It's Christmas!

I ought to be updating this blog with more of my personal life, rather than boring people with personal philosophies and thoughts. Not that my life will interest people anyway, but, hmm ..

Ok, so BMT had ended for more than 2 weeks, and I have started on my SISPEC training on the 21st Dec. I wouldn't say it was so much a culture shock, or a surprise in the training regime, which differs to a large extent from BMT. For example, we will be given the time to meet for the next programme, and whatever we do inbetween is almost up to us, as long as we get things done and fall in before the next programme starts. I think we're still learning how to plan, so this week had been both hectic and relaxed.

I haven't quite made friends with my bunkmates yet, but I can see they're good people. But because most of us were from Pegasus previously from BMTC, we do have some reserves in ourselves, some personal opinions on individuals. Biasness. Not just me I'm sure =D.

So far, so good though.

It's Christmas by the way. This Christmas ... ... (no, I'm not going to announce some up and coming blockbustre on silverscreen) ... It's going to be special because I have some one special I can spend it with, some one totally worth it. Nothing fancy though, but it will be enjoyed =D.

So for this Christmas, other than thanking my dear for loving me and my mum for always caring for me, I want to thank my dad for dedicating his time and postponing other appointments to send me to BMT, watch me graduate, fetch me back from Pasir Ris and bring me to Pasir Ris for book out and book in, and basically just giving me moral support all the way and sharing his own experiences as a recruit like ... ... ... ... 30 over years ago. HAHA!

*actually what made me want to write the last paragraph was a song I heard from Luther Vandross on Gold 90FM. The title is 'Dance With My Father'. Because this song is a very sad song and I never wish to have to play this song in the future on whatever occasion, I do not want to post it up. Do go listen to it, and listen to the lyrics closely. Hope you enjoy =D.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009 !!!

My Grandparents.

"Buey hiao gin la, dang zi eh gia kuey ke buey hng."

(It's ok, it is not very far from here - dialect: teochew)

That was what my wai po (maternal granny) said to me last night when she walked me to the bus stop near the MRT station before heading to the nearby CC for getai (street singing performance). It suddenly dawned on me how old she has become, although she certainly doesn't look like her age at all.

I meant it a good way - she looks younger than she actually is, partly due to the amount of housework she has to do a day, and looking after the 2 younger cousins of mine is not easy feat. Very good work out indeed =D.

Then it made me realised how my grandpa and her would fight off exhaustion just to travel to see me when I first booked out, wake up early to send me off at the airport and sacrifice some savings to buy me my favourite toys when I was younger. Being their first grandchild, although I don't bear the family name, I was, and still am, pampered and showered with their love.

From what I recall, grandma used to be the fierce woman and grandpa was the one spoiling me with possessions I wanted. Everyday after school, my grandma would prepare my lunch/dinner and urged me with her sharp screaming to finish my meal quickly. TV was a distraction, and I was often told off for watching and not digging in to my meal. It would take me an hour or so to finish, so you see why she should be screaming at me. Haha.

My grandpa however was not home usually, and when he was in the day, he would be sleeping because he drove the night shift cab shared with my uncle. When I was studying in Primary School, he would bring home Delifrance bakeries or pastries for breakfast from the ESSO petrol station because my auntie (who is only 4 years older than me, and is not my grandparents own daughter) and myself enjoyed eating them so much. When I attended morning session, he would make us milo with those breakfast, and watched us eat before going to bed, ensuring we had a good breakfast to start our day.

My grandma was the typical housewife that would sweep and mop the floor every day, go to the wet market every morning, make sure the kids wake up on time and do their homework, cook lunch and dinner and also prepare food for occasions such as chinese new year. During free time, she would go down to the shop below and help my mum run it. Also, she had the responsibility to bring us to school if we had extra-curricular activities when the school bus wouldn't be able to pick us up during those times. Full-time housewife, full-time caring grandma.

While my grandma did all those work, my grandpa would be the worrier, especially when it came to eating on time and eating enough. He never liked it when we didn't eat, and even when we actually did, when he deemed that we didn't, he would say that we didn't. Nagging would proceed from there. Not a bad thing actually, because he was the one that would buy us fast but junk food, which obviously as kids, we enjoyed these treats.

My grandma on the other hand, would not buy us these meals. She knows many other dishes which I love so much that I don't mind McDonald's closing their outlets islandwide. These dishes include chives pancakes (she seldom makes them now), a variation of the chives kueh (ku cai kueh), many different soups, fried chicken wings, huat kueh (made during certain occasions only, but she hasn't done so in years), mee sua, etc. etc. etc. etc.

There are so many things my grandparents had done for me, and there are so many more things they will do for me if they need to. They are getting old now, although still considered fit for their ages. The sudden sad feeling swelled up last night again when I thought about it - what will happen when they finally leave us here, with their love and memories? What will become of me? I dared not imagine when I waved goodbye to my grandma standing on the other side of the road, watching me walked towards the MRT station.

They may not be rich, may not be able to afford luxuries for their children and grandchildren so much so that other kids would envy, but it is such simplicity and humility in life that made my childhood filled with memories, love and care from them that many would have envied instead.

I wish to only make up for what they give, but I know it will take more than a lifetime. Perhaps it is for us to learn, so we remember how it is to bring up a child, making sure our own children receive the same kind of love we received as a child.

Eternity cannot be found in the dictionary of life, don't wait till the moment when it's too late to realise how much these important roles have changed and affected your own. Treasure them, don't take it for granted; Pass it on, let them be appreciated.

Finally, my ah gong and ah ma will never be replaced. No matter how much people flaunt about their own, I know my grandparents are the best in world.

