a quiet coffee

The Post which Have to Drink More Water

2010-06-28T21:47:00.001+08:00

I woke up this morning at 7:01am precisely. It's been the earliest I've woken up since nearly two months ago, because I had to pop down to MOE for a briefing.

Sitting with a cuppa by the window, I was suddenly reminded of my blog's existence, or rather non-existence for the same amount of time. Gripped by an impulse to write and type, I started to mentally draft out this post.

"So here's just a quick narcissistic update on the owner of this blog post. Hopefully I'll come up with more exciting the next time round, and till then take care everyone!"

Well, I'm sure glad that many things have happen since 5th of May, which was when the previous post was, so here's a quick update!

I spent a few weeks, reading up, buying stuff, and generally preparing for my epic journey to Australia. I'm not going to pretend that I'm a seasonal traveller, with many countries under my belt and this is just yet another to add to my extensive collection.

In fact, it's the first time I'm going overseas in nearly four years, travelling alone to the furthest country I've been to date.

Australia was simply a huge step out of Singapore, into a brand new playground, with the slides and swings. I deeply enjoyed every moment of living in a different country, immersing myself into the famously relaxed culture, tasting the morsels that the streets have to offer, and spending a splendid time with my girlfriend.

I admit, though I'm the perhaps one of the more homely guys you can find, that during the trip, the thought of migrating to Australia when I'm old, rich and retired (or IF I'm old, rich and retired) did filter into my mind more than once.

The next trip out was to Bali, with a group of six other friends this time round. I went there expecting a lot more, but we weren't the millionaires we thought we were, and the social setting was much more slow paced than the club-like vibe we hoped for.

Still there were many mountains, hills, rice padi fields, and beaches that I thoroughly enjoyed seeing for my own eyes. The water rafting experience was perhaps the most exhilarating outdoor experience thus far.

After which, I've been leading a rather sedentary lifestyle. Facing my computer far more often than I should, and far more often than my father's temper would last, I've been toying with my new laptop, toying with my new ukulele, toying with the expectations of university life.

Recently I'm picking up my notes and books again, trying to recall the knowledge that have slowly eroded and withered into nothing during my two year stint in the army (Modern Warfare 2 has been catalytic in the process too- I admit). I've also attended the meeting at MOE this morning, informing us of the future duties we hold and the expectations of our performances in university.

I can safely conclude that the days of Nuah-ing at Home are near the end now. With a little more than a month from today, I will be starting school and I sure hope I can hang on for dear life.

Just a last bit of thought.

It seems to me we're at the age of leaving.

I see friends leaving for overseas CIP programmes and exchange programmes for half a year. I see friends leaving to study in overseas universities for a few years. I see family leaving to start new families, this time for good. I see myself leaving intermittently in the next few years for trips, studies and even work. I can't help but feel a certain sense of nostalgia, longing but not without a sense of purpose and adventure.

I spoke to my mother about this, and she said to me "Sooner or later, we have to get used to you all not being around."

I guess this is somewhat true. Gotta get ready for more adventures for the epic years ahead.

The Post with the Black Cat

2010-05-05T00:09:00.003+08:00

What up again people!

It's been a while since I wrote here. Although unemployment is treating me well, I realise it often causes the lack of content to put up on blogs. I guess other fellow blog writers will experience that kind of problem from time to time?

I wonder how people can think up of things to talk about ALL THE TIME. I don't mean random ranting posts, drab descriptions about the everyday goings in life. I prefer to write only when there are sensible, insightful, funny incidents that provide highlights in an otherwise ordinary life.

Today I shall bend a bit of my self imposed writing rule and talk about something less interesting - myself.

I left Starhub more than a week ago. I finished my last shift, which incidentally was a afternoon shift. It felt nice, familiar in a sense that I left the company the same way I went in, quiet and dignified.

I made a lot of friends inside, all of whom were decent, hardworking, funny and easy going. Somehow it's a little like National Service, because in our line of work, temporary staff come and go, and it's hard to keep track and catch up with everyone.

I shared the pain of working over all the public holidays during my five month tenure since December (Chinese New Year being the sole sad exception), endured late nights and long overtime hours, blasted and lamented at every appointment and outing we had to cancel with our friends, and celebrated together at the sight of our deservedly bigger paychecks.

Here's a huge shout out here to the members of the Starhub family, Derek my team leader whom I owe a lot to. Vivian, Joanna, Weisiong, Xinhui, Szemin, Mag, Teckhua, Gracelyn, Jun An, Amanda, Daryl, Meihui, Shiqi and all other permanent staff. I doubt any of you still read this blog, but I really do appreciate our moments together in my first official job! ^.^

I've decided not to seek employment again for the remaining months till I enroll into university. It's a huge period of three whole months, which to some might seem a little wasteful of time and money.

Somehow it doesn't seem that way to me. I feel a greater sense of purpose, more events and outings to look forward to spend my time in. There's jamming with my friends, preparing for university life, studying again, MOE commitments, exercising, and of course a much anticipated trip to Australia.

Even for the first week of "holidays' that I had, I managed to catch up with a few friends whom I've barely met since my employment, get going with some sports, spend more time with the folks back home. And it feels really good!

So here's just a quick narcissistic update on the owner of this blog post. Hopefully I'll come up with more exciting the next time round, and till then take care everyone!

The Post which is a Ghostbuster

2010-04-15T00:04:00.002+08:00

Hey folks what up! Once again I'm back from my small little hellhole from work and doing up an increasingly rare blog post.

Not surprisingly, I've been holed up at Starhub for the past 2 weeks, facing the computer up to 10 hours each day, logging data, provisioning application forms and tolerating each day. And man, it's really tough physically, challenging mentally, and damaging on a social life.

The other day I was about to take a lift up to the 6th floor where I work, in my T-shirt and jeans, carrying a cup of coffee, looking like I slept on the streets the night before.

This well-dressed office lady with a nice leather bag strode into the lift as I did, looking alert and immaculate, and she proceeded to the 4th floor to Nucleus Connect, this Starhub subsidiary for doing up the broadband networks in Singapore.

There lay the stark difference from both of us. For the first time in life, I felt like a techie. Not the Dota mine-laying goblins. I'm talking about the geeky, nerdy teenager who stares at the computer 20 hours a day, smelling like yesterday's clothes, whose fingers can type faster than they can form a coherent sentence in their heads. Those typical kind that you read in books and comics. I didn't really feel happy about that.

It's been nearly five months of working, and it both feels like a devilishly long, seasickness- inducing bus ride and a blink of an eye at the same time. Before I ORDed, I heard others saying that, many guys who started working outside start to feel it's better to be back in the NS days. I didn't believe it at first, but two weeks after working in December, I can't help but feel the same.

I thought it'd be the prime of our lives. Freshly out of the army, loads of free time before university, hungry for adventure and experiences, brave and perhaps a tad reckless. Who knew it would turn out this way?

It feels as though my life was a game of Snakes and Ladders. I rolled the dice, moved up the squares, hit a ladder and went 10 years ahead of my personal schedule. Wake up in the morning, two cups of coffee and a hot shower, take a bus to work and brave the barrage of work coming in. Dodge the political daggers flying from all directions (thankfully it's at a minimum level here), dust yourself and head back home. Have dinner, log onto MSN, relax a bit, get some sleep and get ready for yet another round the next day.

I guess it's like a sneak preview into the dreaded common adult working life, and to be honest I'm a little scared at what I saw.

Sure the money's great, but the opportunity cost for return wasn't pretty. I felt that my friendships with close friends, time with family, health and fitness took a blow from spending majority of my time at work. And I don't know if men do say it out, or if they even feel it in the first place, but I'm a little sad about it, and I have no choice but to knuckle on sometimes.

I typed out and finally handed in my resignation on last Sunday. I'm going to quit for real this time. (Sounds like I'm quitting drugs or something, haha) But I hope I can catch up a bit on the other facets of life that I've missed out, have an awesome three months before school start, and dive into my university life.

I don't know whether I should say sorry, or whether there is a need to, but I do want to apologise to the people who I've turned down countless times for the outings I should have been there.

8 more working days to my second ORD!

The Post which Farts Silently

2010-03-23T20:25:00.001+08:00

This week I declare it is No Gaming Week!

In the previous post I mentioned that I bought the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. I've been dwelling on the idea of spending $75 on a CD game. I finally succumb to its allure, bought it last week and I've been playing ever since!

Just a tad too much though. I find myself delaying meal times and other things I have to do to spend a bit more time shooting down opponents on the screen. Sometimes when I get home, it's to switch on my laptop, log on to Steam and get playing straight away.

My dad has been keeping quiet about it, but I remember I had a similar gaming addiction to Defense of the Ancients about two years back. Man, that was really bad. I practically spend every two hours at night after dinner for several months watching the Nightelves, Undead, Orcs and Humans beat the crap out of each other.

One day my dad had it, pulled me to one side and gave me a dressing down. To call it a dressing down is to put it lightly. He basically used every damn thing in his arsenal to break me down and I thought then, holy crap, I'll stop gaming for good.

Well, I did started to play again after that, but at reasonable amounts of about one or two games a week, as opposed to every single moment when my dad has his back turned.

Now I'm not an avid gamer. I'm really not. A fella addicted to gaming skips school and
social events just to play games. They don't exercise, they stare at the computer for hours and never tire, and they rabble on incessantly about how many levels they gained online.

Lucky for me I'm not. Simply because I can't even concentrate on playing for more than two hours at a go (my eyes get tired from watching flashing images after longer periods).

But when you only have two to three hours at home each day after school, camp life, or work, and you spend those away in the virtual world and neglect your other commitments, it's hardly worth it.

I did a bit of reflection this morning during my usual cup of quiet coffee, and I conclude that holding onto my trusty SCAR-H rifle in the world of Modern Warfare is taking up too much of my precious time. Maybe it's time to set those smokin' guns down, and pick up those unread books I have instead.

SO EVERYONE, I SHALL NOT GAME THIS WEEK. WATCH ME!

The Post which is Bang

2010-03-19T07:12:00.001+08:00

Long time no see Internet!

Well for the past weeks, you would have seen or heard me boastfully proclaim that this weekend would be my last week at Starhub after three and a half month tenure. The pay's decent, the work's simple, but the learning experience is limited and the hours are deadly.

This goes to show that even the best of us must swallow our words from time to time. For those who don't know yet, I've done an amazing U-turn to extend my employment for another month.

It may seem a little absurd, or even hypocritical, that I have decided to continue work at a job which I continue to lambast every now and then for its sheer amount of hours of mind-numbing work.

The last time I spoke to Sean, I dubbed it "digital age hard labour". Yes, I know this sounds snotty and a little disrespectful to my colleagues, but the combination of facing a computer for ten hours a day, for five months, right after National Service, isn't the best preparation for a challenging university life ahead.

After much consideration and advice from my parents (read: nagging from my mom), I thought it would be more prudent to continue working for the time being.

And the four simple equations I've learnt in my brief flirtation of leaving work is:

A) Shitty Job > No Job

B) Shitty Job > Shittier Jobs out there

C) Slog hard at Shitty Job = Money

D) Money = :D

There were a few other ironies that came with the end of this saga. I've managed to keep my plans of leaving really really quiet. I wanted my supposed last day of work to be dignified, quiet and no frills. Funny enough, when the word got out that I've decided to extend, people started to hear about it and asked me why I wanted to leave (when I already said I'm staying).

And the very last cruel joke played by Karma Police would be that, shortly after I told my boss I'm staying on, he told me that a big bunch of my closer friends in Starhub will be leaving the company, ON THE VERY SAME WEEK AS I WANTED TO LEAVE.

Owned.

On a totally random note, to give myself a well deserved present (I'm really not ashamed to say that, haha) I bought myself Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2!

Not that this game is brand new, but I've been yapping about how much I love it and how badly I want to buy it. I had a mini orgasm when I picked it up on the shelf and paid for it. I'm playing it on my free days and getting a real kick out of it. Hooah! :D

Alright gotta get back to work. I was drafting this post during those killer PM shifts at work. I hope my boss doesn't read this.

The Post which is Teams D

2010-03-02T22:55:00.003+08:00

As promised.

Happy four months to us!

The Post which is Unagi

2010-02-20T10:19:00.002+08:00

Read this book called Blackwater, quite sometime ago.

It's about the founding of a powerful private military company, based in USA, led by a rich businessman and former US Navy SEAL Erik Prince, and it writes about its rise and falls throughout the turbulent years of early 2000s.

There's an exceptional quote inside, which I'd like to share.

"The lion wakes up in the savannah in the morning, and knows that it's gotta run after the gazelle, or else it'll starve at the end of the day."

"The gazelle wakes up in the savannah in the morning, and knows that it's gotta run away from the lion, or else it'll be dead at the end of the day."

"Moral of the story is: whether you're the lion or the gazelle, when you wake up in the morning, you'd better start running."

Nothing like a good morale booster in the morning. Off to work! *rawrs* Haha.

The Post which will Swear it All Over Again

2010-02-16T22:30:00.002+08:00

Waiting for the return flight, one year later.

The Post which is a Kiddo

2010-02-11T20:42:00.002+08:00

Today I saw Karma at its wicked best.

A week ago, I was falling ill. After the remonstrations from my Starhub colleagues, I finally went to see a doctor. He did his stuff, prescribed medicine, and the total bill came up to $45.

I told my colleague, Xinhui, about this, and she exclaimed,

"WAH so expensive! Where got so expensive one!"

Three days later, she ate something wrong (presumably), had an upset tummy for the next few days, saw a doctor and took a few days MC.

She came back today and told me her bill added up to $75.

I laughed at her. "See, that's karma!"

I went home after knocking off, developed a huge headache, and had to see the doctor again. Apparently the vestiges of my sinus problem hadn't cleared, so Dear Ol' Doc had no choice but to give me another round of pills.

Bill: $25
Total bill: $75

Lesson: Never laugh at anybody too much.

I realise I'm good at organising farewell parties, but I'm not good at saying goodbye.

The Post which is Eating the Cat Rice

2010-02-02T07:19:00.004+08:00

I've always been a fan of watching sunrises and sunsets.

When I was a JC kid, I had the habit of going home around 5-6pm in the evening. As I climb down the last flight of stairs leading to my home, I'll usually have the chance of catching the sun's dying moments in the day.

Using my camera handphone, I captured many of those pictures. My favourite kind would be those that occur after a typical Singapore late afternoon shower; I'll describe it as a bloody orange hue, slowly spreading over the backdrop of cloudy ridges.

Sadly, I somehow lost the memory card containing all those pictures, and till this date I still cannot find it. =(

Just around fifteen minutes ago, I woke up to a moody black sky. I made my usual cuppa, and when I turned around, there was a sunrise, right out of my window.

It occurred to me, it's been a long time, perhaps way too long, since I saw a sunrise.

So I pulled up a chair, sat right by the window, had my quiet coffee and watched pinkish blob of warmth and light greet a new Tuesday morning, my five minutes of sunrise.

To me, the funny thing about sunrises and sunsets is that, they seem to last an eternity when you look at them and marvel at their colours.

But all you have to do, is to take a sip of coffee, do something else or even just to close your eyes for a second, it seems as though to have moved on, to have taken another form of their own, speedily reaching the end of its fleeting lifespan.

I can't help but think of it some what reflective of the life that I have.

I'm sure there are times we spent, where you felt sure that this is the lifestyle you want to lead. Like those moments in secondary school, fooling around in the gardens of Chung Cheng High, or the period in TJ during volleyball training sessions.

But just when you thought you had a hold of it, you turn around, you do something else, or you close your eyes for a mere second, and it's gone.

Somehow, I learnt in these two months in that such moments are fragile, and I got to live more in the moment, and stop worrying of what lies ahead for once.

Or at least during my five minutes of sunrise.

The Post which is Doing A Macarena

2010-01-27T22:13:00.003+08:00

In a limbo.

The Post which is Looking at the Sun, Moon and Stars

2010-01-15T21:14:00.003+08:00

It's just a temporary job right?

Then why am I waking up each morning sluggishly, wondering why the hell I have to work shift hours..

Why do I have to stare at a computer for hours everyday, and have occasional headaches pounding from reading countless forms and pages..

Why am I struggling to meet up with my friends, who I haven't gone out with for their birthdays and other holiday celebrations..

Why do I feel a tinge of jealously each time one of my colleagues leave my workplace because of a new job or to pursue their studies..

Because I have a dream. Some far away, distant dream which seems out of my reach, but I'm determined to make sure it's not mere wishful thinking.

I will press on!

The Post which is A Vegetarian

2010-01-05T23:49:00.004+08:00

Presenting to you: The Xiujie's Guide to Surviving A Hike

1) Extra bag of clothes - What's better than a nice kit to go hiking? Two kits!

2) Deodorant - Look like a man. Act like a man. Don't smell too much like one though.

3) A last minute medical kit - Because if someone can accidentally tear and almost lose his finger on his way to collect Mac Delivery (true story), anything can happen on a hike.

4) Water- Half full water bottle.. DRINK UP!

5) Food - Confucious says: Hungry man is an angry man.

6) Army bag - Cause you'll look silly carrying everything in plastic bags.

And the only thing you need when all else fails..

The Post which is All About You

2009-12-29T22:28:00.007+08:00

In the past few years, I have been fond of writing long posts on the last day of the year. They are usually about the people I've met and the things I've done over the course of twelve months.

This year it's a little different. Not only am I late in posting this up (was working at Starhub), I will be talking about a concept, which basically summed up my year.

It's called the Chaos Theory.

The Chaos Theory is an area of inquiry in physics, mathematics and philosophy, studying the behaviour of dynamic systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions.

Basically, this means that small differences in initial conditions of a situation can cause huge differences in outcomes, making long term prediction impossible in general.

For example, you can put a small ball on the top of the hill, but which direction it rolls towards is determined by hundreds of small, individual factors.

This theory is encapsulated in the popularly known metaphor, the Butterfly Effect, which I also mentioned sometime ago in the past.

In 2008, I enlisted into the army. I could have gone into Tekong in April with most of my friends, yet instead I enlisted in early January.

I could have completed my BMT, became an officer, seargent or medic, but I became a driver, much to everyone's surprise.

Many months later, my immediate seniors in my unit were about to ORD. A group of them briefly considered to extend their service term, which also meant that I would never have been an ambulance driver, but I did.

In June 2009, orders from HQ came and between two ambulance drivers, one had to selected as a NDP driver. There was a huge debate and discussion, and my buddy was briefly considered, but in the end I got the nod.

In October, I planned my last duties and my leave. I almost had to do one more week of duty, but last minute training of my replacement meant that I was free from 26th onwards.

