My Blog

It has been 2 months since i wrote anything here. To be frank, i clean forgot about this blog! Actually, it doesn’t really matter very much to me.

So, after about a year in OCS HQ, it is about time for me to take my leave (quite literally). I would be leave for the majority of November and December till i eventually ORD on the 21st of December 05. This has been a very fulfilling learning journey, and i am glad that i had the opportunity to learn and be guided along by some very outstanding senior officers.

I have been fortunate enough to receive a few job offers recently. One of which is to become a financial advisor. My school term in NUS will only start in July/August next year. Therefore, i will have to work for the better part of 6 months after i ORD. Being a financial advisor is an interesting option for me. Firstly, i would love to gain insights of the finance sector. In areas where money is concerned, knowledge is truly equivalent to power. Secondly, i can carry on working part time even when school starts. The money that i earn will help to keep me alive too! And, i love to talk to people as well. To sum it all, there’s really not much harm in trying i guess.

My eyes are closing after a long night. Good night ladies and gentleman.

I am so much more refreshed today. A good time for an entry.

Finally, the new EPL (The English Premier League, for whoever that lives in outer space) season has kicked off. My heartiest congratulations to all Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea fans. Your team has gotten off to a winning start.

I feel sorry for Joseph Yobo. He literally handed the match to Manchester United on a silver platter, with the kind of blunder that he made as early as the first minute of the restart. That must be one of the easiest goals Wayne Rooney will ever score. However on an another note, Kudos to Ruud Van Nistelrooy. What an excellent poacher’s goal that was.

I am totally impressed with Newcastle United. Despite the early sending off of Jermaine Jenas, which i felt was a very very harsh refereeing decision, they put up such a spirited and determined performance. This particular Newcastle performance truly epitomises great fighting spirit. To say the truth, it was a pretty even game when it was 11 vs 11. Newcastle United would have given Arsenal a tougher ride but unfortunately, the sending off resulted in Newcastle adopting a different approach to the game. No questions why. But deep down, we all know that Arsenal is going to score eventually and they did. A good start to the season and all the best to Arsenal for the upcoming game at Stamford Bridge.

There’s nothing much to say about Dynamo Chelski, isn’t it?

Liverpool got off to a slightly disappointing 0-0 draw at the Riverside Stadium. Though, I feel that there are a number of positives that Liverpool can draw from the game. The defence and the midfield were playing outstandingly. Both Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Yakubu were kept very quiet. The midfield orchestrated the attack well enough and the passing and distribution were commendable. However, I thought Rafael Benitez greeted the game a bit too cautiously and conservatively, by opting to play a 4-5-1. But i guess he had his reasons. Boro are a tricky team to play against at the Riverside. All credit to Gerrard. For all his efforts and industry, he really should have scored at least one, and give Liverpool a winning start. But it was not meant to be.

Things didn’t turn up very well for me at work today. I am JUST exceedingly disgusted with the way some people work. JUST because they think they are of a higher rank, they can boss their unlucky subordinates around in ways that are JUST totally uncomprehensible.To be totally frank, i JUST feel that some of the things under his charge are JUST in a total mess right now. No worries,i will still continue to work hard, and that little hope of being able to see a brighter tomorrow will keep me going, and last me for a very long time to come.

This is an extremely belated entry. I told myself i must pen down some emotions and thoughts for events that happened on my birthday but unfortunately, i didn’t get to it. Till now, 2:45am in the morning.

There were a few pleasant surprises. I really appreciated them and i hope i showed it enough. At that point in time, i wouldn’t be able to say or make moving speeches but you can be sure that i am really touched by your actions and i will remember it.

Now, maybe something for my upperstudy, Willy. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours. You have been a tremendous role model and have shown outstanding ability, achievable only through your numerous qualities. And thanks for your invitation to the party at Cocco Latte. It was really great although i have to apologise for leaving early. Lastly, enjoy your time in New York!

I think i have to pull a halt to this entry. I am dropping dead, and i need to catch some rest.

I decided to add on to this entry, as i felt that it would be more appropriate. I was involved in a pretty ugly game of soccer. Some of the lunges and challenges were really late and ungentlemanly. Some were even off the ball!

I am unhappy and i showed my extreme dissatisfaction subtlely. Surely i couldn’t keep quiet about it. The easiest solution would be to retaliate and play in the same manner that our opponents were playing. But i am not going to do that. Although i might be perceived as weak or even "sissy", i don’t care. I just have to calmly asked myself : what is the point in doing that? I believe it is safe to say that if i have done that, it would have spoil a pretty bad game further, right?

Right from the start, we adopted a friendly approach. We didn’t go around trying to deliberately kick our opponents. Neither do we want to injure anyone in a game as leisurely as this. What joy is derived and gained, by this atrocious show of sportsmanship, or rather : the lack of it?

