ink!GLISH

Happy. Not.

2010-10-16T00:48:00.000-07:00

It's hard to answer the question "What's wrong?" when nothing's right.

This week had been one of the worst in my entire NS life. The week started off pretty smoothly with me passing my Highway Code test and attaining full score (from previous update post). When I started my circuit driving, everything just went haywire. :(

It's not as if I'm not trying my best. I've tried but have you? You claimed you've put in effort. Yes of course, in treating me like some experienced driver? You take for granted every move that I make. I ought to fucking remind you that I'm only into it for just FIVE DAYS. You can't expect a baby to know how to walk when he's five days old, do you?

Haven't been feeling the best of my health lately. Headache and feeling lightheaded seems to have become a norm after each driving lesson. Not sure what's the cause. It might be unfamiliarity. It might be my high blood pressure doing the works. I really don't know.

Our seniors used to say driving course is slack. On the surface, it's damn slack. But the mental stress I've faced over the past five days is equivalent to having turnouts every night at 3 SIG. It's that bad, at least for me.

Sometimes it's easier to say in words then to put it in actions.

Suck thumb for the rest of the 2 years. Honestly, easier said than done. :(

Update!

2010-10-11T00:33:00.000-07:00

#Quick Update

Had my Highway Code test earlier and managed to secure full marks 50/50. Yay!

Driving simulation was quite an interesting experience. Starting real road driving tomorrow! Nervous man.

Having boring theory lessons one again. There's 1001 things to learn about driving sian!!

Till the next update.

Driving Course

2010-10-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

As mentioned, currently on military driving course at Kaki Bukit Driving Centre. The first few days were quite boring with all the theory highway code stuff. And tomorrow's our Highway Code test with the passing mark of at least 45/50 (90%)! MUST PASS!

Going to start real driving (circuit probably) on Tuesday. Never ever thought I will actually have the chance to operate a military vehicle. Sounds exciting, but not really. It's quite terrorizing for me in fact. Not very into the idea of driving a humongous Unimog or 3-ton.

I do hope this driving course is a "blessing in disguise"! In the sense I get to master basic driving skills so that it'll be easier for me to pass my civilian driving test next time. That being said, the 5.5 days work week (i.e booking only on Sat noon) is still as demoralizing.

Till the next post.

KTPH

2010-10-05T04:48:00.000-07:00

Credits

Was at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for my specialist appointment this morning. Quite a serene and nicely refurbished place. I was there to check my blood pressure condition and guess what, it rose again. Now my BP's 170/50, which isn't a very healthy sign. Initial diagnosis was overactive thyroid but blood test results came out fine. Thyroid-secreting hormone (TSH) amount came out normal. Now the doctor's suspecting thiamine deficiency.

Speaking of thiamine, I initially heard it as thymine when the doctor first told me. He went, "Okay I will prescribe you some thiamine pills." In my mind I was like "How the hell do you even ingest DNA nitrogenous bases (relating to biology haha)" then I realized he meant thiamine which is a kind of vitamin.

Oh yeah I was also prescribed some Atenolol for my high blood pressure and after some research, I realize the side effects of the medicine were quite extreme. Go wiki atenolol and you'll be able to read about the other nasty effects of the beta-inhibitor.

Scientific names of drugs can be quite interesting once in a while. Maybe it's because I've studied biology for the past 4 years so I can better relate to what's described of the drugs.

O well, civilian time really flies. Back to mundane army life again. Driving course starts tomorrow. I really wonder what's in store for us. Uncertainty strikes once again! Shall blog about it when I'm back.

Till the next post!

For One More Day

2010-10-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

02.32 am and I'm still typing away. One of the rarest nights I'd managed to stay up late. The past few days of civilian life had been great. Enjoying the freedom thoroughly. Somehow the feeling of abhorrence for army gets stronger when you are in the civilian world for too long.

Anyway, finally tried KFC's A.M Platter breakfast today. Was deciding between Mac's Big Breakfast Deluxe and KFC's, eventually decided on the latter since I''ve never tried it before.

Definitely prefer KFC's Hashbrown as compared to Mac's. KFC one's thicker (packed with more potatoes) and it's less oily. Sometimes eating hash browns from Macdonalds feels as if you're biting a piece of deep fried oil crust.

The oven-baked biscuit was pretty good too. Crispy on the outside, moist and fluffy on the inside. Can feel the tinge of honey and maple taste in the oven-baked goodness.

Not forgetting the egg tarts that have already gained itself much popularity.

I still remember the first time I tried egg tarts at a fast-food restaurant was during the Shandong Trip in J1. The fast food outlets over at China offer much more variety of food as compared to our local branches. Like they had peach pies and curry nuggets at their Mac outlets and passion fruit egg tarts over at KFC. Really awesome stuff!

I just realized it isn't a very wise thing to blog about food at such wee hours. Just makes you feel damn hungry!

Till the next post.

Deepest condolences.

2010-10-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

Mrs Lee Kuan Yew dies at 89

Came back from an evening run and heard this piece of shocking news. I only came to know about Mdm Kwa being in a coma during the SMU Law interview earlier this year when we were on the topic of euthanasia.

Just a month ago, I read a tribute article by Dr Lee Wei Ling to her mum titled My Dear Mama. She was writing about how she cannot bring herself to reconcile with the cruel reality of her mum's silence sufferings. It was an indeed a touching read.

Birth and death. All part and parcel of what's called 'Life'. Instead of living in the sorrows of her demise, we should all take time to appreciate the great things she'd done for our homeland, the instrumental role she'd played in our Singapore's history.

RIP Mdm Kwa Geok Choo.

Eventful

2010-10-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

This week was pretty much eventful.

Bro's 16th birthday was on Tuesday but celebrated in advance on Sunday!

After that was the last book-in to Jurong camp since we're going to Sembawang Camp next week for military driving course.

On Monday night/Tuesday morning, we had our final turnout which was meant to be a test to see if we're qualified to graduate out from the Unit Induction Programme (UIP). Turnout at 12am in the night, lasted till 8am in the morning. Very shagged indeed. All our efforts paid off when we finally got our beret and tiger tabs at the UIP Completion Parade!

Wed was live-firing at Nee Soon Camp. Another tiring day. Sad news is I didn't manage to get Marksman which was worth $200!! It's not that easy shooting M16 after all. With just the tiny iron sight and no scope unlike SAR 21.

Booked out on Thurs evening cause we were granted half-day off. On leave all the way till next Tuesday before we report to Sembawang Driving Camp on Wed. Feels like a civilian once again. The freedom and liberty to do what we want and not being restricted by any sort of military directives!

Met up with some army mates yesterday. Had Astons for lunch! It's been a while since I had Astons. It's really cheap and good. After that head over to MINDS cafe at Prinsep Street (opposite Paradiz centre). Had lots of fun playing the different board games like I'M THE BOSS!

And so another chapter of army life has closed; specifically the chapter titled "UIP". From my last post, I think it's relatively easy to infer that being under the Unit Induction Program felt quite a bitch. Literally the lowest life form there.

And now the next chapter to be unveiled is titled "Military Driving". All the horror stories of the driving centre reverberates once again. We shall see how things goes. Hoping everything goes really smoothly and that I'll be able to pass my test at first shot. The bad part about driving is that it's a 5.5 day work week i.e we only get to book out on Saturday afternoon. And that means my next 6 weekends would be partially burnt.

In any case, till the next post, we'll see.

厌倦。

2010-09-25T05:01:00.000-07:00

I don't like where I'm at now. Incapacitated. Hanging loose yet dangerously by a thin thread. We're all like fucking puppets waiting to be play around with. This whole "lowest life form'' shit is getting on my nerves. What on earth did we do to deserve all this shit that's happening to us?

Every night we sleep in fear. "7 hours of uninterrupted rest." Sounds very promising. It's all in the directives, written black and white. But by unconventional justifications, they claim it's all part of the training.

The respect I have for certain people is diminishing at an alarming rate. I'm appalled at how fucking two sided they can be. One moment they act all so friendly to you. Another moment they shout at you like nobody's business. It's a nightmare that I hope I can wake up from. As soon as possible.

Sometimes people have to understand one thing and that it's not easy to be in our position and merely endure through the 2 years. It's easier said than done. The amount of nonsense we have to take before we ORD is immense. It's all a mental play that I can't no longer take anymore. I can no longer reconcile with things that's happening around me.

I'm sick and tired.

累了

2010-09-18T00:09:00.000-07:00

NS is sapping away all my energy once again. Leaving behind an almost empty shell to function. I've grown tired of this whole routine. Why bother mentioning about the 3G generation when you employ such brainless, irrational methods in treating us?

2 weeks in 3 SIG felt really long. Draggy and tiring. Smiles plastered over our faces. We joke around about things, but deep inside we feel so shag. Yes without doubt we ought to overcome all these nonsense that comes our way. But yet it's not easy to do so.

Army Half Marathon 2010

2010-09-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

(Beautiful lanterns from all over the world at Chinatown)

As mentioned, I went for the AHM 2010 yesterday at Marina Bay. Was quite a refreshing and exciting experience considering I've never ran in a marathon before.

0600h: Met up with the rest of my platoon mates at City Hall MRT before we went over to the gathering point at Padang.

0620h: Reached Padang. Settled down at the 'Tiger Family a.k.a 3 SIG' tentage. Went around with Ying Xuan to see if we can spot any familiar faces. Met a couple of my buddies and friends like Zheng Gang, Joel, Chin Chye, Ruben...

0715h: Flag-off for the 10km runners! For first year soldiers, we're supposed to run 10km but because my IC1 platoon didn't have prior marathon training, we were only allowed to run 5km. Blessing in disguise maybe?

0830h: Finally flag-off for the 5km 'fun run' runners! Quite a memorable experience to able to race with the other Singaporeans all don in different army unit vests. Iconic places for the 5km route included the DNA-inspired Helix Bridge, Esplanade Bridge and Benjamin Sheares Bridge!

1000h: Concluded the entire AHM 2010! Prizes awarded to the Top 3 of each category. Pure amazing that people can actually finish 21km in 1 hour and 5 minutes crazy shit! Don't know exactly how long I took for the 5km but I think it's about 1/2 hour.

Next up would be the NIKE SG vs KL 10km City Run on 24th Oct 2010. Quite excited for that! That means I gotta start my marathon training! Haven't ran such a long distance before. Gonna start with a 6km run, followed by 7km, 8km and finally 10km.

For now, it's UIP life again. Book-in days always seem exceptionally depressing. Maybe it's cause we're back confined like a prisoner. Treated as if we've did some heinous crimes in our previous life. It's the whole vicious cycle. One batch gets tekaned, the next gets it double, and so on. In the end, it's this poisonous summation that kills everybody.

Oh well, till the next post.

Welcome to Hell.

2010-09-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

That was how I was invited on Monday when I reported to Jurong Camp. First thing in the morning and we get the affirmation that all the rumors we heard about 3 Signal Battalion is unfortunately true. How assuring!

The blessed thing is that this week was an extremely short one. Book-out on Wed cause we had some battalion anniversary celebration at ECP on Thurs and yesterday was Hari Raya. Just 3 days in 3 SIG and we're almost suffocating. I really hope all of us can persist on till the hell period ends.

After the Battalion Anniversary, a few of us (Jon Quek, Kit Yu, Langston, Alvin and Ying Xuan) went to eat authentic Peranakan food at Peranakan Inn followed by some desserts at Cafe Oliv.

It was quite an eye-opener to be able to taste traditional Peranakan food like Babi Pongtay and Ayam Buar Keluak (those food names you often hear in the Little Nyona show). I'm still waiting for the opportunity to taste Rempah Udang!