Instead of having duty, I went home that day. I wanted to play basketball with Sinkiat late that day, but he had other plans, so I decided to pay you a visit, because you had a bad day.

Those are seemingly random events, which could have easily gone any other way. But little did I know, they all added up and pointed to a direction, and that was to you.

I spent my last 5 minutes of the New Year, in revelation and amusement of this fact.

It seems amazing to me. It's like the universe in a huge machine, and these events are small intricate parts of the machine, all working constantly to make sure you end up where you're supposed to be, doing what you're supposed to do.

Some people call it fate, some people call it destiny, some people call it God's will, and personally I just think of it as a script that we are meant to follow, to go through the motions, like tiny cogs and gears pushing the hands of a clock along.

I realise I often make the mistake of counting down too much. Counting down to the next book out, counting down to university life, counting down the end of my tiring shifts at work, counting down to the next time I see my family and friends.

But perhaps instead of counting down to the future, or thinking about the past, I should concentrate on the present instead.

There are so many things and so many people, constantly interacting, brushing past and intertwining, that it almost seems like a waste that I haven't been paying enough attention to them.

So my New Year Resolution will be a simple one, and that is to be more appreciative to things happen around me, complain less and to live in the moment.

I want to thank everyone, my family, my friends and my relatives who were there for me. I can't list your names and contributions individually, because I want to do justice to your influence and to the things you have did to prod me along.

And as always, one small exception to you girl. =)

Wishing everyone a happy 2010!

Best wishes from the owner of aquietcoffee.blogspot.com,
Xiujie

The Post which is a Soft Kitty

2009-12-23T22:30:00.007+08:00

Dear Santa,

It's been a crazy year and one wild ride! Now it's the time for giving again, and seeing the good boy I've been, please grant me these wishes!

Places I want to go someday:

1) Taiwan
2) Anfield
3) France
4) Koh Samui

Cars I want to drive someday:

1) BMW Z4
2) Audi S6
3) Chervolet Corvette

Occupations that I would want to do if I can turn back time:

1) US Navy SEAL
2) Criminal Psychologist
3) NBA basketball star
4) Movie actor/stand up comedian/famous TV show host

Food that I can make appear out of nowhere so I can eat them anytime I want:

1) Strawberry ice cream
2) Xiao long baos
3) Shepherd pies
4) Cheese omelettes

Famous people who will give me exclusive passes so I can visit them sometime:

1) Xabi Alonso
2) Steve Nash
3) Jackie Chan
4) Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
5) Backstreet Boys

Shows that will guest-star me somehow:

1) FRIENDS
2) The Big Bang Theory
3) How I Met Your Mother

Totally materialistic things that I would buy if you gave me US$1 million:

1) A nice house by the beach
2) A hundred iPhones so I can give them away on a whim
3) My own swimming pool, jacuzzi, with an artificial sun and breeze for tanning (not possible but still..)

Presents that you gave me this year already:
1) My family
2) My friends
3) My ORD
4) and you! =)

Well I think it's been a long tough year for everyone, with all the army stuff, work, studies and other commitments. It's finally time to let down our hair, enjoy the festive season, and spread the joy and cheer around!

So here's wishing everyone, an early Merry Christmas! =D

The Post which is Oscar Mike

2009-12-16T23:10:00.004+08:00

Finally went back to the Singapore River!

I spent my two months there during my stint in NDP, manning the Navy Medical Post 5 with my medic friends. Two hot sweltering months with the sun beating mercilessly down on our defenseless green tents has made a good enough impression for me to stop going back there.

In the few months I never went back to the spot. Even sometimes when I go to Raffles Place, Clarke Quay and other places around the area, I generally refrain from going back there again.

Just a few days back, I finally headed back to the exact same place where we pitched our tents during those months.

I remember this exact bench, facing the Asian Civilisation Museum just across the river. It was my favourite bench actually. I used to sit there, around 10pm on each of those terrible Saturdays, mentally ticking off one rehearsal, and counting down to the end of NDP.

Last week after work I finally went back to exact same spot. I stared once again at the Museum just across the river, just like I did months back. I look at the where the tents used to be, right in front of O'Briens (now it's some other cafe) and I can still remember the sight of the bored medics, fiddling around and playing PSPs in their sweatstained red NDP shirts.

The only difference is that, I was no longer in uniform, I was in a much better mood, and I definitely had much better company.

And also, this time I finally walked over the bridge right in front of Fullerton Hotel, saw the pretty lights, enjoyed the breeze (so elusive during the NDP days for some reason).

Literally and metaphorically on the other side of the river I guess. Haha.

The Post with the Tomatoes and Potatoes

2009-12-13T10:22:00.002+08:00

Woke up this morning and realise there's a little more than 2 months left only.

What a horrible feeling.

I won't hesistate, no more, no more.
This is our fate.
I'm sure,
There's no need to complicate.
Our time is short.
This is our fate, I'm yours.

Very applicable song here. Haha.

The Post with the Flipping Hams

2009-12-05T12:17:00.002+08:00

Okay so now I've got a new job at Starhub!

Today is my 5th day of work of data entry. Basically I go into the office, plop my ass down on a chair and get comfortable. For the next 8.5 hours you will see me hacking mercilessly away at a computer, plowing through endless online application forms for mobile phone numbers.

As you can imagine, it's hardly inspiring or exciting stuff. So far the most interesting thing that happened was when...

Okay, really nothing happened. Sigh.

The worst thing is that, it's shift work (yes I know, why on earth will data entry have shift work?) and I've got work on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year Eve and New Year.

I definitely did not sign up for this!

Have to make sacrifices here and there I guess. It's a bit like.. getting bitten by loads of mosquitoes for the greater good! Haha

The Posts with the Two Closed Eyes

2009-11-30T21:23:00.002+08:00

Wedding's over!

The marriage of my sister Xiuwen and Ken took place on 28th November 2009. It was a fun day, a hectic day, a touching day, and definitely a memorable day.

As I mentioned on the previous post, I've been to quite a few weddings, all of them of my elder cousins' marriages. They have been simple affairs; arrive in the morning and eat, arrive at night and eat.

But that was when I was younger, and had close to nothing to do other than chomp down on the sumptuous meals. This time round, it's very much different and I was glad to be part of the crew to make sure the day went smoothly.

The wedding solemnisation and dinner was held at a lovely restaurant Peony Jade, just by Clarke Quay. We arrived at about 6pm, started to get the things sorted out.

And mind you, there were some last minutes problems here and there alright. But I was pretty sure nothing will take the attention away from the marriage of the lovely couple.

I know I'm not exactly the most stoic person around, and I admit there were a few tears in my eyes when I saw my sister walk down the aisle in the white gown, with Ken by her side.

I think not many people can say that they are super close to their siblings, so I'm proud to say that I am with my two sisters. We grew up in a tight knit family, through some very difficult times, and there's pretty much nothing we don't share and help each other on.

Having my sister move out of the house we've been residing together for years feels a little different. Maybe that's how it was like for them during the extended periods when I'm not around because of NS.

People move on from friendships, from relationships, from one workplace to another and so on. But I think it's very difficult to move on from kinship, and even as my sister moves on to start a new family, she's still very much part of mine. =)

The Post with the Triangular Hammock

2009-11-25T10:47:00.003+08:00

The rainy season seems to have abated (temporarily at least) and it seems that my fortunes are to turn for the better.

The past few days have been mostly cleaning up and packing up my house, in preparation for my sister's wedding.

It's no easy feat. Think of an ordinary HDB flat, with normal stuff like sofas, nice cabinets, dining table, lava lamps that give off a nice homey feeling.

That's not what my house is like.

It's a cross between a mini factory with a production line, warehouse with boxes and parts of machines and components thrown in.

My dad brings his work home. I have no complaints, having grown up in such environments since I was six. But cleaning up is no joke, especially when you're entertaining around 30 odd guests in a few days time.

I've been to my fair share of weddings. I have a huge extended family, with many older cousins who are already married and have their own families, which also explains all my lovely nephews and nieces.

But this time it's my own sister, and I'm old enough to be involved in some parts here and there, rather than just to turn up for the wedding dinner.

Would love to talk more about it, but got another interview to prepare!

On a completely unrelated note, sun tans are great. Haha.

The Post which is Lo Hei

2009-11-18T20:25:00.004+08:00

Random picture: Chow chow is officially the cutest breed of dogs on my list.

Anyway, it's nine days since I finished NS and I'm still unemployed. I have no idea why I'm so restless.

I guess I'm always eager to get things done, and I'm not really good at being patient when there is no end result in sight.

I think many of us look for the dream job. Well, everyone has their own definition. "Get laid and get paid" sounds like a good one (heard that from a sitcom actually so don't think I'm a pervert) but I don't think that's actually possible for me. Haha.

The easy way out would be a decent paying 8-to-5 desk job, probably facing computers and preferably less supervisors to answer to. Believe me, I tried that direction but it ain't easy.

Maybe I looking at this the wrong way: gotta take it easy and look slowly. A good job is worth waiting for, and perhaps it's just around the corner.

Had a relevation just today. I'm used to being in the army, I don't know how to react when people appear to be nice but are thinking otherwise. At least in the army, there's an outlet for you to be honest when you can openly shout vulgarities and show your disdain.

The outside world is much more scarier than it seems. Hm.

The Post which is Sunflower or a Guitar

2009-11-12T15:08:00.008+08:00

My NS journey wasn't the one I expected to be.

Nonetheless it was a really fun one. It's full of twists and turns, highs and lows, ups and downs (I can go on forever here), and honestly I wouldn't have traded it for another one.

I've seen on Facebook, where quite a few of my friends have put up their badges and qualifications. Officer ranks, marksmanship badges, overseas exercises. I'll be very open and say that, unlike many of my friends, I barely had any accolades to show off.

Sometimes I feel a little resentful about that fact, but I guess you can't always get the best of both worlds, and in my case I had a wonderful time in CNMC and Changi Naval Base.

So I managed to put up a small collection of photos, which were dug out from various locations and spanning over the 1 year and 10 months of my National Service.

At Pasir Ris Bus Interchange, just before enlistment. Xiuhui had exams that day, so she couldn't go to Tekong for a look.

After my 16 day confinement, I managed to reach back home, tired, botak and very happy to be back in my cosy hut.

Packing up for my first book in, possibly the shittiest moment right after enlistment.

The tag that steered the course of my NS well away from my plans. I OOTed from Tekong BMT.

What most people didn't know was that, I was originally posted as a storeman in my Tekong company. In the end there was some mix up (not uncommon in the SAF) and I landed up as a driver in the Navy instead.

I didn't manage to take any pictures for my driving course, recourse BMT and my time as a Navy driver. So fast forward a lot, it was NDP 2009. Eight weeks of fully burnt weekends, which lead to many days of off-in-lieus that I never managed to clear.

My tenure in CNMC was probably the best time I had. Loads of fun and nice people whom I got along brilliantly with. Many nights of nonsense, PSPs and laughter. To be honest I was a little sad to leave.

A collection of the little items I keep packed in my No.4 uniform at all times.

My driver's handbooks, my dearest army phone (with a keychain from Taiwan haha), my army tags, 11b, camp pass, my lowly lance-corporal rank, my formation badge and my blue beret.

Coincidentally, the Navy beret is also the same shade of blue. So when we swapped formations, I just chucked away the Navy crest. LOL

My long awaited reunion with my pink I/C, which was painfully ripped away from me a long time ago. As you can see, I'm a happy man. Haha.

In my time, I've met a lot of people, mostly people I drove for. Seasoned warrant officers, fresh sergeants, recruits running amok, the funniest medics, nice regulars and not-so-nice ones too.

There are so many faces I've seen, it's impossible to remember and it seems like a blur to me. But I know everyone had a story to tell at some point of time.

I always listened, I always commented, and I always learnt. Army folks have a propensity to share, and you will be surprised at how much you can get from listening to someone else's story.

So, thank you everyone, whom I've met along the way, for being gracious souls, for teaching me so much about life.

And finally...

ORD LO! =D

The Post which Has to Join a New Club

2009-11-07T23:41:00.005+08:00

I spent Wednesday to Friday job-hunting.

Now, rather than to just rely on internet searches, I decided to go on the ground, together with Aaron, to look for jobs manually. That is, walk around shopping malls, look at each shop to enquire for job vacancies.

Although it seems rather unorthodox, you will be surprised at how many shops are looking for assistants. I presume that the notices for job vacancies can always be found, as long as you look hard enough.

It's also a very humbling experience. The feeling of looking at shops, one by one, walking around till your feet are tired. But I kind of embrace it as a exciting, adventurous time where anything seems possible.

Meanwhile, I also tried out tchoukball for the first time today!

Tchoukball is rather unheard of in Singapore I guess. That's according to me. Haha. But it's true, I think it's not exactly a mainstream sport, the rules are few but it's certainly not an easy game.

Click here for more information!

Honestly, I barely did anything. My stamina was pit bottom, I haven't been sweating that much in a long while, my legs were burning and I had to leave early before the game even started. Haha.

But in a way it was really cool to pick up a sport from scratch. It reminds me of the times when I was still a greenhorn in volleyball and had to work my way up. Although I highly doubt I'll spend that much time in tchoukball.

Time to nurse those bruises on my knees and my aching calves. Oh boy, I'm too old for this stuff.

And it's Sunday.

Tomorrow is my ORD.

Even though it seems unlikely, there's another part of my life that I am as happy about as with my ORD. =D

The Post with the Millionaire

2009-11-04T11:57:00.005+08:00

Watched How I Met Your Mother and I came across another quote which I really liked.

The great moments in your life may not be necessarily the things you do. They will also be the things that happen to you.

Now I'm not saying that you can't take action to affect the outcome of your life. You HAVE to take action, and you will.

But never forget, that any day, you can step out your front door and your whole life can change forever.

You see kids, the universe has a plan, and that plan is always in motion. A butterfly flaps its wings, and it starts to rain.

It's a scary thought, but it's also kinda wonderful. All these little parts of the machine, constantly working, making sure you end up exactly where you're supposed to be, exactly when you're supposed to be there.

The right place, the right time.

I like the sound of it.

I realise my journey in these two years have been nothing short of a surprise. It's full of ups and downs, and definitely not the way I envisioned it to be, before I enlisted.

The quote somehow represents the way I'm feeling now. I have a sense of comfort and ease that all things happen for a reason, whether you mean for it to or not.

Recently I took a leap of faith. Changed my thinking, changed my perceptions and threw away old habits. Made some decisions to do things I wanted to, but never had the guts to.

And I can honestly say, I've never felt happier since. =)

Oh yeah, 5 more days to ORD. Haha.

The Post which is the Tip of the Spear

2009-10-28T15:34:00.002+08:00

One of my favourite songs. Just popped up this afternoon and it's been playing in my head. Haha

The Post which is in Autumn

2009-10-24T10:52:00.006+08:00

Caught 500 Days of Summer (like finally) in a rather sparse Cineleisure theater.

It's the kind of film which is neither too spectacular or long. Not extremely hilarious or action packed (hardly any action now that I mentioned it), nor with any notable movie stars. But in a sense it made you think about how little details in the story mirrors your actual life.

My favourite bit in the movie was when the main character Tom sinks into depression after the breakup and has to go to work one day.

Facing all the cards and other cardmakers, he declares that their jobs were to provide a service for people who cannot express their true feelings, and have to rely on "words put into their mouth by other people" .

It took me a while to realise, to some crooked extent, this was somewhat true. Now my statement is rather vague, but I always felt that people are never as honest and truthful as they could have been at times, even when it's a good time to let other people know they feel.

"It's okay", "Nevermind", "It's fine" and "Anything" are the common phrases people use everyday. Sometimes it indicates a lack of preference, but I guess it's getting used more often these days when one wants to avoid conflict or making a decision.

Think about it, how many times have you seen in your friends or in other couples, when such phrases are used as an excuse?

Some of the best talks I had with my closer friends are often made face to face. No MSN, no eBuddy, no handphone messages. No emoticons, no firewalls and no time to draft, edit and publish a correct answer.

My friend Sean, during a sleepy chat on a duty night, once asked me what was the meaning of friendship, and I answered with "when you can look someone in the end, strip away all false pretense, cut the crap and tell him what you think."

I often find I learn more about my friends during such chats (or the popular euphemism heart-to-heart-talk). I can see them thinking, see their raw emotions, watch them cast aside their caution and, as Tom puts it, "stories you have to earn the right to hear".

I'm definitely not a "card" person, I try to be as honest and open as I can possibly be without treading on others' toes. But as with any grownup, I'm bound by societal conventions and niceties and cannot afford to give everyone a piece of my mind without serious censorship.

That's why I'm a little envious of little kids, untainted and oblivious to the outside world, having the right and excuse to say whatever's on their mind.

Anyway as you can see, plenty of thoughts in my mind, so I better end it here before I lose track and delve into another topic. Haha.

I end with the final and my favourite quote of the movie:

The girl of my dreams would have a big bodacious rack, blonde hair and perhaps good at sports. But Robin is better than the girl of my dreams, she's real.

The Post which was So Hot that it Melted

2009-10-20T13:26:00.005+08:00

Let's waste time,
Chasing cars.
Around our heads

If I lay here,
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world.

The Post which is the Big Yellow Bag

2009-10-18T13:37:00.002+08:00

It's a Sunday. A quiet Sunday, like the many ones before that I've spent in the medical centre, with a book, a PSP and my bed to accompany me for the day.

But unlike the Sundays after this one, it's my last duty in this place, as I'll be clearing my leave /off from next week onwards till ORD.

My NS journey has been really different from what I first thought it would be before enlistment. I envisioned it to be 2 years of running around in jungles, eatting crappy combat rations and becoming fit and strong.

Instead, with one crocked knee, it somehow managed to metamorphasize into what I'm doing today. Still, I can't complain.

I've been somewhat of a nomad. I've been to different courses and units, usually for 2-4 months at each go. I met many types of people, usually those that I've never personally interacted for my pre-NS life.

I've met drug abusers, people with horrendous family problems, car racers, gangsters, teen fathers, smokers and other variants of people who crossed paths with the law.

Strangely enough, I do relate to this people (much better than I thought I would), and if you take your time and effort, strip away their exterior appearances, you do realise that underneath we're all human, that we all deserve respect and care.

That being said, some deserve a lot less respect and care. No names will be mentioned. Haha.

Anyway as a result of my drifting lifestyle between units, I made loads of "temporary friends".

I define "temporary friends" as people whom you meet, become extremely close friends in a short period of time, see and talk to each other everyday till the time frame expires, then pack bags, shakes hands and is hardly seen in each other's lives again.

Given Singapore's small size, this distance between "temporary friends" is more psychological than physical.

