[Bits of me...]

2010-09-07T23:45:00.002+08:00

When you hear someone is in a relationship, what comes first to your mind? Is it images of a blissful couple? Someone lucky? Jealousy? For me, it's usually a couple who're in love and can understand each other, support and encourage each other.

But what happens if there's an imbalance? What if one party needs more than the other party? If one party is constantly in need of support and encouragement, but is unable to provide the same, is it a "fair" relationship? Will it strain the relationship? How does the giver maintain the constant giving of support without receiving any? He will obviously need to draw it from other sources. But again, would it be "fair" for him? Should they even continue with such a relationship?

Hai. So many questions, so few answers...

2010-07-05T23:41:00.002+08:00

Whoops! Once again, I've missed my blog's birthday (11 Jun). 6 years!! My blog has been around for 6 years! Every year, I make it a point to browse through my old entries, and marvel at my thoughts and feelings at that time. At times I think, have I grown and become more mature? Or have I retracted in my mental age?

Much has happened the past few days..... I have been happy, sad, angry, tired, despondent, confused, and ultimately calm, all within this short time span. They always say relationships are complicated. I never knew until now.

I've realized I'm horribly immature when it comes to relationships. I've always had this naive thinking that as long as two people like each other, anything is possible. But in reality, there are no guidebooks and rulebooks in love. There is no black and white, only grey. How do you quantify your love for someone and vice-versa? Is it how much you're willing to sacrifice for the other party? Or perhaps how well you treat him or her? Or maybe its a measure of everything. I used to think loving someone meant treating her well, giving her attention, etc etc. But subconsciously it was more transactional to me. If I treat her well then it means she should reciprocate. After all I'm putting in so much effort!

Wrong. Doing that only led to more heartbreak and pain for me. During one of my major emotional traumas, it finally dawned on me. What I should really care about is the person's happiness, not my own, otherwise known as unconditional love. I've never been able to do it, because I'm fairly selfish by nature. But this time, I knew without a doubt, that it was the only solution to the conundrum I've been facing. With this knowledge in mind, I was able to find peace within myself, because I knew it was the right thing to do.

To the girl I'm dedicating this post to, I hope I will be able to help you clarify and crystallize your true feelings. You HAVE to be sure of your own feelings first before making a decision, if not when you do make the decision, you may start feeling short-changed and end up with emotional baggage. Never give up and we shall fight the good fight together!!!

2010-06-07T21:42:00.003+08:00

It is with a little bit of irony that I write this post. I've really got to say, every month brings me new surprises. It's nice in a way, because I dislike living a droll and boring life. And so my latest twist in life has brought me to consider something which would never have occured to me one week, much less one month ago.

Working in a volunteer organisation has opened my eyes to many things. Volunteerism on it's own, is a noble thing. A volunteer sacrifices time, energy, effort, money, more often than not, out of nothing more than passion and interest in doing a common good. Staff on the other hand, tend to be overworked and overburned. I guess I'm a little unique because I "promoted" from a volunteer to a staff, so I get to see both sides oh-so-clearly. And I have realized that staff and volunteers bring vastly different things away from the same event.

Volunteers gain a strong sense of camaraderie, friendship, from doing the same saikang, from being abused as free labour, etc etc. Staff on the other hand, gain a strong sense of achievement, at having managed a difficult group of volunteers, at negotiating a project with limited budgets. It's a love-hate relationship. It tends to get a bit more skewed when the staff have limited experience with volunteer dynamics.

And then, there's work. Somehow I'm in this situation whereby I know I can perform in a given position, but I don't feel appreciated. Sounds familiar? I'm willing to give my all, to juggle work and school, and even give work my priority. I just have one condition, that if I do so, I have to do something worth my giving so much for. And the thing is, I can't tell if it's right for me to feel this way. Is it fair for the rest to cover me even as I valiantly zip between school and work? Is it ethical for me to push my way in and then stick out like a sore thumb just so I can add on to my resume? Something in my heart tells me, no. And so, that was how the R word started forming in my mind. Haha, how ironic......

2010-05-19T22:07:00.002+08:00

Today, I cried.

I am not one who cries easily. I can count on one hand the number of times I've cried in my life, because to me, a guy's tears are worth more than gold or diamond. But today, I shed tears of joy.

The day started ordinarily enough. Wake up. Go to work. Think (and despair) about uni application. Come home. Eat dinner. Facebook. Then my dad came into the room. He started quizzing me on what I was gonna do if I didn't get in.. Whether I would go SIM... Whether SMU was hard to get into... etc etc.. To the point I got a little irritated, being so strung out over the past two days. Then as I got ready to shower, my dad called me back into the room. Somehow my mum was inside too. Then he started fiddling with something with his back facing me. I was still clueless. After some whispering with my mum, he passed me The Envelope. It had "CONGRATULATIONS" stamped on the front. I opened it (refusing to get my hopes up), read the letter, started to smile, sat down, and started to cry. My parents only smiled, but I knew they were bursting with joy.

Four years ago, when I just completed my first A Levels (the one I failed), I had wanted to go to SMU. But it was just a dream, because I knew I would do badly, and how sought after SMU was. So I could only look on with envy as my friends got their postings one by one (esp for SMU). I didn't give up my dream. Having heard that SAT would boost my score for SMU, I took it in 2009. Didn't work. Undeterred, I bought more SAT guides, studied more, and retook this year. I got a much better SAT score, but whether that was the deciding factor, I don't know. Definitely, I had been waitlisted. During this time, I received a total of 8 rejection letters.

Flashback to 2 years ago, just before I enlisted for NS. I was applying to uni for the first time, and then my sis told me, "Aiyah, no need apply for SMU la. So difficult to get in, sure no use one". She was being sisterly-practical, of course. Well, sis, I've managed to prove you wrong. At the thought of this flashback, I couldn't help tearing again. All the burden, the anxiety, the worry accumulated from the day I received my failed A Level results up till now, has been lifted from my shoulders. It has been a tumultous 4 years... In a way, it's made me treasure my opportunities so much more. Perhaps this was a test by God, to remind me to take nothing for granted. And yes, I will be framing the other two rejection letters up, and I'll be bringing them for my valedictorian speech another 4 years later.

2010-05-18T21:20:00.002+08:00

The second letter came in today. NTU. It's hard to describe the abject depression that I felt upon reading it. On a sidenote, each year they seem to come up with increasingly elabourate letters, but of course, it can be distilled down to one word, "Rejection". Such an emotionally-charged word. How about double rejection in a day?

They say the higher you climb, the further you fall. It's at times like this when a wave of self-doubt will wash over me, threatening to drown me in a rush of zero-esteem emotions. I may appear nonchalent and cheerful on the outside, but inside I'm slowly bleeding away. I like to think of myself of an eternal optimist, because I see rays of light where others see dark clouds. Yet at the same time, I tend to adopt impossible dreams. And so, I am accustomed to picking myself up after each failure. But this time, it's not so easy for me.

A part of me tells me it is not failing to get into uni that cuts so deep. So what is it? Is it the lurking knowledge of "I told you so" for not studying hard enough? Is it the realization that my choice to take the less-trodden path simply wasted one year for me?

The thing is, I can't pin down the exact cause of my depression. Maybe there is no exact cause. Work stress? Emotional stress? I don't know. Suddenly I feel so lost, so tired. I need to find back a sense of purpose, a reason to pick myself up. No, I have got to see light where there is none, to push against all odds, because, I wouldn't have it any other way...

2010-05-15T00:01:00.002+08:00

I've always made it my policy never to blog about unhappy stuff, but I will break it just this once. It's a law of nature that all good things come to an end, and sadly, it has for me.

Today I received my NUS rejection letter. Then it hit me, that there really were no more chances left for me to re-apply. Last year when I got the letters, I simply continued with my NS life. But this year, it finally dawned on me. All the mistakes of my past have come back to haunt me. Why did I not study properly for my A's? Why did I NOT treasure my second chance when repeating? Why did I grow complacent, arrogant and lazy? It's a little too late to realize that isn't it? You only get one chance at certain stages of life. I had two. I screwed both up. So foolish, so ignorant, so short-sighted.

My NTU and SMU application is still pending, but if both fail as well, it would have meant that the extra year I spent repeating would go to waste. For nothing. The SATs that I spent time studying for, paid for with my own money, would go to waste. The pain of seeing all my friends move on in life while I stayed in school, would go to waste. The sorrow I felt when I gave up Scouting to focus on studying, would go to waste. Why? Why was I so stupid?

Yes, there are other options, SIM among them. It is not the end of the world. It is just that, to see my efforts, my hard work, all come to naught, is so demoralising. I may have learnt my lesson over the years, but is it too late? Will I never get the chance to show that I have truly repented? So what if I give my best in my job and get a glowing testimonial? It won't grant me a uni place. Testimonials are a dime a dozen. So what if I've held several leadership positions? Everybody's a leader these days. In short, after 21 years, I pretty much hold nothing of value, in Singapore.

For three years, whenever I met people, the introductory chat would always somehow lead to asking me which uni I was going. Each time, I had to steel myself, put on a brave face and admit that I didn't have a place yet. And each time, I felt like a little piece of me would be cut away. It was even worse during my repeat year, to have to say I failed A's upfront time and again. Better than dodging the issue, but it hurt nonetheless. But I always had faith, faith that I would get a place if I kept trying. Somehow, it's not working out.

I will see how it goes. I do know something though. This is a major setback. Far more than when I failed my A's. But it has also steeled my determination. I have decided to keep this NUS rejection letter, along with the others if they come along. I will frame them up, and when I start studies (SIM if it comes to that), if I should ever falter, I only need to look at those rejection letters, and they will remind me that I had a chance, and I threw it away. I will show these schools that sometimes, academic grades is but one facet of a person. And when (not if) I succeed in my studies and life, I will proudly hang them on my wall, because it is because of them, that I learnt the lesson of failure.

2010-04-22T23:14:00.002+08:00

So I was thinking to myself, should I blog? And then I logged in and realized that this is my 700th post. My blog's been around for 6 years..it's been that long. So I randomly clicked around to see whose blogs were still alive. Most had died. Then I chanced on a former close friend's blog. Let's call this friend Z. Z used to have a short crush on me, and I had felt really bad rejecting her, because I knew what it felt like. We still stayed as on-off friends after that, but we didn't really keep in touch. I'm really happy to say that she picked herself up and is happily attached now. As I skimmed through Z's entries, I couldn't help smiling at some of her posts, because it's just like how I knew her. And quite frankly, I think she epitomises the example of someone who never gives up, and finally finds what she's looking for. I feel so glad for her.

I always found it funny how as each year went by, there would be a little bit more to look back on, a little bit more to reflect on, and a little bit more to look forward to. It wasn't so long ago I was just-18, watching 300 with the kakis. And whoosh, I'm now 4 years older than just-graduated JC students. Haha, I have to admit, I'm really getting older! (But not old!!)

Well now, after waiting for 3 years, I finally got the long-awaited call for a SMU interview. I really really hope I can get in... Wish me luck!!

2010-04-13T23:44:00.002+08:00

Today has been such a good day, I think it's really worth blogging about. I know that after I get into uni, graduate, move on with life etc, I will look back on this time and tell myself, "I really enjoyed this phase of my life". Partly because right now I just ORD-ed, have a great job with decent pay, and best of all, no army worries, no study worries. Seriously, what more can I ask for? I was on the train home and I thought back to those harsh times in Brunei, when we shivered in hammocks in the rain, to during GCC when we were endlessly turned out, to Australia where we baked in the sun. I could go on forever. The life I'm living now? It's pure joy. It's really those f***ed up times during NS that make you treasure civillian life.