The desserts at Cafe Oliv were the highlight though. Not only was it good, it was damn cheap (half-price offer for desserts on Tues and Thurs)! 6 plates of desserts (2 servings of Brownie with Ice Cream, Chocolate Mudpie and Creme Bulee) for only $20! It's only $2.95 per serving and the portion's quite big! Out of the 3, I think the Brownie with Ice Cream was the best one. Cold icy Ice-Cream with warmly-baked Brownie that's just so compatible together!

I just realized I've got ALOT of things on my wishlist! Other than food goodnesses, I'm also craving for clothes! Have always been wanting to get an Adidas jacket since eons ago but haven't had the time to pick one that I really like. Stylish watch is also one of my 'wants' but the nicer ones are going to burn up at least half of my monthly allowance. Oh well I guess these materialistic plans have got to be shelved aside for now. Till I have enough savings to invest in all these wants.

I will be participating in the Army Half Marathon 2010 tomorrow! That shall be the stepping stone to my ultimate goal of conquering Standard Chartered's 42.195km marathon. Signed up for the NIKE SG vs KL 10km City Run and I'm quite excited for that as well. Gonna be writing about my virgin 'marathonic' experience.

Till the next post!

Chapter Signal Institute; the Epilogue.

2010-09-05T04:40:00.000-07:00

Aloha folks! And so I've graduated from Signal Institute as a full-fledged signal operator. With the Signal insignia on my collar now, it just means more responsibility to be assumed.

I am also proud that I've graduated from 02/10 Signal Operator (Infocomm 1) Course with the honorary title of Best Detachment. :) It's because my team did relatively well during an overnight summary exercise that was conducted during the 8-weeks course. Was quite surprised when they announced the results!

So the previous chapter has concluded rather beautifully. A brand new chapter of my NS life is about to begin. Will be reporting to Jurong Camp (which is on the other side of Singapore) tomorrow. From hearsay, life at 3 Signal Battalion is going to be hell-like. Hearing a myraid of nightmarish stories about the new unit, it's inevitable I worry about what's going to be in store for me for the next 1.5 years.

O well, what I can say is that whatever that comes in my way, I have to tackle it. That's army life for you. You may get slapped verbally by your superiors yet all you can do is suck thumb. I remember writing about the culture of suck thumb months ago so I guess the idea's there. I just hate why is it an unspoken mandate that we have to reduce ourselves to such submissive state and give in to whatever that's before us.

I'll try to blog as frequently as possible using my HTC Snap (provided I've got stuff to write about) so just keep a lookout at this space. Honestly, blogging is the only way to keep me sane from sorting out these thoughts about NS. And also to prevent my writing ability from deteriorating any further.

Haha till the next post.

Blood is thicker than water.

2010-08-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

Last (?) book in to Stagmont Camp tonight. Upcoming week will be the LAST at Signal Institute, as a trainee. The past 8 weeks really flew by man! I really enjoyed every moment at S.I tremendously, unlike BMT. Quite curious as to where I'll be posted to next.

Visited the Universal Studios Singapore (USS) yesterday for the 2nd time with my cousins. Albeit it not being my virgin trip, I was still equally impressed by the entire design of USS. Had a chance to try those rides/shows that we missed the previous time like Canopy Flyer, Waterworld etc.

I really enjoyed the entire trip, probably with the companions of my awesome cousins. Had lots of fun doing a photo shoot (of some sort) at USS. It's really fun trying out different poses with different self-enacted story plots. Cool stuff.

Excited to see them again for the next outing, probably to the Marina Barrage!

Alright, till the next post where I would have finished the 16km route march, received my Signals insignia badge, know where I'm posted to and lastly, graduated from Signal Institute. :)

I miss.

2010-08-23T03:37:00.000-07:00

A sudden surge of nostalgia. I miss everything of the past; the carefree days. Growing up, though, an inevitable stage, it's really a nasty thing. There's just too much crashing down. Sometimes I really wonder, why do we come to treasure the past only when we've step out of it? I said before once, the present will become the past in the future. Then yet why do we find it so hard to reconcile with what we have now and at least, count our blessings. I may sound almighty saying that but the truth is I'm one that clings on to the past. The past is just too beautifully fascinating. Almost captivating, that we're so obessed with the minute flashes of what'd happened before.

Every single bit before has now become a chapter of my life's memoir. The schooling days, filled with fun, laughter and joy. The respective camps that I've been to, knowing all the awesome people and above it all, that special someone. It may have been long but I reminisce the good old days. I choose to preserve the bestest memories we've had together. The late night chats; supporting each other through the darkest days.

We look back those innocent days with a smile. Thinking how sillier we could have gotten. Beyond that, we think about the more memorable days and indulge in the magical days again. Random but I enjoy penning down such thoughts. It allows me to relive the much treasured days again.

Rhapsody

2010-08-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

Back in the blogosphere again. The past week was one of the most physically-draining weeks in Stagmont. As mentioned, we had an outfield exercise which lasted till about 4am in the morning. Not just that, all the mental torture came when we were scolded for being too slow in setting up all the communication systems. I presume more of such nonsense will come when I get posted to my unit.

It somehow saddens me realizing that we're left with the last 2 weeks at Stagmont. The past 6 weeks had really been heaven of a time albeit some punishments and scoldings here and there. Lots of question mark surfaces in my mind once again; just what would be in store for me in my new unit? The brand new environment, adaptations and acclimatizations to be made... The only happy thing about graduating from Signal Institute though, is that I'll finally be getting my Signal insignia! To prove that I'm a qualified signal operator.

I FINALLY managed to do my first pull-up after 19 years of being a zero fighter. The sense of achievement and accomplishment was simply mind-blowing. I'll definitely work hard towards more pull-ups and eventually a PASS in my IPPT!!

And I also completed the "The Illusionist" series (Channel U) which I bought weeks ago. I enjoyed the plot tremendously! Just to share a quote that was rather intriguing I thought.

人生就像是一场魔术。

你走上台的那一刻，你表演的时间就已经开始倒数了。

表演结束后，你走下台的那一刻，也无需执著着台上已经消失的掌声。

Life is just like a magic show.

Once you step on to the stage, your performance time has started its countdown.

When you leave the stage, don't yearn for the applause that has already disappeared.

Till the next post.

Secrets

2010-08-15T04:24:00.000-07:00

Did a minor revamp of my blog. I'm just that type of person who can't blog if my blog template doesn't look proper enough.

Anyway, we're into Week 6 at Stagmont Camp. Very soon I'll be out of that camp and will be posted to my unit. I really can't bear to leave Signal Institute! Such a wonderful place and the commanders there are really nice.

The upcoming week at Stagmont would be quite exciting! First outfield after six weeks, which is ironically in camp. We'll get to experience living inside a vehicle literally. It'll definitely be a very different experience as compared to BMT field camp. The final IPPT test is on Friday too but I doubt I'll be able to pass it, given my standard now. But I'll try to improve the results for my respective stations. Aiming to get at least 10.50 minutes for the 2.4km run!

Once in a while, I'll be blogging topics that are kinda philosophical. I guess it's good things around me sets me thinking and that I can at least articulate out my thoughts regarding a particular topic. Yeah trying to break off the mundane style of writing about army all day long.

Before I end the post,

HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY KELLY COUSIN!

Till the next post.

Looking back at the greener grass.

2010-08-10T06:10:00.000-07:00

Recently had a chat with one of my friends and we decided unanimously that the idea of 'The grass is greener on the other side' is way too prevalent in our society these days. Like during the JC days, we'll always cry for it to end faster so that we can get our 'freedom'. Yet after college ended, the feeling of emptiness comes back to haunt us and we'll like to turn back time. That is how ironic the human mind works, pivoted on the greener grass concept.

Anyhow, I really miss the JC days though. No doubt exams were a chore, nothing really beats the camaraderie that existed. The closely knitted us, intimate bonding that enabled us to tide through tough times together. Yet all these have wonderful days can only be a chapter of our memoir and we can only relish the moments by reliving it through our memories.

45th and 15th

2010-08-09T00:51:00.000-07:00

Happy 45th Birthday, Singapore!

and...

Happy 15th Birthday to Agnes Cousin!

Life in a Fish's Eye.

2010-08-08T03:12:00.000-07:00

"There's always more than what meets the eye." We're often so caught up with the complexity of life that we fail to appreciate the small yet precious things that we're blessed with. The whole vicious cycle that Man like to bring up is yet but another end-product of the self-centred human nature.

The whole thing about only the fittest surviving is another excuse that human has come up with to falsely justify our selfish nature; how we can resort to underhand means to reach our goals. With all these that seemed like loopholes of the human race, life still goes on. We are testimonies of the tragedies that happen. About humans, by humans.

Maybe it's all these that makes certain phases of life revolting. But no matter how life seems to suck, the earth still revolves and time wait for no man. Maybe its just our perogative to live each day happily, with no regrets.

Putting things in context, a soldier's life; It just gets on my nerve how things is a mandate. Going through the motion without being purposeful. Whines of soldiers reverberating everyday. Lack of passion and commitment to serve, then what's the point?

This is one of the rarest times I speak about life with such a macro-3rd person perspective. Yeah pretty much bored of how life operates. It's so mechanic, we're almost like.. cogs in the machines. Aimlessly slavering away without knowing when we will get replaced one day.

Blogged from HTC Snap.

Disillusioned

2010-08-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

Coffee Bean at Marina Bay Sands Hotel

So the 4th week at Stagmont had just ended. It really amazes me how time at Signals seem to fly, as compared to days in Tekong. Maybe it's cause I'm with a company of friends that I feel more comfortable with; a true intellectual and disciplined lot.

While everybody is happily enjoying their long weekend, I'm booking in tonight because of another regimental guard duty. It'll be my last one though so I'm not feeling that down; get it over and done with man!

Anyway, I just bought 'The Illusionist" series from Lot 1 yesterday. Judging from the episodes I've watched, I must say it's one of the better local productions I've seen so far. It basically revolves around the theme of illusions and magic and how they come to intertwine with the many principles of life. One of the meaningful catch-phrases of the show goes "Miracles do occur!". Well, I really hope so. IF only more miraculous things could happen to me haha.

Till the next post.

Awaken the nostalgia within

2010-07-31T17:27:00.000-07:00

Time flies... and we're now into the month of August. And before we know it, we're approaching the end of 2010. The past five months of service in army had indeed been a very memorable chapter of my life.

That aside, I've got hardly anything to blog about (except for NS) cause my mind is overly-saturated with the army. The old mundane boring routine that repeats itself so monotonously, which viciously and unknowingly has taken its toll on me. And if I ever write a book about my army life thus far, it'll probably be a good sleep-inducer than anything else. The baseline is, army is just about getting it over and done with fullstop.

Albeit the tedium of army, I've set myself a goal that I would want to achieve whilst serving the 2 years and that is to PASS IPPT. Individual Physical Proficiency Test, otherwise known as IPPT, is similar to the NAPFA test conducted in our educational institutions. From primary school till now, I think I've never passed NAPFA before. That is why I feel the need to motivate myself to pass IPPT at this stage.

Well we'll see how thing goes along the way. =)

Till the next post then.

Stagmont Week 2

2010-07-25T00:35:00.000-07:00

Second week at S.I ended with a regimental guard duty yesterday. It was tiring nevertheless but I still found it a really interesting experience. Enjoyed the serenity and peacefulness of the camp! The only sore part about it though, was that my Saturday was totally burnt.

Anyway, I just realized that learning in SAF is really damn fast-paced. One moment they throw you all the theoritical concepts and the next, they expect you to know the theory by heart and apply it to given situations. Barely two weeks of lectures and we're due for a test tomorrow.