Thank you for all your commitment =D.

(Is there actually a Grandparents' Day? I remember there is ... anyone knows when? HAHA!)

2 More Weeks & We'll Be Through!

Field camp - check.
Range - Marksman check.
SIT Test - check.

With 2 weeks and 2 more days to go at BMT, we're left with SOC, final IPPT and 16km and 24km route marches.

For the past 6-7 weeks, BMT has made me reconsider my desire to enter OCS. So far, I have been mentally capable to handle the stress; physically however, due to my small frame, I am having some problems coping with the demanding training schedule. We'll see how it goes from here.

Otherwise, I'm really looking forward to our POP. Much polishing on our marching and drills is to be done if we were to give our proudest presentation infront of our loved ones during POP. Haha.

It's going to be over soon, savour the moment.

Pegasus Coy 04/09 - Field Camp, 2nd-7th November 2009

And so I'm finally blogging about my army life - first entry.

I will try my very best to update what I had been through the previous 4 weeks before the field camp, and I will talk about my field camp in brief. Haha.

Day 1 - 8 km Route March & Basha Day
8 km route march to camp site. It was not that shag actually, probably because of the singing though repetitive. People can say we do not have team spirit, we do not have pride, but I believe Pegasus Coy Platoon 3 has what it takes to beat the rest, because we have PRIDE. what is PRIDE? People Rest I Do Extra!

Building of the basha tent was a chore really. It didn't help when my buddy suffered from physical exhaustion and passed out before midway. He did come back after a few hours of rest at the medic point but progress was slow. Thank you Section 4 for helping me, especially Ravi for his physical attributes.

Heavy rain followed. The lack of proper drainage system caused us dearly as our area would be flooded if not for the help of Platoon Sergeant Darren and Platoon Commander Jordan. Although they can be fuck-ed up when they tekan us, they are good commanders because they care for soldiers.

Day 2 & 3 - Training
I couldn't quite remember what training we had, but the few I remember were walking in file formation, forming Cigar Formation, taking cover, executing hand signals, running through contact fire, retrogade and danger area drills and some others.

Buddy fell again on Day 3, sent to Medical Centre for review so more energy was expended.

Day 4 - Artillery Drill & Shell Scrape Day
Arti-drill in short. 5 am in the morning, artillery fire was contacted. Soldiers hurriedly packed their basha tent and got punished by commanders for being too slow and unresponsive. Jumping jacks with rifle and field pack were no joke at all! Phew~ And that's when I broke my 5.5 week old specs ... ... ...

Shell scrape digging. The rest of the day was dedicated to this. I did not do a proper job in the end (the final work was assessed by commanders on day 5 evening), thus was made to stay through day 5 to day 6. The better ones went back to Coy line to clean their rifles on Day 5.

We didn't sleep in our 'graves' because of the heavy rain that flooded most of them. Fibua village was just next to our campsite, so we slept in the vacated shophouses. Finally a proper sleeping area.

Day 5 - Group Battle Course & More Shell Scrape Digging
Started the day with the continuation with our shell scrape. I have mentioned that my shell scrape couldn't make it although I put in my best effort, but I was quite satisfied.

Group battle course was after lunch and I was paired with Liang Hui and Ming Hui. Hmm ... Didn't go as well as planned, but I thought we did okay. Some parts we were in a blur, but I believe the course made us more familiar with the drills, so I am glad with the outcome.

As mentioned ... I didn't dig properly so I stayed at Fibua for another night after covering up our shell scrape ...

Day 6 - Book Out Day
Finally our 6 days of field camp has come to an end. The few of us who did not meet the requirement for our shell scrapes were asked to do area cleaning and also cover up remaining shell scrapes. By 1030, we all arrived at Coy line and began our hectic cleaning session of our rifles and another equipment. Hmm ... no other words other than 'hectic'. Haha!

The whole of the field camp was actually quite an experience, and I proved myself to be mentally-able to take the stress, but physically, I am still weak because I required a lot of help from my section mates. More work to be done if my OCS dream is to be fulfilled. HAHA. Looking forward to live range and SIT Test these coming 2 weeks respectively, woohoo~~

Tough times don't last, but tough men do. Section 4, let's show the others what we are made of!

It's A Fine City.

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NO smoking. NO littering. NO pissing in lifts. NO feeding of birds. NO trespassing. NO or ... let's stop here.

Over the years to project Singapore as a city desirable for work, play and living, the Government have adopted several methods in achieving their goals, many of which are subjects for debate and uncles' & aunties' kopitiam 'keng gai' (small chats it means in Canto). Being a Singaporean, I am sure many know of these issues as well as knowing katong is famous for the laksa and the exotic Changi Village for people looking for after-work thrills. We complain, we discuss, but many of us are afraid to raise the topic quite publicly enough that top ministers can hear us from a stone-throw away. While a few brave souls did, few or no rectification was made.

Now that I'm going to continue ... I feel like I should submit a formal petition to the organisation involved. Otherwise I'm just a typical Singaporean that sits back and waits for someone or something to happen. We'll talk about it in a few minutes.

Apart from being green and clean many tourists and foreigners know us for, our rising popularity as the 'fine' city is not unnoticeable, such that souveniors shops courageously display souveniors depicting the various fines that tourists find them unfamiliar and laughable. The most recent topic has been the strong enforcement of the banning of any food and beverages in MRT trains and platforms. Nothing wrong with that, but I think SMRT have gone too far to ensure no one eats or drinks in their value-added public transport.

