Malaysia Boleh!!

check this out... super funny.

apologies to those who don't understand chinese. :)

Irritants.

Yet another gut busting top ten list from the master Jason Rohrblogger. All hail!!

http://toptenlog.blogspot.com/2007/12/top-ten-most-annoying-songs-ever.html#links

The NS Song

Bro_isk showed me a damn funny clip on his handphone that day. Thought that I'd show with you all...



ORD OH!

I now pronouce you...

I just had this really weird thought while I was having my morning crap. (Yes. Shit appears to go both down and up.)

Who invented the clock radio? It's an incredibly strange yet ingenious invention. The guy that thought of it must a been really cool to just wake up one day and think "Hey! Won't it be great to have a clock and a radio all in one?".

But it's an invention that really has some identity issues to deal with.
Am I a clock? Or am I a radio?
Am I a clock with a radio function? Or am I a radio which tells you the time as well?

It's a very strange marriage. Two seemingly unrelated brilliant inventions in their own right combining to great effect. Combination. Wow.

Just like cameras and cellphones. Who decided one day that it would be great to talking on the phone, see something that was really cool and just whip out your phone and snap a pic of it? That was really brill.

We should have more integrated inventions. Like a wallet-modem. You keep your money in it and whenever you need an Internet connection you just plug your wallet into a phone line and POW! You're connected. Of course you then see money flying out of your wallet. So maybe that's not all that great after all.

How about guitar-deodorant sprays. You know how you get really sweaty on stage and you start to stink. Well how about if you had a spray in the neck of the guitar that sprays deodorant in your direction leaving fresh and smelling great for the post-concert party. Just make sure it doesn't spray into your eyes. Those things sting.



Hrmm. Maybe I should just stay out of inventing stuff.

Smitten

That's it. I'm officially psychopathic. If not psycho then just plain self-destructive. I have this wanton desire for all things that I can never have. Be it girls, a flashy lifestyle or a Ford GT.

Unfortunately, that's the way the world is. You snooze, you lose. And I do hit snooze on my alarm clock many times in the morning. This time, it's not the hitting the snooze button so much as the fact that I didn't even set the alarm in the first place.

Wonder if I run really fast westward, I could somehow break the fabric of space-time itself and go back a couple of years and change stuff around. But of course, after watching countless Sci-Fi movies, we all know how that will just end in disaster.

What am I talking about?






Erm. That wasn't rhetorical. I honestly don't know...

P.S. Wanton is an actual English word not just a little Chinese pork dumpling.

Staying with the Stallions till the End

The end being ORD. Got news today from my ma'am that I won't be going to Brunei after all as someone else from another base is able to stay there longer than I would be able (and willing) to. So shall be spending the rest of my NSF life with my Stallion Family.

Good and bad in a way. I'm obviously more comfortable in this sqn having been here for over a year now. And with all the friends that I've made, can create havoc.

Will miss having the spending power that the Brunei posting would have brought plus the independence of living "by myself" in a different country. It would have been quite an adventure plus a story to tell. Oh well. Might still have a chance to go Korat with the sqn on Ex early next year.

I have a feeling that my ma'am really didn't want me to go at all. Cuz when her husband brought up the idea, she was rather hesitant to elaborate. Lol. My leaving would mean that she'd have to man the office by herself while training my understudy for me.

Meanwhile, life plods on. Actually, working like a slave for the past 10 months is going to pay off. I have many days of leave left to clear and so will be working short weeks for the rest of the year. Finally have a chance to relax.

Have been watching all my batchmates ORD-ing one by one. Rather depressing but at the same time, it's encouraging as it just means that my own ORD is approaching. As they say, early in, early out.

Less than 100 days left.....

Leaving on a Charlie 130

Well. I've told my ma'am that I've decided to accept the offer. She's pushed through the paperwork but it still requires AMD approval. That's the Air Manpower Department.
Since this is a pretty last minute thing, she was saying that I might have to be prepared to go off with very little notification. So now I just sit and wait.

I'm honestly okay either way. I'm not too concerned if the posting doesn't go through cuz that will make less moving around for me and I'm alright with going to Brunei as it's good money and experience.

Think it will be rather challenging living in Brunei by myself. LOL. Have not experienced stay-in life for a long time. Kinda forgotten all the crap and good stuff that comes with communal living.

Plus will be away from my own home for a long time as weekends will prob be stuck in camp or at the most somewhere nearby and that will be a first for me. Am looking forward to that.

Shall just have to wait and see...

