Yes, I noe I have loyal die-hard "fans" who read this blog quite often. No, I do not lead a life that is as interesting as a rock-star's or even close, but I believe what I write here has some sort of substance. What I offer here is an alternative viewpoint to life. I write abt REAL things, things tht ppl feel, things tht ppl see, things tht ppl may agree with or disagree with, but its smtg tht's true.. thus there's some way of identifying with what they read here. and its not exactly a gossipy kind of thing, cos I dun write abt every single detail of my life, I just pick one aspect and write; it may not even be the aspect which affected me the most in tht day, or series of days, or hour, or second - I just write.
I'm glad that you guys come back, I'm glad tht there is an interest. I noe my existence, my efforts are not for naught. I noe tht at least there are ppl who're still keen on finding out what's been up with the Dude. or are just really really KAPO..
In any case, I acknowledge all of you out there who make the effort to bookmark my blog, and come back. its a great feeling noeing tht u're not just writing for self-gratification.. thank you!

Anyway, this one's for Inga, a gal I really would have loved to have met several years earlier. heh.. I posted it before, and she liked it. so do I, and a few of my frens as well.. Peace.


(if the pic fails to load, right click on the "X" and click on "Show Picture")

I love salsa! My new class is filled with working individuals who are seriously in dire need to destress. consequently, they're more keen on going to practise what we learned at class. I've gotten to noe them better than the other strangers at my previous class (apart frm my lovely partner and frens).
Last nite, Willy and myself headed down to Xenbar (the gals were watching some korean flick - sadly), and we met 2 very interesting ladies.
It was a real hoot! from the meeting all the way to the gay-bar (yes, gay-bar - "Backstage") and eventually to supper.. one really should never judge a book by its cover.. anyway, I think I managed to get one foot into the doorway of a top advertising agency (it wasn't on the agenda! we just talked and found out we had a lot in common!), and we'll see how it goes from here.
To Kua- its really different going out as just 2 guys as compared with going with a group of frens.. you never noe who u can meet. ;)

Dude, your destiny is to be a Provider (wtf!??)

Whether you know it or not, this is the role that is most in tune with who you are at your core (sounds like new age mumbo jumbo to me). As a Provider, you have a genuine nurturing concern for the welfare of others and you're eager to serve them (hahahahahaha! rite...). You can recognize exactly what people need and your friendly (!??), helpful (!??), social (!??) nature makes them feel comforted. With your kind and generous heart (its a riot I tell u!!), you are personable, talkative, and outward with your emotions, and your openness and sensitivity makes you concerned about the way others view you (ok.. this is scarily true). Along these lines, be careful not to blame yourself when things go wrong (yes yes, it wasn't my fault when I poked my fren in the throat during kendo, he moved!). You cannot prevent bad things from happening, even though your tendency to be orderly with a strong sense of right and wrong (hee hee) may lead you to believe you can. Accept that you do what you can to take care of things and that this will get you far in the world. (To infinity and BEYOND!! .. *blonk*)

-From Emode's "What is your Destiny" test.

I heard on the radio the other day abt how men find the "scent of a woman" as the most common reminder of a love/ex-love, significant other, goodtimes etc. and I was surprised at how amazed the 2 women deejays were abt tht survey.. personally I think its all abt pheremones.. its been proven tht attraction can be linked to pheremones afterall (the little scenty things tht ppl exude).
I really believe the above tho. I love getting a sudden whiff of smtg tht reminds me of someone.. I love smelling the skin of someone I like. perhaps in love, its all abt scent? I rem once after a hard kendo session, I was all shacked out and tired, but when i took off my head-gear, I caught a whiff of the sweetest gal out of nowhere, and tht just made me smile, refreshed and full of energy!
I like the smell of my dogs too actually.. but abt 1-2 days after their bath. any more than tht usually means they smell really bad already, and tht's a nono of course.. I love to smell the tops of their heads - tht's an area they can nvr lick, so there's no bad breath - but its really nice, like a baby i guess.
I dunno why I'm going on abt this.. I guess I haven't used my nose in a while perhaps.. other than smelling smelly bodies on MRT yesterday.. *ergh*

men are such bastards. women... supposedly of the fairer sex, but can be just as evil. yes, they're sugar and spice and all things nice, but even in smtg as innocent as tht, is the ability to create so much havoc. the irony just pains me.

