:: End of an Era ::
have decided that I'm going to sell my iPod Video.
it's a 30GB Fifth Gen iPod in great condition cuz I've protected it with a screen protector and a silicon case. Have posted some picts below. Any interested buyers do tag and lemme know how we can contact each other to neg prices.

the whole package

back panel

note: the back is still shiny, scratchfree and mirrory. ;)

screen

again. Note that the screen is scratchfree and in good condition.
the pictures are a bit grainy, cuz my phone's camera isn't that excellent, and they don't really do justice to it.

:: all dogs go to heaven ::
for the first time in almost 9 yrs, my dog didn't come barking when i opened the front gate. i really can't believe it cuz it happened so suddenly. he seemed perfectly healthy one day and the next time i know, my sis calls me at work to tell me the dog is dead. this dog was the first dog that i had frm puppy to adulthood.
it's strange not being able to go out after dinner and play with him...

"In Loving Memory"

Jake

1998-2006

:: Prease Es-prain Why ::

Bak Chor Mee

For the benefit of those that have not listened to the Bak Chor Mee (Minced Meat Noodle) podcast from the Mr Brown Show.

I had an amazingly similar experience today!!

"Esprain why you say you tell me you don want ter kwa when you din say you dun want ter kwa."
"I'm sorry. Now can I eat my lunch"
...
...
...

Translate to====>
"Why didn't you look when you pass the ball"
"Okay. I'll look next time"
"But WHY didn't you look"

God. Bloody irritating. The guy made a mistake. This is no why or reason to explain the mistake. Highlight the error, learn frm it and MOVE ON!!

:: Funnies ::

Check this guy's blog out... super funny.. think i might have posted on it before.. but it's worth another advertisement.

Jason Rohrblogger's Top Ten

in the spirit of things, here's a top ten list i found. [not from his blog.]

The Top 10 Things I'll Do When I Become An Evil Overlord
Anyone harbouring designs on taking over the world should probably take the following considerations into account before making us all your minions...


10. My Legions of Terror will have helmets with clear Plexiglas visors, not face-concealing ones.

9. My ventilation ducts will be too small to crawl through.

8. My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell of my dungeon.

7. Shooting is not too good for my enemies.

6. The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box. The same applies to the object which is my one weakness.

5. I will not gloat over my enemies' predicament before killing them.

4. When I've captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?” I'll say, "No." and shoot him. No, on second thought I'll shoot him then say "No."

3. After I kidnap the beautiful princess, we will be married immediately in a quiet civil ceremony, not a lavish spectacle in three weeks' time during which the final phase of my plan will be carried out.

2. I will not include a self-destruct mechanism unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, it will not be a large red button labeled "Danger: Do Not Push". The big red button marked "Do Not Push" will instead trigger a spray of bullets on anyone stupid enough to disregard it. Similarly, the ON/OFF switch will not clearly be labeled as such.

And...

1. I will not interrogate my enemies in the inner sanctum - a small hotel well outside my borders will work just as well.

:: Tech[no] Freak ::
omg. unbelievably boring. that's what my life has turned into.
i guess i can't expect working in an office for 9 hrs a day to be incredibly exciting but i didn't expect it to be just so regimented. the same ol' things everyday, 5 days a week.. but like my DyCO said. don't have to be so PC abt it. it's definately better that chionging thru a jungle in the middle of nowhere firing at an imaginary friend.
but seriously. i have to find something outside camp to pump my adrenaline and get me back into shape. think i'll prob be going down to NY more regularly to see how the rugby team is shaping up. join in their fitness training every now and then? possibilties.
i need a miracle please let me be your gurl... woah woah woah... what? okay.. so i'm not singing it as in literally i wanna be somebody's gal. but cascada has been climbing up my playcount list steadily. haha... so tacky. all the techno beats. but it's kinda fun really. reminds me of sec sch days when techno seemed really in. guess it's not really all that popular nowadays but i can't help reminiscing can i.

:: Superhuman powers ::
with the power to infuriate me just by saying my name [albeit saying it many many many times in the span of a few minutes], with the uncany ability to pick out the one thing that can irritate me like nothing else can and with the power to say the stupidest things at the most impossibly wrong time.

none other than my old man.

without any intention ofsounding like the billions of other angsty teens complaining 24/7 about their parents, i just have to vent out. i really blew-up in his face today. i spent the night out and was really tired so i took a nap till dinnertime. suddenly he bursts into my room waking me up and says let's go buy dinner. obviously having just been roused, i'm not in exactly the best of moods. then he decides it'll be fun to start calling my name until i get up and go buy dinner with him. it comes to a point when i have totally woken up and am in the toilet washing my face [please bear in mind that all this while he has been repeatin my name over and over and over etc] when i just completely can't take and snap. i storm out of the bathroom and yell at him. what's your fucking problem, can't you just wait.

if i was in another body and looking in on the exact same situation i would have stared and thought what a fucking brat that guy was being. but i don't think that anyone can really understand the relationship that i have with my dad.

every since i was very young, i've never really felt that much of an attachment to my father. he always seemed distant. like he was there yet he wasn't. he spent almost the whole day in his office and when he was at home, he holed himself in his room reading his books. i really hated those books. it made me feel like he prefered to be with them rather than his own children. so naturally i withdrew from him.

it was only til recent years that i think i could talk to him. but up til now i still feel that my relationship with my dad is shallow. we make small talk when we watch tv together but i can never discuss anything serious with him. it's not to say that i haven't tried. i have but he has this flaw which makes him a very difficult person to talk to. he just doesn't know how to listen. he hears you alright but that is completely different from listening to what you have to say. i can bet you that he knows nothing about my life. he doesn't know what kind of person i really am.

what does he know about the growing pains that i have experienced except when i implode from the bottled up feelings? i just don't feel comfortable talking to him about stuff like what i wanna do after i finish uni or about my feelings i have for this girl that i know. or anything for that matter.