I agree that it is an annoyance to fellow commuters to smell pungent lozenges or food, especially to late-risers rushing for work and do not have breakfast until they reach their workplace, and I also commend the effort to stomp irresponsible people from dirtying the cabins. However, I do not understand why plain water is also not allowed in trains. Yes, spillage can incur inconveniences to other commuters, but as a local that travels by public transport daily, I do not encounter that kind of problem as often as people carrying in wet umbrellas.

It is particularly frustrating to know that you cannot have any sips of water when you are going to travel from the west to the east. Yes train journeys in Singapore are not comparably lengthy to those countries with more lands, and the near completion of the Circle Line is going to further shorten the journey for many commuters, but it is sheer frustration to people who badly need to have a sip or two every now and then.

Considering the fact that Singapore's climate is tropical, we are losing lots of water through perspiration and respiration. Morning and evening weekday crowds worsen the situation. Yet, we are not allowed to quench our thirst and replenish the water we have lost while battling our way through the sea of people. What about those people on medications that have diuretic effects on our biological system? What about young children who are ever energetic and need water to keep their energy level up? It is definitely a flaw in the system that SMRT should look to mend.

Haha, now you see why I am embarrassing myself by voicing my concerns on my blog and not raising the issue on a more suitable platform where the people concerned will be notified. It just makes me more typical of a Singaporean to complain to someone unrelated, isn't it? Well, I am proud being a Singaporean, although some things must change. I approve of some bans here, but some are unreasonable. Hopefully the younger generations of Ministers in the future will look into these matter more carefully and address them with more tact and efficiency. This shall end my complaint here. Haha.

My Little Sister.

Time check - 1026am.

By this time, my sis should be nearing Hong Kong Airport. The whole family woke up after a mere few hours of sleep to send my sis off to her five- to six-month long attachment at Sanya Holiday Inn Resort, Hainan Province. She'll route at Hong Kong for 2 nights before flying over to Hainan on Friday evening from Hong Kong International Airport.

For the first time, my sis is going away for a long trip away from home, and my parents worried expressions are apparent. I bet they can hardly work efficiently at the moment. Since young, my sis has been independent like myself, but because of her absent-mindedness and carelessness, my parents, and their parents included, are ever-anxious for her. Because of her, I have also become a naggy brother, always checking on her to eat on time, pack her bag, attend school punctually etc etc etc.

My dad was extremely jittery for the past few days that it got quite irritating. I have never seen him like that before, not when I went for my attachment for 2 months in Perth, nor when I had a trip to Langkawi with dear. Perhaps I have convinced them that I can take care of myself well enough to keep them from worrying. My sis however has not been successful at that. For days, he had been talking non-stop, mostly nagging at my sister, and sort of instructing her to do things she should do way before she set off.

Even this morning, he was still nagging at her - don't worry about money, just spend where it's needed; remember to see a doctor when you feel the slightest bit unwell, don't kid with this kind of thing; get a paycard and let us know the number so we can contact you if we need to; don't you dare go to their nightclubs; avoid patroning roadside stalls; don't go jogging alone; don't swim in beaches; don't work and forget your meals; the list goes on ...

He was so anxious for my sister this morning that he was actually taking away my wallet and watch on the book I'm currently reading and asking, what's this?! No need to bring along?! Despite my frustration at his constant flow of naggy words, I chuckled at his sudden bout of obscurity. Here is my dad who always gives us the freedom to do things on our own, only adding on advices as and when he sees a need to, yet now he's unconscious of what he is supposed to do, putting up a front as if he's really not worried for my sister. Closer friends will know I do not have strong relationship with my dad, but even closer friends will know how much I love my dad even when he can get me all red at times. This, is my dad.

While my dad was continually nagging at my sis, my mum was directing her worry towards the bulky luggage she's bringing over. In there are all her face care products, clothes and many other stuff. Big, and heavy. The whole morning my mum was saying, "How is she going to carry such a big luggage?! And she still has another carry-on baggage!!!" In her voice, shivers could be felt reverberating across our living room, even in the large departure hall when she continued saying that.

My mum is someone who can take things in her stride easily, looking on the brighter side. No, she's never looked on the dark sides at all. But I guess letting your own daughter go on a long away trip for the first time is never easy. The whites in her eyes were turning red this morning while we waited for my sis companion to arrive, which faded when her friend reached. Throughout the whole breakfast session too, she was quiet and unlike her usual self when it comes to chatting with others. And this, is my mum.

Myself? I refrained from nagging at my sis this morning. All I ask for is a safe and enjoyable trip for my sis, and I trust her to take good care of herself. I'll be honest - I'm not acting like what I've just said. It's because my parents are already overly anxious for her that being an elder (eldest for that matter) brother, I should be reassuring them that my sis is more than capable to look after herself. How will I get used to not nagging at anyone early in the morning and preparing only a person's share of breakfast? My worry was too overwhelming to even feel my hurting left wrist when I carried her luggage ...

Fortunately my grandparents did not come along this morning. My mum probably inherits from my grandma a little, as she will definitely tear at the point of departing. She did when I left for Perth last year, what's less? My grandpa will stand at one side and be as naggy as my dad, while although he will not cry, you can sense his worry all the time. That's because he always calls us in the afternoon to make sure we've eaten, and while my sis is there, no one will be doing that that often, I'm sure she'll be able to feel it.

My little sister must be unable to contain her feelings as well. She's not one person that usually tears on such occasions, and well, she didn't, but from when I went to bed at 11pm till 1am in the morning or so, she was doing the household chores, afraid that no one will help my mum to do them, especially mopping the floor which woke me up in the middle of the night. Not only until 130am +/- when she finally went to bed, so effectively, she only had 1.5 hours of sleep. Haha ... my silly little sister ...

