damian + turion

2009-12-12T23:47:00.001+08:00

[121209] ouch.

This tingling sensation only confirms what i've felt all along. ouch.

it's always the tiniest pin prick that hurts the most and this is no different.

2009-11-02T22:11:00.002+08:00

[021109] down the road of liabilities

Have you ever heard people saying that Cars are almost inevitably liabilities and never assets? Well, it could be counted as an asset only in the convenience it provides but overall, owning a car is a liability. Well, what would you expect? COE, Insurance, ERP, Parking, FUEL, maintenance, washing (if you happen to be lazy or do not have a domestic helper that helps you keep the car spick and span every single morning before you drive off to work), modifications (if you're into that, zhnging too much can incur the wrath of the gah-men equates to more $$$ being paid out), fines (if you're not careful) and lastly, accidents (choY!) but there are reckless drivers in Singapore (mainly members of the fairer sex). Yep. having a car is a liability.

This is what I say and think, Your road to owning a liability starts from the very moment you enroll yourself in the driving centre.

Though the skill of driving is an asset. Note to self: ALL and i mean ALL driving practical lessons are fully booked from now til the end of December. (yep, you didint read wrongly, it's really fully booked. earliest i can book a lesson is in January 2010) crazy. madness. Really so many people that hard up to learn how to drive?

Can't wait to learn how to drive actually. Somehow i think i'll get Tokyo Drift's soundtrack playing in my head when i first step into the car for my lesson. That scene to me, is absolutely hilarious.

2009-10-09T14:49:00.002+08:00

[091009] Lies, lies and more lies

Whoever told me AMD was the easiest IND stn to do ought to be hanged, castrated, shot and torn to pieces with the use of raging horses. It was singlehandedly the worst flight I did in my 10 months of flying. Jeez, wondering wtf the caterers were thinking of when they decided to load the meals the freaking way they did. I think my lifespan just got shortened by 5 days after this flight.

And Matt, who told me that he had quote, "A FUCKING GOOD TIME" in AMD ought to be shot as well, good time? what good time? Matt, dude wtf did you do over here to have a good time? run around in the slums singing Jai Ho? getting it down with the natives? jeez.

One more day to go before heading back home.. im getting sick of indian food and cup noodles. First agenda once i touch down in SG, bak chor mee ta, lots of chilli. Yep, that's what keeps me going thru the dark, boring and moody days in AMD.

2009-10-05T10:27:00.001+08:00

[051009] Quote of the day

Dalif Roos Heilig cannot understand why God is being mentioned all the time despite the fact that he's not there physically to help you.He could be playing Guitar Hero with Satan for all you know

blasphemy but a darn funny blasphemy at that... makes my day.

2009-09-30T10:44:00.002+08:00

[300909] Time that slips away

I feel as though I'm wasting the prime of my youth.

Find comfort and solace in the Silence.

The sands of time slips through my hands and what's gone can never be regained.

2009-09-28T16:12:00.000+08:00

[280909] random thoughts

Something that just came to my mind. 2's a company, 3's a crowd. I somehow get the feeling that should i ever get out of the wilderness (highly unlikely judging by current situations), i would not only find it weird but more likely than not, not get used to it at all and ultimately might not even adapt to it. And should such an event occur, I think the logical thing would be to head off into the wilderness again.

On a sidenote, Inglourious Basterds was a damn good film.

2009-09-26T20:27:00.002+08:00

[260909] My core being

I think i realised something about myself. It's not a divine revelation or anything of that sorts but just that it gave me a better understanding of how my current life came about to be in this current state. Deep down, I resent (though it seems a bit strong but i really cant seem to find another word to substitute it) hassles. Hassles in everyday life. To be bogged down by details. In an essence to put in effort where it's due. Sounds as though im just being plain lazy but to a certain extend, i realise it now to explain why so many things are where they stand currently.

In crude terms, a relationship is nothing more than emotions mixed in with hassles, alot of hassles.
And the process in which to start a relationship is more often than not, a hassle among hassles.
Which might explain my current martial status: Single, available and pretty much not doing anything about it.

I've been told, I'm simply bo chap (cant be bothered) with regards to my social life and i agree. It's simply too much of a hassle to get anything going, not to mention sustaining it. Somehow my views with regards to my personal and professional life are shrouded in disparity. If only i could somehow transfer just a tiny percentage of my enthusiasm and work ethic from my professional life to work on my personal life, maybe it might be different but then again, who am i trying to kid? Bottom line is: I shun Hassles.

2009-07-18T16:29:00.002+08:00

[180709] Reflections

People should take time out of their busy lives to reflect on their lives every once in a while. sadly for most, they dont have the luxury of such 'time' to spare, hence they go about their lives everyday, every hour, every minute, every second according to their timetables, their schedules, their rosters meaninglessly, mindlessly without direction and aim.

unlike most of my peers, i have the luxury of having lots of free time, this would be to most people a blessing but alas for me, i find it to be a curse at times. Sure, i enjoy time off from work, who doesnt? But when the time is spent mostly in isolation and in silence, it gets to you, eats at you, gnaws at your very being and makes you just downright depressed at times.

I think all this is self induced, a simple sms to friends would suffice, a gym buddy, someone to have lunch/dinner with or someone to watch the movies with but everyone's busy these days, they have their own lives, their own commitments and simply put, our schedules always clash. Due to these factors however, most of the time, I end up not looking for friends to go out with at all... too much of a hassle and trouble so I go the gym, I go the movies, I have my lunch and dinners and life goes on.

turion in a world of black and white surrounded by the deafening silence...

2009-07-10T07:05:00.003+08:00

[100709] Post Milan & Venice

One word to describe Milan & Venice: SWWWWWWWWWWwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeettttttttttttttt.

Now I understand what's all the hoo-ha about these 2 places, it's like being in a totally different world altogether, the culture, the buildings, the architecture, the people. Italian girls are not hot, they're damn hot.

Favourite pic of the entire trip, yeah i know, I love it too... the essence of Venice in a picture.

Shanghai next... nothing much to do except to stuff myself silly with FOOOooooDDdddd.

2009-06-21T11:01:00.002+08:00

[210609] 2 month summary

Some quick updates, it's been 6 months since i started flying and i've finally cleared probation. What does this mean, well it has a few implications, namely, im entitled to the yearly performance bonus given out by the company, i'm able to change flights with other crew members, i can make use of my yearly previlege tickets and lastly, i'm not covered by the P plate anymore so if i screw up anything, i'll have to face the consequences.

Since Hazel has been eagerly waiting for my travel posts, shall post the more interesting places i've been to for the past 2 months:

Paris: The city of Love, unlike many of my fellow crew who loved this station, i'm one of the more abnormal ones in not liking Paris, mainly due to the fact that i found it to be quite a hassle to travel around and find food but this is just my own opinion and most of the crew i've flew with begs to differ and often list Paris as one of their favourite stations. Visited the major attractions, The Effiel Tower, The Arc De Triomphe, The Lourve and even the flagship LV store.

Christchurch: Christchurch is like most aussie or kiwi destinations - boring. Nothing really much to do unless you're prepared to rent a car and go out of the city to see the sights. Wanted to go for the LOTR tour or white water rafting but unfortunately there wasnt really any time to do all that. Supposedly there's this place just a couple of hours journey away where the sights are breathtaking during winter. Had an excellent steak though at the hotel restaurant @ 50% discount. Excellent deal. Kiwi stations are oftent the best places to be getting Eiswein as they're really quite afforable. I love sweet wines.

Taipei: What more need I say about Taipei? Excellent food and the accomadation at the Sheraton Taipei was excellent.

Zurich: 2nd trip to Zurich and managed to meet up with friends there yet again. Went to Mount Titilus and had an extraordinary time with the gals. Unfortunately, Zurich lists as one of the more boring european stations and the fact that decent food isnt really accessible around the hotel makes it one of those stations where you could iterally stay in your room the entire 2 days until you have to report for the flight back that is unless you're thinking of venturing to other cities like Luzern or Bern.

London: My first ever trip to london and i can safely say that London has replaced Amsterdam as my favourite station. Accomadation may be lacking when compared to Amsterdam's Marriot but when you consider the fact that the hotel is so accessible and the ease of travel around london makes it insignificant. Plenty of activities for anyone regardless of interests. Be it roaming around the city's many museums or visiting the many football grounds or just finding a pub to drink their excellent stout or catching any of the world class plays they have in their theatres, there's something for everyone to do in London. I managed to catch Phantom of the Opera and it was great value for money... and the Roast Duck rice is to die for. Yep, Best roast duck rice i had in my life.

Bombay coming up...

2009-04-12T11:03:00.002+08:00

[120409] the long ardurous week is finally over...

Finally after more than 9 days of long stretched out boredom and idleness, it's finally going to be over and be replaced by something more productive - WORK. Some of you may think im crazy but i would prefer more work over idleness especially when there wasnt much constructive things to do during the long break. Let's review what i did for the past 9 days: I gym-ed, ate, slept, got acquainted with my PS2, gym-ed, ate, slept, PS2, gym-ed, ate, slept, PS2... ... ... ... ... you get the idea. nuff said: im just happy to get back to work.

I did manage to get out of the house during the long break, caught CATS! the musical. It was certainly enjoyable seeing this world reowned musical production though i was slightly disappointed with my choice of seats. Now i know better, in the future to buy seats in circle 2 instead of 3. hmmm... sound quality wise was a tad too soft for my liking, couldnt hear the lyrics to the songs when they were singing at times but overall a splendid production. Next up would be to watch Phantom of the Opera. Hopefully will be able to catch it in either NY or London. Let's hope they open up the NY stn soon or I get a London for my roster soon.

Jellicle Cats!

Memory

2009-03-18T22:28:00.002+08:00

[180309] remember, remember the fifth of November

Caught 'V for vendetta' on channel 5 yesterday night for the first time and was surprised that it was actually a pretty decent movie. I always had the notion when the film first came out years ago that it was a poor movie to watch despite the rave reviews by many of my friends, turned out that it was a pretty good movie with a rather dark and Gothic feel to the entire film set in an alternate history.

Caught a movie along the similar lines today, 'Watchmen' by DC comics, the major rival of Marvel comics. For the uninitiated, DC comics produced the likes of Batman, Green Latern etc while the likes of Iron Man, X-Men belonged to the rival Marvel Comics. Unlike the superhero flicks produced by Marvel comics, this film was anything but family oriented or friendly with clear 'good triumphs over evil' overtunes, instead, it was more adult, x-rated, mature, dark and gory filled as the 'heroes' in the film not only exhibit the only virtues expected of in superheroes but also a darker side to them. For those who watched it and didnt pay close attention to the dialouge, they could be easily lost in the plot that traverses freely between the past and present making hard for some to follow along. An enjoyable movie with wonderful scripted characters and rich dialogue along with some kick ass fight sequences with much blood and gore, 2 things you dont usually expect in a superhero flick.

Reported at 1st Division for pre-ICT briefing, as i expected, it was indeed a waste of time as the time spent waiting for the briefing to start was actually longer than the actual briefing itself. To make matters worse, the briefing was pretty basic and was pretty much redundant, they could have just mailed us the ICT orders along with written instructions on general instructions and infomation. The LTA that gave the breifing looked lost and for most of the extremely short briefing was basically mumbling to himself. WTF?!? what a complete waste of time and to think because of this, my JNB-CPT flt was cancelled. Thanks ar, SCDF.

Realised once again that one should be more realistic in his goals and even when dreaming that dreams should be realistic instead of reaching for the unattainable,the unreachable and the impossible. That's when you get your hopes high and as always, hope is the first step on the road to disappointment and ultimately leads to the inevitable conclusion of failure and the feeling of defeat stings harder than ever before binding one to a never ending cycle of self pity and indifference.

2009-03-17T14:43:00.002+08:00

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

hmmm, hard to judge whether this is a fact or fiction...

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You are not looking merely for a girl/boyfriend - you are looking for your life partner. Perhaps you should be more open-minded about who you spend time with. The person you are looking for might hide their charm under their exterior.

hmmm, quite true regarding the above statement.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

true again.

The seriousness of your love:

You like to flirt and behave seductively. The opposite sex finds this very attractive, and that's why you'll always have admirers hanging off your arms. But how serious are you about choosing someone to be in a relationship with?

this is the most untrue of all the statements regarding this personality test. flirt and behave seductively? hell is more likely to freeze over before you'll see turion ever exhibiting such behaviour.

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

this is only half true, i do view education as important, but the working hard and learning as much as i can part is kinnda off, put off by my innate procrastination.

The right job for you:

You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success.

hmmm... hard to judge

How do you view success:

You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.

very true.

What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.

need i say more? this is the pinnacle of my beliefs and self-being

Who is your true self:

You are full of energy and confidence. You are unpredictable, with moods changing as quickly as an ocean. You might occasionally be calm and still, but never for long.

partly true, not always full of energy and more often than not, i think i lack confidence but one thing is for sure, my moods swings.

2009-03-12T17:21:00.002+08:00

[120309] turion the old of heart

i feel old... not physically... im feelin old mentally and emotionally... just feel so burdened and disheartened... have no idea where all these feelings are coming from but i feel as though im aging faster than im supposed to be. im just tired i guess... physically, mentally and emotionally drained... actually, to say im drained would be a wrong statement, it feels more as though im devoid of feelings, indifference on my part...

i guess it really hit me hard this feeling of age when i was sitting at the void deck drinking beer and eating peanuts with redfox last night, somehow the scene seems comical bordering on the rediculous but there we were, a 25 and 24 year old, doing what we've seen middle aged men do at void decks since the HDB flats were built in the 60s.

if boredom could kill, i would be dead a thousand times over. I've been rotting at home for the last 5 days... doing nothing but gyming, eating, sleeping and surfing net. some of you may view this as being enjoyable but to me, it was pure torture, i guess i enjoy being occupied and having things to do even if it's work. I just cant stand being idle and not having any plans for the day and instead waste it by just rotting at home. sighz.. there's another block of 10 days / standby where once again, i fear, boredom would overwhelm me.

Im allocated leave next month. 1 whole week. the mere thought of it sickens me. Im terrified by the prospects of doing nothing and rotting at home. sighz...

2009-03-04T10:26:00.003+08:00

[040309] stroke the fire within, patiently, slowly, tenderly

the fire grows within me, stroke it patiently, stroke it consistently but most of all stroke it lovingly. let my will grow like iron which goes through the arduous testament of flames and heat before it becomes strong. let my will too be like iron in which i can depend on to move on in trying times and desolate moments. let my will personify me, to be one of a strong and virtuous character. Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will.

"watch your thoughts, for they become words.

watch your words, for they become actions.

watch your actions, for they become habits.

watch your habits, for they become character.

watch your character, for it becomes your destiny." ~unknown author

met up with triple niners for a dim sum lunch and dinner at indonesian joint in Lucky plaza. It's always nice to meet up with batchies after such a long time away as we talked about our lives thus far and how work has been and share experiences and bitch about nasty superiors or incidents. Time waits for no one and our endless monotony of work has already gave way to 6 months. 6 months since we've joined the company, how time flies when you're out in the working world.

I still remember the excruiating days of National Slavery whilst serving in the MLR-CDF (inside joke) where everyday was a day filled with despair and hopelessness as i dragged myself miserably out of bed at 5 am, report to work at 7am and leave only at 6 pm. Those were the days of cruel exploitation. Sanity was maintained (barely) only through the companionship of those 20 odd of us who similary were in the same fate, endured the same shit everyday, went home happy and woke up barely hours later, knowing that we were going to be going through the same old BS again.

ah, the good ol' days... reminiscing the good ol' days. Somedays, i wished i was back during those days, my sec sch life, my poly life, even my NS life. Life seemed much simpler then. less worries, less burdens.