To Brunei or Not To Brunei

My boss and her husband came to my office yesterday and asked me if I want to be posted to Brunei Det as an admin staff there from 15th Nov to 14 Jan. The perks are excellent. 1.4K/Month and since I'm going to be there for only two months, I won't really be assigned that tough a job. Plus Brunei Det is rumoured to be rather "relac one corner" type. I'm seriously considering accepting the offer.

But there are some down sides. Flights back are not entitled to me as I'll be there for only a very short period of time. Military flights are FOC to SAF personnel but as it is not part of my entitlement, I cannot be guaranteed a seat on the aircraft but can only be given one if there is extra space. Thus Christmas and New Year at home is not certain. Brunei also isn't really much of a happening place. ONE shopping centre near the camp and that's abt it. Plus it'll be starting off on a totally new foot. And before I even have time to really settle down, it'll be time to come back.

Am totally caught in the middle. On one side, I have the security of the position that I where I'm not really being monitered round the clock. Friends in base and in squadron etc etc. But struggling to make ends meet.

Whereas, in Brunei, I'll definately have enough but no friends and an unknown and totally new working environment. And they say that it's a totally different working style with the SPs compared to the CH family.

I've always been slightly hesitatant to take a step into the unknown, but this time it's seriously unpredictable and I can't really make an informed choice as most of the people that I know haven't been to Brunei.

Current Affairs

Was watching News 5 @ 9 last night (for lack of anything better to watch) and was seriously amused by how news in Singapore is nothing but a joke. So I've compiled my top 3 stories of yesterday's new bulletin for your reading pleasure.

3. NHS Dental Services in Britain
The newscaster goes something like, "And the Dental services in Britain are falling into decay" (pun fully intended). The punch line wasn't exactly that funny. What was more funny was the straight face that she had on her face when she said it. I wonder if she even got it.

2. Community Chest awards
Yesterday, the Community Chest gave out a shared award for the two highest donators of the year, the CPF Fund and the PUB. Hah! What a sham.. My grandfather summed it all up. "It's like taking from the right pocket and putting it into the left pocket..... then giving yourself an award for it!"

1. Courtesy Campain
This wasn't on the TV news, rather I heard it in the morning while at the office. SBS Transit has just launched a new campain to encourage motorist to give way to buses exiting bus bays. This campain was ingeniously titled the "Give Way to Buses Exiting Bus Bays" campain. Love it how they underestimate our intelligence. No catchy slogans or jingles. Just straight up. Pfft..

I'm selling a brand new Samsung E740 Music Phone.
The box seal is broken as I have opened it up to check the contents when I collected it but other than that, the phone is totally unused.

I'm starting the bids at 350. But if you can offer me 400, it's a immediate deal.

Once again, I say... it's a totally brand new phone. all the accessories are included.
-Earphones
-512MB Micro SD card (w/ Adaptor for SD card slot)
-Samsung Studio software
-Charger
-Instructions Booklet
-USB Cable
-Carrying case for accessories

For more info, this is the official website: Samsung E740

I'll be posting pics of the actual phone soon.
Call me at 91691987 for a fast deal.Collection Area will be in Serangoon or Hougang area.

Money vs. Passion

What really matters in life. Money that comes from the job that you do or the joy and Passion that you get from doing something that you love even if you can barely make ends meet? To me, I have a kind of cliched point of view on the topic. It's a mixture of both. Cuz you can never get the best of both worlds. It is impossible to live on either extreme of the question, for me.

Money. Everyone needs it. This is fact. It's not being blasphemous and it's not being materialistic. But let's face it. What else can get you a place to sleep at night and food on the table when you wake up? It's sad that our world has come to revolve around such an abstract concept like money. The concept of images and numbers printed out on special pieces of paper making the paper into something worth more than it's material worth(as in the physical material) is rather bewildering. The reality of the situation though is that money has become a fundamental tool to achieving a "successful" life. Note that the word successful in my last sentence is in inverted commas. That is because the term successful when used to describe someones life is very broadly defined and means different things to different people. Bill Gates and Mother Theresa. Successful people in two very different ways but both highly respected and VERY successful in their lives.

I'm neither a Saint(-to-be) nor a billionaire so I set my sights slightly lower. I want to do something fulfilling in my life and yet has the earning power to keep my family as far above the poverty line as possible. I recognise the need to be a responsible person and support my future family but I cannot bring myself to take a job doing something that I don't enjoy. Or worse, a job that forces me to give up who I am and what I believe in just to bring in the big money. I refuse to accept the fact that one cannot do what one loves and earn a living at the same time.