It's best if she doesn't see this when she manages to come online. I'm sure she'll enjoy her trip there and bring back a whole lot of new experiences with her.

Hui~ If you really see this, remember to keep in mind those naggy chants the 3 of us always recited. Be more careful with yourself and enjoy your internship fully. Hopefully kor can find some time to visit you in December or some time next year if I manage to take a leave. I bet mummy can't wait to fly over in December already. Take care of yourself and have all the fun you can get! =D

And This Is To You ...

I Love You Dear =D.

I'm Just Scribbling

It feels good to just stay at home like this doing nothing significant. It's been 4 days now since my last day at work and so far, I haven't felt serious boredom of staying at home. Let's credit to some of the events that happened:

1. By injuring my left hand, my dad came home after sending my mum to work on Tuesday morning to bring me for a visit to a Chinese Osteopath Centre. The sinseh did not even finish hearing my explanation of what happened and diagnosed that I have overworked my left hand, resulting in a strained wrist. He gave me a quick massage with lots of medicated oil, and I mean a lot. You'll get it when you see how he transferred those medicated oil onto my arm and wrist, the table splatters full of it. Haha. Now it's already better and I can resume my typing speed. HAHA.
2. Wednesday was less eventful. Sis and I went for our jog in the morning, probably the last one before she flies to Hainan Island for her 5-6 months long internship. I spent the rest of my afternoon watching Shooting Condors Hero before meeting dear for dinner at King Albert Park.
3. Thursday saw me running again, but with dear this time at Hougang Stadium. I was practically doing nothing much the whole day till evening when I left for dear's place. That was followed by a dinner at my granny's, sumptuous as usual =D.
4. Today. Driving lesson in the morning. Nothing interesting happened on the road, we were just driving around to familiarise myself with the test routes. Wonder when I can take my test ... Went back to SP after that wanting to swim only to find that the Water Polo team was having their practice. Looked at the board of schedules and saw that they shouldn't be practising at that time, and the booking timetable was not updated too. Frustrating, and it was further worsened when I saw FC3 wasn't open for business. Settled for Muslim food at FC4 instead ...

That sums up my 4-day start to my month-long vacation before my head goes under the electric shaver. I believe my summary skills are getting worse these days, thanks to some one. HAHA. I have this tendency to elaborate, and I believe you can see that I'm trying to refrain, right? LOL.

I know the Uni people are going to have a week of vacation this September, so hopefully I'll get to meet up a few of my friends during that time. I sure have a lot of catching up to do with friends, and some are already complaining. HAHA.

Nothing philosophical in this post today. I'm never a sophisticated or complicated person am I? Neither I am a wise old man or any of that sort. Grumpy old man instead you can call me. Haha!

And it goes 'This old man~' ...

*Whistles off ...*

Ours ...

Third.

Heading Into The Next Phase of Life.

*Now for a Primary School kid's way of starting his composition ... (perhaps this is just my Secondary School standard =X)

On this fine Sunday morning, My mother and I went to Koufu Westmall for our weekly weekend brunch. We had our late breakfast because it is a Sunday today, when all of us do not usually wake up early for work and school. My mother ordered fried carrot cake and I had satisfied my craving for laksa. My father did not join us because he is now overseas and will not come back until tonight, while my younger sister came home late last night so she was still sleeping in the morning ...

*Wow ... I bet I wrote worse than that in Primary School ...

Let's see ... This post is inspired by my annual packing of my school's stuff, and for the record, I felt so much like packing that I packed my cupboard full of souveniors and gifts as well. Of course, this didn't last long for I am such a procrastinator (what about that book I read in Poly Year 1 about what negative effects procrastination have on you and how to stave off it?!). The only joy in my doing so was reminiscing my Final Year in Poly, looking at those stacks of notes I had previously mugged through for tests and exams and recalling those fun lectures we had, not particularly paying attention, but talking among ourselves and irritating our lecturers with our late-comings and hystericals.

Before I continue, I warn that this post will be long with no pictures at all. I mean it - no pictures. HAHA. It's such a trouble to upload these pictures and arrange them nicely after finishing my entry. But I hope friends, you all will bear with me and continue reading, because I think if I don't write this now, I probably won't have the urge again to pen these thoughts in the spur of a moment. Ok, that's a long enough warning, let us continue =D.

Among those high-stacking notes I have are the research works I have done with my FYP members - experiment protocols, printed copies of journal articles I used throughout the course of my FYP and a few others for Journal Club, and draft copies of the final report. The amount of hardwork and effort we put in this FYP did not disappoint us when we were told of our grades after the submission of our report and presentation. A wave of nostalgia swept away the heaviness of my coconut milk-laden laksa and Teh-C when I looked at those papers I had studied, from not knowing a single thing to being able to figure them out on my own. Sure those were the hard times, but if I were able to turn back time, I will not take another path for this journey as it has filled me with knowledge, growth, experience and most important of all, memories I shall never forget.

This final box of memories is now honourably given the highest position among my 2 other boxes of earlier days in my Poly life. One day when I finally have to put down my unwillingness to throw them away, these memories I will look back, and if I am able to keep this blog alive maybe 10 to 20 years down the road, I shall write about these days again with new perspectives. By then I would have lost the years, but I do hope I have not lost my memory and friendship with the wonderful people I met.

You think that's the ending? Not yet!

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Then I started packing my cupboard full of random stuff I used to just put them in when I couldn't find a proper storage area. Birthday cards (I swear they're still in good condition in the mess =D), holiday greetings, NS pre-enlistment letters and such.

