startin life afresh

My Ah Gong and his 'grandson'

2011-04-30T22:51:00.005-10:00

I have never had an ah gong in my life, or at least seen any by the time I was born (as alike one of my friends), not until I got myself a part time job at KTPH. He is not an ordinary old man you observe on the streets (otherwise I would not have written this post) but rather someone whose inner and outer facet is filled with substance - something which even ah gong himself also claimed to have it in him. Now what would Ah Gong have possibly done to make him deserve the above description?

I won't dare say he's a man of few words as you might so perceive from one glance, but instead if you know him well, he is someone who knows how to give the gift of silence as and when necessary and talk when it comes to the right moments. Yes, you may find him irritating at times from all the stories that ah gong tell but there will be someone out there eager to listen to his comments and his take on certain stuffs - his 'grandson'

Ah gong may be seen as a sceptic in many things- He does not see things in the way ordinary people do, or rather see life in a way usual folks may view it to be like. What's with fast food, sugary stuffs, and even the management in the office. He simply dismisses the functionality of the office, the unnecessary rules and regulations and the false integrity of the people there which his 'grandson' will have to agree too. He even brought up the issue of the world ending soon given the rising sea levels from the melting of the polar caps. What is admirable is however much skeptical he is about life, he will try to put on his best performance, and of course a smile in whatever he does at all fronts and not raise tension unnecessarily.

Ah gong is someone with the tenacity, patience and brains to do big things, though it may be hard to see that in a place like the office. He is always constantly devising smart strategies to tackle problems and what his 'grandson' learnt from him is not only to do things fast, but slow too, slow enough to handle situations smoothly and steadily, something his 'grandson' will have to really pay hard attention to lest any misfortune may befall upon him. Ah gong was a medical student, at least he nearly graduated as a traditional chinese medicine practictioner but gave up all due to his passion for something else - carpentry. He has devoted nearly 30 years to overseeing operations that have got to do with carving out good quality wood pieces for the furniture industry and even though he may fail ultimately (due to heightened environmental concerns), he never regrets it as it is lessons learnt in life - you can do whatever you want in life and failures and successes of all sorts are bound to stand in the way. He is a determined man.

Ah gong does not garner his knowledge through the papers or books like the laymen do. Neither does he rely much on electronic gadgets like the television in his free time to obtain the daily digests or so. How then does his baffled 'grandson' listens on and on to what-may-seem-like ramblings of him fervently? T his is when Ah Gong depends on his true substance, something gathered throughout the passing of time when he embarks on his life journeys away from Singapore to other parts of the world - yes ah Gong travels regularly as and when duty calls - and as he practices his carpentry out there, the lessons he gleans and the stories he encounters, are far too bountiful to be recited in a day. Ah gong sure does not rely on media to obtain his information, but through the conversations he makes with his contacts, the gentle scan of the headlines along news stands and of course, during his mere relaxation moments at work on his old, outdated desktop computer with his faint knowledge of the internet.

Ah gong may think he is laughable at times when he tries his best to crack a joke on the spot, however oblivious to the fact that but the real comical him can't be seen by Ah gong himself, not least by his childish 'grandson' who grins, smirks followed by chortles for a short while before things resume to normal; and that is the time when his wrinkles contort, eyes agape and tone serious - when Ah Gong gets into his firm and unknowingly amusing stance which only to be teased at by his childish 'grandson' who may or may not seem to understand those real marks engraved on his face deeply enough.

Ah gong, I will miss you. Thanks for all your time, effort in teaching your 'grandson', and your biscuits too....

waffle making on good friday

2011-04-21T16:44:00.003-10:00

after postponing for many months, I finally settled down with a waffle iron at home though I know how ridiculous it may seem to invest in something you can easily obtain elsewhere in a hassle-free and cheaper way. But wait, the terms 'hassle-free' and 'cheaper' may only apply in the short term: yes buying 100+ waffles at any outside confectionery is sure way cheaper than buying all the equipment and ingredients, not to mention the time, electricity and water consumed in making a handful of waffles; plus it is definitely convenient to just order a waffle with your favourite flavour and getting it in a jiffy, all you need is just 5minutes and a few coins. However, the reason why I bought a waffle maker, having to undergo the trouble of lugging that cumbersome item from chinatown back home, forking out a sheer $256 on something that isn't a common kitchen appliance is that the whole thing makes sense after all, in the long term. In the long term, I have the freedom to make whatever number of waffles I can at one go, I am able to choose whichever ingredients and toppings to go with the waffle depending on the occasion, and of course I would have no reason to claim that there is nothing delectable in the house to bite on during odd hours. This all goes to the passion of kitchenry, cooking, or food in general. Sometimes, relying on external outlets or establishments may seem the quickest way to quench your hunger or thirst, but it is the commitment to making good food in the 4 corners of your kitchen that spells it all out - you have the equipment and amenities, there is no excuse for you not to make the full use of it. After all, our homes are places of paradise and retreat, hence it is logical that we make full use of it; whatever we do at home, it is for the long term cost benefit and satisfaction. It is from this that we are able to appreciate our homes better, be self-sufficient and less reliant and ultimately, gain the freedom that we want even at home!!

yuan xiao jie

2011-02-17T03:10:00.002-10:00

Today is tang yuan day, no no I mean yuan xiao jie, the final day of chinese new year and I had to say dinner was great! Thanks mum&dad for taking leave and preparing a wonderful meal composed of lo hei, pig's trotters, fried meat balls, broccoli and bird eggs with tang yuan and black jelly as desserts. Though today may just seem to be a typical Thursday, but one thing is for sure, that the weekend is looming close enough such that there's no need thinking much about tomorrow's work except that I have tuition for the upcoming days. Currently with 4 tuition groups, each of which is 2hrs a week, I still feel that there is space for personal activities as it is all about time management, hence I would not dare say that they are taking a toll on my body especially considering how much the poor tutees have to fork out each time i step into their arena, but oh well this is the reality of private tuition, something I myself would not really stand for, not when I am the tutee. Life in KTPH seems to have settled down, after having understood the tricks of the trade in and out of the office; but it just feels like I am going to leave that place soon, in a month's times I would suppose? It all will have to depend, depend on what's forthcoming.... Having finished splinter cell 4:double agent, there is this sense of accomplishment albeit taking many hours to complete certain missions and referring to the walkthroughs of some missions over the laptop. Hopefully, splinter cell: conviction will be coming out on PS3 and I hope to be able to derive as much interest as have derived from the previous installment! My favourite mission from double agent will have to be 'shanghai' kudos to the opportunity to control the chopper, rappelling on walls, availability of fireworks, use of the laser recorder, wall mines and the interesting ending followed by 'sea of okthosk' due to the nice icy cold environment with mist that functions as a double-edged sword, as well as the length of the mission and the logical progression of it. It had been a great journey and hope to get more PS3 games any time from now, and of course find a solution to my unused PSP!!! Happy cny everybody for the final time this yr!!

cny is approaching!

2011-01-25T02:57:00.002-10:00

oh my gosh chinese new year is around the corner, and this means a shorter working week next week! I just can't wait to take a breather from this job of mine at KTPH. Not that it is boring or unchallenging, but rather the feeling of spending 8-5 at home or hanging out instead of the usual humdrum state of life does provide a timely twist to life. I guess life should have some changes here and then but a little would do and a little is enough to revitalize one's soul and mind before adjourning to the second phase of one's work. I guess I haven't stuck to my promise about blogging about current affairs or about food but now I shall hope to cling on to this promise of mine. Now I shall mention about this news:

'Patients come first at Singapore's new medical school'

some quotes:

Making sure the patient comes first will be top priority at Singapore's new medical school, and technology will be one way of enhancing comfort and convenience for patients.
'Patient care will not just be lip service. It's the doctor's job to think about the whole totality of care, not just give out prescriptions.'
'And as part of the course, undergraduates could be asked to follow individual patients over several years - say an old person with a chronic illness, or a newborn baby as it grows, to give them a better understanding of the patient as a person.'

Having read the article, I was affirmed with the belief that as doctors, being able to communicate with the patient even after the patient is discharged, some of whom returning for follow-ups, is important as commitment is the key to seeing a patient through his or her hard times in life. It is all about providing the additional emotional factor to patients who will need it for fast recovery and trust in doctors. Doctors exist because of patients and hence as an emerging university with such a patient-centric approach, I guess this couldn't get any better?

....Hmmm saw Rick at the MRT station while on my way to work. It has really been quite some time since I last ORD-died, though it was rather recent only. I would say that productivity, ever since I attain my civilian life, had been average so far. I am still trying to find time for my guitar and also reading up on biology which I haven't done so for weeks. I guess that with 8-5, work just gets into way of so many things that I could possibly do. But it's all for an ultimate purpose, something which I hope would prevail. Saw Guan Guan at Bishan popular too and man was it weird that I travel from bishan to Yishun to work and he did the opposite. I guess the issue of spending on transport is rather pertinent especially when I have completed A levels, hence my hope for the university term to begin when I CAN FINALLY APPLY FOR THE TRAIN CONCESSION PASS! Yeah and of course I hope that the circle line would be up and ready by september!!

Yay man this saturday evening would be a fine one, chilling out with 5 of my army friends at Fiesta Brasilia, a bazillian buffet restaurant. It has been quite long since I last ate a brazilian style buffet at Carnivore. Well I guess I don't mind going for another shot! With regard to gymming, hopefully I could obtain the GNC pro performance 2200 lbs gold by end this week/month and start training hopefully by March when my 8-5 is gone!!!!

As for my psp and itouch jailbreak, I am still trying to think of a solution to go about doing it. It just gets frustrating at times. PS3 wise, I guess I should stop bothering to register for that product of mine as it is futile. I should be getting more games come mid-to-end February when life is better. Tuition has already started for me and currently I have 3 groups and I would say the pace is good! I am hoping for better results from my tutees man especially when I am giving my best and trying to improve even further! Oh well....

happy new year

2010-12-30T01:43:00.003-10:00

ok it has been nearly 4 months since i last blogged, which means that i have failed in my vow to blog every month.! But oh well this feeling comes and goes i guess. The highlights for the months I had gone missing as a blogger were basically the kyushu trip that I went to not too long ago and man it was rather long I felt albeit it being quite enjoyable at times. Well, as usual, it was one of the family-planned trips which needed no tour guide accruing to several reasons:

1) we can choose specifically where we want to go in a certain order and not get led along by the tour guide not knowing where we are going

2) with some research before the trip does indeed make one know clearly where one will be going and hence will be able to maximize one's time, effort and money.

3) having to go on a guided tour also means giving tips to tour guides and leaders, not to mention the profit that has gone into the pockets of the organisations, local and foreign given the number of places actually gone to

4) the mode of transport one can take is the tour bus which limits one as to the types of transport available in the country, which in the case for Kyushu-japan is the JR, shinkansein, bus, street car/tram, cable car, taxi, ferry, subway, etc as well as it being one of the least efficient mode of transport especially when going from the northern to the southern side of the island

5) free and easy! There is no need to cater to the favour/dislikes/problems of other tourists!

but this will be the first time that i fork out my own share of the vacation cost =( Oh well, this year heralds a sense of initiative, self-sufficiency and really puts life to the test. Yay and I have just completed star craft II wings of liberty's campaign modes today and finished watching cycle 6-15 of america's next top model woosh! Now I would be looking forward to bringing my itouch back to life, downloading/watching more movies online and of course continue gaming and learning Jap. Hopefully, I would also create bonding with the piano which I have not played for 2 yrs and my guitar now sitting in my room, and of course not forgetting my preparation for my bioengineering course next year (reading up bio now keke). When it comes to ekking out my own living, what is more to think of than conducting private tuitions and the boring 8-5? Last but not least, to do a mini personal make over both inside and outside!

cheers to a new year!

R.I.P

2010-08-31T17:30:00.002-10:00

You have watched us grown up over the years and must have enjoyed every bit of it, though your feelings are unshowing.

You have sacrificed your own time and effort years ago to ensure that reunions and gatherings go smoothly with the flow, yet not bearing a grudge.

You have been feeling sick and probably sorrowful for the past 4 years and do not want us to be affected, we can understand

You have been keeping your emotions to yourself and not display a sign of vulnerability nor weakness in face of adversities, albeit letting it go during your final minutes.

You have done a great deal of things for us, guided us in times of need and we appreciate it! Happy Teacher's Day!

WE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH THE RAIN!

2010-08-01T17:57:00.003-10:00

whew one day off today, and to think that I have been telling myself to blog for the past few weeks. Well, ord can't get anymore closer, though i would seriously start counting down once YOG is over. Yes I know that day is reaching, but not when the thought that there are still 3-4 ops yet to complete and several competitions to partake in, all of which will see their end in children's day.

Several highlights for last week:

Timor Barat run: This run saw me running 16km for the first time and I felt a rather moderate sense of accomplishment only though half-guessing that I would make it into the AHM team for Signals formation, which some do not pin their hopes on for the actual competition. It was a bit stunning to hear that I made it behind LTA Jason by only a minute and that he was the first signaller representative to reach the finishing line. I actually thought that I was somewhere in the middle or something but reckon that I was totally oblivious of my own pace. I realise that running, or most actions for that matter, has got to do with relativity. One does not feel that one is fast per se but can only mention that the rest are slower. Well, just to continue about the TB run, it took place rather early, early enough for most of the participants to finish their run before the sky caved in and droplets start to pelt on irked participants. Though sensing a bit of improvement, I realised the importance of not over-exerting at any point of time, hence leaving myself dubious as to how exactly I should exert during any point of the run. Questions kept pounding in my head: Should I overtake the person who's just overtaken me? Should I maintain my pace? How often should I stop to get a drink? Should I just wear contacts all the way? Many things are getting in my way during the run, not the obstacles like the sand, planks, bridge, uneven ground, roads, grass patches, concrete but the profuse sweating, the unnecessary mental stress which I thought could aid in removing boredom during runs. I guess boredom in running doesn't exist and shouldn't exist. To feel bored means to having nothing to focus on while doing something. Is running such a brainless chore? Some people proclaim that running is such a mindless occupation as one does nothing but double quick time. I would beg to differ. It entails being aware of the surroundings, admiring the scenery (strictly for the case of this run), pacing oneself and keeping one at rhythm and stability of all sorts. Fatigue during the run is inevitable but not when one has more or less acquired the consistency from the very start of the race. Endurance run is all about getting your body used to the stress and power needed to finish the race in a satisfactory timing. After all, this race, lying in precedence to AHM, is a healthy lifestyle run and it means taking it seriously, especially for competitors. I have accumulated 2 most crucial tips at the end of the day, that is making rest stops (very short ones though) about every 7km (for my case) and proper pacing from the start till the end. As usual, near the end point, there was the sprinting component between me and a guy from engineers which saw us giving our last outbursts of adrenaline power as though all hell had broken lose. After the run, there was the rejuvenation part, both in the sense that one can finally rest after the hard work put into and of course, the cold inviting winds to blow off incessant heat from one's body. Met some old friends from BMT, secondary school etc too. We chatted, drank ice milo, red bull and hundred plus which was definitely inviting and rested for some time before we left Seletar camp. It was definitely a run most worth running for as one got to experience different terrain, hence infusing practicality.

Commanders recce (immediately after the run) and ndp preview:

Well, these events happened back to back. After the TB run MS and I wanted to take a cab to our individual locations but could only alight after the Expressway. It was goddam crazy as we were wearing our PT attire and the wind was strong as alike the rain. Booking a cab proved futile and we were sort of stranded at a bus stop for some time before we actually took a bus down some stops where civilisation proved more conspicuous. It was only after 50 min when we could finally booked a cab (we couldn't flagged one down) and get to our places. Had lunch with the commanders at KK hospital before making our way to different cam sites, all sited across different places near or at NUS. This was in light of the ND rally taking place days after the actual parade. Fortunately to my glee, our cam site was rather peaceful, easy to locate and convenient. Nights out ensued after the recce was over. As for ndp preview, there was a slew of problems for our camsite: managerial and logistics errors, all of which I shall not discuss due to confidentiality. Hopefully for subsequent deployments, such mistakes would be staved off.

Weekends + off:

Well it was not much, went out with secondary school buddies to AMK hub NYNY for dinner before catching the movie 'Aftershock' that depicted the hardship and ordeal undertaken during the 1970s-1990s period by Tangshan earthquake casualties through the perspective of a family severely affected by it. The film proved emotionally heart-felt that left a few in tears and the rest pondering over whether such an incident did really claim about a quarter of a million lives back then. I felt that this movie., compared to those being screened in cinemas currently, was rather thought-invoking though it may be simple to understand. Not saying that other movies were not that good, but this movie was based from a real life story and it being one of china's most successful blockbuster film, really goes out to many people in the world, thus allowing us to compare our better off lives to those under-privileged in China. I would give this movie a 4 stars on the whole. Ha thank god Edmund insisted on not watching 'the sorcerer's apprentice' but this movie instead!! Haiz book in later. The busy weeks are soon to come!! 2 more months! By the way I have changed the blog song to this song, sung by someone whom I have idolised and will continue to idolise. It is so inspirational as well as stunning in terms of vocal quality and control. Enjoy!

weekly reflections (first time doing this on the comp)

2010-07-03T19:29:00.003-10:00

This week marks the end of the SAF day parade rehearsals with the parade itself culminating on the 1st July. I shall focus on the overall basis of the parade.