世界是黑暗的 - 无色无味无意思

2009-02-24T23:42:00.002+08:00

[240209] my 300th post

it's been a long time since i blogged and it boils down to a couple of reasons: there wasnt any motivation to blog, i was lazy, nothing interesting happened that allowed me to post, i was lazy, i had writer's block, i was lazy, i wasnt in singapore (internet access) for half of last month, i was lazy. You get the picture.

Just when I thought i had left my national slavery days behind me, a 'ON GAH MEN SERVICE' letter appeared, ordering me to report for a routine reporting exercise on the 18th of March. !*&^$#%$%$%^$%^$%@ This is when murphy's laws is at its truest. My march roster had 17 days which i was either on off or on standbys. Guess which day my routine reporting exercise fell on? Yep, it fell on one of the days which i was due on flight and that's not the only thing, of the 5 flights which i had, it HAD to fall on my longest flight. Yep, damian peh is the walking epitome of murphy's laws.

Besides all the trouble it has cost me thus far, my cancelled flight has now been replaced with 5 days of standby and 5 days of off which means effectively for next month, im eating grass and drinking air with the loss of income, and that's not even the best part yet, all of this trouble just because they want us to report for TWO miserable hours.
see, we're not really free, never have been... we're, i meant im still chained and enslaved.

300th post in 40 months.

2009-01-09T23:23:00.002+08:00

[090109] felt cheated and betrayed

Don't you guys go on thinking along the wrong lines just by reading the above heading. Nope, i havent been cheated or duped by anyone. My reasons for the above feelings is because of watching Red Cliff 2. Felt so let down by the ending and the overall screenplay, perhaps it was for the dramatization of the film but through that process, the story actually differed from the actual novel itself.

Gone was the Ku rou ji employed by Zhou Yu on Huang Gai and used to trick Cao Cao and according to the novel, Cao Cao narrowly escaped from the battle of the red cliffs by sheer luck as he galloped with his entourage fleeing from the scene of chaos and carnage as the battle raged on not like the movie where Zhou Yu actually let him live and leave. Think even the role of xiao qiao, one of the famed beauties of ancient times was overemphasized probably due to her role being potrayed by Lin Chilin. what a disappointment indeed.

IP man was nice though and there arent too many complaints i have about the overall film itself. The action sequences were excellent but then again with Donnie Yen doing the scenes and Sammo Hung choreographing it, who would and could complain? One of the better martial arts movies to come out for a while. I think huo yuan jia would find this movie a hard one to beat and that says alot coming from me, a big jet li fan.

Today felt like the days when i was working at TCC and waiting to go serve National service, i would work, work and work and when it came to off days, i would spend it watching 2 movies and having a nice lunch somewhere so that i can spend the day outside passing time and not rotting at home. With my current job, i think this process would be a regular one, once again, i find that my job's not being very condusive for my social circle with everyone and i mean everyone not being free when im free, days become meaningless, there are no fridays, saturdays or sundays on my calendars. It's become just a representation of the DATES. TGIF holds no more meaning for me unless it's TGIOD (Thank God It's Off Day) and Public holidays are just some other dates. That is my life... i enjoy my job but somehow, i think something's missing... i need to break out of the deafening silence...

2009-01-08T18:22:00.007+08:00

[080109] Post Cape Town

I'm back people! Once again, i leave a very beautiful and scenic country with absolutely gorgeous weather to return to a country the equivalent of a gym sauna, the heat and humidity powered to the max. I hate the weather in Singapore, im beginning to realise... weather in Cape Town was around the low twenties, might be lower, excellent for wearing your hoodies as you walk around town.

Fooooooooddddd.... Ahhhh... the very reason for mankind's existance. I took pics this time round so be warned. Tried fresh oysters for the first time, very very very nice indeed, no wonder ppl go ga-ga over them.

A squeeze of lemon and a dash of tabasco and voila! The perfect starter to your seafood meal. Ate at Ocean's basket, a restaurant similiar in concept to Fish and Co. though my colleagues tell me it's the same. Their seafood platter was to die for... fresh succulent fish with sumptous prawns and delightul rice and mussles. yumz.Visited a seal colony as well as a beach frequented by the funniest and probably cutest creatures on Earth - Penguins! hahaha, absolutely hilarious watching the little critters walk around and jump from rock to rock as they manuveoured around the rocky coastline. Visited Cape Point where the cape of good hope is situated and the cape of good hope lighthouse but sadly visibilty was severly hampered with misty and cloudy conditions.

Fortune favoured those with persistance however as the skies was clear over table mountain allowing us the opportunity to go up Table Mountain - reckoned to the oldest mountain in the world, even older than the Rockies and Himalayas. The view was just breathtaking and with the impending sunset, every picture we took was just postcard perfect.i miss cape town already... Brisbane coming up...

2008-12-30T16:16:00.005+08:00

[301208] Post Amsterdam

I'm back from the red light district capital of Europe - Amsterdam. No, i didnt get high smoking, pot, weed or marijuana thank you very much nor did i manage to shop the 'windows' at De wallen - the famous red light district. What i DID do was eat, and i meant gorging myself almost to death but just stopped myself in time, unfortunately i didnt take any pics of the delightful meals i ate so you just have to put your imagination to good use.

Food was expensive there, comparing to local standards of course but the portions were fitting and were delicious. Cafe De Castille, a rather reowned cafe served an excellent mixed grill, BBQ pork ribs, with succulent and fatty pork chops and a nicely seared medium rare steak along with some rather zingy mayo/mustard combi kinnda sauce. Tried escargo for the first time and it tastes like well, mushrooms? hahaha, rather chewy if you ask me.

The gals said i look like a burglar with my beanie. sad-ded... haha, the face of a criminal

I didnt get a chance to go sight seeing as well though there wasnt really anything much to see 'cept the windmills and tulips and all the arty farty stuff like art museums and galleries. I went instead with some of the crew to more practical locations like LV, Channel and Gucci shops for a continued education on the close links between people of my profession and their never ending desire for the finer items and accessories in life.

Slot in MacDonalds for lunch and we were back out in full force for a LONG trip down one of their shopping destricts for more common and mundane window shopping. I miss the cold weather in Amsterdam, alot of the others seem to really detest it, though i cant really endure the cold i really do love the weather, hmmm... perhaps i should migrate to a country with a cold climate someday.

*makes mental note to self*
FUTURE WIFE MUST LOVE COLD WEATHER

LOL...

hope this post finds all my readers in good health and spirits, A belated xmas to all and have a smashing and splendid new year! cheers.

PS: I found out that duck feeding was a really cool activity and the ducks are extremely adorable. *sounds gay* rofl

2008-12-11T16:57:00.004+08:00

[111208] post maldives

I'm already missing the slow pace, chill and care free atmosphere of maldives, it just feels so damn relaxing just being there forget aromatherapy, spa and what not, just go there and instantly you'll feel a weight lifted off your shoulders, of course, spa and aromatherapy facilities are available to make your trip even more worry free.

The sea was exactly what you see in the movies and book, crystal clear and as you go deeper, the sea changes colour from a clear turquoise to a deep sapphire blue with shoals and fish swimming around. Went snorkeling for the first time, definitely an experience, didnt really manage to do any deep sea snorkeling but still manage to see fish swimming around and corals and even clown fish.

no wonder, honeymooners flock to these islands for their exotic yet rugged beauty and untainted beaches and sea. The fact that it's so quiet and relaxing adds to the pull of the Maldives. Definitely a place to visit.

Next flight: Chennai turnaround. Prepping myself to fight a war in the skies.

2008-12-08T16:45:00.003+08:00

[081208] post Taipei

back from Taipei, absolutely beautiful weather. The best time to visit Taiwan is during the november - december period when the temperature's around 15 - 18 degrees. Cold yet not too cold, walk around entire day and you'll hardly break a sweat. shiokness to the max especially if you love huddling and wearing a nice thick comfy hoody or sweater.

Visited Ximenting and shilin night market. Kinnda nice to be able to visit these places that i've always seen and read about from the various Taiwanese variety shows but didnt really see anything that i really fancied, the shops are cathered more for gals and mat and me had to wait around as the gals shopped so it was in a way quite boring, next time, i endeavour to roam the streets of taipei by myself and see the sights and sounds of the city.

Food report: didnt get to eat mee sua. I know, a sin in itself having visited taipei and not eat their mee sua but after whacking an all you can eat steamboat buffet, there was hardly enough space for anything else let alone mee sua. tried a bit of the chix cutlet and taiwanese sausages, damn solid much better than anything i can find here. Shall try the mee sua along with the oyster egg omelet on my next visit there and perhaps visit the taipei 101.

Turion @ Ximenting

Next up: Maldives!

2008-12-04T21:53:00.003+08:00

[041208] impulsive buying

it's been quite sometime since i last updated, lotsa things happening and im kinnda overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done, im going through that phase where having 24 hours in a day barely satisfies my need for more time to allow me to finish the tasks that need to be finished. some updates, done with SEP and First Aid, i am qualified to fly and operate so to speak. Saturday's first flight to Taiwan, kinnda excited about it, gonna seriously whack the food there, no remorse, just whack only.

you ever heard the phrase, "boys will be boys" and "boys and their gadgets (toys)", i went to SITEC 2008 on the last day and bought myself a shiny ipod classic 120gb with a pair of Sennheiser earphones and a travel pouch to go along and a samsung digital camera, all of which cost significantly enough to force me into bankruptcy. Im so soo sooo soooo broke now. Worse thing is despite my very own financial crisis which even surpasses that of the 1930s depression, I am very very very pleased with my purchases. (this despite the fact that i have wind and grass in my stomach in lieu of proper nutritious food)

Why oh why did i succumb to this madness of impulsive buying? the differentiating lines between the good to haves, nice to haves and must haves are blurred and mixed up now. Mixed up priorities along with a tendency to simply swipe a card instead of nets-ing drags me more into debt. sighz, damian, the weak of mind.

counting down to paycheck and first flight, hopefully will have pics to show of my one night stop in Taipei. cheers to all. 21 days to xmas...

2008-11-14T22:08:00.002+08:00

[141108] the first of many...

Feels kinnda good to see my 1st paycheck from my 1st full time job. I mean, i've seen money being credited into my bank account before but it was all either from part-timing or worse still (National Service) and it totally feels different. Heck, i think im just being weird.

1st roster for the month of december is out, will be flying to Taipei on the 6th, Maldives on the 10th, and Chennai on the 13th for my SNY(Supernumerary) flights where we are to observe, learn and ask questions from those already with flying experience meaning essentially, we're tagging along for the ride. 1st Solo will be to Penang (i know, WTH?!$@%$#^!&) on xmas eve and Amsterdam on xmas day for my 2nd solo. Considered a pretty decent roster by my batch's standard. Im definitely having one of the better rosters considering out of 19 of us, only 4 of us got flights to Europe and all were guys, none of the gals got any Europe bound flights. ouch.

Training's a bitch these days, moving on to the safety evacuation procedures training which is damn dry and boring. Falling asleep in class is a pretty common occurrence which seems to infuriate the instructor. Oh well... we cant exactly help it can we? did the 1st slide jump from the simulator. Damn fun. Doing ditching in the wave pool next thurs, something to look forward to other than the monotonous theory lessons everyday.

even after payday, still kinnda broke after paying off all the bills and what nots. Still have SNY and Solo flights coming up. Gotta buy luggage bag, change currency to spend. money money money.

poor broke damian.

lucky payday coming soon but doubt it's enough.

2008-11-06T19:34:00.003+08:00

[061108] too many cooks spoil the...

There are times when democracy fails in its essence to provide everyone with an equal voice to make their opinions and ideas known. Because, instead of making the process more efficient, we create too many options for everyone to be divided over. Everyone wants to contribute but everyone thinks their ideas are the best and would not be open to someone else's idea. This is especially so, when people are reluctant to abide by the decisions agreed upon by the majority of the group.

In the end, time, effort and energy is spent and wasted on answering and re-answering the same questions over and over again under the guise of being fair and democratic when actually people are trying to manipulate the vote to swing in their favor. It is this redundant and time wasting process that gets me pissed off and riled up. It becomes worse when they refuse to take up the position and the responsibility but yet throws their weight around during discussions and tries to shove their opinions down our throats.

DU-LANZ.

That's the perfect statement to describe my sentiment. Can't be bothered no more, shall just go with the flow. Come what may and just do whatever that's necessary. Fuck it.

2008-10-19T12:24:00.002+08:00

[191008] updates on life

Been some time since i've updated. Nothing much to talk about, cant blog too much about my life also (restricted by company rules and regulations). Exams are coming in 2 weeks time, kindda getting kan-cheong over it. Foundations exams, 4 papers, passing mark = 80%. Stressed but still not gonna do anything about it. The procrastinator in me overrides any mere speck of logical thought i have.

One thing i can say is that i had fun during a.l.c.o.h.o.l.i.c beverages class, which other job allows you to learn and drink all during the official working hours? Had champagne (correction: sparkling wine, since the Jacobs Creek wasnt from champagne and thus cant be called champagne), a variety of cocktails and mocktails as well as red and white wines. happening indeed. To top it off, we were allowed free access to the BAR cart towards the end, made our own fav drinks. The B52 made by Kent was really nice. Creamy goodness with a tinge of ophfm!

went to zouk for the first time last night, you might find it shocking but then again, i dont exactly have the reputation of a clubber now do i? it was interesting to say the least, air crew pass got me in free but only to velvet and zouk, phuture was off limits but the citibank card opened all doors, members get in free to all 3. didnt dance as usual, just stood at a corner drinking and watching ppl dance. Didnt drink much either, i still like double O for the dirt cheap drinks and retro on sats. $12 for a jug and i can probably nurse 2 or 3 for the night. i still haven deciphered the logic and reasoning behind clubbing. I dont think i'll ever understand. i shall just stick to the drinking part when clubbing and the stoning that follows.

eagerly anticipating the arrival of november. really damn broke already. company cant process our payrolls in time for the october paydate. du-lanz. suck thumb, eat air and grass for the next 2 weeks liao.

2008-10-05T13:23:00.003+08:00

[051008] post Northface 100

took me 9.5 hours to finish the northface 100. I don't think trail running is the thing for me especially when I didnt go train for it. First 22km and I've already had trouble with it. Aidan dropped out around the 18km mark leaving me alone to go for the finish line. Practically walked the entire way after the route at Bukit Timah nature reserve.

At least i completed it. (Northface staff was beginning to clear up by the time i reached. Cut off timing for the race was 8hours, when i left, there were still a couple of teams that were just reaching. Not the first but not the last either. In a race, what's most important is to just finish it.)

Think i'll just stick to the regular marathons.

2008-09-27T10:02:00.002+08:00

[270908] i'm luving it

The deed is done.
The bond is signed.
The path is set.

Started training already and so far, it's been a blast, great bunch of lads and lasses to learn everything with over the next 2 and a half months. Will graduate in the middle of December, who knows, i might be flying around by xmas! good thing is, we'll get to fly during the last phase of our training itself to allow us a chance to learn while on the job.

kinnda broke this month, in a very very tight financial situation at the moment, can't wait for october to quickly come to relieve me of this economic burden. Looking forward to Oct 1st, 7th, 11th and 21st. Ka-ching! ka-ching! but there seems to be so many things to buy and expenses to pay, hope i'll get to set aside something for savings during my training...

argh, Northface 100 is next saturday already!!!! so gonna die for that race... it seems i'm never ever prepared for all the races that i join, AHM 07 Standard Chartered 07, Sundown 08, AHM 08 and now the northface 100. the pain and agony to look forward to.... really looking forward to it... (yea right)

2008-09-17T22:48:00.003+08:00

[170908] OL' SKOOL ROX

nothing beats old school music, MAMA MIA is a must watch, not just for the story and humour but for the wonderful soundtrack as well. Im bitten by the MAMBO bug.