and this distance is not just a one-way street. he doesn't bother to tell me about himself either. he doesn't share his problems that he faces at work with us. his own family. if you can't open to your own flesh and blood, who else can you turn to? he's a single guy and has been for a very long while. i don't think that he is that pathetic not to have meet certain special people over the years but i'm never heard of one of them let alone met anyone. mabye i'm wrong. maybe he hasn't had a date in over a decade but the thing is i don't know cuz he won't confide in us.

he is a very frustrating man. it's not that he does anything massively wrong but it's all the niggly bits that irritates the hell out of you. if it wasn't for the fact that he is my father and that i am principled enough to understand the need for children to be filial to their parents, i don't know how i would have survived up til now without strangling him.

there are day when i just wanna pack up all my stuff and just leave. just leave all this behind and live in my own self-sustaining world.

:: Intranet Constipation ::
argh... frustrating day at the office today.
began the day on totally the wrong foot. i woke up super late and had to rush to camp by cab.... sigh... money gone.
then i thought of going to emart to draw my no3 before work, budden the stupid emart only open at 1030. wah liao.. they open later than 8 and close before 5. their working hours is less than mine lah... what de hell. and the fact that my office is about 3 or so km frm the emart, visiting it is not very convenient.
when i finally get to work, i find that all my computer stuff isn't working properly. i can't access all my leave systems properly to see who's on leave to mark parade state.... aarrgh.
then i left work late cuz i had to compile a list of leave balance for the whole squadron. funny how the com decides to slow down right at knocking off time. i swear it's a conspiracy.

oh well.. nice songs do make my day better. lemme share.

:: Mr Brightside ::
it's always about being positive about life. and i think that's what i am (most of the time). like when i entered the service, i didn't expect that i'd get such a good job. 8-5 and great company to spend the days and evenings out with from both FDS and 127. but that's what i've got now. sure i complain about the "allowance" that i'm getting for the job but that's better than having to trek thru whatever jungle s'pore has left fighting invisible enemies with universal rounds. i now fight for my country with a keyboard, printer and photocopier. monday to friday, 52 weeks a year.
happiness is matter of perception. you are not happy until you believe yourself to be and you don't appreciate what you have until you have experienced the direct opposite.

:: It's good to be Young ::

haha. This song is like super lame lah... But damn catchy. I've got it stuck in my head and i can't get it out...!! Plus it helps that Tata Young is pretty hot.
when the radio is constantly tuned to 98.7FM the whole day, i really realise how much they over-play songs. i heard this song three times today, monster by the automatic twice and dance dance by fallout boy twice as well...
getting used to the new job although it gets pretty lonely in the Registry without other clerks and my FDS mates to chat with every now and again. But i guess I'm getting to know the squadron ppl a little better and they're really friendly so that helps alot.
haven't really much to talk or think about. Just another aimless entry.
almost like a random Brendan moment.

playing now: El Nin-YO! by Tata Young

:: Sotong oso not as blur lah! ::
today was the first day of the rest of my NS life. my first whole day as the new registry clerk at my new squadron. really not completely sure of what's going on but i guess i'll get used to it in the end.
it's kinda tough 'cuz my upperstudy is going to ORD in a weeks time and he's on leave until then. and since my squadron's HQ is so freaking far from the rest of the clerk community, it's not that easy to get help from the other clerks...
oh well....

:: Hacking Coughs ::
been coughin out my guts for the past couple of days. On the bright side it means two days of att C. woohoo...!!
my buddy and fellow downgradee just got posted out on Monday to some sch of ammo to become an ammo tech. Kind sucks cuz we were always tgr siam-ing saikang and medical centre visits and going for medicals. But looks like I'm gonna be posted out too. From SBAB to HQ RSAF. Kinda sucks since I've already made some good friends here and spent three months living, breathing, eating and sleeping (get your mind out of the gutter) with them. But i guess i don't really have a choice now do i? Again it's all about ups and downs. The good part about gettin posted out means that I'm getting an 8-5 stayout which is like a total blessing.

okay. It's time for some good old Bong Rantings.

First, someone has finally seen George W. Bush in his true form. Thumbs up to Hugo Chavez. And the fact that it drew a few giggles from the General Assem. prob means that the people there don't totally disagree with him. hrmm.. Can't wait for a response. The world is getting crazier. A military coup in Thailand. woah. That's the first time anything that big has happened so close to home before. Ah but as long as they don't take away their Tom Yum soup everything will be okay.

Science vs. Religion. Do we really know everything? The Greeks, who were a very intelligent society, thought that lightning and thunder were bolts throw down by Zeus. But of course we now know that it's merely a scientific phenomenon that is caused by charges being accumulated in clouds and then discharged to the ground which is of lower potential. Or is it? Could it be that we've got it all wrong? There are many things in this world that is yet unexplainable and still others that seem so easy to explain but we don't know why it happens. To me. It's just a matter of faith. Leave it to the big Man up there to call the shots. We're just here for the ride. Don't explain it. Embrace it.

Of loud music. i don't think that people like Marilyn Manson and co. should be blamed for putting bad ideas into people's heads. First and foremost, it's of choice that some kids like to listen to metal and screamos etc and it's also their choice whether they want to go on a gun-wielding rampage over at school. i heard of an experiment that some kids did in my school to try and prove that metal music makes people angry. They decided to start pumping some metal thru the school's PA system and see the reaction from the school's population. Before long, several teachers came down and started screaming(angrily) at them to turn off the music. They then came to the OBVIOUS conclusion that metal makes people angry.
but hang on a second. Let's think about it for a sec. If YOU were talking to a group of people and suddenly someone starts blasting Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony so loud that your neurons had trouble connecting, would you be pissed?
was that a yes? AHA! Thus from the data gathered, Beethoven was satanic and his music makes people kill each other. ... ... ... Get my drift?

