approaching the end

today isnt really a good day. i still feel sick, my nose still feels weird, and i still cant stop sniffling.

when i reached the waiting area for the camp bus, the morning sky looked stunning. although the sky was all gloomy and foreboding, the rising sun looked beautiful. it felt like sunset instead of sunrise. but as we all know, beautiful things only last for a few precious moment. the sun was soon covered up and the sky started pouring again. at least i wasnt wearing THAT yellow umbro t-shirt.

nothing really happens in camp these days now NDP is over. although there's still the post-NDP exco Happy Hour, but thats considered small compared to that horror that burnt our countless weekends. so, its all the way slacking for me as i approach my Operationally Ready Date. even the boss doesnt bug me these days. but since there was nothing to do today, and the mess is turning to bore me these days, i thought i'd just go about sending out my farewells to all the people that have managed to make an impact on my short and uneventful long suffering army life. *sigh* while typing the farewell letter, all the past memories at the School of Logistics came flooding back. it was a good and enjoyable period of my army life, i'd admit. in fact, apart from my BMT time, it was the other only best time that i'd truly enjoyed being in the army.

so its been almost 2years and 4months,2months to be exact. time seems to pass by so slowly when you're in the middle of the job, but now that i'm approaching the end of this time spectrum here, it certainly feels good to sit back and reminisce about the *hic*good*hic* old days.

my town

woke up sick today. felt pretty sick, with all the runny nose and never ceasing sneezing. i practically sneezed all the way from bed to toilet to couch in living room. at least it's stopped for now...

today was an off-day. figured that i'd be wasting my time if i went to work today, since practically all the people will be out at East Coast Park for the run this afternoon, and i'm not in the list, so didnt really bother to go to work today. ah, the joys and bliss of being a soon-to-be out-of-the-service guy. so today, i could afford to wake up late in the afternoon, spend at least 30minutes stoning away in the living room after the 'morning business', and just slack my day away. went by the comic shop at BB sometime in the late afternoon to catch up on all the comics i've missed. on the way back home, just thought i'd wander around the neighbourhood for a while.

the place has hardly changed all these years, from the time i've moved in back in, let me think, 17years ago. its got that laid-back, easy going bohemian feeling thats rare these days for neighbourhoods to go by in the busy bustling little country we have here. some people compare it to Holland Village, but HV is a bit too crowded and busy compared to here. i guess thats because HV is situated near or within the heartlands(thats the term the government uses these days for flats communities). here in the recently refurnished and revamped 'Serangoon Gardens Village', its like a little oasis within the fast paced life of Singapore.

there's the Happy Daze outdoor bar. its kinda become an establishment here, there's always a crowd just lazing around there at night, even when there's no football showing. the small walk leading up to the old paramount tower/building(or whatever, cant recall what it was called back then), has been redesigned with a couple of outdoor dining cafes now. then there's that small sight of commercialisation, with people, usually teens to young adults gathering at the Coffeebean. opposite Happy Daze, on a second floor shophouse unit, is the recently opened Arabella(think its spelt that way). its something between a pub and a lounge. the outdoor corner, where smokers can rejoice and gather for food and drinks, is pretty cool. its just like a sidewalk experience, only you're on the 2nd level.

the place really comes into life at night, and i havent even mention the famous hawker centre, Chomp Chomp. i really count myself blessed to be living around this wonderful neighbourhood.

movie and a song

yesterday, went out with friends to catch up, as well as watch a show. the meeting was set way back as early as 1week beforehand, and the plan was to watch "wedding crashers". but the timings for the show was pretty late, and they decided on "Must Love Dogs".

the show was easy going and smooth. a flick where you would most probably watch it with your loved one on an anniversary or whatever. oh yeah, and before i unleash the nightmares, here's a foreword:

warning! from this point onwards, this blogger will proceed to unapologetically gush on John Cusack as well as Susie Suh! click away if you are below 18 or cant stand any of the language involved!

there, all said and done, dont say i didnt warn anyone.

its really amazing how under-rated john cusack is. i mean the guy's a freaking genius, at least in my opinion. he has always managed to bring that down-to-earth, easy going and forever suffering/yearning sense of feeling to his characters. he just makes his characters so believable, so relatable. and the intensity in which he played jake, is truthfully hip-aching funny. here's a guy who could be your everyday man.