Deviating from the topic of army, I'm actually still quite doubtful as to whether I'm really cut out for business. Out of curiosity, I picked up a copy of The Business Times, in the light of 'pre-university preparation' sort of thing. Yet after a couple of minutes of browsing through, I found the business news thoroughly dry and boring.

There the golden question pops: If I find such business-related news boring, how am I going to survive through the even sleep-inducing economic theories and policies that makes up bulk of the Business course? Maybe I should take a year to consider carefully whether I'm up for the challenge of reading business.

Oh well, for now, it's back to ARMEE again.

Till the next post.

Cheesecake Goodness

2010-07-18T00:41:00.000-07:00

It's back to the BMT days again where we dread Sunday so much cause it means book-in day i.e we have to report back to camp. The differences are that our book-in timing is much later and it's OTOT (own-time-own-target)! That means no more gathering at Pasir Ris Interchange and waiting for everybody to arrive before we can move off. Also since the camp's at mainland, we can all save the hassle of taking the ferry!

Anyway, here's to review one snack that I've just been introduced to lately and that is

SARA LEE'S STRAWBERRY CHEESCAKE MINIS

An interesting quote printed on the packaging:

When one tries it, one would know what the angels eat.

The Cheesecake Minis are basically frozen bite-size cheesecakes that come in various flavors like Strawberry, Chocolate, Original and Caramel. I tried the Strawberry one and it's really good. You can instantly taste the cheesy goodness and sweet strawberry bits!

After I've enlisted into army, I realized my appetite has been growing tremendously. Snacks are almost a staple to my daily diet and THAT isn't a very healthy thing. I've probably gained a lot of weight from the lack of intense cardio yet insatiable appetite but I'm already trying my best to eat lesser. The battle against the 'food monster' is really hard to fight though, considering we are given snack breaks every 2 hours in camp.

Oh well, the next time I'll be on the blogosphere would probably be next Sunday considering my Saturday is burnt cause of guard duty. We shall see how thing goes meanwhile.

Till the next post.

Signal Institute

2010-07-17T02:15:00.000-07:00

After spending a week at Stagmont Camp (Signal Institute), I'm back on the blogosphere once again. Life's at Stagmont's really different from BMT. The amount of freedom and liberty to do whatever we want is really much more than that in Tekong! Canteen breaks that used to be non-existent is almost a norm now in SI.

What we're learning at SI is classified 'Restricted' so I can't blog about them. All I can say is it's really interesting! It's really a whole new dimension of information that we're learning. In addition, out of the three Signal Operators training path, I'll be trained to operate (in other words, DRIVE!!!) a UNIMOG vehicle.

Basic information about UNIMOG vehicles from Wikipedia:

UNIMOG vehicle

"Unimogs have very high ground clearance — greater than the Humvee — made possible by portal gears that allow the axles and transmission to be higher than the tires' centers. Unimogs also feature a flexible frame that allows the tires a wide range of vertical movement to allow the truck to comfortably drive over extremely uneven terrain, even boulders of 1 metre in height. They are equipped with high visibility driving cabs to enable the operator to see the terrain and more easily manipulate mounted tools. The newest Unimog models can be changed from left-hand drive to right-hand drive in the field to permit operators to work on the more convenient side of the truck. The ability to operate on highways enables the Unimog to be returned to a home garage or yard to thwart vandalism."

The sad thing is my weekend next week will be 'burnt' cause of regimental Guard Duty. One Saturday burnt just like that. What else can we do except to suck thumb? Anyway, I should be thankful for my wonderful Course Commander (CC) and Sergeant though. They're really nice people that really takes care of our welfare!

What's more interesting is that my CC is an indian lady! I'm always very impressed by how the females can actually survive the whole regimentation and physical rigor of the army. Especially my Mam (a Warrant Officer) where she has been in service for 35 years! That's almost 18 times the duration that a Singaporean man serves in the Army! Having to assume heavy responsibilities and taking up ardous tasks, it's really no mean feat to be able to rise up to such a high-ranking position.

Being at Stagmont is literally an eye-opener because we get to see a lot of 'crabs' walking around. 'Crabs' is actually a laymen term that refers to Officers with the SAF crests i.e rank Major, Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel. Sometimes when we are lucky enough, we get to interact with these big shots which we will NEVER have a chance to, in BMT. It is almost a rare case to see them walking around in Tekong.

Oh well, 1 week down. That's 7 more weeks in Stagmont before I graduate from the Signal Operator course! After that, it'll be posting to our next unit which is most likely 3SIG Battalion. That's where the real hell training starts, though I heard that we'll be promised a few overseas exercises!

That's all for now, till the next post.

Enlistment No. 2

2010-07-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Suddenly it feels like enlistment all over again. The feeling of anxiety and anticipation; just what's in store for us ahead? We've graduated from the monotony of BMT and now we're entering yet another cycle.

In bout half an hour's time, I will be leaving for Signal Institute at Choa Chu Kang which is my new vocation location. I really hope I'll have a meaning stay there.

Till the next post,

We'll see how everything had went.

Live: Marina Bay Sands Hotel

2010-07-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

I'm actually blogging using my HTC Snap now. Currently at MBS hotel room, back from a morning dip at Skypark Pool. The best thing about Skypark is the wonderful scenery you'll get to witness, especially the night scene!

I'll blog and post up pictures on my stay here when I'm back.

Till the next post.

The Great Escape

2010-07-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

Throw it away,

Forget yesterday,

We'll make The Great Escape!

Sometimes in life, we really pray for a great escape. An escapade that relieves us of the tormenting moments we're going through, one that takes us away from the harsh reality. Yet ironically, thinking about these escapade is a form of relief in itself.

As the days of going back to the military routine draws nearer, one inadvertently feels uneasy. It's the whole regimented lifestyle that gets us more than anything else. The paradoxical temporal yet permanent loss of freedom (for the next 2 years) and liberty just deters us from feeling happy at all.

While some people can remain fairly optimistic about things, I realized I'm someone that is, on the contrary, pessimistic. Army personnels love to use "suck thumb" as an excuse, albeit a feasible one, to make themselves feel better when it comes to difficult situations. While I find it hard to accept that we have to reduce ourselves to such a submissive state, it ultimately boils down to one thing:

Suck thumb.

There's hardly anything we can do against the upper class except the above. There's nothing called personal opinion because the rank game is played. Just like in the game of Poker, the Kings always win the Jacks.

Oh well, till the next post.

Alas...

2010-07-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

Finally the vocation posting results are out! Even though I had some clue from my sergeant last night as to where I'll be posted to, it was nevertheless still a nerve wracking moment for me.

Comd SAF BMTC wishes you all the best in your future posting.

Your Posting Order is listed below:

1.	You are posted to	SIG INSTITUTE.
2.	Your vocation is	SIG OPR(TRAINEE).
3.	Your are to report to:	Stagmont Camp,BLK 207,STAGMONT ROAD,688793,SINGAPORE,SG.

SIGNALS

"Two flags waving in the formation..."

And so I'm posted to the Signals Formation of SAF, as an Signal Operator trainee. I hope life there would be much better than how it was like in BMT! I will try to keep to my weekly updates about my life at my new camp.

For now, it's back to enjoying the final moments of the block leave before we're back as a military soldier again.

Till the next post.

Free like a bird...

2010-07-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

Went to Marina Bay Sands Hotel (MBS) for a stay-over last night and it was pretty much an eye-opening experience.

The hotel was really grand and the interior design were effortlessly intricate. The recent trip to Universal Studios and now Marina Bay Sands Hotel really made me feel proud of Singapore! Such a small country yet when it comes to such massive projects, it is of world class standard.

I truly adore the night scenery of Singapore's landscape! It's truly breathtaking with all the neon lightings. Can't wait to take more of such photos this weekend when I'm back at MBS again!

Anyway, the past 4 days of block leave had been amazingly enjoyable. It really feels as if we've ORD-ed and we're back to our much-treasured civillian life. Everything feels more like a sweet dream that we can't bear to wake up from.

And yes, posting results will be out tomorrow at 1000 hours. Can't imagine the excitement, nervousness, euphoria and adrenaline rush... It'll be the same old feeling like how we felt while waiting for our A-Level results.

Till then,

Vocation Posting results tomorrow!!!

Get-away

2010-07-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

Leading the life of a civilian once again; it feels weird yet undeniably enjoyable.

Freedom to do whatever we want, no pressure placed on us to meet timings, not having to double up (which simply means running) from point to point, not having to march, no alarm clock to irritate us till we wake up...

That is how non-military life was like for us.

That being said, this week of block leave had never been more apt. We needed this break, after 19 weeks of rigorous military training. Yet the downside is when we're so comfortable with the freedom, we've got to put on the Full Battle Order and assume the role of a soldier again.

Anyway, in 3 days time, we'll know which vocation we're heading to and I'm really curious as to where I'll eventually end up in. That'll be the place where we will be spending the remaining 1.5 years of NS in and I really hope it's somewhere I'll find joy and pride to be at.

Meanwhile, I guess I'll make good use of what's left of the block leave till I'm back as a ~~slave~~ servant of the nation again!

3 more days to Vocation Posting results!

When in hell, keep going!

2010-07-04T00:24:00.000-07:00

So the long-awaited day has finally arrived.

5 months ago, on 25th Feb 10, I stepped onto this island for the very first time.

On 2nd July 10, I'm very proud to bid it goodbye!

Alas, I've finally graduated from BMT, leaving the island of hell called Tekong. It was really a pity though, that it was raining darn heavily on POP day and that the parade had to be truncated. I really longed for the opportunity to enjoy and experience the honor of being in a grand parade... what's more, it's my parade.

Nevertheless, I've finally POP-ed and passed out as PTE Y C WEE!

The past 19 weeks of BMT had honestly been a roller coaster ride. Full of ups and down, bumpy phases and euphoric periods, it was indeed insane to the soul. Yet through these 19 weeks, we got to do things that we'll never had a chance to, while in the identity of a civillian.

Field camp, live range shooting, hand grenade throwing, urban operations are just a few of the innumerable soldierly activities we've been through. These experiences are what makes BMT undeniably memorable.

The famous words from my OC goes, "When in hell, keep going." These five words have been deeply engraved in my mind and I hope whatever obstacles I meet in the future, I'll use this golden quote as a motivation for myself.

Being posted to an obese company, I also got to meet people from different walks of life. While some of them are really fucked up selfish idiots, there's this group of buddies that are my true pals. While in a shithole, they are the ones that are truly selfless and will go all the way to help you out of the shithole instead of leaving you behind.

As I leave Tekong, there will definitely be memories that will stay with me as well, be it good or bad ones. Just like how I'll never forget...

The SAF Ferry Terminal

Where we feel so sian everytime upon reaching the "Entrance to HELL."

The weekly ferry rides

Where the book-out rides would be the happiest and the book-in ones would be the most mundane and sianest ones.

And of course, Tekong.

POP LOH!!!!!

Training to be soldiers...

2010-06-26T04:46:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a rush post cause I only booked out for 3 hours fml. But in any case, it's my official last week in BMT so I'm going to persevere on and pull through the last six days.

And the final countdown

6 more days to POP!!!

Till the next post (after I POP-ed), we'll see =)

For all fathers out there,

2010-06-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

And my dad of course,

As I was reading up about the respective universities, I chanced upon this Scholarship and Career survey done by BrightSparks with the target group being the top graduates of Singapore. It was mainly to assess the top university course choices amongst the cream of the crop. And to my amazement, NUS Business actually came in first!