There are so many stupid ppl out there in the world, and then there's me. all the stupid ppl are doing things they're not sure why, just so they can get to the things they wanna do. sometimes they spend their whole lives trying. sometimes they get lucky.
since I'm not where I want to be nor can I get wat I want, could I be one of them too? "I'm with stupid" indeed.

while on the MRT this afternoon, I had the priviledge of eavesdropping on a conversation between some young adults (poly- kids?). it just amazed me that all they talked abt for the entire journey (frm Jurong East to Aljunied) was money.. "oi, how come u can't get the $200??" followed by a "eh deh, u can't get the money ah?", someone's phone rings - "eh, he said he has 50k in the bank rite? ask him for your $70 la!" then schemes on how to get tht $70 start hatching.. Later on, "eh, she's not rich la, dunno where she get the 1k, then go and buy phone one", twiddle thumbs, looking out of train, looking arnd, then.. "eh, u sure u dun have $200?"
geez.. doesn't it ever get boring...? amazing la.

I am in tremendous turmoil. help...

I went for the "orientation" for tht interview I went for. apparently my spidey-senses were right.. nabei. liars. one-to-one advertising = promoters. yes, they had an interesting approach to personal sales, but in the end, it still seemed kinda pyramid-sales-ish.. and I think I have many other skills and talents tht can benefit some other employer than to go out and try to acquire a skill which I may be lacking. and spending abt a year doing tht too... sheesh...
in any case, forward and onward! ho!

she wants a time machine. so do I. both for different intents. one wants to go ahead, one wants to go back. in any case, we'll hardly meet in any given time period. flicker and die soon little flame.

wat happens when tht flame tht u craved for so long flickers and dies into nothingness? simple - u light another candle. after all, unless u put in more wax, tht old flame's gonna die anyway. rite? rite.. crave. crave tht perfume. crave to be saved u depraved fool.

if one were to lack the warmth of human touch for too long a period? would tht person grow colder every day? ultimately becoming mr freeze - bastard of humanity? or inhumanity?
how does one live tht way? poor poor pitied child of human creation. I shall crush u like the hated cockroach tht u are! DIE DIE!!

there was a time I could safely say tht I didn't dream. I had dreamless sleep for weeks at a time. I'd wake up totally refreshed, ready to face watever the day brought. but these days, dreams have been plaguing my nights (again). they're not upsetting dreams, or nitemares, etc.. they're just dreams tht I wake up from in the morning feeling troubled, or like something wrong happened while I slept, and I couldn't point a finger to wat it was. I think I'm going thru a fairly untroubled period now, so how issit tht my subconcious seems to be feeding me all these images while I sleep? I can't even remember wat I dream abt anyway, give me a break!!

In any case, u noe how it is when u walk into a place for a job interview and things happen fairly fast, and after u walk out, u begin to worry if things are not as kosher as they sound? It used to be like tht everytime I got tricked into attending an MLM talk or conned by a friend into doing a survey tht ended up as bait for getting u into his financial advisorial clutches.. I was at an interview today for this "advertising company" which I have not heard of at all, and whose methods seem to be organising events to promote their client (I'm guessing..) and I walked out feeling like there mite be a catch somewhere. argh. muz be my super-sensitive spider-senses going haywire.. but can I help it? I have seriously never heard of this co. before and its located in Geylang for goodness sake!
Anyways, there's this test I've to go thru' tmr, and I'll find out more after wasting my day then. let's see if I'm indeed fullashit or if these highly-tuned spider sense of mine is at all accurate..

waitaminit.. I noe many ppl whom I dun give 2 hoots abt if they lived or died actually. hah, I can see the other perspective! wonderful. so these very same ppl who I dun give a shit abt actually could be seeing me in tht same way! revelation.
argh.. I can't stomach thinking too much abt friendships and why they exist and on what levels and for what intents/purposes.. gonna end this sickening two-faced train of thought for a good nite's rest.
sleep easy all of you. As Mike(a true friend) would say - Peace.