What can be so interesting about packing his cupboard? You may ask.

Cobwebs? Dust that makes you sneeze your nose red? Or discover unexpected dead bodies of lizards and unidentified 6-legged crawlers?

To your questions, I see no webs and dead creatures. There was some dust, but not enough to make me sneeze =D.

What is interesting is the numerous birthday cards and greetings I have accumulated over the years, mainly those I received starting from Secondary School days, till the one I received for my 20th Birthday made by Andy and signed by the clique. Each of the cards tells a different story, and that's why I want to talk about it. Not much actually, just let this old man reminisce, ok?

Throughout my Secondary education, I had made acquiantances from all walks of life. There were friends whose parents drove big cars to those who needed to work part-time (not many though) to earn their pocket money. Nonetheless, we all mingled well together as a class, as a school, and before we knew it, we were saying 'hi' to schoolmates from the next class, and others from the next class, and our seniors and juniors.

While I peered into the envelopes and pulled out each of these cards, every single one reminded me of the days I had from these senders. Well, mostly were cards shared by a few people, and there were short greetings written before they signed off. To be honest, because a few of the cards were not dated, I cannot now remember on which year I received them, but from the things my friends wrote in the card, I can still vividly remember those times and jokes that belong to us.

Early in my Secondary School days, I did not make many friends and was close to only a few people, whom I hung out with after school and during weekends for movies and dinners. There were people like Christine whom threw popcorns and laughed with me at people's reaction while watching "The Eye"; Stanley playing Xbox and PS2 at Weiliang's and Chunyu's houses; Eileen who eventually became my best friend and still is; Jethro with his english; Qianqi and Wanyu from the band and a few others from my class. These were the new friends I made, and naturally, my first birthday card came from them. It was my first experience with having a 'clique', and it felt great.

Over the next few years from Secondary One, I made many other friends, friends of friends, and friends of . . . . . . That's mainly because we were separated in Secondary Two, and when we introduced our new friends to others, our connections in school went deeper and eventually, you came to know almost everyone from the same cohort. It did help if you stand out, for example, being the one that usually topped the level's Math exams.

Secondary Two saw me with more new friends, though that was the class which I did not like best. Among them, I am now still in contact with Desmond, while the rest are not as close. It was also the year when I got to know people like Soon Yang, Wen Xiang, Putera and many others from different classes.

Secondary Three and Four were perhaps the most memorable years of my Secondary School days, mostly accounted by the fact that they happened just before I entered poly, and also the O level examinations in Sec 4. I truly believed that class 4E1`2005 of Dunearn Secondary was bonded well back then, when we protested against the peer-tutoring system and created nuisance to teachers as a whole. That was also when my primary school friends (Sabrina and Linda, who were quite close with me in Primary School) became pretty good friends with Eileen! Even now, we still meet up occasionally and not to forget the most recent one dear attended with me =D.

It was probably the mugging as a class/group that bonded us so well back then, such as we boys spending our recess reading newspaper or doing TYS-es in the libraries, and other groups having their own activities. Till date, many of us are still very much in contact with one another, and those few groups formed in that 2 short years are still around as far as I know. For example Sijie and Jing Jing that group, naming themselves the 'Witchy Bongz' (no idea why ...); Noel, Zakir, Wanyu and Ian that group who were more out-spoken than most of us; Yiling, Huiyang and Ai Ling forming the quietest of girls in the class; the rest of us guys who just liked to lunch, badminton and play sports together. *Keep in mind some of these people I've mentioned had signed their names on the cards I received =D

Outside of the classroom, I attended a chalet organised by this group of people when I did not know many of them. I managed to make some friends there and of them all was one who became quite a good friend of mine in Secondary School - Shan Ling. She used to be the one that entertained me with Messenger Minesweeper, haha, and also the one that helped me in many ways =D.

And then there's my acquired nickname that sticks even now, given by the all-friendly Wee Kim from the Basketball Team. Whenever I introduced myself in poly or somewhere else, I would let people know of this nickname of mine to help them remember me. I guess it somewhat helps when I'm just an ordinary guy. So because of this nickname, my future birthday cards were filled with 'ah pek!!!' and 'old man' or anything of that sort =D.

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It came to a time when I had to fly off to Perth for my ITP, and before that, I was so busy meeting friends and enjoying my Chinese New Year that it felt as though I would not be back home for quite some time. As 16th February (the mentioning of this date is a reminder =D) that year was one week after I set off, many friends decided to meet me beforehand to celebrate my birthday and also as a farewell gesture.

Cards I received then were those I really like. They were filled with well-wishes and bon-voyages, some even handmade. Tagging along with those cards were notebooks and lucky charm to protect me on that journey. These cards reminded me of the dinner date with poly clique, chicken rice at bukit batok central with Sabrina, Kbox trip with Xinyi and her friend and the Chinese New Year invitation of closer budds to my place for games of mahjong just before the day I set off (in order for me not to miss it too much).

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And now you may wonder what's with the Primary School kid-styled way of opening. The only significance of it is the contrast between Jeremy now, and Jeremy then. Over the years I experienced, I have grown into what I am now today. If I have the chance again to choose (changing from Fuhua Sec to Dunearn Sec; Entering SP instead of a JC), my choice will not differ, though regrets I do have, but they are not of great importance.

Looking at these cards certainly brought me back to those days of tears and joy. They also reminded me of how blessed I am to be surrounded with many sincere friends during the different stages of my life thus far. I am also reminded that most of these closer friends are still there around for me, though not as frequent as before.