Nightmare on Bong's Street

Had one of the worst dreams of all time last night. I dreamt I was attached to Jamie Yeo. You know. The stick insect that presents sports on ESPNStar. Yeah. It was really gross.

I was holding her hand sitting on the couch watching TV and there was nothing there. It was like holding a malnourished frozen chicken wing. You know the kind that is still slimy and the skin isn't clinging to the flesh so it's floppy and slippery... Eeew.

Anyway. Today was my 127th-day-to-ORD day. And being in 127 SQN, 127 is a special number. More than anything though, it means that I have 4mths and 1 week till ORD. Which is more special than the actual number per se.

Evidenced by my last paragraph, I am now officially rambling. Forgive me. But there really isn't much better to do tonight.

.._. .._ _._. . _.. Earth

I invite you to take a gander at the two photos of the same stretch of beach taken 3 months apart.

Before

After

Isn't it amazing what a difference a few months can do to the view. How can you talk about changing the world and making it a better place when this is happening in your own backyard. I say, do your own laundry before offering to do someone else's.

I just feel that it might be best to tackle the short term problems and help each country to clean up their act than to try taking on something that's too big for the general population to comprehend. It's like learning something new. You can't just say "I want to learn a new language" and just go out and learn it. You'll burn out of the initial enthusiasm way too soon. You've got to tackle the smaller problems baby step by baby step. Get a text book. Find a teacher or instructor. Learn chapter by chapter till you are finally fluent in a new language.

Live Earth showed image after image of places far away that were greatly in need of help but I feel that it would have been more impactful of they had shown each and every country that they visited the things that were going on in their very own country. Not to diss the Live Earth project [they've gotten enough flaming from elsewhere] but it was rather unmoving to see something happening thousands of kilometres away. YES! I agree that environmental degradation is a worldwide problem. But the effect of what's going on in Brazil's rain forests won't affect me till decades down the line. Something that is happening just 15 or so kilometres away from me is something way more tangible. I've seen, felt and smelt the problem and I wish that there was a way that we can stop what's going on. But a small group of guys can't make even a small dent on what's going on.

Deep Blue

The Rugby World Cup is finally underway. Many days of sleep deprivation lie ahead for me. The coverage is really good this year. Well. Good for rugby fans in S'pore, not so good for the eye bags that are starting to blossom under my eyes. Sigh. My hopes are with the Wallabies but the Boks seem pretty strong this year.

Anyway. I'm thinking of going for my OW diving course next year in Feb after I ORD and the diving season restarts. Think it'll be pretty cool. But of course, as any other ordinary NSF, I'm low on cash. So that means less spending on the weekends, more cookhse food and less visits to the canteen. i.e. budgeting all the way.

Of course if there are any kinds souls that are out there that would like to contribute to the "Send Bong Diving" Fund, donations are accepted in cash, cheques or money transfers. lol

I think there has been rather alot of Bong Funds that I've set up over the years [none of which have had any other source of funding other than my own wallet, by the way]. All of them accomplished their "missions" so I guess that's an achievement. Hopefully, this one will have the same outcome as the previous ones.

Worst come to worst, will ask my dad for a loan for the trip and pay him back when I get back.

Am thinking of getting a relief teaching job after I ORD to get some experience in what I hope to be my future profession [and the money to pay my dad back. See previous para]. But I guess it'll be pretty strange cuz I'll only be able to work for one term before uni starts in Aug. And in the middle of that term, I'll have going NY for my big sis' wedding. Oh yeah. Did I mention my big sis is getting married? No? well. now you know. Obviously, between the teaching gig and my sis' wedding, there isn't really much of choice. I'd die before I miss her wedding. Haha. plus the chance to go to NY is totally sweet.

Meg & Dia - Monster
Strung Out - Calling
Bedouin Soundclash - Until We Burn in the Sun (The Kids Just Want Love Song)
Gogol Bordello - 60 Revolutions

Some of the good songs from the Warped Tour 07 CD. good stuff.

Just had a good shave. my chin is all smooth now. makes me feel sexy.

Supermotard at Nursajaya

Went up to Nursajaya yest with Uncle Richard to watch the Motards at the Go-Kart track there. really fast buggers. But looks like fun. Wanna try it out one day for fun.

Enjoy the pics

One lap around Nursajaya

Sweet Home Merbok

Sadly, I'm back. would have loved to stay there a bit longer, heck I'd love to stay there period. The pictures don't really do justice to how beautiful the place really is but I thought I'd just share anyway.

