I decided to do a photoblog this time round, so that the 750+ photos from each of the 5 cameras will not go to waste. This is my first trip to Phuket and it is indeed a eye opener. I shall let the photos do the talking for me now. Anyway, pardon me for all the mis-alignments, I just can't seem to get them right.

Left S'pore 1305, reach Phuket 1345 Thai time

hello to Seeka (quality for reasonable price)

our room 303

wow, what big sausages they have here!

their quality of artworks never fail to impress me

our first dinner in Phuket

what a big... (bread, pizza, pie??)

Cam on Cam

There was a huge queue waiting to take a photo with Mr Thai MacDonald

one of the most important road signs in Phuket

me & ZQ were totally obsessed with their boxing gloves

this Hello Kitty store is striking in contrast with the rest of the street

our first tuk-tuk experience

played card games and YL's 30s of "forfeit"

Our second day in Phuket is spent in Karon Beach, just located beside Patong. Karon beach is less crowded than Patong, the water is cleaner and supposedly more tranquil (which is still not what I expected) because there is this huge number of angmohs sunbathing. Anyway, the jet skiing was a good experience to remember (but expensive too).

3 kinds of eggy breakfast to choose from : scrambled, fried, omelette

this Buddha was watching us having our breakfast all the time

some exercise after breakfast to loosen up our muscles (of course we suffered from indigestion after that. lol)

all stunts are performed by professionals, pls do not try this at home

the first of our Mr Mocca series

mixed rice @ Karon Beach

foreign lands, common friends

do check out our post on rice of all kinds

a election poster in the middle of nowhere

dinner @ Patong Seafood

like I said, everything is so big in Phuket

the BIG shopping centre, Jungceylon

the leaning Xmas tree of Phuket

the mesmerizing lady-boys of Bangla Road

This is probably the highlight of the entire trip. We visited 4 islands around Phuket during this island hopping event (Monkey beach, Maya bay, Phi Phi island and Khai island), which lasted for the entire day. This is also the first snorkling experience we had, and the sea is gorgeous. Bobby the guide is totally entertaining with his authentic "British accent" (he has never been overseas but he still managed to learnt it.)

It's time to enjoy the bright sun, the bedazzling beach and the beauty of the sea.

onboard the speedboat

the place to be at during the rainy season of Singapore

i'm still wondering which leg is mine

we left our mark on Maya Bay

these fishes must have been super hungry, they were fighting over every piece of bread in the water

we all love Mr Mocca

see how happy I am in the company of babes. lol

these waves remind me of jet-ski

snorkling in Khai island aka Ji Dan Dao

so freaking unglam but hilarious

with the entertaining Bobby (the one in orange shorts)

no island hopping trip is ever complete without these personalised souvenirs ( I didn't get one, so my trip isn't over. hehe)

seafood dinner @ Maeubol market (3 times cheaper than Patong Seafood)

"Our favourite word of the trip - SPAM! lol, spam money at Maeubol, ordered prawns ah, crabs ah, fish ah super lots of dishes, somemore can order seafood but cooked in different styles one. Got the whole long table flooded with seafood, damn shiok. Returned back to the lobby for chit chats. ZQ started sitting at the computer at the lobby, played with the mouse and the recep asked for 20baht 'cause she thought he accessed the internet. Poor him had to pay money for nothing, lol. If I'm not wrong, we played the number game at the girl's room today, where losers had to do a 30 sec of fame video. Damn hilarious, I think I laughed till I got fits. Thank god I didn't lose the game, if not I might have to do a dance on a chair top and be recorded in the video which prob will last for 70 yrs until we die." -xia

Basically says it all after our island hopping trip. For more underwater photos do check out our mixed rice blog here.

Today is supposedly OTOT day cum shopping trip (since OTOT means shopping in this case). Today is also the day we ought to SPAM all our money so that we wouldn't leave any regrets when we are back in Singapore. But we did really regret it when we are stuck in Phuket for another day. Lol.

There isn't any photos for today, since I don't own any digicams (still waiting for someone to buy me one for my birthday, hopefully next year?) Anyway, we spilt into groups to explore Patong once again. You can see what the others did here.

ZQ and I went exploring to the less known parts of Patong, where we visited a school (Ban Sai Namyen School), we didn't managed to get in because there was this fierce looking security guard at the gates.

Went down to this empty stadium at Hat Patong Road and ate from the roadside store there. Basically walked all the routes in the upper part of Patong for the whole morning before meeting up with YL, mil and mel for lunch at BK. Before that we had already tried the BK Pork Burger (S$7 plus). Fast food in Phuket are way too expensive.

SPAM our money on souvenirs and such. I was trying to re-design my home, so I bought some decorative items back to present a different feel. Next time if I were to go Thailand again, I'll definitely get one of those oil paintings back.

Met up with everyone in the evening for a thai massage at Let's Relax. The ambience was fantastic and we really enjoyed our time there. Fell asleep during their smoothing foot massage though. Our remaining cash is spent in Family Mart (their localised version of 7-11).