Ironically Law, which I thought would top the list didn't even make it to the Top 5 choices. And here's another set of figures to show: the 2009 Graduate Employment Survey done by MOE. How they actually conducted the survey was simply by asking the starting pay of the 2009 batch of graduates.

Top Median Gross Monthly Salaries (in brackets are the 75th-percentile salaries)

SMU Information Systems Management (4-yr programme) Cum Laude and above – $4,000 ($4,600)
SMU Economics (4-yr programme) Cum Laude and above – $3,200 ($4,000)
SMU Economics (4-yr programme) – $3,000 ($3,763)
NUS Business Administration (Honours) – $3,000 ($3,600)
SMU Business Management (4-yr programme) Cum Laude and above – $3,000 ($3,500)
NUS Chemical Engineering – $3,000 ($3,500)
NUS Industrial & Systems Engineering – $3,000 ($3,450)
NUS Dental Surgery – $3,000 ($3,400)
NTU Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering – $3,000 ($3,300)
NTU Aerospace Engineering – $3,000 ($3,250)
NTU Arts (with Education) – $3,000 ($3,200)
NUS Information Systems – $2,975 ($3,250)
NTU Physics & Applied Physics – $2,950 ($3,000)
NUS Computer Engineering – $2,900 ($3,440)
NTU Chemistry & Biological Chemistry – $2,900 ($3,300)
NUS Computer Science – $2,900 ($3,290)
NTU Computer Science – $2,900 ($3,250)
NTU Science (with Education) – $2,900 ($3,200)
NTU Computer Engineering – $2,900 ($3,200)
NUS Mechanical Engineering – $2,900 ($3,200)
NUS Science (Honours) – $2,900 ($3,200)

Top Permanent Employment Rate (in brackets are the average salaries)

NUS Nursing – 100.0% ($2,568)
NTU Science (with Education) – 100.0% ($3,030)
NTU Arts (with Education) – 100.0% ($3,109)
NUS Dental Surgery – 100.0% ($3,176)
NTU Chinese – 98.0% ($2,756)
NUS Business Administration (Accountancy) – 97.1% ($2,448)
SMU Accountancy (4-yr programme) Cum Laude and above – 96.8% ($3,586)
NUS Computer Engineering – 95.7% ($2,890)
SMU Accountancy (4-yr programme) – 95.3% ($3,073)
NUS Applied Science (Honours) – 94.7% ($2,674)
NTU Computer Science – 94.3% ($2,930)
NUS Material Science and Engineering – 93.8% ($2,880)
NUS Civil Engineering – 92.9% ($2,801)
SMU Economics (4-yr programme) Cum Laude and above – 92.6% ($3,606)
NUS Industrial & Systems Engineering – 92.5% ($3,099)
NUS Business Administration (Honours) – 92.1% ($3,389)
NUS Information Systems – 91.1% ($2,918)
NTU Civil Engineering – 90.8% ($2,769)
NTU Accountancy (3-yr direct Honours programme) – 90.0% ($2,529)

Come to think of it, securing a place in university just the stepping stone to achieving something bigger, there's still the whole rat race in competing for a place to read the Honors program. Let's just hope I'll come out alive in this whole academic competition. That's in... six years time I mean.

Just a word of caution though, no matter how convincing the figures above may seem to be, they are still figures that may well be a biased estimation.

In any case, I've decided to stick with NUS Business.

University issues aside, it's back to blogging about army life once again. I'm looking forward to the last book out next week before I bade Tekong goodbye forever (hopefully). The past 17 weeks in Tekong hasn't been a very easy period to tide through. And it is because of that, I've grown sick of the whole mundane routine; waking up to see the same old detestable environment. While others' stay at Tekong is for only 9 weeks, mine's like double that duration. It's no wonder things start to become so uninteresting.

I shall blog about my BMT experience when I've POP-ed. That shall be the most appropriate time to look back and think about how I've grown and matured throughout the past five months.

For now, it's

11 more days to POP!!!

The Mental Game

2010-06-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

I saw the advent of another surprise during the past week and that is the successful appeal to NTU Accountancy. With that, I've got to make a decision between accepting the offer from NUS Biz or NTU Acct.

There's always key pros and cons to how both institutions operate. From what I heard, Nanyang Biz School (NBS) definitely win NUS's Business School hands down from the recognition and accredition it has received. While on the other hand, NUS itself is already a good enough chip to fight with NBS in terms of it's prestige level.

Well I would honestly say that I'm more attached to NUS. It's the flexibility of choosing modules that NUS offers which allows it to have an edge over the others. Albeit the complicated bidding system, I presume it will be an enjoyable experience to be able to choose the modules that I'll like to read in the end.

Sometimes I really wish if I could matriculate this year and start embarking on my university adventure. Yet reality hardly materializes to how things are planned to be...

The Climb

2010-06-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

After 16 weeks of being a music-deprived person, my company finally allowed us to bring in MP3 players! Can finally enjoy the therapeutic feeling of listening to good music.

Since I didn't have a decent Mp3 at home (decided not to bring in my IPod Touch for security reasons), I went to get myself a Q2 Samsung Mp3! Totally adore it's stylish and compact design.

I got the milk white one which looks outstanding! The blue one looks quite cool too but the shop I went to, didn't have the stock (either that or S'pore doesn't import the blue one).

Anyway, I went to eat Arnold's Fried Chicken at Hougang Green yesterday.

(Credits)

The spring chicken served was really good, the meat was succulent and juicy! The golden crispy fries and the soft mashed potato. The Potato Platter was excellent too, all the food items (Criss Cross Fries, Wedges) were nicely fried. Dipped it in the creamy cheese and you'll find everything so splendidly wonderful.

I've been eating a lot nowadays (even though people claim that I look anorexic lol). As I'm blogging now, I'm craving for a lot of food including Horlicks Crunch Mcflurry (which I haven't had a chance to try), Brownies and Macaroons.

Now I truly relish the idea of eating good food as a form of indulgence.

Before I end this post, the usual countdown shout-out:

19 more days to POP!!

Just Do It

2010-06-12T03:27:00.000-07:00

Remember how I mentioned that I was very satisfied with my appeal essay for NUS BBA? Honestly, I didn't even plan beforehand the appeal to NUS. It just so happened that I had some free time before book in so I churned out a simple essay (within 15 minutes or so) and sent in an appeal for NUS Biz (which was my dream course after Law).

And I was pleasantly greeted by the package from NUS BBA yesterday evening:

Just damn happy that I actually made it to NUS Biz which is a damn competitive and prestigious course! This was what NUS actually said about their BBA course: "Our BBA is generally the hardest to get into, the most rigorous and the most comprehensive & holistic in student experience." Honestly never imagined that I would be able to make it to such a course solely based on a 1000 characters appeal essay.

I shall share my appeal essay here if I have a chance though. For now, till the next post. =)

Honor and Glory

2010-06-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

The article I wrote:

Sian three more hours to book-in! Really detest the feeling of booking in man cause it'll be going through the same old motion again. It's no wonder they say NS make people stupid. My brain cells are hardly activated cause all I need to do is follow orders blindly. So much for claiming that we are being trained as thinking soldiers.

After so long, I realized I still miss being a student. I'd rather be working on questions that require me to think rather than to be on a high-alert position. Everything may sound geeky but it isn't, in my perspective at least

"What is your goal and purpose here in Army?" - my OC once questioned us. Got really baffled and taken aback by such a philosophical question. Even as I'm typing now, I can't really provide a definite answer as to the direction I'm heading towards in NS. I'm like a headless chicken - I can live yet I can't lead my own way.

One of my commanders used to tell us to make good use of our 2 years in NS and take it as a good time to acquire more life skills. It sounds easy, but how do we do so? I really don't know whether these few months of training has made me a stronger or tougher person. The only thing I'm certain of, is that I've changed.

This is just a mid term check. When I POP and look back the days in BMT, I hope that what I realize is that I've grew stronger and more purposeful instead of being the weakling now.

4 more weeks to POP,

Situational Test,

12km, 16km and 24km route marches,

SOC and IPPT.

Really hope I have the strength and willpower to endure through it all.

Till the next post.

Field De Experience

2010-06-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

And I'm finally back from field camp! Very glad and satisfied that I've actually survived these 4 days of gruelling outfield training and made it back in one piece. This field experience will definitely be one of the more memorable chapters of my life in BMT, albeit the innumerable unhappy moments throughout.

With this field camp down, I'm leaving for another outfield camp next week - SIT Test. It's supposedly to assess a person's leadership qualities, capabilities etc and his eligibility to enter either SISPEC or OCS. Yet ironically I'm one that's not even passionate about assuming the position of a commander...

Anyway, an article that I've written was published in the PIONEER magazine! I'll try to scan the article and post it since it's a NS mag and I don't think a lot of people would have it. Got myself $60 POPULAR voucher for this and went to buy Mitch Albom's Five People You Meet In Heaven and For One More Day. Hopefully these are two good reads!

It's time for a countdown:

28 more days to POP!!!

Just can't wait to pass-out from Tekong!

This tells it all:

2010-05-30T03:39:00.000-07:00

After weeks of being in a dilemma,

The decision is made.

Other than that, I've also appealed to NUS BBA which is kinda trying my luck! But whether my appeal is successful or not, I love how my appeal essay incorporates one of my favorite stories: Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I'll share the 1000-character essay if my appeal makes it. Hahaha!

Optimism I hold

2010-05-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

The long weekend flew by too fast! It's mid-Sunday already and that means time to book in. I would say this book-in would be one of the most agonizing ones considering I'll be partaking in a 4D3N field camp next week and thereafter, outfield situational test.

Honestly, who wouldn't be dreadful of having to go through an 8km route march and then live in the wild for 4 days without bathing? Coupled with the innumerable restrictions like no phone usage, no proper sanitation facilities (a man-made latrine), consumption of cold combat rations etc, it really sounds like a bad package.

What I hope is that my determination and willpower will bring me through the field camp and that I'll be back home safely. Maybe it's time to be more garang or to put the soldiering skills I've learnt, to good use but in any case, I'm (trying hard) to maintain a neutral stance towards this energy-sucking field camp.

We were told to bring pictures of our loved ones, and I will use that as a motivation to get me through this nasty shit. For my dearest family, I will persevere on.

Will try to blog about my "adventure" when I'm back.

Universal Studios Singapore (Part I)

2010-05-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

Finally had the opportunity to visit Universal Studios Singapore (USS) on Vesak Day! USS is really a nice and intricately-designed place to be at. Despite the exorbitant ticket prices, it was all sold out way before 12!

Here's a panoramic shot of the entrance of USS:

(Tip: A popular and fabulous place to take beautiful snapshots if you're aren't able to enter the paid premises of USS)

The giant globe donning "Universal Studios"

Needless to say, who can resist taking a photo with the lovely USS landmark?

Panoramic shot of the interior of USS

On the right's Battlestar Galatica - USS's bragged tallest and most exciting roller-coaster ride but is unfortunately not in service yet.

The entire USS was conceptualized into several themes including Far Far Away, Jurassic Park, Ancient Egypt, Lost World, Hollywood and New York.

The first land we visted was Far Far Away considering it was nearest to the entrance. I really enjoyed the lovely interior design of the castle and how all the minute details are taken care of.

Far Far Away Castle

That was the biggest castle feature at Far Far Away, with Shrek being the main theme. Watched Shrek 4D as well which was an interesting experience, with all the additional physical effects like water spraying and the jerking of the seats.

Ancient Egypt was the next area that we visited!

Totally enjoyed the adrenaline-pumping Revenge of the Mummy rollercoaster ride! Never underestimate how thrilling an indoor rollercoaster can be because this ride totally blew me off. This is definitely one of the must-try rides if you ever go to USS!