Night 1/Day1

We left the house at abt 2130 on the 8th and set off for Merbok. Merbok is a small town in Kedah which is the 2nd most northernly most state in Malaysia and abt an hr's drive to the Thai border. so that meant travelling practically the whole of NSHW to get there. It took us 9 hrs and abt RM100 to get there but it was so worth it. We got there at abt 7 in the morning and immediately was just astounded by it all.

we stayed in the guest house which was this wooden house with roof made of woven palm leaves. the rooms were open so you had to sleep in tents or be eaten alive by mosquitoes at night.

and because it was open, you had spectacular views just next to you as you lay at night. the stream runs right past the guest house so you have the sound of water to send you to sleep.

These are the views out of my room.

The toilets were another interesting concept. they were all kinda Balinese style open concept bathrooms, so you could bathe under the stars at night (thank God they also had water heaters). the water ran directly from pipes placed further up the waterfall, so water isn't really an issue there not like back home where every drop of water is used. the shower area is just surrounded by trees and stuff so you really feel immersed in nature and yet comforted in the luxury of modern sanitation.
after unpacking, I took my first visit down to the "pool". Uncle Steven's (our host) house is built right next one of the many falls that the stream takes on it's way down. Nature blessed him in the sense that he has two pools that he can access. A shallower pool for the kiddies and a deeper rock pool where the water first flows down.

Here you can see the two pools, the upper one being the deep pool and the lower being the shallower one.

[Above]: The Pathway to the pools

[Above]: One of the structures on his land is this poolside deck.

The big rock in the pool is the natural springboard. You can dive into the water from there where the water is abt 12ft deep.

The kitchen area is simple but with all the necessary amenities like running water, a cooker and oven etc. Auntie Linda was cooking lunch for us all the time that we were there.

Day 2

The day began where the last one ended off, playing in the pool and having some really good times. Uncle Steven brought a few of us up to the higher parts of his land to show us the rest of the falls. It was really nature at its best. the rock formations and the jungle around us made for some spectacular sights. it's a pity that i didn't have my camera there to capture some.

We then made our way down to Sungei Petani which is the biggest town in the area. we went to this road side market kinda like the Sungei Rd market that we have here.

It was so different from what we have in S'pore. the Kuehs at the table are just left there. you eat what you want and at the end when you want to leave, you just tell the person what you ate and pay for it. it's that kampung style integrity that we really are lacking here.

Another thing was the fact that food was so cheap. a bowl of laksa for Rm1 and satay at 20sen a stick. but it was rather sobering to realise that while it was dirt cheap to us, the prices are proportionate to their incomes. it was kinda hard not to seem like snobbish out-of-towners at that point. we bought cuz it was cheap to us but to some of them, it might be a once-in-a-while kind of thing.

We then went off the see the sun set at the Fisherman's jetty.

Now seriously. Picture postcard kinda stuff. I haven't seen a sunset like that in a long time. The sun just sank before my eyes beyond the horizon and the sky when a dark pink which reflected in the clouds.

We then had dinner at this zi cha place nearby.

BEFORE

AND THE AFTERMATH

'Nuff said. it was that good.

Day 3/Night 3
Prob the worst day that we had there. worst cuz we had to leave that day. we spent it in the pool and just relaxing in the house. After a bit of Area Cleaning and tidying up, we went for dinner. From there we left on the long journey back home. 8 hrs later we were back in S'pore and turning into our driveway.

MERBOK AUG '07

Sigh. The fact that I'm writing this post means that my holiday is over and it's back to work tomorrow. shucks. that's just lame. I wanna go back there........

Flying the Flag up High

Finally had my chance to go up in the aircraft that I've been seeing and hearing for a whole year. Tein (AOSS) and I and some other pax were in the Flag flypast Chinook today for CR6 of the NDP.

We walked out to the Chinook after the crew had started up and done their preflight checks. As I approached the rear of the aircraft, I could feel the blast of the exhaust. Freaking hot sia. It was a bit like having an iron on max heat a few inches away from your face. We boarded and took our seats, buckled up and waited for the pilots to taxi the aircraft onto the runway. The inside of the aircraft is pretty bare and has not much in way of comfort but everything is meant to be functional.

When we finally took off, we started flying a sort of holding pattern waiting for the right time to enter the CBD (dun need ERP hor). Me and Tein managed to get the seat next to the open hatch where the Flag was slung, so we got a pretty good view of the proceedings. It gave you a really good feeling when you look down and see scores of people on the ground stopping whatever they are doing to look up at the flag going past. 22 people on a football pitch stopped play and look up at us flying overhead. It's a good feeling of affirmation that even the little job that I do in sqn helps this to take place. The pride of the nation flying the flag up high.