For administrative matters, I feel that when it came to reporting for attendance, many a time it was too early and as a result deprived us of some necessary sleep. This matter was accentuated by the fact that the whole training programme was planned in a spread-out manner such as to cater to the adaptability and learning capability of every single person who made up the contingent, and thereby every contingent that makes up the parade which stirred impatience in some. However, I actually learned that it was rather hard for the overall organisation to suit the needs of everybody so what was required from us was much cooperation and understanding. Aside from these points, it was rather okay on the whole.

Logistics wise, it did not fare any better either. Though the meals provided were sufficient, rather tasty and came in timely, it was the transport side that proved a downside to this matter. The idea was that the formation whose camp was the closest to SAFTI got to leave the last and this would actually translate to longer waiting times at the end of the day when all one wanted to was to have a good bath and rest for the night. We were provided with a water bottle each from the start which could actually fit into the ILBV magazine pouches nicely and hence it was not so cumbersome having to find drinking water. This was on top of the fact that there were water points accessible at several places such that heat exhaustion was not a qualm. After all, personal responsibility was crucial under such an unpredictable weather.

Training wise, I found that other than having too much practice, it was nonetheless not too over-exerting as breaks were given now and then though it would mean walking quite a great distance from the parade exit point back to the main resting point. The structure of the training programme was quite orderly and in a way such that we picked up the rhythm of the overall parade procedures fast. I quite liked the fact that the parade ICs put in their utmost effort to ensure a full-fledged parade that would not entertain any drop-outs and also an improved version compared to the previous year in terms of coordination, planning, and ability to rectify the mistakes in light of the CDF vetting.

On the whole, it was ultimately one's presence during such a prestigious parade that was all the more alluring to the participant. Only through hard work put in days to weeks before the parade that one was able to relish from one's effort ultimately at the end. It was quite a fine experience having to partake in the parade not by watching it or taking part in the in-camp parades but by being part of the actual big parade itself.

hiatus

2010-05-05T22:34:00.002-10:00

From now on, i shall try to discuss about whichever interesting article, spanning from medical issues (mainly) to issues like science and technology, from local aricles (mainly) to a bit of foreign issues that i were to chance upon in magazines or newspapers, or perhaps at least mention the existence of such a news.

Just read about an article revolving about a woman who underwent the first abdominal trachelectomy (a surgery removing the cervix via the abdomen without having to remove the uterus) which spelled out potential health risks. This calls for some celebration as it implies that women stricken with such a disease, though not very prevalent but still quite lethal, could have a choice in bearing children, at least via IMF.

okay by the way this is the second day out of my 7-day (actually 6 day) off-cum-leave-cum-holiday in lieu-cum weekend hiatus, hence I must maximize time well!!!!!

guarduty

2010-04-30T21:41:00.002-10:00

this week was a week of regimental duties. Finished serving 2/3 of my extras, i.e. 2 this week and honestly i felt quite a sense of accomplishment judging by the fact that this was the first time doing guard duty. Being a guard commander was quite taxing on the whole, having to manage the guards and answer to one's superiors if anything cocks up, be it accountability of items or breaching of security by external elements. Got to work with my junior specs who were guard 2IC's so at least there were people i knew though this does not hinder the fact that i got to mingle with the guards from other units to kill time. Getting to exercise leadership and commanding skills wasn't too bad a thing either, if not for one's 3SGT rank especially when there is not really an equally great opportunity to do so in battalion line. Thus, it was quite an enriching experience being a guard commander and doing guard duty isn't that bad as i thought. After all, not needing to do physical training the next day and guard rest are testament to it. today was my first day giving proper tuition to a secondary 4 boy and felt rather satisfied with the environment provided and the pay attached to my service. Hopefully this job could go on for quite some time. Lastly, i cannot find my campass!!!

the usual lamentations and commentations

2010-03-20T21:45:00.004-10:00

now it is a good time to blog. A flurry of bad events have taken place: me losing my badminton racket (not confirmed though), my black ns specs broken on one side and my reward of 3 extras for not picking up my phone during the warning activation, all in a matter of a week from last sunday till book out. The only good thing was the bookout on thursday which thus makes the week not so long as it should have been......well at least for the regimental duties on the 5/4, 25/4 and 29/4, they were not so bad as i thought, part of which will be mentioned later. Firstly, i have not done any before, not even in plc which supposedly is much better from what i heard. Secondly, this serves as a wake up point for me to take more precaution now that things are not really going for the better both in and out of camp, individually and locally on the aspect of security. well that is basically what happened

oops today is the 26/03 and it means finishing what i wanted to say about last week (above continued in red) as well as discuss briefly about this week and upcoming weeks to come. Well life is good and bad as usual in camp. Good in the sense that the comms trial was cancelled and that there was no ippt specific training this week, not that i knew of only until this morning. There was a standby universe sort of this week and it was so totally unexpected. 3 guys (i won't say who) have their items confiscated due to illegtality and will the music come monday. At first, i thought that this standby was deliberate and was planned some time ago but it was because of one stupid incident that took place in the office that led to this and other 2 people getting punished. This explained my earlier point of receiving 3 extras. There were and still are some unpleasant things happening in camp and i shall not broach about it; as long as i have come to an conclusion of how i am going to deal with certain issues. This weeks, the main focus was on monday when we tried out the lcdn and carried out the usual normal equipment maintenance and check and standby etc.. other than that there wasn't much. We ran our 5km canal route run this morning and boy was it really shag! It was quite cool being in the lead and i knew that this was exhilirating. Hoping to take part in a marathon come the end of this year and more to come! I know this would be interesting for sure... can collect more vests and singlets too lol. oh and on the topic of pt, there is going to be a formation ippt on april fool's day and it will include people from other camps coming down to take the test. Well, pray hard that everything will go well and interesting. Took a half day off today which means no need for bike maintenance and stoning till 1730h today! Felt quite accomplished from the half day I took - borrowed dvds and books, ate at dallas chicken and ribs with cay and went around looking at movies and dvds and music cds etc, and just as i went back, my ez link card ran out of value...next week is good fri and hopefully it will be better than good! taking offs on the 12th and 26th april wooo!!! hopefully the month of april will whiz past and that will only mean 2 things, my batch will become the most lau jiao batch when the 52nd troopers ords in may and also, time for us to ord!

some more updates

2010-02-27T16:20:00.002-10:00

Before february were to die off without any posts, let me just scribble some thoughts down. This few weeks have been quite fun and interesting as well. Last week was the 44th signals formation day which saw a couple of activities taking place concurrently, mainly the road relay and the tug-of-war challenges involving signallers from various units like armor, hq signals, 3,1,2 sig, 10&11 c4I. It was as usual, a very family-oriented event that does not preclude any person but this time involving a larger scale planning. The previous big event, cny-cum total defence-cum valentine's day celebration, only involved the camp itself. I have to say that the management and organisation took off pretty well, like I said, especially when it comes to the idea of participation. Though, there may be a little hiccups here and there which are rather unobstrusive, it was a job well done on the whole this month. Come next month, it would be a very busy month of ops and as a fitness ic, i would be conducting 2 trainings, one on anerobic and another on aerobic. But glad that I have more or less fit into the battalion, gradually understanding what is happening around me, how everything is run, the people (though there are new ones coming in now and then) Oh and lately, we have been playing tennis! What I love is that I have managed to find some tennis court that is free and available after all these years. Firstly, the cost of the racket sets me back but not until I realised that there free courts in camp to utilise and since there is ample time here and there so, why not? After all it is not as though I am buying 2 rackets which can be very costly nor will I be playing tennis during the weekends when i come home. Yeah, so I am definitely looking forward to playing this sport, but this time, in doubles as Keane will be bringing his rackets this time. In order to sustain such a mode, another guy would need to bring a racket as I will be returning my cousin her racket. ohand most importantly, I need to start focusing I need to focus seriously with effect from today and not procrastinate any longer, be in during the weekdays in camp, or during the weekends at home. Time management is highly neccesary. Lastly, I will need to manage my emotion better but I that, I would say, will take some time. that's all folks! 8 more months man to ord!

2010-01-31T01:11:00.002-10:00

ok end of january. its quite fast. i am beginning to feel the ord mood already especially when its only 200 workin days time!! life has been not bad in stagmont camp. really must make good use of the gym. life is just not bad nowadays. good luck to next week's enlistees man!

pop lo

2009-12-05T16:26:00.001-10:00

yeah the 3 chevrons! this is the day! woohoo! taking on life with a new chapter....

countdown to ord: 1 more year exactly!!!

oh westlife's 10th album coming out next month!

2009-11-20T15:39:00.004-10:00

RCC has officially ended yesterday with the final activity: 1.2km coastal swim which saw only about 20+ trainees donning their life jackets and mingling with the water off yishun dam. Amid these trainees, QK suffered from a sting of a jellyfish that resulted in numbness albeit it being mild. Not surprisingly, the ratio of non-swimmers to swimmers is about 2:1 due to the majority either being cat c or below swimmers or having foot rot. But oh well, everything lasted for about two hours plus or so and things followed smoothly after which. I was in the boat party not because I was a cat c swimmer but because of foot rot, unfortunately. honestly, sea sports like such, though boring due to the regimentation, is refreshing and at least one need not carry out even more mundane admin/fatigue/boat party chores. Though some people may feel that it exempts them from the real activity itself and hence the better it is, but I feel that this is some form of relegation and sluggishness to some extent. As a swimmer, doing the coastal swim itself is definitely better than preparing the logistics for the coastal swim. However, the fact that I got to observe where and how the logistics were gathered, the coordination between the admin party, swimming party and boat party etc, more than compensated the boredom. Staff Raju later mentioned that seletar camp, where we got the boats from, was one of the biggest camps in singapore alongside PLC and SAFTI. It feels good to be able to travel to the different camps in Singapore and observe roughly how they were being run. Well, we managed to leave camp slightly after 2:30pm which was earlier than expected so it was good! As for direct artillery fire training, it was quite an invigorating lesson or rather, experience as we got to view the camp, learn the basics of calling for fire like bracketing, danger close, hasty fire plan etc. Our platoon managed to pass the test but we didn't get our certificates on time:( This week we enjoyed 2 days of off (Mon and Tues), rendering as one of the best weeks of this year I would say! Now RCC is over and CAT is coming up for the next 2 weeks following which I think there would still be a course most probably. Enjoy the weekend for now! Oh one more thing, as you can see from the title, westlife's 10th album will be out in few more weeks time, so watch out for it those WESTLIFE fans!!!

happy

2009-11-07T17:44:00.002-10:00

yayayayayayy!!!! its the 8th finally!!! end of summary excercise!!!! what more do I have to say? Received the jungle hat but not the chevrons yet. this coming week will be coastal swim week, something that sounds rather relaxing and fun! The fact that I brought back the LBV and alice pack showed how much I wanted to remove the idea of outfield even if it means undergoing a strenuous task of wheeling the 40-50 + kg junk-laden duffel back for several distances here and there.But of course they needed a good wash as well. Just had breakfast buffet at Bistro delifrance this morning. Sitting inside the restaurant with good music, refrshing air-conditioning, good service and a good platter of pastries and drinks cannot be anymore inviting and tempting -a treat to one's worn out body and soul, after all the ordeal that doesn't seem to end during the whole of last week at Pulau Tekong. Well I learnt that the only way to make the week passed by fast was to really engage in what you are doing and not wander off so much to other activities, especially the weekend. celebrating dad's birthday later in the evening before booking in in the evening later. shan't talk about summex lest my entry got discovered. happy birthday don and dad again!

MAPEX --> SUMMEX

2009-10-30T09:38:00.003-10:00

it just feels too great and relaxing sitting down by the computer in the wee hours of the morning viewing anything that just catches one's eye. Peace is all around as quietness makes its presence felt obstrusively. In such a manner there is no stress and it is not difficult to not give in to on'es inherent fatigue accumulated through the past several days. Map exercise was what that just took place - all in a prep for Summary exercise that would make or break the outcome of an SCT, an infantry recce SCT to be specific. We have waited long enough for the third sergeant rank, 3 months since the ASLC-ians received theirs, and we have waited long enough for the jungle hat. RCC is from the 29th Sep to 6th Nov of which we conclude the Summary exercise and obtain the jungle hat, and also equally importantly, partial liberty! Also not forgetting that the period will more or less mark the exact one year countdown to ORD! This upcoming week will be an important, pertinent week, a week that withstands no nonsense whatsoever. btw saw platoon sgt victor huang at macs who gave me the inspiration for rcc summex! thanks man! maapex is over. summex here we come!

2 more weeks

2009-10-24T04:09:00.002-10:00

last week was long walk but this week was something that you cannot really compare to in terms of the level of difficulty. This week, being the CST week, saw us hacking and chopping fishtail palm trees with the parang/et spade, gathering leaves- big leaves, smooth leaves, dried leaves, plucking vines of all sorts from trees all around us and of course, tying the chopped wood together using the vines, comscord and toggle rope to make an A frame structure, fireplace, monitor lizard trap etc. And I have to say that this was pretty much an enriching experience. Finding a nice shady spot, putting down our load, clear some vegetation and come down to business itself. There was not much of walking, much less under the giant fireball; there was not much of sweating or more likely, mental and physical torment. Until now, I still felt more accomplished for actually completing the 60k ++ route march rather than having no foodies during the past 2 days of combat survival training outfield. Campcraft has been honestly a superb idea, with the knowledge of knots and lashings picked up many years back, and it has been one of my stronghold too. What was interesting was that within our team, everyone had their strengths and thus we deployed each and everyone in our team to the activity that is deemed fit for them best. I contributed in chopping trees, collecting campfire fuel, digging soil for the solar still, and a bit of the fireplace and much for the A frame. Basically bearing in that we were outfield busy doing our tasks given the time frame, the need for food was not much of an issue. Furthermore we would only need to endure for one and a quarter days of hunger (actually not really that much) by compensating with sleep and much water. Guess what? It was effective. Killing quails was crucial for survival, but definitely it made one felt like a murderer, albeit with no malicious intentions. Fortunately it was only a small bird and the skinning took place quite fast. THis, alongside with the fact that we were all hungry and wanted to vent our accumulated frustrations, allayed our, or at least some of our paranoia, if any. Oh and I was rather pissed off, though it was partially my fault, that Lulu and I actually carried 5 jackfruits from our harbouring area to the admin training shed just to be turned down and given a further task of boiling the supposedly ripe fruit in the shell and bringing it back just to show the instructors that we should not have pluck them off from the trees not knowing whether it was ripe. Upon knowing that we did not accede to his demand, the course intructor punished us with jackfruit jumping jacks which was rather stupid. There was so much information to be gathered but as reflected from the AAR, the instructors did not really went through certain details comprehensive enough due to administration lapses for us to execute so as to meet the assessment criteria. But after all, jungle survival trains initiative personnel and facing with all these geographical limitations, time shortage, administration lapses, solutions were necessary. Overall, i would rate CST 6.5/10. Not bad a score in fact. The past 2 days were spent gorging oneself with all sorts of craps ranging from dallas fried chicken and its likes to chicken rice to jam biscuits and chocolate to bubble tea, fried noodles and tomyum noodles which could have easily brought my health down if not for the sufficient water downed. Anyway it felt good and certainly bad when M&D were having a ball of their time overseas and I'm here using the computer and going out as long and as late as possible respectively lol. Yay kbox tomorrow before booking in! woohoo! time to train up a bit on the voice. 2 more weeks left to the rank, hat and increased pay!!!

halfway

2009-10-17T23:04:00.002-10:00

whew long walk is finally over...however its only halfway through to getting the jungle hat and 3 chevrons...3 more weeks to go! and a while more before block leave!!! time to consolidate everything's that's learnt. Hopefully all plannings go along well for the subsequent months before this year comes to a close. Recce has been quite a fun thing so far! On to CST this coming week!! aww must kill quails...

great chill

2009-09-13T01:16:00.000-10:00

went with some bunkmates to powerhouse last night. Before that, met up with some NPCC guys and my very good buddy at plaza sing for a meal at Ichiban Sushi. Had unagi and shrimp set and man, the soup and rice just tasted so good! As the sushi-laden plates got transported around on the mini conveyor belt, we gradually gave into our temptation for sushis so of course, we grabbed some off the belt. The one i shared with jw and sy's actually quite ordinary - salmon sushi roll, but not without a blob of mayonnaise topping that seemed to make it look, and of course taste, wonderful. Spent slightly more than 20 bucks in total but oh well, it is definitely quite a fine dining experience! Went out of the shopping centre and music greeted us, music from one of Singapore's outstanding chinese bands - mi lu bing. Basically, they were putting off performances to highlight the essence of friendship; thus songs like 'graduation song' and 'peng you' were sung. I just loved the rocky edge they induced in the songs, and also their professionalism in their own area of expertise. i think that as a singapore band, they are really setting good standards! The crowd were a bit reticent, but yet still screamed with ardency especially once the singer-cum-guitarist pulled off a cool stunt or when there's a surprise element. The harmony was well done on the whole! keep it up! Oh well then clubbing was damn good!!! Benz brought 4 of his female friends along together with some other guys and we just had a great time there getting high. Though the music was not as familiar as those in Phuture, the disco lightings, the deejay's involvement and the massive crowd just hype things up to a great extent such that there is no reason not to sustain one's mental strength, at least for the start. Shared a jug of coke, sprite and cranberry vodka with the guys and man, it was goo-The burning sensation, the nice usual flavours etc. All in all it was a birthday celebration and though not every bunkmate turned up, it was quite a success however. And not to forget, one thing that prompts me to club yesterday was the free entrance fee! (cuz we had one member to sign us in for free!)...booking in now

another week has passed

2009-09-05T04:25:00.000-10:00

sang 5hrs at amk kbox today! this was one of the best sessions, considering the fact that the staff did not hesitate to give us a 10-man room over a duration of 5hrs with free flow of tidbits and 2 choices of drinks for just 20bucks per person. As usual, dingy was his usual self, singing off-key for most of the occasions but yet he was still the strongest singer among all of us due to his solid albeit shaky foundation of his voice quality. We had a fun splash over at calvin's place this morning. it was quite refreshing and i have to say that this is more fun than the past few swims we had there. We played sort of 'captain's ball' in the pool; it was rather thrilling though there were only 6 people involved and at times we were told off by one of the residents not to occupy the entire breadth of the pool so we had no choice but to make do with half of the breadth of the pool :( We also did mini races - frogstyle and freestyle along the breadth and length of the pool respectively. It was quite fun but what removed the perfection was that my camera battery ran out near the end of the swim as well as the fact that I did not bring goggles (sorry cal for sort of spoiling your goggles).... only 2 hours before this swim I was still in camp, resting from the unloading of stores in the wee hours of the morning that caused us to book in at 2300h the day before. however, we got 1.5 days off in lieu of both this and AOH participation. Next week, though a 4-day week will be a hectic one! ptco, bike course, fast march and open navex. All the best man!

