't use the word regret because life is a tad too short for regrets... I would rather do what I can to make things right again. Life is meant to be a learning process at the end of the day.

Its too early in life to say that I'm tired of this learning process but it is true that I'm really tired. Tired because I don't understand what I'm learning, I don't know where I'm headed to... Its akin to being lost out in the oceans, where after days, weeks.. there's still no signs of shore... I'm struggling to keep my head above the waters.. There's no knowing when I'll be exhausted from all the struggling and just allow myself to be sucked into the depths of the oceans... ...

Ought to rest more

After two weeks, two courses of medicine, I've yet to recover. Getting better, but my throat still hurts and I've got that hacking cough... Probably I ought to see another doctor...

Despite being sick, I still held a bbq on Friday.. The bbq was planned a month ago and really din wan to cancel it... My family had booked the chalet for the weekend for my nephew's 2nd bdae celebrations on Sat.. since the place was available on Fri, thought I'll just gather some close friends to catch up =) but its such a torture, looking at the food, yet not being able to savor them... Well, of course my self-control wasn't all that great.. LoL! Had wanted to stay the night at the beach to look at the stars and hopefully catch the sunrise the next morn but was too tired to do that. I miss the time in Shizuoka, Japan and Fitzroy Island, Cairns Australia where stars were plentiful and shone so brightly...

Long journey to Bukit Batok on Sat morn to attend Tim and Sharon's solemnization at St Mary of the Angels. A really big, grand and modern Catholic Church. Really happy for them. ^^

In the evening, went to the chalet for my nephew's bdae. He was soooo elated when he saw his bdae cake. He struggled to break free from his mom to get closer to the cake.. Either he really like those monsters - Barney and friends, or he just love cakes. Earlier, he refused to eat dinner but he had 3 servings of cake. LoL.

After 2 looongg days, I finally had time to rest on Sunday. But it ain't enough. Still feel really lethargic and tired. Not sure if its due to my sickness, or I'm really tired... everyone's telling me I ought to rest more in order to get well.. I know, I know.. but I can't really sleep cos the hacking cough keeps me awake.. how to get well???

Flying Fish

Whoever knows how to interpret dreams can help me with this one..

Strange and weird dream / nightmare I had.. Will try to recollect as much as I can..

I have got 2 luohan fish in my house that have grown pretty big that's its quite a squeeze for them both to share a tank. Someday, my eldest bro and myself, perhaps too bored or were just sadist, decided to pour $1 coins into the tank. (My bro poured the coins in while I watched from a distance). These 2 fish are very fond of jumping. With the $1 coins poured in, the water level just gets higher, to the point of reaching the bream. Somehow, the fish also got very excited and began swimming around vigorously. When the opportunity came, one of them jumped, and of course, out of the tank! To which I screamed as it headed in my direction!!! I got my brother to catch hold of the fish quick and put it back into the water. I don't want to kill any of my dad's fish. My bro placed the fish into a pail of water and the fish remained very quiet and still. Water from the tank had been spilling over with the fish swimming about so vigorously, so my brother had to refill the tank with more water, but perhaps a little too much. I told him to put the fish that jumped out back into the tank to see if it would 'return to normal'. True enough once he put it back in, the 2 fish got very excited again! (don't know what happened to the $1 coins this time round). From wherever I was watching, I knew for sure that the other fish was going to take the opportunity to jump out as well and screamed to alert my brother that the water level was too high! But before my brother could do anything about the amount of water in the tank, that stupid fish jumped out! Dropped on the ground and did a flip into the air before dropping back on the ground and slided towards me. Of course, I screamed!

What a fishy night I had... Flying fish, and all in my direction!!! EEKSS!!!