And then there's my workplace eye candy C! I finally mustered up the courage to chat just a little bit with her yesterday. So nervous!!! I've got no idea what it is about her that makes me go into a tizzy. Either way, I'm a little surprised at myself, that I actually dared to go up and talk to her, haha. Today was the real clincher. My colleague came up to me, cheekily passed me a small gift for C's dept, and asked me to bring it up for her. An opportunity stared me in the eye. I thought about the past, and there and then I decided to take it up. It took me a while, but I finally went up. Then go up already don't talk to her so damn loser right? So I just took the plunge. A short conversation it was, but unforgettable, and I know there will be many more to come.

I think, the me from 3 years ago would have done nothing. But then, that me learnt a very painful lesson. So painful, it hurts till this day. I learnt that some opportunities, once lost, will never, ever come back, no matter how you chase it. Which was why I made a vow to myself: whenever opportunity knocks, grab it and damn the consequences later. Telling myself it'll come again is just a weak and lousy excuse. And that probably accounted for my actions these past two days...

2010-03-13T16:35:00.005+08:00

It's been more than half a year since I updated my blog. While in NS, my inspiration to blog dived to rock bottom. Who would want to blog when your brain isn't working? It's been slightly over a month since I gained back my freedom, and I have been savouring it. And this week has arguably been the best week of my post-NS life.

The week got off to a great start on last Sunday morn, where I went with E to Dempsey for a rustic breakfast at Dome. It's got really great ambience in the mornings, though it was slightly spoiled by construction noise next to Dome. Then E brought me around the area and showed me the various sights. I was really quite surprised at that, because I had always thought of Dempsey as a yuppie supper place. But no, it's got more than that. Really really interesting, and we stayed there till afternoon, when the cars started coming in.

Early week I got to find out the name of my workplace eye candy, called C. She's French, and has got this absolutely lovely look on her face, which I cannot describe. My fellow intern described it as "mysterious", which brought me to mind of another girl.. So anyway, we noticed that she always eats at the canteen like us, which really cheered me up because it meant we were eating from the same stall every day (actually there's only one stall, haha). Then on Wed, my boss happened to hear me talking about her, and he told me she was the same age as me! So cool right?! I thought she was some full-time staff but actually she's on some attachment from a French uni. So she'll fly back after Games. ): I'm really keen to know her, but shy la! HAHA!

Wed night, I came home to see a postcard on my table. It had been posted to me from Russia by Y. I couldn't help smiling to myself and thinking of the famous phrase "From Russia with love" as I read it. I had pretty much given up hope on receiving any postcards, so it was a really cool surprise. The Moscow postal service is really slow though, it took almost a month to reach me. ut it really made my day..

On to Thurs, where I met up with HTC for dinner. Was supposed to have Chef Han's chicken rice, but we got there too late, and it was SOLD OUT! WTH! Guess I'll have to try my luck another time. I was initially quite nervous before meeting them, 'cos it's like, I've not met them for 3 years?? Its sombering when you stop talking to a friend one day and before you know it, years have passed by. So I wondered if there would be any awkwardness. Well there was a little at first but as we reminisced about old times it quickly vanished. It's rather cute to think how I naively chased after C in the past, with the support of my clique, and we can still cheerfully talk about it now. Goes to show anything's possible in this world.

Then on Fri came the big bomb. I came to work as usual @ 8.30am. Usually there's only my boss and director in office, because my colleagues come @ 9.00am. This is because we have this flexi scheme where you come later and leave later. But that's crap because anyway we all leave equally late, lol. My division works super long hours, because of the massive number of volunteers coming in and limited manpower we have. So when I came in, I was prepared to work as long, even though I was just a lowly-paid intern, because I believed in my Scout Promise "To do my best". Pay was never an issue to me. The experience was what mattered.

So that morning, my director suddenly came up to me and told me they were planning to give me a full-time position. I had actually been brought in to replace a full-time staff who was leaving, and I was supposed to "plug the hole" while they searched for a replacement. But after hearing positive feedback from the rest of the staff, she had decided to take me in, barring any complications from my uni enrollment. To me, that was simply one of the best piece of news I had heard in my life. It wasn't a simple promotion you know? It was a validation of the principles and morals I upheld, of the belief that if you were willing to work hard enough for something, you would get it. Last week I had hinted to my boss if it was possible to upgrade to a full-time, and he told me it wasn't possible because my internship ended in Aug, which by then would be too late. I still secretly harboured the hope though, and it paid off. I have only been an intern for three weeks. Even if I don't become full-time in the end, it doesn't matter. Because I already know what I need to know.

2009-08-09T13:51:00.003+08:00

I had the opportunity to attend my sister's ROM yesterday, and what a sweet event it was. It was a small and simple affair, with only siblings and relatives around. During the past two ROMs that my brothers had, I was still young, and didn't really understand what it was about. But yesterday, when I saw my sister happily exchanging vows with my new brother-in-law, and my mum positively beaming away at them, I finally understood what a wonderful event ROMs can be. It was the first time I had seen my sister so happy.

In our society nowadays you see a lot of divorces and splitups, but somehow my family has managed to escape from the norm. My two brothers are still happily married with kids, and every family gathering my house gets turned upside down by hurricanes. Now my sis will be following suit. My parents always like to joke to me to make sure I find a wife who is willing to stay with them, because all my siblings have moved out, except my eldest brother's family. Haha.

Family is a blessing, which I think many Singaporeans take for granted. Like the way they were raised, everything must be perfect, including their future soulmates, and so they spend years looking for that Mr/Ms Right. What my brothers and sisters did were to accept whatever imperfections their partners had, and besides, sometimes I wonder, isn't it boring to have a perfect partner? I find it more meaningful to have a little screwup here and there, now and then, and laugh it off together. It's such things that make it memorable isn't it?

2009-07-26T20:47:00.002+08:00

Ok so after about slightly less than a month I think it's time to update? Quite a bit of excitment outside of my NS life. I've been doing a social entrepreneur competition with my friends, and while our progress have been kinda derailed, I'm quite hopeful we can get back on track.

What I really benefitted from though was how this project opened my eyes. Although it's a simple planning for proposals, the research I have done so far kinda made me see the wider social issues that are present in society, and it's made me want to really do something for the community. And plus, it's given me the chance to meet up with my old Rover friends. :)

Well I used to have this bad habit of running away from things I didn't like. I didn't have the courage to face it head on. But to be honest, I'm quite tired of running. I'm too tired. So now I'll just tackle it head on and damn the consequences. I'm determined to make it work this time. If my problem hasn't gone away after 2 years, it won't go away after 5, 10 or even 20 years.

2009-07-05T23:19:00.002+08:00

Hello blog! And sorry blog!! I forgot your birthday!!! Bloggie here is officially 5 years old now. Has it really been that long??? As with every blog birthday, I will look back on my past entries, and remember how I was like in the past. Haha. On hindsight now, I think I was quite a silly, naive and rather ignorant boy, especially when it came to matters of the heart. Perhaps now, I'm more of a silly, naive and still kinda ignorant young man.

But one good thing is that I now have only half a year of NS left! Whee!! But what after NS? I still have no uni slot, still no big business plans, in short, I'm gonna have a big problem when I leave the army. But recently I read an article in Mind Your Body. It was about this Roman (or Greek?) philosopher called Seneca. One of his "thesis" was on how people spend so much of their time doing stuff, but yet the stuff they do aren't really important. Only when they are nearing death do they realise how much of their life they wasted on meaningless activities, and how much they missed out on doing what really mattered to them.

So the question I wanna pose is, How much of your time do you actually spend on stuff that you can say, "Yes, it was a right and meaningful thing to do. What a wonderful way to pass my time!". And I summarize one of Seneca's sayings, "Guard your time more jealously than you do your money". I can't remember the second part of the sentence, but that article did strike and remind me, that sometimes you get so used to living life that you forget how to really live life.

2009-04-08T15:54:00.002+08:00

I think, I suppose, it's time for me to do a quick update before I leave for Taiwan tonight? Haha. Will be away for 3 weeks, coming back on Labour Day. Actually kinda looking forward to this trip because of what I've heard about Taiwan, but it's really quite a chore packing all our stuff to bring over there.

These few days I've been playing with the idea of setting up a business again. Somehow I just feel so restless, especially when I'm in camp. Sigh, Feb 2010, will you faster come???

2009-03-22T08:28:00.002+08:00

Okay, it's been a month since I blogged! Haha, haven't found much blogworthy stuff. But just two days ago I took part in this monster shootout league, where you shoot each other with laser guns. Although we were the oldest team (so siasuay!), our team of YZ, Liz, Steph, Austin and me managed to get into the finals through some tyco-ness!! So yesterday was the finals, and I really thought we played very well. We came in second, so we celebrated at Bakerzin after that with our $50 shopping vouchers prize. Kinda envied the winning team though. They walked away with $500 shopping vouchers, and we spotted them at Jack's Place shortly after that... In just a few weeks timme I'll be leaving for Taiwan, the land of pretty babes and chinese words. I think I better bring along a chinese-english dictionary. Lol.

Check out this interesting vid of a camera on a sushi conveyor belt. Wonder if I could try that out in Singapore...

2009-02-23T22:24:00.002+08:00

Just last Saturday night I had the chance to go and eat at the famous Jalan Kayu area with my family, and it turned out slightly more eventful than I expected. When we got there, I had to park in this rather small carpark where spaces were so limited, my lot was kapo-ed by another driver. Then in my haste to get into a vacant lot, I almost knocked into another car. It was quite scary. I was surprisingly calm though, too calm, because I was feeling rather sleepy.

Then while we were eating prata, two guys from the table next to us suddenly jumped up and ran off. Apparently they had seen someone trying to steal their bicycles, and were chasing after him, leaving their female companion behind. She sure looked lost, not sure whether to stay and look after their stuff or go after her friends, lol. In the end those guys came back, having caught the would-be thief or something like that. Oddly enough after that incident the tables started to empty quite quickly. I suppose it's due to the fact that it was nearing 3am.

I gave the keys to my dad after eating, because I couldn't really trust myself to drive properly while feeling so sleepy.

2009-02-15T22:23:00.002+08:00

Well I'm finally back from Brunei aka Exercise Lancer! Wish I could talk about some about my experiences there but I've got no wish to have any military police coming after me, haha. Suffice to say it's what they all say it is. Hot, humid, and filled with cicadas and other insects you don't see in Singapore. The cicadas are especially irritating, because they are like big stupid cockroaches. They like to fly into the light and create this irritating loud banging noise, or just fly into a fan and splat. It's always either raining or scorching hot, so you never know when it's safe to hang out the laundry.

But thank god, it's finally over. Up next is Taiwan in April. I'll be gone for one whole month, but I do think the weather is better there, and so is the environment. While Brunei is ulu jungle, Taiwan is more urban. Woot! More scenery in every sense of the word! I just hope I can get back some of my social life. Just 2 weeks overseas and I'm starting to feel like I only know my NS friends. Geez.

So just check these two amazing videos that I happened across. They're so quick I simply cannot believe my eyes.

2009-01-31T17:47:00.002+08:00

It's been a good CNY week. For the past week I've been able to live life as a civilian. Sadly, that enjoyable one week is over, and I'm departing tonight to Brunei for two weeks. Today is the day that I've been dreading, and I'm not alone, judging from my other people's MSN and facebook nicks. Sigh, I sure hope this two weeks will be over quickly and then we can come back.

I'm gonna miss this place...

There's one year more to go... But it seems so long away...

2009-01-27T19:27:00.001+08:00

An Octopus Love Story.