Our last day in Phuket. This is where we experienced the real Amazing Race challenge. And that is so because we MISSED our flight back. Goodness us. We were stuck in the airport for almost 2 hours, totally lost before our more worldly-wise mildred and YL managed to book us tickets back the next day. You guys are our saviours.

the longest 2 hrs of the trip

like xia said, the Super Super budget Naiyang Garden Bungalows

Same flight, Same time, but different date back

this is all the money we had for the entire day. we are sorry, we shouldn't have spam too much the day before.

the best fried rice we had in Phuket (when we are most hungry)

Dear sir, have some pity on us and give us some money, please?

no one could understand a single phrase i said, so sad

I need a translation. Does it says "Koreans only"?

the kitchen's over there!

the thousand hands mixed rice

the game of our lives: Asshole Daidee

I decided to do the last day (Day 6) together since there is not much happening. We managed to get back to Singapore safely .

once bitten, twice shy. we checked in super early this time round

Victory sign for successfully boarding the plane

Lord of the Thais ?

Exhausted but happy faces

And that's all folks. See ya again soon.

credits: from xia's blog.

I was finding a place to change my currency into Thai Baht in Woodlands Central for the upcoming Phuket trip, but there isn't a single money changer that has any stock for it (there is almost like 10 + money changers in the area).

I wonder why?

These people must be aiming for some currency difference to earn foreign exchange.

I'm glad I still remembered some of the econs stuff from jc. the times in army hasn't really made me suffer from complete amnesia. phew...

Genes and Society final exam is another killer. I couldn't finish the 100 mcqs and most probably going to flop this. arghhh...

On the other hand, a tough semester is over. I shouldn't be thinking too much over things that isn't fixed yet for now. It's time to relax and prepare for some "thai massage" in Phuket. Hurray.

kboxing at clementi.

Shocking News! I have been posted out of FDS-CAB.

Just Received this letter saying "Dear CPL (NS) Heng, you have been posted to SNSR, CAB IHL from FDS-CAB effect rom 19 Nov 2007."

So where is this SNSR, CAB IHL ??

arghhh...

just 3 more papers to go.

Haiz. What should I say?

Overwhelmed by too many problems. Even though it has been discussed for some time, it still struck me by surprise.

Now is not the time to be having mixed feelings about nostalgia. I need some practical solution to solve this economic crisis. Hmm... how should I go about doing this?

(p.s. just wanted to reiterate one point, i'm not really that affluent as everyone thinks, everything I have done is for this day, it's time to start saving all over again. Cycle 3)

"I shall rather find strength in what remains behind"

I'm so bored. Went around surfing youtube and suddenly felt inspired to look for some nostalgic memories of the songs I used to play in the Symphonic Band.

One of my favourites is still Kiroro -Best Friend.



Undoubtedly, my favourite Jap singer. To all my friends.

(p.s i took this because there is a translation for the song lyrics. lol. not trying to act cute or something)

What makes you a Singaporean?

Am I one because I hold a Singapore passport?
Or is it I have a pink IC?
Because I have to serve NS?
Or is it because I live in a territory that is politically divided as Singapore?
Maybe its the local food here?
Could it be because of the people I know that makes me feel at home?
Perhaps it's the HDB & the ownership of home?
The education teaches me that I'm Singaporean?
It can't be on my physical features then?
My almost perfect Singlish?
The local culture?

I can't find an answer to this. I need some definition that can tell me what indeed constitutes being a Singaporean. arghhh... Identity is such a difficult concept, I cannot seem to catch hold of it no matter how hard I try.

Eureka! I have a new inspiration for another story. I shall work on the draft piece for now. Wish me luck.

Ok. I still can't concentrate fully on my studies for now. Everytime I see the amount of readings on the table, I become distressed and discouraged.

Been spending these days listening to Jay's new album, which I personally find to be much better than his previous album. Maybe it is because there is a lot of songs from the his movie, Secret.

Instead of his number 1,2 hits, I find his relatively low-profiled songs to be quite soothing for me. I strongly recommend - 蒲公英的约定, 我不配, 阳光宅男.

4 hours have passed and I'm still scratching my head, trying to finish up this philo paper that is to be hand up on Monday.

After pondering for so many days, reading the Russell's passage umpteen times and almost tearing apart the Descartes textbook, I'm still unclear how do I express my arguments in words.

The consultation with my tutor does help a little, but there isn't any practical tips on writing a good paper. The argument is done, but somehow I cannot write it coherently in sentences.

maybe I should just ressurrect Descartes and ask him to explain everything again. Hmm... since my tutor came up with the tutorial that "anything I can conceive of is logically possible", then maybe some miracle might happen.

For now, I shall just take a nap and dream of myself in Descartes' shoes.

Finally I'm going overseas this Dec.

This calls for a celebration. Yay!

Despite soaking myself in the murky waters, getting sunburnt, gulping down seawater through the nose,having muscle aches, I still enjoyed my first windsurfing experience.

Today's course is superb, having lots of time practical in the open sea trying to windsurf. Most of the time, I ended up falling into the water than on the surf board. But by afternoon, this problem is somewhat solved with more experience.

Tried out some other stunts like 180 degree turn, jibing,tacking etc. The only thing I could get it right is the 180 degree after so much effort.

I will need more practice.

a photo with the course mates

Today's talk on Trading Psychology was super disappointing. I thought this seminar would give me a deeper understanding on how the human psychology affects the trends in the market, but this was not the case. Instead, it talked about the causes of failures/successes that are based on what was termed "cognitive bias". Somehow I don't find this very practical for use.