4 popcorns out of 5

2008-09-16T14:29:00.003+08:00

[160908] Damian, the misunderstood one

Friends and random people who visit this blog to read about my mundane life and my whining, whimpering and random outbursts, am I what I seem to be? Or do you think I am what I portray in person? hmmm, question that got me pondering, a colleague of mine pointed out to me that I should smile more and talk more (read: be more sociable and less of a loner, in simpler hokkien terms, dont be so DAO).

Erm, ok... do I portray a very fierce, unapproachable kind of persona? Maybe it's reflex action, afterall 8 years of service to the corps and a further 2 years in CD as an instructor hardly allowed myself to become a smiley, chatty, affable kind of a guy. But I hardly think I'm a dao kind of guy, leaning slightly towards the loner mentality perhaps, not so sociable perhaps but then again, i warm up slowly to people and you can't really fault me on that.

Why should I go around with a smile on my face? Makes me feel kinnda spastic and weird. I don't smile unless something amuses me and I don't dance unless i hear some music (ok, i take that back, that analogy doesn't work: I don't dance even if i hear music but you get the general gist of the statement im trying to make? Do you?) Oh well, can't be too bothered with that but just got me thinking...

Perfect example of a spastic smile, wouldnt be too nice for me going around with that look on my face would it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Think i touched on this topic many times now, would you voluntarily commit yourself to a religion for the sake of love?

With the wide spread (& popularity) of Christianity (just an example, could be Buddhism, Islam or any other religion), chances are high when you meet someone new, that someone new might be of a different faith. So you go through the entire circle, the dating, the wooing and finally you got together. In the course of courtship, the matter of faith might be overlooked, afterall, when hormones and feelings of love are mixed together, everything else fades to the background.

But in time, perhaps you decide he/she is the one, that it's time to apply for that HDB flat together, what then? Most of the religions would require the other half to convert. (this is true for Islam and Catholics, not too sure about Christianity in general) Would you willingly do so? In my instance, a non-believer. Would I willingly convert and merely pay lip service to a religion i would have no faith in, no beliefs in and no trust in? All for the sake of love and a lasting marriage?

If I do so,i would just be lying to myself and my other half. And yet, if i don't it would seem that i do not perceive the relationship to be as important as my faith and beliefs (or lack of it). Damned if I do, Damned if I don't. A perfect catch twenty-two. No way out. How do I answer that question?

The saying goes: Love conquers all but does it now? Can it conquer faith?

I think the answer to that would be to find me a nice chinese gal who's either a free-thinker, an atheist or somebody who just doesn't care. Saves me the headache in thinking so much.

2008-09-14T09:46:00.003+08:00

[140908] we live to eat & eat to live

Spent a hectic 2 days catching up with camp colleagues, old & new spending time & money on the most basic and nourishing factor in life: FOOD. Thursday's dinner was buffet at Carnivore's, a Brazilian restaurant followed by dessert at Senzo. Interesting first experience at fine dining but the ambiance and setting not to mention the dessert was superb.

Ciocolatta @ Senzo

Yesterday marked the first time i visited arab street, place where everybody hangs out on a carpet with a bottle of sisha close on hand. Nope, i do not sisha thank you very much, it's the same as smoking, dont let people who tell you otherwise fool you, there's still tobacco inside and you WILL still die of cancer eventually. May god (if you believe in one, i dont but i figured most likely you would...) have mercy on your mortal soul.

Anyways, 20+ of us sat down at this gloomy lit first floor of the shop house awaiting the food and the appropriate time to break fast afterwhich, I dug into a plate of sumptuous mixed grill with tossed salad and fragrant briyani rice. Absolute heaven, the aromatic rice was rich with flavours of spices and seasonings and complemented the lamb rib, roasted chicken thigh and grilled beef perfectly while the salad though plain was seasoned with a healthy dose of black pepper to add a bit of ophmf to the dish. It was followed by a simple chill out session at tcc with snacks and drinks.

My friends, life cant get better than this.

2008-09-11T19:54:00.002+08:00

[110908] FREED

After 2 years... 24 months... 104 weeks... 728 days... 17,472 hours... 1,048,320 minutes... and 62,899,200 seconds, I am finally free. I figured I would be elated and be filled with joy and overwhelming feelings but oddly, I feel rather indifferent about everything. No doubt, I am glad that this mandatory phase and chapter in my life has come to a close but somehow, I had thought that I would be feeling more than the indifference I am currently experiencing.

Turns out to be the exact opposite of what I had in mind all along ever since I completed my training as a recruit, after the seemingly never ending and counting down to my ORD date. Regardless of the indifference, I am just glad that I can move on with my life now and look forward (hopefully) to a long, successful and enriching career.

As I look back upon my stint in serving the nation as an obligation as a male Singaporean citizen, I realized that I hadn't come out of the stint with much lessons learnt. All it did in imbuing in me was a fierce dislike and contempt at the way the organization was run by people who are assholes in the worst instances and incompetent idiots at best. No doubt, I am a poor judge for declaring the forest to be rotten because of a few bad apples but unfortunately, the good are few and far in between.

I would not miss anything about NS except the people with whom I had the pleasure, honour and good luck in meeting and working along the way through the shit that is NS@Jalan Bahar. Seniors who pointed, guided and imparted the necessary know-hows, tricks and advice along the way when I was starting to stand. Fellow batchMATE (not mates) in which to give moral and physical support to and bash through each and every day and Juniors, who were in my opinion the best that we could have gotten and proving that they are the very best amongst the 3 coys day in day out. I am glad for all their companionship along the way as we slogged, worked and get driven mad by the insane, unreasonable and often illogical management that pinned us down and free laboured us whenever a chance arise. For that, I am thankful. Sadly, like many before us, they are but another part in our lives, relegated to the back of the mind and the throng of society and space of time as we move on. Never forgotten but never destined to remain.

That is my NS experience in a nutshell.

ORD LO...

2008-09-05T21:13:00.000+08:00

你常常说我很完美
没人能取代我给的一切
我就以为我努力更完美
我们就会永远
完美并不美我们多虚伪
你让我的好变成一种罪
完美并不美当你爱了谁
我的完美也只是不完美
后来你说我太完美
值得更好的陪在我身边
你不是我你怎么能体会
你有多么珍贵
我的完美成了罪

2008-09-01T20:04:00.001+08:00

[010908] piracy is not theft, theft is not piracy

courtesy of Sinicker@livejournal: long live f.i.l.e s.h.a.r.i.n.g and Gaia!

2008-08-30T18:00:00.006+08:00

[300808] blast from the past

i've been reliving my childhood this past week going through hours of videos on youtube, remember all the cartoons that we watched while growing up? Those endless battles between the forces of good and evil that enthralled us every afternoon and every Saturday morning, the ones that compelled us to pester our parents to buy accompanying action figures?

Cartoons like:
orand
cartoons that i watched while growing up, while the graphics and animation aint nothing to shout about, they are deeply embedded in my memories, i grew up watching it or rather, these cartoons grew up with me. They're just a part of me as anything else. Been hooked on the 'modern' version of the transformers as well. Transformers Animated. (duh! it's an animated show already, ppl know that...)

a much revamped version with more quirks and punchlines as well as an interesting storyline that led me to spend a better part of 2 days watching all 26 episodes. I love me anime and cartoons, we all grow up but there's always a kid left in us. Glad some things never change, all these cartoons are accompanied by the same old whining and pestering by kids to their parents to buy the action figures.

2008-08-24T16:56:00.002+08:00

[240808] AHM down, Northface 100 next

Finished AHM earlier today... crap, i need to run more... ALOT more... considering the fact that i took 3 hours to finish the AHM this time round compared to last year's virgin attempt at the AHM (2hours:30 minutes) and i would have thought that after 2 full marathons, i would have no problem with a measly 21.1 km...

I was proved wrong however, the race started brightly... a nice constant pace and easy running UNTIL we met that GAL, the pony tailed gal that always seemed to be in front of us no matter how we try to close the gap... redfox and me decided to pace her. Biggest mistake we made, that gal is AGRESSIVE with a capital A and with her petite size, squeezing in amongst the big burly guys proved to be no hassle but not so for redfox and me. Tried pacing her and we were only able to keep at it for all of 3 km, after that, she disappeared into the mass of humanity. The rest of the race was the usual, with me cramping up at the 15km mark... sighz... on a positive note: this year's organisation of the race was better.. as compared to last year's 1.5 hours wait to collect our baggage, this time round it took less than 2 minutes. For ONCE, SAF did something right!

Note to self: If anyone would want to destroy our nation's military capabilities, all they need to do would be to detonate explosive devices before the AHM. Practically everybody's there... Naval Divers, Commandoes, Guards, Most of the Infantry etc etc. SCAREEE thought.

Went through the interviews, I GOT IN!!!! YAH-NESS!!!

2008-08-18T22:33:00.003+08:00

[180808] i hate being in transition

I just hate transition periods in life, you know what i mean. When you're in between jobs, in between your major phases in life and the like... i just hate the feeling of slacking around having nothing to do, waking up at ridiculous hours and watching your bank account bleed dry by your inactive input but hyperactive output. I also absolutely detest going for numerous interviews and then have to go through the waiting game.

I need a job asap. Part-time, full-time, contract, temporary whatever i can get my hands on. Anyone has a need for someone with a diploma in biotechnology with 2.5 years of experience in the Service Industry?

ANYONE?

Personal note to wiwin: Gal, i asked you for an invitation to your blog, not co-contributor status. or is it one of your plans? hahaha... you need a guest poster on your blog?

2008-08-16T08:25:00.003+08:00

[160808] Cut these chains from me

I'm finally clearing leave.

Counting down to being a civilian again.

Hitting the beach later with the alpha dudes.

NUFC vs. Man Utd tml @ lot stock & barrel.

2008-08-03T09:58:00.002+08:00

[030808] feeling messed up...

i need more sleep.

i shouldnt be awake after ~~Clubbing~~ stoning last night.

esp after all that drinking.

can't sleep.

mind keeps on wandering back to her...

2008-07-17T20:00:00.002+08:00

[170708] Life lessons

A meaningful story was told to me the other day: 2 brothers reside on the 80^th floor of an apartment building. The 2 brothers returned one day after an overseas expedition to find that the lift for their building was out of service due to routine servicing.

The 2 brothers decided to climb up the stairs to go home, the climbing started pleasurably enough, with both of them joking and talking with each other but upon reaching the 20^th^th floor to retrieve the bags at a later time. floor, they were both exhausted and decided to leave their bags on the 20

Without the additional burden of the bags, both brothers found it a lot easier to climb up the stairs but by the time they reached the 40^th floor, they were even more exhausted and began to quarrel and complain while trying to find fault with one another. It turned out that one of the brothers had read about the lift servicing but had forgotten about it. The other brother scolded him for not remembering the notice and they continued to quarrel as they climbed.

When they reached the 60^th floor, they were thoroughly exhausted but were determined to finish the last leg of the climb. Though unhappy with the situation, both brothers kept to themselves and climbed in silence as they laboured on with the arduous task.

When they finally reached the 80^th floor and their home, they realised one important thing, they had left the keys to the house in one of their bags and it’s already too late to go down and try to retrieve it.

Take this story as an analogy of life. The 80 storeys in the apartment building represent our lifetime. When we were young, we were full of dreams, ambitions and hopes but as life progressed, we find that we are increasingly burdened by our dreams, ambitions and hopes. By the time we are 20, we have discarded all of them for more realistic and practical aspirations.

By the time we are 40, we find that life isn’t a bed of roses so we begin to complain, whine and find others to blame for our misfortune, our lack of luck and everything that didn’t go according to our grand scheme of life. By the time we reach 60, we became overwhelmed by the workings of our society and we just took everything good and bad in our stride and laboured on in life in silence. More often than not, when we reached 80, we find that we have lived a largely unfulfilling life and that the most important thing that matter the most to us was left behind back when we were 20. Life is a one way journey; we can never go back and re-live the dreams we had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Plan to watch Red Cliff was ruined by leaving late from camp... grrr... I want to watch Hellboy 2, Red Cliff and The dark Knight... deciding if i should go on another movie marathon this sunday and watch all 3 consecutively... hmmm... *ponders*

2008-07-12T08:46:00.006+08:00

[120708] ATTN: Hazel Tan

A dry pack is basically a waterproof bag made of of vinyl and is favoured by outdoor adventurers and water sports like canoing or kayaking. It comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours these are the bags by sealine, the bag i bought. Notice how none of the bags have slings? Yep, no slings.
The bag above is mine after having gone through some minor modifications. Notice that it sports a sling? Courtesy of the carabiner that i attached to the bag. Water proof and sand proof, ready for action at the beach.

2008-07-10T18:40:00.002+08:00

[100708] dumb and dumber

Been getting alot of junk email of late.. most goes straight into the junk folder (thank you hotmail) but some inevitably gets into my inbox tray proclaiming that i've hit the jackpot or lottery in the following countries thus far: Ireland, England, USA, Switzerland. WOW! If that was true, i would be a millionaire 4 times over! But sadly, all these are the infamous hoaxes that appears on the news every now and then.

How in the world did anyone in the world get conned baffles me. They either dumb or just er... dumb. How in the world can you believe that you've won the lottery just through one email??? and the worse part is when they know that they've never set foot in those countries before let alone buy the lottery. Folks, common sense prevails, if you've never bought any lottery ticket, you'll NEVER EVER WIN a freaking lottery!!! geez. DUMBASSES.

just use a little common sense ok folks?

finally managed to buy my dry pack for use to the beach. Aint the ocean pack brand that i wanted but i settled for sealine instead. There came a problem, it didnt come with a sling, and it doesnt support slings. D'OH!! trotted back to the shop and yep, they didnt have a refund policy, clever damian, didnt even checked the bag properly before buying the freaking bag... smart, real smart. In the end, bought an additional sling and carabiner for $26. Came back, punched 2 holes at the bottom and slotted in the carabiner. Felt so proud of myself... haha... but i felt cheated and dumb nonetheless...

sighz.

2008-07-07T20:10:00.003+08:00

[070708] wordless

hard to blog about what i feel cause i myself am confused with my emotions.

just feel very lost, frustrated, sad and helpless.

just so sick of my current life.

when will it end?

冰雨-刘德华

我是在等待一个女孩还是在等待沉沦苦海
一段情默默灌溉没有人去管花谢花开
无法肯定的爱左右摇摆
只好把心酸往深心里塞
我是在等待你的回来(嗯)难道只换回一句活该
一个人静静发呆两个人却有不同无奈
好好的一份爱啊怎么会慢慢变坏
冷冷的冰雨在脸上胡乱地拍
暖暖的眼泪跟寒雨混成一块
眼前的色彩忽然被掩盖
你的影子无情在身边徘徊
你就像一个刽子手把我出卖
我的心彷佛被剌刀狠狠地宰
悬崖上的爱谁会愿意接受最痛的意外
(悬崖上的爱谁会敢去采还是愿意接受最痛的意外最爱的女孩)

2008-06-24T20:05:00.004+08:00

[240608] R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Sometimes, i think after having been in uniform organisations for so long that people at times forget the simple yet profound meaning behind the word, RESPECT. "Respect is one of the most (if not the most) important attributes for society to maintain, yet it is hard to define. On its broadest level respect is the acknowledgment that someone has value." as quoted on wikipedia.

The acknowledgment of value. Value to whom? And in what sense?

So in every day routine in NS, when we greet and pay compliments to senior officers and our superiors, do we acknowledge their importance? Their so called 'value' or are we blindly just paying them the respect that has been drilled into our subconscious mind that any superior officers deserve?

Respect is a hard word to swallow in my camp when i see practically daily instances of stupidity and idiotic behaviour stemming from the very people i am supposedly bound to respect. They do things not for the good of the camp or the mission and vision of the camp. They do things their way for fear of being critiqued and reprimanded by their own superior officers who in turn through their brilliant mis-management only serves to make matters worse.