One scientific fact that is undeniable though is that alcohol doesn't not make you James Bond-esque charming even if you take it shaken not stirred. All it does is disconnect your mind from your mouth and body and makes the room tilt to one side. It also makes a 7th hole appear out of nowhere on a standard pool table.

Will blogging take over traditional media and journalism. Nah. Don't think so. Obviously they could be used by journalists to broadcast up-to-the-minute news stories. But it's not practical cuz then surfers seeking news would have to sift thru tons of rubbishy blogs like iLOvEMyhOnEYbUnnY.blogspot.com and blog.tormentedsoulfromhell.com. Even then you'd get millions of journalist wanna-bes til you get to anything good. Blogs have the power to be used as worldwide broadcasting tools but for now they are just online diaries that are open to everyone. Which is funny cuz in the past everyone protected their diaries with locks and stuff to keep people OUT. hrmm. We'll leave that for another day.

Aaaah. Now i feel all better.




[Disclaimer: All URLs mentioned in this post are entirely fictional and any resemblance to any URL active or otherwise is unintentional and deeply regreted]
on second thought screw that. i have my right to open speech.

:: Of Alcohol and Dumbasses ::
man... i really act damn stupid when i get drunk. haha. my mind is screaming no but my body won't listen. don't worry. i didn't do anything i'll regret in 9 mths time but i did let up a chance for something possibly better. oh how things might have been different if i hadn't been so intoxicated. what i'd give to have a 2nd chance.
she's really pretty.
sigh. but it's back to the dull drudgery that is army life tomorrow morning. going back to the the same old place to doing absolutely nothing of importance or significance. at least if i was given a task to do that was of even the slightest value, i might have some form of drive to accomplish the job at hand. but doing saikang [literally shit job] day in and day out is just mind-burstingly intolerable.
FDS. Forever Doing Saikang. Fat Development Squadron. F**king Dumb Shit. all have some sad truth behind the initial joke. like a hidden msg somewhere in a page.

:: Pride in Uniformity ::
woah.. This really made my day a couple of weeks ago....
here's the scene. I've just booked out for physio and i decide to stop by home to see how everything's going.
"The army now has short-sleeved shirts ah?", my grandfather comments after looking at my Smart4.
At first I'm slightly annoyed at the naive idea that the SAF would look after the everyday convenience of the common soldier and issue short sleeved no.4s for booking out and stuff. So i tell him, "Nope. We still have to fold up our long-sleeved uniforms."
"Wah. But you fold up your sleeves so neatly it looks like short sleeves"

Woah.... That like put me on the moon lah. He and i have never really got along that well and for him to say something like that makes me feel kinda proud to wear my uniform. haha... It does not however make me feel any more eager to book back into camp but it does help. and I've been taking real pride in folding my smart4 since then instead of the usual fuck4.

my downgrade papers have finally made it into the OC's (Officer Commanding) office so my PES status is in black and white. But the future is terribly uncertain for me. i have to put my fate in the hands of some higher authority in CMPB. Hoping so much that I'll get to stay on this base possibly revocated to a clerical job in one of the squadrons. Life in this base is pretty good albeit rather mundane but the main thing is that I'd like to stay with all these people that I've gotten to known in the past few months. Passing out is on thurs and the course will be beginning the on-job training on the following tues. Since i can't mount with the rest of them cuz of my PES then my new posting order should be coming in in the next few days. Cross your fingers for me will ya..?

:: Blogger's Block ::
531. Magical... That's the number of days left till I ORD and return to civilian life. Sigh. ys was right. I'm starting my countdown to ORD way too early.

but enough of army. Can't wait to get back into the field and play some matches. But it's not going to be anytime soon. i don't feel ready yet. This thing with my back comes at the wrong time in my life. i should be in my prime right now but I'm sure that my physical and skills levels have dropped from now practicing for a long time. Even my coach in NY said that I've lost quite a lot.

one thing that has been really itching for a while is my urge to go riding like how we used to do all those years ago. It's been a long time since we've put on all our gear and got down in the dirt. i remember when i learnt to power slide the bike at tanah merah. i did plenty of 180s and ended up facing the wrong way many times. But once i got it down and consistent. wooh. Amazing feeling. i think i just loved the feel of the speed. And the pull of the bike when it hit the powerband. Great feeling. I'll def bring my kids riding one day.

:: Toilet Wisdom ::
I read this every morning in BMTC Falcon Coy


"When I was teaching basketball, I urged my players to try their hardest to improve on that very day, to make that practice a masterpiece. Too often we get distracted by what is outside our control. You can't do anything about yesterday. The door to the past has been shut and the key thrown away. You can do nothing about tomorrow. It is yet to come. However, tomorrow is in large part determined by what you do today. So make today a masterpiece. This rule is even more important in life than in basketball. You have to apply yourself each day to become a little better. By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better. Only then will you be able to approach being the best you can be"
-John Wooden

The picture is not great at all so I typed it all out. It was pasted up in my platoon's toilet on the inside of cubicle 5's door. It's ironic how in a place that stank and was full of shit that something so profound could exist. Ha.
How I interpret it is that we should never let the past burden us with regrets about what could have been but instead live for today and what the next day will bring. We cannot control or say for certain what will happen in the future but we can attempt to influence it by our actions today. So why sob over spilt milk when we can always get another bottle of milk later? Possibilities are endless if we apply ourselves in the right way. Nobody expects you to become a millionaire overnight. These things take time and slowly bit by bit, we'll get there in the end...