In this case, I know nuts about it. So in the end, I ended up leaving the seminar learning nothing at all. What a waste of time. Should have gone for the SN lecture instead.

Another NUS Investment Society activity coming up. At least something different this week. Yea.

I just came to realise I have totally forgotten to update my blog for almost a week. pardon me for that, since there isn't any fixed schedule to blog.

Life pretty busy trying to catch up on studies that had fallen behind since the mid-terms was over. Too much readings to do till I barely had time for myself. But I shall not let these studies take control over my entire life. I must find some entertainment.

For now, I shall listen to some Jay's new song - Niu Zai Hen Mang for some "out-of-the world" entertainment.

p.s yesterday South Asian lect was super funny, the lecturer spent almost 10mins trying to teach guys tips on how to woo girls (he said girls like guys who are vulnerable, is that true?). Iwonder what his definition of vulnerability was.

And half the time watching Indian commercials.

(courtesy from boonkian's blog)

After watching her splendid performance in Jay's movie- Secret, I was totally mesmerized by her unique, one & only character (this is probably the 1st time I can sense the X-factor so strongly).

Seems that there is another movie of hers coming up soon. I wonder when will it be released?

Usually people will say that they got 26/40. This time round I got 26/40 wrong instead for my Genes & Society module. I'm just utterly disappointed by my own results.

But I'm fuming because this test seems so illogical.There are just so many trick questions inside this paper that I gave up completely trying to listen for the correct answer. My morale was like damn low, especially when the lecturer gave the answer with this underlying tone "this answer so simple, how come you all just don't understand?" It's so fustrating.

Can you believe there are some questions that have 2 correct answers, some answers come from elimination instead of it being the accurate one, and the most funny, the answer comes from assumptions. Arghhh... Makes my blood boil trying to blog about it.

GEK1527 is hopeless.

And I thought I got very low marks when I overhead someone in front saying he only got 10/40. I ought to find some consolation that I'm actually not at the bottom of the chart.

Completed my South Asian mid test today, and that leaves only the Genes & Society test on Sat before I can completely take a short break from studies.

Done with my philosophy, history paper after much brain-damaging sessions, and the last essay to be done is Genes & Society again.

Life should be pretty slack after this week. I'm so looking forward to kbox with the crew tomorrow. And the test on sat?

S/U it. lol.

I was walking around at jurong east with my mum after visiting the library when I heard a familiar tune playing over the audio system in popular.

The tune was so melodious that I ended up buying the cd without any hesitation. This was the OST for Jay's movie - Secret. I almost thought this was the another of those sentimental piano cd.

and my heart melted with Lu xiaoyu.

Something funny happened in the stock market today.

I earned a virtual $2 million from poems stock challenge just by buying 20k units of GLD US.

I simply cannot imagine how this stock can fall from $73 to $0.73 in an hour. What I cannot imagine more was how I managed to buy 20k units from this.

This must be a technical glitch in the system.

Now I have a big problem, I'm already out of the competition, since it is impossible for me to realise the 20% STI profit for $2million. (which is like 400k)

It doesn't pay to be too greedy at times.

I need faith and confidence.

Where will I be able to find it?

My "special" spec, Sgt Chris Choo in FDC did another heroic stunt again. I'm just totally lost for words this time round.

Trainee pilot a celebrity after making forced landing

I thought I was going crazy yesterday morning, when I woke up early in the morning and started telling everyone that I felt my bed shaking uncontrollably.

After watching the news the same night, it was reported that there was indeed tremors from the earthquake near Indonesia. So I was not hallucinating after all.

NUS Investment Group's first activity for the semester.

Those who attended this Secrets of a Hedge Fund Manager seminar will probably agree that it is pretty interesting, not like any of the usual investment course that we have went before.

Really enjoyed it (much to the expense of returning back home late).

After lagging behind for almost a month, I finally watched Secret.

I must say, it was good, in fact very good for a maiden movie. Now I'm impressed with Jay's talent even more...

I've been making extra efforts in looking for activities that can enrich my university life.

And after much sourcing, I settled for the NUS investment society and windsurfing recreational club,as well as participation in this year's POEMS stock challenge.

It's high time for me to join a cca (before I over-exhaust myself from the tons of readings left)

Thanks for everyone's concern when I was sick. I'm well now.

I supposed there isn't anything worth blogging for now, since there is really nothing special except for school and sleep. If I start to blog about the things I did in school, everyone will probably fall asleep at the snap of my fingers. So I better not spoil the bright day ahead.

Still down with fever.

It so appears that my body cells cannot adapt very well into a new living environment, especially those related to schools. I tend to get extremely sick everytime I go for my first day of school, right from primary school till now.

This must be another psychological rejection of studies/books/school again.

I'm so fortunate enough to secure at least some modules for this semester, even though these are not really to my liking.

But I must thank those who provided me with advice, strategies so that I can at least fulfil some of the less important general modules required for graduation.

Though I don't really have particular interest in any of these, I'll still try my best to do well in it.

This is going to be a tough semester in uni.

Something tells me that the registration for modules for the semester is already over.