2009-01-25T23:02:00.002+08:00

CNY is always a favourite time of the year for me, because it means holidays, hongbaos, cheesy (but still nice) CNY songs and most importantly, reunions. It's one of those rare times in the year where I can get the chance to visit my distant relatives. While many people dread such an occasion (have you got a girlfriend? so what's your job now???), I'm not usually bothered by such stuff. I admit that visiting them is less of a priority during other times of the year, so CNY is a time to make amends.

And of course, reunion dinner is the best part, with sumptious steamboat dinners at home with my family. This year is extra special because I know I will be jetting off to the lush tropical jungles of Brunei in less than a week, where leeches, cicadas and the likes await me. Just tonight as an experiment I weighed myself before and after dinner, and I found out I ate 1kg worth of food, lol. Thankfully I'm gaining back all the weight that I lost during GCC.

So a new year has begun. I've less than a year of NS (hooray!). It's a time to start on new pursuits in all aspects of life. The question is, will I have the courage to embark on all of them?

2009-01-20T18:00:00.002+08:00

One of the most memorable experiences that I brought back with me from GCC ironically had nothing to do with it. It was the night I got bitten by fire ants (or think I was). I've never been bitten before, but judging by the severity of the bite, I guess it is. We had been on a tactical night march (so no torches), and we were crossing under this low branch. I lost my balance when going under it and so placed my hand on the ground for support. The next thing I knew, I felt a prick, and then there was a searing sensation in my finger. I reflexively brushed it off, knocked myself on the low branch, and lost my balance again. And so my hand landed on the ground another time. You can guess what happened next. Another finger got bitten, and this time I scrambled out while frantically brushing my hand. When I inspected my fingers, they were bleeding badly from the bites, and even till now the scars still hurt. Of course, I never did see what bit me, but I'm willing to bet whatever it was, it certainly had large jaws.

2009-01-19T17:48:00.003+08:00

At long last, GCC is over. Five weeks of grueling training. One week of outfield in Tekong. The most shag and difficult field camp I've ever been to. But, it's finally over. During the camp we kept dreaming about what we would eat when we booked out, and I've held true to it. I've been like a glutton, eating all sorts of healthy and unhealthy food. The moment I see something nice I get an instant craving for it.

Now that I can put GCC behind me, it's time to move on to other stuff, such as setting into motion some of my business ideas. About time I inquired about that diving trip I've always wanted to go for, and a long-awaited boating trip. Not to mention catching the many delectable movies coming out. Just yesterday I caught Red Cliff II. It's really worth watching, with all the cool military strategies and special effects. Although some historical facts were compromised to make the movie flow more smoothly, the director did a really great job overall.

I'll be leaving for Brunei on the 2nd Feb to 17th Feb. But before then, I'm going to continue stuffing myself with good food and CNY goodies. Anyone interested in joining in my business venture? Haha... ^^

2009-01-10T21:30:00.002+08:00

For the past four weeks, every day during GCC has felt like a Monday. But at long last, it is soon to come to an end, with the infamous SUMMEX (Summary Exercise) next week. There are many stories about it, from it being a no-day-no-night 5-day mission to having surprise missions in the middle of GCC graduation parade. Nevertheless, GCC has pushed all of us to our limits physically and mentally.

I had never thought it humanely possible to do a 12km fast march under 108 mins, but we did. I had thought it'll be tiring to carry FBO everywhere we went, but we conditioned to it after a while. And who would have expected to camo on and go on a surprise march just before book out? At times we did a lot of self-tekaning, often imagining scenarios where the cadre would surprise us by combining a simple activity with some physically demanding scenario. But often those fears were unfounded. That was what made it so mentally tiring, the what-ifs.

I seriously cannot wait for the day we receive our khaki beret and officially become part of the elite infantry, and of course the off-days that I have after it! We are all counting down the days. It's quite a way to start the new year. Speaking of which, I hope to spend more time this year on volunteerism. Joining the army has made me see my own weaknesses and failings, and how much I have to improve on. Well, I sure hope to dedicate most of my time to improving myself and making myself a better person!

2009-01-01T18:25:00.003+08:00

Last night marked the third night I had spent the night overnight at a friend's house during this block leave. Last night's stay was probably the most fun though. We played board games all the way into the new year. It was the first time I had actually played from 10pm till 6am nonstop. Even playing mahjong I've also not gone all the way before. Oh, and before I forget, Happy New Year to all of you out there!!

And with that, it also signified the end of block leave for me, having to book in tonight, back into the waiting arms of GCC. Still, I can say that this one week of leave has been well spent. I've done lots of stuff and enjoyed myself a lot. Much better than staying at home all the way. According to the counter, I have 14 more days of hardship. I.must.endure...

2008-12-29T19:37:00.002+08:00

Time really seems to fly when you're enjoying it. Before I know it, it's going to be Tuesday and I'll have to book in soon. But looking back, my time has been spent quite meaningfully. I had Christmas dinners and a stayover. Then I also went to church and had a bbq. But today has got to be the most well spent.

I had ZY and WS was going to help out with the giving out of food hampers (paid for by St. Andrew's Cathedral), so I volunteered to go along. We were to deliver these hampers (containing necessities like rice etc) to various needy old folk in the Bukit Merah estate. It wa the first time we had been there, and it was really eye-opening. The estate is like specially catered for the elderly, with one or two-room flats and ambulances parked below. The conditions of the flats were quite... not so good, to be honest. It's really not the kind of place you'll want to stay in when you're old.

As we gave out those hampers, we also saw many of these old folk, their rooms are usually cluttered with lots of funny junk, and you can see everything is really "budget". It's a far cry from the HDB I used to live in, or anybody's houses which I've seen in my life. It was quite heart-warming to see their appreciation at receiving the food hampers.

You always see young kids nowadays playing PSP or DS right? There the chilren we saw were either helping out at the shops or playing catching along the corridors. There was one particular flat we went to that was very "kampong-like". Although it's quite dilapidated it had this homely feel to it, you can see the entire flat opposite, and there's rarely a closed door. Everyone's just doing their own stuff like they're in a kampong. If only all housing estates had this spirit. We finished around evening, it was quite tiring moving around with all those heavy bags. But you know, it's really worth it, and it was just about the best thing I did this festive season.

2008-12-27T18:41:00.002+08:00

It seems just a while ago when I posted "Jingle Bell Rock" in my blog for last Christmas. I loved the song then, and I still do. Has it really been one year?? In a way, time flies, although much noticeably slower in NS.

I'm about half-way through GCC now. In some ways it lived up to my expectations, in others it didn't. But what I can assure you, it is every bit as tough as they say, and more... Sigh, I hope I can have the strength to last through it. Thank goodness we have a block leave till next Thurs. So I made use of this time to go watch Twilight with a friend. But it was...how to say...kinda boring for me, lol. I know the book is great, but I guess such sappy movies don't really appeal to me.

Well, I seriously can't wait for GCC to be over..will be literally counting down the days. I've got a new song "Last Christmas" by Hilary Duff. So here's a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!!

2008-12-14T15:59:00.003+08:00

Zoukout 2008!! At the request of my friends, I had agreed to go along to this much-acclaimed event at Sentosa. I thought the $48 ticket was rather exorbitant, but well, just decided to give it a try anyway. In a sense I'm glad I did, because last night was the time when I fell in love with mambo songs and really enjoyed dancing away, until 2am. Then they changed DJ to hip-hop and everybody started leaving while the hip-hop crowd started coming in. The other two arenas weren't interesting because it was all trance music.

The event itself was actually so-so only. Of course many people come for the carnival-like atmosphere, but if you talk about substance (the music) it's not much to my taste. My friend quipped that most people who go Zoukout is their first and last time, and I tend to agree with him. Funnily, when we were going back we heard a Caucasian behind us saying "This Zoukout was bollocks! What a shame!! I'm not coming back again." (I suppose he meant it wasn't as good as he expected). Still, if you've never gone before, give it a try next year, if only to see the experience. Lots of hunks and babes to be seen. Oh, but one really cool thing was the fireworks display halfway through the event. There's something darn cool about dancing away while watching fireworks (although many were more concerned with filming it).

I thought I'll comment on the bad taxi situation that many people encountered. It is indeed true that it's horrendously difficult to get a taxi inside Sentosa at Beach Station itself, and almost every taxi going in was on call. But not many people knew there was a free shuttle bus to Harbourfront, where a mass of available taxis would zoom by every few minutes. My theory is the cabs probably hang around waiting for a call booking (which were more than plentiful), thus earning more in this way. So next year if you want a hassle-free cab, just remember to take the shuttle to Harbourfront first.

2008-12-10T20:29:00.004+08:00

Since Christmas is coming, I thought I'll post up this cool video here. Enjoy!

2008-12-09T22:40:00.002+08:00

I'm not sure when the movie Bolt came out, but after watching it today, I more than agree with the positive reviews it's received. We were really lucky, because although we went into the cinema 15 mins late, the trailers had only just finished screening. And a good thing too, because the first few minutes of the movie is also one of the nicest! Like all animated movies, Bolt is full of humour, cutesy-ness and that awww factor, and it certainly succeeds very well in the cutesy department. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I enjoyed every single minute of the movie, and I'm sure you will too. If you haven't watched it yet, go now!!

2008-11-22T21:10:00.002+08:00

Ah, my posts have certainly been drying up these days eh? But after my trip to WA, it's about time I put some time aside to prevent neglecting my blog.

First up, shortly before I left for WA, we had a navigation recce in Mandai. We were given GPS units as well to aid us. Well, this was one of those times when technology proved to be a drawback. As we found out later on, our GPS unit gave us the wrong coordinates, plus it kept conking out on my team. Because of that, we weren't where we thought we were. That naturally screwed up our map navigation as well. As it got dark and a heavy downpour started, my team got increasingly desperate to get out, as we were in an extremely dense forest with thorns and cactus. What made it most incredible was we stumbled upon a checkpoint that no other team could find (that was when we realized our GPS problem).

By then we were close to giving up, but desperation and fear kept us going, despite various obstacles like cacti forests (the giant cacti were two storeys high, like from the Jurassic-age) and crossing streams on decomposing logs. When we finally reached a track, what an emotional moment it was for us. I had never felt so relieved to be walking on a track, even if it was in the rain. Nothing can really suffice here to describe the emotions we went through in the forest, but I can safely say it was one day we would never forget.

But there's always the sunshine after the rain. I departed for Perth with my entire family of 11. It was those free and easy type where we rented two MPVs and just drove from place to place. And drive we did, visiting various towns and ports. I think we travelled enough to circumvent Singapore a few times over. Accomodation was lovely too. We got to stay in various cottages and their serviced apartments are like 5-star chalets, with cooking amenities even.

Then there's the weather. Although it's cold and dry, I really like the feeling of not sweating. It's a bit weird though, because you can be under the sun and still feel a cold wind. Great for suntanning I suppose, because their beaches are really clean too, with their soft sand and clear water. Not at all like Singapore (green/blue water??). I find Australian culture very relaxed too. Most of their shops close by 5-7pm, and I really don't know what they do at night (at least in the suburbs).

All in all, I think it's a really great place to retire or have a honeymoon. I'm actually thinking of going there to study too, because other than the dry air, there's not much I don't like about the place. (Ending school at 5? Whee!)

2008-10-27T17:32:00.002+08:00

Ah, it's been a long time since I blogged. I've been trying to find a new skin for my blog (which is long outdated), but I haven't been able to find one that I like. I must say, it's getting a bit boring seeing the same skin for what, more than a year?