:: Mondaybluism ::
don't know if there is such a term, but I don't care. I'm suffering frm it.
just feel like running away from everything. From the army, from home, from anywhere that I can run away from. Wish I could just hop on a bike and ride into the sunset for as long as I have the money to buy gas. It's not a nice thing growing up. There are many growing pains to deal with. Added responsibilities on your shoulders, the need to appear more mature, monetary burdens etc.

there are times that you feel so empowered with all the independence granted to you and the fact that you can make your own money now. But don't you just wish that you could go back to a time when you were carried wherever you go and you just cried and got whatever you wanted. Man. Those were good times.

I guess it's one of Man's [or humankind's if you wanna be PC] more undesirable traits to always look over the fence and assume that the grass there is greener. But is it? Everything has to be taken in consideration. Pros and cons. Ups and downs. It's never as straight forward as most people take it to be. It's not easy being me or you or anyone else. Each and every person has their problems as well. So why wish that you were someone else when so many people wish they were you?

ha. I guess I'm kinda doing a bit of self therapy here. Don't really have anything to post about so I'm just arguing with myself.



I went to see the physio last fri. She said that I'll be put through a course of traction for my back. Six sessions over six weeks and then we'll see how things go then. I hate having this thing. There is this dull ache that it's perpetually there. It's just so tiresome. Plus it puts me out of action from everything. Can't do all the stuff that my bunk- and platoon-mates are doing, no rugby for a while, forget running totally. Just wanna be 100% again.

:: Exeunt W M BONG? ::
went to the doc today. The mri report says that I'm suffering frm chronic disc disintegration resulting a mild protrusion around my L4 vertebra and he's recommending me for a downgrade.
very mixed feelings about the results cuz it would mean that i have to leave this base where i have made so many good pals. But it also means that i don't have to go through all that shit and have a CHANCE at my dream 8-5 stayout job.

i know I've been complaining hellova lot about my squadron and some of the commanders but there are plenty of good people both among the men and among the commanders. It will really be a shame to have to leave the squadron. Hopefully I'll be able to get a job in the squadron's S1 dept or smthg? haha... That'll be the best. Will still be able to hang out with the guys and will not have to change my life around too much.

we shall have to see, no?

:: Live in Fear ::
There is one flaw in the way the army is run that does not seem right to me. And that is the fact that everyone lives in the fear of consequences of their actions and that fear is used to control them.
Every training exercise we conduct has a safety brief and in the safety brief phrases like "better not _______, or else you going to answer for it" and "if you _______, you'd better watch out". Pretty standard threats but the thing is that once you hear them so many times, you grow immune to them. To me, warnings about breaches in SOP should be rationalised. We should be allowed to know the reason why something is not done in this manner instead of another way.
For example, weapons training. We live in constant fear of our rifles. Words like "chamber explosion", "weapon jam" etc are used to remind us about the killing power we have in our hands. No doubt I agree that a certain amount of healthy respect has to be given to the fact that the inanimate metal object in our hands has the power to take the life of someone else and our own if we are not careful. But the one thing that I don't quite agree on is the inbred FEAR of the weapon. Technical handling lessons on the weapon should not just consist of the immediate actions to be taken when the weapon jams but more onto the mechanical functioning of the weapon. Once someone knows what exactly each part of the rifle does and how to maintain the rifle, I'm sure that accidents will be more infrequent. Right now, I believe that weapon maintenance by each soldier is not taken seriously.

I must apologise that of late most, in fact probably all, of my posts have been about the army. I can't help it. Unfortunately that's the only thing that I have time for in my life right now. There isn't an awful lot of time that is spent outside of camp so I don't really do much. It's seriously painful how much the army has taken away from my normal life and how I miss civilian lifestyle. hah... Now I'm even calling it CIVILIAN. A few months ago, it wouldn't be called civilian. It would be called normal.

080208. That is a date to be remembered. ORD. and back to normal life... whew.
countdown: 565 days to ORD.

:: Fuck the Army ::
Yes I'm saying it and I'm saying it again.... Balls to the army....
fuck sia. We did everything perfect today and we still booked out at fucking 10pm... Then what's the point of doing everything nicely.... Perfect or fucked standard we still get the same thing. So why bother to put in the effort.
I'm using VERY VERY mild language right now... It's amazing I've had the control not to smash anything cuz I so deeply want to.
fucking hell... We finished everything at abt 7 pm and though the other platoons still had to send arms, they i.e. the sgts took their own sweet time to get everything done. I swear things could be done a lot more smoother if they let us take some fucking initiative. But if we do, we get fucked for not waiting for instructions. And at times when we don't, we get fucked for not being pro-active enough... What the fuck is that all about?? Two totally conflicting points set by them.
to me, I don't see the point in doing anything well for them. They are a bunch of worthless, incompetent dumbfucks who are just put into this dumping ground of a vocation. Trust me. I have many more adjectives that I wanna use but many of them are way too vulgar to use on the internet [there might be kids reading this and I've already used too many Fs]. I don't care anymore. Balls to the army. I'm just going to do the bare minimum required and I'm going to do my best to get out of everything and anything possible. Wasting fucking two years of my life.

to those out there who still hold fantasies of the army as this mega-cool, ultra-mundo place with state-of-the-art facilities and tools, high tech defense capabilities and maximised efficiency. Wake up before I go over and slap you.

:: Dreamless Nights and Endless Days ::
it's strange that in camp I never dream at all.... One moment I close my eyes and fall asleep and the next it's 0530h and time to wake up.... There's nothing in between. I guess it's because I'm just too tired. Days are passing very slowly as well. Time seems to slow in that camp. Bookout day always seems to be so far away but when it finally comes, the time spent out of camp whirls by so quickly. haha.. The only time in the army that passes quickly is bookout time and admin time [that's what they call the free time given to us at night]. Other than that, the clock just ticks slowly by.