If that is so, good luck to me then, because I haven't even registered for anything yet. I'll probably slack and die for this entire sem. Oh my...

Can anyone please tell me that the registration is still open for nus?

Haiz... I'm a freaking blur shit.

My time in the working society is finally over. It's been a tough 5 months, but I managed to pull thorugh and learnt a lot from this experience.

Now, it's time for me to start preparing for university life. But before that, I shall take a well-deserved break with the za cai fan crew with the "touring uniquely singapore" chalet.

Our indecisiveness failed us once again.

I guess it's really hard for us to plan for a overseas trip together. But that shall be put aside now.

What we really need to do is to find a way to make people come for this chalet that we so last minute planned as a substitute for the overseas trip.

But deep down, I'm not the least disappointed.

It's as though I already know things will come to this point.

I'll just treat this as retreat from daily life.

I haven't been blogging for almost a week because there is just so much work to do, birthday parties to attend, class outings to meet up with old friends. Pretty much well-packed, which is rare for someone who does nothing but work and sleep all day.

Anyway, I have a lot of people to thank for making my 21st such a memorable one. This is definitely one of the significant milestone in my life.

To the zha cai fan crew, you guys are probably the best friends I ever had. Thanks for all the creative things you all have done for me, especially the ET card. I'll probably never forget this day, the most shocking surprise I had. You guys make my dull existence colorful again.

To the supper kakis/ primary school pals, 10 years of friendship is hard to come by, and I hope this legacy continues on. Penghui especially, thanks for being the inspiration for me to become who I am now. I know this heavy weight present is thought by you, since you're the only one I told about getting this 10kg dumbbell. My training starts today. lol.

To the haven study group, it's a pity we didn't meet up for any celebrations but I know you all will make me feel at home once more. Our haven spirit will live on even after we graduated. Do meet up again soon at jessie's house again?

To my family, without all your support, I can never be able to become someone who is independent and live out my dreams. It is everyone's dream to have a good and strong family, I'm glad my wish is fulfilled.

And to all the people who came into my life, be it the army, the course mates, online friends, all of you did make a difference. Thanks for everything.

This is the first time I really wished time could stand still and let this moment last. Life is so much better with all of you.

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY to me!

07.07.07.

I would like to present my birthday wish on this very special day of mine.

Support Live Earth - The Concerts for a climate in Crisis.

We have to preserve whatever we can, the damage we have already done is irreversible. What we can do now is to play our part, however little, to save the dying Earth once more.

Support the Green Movements -3Rs, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

If each of us contribute a little effort, we can definitely prevent our climate from deteriorating even more.


Answer the Call - Wear Green, Go Green.

In case anyone doesn't know why 07.07.07 holds such a personal significance to me, it's actually my 21st birthday. I was actually so fortunate enough to be born that day, and to make things even better, 07 + 07+ 07 = 21.

So I'm intending to buy my first 4D on this day, so do wish me luck.


Oh my, it's 4 more days...

17 more days to 07.07.07.

And still I don't even have any plans for any celebrations.

Life is so much tougher when the operations is gone slacking overseas, have to multi-task so many things at a time. I'm totally drained.

There is one thing I don't really understand though, I have asked around the office, asking of their opinions of the operation-in-charge. The kind of feedback I got was totally negative, not a single good thing was said about him. But somehow, he doesn't get scolded despite his mistakes, reason being he is a newbie at work (after 1 month).

The boss always says he is still on training, so one day I asked back, "When will his training end?". My boss was stumped. He couldn't give me a satisfactory answer. So what constitutes a satisfactory answer? A proper date that explains when he may be a full-fledged operations in charge.

It's funny, because its the same boss that we all agreed to be the cause of all the problems in the company. Maybe this is what we meant by birds of the same feathers flock together.

After working for 3 months, I finally have my own namecards.

Having a namecard is actually nothing, but somehow I'm extremely elated to have my own set of namecards. I wonder why?

Perhaps having your own cards symbolize that you are now part of the real world (a term I always used to suggest the working society). It means that you hold some sort of importance in the world, no longer are you a student awaiting to enter work, a child waiting to grow up, a unknown individual waiting to be recognised in this vast world out there.

It is just a piece of printed paper with your own name, your handphone number, your designation. But it means so much more in real terms. It's a identification of your presence/existence.

Am I'm getting too overboard with this namecard thingy?? Hmm...

2 down, 1 more to go.

For once, the work at Bugis can finally be completed after much tribulations. Let's pray nothing crops up again next week.

Then I can finally have a peace of mind when I go down to Bugis to shop the next time round. No more "nightmares at Bugis" again. Hurray.

Help !! I'm hit by the GSS-bug.

Was at IMM doing some window shopping (typical of me), and I saw how much has changed from the old IMM that I knew. Other than the impressive Giant, there was so many more newly opened retail shops. Just like a suburban vivocity.

Was almost tempted to buy and stock up more clothes for the coming university days, but pay is always delayed. So I'll have to wait for now... Anymore outings can organise at IMM. There's freaking lots of things to see over there...

Saw yilin too (for once she looked so much healthier now), guess it's really her suffocating work that is almost killing her. Congrats for getting rid of such a burden. Do meet up again soon.