But on to better news, I've managed to get my long leave application approved! That means I'll be going abroad with my whole family from the 16-21 Nov. That's right, the whole chapalang family of 11 people. We'll be going on a free and easy tour of Perth, plus I heard we'll even be renting cars to drive around. Cool right? To be honest I was so worried it wouldn't be approved, but as luck would have it, the holiday fell on exactly on the one week where there was no major activity going on, thank goodness for that.

As for my posting into Guards, up till now I've been getting a whole variety of responses. From "So cool!" to "You're in Guards??!!", but for the most part people give me a "Good luck to you" response, lol. Plus they can't exactly imagine me being a Guardsman. But then again, neither can I... Of course, there's always a chance I'll fall out during GCC, and then I'll remain a blue beret, heh. But nah, I'll jus stick with whatever they give us.

2008-10-12T15:14:00.002+08:00

Having spent one week in 1 Guards, I think I can say we're halfway settled in. As expected, our first day in was rather demoralising. It was quite funny actually. When we first entered the camp, we saw lovely new buildings belonging to the HQ and 3 Guards, and we cheered up a bit. Then we teleported 20 years back in time...into the 1 Guards compound. Comparing all the past camps I've been to, Tekong now really feels like a chalet (no kidding this time), while Khatib is definitely like a 3-star hotel. Of course, the 5-star hotel honour belongs to my home. The place is really quite "chui", but can't be helped la.. There's more I'll like to say, but you know the usual SAF hush-hush policy. Haha.

This whole week we did close combat training, all the take-downs and locks etc. Sounds fun right? Strangely not so when you're doing it. But it kinda spurred my interest in taking up judo for my NYAA Gold again. I had hoped to get more spare time after posting to my unit, but sadly, I think not, because it seems to be a Sat-book-out policy here. Ah well, what to do? Just "enjoy" the experience and look forward to all the "fun" rappeling and heli ops in GCC.

2008-10-05T20:20:00.002+08:00

Heaven sure knows how to make sport of Man. When I first got posted to Khatib Camp along with my bunkmates, I was overjoyed. Who wouldn't look forward to a camp near their house, and a relatively slack vocation. But as fate would have it, I ended up as a mortar specialist. This means that we wouldn't be real artillery personnel, but rather more like support personnel in normal infantry forces. Now my next posting is all but confirmed - I will be going to 1 Guards in Bedok Camp as a mortar spec.

The reputation of Guards is well-known (they do almost the same work as commandos, but get less respect and pay), or in other words, a chiongsua unit. Sigh... The wonderful life as I knew it is about to end. Me and my fellow coursemates can look forward to the next few weeks of chionging and turnouts during our Guards Conversion Course. Why are we so unlucky???

2008-09-19T19:29:00.002+08:00

Check out this really weird video. Especially near the end. "Darth Vadar Dances Back?"

2008-09-14T20:12:00.002+08:00

Alas!! How unfortunate! I was driving my family to Serangoon Gardens just now, and at the infamous Serangoon Gardens multi-storey carpark, I reversed too much and banged the car against the wall (which was jutting out). The result was a nasty nasty dent.. Now I'll have to fork out $300 for repairs... Heartpain..

2008-09-14T13:25:00.002+08:00

Yet another two weeks have passed by. We've started on our mortar drill phase, which involves disassembling and assembling our mortar within a certain amount of time, among other things. Given the fact that the whole thing weighs over 400+kg, I'm fairly certain by the end of course my arms will be bulkier, lol. I'm sure gonna miss Khatib Camp. Food, accomodation, location, everything rocks. Sadly we'll be leaving this place in a few more weeks, to either Bedok or Pasir Ris. Sigh...... To make things worse, I've heard I'll be going to 1 Guards, which means I'll have to undergo Guards Specialist Conversion Course, which means 4 more weeks of trainee life, which means more training and chionging!!

So to cheer myself up, I watched Les Choristes again. What a wonderful movie that never loses it's magic. The music is simply heavenly. And oh, I finally managed to get AuditionSEA working on my com, and it's surprisingly addictive. If any of you ppl play it, do let me know and we can play together!

2008-08-31T17:30:00.002+08:00

Got to watch Wall-E yesterday with the kakis. Having experienced what it was like to arrive at a cinema and find no tickets left, we made sure to arrive early this time to purchase tickets. And what a good movie it was. The front part was a little boring, due to the lack of dialogue, but it got a lot more interesting and exciting towards the end. I think it was really innovative, how the producers managed to carry off this romantic comedy with two robots and bleeping sounds. Somehow, Wall-E and EVE manages to strike that "oh so sweet and touching" chord in you when you watch them, that you can't help wishing you were them. Not to mention a brief hint of horror at what might happen to the human race if we continue with our consumeristic ways. So go watch it, it's worth every dollar you spend.

I've also been pondering over my weekend life. I find that it's starting to get terribly mundane and boring, also known as NSF Syndrome. You know, when you spend 5 days in camp, and then don't know what to do when you book out. It's not the lack of ideas per se, but more in that our weekends are so precious that doing anything seems a waste of time. What a horrible state of mind. Sigh, ORD is still long long away...

2008-08-27T19:36:00.002+08:00

Last Sunday I went for the Army Half Marathon (involuntarily). But of course, we didn't run 21km (only 6km, thankfully). Actually, the experience was quite enjoyable. AHM was combined with the Singapore Bay Run, so we were running with a lot of public participants, some of which provided rather good eye candy. My buddies and I were commenting that we wouldn't mind going again for the 6km, because it's not like those usual boring runs.

After that I watched Money No Enough 2 with a friend. I really have got to say, it's the most touching of all of Jack Neo's films. When I watched I Not Stupid in the past, I already found it heart-tugging because of the way we could connect with the film. But this time, for MNE2, it totally blew the audience away. There were funny parts, and at the saddest parts, I could hear many people behind me sniffing away. I must admit I was among those sniffing. Maybe it's because I've always had a soft spot for shows involving parents. Actually, to view it objectively, it's not really very sad. But the background song delivered the killing blow. And thus, MNE2 made it into my record books as the movie which made my tears flow most freely so far in my life...

Well, I'll end off with one of my favourite songs. When You Say Nothing At All by Ronan Keating.

2008-08-17T23:23:00.002+08:00

Yes, it's time for a long overdue post (as usual). Well, one of the more notable news is I've finally passed out from BSLC! I've been posted to Khatib Camp to do artillery specialist training. Ah, the joy I felt when I heard my posting. Double joy, in fact, from getting a support vocation to being in a camp 10 mins away from home. Plus it's near Chong Pang, so nights out won't be boring. I'm certainly looking forward to staying at Khatib all the way, and maybe NS won't be so bad after all.

I was also watching the Olympic table tennis finals just now. At long last, Singapore has achieved our Olympic medal after 48 years of waiting, and a silver medal no less. It's been a long time in coming. Although we lost to China, it was kinda expected. The match commentator was rather funny at times though. He couldn't pronounce Yue Gu's name, and he had several funny comments on the slow-mo replays. One of his classic ones was about technology providing us with entertainment (referring to the replays) - I remember one replay showed Zhang Yining sticking out her tongue as she was sparring (in slow-mo). Real funny.

I don't know when I'll next blog again. Next week, perhaps. Kinda lost inspiration once I stopped blogging for this long period of time. Hmm, I think it's time to change my sidebar song. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to 13 weeks later, where I'll pass out as a sergeant! Then can knock people down liao. Heh Heh.

2008-07-06T19:12:00.002+08:00

Just a quick post before I book in. There's been a lot of news this week. Among the more prominent were this case of a one-legged man falling in the Singapore River near Esplanade. Two teens jumped in to save hin, and they managed to do so by holding on to a canvas sheet held by their friend. They held on for 45 mins before help arrived, during which their friend almost fell in as well because he could not balance the weight of three people. All this while, bystanders were gawking at them or videoing with their camera phones, even though the students were pleading for help all the while. I really don't know, but what were those bystanders thinking? They could at least have helped to hold the canvas... Psychologists interviewed said people not helping is part of the normal "fight or flight" response where they get paralysed, but still... Man, I really can't believe it..

Another one which came to my attention was the stabbings of two Imperial College students, where one was stabbed almost 200 times. They were believed to have been tortured for their financial details like PIN codes. The culprit also set them on fire, presumably to get rid of the bodies. Just what is the world coming to? It's almost unimaginable what pain the victim went through. Just think if you were stabbed that many times; death would have been preferable. What a cold-blooded killer.

2008-06-28T13:36:00.002+08:00

Well, some updates about my SISPEC life. First of all we got a little culture shock. Right from Day 1 our instructors told us that we were commanders-to-be and we were to throw away our recruit mindset. Compared to BMT, SISPEC life is definitely better. We get to go shopping for essential items after our meals if there's time, unlike the crammed eating time during BMT etc etc. I was actually surprised that their leadership package was fairly good. But it is rather clear to me that the problem isn't with the material they provide, nor the skill of the instructors, but something else...

One other good thing about SISPEC is the diversity. We've got JC, poly, regulars and even PHDs (Poly Halfway Dropouts). Definitely much better than the all-JC batch. Right now life is pretty good, we get reasonable admin time at night, and our instructors give us more leeway compared to other companies. The tempo will ramp up in the next few weeks though, and the physical training here is also much more intense. I understand the logic for it, since as a commander you need to be fit yourself, otherwise how can you push your men to pass or excel in IPPT?

Despite the constant drumming into us that we are future commanders, we all know that when we finally pass out as specialists (specs), we'll only be the smallest fry in the barrel, the most junior of the commanders. Ironically, we are also the most important, because officers rely on us to lead the men in carrying out their orders. But well, I won't bother too much about that. Small fry or not, I don't mind the higher pay and privileges that come with it. At least we don't have as much responsibility as well.

Anyway, something happened during our booking out that really pissed me off outright, but I won't mention it here.

2008-06-22T21:52:00.002+08:00

Well, that's it. Today marks the end of the longest leave I'll have during my NS life. Thinking about booking in tomorrow, SIAN AH!!! Went to watch Kung Fu Panda with the kakis just now. It was surprisingly full house still, even though it's been out for quite some time already. It certainly lives up to it's name, funny and innovative, the way Panda defeated the bad guy.

I know my blog has had the noisy "That Thing You Do" for a long long while, so I've uploaded another song - "Victory" by Bond. They used to be quite popular in the past, because of their unorthodox classical music. It's sort of like classical with a zest, and "Victory" was their most popular track. They've sort of faded out already though. Hope you enjoy!

2008-06-17T14:04:00.001+08:00

Well now, first of all, let me say a belated Happy Birthday to my blog! It's actually more than a week ago on 11 Jun, right on my POP, heh, but I never got down to blogging until now. Sadly, my block leave is about to end. It had been an enjoyable 10+ days of freedom, with all that sleeping late, going out and watching countless DVDs. I'll be reporting to SISPEC on Mon, where it'll almost be like a repeat of BMT, and will be passing out as a Corporal two months later, then most likely move on to more training before I become a Specialist (or commonly known as Sergeant). Needless to say, all my batch friends are rubbing it in with all that "ORD Lo!" rubbish, since they enlisted a year earlier. Gah.

As a celebration of my POP, I went to Zouk Phuture with my buddies last night. To be honest, I didn't really like the place. It was so crowded and I find that the speakers are positioned too close to the dance floor. There are actually some spots on the floor where your whole body vibrates in consonance with the speaker, lol. I went home with a bad ringing in my ears. Due to the crowded situation, it made for some unpleasant stuff too. Like this couple next to me, the woman was enjoying her embrace with her guy so much that she didn't notice her elbow kept knocking me. Eventually I got pissed enough to raise my arm to start blocking her stupid elbow. Guess SAF close combat training does come in handy at times.