:)

2009-08-29T21:17:00.002-10:00

On the whole this week was rather hectic. We had fast marches on monday, wednesday and friday, of which the distance totalled up to 14km! I had to say that it is but the start of the life of a recce commander. Based on our performances this week, I had to say that we are more or less geared towards RCC as we managed to meet the timings alotted from the start, save for the close shave in timing for the the most recent fast march. However, the rejuvenating feeling at the end was what I always looked forward to achieving, all the more if the distance covered was greater. We were prepped on how the RCC course would be like - an 8-week training phase composing activities like long walk, river crossing, link up, recce, open navigation and of course mental 'torture'. From what a sergeant from another company mentioned, there would be periods when we could revitalise ourselves with adequate sleep and rest like during waiting times as well as the period before the long walk but on the whole, it would be rather energy sapping, as per the information one would have gathered about recce. This week we had our prep as usual, learning the use of signal sets and certain new instruments (with regard to information relay) which would certainly be phased out anytime soon albeit its sufficient functionality in today's era. The connection of cables from a component to another may seem rather frazzling but learning them is rather easy, as long as one understands what each and every component is used for. I thought that I would not have made it for the test but I proved myself wrong by actually settling up the equipment and doing the necessary confirgurations via the pc with some guidance though. It was quite a nice feeling having learnt something within a short span of a few days, maybe 2? Had my birthday celebration on wed with parents as everyone's able to claim their off on their birthdays provided it's a weekday and that there are no major activities going on on that day. Toon was so nice enough to sneak out illegally to JP to get a mini cake from bakerzin hahas. Thanks dude (if u're reading this) u're the best senior man! and of course not forgetting the birthday song and stuff. Received a card with those August babies on Friday at the courtyard where we had a real celebration. Though our batallion may be small, it was rather close-knitted. Went to sentosa with my BMT mates yesterday. Man, that was fun! Basically what we did was playing frisbee, monkey soccer, monkey volleyball on the sands under the sun and also getting into the sea for a cooling session. HaHa Kw suggested skin dipping cuz he forgot to bring extra underwear hahaha!!! Had a great whale of our time man, especially when it's been 5 months since we last kept in touch. We ate at Carl's after wards and went to watch final destination 3D version which wasn't that good, not referring to the 3D graphics though. The plot was average and the whole movie was unrealistic and gory!! Did not appear as nice as I thought it would be; the ending spoilt it partially. So much for yesterday.

ahm

2009-08-16T04:31:00.000-10:00

just finished ahm this morning. It was only a 10k non-competitive mass participation run. There was basically no space nor mood to spring especially when the crowd was thick and there were side performances, as well as the scenery by the sides... Went out with friends late morning till late afternoon...ate at ion orchard food hall- realised that the price is rather exhorbitant. But oh well, guess that dining for the first time theres doesn't hurt that much. Proceeded on to watch 'Up' at Shaw Lido...Felt that it was rather funny albeit unrealistic which most cartoons are. Wonder why it was a hit though. Ate dinner at Sun&Moon @ Wheelock's....nothing much after that...ok thats all..restrest..

bike course!!!!!

2009-07-11T23:05:00.002-10:00

wanted to blog about the bike course quite several days ago but can't seem to find a proper time to pen down such a series of occasions. It all started out with the simple bicycle figure-of-eight test which may not be as easy as it seems-now that i have ridden the motorbike, the bicycle seems harder, or at least quite weird riding. The place was at Bedok, a 25 min journey from Lorong chuan mrt station and yet I felt thankful enough that woo's dad offered to fetch me to and fro SAFDC from mondays to saturdays- yeah we have half days on saturday though it may not be necessary at times as they were usually catered for people who missed out on lessons within the week or when the whole lot of bikees were behind schedule. On the first day, morning felt like a rush. As usual, I did not plan the journey there in detail; it was more of a rough estimation, meaning that i would drop off at the mrt station and find my way there with the map and of course, bus drivers and mrt operators. My one hour late that day was all due to my not bringing the map and that was the problem.However fortunately, things began late on the first day-there was nothing much going on at all basically except for the settling of administrative matters as well as briefings. Things began in full swing come the second day of bike training. Highway code lessons took place for a week or so and in the blink of the eye we found ourselves all prepped and geared for the easiest section of the overall assessment, at sembawang camp,where u can find the transport servicemen and ndu personnel. Meanwhile, we were introduced to the AG200F bike, its parts, the method of mounting it, the tedious administrative tasks we need to complete especially at the start of practical lessons - filling in the first/last parade tasks, sign-in/sign-out form, time sheet and vehicle logbook, on top of putting on the elbow, shin and knee guards and the helmet . Practice makes perfect and long enough, we were able to complete them without hassle. Highway situation practice took place immediately after HWC. This obstacle proved a hard one and true enough, there were only 5 or so first-time passes, but most managed to clear the test on the second attempt. Back to the practical side, we learnt balancing and circuit. For balancing, we had to clear the even plank and ribbed bridge in not less than 6 sec, attempt a smooth figure-of-eight ride, go through the selalong and lastly the crank course in less than 4 sec. Circuit wise, we drove round nursery circuit (the internal circuit), basically just a simulation of real roads and signs and lamp posts and crossings etc, obeying all traffic rules and regulations, otherwise a total of 11 or more demerit points would just see us repeating this section of assessment. One needs to clear the HSP test before going for this one. I passed on the second attempt which was considered not bad honestly given that i used quite some luck especially for the first few stations of the balancing test. Emergency break and push-start was included in the test as well. Public road test was next and upon donning the red number tags after the circuit test, we headed straight for the roads out there and whew, the feeling was quite exhilirating! Being able to drive at 60+ km/h out there was something we can't do for long within the internal circuit. We had to memorise 2 routes so far, one around the neighbourhood and one that stretches quite a long distance, both requiring different set of traffic-abiding skills. We had night convoy riding on the public roads and even though visibility was low, the ride still went on as fine as usual, ok maybe except for the flaws like turning into the wrong lanes etc.Passed public-riding test on the first round which i did not expect to heheh.. Then we proceeded on to off-roads (on berms, tree gaps, wheel trap, gavel path, see-saw, high slopes) training to prep us for the Lorong Asrama offroad x-country training the week after. 2 days and that was enough. There was no assessment for off-roads, as perhaps casualty rates for this item were relatively higher. What was installed for us next were the finale - island wide confidence riding where we whizz along the expressway, past many places etc in staggered formation for the convenience of the instructor in counting strength. This aspect really puts what we have learnt into practice and not only that, the fact that we took about an hour to travel from one end of singapore to another non-stop proved the need for another trait-endurance of the mind especially. Drowsiness starts to set in the moment things get dull while we are on our bikes doing nothing but throttling forward. Lane change was quite a fun thing to do. As for x-country riding at Lorong Asrama, got injured just 2 hours into the training there, all thanks to the close proximity between this guy and me while negotiating a turn with a concurrent change of gradient of the slope. My left wrist was hurting, though not so acute, for days, just like how my right wrist felt during the first few days of balancing practice in SAFDC, though it took a longer time to heal. The most fun part was having to descend uneven steep slopes as it was visually entertaining itself while the most challenging part was having to ascend a narrow path of hardened soil which was not that straight and even. The instructors were the ones who kept things going, the humour they infused in the whole thing especially. We imitated some of the words they normally repeat over quite a considerable long time and laughed at some of the actions of the instructors. Mr Wong, who happened to be my instructor's c0-assistant, proved the best. Every word he says is true yet it can evoke much feelings and gaiety in everyone. His stories were enriching, and there seemed to be so much messages he wanted to drive across our minds. The course ended with us washing the bikes and learning how to pillion ride which was seriously damn shocking fun! Realised that my braking judgment sucks as i would usually brake only when near to the stop line lolols. My pillion was this MP friend of mine who had a class 2A license and who demonstrated a fine and smooth pillion-riding with me as the pillion around the circuit. Well, overall the motorbiking experience was a fantastic one. Oh yeah, and i have forgotten to mention about the canteen there-they served great nasi lemak and of course, teh ping and bandung. Well, I mixed the flavours together and there was once when 2 of my buddies and I had to stand on this off-road high ground to finish up our foods and one instructor was like saying, ' finish up that bandung or dunno what drink quick!'....lololos well that's all folks!

K.A.(dark horse) VS A.L.

2009-05-20T22:01:00.005-10:00

now why do so many people support K.A OVER A.L?? Is the state of Arkansas much bigger than that of LA ? Is Kris more talented than Adam? Or is Allen more appealing and has more commercial value than Lambert? Or is it that the songs of J.Mrazy Allen are easier to follow in contrast to E.Presleyey Lambert? Simple, as to who has greater star appeal, who stands out more, who has greater stage presence in terms of charisma and movements, the latter wins hands down. As to who is more versatile, it is hard to say. Though the former is able to do a piano/guitar accomaniment quite effortlessly, thus showing his versatility, but the latter is more all-rounded in the sense that he is able to do any genre well, be it indie-rock, soul, or classical...Even Paula mentioned it, that she is willing to sit in any of his performance regardless of the genre. As for looks and personality, perhaps Kris got the upper hand for not going too extreme unlike Adam who never fails to do his make-up and put on flamboyant clothes; alongside with Kris' high degree of modesty juxtaposing Lambert's self-pride. People tend to veer towards the humble one. Some people express disdain for what may seem to be the best part of Adam's vocals - his shrills which he carry out ever so effortlessly as well as the weirdness and oddity of his song arrangements like 'the ring of fire' that left Kara confused but happy. Whereas for Kris, I find that he needs to put on a bit of vocal struggle whenever he raises his volume to the degree of shouting but when he has gotten it, admittedly, it sounds good. Sometimes, if a singer is too perfect, it does him no good..As for the difference in sexual orientation in both singers, I believed that this played a major role in the determination of the end result too. Same as per last year, the winner this year should have been the first runner up I felt, not to say that the actual winner itself do not totally deserve it. It's just like the fight of the Davids.

2009-05-16T17:08:00.002-10:00

here i am now. back to the blog. 8 weeks of BSLC have passed and this is the end of it. Overall it has been a wonderful experience over at PLC. Gotten the achievements which I have wanted (in IPPT, SOC and Games day) and most importantly finished the 30k route march overnight when i have not even completed the 24k during the last day of BMT. POP now is definitely much more gratifying than before. Got the posting results on the last day - 1 batallion MI. Its more or less a new vocation (started out a year ago) and it is categorized under the recce units. Basically from what I know about this vocation, one gets to learn jungle survival skills like the killing of animals with bare hands, spreading mental strength and energy over a period of 4 days outfield etc so as to be alert at all times. Travelling wise, there is this a motorbike/jeep training spanning the month of june which comes in handy for recce troopers who need to cover large grounds in search for clues and information about the surrounding environment. This would mean a 1-month stay-out period and one gets to enjoy office hours training/work. However, the shortcoming is that our quarters are located at PLC yet again and travelling may prove to be a hassle. What may be good about being a MI recce spec is the pride I guess as well as THE UNNECESSITY OF PUTTING ON THE HELMET. The forest hat will supersede it. Heard that the training will last the whole year and it is only then when one gets promoted to a sergeant. Wonder how training is gonna be like. One thing is for sure, that we will not forget the experience at BSLC, the people there, especially the enciks (there's one whom i will remember for good for his sarcastic humor) , the friends, the nights out etcetc Good luck to the next batch of BSLCers. Training may be quite tough AT TIMES but overall, the admin time is way more than expected and the level of strictness is not beyong skylimits.

8am

2009-03-17T13:52:00.002-10:00

it is already the middle of block leave. time is severely limited. Felt the pinch. There is just so little time to do so many things that you want to achieve. There is no point thinking that you will accomplish certain stuffs without having to forsake certain others-stuffs that may involve your closed ones. Watching MTV now on TV, and now it's screening the bands of the 80's and 90's that involve westlife, backstreet boys, take 5, five, boys2men, A1, 98 deg, boyzone etc. Seriously what a pity that most bands, pop bands in particular, have ceased to exist and have given way to many other different concepts like rock, metal and thus creates more diversity to music. But of course this does not mean that neither of the aforementioned boybands have endured up to this point in time, meaning at least for a decade. Went for badminton yesterday at woodlands sports hall (seriously it is nothing compared to like YSH or BSH) and it did not end up quite well - me pk, kw were standing down there talking cock and waiting for challengers but kw was man enough to approach 2 guys playing badminton and seek their permission to play a match with us. So ultimately, we spent the remaining 1 hour or so playing doubles (seriously we didn't expect 3 people to turn up only) which was quite fun. Playing drops never fail to be amusing -it's just relaxing and useful, though incurred several drop shots. Well hopefully before everyone gets separated at this end of this week, there will most likely be another table tennis -cum- badminton game, hopefully either on thursday or friday. Off for basketball now.Good luck to those applying uni scholarships and think carefully before you apply!

2009-03-16T03:25:00.003-10:00

today was simply fine. started off in the morning with cage soccer at kallang with wai and his former ex chessmates like joshua, kin chi, sheng mao. Honestly this was my first time playing cage and I have to say that it was quite ok. However due to my being amatuer, I was not really able to cope with the fast pace over there and immerse myself there well together with the experienced guys and hence did not really enjoy it much. From this game, I really learned how to improve upon my reflexes, aggressiveness and alertness. Yong cheng, edward and those vj floorball guys joined in near the end of the game- seemed like some form of cat high gathering after all. After the game, wai went off for his classmate's house while i headed to kallang mrt to meet up with clay dext and zombie (u were damn late!) before proceeding to leisure park for some ice-skating. What was frustrating was that this blew a hole in my wallet- now i owe zombie 16 bucks. I do not know what is the problem with me? Why am i always not bringing enough cash? Is it because I do not have an ATM card? haiz. anyway iceskating was fun and easy, though still trying how to brake well...Controlling one's balance was ok; as long as you have rollerbladed before it should be quite fun.We went for some arcade, snacks (i was playin my fishing lite throughout) before returning back to j8 in a cab...wat a day. Anyway for open house yesterday, we spent most of the time talkin, snacking and gaming at the food bazaar. Well, obtainin information through asking questions and getting brochures suffice and thus not attending the talks is perfectly find. thats all for today!

so much for the 6 weeks

2009-02-20T17:40:00.003-10:00

whew. 2 more weeks to pop week. dunno whether it is a good or bad thing. we are gonna part, yet it also means that we are meeting new people. So the main thing now is to treasure the people around you, especially those who do not fail to stand by your side in times of difficulties. IPPT retest falls on next monday; and it is no doubt a form of determinant. it determines whether you are a resolute person, it determines whether you will enter command school so to speak, and it determines whether you can uphold your friend's and your own trust upon yourself. Trained up a little at the fitness corner this morning after having breakfast with parents - did log lift and sets of 4-5 pullups. My maximum is currently an 8, quite several people only managed a 9 during the previous IPPT which brought them down from a potential gold to a silver, which took off their one day of rest that plays a big part of any recruit's BMT life. For SOC, managed to clear the swing trainer for the first time since we tried out the entire round in admin attire, except that i wore gloves this time round to protect the blisters. However, low rope remained a problem not till we had RT immediately after the test. From what i know, this test churned out a 50-50 result. Next week, there is no reason to f up things, be it drill com practice, range firing, re- SOC & IPPT. As for games day, it should be quite fun - 'Hold The Line' mainly comprises section 1 people so hopefully we should pull it through together and have loads of enjoyment...................bye for now!

peer appraisal part III

2009-02-14T14:50:00.002-10:00

Law Chekun: ah beng at one look, though quite mild mannered, inquisitive, funny, FHM guy, may appear serious, steady, someone nice to talk to..