The thing is about such friendships between guy is that they usually don't have to catch up unless it happens coincidentally. It hardly matters to us, and we don't pretend otherwise.

In view of this situation, I would dare say I didn't make any true friends in these two years.

It's a bit like a cheap B-grade American action flick: you make allies, you go through shit together, you fight and forget, and live to fight another day.

Until I got posted to the medical centre, my home away from home for the last 5 and a half months.

First of all the medics are mostly from the same background as I am. JC and polytechnic students who completed their studies, viewing NS as another phase in life to get past, gazing working life or university life as a greener pasture on the other side.

Needless to say, I clicked pretty well with the medics. Even though I must have a perpetually sleepy figure who lives in the medical centre half of the time, I managed to talk personally to most of them, had decent intellectual conversations that address issues which matter to us.

It's not as though I would have voluntarily extended my service or deprive myself of leave and offs to stay longer, but as Jerry once said, there are genuinely nice people in the medical centre, and I'll miss them.

Vernon- our endless PES battles, debates on the prettiest actress, cooking instant noodles together.
Jerry-san- learning the guitar songs from you, watching you getting raped by Vernon all the time and earning the title of Qing Ge Xiao Wang Zi.
Sean-san- our laughing fits when we dramatically describe silly stuff, a drifting Honda Fit, long and meaningful conversations and our epic Cloud duels.
Fang- surviving NDP together, having our Victory Maggi, and making it through all my duties with me.
Ernest Slinslizel! - playing games and laughing our asses off whenever stupid things happen during those games, pronouncing every damn name wrong

And of course all the other medics whom I've spent duties with, talking about life and cursing whenever a case comes.

It's been a good run. See you guys on the other side.

The Post which Questions the Schrondinger's Cat

2009-10-14T23:03:00.002+08:00

There's this little blue book that all SAF drivers should be familiar with.

It's called the Driver Record Book. It's supposed to be a record of the vehicles that we are trained in, the total mileage that we clocked in our service term and other random knowledge.

We all receive one when we are posted in as drivers. I had mine around June last year. I didn't know it was supposed to be an important record, so for my very first Record Book, I wrote and doodled a lot in it.

The other day I was booking out in my uniform (quite rare for me, I always book out in civvies) and when I got my kit out at home, I saw the book inside my uniform and gave it a read.

Inside there was a scribbled rant of some sort, which I remembered I wrote on a particular "emo" afternoon. I was a very new driver then, exposed to the harsh environment of my unit, sent off to do work I didn't want to do, suffering with people whom I couldn't get along with.

It goes something like:

3 more months to recourse,
4 more months to 1 year (to go in the army),
5 more months to 2009!

Day by day,
Monday to friday,
Weekends play,
Add a few more holidays.

Repeat four times.

Gone one month, gone three months

Back to tekong, to have some fun.
Enjoy your time, slack a bit more.
POC lo! No more REC.

Enter December. Scram all regulars.
Take some leave, and countdown 2008.

Watch your front, 10 more months.
Time seems stagnant, but slow and steady wins the race!

Gone one month, gone four months.
Wah lao eh, six more months!
Tahan a bit more, 16.6.2009
20 years old lo.

Time to "geng", don't drive much
Ambulance duty, sleep can already.
Read some books, take some offs!

It's quite long, and full of crap, but at that time I was pouring out a lot of frustration into a not-rhyming-so-well poem of sorts. But somehow I did calm down considerably after writing this down.

It's funny now that I read it again. It was in July 2008, if you read the poem again (actually, please don't, it's embarrassing), so it's bloody ages ago.

But I'm surprised, despite all the shit that happened since then, I more or less stuck to the schedule I planned for myself.

Time really passes quickly. This week is my last week of duty, next week's my leave.

So, now what?

The Post which is Secretly in Love with Red

2009-10-11T15:48:00.002+08:00

It's Sunday duty once again.

Earlier this morning I was about to go back to sleep when I was activated to send a patient to the hospital after he "fell down" in a ship which is about to set sail. Word has it that he has some "girlfriend issues" and perhaps didn't want to embark on a month-long trip, so draw your own conclusions.

It's amazing what people can do when they are desperate enough.

Anyway, I had to wait for him in the hospital A&E department. In my one-hour long stay there were a few other casualties that came in. It's somewhat interesting to see how different family members react when their loved ones are admitted into the A&E.

Just before I left, another Civil Defence ambulance drove to the entrance. The driver rushed out and opened the back door of the ambulance as I walk past.

Inside were four paramedics, frantically trying to resuscitate this eldery man. I could see the anxious face of the female (and if I may say, rather hot-looking) paramedic adminstering CPR on the man. His hands were flopping lifelessly by his sides, as the driver wheeled him out on the Ferno stretcher and pushing him into the A&E.

It's very dramatic stuff. Feels like something you might see on the telly, but this time there are no retakes, no film cuts and rewrites, no life-saving miracle drugs and no suave Japanese doctor.

You know what they say, the brink of a life-or-death situation, your entire life flashes before you?

Got me thinking, if that were to happen to me, what would I actually see. If I were to distill the twenty years of my life, capture the essence of it and put it out on a roll of film, what would define my life up to this point?

The Post which Will Grow Back as Grass

2009-10-06T00:53:00.001+08:00

Today is the 6th October 2009.

Rewind a year ago, on this very fateful day, yours truly created history in Changi Naval Base when I misjudged a simple right turn and crashed my car into a lamp post.

It happened in slow motion; the infinitesimal second which it happened seem to stretch out for an eternity. The car bumped right into the base of lamp post 65 of the base. It hung for the briefest of all moments, before crashing backwards with a sickening thud.

The first instincts of survival kicked in first. I actually thought, for one crazy moment, that no one had saw and I could drive and escape away. Then the truth hit me and I saw people rushing forward to help me out.

Blood was welling up in my mouth but the only thing I had in mind was that I blew my chances of going to a local university because surely, surely, the detention barracks await me for causing a bloody fucking stupid accident.

I was pretty much in a daze for the rest of the night. My buddy Aanandaa sent me to the hospital, my sisters met up with me there, there were phone calls going all around.

Then I was sent back to camp. My warrant officer was there to help me, when other investigating officers came down to grill, interrogate and question me.

I was sent home at about 11pm later. No one else spoke to me, which suited me fine. I'm not sure I wanted to talk much, having endured probably the worst night in my life.

I guess I lived under a constant shadow of worry ever since that accident. I went to my recourse BMT in Tekong shortly. It was supposed to a seven-week holiday, but there wasn't a week I wasn't calling back my unit to find out about my sentence.

Eventually, on the very last week of BMT, I finally called my Officer-in-Charge, to find out that he would be giving me SOL (basically a confinement) of 14 days in camp. No DB. The shadow was finally lifted.

The SOL was served this February. It was my second longest stay away from home. It's funny what a second of carelessness can cause.

Thankfully I had a lot of great friends in my unit, bringing me stuff from out of camp. Aanandaa (who coincidentally had an accident the very next day) was a great company for the first week, and the second week past by quickly with work and jokes.

In retrospect, it seemed to me that a certain someone up there wanted to teach me a lesson. I was young, not too experienced but getting cocky.

I also thought that I was lucky enough because the lamp post fell away from the car. Had it landed on the vehicle instead, I guess I wouldn't be escaping with just a cut lip and distended jaw.

So it's been a year. Time really flies.

I still think about the accident from time to time. Whenever I drive out of camp, I will deliberately drive past the new lamp post, reminding myself what I've done and will never ever do again.

So kids, drive safe, drive responsibly, and think of your loved ones whenever you feel like doing something stupid while driving.

The Post which is Awesome

2009-09-25T20:38:00.003+08:00

Whaddup!

How I Met Your Mother, great comedy, good sitcom, not as good as FRIENDS (then again, what is?) and a new source of inspiration, jokes and funny soundbites.

I first caught it during a weekend duty a long time ago, when a medic sneaked in around 10 episodes in his iPod. He introduced me to it, but I didn't really follow up.

Just a week ago, Yongliang came to visit at my place. Yup, my dear friend Yongliang whom I haven't seen in ages, busy with his army life in the 2PDF, brave defender of our beloved Singapore. Haha.

Anyway he came over a regular chilled out meeting, with the best present ever. 4 full seasons of HIMYM in a hard disk, which is as Barney Stinson says, is LEGENDARY.

I find myself a bit like the main protagonist Ted Mosby, when it comes to making decisions, in life and in love.

I'm not exactly meticulous, but I do tend to think quite a lot more when it comes to doing stuff. I'll approach stuff like the way I approach one of my Rubix cubes; look at it from all sides, twist it a little to see how things will look like, and inevitably, twisting it back, in fear of totally messing up the cube again.

While this method has served me well in staying away from trouble, sometimes I wonder if that's the way I really want to be at times.

There are moments where spontaneity is called for, but there's always this intrinistic, logical part of me that speaks out in a tiny voice at the back of my head, "Woah dude, look again."

It usually ends up with me doing what's supposed to be done, and not what I wanted.

As Lily, one of the characters in HIMYM says in one of the episodes:

"There are certain things in life where you know it's a mistake but you don't really know it's a mistake because the only way to really know it is a mistake is to make that mistake and look back and say, "Yup, that was a mistake".

So really, the bigger mistake would be to not make the mistake because then you'll go your whole life not really know if something is a mistake or not. And dawn I made no mistakes. I've done all of this : my life, my relationship, my career mistakes free. Does any of this make sense to you?"

Time for me to make some mistakes?

The Post which Caught Your Wave

2009-09-22T20:21:00.002+08:00

Accomplished quite a few things over this week (and it's only Tuesday) to herald in my ORD mood.

First up, I applied leave for the last two weeks of October. I haven't been using a single day of leave due to my working schedule for the past five months. So if there are any events on those days, please update me, let me know and I'm surely gonna be there!

I still got a whole bunch of off-in-lieu's which I haven't cleared. There's like 13 of them. I don't think I'm able to use every of them, but it's a healthy number of supplementary off days huh. Haha.

And then, I'm settling the paperwork for the application for my civilian driving license!

I can't really describe the feeling when I printed out the pages of my monthly mileage for the past one year odd. For most people, their driving license is probably $2000 plus, and from a few months of training. For us, it's many months of sweat and labour and I really hope to get the license soon.

Today afternoon was my ORD FFI.

A year ago, this term would have seem like a distant, foreign dream to me. Being the youngest driver then, I felt that only the senior drivers, those who have seen it and done it all, would receive that ORD clearance forms with pride and confidence.

Fast forward to present day, yours truly have finally held the clearance on my own hands, written my own name and parade it in front of others.

How things change. Haha.

My last piece of good news was the announcement of ambulance course for my juniors, which is set to take place at the end of this month. So I will spend one more week in October duty, then it's goodbye to the medical centre and my beloved MID 45993.

As any NSF will tell you, when your understudy comes, it marks the end of your career. Not a bad thing in SAF.

ORD, I can see it in the horizon!

The Post which Met the Pink Lady

2009-09-11T19:15:00.002+08:00

I've got issues about dentists, dentistry and the whole shebang.

I know it's recommend that we go once every 6 months to check our teeth, blah blah but face it, how many people actually do that?

Dentistry must be no mean feat, and I really respect people who take up a career of looking at molars and incisors of other many other people who obviously don't brush up. Gross.

That also probably also explains the attitude of most dentists though. It gives off the vibe of "I'm always right, don't argue with me, do as you're told", rather like a stern parent ticking off a particularly notorious kid.

You might also notice something funny about people who are going for dental appointments, that they ALMOST ALWAYS brush their teeth just before their appointments. I do it too. It makes me laugh, and I don't know why.

To me, it's a bit like trying to study for a test in the last minute. There's no way you can pass it, and a chiding is certainly on its way.

And the dentists do give rather obvious comments too. They go, "So dirty!". Well if it was already clean, why do I need to come in the first place?

Anyway, I went for my dental ORD FFI earlier this week, and I must say it was the most unlikely one.

The dentist said there were no problems with my teeth (!), that they seem to be clean enough(!!) and there will be no need to pluck my wisdom tooth (!!!).

The first two comments were pleasantly surprising, the last one felt like punch to my gut. Let me explain how the typical NSFs feel about wisdom teeth.

It's free (doing it outside costs a few hundred per tooth), it gives you many days of MC, and it gives you many days of MC. Did I mention it gives you many days of MC? Haha.

So yeah, quite dui. No medical appointment. At least I have good teeth. :D

One last thing, congrats to Jerry the medic for his ORD, will miss the stay-in duties and learning guitar from ya.

And to lesser extent, congrats to Fangyi on your enlistment. As the song goes, "Once in our life, such a waste of time!"

The Post which is Damn Small

2009-09-03T21:24:00.003+08:00

Well we're into September. 2 more months to ORD!

I went back to TJ to play volleyball last Friday.

One thing I love about being in the team is that, whenever there is training, all you have to do is to spam the message around that there is one, and you can get at least get 2-3 seniors to come down.

Last Friday was a girls junior training. I worked on the phone, and I managed to get a good five to six seniors to play along. Pretty cool!

I realised I haven't ran, jumped or did any cardio exercise since the badminton trip. This time, my lack of exercise was all too apparent. My legs and shoulders ached like hell, and I was pouring sweat.

Can't believe I used to play volleyball everyday. Haha. Old already la.

I realised sometime ago, that I haven't been hanging out with the 07 folks for quite a while. The last time I met the whole big bunch of them was during my birthday (2 and a half months ago) and then a badminton outing with a few of them (more than a month ago).

Now that I'm free after NDP, I tried planning some stuff, but it fell short because of the girls starting school.

Hm... maybe can try some other time eh? Wonder if the idea of the year end chalet is still going through.

The Post which is Fighting and Forgetting

2009-08-24T21:51:00.003+08:00

Another lonely post in the medical centre, with a cup of coffee and two Twiggies (awesome stuff) to accompany me.

I received news from my boss that, no ambulance course again this month, so it's down to us two lads to settle the duties for September.

It's like, holy crap, I'm already spending more time attached to the Medical Centre than I've been in my own unit. Not that our duties are extremely tiring or packed, but sometimes holding a 8-to-5 is pretty good.

It also means that when I do get back to my unit in October, I have 9 days of leave, 13 days of off, as well as MCs when I get my wisdom tooth plucked, all of which excluding weekends, to clear within 5 weeks.

Where got time to do my ORD clearance!

Anyway, Jianwei Alvin and I headed down to Attica at Clarke Quay to support Shiyun for her UOC Pageant.

I may have left NDP behind at Clarke Quay two weeks ago (for some reason, it feels like a lifetime ago), but evidently the weather remained quite the same.

It was humid. Sweat and sweat. And then more sweat. Not very sexy when you're dressed up and ready to go into a club, only to be reduced to looking like Patrick Viera after a soccer match.

Inside the club was pretty cool. It's my first time there, in fact it's also my first time into a club. I'm not really into the clubbing kind, but it's a good experience.

And it's very squeezy too! It felt as though I walk right into a MRT on a weekday morning, except it was much darker, a lot less China workers and I'm in a much better mood.

Managed to settle into a spot to watch the proceedings and root for our dearest participant, only to realise in a while, that I was wedged in between a walkway between the stage and the upper platform.

Girls and guys of different shapes and sizes (and smell too. Sweat perhaps? Urgh) tried to jostle past us, giving you enough body contact to make you either very pissed or embarrassed.

I would have been the latter, but I was constantly brought back to reality when girls started to step accidentally on my toes. Heels/stilettos against human feet protected by thin leather, it was never going to be much of a fight. I was very surprised they didn't puncture a few holes in my shoes.

The UOC was very enjoyable in any other case. I thought the Malay emcee did a fantastic job with his banter and candid hosting. The crowd was pretty on, the music was good, the housepour was crap, the ending was pretty unexpected, all of which added up to a reasonably fun evening.

Once again, congratulations to Shiyun for getting the 1st Runner Up!

The Post with the Victory Maggi

2009-08-16T18:23:00.002+08:00

It's a beautiful Sunday, and I'm sleeping it off all the way in camp. T.T

Got this awesome headache as well as pulsating pain in the throat when I woke up this morning, as though someone pulled me up, skewered me on the throat, rubbed salt on it and toasted it over a fire. It might be too much junk food, but something tells me retribution. (More on this later)

It's good to have medic friends, because they know what to do, at least to alleviate the pain. Popped in some meds, then I was unconscious for a good part of the day.

NDP ended last week, and it was a good way to go!

In the morning, instead of heading down to the medical post straight, I drove down another place for a meeting, and you can see the entire contingent of ambulances and the drivers. The look of their faces says it all.

FINALLY THE LAST ONE.

It was an uneventful day, typically good in the medical circles. But I was forbidden to say so, because some people are particularly picky about cursing your good fortune.

And it was also day where the weather was relentless. The tent was a sluggish cauldron of increasingly stale hot air and restless sweaty people. Not until it was about 6pm did the f***ing sun finally set.

A funny thing did happen at night though.

It was about 8pm, a while to go before the Pledge moment is about to start. A crowd started to gather by the two sides of the Singapore River, including around our medical post. We're starting to think if they were here to watch the fireworks, because if they were, they are in for a disappointing evening.

After a long while of deliberation, Benjamin the medic from Tuas, rose up to the challenge (quite literally; he had to stand on a pedestal to be seen amongst the throng of people) and spoke through the loudhailer:

"Hello everyone! Happy National Day! Yup, just want to check with you all, are you guys here to look at the fireworks?" At this point some people actually cheered and clapped.

"But sorry to disappoint you all, but we've been here for the past 8 weeks and this building blocked up most of the view."

"So if you guys want to see the fireworks, you can go to the opposite side of the river. Walk slowly, don't push and be careful. Happy National Day once again!"

Which was like, damn zai can. Totally professional, polite, cool and nice. Most of the medical staff were very impressed by his short announcement.

Anyway, around 20% of the people left, which was immediately replaced by people who were too far to hear anything. The rest stood resolutely at where they were, either not believing a work we said or completely deaf in both ears. FINE.

Game time. 2022h.

We stood as the pledge was recited. As the last words rang out, I stole a glance to see the crowd's expression.

BOOM! The fireworks went off.

"OI", "WHAT THE HELL", "WAH LAO", "SIAN", "SHIT LA" and other assorted ramblings rang out among the night crowd. They couldn't see SHIT. LOL

The crowd cleared out faster than a bomb warning or announcement of free NDP tickets for next year. We resisted the urge to yell out "Told ya!"

We didn't end too late that night, everyone was in a good mood because it's finally over. The medics and doctors went home, and I set off for the bed in camp with my faithful ambulance.