Shit that comes from the top falls hard and fast and is ALWAYS amplified and multiplied so that when it reaches the bottom (read: bottom = NSFs), more often than not, we get the blame for the mess that they so brilliantly directly or indirectly created in the first place. It is NEVER the fault of the regulars, it's always US, US, US, US, US. Why didnt we read the TSR? Why didnt we know about the training and safety procedure? why didnt we do this? Why didnt we do that? ultimately, they know about just as much as we do, meaning to say, not much. We are just convenient scapegoats for them to push the blame onto. Pin the tail on the NSF, would seem to be perfect party game for regulars during their daily fixed break times at 1000 hrs and 1500 hrs.

Politics in the workplace exist in almost every imaginable working environment for we are but human, falling prey to our inner demons and ambitions. Some have truly an enviable character, hard working, honest and being modest to boot but life is never fair. The scheming, the sloths and the back-stabbers are often the ones being targeted for praise for work in the gah men sector is easy. Easy in the sense that you are assessed based on the work you do but these assessments are often not accurate. Wayang is a common word i hear around the workplace and it is all true. Everything from the top to the bottom and how the system works is a huge facade, a collection of lies, cover ups and acts. All in the name of appearing to be something other than what you truly are.

This picture alone stands for the most important attribute needed for one to succeed in the gah men sector - Flattery. The other 2 most important attributes being acting skills and ability to talk more than you work.

Hierarchy plays an important role in any workplace and in an uniformed organisation, heirarchy is merely based upon the rank in which you don. For one to climb sufficiently high, he would have trampled over many who were of a lower rank and once having attained the pedestal upon which to survey the world, he may forget one basic rule of thumb. Respect is EARNED, not GIVEN. SIR.

Repeating pointing to your shoulder and emphasizing the gulf between our ranks would hardly ever make me respect you more. On the contrary, it would only further erode the already bad impression i have of you and the incident only makes me loathe and despise you more. Using your status and threatening to demote people for failing to do work that doesn't fall under the given job scope only makes you unworthy to be holding such a post. For someone who's in a position to make decisions that can positively change the camp, you chose however to pick and critique on the most meaningless details that serve no purpose other than to infuriate your own subordinates. Life is already miserable enough without you adding more bitterness in our daily routines.

You expect discipline but yet condone harsh disciplinary actions when we seek to address the disciplinary issues. You expect things to be done by the book when sometimes flexibility and practicality are needed. You tie our hands behind our backs and expect us to give you 110%. Welfare and discipline are placed on opposite sides of a weighing scale. Too much welfare and discipline naturally decreases. Tis a simple logic but too bad, not many understand it.

We are a camp run by people cowering whenever a complaint is written in. We are a camp in which everything we do is a facade, an act, a wayang show. We are a camp where r e g u l a r s are more concerned over their bonuses and rice bowls than the work that they are supposed to do. We are a camp in which we are exploited and made to stay against our will. They complain endlessly of NSF's attitudes and how we are forever screwing things up but perhaps they should take heed and remember this:

ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP, SIR.

2008-06-23T20:17:00.002+08:00

[230608] Job hunting

'Tis the time as i near the end of my sentence in NS that i begin to look for a job to sustain myself when i'm finally free from the clutches of the gah-men and its regulars. Ultimately, despite my loathing for the industry in which i studied in, i have no other choice but to go back to it for my qualification would most likely ensure a higher starting wage as compared to other jobs elsewhere where a diploma in biotechnology might not necessarily come in handy. To this end, i've already emailed 2 former lecturers hoping for a job vacancy at my former school.

i CAN convert to and work full-time at marche BUT working one day per week already vexes me beyond all reasonable sense and i can only imagine the plight of my sanity should i have to work at that god forsaken place 6 days a week. As i plough through the endless adverts for jobs in classifieds and online at Jobstreet.com, i cant feel but feel a sense of helplessness as i try to find a job that i would enjoy and would pay me substantially to a degree of my satisfaction.

A starting salary of between SGD $1,600 - SGD $1,900 would suit me nicely and help me along the months as i prepare and aim for my real job in the service and hospitality sector.

Dr Cui emailed back regretting that he doesn't have a vacancy at the moment.

~Dang. One down. One more Chance.

life was much simpler then as a child.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a sidenote, enjoyed the class outing on saturday. Steamboat buffets are the best but felt kinnda wasted, for an all you can eat buffet, i only managed to eat 3 prawns. Hmmm.. so unlike myself that day, probably because i was too busy trying to finish up the sliced beef and lamb that others ordered but didnt eat. Oh well, there's always space as i used to say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't mess with the Zohan is your typical slap-stick, no brainer kind of movies. Zero plot line, zero acting but tons and tons of laughter guaranteed with each viewing. The concept is so outrageous and dumb that it tickles the hell out of ya and is bound to leave you either laughing til tears or rolling around on the floor. I must say that it IS very biased against people of Middle Eastern origins and would not endear the movie studio or its makers to the Arab population. Israelis and Palestinians would also likely frown upon the movie as a slap against their nations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally managed to visit the much fabled Botak Jones last friday at their Boon Lay place outlet. Must say that it does feel out of place when i order a 200 grms ribeye, medium rare and pay $15 bucks for it in a kopitiam setting. Somehow, the whole idea and concept didnt sit nicely and easily for me. just feels plain weird. In the end, kinnda disappointed. Just another case of 'I've had better'. Fries was excellent though but the accompanying black pepper sauce could have been better.

Their signature fish n chips didnt fare too highly either, i could name a dozen other places selling much better tasting fish n chips than Botak Jones. Even fisherman's wharf's fish n chips tasted better and if you've been reading my blog, you would have known how 'highly' i rated FW's fish n chips. Ultimately, maybe it's just over hyped. Not bad for a coffeeshop kind of store but not good enough.

I NEED A JOB!!!!

2008-06-21T10:19:00.002+08:00

2008-06-15T10:59:00.006+08:00

[150608] day of coincidences

a clan outing after many months of absence, simple yet truly enjoyable. Caught The Incredible Hulk. Interesting with the direction of MARVEL studios these days, actively intertwining all its MARVEL movies together to form a chain of linked movies. For those who do not understand, play close attention to the details and the ending scene of The Hulk to get the picture.
Liv Tyler is still hot (but looks bloated somehow) but during some scenes, i thought i saw her appear suddenly with pointy ears... her portrayal of Arwen still stuck in my mind. Her lips are seriously damn pouty in a natural, cute and nice way though i doubt any gals i know of would be able to pull it off, ~~i'll probably slap them first.~~ (just a figure of speech, thou shall never lay hands on a member of the fairer species)

Bought another pair of shoes, missed out on an extremely cool shirt.

"I wiped out the 60s"

dang. Just treat it as saving on unneeded expenses.

Visited Mind's Cafe for simple and brainless fun. Thumping on the table and more often than not, each other's hands, playing charades when the game we're playing is Taboo and having a go at memory games which win and I sucked at.

Bumped into many people today. 'it's a small world afterall! it's a small world afterall!" remember that song from childhood? that's what it felt like.

Dec 2009 - Super overdued secondary graduation trip to NZ.

Anybody willing to contribute to Damian's Down Under fund?

2008-06-01T18:04:00.004+08:00

[010608] note to organisers

I've finished it. That's all that matters. As of right now, thousands of other singapreans are like me, bed ridden until the after effects of the marathon wears off, a handful would conveniently head to the nearest doc asking for medical leave on the premises of sore knees, pain in the ankles, tight muscles or whatever ailments you can think up of associated with running. I might be one of them. heh.

It was nice running in the night, cooling temperatures but the event kinnda screws up your biological clock... closed my eyes while running a couple of times and had myself run and langa the railings on the side. Looking back, the event was not too bad, not too much cock up. Just some minor details the organisers might want to look at if they decide to come back with Sundown marathon 09:

1. have more water points (wasn't enough)
2. have more volunteers with deep heat (most i asked, they pointed and said further down. All in all i only saw 2 such stations, deep heat is the life line for us runners, so pls...)
3. find an alternative route whereby we can skip going across FOUR overhead bridges. (i think this is pretty much self-explainatory)
4. have an alternative finishing route.(i mean, we were all cramped with the out going runners as we hit the home stretch while trying to cross a bridge)

ultimate respect for those finishers of the sundown ultra marathon. *salutes*

i may be smiling in the pic but my knees are killing me, i feel like an 80 year old man...

2008-05-31T17:54:00.003+08:00

[310508] T-minus 6 hours

6 hours to the run.

What i aim to achieve for this run:

1. run it.
2. enjoy it.
3. FINISH it.

simple enough targets. let's just hope nothing goes wrong.

RUN DAMIAN RUN.

when running, lead me, follow me or get the hell out of my way.

2008-05-29T21:22:00.002+08:00

[290508] G S S

The great singapore sale is upon us again. those that have the cash should cash in on this golden opportunity and hunt for great bargains. note to take, avoid small shops in ulu pandan shopping centres or buildings to capitalize fully the benefits of the GSS. I've done my part today, contributing a rather significant amount to Singapore's annual GDP and its economy.

HAVE YOU?

but it stings. ouch. lol

2008-05-27T21:52:00.004+08:00

[270508] faith is believing in things when your common sense tells you not to

how far would you let your faith dictate your life?

Is faith that important in our lives?

what does faith mean to you?

Is it even necessary?

Take a minute to think through and answer them. Personally, i'm an atheist. neither proud nor shameful of the fact. I just am. It wasnt always this way, i used to be a catholic (a nonpracticing catholic as i liked to refer to my faith at times until i figured that i hardly believed in what they preach), how in the world did i get myself baptized and confirmed confuses me and i guess will remain a mystery. The problem i see it is that there wasnt anyone guiding me along the 'enlightened' path to 'God' and i fell along the way. No big deal as I see it but it does pisses the hell out of me whenever i encounter one of those zealous kind of followers.

You know the kind when they gasp aloud and shake their heads in disbelief if you tell them that you're either not a follower and god forbids, AN ATHEIST. They look ready to splash holy water on you and perform an exorcism of sorts. Chill out, you have your faith and your beliefs, i say good for you. Now leave the rest of us mortals alone and dream about your heavenly passage ya?

It just got me thinking, does faith play a big role in a relationship? My brother who used to be a free thinker became a catholic because his future bride was a catholic. So at the grand age of 35, he proceeded to attend bible classes, get baptized and confirmed all in the name of love and spiritual bonding. Taking and making his vows in the house of god proclaiming his love and eternal promise to love, treasure and honour his wife and SWEARING (something along those lines) to raise his children as catholics.

Is all that even necessary? I've never been a person of faith so the very notion and idea of me converting to a religion for the sake of love and marriage annoys me slightly. If love is all conquering, why is it that one side has to make a compromise and be converted? likewise, this can be said to be selfish on the part of the partner that refuses to convert but this statement is a double edged sword so what can be said?

Would religion give a marriage more stability? Hardly the case seeing all the vows taken and made in the church, mosque, temple or whatever places of religious worship are as fragile as glass these days just by looking at the ever increasing divorce rates. Would religion make a marriage more legitimate? ROM registers your marriage, the gah men recognizes you as husband and wife. how much more legitimacy do you need?

Think i'll just find me a nice free thinker or atheist for a gal.

saves me all the troubles and headaches.

God bless.

"As we grow older, it becomes difficult to just believe. It's not that we don't want to, but too much has happened that we just can't"

2008-05-27T21:26:00.003+08:00

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that."

4 days to Adidas Sundown Marathon 2008

2008-05-18T23:06:00.003+08:00

[180508] all i have are faded memories

it always surprises me how tender the wound still is after so much time have passed, the reading of old posts did nothing to lighten the heaviness felt but only seemed to press even more weight on an already weary soul. it's still pretty sore, silently throbbing whenever my mind wanders or drifts when not occupied by other pressing matters in my everyday life. im tired, weary and sad all at once.

it seems as though im living a life alone with friends & family if you can understand the irony of it. it's partly due to my current predicament being in NS and working at the same time barely leaving enough time for myself let alone friends or other social activities, and also partly due to my ever increasingly solitary lifestyle that i seemed to have embarked on. friends are always occupied it seems or they always seem to me. now i dont even bother calling or messaging ppl out, with the same notion that they're busy. too much trouble it seems to me these days, just getting somebody to go out with or watch a movie. so much easier to co-ordinate things to do when you're by yourself.

i like the freedom of being able to do what i want, where i want and when i want and yet crave companionship at the same time, having a good laugh with friends, movie watching, hanging and chillin' out. an odd ball of contradictions. i cant seem to make up my mind at times and in such instances, keeping to myself seem to be a more inviting and feasible solution though i feel sorry for myself at times.

silence & solitude.

my life these days.

still troubled by what to do after my NS stint, i am scared to hell over what i want in my future. a cushy job? a financially rewarding job? a satisfying job? i have no ideas and while i am excited about the dwindling days i have left in CD, i dread and fear what i must and need to do in the coming months and years. i think i have a vague idea of what i want to do, problem is that i dont see a definite future behind the first few years and i worry excessively if i would struggle along in life destined to be one of those who tried to bear the burden of life's expectations only to fall along the side and get left behind abandoned and forgotten. if only life was simpler and your life came with an instructional manual and brochure, that would make things so much easier.

2008-05-01T20:43:00.003+08:00

[010508] 4 months to go

Nothing much to update about, left with another 4 months. 107th intake of recruits are seriously the most fucked up and messed up bunch of idiots i've ever taken under my wing. They would do themselves and the world in general a huge favor if they all got killed while crossing the road or something - I MEAN EVERY SINGLE WORD. that's how fucked up they are.

I still havent started training for the Sundown Marathon at the end of the month. So seriously screwed. Yep, syarif, me and you can take turns dragging each other's sorry asses along the race. So looking forward and yet dreading the race all at the same time. A ball of contradictions.

My life's a mess. I've been doing nothing but bleaching my free time away. I seriously need a life.

2008-04-11T20:13:00.002+08:00

[110408] You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you.

Caught The Bucket List earlier, best movie i've seen thus far this year and it's definitely worth your while to go and catch this heart warming film about 2 terminally ill men from contrasting background who managed to come together as friends against all reasoning to find happiness, acceptance and joy in the last few months of their lives.

The Bucket List - 4.5 popcorns out of 5

Boyce Avenue's cover on John Mayer's 'Say' (The Bucket List OST)

2008-04-09T19:24:00.002+08:00

[090408] Revisiting murphy's laws

It has struck again without much warning much to my dismay. Murphy's Laws yet again triumphs against a mortal man bringing him down to his knees when he lest expects it. "Nothing is as easy as it looks" & "If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something" appears to slap me right in the face. It had been a good week thus far until today that is, andrew approached me with dire news, something happened during my ADO stint on sunday. D'OH!

It turned out to be a missing access card which i didnt even know existed until i stepped into the RSM's office. shit shit shit shit shit. I needed to check to ensure that all six cards are there when i take over the duty?!?! Really?!? God DAMN! Im pretty sure Benson didnt include that in the offical duties of an ADO. In the end because of one missing card, i think the entire line of ADOs before me also gonna kenna. sighz. haiz. have to suck it up. Most probably gonna sign extra already for something that i wasnt even aware of.

I wish i can sing to the tune of Life is beautiful by LMNT (playing right now on the blog) but i just can't. Shit always happens, how can life be beautiful you tell me?

2008-04-08T20:23:00.002+08:00

[080408] Three Kingdoms in film

1st day of VSCC - one word BORING... I've not known boredom in such an untarnished and pure form. SJ, i think i've discovered the ultimate sleep inducing element and no, it's not your office nor Dr. Elangovan's lectures. It's the SCDF VSCC course. I think they purposely put us through this mental torture to see if we can bear with the boredom and if we do, we are deemed worthy to be promoted and wear the rank of sergeant.

The only positives to have come out of the opening day of the VSCC was that i got to skip enlistment duties and i got to go home early. Since it was still early, decided to catch a movie at causeway point. So many movies i wanna catch but sooooo little time. Vantage Point, Untraceable and 3 Kingdoms. Decided quickly on 3 kingdoms before heading down to Jack's Place for a quick meal. Sirloin wasnt bad but i've had better.