The last feature that I will cover in this post is the Lights, Camera, Action! theatre exhibition at Hollywood if I'm not mistaken.

It's a short live presentation on how they simulate and film a hurricane scene at a New York dock. The effects were spectacular, with all the real elements like rain and fire! Pretty amazing.

There were many other parts about USS that were so visually appealing and that I thoroughly enjoyed but I will leave it to the next post!

Till USS Part 2, we'll see.

The Ultimatum

2010-05-29T02:38:00.000-07:00

While I'm still preparing for the post on my trip to Universal Studios Singapore (USS), I thought I'll blog about my university choices in the meantime.

The past few posts had been filled with tinges of my confusion and perplexity as to which university I should accept. Though my heart's still in a minor struggle now, I think I've found the direction I'm heading to and that is NUS Science.

Did a bit of research last week and found that what NUS can offer me, way surpasses what SMU can offer. I really like the flexibility and freedom in the choice of the modules that we're going to study as compared to the traditional, rigid curriculum.

Like what I've mentioned in the previous post, what really attracted me about NUS is that even though I'll most probably be majoring in Science, I still get to read modules that are not related to my course of study like the following...

Theoritical Foundation of Criminal Law (Faculty of Law)
Introduction to Media Writing (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
Designing Content for New Media (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)

..., just to name a few! While on the other hand, what SMU presents is a fixed list of modules for it's students to read, with very limited room for choices.

I don't deny that I was, at one moment, attracted by SMU's vibrant culture, the whole hype about the seminar teaching style as well as the opportunity of being offered to read BAcc. But I guess after thorough consideration, accountancy may not exactly be my cup of tea. Or simply to put things in perspective - I was just enticed by the glory of enrolling into the second best course in SMU.

In a nutshell, I guess I've made up mind, just waiting for the right moment to make the final decision.

University issues aside, it's my Outfield Camp next week! It will definitely be a thrilling and memorable experience, judging from the amount of stories I've heard. Just hope everything goes smoothly, and I'll be back sane and sound.

Till the next post.

Indulgence

2010-05-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

After a week of tough training, what's better than to indulge and treat myself (and my brother) to...

SAKAE SUSHI BUFFET!

Since yesterday's a public holiday, we had no choice but to travel down to the only outlet that served buffet and that's ICON Village. Luckily we were in time for the Tea Time buffet slot (last order at 5.30pm)!

For the benefit of those who are wondering about the timings for the respective buffet slots:

The first thing on the must-order list would definitely be Sakae Chawanmushi. It's totally amazing how the dish is so tantalizing to the buds! The soft warm steamed egg, along with slices of mushroom and vegetables, perfecto!

Another of my favorite side-order would be Kakiage! It's actually fried tempura vegetables and it is heavenly man.

Just a minute representation of the food that we've devoured which include:

Spicy Tuna Sushi, Fried Hotate, Cha Soba, Unagi Sushi, Soft Shell Crepe*...

The Soft Shell Crepe is one of the best complimentary red plate items I've ever tried! What it is actually: fried salty soft shell crab wrapped in omelete slices!!

I guess the photo above aptly illustrates how satisfied we were, with the meal! Even though I was slightly disappointed to know that they didn't have the usual Mochi Ice Cream, they made up by serving really good Mango Sorbet for dessert!

And anyway, it only cost 32 bucks (Youth Price) for both of us, which I thought was really worth it.

I'm definitely going back to try out the other food items that Sakae has to offer!

Till the next time.

Unweaving mind, unlocking heart

2010-05-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Finally spent a good few hours last night researching and reading up about NUS Science. I found out a lot of interesting (and plus) points about NUS! Damn attracted by the Unrestricted Elective modular system i.e I get to read Law or Mass Comm modules even though I'm majoring in Science. Plus the General Education modules (GEM) is quite appealing as well.

Gosh I'm craving for a lot of food now! No idea why but I'm having this bottomless pit-like appetite every time I book out from Tekong, resulting in a lot of weight gain. But anyway, I'm craving for KFC Egg Tarts and Old Chang Kee at the moment. There goes a claim that cravings only last for ten minutes so I shall validate that statement!

Argh one more week to the acceptance deadline in which I hope no regrets would surface after that and outfield camp which I'm totally NOT looking forward to. Just hope I'll be able to endure through the 4 days of pure torture.

Anyway, for the record's sake:

39 more days to POP!

Chicken or the Egg?

2010-05-22T05:24:00.000-07:00

Ask yourself the following question.

How did you feel?

Lost, unsure, baffled or confused?

That is exactly how I feel now.

Back in many pieces, mentally.

2010-05-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

This book-out just feels so different! Why? Cause the past week was one of my toughest weeks in BMT! Finally got to experience what real army cum military life is like. I've yet to condition myself to that kind of garang lifestyle, and I guess I have no choice but to do it considering that outfield camp is two weeks later.

Anyway, I just realized that University Acceptance deadline is next week! How fast can things get?!! Just then I thought I had a good one month to think about which course to read, now there's only eight days left?!! I'm still in this dilemma-tic, awkward position and that's obviously the worst part.

I shall set a target for myself and that is to draft out a decision (yes that's how I need to sort things out - a draft) and rationalize it for myself by tonight. All these thorough thoughts is honestly so that I won't ever regret in the future.

Cause I miss you so.

2010-05-16T01:23:00.000-07:00

Advent of Sunday and what does it mean? Book-in lo! After all it's going to be the same old routine for the next 7 weeks at least.

I hate to admit this but time flies. Initially, I was so worried about enlistment and not being able to cope with the regimental lifestyle of NS. But now that I look back, I've already been in Tekong for 12 weeks! For the enhanced batch, 12 weeks would mean finishing BMT, POP-ed (!) and already serving in their respective units. While for me now, it just means I'm closer to completing my BMT.

Hmm, I really wonder how life after BMT would be like. I'm definitely not aiming for command school cause even though it supposedly hones your leadership skills and mould you into a better person et cetera, I just feel that I don't really want to put myself through the tough training all over again.

Oh well, shall see what vocation I get posted to after this 19 weeks! But before that, there's lots of major obstacles to conquer including field camp, and the infamous 24km route march!

Till the next post.

Follow your heart

2010-05-15T04:45:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in the previous post, I attended the SMU School of Accountancy Tea Session in the afternoon! It was an informative session, though boring at times. I also had a short chat with one of the undergraduates there and he was pretty convincing in telling me why SMU Acct would be a reliable choice.

Having attended the session, I'm more or less 80% on for SMU BAcc. I just hope that my appeal for the double degree is successful! In any case, the last two weeks before the final acceptance deadline would be a good time for me to get things clear before I make the decision.

This decision is definitely going to be a tough one. One that is going to affect the life that I'm going to lead in the future. Whichever decision made, I just hope it'll be something that I'll never regret, in time to come.

Till the next post.

It isn't a very pleasant thing to realize or know that we're drifting apart. The chemistry that used to be present seems to have vanished into thin air. Our ideals seem to be worlds apart. And that is definitely not the ideal situation that I wanted it to happen.

I Will Survive

2010-05-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Just finished the write up for SMU Appeal! It was really tough, considering I haven't written a proper essay for close to 5 months (after GP Paper One)! But anyway it's just the first draft so I'm going to make a few more edits before I submit.

The appeal that I'm making is actually to read a double degree at SMU (Acct and Business Management). I'm offered the first programme but my DDP application was denied (probably because of Law) so I'm trying my luck again.

Hmm I guess I've have already made my decision as to where to head to. But I'll be attending the SMU School of Acct Tea Session later to listen what they've really got to offer before I make a final decision. Hope the session's gonna be informative!

Alright, will be blogging about it when I'm back!

How now brown cow?

2010-05-08T23:45:00.000-07:00

It's ironically amusing how I just blogged yesterday about how badly I wanted to read law, and yet today I've received official news that I've been rejected from SMU Law. In any case, I'm not that disheartened because the blessed part is I've been offered a place in SMU Accountancy - the next best course after Law in SMU.

The offers are all presented right in front of me now. I've got to make a sane decision, soon, before the acceptance deadline. The respective universities and the courses they offer have innumerable pros and cons that I can't really settle my mind on either of them.

For now, the order of preference would be SMU Accountancy > NUS Science > NTU Comm Studies. I've decided to 'eliminate' Comm Studies somehow after realizing it's career prospects may not be that promising as compared to the other two courses. Between Science and Accountancy, I'm definitely up for the latter. Yet based on school culture and environment wise, my heart still goes to NUS over SMU.

Hmm... is there anyone out there that can offer me some golden advice? =/

On this day...

2010-05-08T23:28:00.000-07:00

I wish all the Mums' out there (including mine of course),

A very joyous and Happy Mothers' Day!

Yearn for that dream...

2010-05-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

As much as I don't wish to feel disappointed, it is inevitable I feel disheartened when I hear that people have already received their acceptance email to a course that I yearn so much to be accepted in.

Reading Law has been one of my greatest dream ever since I entered college. The desire to study something I'm genuinely passionate about is great, yet nothing materializes to satisfy that desire of mine. Or rather that dream hasn't come true.

Honestly speaking, I would still want to believe in the slightest chance possible that I still have an opportunity to read Law at SMU given I haven't received the rejection letter yet. (Inserts *Don't worry about things that haven't happened yet.*) Till then I shall write a heartfelt blog post about how I feel.

On to the next issue...

I guess there's something I myself need to realize and reflect on and that is the metamorphosis phase that I'm going through now. People around me are telling me that I've changed and I definitely concur with what they feel about me. It's true I've morphed into someone that even I myself can't really reconcile with.

The bubbly, cheerful me has transfigured into someone so dull, mundane, serious and quiet that has hardly any life in him. It's probably the works of army, how it has conditioned me to someone that finds hardly anything worth being happy in life. Being cooped up in a small island, thrown in a pool of rigorous trainings, it's no surprising I've lost the energy to be hyped up anymore.

It's definitely not my intention to write such a supposed emo post but I guess a blog has to serve its function after all and that is for me to relieve myself of such emotional burden. It feels slightly better to write out what I genuinely feel but I guess, under any circumstances, life still has to go on.

Biennial Affair

2010-05-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

After close to 2 years, I finally met up with Gwend, Ellis and Duc! It was really a nice day out with them, especially all the catching up on each others' lives.

We had lunch at Astons, which was, as usual, really good. Had my favorite Lemon Lime Chicken with Pasta Salad, Potato Salad and Onion Rings! The potato salad sauce was slightly too 'eggy' for my liking though.

Dessert at Ben and Jerry's! Shared a Mix 'n' Match with Duc which was basically 3 scoops of sinful ice-cream on a waffle bowl, topped with hot fudge sauce. Ordered Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Strawberry Cheesecake and Mint Chocolate Chunk ice-cream - the best treat on earth man :P!

After all the guilty feasting, we went for Kbox at Orchard Cineleisure! It was very much a last minute yet unanimous decision haha. First time kboxing with the rest of the company was indeed a refreshing and fun experience! We took alot of photos as well! Shall share them here after it is uploaded.

It was definitely an enjoyable biennial outing that we've had! I can't wait to meet and reunite with the rest of my friends man.

Anyway, I bought the entire series of Perfect Cut 2 (一切完美2) which was originally telecasted on Channel U. Didn't had a chance to watch the series! Hopefully I can finish the series by today (which is quite an impossible mission) haha!

SMU Law Interview

2010-04-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

Had my SMU Law interview this morning which, in my opinion, was quite screwed.