It's a pity that I was not able to get some pics for you guys but I can tell you that the view from up there is pretty awesome. People were just little dots on the ground and even the trees seemed much smaller.

Would like to thank the sqn management for the opportunity to be brought up on such an occasion, the aircrew and groundcrew for making it possible and the pilots today for bringing us back to base in one piece. lol.

Blast Imminent

Yes! have finally reached the "200 days to go" mark on my ORD countdown. time is really slowing down the nearer I get to ORD. it's strange how time flew past till the days when the number of days left started getting noticibly smaller and smaller. from that point onwards, it's been snail's pace all the way.
And to top it all off, I'm flat broke. If I were any more broke, I'd have to push my bike just to get around. lol.
Once I ORD, I have alot of plans. Get a job, get my 2A. get my KTM4 for the Tuas track. and have a break somewhere far away from it all. sighhhh.....

The Prodigality of Bong

you know. it's strange that when you have your head in the sink at some bar puking out whatever you just ate within the last two hours, you really have some deep thoughts.

I think that I have this whole Jekyll and Hyde thing going. I have this side of me that wants to be a good Catholic and Christian. And this other side that loves going bonkers and blowing chunks for the fun of it, burning up my lungs and killing my liver. Think it's rather unnerving to tell you the truth.

It's the Jekyll in me that's saving me from Mr. Hyde.

One and a Half Years on

I found an old post off my blog dtd October 21, 2005.
It had a list of the stuff that I wanted to do after my A's. 1 1/2 yrs down the road since that post, I review how much of it I can cross off my To-Do list.

things to do after As:
-get a job
did that. worked at two places before enlistment. met people that i never would have met if it hadn't been for this job. had fun at the cafe. caught up on sleep in the storeroom at ubi. learnt stuff. most imptly, got paid for it. lol

-get my bike license
accomplished that at long last.

-get my bike [the obvious next thing to do after I get my license]
got it. wasn't the one that I was initially eyeing. but it proved to be a damn good choice. check out my trailing pics for evidence.

-take up photography more seriously instead of trying to make shots off my digicam look good. hopeless task. (pending)
now this one is really something that I wanna persue further. but I haven't got the cash to get a better cam yet. in time. listing it as pending.

-do my time [BMT not jail]
have completed my BMT. now I just need to serve out the rest of my time.

-apply for WSO in the airforce
well. I got the application part down. wasn't accepted but that's alright. am now serving in the airforce though just not in the way that I initially thought I would.

-try for the airforce scholarships to local uni
nullified due to the earlier point.

-complete my bond with the airforce
see previous.

-NIE
i'm still up for this one. think i'll most likely be applying for NIE later this year or just after my ORD.

-teaching. the noble profession
almost there.

Julien Dupont

damn. makes BMX street look ordinary man.

Old Made New

Was reading today's newspaper and I noticed an article on the front page commenting on renovation Pre-war buildings (not the picture above. that's just some random building to build the mood) into new swanky clubs, art institutes, etc. While I agree that we should be doing something to keep these buildings preserved, I don't think that they should be totally transformed beyond the point of recognition.
Why can't we leave these buildings in peace! Colonial architecture is really beautiful. The little designs that decorates overhangs, the pillars, the archways. And places like Clifford Pier. The gigantic open space of the main foyer and the little details that gave it charm combined with the practicality of the pier. I'm glad that at least the Fullerton building retained it's frontage and was put to use in an innovative way. It would be a real tragedy if they had torn it down and built some uber neo-modern stylised million-dollar monument to some young punk of an architect. But I think that in doing what they did, they really set themselves apart and did the new-in-the-old thing pretty well. Kudos to the management.
I'm not saying of course that we shouldn't come up with our own styles and new trends in architecture. Just that it shouldn't be at the expense of the beautiful buildings of the past. But I really do find that sometimes these new concepts can be rather an eye-sore. For example, I saw another article recently featuring plans for a new combination condo. Combination in the sense that the front facade of the condo would be this restored colonial building, where all the condo facilities and the club house will be, with a new-age residential building behind it. Frankly... UGLY LAH!! Looked terrible. It was like a Frankenstein building. Or like some tai tai that had a boob job and a full body augmentation but the face lift from hell.
I feel that Singapore has always been obsessed with renovation, change, renewal and upgrading. We're forever building over and tearing down our past and building newer and bigger monstrosities. My only respite is that these Pre-war buildings have maintained their old charm but just been repaired to make them safe for occupation.
To me, that's the reason why so many Singaporeans don't really feel that strong a sense of patriotism to the land. I mean how many places can you look and say "This place hasn't changed since I was a kid" and reminisce about all the good times that you spent there as a child. Even in my short 20 year life, I've seen so many of the places that I used to go as a kid change. The shoe house playground in Serangoon North is now a "fitness corner", the playground at my old home in Hougang, Gardens would be unrecognisable to someone that hasn't been there for a few years and the houses around me are getting knocked down in favour of large multi-storey houses that look way too big for the land area.
It's kinda sad really. That you can't keep your childhood homes intact the way that you remember. But sometimes it really can't be helped. Singapore has that problem of limited land area. We have no where to grow outwards so we had to grow up and over the past. It's something that's unavoidable given the lack of space. I just hope that the history and legacy of Singapore's past isn't forsaken.