Looking back, although the staying over on both days of the weekends was a bitch, I'm somehow glad that I'm part of this year's parade. Was a good experience, saw loads of stuff and made me a mentally tougher person.

Yesterday was also a good day. Went prawning with the Clique and celebrated Alvin's birthday.

I'm somewhat guilty about missing out a lot of friend's birthdays, outings and celebrations because of my weird working schedules, so I was really glad to be able to make it for this one.

It's a lot of fun, especially we don't usually go prawning and it's a really good way to chill out. It's easy to pick up and awfully satisfying when you do catch something (I didn't catch a lot, but still..).

Man was programmed to hunt and cook for their survival. It's in their primal instincts. So I got a big kick when the first prawn came up from my noobish hunting. Granted, capturing not-very-smart prawns in a not-very-deep-or-big pool is called hunting, but whatver yea?

It came down to crunch time when it was time to cook the prawns. It's not like OCS stuff, plucking a chicken's head or peeling off a snake skin from their living sources.

There's no blood, no commotion, just some very sad, struggling prawns and some satay sticks. A few moments before their impending impalement, I said a little prayer. Well, not just to the prawns, but also to the Heavens that I won't come back in my next life as a prawn.

So I pulled the prawns up, skewered them through their belly, rubbed salt and toasted them over a slow fire. Man, some of those buggers were feisty fighters, struggling all the way to their fiery graves.

And I really reckon it came back to bite me in the ass this morning in the form a nasty sore throat. T.T

The Post which Got the Wrong Size

2009-08-08T23:31:00.002+08:00

Caught the movie Up in the cinema today, and man it's pretty good!

It's a heartwarming story about this old man trying to realise his lifelong dream, and deciding to do embark on his journey on a house, flying on balloons, aided and abetted by a little boy.

No other spoilers here, but it's a definite must watch. There were several parts which tugged at my heart strings, but well, it's a feel good show la huh. Haha.

I had my first free Friday and Saturday in two months. Man it really rocks to hit the town, see the people milling about and enjoying themselves after a week of hard work.

And the best thing is..

NDP ENDS TOMORROW! :D:D

The Post which A Notch Above F

2009-07-26T15:34:00.003+08:00

It's been an interesting weekend!

First up, it was the NDP rehearsal 6. It amazes me how I managed to live through six of them. Now there is just the Preview and NDP left. So I really can't wait for it to be over.

Next thing up was, at around 10am, I noticed a lot of people starting to appear around our area, wearing Liverpool jerseys and walking towards Fullerton Hotel.

How could I have forgotten! Haha. Turns out that Liverpool FC was staying at Fullerton and all the fans gathered to watch them during their cruise around Singapore River.

There was a funny moment when this fellow, wearing a Chelsea jersey, came up from the MRT station near by, only to realise he was swarmed by a sea of red shirts.

He walked towards the Penny Black bar (people were singing You'll Never Walk Alone inside the bar), looked at all the red banners and Liverpool jerseys, probably got scared of being stared at, and walked back in the opposite direction. LOL

Before the team arrived, the medics were coming up with crazy hypothetical situations if the boats hit some problems and we had to rescue them. Wow that would be crazy if the likes of Fernando Torres and other superstars visited our tent.

Imagine that we saved them, and they gave us tickets to visit Anfield! Or loads of signed jerseys and exclusive passes!

Yeah, daydreaming I know.

Anyway by around 2pm, they arrived. They got onto 3 seperate boats, and you can see all the crazy fans chasing the boat up and down the length of the Singapore River.

The sun was crazily hot. As in, hot as hell. No hint of a breeze or any clouds, yet you can see the hundreds of people waiting for their appearance. RESPECT!

The first boat arrived, and I could see Torres, Kuyt, Alonso, Reira and most of the other first teamers. At this point I was feeling damn surreal, seeing the football stars in flesh for the first time.

Torres looked rather mechanical and shy, waving at random points.

At this point, when we saw Alonso, everyone started shouting, "DON'T GO REAL MADRID!", "STAY FOR LIVERPOOL!" and stuff like that. I'm sure he heard us. Haha. But I really hope he doesn't join them, because he's such a great player for us.

Kuyt and Alonso seemed to have the most fun, because there was this fan trying to toss his jersey at them.

I wouldn't recommend it really, since if you miss, that's $100 odd bucks down the dark depths of our river. =S

Second boat was, well, second teamers. Haha. But Carragher and Reina was on it. Carragher was like, hmmmmm, in his stony face the whole way though.

Third boat was the coaching staff. Sammy Lee was sitting on the bow of the boat, with his legs dangling out just about the sea. Not much safety there.

Inside the boat, near the front seats was Rafa. Strangely I decided to wave at him. LOL. But once again everyone was shouting at him not to sell Alonso.

At the end of the cruise, there was a bit of confusion because all the NDP patrol vessels and NDU fastcrafts were also by the river and there was a bit of a jam. I wonder what the Liverpool players must have felt, seeing their small ship flanked by 4-5 military ships.

Here's a link of the coverage of the Singapore River cruise.

No bloody pictures, because I didn't have a bloody camera for crying out loud. Sian.

The Post which is 9K and K9

2009-07-19T12:08:00.004+08:00

I was getting ready for my book in on Friday night when my phone rang.

Turns it was from my office. They supplied me with the usual stream of needless information ( "Drive safely.", " Don't speed", "Don't bang lamppost ever again you asshole" etc) until it hit the last one, which was to get a haircut.

I took a shower, went downstairs, and then I realised I had the strangest habit, which I developed over the years when it came down to haircuts.

I would be in the lift, on the way down to the ground floor, and I'd start a mental rehearsal of what to tell the hairdresser.

"Uh auntie, just trim my hair. Need to slope a bit. Ya lo, in the army. Fringe, not so short can?"

And I'd repeat it to myself a few times, as though it was a silent mantra that protected me from bad haircuts. Given my illustrious history of haircuts, I'm saying you can't really blame me.

When I was a little boy, I had the unfortunate experience of having a haircut at a friendly neighbourhood barber, only for the fellow to declare to my mother that I had "hair dirtier than Ji Gong's", much to my chagrin.

After that my mother left nothing to chance, well, nothing to me for that fact. It would be a clean short haircut that would accompany me for the rest of my primary school life.

When I hit secondary schools, hormones, dramatic love lives and hairstyles kicked in altogether. I presume that would be the origin of my silent mantra, because I started developing some kind of communication barrier with my hairdressers.

My request before my barber/hairdresser would always be the same. "Jian duan yi dian."

Which in my literal translation, it meant "Cut short, a bit will do."

So I'd close my eyes, let him snip away and relax, only to open my eyes and go WAH LAO EH WHY SO SHORT!

I took me rather long to realise that "Jian duan yi dian" also meant..

"Cut shorter!!"

JC life beckon me, now that I'm more well versed in the art of not getting clean shaves on the head. I could finally see my fringe (well I started seeing it in sec 4, but admiting it to my mom will just get me another haircut), but I hit head on with my arch-nemesis.

Mr F.Tong and his crony that-sweaty-teacher-whom-I-don't-know-his-name.

That really hit the pits. Everytime my hair will start to get long, and I'd decide, okay time to get a haircut.

The next day, there would be a spotcheck during assembly and I thought I would be safe and one of them would appear and go "Oi you long hair right. Go stand in front."

o.o WTF WHY?

(Audrey and Chiatyin can testify for this. Strangely, they are always around and laughing when this happened)

Finally, I had the hairstyle I wanted to, only to enlist and subject my hair to the whim and mercy of the Tekong barber.

It was the most painful haircut I had, physically and mentally. Physically was when the shaver pressed so pretty damn hard into your skull, as though it was the bane of the barber's existence. Mentally was when you went up to shower and you saw yourself in the mirror, and the feeling of "YOU'VE ENLISTED" seeps into the pit of your stomach.

Ironically, after that I started to leave my hair long, and no one ever bothered, even now in the unit. In fact there are times where I thought my hair now is longer than it ever was before.

So I reached the hairdresser on Friday night, glad it was still open. I popped into the seat, and told the lady,

"Uh auntie, just trim my hair. Need to slope a bit. Ya lo, in the army. Fringe, not so short can?"

I closed my eyes, settled back comfortably, glad that my days of short botak haircuts are long behind me, until I opened my eyes.

WAH LAO EH WHY SO SHORT!

The Post which is the History's Strongest

2009-07-16T21:31:00.002+08:00

Well it's Thursday and my morning was a rather exciting episode.

I was watching this basketball tournament that's going on in camp, when I noticed some commotion going on the track.

A while later, I received the notification to stand by my ambulance. Turns out that there's a casualty and I had to send him to hospital.

During the treatment of the casualty by the MOs, I realised it was the perfect example of ordered chaos. Everyone is talking, but the messages do get across. Everyone is moving, taking something, but no one seems to get into another's way.

So I guess it's pretty cool and calm. Kudos to the medical personnel.

Anyway there was the adrenaline rush that came over me when I was about to speed off. I don't know how to describe it. Like your heart is beating real fast but you keep telling yourself to stay calm. A pretty neat feeling.

And then there's the ambulance horn. Freaking fun. I was turning out from this minor road with a car going straight and a bunch of troops marching in.

*BOH BOH BOH*

(okay that was supposed to be the sound but I can't imitate it well LOL)

Then everyone stop. Okay so I go.

Hit the main road. Some van in the way. I could see it was loading with army folks, since they were wearing the hideous no.4.

*BOH BOH BOH*

(yeah think I should stop making that noise)

Everyone stop again. Not bad!

Haha okay sounds a bit crazy but lucky the guy turned out to be fine. And it also broke my daily monotony of eat and sleep, but hey, I'm not complaining.

Tomorrow is Friday, so regular folks are happy.

I can see that because people are taking the train towards the city area, looking forward to a good meal with friends and enjoying the city lights, while I take a train towards the camp area, looking forward to rushing all the paperwork and enjoying waking up at 5am the next day.

2 more rehearsals, 1 more Preview, and 1 more NDP to go!

The Post which Are Grow

2009-07-09T20:41:00.003+08:00

Your Ass

white immaculate
its suppleness brings forth health
without it we die

Your Mouth

deepest darkest pleas
of pleasures always untold
yet not deep enough

Snog

two fluids mix life
one into another fast
slowly together

Anyway I realised I'm running out of blog material, so I got a guest columnist of great renown to put up his two cents worth on Haiku.

I was kidding about the last bit. He's just a medic who is equally bored doing duty. But it is indeed haiku. LOL

If it's a bit, erotic, R-rated, perverted (take your pick), don't blame me. Blame Sean Wu, Medical Board I/C of Changi Naval Medical Centre! =)

Well it's 4 more months to ORD as of today. Man we really came a long way. I'm a bit guilty of counting down a little too much, ever since I entered NS, but who can blame me?

First up, I've gotta settle NDP, which has exactly another month to run. That will be last great contribution to my unit, and hopefully they will chuck me aside and let me do my own stuff. Haha.

Sometimes I wonder, I keep looking forward to things, that I'm not enjoying the times I'm currently having.

Okay sure, I'm having a great life as an ambulance driver, but it feels like I'm going through the passage, void of feelings and achievements, solely for the sake of passing through it.

The Post which is HQO

2009-06-26T18:52:00.004+08:00

Alright it's Friday so I booked out of camp with high spirits and went to watch Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen!

Okay I remember a long time ago when the trailer of this movie came out I promised to watch it with all the guys but aiya, NDP just came suddenly. Weekdays not free, weekends not free. Not much of a choice but decided to go ahead and catch it with Sinkiat first!

Went to Tampines! I vaguely remembered that it was still the school holidays, seeing that those yellow boxes in the calender meant little to me for a very long time already. Explained the presence of all the school kids. Jealous.

Anyway.

Pretty actioned packed. Haha. It's a movie meant for the males. Seriously. It has guns, cars, robots, fights and babes (only two, but still...)! What else could a guy possibly ask for!

It has A LOT more fighting compared to its prequel, which is excellent. Some of you may remember the first instalment consisted of wrestling and chasing of huge robots and little else. This time you can expect a lot more gunfight, good ol' brawls and things exploding everywhere.

The movie will also draw the guys' attention, mainly because of Megan Fox and (to a smaller extent) Isabel Lucas. Well, just two hot girls in a movie. Can't expect everything huh?

Shia LeBeouf is pretty decent as well! Loads of running and chasing, which makes you wonder how on earth is that realistic.

One pet peeve, is that the camera just keep rotating and spinning, during battle scenes and some conversations, and sometimes for no reason at all. Very noticeable and irritating because there is no focus on the scene.

I know everyone is raving about Bumblebee the Chervolet Camero, but this car (made little appearance though) is my favourite. It's a silver Chevrolet Corvette, courtesy of Wikipedia!

When the movie was done, we came out and saw that the queue was horrendous. Mind you, it's a Friday noon, and the stretch of people queueing was from the counter at Tampines GV till Pastamania. No doubt waiting for their turn to buy the tickets for T2.

It stinks that people are enjoying their afternoon and night out, knowing it's the weekend soon, and I have to book in back to camp later that night.

It's followed back a weekend, doing NDP and camp duties. Argh.

It's 7 more rehearsals to go. I will TAHAN!!!!

The Post which has the Scoring Cards

2009-06-21T13:21:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, if you happened to be at near Boat Quay for the Bumboat Festival, or were dead drunk coming out of a pub nearby, or even just taking a walk around that area, you would have noticed a huge green tent in the middle of nowhere.

On a second closer inspection, you would have noticed a posse of people inside. Most of them are wearing blue, except for an odd few wearing the no-longer-very-new SAF uniforms.

A thing common about them was that they were all in various degrees of boredom. Some were gaming on their PSPs, some staring into the blank space, some managing to sleep with their eyes open while others watched moss grow on the concrete slabs under their feet.

It would then have prompted you to look around the tent. There was a large noticeable sign, hung proudly on the outside of the tent.

NDP MEDICAL POST.

Yesterday was rehearsal number one.

Had to stay in the previous night before, and at around 6am, the medics and I woke up and began our journey to the CDB maze to find our medical outpost.

Got lost for a while, found my directions again and began my 15 hour wait till the rehearsal ends. Oddly enough I managed not to sleep (much) and talked to the other medics who were bored out of their wits.

We had a relatively quiet day. No casualties or big problems, with the exception of a civilian who fell from a skateboard at night and sprained his knee. Technically not our problem, but some of the medics went to help out anyway. Haha.

For the most part of the day, we felt like a freak show in the zoo. People went past us ogled,pointedly stared and took photos of us. Never see medics, tents or ambulances before meh?

Some people were also quite oblivious/idiotic to walk RIGHT THROUGH our tent. It's usually followed by a second of stunned silence and twelve pairs of eyes following their stroll into our ground.

Okay, it's one thing to be apathetic, it's another thing to be rude. We're not a show booth, neither did we invite you in. Would you think it's nice if people walked right through your house just to cut through to the other end?

Perhaps we should rename the tent "H1N1 TRIAGE" and don the full blue protective equipment. See if anyone dares to come in. Haha.

I was also warned about inspections for my ambulance during the NDP rehearsals and boy, was I stunned.

You know the feeling in DoTA when you are farming in the neutral camps, minding your own business, when suddenly 5 opponent heroes appear out of nowhere, converge upon you and began to beat the shit outta you?

It's nearly the same, except there were more of them in the audit. Haha.

I realised, once again, that the world is really pretty damn small, when in the middle of the audit someone called my name.

I spun around, and it was Paul, now a 3SG.

To jog your memory, Paul is a close buddy of mine, previously a storeman in my unit. We went for BMT recourse together in October last year, but he was later posted out to become a seargent in Combat Engineers (poor soul).

We spent a lot of time catching up, in the most unlikely of all places, and I realised I haven't seen him for 8 months already.

I certainly hope that the next 8 weeks will pass just as quickly!

The Post which is Late for a Haircut

2009-06-16T21:04:00.010+08:00

First up, loads of thanks to the many people who have sent their well wishes and regards, as well as contributed to the card and presents for my birthday today!

It's pretty neat that I managed to be on an off day, just in time for my birthday celebration. Considering the number of duties I have, it's like a 50% chance that I will have duty today, but turns out no.

Woke up early, had breakfast with my parents. Typical meeting time for us. Eat and talk about loads of stuff, before I left around afternoon to meet up with my classmates.

Since it's a weekday, all of the guys couldn't come at all, and only the girls (university holidays la) could make it. All the same then. Haha.

So I had a grand company of Elga Jiahui Cheryl Winne Zhiyun Vanessa, as well as my fellow birthday boy Chengliang, who managed to get an off day also.

Went down to eat at Fish and Co. For some reason, Cheryl kinda insisted on eating there, which we found out the reason only later, to our cost.

Food was pretty decent! Though I think I've been eating a little too much recently and I'm predicting a sore throat really soon. Haha.

Nearing the end of the meal, the cake came together with the stunts we have to pull off. Chengliang and I were made to stand on the chair while the Fish and Co staff cheered and sang. Bloody embarrassing!

The cake was awesome, tasted like Kinder Bueno cake.(Oddly enough we had a few of those for some time now, I think)

Group picture of us in Fish and Co at Park Mall.

Cheryl wanted us to act cute like her. LOL

Using my Sharingan to copy Winne's trademark celebration. (Like she soccer player like that. Haha)

Chengliang becomes a new "Prawn Star" while I'm a headless Bart Simpson.

Chengliang in mortal pain, after eating the very sour cherries as a forfeit. Bless him.

The ladies.

I liked the picture especially. Was taken outside, on the path towards Giraffe. Lighting was good, everyone looked nice and cheerful! =)

Just outside Giraffe. Vanessa Elga Chengliang and I getting unwarranted attention.

I posted this one because Winne looks hilarious on the side. LOL

On our way to Cathay.

Sitting down, getting a rest after our walk-stop-take photos routine. Haha. Looking cool eh?

After that we went down to catch a movie. It was debated for some time, but after a while we settled for Taking of Pelham 123.

It's a really good and intense movie. Tension sets in from the first minute of the movie till the last. It never lets up!

It based on a novel of the same name, and it's really good. Highly recommend it!

After the movie, we were all tired and parted ways. The girls went to eat at Rochor and Chengliang, Elga and I headed home.

I rushed and rushed all the way back home, only to realise my hairdresser's closed! My hair is like, awfully long right now.

Hope I don't get a scolding from my warrant officer whenI see him tomorrow. Haha.

Now I have had some time to settle down and think, 19 is my last teenage year. It's been pretty cool, had loads of adventures like..