ok, back to the show. the chemistry between him and diane lane was so 'there'. often times, such shows are let down by the chemistry, or lack of, between the 2 romantic leads. but this time, diane lane and john cusack makes it so believable that you'd be rooting for the both of them to end up together right from the beginning where they meet. and the show featured gays! gays! you saw it right. blink and you'll still see it. gays! (haha, that was kinda fun) it didnt portray the stereotypical gays as other films did, but it veered dangerously close to it. but it was admirable in its effort not to bash gays. not that i'm gay or anything, i'm straightly heterosexual.

the movie was a feel good flick, but if you're 1)seriously disturbed, 2)depressed, or 3)cant get a girl to look at you, you might want to skip the show.

at the end, people always leave at the credits. i usually wait and sit through it, thus 1)avoiding the crowd that amazingly is able to squeeze out of 2 tiny exit doors in record time and 2) able to enjoy the music. the soundtrack was mostly soul and old school. just my cup of tea. but the last song was drilling itself in my mind. i managed to get a sighting of the song title before my friends pulled me out of the theatre.

came back and searched for the song online and got it. went through apple's iTunes database for it. Susie Suh's "Shell". the song reminds me of Sarah McLachlan's Mirrorball album. listening to the song and vocals, its hard to believe that Susie's only 22. the vocals are raw, but they reflect strength and honesty at its raw-est. its like listening to a Surfacing era Sarah McLachlan. too bad record stores here dont carry Susie Suh's album, but i havent really checked out HMV yet.

traits

"so i'm tearing down the walls inside, letting go of all my pride.."

nothing much, just some random ramblings and rants, the 3 Rs that i'm so used to doing.

being born during the early month of july, according to the western zodiac horoscope, qualifies me as a cancerian. you know, the one with the crab as the symbol in the pictures of all those magazines' horoscope pages. and according to what most people/magazines/media states,

" They are deeply emotional and intuitive. The top concern for them is their family. People born under this sign are unduly sensitive and are more concerned with expressing emotions than getting involved in superficial conversations. They can be moody, drawing into the protective shell if things around them get too intense.

They appreciate art, literature, and especially drama, where the flow of action and feelings particularly excite them. They may themselves possess considerable literary and artistic bent of mind. Cancerians have a retentive memory, particularly for emotionally laden events which they can recall in detail for years afterward.

Cancerians are not easy to understand, for their moods often fluctuates from sweet to cranky. They can be untidy, sulky, devious, moody, and inclined to self-pity because of an inferiority complex. A typical Cancerian broods on insults. They also tend to change their opinions and, indeed, their occupations, and lack stability. Cancer people are apt to do the opposite from what they are advised to do ."

another website i came across states, (its a long read, but i picked out some quotes)

"The Cancerian character is the least clear-cut of all those associated with the signs of the zodiac. It can range from the timid, dull, shy and withdrawn to the most brilliant, and famous Cancerians are to be found through the whole range of human activity. It is a fundamentally conservative and home-loving nature, appreciating the nest like quality of a secure base to which the male can retire when he needs a respite from the stresses of life"

"`Nest like' is an appropriate adjective for the Cancerian home, for its inhabitants tend to favor the dark, mysterious but comfortable type of house which has something of the air of a den about it, a place which belongs to the family rather than existing as a showcase to impress visitors."

" That is not to say that the Cancerian is unsociable, just that for them there is a time to socialize and a time to be solitary, and this is part of the apparent contradiction in their nature. Outwardly they can appear formidable - thick-skinned, unemotional, uncompromising, obstinately tenacious, purposeful, energetic, shrewd, intuitive and wise, sometimes with a philosophical profundity of thought verging on inspiration. Their intimates, however, may see a very different character, one with a sympathetic and kindly sensitivity to other people, especially those they love. They are able to identify with the situations of others because of the keenness of their imaginations. They are often over-imaginative and prone to fantasy, sometimes trying to shape their lives to fit some romantic ideal."

"Their sharp ears and talent for mimicry can sometimes give them success on the stage, though their tendency to be emotional may make them overeact. Interestingly - because they give the impression of being down-to-earth - they are often fascinated by the occult and are more open to psychic influence than the average. If they can reconcile the personal conflict of their urge to be outgoing with the reserve that causes them to withdraw into themselves, then at best they can inspire a generation, especially the youthful part of it, by their idealism."