You see rather odd stuff on the dance floor sometimes. Even odder are those couples who hug each other and stand motionless on the dance floor. Now that, is the ultimate... And I realize that many guys really cannot dance for nuts. They either go to try and pick up girls or to act as chaperones to protect their female friends from the many wolves. *shrugs* Quite lame la, I wonder if the night scene is the same in other countries.

On to other stuff, do try to watch this movie Get Smart if you can. It's a great comedy. My friends and I were laughing throughout the entire movie, so much so that we cannot define a most funny moment, because they were all so funny. What I like is the genuine laughter created instead of simply slapstick humour, because the funny moments come at the most unexpected parts. I love this movie, go watch it.

Well, I would really like to blog about my NS experiences, but such stuff, be it good or bad, are best not posted online. Who knows, it could be a chargable offence, haha. But now and then I'll put up some funny stories about my bunkmates.

2008-06-08T16:04:00.002+08:00

My my, how long it's been since I blogged. But then again, it's pretty boring to keep blogging about NS life isn't it? The only news worthy of mentioning is that I'm passing out of(completing) BMT on wed! After which we'll get one week plus of block leave. Lovely. Hopefully, I'm leaving Tekong for good.

Oh, I also went for a pilot selection test recently. The test was as tough as it's reputation. We had to do stuff like controlling a joystick while doing mental calculations and keying in specific keyboard buttons. Now that's what I call stressing your brain to the max. Another one was folding a various 2D shapes into a cube and then figuring out the colour of a specific face. That was arguably the hardest test for all of us who were there.

Let's see, oh, and some good news to share. I had joined my company's drill squad, and after many hours of training (plus voluntary confinement!), our efforts were rewarded. We came in first for the competition! For those who don't know, it's basically a competiton on footdrill and armsdrill (drill with rifles). Sadly, there's no way we can video it down. I would have loved to see just how our squad looked like during performing.

2008-05-25T16:34:00.002+08:00

In the blink of an eye, it's time to book in again. And in just 2 plus more weeks, it's time to POP. Haha. And then no more Tekong for me (I hope). Last night I brought my parents out to dinner. While in the lift, my mother was complaining about her white hair. Haha, without my realizing it, both my parents have aged quite a bit, especially my father. Dinner was a simple affair at Pastamania. Sitting there with them, I felt incredibly blessed and peaceful and thankful that I could experience this moment.

2 days is such a short time. I'm getting to the stage where at every book-out I ask myself, "What am I going to do with so little time?" I'm sure every NSF can understand what I mean, haha. Still, with a bit more spare time in bunk at night nowadays, I'm trying to do whatever stuff I can while in bunk. And maybe when I get a reply from a uni on my course, read up a bit? And oh, next Sat there's a workshop on managing your cashflow. I've gone once before, and I've found it very interesting and informative. I'm going again, so if any of you wish to join me, you're most welcome. Just drop me a msg k?

2008-05-22T11:24:00.001+08:00

The infamous freeze mobs has finally come to Singapore, right at the very doorstep of Takashimaya. Sadly I couldn't take part because I was in NS. But check out the videos. They were featured on Channelnewsasia, Straits Times and New Paper as well.

2008-05-18T01:30:00.002+08:00

Finally. Two full solid days of rest. And best of all, no more outfield for BMT!!!!! Well, I can tell you how glad I am not to have to sleep in a basha again (at least for the next few weeks). Whee. But ok la, SIT TEST (situational test) wasn't too bad. Although all our commanders said it's very important for entering command school, it seemed more like playing Scout checkpoint games to me, and it wasn't as physically tough as all the rumours said. In fact, it was pretty relaxed for my group (probably in part because we had a very nice sergeant)! Just that I got constipation after coming back.

To be honest, I had entered NS with the aim of just going through it, finishing it and be done with it. But to my surprise, I found it much tougher, mainly due to my physical fitness. It's not exactly a good thing to be unfit in a supposedly physically fit "leadership" batch. As a result, it's very mentally challenging on me, especially for route marches and outfield (camping out in the field). Interestingly, I learnt quite a bit about myself too. Like I can be a bit selfish at times (hehe, not that there was a lack of volunteers), and boy, did I really push myself to the limit at times. So much for thinking ASPIRE was the toughest I had gone through.

I did want to enter command school at first, but having experienced the physical endurance needed (I'm still quite short of the requirement), I'm really quite content to be myself, and just really happily serve the rest of my NS in whatever unit I may be in. But if it's too xiong, I may consider down-PESing, haha. Digging your own grave is no joke under the hot sun, I almost fell from heat exhaustion doing that during field camp. Thank God the weather got cooler and I was able to complete it.

What I really appreciate about NS is that, no matter how sucky it is, at least I've really learnt to appreciate my family more. It really makes a difference when you only see them two days a week. Now I make a conscious effort to go out with my family whenever we have the chance, and I really enjoy it. The feeling you get is something that cannot be felt when you're with your friends. So sometimes I get quite puzzled why some of my platoon mates would want to spend their valuable weekends out with their friends clubbing, instead of with their family. It's true that you can laugh and joke with friends etc, but do they give the same warmth that a family can provide?

2008-05-11T01:39:00.002+08:00

At long last, field camp is over. It was much more physically demanding than I expected, and it really, really shagged me out. No doubt it is due to the fact that we are only 3-week soldiers, and so in a certain way it has to be expected. But gosh, I hope I never have to go through that again. Things which topped the list of unpleasant stuff included not being able to bathe (which made our hair dry and sticky and yucky), digging our own trenches/graves and having camo paint on our faces 24-hr for all six days etc etc. I guess I can't really reveal much because it's military stuff. In the army, almost every mistake is a chargable offence. Even falling sick is chargable, but obviously the commanders don't follow that all the time la. Scary right?

There were good stuff too. There were some moments during FC where I could really feel the presence of God helping me, when I was so down and out. I'm really so thankful to Him for that. Without Him, I may not have passed FC. I can actually feel six solid pecs too, the only problem is, they're hidden under this layer of fat on my tummy. Lol. So sad. But generally speaking, I know I'm improving physically, I only hope I'm improving fast enough. I'm officially the physically weakest recruit in my platoon. Should have failed NAPFA last year la, if I had known this would happen, then at least I go in earlier and more time to train. This Thurs we're going outfield again for our situational test. It's shorter but yet more xiong then field camp. I can't imagine. But hey, after that at least I'll no longer have to put on camo paint (for BMT).

I also received a bit of news, which was to attend an interview for NTU teaching. On one hand, I'm glad to receive some news. On the other, teaching was my last choice. Does that mean I've been rejected for all my previous choices??? Geez. Please please, let me get into a local uni. Send me that letter I've been waiting for.

2008-05-01T23:42:00.002+08:00

Once again, I'm spending quality time at home. My, how wonderful to wear civilian clothes and not finish my meals in 10 minutes. I'll be gone from Sat to Sat, one week in total, for my field camp. Stories goes that field camp is generally the most jialat for BMT, because there's no opportunity for bathing. I can fully understand. Wonder what that'll do for my skin, lol.

At least I've got camping experience though, so it shouldn't be too bad. After field camp, the worst part will be over. At the same time, this period is when the unis start sending out the acceptance/rejection letters. Since I was not called up for any interviews even though I applied for discretionary as well, it can only mean that (a) I've been accepted or (b) I've been rejected. I really sincerely hope it's (a), although I believe SMU has rejected me already, since I did not get any interview at all.

2008-04-26T18:58:00.003+08:00

So yes, I'm finally back on mainland Singapore. Ah, the luxury of having a hot shower. I mean, cold showers on Tekong isn't too bad if the night is hot. But it's raining, wah, it's super cold. So far BMT hasn't been too bad, but I think it will get more strict as time goes by. Already I'm feeling the strain from all that exercise on my unfit body, lol.

Then there's all that regimentation etc. Having been exposed to it before, I find it quite ok, though it's quite a drag. Haha, I still miss my freedom. But I'm most worried about my skin, which is quite sensitive. I hope it doesn't get worse and my body will acclimatise, else I'll have a hard time. Will be booking in tomorrow night, but, I'll be out again on Wed! Thanks to May Day. Whee. But after that is 6 days of field camp (i.e. no bathing). I hope my skin survives!

2008-04-22T16:41:00.002+08:00

Whee, a short reprive at home. Gosh, i don't know where to start. Suffice to say, it's been super tiring. I was able to specially book out this morning only because I had my USP interview in the afternoon. But I'll have to book in by this evening. :( I'll blog more when I book out on Friday. In the meantime, do enjoy these videos which I got from Bernedette's blog.

2008-04-10T00:41:00.000+08:00

My last day as a civilian. Am gonna miss my pink IC and my freedom.

2008-04-08T23:52:00.003+08:00

Went for an "outing" with my cousins today. It was quite ok la, I just followed them everywhere from that paper shop to Spotlight to Daiso to.... .... .... It amazes me how they can go "Ooooh! SO CUTE!!" at every single thing in Daiso. But well, girls are girls. :P In the end I had to leave early so I could go Sim Lim buy a battery-operated phone charger. I've got here some photos which I've always wanted to upload but never had the time, until now.

An impromptu photo with my cousins upon finding some discarded hats along the Spotlight aisles.

Got this to stamp on my letters to other people. I like the chinese words.

My last look at my office desk. Felt a tinge of sadness upon seeing it again.

Leaving my big name in the sand during my (ex-)company's teambuilding. I think I posted this before.

Saw this at Vivo. Ever wonder what it felt like to have an oversized rectangular head?

Pitstop outing with my dearest Rovers!!

Going drinking is always expensive. Hence the importance of bringing back photo momentos.

2008-04-07T21:55:00.002+08:00

Two days left.

So while I'm away, I'm leaving my absolute all-time favourite classic retro hit in the sidebar:
That Thing You Do by The Wonders.

Enjoy.

2008-04-07T16:34:00.003+08:00

Oh my gosh. I'm so nervous right now. After anxiously waiting for news, I finally got an email today from NUS's University Scholar's Programme calling for an interview. So immediately squadrons of butterflies in my stomach took off and started pulling acrobatic stunts. I'm actually more worried about whether I can even get a place in a local uni, since I've received no confirmation yet, and USP isn't linked to that. Plus the interview's right during my confinement. Hmm, how? Ponder ponder.

2008-04-05T11:59:00.002+08:00

I found the copy of Rich Dad, Poor Dad at Popular today, and bought it without hesitation. Looking forward to better financial management from now on.

So I went out with my family for dinner tonight, seeing it's my last pre-NS family dinner. So my dad was very nice, he let me drive to dinner. Then I got to drive from AMK all the way to T3. Speaking of T3, that place has really changed since I last went during its' Open House. It looks so much better now, and the basement is really like a shopping mall. A very nice shopping mall. Even thought there's very few airlines and it was already 9pm, it was still crowded. Now if only I stay near there. Oh but one downside. Because it's soooo big, it's quite tiring and time-wasting to keep walking from one end to the other. After that, I got to drive all the way from Changi to Yishun. Whee.

Hai, 4 more days. 4 more days!!

2008-04-05T11:31:00.004+08:00

What a yesterday. I was rushing to finish my tasks since it was my last day. Near the end of the day I was left with this final task, which I completed with the help of my colleague right on the dot. Then it was time for the farewells. So I went around collecting namecards, wishing others all the best, joking with my colleagues. As I packed up my desk and arranged everything neatly (I left a blue-tack smiley face on my monitor for the next temp), to my surprise, I found myself getting very emotional. I had formed an emotional attachment to the place and people, now I had to break it. Most of all with my immediate sup, not a day would pass witthout us bantering with each other. I know I will miss her most. It is the knowledge that the next time we meet again, we would have inevitably drifted apart, that makes it so sad. I got a special IME staff jacket as a farewell gift (temps aren't supposed to get it). I will certainly treasure it.