1) feeling the rush of speeding down the streets in an ambulance with all the sirens on
2) getting into my first (and only) car accident
3) chambering a round into my rifle and aiming it, getting the adrenaline rush.
4) hanging out with all the ah bengs and people in my unit, learning about their lifestyles
5) picking up second-hand smoking, though I hardly had a choice
6) getting to know the rules of the Game
7) bumming out and drinking with my friends

So it's been a really cool time. Loads of ups and downs but I enjoyed the ride. When I'm 20 I wanna:

1) ORD peacefully! (how about now? =D)
2) Go on a blue sky holiday!
3) Drive my family and friends around.
4) Gain 10 kg (we're allowed to dream here right?)
5) Get a volleyball coaching license!

Seems to be lofty goals, but I'd gotta try my best because it's gonna be a really fun year I hope! Haha.

Once again, thanks a lot everyone! =D

The Post which is the Wire in the Pillars

2009-06-11T19:38:00.002+08:00

Yesterday was a rather interesting day, because I got three new sets of items.

I went back to camp, thinking it would be yet another two days of duty. I was surprised by by the presence of a big black bag waiting for me.

Oh. My. Gosh.

There were a set of new SAF pixelated uniforms. The green was so sickly bright it hurt my eyes to look at them. We were expecting to get them soon, but I didn't know they would be delivered right in front of us to make us wear them.

I flipped it over. There was the nametags sewn on the shirt.

C Y FANG.

Chey, not mine. Haha.

Anyway I went to get own uniforms, tried them on to find that they are oversized. As in super big. The pants were alright, but the shirt was so big it looked like a green mossy pyjamas. Aw sickening.

I inspected the shirt, to find that it was, as indicated on a tag, MADE IN CHINA.

Gosh, everything comes from that country nowadays ain't it?

I can imagine that a few months ago, some lady in a factory millions of miles away would be grabbing my name tag X J LIOW , and running it through the sewing machine on a huge piece of pixelated cloth, saying, "Yi ding hen nan kan!"

Funny how fate works.

I also received my long overdue rank of Lance Corporal (not that it's a huge rank, but still..) and my back pay for the last 5 (!!) months. So I'm a happy man, for now.

Also starting to get to terms, albeit slowly, on my painful predicament for the next two months. It'll be a long ardous journey, but as my friend put it well, I'm not the only one.

Oh yeah this bit is as you requested Evan!

Pickup Minibus OUV 3-Ton 5-Ton 1.5-Ton 8-Ton 24-Seater 44-Seater Jeep GP Car Staff Car Ambulance L/R .

Haha, 3 more to go to hit the full line-up, but it'll hardly matter anyway.

It'll be my last free Saturday this weekend for a very long time, so I'd be looking to utilise it fully!

The Post which is a Policeman

2009-06-09T12:39:00.003+08:00

Well today I had a change in my usual schedule and headed down to Cityhall early in the morning for my NDP briefing.

I received a couple of messages from my boss, supervisors and some unknown person, stating the "Dear operators" (making us sound like secret agents) "are to report at F1 carpark near the Singapore Flyer at 0900h"

Ah, finally after so many trips on the ECP, I get to go near to the famous/infamous Singapore Flyer.

I didn't know to go there, so I had a quick check on the Internet and jotted down a set of directions. I set off early, in case I lost my way there.

Walked around in City Hall, twice turning at the wrong junction. Turns out my directions weren't wrong, but I somehow managed to read my own instructions wrongly. I think I'm hitting midlife crisis.

I did finally reach at about 8:40am. I wasn't very sure which was the exact location, so I followed these two guys in army uniforms in front of me as surreptitiously as I could, hoping and probably failing to hide in with camouflaged uniform in the urban surroundings.

But my plan paid off, with them leading me to big carpark where there were.. 2..4..6..7 people already there?! HOW CAN THERE BE ANYONE MORE KIASU TO BE WHEN IT COMES TO BEING EARLY?

Ahem.

The meeting went smoothly, with us traveling around the city area in a big chartered Transit Island bus (we received quite a few stares), getting the routes to several hospitals.

Old faces were seen, new friends were made, and huge amount of work were delegated for the next 2 months.

I thought it was the end of my adventures for the day when I was reaching home, but I bumped into a little Indian kid and his mother (I think).

We got into the lift together, began removing my exceedingly loud earpieces when the boy jumped right in front of me in the lift.

Kid: Hey!

Me: *lift eyebrows*

Kid: You're a policeman right?!

Me: Er, no. I'm from the army.

At this point of time I stuck my hand into my left pocket to switch off my MP3 player.

Kid: HE'S GOT A GUN!!!

Me: -.- No I don't.

Kid: IS THAT WHAT YOU DO? SHOOT PEOPLE? SHOOT EVERYBODY?!

Me: No no no..

Kid: So what is that you do?

Me: Ah, I protect others from like you (technically not very true, but who cares)

Kid: Woah really?!

Apparently his mother and the kid were too stunned or young respectively to decipher my attempt at a joke, but the lift spared me from any other conversation by choosing to deliver me to my floor.

I gave a cheery smile and wave and I left for my home sweet home.

The Post which was 15 of 20.

2009-06-06T11:03:00.002+08:00

I'm back from another hiatus and once again my fortunes took a turn for the worse this month.

I was so happy about a week back when the duty forecast decided to smile kindly at me. Managed to avoid duties on ALL the events I wanted to attend to this month.

Then one fine Wednesday (this Wednesday to be exact) I had a campmate come over to me and say "Hey sad la you, kenna NDP!"

I was like, "No shit?"

We're already operating at the barest minimum requirement of manpower, surviving with 2 drivers a month. Okay true ambulance drivers are hardly the most tiring or difficult positions to hold, but we're nonetheless doing work during standby.

What if one of us were to fall ill seriously (I'm not even talking about reporting sick) and unable to drive?

Back to NDP, a quick look at the schedule tells me I'm on duty for every Saturday from the 20th this month until the end of NDP. Awesome.

Everyone's saying, "Oh there's off mah", which is once again indisputable but I'm also on duty on Sunday, so that's like 8 weekends TOTALLY GONE.

I'd rather stay in for 5 days and give me my weekends unscathed, but it seems impossible in this case.

After a rather gloomy week, I managed to catch Angels and Demons in the cinema. It's pretty alright for a film, but if you read the book before, it's like they skipped 50% of the book and changed another 40% of whatever's left!

The cast was also relatively unknown, with the exception of Tom Hanks, doing an okay job la.

Feeling rather low. Haha. Haven't felt that way in quite a while.

The Post which Had to be Carried Away

2009-05-30T21:36:00.002+08:00

Wow it has been a really fast month!

It's a flash and May is nearly over. I've already been enjoying myself at the ambulance bay for a month now. It seems like a looong holiday!

Bad thing is that, I've missed out quite a number of events this month because of my duty schedule, cutting into 4 out of 8 days of weekends.

For example, the rest are celebrating Wanqi's and Fangyi's birthdays (best wishes folks!) whereas I'm, well, predictably in camp with nothing much to do.

Good news is that the schedule for next month is out!

It's now changed into a two day work-two day off schedule, which is pretty awesome. Except if you count I'd have a weekend TOTALLY BURNT.

Other than that, the forecast has been very kind to me, with those precious few days off when I want it. Haha.

Speaking of duties, I had my first real emergency activation the other day.

It was early in the morning at 7:30am, and I was comfortably snuggling in my bed, having dreams of what to do when I go my Friday off. A knock on the door woke me up.

I was thinking, "Wow my duty handover is pretty early today!"

Instead it was the medic. "Eh driver send case. Quick, emergency."

Wah, okay time to rush.

Changed, grabbed my keys and chionged out. First time I drove the ambulance with all lights and sirens blaring. Funny how alert you can be with adrenaline rushing through your head, when less than 5 minutes ago you were sound asleep.

It was about 8am when we rushed to the hospital. Everyone was starting to get to work, and I could feel a good many pair of eyes staring as my ambulance sped past.

And it was also the first time I see so many vehicles giving way to me. Awesome! Haha.

But a good thing was that the casualty was alright in the end. So no harm done.

So it's a start of new month by Monday so enjoy the June holidays everyone!

The Post which is Red Again

2009-05-23T21:38:00.002+08:00

Once again, my Saturday was spent on Sentosa!

Booked out from camp, rushed home for breakfast and rushed to Vivocity when Wengseng told me he was early. Talk cock with him all the way on SMS. Bloody funny dude.

At first it was just Landis, Wengseng and me. But later we joined up with a couple of volleyball juniors and a couple of friends so it was pretty neat.

Reached Sentosa, shirt off, sunblock on, sun tan lotion on. HAHA. Not gonna die from sunburnt again.

It was about 1 when we reached. Totally cloudless. Bloody hot! The parts of sand which were not covered by shade (pretty much the entire beach) were burning hot. I took two steps on the sand and jumped back in.

We were insane to tahan and play on. My poor feet. My respect for Indians during Thaipusam rose. Haha.

Later it turned out to be a cloudy afternoon till evening so we pretty much had a good time, chatting and playing loads of volleyball.

Sweet. Gotta go more next time. Haha. Think I'm addicted to beach volleyball.

The Post of Magnetrons and Fabulous Four

2009-05-17T20:20:00.002+08:00

It's been quite a decent week!

Life continues to be pretty awesome for me this month. I've been sleeping a lot and resting up in camp, playing games, working out and enjoying myself.

Alright, my schedule is still pretty screwed because of the one day work-one day off thing, sometimes I miss out quite a bit during the weekends, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make it.

On Friday I finally managed to catch Wolverine at the cinema. Bloody hell. Took me long enough to find the people to go with me. Why doesn't anyone wanna watch it? Haha.

I went with Alvin and Chengliang, which reminds me it's quite long since three of us chilled out together. Last time we used to head out to Bugis every weekend to eat and talk. If you think about it, it's fun, but rather wasteful of time. LOL

Besides I hear the plans of another party coming up in June, so I'm keeping an eye on it.

Once again I spent my Sunday out in the sun, playing basketball with the 0706 folks and other friends.

Thought the weather was supposed to be cloudy, but it turned out to be bloody hot. No hint of a breeze or anything. At the end of the day, I was predictably sunburnt again.

Something tells me I really should buy a decent sunblock. Haha.

After that we went down to the coffeeshop to talk and eat as usual. It's amazing how fast the girls have already been through a year in university.

We also had a really good time reminiscing about the moments in JC and secondary school. Damn what wouldn't I have given up to go back to those days.

Read up on a quote on this book Teeth of A Tiger, "Youth is a good thing, but wasted on the young." Goes to show we should go and chiong and experience all the fun stuff when we're young. Haha.

Deciding whether I should go on a holiday this year!

The Post which is A Lobster.

2009-05-09T22:13:00.002+08:00

And yes that's what I am now.

Saturday morning, woke up at 7:30am, hastily filed out my duty handing over forms and had a hot shower. I suspect it'll be the last hot shower I'll take in a very long time (more on this later).

It's our Sentosa outing and I was going from camp. Met up with Sinkiat Andre and Chengliang for breakfast at Bedok Central at 9am, but everyone reached at 9:30am instead. Brilliant!

We took our own sweet time enjoying our breakfast of eggs and toast and imperiously marched off to Harbourfront, all the way being bombarded by SMS-es and phone calls of "Where are you?!!" and "I'm gonna be late!!"

We all finally reached and set off for Sentosa. I can't remember when was the last time I went, but I know our class went there together twice during our JC days. Man those were good times.

Walked all the way to Siloso Beach, a change for me seeing that I usually go down to Palawan Beach the few times I've been to Sentosa.

Basically we chilled, played volleyball, swam (read: push around and spray salty sea water at each other). It's a pretty good trip, an escape out of the urban built-up area of Singapore and the sterile, stuffy, timeless ambulance bay I've been in the whole week.

The problem was that it's rather windy, so I had no idea how long I've spent under the sun. After the trip I went to toilet and saw this red, flushed sandy thing facing me in the mirror.

Oh. My. Gosh.

The sunburnt set in a while later, shoulders were aching from the chafing of my bag straps. I took a cold shower and it felt like ice against my red hot skin.

The hilarious thing was that when I went home, a lot of my relatives were around, and they all thought the Red Man from traffic lights of pedestrian crossings had escaped and visited this household.

My nephews and nieces were particularly fascinated in this crimsom human being, so I spun a tale of me walking down the street and having a tin of red paint poured down from a building by some inconsiderate bastard.

I think they believed it! Haha.

Point to note: bring sunblock on my next trip to Sentosa. Which is rather soon too! =D

The Post which Hibernated

2009-05-07T18:37:00.002+08:00

Woohoo I'm doing ambulance duty!

It's been pretty neat. My boss let me have a break during the last weekend, so it was a rare period of rest from Friday till Sunday.

Spent most of the time chilling around, jamming over at Chengliang's place and discussing what to do.

For some reason, I feel that my life is coming to a standstill again. Not much events going on, going to work each day and facing the same people and doing the same thing.

Isn't it the same as school? Then how come I feel so bored here?

So as for now I'm just waiting for my schedule to settle down and maybe I could take up some classes. I know I've been saying that for ages but well, I can't do much when my work is unpredictable.

This month I'm doing ambulance duty in camp. Basically it means I'm holed up in a room for 24 hours on standby, doing nothing (God bless the dude who thought up of PSPs), eating and sleeping.

It's pretty much relaxed. A bit like recourse BMT with a lot more free time and a lot less friends. So I've been using that time to rest up, read some books and get in touch with my inner soul. I was kidding about the last part.

My first day there,boy, I was in for a treat. Vaccination, check. Mask fitting, check. Protective suit fitting, check. Damn, thought I was just a driver!

Anyway, it's been a quiet few days. Managed to plan a Sentosa outing this coming Saturday. Thanks the 0706 for their fast responses and being a very steady lot. Haha.

More this weekend!

The Post which is the Wire

2009-04-28T20:57:00.003+08:00

Hello all again!

Has been a busy two weeks. Staying in a lot recently so I didn't have much chance or things to blog out.

Contrary to my belief and estimation, I've been told that I'll be doing ambulance duty starting from May instead of June.

Essentially, it means that my working schedule is totally screwed. One day work, one day off. It also means inadvertently one day of a weekend I'm always on duty (which really sucked) but don't really have a choice.

But if you count properly, it's a month with only half the number of working days. Woohoo!

So these few days I've been driving around to different hospitals to get a feel of what is like and where the locations are. It's pretty interesting, because it's usually a haphazard maze of people and white buildings and a lot of confusion.

Something really funny happen today.

I was in the toilet in the afternoon, doing and minding my own business. The way the toilet is designed is that you can't really see the cubicles when you enter.

So this fella (I don't know who, I was sitting down behind the closed cubicle door) walked in, presumed there was no one in the toilet and proceeded to the urinal to do his stuff.

Next thing I knew, I was treated to a high pitched nasal rendition of some incoherent song by the dude. It was f***ing embarrassing. I nearly laughed out loud.

I think the dude must have noticed because his performance was cut off abruptly, and replaced by the sounds of him hastily washing his hands and slamming the toilet door on his way out. LOL

Anyway if you think it wasn't funny, it's either a) you don't have a sense of humour, b) I really have nothing to laugh about nowadays.

Heck, it's been a hectic month. I can't wait for April to end!

The Post who is a Babe

2009-04-17T21:34:00.002+08:00

Alright end of the ambulance course!

Fricking had to wake up at like 5am each morning just to go for the course. Not that it's far, but the camp is rather inaccessible too. The funny thing is that I drive there from my own camp all the time but now I don't know which bus to take.

First up was a lot of emphasis on the instructors on how important the ambulance transport operators (big fanciful name for drivers) are, that we're are selected for being the safest and most skilled folks around.

And accident-free too. I conveniently averted my gaze from the instructors as they brought up that point.

It's a pretty much relaxed course. Just driving around and fiddling the medical equipment. I must say I'm surprised on how big an ambulance is. I could go the back cabin, where the patient is usually treated, and stand up straight. Cool stuff.

It's also the first time the course was held in Gloucester Camp, so we attracted a lot of attention as we blared the ambulance sirens (seriously fun) into the air, breaking the silence of a very quiet camp.

Some poor soul has to do my duties for these three days too. Sorry pal.

Meanwhile I'm off the enjoy a weekend of volleyball and good food outside!

The Post which the Juice

2009-04-10T22:26:00.003+08:00

It's a Good Friday indeed!

Had duty yesterday. Something interesting happened. I was supposed to send ration boxes with dinner for the medics in the medical centre. When I went over to put the food in my car, I heard a mew.

I looked down, it was a stray. Now that's strange. In camp I often see stray dogs, rats, mosquitoes, monitor lizards (I'm not kidding) but it occurred to me then I haven't seen a cat in camp before.

The white and grey cat mewed at me again. I suppose it was hungry, so I fed it a bit of muffin I had. The cat seemed to be bloody hungry, devouring whatever I fed it. I threw the rest of the muffin to a bush for it, and I went on my merry way.

This morning, I was about to send the breakfast over when I heard the mew again. Same cat, WAITING ON THE SPOT FOR ME.

So it was pretty cute I guess. Haha. I took out a bun I had (why do I always have food with me) and fed it again, straight off my hand sometimes. This master seargent went past and gave me the "what-a-weirdo" look. LOL

Went out, had lunch with my family at Junction 8.

Apparently my fellow blokes and I had nothing planned, and to our utter horror, we finally decided to... PLAY POOL.

Haha, it's kinda strange to explain this, but a long time ago, way back last year, our group of friends basically whiled and wasted our time away playing pool and doing nothing much new or productive.

So we swore we would never head back to our pooling days, but today it seemed inevitable that we had nothing better to do. We finally trudged back to the pool halls at Parkway after a good 4-5 hiatus.

I then invited the guys over to play basketball, which turned out to be a surprisingly fun. Some tough competition against some tough China folks, and ended up with Alvin get a cut just beside his eye. Woah.

That concludes my very Good Friday! Haha. And it's back to duty tomorrow. Sian.

Feel like playing volleyball a lot though. Hmm.

The Post which Mastered Some Grace

2009-04-04T22:45:00.002+08:00

Oh my what a terrible week.

I think I mentioned (or maybe not) last post that I wasn't given any duties this month. It felt strange, and although I should have been happy, all I had instead was an ominous feeling that I wouldn't be so lucky.

In my line of work, you begin to develop a sixth sense on days where random crap happens, and my superhuman sixth sense was proven right again.

On the last day of March, I happily strolled into the office after a day of work, happily talked to my supervisors, happily looked at the new duty roster, and my smile happily slid off my face.

14 duties. Oh. My. Gosh.

Okay I gotta admit that it is expectable in my unit to get duty-logged months but I've been lucky to evade them so far. But at least drivers who got them were assured offs every non-duty day.