Tired

I have no idea why but recently I've been really tired.
and sleeping isn't really helping. i slept a whole 9 1/2 hrs last night and I still yawned thru my day at the office. ?? wth?
it's really kinda irritating. cuz it's not like I've been stressing out abt something or been doing a lot of physical activity or anything of the sort.
lack of iron? low blood count? what's wrong with me!!??!

well. it's been four days into the new month and nothing perverse has happened to me. so I guess it was just bad karma in June. *touch wood*
frankly, if you asked me to tell you which parts of my body have been hurt/injured/bleed in the past month... well.. it'll be a lot easier on my to list out where hasn't been hurt. basically it's just my head and my left upper arm. maybe that's why I've been feeling tired? loss of blood?

but anyway. let's not focus on what's happened and onto what's to come in the months ahead. healing, I hope.

Sian-sation

Terribly bored. It's a Tuesday night and there's nothing on TV, too lazy to surf the Net, tired of watching all my South Park collection again and I'm working tmr so don't really wanna go out tonight. aaaarrggghhh..

Lemony Snicket's Bong's Series of Unfortunate Events

This has really not been my month. First my knee bursting open and then my little "disagreement" with the road. Thank God the month will be ending soon! *grins* don't know if I'd be able to survive another week of June.

But now that I really think of it, I can't really remember a time when my body was running at 100%. My body has been in a constant state of recuperation since heaven knows when. lol. and you know what? my left knee has a fever. serious! it's feeling much warmer that my right knee. jokes aside, that's really freaky.

anyhoo. attached are some pics of my misadventures this month. might be a bit graphic. Warning: Not Suitable for person(s) under the age of 18.

June 2nd: Knee Sliced by drain cover

June 15th: Just after the stitches were removed

June 26th: Road Rash

Well, boys and girls, I guess I'm just living by the motto "Live hard, Die fast".

This is HOME

Aah. It's that time of year again. NDP rehearsals, parade preparations, flypasts, fireworks and unfortunately, last but not least, National Day songs.
But what does it really mean to be a Singaporean. Let's explore.

Q q Qqq Q qQ
Yes, Q. To be more precise, queuing. It seems like a national pastime for us. Even more so that football [or rather betting on football but let's discuss that later]. Whatever we do, wherever we go, there's nothing like a good queue.
Picture this.
You walk into a kopitiam. Wondering what specialties are served up here, you look around at the stalls. When suddenly, something catches your eye.

... ... ... A QUEUE!

"Aha!", you think. "Must be selling some really good food."
What they serve at this point becomes rather redundant to you. You just know that it must be good enough for so many people to wait half an hour for. So you join the queue and the Singaporean in you is satisfied.

So I might have exaggerated just a little. But don't lie to me and tell me that you've never thought that way before.

Real life example. I went to Orchard Cine to catch a movie with my friend. when we reached the box office, it was packed. the queues were ridiculous but having committed to watching the movie that day, we queued.
Then we noticed a counter that was completely empty with the girl manning the counter looking rather bored. Looking first at the counter, then to each other, we decided to take the risk and head over to the counter in the hopes of beating the queue.
We walked over to the girl, who looked rather relieved to be able to finally talk to another human being, and asked: "Erm, excuse me. Can we buy tickets here?"

Girl (G): Yes! Certainly.
Fawwaz (F): Great.. Can we have tics for ... ... ...
Bong (B): Erm. Sorry. Don't mind my asking but what's the difference between this counter and those next to you?
G: (shrugging) Nothing.
B & F: (-_-)'''
B: Hey let's try something.

I stand behind Fawwaz thus forming a queue. Almost instantly, some of the people just walking into Cine started forming up behind me. *Gasp*

Concrete proof! Proof that Singaporeans are attracted to queues like ants to a pile of sugar.

