Refurbish of Mongoose IBOC Series Sport

So I've started getting 2nd hand parts to replace the worn out/rusted components I have on my Mongoose. I've gotten '93 Shimano XT Cantis, Super Aero Rim (Rear), Campagnolo Stheno (Front). Looking to get Shimano XT Front/Rear Derailleurs if there're good offers. More pricey buys would go to the Shifters/Crankset. Not too worried about the chain or brake levers because they're simple items.

I've ordered a Hohner Marine Band Special 20 to learn. It's a harmonica by the way, a diatonic harmonica. I've decided to learn music because I've some free time. A harmonica because it's small and convenient/portable and requires nothing but drawing/blowing air out of the holes on top on some handling/techniques. I want to travel the world and bring music with me and the harmonica seems to be the perfect companion.

I realize music and theatre have something in common. They do not require a spoken language in order to express their feelings/emotions. There's a hidden language in sight/sound/touch/smell/taste that transcends spoken language, race, religion and cultures.

Take it slow, but always yearn for knowledge. Have an open mind and be fascinated by the world around you. Be passionate, be genuine, be disciplined.

Update.

I've been up to quite a bit of "stuffs" lately. Here's it:

1. Successfully made my running sandals from the 6mm Vibram Cherry Soling Sheet and 3/4 inch nylon/poly webbing (the fine and smooth version, and I must thank Bedrock Sandals for sharing their information. Kudos to you! Sandals look great but I prefer making them myself) and a "ladder" buckle. I think I'm still on my way to fully breaking into them but I can run 5-10km or maybe even 20km with ease because of their weight. They feel nothing when I go into a sprint so I can really maintain the acceleration and speed. Here's a picture of mine! I'm making a pair for my girlfriend too!

Fast forward to my next short/long term goal in life. That is to be able to prepare and cook food on my own. I view cooking as a skill for survival, just like most of my pursuits which are purpose/functional/simplicity driven. I tried making gingerbreadmen recently and it turned out quite alright. That led me to bake 270 gingerbreadmen for my campmates and catholic youth group friends. There were bad ones but I'm starting to slowly but surely, understand the factors that affect the process of food preparation. Oh I must say, very, very slowly but I'll peservere, for it's not only a skill, but a tradition that my father learnt from his mother and I'll do my best to learn it from him.

Here're the pictures of few tries at gingerbreadmen (: I'm a big fan of classics and the gingerbreadmen says Christmas like no other!

My friend Nigel (teammate from Pre-University Seminar '09) and I, who're very random and also very free or I'd like to see us as being flexible haha went to Pulau Ubin to cycle on 12 hours notice (at 11pm so technically if I took away 7 hours of rest it'll be only about 5 hours of notice). Here're some pictures. I love adventures (however mild or wild), sports and the world around me. Nothing fails to fascinate me, from the simplest things to the most complex ones. Pictures!

From Pulai Ubin

From Pulai Ubin

From Pulai Ubin

From Pulai Ubin

From Pulai Ubin

From Pulai Ubin

From Pulai Ubin

From Pulai Ubin

From Pulai Ubin

From Pulai Ubin

Blue or Red Pill.

I choose the Red Pill.

Wet Shaving

-->Basic, affordable products

-Feather Popular

-Stainless Steel Bowl

-Body Shop Shaving Brush

-Super Max Super Stainless Blades

-Alum Block and Sweet Almond Oil for moisturising

EDIT: Found my father's Gillette Super Speed (Black). Date code P1, 1970. Made in USA. Gillette was indeed at the peak of their creativity with the TTO Double Edge Safety Razors. Gonna clean it up, polish it and it's mine to keep! Sentimental indeed.

Alternative Practices

-Essential Oil Therapy

-Oil Massage (Self/Couples)

-Natural Healthcare products (Sweet Almond Oil as moisturiser, MediMix Ayurveda Soap as cleanser)

Interest in essential oils therapy made me stumble upon carrier oils. I now use Sweet Almond Oil as a massage oil, moistuiriser and lip balm. Might dabble in perfume oils soon.

Up next: DIY Huaraches. Barefoot Running, Forefoot Striking. Huaraches

Appearance.

I've just embarked on a regimen to clear and even out my skin tone caused by darkened acne scars. So the fundamentals of acne's are as follows (taken from http://www.medicinenet.com/acne/article.htm I find it to be very informative on acne)

3 Rules of Acne

(1) Unclog Pores/Cleanse Skin

-Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash (w/Salicylic Acid, acts as chemical exfoilant) Twice a Day

-Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser - Everytime cleansing is required. i.e. after exercise

(2) Kill Bacteria

-Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash (w Salicylic Acid) Twice a Day

-Benzac AC (2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide) Once/Twice a Day

(3) Minimizing Oil (because cleansers/toners remove oil from the skin, pores might be encouraged to produce oil to prevent dryness but might produce excessive oil, hence moisturisers help hydrate the skin to prevent excessive production of oil)

-Fade Out Original Active Fade Cream (To even out my skin tone)

-thereafter use Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture (Combination Skin)

both Twice a Day

These pictures are from Day 1. I shall have progressive pictures over 4 weeks to 2/4 months.