I wasn't.

It has been nothing short of exhausting: to go home late one day, and not go home at all the next day. Oh well.

At least it's the weekend. Managed to catch up with the folks, as well as Yin Yin, Weitong and Jolene. Haha some special guests huh?

We were supposed to meet at 2pm at Wheellock Place, but as the time loomed, all the girls were suspiciously uncontactable and nowhere to be seen.

Were we punk'd or stood up?

When our barrage of phone calls finally got through to Yin Yin, she announced in a dreamy voice (first sign of trouble already) that she just woke up and will be "on her way" soon.

What to do.

We got into the Big O, and Chengliang and Renjie went off the draw some cash. Meanwhile we studied their menus, and realised that the prices for their meals had some pretty big O's behind too.

Decided to bail (probably one of the more awkward moments in my dining life) and went down Sakae Pasta. Decent food, good desserts.

The girls did finally arrive, nearing tea time when we planned to meet for lunch instead. Haha. When the food was served I looked at the time, and considered ordering food for dinner too.

Talked a lot too. It was refreshing to have some new company in the midst, and the familar laughter of Weitong and Jolene rang loudly in the quiet restaurant.

We went street hopping for a while and after that I went home earlier with the blokes. Shall post up (as usual) the photos when I do get 'em.

Duty tomorrow. Sigh.

The Post which Has Two Kneecaps

2009-03-29T22:48:00.002+08:00

Just a short post!

It's been a fun and long week. Didn't drive much but I didn't have any leaves or offs to break up this week.

Surprisingly I felt a sense of achievement, as though surviving a full blown week of work is something I hadn't expected.

I also started to entertain thoughts of my post ORD plans in December. LOL. I have no idea why. Perhaps it's because:
a) Sinkiat's commissioning made me feel closer to my release.
b) many of my unit seniors are leaving soon.

7 more months plus plus to go. Heh.

It's also a weekend of sweaty, tiring, physical activity. I mean, I went to play sports again la. Haha.

Volleyball on Saturday. Huge mix up in schedule at first. I finally woke up on Saturday morning to realise both guys and girls training are on. So after a hasty breakfast in the coffee shop with my mom (nothing beats eggs and coffee =) ) I chionged down to TJ.

Out of shape out of shape. That's what I felt after my first few rounds of running and drills. Funnily enough my army life is much more sedentary than my JC and secondary school life.

During girls training I played the part role of coach. Not that I came up with any practice drills. Fung gave me the post of distributing the balls to the girls instead. I must say it's pretty fun. There's a definite possibility of me trying out for the volleyball coaching course at the end of the year, if there is one.

Sunday!

I dragged down my cramp-ridden and lactic acid-loaded legs down to Siglap to play basketball with Andre Sinkiat Jiahui Cheryl and Reuben. Top stuff.

The weather was pretty darn hot, until it gave way to dark clouds and cooler winds. Then it was full blown out proportioned 3v3 matches. Fun.

After which we spent 2 hours talking at the coffee shop nearby. Haha. The banter going around was wicked. Phrase of the day is "Reubs, so how?" LOL

It's another week of work. Good luck surviving everyone! =)

The Post which is 7K an 7M

2009-03-20T20:23:00.002+08:00

Well it's been a while!

My last post was back in the start of the 2nd week of my 14-day confinement in camp for my accident. Finishing it gave me a strong sense of closure to my accident saga and I'm determined not to get into another one again.

Since then, two uneventful week have passed peacefully.

One thing about being confined for another 14 days is that, everything else now seems to pale in comparison. Going home late? That's fine with me. Stay in for a night? No big deal. Weekend detail? Sounds alright. Haha. Guess I now can manage to take things easier.

Back at work, everything else is working fine. It's the usual driving and stuff. Managed to clock my 7000km recently so I'm real glad and I can take it easier until ORD. Heh.

Speaking of which, ORD is just 7 odd months away. Hell yeah!

I've also managed to get a few days of rest here and there. Met and caught up with some friends which I haven't seen for those 2 weeks. It feels pretty damn strange when you suddenly get back a normal life.

During the course of 2 weeks, my camp guardhouse moved to another location. After my last day of confinement I was booking out, and then I realised to my utter embarrassment..

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET OUT OF CAMP!

Worse still, when I got Tenah Merah MRT Station, I got all confused again.

This train goes to Pasir Ris. Alright.. not the one I want. This train goes to... JOO KOON? Where on earth is that? And which train goes towards Boonlay? HUH?!!

Felt as though I was in jail for 14 years instead.

Played volleyball last Saturday again after a long hiatus again. Feels pretty damn good to run and jump around. Strangely enough I feel that my life in army is more sedentary than the one I had in JC or secondary school.

Anyway I'm set to miss out this week's training since there is none. T.T pity.

Another great event, MANCHESTER UNITED 1-4 LIVERPOOL! Although this is strictly of no relevance to my stagnating blog, it still feels good to gloat after getting a good one over our rivals at Old Trafford (of all places).

Well more updates next time! =)

The Post which is Halfway There

2009-02-23T21:07:00.002+08:00

Yes indeed, I'm halfway there.

My last post a week ago, because, well my confinement started a week ago. On Tuesday I was charged and began my 14 day long stay in my unit.

To be honest, it isn't all bad. Sure, the cold water is horrendous to bathe in. Gosh I have no idea why on earth can it be so cold. Perhaps we're near the sea or something but it doesn't sound logical.

Damn, I'm starting to lose my logic in just seven days. *shudders*

But thanks a lot to my supportive friends and family who have been dropping me messages and phone calls.

Some of my unit mates are great as well, giving me a good supply of outside food. Haha.

And I also take back what I said about you, Mr Facebook. Without you, I'll be rotting inside out already. I issue a public apology. =)

I'm watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S over youtube. It helps to burn time and makes me tired enough when I keep laughing. When I'm tired I nap and time seems to go past faster.

With each passing day I build up this mental list of things I wanna do when I come out. Sounds as though I'm in prison (far from it, honestly) but hey, I miss the outside world.

I need
a) basketball and volleyball
b) a good can of creamy Coke.
c) my very own bed, for God's sake!
d) to get away from this place.

7 more days to go! ARGH

The Post which had a Peanut Donut

2009-02-16T21:17:00.002+08:00

What do you know, I'm still at home!

Okay today I was once again ready to take my orders and get my confinement. Then my officer decides to give himself a day off and disappears. Confinement delayed, go back home.

Now, it's not as though I want to be stuck in camp, but since it's coming I just want to get it over and done with. After all I have plans and I don't want to keep wasting my time thinking when I'm going to stay in.

Valentine's Day was a mad mad rush from camp. First I planned things out, but then everything threatened to go wrong.

But hey I got a great friend to help me out loads. Thanks Wanqi. Haha. I'm glad you didn't take pictures of me walking around with that "bomb"! =)

Something tells me that my SOL may finally start tomorrow hm.

The Post which is a Thief

2009-02-13T22:32:00.002+08:00

Survived yet another week of work to get another huge blow.

After 2 weeks of duty every alternate day, I thought I could get some rest. Next thing I knew my officer says I'm getting charged next week for my traffic accident.

Means to say I will confined for two weeks in camp.

Okay earlier this month I said I'll be prepared mentally but shit, this news came down hard. I've been working my ass off and I deserve a break and now here it comes.

Goodbye civilisation and hello camp food for the rest of February.

The past few days have been quite a see-saw. Bad news and good news coming back and forth like nobody's business.

Everytime I stay back in the office, I visualise what's going on at home and boy do I really miss staying and chilling in my own pad.

Could do with some home cooked food, a soft drink and family company. I think my leaves are calling out to me!

The Post which is Okie

2009-02-10T20:14:00.002+08:00

Hell yeah the party was great!

To start it off, Andre had a huge new place. It's just meant for a party! Had the whole works so we didn't have to do much decoration. Bought loads of food (turned out to be waaayyy too much actually) and got ready to rumble.

Honestly, I was a bit scared at first. Nervous perhaps? But hey nothing a shot of alcohol can't cure. Haha =D

The party went fine and when it came to swimming pool time, and it got real high and fun.

Managed to meet a few new pals who are pretty fun to hang out with. All around it was a fun evening and I went home, having a few drinks too many.

It's my first time drinking so much actually. More than usual at least. Felt as though my mind is clear but all my movements were muddled and slowed. o.O

No pictures (argh why is it like that always) and no they aren't up on Facebook either. Shall get them from Audrey's camera soon!

On the other hand, another batch of my friends of STOs in my unit recently ORD-ed. I'm gonna miss 'em T.T haha.

I first knew them when I was a new kid in the block. Felt bloody out of place and I couldn't get along with the other drivers for nuts. They were already there and they showed me around.

Today was their last day in the unit and I went for a duty off so it's my last time seeing them. Just wanna say that you guys will be appreciated!

Other new folks came in too. This recruit came in and he looked real out of place. Trust me, I felt for him.

He looked at me and said, "Sorry Corporal (which is not my rank anyway) but I don't have uniforms." For a tempting moment I wanted to try shouting at him to see if he would be afraid. Just for fun though. Haha. But I didn't.

Time for a new era of LTO I guess.

Tick tock. 9 more months to ORD!

The Post which is Stone Cold

2009-02-06T23:02:00.003+08:00

I'm feeling a little lazy to blog.

Basically this week has been tough. Real tough. Loads of work to be done, stayed in every other day. Feeling jaded.

But my efforts were worth it, and with a stroke of good luck, I managed to take Saturday and Sunday off.

I used to take my weekends for granted. It's like, hey weekends are entitled to me! Not anymore. Haha. A peaceful weekend without calls pelting from the office are a rarity well appreciated by me.

Tomorrow is gonna be a fun day. Hehe.

The Post which Booked Your Face

2009-02-01T17:11:00.002+08:00

Right up, I guess many of you have found out my terrible secret.

After months of extortion, bribery, peer pressure and physical abuse, I've finally signed on Facebook on Friday!

Okay I was exaggerating about the bit in front, but I did suffer a lot of nagging, which accounts for a lot of mental stress. Haha.

I did it in a moment of madness, I assure you.

I drove back late to camp. It was about 7:40pm and I just missed out a bus home. There was no choice but to wait in the stifling office for the next shuttle bus.

I sat down in front the computer, checking through the same old websites. I gave a huge sigh and I hit the homepage button, thinking it was Google.

FACEBOOK.COM

Holy crap, I'm really bored.

Should I sign up?

*glances around* There's no one looking at me as I plan my hideous crime.

Alright, here goes.

I turn to the computer, and after a few minutes, the evil deed is done and I'm an official Facebook user, months after evasion and hiding.

The words "GETTING STARTED" appeared. It told me to add friends. Then I suddenly woke up in horror.

MY GOSH WHAT HAVE I DONE?!

Jokes aside, I guess I did join up Facebook for a good reason. It's going to be one loooong month even though it's just 28 days. I sense that Facebook, onemanga, Soccernet and ebuddy are going to be close friends.

First up its 7 days duty, from 1st to 14th every alternating day. Today is day one and I'm feeling like crap already.

After that it's 14 days confinement as a punishment for my accident. It starts presumably this month.

21 days not at home. T.T

It feels as though I'm sitting alone a broken wood raft and thrown into the ocean, with all the angry waves and storms crashing around me.

Gonna try to ride it out the best I can!

The Post which Is Very Hot

2009-01-29T21:24:00.005+08:00

First up, a belated Happy Chinese New Year!

It's been a good week worth of break. On Monday it was Day One of the New Year so as usual my family played host.

It was a mad rush in the morning. Woke up at 7am to start cooking every single damn thing we could find. Drinks, food, tidbits and last minute cleaning up.

I was in charge of the fried beehoon. Even when the guests started arriving at 10am, I was still in my nightclothes smelling of fried shallot and oil. Neat.

My extended family meets up often, every Saturday in fact. So it's great that we don't feel awkward when we see each other. Loads of fun, talking and catching with cousins we don't meet regularly.

After a long morning it was family picture time!

Introducing Kim, my cousin's wife and their beautiful little daughter. Her name is Hailey and she's only two-three months old. She's not camera shy at all and sleeps like a log.

Yijie, my 8th or 9th nephew. Lost count there. Easily bribed with food and tricked into taking pictures. Like this one LOL.

Our new generation of kids! Three didn't come on that day so it's a real pity. This generation of kids keep growing so I wonder how many nephews and nieces will I have even before I get married some day.

My grandmother (who was in a pretty bad mood that day for some reason), with her children and their spouses.

My other group of cousins. My generation has grand total of 20 of us but it's split into two factions. This is the older one. Haha, most of them are working, married but we remain close.

This is my faction! One cousin couldn't make it. She was down with chicken pox just before New Year which was really unlucky.

The bloke wearing the checkered shirt is not a cousin but my sister's fiancee Ken. They are getting married this November, just after my ORD. Great timing!

Candid photo of us! Notice that the guy sitting down hasn't changed his expression at all. Haha.

My family photo. Mom and Dad surrounded by us. For the first time there are three fellas because Ken joined us this year. I really appreciated the gesture.

I loved this photo because it was totally candid. Someone said something and my mom cracked a joke about it so we all laughed.

BUT WHY MY MOUTH OPEN UNTIL LIKE THAT!

The only Liow male members! Took us damn long to take this picture because everyone took turns not to smile during this shoot.

Me and my oldest nephew. He was looking damn pissed because he wanted to go home but his parents stayed behind for a while longer.

Later we went to a temple to pay my respects to my late maternal grandparents and we met up with my aunt and her family.

My dad now has the same facial expression as my nephew just now LOL.

There are many other photos taken with many other cameras so I don't have the whole list but this will do.

Hope that everyone had a fun time and many hongbaos!

As usual, my holiday mood came down with a crash when I had to go back camp on Wednesday.

A few things happened here and there, and before I knew it, I was on a full out bad mood by midday.

Worst news was that, next month I'll be on SOL for 14 days, as well as having 7 duties to do. 21 days not going home. Crap.

So everyone, prepare not to see me at all in February. Sigh.

On the other hand I had pretty fun work to do.

I was on this EIS duty. My job is basically to fetch an overseas pilot from his hotel, which could be anywhere, to Changi Air Base for training.

This time my pilot stayed at Beach Hotel, just opposite Bugis Parco. Once again, I went back there even though just last post I complained I went there a bit too often.

However, it was the first time I went there in uniform. My buddy and I attracted loads of stares when we bought Mos Burger and went to the toilet.

I was thinking, "Wah wear uniform cannot eat or pee meh?"

I saw my pilot, who is a Malaysian. He had an uncanny resemblance to a certain fugitive which escaped last year. LOL. I only realised it when I sent him home just now.

But he's really nice too. We chatted quite a bit, and when I dropped him at Changi Airport Terminal Two for his flight home, he surprised me as he took out his phone, fiddled with it and passed it to my friend.

"Hey man, help me take photo with the driver can?"

WOAH. I was honoured because a pilot is usually quite a high ranking officer. Don't think I'll ever get to see that picture though. Haha. I saluted him and said goodbye.

Two days of hardwork earned a shitload of mileage. Thank God tomorrow is Friday, Gotta have a break soon again.

I have a surprising thing to announce finally.

I'm about to do something unexpected this Sunday. Some of you might see it coming but I was adamant about it for really long.

Watch this space!

The Post which is 6 for 10

2009-01-23T22:24:00.002+08:00

Woohoo I'm in Chinese New Year spirit!

Most people apply leave when they have plans in mind. Outings, overseas trip, special events. I've been questioned a lot as to why I took leave this week and not the next instead pretty often.

My theory is that I just want a smooth transition to the Chinese New Year. No unit bullshit, no late calls and people yelling me around. So far it worked out pretty well!

I pretty much had no event to take part in however. First day of leave, I slept at home like a baby, read quietly at home and did a lot of housekeeping. Yes, I just took leave so I can skip area cleaning at work to do the same thing at home.

Best thing I did in day one of leave was... IGNORING TWO CALLS FROM THE OFFICE! Haha oh boy that felt great.

But I like the silence of the home. I revel in doing simple stuff and relaxing once in a while because sometimes life is pretty darn hectic.

I spending a lot on shopping too. Been to Bugis a bit too much (Alvin is complaining of that too) for the past few weeks, looking at new clothes and shoes.

It also means I'm spending a lot. It depends on what's your perspective of a lot, but generally I'm not a big spender. But whaddahell, it's just once a year! =D

Carefree. Yup that's the way to go till next Wednesday.

The Post which Bang His Head with Your Head

2009-01-20T22:31:00.002+08:00

Another two crazy days in the unit.

Mad people running up, doing mad things and yelling mad stuff. Oh boy it's a circus out there. Today my temper was running high (again) thanks to quite a few idiots.

Alright I feel and think I'm normally a placid and calm person, but this notion of mine is subjected to test nowadays. *deep breath in, deep breath out*

Well since he tagged today, I'll introduce Lih Kang into this blog. Funny he has to come in now, just went he left my unit for a better place.

No, he's not dead.

He came to my unit at about November to December I guess. Was supposed to be a driver but he didn't, ending up with a supervising job. For a while it worked out pretty well; we got more competent hands in the front desk.

But as usual, things got screwed up. He got his posting orders out to my unit, so yup, he's no longer working at my place. Lost another working mate T.T

Counting back, I seem to have lost many friends before my courses ended.

Matthias back in BMT. Desmond for driving school. Paul in LTO. Then Lih Kang. In two weeks' time my STO friends are all going to ORD. Sigh.

I'm the only one surviving in my unit, or rather, left to die while they all survived to leave for greener pastures. Haha.

It seems like a Friday to me today, not only because it's been two shitty and long days, but also TOMORROW I'M ON LEAVE TILL FRIDAY =D.

Planning to eat sleep shop and get into party mood. Woohoo!

The Post which was Crying over His Handphone

2009-01-17T21:48:00.002+08:00

Finally a weekend!

Thursday and Friday was terrible. Plain bad. Shall not demoralise myself by talking about it again. It's bad enough going through it once.

All I'm saying is one more time I'm being pushed around things are going to get nasty.

Friday evening was a lot better though.

Met up with Audrey and Renjie for dinner at Astons. My first time eating there actually. I thought it's some restaurant! Haha, but turns out no. It's just a stall with good Western food.

Went down to Andre's place for our recce for our party. All I can say is that my eyeballs nearly popped out when I saw his new house. Brilliant atmosphere, fantastic place to party. I can't wait.

His parents were awesome as well. Honest. I thought it'll be a problem trying to convince them to lend us the place and getting them to believe we won't wreck the place, but they were supportive and open from the start. Heck, I think they were even more enthusiastic about it then we were!

