GE2011 Results at Hougang Stadium (Photo post)

Short montage of footage I happened to catch while there with my camera to shoot some photos. Also, shitty sound quality, just FYI.

Now. Pictures.

Number of people around 10PM. The crowd grew bigger as the night drew on.

The GE2011 Aftermath

And so, the end of the 2011 General Elections marks the beginning of our political awakening. The next five years is a crucial time in which we cannot allow ourselves to fade back into the apathy that our generation has been branded with for the past decades.

Some may have been disappointed with the outcome of this GE. Some people may have expected more. But I believe where we are at this elections is a comfortable and gradual transition to change. Our society is maturing, but we are not ready for an overnight revolution, neither should we be wishing for one.

Of course, I eventually had to write a kaypoh GE2011 post.

Am I particularly well-informed in the sphere of politics? No. Politically apathetic? Hard to be in the current political climate.

For over 40 years, soccer and American politics have been far more interesting for Singaporeans to discuss than our stagnant and immovable PAPlitical scene. But there’s a whiff of change in the air, and regardless of whether the 2011 elections will bring in actual tides of change, it is undeniable that something has cracked in the veneer of a peaceful and contented society that the PAP has tried desperately to mask for the past decade. This little tear in the fabric has now morphed into an fast evolving monster that the PAP is clueless in handling.

I’m no expert, and I’m not going to pretend to be. But there are just a few things I’d like to point out.

Letter to a Dead Lover

Because I couldn’t have put it more eloquently myself.
—

Letter to a Dead Lover
APR. 12, 2011 By JOSH LIBURDI
(via ThoughtCatalog)

Dear Dead Lover,

I am sorry to inform you of this, but you are dead. Do not be confused by what may appear to be normal signs of life: breathing, a pulse, a thought. I have diagnosed you and you are certainly, unequivocally, without a doubt dead. There will be no eulogy, no funeral. I have buried you in the region of my body farthest from my head. I believe that this is somewhere in the feet, possibly in one of the toes, but the exact location is unknown and better left undisclosed.

50 Reasons Not To Date A Graphic Designer

Source: (A Bourbon for Silvia)

1. They are very weird people.
2. There are billions of them in the world, like colors on the screen of your computer.
3. They will analyse conversations in layers.

The Lion King.

Caught the broadway musical for the second time this (or yesterday) evening. I first watched it when I was in London with mom and sis in 2009, and was totally blown away by the set and costuming.

Back then I was a freshly minted sophomore. Movies were not yet ruined for me as a result of my film education. The ‘formulae’ of storytelling had not yet become itemized segments in my mind.

Two years down the road and a few more short films later, I’ve become far more sensitive to the nuances, hooks and turning points in the process of telling a story, be it one on screen or stage.

There will be spoilers, but really, how many of you don’t know the story of Lion King?

And the world indeed, spins madly on.

Hi everyone… Haven’t been blogging because I’ve been pretty busy. The working hours are filled with plans and schedules for Rediscover.sg, and when I get home I’m working on designs/videos for church. It’s all good and I’m loving every moment of it, but it means that many reflections diving in and out of my brain never makes it on paper (or type).

For those of you who’ve not seen a naggy note from me somewhere on Twitter/Facebook regarding the Home video the Rediscover crew worked on, it’s here:

Am extremely pleased to know that we are hitting close to 3,300 views sorry, while I was writing the entry it broke the 3,300 mark on YouTube, regardless of what the votes reflect. Been hearing from a few friends that’s it’s gone viral to people who aren’t our first-degree friends, so I’m really happy that we did something that really nudges at the heartstrings of our fellow Singaporeans. You can read my reflections on making this video and working on Rediscover so far, here.

Recent thoughts on the latest calamity to hit our planet under cut.

Mixtape #1 – Ten songs for today.

Decided to do a song post! My playlist in general is a rather limited affair. It’s 50% sermons, 20% Christian songs (of which 90% is Hillsong albums), 20% soundtracks and the remaining 10%, others.

These ‘others’ don’t often include many current or latest hits because I honestly feel very little for much of mainstream music. (Find it hard to listen to songs without meaningful lyrics). Most of my secular songs come from friends as recommendations, or random songs I hear used in short films on the internet. HAHA.

So for tonight here’s 10 songs from the 10% that are on my favourites list. Be warned that there may (generally) be a lot of Ingrid Michaelson and Regina Spektor on this list!
(In no particular order.)

Lessons I’ve learned from serving in church.

For those of us who have been in church for a while, our leaders have often mentioned that there are many life lessons that can be gleaned from serving in ministry, lessons that will accompany you in the workplace and shape you as a person.

I’ve been serving for over 4 years now, and I’d have to say there this statement is true. While I am always, still learning, I have taken several key lessons with me from the pulpit out into the working world.