Arrived at SMU at about 8.10am for registration, verification of documents etc. Very amazingly, all the candidates reached there really early. Then they handed us this personalized interview form which we were required to attach our ID photos to.

After all that administrative stuff was the Essay test. It's quite a simple format - they give you 2 quotes (or topics they call) and you're supposed to write about it. There was a quote by Aristotle that goes "Man perfected by society is the best of all animals; he is the most terrible of all when he lives without law, and without justice." which I eventually wrote on. I guess 15 minutes is way too short to churn out a good piece of writing so mine was kinda a written diarrhea.

The interview followed after the Essay test which was kinda the worst part. Our topic of discussion was on Abortion initially and then subsequently changed to Euthanasia. Even though both topics were generally debatable and controversial, the way the questions were asked kinda limited the scope of our discussion.

And so that was the end of my interview!

Haiz after the interview, I really don't harbor any hope of getting into SMU Law School. For one, I definitely have to admit that the competition of getting into SMU Law is really tough. The amount of elite students wanting to get in there is very intimidating. I guess I have to start thinking about the offers by the other two universities.

Alright, gotta head back to camp soon, till the next post!

Escapade

2010-04-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

After such a long time, I finally met up with Rekha again! It was definitely a great escapade from the mundane life I've been leading.

We decided on having our lunch at...

QUIZNOS SUB!

Credits

It was quite similar to Subway, cept' that they had more variety in terms of the subs! Had Mesquite Chicken sub with Broccoli and Cheese soup, which was quite to my liking. I somehow still missed Subway's sandwiches though.

After Quiznos was dessert at Cathay Ben & Jerry's. It just so happened that Rekha had free vouchers so we had 2 cups of delicious B&J's for free! And considering how I'm so deprived of such sweet treats in Tekong, the cup of Black Raspberry Low Fat Frozen Yoghurt was just plain awesome!

Ending the day was just some shots snapped at the Istana Park!

Here's to share the pictures:

And the best shot of the day (which I personally liked the most):

Anyway, it's either that my metabolism rate is screwed up or I've been eating (or snacking) way too much. I'm gaining an average of 2-3kg every weekend. Yea that's how much I'm gaining and it's pretty shocking. And thus the bottom-line is: I really got to watch my eating habits.

I'm left with today to prepare for my interview! I'm still quite clueless as to what will be asked, and if I can confidently present myself. O well, let's just hope for the best!

Till the next post.

Dilemma

2010-04-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

The good news is that I'm finally offered a place to read Science at NUS!! And now, the dilemma lies in where I wanna head to. There's so many questions running through my head that I am at a loss at how to tackle the current situation that I'm facing.

Anyway, my SMU interview is due next Wed! I shall go for the interview first before I make any decision. The best outcome would, of course be, to get admitted into SMU School of Law. If not, I really need to think through whether I should choose to read Comm Studies or Science.

In any case, being offered a place by the 2 universities, and shortlisted for a prestigious course at SMU is definitely the best reward for the effort I've put in for the A's. It's all up to me now to determine the route I'm going to take in the future.

And that calls for a firm and well thought-through decision.

Empty

2010-04-18T03:44:00.000-07:00

It seems to be a routine that I'm typing away on this blog every weekend. Yet the irony is I have hardly anything interesting to say. All I can say is that the army life I'm leading now has taken it's toll on me.

I feel empty. I can't seem to find my calling in life. I'm in a huge dilemma as to what I want to do in the future. The same old scene in the past plays again - life progress at the speed of lightning while I'm stoning one side. I don't fit in anywhere and I'm just going through the motion.

I need to sort things out soon.

I believe, therefore I am.

2010-04-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

The Military Band has always been the honor and glorious legacy of Bowen Sec, and honestly, it's also one of the many reasons why I'm proud to be a Bowenian.
And as I'm watching their 2010 performance video, I can't help but to say that I'm very proud to be a Bowen alumni!

Routine

2010-04-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

Here we go again,

Same old shit again.

Here am I, leading the humdrum monotonous life of a recruit. Last week was the "week of POP" where most of the recruits graduated or passed out from Tekong. It was really envious (or jealous to say) to see all of them being able to leave the island of hell. The best thing is, with most of them gone, Tekong now observes a queer silence.

I've been accepted to read Communication Studies at NTU! That was supposedly the dream course that I've wanted to enrol in all along. But now that I've been given the golden ticket, I'm having second thoughts as to whether I should go for it. I guess I'll be waiting for NUS's offer and seeing the outcome of my SMU Law interview first before I make the final decision.

For now, it's enjoying the weekend escapade before the whole monotony sets in again when the week starts.

Till the next post.

Good Friday

2010-04-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

I'm amazingly up so early on a Good Friday, all thanks to the effect of sleeping for 12 full hours. Had a persistent fever for the past 3 days and got an ATT C status which allowed me to book out a day earlier than the rest of my coy mates.

Anyway, I got shortlisted for an interview for SMU Bachelors of Law! It was indeed surprising and unexpected cause my grades didn't even meet the basic requirements for Law (AAA/B). Anyhow, it would really be wonderful if I can make it to SMU School of Law!

For now, it's the wait for the acceptance letters from NUS/NTU to come.

"Norwegian Wood"

2010-03-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

While reading the first chapter of the book Norwegian Wood, I chanced upon a quote that I love a lot.

Memory is a funny thing.

When I was in the scene, I hardly paid it any attention. I never stopped to think of it as the same thing that would make a lasting impression, certainly did not imagine that years later, I would remember it in such a detail.

Honestly speaking, this has always been my train of thought.

When the clock strikes eight

2010-03-21T04:46:00.000-07:00

And I gotta have to be back in camp again.

Sianzxzsxz.

Vicious Cycle #092838

2010-03-13T23:19:00.000-08:00

Time zaps and it's book-in day already. Gotta have to book-in in a few hours time!

Just settled my university applications! It was hell lot of a trouble. There's just so much mind-boggling to do besides all the administrative stuff. Albeit so, I somehow still find that I'm taking this whole application thing way too "trivial-ly". Maybe it's cause I have 2 more rounds of application exercise that I can join or it could be that I'm not thinking about my future hard enough. I honestly don't know.

For record's sake, I have applied to NUS's Faculty of Science (FoS) and NTU's Communication Studies. Let's see if I can get into my desired courses successfully.

For now, it's time to leave the sunny island.

Till the next post.

First book-out!

2010-03-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

Finally I'm back from Tekong after 2 weeks of confinement!

I've got hardly any comments with regards to NS. All I can do is suck thumb, finish the 2 years and get out. No matter how tough it is, there's nothing I can do about it except to persevere on.

Anyway, back to the topic of A-Level results which I promised to blog about.

Booked out last Friday to receive the results. It was a nice warm fuzzy feeling stepping on familiar grounds once again. I just can't believe it has been close to 3 months since I left the school, after the last paper.

The whole 'results-receiving' thing wasn't very nerve-wracking though. Everything just seemed so anti-climax. And like the O-Level days, I was the first to get my results. Got that slip of paper and summoned all my courage to open the folded slip:

Conclusion? I'm satisfied with my results, except Biology. Honestly speaking, I would have had more confidence in acing Biology than Chemistry. But in any case, I've given my best and I'm glad I've graduated with such decent grades.

The next biggest dilemma - which university and which course. I'm still quite uncertain as to what I intend to do in the future. Faculty of Science? School of Business? Innumerable questions popping in my head now...

Gonna have to do some research on the respective universities before I book in tomorrow.

Till the next post.

A-Level Results 2010

2010-03-05T03:04:00.000-08:00

After an afternoon of nerve-wracking moments, the results were finally out.

How have I done?

I shall blog about that in a week's time when I book out. Hahaha.

NS Enlistment 2010

2010-02-24T00:45:00.000-08:00

Time flies, and the day has arrived.

In less than 24 hours time, I'll be enlisted into the army.

Image Credits

And in slightly more than a week's time, we'll receive the advent of the Judgement Day id est the release of the A-Level results.

Till then, we shall see how everything is.

River Hongbao

2010-02-23T01:18:00.000-08:00

I visited the River Hongbao @ Floating Platform last week, on the night of Chinese New Year! It was literally flooded with people but it was an eye-opener considering I've never been there the previous years.

One of the many highlights of River Hongbao would be the tall and huge "Fortune God" figurine:

Just look at the relative size of the Fortune God!

Another must-see would be the Dragon lantern figurine made purely from sugar!

Given this year is the Year of Tiger, we were of course greeted with many ferocious-looking tigers at the entrance of River Hongbao!

And of course, who could resist taking a picture with them? Hahaha.

Also, have you ever thought that ceramic spoons could be used to make gigantic animal figurines! It's really amazing how the China craftsmen actually do it.

All hail the Phoenix!

When the Dragon meets the Phoenix

When the Dragon meets the Phoenix (Macro version)

Given that River Hongbao is a China-based exhibition, it's almost a mandate that they display their "national animal" and that is the Panda! They have a whole collection of Panda figurines there, at what they call the "Panda playground"!

And of course, the breathtaking Singapore's night scenery!

TAP 2010

2010-02-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

And so last friday was my last day at MacPherson Primary School, id est conclusion of the Teaching Attachment Programme 2010.

The past 3 weeks at Mac had been a really interesting experience! The pure innocence and joy exuded by the little kids really made my stay there wonderful.

Two fridays ago, it was CNY celebration at MPS! That was, honestly, the best school-based CNY celebration I've ever had. Those kids enjoying themselves, singing out loud the new year songs and the enthusiasm they possess.

Even though I might not have been physically engaged, it was blissful enough watching the kids getting so engaged and hyped up.

Taken during the CNY celebration.

All the teachers don in red, and students, in their festive attire.

Festive gifts from the school (and the students!!)

Throughout the 3 weeks at MPS, I've learnt (and realized) a lot about teaching. I guess the rest of the interns share the same sentiments as me. It is through this short attachment that we are truly exposed to the "real world" of teaching.

And the baseline is: teaching is never easy.

Personalized desk "tag" that greeted me every morning.

Working desk for the past 13 days at MPS

On the last day at MPS, I ironically started real classroom-teaching for the first time. It was a refreshing experience to guide a class of 30 hyped-up kids through a topic that proved to be a tormenting one (to me, when I was in primary school): Word Problems.

I'm glad that at least the students followed the lesson well!

Anyway, just to share a rare discovery! Something that I'm sure the early 90's batches would remember vividly.

PETS COURSEBOOK FTW!!!

It was a nostalgic moment for me, after managing to find this really old school textbook!

Anyway, just to do a topic-switch before I conclude this post, and that is to share the sweetest moment of my attachment:

Your students preparing hand-made gifts for you, on farewell day.

Their messages may not be filled with flowery language, but it's the innocence and sincerity that lies behind each line of message, that touches me. The words used are simple, and it's precisely this simplicity that strikes the greatest memories.

It was definitely an important chapter of my life.

Thank You MPS, Thank You 4/7.

CNY 2010!

2010-02-13T17:51:00.000-08:00

Enjoy a blessed and joyful new year!

TAP #Week 2

2010-02-08T05:12:00.000-08:00

And today marks the start of the 2nd week of TAP.

TAP Day #1

2010-02-01T05:07:00.000-08:00

Today's the 1st day of the Teaching Attachment Programme (TAP) at MacPherson Primary School. It was once again weird yet ironically, refreshing, to wake up at 5.45 am and head for school once again - something I've not done for a long time.

The lesson observations were quite alright, albeit boring at times. It was however interesting to see the kids enthusiastically participating in the lessons - something that is missing in us, students, as we grow older.