Rushed straight to Commonwealth for an extremely insightful cashflow workshop. Had to recalibrate my thoughts after that emotional rollercoaster just now. But having gained a better idea on passive income, I can see why it is the key, and I now know what to do. It was simply wonderful.

After that, it was down to MOS. I was making a special exception for KH and Darryl because they wanted to bring me to a club before I enlisted. Liz came too. I was quite surprised though. The retro room totally blew me over, I love retro music. I was quite worried I would get drunk because I skipped dinner, so I quickly got everyone to the dance floor before they could buy even more drinks for me. I suppose this is where my salsa experience came in handy with the confidence. I noticed that there were two distinct groups, one dancing, one just standing at the side watching, like so boring lor. Isn't the whole point of coming to let loose and relax on the dance floor? For me it was a good way to shake off the sad feelings from earlier in the day. Still, I guess there is some thereupatic effect to shaking your body in tune to a beat for a few hours, since it doesn't require any brain power. But I think the vibrations from the R&B music ah, very bad for your heart. Haha. Retro still better. I left slightly earlier though, didn't mind paying the atrocious cab fare home so I could drink Mum's bak tu teh. Wah, but really regret skipping dinner. Was super hungry throughout the night, but it was too late to grab a bite or anything, plus I was pretty conked out from the alcohol and the late hour.

2008-04-03T23:01:00.003+08:00

Today was not such a good day. My that very close colleague had been on MC since last Thurs, and she had kept extending it till next Mon. That meant the last time I would see her was actually last Thurs. Quite sad becos we didn't have a proper farewell. Then yesterday when I asked her why she told me she had an unusual miscarriage and it was a long story. I was very surprised 'cos she had told none of us she was pregnant, but this being a sensitive issue I didn't ask further.

Then today my other close colleague confirmed it after I asked her. Apparently it was an ectopic pregnancy, where the embroyo implants outside the womb, so there's no chance of birth, plus it endangers the mother. No doubt my colleague must have been very sad. I don't know why but given that even I am already so sad upon hearing it, it must be much worse for the mother. Sigh. I'm just thankful that she took action on time. She's actually very thrifty, always saving up for her Sec 2 son, so after problem signs started appearing, she delayed the gynae visit to save money, hoping the problem would go away. And she delayed for one month! My gosh. Thank God there were no serious complications. I really hope she'll be able to get over this soon. She's such a great colleague, friend and mother, why must this happen to her?

2008-04-02T08:25:00.002+08:00

I suppose it's time to blog again, my blogging days are limited. There's just one week left before I enlist into NS, so I'm trying to settle all my stuff before then. My last day at IME will be this Fri. It was supposed to be this Mon, but I extended my stay so I could finish my work (and earn more money).

I'm really gonna miss my colleagues though. They've been a great bunch, and they've treated me really well. I've grown really close to some of them too. Like the colleague next to me, we always chitchat (gosssip) a lot and she's helped me a lot as well. Then my immediate superior, she's super funny la, always making those witty jokes. Colleagues like them really brighten up my worklife. Not to mention the many various learning opportunities I've been given. Hai, I'm sad to be leaving.

So I'll be entering a new phase of my life soon. Last year, I had similarly prepared to do so. As fate would have it, it'll be delayed for a year. Now, it's time to pick up where I left off. I sure hope NS will be fun too! Or at least I'll try to make it fun.

2008-03-28T08:47:00.003+08:00

Today I'll be doing a special feature on certain blogs. Take it as free advertising for them.

I'm sure you know about Singapore winning the bid to host the inaugural YOG 2010. Although it effectively eliminates almost all our chances of hosting the real Olympics, it's nevertheless a proud moment for us. I was also touched by the strong support by the community and citizens, something you rarely see in Singapore. This blog was the pioneer and driving force behind netizen support, and they even have a Facebook group. (I was one of the pioneer blogs to suppport this movement!)

I've mentioned this before. Take this chance to learn vocab and donate rice for free at the same time to the impoverished countries. It's a great website, and it's fully legitimate.

On to the shopping blogs. We have here Runway Princess, which sells fashionable and chic clothing at reasonable prices. This upstart is bound to succeed in the future, so grab those clothing while prices are still low!

This site sells a great e-book, Unlocking Secrets of the Search Engine. Have you ever spent hours searching for information on the internet to no avail? Almost anybody can use a search engine, but do you know how to use it effectively? Want to find out more? Just buy the book, which is currently sold at an introductory price offer.

Lastly, we have another shopping blog. The blog has moved though, and it hasn't been updated for long.

2008-03-27T20:52:00.002+08:00

While going home just now, I felt the air was unusually chilly, like ~20 degrees celsius. When I got home, I heard from my mum that there were ice raining in Ang Mo Kio. So I checked it out, and indeed, there were hailstones the size of 5 cent coins in the central area this afternoon. So cool right?

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/337625/1/.html

2008-03-25T17:34:00.002+08:00

I actually forgot to blog about one thing during Sunday, which was also when I helped my mum with dinner. Because I was signing a new phone plan, we got home quite late. So as compensation I helped my mum prepare dinner. For those ignorant nuts out there, I actually can cook a full meal both in the kitchen AND in the jungle (without utensils). The only tough part came when I was helping wash the "dou miao". It's a vegetable with many small stalks and small leaves. We were cooking for 10 people so there were so many leaves to wash! Wah kau, 'cos you need to look down at the leaves when washing, so in the end I actually got a neckache, much to the amusement of my mum.

There were also good news too. Yesterday when I was asking one of my managers to sign my referral letter, he even offered to write a separate one specially for me! What a nice guy.

Today was probably the best news I've heard in this rainy month. As I'm in charge of arranging interviews between our research staff and potential candidates, I talk to quite a lot of people. Then there was this particular candidate his resume very zai, and there had been some complications and delays with his 2nd interview. I was actually kinda worried he'll get a bad impression of IME, but when he came down today, much to my surprise, he complimented me upon meeting my colleague (I don't meet them in person)! Apparently he had been quite impressed with my politeness during our phone conversations. Boy, this really made my day.

2008-03-24T11:05:00.004+08:00

Yesterday was Easter Sunday. Steph invited me to SAC's Resurrection Service, so I went along, having run out of excuses to go to church. I actually quite liked the service, I think it was much better than last year's one at CHC. Perhaps I'll go again next week.

Went to sign up for a new contract yesterday. I had wanted to recontract to keep my old number, but it wasn't worth it. Then now Starhub's new student plan is super zai lor, 2000 free SMS! Compare that to Singtel's "unlimited SMS" student plan, which has only 500 free SMS, after which the free SMS only applies to other Singtel numbers. Then plus the other free stuff that comes with the new line, so I took that one. My personal take is that while Starhub's connection is quite lousy at times, it's free SMS and per-second billing really gave me a lot of savings. Especially the billing which allows me to stretch those outgoing calls. Then also "bought" a $0 W660i for my weekend use when I book out during NS.

I actually quite like the W660i, and it scored good reviews online too. It's a candybar phone like my k750i. My only peeve is that it doesn't have a camera light and autofocus. Other than that, it certainly tops my old k750i in terms of design and size. It's black and gold, and slim to boot!

2008-03-23T01:15:00.002+08:00

Thurs
Went to Sim Lim to buy a new heat sink for my video card. Then on to Brewerkz with Darryl and KH. Their beer is pretty strong... When we left we were all feeling a bit woozy. The only eventful thing was when I tried to use my STOMP Club card for the 15% discount, they wouldn't accept it. The thing is, I had specially called to check if it applied to the Clarke Quay branch, and the person said yes. So we asked to speak to the manager, and sadly, it was a miscomm (only applies to Indoor Stadium). But as any good manager should do, he gave us the discount anyway. That's what I call good customer service.

Fri
Watch Be Kind Rewind with the kakis. It was actually pretty funny, during the times when they had those nostalgic scenes like Ghostbusters, Robocop. Man, I miss those childhood days. That aside, I really did feel like punching one of the main characters for acting like a complete *. Lol.

Sat
Went for makeup salsa class. Boy, the moves are getting harder. I think I'll doing my free refreshers at this level before I move on. Even then, I doubt I will. I only plan to be a good salsa dancer, but not turn pro. Then went to Pitstop! They had wanted to go drinking instead, but I suggested Pitstop, and amazingly they took it. What I've realized is that different games tickle different people, but ultimately, we all have fun. Best part is, I spent only $9 (as compared to ~$20 if I had gone drinking). I've been staying on budget ever since I spent an arm on...

2008-03-18T23:37:00.002+08:00

Today's company teambuilding was really hot. I think I got more tanned, but it was a nice tan. Thankfully, it was also the last day. For the past 10 working days we've been shuttling back and forth between West Coast Park and IME, plus it's quite hard to work after coming back all hot and sticky. We get half days off but sometimes we still have to stay to finish our work. But I did counter that problem by wiping myself down everytime after we come back.

Since today was the last legal half day, I left extra early. Went to shop at Vivocity. I quite enjoy shopping there, because that place is so big and there's just so much stuff to see. Shop shop shop until I forgot to eat my dinner, lol. Then it was time to watch Spiderwick Chronicles with Shirley. The movie was really good, even though the story centers around this silly book which everybody wants. And because Vivo's screens are really big, some parts of the movie made me feel like I was really flying. There were some parts which also surprised even me. The ending was rather... anticlimatic though, haha. When it happened I was like, "what the...". After Shirley left I continued shopping at Giant, another favourite haunt of mine. I never leave that place without buying something.

Okayyy... My eyes are closing again. Nowadays when I get home and face the com I face instant sleepiness. Yawns.

2008-03-16T23:02:00.003+08:00

I wanted to blog about what's been happening recently. But too tired liao, so just settle for 3 pictures k? Haha...

Made this during my company's teambuilding event. Was waiting and waiting...

And of course, I had to leave my mark in history (for a few mins...)

Spotted this at Vivo..

2008-03-14T13:28:00.002+08:00

It's been raining cats and dogs recently, but it was finally sunny for once. I don't think I've ever blogged about 183 right? Here in Science Park II, there's a very special group of people who are bonded together by a common experience. Yes, the people who take 183 every morning from Clementi MRT.

Every morning, we will wait sedately at the bus stop, like any other commuter. So how do you spot a 183-er? Simple, the moment the bus appears, a massive crowd will suddenly form at the most possible stopping location, for strategic positioning for an edge over others. It can be misleading too; just yesterday I spotted a crowd forming, and I quickly jostled for position. Naturally all the other 183-ers got into position. But when the bus came, it was actually 185. Haha, naturally there were cries of disappointment from the crowd over the false alarm.

But that's not the end. Sometimes the bus stops very far away from the crowd because of another bus in the bus bay. Then you'll see us running, yes, really running towards the bus (otherwise known as The Amazing Race To Get On Board). And then the battle begins, with nudging, not-so-subtle pushing and sometimes outright squeezing. I'm starting to think they actually enjoy this moment of morning madness to make up for the boring office day. But of course, there's a reason. Because that stupid bus is always so crowded, there's always people who can't get on board. And if you're one of them, you'll be late. And who wants to be late?

Still, in all my history of taking buses, no matter how crowded, I've never encountered taking any other bus service where people are willing to come into such close contact in order to board the bus. But after a short while, you get used to all that pushing, and you realize you see the same people every morning, and then you'll start pushing people back. But I don't though, haha, I use a shortcut method to get on board.