I have decided that I'm not going to waste any time that I am given in camp. We do get quite a lot of free time at night after our last activity so I want to use that time to learn something. My first objective is to learn a new language. I was actually considering Spanish or German but I decided on Portuguese instead since my grandma was Portuguese Eurasian. Later in my ns life, I'll be also getting some physics textbooks so that I can keep my mind up to standard so I won't be so far behind when I finally ord and get back to studying. Hopefully by the end of the ns phase in my life, I'll be able to say that I have done something useful instead of wasting the two years of my life.

it used to be just an ache after a long run, but now my back is constantly in pain. I can't stand or sit in one position for very long cuz it'll start hurting like mad. I went to the specialist that dad recommended and he wrote in his diagnosis that it could be either a muscle strain or a disc prolapse. I'm going for a scan and xray at the end of the month to try and confirm his diagnosis. Hopefully it's nothing too costly but so far everything has been covered by my NSF status. Free medical care... woohoo!! But still. I hope it's not too serious cuz I'm still young and I have a lot of things that I wanna do with my life. I don't want to be limited by something like a back injury. And if worse comes to worse, I wanna remain surgery-free for as long as possible or better yet for my entire lifespan. But we'll just have to see how things go eh?

:: Depression sets in ::
sigh. At first I was happy to get the RP posting. Two weeks of training and an 8-5 after that. Sounds brilliant. But noooo. The army really is out to suck every possible piece of happiness frm my life. I'm now posted to the Field Defence Squadron which is basically an RP with a fancy name. Another difference is that instead of going through the normal two week RP training course I have to go through a 15 week FDS training course after which I get to do exactly the same duties as an RP. WTF!! This is not my idea of "fun".
I can't say that I've ever hated any sch or training institute that I've been posted to. But now I can. I just feel miserable in that camp. Everything is olive, army green. Serious. Buildings, trees, vehicles. Everything.... It's just totally, utterly and unbearably depressing. Everything there is a dull shade of green and there is no life there at all. In the day, you hardly every see anyone cuz they're all in the hangers and at the airfield. And in the night, you're the only stay-in unit so the whole base is empty cept for my squadron.


BMT is just a phase. POP is a lie of a celebration. ORD is the beginning of a better life. And once you get that magic letter many many years down the road telling you that you are no longer liable to go for reservice, that is the goal.

:: Siansation ::
sigh. I can't emphasise more than I already have how much I hate the army. As my block leave is coming to a close in a matter of days, I begin to dread more and more the thought of having to go back to the army lifestyle. I'd so much rather be working right now. For one, I'd be getting so much more that the peanuts that the government is paying us AND I'd be out there doing something a lot more interesting that anything the army has to offer me.

most of all, I hate the lack of freedom. I hate having to conform to their timetable. aarrgghh... Constricting. To me it's really like a prison. Stuck in there unable to get out and nothing you can do about it. Do what can anyone of us do? It's LAW.

I continuously remind myself that one year ten months is a very short time to serve, plus now that my bmt is over, I only have about one year eight months to go. But it still seems like a bloooooody long time more to go. Frankly, I can't wait til ORD. It's like marked out on my calendar. One day at a time, babe.

:: End of Part 1 ::
and so it is.... No longer will I be returning to Falcon Coy. The nine weeks are finally over. No matter how much I hated the army I have to say that I enjoyed my life in Falcon. It's was not slack. Hard work was done. But when it came to play, every Falcon was ready to rock.

I know that there are many people that do not really like Falcon Coy cuz we appear slack and welfare. But look at the stats. We have the least OOTs, report sick personal and the Games Day Championship. What can I say? Falcon rocks!!

but it's not the winning and etc that makes me happy to be a Faclon. It's the people there... Sure there are some assholes around but they are the minority. The rest of the people there are super good friends to have and even our commanders are people that are seriously worthy to be role models for us [unlike some frm other coys, but I shall not explain deeper].

now that the POP is over and we have graduated frm BMTC, there will be many unknowns. Like where will we go frm here and what will become of the many friends that we have made throughout the nine weeks? Such uncertainties are inevitable but what can the assured is that the bond that we share as falcons will always be there.

my nine weeks were neither enjoyable nor unbearable. Not to say I didn't like my time there or I didn't' suffer tgr with the rest. But I think that OC sir has found a perfect balance of "welfare" and tough training. Kudos to him for that.

Farewells are always sad. And I'm sad to have to say goodbye to my sergeants in tekong. But I'll always jump at the chance to go back and say hi...

:: The Fifth Person ::
I can't believe that there are such people in this world. Willing to let his platoon-mates, section-mates and his buddy suffer just cuz he was too fucking ball-less to own up for something that he did. That's just mindblowing and a little sad in a way. Sad because he doesn't have the integrity to take the consequences of his actions like a man...
but what's done is done. Closed case... Forgive and hope that he can learn to feel guilt and have some integrity.


you know what... I really don't like the army lifestyle. It's only been 7 or 8 weeks into my NS liability and I really can't stand it. There are many out there aiming to be a commissioned officer or a sergeant or some big shot like that. But I'm honestly not looking for something like that. I just wanna find a quiet place to live out my two yrs in the SAF without have to go thru all that "yes, sir", "yes, sergeant" crap. I'm am NOT CHAO KENG. I'm not a slacker just looking to get out of NS by any means possible. It's just that I don't see the point. Back when I was training with the rugby team there was a point. There was a point in pushing my limits and trying my best. There was an aim. a goal. We achieved that and we're proud of it. For NS there is nothing to aim for. Nothing that can give me that sense of satisfaction. a badge on my no. 4 for getting gold or silver for ippt. I don't need badges and medals. Acing my SOC so I can brag about it. What's there to brag about anyway?
there is just nothing that I fin fulfilling in the SAF. Of course there will be many out there who will think very differently frm me. But what can I do about them. It's my opinion and it's their opinion. We have a right to our own. You may not agree with what I say but that doesn't matter to me. I'm happy that you get what you want. But I'm sorry that it doesn't mean much to me.

this bookout represents the beginning of the end of my bmt life. To tell you the truth. I was just beginning to really enjoy the company and companionship of the people around me and in my platoon. And now that it's about three weeks to POP I can't help but feel a bit sorrowful that we have to part in some way and I hope that we'll be able to keep in contact no matter where we're posted to. Whichever unit, sispec or ocs, we'll still be Falcon Platoon 3.