Gabriel Leow: chess, quite crazy at times, active, loud, crappy, fun, attached, quite enthusiastic, botak all the way, someone whom i like to make fun of...

Jason Goh: sleepyhead, best singer in section, calm, guitarist, campus superstar contestant, oinks (btw nice blog music heheheh)....

Seah Kangwei: muscleman, good runner --> future FS? all rounder, gymnast, SEA games contestant, someone whom biscuit can't stand, fun, nice, outgoing, handsome, cool, happy, don't like drills, charismatic?....but no girlfriend surprisingly...

this week

2009-02-14T04:34:00.004-10:00

went to bishan mrt at 0800 to meet up with clay. he was late for near 45 min but it was understandable though. went to yakun for a french toast breakfast set before setting off for ang mo kio mrt. Took bus 25 to Ubi where clay wanted to sign up for his basic driving theory test. Along the way there, we exchanged stories of life in army - any interesting stuffs that happen to our platoons, sections, companies etc. There maybe something wrong with regard to the schedule over at Jaguar - 3 SOC-practices-within-a-week! Perhaps that is either due to field camp, poor scheduling for the early weeks or that they wanted the momentum to be instilled in each and every soldier as after all, SOC is rather crucial in the determination of the admission to command school and apparently, there are many who have yet to overcome the jacobs ladder and balancing beam at this point in time, not to talk about the swing trainer and low rope. Had Sitest this week which i found was rather ok; contributed mainly in the tying of the lashings, be it shear or square instead of coming up with ideas. The short quick marches prior to the 2-day tests serve to warm one up, though it can be quite a feat to some, considering the fact that some have to bear the responsibility of holding on to the stretcher and store items. After signing for his test, we headed down to fu lu shou complex (travel expenses damn ex sia ) at bencoolen where clay bought his casio watch for a good 75 bucks (it is both digital and analogue and's damn formal). he took quite some time though. There were the i-watches from germany and cool swiss watches too. Today was valentine's day but didn't get to see many couples, perhaps because of the early timing. Stopped over at a mini hawker centre for lunch as the big one was under renovation :( . Went to OG to shop around...He wanted to get a belt and a pair of jeans but realised that it was more of a want and also that the sale items were not really very appealing. Went to Bugis junction next. Stopped for a small survey with regard to prudential savings plan- 2 ladies beckoned us to upgrade our POSB account and in doing so, told us that we could enjoy more returns in the future and stuffs like that.. One of them mentioned that i didn't look like a singaporean and i did not know whether i should feel offended of not. lol. Took quite long before we told them that we would go home and think over it. Went to basment level to snack on japanese icecream and sushistik from OCK before heading back to j8 where we coincidentally saw some cat high school mates- wai kit, samuel,etc...talk army cock for 30 min before heading home....

Thankfully field camp was over in the blink of an eye and even more gratefully, i recovered my gas regulator at my own candywrapper at the basha tentage area upon realising few hours ago that it was not secured to the chamber when doing the equipment check. Imagine during the sitest, halfway through, when you realised that you are bound to create a big hoohah in the campsite and delay precious administration time. This was seriously a blessing and of course, a warning for not taking good care of my own weapon (i knew that the regulator was about to be detached just the night before) While counting down to the remaining days before booking out, we had SOC which, disappointingly, I didn't do well in as well as IPPT which yet again I failed though I managed to secure a new record of 9.24min for the 2.4km run kudos to several factors. wooohooo. just 5 more pull-ups and the achievement will be even clearer i guess. grenade throwing was cool and eventful, though i was a bit apprehensive from the start. I would say that everything was executed quite well much thanks to the dummy grenade practice just before the real exercise as well as the lessons conducted the day before. Arms drill was the best, with all the rigorous warm-ups and for the drill squad, quite a number of fixed sequences to be adhered to. Hopefully we can pull this off quite well as a company. Range and IPPT test coming up, oh yes, and MP interview...

peer appraisal part II

2009-02-14T04:01:00.002-10:00

wei guang: most enthusiastic guy in the bunk/section, has the most experience with regard to BMT among us, though sometimes he can be quite untolerant and adamant at times. resilient and can be quite nice to talk to at times. always informs anyone about his or her mistakes

young yi: cool name, cool surname, happy-go-lucky, always beaming with happiness, steady, fun guy, nice guy, outgoing

kai mun(driver now): take-it-easy guy, cool, hardly joins the platoon due to his OOT status :(:( fun, etc, my tuition mate lol

timothy: nice buddy, always very helpful, independent, can be a little blur at times but on the whole, aware of things around him, responsible armscott personel ic, intellectual.

yankee waffle!!

2009-02-13T04:14:00.003-10:00

appraisal of my section mates part I/III

guo jian rong - responsible guy, very responsible person, hardly screws up, our section ic, does well in ippt, grenade throwing, field camp i suppose, weapon handling test, fire movement drill, etc. good guy, have yet to be on status, some guy whom girls will like most probably?

clarence chng KAI HUI (clare) - musical fellow, cool guy with his guitar and stuff, ' always packin his stuffs lol?' , do not judge this 'book' by his cover - he may be small sized but he has so far been able to tackle most of the challenging aspects of BMT like shellscrape and arms drill, my bed buddy, nice to 'qi fu' at times . have yet to be on status

sst haha - my best buddy, my bed buddy, my adorable buddy, my funky funny fun buddy, my wash clothes buddy, my independent buddy, my random buddy.well known among the yankees. sings well. can do fundamental beatboxing and pen flicking and stuffs...

yea free waffle from FS!

FC

2009-02-05T16:20:00.002-10:00

back from field camp. time really flies which thus means that field camp is not as detestable as what most people think it should be after all. on the whole, i would rate it a 6.5/10. the meal rations were rather good except maybe for the fact that the portions are not large enough, and also one thing -i acquired my sorethroat due to the accesory pack that contains muesli bars, julie biscuits, oreo, and all the cereal and drink satchets. they may look enticing from the start, but not after when you realised that the weather is so hot and you will most likely worsen your throat if you do not drink enough water to save your throat and of course, to replenish your body fluids. for the lunch and dinner rations, they are generally okay, basically comprising dishes like moon dhall or red bean dumpling, chilli chicken,vietnamese curry pasta, thai stir-fried noodle, groundnut porridge and so on. They may appear to you as food that have been thrown up but when you are really famished, it does not matter at all. Also, though they are rather cold, it does not matter as reasoned above. The activities are rather fun---you learn things like group formation, artillery defence, crossing an open area, entering a potentially dangerous room via a door or window, leopard crawling under GPMG rapid firing in jungle and urban terrains. They are generally not difficult to pick up though u may need to memorise the commands and sequence of the activities from the start. the understanding part, at least for me, comes in later more often than not. i guess this should not be the way though, cuz its always better to understand things before committing to memory. The activities like basic combat military training, strength training, weapon handling all come in handy during the field camp. Stuffs like checking clear of the SAR, unloading and loading of magazines, using the SAR as a direct contact weapon are prerequisites to engaging in the field camp. you need strength to dig your shell-scrape too and so far the strength training is starting to bear fruits on a gradual basis. For one thing i know regarding the shell scrape, yankee coy dug it twice over 2 days with the reason behind it quite self-explanatorily. the OC was not too satisfied with the overall standard and thus calls for a second dig- which i felt was quite crucial in the sense that we are taught not to view field camp in a flippant manner. This goes the same for the execution of tactics in the jungle and urban terrains which was abysmal i have to admit, which is why yankee coy has to report back to pasir ris interchange at 10am tomorrow instead of 7pm. I guess its time to put in your heart and soul in the things that you are doing in camp, otherwise you will never know that you are shortchanging yourself. Just c aught a mild fever on the last day of field camps, with the symptoms being body aches and sore throat, hopefully recovery is on the go. can't imagine how it feels like undergoing field camp 2 with a sore body man.... realised suddenly that field camp is not over yet, with the SIT test and 12 k route march impending..now for the reflections.

2009-01-26T22:18:00.002-10:00

booking in later...cny has been a bit special this time, with the schedule tweaked here and there. army life has been on the whole, enjoyable, at least for the moment, though what are installed for us for the next few weeks may appear to be more demanding mentally and physically. the challenge for the first 2 weeks was to adapt well to the climate of the place and settle down fast while that for the subsequent 7 weeks was to readily execute all that has been taught and absorb new stuffs like a sponge. The good thing is that your platoonmates are with you all the while and you are not alone. The standard of the food there is above expectations, the people there are considered to be rather approchable and less unreasonable than you think they are, and the activities are all planned well and more or less and within our capabilities. this is a general view of army to this date.

at this point

2008-12-28T00:11:00.002-10:00

finally finished the undead and human campaign of warcraft III reign or chaos. really died many times at the last undead chapter- protect kel thuzard from enemy forces for 30 min which saw me repeated the game 4-5 times now that there is some malfunction going on with the saving of the game . Now on to the orc campaign. overall, this game has been pretty good and inviting since the prologue and it indeed gets you hooked onto it easily. this morning saw me and cousins playing our long foregone get-together sports at SPH from 8 till 1030. It has been quite long since we last got together to talk in the first place, so we managed to catch up with each other quite well through b-sports and yesterday's gathering. uncle bought a toy poodle and everyone was pretty astonished at its cute looks and unexpected activeness- partially because none of us has owned a pet before. What i felt was interesting was its unusual abstainment from toys and coming down steps, well though probably because it is a young female. Well i have to say that it was nice to play with though. anyway just got an ipod touch few days ago. still trying to find out how to use the functions..

yep i guess so

2008-12-24T20:49:00.003-10:00

lazy to upload the japan photos now. no time too. time is getting tighter for what seem to be no apparent reason. this year's holidays are seriously much better than the past years' i would have to re-emphasize again. it's much more planned in a sense though not too fixed and the activities don't seem to be mundane and outmoded ones.

...

2008-12-05T05:41:00.001-10:00

goin japan for 2 weeks tom... heard that the temperature there is 9 DC .. until now hasn't packed... byesfornow....

2008-11-24T02:26:00.002-10:00

first week of the hols has passed.

things have been ok i guess.

work is rather inspirational albeit quite boring at times.

at least there is no need to flip the notes

seriously, all of such just make you feel depressed over how poorly you have utilised them earlier on

the only thing that keeps things going is the occupation with anything that is but dull

today is already the 24th of Nov, and to think that some people have yet to make their last formal pen mark...

thankfully the holidays this year was much better than last's, simply because attachment sucks big time.

at this juncture, there are so many activities that one can indulge in in their 1/2/....6/7/8/9.....25.....weeks to come, so many activities to keep onself preoccupied and busy with and not delve deep into any distressing or discouraging past mishaps..

P.S. (the code for this song is so hard to find btw)

yups it's the 18th

2008-11-18T00:33:00.003-10:00

today last paper... -4 marks for mcq. at least it was ok. but it may not be good enough to mi bu the previous papers...think can't. haiz nvm. just face it.. this is like so totally different from the feeling after O's. sooo much more pessimistic. JC life is officially over. time to fill the space with entertainment and all sorts of things that would totally cloud your mind off any distress..went for HSM3 with half of the class @ shaw lido which i thought was somewhat better than the prequel as well as lunch at some chinese restaurant. felt damn cheated. but oh well, this doesn't happen all the time so well...following which walked around orchard with miao to search for some accessories which he thought of buying for some classmate whom he studied with for eight years. Orchard road is getting increasingly boring no doubt. it's always the same old buildings-paragon, lucky plaza, isetan, wisma, shawhouse, heeren...except maybe for ion.. talked cock along the way... wanted to go to city hall to walk some more but seems quite tiring...wanted to meet up with cay but could have guessed that he's busy at his friend's house though we already planned to catch the coffin in the late afternoon ...haiz.... and one more thing, forgot to purchase leon jackson's 'right here' album at heeren HMV, it's under the genre of pop and jazz, something which i hardly listen to but can be rather addictive. nvm.. borrowing ra3 from clay hopefully on thurs..gettin CS and some japanese anime from miao tom..

hsien

2008-11-14T00:39:00.002-10:00

a levels.... underperformed severely for nearly ALL subjects and papers... nothing much to say about it already...it will only serve to make things more demoralising...

2008-10-25T07:15:00.002-10:00

swam with zombie today..didn't know it was so gruelling...maybe after A's go hardcore le... fortunately not enlisted on december...but early jan like most other people...actually it's only a matter of enlisting earlier or leaving the unit earlier....well...no diff...tired...zz

reality check

2008-10-18T20:20:00.004-10:00

yesterday was quite a good while. was in school from ten plus till night time. though i had to admit that studying in school these days is generally not as productive as compared to studying at home, but rather more importantly as i have found out lately, it is the people whom you are studying with that make a difference in your studying. Aside from the free utilisation of resources in school (toilets, powerpoint sockets, whiteboard, fans, tables chairs, coolers, etc), there are so much more that a school can offer to provide students with what they need to get into the momentum of studying. Played a bit of soccer with wai's classmates - james and 2 other peops at around 4 to destress (in fact i don't think i deserved to) ...well at least i have to say that my goalkeeping has improved, and have regained some tactics after not playing this sport for quite a considerably long time, scored two goals, though got owned ultimately. guess it's not the scoring part that's hard, but the dribbling part, though considering the fact that the actualy area is much larger. two more weeks left and it's GP. hmmm....trying to spot certain questions. stared at the past 12 years paper 1 qn papers. trying to figure out the pattern of paper-setting. most people, i believe, would have been more or less well-prepared by now and hence there isn't really any subject they should be focusing at present. how i wish it was still during the O level days- entering the exam hall did not require much sweat, not because of the fact that i have succumbed to bad fate.well this is probably the last time i will be blogging until the last paper has ended. some people said that the extent of difficulty varies on an alternate yearly basis, but who cares, everyone is ultimately facing the same paper. it's only a matter of how well equipped you are now. had chicken rice for lunch and dinner yesterday, but what's more weird is the act of swallowing down 2 mini packet of the chilli (kind of regret it) -- act one is enough to make one go red , but the tongue managed to recovered after some brief moment. hopefully, i can swallow down the forthcoming papers without leaving too much pain and regret...

legs hurt now...awww

2008-09-16T21:47:00.004-10:00

what a week. mcqs to go. determining papers. h3 up next. haven't gotten the momentum of studying it. used com for 3 hrs this morning, what a waste. hopfully this won't happen again in the future. brought my hp into the exam venue. paranoid but in the end relieved. can't wait for friday.

2008-09-07T01:40:00.003-10:00

tom is econs...only prepared policies, 4 macro indicators, market failure, elasticities ...banking on these 3 man. if the questions with regard to the above topics are too hard then there is no choice but to do international trade and market structures.... have a feeling that market failure will come out tho... so sad holidays are over..it has always been like that...if there were no holidays then there are no reasons to be sad, but neither are there reasons to be happy too. so it's best to let nature take its course...holidays are not the best days after all.. it's a matter of adaptation.. i feel that this year is really ending prettly fast... a cause for celebration? well not sure.. have been trying to cut down on computer usage but failed.... guess there is no strong reason to do so...think it is dangerous if one is overconfident of himself.. cuz one may not exactly know what had gone wrong...it is as though there is nothing or no one to blame. watchin an angmoh conversing in mandarin on 'zhong tian ya zhou tai' channel...realised that the caucasians were teaching the mainland chinese the english language instead. what people mountain people sea etc...... back to revision...

2008-09-01T06:11:00.002-10:00

contemplating whether should go back cathigh primary to study. the study benches just below the chapel has always been so conducive...provides one with all the concentration one has always wanted so badly... though i may not be from that school, but i guess i am still related to it someowhat... after all given the proximity from home, i guess it shouldn't be much of a problem. something pleasant to note is that 'bishan active' (the outdoor sports complex) is more or less ready... the soccer field, basketball court, badminton court and fitness corner were already in use.. thought it would have an indoor concept but oh well i guess that it would cost much less to have an outdoor one. hasn't really used any of the sport facilities yet but think that it would prove much of a convenience definitely...there is a serious lack of sport amenities in bishan. furthermore, what is the point of leaving the 'island' as barren as ever. today is already tues 12:23am and i am not sure whether i am confident of surpassing or even meeting expectations come next 2 weeks, or more importantly crossing the big hurdle in 2 months time. can't really say much. i shall not broach over the unglamorous and unpleasant things that have happened over the past few weeks and days...guess there's no point doing so. guess that songs are now my main avenue of expressing emotions.

