mambo

hey ALL,

mambo this wed 2 jul? i CONFIRM can go! Msg me if you are gg!

Joel "Murphy" Lam

February 2006

That was a good 2 yrs and 4 months ago (wow). Things were very different from what they are today. For instance…

1. We watched Casanova as a class during Valentine’s Day (well, at least some of us did)
2. Jen Han among the many members in class to be kicked out of Chem S by Y2K.
3. Zhu clipped the pink monkey on Shah.
4. And of course, this happened (read below)


my k750i

heres the complete version of what happened to my dear phone.. haha...

after PE, i found that i couldnt find my phone in my bag... so i rushed back to the track toilet to look for it... to find that it wasnt there... then i went to PE office and asked shah if the PE office recovered the phone.. the answer was negative too.. then i went GO to file a missing items report....after that i borrowed nayrs phone to call my own phone to bug the thief...

i vaguely remembered that i stuffed my phone somewhere in my bag... so i thougt it must have been stolen... of cos i didnt rule out the possibility of leaving my phone in the toilet and letting someone kope it...

at 1630 hours i went GO to check if somebody had recovered my phone... the receptionist said no... and told me that if by that time my phone wasnt returned, it was, in her own words "game over" for me...

went home and got lectured on losing stuff by my parents... was quite upset... cos my phone was quite new and kinda ex. Moreover, the stuff stored inside were even more valuable... pics such as y2k and hasu's father and son's pics and videos such as gerbert swaggering around TP with the pink clip attached to his back are priceless...

the next day went to replace my SIM card, and i resigned to the fate of using my dad's old phone... the motorola a1000, if youve seen it is as big as a brick...and messaging with it is a nightmare... i wasnt too keen on buying a new phone cos i just lost my wallet recently, i had just changed my phone recently so i had to pay full px for a new phone cos of some 2 year plan shit..

on sunday, just before i left the house, i suddenly saw my phone in my bag!! haha it was stuffed into some compartment in my bag which i have never used before... omg haha i dunno how on earth it got there but im glad i found it... lolipies:)

guess ive gotta be more careful where i stuff my belongings... lol.. haha

posted by Joel @ 5:56 PM 0 comments




Evidently, some things never change.

A quick account of interesting events during our trip to Tioman (all times are estimates)

LAST FRIDAY

Incident 1

We were supposed to meet at 630 at Galleria DFS along Scotts Road. Since we had a bus to catch, we were all on time, with the exception of Ghin Hoe. We were all wondering where he was and why he was late.

0635 Nayr calls Ghin Hoe and realises that Ghin Hoe is already in a bus and on his way.

0640 Ghin Hoe calls to say he is on the wrong bus, and asks whether he can meet us at ferry terminal instead

The only problem is that the ferry terminal is in the middle of Malaysia, a four hour drive from Singapore

0645 Nic asks Nayr to call Ghin Hoe again, but Nayr refuses as “his phone bill is dying”

0650 Ghin Hoe calls again to say he is in a cab already

0652 The couple who were taking the mini-van with us gets quite du lan (though they were really nice later on) as any further delays will cause us to be late for the ferry in Malaysia

0700 Ghin Hoe arrives

0701 Ghin Hoe explains that he woke up late and had a shock. He later fell asleep on the wrong bus and ended up getting off at Newton instead. After which he cabbed here.


Comments: Ghin Hoe was just a usual retard again by being late, but it was nothing serious.



Incident 2


Ghin Hoe arrives and since he is the last person to arrive in the mini-van, he sits next the the driver When we all finally settled down after the initial commotion and were travelling towards Woodlands checkpoint.