"In their personal relationships they are mentally a mixture of toughness and softness, often emotional and romantic to the point of sentimentality in their fantasies; but in real life and in marriage, their loving is not so sentimental but tenaciously loyal."

"Both the Cancerian man and woman love unreservedly, giving much and asking little in return - in fact, one of the most important lessons they have to learn is how to receive gracefully. They are too easily influenced by those they love and admire, and swayed by the emotion of the moment. They are also loyal friends, the negative side of their faithfulness being clannishness, the narrow patriotism of "my country right or wrong"; and closing ranks in suspicion and coldness toward outsiders."

"The Cancerian has many potential faults. They can be tactless and difficult yet, because they are normally ambitious, they will curry favor by floating with majority opinions, outlooks and fashions of the day. As a result they often change their opinions and loyalties and, indeed, their occupations, and lack stability. They are easily corrupted and, because they are convincing romanticizers, can make successful confidence tricksters. Their romanticism in another sense make them ardent supporters of causes, for example a football team with whose heroes they can identify in a world of fantasy."

and the funny part:

"Physically they are average to below average in height, with a fleshy body and short legs in comparison with the rest of them. Their hair is usually brown, their faces round, their complexions pale, their foreheads prominent, their eyes small and blue or gray in color, their noses short, perhaps upturned, and their mouths full. They sometimes walk clumsily."

i can relate to most of what the above few quotes state, and thats not what horrifies me. what horrifies me truly, is that, how can they be so spot on regarding this, and is there any scientific research to back this up, or is this truly some divine fact? i mean, are we being brainwashed by these facts about our horoscopic zodiac signs, or are we really all just pre-determined?

interestingly, on a sidenote, john cusack is a cancerian. that explains why his characters are so relatable to me. haha.

story: after the walk

"you wont ever have to say, i've wasted all my time..."

that night, after terry sent stella back, on the way home, he kept thinking, why did stella told him she was attached. they just started out, today was the first time they really met one another face to face.isnt it too fast to go into a relationship other than being friends? these questions really bugged him, but after a light, he couldnt be bothered any more.

he logged onto the chatrooms that night and parked his nick there. he then proceeded to go outside to have a puff. after he finished his smoke, he went back and was surprised to see a message from stella. it was quite a while and he wasnt sure if she was still around, but he replied anyway.

terry: you still there?


after a while, she replied.

stella: yeah
terry: uh so wassup?
stella: nthg, juz wan2 apologise for just now
terry: its ok, didnt think too much of it
stella: i didnt mean anything by those words, hope you dont get e wrong message
terry: nah, don worry ;-)

after that clearing up, they chatted for a while before both of them called it a night.

after some time, that incident was forgotten and both of them met up regularly for movies or lunch at terry's polytechnic. sometimes, they met with a few friends from both sides, sometimes they met up with each other only. they continued to chat online most of the nights when they were free, and terry soon became something of a sounding board or punching bag for stella.

story: the walk home

"you wont ever have to say goodbye..."

and so, terry accompanied stella on her way home. on board the bus, stella kept thinking about the funny feeling she has around terry. she was still happily attached to her boyfriend, but she felt real comfortable around terry. meanwhile, terry was just thinking about nothing, well, except maybe for the sore bruise on his knuckles...

they alighted at a bus stop near her home and terry walked stella to her block. on the way, stella decided to tell terry the truth. she told him she was attached, hoping for a reaction. but terry just nonchalantly brushed it off,

"uh, ok. i never thought you'd want me as a boyfriend either."

stella was stunned by those words, they weren't the ones she was hoping to her. so the walk home became a quiet and awkward stroll.

sick

down with flu(again)... my nose is running away from me

great day

"raindrops keep falling on my head..."

great day, it was definitly not. well, it started out okay, and then it just had to start raining around knock off time. i'm starting to suspect that the rainy weather seems to like my yellow umbro t shirt. this is the freaking 3rd time this month i'm drenched while wearing it. and the best part, on the bus to the interchange, it stopped. it FUCKing stopped. just 4-5blocks from camp and it appeared all sunny and fine, like the rain was just a figment of my imagination. well, the wet hair, sticky clothes and drenched bag certainly werent imaginary...

oh and somehow, suddenly, FireFox gave up on me. the proxies were messed up, but after that was resolved, i still cant get FF working. so now, i'm down to the creaky IE from Microsoft, and i'm fearing for my poor worn out and abused-beyond-belief virtual life... not to mention i had just spent the good past 1hour manually transferring the favourites from FF to IE...