CLEAN TOILET, HAPPY PLATOON!

:: Fly as a Falcon ::
after two long weeks in camp, I can finally come home. And it feels great.
I'm getting used to the army life. Not to say that I like it. In fact it is quite the opposite. I really find that I'm not suited to life as a soldier. I can't stand taking orders frm people that can be quite unreasonable and I hate the disorganised way things are done in the army. You find yourself waiting a damn long time doing nothing when you could be doing something else more productive. But ultimately my name is REC W M BONG, so I don't really have a say in anything. Just follow blindly and chiong...

on the other hand, I do kinda like living together with all my bunkmates. The communal living experience is something really incredible. It really builds up a sense of camaraderie. cuz it's us against the sergeants...
I won't mention names but there are some sergeants that are really too much. There is one particular sgt that really has the temper of a three-year-old. It's damn dumb. He explodes when you least expect it and over the smallest things. Oh well... What can you do....

::Back to Civilisation ::
hello everyone... i'm finally back... it's been a long two weeks even though i had that break in the middle for Good Friday. but yes... i'm finally back for some R&R. it is impossible for me to not talk abt the army in this post cuz it has been my only life for the past few weeks.
i must admit that i was very apprehensive about going in but now i think that i was really blessed... i was put into a very good company with superiors that do care abt their recruits [most of the time]. but what i'm really thankful for is having been put into a really cool section.. all my bunk mates are fantastic people that are really fun to work with and great to crap around with.
plus there are some people that i know both in my platoon as well as my company so that's helped the process of getting to know each other. plus i have a few friends and classmates and my cousin in the blocks near my bunk...
well... i have a lot of sleep to catch up with so til i have something of interest to talk about i bid thee farewell.

:: Last Days of Liberty ::
haven't been able to blog for the past few days cuz my computer was down... Sigh. I don't know how much of my media library that I've painstakingly built up over the past few years has been lost in the past few days. Saddening.
shall not try and sort it out this week. It'll be too much work and time needed. So instead I shall try to enjoy what remaining time I have left as a civilian with my pink ic that I shall have to give up for two years.

this will be my last post before I take a short hiatus. So to my faithful readers, though few in number you may be, do check back in two weeks time when I am finally able to post again.

thank you and adieu.

:: Insane Boredom ::
the last straw. i have snapped...

it's just too extremely boring.. i haven't has much to do over the past few days after the climax of last week. the kayaking, the ice-skating, the bbq etc. and now i've got nothing to do... haha... not that i'm complaining. i'm grateful to still have my pink ic in my wallet.

i really don't have anything to blog abt...
so nuts... that's all.

:: The Countdown Begins ::
I know everybody has to go thru it. But you can't help but be a little intimidated but the prospect of having to go off and play soldier for ten weeks on a little island. It's the whole idea of change... More than anything, I have the same feeling that I had in the days leading up to my first day at pri sch or my first day at any school for that matter. Nobody likes to deal with the unknown.

even more unknowns to deal with. I submitted my application to both NTU and NUS today. Hopefully someone will take me in. If NS is one of the major events of a male s'porean's life, then I guess going to uni would rank up there as well. It seems like such a great undertaking. An undergrad degree course. oooooh.

I guess it's all a matter of taking it one step at a time. For now, I'm just relaxing and enjoying the easy life. Prop the only totally carefree break that I will have frm this point on.

it's been a memorable four months since the A lvls have finished. I've learn lots of new things and I think it's been real good. The work experiences, the slacking time, the exercise routines that might have been followed with a little MORE discipline. [learning to overturn a capsized kayak while in the water, though I must say it wasn't a lesson I volunteered for.] overall, life is good. And why shdn't it be?

it's really rather amusing how the time spent in sch seemed to pass by so slowly but now that we're all out of it, we say that it zoomed right by us... Humans are such weird creatures.

til the next post frm me, the once-a-week blogger, fond farewell to thee.

:: Normality ::
it's totally amazing how mundane life can be. there is not big "exciting" events happening in my life right now. after all the excitement of the results has died down, i think everyone has nothing to do really occupy their time now that we don't have to return to school.

Attn: This has been a total and complete waste of five minutes of your life that you will never get back. The evil that I am has taken great enjoyment in your anguish.

:: Back together again ::
when I was very young, I held Christopher Reeve in very high esteem. It may have seemed childish but he seemed like a friend that I have never met just cuz we shared a name.

so when Christopher Reeve died in 2004 after making so much improvement in his condition, I think alot of people must have had a little bit of hope die in them too, myself included. His story was one that was truly inspiring. Paralyzed frm the neck down, he did not allow himself to take the challenge lying down [no pun intended at all], and I think that everyone was on his side wanting and urging him to defeat a disorder that seemed truly incurable. A Superman both on the screen and in real life.

just today, I saw the news on MSN that Dana Reeve, his wife has just passed away after struggling with lung cancer for over a year. Not of lung cancer but of a broken heart in my opinion, they were the perfect couple. This was no Hollywood love story, this was real life. In sickness and in health, they really stood by each other. Though he could not return her hugs, she still gave them anyway. A match made in heaven.

"Life is not fair. So stop expecting it to be."
-Dana Reeve

I wouldn't call it being pessimistic. It's being realistic. Bad things do often happen to good people. But it's their goodness that gets them through it unscathed.
God bless the Reeves. Rest well.