0710 Nic asks us to check whether we have our passports

0711 I ask Ghin Hoe if he brought his passport (not sure exactly why I asked him in particular)

0711 Ghin Hoe scratches his head, gives a very worried look and mutters “oh my god” to himself

0712 Total Silence

0713 I insist that Ghin Hoe is joking

0713 Nic insists that Ghin Hoe is NOT joking

0713 Ghin Hoe is still confused(and has not spoken a word)

0714 Jenhan finally asks Ghin Hoe again if he has his passport

0714 Ghin Hoe calls home, hangs up and continues staring in front, still completely silent

0715 Total Silence

0716 Ghin Hoe finally realises he has no choice but to confess that he FORGOT HIS PASSPORT
0717 We try to get over our shock, while Ghin Hoe continues staring into space

0718 As Ghin Hoe continues scratching his head, we tell him to call his mother to bring the passport, which he finally did.

0719 We continue thinking of solutions of what to do (like how to get Ghin Hoe to the ferry terminal if he is unable to take the van, how to get there etc) The couple and the driver get involved in the heated discussion. Ghin Hoe continues staring in front.

0720 Van stops at bus stop outside Woodlands checkpoint and waits.

0722 Ghin Hoe realises his mum had just left the house

0722 We realise that we can wait not longer and Ghin Hoe gets off the van.

0723 We are still in shock. Nic and I make plans to wait for him at Checkpoint and take public transport with Ghin Hoe to the ferry terminal (4 hours ride to ferry terminal btw)

0730 We are waiting in between the 2 customs, thankfully the van is delayed

0740 Ghin Hoe calls and says he has his passport. We tells him to run to the customs. Nic and Jenhan(or was it Nayr) run back to the customs checkpoint to wait for Ghin Hoe

0743 Mini-van has long arrived and we continue to wait for Ghin Hoe (with the couple)

0744 Ghin Hoe arrives at customs and queues up at the LONGEST queue.

0744 Nic shouts at him to queue up at the automated clearance queue which has no one.

0745 Ghin Hoe hears nothing

0746 One of the policemen at the customs gets tired of Nic’s shouting and decides to shout at Ghin Hoe himself
“HEY BOY, THE ONE WITH THE WHITE SHIRT”
Ghin Hoe looks around confused.
Policeman continues to shout “ YES YOU! STOP LOOKING AROUND”

0750 Ghin Hoe finally runs to the customs and joins us in the van.

Comments: I still cannot quite believed what happened.


Incident 3

After the long bus ride, we finally arrive at the ferry terminal in one piece. We decided to interrogate Ghin Hoe about what went through his mind when he first realised he forgot his passport.

Ghin Hoe replied:

“ The first thing that went through my mind was that : Omg, I cannot believe I made such a stupid mistake and I am such a retard.

The second thing that went through my mind was that how am I going meet you guys in BINTAN”


Comments: I wondered whether anyone like that could possibly have existed. Haha



Incident 4

We finally board the ferry on our way to Tioman. Ghin Hoe declares that he brought a digital camera. He takes it out, but wonders why he cannot turn it on….


We all know exactly what is going to happen next.


Ghin Hoe opens the battery compartment.


There was no battery.


Comments: I was in utter shock. This had to be a dream.

So, there you have it a list of events of what happened to Ghin Hoe before the trip started. Honestly, I am still in shock and I do worry for that poor boy when he goes overseas to study haha.

Guys, feel free to add on to this post.

And dearest Ghin Hoe, sorry for telling everyone about your day to forget. But it was way too retarded to keep secret. You know we all still love you. :)

Appealing to all for help!

Ok, sorry to break up the party and fun, but there’s always more to life than friendships, meet-ups, and commitments, work or otherwise, so here goes…


I’m sure most of you are familiar with the twin disasters that struck Asia in early May; the disasters were perhaps, yet another show of fury by Mother Nature against Man for pillaging her resources. Not surprisingly, it was again the poorest of the region who were dealt with the greatest blow. Yes, the poor, the very people who cannot afford the technology that could have prevented many deaths, the very people who have the least say in capitalism and pollution, and the very people who were the most vulnerable and defenceless. This same tragedy was played out in the devestating tsunami of 2005 and again in this twin disaster.