But all credit to our team. We really tried to play our normal football which was very positive and heartening to see. We truly hope to have a much better game the next time round.

I had originally finished typing the last entry. Suddenly when i wanted to save and upload, the server experienced a problem. So now, i decided to re-type it again.

I was hit by a very bad flu on Friday, and i am still not fully recovered. The doctor that i consulted was utterly disappointing. Firstly, he charged me a whopping 38 dollars for the consultation. Secondly, he didn’t even bother to give me any forms of examination. So as you probably would have guessed, the whole visit didn’t last for more than 30 seconds. And his expensive medicine have failed to make me better.

Today was the commissioning of another of my junior cohort. The proud and happy faces of their families and friends were so heartening and i feel truly emotional myself. For the first time, i witness a friend commissioning, after my own commissioning last year.

Edwin wasn’t exactly a very close friend. In fact, he’s the boyfriend of the sister of my ex girlfriend. On the rare occasions when i had the opportunity to see and interact with him, he has always left a good impression. Thus, i was not the least surprised to see him come to OCS. And i am glad that he has successfully graduated and congratulations to all the other graduands too.

I have some thoughts about friendship that i am struggling to pen down accurately. But my bottomline is that we should always be firm and brave enough to tell a true friend things, even if they are unpleasant and not necessarily comfortable to listen to, that would eventually make him/her a better person,either at present or the long run. Which is more important? The friendship itself, or the general well-being of your friend in the future? 

In our society, people have constantly been judged by the things that they do, or have achieved. It always helps if that somebody had achieved a very remarkable and outstanding feat. But even if this is so, he/she is not complete yet.

My first point here is that we should not forget to also judge people based on the things they didn’t do. This would also speak volumes about the person’s character and well being. Trivial matters like folding your own blanket, washing your own dishes after your meal would have been substantial proof of your own independence, or the apparent lack of it. I can cite many many other examples but i wouldn’t. I think the picture i am trying to paint is quite clear.

My second point is closely related to the first. I would like to believe that the small things you do is equally important and crucial to your character as well. Small matters like punctuality would have affirmed that you are one who pays great attention and detail to the constraints of time. There are many people i have met that are so tremendously gifted and capable, and i truly believe that they will without a doubt achieve the great things in life. They do really possess the basic and fundamental requirement to be a solid human being. Now, if they are equally impressive in the above 2 points that i have mentioned, they would be complete. What a powerful person that we will see at the end of the day!

I realised it has been a while since i made use of this space. Sincere apologies for all who keeps getting annoying friendster messages, notifying that i have updated my blog. As of now,i really have no idea on how to turn off this amazing feature. Really, I think we can live better without it.

Ok, let me go on to my topic. There had been 2 really wonderful and marvellous reunions for last week. Beginning with a poly reunion on Wednesday (or is it Tuesday?), followed by a secondary school reunion on Saturday ( This one i am very sure of). It really feels good knowing that everyone i know closely are doing well, namely and specifically ex-classmates. Many are doing well in their various professions while others have continually gone in pursuit of higher education. And let me mention this too. Many have got a very strong hold on a very stabilised relationship, and some are looking towards imminent marriage, with a diamond ring to show. Heartiest Congratulations!

Recently, my office has been inundated with countless requests, so much so that my daily routine has been slowing down. But other than that, there has been nothing much to talk about. Oh yes, another cohort would be commissioning soon, and i see them rehearsing on the parade square every day. I can’t speak of my immeasurable joy of witnessing these young men and women becoming officers too.

Although ostensibly i may appear to be a very cool and rationalised person, there are times when i am very weak emotionally, and this is a time when i am most vulnerable. I thank all of you (You guys really know who you are) for being there to talk and guide me along, and in the process, take away some of my depression and bitterness. You guys possess a very special place in my heart.

I heard this somewhere. Life is not about the amount of breaths you take, but the moments that your breath is taken away. This should be from the Hollywood movie, Hitch. But i could be wrong.

I agree and let me think about the amount of such moments for the past year.

I certainly have to mention my commissioning parade last October. After 10 months of intense training, i finally made it on the parade square, standing proudly in front of my parents and guests to be commissioned as an officer of the Singapore Armed Forces. Although i am only 21 years old, i am sure it must be one of my proudest moments in life.

At this juncture, i must give very special thanks to someone. His name is Mr Robert Sim.

Robert was from the same BMT company as i was. After i went to OCS, we hardly had the opportunity to meet up and talk about our new lives. Prior to commissioning, i invited him to attend my commissioning parade. Despite the late notice and me not being able to give him a VIP ticket, he showed up punctually and gave me the warmest congratulations. I must emphasize that at that moment, his actions greatly touched my heart.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all that showed up on that very special day. For others who didn’t appear, i truly believe that there was a more important appointment on hand.

