tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56187622010-01-07T21:24:49.925+08:00and I thought to myself; the experience was enough.John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgBlogger1175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-41499387535860427762010-01-07T21:20:00.002+08:002010-01-07T21:24:49.959+08:00

If there was a metaphor for life, it would be hailing a cab; you would not imagine the intricacies until you've perfected the art. Anyhow, a year ago we got our results. If you get past the news reports with titles like "Four hacked to death in Malaysia" you'll read that the average of 40.49 is higher than my batch's 40.1 I will repeat this to my dying day: after the remarking, our average is

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-9013313057934220482010-01-02T23:14:00.003+08:002010-01-02T23:33:51.752+08:00

Tonight's YAM Orientation 2010, which I co-organized with rachh and TGN, was attended by a cosy number, a wonderfully succinct speaker and the a worship set so tight you could not have passed a guitar string through it. The 6 FB wall posts I've just sent out are testament. I didn't attend supper on NYE night, nor the largish gathering at dong dong's place on NY Day post-wedding, and I'm not at

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-20216781956734054612010-01-01T02:00:00.002+08:002010-01-01T02:05:51.710+08:00

It's 2:00 a.m. on Jan 1st, 2010. A new decade made it's silent entry in between pews of communion-taking congregation members at watchnight service. Already it has been an afternoon of squash with debaters, an evening with churchfolk, and now, a very late night and early morning just thinking. My last note on FB was about music for 2009, and it seems so trivial in comparison to all the other

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-42968352759206659872009-12-30T23:15:00.004+08:002009-12-30T23:22:32.235+08:00

So instead of watching another installment of Chestnuts, I met up with an old friend on the steps of an MRT station to chat for over an hour. Then it was sending mass emails regarding YAM Orientation 2010. And finally it's this - blogging on the eve of the eve. Which I normally do on the eve of the eve on my birthday and Christmas (not this year; that whole stretch of holiday-ness was marked by a

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-717388261945319782009-12-29T20:49:00.003+08:002009-12-29T21:00:18.234+08:00

2-post luxury is indicative of a day spent at home. For whatever reason. To think that just 10 days ago I was settling snugly into the warmth of winter as we know it here. Usually it's the days in between the two major holidays that are a sort of time-limbo. Much more so now that there's no school that's gonna start, just a continuation. All the more reason to make sure I remember what the

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-47517756256041074462009-12-29T09:36:00.004+08:002009-12-30T23:23:37.881+08:00

Morning of the December 29th, 2009. Gosh, what a way we've come. To think there are only 2 more days in the year. By a little twist they will not be spent as the year started, but more like the majority. I take away 2 things in particular - connecting with people whom I've long known but never really known, and being in ambition-limbo while pursuing church endeavors. Different periods of the year

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-80715957499507895212009-12-25T23:51:00.003+08:002009-12-25T23:59:46.161+08:00

It was a silent night as Adriel and I sat in front of the TV in Sam's living room answering the occasional call and sms, finally sleeping and waking for second service this morning. Gavin offered to let me choose the lunch location for our usual gang, but it was not to be; we had a Korean lunch at Dempsey before napping and finally the Hiews joined us, and as is tradition, we were all under one

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-68996687129310064012009-12-18T16:14:00.002+08:002009-12-18T16:17:58.875+08:00

No pretense, here's the stuff I want: Wolf Hall by Hilary MantelThe Secret History by Donna TarttA Case of Exploding Mangoes by Muhammad HanifHavaianasA perfectly doable list. So get crackin'!

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-78057194506736150652009-12-17T18:04:00.002+08:002009-12-17T18:22:28.121+08:00

Sitting here watching my cat try to eat my Wii sensor, I recall a cup in an empty office where, had I added a slip to it, today would have been an hour in and the rest out. But it was not to be, purely decided by a substantial trawl and successful searchandfind. Things worked out though, and I think I earn another free pass with the longish letter I penned; I should add another remark under my

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-1925245595817071252009-12-14T19:03:00.003+08:002009-12-14T22:15:22.302+08:00

In between cups of tea and coke, it occurred to me that I would like to blog about the week before YAM Camp. In particular, the Friday spent in church after a morning in the unknown northern bits of Singapore and wondering around in the rain, entirely purposeful and purposeless. That afternoon, I started out with the intention of simply completing a task that required my presence backstage.

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-35065433731574768062009-12-08T13:40:00.002+08:002009-12-08T13:44:54.086+08:00

Not in the past few months has the sun been this intense on a weekday afternoon in all of the 4th quarter's seasonal winteriness. It's hot, and it's welcome. All the better to slog it out in church, having but 2 days till departure and work commitments to tend to in the day time. "Office hours" to the youthful sound as foreign as songs without music videos. I shall blog about yesterday when I get

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-70780733159282964972009-12-03T22:36:00.005+08:002009-12-03T22:46:02.957+08:00

I'M GETTING A NEW PHONE that doesn't have a camera (surprise) and actually doesn't give me panic attacks whenever I send important messages or break apart each time I drop it. It's not easy being an SMS hypochondriac. As if I weren't verging on social pariah-hood enough.That's the insecurity and paranoia speaking if you were wondering.