I'm gearing up for studenthood once more.

I can't believe someone can actually fall sick once every week. Is this what they meant by "cao geng" (in army terms)?

Maybe I'm prejudiced against him, maybe not. But everytime he is absent, there will be a lot more work and pressure on me again. Reason? Because there is no one else to take over that seat.

You can say I'm just trying to push the work to someone else (like how office politics do), but this is really not part of my work scope at all. I see no point in helping the operation do his work when he himself is watching youtube and sms-ing with his handphone.

I shall be the bad guy this time round.

adrenaline rush from Vortex. (European Fun fair @causeway point)

random post.

So much trouble at work again. Just when I thought that the work at Bugis can finally be completed, then comes another shocking problem - the glass window broke. Arghhh...Plain bad luck.

Anyway, I'll going for my SOC soon, which means I'll have a higher chance of getting all the MRT jobs soon.

But my days at Lisen is coming to an end soon. 2 more months...

Forklift sessions is so, so very the exciting...

A mundane week.

Probably a break between projects for now, doing mostly administrative works, like re-arranging the certificates for equipments in the warehouse (which is in a total mess).

So other than being the Project Coordinator/Assistant Supervisor, I'm now the office clerk too. This is what I call heavy responsibility. Being in charge of the Bugis project made me understand how little I know about my work. I have to put in much more effort.

My goal for now: ensure that every project given is done with the best of my abilities.

suffocated by the pressure of work.

Yesterday was one unlucky day.

Everything just went wrong, and any attempt to salvage the situation made things worse. Right from the start, work was delayed due to miscommunication, then things got lost, and before I know it, problems start to arise like a tidal wave, and I was helplessly swept away.

So depressed right now.


Luckily, I have For One More Day - Mitch Albom to accompany me through these tough times. That's probably the only thing that went right for now.

Looks like the operations job is temporary. The company finally decided to hire someone to take care of the operations side. For god sake, it was a tough job trying to handle so many things at a time.

I don't know what is the Ministry of manpower's standard for the number of overtime hours per month. But the figure i clocked has far exceeded my expectations as well as broke the record for the coordinators. That is how shocking it is.

$1200 worth of OT pay.

wow.

The dreaded title:

HENG CHOON PENG
Operations-in-charge


it's getting more and more stressful at work.
feel like quiting...

It's another hectic week at Bugis once again.

Suffering from excessive work syndrome. I'm imagining the handphone ringing non-stop for the whole day. arghhh...

It even happens when I'm sleeping.

I wished i could just throw my phone into the drain (just kidding).

I need to de-stress...

I would like to express my most sincere thanks to the unknown stranger who sent my IC back to me.

Thank you so much for everything.

Anyway, I lost my IC a few days ago, I don't know whether I lost it in Bugis, Woodlands, or anywhere along the road. It just fell off without me noticing it. The trauma and anxiety of losing something so important made my heart skip a beat (almost). But I'm glad some kind soul returned it to me.

Been working non-stop at Bugis Junction for almost two nights, trying to remain on schedule for the air-con upgrading. So anyone who passes by there may find me outside Ajisen. It's another two more weeks of sleep deprivation.

That's all for now. To the kind girl (I presumed from the handwritting) who mailed back my IC. Thanks for everything.

I promise to do more good from now on.

sleep-deprivation.

working non-stop for more than 24 hours.
I need some sleep.... z Z z

But that will be like in another 2 days time... arghh...

It's work, work, and more work for now...

Celebrated molly & jeremy's 21st birthday @ The Wine Company.

The place is called Evans Lodge and it's somewhere in Bukit Timah, near to the CCAB (co-cirriculum activities branch). Even though we spent quite a long time trying to figure out the way there, we still managed to find it.

The place has a good ambience and quite a large collection of wines and liquers from different countries (of course, since the place is called The Wine Company). I can bring whoever wants to go some other time.

Photos are up on my friendster profile. That's all for now.

Short of cash these days and luckily wenbin came to my rescue with a part-time job that can be done at home. Thanks wenbin (that is if u managed to find my blog).

So other than working full time in the day, my free time will be spent translating texts to earn some spare income. A good way to improve my english and chinese. hurray.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, my new job is about doing translation for japanese animes. Lol. so fun.

work is so stressful. I seriously need to go out and get a break.

another error at work again.

arghhh...

Yesterday night was an eye-opener. I was invited to attend a traditional indian wedding at a temple, and I must thank thuva for it. I didn't expect the haven study group to remain in contact for this long, but it did. It's great to have good friends like these, friends you know who will be there when you're down and share your joys.

I thank everyone for making my life so special and unique. It's great to be in the company of friends.

Just came back from sembawang park, where I went kite flying with family. My uncle managed to make the kite fly so high that it became the centre of attraction. Lol. What a fun day!

Hmm.. I'm too crazy these days.

jour de salaire.

After slogging for the past 2 weeks, it's pay day. Somehow I find it weird to receive my pay fornightly instead of monthly. They said it's to allow those that are cash-strapped to be able to survive with this pay advance before the month comes. A good idea I supposed.

It's been almost a month since my french course ended, but I'm still considering whether to continue with the intermediate level. But the poor image portrayed by the school made me think otherwise. What if I have to wait for another month before I can get my cert again?