story: the meeting

"when your love is strong, and the feeling's never gone, there's nothing wrong to try to realize..."

the nights before the meeting, terry and stella chatted online every night. terry was never one to say anything to anyone easily, but he felt quite comfortable around stella. plus the fact that everything was online and not done face to face.

soon came the day of the meeting. the time was set at 1.30pm at the foodcourt. terry had class that day until 10am in the morning. after class, he played football with his friends at the nearby basketball court in the neighbourhood to pass away the time til the meeting. during the game, another group of students from a nearby secondary school wanted to challenge them. the challenge was accepted and the game started off. the new group was obviously lacking in teamwork as well as technique, and was losing quite badly. terry's friends started to play around with the group and passed the ball around but never attempting to score. the new group knew that they were being toyed with and started to play more physically. finally, one guy, with the frustration getting to him, kicked one of terry's friends quite hard. then it all started. terry and his friends were quickly all over the guy, beating up anyone and everyone in the group. the fight was quite even, for while terry and his friends had the physical edge, the other group had more numbers. but the fight was quickly dispersed when someone shouted police. everyone scrambled for their bags and quickly rushed off the scene, with the wounded being carried.

terry and his friends gathered at the nearby coffeeshop for a breather and to take cover. one of his friends had a black eye and terry himself suffered a bruised knuckle as well as several cuts. then, one of terry's friends reminded him of his 'date' and time. he was late for 5minutes already. his friends told him to go and he rushed off to the foodcourt.

he reached the foodcourt in 10minutes, panting heavily and trying to catch his breath, at the same time looking around for stella. there were 2 groups of the JC students sitting separately. terry wasnt sure which group was stella in. luckily, he recognized one of the girls in one group and went over.

terry: hey.
jane: hey! we've been waiting a long time for you, you know?
terry: huh? oh, sorry about being late. was caught up in uhm, some outside matters...

then one of the girls, with a look of concern, asked:

"what happened, where did you get those cuts?"

terry: uhm, nothing actually. i uh...tripped and fell.
jane: haha, you sure? you must be busy fantasizing about meeting up with her right?

jane pointed to the girl that asked how terry got injured.

terry: eh, what talking you sia...
jane: haha, dont act blur lah... oh my gosh, look at the time! i got to go off meet my boyfriend liao. well see ya guys

after jane had left, terry and stella finally made their introductions. throughout the conversation, stella kept fussing about terry's injuries. but terry brushed them off as nothing serious. they talked about a lot of things; music, movies, friends,etc and it wasnt until the foodcourt vendors started to close shop did they realise what time it was. it was around quite late and terry offered to send stella home. stella accepted...

delusions of grandeur

back in OCS, the instructors used to keep on saying and drilling into us that we are the creme de la creme. 1st day into the camp, and 1st thing the instructors, from Commander OCS right down to the section instructors, would be "you are the top select of your age group in Singapore" or the likes, blah blah blah.

i seriously wonder among every batch of cohort intake into the school, how many cadets really buy into that piece of crap.

i mean seriously, just taking a look around the faces in the school, you expect me to believe that we really are the so called best of our batch? i'm not proud to say it, but its still a fact. hell, all the tests in the school, paper wise, were freaking hard i'd admit(when you have only 3days max beforehand to prepare for a test), but i'd have to say, the enforcement wasnt. i copied my way through school. there's a lot of things to say about the whole school, but i'd rather not elaborate.

in my opinion, the smartest and best soldiers arent from those in OCS or officer corps. the smartest people have to be the clerks. not that i'm totally against them, but you only need to look at some of them. most of them are probably triple A students back in school who have figured how to keng through the army and enjoy a non-gruelling non-physical life of the army.

fuck, i bet if you go through all the buff guys who have left the service, 90% of them would most probably have been in the service side of the army, never relly going through the combat side. chao keng kias....

story pt3

"when you're feeling strong, and you cant go on..."

the next day, terry logged on to the chatrooms to check out the latest news on around. to his surprise, someone messaged him. he wasnt sure who the person was.

nick : hey
terry : uh...yea?
terry : you are?
nick : you msged me last night about the reunion...
terry : oh..
terry : wait, ur not stella?
nick : lolz, you got the wrong stella...

that was how it all started off. after the both of them apologisd to each other for the misunderstanding, they continued chatting. terry still didnt know who this stella was; he did know that in his batch there were a couple of stellas, but he wasnt sure which stella this one was. but the vibe he got from chatting with her was quite good. after chatting for an hour, they agreed to meet up at the foodcourt in terry's poly next week....

