Just attended a Dharma talk with Pamela at Bras Basah.
"A layman's recipe for success" was layman enough for me to understand most of it, except perhaps the Eight FoldPath, which wasn't really elaborated and which I've yet to delve deeper into.
The talk was certainly insightful, and the greatest takeaway was about the joy of giving and the willingness to 'let go', which at present, isn't synonymous with what I am, yet.
The speaker also suggested us carrying out a 5-minute experiment on ourselves, to just do nothing, and think about nothing. I'm sure I'll certainly fail this experiment about 'letting go', as I'm quite a restless person.
人生是黑白的.
10:51 PM <3
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Attended a nice inspiring talk by Ajahn Brahm with Wenjian and family.
It was also my first experience of meditating, but I found that I couldn't totally relax, cos one of my legs will always feel numb and uncomfortable, if I sit cross-legged for a long time. I should really find a good posture soon.
And I didn't know there are actually different ways of meditating! I've always thought meditating is just sitting quietly with eyes closed and let your mind remain blank. Ajahn Brahm led us to relax our body, part by part, from toes to head, to within. I'm sure I would have gained much more if not because of my numbed leg, which was just counter-relaxing.
Anyway, Ajahn Brahm's really an interesting speaker, with a sense of humour, and I enjoyed the stories he told. His answers to the questions asked, were enlightening and insightful.
But really, I'll have to read more and explore deeper if I were to understand the teachings.
人生是黑白的.
11:57 PM <3
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Went out to sea last saturday, for my first experience of wakeboarding. 
I believe I'm quite a slow learner. The instructor-cum-driver Uncle Robert had repeated taught me the right techniques to 'keep knees apart', 'stand straight', 'balance equally on both legs' , 'squat longer', etc. But I JUST COULDN'T GET IT!
Time after time of falling into the murky, dirty waters near Sembawang was undoubtedly discouraging. And each time I fell, I'd tend to gulp down a whole lot of the polluted water, which gave a 'burning sensation' in my throat that lasted a good 10 seconds each time.
So throughout my turn, I could only learn to stand up and balance on the wakeboard, while others were moving on to scale waves or admire scenery standing on water.
You see.... You know the 'right' way to do it in your mind, but when it comes to the 'real thing', it just wouldn't come on so easily. 
So, after a good rest, it was my second round. Again, I couldn't grasp the technique right, but I managed a few lucky stand-ups and lasted 3-4 seconds before falling again. I could almost feel how the uncle wanted to give up, when he said "I dunno why la, but you have this habit of not balancing your feet, I dunno why la.."
And so it took a couple more tries again, and there's the ever increasing discomfort inside my lungs, caused by all the air that I had taken in with each fall. Due to water pressure, it was really hard to burp the air out. I really wanted to give up.
Then suddenly, I managed to last at least 10 seconds before falling! The feeling of standing on water was great! But no, I really didn't know what I did to make it last so much longer than previous tries. That's why, for subsequent tries, it wasn't 100% successful too. Even when I managed a few seconds longer, I was busy anticipating when I'd fall. It felt as if, I'm just WAITING to fall, rather than enjoying the breeze/the water/the scenery/the adrenaline rush etc.
But at least this was something I didn't think I'd try, and I'm glad I did. I believe this wouldn't be the only try and I'll certainly look forward to more improvement the next time round!
人生是黑白的.
1:06 PM <3
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The Star: SylvesterLocation: Choa Chu Kang Neighbourhood
This Navy pal celebrated his 21st at a bbq pit next to his house, which to me, is really, at the other end of the world.
And it's through this celebration that some of us actually have the chance to meet again. The ORD BBQ last November could really have been the last time we would see most of the others.
A giant cake.
人生是黑白的.
4:25 PM <3
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The Star: Sylvester