I have a list of other events that i wouldn’t elaborate much on. There goes. (1) When i was on top of mountains i climbed in ROC. The scenic view was truly breathtaking. (2) When my dad bought me a Nokia 7260. I was so pleasantly surprised. (3) When my dad’s new car arrived and i have the opportunity to drive and roam around with it. (4) Generally, when people greatly appreciated what i do in tough circumstances.

I had a wonderful year. Did you?

Let me just elaborate a little bit about what i thought about.

Currently, i have never been as satisfied about my life now than i ever had. I have almost everything that i wanted in my life. I have managed to gain an enormous amount of fitness and being in the pink of health in itself can already be considered as a blessing.

I have great friends around me, and i work in a totally favourable environment. I have to mention my parents too, for making the house such a wonderful place to live in. Plus, my dad has a new car that i have the licence and freedom to drive around. The only thing is, my love life has been relatively bland and empty.

One good girl would be enough to complete me. Once that happens, i can really have no complaints. In a way, i can say that i am desperate for that one magical girl to finally appear. Please read carefully and do not misunderstand. I am NOT desperate for ANY girl, just for that wonderful girl to appear. Hahaha.

Does having a love life really mean so much to us? I thought about the times when i do not have a car to drive, the times when my family was in a grey disharmony, when my health was in a mess. Then, i had a love life. Now, the irony of the situation is this. I cannot really say i am happier now as compared to then. So, does it really mean that a love partner really means so much to me? I will need a bit more time to think through about this in detail.

Love is undoubtedly important. It is the basic building block of many wonderful things in life. I am sure all you guys out there would agree.

3 weeks flew past and i am back in Singapore! I had a fantastic and marvellous time in Taiwan. Kaoshiung and Taipei are truly great places.

I have learnt a great deal just by observing the training, and have also gained an equal amount of experience as an instructor. I truly feel privileged to have the opportunity to visit Taiwan twice in my short NSF stint.

Oh yes, the scenery in Taiwan is simply breathtaking. I managed to take numerous photos of the landscape while i was on top of a few mountains that i scaled.

The only shortfall of the trip is that i have not been reading the papers for the last 3 weeks and i seriously do not have a clue about what recently happened in Singapore. Reading has slowly but surely become a daily essential for me, which can only be good for me.

As good as the holiday was, i missed Singapore greatly too. I missed the familiar surroundings, the environment, and some of the people that are close to my heart as well. So much so that i dreamt about them while i was there!

I would greatly encourage all to go for a holiday to recharge your batteries, either for your work or for your studies. I feel totally energised now after the short break and i am sure i would be more productive than i ever would be if i didn’t go for the overseas training.

Alright, i reckon that it has been a good few days since i put anything here. This week has been really hectic, and i am totally uninspired to pen any thoughts, if there’s any, at all.

I would be embarking on a trip to Taiwan again at the end of the month. I think it would be a fantastic trip in the sense that i would be able to learn and pick up different skills and see things from a new perspective. On the other hand, i am also slightly apprehensive. As this is a new role and it isn’t as straight forward as merely following training, i felt like i was trapped within the confines of a dark room, not knowing what to expect. Whatever it is, new skills would certainly be attained, and i haven’t even talked about the potentially enriching experience yet. Oh yes, and the Ping Lang Meis too?

Next point. Something struck me the other day. I was playing a soccer game and after losing that game, i got immensely frustrated. As i was saying, i used to be someone with a rotten temper. But this bad character trait has been changed progressively. So why am i still showing signs of anger, in a trivial situation like this?

I tried to examine my feelings. To cope with my temper, i have always asked myself this question in most situations. "Is there a need to get angry?" and "Would getting angry solve the problem?".

My friend iterated that there’s never a need to get angry in games. As the famous saying goes, "It’s only a game". This phrase has been used at least a thousand times to cool me down over the years. My friend tried to close the discussion by stating strongly that the ultimate point of the game is meant to relax the mind anyway. Fair enough and i accept that point.

On the contrary, i argued that i played each and every game with passion. With that kind of fire in me, it would have been strange if i am still feeling good after a defeat. So now, there are 2 ways to deal with this burning frustration. To either keep it in the heart or to release it. I think it would be totally inappropriate to lash out at anyone. Therefore, a subtle way of releasing such emotions must be devised as soon as possible.

Lastly, while it is important to be good in sports, being a good sport is no less important. I think it would be good for me if i can hold my hands up and accept the fact that not everything can go my way and certain things are out of my control. There is a distinctive difference between giving your best efforts and going beyond the limits.

Jackal