ever regretted noeing someone? sometimes I feel tht way. u contribute no positive effect to the other person in any way whatsoever, or tht person just can't be bothered with you, or mebbe u just screwed things up by being arnd.. so u think back to how it all began. in retrospect, mebbe it would be better had u not known tht person at all. tht's rite. read the writing on the wall. it says sod off. u gotta look under the layer of fluff tho.
I really dun care. rite. watever.

sometime in the middle of homily today, while massaging one of my infamously-weak thumb-joints, I had a sudden recollection, in my drunken stupor last weekend, of having an interestingly-animated conversation about *gasp* "bendy fingers"! (smtg along the lines of how far back your fingers can go if u pushed it against its normal inward-curl) what the hell?! was I tht out of it tht I arrived at such a lame-o topic? I cannot recall which condescending female it was I was having this sad conversation with tho.. and hopefully, neither does she!

yes, my mind went off wandering again during mass. tsk tsk.. at least I didn't fall asleep this time..

What issit abt the whole "picking-up" scene? I was introduced to it some time back and made to practise it a few weeks ago but up till today, I still have many qualms abt it. The word "sleazey" seems to be quite well-associated with it. While at Centro with my cuz, Jo, Suee and Alvin during Arts Bash (my 1st time ever going happens after I leave the sch... go figure), there were these 2 guys who were hovering arnd our group, obviously trying to chat up Mel and frens. we were quite tired of them actually, especially my dear cuz who had to take a breather frm this particularly-leary chap. In the end, we found out tht we didn't actually noe them, and could've told them to eff off much earlier, rather than be polite thinking they were someone's frens..

That's the thing abt casting a wide net - someone will eventually cave in / u can't strike out all the time (the law of averages). these guys, who're so obviously persistent and oozing with so many other fabulous qualities, are the kind of guys whom some gals are gonna say YES to! wtf is wrong with these gals? nice decent guys who're rite in front of them are just too boring, doesn't excite them, just not the One..

newsflash - you're not the One either. you're just one who said yes.

Dude's Top 10 Fave Movies
In no particular order and subject to change -
Dao1 (Knife)
The Usual Suspects
City of God
Psycho
Trainspotting
Seven Samurai
Lord of the Rings(both?)
Shrek
The Birdcage
Seven

City of God is such a fantastic movie! If I had a list of top 10 favourite movies, this movie would definitely be on tht list. yes, its heart-wrenching, yes, its violent, and yes, its foreign, but it isn't your typical foreign arthouse kind of film. This one entertains as it shocks.. and its a production genius as well - I shall mention "the apartment" scene where history unfolds over a series of overlapping clips taken from the very same angle. I amsuddenly sleepy, I shall continue this possible tmr. good nite for now.

I am an ex-student of NUS since... early August. it is now over 15 days since I quit. I have received NO letter informing me of ANYTHING watsoever. It seems I've been removed from student records, and tht's tht. my enquiry email has not been returned. NUS Admin really is bullshit. If I were a corporate client, I would have given up on them and gone on somewhere more efficient by now. but unfortunately, I am but a number (a very insignificant one at tht) to them, and they dun give 2 hoots abt me!! nabei. Esther Yuen has left me no choice. I will now proceed to hound her for info by phone.

I love dreams. Things tht happen in dreams never seem to happen in real life, unless its a playback of smtg tht happened (altered of course by your own sub-conscious). I read a fren's blog today, and he painted an image tht I very much would like to live. I dunno if I'm saying this for ppl in general, but I like to dream of being caught up in stuff tht happens, and just being a willing participant, just flowing along in a series of events. It ends perfectly if these series of events ends up with me in the arms of some mysteriously foreign yet innocent woman. the stuff of dreams.

but last nite I din have a nice dream. I woke up feeling disturbed; I wanted to sleep again and let a better dream overcome me. so when I eventually did wake properly, I would be rid of this discomforting feeling. I have no recollection of the content of last nite's imaginings, but I have a rough idea wat it mite have been abt. the unease with which I woke up with is vaguely familiar. I have heard frm many frens of the wonderfully lucid dreams they have, and the verbose detail they can fill me with is amazing. I for one never have very detailed dreams, and memory of them is very fleeting. but would I be able to stomach my dreams if they were to be more detailed than they already are?