Its Alright

Told you once about your friends and neighbors
They were always seeking but they'll never find
That it's alright, yes it's alright

Where to go, Where to see
It's always been that way and it can never be
but it's alright, yes its alright

Give it all and ask for no return
And very soon you'll see and you'll begin to learn
that it's alright, yes it's alright

Don't you know that it's so good for you
You can be making love and see it all go through
But it's alright, 'cos it alright

So I told you once about your friends and neighbors
They were always seeking but they'll never find it
It's alright, 'cos it's alright

Guns n Roses

paper chasing part 2

"i got a molotov cocktail with a match the go, i smoke my cigerette with style.."

but the question we never seem to ask ourselves is that "does the government, parents and teachers really knows what's best for us?" i suppose to a certain extent, maybe, but even so, i still feel that what they think is "best for us" are only to suit their own perceptions of society, to suit their own needs, to put it frankly.

thus freedom of expression is stifled by what we're obliged to do. get into a respectable school, study hard, get good grades, go into university, get a degree, come out and look for a well-paying job, get married, have kids, grow old and enjoy the last 10years(if you're lucky) after slogging away 90% of your life. thats the formula being forced down everyone. actions and personal choices are frowned upon(being gay, questioning government policies/authorities, choosing to study arts instead of business/engineering/whatever thats hot right now, etc).

seriously, are we really that immature and un-knowledgeable that we have to have everything planned out for us? what about self-expression and creativity?

so am i to think that a young punk with no real life knowledge or experience whatsoever of the business, armed with only his impressive grades on a piece of paper, is better qualified than a person who has worked like 5-10years in the business? that seems to be the trend nowadays, with the older experienced hands being replaced by the young and fresh grads.

personally, i don't really give a damn about the qualifications. the road map forced down on us seems to be only turning us onto the road of being an employee, not an employer or entrepeuner or whatever. heck, i dont even remember where i threw my certificates, diploma, and result slips. i'm sure they're somewhere in a corner gathering dust, or maybe they're already sold to the karang guni and turned into recycled toilet papers. the whole thing about studying hard for your future to me seems bull shit. school can only teach you about the theories, it's the lessons life throws at you that makes you grow as a person. not that i'm dismissing school as unimportant.

everyone worries about their future, especially people around my age group, where we're at the 1st major crossroads of our lives. i worry too, but i dont let the worrying become a big issue that it has to be addressed immediatly. everything will work out by itself sooner or later, for better or for good. we shouldnt let others' opinions fashion us into what they want to percieve, nor should we be fearful of failure. afterall, isnt failure the best lesson in success? no one learns much from success, the greatest lessons are from the failures we encounter.

paper chasing

"loaded like a freight train, flying like an aeroplane..."

is it so hard to forsake the paper chase in pursuit for a better life?

apparently not so, here in singapore. everything is driven by rankings. schools, exam results, tests, even the food you eat at the hawker centres have gradings. everyone is so competitive it seems, that on one really slows down, and appreciate the finer things in life. every child seems to be forever be preoccupied by countless numbers of tutors, pressed by their parents into taking piano or ballet classes when in the future, there seems to be no actual opportunities for the child to further pursue these aesthetic aspects.

heck, it seems everyone is just so intent on fulfilling the paper chase in order to get a better standard of living. thats the school of thought drilled into our heads by our parents, teachers, government who always seems to know whats best for us.

to be continued... i got a minor brain freeze at the moment.

friday nite lights

"to know a beginning but never an end..."

finally, this was like the first time in months that i went out with friends on a social gathering on friday night. i'm not a clubbing type of person, i'd normally prefer bars, lounges or pubs, with pubs getting the nod ahead 'cos it shows football matches. the guys(the officers who already left the service and now enjoying uni life) called me up and asked me to join them for a drink. meeting them was easy, but getting to the bar was a killer. we waited at the taxi stand for something close to eternity. i mean, when i met up with them, the night market opposite was still open. 3 sticks and close to 1hour later, the night market has already closed shop and there still wasnt any taxi in sight. thank the stars that just when i was about to light up my fourth stick, a taxi finally came. saved one stick for later.hehe.