Now that the first 20 years have passed, I am heading towards the next phase of my life - Army Days. Being an optimist, I am looking forward to this journey a young boy knows he has to go through as a Singaporean (I'm not a patriot). It is another good chance for me to know more people and better myself as a person. Farewell to the 20 years of which have helped me grow, I am now anticipating more 20 years to come.

Memories are best kept as they are; If turning back time is a possibility, memories will not be as memorable as they are now. Cheers!

Trip To Langkawi

It's been more than a week since we came back from our trip to Langkawi. Time for some updates:

DAY 1 - Up And Away

Fun began as soon as we touched down on Langkawi. Our first visit was to their well-known cable car over on the North-Western side of the island. After we checked into our hotel (City Bayview Hotel, Langkawi) in Kuah Town, we had a walk around the surroundings before we settled for lunch at a humble kopitiam. Once done, we went back to our hotel and hailed a cab to the cable car.

The cable car ride was brilliant. We arrived at Oriental Village, got our tickets and wasted no time in getting onto the cable car. The sun was bright and hot, complimentary with the views, complimentarily. Bad thing was we were separated because one cabin could only seat 6 adults, and since 2 couples went in before us, we had to sit facing each other. Dear was frightened but couldn't do anything but bit her lips throughout the whole ride!

As we went higher, the temperature dropped and breezes felt cooler against our faces. While it certainly helped to cool us down a little from the hot weather, the high altitudes challenged our lung capacities as we started to gasp for air while climbing those stairs from the bridge we walked down to.

Temperature began to scale again as we descended via the cable car. While going down this time, I took a video of our whole journey. I forgot to mention that when the cable car departed from one check-point, it went super fast and each time my heart skipped a beat! Think of a roller-coaster ride high up there, you'll get what I mean. Haha.

Reaching the main station, I was doubly glad that I took quite some great photos and that the cable car did not stop midway at all. I had a bad experience in Genting when our basketball team in Secondary School went for an exchange + holiday trip to Malaysia. Anyway, the ride was more than enjoyable =D.

After a short rest and a visit to an enclosed animals-feeding area, we headed up to the Seven Wells Waterfall. The flights of steps were intimidating, and obviously, our legs gave way. We stopped at the foot of the waterfall and rested there for some time. That's where we enjoyed the company of local kids, visiting tourists like us from other countries and the sound of quick falling waters.

Swimming was my intention, given my love for water. It was rather disappointing that I did not bring a spare change of clothes with me, so the most I could do was to immerse my lower parts of my body (my feet I mean) and let the water wash my weariness away. Instead of doing so, I further burdened my feet by walking across the stream to the rock standing in the middle just to get dear to snap a few pictures of me. The river bed was rocky enough, big and small. While the tiny rocks were good for some foot reflexology, the larger ones were so smooth that one mis-step and that's it. It happened and well, I've got my intention fulfilled.

Not disheartened though, we went back to the hotel for showers before we headed out again. We visited the nearby Pasar Malam which only operates on Saturdays and Wednesdays in Kuah, hoping to find some cheap dinner fare and also do what the locals do. Without disappointment, we did find cheap deals, and we reciprocated with my huge appetite. Spending less than S$5, I had a Ramly Burger, a small square piece of murtabak, some yellow pan-fried flour thing-y, barbequed chicken skewers with their very own marinate and 1 grilled maize. Dear did not have as much as myself and she's full just after the Ramly!

While my satisfaction came from the food I ate, dear began her shopping spree on our very first night. In total, she bought 2 t-shirts (1 for RM10!), a ragged bag which was very nice and unique, a pair of shoes for her mum and some random stuff. And there she was posing with her newly-boughts =D.

DAY 2 - Sunset, far and away. Chasing it, the sky turns grey.

Day 2 came as fast as it went away. Greeted by the sun early in the morning (not really actually ..), we had a quick breakfast before Bas Persiaran picked us up to the jetty. There, we took the ferry to an island 1 hour away, Payar Island. Our main purpose there was to snorkel, but dear did not snorkel much, which I'll explain later.

At the jetty, everything was swift, from picking up guests and giving instructions to finally boarding the ferry. The floating platform off the coast of Payar Island was not far away, which we briefly set foot on before taking a 'speedboat' to disembark on the island itself.

Promising, the beach and waters. From what we saw when we disembarked, the water was clear enough for us to see the hard corals beneath, and not far from sight, a beautiful beach. A quick briefing was given on the schedule of the day, and off we went in search for suitable life jackets and snorkelling equipment.

Not before long we found ourselves in the water! Because the flippers were so uncomfortable and unhelpful, we took them off and went into the water again. Dear was apparently not too confident in sea water, and frankly speaking, the taste of sea water was never pleasant. The water ... well ... it wasn't as clear as it looked from above. I guess it's partly because of the sand, but anyway, I managed to take a few pictures with our Kodak Instant Camera then and also after lunch when dear stopped snorkelling.

Another activity on the beach was feeding time. It's not common feeding, but feeding of tiger sharks and also this huge Grouper that lurked below (see facebook for pictures). Not to worry though, the sharks were too small to bite on humans, and larger ones had no ways to enter the shallow waters. I had my first ever close encounter with sharks when I went into the water again after lunch without my life jacket. I was busy snapping pictures when suddenly, at the corner of my eye, a tiger shark swam pass. My gaze followed it for as long as 3s before I realized I was starting to feel afraid! That's when I quickly swam back only to find myself swimming in the wrong direction! Made a U-turn quick and back on the beach, recounting it to dear. HAHA.

Before we left, we quickly took a few more pictures together, and that was when the sun came out again. Oh, I didn't mention that clouds were covering the sun for most parts of our stay on the island, so it was a great time to take some pictures before we left.

