Qualm(s)

I'm VERY immune to this question : "What does your conscience tell you?"
It's so for many reasons. One would barely respond cognitively to this question MOST of the time because they're anticipating what's going to be thrown at them next. Also, your conscience wouldn't just tell you the answer because you want to know it; it is there all along but you're looking somewhere else. Also, what the heck is your conscience, really?
Religious followers (count me out) would often tell you inspiring moments in their life where God answers their queries in a similiar fashion to that of dialling a helpline at MOE/any hospital, just that the concept of working hours are not applicable. So long as you're able to achieve inner peace and listen with your heart (I'm guessing this is how it works), He will tell you the answer nicely. Great. At least they don't ever bump into answering machines.
"Press 1, if you've committed a crime and you're figuring out how to redeem yourself. Press 2, if you're in a dilemma over which friend to side. Press 3, if you're TRULY wondering if you're hurting someone through your actions. And finally, you can hang up if you wish to pay a visit to a church nearest to you to obtain help from a priest who's more than capable than I am when it comes to accounting for the social/moral/emotional debt you've incurred upon sinning." EEEW. Alternatively, one with all the right values/beliefs and a good moral character would be enlightened in a similiar manner. He would then flip open this mental textbook to which references can be made regarding the MORALLY, not logically, correct choices and hence act upon the corresponding course of action.
I guess I lost mine a long time ago =D But that's not the point. Your conscience doesn't perform like a CISCO burglary alarm when you're at the crossroads. It usually kicks you in the stomache RIGHT AFTER you've muddled up. Typically, one will go "What have I done?" And then the story continues on where you would continue to commit errors all day long in your life, similar in nature or not, indefinetely. It's so inevitable that one smartass from ages ago decided to reassure everyone that "IT IS HUMAN TO ERR" Sounds familiar? That's probably one of the most common lines which counsellors pop in to ice (don't use the word this way in GP) the suicidal thoughts of their client.
It's a fact that some people have a minute conscience, if there's a way to quantify it in size. We all know serial rapists should all die because they're one rank up: SERIAL. The same goes for druglords who wash their hands in both blood and money. Notice that I used the word minute, not "a total lack of". In my humble opinion, EVERYONE has a conscience. The question is when does it kick in. A hungry man who has problems feeding himself would engage in thievery for self sustenance, with morals and ethics tossed to the furthest corner of his mind for painfully obvious reasons. In the past he'll be executed right away. Oh lol, just his luck hor.
One's conscience need not necessarily surface at any point in time, but it will, MOST likely, occur when one is at the brink of losing the things he holds dearest to him. That's when regret knocks one out, Mohammad Ali style. Ouch. Drugs can make you go really high, but not en route to heaven for sure.
Just to put this whole entry in context, I'm not one who lacks a conscience. I'm indifferent to many things, but not to real and intangible (quite the paradox) matters that, well, matters most to the heart.
I could still recall the day when she (this special someone) was more enthu than the guys captain when it comes to hauling people to trainings, in particular, me. She called me five times within 20 minutes of the starting time, and another three a few hours later, from home. I couldn't even pick up the phone. What was I going to answer? What COULD I answer? Nothing. Nuff said.
Just today, I ran into her early in the morning and she asked me why did I skip training yesteday. I said I had CIP, which was valid by the way. I skipped today's too. I just didn't feel like going, there was NO POINT in me going, but that's not a good reason. Not for myself. So I guess its not for her too. Sometimes, I wish I could simply do the following:

Mime

Hopefully no Google search lands someone here.
"Intelligent" beings learn by imitation. That would explain why the monkeys at the zoo are capable of procuring bananas on their own even if they're hidden inside boxes. They know bananas grow on trees for sure, but they're might just be debating if there are trees inside those boxes (not the point). Likewise, children function similarly in scary ways. You can stab yourself and tell them NOT to do it, but the they will skip the auditory message and instead try out what you're actually doing - simply because they want to find out what's going to happen next.
~
Ks/Xd has shown me some hilarious videos on youtube that features episodes that are being broadcasted from certain Arabian TV stations. The first one is a cartoon that begins with "evil" Israeli soldiers who murder a family, leaving one sole surivor who later joins a terrorist school and "learn" more about what they're up against. He later straps grenades on to himself and ambushes a convoy that consists of the same few Israeli murderers, shouts "ALLAH AKHBAR!", or "God is great", and kills everyone. The aftermath shows only a bloodied spot on the "matyr's" body.
The second one is a show similar to that of Barney the dinosaur, just that the character in a suit now is Farfour, the Arabian (?) version of Mickey Mouse. Farfour's grandfather handed him a key and some documents concerning the "real origins" of the land which Jerusalem resides on before dying. He also explained that Islam once ruled the word, and will be masters of the world again in time to come. Later Farfour gets captured by Israelis who wants to trade for the documents with money. When Farfour refuses, he gets beaten up (EXTREMELY FUNNY, you don't get to see Mickey getting beaten up everyday) and then the screen says "Farfour is matyred".
It might have been twice as funny had I not known a disturbing fact. These videos are created with the intention of targeting an age group, specifically, children. Yes, truly. Instead of Power Rangers, Pokemon, or even Barney who is unbelievably corny, they're exposed to sickening falsehoods at too tender an age, where their capability of differentiating right from wrong is at its weakest. It is true that Israelis have killed women and children before, but what is the reasoning behind it? Would you really receive Allah-knows-how-many virgins as a reward if you do indeed "martyr" yourself? Finally, what do you stand to gain, truly, from blowing yourself up?
Unfortunately, there are half as many responses indicating a terrifying lack of reasoning too. Some people believe that Muslims themselves are at the root of the problem, when we all know it is the twisted misinterpretation of the Quran by only a few. And then the story continues. More and more people will be dragged into something they have no desire to be in, given a choice. Some go on to think that the existence of religions divide people irrevocably and is at fault for all the turmoil in this troubled world. Oh wow. It's funny how people always think that cats and dogs can't ever get along.
If we believe in an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth, we will all be blind and dumb in the end.

