The Road Not Taken

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

- Robert Frost, 1915

The New Paper – 22 Oct 2009

For those who missed it and requested for it..

The Nike+ Human Race 10K ‘09

Another meaningful fulfillment.. =)

Shirt front and the Finisher Band.

I killed spiderman today!

And he is only worth $475!

Waoh!

“Facebook’s user base is nearly as large as the U.S. population and, for the first time, the site has turned a profit.

Facebook now has 300 million users — almost as many as the population of the United States.

That was the double-barreled announcement Tuesday from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who thanked the site’s users for helping its online community cross the 300 million threshold. There are about 307 million people living in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.” – (CNN, 2009)

click here for full article..

17 Sep 2009

ITR

189-07481-6 : I-BANK

S$450.00

Deep gratitudes to Dad and Mum!

3 good years just gone like that. They felt happy for me.

I still can feel how life was in a financially difficult state 3 years ago..  I had then just completed my National Service and was enrolling for my undergraduate studies. I know it was difficult for them to carry a smile at home because Dad got retrenched and there were no active income to support the family, needless to talk about paying my school fees.. My dad and mum were at then pressuring me to give up my full time studies.. I didnt want to, then one day I told mum to endure and give me just 3 years, just that 3 years i will definitely work hard.

It was saddening to see the chinese translations Dad wrote on his Taxi driver vocational course material after his late night classes. I felt sad because he’s already in mid 50s yet could not retire.. “Press on!” is all I told myself. In the holidays, I worked for my school fees. During school period, I gave tuition and other jobs to earn my own allowances.

Recently Mum jokingly told me that finally 3 years have passed and she can die in peace.. Haha.. I told her to endure more years to see her grandchildren grow up.. All my life I did not achieve much. It was now that I am really glad I did it. and I made them proud. Thank you Dad and Mum!

Race Against Cancer Charity Run ‘09 & Yellow Ribbon Prison Run ‘09

Just completed the Race Against Cancer Charity 10km run at east coast park last weekend and on the coming 6th Sept will be Yellow Ribbon Prison Run. Had just collected my race pack today and will similarly be going for 10km.

“Every year, more than 10,000 ex-offenders complete their imprisonment and are released from the various prisons and drug rehabilitation centres (DRCs). It is disheartening that ex-offenders have to live with the stigma of having served time behind bars when they are released from prison, one that can often be more punishing than the prison sentence itself. Many ex-offenders, once released, find themselves literally stepping into a second prison. This time it would be a prison with invisible bars, of suspicion, mistrust and discrimination.”  Yellow Ribbon Project

Lets give them the support they need..

My bib number

Back view of jersey

Front view of jersey

SIM All-Rounders Programme

My 3 minute short speech during the certificate presentation today (not in exact words):

“Good evening everyone, my name is Wee Kian, I’ve graduated from Computing and Information Systems awarded by University of London and SIM. I am currently employed and I am sure that what differentiates graduates of different universities in work is not the degree we got, but more likely the attitude we possessed. When I started studying in SIM, a very “lucky” incident happened – My dad got retrench. In fact, why I would say lucky is because this is a major turning point of my life. I learned to find what I really want, and what I can achieved. Due to the incident, I did not managed to commit myself into CCAs as I am actively working and studying full-time to lighten the burden at home. And SIM has made everything so convenient that I could managed my education smoothly.

In my year two, I underwent internship with Oce (Singapore) Pte Ltd through SIM. And the industrial attachment exposed me greatly to alot of things that I couldn’t learn in school. After the 10 weeks, I was glad the company has appreciated my contribution and awarded me an monetary bonus, which make my pocket a little fuller.

Soon, I was invited to join the All-Rounders and this has really prepared me very well for entering the industry. I’ve learnt to present myself professionally in my resumes and during interviews, as well as learning how to make myself more “attractive”. I truly thank Mr Steven Chong for the guidance throughout. Of cos Evelyn, whom rentlessly make sure everything is neatly planned and organised, and unknowningly she became our mummy.

In fact, I feel that 3 years of undergraduate studies is definitely not enough to cover all of what the society requires of us. But through SIM Education, it has equipped us professionally to enter the dynamically revolving world. I sincerely thank the school and the staffs for making my school life a worthy one. Thank you.”

SIM All-rounders certificate of recognition

After 12 years with my CRT Monitor…

It finally broke down and I bought my first LCD Monitor!

22″ Dell SP2208WFP with Webcam @ $199.

It says this promo ends on 18th June but on 15th June the product has already been removed from Dell’s website. That means I gotten a good hoot!

Tomorrow I’ll be going back to to school to recieve the SIM All-rounders certification from the CEO, Mr Lee Kwok Cheong. Feeling great..

That’s why I never like to give surprises..

“It was supposed to be a pleasant surprise, but turned into the shock of a lifetime.

A woman in Tel Aviv, Israel, gave her elderly mother a new mattress as a surprise gift, throwing out the old tattered bed her mother had slept on for decades. The gesture ended up bankrupting Annat’s mother, who had stuffed her savings of nearly $1 million inside her old bed for decades, Annat told Israel Army Radio…” (CNN, 2009)