I dunno which is better.. having lucid dreams or surreally abstract ones? I can see the plus and minuses of both.. I would hate very much to be caught in a nitemare tht seemed so real tht I din even noe I'm asleep. what if Freddy were to visit me?

I found this off a recent newsletter from the wonderful people at FHM.com... an application form to a most tantalising island retreat ever! we're not just talking abt beautiful beaches and starry starry nites anymore... check this out - Lapdance Island!
Any interested applicants?? =)

been stoning.. I'm not in school anymore, I'm not working, I'm just bumming. I had big plans when I decided I was gonna drop the Honours option. I KNEW wat I wanted to do, ohyea. and I feared I would regress into procrastination.. and unfortunately... I have. I'm now in limbo. motivation? no idea where it went. mebbe cos it was the happenings of last week. got too caught up with some strange things tht luckily din become habits. *sigh* gonna make personal deadlines now.. gotta get used to making my own frm now on. tot they treated us like adults in JC onwards... guess it ain't the same till u're finally free of constraints. welcome to the world.

oh, the room's been repainted. I spent the last 2 days re-packing. u dun realise how much shit u accumulate over time until its all gathered in front of u. things tht seemed impt when u decided to keep it, but looking back at them, u either dun see the importance anymore, or totally have no idea how it was important at all. some things were given, and I have no idea by whom; if it serves no practical purpose, I throw.
of course I have boxes of stuff tht are really important - these I keep for when I grow old; when I have time to take them out one by one and recollect what I did when I was young. all these little memorabilia tell a story - the story of who I am.

she said "hey".. and tht was all it took to make things alright again.. I told u she was the sweetest gal.. =)

the way I look at things is such, when there's a problem, I like to face it straight on, and hopefully, try to settle it. I dun like problems to drag on. even if talking abt it won't solve it, at least I could get a different opinion which will at least shed more light on smtg tht I'm at a standstill with.
everytime I look at my phone or log on, I see a name I so very much want to say smtg to.. but I hold myself back. I screwed up, and sorry ain't gonna do anything to change things. distance really is the best solution. until I can look into her open inviting eyes without wanting to put my arms arnd her, its best tht things remain the way they are..
it seems like I've lost a fren, a good fren at tht.. pangs of longing are returning to haunt me now. my defenses have long been letdown, and I await an invitation.. I have no resistance - and tht IS the problem between us. contradicts the 1st sentence don't it? i muz be a liar too.

slipping and sliding into oblivion.. everyday I sit on my ass. everyday my ass gets flatter. but wat happens when u have a 'no-ass'? in such cases, where ppl with 'no-ass' (who're usually ppl who dun spend all day on them for obvious reasons) sit all day on them - they end up with bruised ass-bones. simple logic. brought on by a bout of spasticism.

Kendo Insight
-if u treat the shinai like a live sword, u will not easily let your opponent touch u.
-do not worry abt losing a point, if u got caught while in motion. it means u're thinking and reacting.
worry instead if u give away a point by standing still. its akin to getting caught with your pants down.
-apply wat u learn in kendo to life - humility, loyalty, honour, dynamicism, decisiveness
I screwed up bigtime on saturday nite, and I dun think any of this ken philosophy contributed to the action tht was carried out. what happened to all my training? I mite have left it behind in scotland..

we have no water in the house. the only tap tht works as of last nite, is the garden hose. harkens back to the days when we had water conservation exercises? (80s?) at least we dun have to carry buckets to a public water point to get some h20 this time..
so in order to bathe, we either have to do it in the garden, or fill a bucket with water, bring it to the loo and use a mug to bathe from it. brings back memories of kampong-style bathing.. so if we dun run away and use facilities outside of the house, we actually have to plan the trips to the toilet - so as to conserve water! not healthy at all.