Join me next time as I explore "What Makes Us Singaporean"

:: Comic Relief ::

Just a little something that I found that was pretty freaking funny. Gut-bursting. enjoy

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a gripe-sheet, which tells mechanics abouts problems with the aircraft.

The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humour. here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by the pilots and the solutions recorded by the engineers.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft

P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit

P: Dead bugs on windshield
S: Live bugs on back-order

P: Auto-pilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 ft/min descent
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear
S: Evidence removed

P: DME volume unbelievably loud
S: DME volume set to more believable level

P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode

P: Suspect crack in windscreen
S: Suspect you're right

P: Number 3 engine missing
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search

P: Target radar hums
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics

P: Mouse in cockpit
S: Cat installed

Hilarious!

:: WALKING the path to recovery ::

Matthew 15:31
The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

Yes! The lame shall walk again. Amen! have finally gotten off using the walking stick. no more "ah-pek"ly dragging myself around. still rather shaky and not much flexibility in the leg. hey, i know I'm not exactly running and jumping but it's an incredible difference from two week ago when i took ten minutes just to get from my sofa to the toilet. and i had to take painkillers about five minutes before that.
haha. but with healing comes the pain of going back to work. but i guess that it's not that bad when you are graced with such an understanding boss. when i went back to base on Monday to get my MC endorsed, i dropped by her office and after chatting for a while, she insisted on driving me the 50+ metres to the taxi pickup point just to have me avoid walking the distance. really am grateful.
although it is kind of a drag having to go back to the drudgery of work, but at least I'm getting out of the four walls of the house. Thank goodness. was bordering insanity.

:: Sick and Tired... But mostly just tired ::

I have had enough of this stupid leg of mine. too many bleeding injuries [no pun intended].
first there was the ligament strain. Now there's this big cut. one thing's for sure. my right leg is mighty strong now and my right butt cheek hurts cuz all my weight is going onto my right side. man. does that mean my ass will be lop-sided?
but this injury really has shown me how blessed I am. Loba and BX that stayed by me at the hospital though they didn't need to. Fawwaz who got my bike back home. Friends who msged and called to ask if I was alright. Xinghui and Derrick for coming by to help change my dressing so that I won't need to go all the way down to the polyclinic [got my own nurse taking care of me!]. Truely blessed and thanks to everyone.

:: The Magic Number 12 ::
yups. that is the number of stitches that it took to close up the 8cm laceration on my knee. and the "superb" part about it was that we weren't even playing full contact. it was just touch. and the first ball of the game as well. wow Chris. real smart.

have you ever seen your own knee cap before? well I have. and most of the guys that came that day too. well at least they saw MY knee cap.

special thanks to the paramedics, Jonathan Wang and Jeremy Yip. they were very comforting on the ride to the hospital. and to the Doc that stitched me up. nice of her to understand that I wasn't cursing at her as she stitched up the wound. and I think she did a pretty good job. let's just say that if I ever get married, I wouldn't mind her tailoring my wife's dress.

on the plus side (if there is one), I've got 7 days at home to slack off. which really means nothing seeing that I can't even move around to have any "fun".

Oh well. will just have to find something to pass the time a bit.

:: Hear ye, Hear ye ::

I hearby decree that all should read and comply with the following:

"G'day gents.This callout is to all NY ruggers past and present. We'll be having a testimonial match for the 2007 A Div Team next saturday. Basically it's gonna be a fun match to catch up with all the old boys as well as to meet some of the newer members of the NY Rugby family.

2007 A Div Team vs. Combined SeniorsTeam
Time: 9 AM
Venue: Sch Field

Do spread the word to all and get as many people back as possible as we are trying to make it a reunion of sorts for the Rugby Team of past years. (plus more ppl means can rotate more = less shagged out) Spectators are more than welcome.
-Bong-"

:: Back Again ::
yes. i'm finally back after a long hiatus from blogger. not that I really wanted to go but my com was down, so there. and I'm not going to type long posted on my PSP.

my blog is in total disarray. I can't believe how messed up all my links are. and half of the people that I've linked up has either stopped blogging or moved urls. damn. need to take some time to do a major overhaul.

well. the official countdown is still in the mid-200s. but i'm not complaining. though i should. this whole audit thingy is really damn annoying. it's like I'm only now discovering how many things GQ didn't have time to teach me and I'm learning by myself now. sigh. well. just have to manage now won't I?