Who's to blame.

I look at Mummy and see how she behaves and thinks. They're not blame because they weren't educated and/or brought up the right way. However since I have an education, I should know better than to blame them for how I am. I have control now and I shall make a difference in my life.

The world that we live in.

Home's probably the best place on earth for all of us and I'm pretty sure you'd hate it when people aren't respectful when they go over to your place. Don't we live in the world? IN? We're a species to make Earth our home yet we do not treat it with care. Oh bother.

I've been thinking since I was a kid on why things are done the way they are and if we say we're logical, intelligent creatures, then why are somethings not logical but rather emotionally driven or done because it's been done to us before.

I'm contemplating if I should ever have children. I'm pretty sure it'll bring my relationship/marriage to the next level when I have to care for a new being but looking at this world I often ask myself will my kid want to live in the world we have now? Balance is extremely difficult to achieve and we're tipping the scales of the nature versus man-made issue.

We care too much about what we want. Being able to achieve a certain standard of living that's just right so we can give back to nature and ensure our world will survive and thrive is attaining utopia and because it seems so ideal we don't pursue it.

Let's weigh some factors right now. Populating the planet's what a species would do, to be the dominant, ruling species. That's fine, we want to populate the planet with humans that's perhaps the most basic instinct so that's acceptable else we won't have anything to live for, we'll be the slaves for the monkeys or something haha.

I think the one thing that we humans yearn for and probably is the cause for everything is status. Or in a more indirect way of saying I want to look good (not necessarily physically but socially/politically/financially more powerful). So I think to myself okay that's fine I mean it can be summed up into one word right, having pride. If we're all the same, humans, homosapiens or whatever we label our species (before we turn into mutants, i kid) the only thing that separates us and gives us a sense of identity is pride. We yearn for a sense of identity and we can get it through pride, to feel like we have a place in this world, to feel like we mean something. Is this what we have that differentiates us from animals? After having the ability to survive for long periods, the only difference is that we have pride. Fulfilled Maslow's Hierachy of Needs and now we've to fulfil Maslow's Hierachy of Needs Part 2 where we compare the pyramid to someone else's and say hey I've got what I have now but am I better in anyway than this other person or 6 billion other people on earth? Then once this thought gets put into the world, everyone requires pride, unknowingly we're digging our own graves by subconsciously being influenced to compare ourselves with others. Perhaps it's a natural trait of humans, to be competitive. However in this day and age we're competing against others for pride, money, status and we're going too fast. That is the world I live in and know of today.

I shall get an education, a career for money not to attain status but to provide society a service in exchange for the work I do in the form to be traded for survival in this world. Survival and appreciating, realizing the world around us instead of being too engrossed with ourselves.

Perhaps I'm lucky to be more liberal in my thinking. (:

A thought.

As I was sitting in the bus thinking to myself about the world, the people in it and why we do what we do I've come to a personal enlightenment. I realize we've not been appreciating and enjoy what the world has to offer us, naturally. The cultures, people, natural wonders of the world and how it supported our evolution and advancement in life. Technology is indeed one of the most life changing aspects of living that has impacted us greatly. On the bare minimum level it now allows us to live comfortably, in convenience, in a clean environment. However we're not satisfied with just living comfortably in a home, exploring the world and learning more about it. We've become a species that's self absorbed, self conscious and want so much more than we really need. I've been asking questions my entire life about why we do what we do, forming my own mental constructs of the social/psychological world because what's in front of us is just matter. It has no life of its own, just a life that we give it because we think in a certain way, we think we need it to be happy.

I'm 22 years old and I'm about to complete my National Service (NS) in 8 months time. My life will start after NS, where I plan my route and destination for the rest of my life till the day that I die. Yes I will plan for my last years because being prepared will allow me to appreciate life and also death for it's a cycle that allows the world to have a certain balance and continuity in life.

This blog will contain my thoughts about life. How I'll go ahead planning for my career, future, short/long term goals, retirement, death and perhaps even children if I decide to have any.

At this point in time I have 3 short term and 2 long term goals.

Short Term (3-5 years)

1. Attain a degree with the highest grade I can possibly get with all my time and effort put in

2. Find a job and/or a career whichever comes first for experience and then for how I'll live my life

3. Love my girlfriend and make it last.

Long Term (8-10 years)

1. Save for a house/furnishing (downpayment of 25-50k and furnishing of 10-15k)

edit: HDB flats can use 100% of OA to pay for 10% initial downpayment and balance payments.

2. Get Married (a simple, memorable experience. nothing to impress the relatives what not)

This's the start of my journey of educating myself of ways to be happy by knowing what options I have to get to my destination in the most efficient way possible!

Be contented with your life (: I am!