Nothing much to blog about. Basically because I haven't been out with friends since I ord. So anyone free can ask me out, though I'm practically booked by my work from mon to sat.

tag-board been very very inactive. where's everyone?

Time passes extremely fast when you're working OT everyday.

my life = work.

Nothing much to discuss here, lest you all want to hear boring stories about work and such. I shall skip the redundant details. Basically there's lots of assignments to be completed within the week, and thus less time in the office (and online) than the week before.

It's a huge challenge to start everything from scratch. Lots of quotations and delieveries to be made soon, so I assume next week will be a tough one. More time under the sun (hopefully a better natural tan). It's a pity I don't have a digicam or camera phone, otherwise you might catch a glimpse of me in safety boots, white helmet, safety goggles and measuring tape. Typical Contractor Image.

I bought freaking 7 classics at the popular fair. Now my remaining free time will be spent reading more books. lol. first on the list is Les Miserables...

A hectic first week at work.

I can say that I'm still not conditioned to handle the fast-paced and stressful real world out there. Conditioned as in not having the relevant skills, the mental toughness, the quick wits and linguistic talent. As such, it has been disastrous trying to multi-task a lot of projects at a time.

But this is a rare learning opportunity not to be missed. Be able to learn first hand experience at engineering and logistics is quite rare for an arts student like me. I'll treasure this. To be given a responsibility is a good learning method, for you can learn as you work.

4 more months and 3 weeks to go.

autoCAD is so cool. But my brother's job is even better. Next time when you go to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal (yes, it's near changi east), you might see me there too.

I have a job!

So I wouldn't be able to go out as often or spend long hours online. As a assistant supervisor (which I think is just a non-existent job position), my working hours are extremely long and the pay is extremely low for all the manual labour I have to give. But it's the experience that counts.

After thinking for so long, I've decided that my future job shall be nowhere near to the office. I can't stand all the office politics. So this current job at the engineering company shall be my first stepping stone into the real-world.

Good luck to me for the next 5 months.

Ok. I'm so tempted to go watch Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera that's coming to esplanade this march. Anyone want go?

Spent a week away from the bustling and everlasting city life. It's really a place I can relax and keep my mind afresh from all the side-effects of modern life and technology. I spent the days reading books, watching the skies change, took long walks along trails and reflect about myself. It's probably my first attempt at cooking once more (after all my previous failed attempts). More practice makes perfection (hopefully I don't burn the house down).

Now that I'm back into the comforts of my own bed, it's time for me to re-affirm all the efforts and achievements and continue to look forward to life once more.

I finally managed to get hold of and finish reading the two books I've been looking for the past year. I strongly recommend everyone to read Gaston Leroux's the Phantom of the Opera and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

mesmerized by the Angel of Music.

French class ended on a disappointing note yesterday. To think that we cannot even finish our last class due of administrative problems is certainly pathetic. We paid good money for this and the school can't even provide a decent clerk to take charge at the office.

Time to look for a new place to learn my intermediate level.

There isn't even a proper certificate awarded to us for even completing this course. To think that it is such a hassle for them to just use a printer to print out a "Certificate of Participation". It's not even a Certificate of Achievement (which is more valuable).

I give up on this school. Maybe eprep works better than this.

It's been a long time since I posted something about the festive holidays and the things I did. I don't know why, but I always feel a sense of emptiness whenever the festive season arrives. It gets worse when I see people around me getting so hyped up over celebrations that happens every year. I can't see anything special from all this.

I guess I'm quite vulnerable to depression attacks. Been pondering why my mood changes to frequently and drastically these days. There isn't a logical reason for my recent behaviour. Even the fortune-teller (who said I'll have good luck this year) identified that I'm disturbed by many matters, but I cannot comprehend what I'm feeling vexed over.

Like what Mr. Quek used to say, "I'm troubled."

But what am I troubling myself over, I don't know it either.

Anyway, Happy Chinese New Year to all.

I should be making everyone around me happy, like what the old choonpeng used to do. Even if it's putting on a brave front.

Vivocity is indeed the new place to spot celebrities.

Though I'm not very into the idol chasing craze that is so rampant nowadays, the atmosphere at vivocity was one of hopes and anticipation. I was wondering why there was a red carpet from the cinema to the escalator today, and I realised that there was actually a movie premiere for Protege. Louis Koo and Daniel Wu were probably the biggest shots over there amidst the huge presence of local celebs.

What was more surprising was that I actually saw the two of them over at Bugis Junction 8 a few hours before. It was a shopping trip for new year clothes when we (me, weelun and penghui) saw the banner for Protege and the two of them on the stage. Never did I expect I would see them again at Vivocity after that.

hmm... why am I over-reacting over these idol crazes?

Does reading Dalai Lama's book mean I'm being detached from the rest of society?

I'm quite confused that people actually asked me to "come back to earth" just because of this Dalai Lama's book of wisdom that I bought today. I seriously think there's nothing wrong to read about diverse subjects. So what's wrong about reading?

I shall keep this aside for now.

The other book I bought with the book voucher was The Alchemist. This is probably the second book I'll save if my room catches a fire. Of course, the top priority being Tuesdays with Morrie. These are my most prized items. Like they say, " a good book is always worth keeping."