:: Blogger Block ::
wow... think I've finally reached the stage when I'm a once a month blogger.

wuh-hell. this is my blog for the month... today, i woke up 7 brushed my teeth and took a shit... this was followed by playing with my dog. omg!! he's so cute lah... *smile smile* *dots dots*.

wait a minute.. i don't remember being a himbo with no life... come to think of it... i really hate those kinda bloggers. look.. face it... the whole world doesn't wanna know every widdle detail of your life today. unless of course you're a gay sunni living in the middle of a shi'ite neighbourhood, always living in the perpetual fear that you will be discovered and stoned to death and how you are desperately sex-deprived cuz it's so hard to find a good man nowadays. now THAT would be an interested blog. of course you wonder how he turned gay in the first place? two, there always is. a master and a student. so was our blogger friend the student or the master?

but that's totally beside the point.

anyway. being couped up in an office with nothing but a small black radio for company, I've begun to listen to the radio a lot more. and there are actually some pretty good songs out there. like Nerina Pallot's "Everybody's gone to war".

"If Love is a drug
I guess we're all sober"

how cool is that. that's some pretty deep shi'ite, i mean shit, there.. and what abt.

"I could be green, I could be mean
I could be everything wrong"

WHAT ABT THAT!! okay lah.. so it wasn't that deep or meaningful or anything. sounds more like someone about to throw up on a plane debating if he shd just puke it up on the person next to him cuz he already used the pukebag. okay so i have an overactive imagination but at least it has a catchy tune??



tsk tsk.. triviality..


what i have been is thinking a lot about spirituality. for one, it makes me wonder. why are there so many denominations of Christians in the world? why do we divide ourselves over just the slightest differences in Ideology? after all, we are still praising the same God and the same Christ.

so in that case where is the right place for me to worship. I'm the perpetual sinner. always seem to be running back to His arms and yet slipping through His fingers time and time again. where is my place? when, how and should i draw the line between family and my Redeemer?

:: Long Hiatus ::
man. this really sucks.. went to play touch yesterday and after running around for a while i started feeling pain in my back again. i ended up having to wear a tiger balm patch on my back. i think that it may be time to hang up my playing boots at least for a while. try and concentrate more on the coaching and refereeing thing. might have more of a future there.

i could barely reach down to wash my toes last night after coming home.

oh well... at least i've since then recovered motion. [and my toes are now clean]

was mindblowingly angry yesterday.. my grandfather really boils my blood sometimes..
we passed by a shop in CLEMENTI and he wanted to go in to see if they can fix our kitchen drawer. when i told him that we shd go another time [cuz i had my bike lesson] and some place nearer to our house [so that it'll be easier and less costly], he got all puffed up... saying "you children always don't want to help" and "i'm 90 years old you know"... it's not like we won't help but this is the first time that you've mentioned you wanted to get the drawers fixed so how can we have "always" not helped you??

the prob with my grandfather is that he is so independant and such a control freak that he takes everything upon himself and never ASKS for help. i'm hardly around cuz i leave before the sun comes up and come back after the sun comes down, so i can't always be around to help out. my sis is busy in sch. and my dad is a self-confessed workaholic. we're not around to always be there to help out. i'm not making excuses. this is fact. i can't just leave the office whenever i like. it's still the military you know. there are rules.

but one thing i am serious abt is leaving the house. once i ord, get a job, and get enough savings to support myself, i'm looking for a room for rent. i'll send some money back and that's it. i'm thinking of maybe foregoing my uni and just signing a bond with MOE. i can't take living like this anymore. it hurts me that my own grandfather thinks that we are so unfilial that we won't even help with the slightest thing. frankly, it pissed me off. at least have faith that you have raised children and grandchildren with good moral values.

:: finite ::
i've had about enough. i can't live in this house much longer.
i'm thinking of moving out but i know it'll be damn difficult to find a place to stay on my income right now.
it's not like i haven't tried. but i just think that i'm on totally different wavelengths.
why do i feel so cursed? why is it that i feel like i don't belong in this family?

i'm just tired of it all. all i want is a real family.

:: Addition to the family ::
everybody. I have somebody I'd like to introduce to you...



this is Falkor. My new dog.
named after the luckdragon in the Neverending Story.



okay lah.. Not really a splitting image but a real lookalike.
he was really shy when he first came. But now he's really livened up...
I'll post some vids once I upload onto youtube. easier to embed... Don't have to write up my own embed programming.. haha... Lazy no? But I digress..

we got him quite suddenly. No I don't exactly mean *poof*-there-he-was suddenly. We were at my grand aunt's place on NY day for lunch. And my granddad just mentioned in passing that our dog died before xmas. Then my relative remembered that her relative wanted to give away her dog cuz she already had three and couldn't handle another one... So the very next day, they brought him over.. And THEN *poof*-there-he-was..


he's a real sweetie...