2008-08-24T02:50:00.003-10:00

No trees were killed in the sending of this message. However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

lol just find it amusing to see this sentence appearing after every email message...

promise u that

2008-08-20T20:51:00.001-10:00

There's no reason you should feel like this

I know that I am the only one to blame

I feel your agony

its hidden in your kiss

I don't believe that things are said and done

I only hope there's still time to be the one

we can work it out

If only you let me, oh

whatever you say, whatever you do

there will be good times waiting for you

whatever you hear

I won't disappear

I promise you that

I never said that I could change the world

But if you give me the chance that I deserve

I know that in you heart

You can forgive me, oh

Whatever you say, Whatever you do

There will be good times waiting for you

whatever you hear

I won't disappear

I promise you that

We had times only a fool could miss

Still there is time to turn it around

Im not saying it's an easy thing

Let me show you

I promise you that

Oh, yeah

Whatever, wherever

There will be good times waiting for you

whatever you hear, I won't disappear

Whatever you say, Whatever you do

There will be good times waiting for you

Whatever you hear, I won't disappear

I promise you thatI promise you that.

whatever you hear

I won't disappear

I promise you that

nice weekend

2008-08-17T14:33:00.003-10:00

10 +++hrs watching the olympics? guess i don't regret that. triple jump is good, steeplejump was cool, high jumps is reminiscing, basketball is reminiscing, soccer was quite ok, table tennis was the best, badminton was too good, swimming was nail-biting, discus was ok, diving was nice, gymnastics was one of the best, beach volleyball rox, volleyball too, caught a bit of tennis.... no time to elaborate, guess one should watch in order to maximize his or her satisfaction. caught love guru on fri....didn't know he was austin powers, but could have guessed so. the show had lame humour, but not lame enough for me. but it was dext's b-day, so had quite a good time. gp is coming up. time is running out...

motivation..

2008-08-13T03:51:00.003-10:00

watchin china's women badminton doubles. come to think of it, think this is one of the best games to watch. Gymnastics makes one feel a bit worrisome but all the more thrilling. As for swimming, especially for relays, it is rather unpredictable as to the outcome. Caught the 4 x 200m freestyle women's relay just now. As usual, countries like the US and france made it through the top few for the heats though china came in quite close. Was watchin the quarter finals for the women's single badminton game just a while ago, was praying hard that Xu could manage a victory for the second round against xie xingfang - the germanian, though born in china, was so close to showing the top seed of china the door ... she was striving so hard and not resisting the temptation to give up due to overwhelming pressure. The match was intense. The scores were 19-21 and 21-23 --- what a close match, if only the fiancee of lin dan could have been a little more careless. Looking forward to the tabble tennis matches, and of course,track events. A week more to enjoy the games.. came back from swimming with dext just now. felt so invigorating and stress-free, though i haven't entered the pool for proper business for quite a long while. Assembly was kind of dissimilar to the usual PRJC talk. I think that the inspiration was great. Watching people peak at something almost seemingly impossible to achieve makes one feel anything but indifferent. It makes it seem as though studies are nothing...seriously... leong yw is quite a motivator... the olympics just made one even more motivated to compete aggressively...

random...

2008-08-10T01:52:00.003-10:00

the holidays have been quite great...catching up with jewel in the palace...nearing the end.....this serial has been quite addictive i would suppose, though there may be some boring parts cropping up at times; but what is a show that is fully entertaining? Caught the opening ceremony to the beijing olympics. it was spectacular, wondered how long a time did they take just to impress the global audience. I would say that the lighting, music and actions were all executed in a briliiant fashion. The performances were all too far from banal, with great proportions of creativity and spendour injected into it. Then the appearance of sportsmen and sportswomen spanning the globe took up about an hour plus. Planning to catch most sports, if possible. This means that most of the time next week would be spent at home glued to the tv. Could not possibly miss out table tennis...Honestly, i have almost lost touch with this sport (not completely) due to lack of training and practising. anyway time is running out and most people if not all would have gone past that minimum point of the J-curve... oh no, i haven't been touching H3 these days. What's with the media nowadays, distracting people from the real things that they really need to accomplish. I can't figure out life will be if there is complete isolation from media tools. Will that even happen in the first place?

200m

2008-08-07T15:09:00.002-10:00

yesterdy was quite a disappointment. except for the fact that there was a change in the venue of the national day celebrations compared to last year. This was not that important though. Dismayed that the relay race was cancelled. I thought things would change, at least by a bit should the relay race proceed. I just can't forgive the weather. why did the lightning flash at the wrong time? why did the inter-cca race commence so late? It was supposed to start at 4:35! why won't the events stick to their own schedules? Now there's nothing left. the celebrations were quite good but i could not admit that it was way better than last year's. How can it be. The rain just destroyed everything thing. Caught the mummy 3: tomb of the dragon's emperor yesterday at amk cathay cineleisure. We arrived at the ticketing booth just as the movie was about to start. The feeling of coincidence was quite good. it was 13.50 then and i could not forget the feeling of anticipation with regard to the race. All i could think of was that i would not be late for it. The movie lasted for about five-third of an hour; the plot was normal and a bit predicted but the video effects were as alike the 2 prequels, spectacular. would give it 3.5 stars at the least. Haiz just can't stop thinking of the relays. At catholic high, i could vividly remember that i took part in the 800m race for edward house for 2 consecutive years when i was in sec 1and 2 respectively. Those were the times when i trusted that my stamina was able to pit against the rest. And i was not wrong, i was not the last feww, though neither did i emerge as the best few. At least i partaked in it. Then my confidence in 800m soon plunged, a testiment to my running the 400m-long distance on my fourth year at cat high. I was able to qualify for the finals of the inter-house activity though i only managed a 4th place which, surprisingly, was not as bad as i thought.At least, the participation was there. But coming back to the present, I still feel dejected about being unable to run for at least once, this time a supposed 200m, in this school, especially when someone was also running. but i must learn to be glad at something, that the last minute offer from my junior to fill up the vacancy of this relay team was not rejected. I have ran the 800m, the 400m, but never the 200m, somthing which i have never tried b4...

nightscene

2008-08-01T05:09:00.005-10:00

went to singapore national arts museum at 8 plus. these are the 12 variations of laser projections which came from 3 different projectors . quite cool. didn't enter the museum though. it seriously seemed as though it was painted with the following pastels...the design is superb, the tesselations make the building seems more impressive and elaborate.

royal color....
the first one that i took. imagine if the building was painted like that...how lifelike.
too fanciful...

this is like one of the best. quite hard to see from here though. blue rox

this one is like pencil markings on paper..simple and pleasant.
if i'm not wrong, this is a floral design. quite nice.

reminds me of the cheshire cat...

3 - 3

2008-07-27T03:15:00.002-10:00

today sucks and rocks big time. mornin woke up at 7 (slept at 12 plus the night before :( ) , set off for busstop near cousin's place without even having a bite. Fortunately, i did not become too groggy to the extent of losing interest in the game. Unfortunately, it started drizzling and one can't help but to be annoyed by the lousy start of the day. But as positively-thinking and persisting as usual, i clung on to the fact that things will go well and that the morning drizzle will just die off. It did, when we finally got to ri court. Talking about it, i can't help but feel stupid at my wasted trip last sunday to ri - they were having the game at RJ and i was at the other end of the campus loitering around like a good-for-nothing, with no mobile device whatsoever. Today was an exception. With such an okay weather, things went on well. Played graduation, and of course 2 a-aside. (by the way we were using the basketball hoop the furthest away from the ri entrance as it was relatively noiseless compared to the rest) though the ball was not fully pumped, it was still playable and surprisingly, i did not lose touch with this game given the fact that i have not played it for the past 2 weeks. The best moment was during the last graduation game whereby i did not fathom where the skill and luck originate from that led me to scored 3 consecutive 3-poionter shots.. felt that i have owned myself. well. i guess it's the sense of delirion that led me to pull through the remaining two shots. well good morning today. work was not as productive as last week though..

24/7

2008-07-24T03:52:00.002-10:00

phew... one obstacle down...1 more to go... today was supposed to be damn draining. but i think i felt much more refreshed probably thanks to the weather. Well it rained just as we finished the last station (2.4). This time round, napfa retest was kind of scary. At the start, the pe teachers deployed us to different stations, depending on what we felt less hopeful in. At first I was quite blur -reported to the wrong teacher as i came late. I reported to mtr koh SY who was in charge of the people who did not take napfa earlier on due to their hectic competition schedule during the nationals season. I looked around and realised that the people were sportsmen and immediately sensed something amiss. so I went to find mr gopi who was already monitoring and assessing the boys at the pull -up station. There was quite a bunch of people there, say about 25? this was the determing station for most, if not all. Watching them taking turns to try out their hopes, of whom some to no avail, was really demoralizing and disheartening. Some looked fit and able but could not even surpass the first pull. the teachers were particularly careful this time, not just giving a cursory glance at the number of pulls we could accomplish, but trying to ensure that our arms were fully straightened after every pull and that our chins were high enough --those who passed thanked god, well those who failed sighed at the prospect of being able to retake napfa next week. I was quite worried as usual at first- have not been doing pull-ups the correct way, though i could manage a 6 with that being the case. So when it was my turn, i just gave it all I could and eventually managed to scrape a 4. At first, hearing that most were trying to reach a 5, i can't help but . While I was trying to save my skin, the teacher was as though saying an evil mantra : 'up, ok, up,..so on' . Everything went on smoothly until the 3rd pull which without his permission to continue, i just proceeded on to the 4th which I found physically challenging enough. Think this teacher is a bit more lax, mr gopi would not have been too lenient in that case. Thanks to this teacher, things were more efficient and standards were not too harsh all in all. The results of the remaining stations:

shuttle run -- 9.4
sit ups -- 43
standing broad jump -- 230 (did not really expect so)
sit and reach -- 42
2.4k -- 10.55

ashley was there as well. lol. he could have just got things done with should he exert a bit more for the last station. guess 2.4 was a determing station too. after all it was the last station and most were either too worn out, complacent, etc. to complete the station well. Haven't really been hardcoring 2.4 nowadays, so felt quite satisfied, if not for the last full sprint for the last 100m lap. (actually perhaps because there was some girl at the verge of overtaking me) have been conserving energy for this last sprint anyway, it was fun though. before that was econs remedial, a horde of students turned up this time, cuz it's NCT and not anyone else. with his friendly,warm personality and his clarity of mind & speech, it was no wonder why even students who have gotten a D would be interested in attending his class. Well it was much finer than the usual econs lesson. On an informal note, wat i may not feel secure about was that i did not attend his birthday celebration at the range last week and top of that, did not wish him a belated b-day today. but i think without I being there it would have not make much of a difference. any way happy belated mr NCT! went to mechant court shortly after returning home. quite a fulfilling day i would say

R&R

2008-07-23T04:21:00.003-10:00

tom is napfa retest. 4-530. just end everything quick. even can't get gold also never mind. today pe was quite tough. did 10 rounds. 4 sets of assisted pullups (no one is assisting u though except for 2 elastic, big rubber bands) and some biceps training.. realised how weak i was... as for 2.4, shall just think of the 4.2 km competitive run during the cat high days. those are the hardcore days. those are something compared to 2.4...just some stretches tomorrow to prevent bubble bursting in the bone cartilage for the supposed 2nd last station..after that is R&R all the way till next monday...fri movie with cay...

..haiz how i wish there's study break for prelims

clay b-day

2008-07-15T04:57:00.002-10:00

today is clay's b-day :) thought he would bawl cuz we didn't even wish him a joyful brithday, not till 830pm when he nearly started on his homework :(...Dingy was a total embarrassment from the time he joined us at J8...standing on the escalator in an unusual manner, being deep in thoughts even crossing the road, and mocking at wc all the while.... :[ indeed he hasn't changed much ever since last year...always so restless and active, blabbering whatever that goes through his mind instantaneously.... but one thing for sure is that he's able to think out of the box. well... so we studied at cartel for a while (ran up to buy clay a present from action city - those funny-looking tissue box and some object you used to relieve muscle aches lol after revising through econs CT2 case studies ) ..then went for dinner at s11 before buying some random stuffs from fairprice as well as a stick of flower (cuz his dear wanted so)..witnessing the arrest of a shoplifter at bishan j8 fairprice...took 55 to the vicinity of his house, got lost for a moment, then when we found his apartment, saw his dearie, waited for clay's church friends and nj friends, blew some balloons, wore some party masks/hats (by then i think he should be feeling despondent that we did not even send him any birthday message)....the surprise then took place shortly...clay was deeply touched, his heart went out to us ...the presents, and our sincerity really stunned him momentarily..lol..had some sparkling peach and grape juice and some wine (sour and bitter taste and golden in color) -- underage drinking...wanted the feeling of being drunk though...haiz....clay's unit was located at the highest storey and i find it quite cool living high up in an apartment...though compact, but it was cosy..his bro has been industriously helping out with the serving of plates and stuffs and whenever he was bored, he would just play around with the balloons...we talked for a while...took some photos, sang the b-day song, listened to dingy the pastor reciting from some holy scriptures...went to his room --- only wished mine was something near his at least...couches, beds with cushion leans, and a com...yup..wanted to play cards, but ended up with no time....it was late... took 55 back overall i would say that this was rather successful....though we could have celebrated his b-day earlier....lol well there'll b another gatherin soon....zz

the white pagoda/tower

2008-06-18T14:46:00.003-10:00

haven't been blogging for serious ages...the momentum is not there. 4 weeks have suddenly turned into a few days and one can't help but think of what productive work one has accomplished, by that i mean work that gives one a sense of satisfaction.. overall i would rate this holiday a 6.5/10, passed. managed to cope well with the sciences and math, except maybe for economics which I guess would not be too easy to fail given that there are 2 case studies and that one just need to get used to the duration and the expectation of that paper, not only by studying the notes though..caught a korean drama series during the holidays, 19 episodes, i would say the storyline is reasonable and well thought of; the progression was clear and overall it boasts of quite an expected yet a not-that-obvious plot. 'The White Tower' basically centres upon this main character who started off as a professor in some korean university hospital who spares no thought of giving up the fight to be the head of the medical faculty in that prestigious institution. As a result, he resorted to despicable but cunning strategies such as pleading his opponent to step down, employing underhand verbal and psycho methods with the aid of his associates to bring up his name, as well as the financial aid of his father-in-law and some of his elder supporters to entice other voters, such is the political and business acumen needed in this propaganda-led world, and of course, the avarice of true mankind. And as we know, nothing in this world is ever free; this guy, who is also detested by the soon-to-be retired head for the all-so-knowing aura surrounding him, was met with formidable objection by latter who saw him as t0o self-centred and bereft of the humane quality. What is to be praised though is this immense sense of identity in him which never leads him to fail in any endeavours that he encounters as he takes every step in life-the surgeries which he performed were no less spectacular than any doctor in the region (this also led to the jealousy in his so-called 'antecedent') and the admiration he seemed to garnered among the seniors as a result. However, his overconfidence in his abilities and devoidance of a warm and soft approach to life led to a chain of activities which eventuates to his own demise - the product of overworking, binging on beer everyday without any sign of respite, and most importantly the meagre ratio of the time spent resting to that of working throughout the way and encountering social affront in the form of irritation and worries due to his major opponents and not less, his junior..this story goes on with court proceedings being the main crux in the second part of the story after this main character has achieved his title upon narrowly beating his opponent, winning over him by only a voting ticket..Basically as this guy becomes the head, he was entrusted with even more tricky operations, operations that would require him to travel, which means neglecting his own hospital in what seems a temporal situation. This, together with the lack of hospital expertise and his aforementioned qualities, (and of course poor luck) created a web of confusion and complication when the medical condition of one of his patients deteriorates and gets complex to the extent that it was best if the head were to return to the national hospital to assess the matter himself. However, due to imperfect information, i.e. that 'underknowledge' that the wrong diagnosis was already given to the patient without any acknowledgement and the sheer importance of the major external surgery underway, things did not turn out that way...So, unsurprisingly was the death of the uncared patient which lies in contrast with the success of the operation outside the head's hospital. And as we know, the human world is fraught with increasing expectations such that when something good is done, acknowledgement maybe terse and shortlived but when it comes to the opposite, the opposite result happens. So basically the korean national university was entwined in the court proceedings together with the relatives of the deceased, with the main character being the one alleged. It took for nearly a week or so before the matter was resolved and by then, the main character was so stressed, drained and tensed to the extent that he actually become medically unfit, and worse, a patient himself after he complained of internal pains which turned out to be cancer genes which multiplied and spread out to nearly all his organs, something not unexpected, but yet surprising,considering that fact that this character did not take good care of his health to live long enough to fulfill his aspirations of a successful head. In fact, it was destiny that brought him his transient achievement, it was what he has chosen in himself and for others that led to his eventual fate and outcome.........

ok back to econs..good thing there' s the case study ans for the macro tutorial wkst..

back to mozart

2008-05-18T05:02:00.005-10:00

just caught the film 'amadeus' and couldn't help but frown upon at how things work out eventually. Well I just feel that though these 2 co-stars (tom hulce and murray abraham) deserve much ovation for their conviction and authenticity throughout the movie, there is some element of unfairness, however, that arise from and after the movie itself - why does the person who does not look as well-received as the other triumphs ultimately? Now that I have seen a scope of mozart's tragic life, it is noteworthy to mention some of the pertinent aspects. This movie was rather impactful; the outset demonstrated a flashback narration by which antagonist antanio selieri(who was awaiting death, nothingness and fate in an asylum) painstakingly confess his past sins and malicious plots to a godfather. He related how he had foiled and thwarted mozart's musical progress in the classical era by establishing a superficially cheap relationship with the zesty and all-appreciative poor chap at the start before manipulating his weak mind such as to result in his downfall. Well, basically, out of envy of mozart's amazing ingenuity and prodigy in opera-music composition as well as consternation of his own bleak prospects, he decided to make mozart work against himself, to be at the losing end yet thinking that he had been appreciated and cared for all the while. Basically, salieris failed in some of his malignant ploys, one of which is reporting to the king a work (figaro wedding) undertaken by mozart which he thought would rouse disatisfaction and discontentment in the king but, instead, created a bang and not only shown the green light, but gave mozart all the credit that he deserved. It was all so lamentable how wolfy was easily misguided all the while, inasmuch as he did not know that he was doomed for death though it may seem impending. His spirit came and left just too suddenly. He succumbed too easily to his passion, actually, temptations -drinking, writing music, going for parties and of course never incumbent in taking charge of himself. All was too ephemeral and short-lived. Money never fail to be his concern yet he still seemed rather disbothered to earn a proper living even when familial conditions are dire. Such was a life of frolick and hedonism. What I respect in him ultimately is his pride which he carries in himself as well as his outlook for life. His music never fails to reach out to the masses and his works never fail to impress people. Such is the greatest composers of all times...anyway this film rox..

it's just so

2008-05-10T06:15:00.003-10:00

the pandemonium has ceased. It ceased before the concert even commenced. Mr 6001 mentioned about the transition of the concert being somewhat not reassuring but we managed to impress him I guess with all the last minute improvements that would not have been without his guidance and he being an overseer..... Backstage duties for the backstage committee members were only properly assigned this afternoon but things still turn out natural nonetheless and cooperation was there; the backups and responses to unexpectations that crop up here and there were rather satisfying I would admit. Yet to take a look at the concert brochure where all the program notes can be found. The idea of using 'pillows' as souvenirs for the audience was as fascinating as anyone could have thought of but it was after all rather fanciful, owing to the inability of the ensemble to cope with prices and profits. As for tickets, it is quite surprising that all were sold out and that over-selling is actually taking place quite 'rampantly' given the number of days from the making of the publicity till now. Shall continue to talk about the emcee, guest performers, transition, individual songs/items/pieces tomorrow...rather tired now...h3 math and AQ!!!!!ah......