:: island of (bad) dreams ::
about a month more to go before i enlist. and i'm as fat and unfit as ever...
my goodness. went for training yesterday and could just barely keep up with the pace. my kicking and catching is down the drainpipe and my passes are too acurate anymore. devastating for a scrumhalf.

the team is looking pretty alright although there are a few weak points. hopefully they can sort it out soon. the SCC 7s is not the main goal. the A divs are.
btw. the 7s is on this weekend at the padang. anyone is free to come down...



i have more or less worked out a training regime for me to follow. runs in the morning followed by full-out gym sessions on mon, wed and fri hopefully in sch where i can get gym usage for free... woopee!! erm... anyway. tuesdays and thurs will be days for me to relax and to let my muscles recover frm the gym. after all i do only have a month of civilian life to enjoy before it's into my brand new green uniform...

:: Fork in the Road ::

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I just saw a friend of mine with this in her nick and I think it's so appropriate for the situation.
so the results were out yesterday. congrats to those who did well and to those that didn't do as well as they expected or wanted, there are so many options that are still open.

even if you are not catholic or christian, it is nice to believe that someone out there is looking out for you and that everything that happens happens for a reason. this is not the end of twelve yrs of education but merely a start for a lifetime of learning. just part of the roller-coaster of life. good and bad, up and down. it's the duality of life that makes it interesting and worth living for.

but i say come what may. for the strength that you need to get through the bad and down times not only comes frm yourself but also from the people around you. TAKE HEART, my friends. This is the time to show your grit and what you're made of. Just know that whatever happens within the next two months or so, my phone is on 24/7 and I'm always willing to listen. For that is what a friend and brother is for.

although my teachers will most likely never get the chance to see this, I think I feel a real need to give a shout out to them. It could have been a LOT worse without the help of my teachers and the time and emotional investment they put into me. My only regret is that I could only give them mediocre returns on their investment.

I cannot complain about my results. I think I got what I deserved. Neither exceptionally good nor bad, I got what I put in. Reaping the fruit of the seeds I had proverbially sown over the two years.

So once again. All the best to my friends out there.
This is not a farewell but merely a warm welcoming to a new life.

::hole in the pocket::
for those of you who don't know, the SEAB webbie was announced that the date of release of the results would be announced soon. which is incredibly dumb. cuz why do you need to announce the announcement of an announcement when you can just announce the announcement that you need to announce. ermm.. did that make any sense to any of you. even if it didn't, pls say that you understand, k?

i finally got that chip on my tooth patched up. cost me 70bucks to get it done, but i think it's quite worth it. it was a rather big chip... sigh... and the dentist says that i gotta go back to get my wisdon tooth removed cuz it's collecting food deposits and it's so far back that it can't be brushed out. that means at least 100+ dollars gone...

okay... so my life hasn't really been that action packed til the point that i have to talk about dental appointments. *sigh*

on to bigger things... i'm seriously planning to get a labret piercing. i think it's one of the less outlandish piercings and yet something more than a earlobe piercing.. i mean, i won't wanna get an eyebrow or a tongue or [God forbid] a genital piercing, but i dun wanna just pierce a ear. so i have settled for a labret peircing... dunnoe what my parents will say, but i've made my mind up...


Just a couple of blogs to recommend.
Jason Rohrblogger's Top Ten
His latest top ten list of TOP TEN SIGNS YOU ARE CARRYING TOM CRUISE'S BABY is a total riot... go check it out.

The Student's Sketchpad
The latest post is a fanart of the various ways that some JCs will meet their final end... and the one of nanyang REALLY looks like nanyang... you can recognise the Drum Block and the tall pillar things in the Gallery.... hrmm... makes you wonder where this guy is frm...

::mental stimulation::
I need something to keep my mind going.. Face it.. My job is not exactly incredibly hard. I try to learn what I can. Like what mechanical engineering is all about from the engineer and all the little stuff that you can't really learn anywhere... But I'm still not satisfied.. In a way, I like to learn. That's different frm saying that I like school. cuz school over here entails exams, wish-you-could-whoop-their-ass teachers, etc etc... But learning is fun.
I've been looking for a certain book "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. It's one of the books that he wrote on theology. But when I searched the library's catalogue, it said that it's only available at the woodlands and yishun libraries. That means a really long journey to get there. It's not so much the length but the fact that I'm paying my own bus fares now. And adult fares for mrt are really no joke... so if anyone's got the book......

on a totally different note, my personal bank account has hit four digits... Not my savings account but the account that I use for my personal usage... haha... It might not sound like much but it's a far cry from the days when most of the time I didn't even have the minimum withdrawal amount... haha... So... Yah..!!

::man boobies!!::
ewww!! gross.... all the eating that I've been doing over the past month is really taking effect. my stomach is beginning to bulge slightly. i'm rather skinny, to my mother's annoyance, so when i do gain a few pounds it does show.
but at least now that chinese new year is over, i can concentrate on starting a proper exercise regime like i've been planning since i graduated. mind you this is what i said after christmas. and at the start of 2006 as well so things aren't really going my way.. but hey, i really think that this time i'm going to do something abt it for real. *fingers crossed yeah*

with the festivities out of the way, i think that it's time to seriously sit down and think about what i want to do in the next five years. my friend invited me to some introductory lecture on some business thing. i didn't really agree with everything they preach about business and marketing in general but i did think that one of the analogies that they used was pretty good. they compared carrying buckets of water frm a stream to a village slaving day after day exchanging buckets of water for a salary based on the amount of water delivered to building a pipeline to the village and turning the tap for people that pay you to. to me it was pretty obvious which one i would prefer monetary wise. but there's one thing that they didn't account for. i really need something more than money to motivate me to work. i'm the type that will get bored if i'm not really engaged in the work that i do. if i really like something, i'll definately be more enthusiatic about having to continue day after day like that. obviously that changes when i have to drag myself to work.

but i'm just being a little idealistic. i think that at some time i'm gonna have to settle for a better paying job instead of something that i love. oh well. we all live in hope, don't we?