But they agreed to lend us the place and gave us many ideas. I'm thankful and more optimistic about the party now. Haha.

Played volleyball today since 3 weeks ago. Kept wanting to go back but had delays here and there and was sick the other time. Feels great to play and have fun.

More and more seniors are coming back. Seniors of mine also. I'm glad to see the community spirit of TJ volleyballers who come back to their old school to play.

Ron and Chunkiat came back today also. Ron the legendary player. Well of course he is outta practice, but I remember back in the heyday he was my idol of sorts.

Like me, he's really thin for a guy but his jumping power is nothing short of awesome. There was this picture of him jumping for a spike during their finals back in 2006 and his butt was next to the setter's (Kenneth) face. Haha, it looked funny but it showed what an incredible jump he had.

And they are going to ORD soon. This is their year. This will be my year too! OPTIMISM~

The Post which Is Not So Serene

2009-01-14T21:55:00.002+08:00

Damn this is a whining post.

Past few days was real bad. New people in, old people out. New politics, new policies and new problems.

Auditing coming up. All the regulars are working like nuts, and when they do they get cranky. When they are cranky they get pissed, and when they get pissed all hell breaks loose.

People feel that I'm lucky to be a driver in a navy camp, which is really true. But we have very little manpower, it's pretty strung out to be overworked all the time.

Most of my friends would have given their right arm just to stay at home each day (like I usually do) but sometimes I feel that they have a more stable and happier stay in life. Haha, the irony isn't lost on me.

It's only the second full working week. Darn tired.

I feel like a old handphone battery, physically and mentally. It's like, the battery runs out faster than it used to. You can try to charge it back to the max, but when you use it again, the cell runs dry really quickly.

Just praying for Chinese New Year to come fast!

The Post which is Hawt Juice

2009-01-11T10:11:00.003+08:00

One year soldier lo!

A year ago, I was shaking pretty bad as I made my trip to Tekong den bang, one year passed. Ten more months to go. C'mon bring it on!

It feels pretty good you know. Last year (which actually isn't too long ago) people would ask,

"Eh dude when you ORD?"

I'll have to go, "Wah, next November lo."

Damn that answer pretty much sucked. Now when people ask me the same question, it's "This November!" followed by a bright smile. Man the feeling so much different.

Now that's what I'm talking about! =D

Anyway yesterday was a pretty cool event.

Have you ever met up with people whom you spoke to for a really long time but never ever met them before in your whole life?

I'm not talking about online dating agencies!

So what happen was, I have this bunch of gaming buddies. Back in my gaming heydays I joined this bunch of friend's friends online to play DoTA every other day.

They were called Clan LC. Lambchops is the real word. God knows why.

They're a fun bunch. We get along well online and talk pretty much about everything guys can talk about. So last year (can't remember when) we decided to plan an outing to meet each other for Red Cliff 2 this year.

Yesterday was the selected day. Alright I was a little nervous about meeting a whole bunch of people whom I know their names but not their faces. Strange right?

But it was really cool to get along with them. For once I can put a face to the online persona I meet so often. Haha.

Alright that's it for week two of 2009!

The Post which is Dancing in the Loo

2009-01-06T19:35:00.004+08:00

I'm back from the dead once again!

This time it's taken a bit longer. No dengue fever, which is a relief but I'm still not 100% well. I still have to go back to camp as usual.

Perhaps Wanqi is right that I should have a New Year Resolution to have a healthier lifestyle. I guess I'm looking into it and see that improvements are made.

Still having this irritating niggling cough. Sigh.

Today is an important day to me, because it's significant, meaningful and will serve as a reminder to me to be careful so I can live happily.

THEY FINALLY PUT BACK THE BLOODY LAMP POST 65.

It's been nearly 3 months since I knocked it down. It has been a pitiful stump with wild grass growing ever since.

When I went to camp today, I took the usual turn and woah, there it was, nice and gleaming, the paint of the bold numbers "65" still wet.

Funny enough, our CO came down to have a talk with us, and he somehow mentioned this accident.

"Drivers, I must always emphasise the importance of safety. You know last time that accident the driver go bang the pole? Today I drive past I see it's finally up. Last time always got the hole there, I remind myself I must drive properly."

The whole room was snickering and laughing at me, but I was cool with that because I feel exactly the same way as he did.

Our CO is a nice guy. He's candid and informal but gets his messages across. Everytime he wants opinions from us, he'll ask our all regulars to get a smoke break so he can hear our sincere whining and complaining. Top man.

It's a new year, and it's full of new challenges but I'm optimistic and hopeful as ever. I also hope to get my health back on track and be a happy man.

The lamp post is up straight again. So am I. =)

But I'm talking about my general health and lifestyle, not just any specific body part. LOL

The Post which Went Crazy at Night

2009-01-02T12:04:00.001+08:00

Rewind one year ago, at New Year's Eve, this is what happened.

Fast forward one year, I was lying in camp, running a high fever, counting down in smelly and hot bunk, barely aware my surroundings.

But the strange thing is, in my uneasy sleep, I somehow managed to wake up at 11:55pm on New Year's Eve. Just like the song Five Minutes to Midnight. LOL. I countdown-ed silently and collapse back to sleep.

When I reached camp in the morning, my temperature was 38.9 deg. No joke. First I had runny nose. Then it was blocked. I can't tell you which one I preferred really.

Until today, my temperature see-sawed between 37 something to 38 plus. Then this morning it skyrocketed to 39.3. It's a bit like the oil prices last year, except it hasn't dropped yet.

I went to my favourite doctor again. Nothing going too well, he says. Drawing a syringe of blood off my arm, he suggests that I might have gotten dengue fever. Good stuff.

And then he gave me another injection ON MY BUTT AGAIN. Oh boy, my right buttock had had a few adventures.

Sigh. What a new way to start a year.

The Post which has Taken Away the Love of His Life

2008-12-30T20:26:00.002+08:00

It's time for the last post of the year already!

As per my blog's tradition I'll usually post up one last post before midnight on the 31st December, but seeing that I have duty tomorrow I'll make it earlier this time.

It's been another fast year! It was a brand new experience for me in the Army, trying out and learning new things, meeting different people each week. It was fun, frightening, meaningful, sad and torturous in one way or another.

The best anecdote that summed up my NS life so far is my SAF driving test; blur, scared, but lucky enough to pass through everything.

The driving test is, by a million miles, the most nerve-wrecking experience I had. Gosh, I felt less nervous for my A levels and MOE interviews. But I was a really inexperienced and lousy driver, it's no wonder I was scared.

Facing the longest 50 minutes in my life, with an army examiner only too happy to chew my head off, I was so nervous my hands were shaking really badly. But after I eased my 3 tonner into the parking lot and was declared passed, I got off the tonner feeling as though I won the World Cup. =)

There were bad moments as well. My life came down with a crash, literally, during my accident just a few months back.

It was dark, depressing and worrying period of time for me. Felt as though I couldn't think, couldn't smile or be positive. But thanks to my family and friends, they pulled me and assured me out of it.

It's a "people" sort of year for me. I met different people from all walks of life, and they made a big difference in making me a better person in a way I guess. Haha.

For each of the courses I've been to in Army, I always have 2 close buddies which made the course more fun and enriching. To Mattias and Ryan from Cougar, Benjamin and Sebastian from driving course, Azahar and Tong from MSET, Alson and Eddy from Dragon, you guys played a great part in teaching me lots of things.

To my driving instructor and mentor Mr Rizal, I'll always be a hacker in the game of driving!

In LTO, Paul my storeman buddy (he's now in SISPEC) deserves a special mention.

We're freshies trying to duke it out in the real world, and survive the horrors and politics of LTO. I'm really glad to managed to get out of this place. I promise that I'll continue to try become the decent man in an indecent world like we promised. LOL

Not everyone was so nice to me though. Back in my unit, it's a lot like Infernal Affairs. You have to try to see through the web of lies and deception when people try to "chao geng" and skip work. Thanks to you lot, I've become more streetsmart, wise and better at covering my own ass.

But you all also made me a colder, distrusting and cynical person. I hope you all have a taste of your own medicine one day.

Away from NS, there is still my family and friends, all of whom have been tremendous in their support and company for me.

My mom and dad were there for me all the time during my highs and lows. Couldn't have imagined what it would be like without them. My sisters are always there to give me advice and support too.

CoDG and GAYS have kinda merged in this year. Haha, which suits me great actually. Chengliang Alvin Renjie Yongliang and Jiaqing are probably the funniest and wildest bunch of friends I can ask for. Well 2009 is gonna be a new year, so we gotta up our Game!

And of course to 0706, which remains united till today. It's cool that Hanwei Reuben Sinkiat and Jiahui still manage to take time off during our off days and chill out together. Not to mention to the girls, especially Cheryl, who are doing a great job of organising outings and stuff while we are busy. Kudos! Haha.

So here ends my last post of the year!

I wish that I could somehow spend it with all of you but I'll be stuck in camp T.T. So here's wishing all of you an early Happy New Year!

Lots of love,
Xiujie

The Post which has to Face the Books

2008-12-27T21:09:00.012+08:00

Alright the pictures are up!

Many thanks to Elga, who kindly sent me the photos after I enlightened her on the use of WinRar. Yeah, it's a really good programme which is user-friendly and useful so everyone get it!

Conclusion is: we DON'T need Facebook! =D wahaha.

And for all my troubles, Winne called me a lazy pok. Sigh. Why do I feel so under-appreciated sometimes. T.T

Without further ado, allow me to present the badminton and chalet photos!

Think it was last Friday? Cheryl Roxanne Jiahui(f) Elga Sinkiat and I went down to Siglap for the badminton session. But Jiahui left earlier though.

Obviously not playing badminton. Haha. There are many photos of them together so I'll just put this one up.

Thrashed into bits by Sinkiat. Damn shagged. Haha I had no idea this was taken actually.

Why you shouldn't order 5 meals. Because no one can finish the fries! Haha. Here's our enormous amount of fries we tried to finish at Macs after our session.

Then this week from Monday to Wednesday was our 0706 chalet. It was a great time, and it's nice to see so many people who can make it down. All our army lads were fortunate to have leaves/off at the same time!

Vanessa and me and the volleyball I borrowed from Mr Fung. We didn't play at all because the weather was screwed. Which reminds me, I haven't returned the ball to him o.o.

Cheryl and Winne at our check in hall. Yes, the woman on the right called me a lazy pok!

Elga and Shuyi, who is very proud of her nails.

First evening! Girls group picture.

But we guys make sure we leave no man behind! Can't really see from here but the napkin reads "S.K! =P"

The girls and Reuben playing this game called Munchkins that Jiahui(m) brought. But I think Winne, Cheryl and I were playing PSPs and DS. Haha.

End of day 1 was Elga's birthday celebration. The girls led her out to a walk, then the guys set up the candles and stuff. Funny stuff.

When we started hearing voices outside our room, the guys just finished placing the candles. Shit, we're screwed. I started lighting the candles. Ten of 'em. One, two, three...

More noises, louder and nearer.

"Faster!" says Jiahui.

"Quick quick!" says Hanwei.

.. Eight, DAMMIT I BURNT MY FINGER! Nine.. I missed one. Nine again.. I hear the door being pushed out.

Ten!

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Hahaha damn funny.

Elga shares a moment with us guys too!

The birthday cake, proudly set up by the guys. =D

The cake, proudly cannabalised by Elga and her magnificent cutting skills. The cake was awesome though. Tasted like Kinder Bueno in cake form.

Roxanne presents the birthday card! With well wishes from everyone.

Day 2 is shopping for BBQ day. I can't seem to find any photos of the BBQ itself though.

Frankly, no.

The girls take another picture while the guys take the food back.

After the BBQ was Christmas gift exchange!

Random pictures of us milling around.

The girls watching Little Nonya, which was just an hour on Tuesday. You should have seen the faces of us guys on Monday for the 2-hour episode. Haha. It shouts out "how long is this show gonna last?!"

I had to post this one. I love this photo. Strike a cool pose fellas! But why on earth is Reubs looking so smug? Hahaha.

Presents! I got one from Roxanne and mine landed up with Shuyi.

Sinkiat, who received very little screen time in this post, except for his napkin representative. Haha. He finally arrived at day 3 wee morning 1am or so.

Alright finally everything is up. Picture posts are nice to see but take really long to prepare. o.o

Today was volleyball day for me. Elysia asked me online to find people to go for the juniors training so I asked around my batch's members. In the end I mustered around 5 in total.

Went down in the morning for the girls training. Elysia wasn't there. -.-

Haha. But Wengseng was classic. He came down late, took his watch off, straight into a match. No warmup, no nothing. His first ball, pretty good. First set, pretty good. Then came a high set for a spike.

"Wengseng yours!"

He jumped. Stretched. Whacked.

BING BIANG! Straight into a girl's.. er.. you know where.

"OR-HO WENGSENG YOU DIE! DELIBERATE ONE!"

Haha classic!

Girls training was quite fun. We went for lunch and came back.

Woah! So many other seniors came back. I counted 12 seniors. It was like a friendly match. There was a total of 19 players attending training. Which is quite a lot considering a usual training has less than 6.

Competition all around. The first team so serious. Hardly a smile on their faces. Then the seniors were playing and laughing at the same time. That's why I prefer to relax.

Guys' matches were a step up. Or maybe my fitness was a step down. Run up, run down. Squat and dive. Get up and go again. BANG there goes a thunder smash.

So fast and furious. Haha. Quite a few of the spikes were too close to my face for comfort. BING BANG another smash goes. It was like a salvo of bomb attacks.

But it was seriously fun to play back volleyball without stress. Maybe someday we should head down to Sentosa to play again!

That's the end of an amazing week. Thanks everyone who made the chalet and volleyball possible. It's a great way to enjoy and spend my leaves. Haha.

The Post which is Neither a Hunter nor Bear

2008-12-25T10:43:00.002+08:00

Merry Christmas folks!

Just a short update.

The last few week or so was really pretty good. Played a variety of sports which was reminiscent of the JC2 days. It's great to have some exercise to break my rather sedentary lifestyle!

Then from Monday to Wednesday it was 0706 chalet. The BBQ turned out to be surprisingly successful (no more bloody chicken wings!)and it was fun to spend time together with the old mates even a year after we graduated.

And finally yesterday the CCHMS clique went down to Chengliang's place. It was supposed to be a small meal, but everyone brought a bit of food and atmosphere over, so it became a mini party of sorts. A few drinks and rowdy jokes capped the night and it was all good.

As you would expect, there were loads of pictures taken which would tell a better story than I could, so I'm gonna pull a few strings and get the photos from the owners of the cameras. Haha.

I've been nagged at by several groups of people to get a Facebook account already, so if you're intending to join that list, save your efforts!

So today, it's a quiet day at home with the family for me. Gonna cook up a meal for them to show appreciation somehow I guess. Haha I hope I don't screw up.

Once again, a very merry Christmas and happy New Year to all of you! =)

The Post which Uttered a Few Hokkien Expletives

2008-12-19T20:39:00.002+08:00

Wow a week of leave already gone!

I spent the first two days slacking and watching movies at home. A real couch potato and a slob I tell you. I just gamed and sat in front of the laptop for hours at a go.

For the next two days I went out to play volleyball back in TJ. It's still a nice place to visit but there's no one around in the empty school.

I tried to play volleyball, which I haven't touched since March. Man it was really bad. I couldn't jump, couldn't run and couldn't hit the ball properly for nuts (sounds weird). Haha. That shows how out of form I was.

The next day, amazingly, I decided to go for round two. Thighs and shoulders and every other muscle imaginable aching. No joke. Shengyu and Nicholas were complaining about the same stuff. Haha but it was real fun.

On Wednesday evening I headed out for a shopping trip with Shiyun and Vanessa. They're really good company and seriously knew which shop had what sale and at how many percent discount. o.o very impressive eh?

But the only problem was that I didn't get the shoes I wanted!

It's really strange. When I intend to just walk around and look at new things, I see stuff that I really wanna buy impulsively and just splash cash on it.

When I intend to shop and spend, I don't find the things I want. Sigh.

Then on Thursday, it was my niece Hailey's (nice name actually) one month birthday.

I think she doesn't like me. She sleeps for the whole day and when she sees me for two seconds, she cries. I go away, she falls asleep. I come back when she's awake, she cries again. -.-

Haha. Hey it's not that I'm terrible with kids. I got enough experience mopping up and cleaning up them because I have 9 other nephews and nieces. They are a handful I assure you.

Took a great number of pictures, which I will try to dig them out from my cousin and post them up!

And finally today!

Slept like a baby till 10 plus before heading out to play ball again. This time it was with the 0706 folks to play basketball. It's quite some time since I last played sports with them.

We played badminton mostly. Sinkiat's a tough match man! But it was mostly relaxed and fun and once again Elga took quite a few pictures of us in action and clowning around. Not all of them are very glamourous to be honest. Haha.

We ate out at Mac's and nearly everyone had a Mega McSpicy, which now look like two enormous spicy McNuggets. My tummy is still feeling uncomfortable from eating it now actually.

The best part was this not-so-sane man which sat near us during our meal. He was shouting and talking to himself, scaring people away. A while later the police came and all of us stayed back to watch show. LOL. Singaporeans.

It's been a fun week so I hope more is to come next time!

The Post which Cooked Snakes

2008-12-14T10:43:00.009+08:00

Alright I finally uploaded this shitload of photos up. Give me a hand please haha.

Okay so it starts of with this big bad boy Hanwei being late for his own birthday. Surprise!

Before that, minions like us were camping like nothing at Dhoby Ghaut MRT. We're supposed to be fixing up the birthday board (you'll get what I mean later) but here Sinkiat and I duke it out on PSPs whereas Cheryl still tries to fix the cube.

Our birthday board, made up of Post-its and well wishes and of course, a board. Neat idea by Jiahui, who was the official organiser of this celebration. Good job pal.

Last time we all met together was at Jumbo, which was about 2 months ago. Brilliant to see them again!

Supposed to eat at Xin Wang but we shifted to Manhatten Fish Market instead for classier and nicer food.

I was checking out Roxanne's headphones. Really good stuff. Made me feel like Eminem for a few minutes! (I was listening to Lose Yourself not so coincidentally LOL)

Shuyi Cheryl and Jiahui in a monokuromo mode.

The other girls who were later arrived and guys had to move their asses. Still in monochrome.

I had to put this in because of the blur/cute/funny/nervous waiter. Haha.

"Hi sir what would you like to have?"

"Oh. I'd like a grilled salmon."

"With chips or rice sir?"

"Eh... I can have chips please."

"No problem, one chips please for you, uh I mean, one chips for you."