The students were surprisingly very knowledgeable as well! Just from a 1.5 hour English lesson (and from the kids), I learnt that a cheetah runs at 100 mph, the heart of a giraffe is as big as a basketball, and it can consume 16kg of leaves each day! How amazing is that?

Sidetrack a little, I seem to be losing passion in everything I do these days. At an alarming fast speed. Just like the previous biz caller job, and now this teaching attachment. It's just weird how I was so enthusiastic about it one moment, and the next moment, I'm so zoned out. There's just no excitement or anticipation and that feeling sucks.

Hopefully things will get better in due course...

Injection of optimism

2010-01-22T06:04:00.000-08:00

(Blogging from my E63.)

If only there was such a prescription as above, then maybe I'll need a daily dosage of it. Recently hasn't been very optimistic about work. It is albeit a good experience but I'm tired of the whole routine already. Last week of work next week and I'm really clueless as to how it'll turn out (yet another pessimistic comment).

Anyway today was the MOE Pre-internship Briefing at MOE HQ! It was interesting meeting our supervisor whom is going to 'babysit' us for the next 3 weeks or so.. But somehow I realized that the passion I have for this TAP is burning out slowly. I really hope I'll find back the anticipation/excitement/passion once again.

Damn, this isn't a very cheerful post per se but.. I guess there are times when one feels doubtful about things that are happening around him?.. Oh wells.

Till I have something more interesting to blog.

Anticipation

2010-01-20T02:53:00.000-08:00

And so I'm posted to MacPherson Primary School!

It was supposedly my first choice but now I'm regretting it since Munirah wasn't posted there. But oh well, I guess it's fate that have brought me to MPS so yeah, I'm still quite excited as to what's going to be in store for me.

Anyway, will be heading down to MOE HQ for a briefing plus I will also get to meet my teaching supervisor on Friday! Hope everything goes well!

Till then.

Ramblings

2010-01-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

The Facebook Group aptly describes my thoughts now : "Why is Monday so far away from Friday, and Friday so bloody close to Monday???".

Ever since I started work, the advent of the weekdays are much dreaded! It seems so much like a deja vu experience of the school days where I used to dread Mondays because that means the start of a new school week.

Like I've mentioned in the previous post, it's not that my job environment sucks. It's the people whom I interact with over the phone that is irksome. Maybe it's just the typical Singaporean behavior... that generally they are so skeptical and non-receptive to the idea of "surveys".

After all, it seems as if the idea of answering surveys has become a "taboo" somehow.

Equality

2010-01-14T03:36:00.000-08:00

"Work = sian to the max": I guess this equality summarizes it all.

The colleagues and all are nice. But the job itself is not. Certainly draining, especially in the mental aspect. I seriously can't wait to start teaching! I think that'll be much better than what I'm going through now.

Till the next post.

MOE Teaching Attachment Programme

2010-01-12T06:50:00.000-08:00

And yes, it's been a long time since I've blogged and once again, so many things have happened.

One of them is the...

MOE TAP 2010 Training @ NUS

It was nevertheless a fruitful and interesting experience to learn the technicalities of being a teacher. What's more, we had Ms Peck, a seasoned educator as our facilitator! She was really nice and humorous and I loved the way she delivered each lesson!

I was also really lucky to be in Seminar Room 10 (SR10) with a class of really interesting and awesome interns:

Details/results of the school that I'm posted to will be out latest on the 21st Jan 2010 so I'll update about my posting results then! Hope I'm posted to the same school as Munaenae! Then we can have lots of fun whilst teaching the kids.

Life's gonna be hectic and packed till the day I enlist! So till the next time I'm free, I shall update!

Till the next post then.

Cheers.

2010!

2009-12-31T08:47:00.000-08:00

2009 is history and we've already ushered the new year an hour ago! And so:

2010 is going to be a brand new refreshing year with (more) challenges! For me at least, it's going to be the year of NS but I'm looking forward to it!

Just some simple new year resolutions that are... attainable:

1. Lose weight! (As a pre-training for NS!)

2. Attain my academic aims for A-Levels (duh!)

3. Forge friendships with much caution*

I have a lot to say about the third one actually but I'm definitely not going to share it here, at such a public avenue. Probably just refer to my 2009 post to infer why I said that. In any case, I just hope 2010 is going to be an awesome year and I should let bygones be bygones!

Once again, Happy 2010 people!

And so..

2009-12-31T03:15:00.000-08:00

I'm saving up a post for my thoughts about 2009 first in case I can't blog in time!

Just keep a look out at this space.

Meanwhile, off for night jog plus countdown party 2010 later!

The Trio!

2009-12-29T23:12:00.000-08:00

And so this entry's gonna be about the annual meet up with Jiaying and Sophia: my drama pals back in Bowen and singing enthusiasts!

It was initially a K session at Teoheng! But last minute, thanks to Soph's random "Let's go eat Sakae", we all suddenly had a craving for sushi and there we headed to...

SAKAE SUSHI

We decided on the 3pm - 6pm sushi buffet which was priced at $13.90++.

But by 4pm or so, we were totally KO-ed. Probably cause we ate too much in the first hour!

Just look at how much we've eaten.

Minute portion of the food we ordered that includes:

Spicy Salmon sushi, Kakiage, Fried Hotate, Cha Soba, Unagi Sushi.....

How can we forget a group shot with the empty plates and extremely filled stomachs:

That being said, it was real fun meeting with up them! Totally relived those memories we've had whilst in Bowen which is the most amazing time of my life.

Presenting to you each of our own solo shots:

AKK!!!

GIA!!!

It never fails to amuse me how I always thought Gia was handicapped for life!

It all started when she first joined 1E3, sitting in a wheelchair (cause she broke her leg or something and had to be on wheelchair temporarily).

But it was all thanks to her that inspired me to join Drama I guess!

And the last shot:

ME!!!

One year have passed and we met up again.

It's really amazing to see how much we've grown and transformed over the past 1 year (to the extent Sophia almost couldn't recognize me !!!).

Anyway, to decide whether we've changed ALOT or not as much:

Here's the photo taken when we met up in December 2008:

Anyway, I look forward to seeing them again! Hopefully in the near future and not a year later again.

It's less than a day more to a brand new year! I guess it's time to pen down my reflections as to how Year 2009 have been.

Till the next post.

Evening With SYC

2009-12-27T05:13:00.000-08:00

Evening With SYC took place 2 weeks ago, and here I am, blogging about it belatedly.

Anyway, it was more of a reunion for the SYC' 08 alumni than anything else! It was nice meeting many of the exhibitionists after a year and it's just that warm fuzzy feeling that fills one's heart.

The stage that we'll always miss, filled with the SYC participants from the ASEAN countries

The dance was amazingly choreographed by the Singaporean participants. But personally, I prefer the more modern part of the dance which was to Cascada's Evacuate the Dancefloor. India's cultural dance to Jai Ho was also awesome!

At the RELC Auditorium, enjoying the Cultural Night show

Other than enjoying the "Evening with SYC", we also went to visit the Exhibition Booth 09! Truthfully it wasn't as elaborate and... nice as ours! I think we spent more effort in designing meticulously the little details of the booth!

A peek of the Exhibition Booth' 09

If you didn't realize, there were supposed to be 2 SIA Air Stewardesses, Merlion (!!) and Sir Stamford Raffles (!!!!!). We were quite taken aback by the heavy accent of the Sir Stamford Raffles when we visited the Booth the first time! It's no wonder he got chosen to be the "Raffles" of the Spore's booth!

And yes, Singapore won the 2009 Country Exhibition which we were quite surprised too! Not that ours were lousy, but it just hasn't happened before, that the host country actually won the Exhibition! Last year's winner was Kazakhstan which wasn't surprising at all cause they were so elegant and skilled with their instruments!

With "Raffles" in a slightly less-formal dress code!

We found Philippines' costumes exceptionally beautiful and so we decided to take a snapshot with them! Their gown-like dresses were really nice and elegant, especially with the vivid and vibrant colors!

Nuff said' about the event, our group shot at the RELC lobby:

Me and Fui San!

She's actually the Student-Of-The-Year (2008) of TPJC!

Me, Kathleen, Ale & Geraldine!

Issac, Geraldine & Me!

It was a short but enjoyable meet-up! Plus we got to meet the SYC participants of 09, pretty cool! All of us probably took this opportunity to relive some of the SYC moments as well! It was a pity not coming back as an ACE this year, but I do hope there will be opportunities in the near future, maybe SYC' 10?

Remember, oh remember...

In this festive season...

2009-12-25T04:48:00.000-08:00

... I wish you guys a jolly Merry Xmas!

I haven't been in the blogosphere for quite some time and so many things have happened! The worst thing is I've yet to blog about them! Hopefully I can get the photos edited soon so I can blog about the events asap!!

You guys will prolly be reading posts that are dated way back long ago but I think that's okay. After all blogging is to keep record of events so that I can re-live these memories in retrospect, years down the road.

Till my next post then.

Empty

2009-12-14T02:25:00.000-08:00

It's an irony how I used to yearn for the carefree life, but now I'm finding it mundane, meaningless and very much without any purpose. It's saddening to see each day pass just like that without fulfilling anything.

Maybe it's time I find a goal for myself. Or find something more purposeful that I can spend my time doing. Everything else beats wasting my time away.

TPJC Promenade 2009

2009-12-12T05:28:00.000-08:00

TPJC Prom Night 2009 last Wednesday. I presume everyone enjoyed the "taking of pictures with beloved friends" more than anything else. It was a pity though, that the programme wasn't interactive enough. But still, great job to my 24th council juniors!

After Prom, a few of us decided to head to Supperclub for Post-Prom. I was damn lucky to have been allowed in, even though I was days away from being 18. That was my first time clubbing and I think it was an awesome experience! Now I truly understand how the phrase "Dancing like there's no tomorrow" came about!

Clubbing, albeit enjoyable, was damn tiring though! Clubbing till 4.30am in the morning with the rest left me really drained the following day. I guess I'm probably not so much of the nocturnal type. That being said though, given another opportunity, I'll probably like to try out other clubs in town like Butter Factory or Zirca!

And so we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel of TPJC journey. It has officially come to an end and we'll hardly see majority of the TPJCians gathering under one roof again. The next occasion would probably be A-Level results release next year in March 2010.

Anyway, I shall blog about yesterday's "Evening with SYC" real soon. And damn, I fell sick at the wrong timing, when I'm supposed to leave for Malaysia. :S

The serenity of life;

2009-12-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

As A's are over, I'm starting to enjoy the serenity of life! It's expected yet surreal to find how great life can be, with the absence of studying.

Anyway, it's 2 more days to Prom and I'm kinda looking forward to it! It'll be the night of transformation where everybody just look different. That being said though, I probably have to give post-prom a miss given I've not made it past the legal age yet.

Following Prom would be "An Evening With SYC" on Friday where I get to meet the fellow SYC-ers! I guess stepping into RELC Hotel once again will bring back really good memories of SYC 2008. Though we stayed there for just 1 week, I think we've are already so acclimitazed to places like lobby and auditorium! Anyhow, I simply can't wait to be back immersing in the vibrant environment of SYC!

Alright till the next post - probably when Prom is over.

Liberation we embrace;

2009-12-03T02:54:00.000-08:00

And so the A-Levels are officially over! Yet I'm not feeling exceptionally excited or exuberant for some reason... It's probably the uncertainties that's bugging me right now but I think it's time I put down all these worries and take a well-deserved break - one that I haven't had for a long time.

Anyway, the much awaited-for NS Enlistment letter has arrived! I'm due for enlistment on the 25th February at BMTC School 1, which was said to be one of the oldest schools. Albeit so, I still hope I'm delegated to a good company!