Andy Lau once again makes a foray into a martial period film after his most recent film, Warlords. This time, he portrays legendary SHU general Zhao Zilong or more commonly known as Zhao Yun, one of the famed SHU 5 Tiger Generals. The show chronicles his rise from a mere foot soldier to a living legend. Story is based loosely on the Chinese Literary Epic - The Romance of the Three Kingdoms but die hard followers of the epic would be disappointed to see that the premise for the story isnt really based on any of the battles or stories but based loosely around it. The one scene which would be instantly recognizable would be the part where Zhao Zilong faced off against ten thousand men while saving Liu Bei's infant son. Other notable characters like Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Cao Cao also make cameo appearances. Maqqie Q was her usual beautiful sensual self in her portrayal of Cao Ying (Cao Cao's granddaughter) but somehow she seemed out of place, too modern looking. Overall a decent film with a decent amount of action, but i would prefer to have something more substantial for the plot. Looking forward to the next 3 Kingdoms film: Battle of the Red Cliff.

Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon - 2.5 popcorns out of 5

2008-04-05T09:50:00.002+08:00

[050408] 158 to go.

This week has been a week of ups and downs. Whatever the case, i'm glad that i've finally cleared the hurdle and can go to the Vocation Section Commander Course (VSCC) next tuesday in peace knowing that the awarding of my 3rd and final chevron is almost entirely guaranteed. I can ORD in peace. Erm, not exactly but yah, 158 days to go.

Stumbled onto an interesting blog and have added it to my blog roll of honour. The blogs that i frequent and read whenever im online or free. Check it out under NS Chains. Read one of the more interesting articles he posted and i feel it's quite true much like that much fabled poorly animated music video NS Song, the article examines and gives 10 points why NS is a liability rather than an asset.

Read about it HERE

2 weeks away from camp, 2 weeks away from the recruits, 2 weeks away from the short one and the big man.
FREEDOM.

I can also taste it.

Not exactly the freedom i had in mind but when you're in the predicament im in, you cant afford to be picky.

Leave me be.

Let me enjoy and savour my moment.

2008-03-31T20:04:00.003+08:00

[310308] simplicity at its best

As always, this day on the yearly calendar passes by as a simple affair, no fanfare, no hooha, just home cooked mee sua and some congratulatory words along with a red packet. sometimes i wished i could have a huge bash to throw but come to think of it, too much work and probably not enough people to invite to it. So the more practical solution would be to just let it quietly pass through.

Thanks for the gals and guys that bothered to remember this day every year and thank you for all the wishes and congratulations. May seem trivial but i assure you it means a lot to me for simply remembering or bothering to drop me a sms or message. cheers.

2 more years to being quarter of a century. simply hope for the best and hopefully, the silence will be broken in the coming year. Cheers.

2008-03-29T07:45:00.006+08:00

[290308] we bid farewell

Bid farewell to Izuan and Khalif yesterday as they embarked on their conversion back to civilians after 2 years of being a NSF. Kinnda sad they're leaving, as expected but hard to come to terms with after working together for so long. The sweat, laughter and agony while working endlessly under the regulars or doing all the rubbish, nonsensical things within camp. Next up would be Benson, Fee and Furry.

L-R: Syarif (ORD), Me (ORD Sept), Chris (ORD June), Izuan (ORD) 102nd Intake: Best time of my life in NS

Gonna get interesting come race day on May 31st, syarif and probably benson is joining as well.. power lah ppl. Syarif, bring your car so can deposit all the barang barang in your car thus saving us time from queuing for baggage collection and after the run, we can all go to simpang bedok for breakfast. Onz boh?

2008-03-21T15:48:00.003+08:00

[210308] t.i.m.b.r.e - music.bistro.bar

visited timbre with clay, mohsin and fee yesterday after work to chill and try out their thin crust pizzas. it was a trip well spent, better than wala-wala in fact. My request for goo goo doll's Iris was the first request to be read out and the version they belted out was seriously nice. Good fellas, bunch of 5 dudes, excellent vocals and chemistry, stayed only for 2 sets but was kinnda disappointed with the second set as their first set was excellent. Music choice yesterday wasnt that good i believe.

Their thin crust pizzas are to die for, how thin is the crust? Paper thin, honestly. if anyone ever goes there to try, heed my recommendations: 4 cheese pizza (mozzarella, Parmesan, romanao and cheddar) Spicy cajun chicken pizza or hell's kitchen pizza. Alternatively, you can just order a half-half pizza for one pizza with 2 different toppings.

after much deliberation, i've finally signed up for the addidas sundown marathon. I'll probably be not be well prepared for the marathon like the standard chartered marathon last year and i'll probably cramp up after the 21km mark and i'll probably walk past the finish line but what the heck, just do it.

My reason for running: Why ask? Run only.

Lead me, follow me or get out of my way.

2008-03-16T20:20:00.005+08:00

[160308] more often than not, sequels disappoint

Caught Step Up 2, i guess its those kind of sequels that fail to live up to their predecessors. The first step up was solid, plot wise but suffered from a lack of dancing scenes. The second step up has tonnes of dance scenes that will blow you away but lack punch in the plot. It was nice seeing Tyler (lead from the 1st step up) make a cameo appearance and IMHO, his opening dance sequence facing off against Andie was the BEST dance sequence in the entire movie bettering even the climatic dance sequence of the 2 crews battling. What really irks me was the CHEESY moment when Andie gave the speech about the streets and dancing yada yada yada... blah blah blah... so freakin cheesy loh... cant stand it man... cant believe they actually allowed it in.

This time the soundtrack is more familiar with the likes of T-low, Missy Elliot and Akon gracing the films with their songs. No memorable impressions with the OST unlike the first one with many groovy beats and tunes. Thumbs up overall to the first step up, only thing that makes step up 2 better than the first one?

Briana Evigan - hotness personified.

Step Up 2 - 2.5 popcorns out of 5

2008-03-10T20:20:00.009+08:00

[100308] another job scope added to our ever evolving vocation

Today is a monumental day in my life as an instructor. Another job scope has been 'proudly' added to our already ridiculously long list of job scopes that defines our vocation as a instructor in BRTC, A COY. Let's review the list shall we? We're *Takes a deep breath* babysitter, nanny, general technician, janitor, nutritionist, personal trainer, disciplinarian, part time unqualified medic, counselor, motivator, leader, role model, & teacher. Today, we add gardener to the list. *wild applause*

Today is the vetting for tomorrow's enlistment of new recruits. Pots of flowers and plants are specially brought into the Multi purpose hall to lend a soft touch of nature to an otherwise rather dull and boring looking stage. It is at this point that my OC proceeds to baffle me like he has never baffled me before.

OC: "Damian, get some scissors and trim the flowers abit. Make sure that they're not too untidy. And the fallen and decomposing leaves at the base of the pot, make sure you remove them.
Damian: *stunned* "Well sir, I AM Pretty sure that they didnt cover this during the refresher course and honestly speaking im not trained to trim or prune these plants. Maybe i should MIB this to the management, enroll instructors in gardening classes and while we're at it we might as well learn how to do flower arrangement." (conveyed in sarcastic tone)

WTF??!? sad, i know. sigh.

Cousin's Wedding was a blast. Being the bestman was tremendously rewarding, having a pretty bridesmaid to work along with didnt hurt... haha.. Looking forward to my second stint as the bestman for my bro's wedding in May. Food as usual was superb. I'll just leave you guys to drool over my culinary adventure over the 4 days.

Simple fare of chicken noodles.@ Bumbu Desa, buffet styled eatery.
Chilli Galore!!!Ayam goreng and Ayam Bakar. So crisp that the bones can be eaten.
I personally think that noodles in Indonesia are better than any noodles you can find in SG.
A long lost friend. I miss having A&W. Connie dogs, curly fries and rootbeer floats rulez!

2008-03-03T19:49:00.002+08:00

[030208] boring boring day

This week is and will be a total bore, especially tuesday and wednesday when I will be attending a stupid refresher course that doesnt serve any purpose other than to waste our time. It's bad enough im wasting my time in camp but NOoooo... they had to wasted my already wasted time. jeez.

looking forward to flying off on thursday and to the wedding on saturday.

Company Dinner and Dance tomorrow but i think it's budget and it shouldnt be called a D & D when it's held at Aloha chalet. It's not even Aloha Loyang lor... damn budget... and you would think a major EUROPEAN based company would be more generous towards the welfare of their staff. Isnt that the norm for western firms? Their welfare benefits being insanely comforting?

Im bored eating dinner alone. Anyone wants to meet me for dinner on wednesday evening?

.
..
...
....
.....
...... Guess not. Figures.

2008-03-03T00:25:00.003+08:00

[020308] Raining pussies and bitches

It rained for the entire day forcing us to seek shelter, get wet and change all our plans. Instead of escape theme park, we went to IKEA tampines to walk around and to chill at Airport T3. Change of plans but still an extremely enjoyable get together. It's not very often i complain about rainy days, well almost never. I have this single fascination with rain for some peculiar reason, i just love rainy days. Some of her enthusiasm for rain must have rubbed off onto me.

Hope to meet up with the clan again, full strength in the future please. And perhaps start saving for that trip to Australia/New Zealand in 2010?

2008-02-29T10:40:00.004+08:00

[290208] Where in the world is ~~Carmen Santiago~~ Mas Selamat?

It's been over 43 hours since Mas Selamat escaped from the high-security (supposedly) Whitley detention facility and he's still at large. Even with one of the most massive manhunt involving thousands of personnel from the SAF, SPF, SOC, ISD and other acronyms that the public has never heard of before. Singapore is not that big so it's with hope that he gets captured soon but the question that burns in all our minds is "HOW THE FUCK DID HE EVEN ESCAPE?"

Supposedly he escaped from the toilet (AGAIN?!), for those of you who remembered, Cpl Dave Teo also escaped from Mandai Hill Camp toilet while on guard duty with his SAR21 rifle and several live rounds. Are our toilets the weakest link in our buildings? Shouldnt every part of the building be constructed in a manner that prevents escape attempts even if it's a toilet? It's a HIGH security detention facility for crying out loud. It's boils down to gross negligence on the part of the SPF. The detention centre is supposedly mainly manned by gurka guards no less, what a shame to their otherwise untarnished reputation as one of the elite arms of the Singapore Police Force. And how can a high risk detainee not be even issued one of those electronic ankle tags? Im positively sure i can hear the resonating echoes of laughter emitting from the less competent and more corrupt police forces up north and down south. What a big joke this is turning out to be. sad-ed.

In times like this we need real men. Men of nerves and steel. Who would brave any dangers to bring the wanted in. DEAD or ALIVE. WE NEED......

Boba Fett, intergalactic bounty hunter.

US Marshal Samuel Gerard.

LOL

Had fun at Wala-Wala yesterday night with Fee and Clay. Casual chill out session with tons of jokes, eye candies, and solid live band action though the food turned out to be only so so. Penned in a date to visit Timbre. April 5th, ahhh... more live band, better food and hopefully great company.

2008-02-27T20:07:00.007+08:00

[270208] Sometimes you have to let go of what you can't live without

Imagine this - You've been married happily with the love of your life for 44 years. Yet, progressively, her memories fade transforming the both of you from lovers to total strangers. That is the premise for the film, "AWAY FROM HER" based on the short story 'The Bear came over the mountain' by Alice Munro. The movie itself is slow and focuses more on the male lead, as he struggles to overcome his emotions in not only losing his wife but her affections as well after contracting Alzheimer's Disease. What made this movie so touching was the portrayal of Gordon Pinsent as Grant Anderson in his role as a loving and self sacrificing husband, contended to just look from afar at his wife (who has forgotten about him) even as he struggles with the fact that his wife has transferred her affections onto another man in the nursing facility. The ending is rather abrupt but surprisingly unexpected in a heart warming kind of way. Not a movie for those looking for those typical 'sweep you off your feet' kind of romance films that we're more used to but a more drama feel to the entire movie.

Away From Her - 3 popcorns out of 5

over the past year since i've started working at marche, i've developed into someone that has began to appreciate a nice slab of steak be it sirloin, prime rib, ribeye or tenderloin. So it was with much anticipation as i walked into Hogbreath's located at C.H.I.J.M.E.S. Knew about this place first from Kim Hang (who proclaimed on his msn nick that he wanted to visit this place). Got me all curious and i googled it and voila! Saw the menu, read the reviews and i was sold on visiting this joint. I'll just let the pictures do all the talking.

300 grams of prime rib steak cooked to medium rare served with cheese salsa sauce, sliced jalapeño, cruchy hagtail fries and a light refreshing mix vege salad. Absolute heaven. Along with a nice glass of chilled apple juice. I love me apple juice.

Mississippi Mud Cake. A name variation of the traditional mud pie. A VERY generous serving of warm chocolate with delightful ice cream and whipped cream. Sadly, it didnt taste as good as it looked. Though the chocolate was splendid, the brownie or the mud cake itself was a let down. Too hard and dry to digest alone once the ice cream's gone.

One more off day on friday and im already thinking of places to visit and eat. My blog's becoming a food blog. heh. Thinking of visiting this italian restaurant that got featured in Makansutra or perhaps Manhattan's Fish Market. *ponders* Tons of movies i've yet to catch and some arent even out yet. darn.

Juno
Valkyrie
Iron man
10,000 B.C.
Untraceable
Grace is gone
Vantage Point
The Leap Years
The Dark Knight
The Great Debaters
Step Up 2: The Streets
The Forbidden Kingdom
The Chronicles of Now-hia (Narnia): Prince Caspian

2008-02-26T19:47:00.004+08:00

[260208] On my off day...

On off today, the 1st of 3 days off... today, tomorrow and friday. Shiokness. Thursday got some stupid rock-wall competition thingy but it's held at Yishun Safra, a stone's throw away from my home. No one understands how much of a relief it is not to be in camp suppressed by the regimentation, regulations, red-tape and regulars, that's why i enjoy my off days so much. I'm a civilian during these precious few hours.

Finally visited IKEA Tampines, it was huge and it was impressive. Finally managed to get my hands on the much fabled and critically acclaimed SGD $1.00 IKEA hotdog. Nice soft bun with that irresistible swedish sausage drenched in mustard, chilli and ketchup. A little piece of heaven finished in around 5 bites.

Took my time in walking around the displays especially the ones where they display entire homes in small spaces of 22 metre square or 35 meter square. It's simply amazing how they managed to squeeze in a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and even living rooms within the tiny confines. Saw a couple of nice displays for bedrooms. Really affordable too with one particular set going for under $1000.

Had lunch at the IKEA restaurant and ordered spaghetti with meatballs along with soup, coffee and a bottle of OLD GOLD beer (some danish beer that i decided to try). Kindda disappointed at the quality of the spaghetti, a case of 'Ive had better', should have just ordered the meatballs or the salmon which looked like a real treat. Beer was so-so, better tasting than Tiger (thankfully) but overall, only an okay meal and the meatballs sadly didnt really live up to expectations. Had I known, i would have just stuffed myself silly with the hotdogs.

Traveled to the new Terminal 3. The departure hall was huge... very airy and along with the glass paneling made the entire space feel bright, spacious and refreshing. The wall with fauna gave it an exquisite touch of nature in a man made environment and the prevailing useage of glass panels gave the entire space a very classy feel. I didnt know why, but i was smiling to myself as i walked around the departure hall. I know, i felt freaked out as well but there i was walking around, smiling to myself. I must look like an idiot to those at the airport. The basement and arrival halls though were suffocating in contrast to the airiness of the departure hall, with low ceilings and what seemed to me like inadequate lighting. Perhaps it was due to the severe contrast between the 2 halls but somehow i like Terminal 1 or 2's arrival halls for their bigger spaces and brighter lighting. The viewing gallery for T3 was sadly disappointing, not affording the best view as it's a considerable distance away from the tarmac.