more views on daytime drinking-
1) u dun get a hangover cos u dun sleep, and the alcohol has time to wear off.
2) its crazy. neighbours and parents muz be wondering what the hell we were doing making so much noise. heh

Milestone moment. I got so tanked last nite. I was torn between 2 parties, and skipped the one with the sweetest gal I noe. very very regretfully.. I was supposed to go back, but natural forces dictated tht I stay where I was, playing Beirut/ Beer Pong, and other crazy games with crazy ppl. but all the while, I really really wanted to go to Ponggol. I finally decided to brave the rain and cold and fly to my angel.. but she was not mine to have.. the vision of bad teeth had already gotten to her first.. I din want to be another one of the guys after her. she really is so hot. so untouchable.
I dunno what the hell happened, but there was a series of fiery sms tht were long-repressed and waiting to break free at the first opportunity.. and they did. As of last nite, 3am, she became the sweetest gal I knew.. Drunkenness makes one see so clear, yet, there exists no barrier.. no qualms. everything comes out. and all tht's left is regret amidst a shower of mistakes. I quite possibly just threw away the best thing in my life. wtf man..

"Beer" & "Sex" are bad company for "Heineken".. day-time drinking virgins- no longer. 3PM in the day... the damn AFTERNOON.. and we were playing Circle of Death with Vodka, Sangria, and 7up! oh god.. beer n sex - lousy company..

everyone's in it for a selfish reason. no one ever really wants to noe wat's wrong when they ask "what's wrong?". u can get into it "just for fun", but soon u'll realise tht when factors like sex and money are introduced, nothing ever stays as innocent.
I'm a farmer. the ground arnd me is fertile perfect for grazing. if u see what u like in this yard, feel free to do as u like. dun ask for my opinions, I'm just here to allow the opportunity, if u wanna complain, it really is your own fault.. afterall, I'm but the quitessential female companion - just here for all of woman-kind to have fun and then run off into the arms of another.

debating the whole pointlessness of debating.. arguments tht have a point but tend to go nowhere. and in the end.. u're just left more misinformed and no closer to achieving your aim of persuading whomever. have fun. die young.

choose one of the following:
1) love at first sight
2) love occurs after spending time together
3) love is just an excuse for sex
4) love is eternal
5) love happens on various levels
6) Love is BULLSHIT

I have an ache tht resides in the pit of my stomach. its not a tummyache. its not gastric. its a black morass of self-pity which emerges in the guise of jealousy.. I am unable to keep it in check. it hurts worse than any assault by any ki-armed martial-artist. the ache throbs throughout my body, seeming to waft out from my head and shoulders. no matter wat I do to try to curb it, this repetitively boring cycle of emotional whiplash would alwiz resurface somehow and catch me off guard. it haunts my sleep. it darkens my days. I am but a pathetic shell. going thru motions without emotions. all of them have chosen to reside in the said pit. and they're causing havoc there. tearing, biting, pulling, ripping, rending..

I am unable to sleep properly once again.

was out with 4 gals today. one guy, four gals. which guy wouldn't love tht rite? strange how I went into a bloody black mood sometime during the evening. really hated such a mood swing. I tot I disguised it quite well, but I think it may have been apparent.. I knew wat got me down, and I'm really disappointed abt my lack of control over my flippant emotions.
btw, its not really a good thing to have girls feel comfortable with u afterall (I was misled when I was younger!!!). you end up becoming one of them - offering no threat to their bfs, to them.. and so u've become tht gal pal with a limp dick. and tht's the way u'll stay. as ladder theory states - "u're on the wrong ladder dude"! coolest. as one of said gal pals labeled me before - the quintessential female companion.
one of the topics tht interested me was the materialism of women. the wedding ring shows how much a man loves a woman.. so it has to be at least .5 karat to 1 entire karat. if not it means he doesn't feel she's worth so much = bad news for him. but then again, there are those really really sweet gals who really dun go for all tht jazz, and naively believe tht "love will keep us together". who am I to judge? I'm so taken in by one of those types.