2008-03-10T23:44:00.002+08:00

While I was at West Coast Park as usual for my company's teambuilding, a pair of Cub Scouts came up to me, one boy one girl. "We are selling cold drinks for Job Week. Could you buy some for us?" Naturally my heart melted and I went to buy all 11 of their canned drinks. But what happens when you put a blur Rover Scout with 2 blur Cub Scouts?

Well, it was supposed to be $1.50/can, but I mistakenly gave him only $1/can. So I gave $11 instead of $16.50. The funny thing was, he didn't realize it either. It was only later on while daydreaming that I suddenly realized I had underpaid. So I quickly took the balance and went after them, luckily they were still selling drinks. Haha, so I was telling the boy next time to count his money, because you can't trust everyone. It's a fact that not everyone can be trusted. That's something that will always hold true.

2008-03-09T23:39:00.002+08:00

Ok, I know it's time to blog. Been quite busy the past few days looking over my options for uni. Sadly, despite putting in an extra year, I only ended up with BCD. Worst of all, my GP deproved from A2 to a B3. That is perhaps the most depressing of all. I had lost my only distinction in the one subject which I had the most pride in. Decent but not good at all. Now I can only count on my portfolio and my ability to sell myself.

On that fateful morning I had gone to draw money and I saw $1,234 on my bank statement, and I thought good omen (for my wishes of ABC). Sadly everything was one grade below par. Hahaha. So much for putting in so much for Chem.

It'll be busy again these few days. Especially with so many applications to make. Nevermind. As I always say, I'm an eternal optimist!

2008-03-05T23:44:00.002+08:00

Ah, I'm finally home. Today was the last session of my 1A Salsa class. At the end of it all, we took pictures and there was this mood of "its-over-so-soon-boo" in the air. But many of us are going on to 1B so we'll see each other again! I'll be going for free refreshers, so it'll now be two salsa classes a week. Overall we learnt quite a lot of moves, definitely enough to mix-and-match for an interesting reportoire. Now it's time for the polishing.

2008-03-04T20:54:00.007+08:00

Went to watch Oscar-winning Juno today with Siti. It's a really great movie. Lots of humour, and it gives a rather good presentation of what's happening in the world today, haha. Ellen Page's a talented actor (and cute to boot too!). I'm glad I watched it before the run ended. I realize I've been watching a lot of movies recently. Hmm, but I don't mind la. I think I'm turning into a movie buff. As for Siti, she's been entranced by that "Vampire" song during the credits.

Will be able to leave work for the next 9 working days. Hooray!

Oh yeah, I kinda like this Chinese quote which I came up with myself. I had been discussing with a cousin how much a place had changed within a few years.
时间久了，地方会变，人心也会变
(As time passes by, places change, and so do people's hearts)

2008-03-03T20:52:00.002+08:00

At long last, the long awaited news is here. 'A' Lvl results are coming out on Fri. I have been waiting for so long. One year, to be exact. Last year, I approached it with nonchalence. This year, I approach it with trepidation. Because I have put in one long year for this. Every single day since 'A's ended, I have been praying for good results. Every single day. I even have a specific result.

So much effort has gone into this. If I don't meet my results, I will be utterly devastated. If I do, I will go to cloud ten. I really really really REALLY hope I'll do well. There is nothing more I wish for right now. I know I won't get straight As, but please Lord, give me the results I want. Please.

I know everything above can be summarized into one sentence, lol. But one sentence cannot sufficiently convey what I am feeling right now.

2008-03-02T02:55:00.012+08:00

Leap years tend to be special, and boy, was it so this year.

29th Feb
Went for work in the morning as usual. Watched L: Change the world with cousins, our first gathering ever. Somehow the passing away of our grandma brought us closer together. I think she would have liked that. The movie was really nice. Then after that went to KTV, my first time too! At first it was a bit cold but I started enjoying it so much after warming up, we stayed there till 5am. Reached home and "slept" at 7am.

1st Mar
Woke up 2 hours later at 9am, went for JW meeting. Then shopped at Vivocity with Nasu. reached home at 5pm. Went out 2 hours later at 7pm for KH's birthday celebration. We went to Manhattan Fish Market at PS. Their butter cod was gooood. After dinner I finally got my long-awaited wish to go Pitstop Cafe. Man, it was fun!! We played this railway game, which was pretty interesting, although I lost very badly, hahaha. Then we played Halls of Horror, which was totally absorbing. It's like the board version of Survivor, where you must work with other human players, and then backstab them to survive the zombies. I managed to narrowly win it thanks to some luck. We only ended the game at 2.20am, but it was really worth it. We've already decided to go back there in the near future to check out all the other cool games.

All in all this leap year I've spent TONS of money these two days. For the last 48 hours I've only been home 10 hours. Time to start eating bread... And time to sleep. Some pictures will be up tomorrow (later).

[Add-on]

My handphone holder in my office. Used to bring good luck for mahjong. Heh.

Halls of Horror. Those zombies never failed to try and break down our barriers. When the game ended the three of them had only their strong man left while I was left with my bimbo. This game actually required more strategic thinking than we thought. Gosh, it was really tough evading those zombies.

2008-02-27T11:55:00.003+08:00

Just reached home from salsa, only to learn that a JI terrorist has escaped from detention. This guy was the mastermind of the Singapore JI cell before he had been caught. More info: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/331477/1/.html

He had escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Center at 4.05pm today, according to ChannelNewsAsia. He walks with a limp and is presently at large. If any of you see this person, please call 999 to inform the police.

[Info and picture taken from Channel News Asia]

2008-02-26T21:19:00.001+08:00

Wondering what's become of no-frills airlines?...

And wondering if Windows 98/XP had any music inclination?...

2008-02-25T23:19:00.002+08:00

Check out this cool website http://improveverywhere.com/ where seemingly random people do spontaneous acts together, much to the puzzlement of others. Haha, so funny. And they just carried out one in Singapore, check it out below.

I think I'm gonna join this thing.

2008-02-25T20:30:00.002+08:00

The past few days have been quite a blur. As you know my mum's grandma passed away on Wed. Apart from half days on Thurs and Fri, all the rest of the time I was at Singapore Casket for my grandma's wake. It'd been a really long time since I attended one, and grandma had been my favourite grandparent. I'd hoped some friends could come and accompany me at the wake but none came, even my trusted kakis. Nothing like a wake to bring home the importance of family. Love my parents even more now.

And so I dedicate my sidebar song to my grandma.

2008-02-23T13:21:00.002+08:00

I just met a most inconsiderate driver on the expressway last night. I had been on the middle lane at 85kph, and this idiotic SUV started tailgating me. I mean like, one of the most basic expressway rules is, if you find the car in front too slow, you either slow down, or you overtake, not tailgate!!! I couldn't speed up either (and had no wish to) because there was a cab in font of me. Then my family started asking me to brake and brake becos I was nearing the cab in front, when would have resulted in a possible collision by that SUV.

Of course I know must increase distance la, but have to do it slowly. That's why people who have never been in the driver's seat won't know what it's like to have the lives of other people in your hands, and the conclusions they make without seeing the rear and side mirrors.

Anyway, do check out the latest song in my sidebar. I managed to get it because a wonderful kind-hearted soul had responded to my MP3 request on Youtube.

2008-02-22T00:55:00.003+08:00

Fellow netizens, yet another piece of wonderful news. Singapore has won the bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010!!! I still remember when I first put the banner on my blog, I had been the 8th blog to do so. Now there's over 100+ blogs supporting the bid, not to mention the Facebook members and corporate sponsorships. Being able to outbid a giant like Moscow is truly a miracle, and rare are the times when we see Singaporeans join together like this.

I am truly touched by the support shown by everyone, and I'm really glad that we won. This event will no doubt give us one of the things we have been lacking - national pride and identity. When was the last time you saw Singaporeans wearing red and cheering together (other than Natl Day)? So Singapore, let's welcome the youths of the world in 2010!!! Hopefully I'll have ORD'ed by then and can sign up as a volunteer.

Credits : IOC/Hélène Tobler

2008-02-20T22:57:00.005+08:00

Received news my grandma passed away just now. I had been very torn between going for my salsa class and going home to comfort my mum, but thankfully my dad told me I could go for my salsa first and then rush home ($23 cab fare!! Booking+ERP+City surcharge!! GEEZ!!)

Salsa is getting more and more fun. Now our reportoire includes basic steps, turns and sidesteps. So its really looking and feeling like salsa. It's also the time when I'm finding out which dancemates I have more 默契 (rapport) with. It's exceptionally fun dancing with some of them because our lead and follow technique is smoother, and we execute moves much more easily. Wah, the feeling when moves are done right, is really thrilling, especially like that push-turn we learnt today. No wonder they said dancing improves your self-confidence. And it's also a freestyle dance, so if we mis-step, just correct it can liao. My mouth's kinda dry from all that counting of 1,2,3...5,6,7... tho.

I couldn't resist asking a dancemate to stay behind for more practice. Good thing I did, I magically mixed up most of the moves, so practicing again was good. (And I stepped on her foot once!! Omg there goes my chances of dancing with her again. Haha.) Then our instructors also displayed a demo of bachata. It's a really cool, fast-paced, romantic and sensual dance. Looks really cool to me, but I think it's best suited for couples. Anyway, I'm officially hooked on salsa.

2008-02-17T21:39:00.007+08:00

Ah, I've found that one of my favourite sections of the movie which I was talking about. Sorry but it's in Cantonese though, and you need to have watched the rest of the movie first to fully understand it (actually you can watch the whole movie on Youtube, or borrow the DVD from me).

And the full piece of music from the clip below can be found here:
http://cineast.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=mi_ost&wr_id=858&page=7

And this is one of his most famous words in Stephen Chow's history of movies:

2008-02-16T15:55:00.003+08:00

Went to watch Ah Long Pte Ltd this morning with HT. It was surprisingly funnier than I thought. Although some people had criticized it for glamorising Ah Longs, but I think what Jack Neo was trying to do was to bring across the subtle message of the impact of Ah Longs on society. Caught some subtle hints too referring to other things. But the Muthu part had to be one of the funniest.

Then when I got home I rewatched my A Chinese Odyssey(1994). It ranks among my top favourite among movies made by Stephen Chow. Part 1 has his usual comic humour, and Part 2 has got to be the most heart-wrenching and touching love movie for me. The script and background music still score tops in my movie list up till now, and one of the quotes that he said on love has stayed famous up till even now. If you ever get the chance to watch the movie on TV, don't miss it. It'll bring you through an emotional rollercoaster...

2008-02-14T22:08:00.002+08:00

Check out this interesting game. Ok, it's not really a game, more like an animation. I think most of us guys can relate to that. LOL!

http://www.wyrdysm.com/qrpgame.php

2008-02-14T18:10:00.002+08:00

Happy Valentine's Day people! Guess what! At the last minute I managed to find a date! Yes, with my... *drumrolls* office computer! Due to some unforseen last minute circumstances, I end up spending a romantic date with my computer. Let's hope we don't do anything wrong, you know, what with the both of us being alone in the office and all.

On another note, it's rather disturbing I keep getting romantically involved with inanimate objects. Memories of that photocopier while I was at MOEHQ come floating back to me. Okay I better go see a shrink. Hahaha! Well I do hope I can finish my darned work quickly and get out of this place. As it was I wanted to go jogging but I doubt I can now. ZZZZ.

2008-02-14T11:59:00.002+08:00

Okay lots of posts today I know. But last one chop chop. Exciting news. First up, the Singapore team won for Amazing Race Asia!!! Damn cool huh. Though the last pit stop was in... Singapore. So they had home team advantage I guess. And the final pit stop was in ulu ulu Chinese Garden. But still damn cool.