Yet Mother Nature somehow outdid herself again, by striking Asia twice within the same month, thus contrasting the responses towards China, a rising economic powerhouse, with those received by Myanmar, a country forgotten by most and continues to hold little hope for democracy. The twin disasters had laid bare the hypocrisies of international aid and the media. In the immediate aftermath, international aid agencies rushed to offer financial support to China, an increasingly wealthy nation. While the media, ever eager to criticize China, has been scrutinizing Beijing’s every response to the calamity and tracking every movement of the Chinese Premier. Amidst all these brouhaha over China, the Myanmar story has been relegated to little over 2 pages while the Chinese story occupied almost the entire broadsheet. Just check May’s newspaper if you need further convincing.

Of course, one would oft cite the strict measures imposed by the military junta as impediments to information and aid flow. But even as the junta finally approves of ‘non-politicised’ aid funneled through ASEAN, and even as ASEAN desperately rallies support for the Myanmar cause, the funds raised are still $201 million shy of the target amount.

But is a Burmese life worth less than a Chinese’s? On moral and humanity grounds, the answer is obviously no (sadly on a purely economic ground, the answer might differ, and maybe that's why China is getting on the limelight). I’m not saying let’s not donate to the Sichuan victims, but rather, let’s not forget the Burmese victims too. So I’m hereby appealing to everyone to give generously to Project Burmese – Operation Nargis.

Introducing Project Burmese – Operation Nargis
Project Burmese is a collaboraton between the Burmese students of my school and Phayagyi Mingalar Taik Monastery located in the Phayargyi Village. The main aim of the project would be to procure and deliver supplies to the victims of Cylcone Nargis and to normalize life.

The project proposal has been approved by the school and a recce team has been sent to assess the situation in Myanmar. The team has concluded that what is most urgently required is to help rebuild parts of the monastery, which had served as a home and school to many orphans, as well as to help resume school operations for the coming academic year. The donations will be handled by the school and the students will be returning to Myanmar soon to start distributing the aid and supplies. As the supplies and cash donations will be transported by the Burmese students back to their homeland, it will thus bypass the restriction placed on foreign aid.

How to help:
All cash donations and donations of used textbooks will be welcomed. Please contact me for more details. (do not use the tagboard, pls contact me via sms or msn) If you wish to donate other items, please let me know first and I’ll check with the team for you.

For Cash Donations: Please place the cash in a sealed envelope bearing your name, mobile, and the amount donated and sign on the envelope. I will pass you a s'tand-by' receipt first before collecting your official receipt from the team. Alternatively, you may wish to make a direct donation at the Project Burmese booth located along the SMU concourse (the underground tunnel that links the campus).

For Cheque: All cheques should be made payable to Singapore Management University. On the back, please write "SMU Project Nargis", your name and contact number. You may pass the cheque to me, for which i will also add you a 'stand-by' receipt, or you may send it in to:

Office of Student Life
(Attn: Ms Reneeta Sandhu)
Singapore Management University
Administration Building
81 Victoria Street
Singapore 188065

For Donations-in-kind: Please check with me first on the donations. I will make subsequent arrangements to collect it from you. Alternatively, you may drop it off at the Project Burmese booth located in the SMU concourse.

How your donations will help:
Every donation made will be directed towards:
1) Distribution of relief items
2) Providing textbooks and stationeries
3) Installing a water purification system
4) Assisting in the reconstruction of library and clinic

If you feel that you are unable to contribute any donations currently but still wish to help, please help disseminate the message so that more will know about this project and how to help too.

Here's a rare opportunity to help the Burmese victims, to deliver aid to them without running into all the red tapes. So I hope everyone will give generously and reach out to those who need our help most. Thank you. =]

NOTE: This is NOT part of the project for which I am selling the 2 dollar pledge cards. This project, benefits the Burmese victims directly. Please note as well that I am not part of the team nor will I be visiting Myanmar. However, if you require further information on the project, please let me know, I will try to find out more for you.