Enlisting in Feb means I'm most probably able to go for the MOE Teaching Attachment! But that's given I'm selected. Up till now, I've yet to hear from MOE so I really hope to receive their reply soon. At least then, I can have a stable job to kickstart 2010!

That being said, life now is kinda moulding back into its monotonous pattern. Boredom sort of seeps in after we're done with As. Hopefully I'll find something meaningful enough to do, to occupy my time!

Till the next post then.

2012

2009-12-01T06:18:00.000-08:00

Met up with Rekha at Vivo GV Max last Tuesday to catch this really awesomely plotted movie that narrates the 'ending of the mankind' and that is...

"2012"

Everybody was already giving the movie high ratings, so inevitably, I had really high expectations for the film. Nevertheless, I think the movie didn't fail me. It's fascinating and lively graphics never fail to depict the fictional situation we're plausibly going to face in the near future.

(Contains spoiler for 2012...)

Volcano eruptions, massive tsunamis and earthquakes etc.. I'm sure the producers had put in a hell lot of effort to produce the graphics on-screen. Plot-wise, it was definitely thought-provoking! Reminding us the ever real environmental problems, with global warming first on the list! It's definitely a good catch that illustrates the possible bleak future we're heading to. Amid the green messages the movie was trying to convey, the middle finger never failed to amuse all of us.

After the movie (which lasted a whopping 150 minutes!), we decided to head to the Vivo Rooftop Park for a scenery feast!

The sunset (which my camera failed to do justice to...)

Fuji Maru - a Japanese ship?

Christmas Tree @ Vivo (Day version)

The more vibrant version of the Christmas Tree in the Night!

Random streak of lights

Rekha and I

It was really an awesome meet-up after the previous dinner date before the exam. I'm hoping to meet up with her after the A-Levels again and of course, other friends as well!

For now, it's time to be back preparing for the last and final paper ever.

Till the next post.

One last hundred-metre.

2009-11-29T19:39:00.000-08:00

Nine days since I last blogged and it seemed as if a million things have happened. I've been redeeming my long-lost social life like meeting up with friends whom I've not seen in a gazillion years. And I shall blog about them really soon.

Here's a new blog design to celebrate the almost-ending of the A-Levels. No, I didn't vector that captain planet. Credits to deviantart. Like I've mentioned in one of the posts earlier, the cartoon "Captain Planet" does constitute a significant part of my childhood memories!

Anyway, it's four days before A-Levels finally end. I think that's the moment all of us have been waiting for - the liberation that is very much sought after!

Till then.

Sad would be a severe understatement;

2009-11-21T06:09:00.000-08:00

I started off with much zest & anticipation, and halfway through, I'm left so drained and fucked up. It's becoming like a ditto of the O-level days where I finish each paper with much worries, leaving me all demoralized. And that feeling simply sucks.

It's already bad enough when you're the only one who can't do a widely claimed "easy" economics paper. It's even worse when people around you keeps emphasizing on how easy the paper was, like as if they're definitely getting an A. The worst is when people keep highlighting the fact that YOU ARE DEFINITELY GETTING AN A CAUSE IT'S TOO EASY FOR YOU. It's seriously wtf.

Just 3 more papers and I'm done with As. I can't wait to get out of this rat race, one that has morphed me into someone that I can't even recognize.

Half the battle's over!

2009-11-13T17:29:00.000-08:00

And so a week long battle with what's known as the 'A-Levels' is over! Just 3 more weeks and we're finally done! :P

I remember during O-Levels, I would write a long disturbing post after each and every paper, complaining how much marks I've lost, how badly I'm going to do and as if I'm going to fail my Os. Which ironically I'm finding it kind of immature now haha.

In a nutshell, I just feel that the As are weird. It's probably the way they phrased questions that we are unfamiliar with and thus, conclude that it is hard. Albeit so, I just feel that it's time to work hard for the rest of the papers, rather than get so preoccupied with the past! Like Ms Nora's famous two words go, "Move on!".

Now it's time to start preparation for Chem and Econ! Speaking of which, the latter is the one which we've been neglecting for very long. The opportunity cost of studying Econs (paradoxically using econs concept here) just deters you from studying it haha!

And damn, I've to make a decision by today and that is whether to teach at a primary or secondary school. I think I've been accepted into Teaching Attachment Prog 2010 (which I've signed up awhile ago) and now they're offering me another internship route! Both routes has its pros and cons and the 'impel and repel' reasons, and that's primarily why I'm having a hard time now! Shall make the decision when the time comes. =x

Alright, shall be off to prepare for Battle Round 2.

Till then, hiatus again.

Advent of the As

2009-11-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've been in the blogosphere, and guess what, A-Level's just tomorrow! Everything's getting too surreal these days, the feeling of taking a national exam have yet to overwhelm me enough to stress me out. It is quite worrying, albeit it being a supposed good thing to some.

Anyway, before I go on a month long hiatus (or shorter, depending on when I feel like blogging again), here's my favourite childhood cartoon OF ALL TIME! It really brings back one of the innocent memories of the past. In fact, they should play this series again, it conveys a good message about global warming!

And now, the best time for a...

HIATUS

Why oh why?

2009-10-20T02:14:00.000-07:00

It's down to the last eighteen days before A-Levels start and I have no idea why I'm still before the computer, blogging/facebooking away. A huge paradox it is, that I'm so annoyed with myself for being so complacent.

Lady luck isn't always with me and I'm really not working hard enough. Must I wait for another repeat of the history before I start the whole regret story again? I hope not.

Anyway, it's the whole frenzy of "I'm enlisting on XXX" on facebook these two days and I'm still waiting for my notice. Very patiently indeed. Albeit knowing it'll be around Dec, it still feels uneasy not being certain about when I'll get enlisted.

Alrighto, till the next post.

TPJC

2009-10-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

And so the chapter of college life has ended. Ironically, one of the he best school days I've ever had was the last day of school. Taking countless pictures with many people and capturing the sweetest memories we've had with each other.

Like what I've mention in my speech (if anyone bothered to listen :P), I really didn't knew TPJC's existence at first. But I came to accept 'fate' and I am truly glad I did so. The countless opportunities offered to me, that might not have been the case if I had chose another school. From Pre-U Sem to SYC, then Shandong trip and Council, it's really amazing how I've enjoyed each and every event and befriended really awesome people!

Anyway, I really agree with Reks' post on how if you come to think of it, only a few individuals matter in your JC journey. Like an old shibboleth goes, "Some people come and go, but only friends leave footprints in your life." which I think it's really true. You may have a thousand friends, but really, how many would you really call your true friend.

Alright, A-Levels is in 20 days time and I think it's time to start. Many unproductive days have passed and it's now that I start to make that difference.

Till the next post.

Fame

2009-10-09T05:37:00.000-07:00

I personally like the tagline of this movie; "Dream It, Earn It, Live It." Think about the fame derived from academics and probably that will spur you on. "

We're into the last week before we finally graduate from TPJC. It's amazing how I've come to survive the 2 years of no-lifer JC, surprisingly, with much ease. Coming to a JC has provided me a brand new perspective about life. People from different facets of life that you'll never meet whilst in secondary school. Secondary days were like a childhood dream while college is a reality-check.

Well, farewell from school doesn't mean we are liberated from the exams. In 30 odd days, we shall receive the advent of the As, and let's work hard for that.

ION Orchard

2009-10-03T00:09:00.000-07:00

This was meant to be blogged eons ago, but... yeah.

Met up with Reks last last Friday, after her Prelims and we decided to head down to ION! Somewhere which we've never been before. Toured around, and settled at BK for dinner! The waiters were sure hilarious, shouting our name so loudly (and passionately) that made us feel like some VIP haha!

After that was some "camwhoring" session outside ION. (P.S I somehow don't really like the coined word 'camwhore')

Some F1 exhibition outside ION that featured this 'rad and loud' car. Can you hear it shouting BOOMZ?

Of course we couldn't resist taking a picture with it. :P

Saw this series of figurines outside ION and we posed with it!

A closer shot of the both of us behind this lighted board thing haha.

Nice fountains outside Ngee Ann City!

Yep it was an awesome night out with her! Hahaha it was like finally after a year of saying "let's meet up soon!" hahaha.

Currently reading FML which I think it's damn interesting. Just to share a couple, before you hop over and read the rest yourself.

Today, my girlfriend told me she lost her phone and not to call or text her. After about three hours, I text her phone, asking if she found it yet. I got a reply, saying "Nope". FML

Today it's my birthday. My best friend called me at work and offered to take me out to lunch. When he went to pay for the meal, his card was declined so I told him not to worry and that I would pay for the birthday meal. He looked at me and said "It's your birthday?" He was serious. FML

Today I had a big exam. 20 minutes in I could feel people turning round looking at me. I ignored them at first but towards the one hour mark it got more distracting. I stood up and yelled "Why's everyone staring at me!" I got kicked out. Turns out I was seated directly in front of the clock. FML

Today I left home to start my new life at University. Saying goodbye to my mother, the last thing she said to me was "Don't turn gay." I'm gay. FML

Pretty interesting right? Check it out here. :P

The magic number;

2009-10-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

I've reverted back to the old design cause I desperately needed something plain (instead of dark) to inspire myself to continue blogging, hence the change.

Anyway, here's a magic figure to all A-Level students:

Needless to say, it's 38 days to the first A-Level paper. It's kinda scary to think about how fast it is, to the impending exams. And after all, it's just 14 days (or so) before we graduate from TPJC! Really got to work hard and persevere through the 60 plus days before the liberation day comes.

School life, like usual, has been very mundane. The past two weeks was all about receiving back our Prelim results. It's quite worrying that at this juncture, I'm still doing relatively badly for GP. And despite how well you've done for your H2s, you still have to get a 'C' and above before you can qualify for a really good university course. This would definitely be a miraculous journey that we're undertaking. (Nordin, 2009)

Oh yes, I would want to blog about my Friday out with Reks soon! :P

A little video to share...

2009-09-26T00:56:00.000-07:00

Ending

2009-09-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

The comfy break after Prelims is over and it's now back to the books. Sianz. It's gonna be another 2 more months of craze before we get our much awaited freedom!

Everybody in this rat race is hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we're seeing a glimpse of it already. After all, our education phase in Sing is gonna be over very soon. After that it's gonna be a whole new adventure with NS and Uni!

Oh well, if life was like a concert, then probably what we're going through now is the prelude to the grand finale. The last show, the last shot, and the last time you're going to be under such tremendous pressure. The spotlight's on, and it's up to you - whether you want to put in that 150% effort to earn that standing ovation at the end.

Till the next post.

Back from hiatus

2009-09-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

Prelims are over and I'm back in the blogosphere! After a crazy long time. It's a good break for me before the mundane life resumes again.

Currently watching Legends of the Demigods which I feel is quite an awesome classic periodic drama, and I'm hoping to finish the series before school starts.

Legends of the Demigods!

Oh yes, I added the Plurk widget at my side-bar but it's still 'on probation'. Just wanted to try it sicne it looks interesting but it may be removed when I'm bored of it haha. For now, just keep a lookout at my Plurks! :P

Alrightos, till the next post.

It feels good...

2009-08-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

to have long-lost friends adding you on Facebook.

It makes you feel treasured, in one way or another, that they have at least made that effort for that reconciliation, albeit a cyber one.

Here we go again.

2009-08-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

16 days to Prelims.

I'm not liking this. I wonder when my wake-up call will come. Consolations in the mind keeps resounding, that it'll be fine if I screw up. But it's obvious, reality and thoughts don't correlate. There is a paramount need that I ride on the momentum. Before it dies.