I realise I've come to be devious. something I was never really known for. but I'm so bleeding devious I dun believe it myself! the things I'd do for .... guess... hehe. devious remember? like I'm gonna say wat it is. rite. but its nothing to be with horniness, or money!
today, JY said "quatted". as a past-past-tense of quit. hahaha! 2nd thing I'm not gonna let her forget..

I no longer have any records as a student in NUS! Surprisingly fast for NUS, considering the administration is really crap.. I am truly out of school.. wow. its a really strange feeling.. never really been a non-student before, even when I was in army, there was school to come... but now... its almost like a sense of loss.
Erase me from your records, I am but a deletable piece of memory in a huge computer server. I have outlived my usefulness in the big picture tht is NUS! I would be pushing up the daisies in the lawn of studying, I am... an EX-student (ala EX-parrot frm Monty Python. hehe)..

won $5 playing mahjong today. yay. not bad for 2 hrs work.

ahh. the national day fireworks. its alwiz best seen by the intended audience. at the stadium, and at strategic camera stages. then u can see its immense beauty and be a part of its vibrance and colour, feel the explosions close to your skin. I saw it frm Mount Faber tonite.. not at all impressive. the view was blocked by one of SG's many skyscrapers, and it just seemed so far away.
to have been part of this year's national celebrations woulda been an unexpected joy, had I known tht a certain VIP (to me) was gonna be there.. ohwell.
we hit xen-bar after tht.. and I must say.. I still really like salsa! I'll write abt this next time, already have some ideas on wat to touch upon.
a strange development - somehow after quitting sch, I seem to be going out to spend more cash than usual.. *sigh* realisation would help steer the path before any real evil is done..
a-1-2-3.. 5-6-7... &-1-2-3.... Volare!

I had so much fun tonite. gaaawd... 1st Singapore Beer Fest held at Central Mall, I was there! beers were going really cheap, and not just tigers, erdingers and kilkenny's too! sorry for the ppl whom I called down but I din get to spend much time with before I ran off to O-Bar! sorry also to the ppl whom I called but couldn't make it - I may have been too non-commital.. was planning to get drunk. heh.. val & nat can attest to my state before I left..
Anyways, yea, it was a great party, and the O-Bar is an alternative to the Dbl O crowd. at least they serve premium drinks even tho the music's kinda a let down.. its alwiz nice to have frens arnd to party with! celebrating my non-student membership I guess? haha.. the best bit was hitting on Inga (rem her Tea-man??), disastrously mite I add, in front of her bf, mite I add, whom she's gonna marry some time next year, mite I add. still, all in good fun.. tot I took a pic of her last nite on my phone, but woke up this morning to realise otherwise! a tragedy!
I must say tht this would prolly be the second time I've gone clubbing with JY? pals for 6 yrs, and only twice have we danced together.. gee.. we miss your presence Tea-dude. we're awaiting your return in Dec - mite do smtg like this again together (provided she's still single then.. which I doubt)! she got so wasted she was flirting with the guy taking our orders at the prata shop!! I won't ever let her forget this... *evil laff*

I quit school. I pondered over it for eons and abt 4 days ago, decided tht the honours wasn't gonna do much for the path I'm abt to embark on. so I sat on it for 3 days, and yesterday, I submitted the withdrawal from course form.. brave me? stupid me? I won't noe till a few years down the road. I noe considering the kind of person I am, it was a calculated move, and I DO noe wat I'm gonna do next. I really am not such a bum as some ppl seem to make me out to be, or how I may sometimes appear to be. I do noe wat I want - one of the few times in my life tht I can say tht.
To everyone I talked to before I came to this milestone, thks for the support and confidence, thks for the advice and alternatives!
I am now officially a non-student.

"I dream of a green garden
where the sun feathers my face
like your once eager kiss

Soon, soon I will climb
from this blackened earth
into the diffident light."