A day not exactly meaningfully spent but at least on what i've been wanting to do for some time. Pleased. Looking forward to a nice slab of steak tomorrow. *drools*

2008-02-23T10:18:00.002+08:00

[230208] Quickie

14 days to going back to Indonesia.

37 days to 23.

200 days to ORD.

Lotsa OFF to look forward to next week. Shiokness.

OFF TO WORK.

GRUEZI! WELCOME TO MARCHE!

END.

2008-02-22T10:37:00.004+08:00

[220208] cold bugs be gone

Yep, down with a nasty cough and cold... MCed, resting at home now... want to go out but going out means spending money, at home also bored to death. Book that i bought on sunday, finished reading already. Adding to my expanding book collection at home. Boredz boredz boredz.

Wanna go out also troublesome, the wake of tissues i leave behind would probably mean the death of a gazallion trees inciting Greenpeace's paramilitary wing to probably assassinate me in the name of nature, conservation and Mother Earth. Carrying around that much tissue would probably be a hassle also hence the brilliant idea below.
Convenience and conservation all rolled in one magical device. Instead of using tissue paper i use lower grade toilet paper that's usually made from recycled paper and the device strapped onto my head would save me the hassle of scrambling to take out my packet of tissue everytime the 3 Gorges Dam in my nose threaten the security and livelihood of our small red dot at the end of the Malayan peninsular by bursting and releasing tons and tons of viral and bacterial filled mucus onto the poor unsuspecting populace.

On a side note, we've won the IOC's bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympics. Take that you vodka consuming Russikies!! Not too shabby for a little red dot eh? Already the euphoria of such an epic feat is beginning to fade, for me at least. I AM happy for our country. Makes me proud as well seeing the recognition that the IOC has given us considering we are but an infant nation. But i wonder if it is THAT big of a deal. Some are touting that we'll be forever remembered as the birthplace of the Youth Olympics... this is in relation to Athens having hosted the first ever Olympic games. Erm... OOOOKKkkaayyyy... seems a bit far fetched if you asked me... ultimately, what Uncle Lee wants, he'll get...

especially when the Gah men puts its entire weight behind it. I still think come, 2010 when the Olympics are hosted, we'll see a level of wayang-ing that has never been seen by the world all over. One on a governmental and national level. That much i am certain of. But until that day comes, let's just sit back and bask in the glory of the achievements of our little red dot.

2008-02-19T21:54:00.003+08:00

[190208] Whooper heaven

Im convinced that Burger King's Whooper is the King of All burgers. MacDonald's Big Mac? forget about it. KFC's Zinger? Not even close and it cant really count as an authentic burger when it doesnt have any beef patties in the first place!!! Had my second whooper in as many days but decided to try a monstrous version of it. Introducing the BK Triple Whooper. Yep, TRIPLE. 3, Three, 三, tiga, trois, tre, tres, três, drei, flame grilled beef patties with mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and rendang sauce in between 2 buns. ABSOLUTE JUNK FOOD HEAVEN.

Think im gonna go to hell for the dealiest of all sins. GLUTTONY. But until that day comes, eat i can and eat I SHALL!!! It's all worth it.

Contemplating if i should frame up my autographed newcastle jersey that's been hanging in my closet for over a year. Been wanting to get it framed ever since i came back from newcastle last feb and one year on, it's still not framed and it's turning slightly yellow. *YIKES* heart winces. Think i shall... 40% off on framing some more but still a huge tug on my fiances. Sighz, an NSF, forver poor. hmmm...

2008-02-17T23:09:00.003+08:00

[170208] Italian food @ Spageddies

Had lunch at Spageddies in Paragon, ordered the Pasta Sizzlelini which had scallops, prawns, mussels and crayfish in neopolitean sauce. Aint too bad. Hope to try their pizzas next, looked like a real treat. Hmmm... didnt do much today, went to town bought myself a tie, a book and lunched at Spageddies. Yep, that's all for today.

2008-02-17T11:11:00.006+08:00

[170208] I smell with my nose

The gah men advocates saving water but i think that initiative has gone a tad too far... no flushing?!?! No wonder the Gents stink, ok ok i admit that our marksmanship (or lack of it) contributes also to the problem but using "eco-friendly biotechnology"?? haha... makes me wanna laugh. The gents this sign was in didnt stink for sure but i think it had to do with the fact that there was a cleaning lady loitering outside the toilet for the better part of the day.

I seriously wonder if there's a problem with my speech or pronounciation when conversing in English. Reason: Whenever i ask guests for cards or query them, most would give the blank look back to me as though i just spoke to them in martian or something. Equally annoying is the fact that they like to just give a blank look and "HUH?"

That usually riles me up and i reply back with: "S...i.....r..... M...a...y... I ha..v...e.. you....r... ca...r...d... plea....s.e...." pronounced as draggingly as it's humanly possible with the equally baffled and blank look on my face along with helpful (and exaggerated) hand signals (think YMCA).

3 scenarios then unfold depending on individuals' character and sense of humour:
1) The guest finally understands my martian and proceeds to hand me their card.
2) The guest realises that they're the dumbasses and laughs it off (along with me) and hands me their cards.
3) The guest gets pissed off thinking im making fun of them and they lodge a complaint AFTER they hand me their card.

On second thought, screw 'em.

dumbasses.

PISSES ME OFF.

LOL.

2008-02-16T08:47:00.002+08:00

[160208] we say thank you

Gah Men has announced a Growth Dividends, Life Bonuses for Singaporeans after the unexpected good economic growth from last year. Meaning we'll get more money in addition to the GST credits due this july. It's times like these when you cant help but utter the word "shiok". Who would mind money given out freely and without strings attached? Thanks, uncle Lee! I think we can address our nation unofficially as Uncle Lee, the Americans address theirs as Uncle Sam.

Hmm, so if that's the case, I would get the 1st part of my growth dividends in April, GST credits in July and the 2nd part of my growth dividends in October. I would rather they give me the entire package in one lump sum but i guess that's their way of helping singaporeans not spend all their 'bonuses' at one go. Anyhow, this would make it the biggest ang pow for CNY so THANKS!!!

2008-02-14T19:44:00.007+08:00

[140208] Homeless heart

Went to Mandai Training Village today, 106th intake's Final Exercise. My 3rd last final ex by the way... THE SHORT ONE followed, which made it an extremely boring experience and of course, if he follows, no fires would be lit. First time setting up and seeing recruits carry out an extraction of casualties (dummies) from the 4th level when the 2-point suspension is usually meant for evacuation of casualties from the 2nd floor. I seriously wonder what goes through the mind of THE SHORT ONE.

recruits from all 3 platoons getting ready

View from the 4th floor

Came across something very ol' skool the other day when my colleague bought it from the canteen from CDA.

Yep, these biscuits!! remember these? if you dont, you fall into 2 categories, you either do not have a childhood or you're too young to have experienced the wonderful taste of these 20cent biscuits that i used to faithfully buy everyday during recess time when i was in primary school. The best part was when i ate the biscuits, they tasted exactly the same, same taste, same price (it was selling for 20cents each also) 17 years down the road. Missing those carefree days.

Homeless Heart.

2008-02-12T20:23:00.000+08:00

[1202008] Beyond

Kinnda hooked on Canto Pop now, especially Beyond's hai kuo tian kong (海闊天空) that's playing now in my blog. Damn nice... even though i dont understand a single word they sing, the simple and beautiful thing about music, you dont need to understand to love and appreciate it.

Beyond - hai kuo tian kong (海闊天空)

今天我寒夜裡看雪飄過
懷著冷卻了的心窩飄遠方
風雨裡追趕霧裡分不清影蹤
天空海闊你與我可會變 (誰沒在變)

多少次迎著冷眼與嘲笑
從沒有放棄過心中的理想
一剎那恍惚若有所失的感覺
不知不覺已變淡心裡愛 (誰明白我)

原諒我這一生不羈放縱愛自由
也會怕有一天會跌倒
背棄了理想誰人都可以
那會怕有一天只你共我

仍然自由自我永遠高唱我歌走遍千里

2008-02-06T16:39:00.000+08:00

[060208] 'Tis the season to be jolly *NOT*

Yaaaaaayyyyyyy, chinese new year is here aggggggggaaaaaain (note the lack of enthusiasm in the tone of voice). Only note worthy thing about CNY is the 2 day long Public Holiday and of course, the ang pows. (hey, im just being practical.) Main thing about CNY has always been the ang pows, house visiting and gambling but unlike other common singaporeans, the majority (read: 99.99%) of my blood relatives are in Indonesia, ONLY a convenient 3 - 6 hours away (By air, car/train) depending on which relative im visiting.

So CNY has always been a rather dull affair. House visits are massive fun, hanging out with friends talking cock and catching up over lunch or dinner when YOU'RE invited that is. Gambling, well gambling's fun too but it has never been my forte and i wouldnt expect that to change anytime soon but what the heck, a little gambling never hurt anybody (unless you're betting in amounts running in 3 or 4 digits) I'm just looking forward to the long weekend where i can just slack.

Still abit sore about not working, wished i was but company doesnt pay 1.5 pay on PH so screw 'em. One thing that seriously pisses me off during CNY is the songs they keep on looping over and over again in every friggin' store that you visit. The new year songs simply pisses the hell out of me. I appreciate the fact that they're trying to bring up the atmosphere of CNY but to hear the same old songs (which i might add are not very pleasing to my ears) every single place i go simply drives me crazy. It doesnt help the fact that my dad seems hell bent on driving me crazy when im at home as well, whistling away the CNY tunes. JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP man. jeez, next thing you know, you go clubbing on CNY and they probably play a Gong Xi Fa Chai club remix or something. READ: OVERKILL. Too much of a good thing kills but so does anything. Too much of anything kills.

Too much time on my hands is a bad thing, i'd rather be pre-occupied with something so that my mind don't wanders. I hate it when my mind wanders, too many flashbacks, too many things that i un-necessarily worry, fret or think about and of course, too many doubts in my mind. argghhhh... any distraction pls. been a long while since i've blogged, so there you have it. A pre CNY post.

Staind - So far away

This is my life
Its not what it was before
All these feelings I’ve shared
And these are my dreams
That I’d never lived before
Somebody shake me
Cause I, I must be sleeping

Now that we're here,
It's so far away
All the struggle we thought was in vain
All the mistakes,
One life contained
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here its so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive and I’m not ashamed to be the person that I am today

These are my words
That I’ve never said before
I think I’m doing ok
And this is the smile
That I’ve never shown before

Somebody shake me
Cause I, I must be sleeping

Now that we're here,
It's so far away
All the struggle we thought was in vain
All the mistakes,
One life contained
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here its so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive and I’m not ashamed to be the person that I am today

I'm so afraid of waking
Please don't shake me
Afraid of waking
Please don't shake me

Now that we're here,
It's so far away
All the struggle we thought was in vain
All the mistakes,
One life contained
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here its so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive and I’m not ashamed to be the person that I am today

2008-01-27T03:26:00.000+08:00

[270108] 0331 hrs

It's 0331 hrs now.

I should be tired after work, yet here im here feeling more weary than tired.
I should be resting my mind now, yet here im here with endless thoughts.
I should be sleeping now, yet here im here typing nonsense.

"Put me to sleep, Evil Angel.
Open your wings, Evil Angel.
Fly over me Evil Angel.
Why can't I breathe Evil Angel?"

2008-01-19T09:26:00.000+08:00

[190108] Achmed the dead terrorist

Dashing through the sand
with a bomb strapped to my back.
I have a nasty plan
for Christmas in Iraq.
I got through checkpoint A,
but not through checkpoint B.
That's when I got shot in the ass
by the US Military...

[it's not funny!]

Oooh, jingle bombs, jingle bombs
Mine blew up you see.
Where are all the virgins
that Bin Laden promised me?
Oooh, jingle bombs, jingle bombs
U.S. soldiers shot me dead.
The only thing that I have left
is this towel up on my head.

I used to be a man,
but every time I cough,
thanks to Uncle Sam,
my nuts keep falling off.
My bombing days are done.
I need to find some work.
Perhaps it would be much safer
as a convenient store night clerk.

Oooh, jingle bombs, jingle bombs
I think I got screwed.
Don't laugh at me because I'm dead
or I'll kill you...

I KILL YOUOUOU!

2008-01-13T20:24:00.000+08:00

[130108] some random stuff

I'm a poor poor man. In life, we're always short of 2 things. SLEEP & MONEY. How true that statement is indeed. I never seem to get enough sleep and I am positively sure that im always short of money especially when the gah-men pays me a generous allowance of $450/month. Thanks! You have my ETERNAL gratitude for your OVERWHELMING generosity.

But no point bitching over it, every guy goes through this phase. 9 more months to go. Some random stuff i picked up from Izuan's LJ. Darn funny reading. Heh. Enjoy.

Quoted from Sg.Forums
"One evening last week, my girlfriend and I were getting into bed.

Well, the passion starts to heat up, and she eventually says, "I don't feel like it, I just want you to hold me."

I said, "WHAT??!! What was that?!"

So she says the words that every boyfriend on the planet dreads to hear...

"You're just not in touch with my emotional needs as a woman enough for me to satisfy your physical needs as a man."

She responded to my puzzled look by saying, "Can't you just love me for who I am and not what I do for you in the bedroom?"

Realizing that nothing was going to happen that night, I went to sleep.

The very next day I opted to take the day off of work to spend time with her. We went out to a nice lunch and then went shopping at a big, big unnamed department store. I walked around with her while she tried on several different very expensive outfits. She couldn't decide which one to take, so I told her we'd just buy them all. She wanted new shoes to compliment her new clothes, so I said, "Lets get a pair for each outfit."

We went on to the jewellery department where she picked out a pair of diamond earrings. Let me tell you... she was so excited. She must have thought I was one wave short of a shipwreck. I started to think she was testing me because she asked for a tennis bracelet when she doesn't even know how to play tennis.

I think I threw her for a loop when I said, "That's fine, honey." She was almost nearing sexual satisfaction from all of the excitement.
Smiling with excited anticipation, she finally said, "I think this is all dear, let's go to the cashier."

I could hardly contain myself when I blurted out, "No honey, I don't feel like it."

Her face just went completely blank as her jaw dropped with a baffled, "WHAT?"

I then said, "Honey! I just want you to HOLD this stuff for a while. You're just not in touch with my financial needs as a man enough for me to satisfy your shopping needs as a woman."

And just when she had this look like she was going to kill me, I added,"Why can't you just love me for who I am and not for the things I buy you?"

Apparently I'm not having sex tonight either....but at least that bitch knows I'm smarter than her."

2008-01-06T10:45:00.000+08:00

The last goodnight - Pictures of you

This is the clock up on the wall
This is the story of us all
This is the first sound of a new born child before he starts to crawl

This is the war that's never won
This is the soldier and his gun
This is the mother waiting by the phone praying for her son

Pictures of you
Pictures of me
Hung up on your wall for the world to see

Pictures of you
Pictures of me
Remind us all of what we used to be

Woooah

There is a drug that cures it all
Blocked by the governmental wall
We are the scientists inside the lab just waiting for the call

This earthquake weather has got me shaking
Inside i'm high up and dry

Pictures of you
Pictures of me
Hung up on your wall for the world to see

Pictures of you
Pictures of me
Remind us all of what we used to be

Confess to me
Every secret moment
Every stolen promise you've believed

Confess to me
All that lies between us
All that lies between you and me

We are the boxers in the ring
We are the bells that never sing
There is a title we cant win no matter how hard we must swing

Pictures of you
Pictures of me
Hung up on your wall for the world to see

Pictures of you
Pictures of me
Remind us all of what we could have been

Pictures of you
Pictures of me
Hung up on your wall for the world to see

Pictures of you
Pictures of me
Remind us all of what we could have been
What could have been
We could have been

Pictures of you
Pictures of me
Remind us all of what we could have been
What could have been

2008-01-04T21:49:00.000+08:00

[040108] Fire fire burn so high, KNNBPCB

Yesterday was a significant day. Final Exercise. It's been 3 intakes since fire was last seen in a final exercise and seeing that our senior hierarchy was unfortunately tied up back in camp, we decided to do the sensible thing, set up fire and place our charges in a more 'realistic' rescue scenario environment.