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-42926180201094518382009-12-03T18:05:00.002+08:002009-12-03T18:19:43.180+08:00

Last night I told myself I'd blog this super early this morning, but that's didn't quite crystalize. I would have given anything (ok let me repeat that: I would have given anything) to have stayed on with the rest of the kids at vbc, if only because it would have materialized the afterglow of the weekend and carry me straight through the the 3-camp finale next weekend, but also because it is a

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-79919243552218185932009-12-02T19:41:00.002+08:002009-12-02T19:48:40.804+08:00

Church during office hours.Casual dining; Japanese.Impulsive second trip;I really wanted to fill that ONE spot which was vacated at the last minute. I would have had so much fun helping out with the same folks as the past weekend. Alas, and sigh, these 3 days are over. A little work completed, a lot more to be done over the next 8 or 9 days in church. The only hurdle is tomorrow. Please, as I've

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-24976883933400159492009-12-01T14:03:00.002+08:002009-12-01T14:10:01.474+08:00

As Kenneth rightly facebook-ed, those of us recovering from camp slept from november to december; for me it was as the little clock thingy on my dashboard flickered from midnight to 12:01/12:02 that I shut down, turned in and wondered where the last day of nov went, even as it was the first of 3 days of rest. Today's the second/middle; and midday already, with threadless tees and contact lenses

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-59075598974377324362009-11-30T17:31:00.002+08:002009-11-30T17:54:39.002+08:00

For once, a blow-by-blow recount will do no justice to these past 3 days. It was a long weekend I had waited so long for, and I was afraid the immense expectations I had of it would not be met. How wrong I was; they have been surpassed to the furthest extent. Meeting old friends who've left and returnedPutting the old skill of tying thousands of water bombs learnt years ago in practice after all

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-86128019259265692082009-11-22T20:27:00.002+08:002009-11-22T20:36:34.641+08:00

Black backgrounds make for good possibility. They are better than the oft-talked-about blank slates. 5-hour brunches on a Saturday morning are the epitome of good healthy living. It gives one a sense of suburbia, or maybe an urban tranquility. Apparently I enjoy green tea; I used to avoid it consistently. It helps with a sortofbutnotquitealittlebitcanyoucallitthat split lip.And as I said before

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-64184194569443442202009-11-20T18:33:00.002+08:002009-11-20T19:17:17.991+08:00

I really wanna go for Paul's Alpha Camp, but the weekday thing is kinda hard to get past; I wonder, how can I weasel an off-day or three? I fear I may have been pushy, and that's the last thing I want. But now it's a matter of capitalizing some silence and some (hopeful) opportunity the weekend presents. Target of the Week

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-87237646619990705732009-11-18T22:18:00.002+08:002009-11-18T22:28:02.486+08:00

I suppose it was only a matter of time before this song made it to title-of-post status. Dashboard Confessional le sigh; such emotion packed into simple words and even simpler melody. Opportunity sort of presented itself to me yesterday to take today off work. But I didn't seize it. The consequence of this is as certain as another "let's see asteroids/shooting stars" group/event invitation on FB

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-41508819706124863342009-11-17T14:21:00.002+08:002009-11-17T15:45:58.906+08:00

As far back as I can remember, the different circles I occupy have been more or less distinct from one another. We've got school friends, church friends, CCA friends, friends from camps, friends from one-off events, friends from switching schools, and so forth. With respect to the title of the post, I think I've only ever invited Cherry and Paul (paul: have I ever invited you to a church camp

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-18449743007284300532009-11-15T19:10:00.012+08:002009-11-15T19:32:49.359+08:00

Allow me to quote a little scripture that was quoted in the context of one of Orwell's essays: NKJV Ecc 7: "...there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. 16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself ? 17 Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-15669248822996294852009-11-13T17:49:00.002+08:002009-11-13T18:04:13.382+08:00

Friday the 13th spent learning about the Team Excellence Symposium (TES, and 769574618374 acronyms that preceded it).Constraint exercised while walking under an umbrella in the rain. Enlightenment and elevated thought considered while waiting for the train. Discovery experienced after putting a mental bookmark on a page in George Orwell's Decline of the English Murder (Boys' Weeklies) and

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-59116645428748431832009-11-10T18:21:00.003+08:002009-11-10T18:57:16.980+08:00

The Mee Siam at work is poison. And not in the vodka-is-my-poison kind of way. A pleasant reminder that I practically have a 3-day week, with just 2 days left! Quick, Friday arrive. Emailing to get to you.

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-32882347920205207862009-11-08T20:42:00.004+08:002009-11-12T18:28:08.536+08:00

This shall be a frivolous post about What I Did This Weekend, but it is meaningful because it had many significant moments that, in some way, represent the space I occupy right now. 1. I met Paul and Sean for dinner at Holland Village, and we talked about so much. We admitted things too, for me some already known, some always known but never aired, and others. 2. I attended a YAM Committee

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618762.post-89037679148441240332009-11-07T17:35:00.002+08:002009-11-07T18:46:29.175+08:00

When one chooses an activity to pursue all-out, one immerses oneself wholly, bandying about its lingo as if the world should know what you mean. Take for instance an Ultimate Frisbee Player; things like grabhuckscore and insideoutoutsidein throws come as naturally as breathing (it was either frisbee or the flea market craze, and it seems I know slightly more about the former than the latter,

John Leo Caineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409586126438027331jlcaines69@yahoo.com.sg