::all praise::
i can't believe it... it's too good to be true.. i've finally gotten iTunes to work!! finally i can fully utilise my iPod after a whole month of suffering...


No more error 0x80040707.

just info for anybody passing by that is having problems with iTunes 6.0 for windows. [it's supposed to be windows compatible but it isn't really. not in the least]

i think that most of the time when iTunes exits unexpectedly it's cuz of an error in installing quicktime. either get the standalone installer for quicktime off the apple webbie and reinstall. or you can do what i did... find anything and everything that has to do with Apple Computer [and i mean everthing. even the iPod folder in your Program Files] and delete it... empty your recycle bin and restart your com.. download the iTunes 6.0 installer and install. it shd now install both iTunes and quicktime without a hitch and now you're on your way to endless joy with your new Apple iPod.

::of backpains and heartaches::
or shd it be heartpains and backaches. bah humbug. It doesn't really make a difference. The fact of the matter is my back hurts like the fire of ten earth-crushing asteroids have been focused onto one spot in my lower back. Okay. So I tend to exaggerate just a tensy widdle bit. but it's still fact that my back hurts like hell. god... to think i sprained it a year ago and it still give me occasional troubles. but nothing like it's doing today. this one's almost as bad as the time i first sprained it. bloody crap.
as for the other unfortunate piece of flesh in my body. haha. that's just another exaggeration. i just feel so darn depressed that Jon Arbuckle has a date this weekend and i'll prob be at home on saturday night catching up on sleep. haha...

for those of you who are comically-inept,




Jon Arbuckle.. of all people, why him?

::what's wrong with this world that we're livin' in::
other than being a line from a "pop" song, it's quite a valid question. When you take out the killing, violence and other assorted disasters frm any news programme, all you have left is the ad breaks in between stories. And when I pick up the newspaper in the morning, I skip every page that has a picture of a dead body on the ground and I find myself at the back page checking out the latest discounts at the supermarket.

personally, I find it rather depressing. I know I'm not the one caught up in the wake of a cat 4 hurricane or in the middle of two groups of people shooting at each other, but I just don't remember the world being like this back when I was growing up. Who knows it might have just been my naivety, but I doubt it. Without sounding conceited or anything, I believe I was a pretty well informed child growing up. That came from only having one TV and having grandparents that insisted on watching the news no matter if there was something else better on another channel.

it seems to me that every history book published from now onwards really should have just two main sections, namely pre- and post-9/11. I'm sure that few people will argue with me when I say that the world has grown much more violent since that day some 4 almost 5 years ago. It may seem like a generalisation to make such a sweeping statement but unlike many other generalisations, it's generally true. Paris, arguable one of the most romantic of cities in the world, is now a haven for teen crime and rioting. Bombings in the centre of historic London. And let's not even bother with the middle east. Have you heard my "Road Map to Peace in the Middle East"? Well, my plan is to erect this massive fencing [preferably electric] around the whole Middle East. a fence that would shadow the Great Wall. We wait for say five years or until you hear no more noise, whichever comes first, and then we take the fence down and get the oil out. By that time, they'd all either have calmed down and settled their differences or wiped each other out. Either way.... PEACE!! simple right?

it's easy to just throw everything onto the media. Oh, the media broadcasts violence to youngsters, etc etc etc. To me that's a load of bovine excrement. It's just a vicious cycle. Face it. Everyone has this deep down morbid fascination with death, sex, violence and the lot. The media just shows us what attracts our attention which apparently causes us to turn into car burning monsters which just gives broadcasters more violent images to broadcast. And since we watch what we want to, we end up watching people burning cars on TV. So who's fault is it really if not "mass media"?

I say blame it all on the parents. hah..!! I'm beginning to sound like some idealistic teen punk, no? But I grew up in a family where raised voices were frowned upon and rough housing was definitely out of the question. We were taught to have our own opinions and yet be sensitive to what we say or do that may be offensive to others. As far as I know, none of my family members have started or participated in any major conflict or plotted to commit mass murder. But if you grow up with your parents engaged in an all out war with those people across the imaginary line in the ground, you naturally are born into an environment where violence is just another part of your daily routine. It just goes on and on passed down from generation to generation. Nothing, except a major shift in people's perceptions, is going to change that. Children's minds are like dry sponges. They soak up everything that their parent teach them.

so my argument might be a little simplistic and not really well thought through [that tends happens at two am]. but who can really explain what is happening?

::new year, new beginnings::
well... it was a rather different first week of the new year. for one, i didn't have to go to sch on the 3rd of january. that was a rather different experience. next at the stroke of midnight on the 1st of jan, SBS made us start paying adult fares.... that's the new thing that really sucks...

other than that, i think it's been a pretty good year [so far]...

finally getting my paycheck frm tangs soon. so that means that i can go shopping for stuff that i need and i've got a job at boon's parents company. i don't think it's as fun as the cafe job, but it's sure as hell a lot less tiring. no standing for 10 hr shifts, no more coming home at midnight and no more having to be polite til it hurts. haha.

come to think of it, i liked being in service. i like being able to see different people and to sometimes chat with customers. but what i couldn't stand was the four-staff-taking-care-of-the-whole-cafe-during-dinner thing. that was totally nuts. four people had to prepare drinks and desserts, take orders, seat people at their tables, set and clear tables, bring out food and bring the check at the end of meals. and the cafe sat abt 100+ pax. wahh... mati sial..

and the best part abt the new job... five day week.. i don't have to spend my weekends stuck waiting tables.. haha.... now that's the best part...

well. hopefully, the rest of this year won't go like the end of last year went.
down the toilet bowl. i'm really looking for big things to happen.
cheers to the new year....!! here's to a 2006 that will knock the crap outta 2005