But firstly, we had to address the problem of not having an area to rest or even to sit during lunch forcing the instructors and PCs to the unglamorous alternative of sitting at the back of the tonner/lorry. So, we did what we could. We improvised and after some simple maneuvering, we were proud to announce the opening of the first ever MTV NSF mess.

It wasnt much but at least it gave us a place to rest, sleep and have our meals. What more can a CD NSF ask for when in the Mandai Training Village? As usual, the recruits hadnt got a clue as to what they were supposed to do so we did what we've always done, we shout at them, scold them and confuse them. Basic rule of thumb - When you cant convince, confuse. And as always, the recruits will always use up all the extinguishers without even coming close to putting out the flames. Leave the firefighting to the pros, gentlemen.

DISCLAIMER: NO RECRUITS, CORPORALS OR LIEUTENANTS WERE HARMED IN THE FINAL EXERCISE INVOLVING SMALL FIRES.

2008-01-02T19:52:00.000+08:00

[020108] i want more excursions

An unplanned excursion to the Army Museum today. Found an excuse to get out of camp and once there, we just roamed around leaving the boys with the junior lanyard boys and us corporals (old birds) went around see see look look before settling for laksa and pizza at the cafeteria. If only everyday in camp was like today. Sighz..

Translated: Normal Secrets. wth is a normal secret?

That, is the coolest beret there is. Way cooler than even the maroon of the commandos.

This is in my mind, the coolest exhibit. Just awed. NICE.

Ah.. the famous 7 core values.. hmm.. where's the 8th? Can do anything but dont get caught?

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Your guardian angel

When I see your smile
Tears run down my face I can't replace
And now that I'm strong I have figured out
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul
And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven

It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.
Seasons are changing
And waves are crashing
And stars are falling all for us
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter
I can show you I'll be the one

I will never let you fall (let you fall)
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all (through it all)
Even if saving you sends me to heaven

Cuz you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart
Please don't throw that away
Cuz I'm here for you
Please don't walk away and
Please tell me you'll stay woah, stay woah

Use me as you will
Pull my strings just for a thrill
And I know I'll be okay
Though my skies are turning gray

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven

2008-01-01T14:01:00.000+08:00

[010108] Dawn of a new year

1st post of the new year. Once again, singaporeans have shown an inexplainable attraction to fireworks display as evidenced by the 160,000 people who were gathered at the Marina Bay area to catch the spectacle. Can you imagine what it must be like to be within the confines of 159,999 human beings? I cant, and i wouldnt want to.

Squashed in a mass of humanity just to marvel at exploding lights and colours in the sky for 8 minutes is a mighty sacrifice to pay. The stench of massed humanity is potent enough to rival Saddam Hussein's Mustard Gas i dare say, and probably would stick with you for the rest of 2008 just in time to for next year's countdown.

I did the sensible thing and spent my new year's eve peacefully. Caught Aliens vs. Predators 2. Felt kinnda cheated. In the original AVP. There were 3 predators. In the sequel, there were 3 also but 2 got killed within the opening 5 minutes leaving one lone ranger (Their version of rambo?) to fight the remaining GAZILLION aliens ALONE. He's either acting hero or he's a loner. The planet / city he originated from LOOKS like it's decently populated but upon receiving a distress signal from his dying brethren on Earth, he proceeded to Earth alone after choosing an appropriate mask from around 20 that were exactly identically hanging on the wall. Gist of the entire show is simple enough, aliens kill humans, humans kill aliens (they tried to), Predator kill both humans and aliens, humans try to survive, US gah-men lied to their own people and blew everything and everybody to smithereens. There is no plot whatsoever in this movie. At least the first AVP tried to have something resembling a plot and story and it did made some sense. This was just brainless milking of the predator and alien francises and i pity the fans of both series as i believe up til now, the Alien trilogy and Predator series were in fact brilliant movies with solid casting and plots. The saying goes, too much of a good thing is a bad thing and so it is true in our instance where they try to do too much with no input from the brain at all. The small saving grace was that audiences were introduced to hottie - Kristen Hager.

Aliens vs Predators 2 - 1.5 popcorns out of 5

Went out with the usual gang in a twin Honda Hybrid convoy. Monk, jj, Blackie, yf, redfox, R, lulu & angelia were all present as we headed to jalan kayu to spend our final moments of 2007. Countdown came and went and nobody was really bothered, the main attention focused on the sumptuous supper spread in front of them. Then it was down to yishun dam to slack, chill, drink and stone in the wee hours of 2008.

Tis the way to cross over into a new year. Quietly, peacefully and with good, ole trusted company of brudders & sistas.

2007-12-30T19:07:00.000+08:00

[301207] T-Minus 48hrs

2007 draws to an end and 2008 beckons, quietly creeping on us over the approaching horizon. What will it entail? Nobody ever knows does it for our futures are always clouded and shrouded, lost in the transition of time and space vortex if you believe in that mambo jumbo. What I do know for certain is that i'll ORD in 2008. That's a given fact.

No new year's resolutions for me as usual, the simple reason being that i never ever seem to be able to keep them so why waste all that time, effort and not to mention paper just to jot them down? I look back at 2007 and sadly realise that it's an uneventful year, nothing much had changed, nothing much had happened. No real significant life changing event has shook my life as i know it. Just another 365 days that passed by, draggingly painful, silent and quiet.

I look forward to 2008 but I am fearful of it as well. The uncertainty of what I am to become frightens me and I am lost without a clue as to where i shall stand in life right now or 5 years down the road. Count each step as I take them and hope they'll turn out alright but then again... hope... what a silly notion. The end of a long year doesnt mean the end of this year's shit but rather a brand new year with more shit to deal with.

Too many clichés are used in our daily lives. People who use them too frequently ought to be shot. That's my opinion.

Rascal Flatts - Stand

You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless
Like you've lost your fight
But you’ll be alright
You’ll be alright

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand,
Then you stand

Life's like a novel
With the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon
With only one way down
Take what you're given before its gone
Start holding on, keep holding on

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up

Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand,
Yeah then you stand.

Everytime you get up
And get back in the race
One more small piece of you
Starts to fall into place
Ooohhh

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand,
Then you stand
Yeah then you stand.
Yeah then you stand.
Yeah baby
ohhhhhhhhh
ohhhhhhhhh
ohhhhhhhhh
ooohhhhhhh
then you stand

2007-12-26T21:54:00.000+08:00

[261207] ears burning, pulse quickens

I think i just made a fool of out myself.

What's done is done.

I await the final judgment.

2007-12-25T14:16:00.000+08:00

[251207] tis' the season of reels

as of today, i've caught 4 movies this month... Alvin & the Chipmunks, The Golden Compass, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets and I am Legend, with a possible 5th later on, seeing that i got a cathay movie voucher redeemed from some reward thingy... caught I AM LEGEND yesterday with the same group of ppl with additional 6 ppl whom we call the 'NBSS family'

The show started slowly and would remain so throughout the film, the film is punctuated by the occasional action filled scenes which were few and far in between and the few heart stopping moments which pretty much scared the girls. erm, ladies, it aint THAT scary. The trailer painted I AM LEGEND as an action horror genre show akin to Resident Evil but it'll sorely disappoint the action junkees. The main premises of the movie revolves around the lead character played by Will Smith who i think did a brilliant job in portraying Robert Neville as he struggled with the terms of the apocalyptic disaster that has befallen the human race. loneliness, insanity and boredom are the other enemies as he fought to survive in an empty new york city. Hunting, gathering and surviving while trying in futile to come up with a cure against the mutant KV virus. The flashbacks provided a key insight in what really happened pre-dating the years the story began from. The ending was a real let down but overall the film only deepens my desire to read the book by Richard Matheson on which the film is based on.

I AM LEGEND - 4 popcorns out of 5

I think guests at marche need to be handed cards that help them in the pronunciation of certain food items we carry in our menu. This has a 2 fold benefit. Firstly, the guests wont feel like fools when they pronounce the word wrongly and secondly, the team members serving them wont be actually making fun of them. Some words that we possibly can help them with.

Salmon Roesti pronounced as Sal-Mon Ro-Sti. Not SMELLMON Roti
Mushroom Ragout pronounced as Mush-Room Ra-Goo Not Mushroom RAG-OUT
Crepes pronounced as Creep Not CRAP, CRIK, CRAK or whatother variations you got

A merry Christmas to all who visits my blog regularly to read about my mundane life... cheers... may the holiday season bring you all much joy and fulfillment...

2007-12-21T23:36:00.000+08:00

[211207] 39 / 72

work over the next 3 days, likely to be from 1200 - 0100, just thinking of work already sickens me... should have just stuck to my usual Saturday 12 hour work schedule but NOoooo... i had to go and tell Jensen that i wanted to work.. argghhh... really regretting it now.. just thinking of working continously for 3 straight days is tiring... dammit.

but it's a measure against spending money on off days... erm... i work more so i can earn more so i can dine and watch movies alone more? hahaha.. i know, that's a fucked up train of thought... eh.. i really need the dough for my upcoming expenses. Still have yet to buy my suit for cousin grace's wedding... erm, perhaps should ask her to sponsor me since she asked me to be best man.. haha... $283.00 for the top alone without pants, shirt and shoes calculated into the final costs and my wallet is most likely looking at an extended period in the ICU... again...

just looking forward to christmas day... not for the gifts which i wont be receiving but for the blissful and joyful moments when i can sleep like the dead. ah... the simple pleasures in life... re-watched an old video... Because im a girl by KISS. Never fails to stir my emotions... darn nice video, having such a pretty gal as the lead didnt hurt at all... nicest music video ever...

2007-12-20T13:03:00.000+08:00

Dashboard Confessional - Stolen

We watch the season
Pull up it’s own stakes
And catch the last weekend
Of the last week
Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced
Another sun soaked season fades away

You have stolen my heart
You have stolen my heart

Invitation only
Grand Farewells
Crush the best one
Of the best ones
Clear liquor and cloudy eyed
Too early to say goodnight

You have stolen my heart
You have stolen my heart

And from the ball room floor
We are in celebration
One good stretch before our hibernation
Our dreams assured and we all
Will sleep well
Sleep Well

Sleep Well
Sleep Well
Sleep Well

you have stolen
you have stolen
you have stolen my heart

Watch you spin around
In your highest heels
You are the best one
Of the best ones
We
All
Look
Like
We
Feel

you have stolen my
you have stolen my
you have stolen my heart

2007-12-17T22:04:00.000+08:00

Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore - Way back into love

I've been living with a shadow overhead,
I've been sleeping with a cloud above my bed,
I've been lonely for so long,
Trapped in the past,
I just can't seem to move on!

I've been hiding all my hopes and dreams away,
Just in case I ever need them again someday,
I've been setting aside time,
To clear a little space in the corners of my mind!

All I want to do is find a way back into love.
I can't make it true without a way back into love.
Oooooh.

I've been watching but the stars refuse to shine,
I've been searching but i just don't see the signs,
I know that it's out there,
There's got to be something for my soul somewhere!

I've been looking for someone to shed some light,
Not somebody just to get me through the night,
I could use some direction,
And I'm open to your suggestions.

All I want to do is find a way back into love.
I can't make it through without a way back into love.
And if I open my heart again,
I guess I'm hoping you'll be there for me in the end!
Oooooooh, Ooooooh, Ooooooh.

There are moments when I don't know if it's real
Or if anybody feels the way I feel
I need inspiration
Not just another negotiation

All I want to do is find a way back into love,
I can't make it through without a way back into love,
And if I open my heart to you,
I'm hoping you'll show me what to do,
And if you help me to start again,
You know that I'll be there for you in the end!
Oooooooh. Oooooooh. Ooooooooh. Oooooooh. Ooooooh Ooooooooh. Ooooooooh.

2007-12-16T11:59:00.000+08:00

[161207] Long ass weekend...

Caught Alvin and the Chipmunks on friday with clan. The chipmunks were adorable as were their singing but after a while, it's just plain annoying and irritating. It aint just annoying and irritating it's those kind that get under your skin kinda irritating... Plot was a wash out and ending kinnda sucked. But then again, if you were watching this in the first place, i seriously doubt you were anticipating an Oscar winning movie were you?

Alvin and the Chipmunks - 2 popcorns out of 5

Estb. since 2000

There's a saying that goes that a woman looks her darn best on her wedding day. It's freaking true even though yesterday wasnt miss yee's wedding day but rather a wedding reception for her friends, classmates and colleagues here in singapore, she looked absolutely radiant and pretty. It was almost a freaking alumni gathering seeing that there must be at least 100 - 200 students, past and present just gathered there to congratulate her. A testament to her popularity as a lecturer. Loved & adored by the masses.. haha..

Had dinner and chilled at Coffee Club in Habourfront, caught up with everyone. Just a nice simple class gathering. How much more enjoyable can it get? Headed back to yishun to catch The Golden Compass. Some concepts of the show are interesting. I personally find the idea of a demon endearing and interesting. But the show seemed rather rushed and the ending seems a bit of a anti-climatic. This said, look carefully at the ice bears if you watch the movie. does it remind you of something? Reminded me of the coca-cola campaign a few years back.. i swear them bears look alike!

2007-12-10T18:21:00.000+08:00

[101207] 4 days of civilian-hood

been wanting to blog about this cheque i came across while in camp... it is like any other ordinary cheque until u see the amount stated... geez... so how would the cheque be cashed? would it even allowed to be cashed in at the bank? freakin' hilarious... one word - DUMBASS! Ladies & gents, always ALWAYS check what you write down on your cheque... dont be like this dumbass here.. freakin moron...

what the hell is nine & cents ninety only???

Sunday was a long day... went to TTSH to get my foot looked at... been hurtin' for the entire week after the marathon, been trying to bear with it but after work on saturday couldnt take it any longer and away i went. Why TTSH? for economical reasons of course, always head to the nearest govt hospital when you're armed with an 11B - FREE MEDICAL TREATMENT. Anyways, turned out to be nothing much, just a strain. Doc was kind enough to give me 4 days of MC. yep, 4 days... power lah, Dr. Goh. Thank you very much.

Met up with some CIs for dinner at chomp chomp, only my 3rd or 4th time there to eat... nice, but portions are very small.. tried some egg beancurd dessert thingy but wasnt very impressed with the taste. Ended up singing karaoke at yishun safra til 0100hrs. A fruitful sunday spent i would say...

rotted away my first day, stayed at home the entire time... wanna go out but there isnt any places to go to... wanna watch movies but no nice movies to watch... boring boring life but still it's waaaaayyyy better than to be couped up in camp. 3 more days before heading back to camp. Anyone wanna meet up for chow or coffee? i'm free til thursday!!!! ~~~~that was desperate...

2007-12-03T18:04:00.000+08:00

[031207] Off day routines

In what is quickly becoming a routine, i caught a movie at cineleisure (again) and ate at someplace fancy (again) on my off day (again) ensuring my wallet ended up in the ICU (again) . I've given up hope of managing to find friend(s) for these kind of endeavours so i decided to do the sensible thing - Save my SMSes and not bother anyone by asking.

After a rejuvenating and somewhat tiring 15 hours of sleep (1420 hrs - 0530 hrs), i woke up still feeling sore and achy. surfed the net, checked the mail, read the news til 9ish and watched Jeff Dunham videos til 11ish before heading out. Undecided on where to eat but eventually settled for Paragon, wanted to try out Carnivours@vivocity but the idea of traveling all the way south bothered me.