2008-05-07T05:48:00.003-10:00

i was tellling myself just now whether this match support was seriously worth attending, save for supporting. At the porch, Tiffany approached me and was rather confused as to why 6t was so interested to attend something, though compulsory, that does not involve any of its people? She did not mean to say that the match is not worth attending, but frankly, she sends the right connotation though. I replied, stating that we have chosen it out of randomness, out of nothingness. Smart people would have used such moments to fulfil their self-centred aims, instead of trying to keep their hopes high and fingers crossed only to realise that it's all but fool's hopes. We came in big groups, The Vjcians arrived in dribs and drabs; we left as one, the vjcians left in dribs and drabs too to some extent - yes, some left early due to predictability of the outcome (2-0 or 3-0 doesn't make any difference, the game was just not alluring) - I was mentioning earlier on when the match was drawing to a close that it was a matter of whether VJ could secure another hopeful point and end everything with a bang (yeah they used drums in their cheers which was executed in a much timely and orderly fashion ) and not whether we could deny that we simply lost to them narrowly. Please, everything can be witnessed from the start, the cheers, which I thought was extraneous, were just merely pressurizing the players or unaffecting them and worse, wasting the voice, energy which the supporters echoed in return to the team's spirit. Is there one in the first place? I have always felt that girls soccer was something. something worthy. Thanks to this match support, I have widened my perspective. :)

piano pandemonium

2008-04-22T03:23:00.003-10:00

feeling tired these days...but feels rather positive about it...anyway there is no reason to be overwhelmed..it seems that we have kind of messed up jupiter during the auditions during sessions...i think we are one of the less fortunate groups which will need to report to charmaine next tuesday to see whether we are able to make it through which i think should not be much of a qualm...what's there to say? there wasn't PE just now so fortunately, yc and i managed to occupy practice room 2 and tried out the entire piece. We, or at least I, just can't help but stoned inside the soundproof room for 3 whole hours :( either listening to yl and sms practice their parts which was not up to standard I would have to admit. well at least thanks to yc, otherwise, things would have been messier. charles set the dateline for the submission of the programme notes on a wednesday. But as usual, shall not get too perturbed over this..leave it to yc suan le...just hope that this pandemonium will not take place in an unexpected manner...

lackluster performance

2008-04-12T01:59:00.004-10:00

these two days could have shown me to the hellgates..I guessed nearly..life has taught me how to react and behave in manner that starkly contrasts with that of most people. I shall rewind a bit.. Yesterday I knew I have some major event going on the day after, yet, somehow my brain was reluctant to give the right commands. It kept telling me to spend every minute meaningfully on friday, so after lesson went to join ms at rch as usual before going for a movie with cay at ang mo kio cathay; we watched an english horror film and apparently he didn't enjoy it..well..i was half-hearted..ge chuang was the big thing that day.. shall blog about this some day...just wanna say that i am damn weird and sort of insane..things are just backlashing..scored only one '10' out of the 60 shots..overall score is even worse than a girl's ... i've denuded the chance for the team to attain a 5th place or so.at least...now HR is going to call me to ask what on earth is going on..?/? what do i have to say? simply can't get rid of my usual tension?.. performance has been too lacklustre admittedly.. well congrats to duwei angie and yizhou for getting team 2nd.. and sam, shu han and vanessa? for clinching the 4th place well... things shall go hardcore next week. getting last is surely not excusable..and surely you would be surprised by the number of times i have trained ever since last november..sorry jon.

2008-03-30T04:20:00.003-10:00

It's the way she fills my senses

It's the perfume that she wears

I feel I'm losing my defences

to the colour of her hair

And every little piece of her is right

Just thinking about her takes me through the night

Everytime we meet the picture is complete

Everytime we touch the feeling is too much

She's all I ever need to fall in love again

I knew it from the very start

She's the puzzle of my heart

It's the way she's always smiling

That makes people think she never cries

Feel like I'm losing my defences to the colour of her eyes

And every little piece of her is right

Everytime we meet the picture is complete
Everytime we touch the feeling is too much
She's all I ever need to fall in love again
I knew it from the very start
She's the puzzle of my heart

Like a miracle should meant to be

She became the light inside of me

Like a feeling like a memory from long ago

Everytime we meet the picture is complete
Everytime we touch the feeling is too much
She's all I ever need to fall in love again
I knew it from the very start
She's the puzzle of my heart

virtuoso

2008-03-24T03:20:00.003-10:00

wow Dr Kenneth Hamilton came down to RJC today to give a talk on the proper code of conduct that should be adhered by a performer. Too bad I missed his piano recital yesterday at esplanade (recital studio). I identified with some of the points he enumerated, namely the need to convey and communicate with the audience through not only the music, but also through body language. Body languages exhibit the emotions of different parts of the piece and also signal to the audience the stage of the piece, whether it is nearingthe end or not. Body languages are what that convince the audience of whether the performer is raw or professional. Also, nervousness is something inherent in everybody, but it is how we perceive it that makes a difference to the quality of the performance. A nervous man may appear composed and confident from his facade as long as his ulterior feelings are being dealt with appropriately whereas another nervous man who doesn't seem to understand the meaning behind the performance and who only worries about how the performance would turn out is in for trouble. After all, everybody makes mistakes and we should not view them as a barrier. We make mistakes in order to complete the piece, to really emote and commune the message behind the melody. Hamilton also mentioned the importance of appearing indifferent and unbothered upon making the slightest mistake; it is painful to let the audience, or the examiner, if it was an exam, to be in a state of discomfort just because one is unable to forgive oneself many times. In music, the audience look for the flow, not always for the accuracy. He also, brought about points like the difference in playing a piece to the audience in the case of a concert performance and to an examiner in the case of an practical examination - the atmosphere influencs the way music is perceived. In addressal to a question on the use of the una corda, raised by royce i think, during a Q&A session, Mr kenneth aptly pointed out the need for the una corda in creating certain necessary softening effects which might not have been possible without it. Another guy referred to the inability of students in adaptating to different brands of pianos at different locations.. But overall it was a good talk. This took place after the catastrophic H3 math lesson (was sitting directly below the aircon quite high up in LT2) results today wasnt that good, though I really expected it.

-30

2008-03-18T02:40:00.004-10:00

don't know what is happening. decided not to stay in school to study, and that alone has cost me 7hours. Suffered and died under the 7mark and 5mark question whereby we are told to name the unknown compounds judging by the types of reactions they undergo and the products formed. That's not all. Did not really have time to finish the multiple choice questions, that leads me to insert a 'C' for the last 4 questions which was the most silliest thing to do, not that I know of though. Studying notes along and revising the tutorials aren't really helpful after all. They delude one into thinking that chemistry is straightforward. what luck. I felt as though the exams have already ended, and what may be coming up do not really make a difference.

hmmm

2008-03-05T15:33:00.002-10:00

oh the movies plans are all gone. It was all planned a week ago and now, oweing to someone's lack of time management and organisation, it will be pushed to one of the days following the end of the first-quarter exams. Well, the goad to catch a movie on a somehow regular basis simply cannot disappear, at least for some while; what else is there to blame if not for the march block test?went down to bishan st 22 block 239 yesterday to view the piano which cf has intended to co-purchase with wc. We managed to reach the agent for this yamaha piano which was advertised on the net. Though the budget was a-fifth below that of the selling price of $2500, there was however at least seven-tenth more of faith in us as compared to if the big instrument was $3000. After all, this bunch of poor students has a tendency to be able to garner empathy votes from owners of this second-hand piano. And yes indeed, we managed to strike a bargain and ultimately purchase it at a less handsome price of $2000. The next problem would be getting it over to wc's place which i don't think is much of a problem unless someone were to ingeniously suscribe to the idea of transporting it to woodlands without professional help, easy said than done....haven't been catching up on the budget news lately, a week has passed since the ice has broken.

2008-02-25T00:46:00.002-10:00

felt damn helpless upon watching the skinning of live racoon dogs (the fury animals in general) in what was meant to be the reality behind the chinese fur trade. All I can really say is that man is and will always be unreasonable insofar as their actions, which apparently can't be witnessed by themselves, satisfy unnecessary avaricious wants. I guess that I just can't stand such perverseness, and that includes the denial of other species of their rights. What is more is that those innocent creatures out there do not even realise the rationale behind all their untimely demise. On one note, I really wish that god hasn't made all things unequal as inequality undubitably breeds exploitation. The revolting sight of the farmer skinning the animal as akin to a person stripping off his clothing simply questions one assumption, as to whether our lives are that hellish? You would never have wanted to say so after you, as a normal typical human being, have viewed the process and aftermath of the animals being slammed onto the ground and stepped on their skulls by the MF.

that's what I know..

2008-02-14T22:52:00.002-10:00

There's two things I know for sure

She was sent here from heaven

And she's daddy's little girl

As I drop to my knees by her bed at night

She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes

And I thank God for all of the joy in my life

Oh but most of all for

Butterfly kisses after bed time prayer

Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair

Walk beside the pony daddy; it's my first ride

I know the cake looks funny daddy

But I sure tried

Oh with all that I've done wrong

I must have done something right

To deserve a hug every morning

And butterfly kisses at night

Sweet sixteen today

She's looking like her mother a little more everyday

One part woman; the other part girl

To perfume and make up

From ribbons and curls

Trying her wings out in a great big world

But I remember

Butterfly kisses after bed time prayer

Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair

You know how much I love you daddy

But if you don't mind

I'm only gonna kiss you on the cheek this time

Oh with all that I've done wrong

I must have done something right

To deserve a hug every morning

And butterfly kisses at night

She'll change her name today

She'll make a promise and I'll give her away

Standing in the bedroom just staring at her

She asked me what I'm thinking

And I said I'm not sure

I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl

She leaned over - gave me

Butterfly kisses with her mother there

Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair

Walk me down the aisle daddy; it's just about time

Does my wedding dress look pretty daddy?

Daddy don't cry

Oh with all that I've done wrong

I must have dont something right

To deserve a hug every morning

And butterfly kissesa hug in the every morning

And butterfly kisses at night

triocca

2008-02-13T00:20:00.003-10:00

this time I misplaced my bot and file. What can be more stupid than that especially when my mum is so anxious and agitated over it while I am not. I am rather perturbed by her lack of patience and understanding, can't she just leave it to me? I have been trying to tolerate her for many years..this morning I nearly suffered from a heart attack, kudos to all the unnecessary pressurizing in the morning - can't find my school badge and rushing through the AQ and all. I just can't take control of my life well I guess. tennis this morning was ok, except for the fact that i am unable to attack the ball from the right i guess. At first, I was contemplating whether to use my left or right hand to grip the racket - after all I use left for badminton and right for table tennis and it is thus conclusive that using the right arm is a more realistic choice for tennis related games, at least. oh and by the way CjJ7 is a rather amusing and atypical movie, i would guess that it is not bad a movie though considering the fact that the movie starrs mainly kids from all over china and there ain't much to expect from them, except maybe for their enthusiasm. Hopefully will be able to catch the jumper this week. After all most sci-fi movies are pretty unimaginable i would suppose. PT just now was seriously draining, and my leg still persists to sore from yesterday's SBJ triaining. Looking forward in meeting the irish chamber music trio -harp viola flute. Honestly, i have never heard of such an ensemb combi until i checked out wikipedia...oh yea, the camp proposal..

happy CNYE

2008-02-05T13:51:00.000-10:00

haha so much for PE yesterday from 1740-1840 whereby we witnessed certain flamboyant styles of showcasing pieces which mr 6001 had on WMP. After all, there are many programmes up and coming and his lesson should have broken some ice. If i'm not wrong, there is a perfomance for the cancer society (heard from xw that the patients are awaiting chemotherapy), the J1 concert, the visit to the arthouse to watch a harp concert or somethin like that, the rjvjnj combined concert, the weekly performace and of course the annual concert. The calendar of events are now all strewn everywhere in my mind, kudos to me for having left my phone in my deuter...for the annual concert, wonder whether the pillow's idea is still on, otherwise i would have thought that it was not quite a bad idea; after all the seats in LT2 aren't that as comfy as those in PAC which i thought would be a better concert venue..oh well..as for the unprecedented idea of having 2 pianos instead of the usual 1, i have nothing much to say except for the fact that it just makes things more challenging i would say but all the more better. This would only attest to the ratio of groups performing on a piano to those on 2. As for the piece, it would most probably be decided after CNY.

headed right straight to esplanade park after PE yesterday as usual..the festivities at angbao river was always a reiteration of the past few years'. the performances were somewhat similar to the previous year's except perhaps for some singaporean kiddies from Hokkien Huay Kuan running to and fro while belting out the chinese lyrics of some folk songs which i think you should have sung many times when you were in K1. Asides from that, the remaining performances were of a higher standard, with acrobats, dancers, singer from countries like tibet and china showing their stuffs. The emcees noted that the singer was somewhat similar to deng lijun in terms of the intonation and pitch..I could not judge much after having listened to her original songs upon which I felt that there is merely some alikeness in the way they perceive the song. That' sit..perhaps i am not up for chinese songs..especially unenergetic ones. However, i can't deny that it was through these performances that I glean certain background, cultures of these tender patriotic folks. The food was quite disappointed in relation to those offered a few years back. What's there to look forward to in a buffet table when in a moment, people are scrambling to place their hands on the ladles and spoons in order to scoop out the seemingly ordinary hawkerfare and in another moment allowing the rest to partake in this craze when there is already no one queuing except for the fact of easing the hunger after waching the night performances? Simply in dismal..but fortunately it wasn't as abysmal as i predicted earlier on. happy cny eve.

i guess

2008-02-02T02:38:00.000-10:00

i can only say one thing...that only skill C has failed me so far..firstly cuz i am and would be mugging skill A like a dog, leaving no stones unturned, and that the remaining skills are not that of a fatal problem except maybe for skill D too I would guess. What's there to say? Did not bat an eyelid as usual for spas, did not exhibit any forms of nervousness upon the arrival of the test dates, did not bother to recognise how difficult it is to be complacent with such major, recognised practical exams. Guess that i have no excuses to be unbothered for any subsequent assessments. The upcoming weeks have proven themselves to be even more hectic i would say than the previous sluggish weeks. Guess that i need my hardcore CCA trainings to keep me motivated and on the go. I must keep myself 5times busier than what i normally am. 2.5marks are definitely deducted from the GCEs and I'm quite sure the distinction mark would be no less than an 85?prob even a 90 undubitably. well that aside, for PE, guess it's time to meet up with SMS in prep for the weekly performance (in MEP rm) which would take place in no less than a month's time. Should be able to complete fantansie impromptu Op66 by next week, after all i have been dying to learn that piece since sec 1...