French lesson is coming to an end soon. I better treasure the remaining times with everyone in class. I don't know how many I'll be in contact with, but lets just hope for the best for everyone.

a bientot.

It's great to be ORDinary once again.

ORD lo.

I've learnt not to do things in the last minute. Luckily, most of the people I couldn't find the previous time (which was a long time ago) happened to be at the correct place at the correct time. And I managed to finish everything by the end of the day. Fortunate me.

If nothing turns out like what I expected today, I'll probably kill myself for not doing my clearance earlier. I cannot bear the painful thought of not getting my pink IC when everyone else got theirs back.

All I have to do now is wait.

Global warming: rise of 4.5 C if pollution doubles, says draft report

Modern technology owes ecology an apology. - Alan M. Eddison

The earth is already plagued with enough natural disasters. Erratic weather changes is causing so much stress on our lives, and more global warming is likely to worsen it. I cannot forsee how more carbon dioxide emissions is going make this planet more sustainable.

Imagine a different Earth our future generations will be seeing.

It's time for the environmentalists in our heart to change the world we are going to live in. Support Green Movement. So think again when you want to turn on the air-conditioning system. Though we can't reverse the damage done, the least we can do is to prevent and reduce further impact on our ecosystem.

Do your part for the world.

A long chat about philosophy with my brother proved to be a fruitful one. Sometimes the person you least expected is the one that actually teaches you the most, like what The Alchemist said about looking for omens that is strewn across life's journey. Now I have the plot for the short story that I'm going to immerse myself in for the next few months. As I have once said earlier, I'm going to write a book. But I came to a realisation it is too ambitious of me to do so. That's why I decided to start with short stories to hone my skills.

Hopefully this will be a success, unlike my previous attempt, where I was stuck at the ending. It's still collecting dust in my cupboard, waiting for the day when it can finally be completed...

Basically I'm blogging now because I have nothing to do. But then, I don't even know what to blog about. My brain is in a complete trance after another mind-boggling french session, which I feel isn't making much progress. Completely went bersek in class, so much so that I can't even focus and finish the simple exercise on the book. I don't know whether I can still manage this foreign language anymore. But I wouldn't give up.

I think I better go read up more books that can explain what I'm going through now. Time to get more Paulo Coelho books on my bookshelf.

Some article from the evening papers caught my attention today.

It seemed that 070707 (my 21st birthday) is actually a rare auspicious occassion in the chinese calendar. I don't know whether I should be happy, because it is supposedly a good day for marriage, which doesn't seem applicable here. But it is still an extraordinary phenomenon anyway.

Perhaps I should be glad that this special day of mine is also the very same day many couples will be joining their lives in holy matrimony . I ought to put in more effort in planning for this day then. Any suggestions from anyone?

I've been reading Paulo Coelho's books vicariously these days. The Alchemist inspired me to break out of the monotonous life that I have been leading all these years. I longed to do something different, and this book reaffirmed my passions and zeal for life.

I have decided. I shall write a book.

I think I have found some purpose in my existence.

I'm astounded by the things a drunken man can do.

It was supposed to be a chalet, but I guessed it turned out to be another drinking session with the army friends, -=sng=-, ter, jeremy, jj, forlan86 (dota names) and andy. It only took a bottle of Baileys, the "dreaded" Long Island, white wine, vodka and half a dozen of Heinken and Calsburg, and all hell broke loose.

Jeremy's the worst hit of among the lot, totally losing control over himself the entire night. His enthralling list of "accomplishment"probably made me want to quit drinking from now on.

I shall not list the things he did though. The videos will become another "blackmailing" treasure in my computer. Probably someone (not me) will put it in youtube soon?

I must say it was a night that will be deeply etched in our memories for the years to come. I'll never forget the things that happened.

That's all for now. In the meantime, I shall try to memorize some new names from my french class.

2007 is the year when everyone around me start to discuss how they are going to celebrate their 21st. I'm still kinda stuck at the stage where I don't even know whether I'll be motivated enough to set up a party for everyone.

Perhaps eddie's way of jumping down from a mountain top, sipping vodka and lighting a cigarette on his birthday appeals to me. I want to do something that I can remember for the rest of my life. Something that is full of energy and zeal. Parachute down from the sky?

Anyway, not much happenings since the new year came, basically looking all around for jobs while awaiting for ord. Shi leng's 21st is quite impressive though, with that wide variety of food and the extremely "big" house. Even though I ended up in the background with penghui (because we didn't know most of the people from swiss and nj), we were still quite satisfied with everything. Especially the chocolate-making machine. What a fascination.

Took quite a lot of photos (because I decided to do something dumb) and appeared like a ghost in every single photo taken. It was quite an experience though. Others must have been wondering what this weird guy is doing in all the pictures.

I must have been too bored these days.

That shall be all for now. A bientot.

I thought I could start the new year by doing something crazy like wearing back the old pj uniform and go back to school and laugh my head off at the new intakes.

But that didn't happen in the end.

Sometimes I wished I was the one being laughed at. At least it meant I was still a naive student, with studies being the only objective in life. If only...

Army's coming to an end soon. It's time for a new start. Back to school, here we go.