Osmosis

Gunpowder came from China in 900s, but the US ends up having the highest number of gun/household ratio, and owns the record of having the highest number of deaths caused by munitions. Geography's not a boundary, it's merely separation in name.
I could remember sometime last year while I was playing Taidi with my first 3 months class, whereby one Indonesian played 5 diamonds on top of my 5 clubs, saying that's the way suits are ranked in their country. Everyone else went "HUH", hence giving me the moral authority to throw the cards back to him while saying "Sorry, but welcome to Singapore." I could do with less rulesets to confuse me. That game has only one origin, but yet it can turn into something "new" with misinterpretation.
It is inevitable, but not applicable to everything. Although there are lots of Vietnamese and American people playing *Chinese* chess, there's only one way to win. Same goes for all the computer games out there.
And because this happens, it becomes ET 1982 again everytime paths cross each other. Everyone's curious as to what's on the other side, be it greener or not. It is a fact that people look at things differently, and therefore you get to learn something new each time you bother to interact with that someone from somewhere else you've never been to.
Luckily, the world only (grows) smaller.

Treadmill

If you have the deliver the blessing correctly, the word "Happy" comes before "Chinese New Year" for a good reason - at least to me.
It is a holiday DESIGNED to give families time to come together. It seems like a chore already for teenagers. After checking with a dozen of my friends, we've all arrived at the same conclusion: SIAN LAH. Basically, the holiday can be summarised with 5 things to do.
1) Collecting red packets. This year's unique for me, since my mum's siblings have all forgotten to give me any red packets. Not that I'm complaining, because all I ever do with money is dump it into the bank. Who wouldn't get tired of doing it, already?
2) Eat. First you devour all the snacks available at everyone's houses, which range from pineapple tarts to chinese jerky (Bakkwa). Oh, the bakkwa always tastes nicer from the shop that your aunt purchased from, not yours. Next, the compulsory "lao yu sheng" where you have a field day at messing up the table while chanting out queer blessings nonstop. At the end of the day, you'll get a throat so sore your eyes can't match despite looking at terrible skits acted out by Mediacorp actors on stage.
3) I'm asked the same question everytime: "You're in secondary what ar?" Alternatively, I'll get the "Whoa you're really tall now!" remark that irks me the most. I'm uncertain as to the age when human beings become senile, but I'm sure it isn't fifty for every single adult out there. TELL ME SOMETHING DIFFERENT NEXT TIME CAN? I promise my nephews/nieces that I'll be alot nicer. If I don't have anything to say, I will dao them entirely. How's that for doing them a favour?
4) This is one cool thing that I'm pretty new to, and I've never made a profit yet thus far. I'm still very inept at deciding which tiles to keep, or be aware of what "feng" it is already. Worse still, I've no idea what decides how much money I'm actually tossing out each turn. Yes, it is the amazing game that rivals golf when it comes to being a socialiazing avenue. I'm so blur that I can miss out on "pong"-able tiles half the time ^^
5) I invented it this year. Well if you don't have any mahjong or poker cards at hand, and if you happen to have robo-aunties/uncles that say the same thing everytime, you can just position yourself at the best possible spot ever - the sofa. Simply curl comfortably into one corner, close your eyes, and count sheeps until you arrive at Lalaland. Your parents will tell you when it's time to go anyway. Sounds like a flight, yes?
(Un)Fortunately, we're teenagers for just a couple of years more. Work, university, or stupid NS will somehow ensure that at least one of your future *happy* chinese new years may no longer be the same anymore. Thirty years down the road, I won't ever get to listen to "Whoa you're really tall now!" anymore (I'm not dying to hear it). By then, it will just seem as though I made this post the day before.
"Time flies past really fast leh!" Anyone got that from their aunt?