its been such a long time since i went out drinking, i kinda lost touch with all the drinks and games. the atmosphere at Barcelona Bar was pretty cool; as usual we were the youngest bunch of people around, with most of the patrons there being of the working class or middle aged group. the live band was rocking on the night, they were playing most of the songs from the 80s and early 90s. their rendition of Def Leppard's "Two Steps Behind" totally rocked.

the conversations were pretty much the regular talk between guys. topics about army life, university life, girls and the generation gap. its amazing what 2½ yrs of being stuck in green and after that being tossed out to society can do to one's social experience. nowadays it seemed everyone is playing billards, no longer pool, and the lingo they're speaking is totally different. at least when i leave, i wont be stuck in a group of people who's 4-5yrs younger than me and speaking differently(i hope).

on a wholly different note, this blog by the tearful diswasher was totally inspiring.

elitism

what is it with the fascination of becoming an elite? to be the best there is? if judging from what i observed during the National Day Dinner for all the big shots, i guess then i'd rather be a normal ordinary nobody.

no disrespect towards those that have made it through on their own merit, but what irks me most is the behaviour of those that are born into their status. i mean, kids running around playing about can be forgiven, but a below 10 kid DEMANDING something, throwing about their weight? hey, so what if you're a fucking son/daughter of a big fucking minister or even the prime minister or some general? you're just another kid to me, punk. and the worse part is, one of the kids even left his/her half eaten ice cream on the bar counter, melting away. wow. didnt your fucking parents teach you dont waste your food? in my days, ice cream was a luxury, and now some young ass just sucked on it for a while and lef it lying around, waiting for their maid to clean up after them. these people should be packed up and sent away to some third world country, or better yet, made to wash toilets in army camps in the place of those poor uncles and aunties.

recently browsed through an entry of a certain high profile blogger here and it made me laugh. she was complaining about having to walk further than expected from the directions given to her by some soldier. 40minutes, 10 minutes, so whats the big deal, it isnt as if she's going to give birth or die soon. its just a fucking wait for bus. and she wrote something about the soldier about making her walk further or something like that, couldnt recall, too lazy to revisit that drag of a site. well, i think she's just plain spoiled. people like her should be made to suffer the same treatment as those kids in the above. so what if she suffered blisters and had to walk further. did she ever walk 40++km of tracks with at least 10kgs of weight on your back all through the night to the next day?

if these are the people i'm defending singapore for, then i'd say "eff you", show them the "good luck" finger and then proceed to join the enemy.

blah

cnat selep, so im hree tpynig neosnse to psas aawy the tmie.

go fgurie.

NDP

its over now. and what a big fuck up it was. spent the whole damn day ferrying rations for the working group. you have to see the food to believe that it was made by the same people, same company that provides the ration daily to SAF cookhouses all over singapore. the journey between camp and city hall was a killer, although its been like the 100th time we're doing it, it still feels damn fucking long.

since i was busy getting ready the ration and running around organizing stuphs, i pretty much missed the whole big hoohah. it doesnt really matters much to me anyway, i've grown pretty de-sensitized to the whole thing already. i didnt even stand at attention during the national anthem, even in uniform,ahah. some people may call it sacriledge or whatever, but hey, i'm not that patriotic to begin with anyway. i dont feel like i owe anyone anything, or just because i'm born here, i must have great pride or feeling in being singaporean, that i must respect something that i cant even be bothered with. so go ahead, sue me, i'll gladly hand in my papers.

the whole shennigan ended at around 8+ for the public, i lost track of time. but it wasnt over until 1am. thats right, 1 fucking AM in the morning. commander came into the main chamber, initiated the happy hour, thanked everyone except us, and then left. everyone, except us, made merry and drank beer and wine like there's no tomorrow. us? we top-upped the food, utensils, beer and cleared rubbish. and what do we get? going back to work the next day while everyone else is on off. gee, thanks a lot for the hard work then. after the happy hour, stayed back to clear the whole place, load up all stores and proceed back to camp. that was the drill. but by then, it was already 2 in the morning and i was pretty pissed off. to hell with no smoking in uniform in public rules. i pretty much smoked away the remaining sticks in my packet just outside the old supreme court.

we reached back camp at around 2.30am. after clearing up everything, i released the guys and finally made it to bed by 3. and the bitch was that we had to wake up and work later in the morning. so that was it, National Day for me and my guys. forgive me if we feel "a little unappreciated."

finally the pain ends

NDP!!!!! finally!

no more staying back and working weekends!!!! no more struggling to stay awake in the tonners!!! no waking up in the twilight on saturdays and getting to sleep in the wee hours of sunday!!!!!

why only cats & dogs...