We found out that the rain had just halted as the wet ground was just beginning to dry up. We went to book our tickets for Island Hopping the following day and hotel was our next destination, just for a quick shower because both dear and I did not shower at all! Not that we didn't want, but the island was not equiped with fresh water shower, but salt water. What we did was only wash ourselves with a bit of water from the bottle they gave us, and also from my big bottle. So ... we had our showers and back to the jetty we went.

Given not much time to walk around Jetty Point previously, the small shopping mall there, we went back there for a short walk, with Eagle Square our main destination, just distance away from Jetty Point. The sunset was ... brilliant. The Eagle Statue was majestic, standing tall, facing the sunset. In my opinion, our best pictures were taken there against the sunset. Some time was spent there and we met some other tourists, like and the Egyptian couple. It surprised me that they spoke rather good english (no offense =D)! We helped them take a few pictures, and they helped us too =D. I think that's one of those few moments you get when you travel that makes you smile.

Headed next to Langkawi Fair, a shopping mall nearby. Had our dinner at this Thai Restaurant that sells cheap restaurant food. Walked around a bit trying to find something to buy but I didn't in the end. I even contemplated on buying supper at Mac which was like so much cheaper than those in Sg, but I was too full from the dinner. That ended our day feeling quite tired after a day of snorkelling and walking =D.

Day 3 - Eagles in search, daily hunt for food - tedious yet necessary, spread your wings, fly, carefree.

Woke up early on the third day again. All thanks to my habit of sleeping early, we didn't feel that tired after those activities the previous day. So the day started with the island hopping trip. This island hopping tour brought us to 3 different islands for sight-seeing mainly.

We arrived early, and were told to wait for the person-in-charge to arrive. We were determined to drive away thoughts of being cheated, when the person finally arrived and directed us to the boat. What a relief!

The boatman navigated through the open sea, highlighting some of the better sights around. There were many inhabited islands around Langkawi, some totally inaccessible to human-beings. The first stop was the island that contains a lake called Pregnant Maiden Lake. Some folklore here - it was said that a lady tried all means to get pregnant but to no avail. It was when she came across the lake thirsty, drank a mouthful of the lake water and ooomph! She got pregnant soon after. True or not we don't know, but I did not see anyone bending over and having a taste of the water! Not me if given the chance though, people are enjoying their swim and foot-reflexology with the catfishes there!

Oh, I missed out this. We were on our way to this island when the boatman stopped moving and showed us what the hills shaped themselves into. Here it is.

Now look closely ... and tell me what do you think it is on my tagboard! =D.

Next, we went on to do eagle feeding. We did not actually feed the eagles. The boatman simply threw food into the water as we watched the eagles swooping past. The eagles were huge! Of course not as gigantic as the statue of it we saw the previous day, but when 1 flew above you, the shadow it casted was actually enough to cover your face. Am I exagerating? Haha. Great creatures, I must say.

Moving on, we went to another island where people could do more swimming and water activities by the beach. We did not swim because we did not bring our swim suits along, so we strolled and took pictures. It was around lunch time when we headed back to Langkawi and the tour ended just there.

Lunched at Kenny Roger's Roasters and we headed to Padi Matsirat, one of the many rice fields in Langkawi. This one was open to visitors, with a small museum displaying the advance in technologies used in growing grains, and also samples of different grains. We walked around more, which was really quite boring. Haha! Then we left the place, wanting to walk to a port which turned out to be a hotel ... Quite disappointed. It was already evening by that time, so we couldn't make more plans for the day.

Well, at least we still had time for some shopping! So we hailed a cab down to one of the shopping malls. Actually, we wanted to catch Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, and to our fortune, the show had just started so we got the tickets, had a quick toilet break and rushed into the cinema! Haha. No movie review here, don't worry. The show was so-so, but the company was unmatched =D.

Dinner was takeaway from MarryBrown. I wonder if I got the spelling right, but anyway, it was not the best fast food I had, just wanted to try. Haha. Packed our bags and kissed each other good night after that =D.

Day 4 - Quality time spent rules over reluctance ... =D

Day 4 was the day we came home. Breakfast as usual, and we checked in at the airport after. We did some last minute shopping for souveniors and local products, which both dear and I felt we were somewhat conned in buying some of them. Flight was delayed for almost an hour, which meant more time together for the both us, despite it being at the airport doing practically nothing at all =D.

I tried it once and now I am sure that I need to need anti-motion-sickness pill before I board the plane next time. I was nauseating throughout the second half of our journey home, but dear was there to look after me, so it was all well!

One thing to note - both our dads were actually chatting while waiting for us to touch down! HAHA! I learnt from dear later on that my dad was highlighting his recent career advancement (probably as a part-time property agent) to her dad. I hope her dad didn't feel all too bored. I hope! =D.

That sums up our trip to Langkawi. In all, it was a very enjoyable trip. I can't ask for more when dear was there with me =D. I've tried also to upload as many pictures as I can, and I did them selectively. To view them all, just visit my facebook page ( www.facebook.com/ahpek ).

Time waits for no one and I am glad to have made this trip with you just before you begin your campus life in NUS, and before my enlistment. Sure there'll be more to come, and you'll be part of it. Good bye Langkawi, and hello World, from the both of us =D.

Night Safari 2009

A trip to Asia's first night animal attraction ... The Singapore's Night Safari 27/06/2009.

Hmmm ... I'm not about to blog what happened throughout the whole trip, because dear has done so and her description and memory are far better than mine, so for details, navigate from here (please don't click the word 'here', sorry for the disappointment =X).