1. Remain teachable
No one likes a know-it-all, even if you really (think you) know-it-all. Carry yourself with a spirit of humility, not false humility and general Singaporean ‘paiseh’-ness (no lah no lah…). If someone praises you, accept it humbly and say thank you. It is not a crime to be good. It is only a crime to be full of yourself. If you do something wrong and get corrected, take it with a heart of teachability, accept your mistakes, take responsibility for your actions, right the wrongs as well as you can, and move on and be excellent. No one is beyond correction. Don’t wallow or remain shell-shocked at your mistake and ruminate in it, because that is arrogance and self-pride in thinking that you are beyond making mistakes. We are young, we are fresh, we are inexperienced, we live, and we learn.

2. Have an excellent spirit
Be the best _____ you have been called to be. Your job may not be glamourous, the hours may be long, the tasks may be demanding, seemingly unreasonable at many times. I have been called upon to do work in a few hours, to make more changes than would be considered ethical, to do ‘grunge’ designs I feel nothing for, but at the end of the day, to represent the heart and vision of the ministry. Having an uncomplaining spirit is part of being excellent. The saying goes: If you cannot be trusted with little, no one will trust you with much. So do all that is allowed into your hands, well. For if you cannot manage the small responsibilities (though they may seem menial to you, and ‘beneath’ what you think you should be doing), no one will give you big ones.

3. Honour your leaders/superiors
So you might think (or know) you’re better than them at this or that. They may not be as knowledgeable as you about certain things, but they have still been placed as an authority above you. Honour and give them respect regardless of their competence. You don’t disrespect your mother for not knowing how to use an iPhone or shut down your Mac computer. You don’t treat a person according to their ability or inability to do their jobs, or do your job. Again this goes back to the above statement: if you cannot be trusted with little, no one will trust you with much. If you don’t respect those placed above you, it is unlikely that you will respect those who will be placed under you in future. A good leader is a teacher, not a dictator. A good teacher starts with being a good listener and a willing learner. Honour is a choice. You may submit to a person because they are stronger than you, not because you respect them, and this is not out of personal choice but inevitability. But to choose to submit even when you know that person is not as ‘good’ as you think you are, shows your true weight in worth as a person. That is honour, that is respect.

There are many lessons I have taken away from church, these are but some that have made me who I am. Many of the things I’ve mentioned above I’ve learned the hard way, but I’ve learned anyway, and am still always learning.

Hello 22. (22 only ma.)

Since my birthday has just passed I thought I’d blog. I’ve given up doing #postaday2011 because the topics are self-indulgent and inconsequential, and I’ll really rather not answer questions that I’ve seen in quiz memes since I was 12 and first discovered the internet.

So I’m 22, my birthday just drifted past more than an hour ago. Every year it gets less and less important that people remember or do something fancy for me. My best birthday to date remains my sweet 16th spent in TKGS. While I do love surprises, thoughtful and meaningful preparation from friends, and presents that leave me touched by the effort put in, it’s just not something I get anymore these days.

In part, it’s also because I have become rather impassive and no longer as enthusiastic and thoughtful about other people’s birthdays/christmases as I used to be. 4, 5 years ago I would always make sure I prepared very personalized gifts and cards for friends during birthdays and Christmases. I would be careful with my selection and think hard about whether they would enjoy my gift, and whether it would show them how important they are to me. But years come and go, and it gets hard to keep being the one who does the special thing for friends who often don’t remember your birthday, do nothing for you (or worse, give half-hearted gifts that I’d rather you not try and give me at all, and so on. (Maybe doing nice elaborate things was always something every TK girl leaves TKGS with, because we always, really, cross my heart, used to literally sweat and bleed over the special things we made for each other.)

I hope to rekindle that desire and passion for doing special things for people and not expect anything in return, but cut me some slack la, I try okay? I’m not Jesus. I’m human and sometimes I also enjoy being told in one way or another that I am appreciated.

For my 22nd year of existence I would like a couple of things. Of course there are many other earthly wants that I have, but these are the 2 that have sat on my heart even before I turned 21 and remain there.

1. I would like my family to become a family again, something that is slowly happening more and more thanks to this no-longer-so-little-ball-of-fur that entered our lives in the shape of a corgi called Noodle. God has a plan for every turn, and how I came to be Noodle’s human is part of that plan too.

2. To be able to stop taking regular allowance from my mom and be able to earn (even post-internship) enough for my basic needs (plus more to spend on pretty things like lenses) and not have to rely on my mom so much.

If anyone is even interested to know what I want materially, it would probably be; something cheery from Kate Spade (probably one of the only fashion brands I like, maybe because I have magpie like instincts and really love the bold colors), and a 32GB Sandisk Extreme III CF card. If not, Noodle likes soft toys that squeak.

Very extremely different things, I know, but somewhere in between I do actually reconcile my tech love with my more feminine side that most of my guy friends ignore/pretend don’t exist. It helps them draw the line between girl-that-can-be-considered-and-pursued and girl-who-is-a-friend-and-bro.

So yes. Thanks everyone who remembered my birthday or were reminded because you saw someone else posting on my wall/tweeting me etc. I don’t blame you, just our reliance on technology about important things that used to matter more to us.

Thanks for taking this journey with me and being a part of my life.

Signing out,
Lizzy.