LoLz

2008-01-18T15:52:00.000-10:00

alright man, just finished another hectic week, though not as bad as most J2s I would presume. Came back home at 12 yesterday, kudos to the wonderful PE initiation camp scheduled for 2 days...Sadly, did not get to break enough ice.. got to participate in only one icebreaker, and yes it's the first game of the day and its the blanket game. Come on please there were around 25 J1s and like 10 J2's?? Yes the J1's came in in dribs and drabs when they were told to report at 5 while the J2s were told to assemble at 430 if possible but the moment I came up at around 5, what greeted me was many unfamiliar faces and few familiar ones; think that J2s are so real busy nowadays, some to the extent of reaching 3-4 hrs after like 5? Most J2's either went for H3s or whatever houseparty they had just downstairs..(cf went for his pianolesson which is quite understandable i guess) Guess that the ice-breakers didn't turn out quite well though the J1s had so much fun.. Did not get to play the remaining 3 games (really wonder how's YL's musical chairs like) - went out with arie to mass buy CR from KSL which took us a whole hour and worst, my middle finger is swollen..guess it's my own fault of offering to carry 3 heavy packs in a bid to train endurance...and the lau ban niang wasn't kind enough to offer a discount..haiz..by the time we went back, the sky had darkened and little did i realise that the station games are pushed to sat..what a dismal..However, upon knowing we had a pro J1 performer among our midst, it's not that bad after all ..think he's name's thomas..oh well..the J1s are pretty ok I guess..talked to a Zimbabwean member over dinner..I guess some J2s were pretty shocked to hear of such thing, actually me never knew of such thing too..but oh well..
couldn't say whether night walk was successful or not..didn't like boo them properly or scare them out of their wits.. i think the J2 guys (6 i guess) were mostly drifting at level 7, reasons being that one of the spooky stations was EFA (A73 if you flip it laterally) and it was the darkest place in school...really disappointed that the school was so well lit and that the night walk did not cover till the end of the compound unlike last year which I did not get to experience..so we were more or less stationed outside the lift of C block on the 7 th level, waiting to prey on them once they walk past a spot and yup some were freaked out while some were thinking how idiotic and foolish it was...It was quite fun I guess though not really successful, as in the actual elements of fright was not thought of that fast..and everythin ended without us knowing. lompang 'SMS' car..

this year has been great!

2007-12-31T05:50:00.001-10:00

just finished a drama episode, leaving me just 5 min before we stepped into an entirely new year, a leap year. Currently watching channel 5 live on TV. Just want to say a few words: hope it would be a much special and unexpected year ahead. This year had been wonderful, especially with someone....well, wishing everyone a blissful and promising year ahead! It's the year of the rat ahead, so let's hope that it can do wonders to everyone. Let's embrace it with open arms! Happy new year

here are some details about the rat year...quite skeptical with the 4th last sentence though.
Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiac, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are perhaps the most organized and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat's natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust.
Behind the smiles and charm, rats can be terribly obstinate and controlling, insisting on having things their way no matter what the cost. These people tend to have immense control of their emotions, which they may use as a tool to manipulate and exploit others, both emotionally and mentally. Rats are masters of mind games and can be very dangerous, calculative and downright cruel if the need arises. Quick-tempered and aggressive, they will not think twice about exacting revenge on those that hurt them in any way. Rats need to learn to relax sometimes, as they can be quite obsessed with detail, intolerant and strict, demanding order, obedience, and perfection.
A valuable lesson for Rats is to learn to consider others before themselves, at least sometimes, and to avoid forcing their ideas onto others. Rats are fair in their dealings and expect the same from others in return, and can be deeply affronted if they feel they have been deceived or that their trust has been abused. Sometimes they set their targets too high, whether in relation to their friends or in their career. But as the years pass, they will become more idealistic and tolerant. If they can develop their sense of self and realize it leaves room for others in their life as well, Rats can find true happiness.
According to tradition, Rats often carry heavy karma and at some point in life may face an identity crisis or some kind of feeling of guilt. Rats are said to often have to work very long and hard for everything they may earn or have in life. However, a Rat born during the day is said to have things a bit easier than those who are born at night. Traditionally, Rats born during the night may face extreme hardships and suffering throughout life. Rats in general should guard themselves against hedonism, as it may lead to self-destruction. Gambling, alcohol and drugs tend to be great temptations to Rat natives.
Traditionally, Rats should avoid Horses, but they can usually find their best friends and love interests in Monkeys, Dragons, and Oxen.
Professions include espionage, psychiatry, psychology, writing, politics, law, engineering, accounting, detective, actor, and pathology

.

2007-12-27T23:01:00.000-10:00

well this is my last day, in fact last several minutes at TLs..our report is almost over and we are free in days to come. The gift is given, the unexpected is expected, the words are worded and the sayings are said. It is time to assume a pensive mood as in a few days to come, one would not want to worry over the same worries, talk about the same talkings, hear of the similar hearings and experience the same experiences...........well I better not be caught by my partner doing such an irrelevant activity, will only blog insofar as I am able ..this is an office cubicle, not really a personal space..... will continue later...

it's different from monday

2007-12-18T17:50:00.000-10:00

did soldering, stripping and drilling yesterday at DSO..basically we were handling with circuits (frisbee) and some electronic parts with the intention of deriving data out of an experiment. All these were done in the experiment room or something which I have forgotten and honestly, it was quite messy, not that things were strewn around in an unfashion manner but because there was quite a bunch of never-seen-before tools (which up till this point of time I have no idea what they were.)Basically, we were supposed to mount the ornithopters (each time with a wing of a particular shape and aspect ratio) on a test rig using certain connectors. The circuit(with the accelerometer) should have been pre-attached to the bird in the right orientation such that the x/y-component of acceleration would be measured effectively. What should also be taken into account is the tail deflection and pitching angle of the bird as well as the angle the arm of the rig makes with the ground when the bird is being given a certain amount of throttle using a remote control. Indeed many things would require stringent control lest the accuracy of the experiment would be compromised; but nonetheless this is only a simple experiment and we have only one more week to obtain our results and evaluation-2 days a week at the temasek labs/dso labs do suffice much less staying at home making the wing/inputing datas using softwares. Indeed, science has seen continuous supplantation in this world of unfelt promises. Well, that aside, we had Botak Jones near the news centre yesterday after the attachment and honestly I felt the obvious, that they are giving you more than what you deserve or require in exchange for what you would expect less. It's true that the fries are good, with all the cheddar powder peppered on it but it is seriously overserved I guess. Likewise, or not, the cajun chicken was grilled to near perfection but the portion is somewhat incomparable to what you see in typical western foodstalls. The pizza we had was ostensibly satisfying due to the generous mozorella cheese topping that was rather tentalizing I suppose. So much for this predilection to the western's platter. Time is tight now and it is oblivious as to how things will turn out in days to come, after all what's there to look forward to in the subsequent days? Perhaps time will tell. Here's a quote by Max Frisch:

'Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we don't have to experience it'

p

2007-12-14T02:51:00.000-10:00

just thinking about what have been done and what not during these several weeks. Those stuffs that I have done are merely a dime a dozen, not pretty impressive, but are nonetheless fulfilling. Well as for attachment, honestly speaking, though I have been committing to it for nearly 2 months, I have to say that I was as passive as usual, relying so much on my partner to get things done. Currently, he had finished his wings and is progressing by leaps and bounds, well not forgetting the fact that he has devoted at least 90% of his free time on it. We were on the right track though, just lagging behind by some bits; we have exactly two more weeks left before our report is due. Well it is very comfortable to have someone beside you who don't feel the pain in taking the extra mile; it just makes you so reassured but all the more, passive.
well, bought the game 'thief' recently, reasons being that:

1) it is all about stealth and not letting others spot you hiding in the shadows or wall flattening which is all the more challenging.
2) the name 'garrett''s kind of apt for this game of stealth and weaponry.
3) its objectives may tend to switch which makes it rather challenging and fun
4) it is very realistic and all the less virtual which thus makes it no less interesting

but there are some pitfalls too, chiefly the poor controls.....

now...for the ns e-registration, time to WAYANG!!!

dolt

2007-12-05T14:07:00.000-10:00

Thought about weights training all of a sudden..then something flashed across my mind:the weight consisting of a short bar with a metal disk at each end

here is an extract I have found:

Why a dumbbell is called a dumbbell

To be called a “dumbbell” is an insult. It means the name-caller thinks you are a stupid person. So why is a dumbbell called a dumbbell? Is there a connection with the saying “more brawn than brains”? Actually, it has more to do with church bells.
Since it took a fair amount of strength to ring a heavy church bell properly, novice ringers had to develop their arm strength with a rope connected to a metal weight. Swinging the weighted rope against an imaginary bell produced no sound, thus it was silent or dumb. Eventually, the apparatus came to be known as a dumbbell.
By the 16th century, it was fashionable for gentlemen to do “bell” work to develop an impressive physique. In the 1800’s, the short bar replaced the rope and rounded weights were attached at both ends. In the 1920’s, “dumbbell” joined the vocabulary as a slang word for stupidity. Word experts think that “bell” may have meant “head”.
The alternative explanation for the origin of the word “dumbbell” also has to do with church bells. Some fitness history aficionados believe that “silent” church bells without clappers were used as weights at both ends of a bar.

probably getting a pair in days to come..i seriously think I am too weak. Can't even maintain a steady posture while aiming with my pistol..Honestly, up till this point in time, I have only gone to SAFRA twice to train (zhe nan too i think). Though it may be understandable that the training grounds is quite some distance away and that I am also occupied with attachments and stuffs, it is however definitely unpardonable, if disappointing, that I have not been undergoing any basis of training at home. Finding a source of motivation may not be that easy especially if you are sort of a bum. Watching Jonathan on TV really makes me feel normal (he's really a professional) so it may not work; reminding myself to set aside my training schedule is fruitless too as it will just replay in my mind. Perhaps, there is some other way- start training at home first, which could effectively kick off any other forms of training you want to engage yourself in. After all, napfa is only around the corner (in a way) and some people would not even want to retake it. Yep that is quite correct.

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less

Marie Curie (1867 - 1934)

2007-11-26T22:25:00.000-10:00

at work now(an hr left)...but well since I am next to a DELL why not jog through my memory for a while I guess. I was supposed to be at TL labs alone for these past 2 days ever since i came down with fever(still having a rough throat though) but decided to head for piano CIP at henderson's childcare centre. It was the inaugural session with those kids who were already considered pretty well behaved considering the fact that most accorded us with the respect we needed for the 2 hours or so from a laymen's point of view. Basically Gladys and I coached this pair of indian kids who had a slight music background which was why we, as in the PE, decided to cover the basics (mood appreciation, note values, rests, bars and beats) today [the kids were expecting the keyboards though] in order to refresh their memory. Of course, most of the activities that were planned turned out successful, as in the objectives were more or less met except for the part whereby an appointed child from each and every group was expected to participate in a quiz; basically the quiz did not really brought enough attention to the rest of the kids which was why most were scurrying around as though in an apiary. Nonetheless, it was quite fun though. Perhaps, I would have greater say over such activity in time to come..perhaps in the early to mid-december when things are starting to warm up. jingle bells and doreme wouldnt be much of an obstacle for the kids I guess..

first time this year...

2007-11-25T15:39:00.000-10:00

yes, i nearly died yesterday, had I been any careless..i was careless in fact..it started out with quite a bad sore throat and slight fatigue at around 3 plus while we were hitting balls to each other at the usual table near bishan north shopping centre. Yes, how stupid it is to persist flexing the muscles and 'oscillating' about the table in trying to give it your best shot while you know that you are going to just collapse any sooner. It was not after meeting up with my calvin and some of his other friends when i suddenly have an urge to return home, for some reason sake..well I did not intend to go over at first but it was curiosity and boredom that I realise why not? There were 10 of us at first...since we were at bishan north, why not kick some ball at the street soccer court nearby? fine, we went there but to our dismay, the door was kind of locked and the place inaccessible for some hell of a reason. Leaving us choiceless, we decided to use the field at bishan park which I felt, did not really make much of a difference after all. What was different was that some adults joined in the fun, which was, rather shortlived. The skies showed no mercy and started drenching those shelterless...The game was called off but at least, we did play for a considerable amount of time. Following was the much awaited captain's ball at calvin's house; he has quite a large pool below his condo so we decided to play ball in it..At that point in time, I didn't really feel sick, but just knew that my throat had worsen and my body shaking from the cold. It turned out some time later at night that I had came down with a high fever..my body starts to weaken, head starts to ache, throat was at its utmost deplorable state. Worse still, I had to stay mute for the rest of the night and only ate a fishball. My night ended with a 'bang'-had to leave earlier for home with cf's company.. everywhere was cold and unfriendly..except for the warmth he provided me with...today, I decided to take a leave from my attachment..that's it...as to whether I should find a doctor, I shall decide about it later.

the pathway we choose

2007-11-20T03:59:00.000-10:00

YET ANOTHER INSPIRATIONAL STORY.....

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

By Francie Baltazar-Schwartz.

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.
"Yes, it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut way all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."
I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"
I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.
Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.'
"I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breathe and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them. 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything

FINALLY, HERE'S A QUOTE ON ATTITUDE AND CHOICES....

'Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and unconsciously. If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of all aspects of your life. You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself. '
-Robert F. Bennett quotes

2007-11-10T19:12:00.000-10:00

It was a friday when things were slightly different. First of all, it was the research attachment at Temasek Labs. Basically full time attachment commenced with effect from this week and we were supposed to avail ourselves for at least 2 days a week and that was what we had been doing and are planning to do for this week and the upcoming weeks..Fortunately or unfortunately, this project is more or less designed in a way such that it could not be simplified any further I guess. What were new were the aerodynamic theory and Matlab programming which were required for the coming of the wing geometry and ave lift/thrust against dynamic twist graphs of birds...What was unfortunate was that i had to depend on my partner quite a bit owing to my dearth in understanding for programming but what was fortunate was quite ostensibly the tolerance he had in doing most of the work and answering some of my ridiculous questions..But things are not so bad as for now, bearing in mind that the upcoming tasks for the next 6 weeks or so would pose quite an uphill challenge in a sense and would require a rich understanding of the procedures and so on...still trying to find a bird for the next task...

After so I dismissed myself early so as to go down to national stadium @ kallang to support singapore in its fifa world cup qualifying round. Singapore has successfully entered round 2 and I am proud to say that it has done very well considering that fact that it hasn't been able to expend her potential from the perception of most Singaporens. Basically, the ten dollars was definitely worth the watch, considering that:

1) this is my first time watching a live match
2) the match was superbly played and we get to witnessed real sportsmanship between the two teams (singapore and tajikistan)
3) the national stadium is going to be torn down soon and why not just busk in the atmosphere for just one last time?
4) Singapore has done well and you know it is going to do well again and why not show your fervent support by turning up? (yup singapore won 2-0)

Singapore should'nt have any problems in doing well too this sunday for round 2 leg 2....
YUp ok shall stop here for now.

It's the same each time with progress. First they ignore you, then they say you're mad, then dangerous, then there's a pause and then you can't find anyone who disagrees with you.

2007-10-31T00:59:00.000-10:00

basically, this vacations is somewhat unusual from what I normally get to experienced....still awaiting for the schedule of YDSP for the subsequent weeks. It is after all, work, work in the form of reserch and coming up with hypothesis that does not really entail much from us. I know the opportunity cost of so doing may seem inordinate but nonetheless one has to know that it's the experience that counts....one more thing is that we should not think of our dislikes as hurdles.....shall discuss further about it next time.

here is just an inspirational story which you can obtain from anywhere.. well

Flower In The Desert
by Loki
This happened many many summers ago.
There was a young flower in the desert where all was dry and sad looking...It was growing by itself...enjoying every day...and saying to the sun "When shall I be grown up"? And the sun would say "Be patient"---Each time I touch you,you grow a little"...And she was so pleased.Because she would have a chance to bring beauty to this corner of sand...And this is all she wanted to do---bring a little bit of beauty to this world.
One day the hunter came by---and stepped on her.---She was going to die---and she felt so sad.Not because she was dying ---but because she would not have a chance to bring a little bit of beauty to this corner of the desert.
The great spirit saw her, and was listening.---Indeed,he said ...She should be living...And he reached down and touched her---and gave her life.
And she grew up to be a beautiful flower...and this corner of the desert became so beautiful because of her.

promotion day

2007-10-25T04:03:00.000-10:00

'sacred' food at Superdogs after hotdogged rostis and rojak salads at Marches? wat a dining experience. a whole hefty sum of 20 disappeared within a trace? pleaase?? 6T's journey to the west at first, visiting the opium tree at Pasir Panjang. Singapore's Japanese occupation from as early as 8 Feb 1942. WOW.the sinistrous darkness, lethal atomic bombs, guerilla attacks all over the place, hundreds of thousands massacred, buried alive...now that peace is established and security has found its place and position on this perilous little red dot where we reside in, can we safely say that our nation has done itself proud? well it all depends. brought the brochure home, worth a read though. After all, it's reflections at Bukit Chandu. hmm...anyway, here's some food for thought: There's a dark side to each and every human soul. We wish we were Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for the most part we are, but there's a little Darth Vadar in all of us. Thing is, this ain't no either or proposition. We're talking about dialectics, the good and the bad merging into us. You can run but you can't hide. My experience? Face the darkness, stare it down. Own it. As brother Nietzsche said, being human is a complicated gig. Give that old dark night of the soul a hug! Howl the eternal yes!

is it over yet?

2007-10-12T01:11:00.000-10:00

just one more week, hang on. after which it's still not over, the end has yet to be reached..