- Sue Hubbard, excerpt from Eurydice

I fell in love with the first stanza the moment I saw it, going down the underpass to IMAX in London (where the poem can be found). It is burnished into a column in the middle of the staircase going down into the underpass. there's no way you can avoid it. I took a photo of it, and the sweetest girl I noe reminded me of it tonite. all the other verses are imprinted on the walls throughout the underpass, each stanza seeming to describe the passage thru the dark tunnel.
A poem like tht moved me. poems in MRTs stations don't. they just look so unappreciated..

noiseless sex. a fren I kinda fancy told me today tht she likes "peaceful wholesome love making".. what could it mean? I really dunno wat else to say here, its just here for her benefit. sounds like smtg from sex and the city..
Speaking of which - I'm in the market for episodes of Sex and the City! Anyone with any season other than number 1, pls kindly offer to loan em to me! Its a really great show, smtg I'd recommend to ppl with frens, ie. almost everyone..

Feeling slightly jealous.. a close fren of mine's going to Phuket for her Open-Water-Diving Course! then again.. her dives mite be so good tht she'll get disappointed with the waters closer to home? *sigh* I figure the next dive I'll have will be eons off.. gotta put my life in order first before I go arnd spending more cash having fun.. priorities alwiz get in the way ya? shitters.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
If you're given a choice between money and sex appeal, take the money. As you get older, the money will become your sex appeal.
- Katharine Hepburn

*sigh* how issit you can never find some answers to the questions u ask most often? issit cos we choose to blind ourselves to the answers tht may already have been presented to us? does this explain the age-old query on the meaning of life? Life's many mysteries..

I was in the company of 2 fantastic Japanese guys on Monday and Friday. the Monday tht I spent with them, I grew to really like them alot, such tht I offered to take them out again on Friday. and we went to the Night Safari and then to Zouk (which happened to be having a Japanese Summer Festival, how appropriate!)! I had the company of 3 other kendo-friends which made it even better. we stayed out till late, had 2 suppers and just talked abt so many cool things (one of my frens spoke Japanese well and translated for us).

One of the conversational topics tht struck me was the difference in the role of married women (Japan vs. SG). In Japan, women really were the kind who have to submit and give up their jobs, and have no duty other than to the family.. in comparison, the women in SG would be out working to maintain a shared income with her hubby and still have some household chores to keep (with the maid option available). So there was my 1 SG female fren who was so proud abt how different she was and how much independence she had compared to Ms Japan, and the interpreter (who was a Chinese national who had lived in Japan since she was young) who had some semblance of independence and proudly said tht she had already explained to her Japanese beau tht she would be more "strong-willed".
And the view frm the Japanese guys was tht tradition has fixed it in their minds tht they would marry a woman and she would indeed have to support him, and he would be the one going out to be the sole-breadwinner.
So my question is... since both sides have their own POV and have different cultural references behind them to help them establish those views, who would be happier? In the end.. tht IS the question we have to ponder. who the hell cares abt feminist rights and all tht? its wat the individual can live with rite? the state of mind of the individual before all the feminist beliefs get rammed down their throat.. some call it enlightenment... I call it barbarism.

Note:- I did gender studies last semester, and I am NOT a feminist nor am I a sexist. I am open to both sides of the argument, and can switch sides just as easily, so do not seek to lambast this post with the assumption tht I think feminism is bullshit. statements above are just the usual non-PC language tht I like to use. and afterall. this is MY blog.

slipping slowly but surely into slothfulness. inertia is getting harder to overcome every morning. and my old habits are returning.. I have to force myself into motion. if not, how can I overcome obstacles if I were to stagnate at home after I opt to drop my Honours year in a few days time? certainly smtg to keep a wary eye out for! alack, alas and behold! behest! beware..

sen-no-sen / sen-sen-no-sen / go-no-sen. essential concepts to have when in a confrontation.
1) keep an attacking fwd posture, constantly threatening, and when the opponent moves, u move in as well.
2) maintaining the above, however, u feel wat your opponent is abt to do, and take him (in a manner which reveals his intent and allows u a confirmed kill) before he acts.
3) to maintain a fwd threatening posture, but in a manner in which u invite/allow the opponent to attack and receive his attack while countering with your own. Note: does not imply tht u step back.