"why does it always rain on me..."

why is it called "raining cats and dogs" when its pouring heavily? why not pigs and elephants? or hippos and rhinos? why arent bigger and heavier animals used? why are animals used in this reference, when it doesnt seem to have any connection? why does it always rain on me?

yup, thats right. just a few hours after my last post, it started raining heavily again this morning. and as luck would have it, i'm drenched like a wet cat when i reached camp. if i'm so lucky as to have rain pouring on me everytime, why cant i have the same luck as to gambling? - legal or non-legal. everyone says you cant always have everything, but hey look! doesnt a certain family by the surname of L ending with e have everything here in SUNNY singapore? martha stewart went to jail and got her own tv show. donald trump has what could be the world's worst comb-over and still ended up with a hot babe for a wife, a tv show and is freaking rich. so why cant poor little ol' me get rain pouring on me and strike it rich via legal lottery and illegal football bets or gambling? i dont think its too much to ask for.....

p.s. not that i am involved in any illegal activities...

winter is coming...

"day and night, black or white, take it all for granted..."

ok, so singapore doesnt have any winter, not in the common sense of snow and freezing weather, but it still fricking rains a lot during this period. and it doesnt help my sensitive nose 1 single bit. i wouldnt mind the rain, but it always pours when i'm just about leaving house, either that or when i'm on my way home. either way, i'm totally drenched and that guarantees the next few days worth of runny nose. well, hopefully it rains the whole damn day when it comes to the AHM, either that or i'll be planning my leave carefully...

it seems to me lately, that losing my phone was one of the best things that could happen to me. it was a blessing in disguise. i could use it as an excuse for people not being able to reach me. no one called me, no one bothered me about work, etc. it was a blissful period of silence and serenity(coupled with the fact that i went on overseas leave too for a few days). now that i got a replacement phone, damn me for getting it, the frenzy returns. *sighz* maybe i should just cancel my current phone line subscription...

story pt2

"you want me to, promise you, that everything is true..."

just as luck would have had it, stella's jc was just beside the polytechnic terry enrolled in. and just so happens, the food court and fast food restaurents in the poly were popular with the JC students.not that it had anything to do with terry; he skipped lectures and whenever he attended class, would proceed back home straight after lessons. either that, or he would hang out at the nearby coffeeshop with a few of his friends, smoking and wasting the time away. there was little schoolwork needed to be done, and lessons were a bore with terry. he was always stoned, never taking interest in his surroundings or whatever. one could say, he was on a downward spiral to self destruction.meanwhile, stella was enjoying her newfound companionship. her studies were also going great.

then, one fine day, someone from their batch of grads from secondary school wanted to organise a reunion. the message was passed by word of mouth or through mIRC online. terry didnt really wanted to go, he didnt feel any particular sense of belonging to the group of people, but one of his close friends made him promise he would go; for old time's sake. however, a few days before the reunion, something cropped up and terry couldnt make it. he didnt want to let his friend be disappointed and think that he had broken his promise, (and it was late at night), so he logged on to mIRC to look for his friend to inform her. he saw her nick, and messaged her about it, telling her it was urgent and then waited. after 5mins of waiting and seeing no reply, terry figured out that she was busy and so he decided to log off....

story

"i wont make promises i dont mean..."

secondary school went by and very soon, both terry and stella graduated from secondary school. stella went to a prestigous college while terry opted to take the road less travelled. his grades were very good for his secondary school O Levels, but he didnt feel like studying and memorising things that dont interest him. so he decided to go and get a taste of the working world. he worked a variety of jobs, never staying for long at a certain job. he worked as a waiter in a restaurent, a sales promotor, a deliveryman, data entry clerk, etc. he passed most of the money he earned to his parents, to him, money was inconsequential.

meanwhile, stella was enjoying her first year of college. the situation was the same as before, most of her friends were in the same school. she also managed to make new friends. soon, she managed to catch the eye of one guy in her class and they started dating.

6months have passed since secondary school graduation, and both of them moved on with their lives, stella with her boyfriend in bliss in their college, and terry enrolled into a polytechnic....