2007-10-05T02:52:00.000-10:00

it's nearing 9 now....went for open house as mentioned..had 2 stage performances which were scheduled at 930 and 1130 at LT2. To our dismay, we were practically performing the items to those not interested in knowning how the school's actually doing in the musical groups section. There may thus not be a point in practising for 'PIRATES' in the first place if what is supposed to be reaped does not even outweigh what has been done----it's just because of standards I guess. :( It was only in the afternoon when the passageways and blocks were teeming with people--mostly jc1 students though. As usual, people from st nicks, ri, rg, acsi, mgs, cgs, vs, cat high etc turned up for such a splendid annual event, one which concerned them to some extent. There are some reasons as to their appearances: 1) merely following their friends but doesn't have any plans in mind, 2) confident of getting in but just showing up so as not to wait for 3 months before 2008 commences 3) has plenty of time to spare and doesn't mind going anywhere 4) wants to set benchmarks and standards 5) find that secondary life is so sick and can't wait to find out how is it much better here 6) ellitist mindsets, does not plan to venture elsewhere 7) by coincidence...there are actually much more but who will actually bother to list them out.?? helped out at the PE booth from 12-2 (actually didn't really do much except for watching raffles rock and jazz live in action...) this is not really that fun. As what Jon has said, the real thing will be CCA feste-the actual time to recruit members...oh well....from 2-4 went to range to help out...helping them load the guns that's all, nothing much to correct on as they were just trying out the facilities I guess. Talking about the range, oh yea, will not actually be training there hereafter as the actual com is held at safra yish. From 16 OCt onwards, life will be totally cool. that's totally the opposite of stagnancy.
after the open house, of course went to arcade dunno the how many time liao shooting hoops and steering cars and smashing air hockeys so on....penniless these days i guess. well back to pw as for now, as in for these three days.

Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death. James F. Byrnes (1879 - 1972)

Quasi una fantasia

2007-10-04T13:35:00.000-10:00

piano piece determined to complete by 2007: piano sonata no. 14 in c# minor by beethoven: moolight sonata...gotta set off for open house liao..won't be back till 5 plus 6...

We have been taught to believe that negative equals realistic and positive equals unrealistic.
Susan Jeffers

for the 100th time.......

2007-10-02T00:57:00.001-10:00

100th post....ok from now on i will try to include a quote in the blog so that it won't seem so inert..but there will be essence of relevance nonetheless ..shall insert one at the end of the post....basically the highlight of today is the tt game at bishan sports hall (actually not really)with wc, dt and cf ...wanted to nap at home and finish up some work but as usual, did not dare to exlude the probability that he would call me up for a game...so well, went and join him....or rather, he joining us at 3 plus...it has been long since we last played tt as seen from our amateurish style notwithstanding us picking up our composure and momentum as we continued 'practising' till the end..honestly, why not take up something more demanding? tennis? however, needless to say, if one can't get the strokes in tt right, how can he proclaim to be even a moderate player in tennis if irregardless of his ability? it was fun though, funny too, seeing the way he conducts himself ...btw seeing those kiddies learning tt is quite motivational. why can't we get a catalyst for tt or for whatever sports that matters when young? it is in the tender stage where we are able to shape ourselves better, to prepare ourselves with challenges, and to understand better in the future...seeing those gymnasts practising their sense of stability, controlling their every nerve, challenging their weaknesses simply causes one to realise the need to start young.,...haiz....it's true...so basically it was 2 times in a row...badminton + abit of tt yesterday and tt today..however not for the subsequent days...OH is only this friday. OH MY GOD! oops...didn't really contribute much...befriender meeting 2 plus to 6 plus tom wow, should have signed up as one...too late, have to go help out cca prep instead...haha...at least it's only 4-5 hours tomorrow. THIS THURSDAY WILL BE A BLAST!!!!!!!! one whole day in school for the full dress rehearsal!!!!!!! (hopefully everyone is busy there and then) after all friday is a big day indeed!! open house is only taking place for one day this year, which means that the sec 4s would me making their way around the island on that very morning....could still remember exactly one year ago, just received my result slip before going for rj open house (it was a rather angsty day for some reasons)...2 ccas to help out, would be busy on that day.....project work, leave it to the weekends....thing s are rolling in....15th Oct(safra membership as well as last day of school...so let it arrive fast!) will be missing 11 days of school from the 16th-26th....the attachment will fill the void till december...at least there's something to look forward to...as for the activity on the 31st of Oct, shall not mention about it much. well should end here today, will talk about the arcade thing tom or so.

Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.
B. F. Skinner

a wasted opportunity hah

2007-09-21T05:25:00.000-10:00

today is WC's birthday..we ended the day with a song for him...of course that eccentric DY was the most enthu guy out of us...in fact, it was his third time making a fool out of himself [oops i didn't say that] wishing wc a birthday song...of course WC felt flustered but nonetheless he should feel touched seeing his friends supporting and celebrating for him on top of spending quality time with him playing soccer and mugging all the while...talking about soccer, we actually played among ourselves for a while before having a friendly match with zombie's class which turned out pretty ok...seems that is a kind of reignition in this area of interest ..hmmm...but perhaps not really that obvious...so all in all, an exchange of nearly 3 hours for all the enjoyment derived...opp cost is nothing..in fact we have become mentally more alert for the rest of the remaining studying time in school..so much for having a birthdays before the biggest exam of the year....what's more, exactly a year later we would have finished all the school-based exams...wow...as for yesterday, last night in fact, it was so rather interesting to see DY being himself as usual, trying to offer food to security guards and hiding in the classroom after turning off the classroom lights when the security guards are approaching our classroom....it was definitely hilarious...basically, in order for us to exit or enter the classroom, we have to use the window (doors are locked for that particular classroom) there and then...even mr LLP had to climb in and out of the windows as he had promised to avail himself for consultation...he must have felt a sense of unity seeing his fellow ex-students again haha... but pity that wc was not able to record a video of he crossing over the barrier...indeed a wasted chance...this is a result of high barriers to entry lol...look forward to tomorrow....

...

2007-09-14T05:05:00.000-10:00

dun wanna blog no more......hope that things turn out well from now till the end of the first week of november....will continue blogging then....(unless there're any worthy things to talk about)

wait and see

2007-09-06T03:44:00.001-10:00

haha now that both parents will not be in sight till tuesday morning, the feeling is indeed unexplainable...went out for one whole day and revised somewhere in school....honestly i do prefer being with certain types of people..it is very crucial knowing who are the ones studying with you, whether you have been feeling comfortable in so doing...nice hanging out with these bunch of people..they really fit your personality and understand you best...well can't wait for the next few weeks...this week will see itself sort of being superimposed on the subsequent weeks, in which hopefully things can be said and done...it's better to work in pairs, trios, anything but instead of having all one's personal privacy and individualism..it makes one lot of a difference indeed. there's one more weekday left for this holiday but in fact, more to come for such a freedom...which does not come free indeed....just look forward to the next day and of course, do keep progressing and keep in touch...let's wait and see...

september has arrived

2007-09-03T18:56:00.000-10:00

2nd day of hols....5 more to go.....next three weeks will be quite enjoyable i suppose...heheh...spent much time watching the whole series of incredible tales...this thursday's episode is the season finale...so better catch it..

since this is the month of sept, why not know more about the significant events that took place so far during this month...

September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with 30 days.
September begins in western astrology with the sun in the sign of Virgo and ends in the sign of Libra. Astronomically speaking, the sun actually begins in the constellation of Leo and ends in the constellation of Virgo.
In Latin, septem means "seven" and septimus means "seventh"; September was in fact the seventh month of the Roman calendar until 153 BC.

Events in September
-It is the start of the academic year in many countries.

-On the first Sunday of September, the regata storica parade is staged in Venice, as prelude to the rowing contests known as regattas.

-Labor Day (Labour Day in Canada) is observed on the first Monday in September in the United States.

-In Japan, Respect for the Aged Day is a national holiday celebrated on the third Monday of September.

-Autumnal Equinox Day is also a national holiday.

-In the United States, Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15.

-In Mexico, Independence Day is celebrated September 16th.

-In Saint Kitts and Nevis, Independence Day is celebrated September 19th.

-National Grandparents' Day takes place on the first Sunday after Labor Day in the United States and Canada [1].

-In the United States, September 11 is Patriot Day, in remembrance of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

-In the Netherlands the third Tuesday in September is known as prinsjesdag. The government presents its annual budget. The queen rides to the parliament in a gilded coach and reads the plans for the coming year to the States-general.

-The equinox named the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere and the vernal or spring equinox in the southern hemisphere occurs on dates varying from 21 September to 24 September (in UTC). In the pagan wheel of the year the spring equinox is the time of Ostara and the autumn equinox is that of Mabon.

-In KwaZulu-Natal, king Shaka is commemorated on the last Sunday of September.
Counterintuitively, the German Oktoberfest and the Chinese August Moon festival (more correctly called the Mid-Autumn Festival) both occur in September.

-In Australia, Father's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September.

-In Australia, the AFL Grand Final is played on the last Saturday of September.
September 1 is celebrated as the beginning of Eritrea's 30 year armed struggle for independence from Ethiopia which began in 1961 and ended in 1991.

t-day eve

2007-08-31T04:41:00.001-10:00

wow today was a great day...basically these are what i did from the morning till ten when i reach back and my remarks...

aces day: nothing much, did not really dance to the beat...merely some warm-ups, left and right, etc

teacher's day performance: modern dance is good, case of the missing red pens is quite interesting but the four characters were quite lame...

writing of cards and kicking of the ball: met up with chaofan, wai, dext, wei, ben outside LT5 (benches area) where we spent a whole lot of an hour writing cards and playing soccer along the corridors...btw the ball is quite nice and really occupies our time....thanks to wai who painstakingly bought and brought the ball

to cat high: nothing much, took a double decker bus '13' to school from Ri ..saw many ex-cat highs on the bus, especially cat JC...we reached the school, familiarize ourselves yet again with the surroundings before looking for the rest of our classmates who were crowding at HCL teacher's desk in the HOD office...wow it's indeed a delight seeing all of them...from different JCs- temasek, national, hwa chong, victoria, saint andrews, anderson, pioneer, etc...of course we spoke to Mrs Goh...she was her usual self once again...quite gleeful to witness her old self again..it has been months since we last sawa each other..sigh...met up with Mrs Chew before leaving for the hawkercentre nearby for the midday meal...

4-10 outing: this was the highlight of the day. After having a appetising meal and drink treat topped up with conversations all around and across the tables, we decided to set off for bishan mrt station....again we took the double decker bus 13 ...basically we travelled all the way to city hall mrt station before making our way to suntec city engwah cinemas...honestly, those parts of suntec that i have yet to walk around (referring to the shops above carrefour and near the cinema). we came to a consensus that ratatouille will be the entertainment for the next 1.5 hours...i have to say, it's really an enjoyable shows, with the plots and themes just right(though it is quite unlikely and artificial)....but learnt quite some...like the importance of unpredictaibility in life, non-conformity to stereotypes, reminiscence, acceptability, teamwork etc...it was wonderful indeed. will give it at least a 3.5 stars..

continue...after the movie we headed to a bus stop just outside the tower where we waited for bus 36 or so but in vain..it failed to arrive even in 40 min..but fortunately time was not spent anyhow...went through a little of H3 math with dext...haha forgotten what maximal matching is about...well there are really a hellotof stuff to catch up these few weeks, or should i say, days! well but we were enjoying ourselves so much that we did not pay much attention to what's really upcoming...frustrated over the long wait, we decided to head back to the mrt station once again to board the train--this time to dhoby ghaut. By then we were rather drained from all the waiting, watchng of moviem, talking, walking, etc...but it was pretty alright...

at Paradiz centre:
first time visiting this place...quite a hip place--pool tables, Lan gaming, instrument shops and of course food courts where we had our dinners...had lor mee...soso la...not particularly nice though....after so we split up..half played pool while the remaining 50 % went for LAN....basically i went for pool first... what's new is the number game where u only have 9 clubballs and is quite different from the normal style...well it's quite cool...[to wai: haha nice playing with you] once the time is up, we headed for the LAN gaming shop...watched them play counterstrike...in which the cool zombie really showed his prowess...completely enthralled...DOTA is quite nice too la....everything lasted for about 20-25 min before we decided to call it a day... yup....so it's really quite taxing considering what we did today....so...do have a good rest tonight.....

t-day eve

2007-08-30T03:16:00.000-10:00

for the first time in several months, i fell asleep in the library (at the sleeping area of course)...was trying to concentrate on relativity, but still find it rather alien...today went for training....saw a stranger upon entering the range...she was the new coach.....old coach has gone back. since I have not been pistoling for weeks and weeks, my energy was not able to sustain throughout ...we were supposed to used up 5 target cards for today's session but i ended up using four 4 as i was kinda slow in firing each and every shot...but it wasn't really that bad..still able to group the shots...it would be a 6 weeks break before the proper training resumes...in fact, term 4 is quite a busy week....ccas, pw, etc...dying to watch movie ....tom going back cat high....one whole day..playing soccer, tabletennis, talk cock, and last but not least, dining with the teachers...well hope it turns out well...as for promotional exams, the stuffs are more or less there....it will have to depend on the upcoming week...as well as the first 3 weeks of term 4...donno what's the plan like...incredible tales at 10!!

tricks of the trade

2007-08-26T20:55:00.000-10:00

haha...came back from school awhile ago..have been using the com for like one and a half hour...went to the minimart in the residential area....took 15min to buy the stuffs i wanted...basically the shopkeeper was explaining to me how manufacturers of different products from different countries choose their expiry dates to be so and so, when is it the best time to consume certain foods like soysauce and canned stuffs...he went on explaining which brands are reliable, how he chooses which foodstuffs to sell and how can one judge the quality of the food through the pricing and so on....the tricks of the trade..very interesting...such knowledge could be useful after all...so go talk to your neighbourhood shopkeeper and learn more about all these!!

toYZ

2007-08-26T04:04:00.000-10:00

heyhey....shall post on this day...went to Mint Museum opposite raffles hotel near city hall...it was a rather small toy shop....but it sure brings you back to those golden days....one can see toys from the past, toys from around the globe, different sorts of toys etcetc...today's toys indeed have improved by leaps and bounds but yesteryear's toys are attention grabbing too...of course i took some pics.....

baDman
mobo pioneer... this bear just caught my attention....haiz..........

found these on the 3rd storey, reminds me of sth

forgotten who the leftmost character is

bonz--never actually heard of it..so well, might as well take some shots of it

golliwog----think is the best la, some more still got darkie

some micks and minns

forgotten the story of this felix liao ...lolz

some old toys....boring...beyblade better..

wind it......
little micks again

familiar>? well they are not exactly the same

well this is what they says

beatles memorabilia............

cs2

2007-08-25T00:59:00.000-10:00

watching campus superstar now.....having commercial break now....saw some familiar faces....well...btw last night met up with 3 of other former classmates and current schoolmates before having dinner and browsing through some gifts in view of next friday....well the nostalgic feeling is there...what a reunion...anyway we'll be meeting up again next week....wanted to watch a movie but promised to reach home earlier....poor zomb...darn....anyway, still got scolded in the end...what is it with them? ....anyway nothing can stop it as for now...back to the show...show ends @ 1130..

time to think

2007-08-20T05:00:00.000-10:00

it's late now--1105pm.....nothing much to say.....it's already august 20th...still not much change....still trying to find out more about myself....will be busy for the imminent weekends, busily enjoying should i say, idling my time away(not exactly in fact)....yet it signals the start of the end of term three indeed. it's time to think....we have only one chance....but so many chances out there...it's time to think hard

aha

2007-08-14T19:50:00.000-10:00

eaten by a snake....
first game of soccer...

Why You Shouldn't Get Out of the Plane in Africa...

what do you see in yourself?

When Your Airport Uses Microsoft Products...

who you are really chatting with....on the internet

how to tell whether you are addicted to computers

try it...you will see a person

look into my eyes if u can

the day you wished you hid your wedding shoes

Kitty cats on the police force?

What Happens When You Have...

1) Nothing to do 2) A sharp knife 3) A large lime 4) A patient cat 5) Too much tequila 6) And it's football season?

You Get a Feline Football Player!

titleless

2007-08-14T01:41:00.000-10:00

don told me that i should update bloggy...fine...
current feeling: numbness of the brain...just played neopets for 30min...i'm an addict now..arrgg..last night slept at 12 plus..considered quite late for a school day...was watching campus superstar and the result show last night...pity that the good ones were kicked out...the poorer ones who were given the lowest scores and being commented the most critically by the 3 teachers-cum-judges garnered more votes... as usual...fortunately, keely and shawn(who is only sec one), the best two, made it to the safe zone during the announcement of the results, after all the smses frenzy....look forward to their performances on the 25th...oh and the day after will try to watch da vinci...
now the stuff to settle: op, h3s, gp...
this afternoon we talked about CIP...AWWA is quite a waste of time...boon kheng...the first time i tried offering my service there with jing wen i was rather put off...but what mattered most was the distance...boon kheng is no stone throw's away....this saturday got the usher cip...what is it exactly about??? well.perhaps just go find out...
H3 phy today very interesting and boring!! sitting in the dark watching einstein's big " (forgotten) was sleep-inducing..but that was the middle parts.the front parts and back parts are more interest-arousing...E=mc(sq)...basically the movie discussed in detail each and every physical quantity found in the equation and explores how they are related...relativity...time and speed...matter and energy...haiz...
this thurs physics test on thermal, next tues econs essay test (must strive to pass), tom gp compo test, next fri h3 math test, dunno whether there'll be math test....oral p a month after promos, eom next friday....manymany stuffs...promos: 6 more weeks