Alright it's just a small blunder but through out the whole lunch he was in a tittery state. Haha.

Seafood platter for two I think. Much better than Fish and Co's. Last time Chengliang Sinkiat and I downed 2 platters. =D

Happy day and happy ending. Happy birthday of course to our happy boy Hanwei. ><

Anyway Saturday. Really fun day.

Got pissed off early in the morning because I'm supposed to be on leave but some idiots back in camp refused to work so I went back.

There were a few heated arguments here and there and it nearly resulted in me doing work on Sunday and another duty. Phew. Dodged a huge arrow right there.

After that I went down to Parkway to meet up the folks.

This sounds weird but we actually bought raw ingredients to cook at Chengliang's place. ROFLWTFBBQ.

We stole this recipe for XXX bookshop (unknown) and bought ingredients at XXX supermarket. As awkward as it may seem, it's actually very funny and very fun. We're not gays, we're just the new age man doing some new stuff right?

So there was this bit when we buying lemons, this secondary school pal saw us and came to say hi. Our immediate thought: well, that's our reputation screwed!

We went back home and started cooking. Chengliang's mom popped in.

"Oh my. I shouldn't be seeing this right?" (DON'T SOUND LIKE THIS WE AIN'T DOING ANYTHING ILLEGAL)

So it came down to Cooking 101 and the first try wasn't half bad. Second was really pretty good. I think we can sell it next time. I'm not kidding. Good work folks! Hahaha.

Last filler of the day. My 1 year old nephew was crawling around so he caught sight of my other 6 year old nephew lying on the sofa, stretching with legs wide open.

I saw this happen. I kid you not.

Younger nephew crawls up.
Stands up.
Raises his hands.
And gives the older dude a good ol' right hook between the legs. OOF. Take that! Don't get up!
LOL

Right that's a bit sick but I laughed the crap outta myself.

The Post which Cried with the Grown Ups

2008-12-11T15:46:00.004+08:00

Past few days were pretty interesting!

Alright on Wednesday and today, instead of my usual driving, I had a Chemical Defense course with a few of my unit mates. So it's basically a crash course, teaching us some stuff about chemical warfare and such.

It's quite fun actually. All I can say it's a good experience, the kinda things that you just wanna try out once and not do it on a regular basis.

My respect for Civil Defence and Taiwan protestors went up after the gas chamber experience. No joke. I don't understand why a sane person want to tolerate that much. Let's just say I came out looking like a drunk toddler. Shaky, coughing, crying and mucus flying everywhere. Neat.

My reward was that I got to go home earlier today for an off. My unit's practically empty now since everybody (except for me) is going for holiday.

I was using my supervisor's computer today when I chanced upon this folder on the desktop. It says:

XIUJIE ACCIDENT.

Interesting. I opened it. So there were reports and some photos of the crash that happened some two and a half months back.

I looked back at the photos and there was this full frontal view of the crash. The dent on the vehicle was just above the right headlight. It means that as I tried to steer away, I nearly succeeded in missing the lamppost completely.

Keyword: nearly. Guess I wasn't cut out to be a stunt driver. If they asked to drift in the Initial D movie, I'd probably roll off the cliff and kill myself. Haha.

Now everyday, when I drive around in camp, people might think that I'll avoid the bend intentionally. They haven't put the post back. The hole is still there and long grass has already grown on the spot (I'm not kidding).

Instead I'll always go to that bend. It reminds me that I've already committed a grave error. So everytime I think, alright no mistakes this time, drive safely and slowly lad.

I told this to my friend and he says it's a bit like Batman. He's scared of bats as a kid and now he confronts and fights with that fear.

But there is no chance in hell I'm gonna call myself Lamppost 65 Man!

The Post who Met the Monk in the Temple

2008-12-08T09:42:00.002+08:00

Turns out my wish wasn't granted.

I went back to my unit on Friday, feeling rather gloomy but wishing for my punishment to start (and end earlier of course).

My idea was to start it and end it within this year. No dragging, no cutting into any holidays or pushing it to next month.

In the end, my officer said he had too much to work to do and says he will do it next year. Sigh. That's one more thing to handle another time I guess.

Anyway so I'm back home for the past few days. It's a public holiday today so I'm given the privilege to stay at home and rest.

I went down to the temple on Saturday with my mom. Just to do my usual prayers and walk around.

So we reached and we prayed outside at the gates. After that we walked into the hall where people knelt down to offer their prayers. I picked a corner and knelt down, but at the corner of my eye I saw someone staring at me.

I thought I was in his space or something, so I moved a little. But no, he was still standing a feet away, looking at me.

I looked up.

WTF it was my old tutor Ah Leow!

A bit of history here, he was my tutor from primary school to J1, a really smart old man who's a monk (strange mix I know). But because of a court case back in J2, which is absolute bollocks, he was arrested and I haven't seen him since.

I went blur, starting to spout nonsense in fact.

"Hey," he asked, "what are you doing now?"

"Er huh? Ah er.. I'm praying now la!"

"No la, you idiot. As in you studying now or what?"

LOL. Yes I was a sputtering idiot for the next few moments.

But he looks like he was in old shape, albeit older. It's really nice to see him, because he's a fatherly figure and mentor to me since I was a kid.

Yesterday it was Hanwei's birthday celebration. I would have missed it because of my would-be SOL, then later I nearly missed it again because of a last-minute duty which nearly hit me. See how they treat me? LOL

But it was great seeing the fellas. The last time we met was around 9 weeks ago, back when all the guys were leaving for their overseas stuff and girls were getting ready for their exams. Woots and before you know it it's over already.

In the morning I met up with Sinkiat to have Mega Mac breakfast at Plaza Singapura. After 4 weeks of procrastination, I finally fulfilled my wish to have Mega Mac, and McGriddles didn't disappoint me! Haha.

Walked and shopped around for a while. I'm renewing my wardrobe so I've been spending a bit nowadays.

When the rest came, we went down to Manhattan's Fish Market to eat. Seriously much better than Fish & Co I assure you. But with only two outlets it's hard to go.

Was really quite fun to talk and chat with the rest and as usual the pictures are with the girls. Haha shall find some way to nab them away. The pictures I mean, not the girls.

It's back to work tomorrow, and my usual work schedule seems to be piling up real soon. Hopefully I get to clear my leave this month!

The Post which is a Cold Reader

2008-12-04T06:36:00.002+08:00

Another post at a weird timing cause I haven't been online for the past few days.

My new lifestyle is working out well. I've been cutting down on gaming and doing other stuff. The last time I played DoTA was 4 days ago. Looks like I'm still surviving!

Instead I went to the library and found some really interesting psychology books. Man, if I manage to learn everything inside you guys gotta watch out for me. LOL

The past few days back camp has been rather fun. Most regulars are away on leave or course so it's relaxed in camp. Furthermore I'm not allowed to drive (guess why) so I'm parked in the unit doing nothing.

Hopefully my officer comes back today and charge me for my accident. Then it's my SOL for quite sometime, after which I shall clear my leave.

My December has been nicely planned and panned out, so I'm just wishing everything goes to my prediction. Just pray that my confinement will not cut into the week of Christmas!

It's already the last month of the year and it feels that time just zoomed by. I guess a lot of things happened this year! I just want a nice closure to this 2008, put everything behind and have a brand new start of 2009.

The Post which Sat Behind the Black Cardigan Girl

2008-12-02T06:30:00.002+08:00

Well I probably broke my own record of posting at weird timings (it's 6:30am now) but here I go anyway!

As I'm enjoying my daily morning quiet coffee, it's time to reflect upon my first day back in camp. As usual, even after a lengthy period away from my unit, going back once again tomorrow gave me the feeling that I haven't left at all.

Most things are left unchanged. And yes, the lamp post which I knocked down exactly 8 weeks ago is still down. A small area separated by orange tape and cones remind me of the vestiges of the little adventure I had then.

The places remain the same although the personnel changed. I go back to my unit to see many new faces. Similarly I must also be a new face to them!

But this means new alliances and friendships. Hopefully it also means less trouble and more cooperative people.

There is also a serious shortage of manpower, with many people going away on leave and another batch of 6 drivers going to ORD soon. Lucky bastards.

BUT MY TIME WILL COME! MUAHAHA.

My punishment for the accident is still pending and please please don't let it crash onto Christmas. Sigh.

I also foresee difficulties trying to clear my leave. 9 frigging days! I'm going to need to discuss with my officer or things are gonna get ugly.... Nah I'm kidding. But I deserve a break man.

Sometimes I feel that I'm under-travelled. Been staying in Singapore for so long and doing the same things. Perhaps it's due to my personality or due to financial troubles I used to have that I can't travel much but nowadays I'm getting the feeling I should break out of this cage.

I need a blue sky holiday!

The Post which Bid D3102 and D132 a Farewell

2008-11-28T14:57:00.003+08:00

POC lo!

After an unusually demanding and mentally stressful course (kidding), 7 weeks later, I'm outta Tekong.

It's a fun week, beginning with live range on Monday. Early morning we woke up and went down to the range, and after my first few testing shots, I had this feeling I was going to fail.

All my shots went left. C'mon I can't be that bad can I? BANG BANG another two hit the left. What's going on?

A while later I decided my rifle scope was screwed and I got help from a seargent to recalibrate it. With loads of encouragement and luck, I did manage to pass my range with flying colours (yeah right).

I was sorely mistaken in my previous post, where I said there was nothing much to be done after range. Because for the next few days, there were so many inspections we were doing loads of cleaning up.

If you think PES C recourse did a lot of area cleaning already,and I did think so too, then you're wrong too because we seriously did nothing but washing up, polishing and wiping for 3 whole days.

Unfortunately for me, I was bestowed the grand title of Toilet Cleaner so imagine my fury when every 15 minutes a seargent yells "TOILET CLEANERS GATHER!"

#)$*&(#$(!!

But anyway we did pass a CO inspection, so everyone was nice and happy. Haha.

The final scare for us in the week was when our OC got pissed at us so he threatened to give us a haircut on the last week of the course.

To me, that was a low blow. As you would imagine, it caused a considerable amount of distress to us, especially ORD personnel.

In the end, we had to get all friendly and nice with the barber, who let us get away with minimal loss of hair. LOL

Well it's been a fun seven weeks!

To my section mates of Dragon Platoon 3 Section 1, Adam, Zhengwen, Richard, Eddy, Xavier, Jamadil, Albert, Chris,Fairulz, Shanjie, you lot are the nicest and most "on" pals I could ever ask for. I don't think you all will read this, but you guys rock!

To my buddy Alson, you've been a real nice buddy and brother to have over the weeks. Take care in 30th SCE (terrible place to go) and hope to see you soon!

For now it's back to my unit for the rest of my NS life, presumably. I can only hope life is just as good, fun and peaceful for the next 11 months plus.

Good weekend all!

The Post which is On His Last Lap

2008-11-23T13:08:00.003+08:00

My sore throat is finally much much better and I'm eating as normal.

After seeing five doctors and eating countless types of medicine, the worst period of illness I've suffered to date is more or less cured and I'm taking supplements to boost back my fitness.

It's a long period of bad weather and everyone is taking turns to be sick. After my eldest sister, my mother and I were ill for the last week, today my grandma and second sister went to see the doctor. I think the family doctor is getting well acquainted by now. LOL

This sore throat I'm getting is no joke. I haven't ate much for the past few days and actually lost weight (yes I thought I didn't have any more weight to lose in the first place too). It nearly drove me insane for some time because I was hungry but I couldn't eat. T.T

Anyway it's my last week in Tekong already!

Man 6 weeks just passed like that. It's been a fun period of time and I got a great bunch of friends to spend my time with. It's almost like a holiday and I certainly miss this kind of life.

It's just range and live firing this week. Actually it's just tomorrow. Haha. After that we have nothing else to be done for the rest of the week until our passing out.

As much as it's enjoyable, I still wouldn't swap anything for my stay out life. By Friday this afternoon I'll be officially processed out and returning to my life in Changi Naval Base.

My dad is in a foul mood so I shan't risk using the computer for long. Haha. So have a good week ahead all. November is already ending!

The Post which is the Butt of All Jokes

2008-11-19T19:06:00.002+08:00

I'm once again posting at an uncommon timing because I reported sick on Monday (yes on the day I'm supposed to go to camp) and got three days MC.

It's funny how when you don't intend to play MC, they come naturally =D.

But in all seriousness, the past few days were quite rough for me. The weather is crap, my lungs are weak, my cough's killing me, fever's up and down, and my head is pounding with headache.

The worst of all is my sore throat. Inflamed with ulcers. That's ouch with a capital O. It makes swallowing feel like being shocked by electricity. I'm not exaggerating. The pain shoots up to my ears.

My illness was still pretty bad last night so I went back to my trusty ol' doc for some help.

"Let's see. Oh the throat is terrible."

"Yeah. Can you do something about it?"

"Hm. D'you want an injection or new pills?"

"Injection? Pills don't seem to be going down too well."

"Alright"

So he goes off and starts concocting his magic with the syringes and small bottles. I remove my jacket.

"Which arm is it doctor?"

"Arm? No no, it's on the butt." (stop laughing you bastards)

Oh boy.

A few tense and rather painful minutes later, I said my thanks and wobbled out of the room.

The painful part of injections, as many would agree, is not during or before the jab, but the dull ache that last at the area after the withdrawal, in this instance my right butt.

As I stood off balanced at the counter waiting for the payment, the first receptionist looks over and gives a cursory glance. She asked what was wrong

"Injection. On the butt." offers my sister helpfully.

She gave a small but audible giggle. To my horror she looks at the second receptionist (also a girl) and goes, "He just got an injection in the butt!"

That earned me a loud guffaw, adding insult to injury.

Well at least the injection is working out a lot (my butt still hurts though) and I'll be back to Tekong tomorrow to clean up week 6.

The Post which Escaped from the Monkey Island

2008-11-14T16:17:00.003+08:00

Week 5 had an unexpected ending so here we go!

It's field camp week. Although its obviously not a very difficult one, spending two days was still pretty fun.

When we reached there in the morning we were getting ready for lessons then BOOM! It started to rain. For the whole day (and eventually the whole week) it would continue to rain non-stop. While it made the weather nice and cool, it also made our campsite look like this:

Mud, small and big puddles of water everywhere. Looks a lot like a padi field/swamp/TJ soccer pitch after a rain. As you can imagine it wasn't very comfortable.

At a point of time, we had quite a bit of spare time so we did outfield cooking. With the weather being so fricking cold and windy, a packet of Maggi Mee never felt better. It was like slurp slurp.....AHHH. Pretty damn shiok if you ask me. Haha.

On Wednesday and Thursday it was already pretty slack in camp but many people started to feel unwell because of the weather I guess. I also had a bad cough and cold for the past few days and last night my temperature went up.

This morning I took my temperature again it was 39.5c. o.o seriously no joke. Reported sick early and got my MC so I came home at about 8am. Earliest book out ever.

I took my medicine, all seven types of it. I wonder why I need so many actually. But one of them consist of some strong cough syrup so after taking it I konked out from 9am to 3pm.

Anyway I received some good news over the week regarding my accident case. I received a smaller and more lenient punishment, which is huge huge relief. It feels as though the huge cloud above my head finally passed by since my accident 6 weeks ago.

Once again I'll like to thank my friends and those in my unit for helping me out with the case and their moral support. Especially Reuben (he should be coming back soon) for cheering me up during one "emo" afternoon.

Two more weeks of BMTC and I'm done!

The Post which Got a New Headstart

2008-11-09T12:04:00.008+08:00

Another quick post before I book in later this evening.

Went out with the 0706 people. We ate at Phin's Steakhouse near Bugis. I always wonder how come they always know places to try out food and I don't. Well never mind I'll just follow eh?

The waiter was a really funny lad because he can speak in Mandarin (albeit the accent) and he sounds as though he was singing. BUT he looks so familiar. Wonder where I saw him before. Hm..

It was a fun time which we spent most of the time bitching and laughing at some people. Haha. Right it was a conversation right out of secondary school kids but watching the girls get upset over things like that was interesting. =D

The food was pretty good so I recommend you guys to try it next time. I'll try to upload the pictures when I get them.

I was on my way home on Friday and I met Zhenwei, who is a senior driver of mine in Changi and he asked me how was my accident. On Saturday I saw Munhoe, from TJ last time too, who also asked me how it was.

It occured to me I wasn't updated about the accident for some time so I called back my other senior Aanandaa to ask about it.

Why did I call him? A really ironical situation.

The day of my accident I was sent to the hospital. A buddy was required to come with me and he's a real nice guy who took care of me in Changi so he came along.

The next day I was on MC and stayed at home so around evening he called me.

"Hey man. You're not alone."

"Huh what? What do you mean?"

"I got into an accident too. You spread your bad luck to me."

"ZOMGWTFBBQ!"

A few days later I went back Changi and we emo-ed together for the whole day doing nothing. Haha. That's what happens to good friends. We suffer together.

Anyway I had some good news from him this morning so it got me into a good mood. I was having my haircut in a while so I cut in real short out of convenience and superstition because I always have better luck after cutting my hair.

Weird huh. LOL

This weekend in EPL!

Liverpool won 3-0 courtesy of two Robbie Keane strikes...

while Manchester United sunk at Emirates 2-1 against Arsenal! Well done Arsenal! Hahaha.

Will they be next? I hope so!

A last shoutout to Sinkiat. Take care and good luck in Brunei! And I guess Reuben's coming back soon from Wallaby so that's cool man.

Nothing much with me in Tekong though. T.T

The Post which Cannot GBBS or SIB

2008-11-08T10:18:00.002+08:00

I'm a happy man cause its 365 days countdown!

I know this sounds a little crazy and desperate but in a year's time NS life will be over, barring any weird/odd/screwed up situations that may occur in that meanwhile.

My life in the army is rather nomadic, means I keep changing camps and environments every 2-4 months so from December to November next year will be the longest block I stay in Changi Naval Base.

Hope everything goes well!

Anyway week 4 is down and out so let's see what happened over these few days.

Previously I said I was getting numb to booking out early but I was sorely mistaken. We're supposed to book out this afternoon instead but we somehow managed to rush through our training so I booked out last night instead.

My reaction was like: YEEAAHHHH!

Haha. That night of sleep at home makes a huge difference.

It's a fun week cause we went outfield for a few days (means we smell like skunks for a few days) but it was also an ill-tempered one because of the rush and delay, there were quite a few arguments and much anxiety in camp.

There was a moment when someone lost something then my heart dropped so fast because I thought we wouldn't be able to book out, but thank goodness it was found.

Celebrating Sinkiat's and Roxanne's birthday in advance later. Haven't seen those people for a month now so gotta go later!