MY 2007 resolutions
Enjoy adulthood, save up lots of money, master french, treat everyone around me better than ever. lol.

Inspired by boon kian's way of looking back at 2006 and did my own.

Jan - The month of watching "Da Chang Jin" and
steamboats.

Feb - Back to school, visiting old friends and
learning sites. First encounter with mos.

Mar - Army lifestyle took over completely.

Apr - More "Superstar" responsibilities after being
promoted to Corporal. Zai Cai Fan crew was born.

May -Sudoku, Kingdom Hearts & Mr Palomar accompanied me through the days.

Jun - Opposing thoughts of Saving and Spending
throughout the world cup season.

July - A month of contemplation and non-political
ideology. I am Singaporean, so say we all.

Aug - Good old memories with good music from the Kss band.

Sept - Sensitive September for the emotionally
vulnerable me.

Oct - Haze and health preventive measures
encouraged more indoor activities.

Nov - Change in my life. Braces and Doulos
changed how i viewed myself, physically and mentally.

Dec - Depression came to an end with the arrival of
the new year. Bonne Annee!

Happy 2007.

First of all, Merry Xmas to everyone !

Didn't had the chance to immerse myself in the spirit of christmas eve because my dad & sis was sick, and spent the night counting down in front of the com at home. Apologies to penghui for not being able to keep up the yearly tradition of celebrating the arrival of christmas in town. No fear, there's still the new year countdown in the days ahead. Hopefully nothing goes wrong then.

Christmas is a special day for me to meet up again with the haven study group pals, friends that accompanied me during my jc years. Though not everyone was present, seeing old friends do bring back the precious memories. It was great to be at "madamoiselle jessie" place because it is like the haven we once had back in school. The place where we used to study hard for our 'A's, played soccer, ate vegetarian meals, talked about the prata man, visit forbidden areas in school, discussed about our lives and philosophy etc...

It's a refuge for us where we can get together and relax, without any boundaries and restrictions. It's a place we can truly be ourselves.

Lots of fun and laughter in the true spirit of celebration.

Merry Xmas once again and enjoy yourself these 12 days.

specially for xia, depression is only temporary. think positive and everyday will be like christmas. Merry xmas.

If only everyday was like yesterday...

Really missed meeting up with my sec sch pals, going places where I've never been too, trying out different experiences. Like what penghui said, " nothing beats having good friends". How true. Quite a pity we didn't have a chance to go bowling. But there will be a next time.

Special thanks to xia for helping me choose the xmas present. I owe you one. It's quite a suitable gift for mildred. Anyway, I'm still trying to find combinations with the lego set I got yesterday. Creativity rules.

Trying to catch some sleep for now. After mambo at zouk for gerald's birthday (first experience with "long island tea"), I almost fell into the sleep trap during the changi anniversary. Anyway, we went play Lan with the most popular merah game (for now), Company of Heros is indeed addictive. Met up with za cai fan crew for bowling but scrapped the event in the end. Sentosa probably the next time round?

Or Mahjong? Lol.

New braces colour for today. A new xmas theme comes with the typical red and green. Even the dentist said it's the most popular colour for now. Next in line shall be red and orange.

Time for some afternoon nap for now. It's French time later with eddie and andy.

au revoir.

I've sorted out my thinking.

There is really no point making my own life miserable, feeling so depressed over such army-related stuff. So what If I'm being recalled almost every mount, getting my leave and off eaten up, having to face so many people I don't wish to face? After all the end is nearing soon.

I shouldn't be looking back at how my life had been like in the past. Instead, I ought to be looking forward to the new phase of my life, and starting preparing for this change. It's time I find something constructive to learn these few months while awaiting for the day I can truly regain my freedom.

A new me shall be re-born soon.

I'm losing interest in life.

Recent events reassured the fact that I'm dying a metaphorical death, I can't feel what it is like to feel again. It's almost as though there is this huge wall in front of me, I cannot see what is on the other side.

Even anticipation is torture.

I'm stuck as to how to convey this upwelling of emotions inside, blogging doesn't seem to help to curb this whirlpool of thoughts and emotions. Or should I say, it's not even thoughts or feelings, I can't pinpoint what it is... I'm entrapped within my own hell.

All the usual activities I do can no longer make me feel anything. Neopets, books, fm or even tv can help evoke any enthusiasm or even the attitude to look forward to life. I feel like staying at home and sleep all day long.

I can't keep up with the fake front anymore.

Life sucks to the core.




-in the state of depression, please do not disturb-

I am the weakest link among those who stayed behind at Josh's house yesterday, who ended up sleeping first while the rest carried on with their drinking game.

Headed down to Brewerkz yesterday for the first merah outing outside of camp. This place has quite a good ambience with quite a large collection of alcohol (the first time I saw such a wide variety). It was an interesting experience seeing how each other tried to make spec drink as much as possible.

Josh's room is like a dreamhouse. It's almost like seeing the kind of cosmopolitian decor you see on tv in real life. His collection of alcohol is even more shocking, much more than the big tv, the xbox 360, the stylish speakers, the electric guitar... Made me want to work hard and have a house like his.

My alcohol tolerance sucks. Knocked out quite early and missed all the fun. Now I'm covered with rashes.

Just like spec always say, " this is so off-form lo!"