Ended up at Spaggedies nestled in the corner of the basement in Paragons. Quiet and very relaxed atmosphere but was slightly put off by the less than charming service staff. When you're from the service line, you tend to pick up on minor details... like staff not smiling, staff not informing you of soup of the day, staff not recommending items they want to upsell, staff not asking if i want ice water, staff not being attentive, staff not informing you of credit card promotions yada yada yada etc. The list can go on and on. Then again, I could be just picky and on more than one occasion in the past, i have been guilty of the above mentioned crimes. What can i say? If we really care for the customer, we'd send them somewhere better.

Looked through the menu and was quite awed with the amount of seemingly mouth watering delicacies awaiting my salivating oral cavity. Craved for steak as well as an all too familiar calling for pasta so i settled for something that would satisfy both my cravings. Crayfish and Tenderloin combo. magnifique!

The presentation wasnt much to be desired but it tasted WAY better than it looked. The tenderloin was grilled medium rare, the way i like my beef and wasnt too dry or tough though it tasted abit bland (no pepper or salt?), the crayfish was quite succulent and the melted cheese definitely added much taste to the freshness of the seafood, the tomato sauce and tomato chunks added to the overall flavour. The accompanying olio aglio linguine was a delight, with the garlic and parsley adding much punch to the dish, sadly it wasnt spicy enough for my taste. The meal turned out to be very filling though i had misgivings about it earlier on due to the misconception i had when i looked at the picture of the ordered dish in the menu. After a nice meal like that, it seemed only right that i had dessert to go along. Quickly settled for Italian Chocolate cake with ice cream and tea.
Once again, the presentation was minimal or more likely to be non-existent but then again, perhaps they were going for the minimalist look. The dessert turned out to be a total let down, the ice-cream was only so so with the chocolate cake disappointing severely. The only saving face was that the fudge was good while it's warm. I had better hot fudge cake with ice cream elsewhere... not a bad place to dine and a couple of items caught my eye, definitely going back to try again some other time.

Headed to Kino to waste some time and helped settle my lunch down but ended up buying 2 books when i walked out. Caught the movie 30 days of night, a graphic novel adaptation with the same title. More and more of these graphic novels adaptations these days... maybe the screenwriters are running out of fresh ideas for movies... Not much to critique about, lotsa blood, lotsa screaming, a pretty linear plotline and predicable ending. Of course, there were going to be survivors and of course, Evan (Josh Harnett) the leading character was going to sacrifice himself to save the others. DUH!!!

2 popcorns of out 5

2007-12-03T08:49:00.000+08:00

[031207] Marathon aftermath & thoughts

One word describes it all now - OUCH.

Note to self: Never trying running a marathon on 1 hour's sleep nor being ill prepared for the race.

At least i got the shirt. Im a proud finisher of 42.195km. I'd like to see you try and take that away from me.

2007-11-23T20:01:00.000+08:00

[231107] Another lonesome off day

I think sometimes im better off without an off day, seeing that i always end up spending money and spending time alone. Another off day today, battalion off this time round. Went to suntec city to collect my race pack for the standard chartered marathon. Queued for over an hour before managing to get my goodie bag.

Headed over to Borders next to apply for a part-time position and as luck would have it, the HR manager was out of office for the day and would get back to me and schedule for an interview if im deemed suitable for any vacancies they have. Sigh... i really want a new job, a change of environment seeing that im not very happy working at marche anymore... hoped for the chance to go for the interview on the spot but luck was not on my side.

Strolled down to cineleisure and bought the ticket for Lust, Caution. Had time to spare so popped by Heeren's Billy Bombers for lunch. Decent enough meal, the chocolate milkshake is still as nice as before but blew a hole the size of lower seletar reservoir in my wallet.

Lust, Caution. Overall turned out to be only a so-so film with nothing worthy of mention. The plot is simple enough to understand and are without any suspense or twists. Wang Lee-Hom, the Taiwanese pop singer looked stiff throughout the movie with the lead character Tony Leung not faring much better with pretty much the same expression etched on his face in the movie. The leading lady, Tang Wei had a demure yet overwhelming sadness attribute to her throughout the film but did credibly well in some of the more emotional scenes. The much talked about sex scenes were indeed explicitly raw and emotionally charged and became the highlight of the film seeing that the acting and plot fell flat. One thing that bothered me though was seeing Tang Wei in the buff without her armpits shaved... not a film to shout about but for those curious, still deemed a decent film.
2 popcorns out of 5.

2007-11-08T14:30:00.000+08:00

[081107] homeless heart

feeling kinnda light at the moment, the alcohol from last night still running in the system i guess... been a long time since i clubbed. To say i club is a misconception because usually when people club, they drink, dance, drink and dance. For me, when i go 'club', i drink, stone, drink and stone. So i should say, i went stoning yesterday...

Was supposed to celebrate Black's bday @ wahla-wahla in Holland V but came too late and the bloody place was packed... im darn impressed with the band there, especially when they were playing 'lips of an angel'... and supposedly, the live band changes every day... must go there and chill some day... in the end, headed to O bar instead... bought 4 bottles, finished 2 and a half of them, stayed til it closed and attended to the casualties. yf and black wiped out by the Hennessey(s).

Reached home at 0500 and concussed immediately only to wake at 1000 barely 5 hours later unable to visit lala land again... grrrr.. pissed... lost myself in facebook to pass the time... it's with little wonder people lose track of time while 'face-booking'... too many darn things to do inside there...

Bryan Rice - Homeless heart

Lonesome beauty
With a crowd around you
I see who you are

You joke, they laugh
Till the show is over
Then you fall so hard

If you're needing
A soul-to-soul connection
I'll run to your side

When you're lost in the dark
When you're out in the cold
When you're looking for something
That resembles your soul
When the wind blows your house of cards
I'll be a home to your homeless heart

Open close me
Leave your secrets with me
I can ease your pain

My arms will be
Just like walls around you
Come in from the rain

If you're running
In the wrong direction
I will lead you back

When you're lost in the dark
When you're out in the cold
When you're looking for something
That resembles your soul
When the wind blows your house of cards
I'll be a home to your homeless heart
Broken
Shattered like a mirror in a million pieces
Sooner or later you got to find
Something, Someone
To find you and save you
When you're lost in the dark
When you're out in the cold
When you're looking for something
That resembles your soul
When the wind blows your house of cards
I'll be a home to your homeless heart
When you're lost in the dark
When you're out in the cold
When you're looking for something
That resembles your soul
When the wind blows your house of cards
I'll be a home to your homeless heart
I'll be a home to your homeless heart

2007-10-26T17:07:00.000+08:00

[261007] Too late to apologize

I'm holding on your rope,
Got me ten feet off the ground
And I'm hearing what you say but I just can't make a sound
You tell me that you need me
Then you go and cut me down, but wait
You tell me that you're sorry
Didn't think I'd turn around, and say...

that it's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late

I'd take another chance, take a fall
Take a shot for you
And I need you like a heart needs a beat
But it's nothing new - yeah

I loved you with the fire red-
Now it's turning blue, and you say...
"Sorry" like the angel heaven let me think was you
But I'm afraid...

It's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late whoaa ohhh...

It's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, yeah-
I said it's too late to apologize, yeah-
I'm holding on your rope, got me ten feet... off the ground...

2007-10-22T19:40:00.000+08:00

[221007] Damn Brits cant do anything right~~

What was to become an epic treble for British sportsmen instead became a disaster as all 3 challenges fell flat with egg on their faces as they pack their backs and prepares to go back home to the misty, gloomy and rainy island they call home.

1st: After 5 successive 3-0 victories the 3 Lions proceeded to lose 2-1 to Russia to throw the qualification race for Euro 2008 into doubt. This would have cemented what we FOOTBALL fans knew all along, Stevie McClaren knows nuts about management. Perhaps he should have been paying attention and followed what all former Assistant Managers have known - The step up into management especially Internationally aint easy. Now, England could be looking at not qualifying for Euro 08 at all, in such cases where your own destiny isnt in your own 2 hands anymore. Usually the worst case scenario happens. I hardly doubt that Russia would struggle against Andorra and Macedonia. Stepping down would be the most grace saving gesture from McClaren. Eriksson's shite but at least we qualified for the last 3 international tournaments and managed to get through to the quarters in each one. There aint a better time than now to say goodbye, Stevie. Na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na, hey hey hey, good byeeeee.... *waves*

2nd: After an emphatic win over their historical rivals from across the channel. English Rugby boys fell at the final hurdle to lose against the South African Springbok. Johnny sadly failed to deliver and the defending champs goes out at the final hurdle. What a sad sad sad day for English sport.

3rd: Lastly, rookie debutant Lewis Hamilton COULD have been the youngest grand prix driver and COULD have won the championship in his debut season but for an excellent and near flawless victory by Kimi Raikkonen in the Brazillian grand prix. He could have clinched it if he finished third but as the sporting gods would have it, it didnt happen. Hamilton finished a lowly 7th to end up joint 2nd with his arch nemesis Fernando Alonso who ironically finished in the 3rd place that he would have needed to win the championship. what a joke.

Murphy's Law evidently strikes again. ANYTHING THAT CAN GO WRONG WILL GO WRONG.

Came across an article from last week's New Paper. Murphy's Law @ work.

1. The more shit you put up with, the more shit you'll get.
2. Never be irreplaceable. If you cant be replaced, you cant be promoted.
3. You can get anywhere you want if you look serious and have a clipboard.
4. A pat on the back is only a couple of centimetres from a kick in the ass.
5. Eat a live toad first thing in the morning and nothing else at work later can be worse.

I LOVE MURPHY's LAW... They define our very existence in this world, giving us explanations for everything.

2007-10-16T17:20:00.000+08:00

[161007] what a waste of a day

The weekend was a bummer, didnt get to enjoy it but spent the weekend working then rushing to book in, sleeping for 4 hours before waking up in the dead of the morning to do sai kang all the way in changi, came back to camp went home slept for 2 hours before booking in again to carry out my CDI duties.

Sunday night booking in pissed me off real bad, Yeo and me decided to take a cab down to camp from CCK so we proceeded to try and flag a cab down, which we managed to do only after 40 minutes. Singapore has over 22,000 cabs and we managed to flag one down only after 40 minutes, who wouldnt be pissed? Through this event however, i've discovered new sections of murphy's law.

Murphy's Law governing flagging of cabs
1) The opposite side of the road from where you're waiting for a cab will always have more available cabs driving past.
2) Empty cabs would suddenly be on call as they're driving towards where you're standing even though you've been frantically waving at them from the moment they turned onto the street you're waiting at.
3) When you decide to cross the road to try and flag a cab, the side of the street that you were already on would have empty cabs driving past.

Yeo thinks that the uncles who drives the taxis all congregate somewhere at certain times of the day especially during peak hours just to piss the commuters off. I however think that we just need more cabs on the road. It's ridiculous hearing about taxi drivers complaining about how hard it is to pick up passengers when i keep on seeing people waiting for inhumane amounts of time before they can get a cab.

So today was my off day, compensation for having to do the sai kang on sunday... wanted to sleep in late but body refused to obey and i dragged myself out of bed at 0700hrs, surfed the net abit before i quickly grew bored... paged a couple of guys but all were busy or at sch... what to do?

Headed down to cineleisure, caught the 10:45 Resident Evil:Extinction, finished the show, went straight back to the ticketing counter and bought the tix for the 12:30 Alpha Dog. Finished at ard 1430 thought of catching the 17:00 I now pronounce you chuck and larry but too tired and hungry... wandered around before stopping at Fish N Co. @ Paragon for lunch. Tried something other than the seafood platter or fish n chips. Had the Prawn Fettucini pasta in chilli sauce with clam chowder. Wasnt too bad but the clam chowder from marche is way way better, i think even the clam chowder from long john's tasted better... the pasta was nice but i dont think the prawns were very fresh.. the prawns werent exactly very firm.. kinnda squishy... caught the train back and concussed all the way til yishun... that was my day... kinnda boring... what a day to waste my off day on...

Celine Dion with Bee Gees - Immortality

So this is who I am,
And this is all I know,
And I must choose to live,
For all that I can give,
The spark that makes the power grow
And I will stand for my dream if I can,
Symbol of my faith in who I am,
But you are my only,
And I must follow on the road that lies ahead,
And I won't let my heart control my head,
But you are my only
We don't say goodbye,
We don't say goodbye,
And I know what I've got to be

Immor-tality
I make my journey through eternity
I keep the memory of you and me inside

Fulfil your destiny,
Is there within the child,
My storm will never end,
My fate is on the wind,
The king of hearts, the joker's wild,
We don't say goodbye,
We don't say goodbye,
I'll make them all remember me

Cos I have found a dream that must come true,
Every ounce of me must see it through,
But you are my only
I'm sorry I don't have a role for love to play,
Hand over my heart I'll find my way,
I will make them give to me

Immor-tality (oh baby)
There is a vision and a fire in me (ohh)
I keep the memory of you and me, inside
We don't say goodbye
We don't say goodbye
With all my love for you
And what else we may do
We don't say, goodbye

2007-10-13T09:48:00.000+08:00

[131007] Reba McEntire & Kelly Clarkson

2007-10-10T20:42:00.000+08:00

[101007] Free fallin' and Fallin' free

The newspaper today featured an article that has shown that clinically speaking, it IS possible to die of a broken heart. Mainly due to the fact that when one is depressed or emotionally stressed, it affects the body as well and these long term stress factors contribute to an sharp increase of over 30% more likelihood for the stress-ee to suffer from heart related illnesses and diseases.

In another related segment, women who do not communicate their feelings and keep them bottled up when in a martial spat are also more likely to drop dead. Ok, drop dead's a bit too direct, it states that such women are more likely to suffer from heart related illnesses and diseases than other women who talk to and resolve differences with their spouses when fighting. And interestingly, the report also noted that men who keep their feelings bottled up shows no change in likelihood of contracting heart related illnesses and diseases. The explanation? Most men who keep their feelings bottled up do so to keep the peace as surveyed from the over 600 couples who participated in the test.

Lessons learnt:
Gals shld stop the cold war thing, talk to guys more often.
Guys dang! keeping quiet does work! Let her finish her emo moments then kiss and make up.

Okay, i've already been sidetracked from what i wanted to blog about, which is: Since it's clinically possible to die from a broken heart, is it possible to die from a du-lan heart?
NOTE: The state of being pissed off/angry/upset as quoted by the urban dictionary
I'm du-lan of my OC, my CSM, my vocation, my work, NS and my life in general. So if the medical findings as reported is true, being du-lan would have an adverse effect on my health and well being in general which would in fact mean that the gah-men is responsible for any heart related illness and diseases i may or may not develop in the future.

Coming weekend burned due to trial run for the upcoming 15km REAL RUN organised by HomeTeamNS and due to the fact that im scheduled to work on saturday, afterwhich i need to book in by 2359 and moving off to Changi at 0400hrs the following sunday and coming back around afternoon before continuing my duties as Duty Instructor for sunday evening. WOW! a whole weekend spent in camp, how exciting. yay~

Original plan was to stay in camp til thursday but had to cut the plans short as i couldnt bear to stay another night in camp. Well, it isnt really that bad but i think i'll take the 1hr+ journey to and fro and the waking up at 0530 hrs over staying in anyday. It's just the feeling of sian-ness while one is at camp that compels many a good fella to go crazy.

Tom Petty - Free Falling

She's a good girl, loves her mama
loves Jesus and America too
She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis
loves horses and her boyfriend too

It's a long day livin' in Reseda
there's a freeway runnin' through the yard
and I'm a bad boy, 'cause I don't even miss her
I'm a bad boy for breakin' her heart

And I'm free, I'm free fallin'

All the vampires walkin' through the valley
move west down Ventura Blvd.
And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows
All the good girls are home with broken hearts

And I'm free, I'm free fallin'

I wanna glide down over Mulholland
I wanna write her name in the sky
I wanna free fall out into nothin'
Gonna leave this world for awhile

And I'm free, I'm free fallin'