Second up, the news I had eagerly searching the newspapers for finally came. Stephen Chow's CJ7 topped the weekend charts, earning over $2 million. It's the first Chinese movie to do so. 2nd was surprise surprise, Ah Long by Jack Neo. And third was Jay's KungFu Dunk. And so alls well ends well ('cept for Jay fans, haha). Alright, nights!

2008-02-13T23:00:00.005+08:00

So I went for my first professional salsa class today. Yeah finally got down to it after attending that salsa clinic during Learning Festival 2007. I had been a bit apprehensive because I knew most people in the class were much older than me. It's like half the women are taller than me! Haha. But hey, I met a few people around my age! I think there's one guy too. 'Tis wasn't as bad as I had thought at all. I'm not even the youngest. That honour belongs to this 17yo girl, and she's like wayyy taller than me. *ego deflates*

There's also two girls from RJC (one of whom got a prelim grade you could kill for). Aye, and most fun of all was the dancing (of course!) Very much looking forward to the next class where we're gonna learn new moves!

And so tomorrow is Valentine's. The bane of all singles who will either stay home and moan the day away or desperately find a date or arrange a meet up with their other single friends and pretend they're having fun. I'm probably Option 1. Okay I did ask a girl out but she wasn't free ok! Don't look at me like that! Haha. But then honestly, I don't really care now. I mean like, let nature take it's course. Sooner or later I'll meet the right one. I know because I'm so supremely sure. I'm so supremely sure because no girl has managed to make me fall head over heels and swoon hopelessly over her. No offence to any couple out there, I look at some and I wonder how they manage to be together. Lol I think my standards are too high already. Must fulfill this this that that. By the time I finish there aren't any girls left. LOL!

2008-02-11T22:54:00.000+08:00

CNY Day 0
Tom Yam Steamboat. Watched CJ7 sneak preview. Slept at 2+am.

CNY Day 1
Tom Yam Steamboat. Played mahjong with siblings. Slept at 2+am.

CNY Day 2
Tom Yam Steamboat. Slept at 2+am.

CNY Day 3
Went to KH's house. Played mahjong from 10pm-7am. Slept at 7am.

CNY Day 4
Tom Yam Steamboat. Slept at 1.30am.

Today
Fell sick!!! *sobs*

2008-02-11T01:03:00.000+08:00

Heard this nice anti-war song, One Tin Soldier, and then found out Scouts sing it too! Hope we can sing this at some campfire. I also like it because it uses the Canon in D chords.

Listen, children, to a story
That was written long ago,
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley-folk below.

On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath the stone,
And the valley-people swore
They'd have it for their very own.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure,
Tons of gold for which they'd kill.

Came an answer from the kingdom,
"With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of our mountain,
All the riches buried there."

Now the valley cried with anger,
"Mount your horses! Draw your sword!"
And they killed the mountain-people,
So they won their just reward.

Now they stood beside the treasure,
On the mountain, dark and red.
Turned the stone and looked beneath it...
"Peace on Earth" was all it said.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

A better quality version:

2008-02-10T11:59:00.000+08:00

Sigh, CNY is over so fast already. Back to work tomorrow. Boo. Okay, I admit it, it can get pretty boring at times. So I've decided never to take up an admin job when I grow up. But at the very least, thankfully, I've been able to satiate my craving for mahjong. Got to play a bit on CNY Day 2, and yesterday was the most zai. From 9pm-7am!! 10 hours straight! WhooHoo!!! Plus another one next week as well.

Anyway I was watching I Not Stupid 2 for the first time just now. Dunno why but I thought it was touching, maybe because it connects with what I've felt and feel. I really think that many local parents these days are showing their love the wrong way, and when their children do not turn out to be what they expect, they scold and question why. At the same time I also strongly feel that any student has the potential to succeed, be it ITE or Normal Tech or school dropout. One must bear in mind the founding fathers of Singapore had the equivalent knowledge of an ITE student when they were young.

In fact, for some time I've been wondering what to do for my future job. I had wanted research, but the thought of needing a Masters/Phd practically makes me sleep. I think, I might just decide to become a teacher. And not just any teacher, but a teacher of N(T) students. Or maybe even set up a school specially for students like them and school dropouts, to give them a second chance. I believe it's really a matter of finding the right teacher and the right method.

2008-02-07T01:40:00.001+08:00

Just back from the movie outing! To be honest, I think it's been ~~AGES~~ EONS since I've watched a movie with my parents. As an added bonus it was my first time driving into an underground carpark at AMK Hub. So on to CJ7. No spoilers here, but I did like the fact that Chow made references to two of his past popular movies. It's so obvious that it's funny. Well the movie didn't make me cry actually after all, I think the storyline was quite good. Just that I don't cry easily, haha. Though I must admit that this being his first attempt, it's really not bad! Because ultimately, I'm still his ultimate fan (please pardon my lousy pun)! So if any of you have time over this loooong weekend, do catch this great movie of his!

2008-02-06T22:24:00.000+08:00

Have you heard of the recent saga involving a case of a maid abusing a 2-mth baby? I didn't think much of it until I chanced upon it's video on STOMP. There're 6 videos on Youtube, but I've only watched 2. I really hate to say it, but it totally sickens me to my stomach. What that maid did was so unfeeling, so inhuman, she abused that baby so nonchalently, it's so sickening.

Maybe she was under pressure, or stress. Or something, I don't know. But I know nothing ever can pardon the behaviour she displayed towards that innocent baby. Geez. It's so scary even, in a way. Almost like the cold detached manner of a killer (no, she didn't kill the baby).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot22xZqLMMI

2008-02-05T13:45:00.000+08:00

I've been reading various reviews of Stephen Chow's CJ7. There's a mix of responses, but most describe it as a big change from his usual comedies. As I blogged previously, Chow hopes to make people cry instead of laugh this time round. Judging from those reviews, quite a lot of women and quite a few men have shed their tears over this hearrtwarming movie. I also read from a press interview that Chow had said that tears were precious, "Everybody can laugh now and then, it's so easy to laugh, but when was the last time you cried?" How true... Geez, and I was hoping I wouldn't need my tear glands so soon after NLP.

But I'm gonna catch the sneak preview tomorrow night with my family. Tomorrow!!! Omg omg I can't wait. Must go and support Chow in his battle against Chou. Not to mention he's currently making Kungfu Hustle 2 and Dragonball. Best is he'll finish just as I finish NS.

2008-02-04T23:43:00.000+08:00

But on to happier things. I've indulged in some retail therapy, and bought a cool Razor Krait gaming mouse. Ah, the luxurious feel of it. Doesn't matter that it's the lowest-end Razor. It's still a Razor. Lol.

Anyway, as I was going to buy my boring economic bee hoon for breakfast, a crystal clear vision came to me. In a flash, I knew what I wanted to do for my future. I would set up a small sized company with friends, and just keep it that way. Because honestly, I find office politics very tiring (not that I've encountered any, just that I know). Hence, it's better to work with friends you know and trust. Recruitment would be stringent so that only trusted people come in, and to prevent the company from bloating, people are kept to a minimum too. Just enough to earn a comfortable sum.

My ideal dream workplace is where everyone knows and trusts each other. Where disagreements are voiced out and settled through arguments/fistfights/swordduels. Ok, just kidding. But still better compared to backstabbing. Where the atmosphere will be friendly and informal. Now, time to put that dream into reality.

2008-02-04T12:22:00.000+08:00

Hai. I had wanted to take my parents out for lunch yesterday as I had promised myself previously, 'cos I had just received my paycheck. But then, I woke up at 2pm! So it was too late for lunch. Then I thought dinner still can. But restaurants everywhere was fully booked. The nearby Bottle Tree Village was suggested but I didn't want to go there. Lucky I didn't. Hai, so in the end it was dinner at home as usual. Nevermind, I'll wait till maybe next week or next next week then. But so sad la! Everybody had been so excited at the thought of a free meal from the youngest son.

And I'm such a silly person. Always doing the same silly stuff over and over again. Doing the things that shred my heart over and over again. When will I ever learn? Hai. Aiyah, heck care la. Some things when lost, can never be regained.............. Since it's been lost, is there a need to learn? Nah..

2008-02-02T11:59:00.000+08:00

I just had one of my nicest and worst dreams last night. It was a good dream because I dreamt that I had received my A Level results, and I scored straight As! Strangely though, it was in AO format so they were like A1s and A2s. Then because I had been spending a lot of time designing a poster with a blue background at work, similarly my cert came with the exact blue background. Then I also dreamt that I was so elated and so were my parents.

It was also my worst dream because when I woke up I started cursing and felt ultra darn super duper sad and disappointed it wasn't real!! Lol... Let's hope when the real one comes it'll be exactly the same as my dream..

2008-02-01T23:58:00.000+08:00

While I was cabbing home with my sis just now after work, I saw the NUS hostels again. Actually I've seen them one or two times since I started working at A*Star IME, because Science Park II is next to NUS. The first time I saw them, I thought they looked like condos. Practically fell in love with them. So just now I saw them at night. It looked even prettier. In fact, because of that, I'm really gonna try my best to get into NUS, because their ~~condos~~ hostels looks so nice! Really makes me want to stay there.

2008-02-01T19:01:00.000+08:00

Work has been a whirlwind of late. There's been a lot of things to do, and the most major thing being that I'm currently on loan to another company. This overseas company is forming a research team here in Singapore, and I've been tasked to oversee the setup of a booth at the NUS career fair. That means everything from the booth to the posters, flyer etc. Quite exciting work. I've been negotiating with this design company and they've already sent me 6 quotations. I think they must be quite fed up with me, lol.

But most of all it's a learning experience. Getting contacts, learning about the various nuances of quotations, making corporate gifts, flyers, folders etc. In a way it's useful for Scout projects even, because it covers actual business work. But I went to the NTU Career Fair and saw what the other companies did. Man, so scary. I couldn't secure much because I was brought in quite late, so it's too late for many things like making of customized gifts etc. But certainly, it'll come in use in future.

It does help that what this company, Unisantis Electronics, is doing is pretty exciting. They're going to research transistors that will allow computers to go up to 20GHz without any increase in price! Boy, it's every gamer's dream.

And oh, after passing my PPCDL, I had been searching high and low for an operator who could charter a boat out to me. Sadly the only one I could find was priced too expensive, and nobody wanted to help share the cost. But, my prayers have finally been answered. My former course instructor has agreed to lend me his boat for free! Now, who shall I ask...?

2008-01-29T21:16:00.000+08:00

I just saw these two hilarious videos on Youtube. Geez, they were so funny. Enjoy.

2008-01-28T23:58:00.001+08:00

Since CNY is approaching, it's time for some CNY music. Yes, corny I know, and paiseh to all those non-Chinese readers. But hey, it's time for some festive mood! *dances in tune with CNY music* I hope I'll get to play mahjong this year!!

If you really don't want CNY music there's also Over The Rainbow by Angela Zhang. :)

2008-01-28T21:23:00.000+08:00

Got this from Denise's blog. Boy, was it...

Put The Big Red Button on your site

2008-01-26T23:39:00.000+08:00

A rather exciting event just happened. While driving my sis home, I encountered my first roadblock. Actually I had seen it on my way to fetch her, so I wasn't surprised. It was quite exciting naturally, and I wondered if they would ask me to take the breathalyzer test. A car before me had been signalled to pull over already. When it got to my turn, the officer signalled for me to stop at where he was. But when I reached, he again signalled for me to go on. At this point before my foot even left the brake pedal, my sister excitedly told me "Can go can go already!". Haha, her defence later was that I was dilly-dallying to move off again.

Well in any case it was exciting! Definitely even more so if I had been pulled over. But I wasn't so yeah. Just another random roadblock. Haha.