With so much hype about saving the Earth and using environmentally friendly gadgets and appliances, people are becoming more conscious about the state of the place they are living in, and realise the need to protect it in order for their children and children's children to see a better tomorrow. Media has been a powerful tool in conveying these messages, be it TV advertisements or newspaper articles. Despite so, many do not have access to these information, whereas at some parts of the world, survival is deemed more important than Saving Gaia. More so, people choose to ignore these messages, claiming they have the right to choose what they believe and support, with the backing of human rights, if human rights means not being able to pass on the knowledge to future generations.

Visiting the Night Safari was another experience of knowing we have the ability to save something, yet ignoring the painful fact, with excuses such as leather jackets are high in quality and ultra-comfortable, powdered tusks have genuine medicinal values and 'How can wedding dinners go without Sharks' Fin Soup?'.

I'm no way a conservation-ist or environmentalist, but I believe it's one of our responsibilities living here on this planet to make sure it's well taken care of. Accumulatively, everyone's little bit can be a huge contribution, or rather, a huge burden taken off from the load the Earth is currently shouldering. Read economics - when the demand is low, output and production will subsequently decrease. So long we stop the buying, we can all together stop the killing.

Just imagine this - one day you're sitting in the living room with your grandchildren around you, and you all are playing a game of naming the animals A-Z. They start naming - Anacondas, Bats, Cats, Dogs, and it comes to your turn and you say 'Elephants', incurring puzzled looks in their faces as they inquire, "What are Elephants?". By the time you realise this, it could have been all but too late.

So I say, while we can choose, why not choose to do just that little bit - use less paper, do not buy animal-made products and do not include sharks' fin items in your 10-course wedding menu (mainly because I hope to one day, when I build up enough courage, swim with sharks, or at least whales).

SAVE THE WORLD!!!

*The trip was nonetheless enjoyable and educational =D.

We Shall Not Mourn ...

Demoralising news break out every day, headlines catching your attention at the newstand as you walk to the bus interchange. From the US stock markets failing, bad economy, Iran Presidential Election scandal (as claimed by the oppositions and their supporters) to rising cases of Influenza A H1N1 cases worldwide, most noticeably and of concern, those in Singapore (reaching a high of 95 cases in a day, defining the final number at 315, this morning). Each day, new news make it worse, even the sun has stopped shining as brightly ... Oh, that's something to rejoice, my apologies =D.

Today, the world takes a new hit. If you haven't already known, the greatest performer, entertainer, singer and dancer (at least to me) has passed away.

The man?

Michael Jackson.

Certainly those who live through 1958 to 2009, old enough to understand pop music, would have at least heard of his name. I believe even those that are yet to see the world will come to know of him some day, as he has, which seemed so easy, got his name written in the history book of ShowBiz.

Throughout his career, he was defamed not once, not twice, but a few times. I do not know all of them, but of them all, the most infamous being his sex-inclined paedophilic fantasy for young boys. When people talk about paedophiles (for example, Barney the Purple Dinosaur), Michael's name will often appear in their minds, and more often being spoken than not.

Humans like us are always too ready to judge, pointing fingers at one another. We have no absolute clue on whether or not he's guilty, yet a single smudge to his name seems to have it highlighted fully with black ink. What seemed a clean piece of paper was damaged by a single dot on it which people focused on, claiming it 'dirty' and 'cannot be used anymore'.

For a period of time, I myself was disgusted by that fact. After a while, when I heard, by chance, his song 'You Are Not Alone', I was reminded of how I used to watch his Music Video clips, admiring his moves, vocals and charisma. In my mind then, without doubt, I have decided to love him as an entertainer, rather than labelling as the man as the media had.

At 50, he had touched many souls, led the pop culture into a new era and given budding artistes a role model to follow in order to succeed in entertainment. Even at 50, his 'to-be' concerts in Europe are sold out, though fans will have no chance of watching him perform again. He left many with fond memories, vivid images of him performing on his stage and songs that people will never forget ... And they will never forget to pass it on too.

To our dearest Michael Jackson:

Your contribution to the music scene was unmatched, for you alone had made it a thriller. No matter you being black or white, a dangerous or bad person, you've been the smoothest criminal in stealing our hearts and souls. You beat it at the right moment, so invincible, especially when you did those moves to Billie Jean - white gloves, fendora, classy jacket, hips-flipping behind the big white screen and slick moon-walking - we fans never get tired of those. Now that you're gone, watching you 'live' is impossible, yet the memories you've left behind will be deeply etched in our hearts. You've rocked our world bad, but we will never get enough of you. Although physically you've left, do remember that you're not alone, as we will continue your legacy to the next generation, and the next and the next =D.

Listening Ears & Sincere Advices

The past few days have been a whole lot of frustration, anger, upset and misunderstanding. I know my continuation of this entry might add fuel to an already fierce fire, but I do need a place where I can express my thoughts, though I have now also a superb companion who will sit and listen to all the words I've got to say, without even saying a word, yet the silence is comforting enough.

Briefly, I was caught up in a written war on MSN and taken aback by words from a friend. I had been harsh then, and I won't deny the fact that I have been a complete bastard in dealing with the situation, saying and doing the wrong things, at coincidental wrong times. Being obstinate, I still do feel there are some areas which I have been right, and I will continue to stand by those; I admit too, that I have dealt with certain issues badly, and being not able to view things from other angles before making comments has just seen me lost the trust and respect, if any, that people have for me.

The mix of emotions, both anger and misery, was at its best. For so long, never have I felt so strongly over something. Looking at my reflection at the end of the day, what I saw was someone selfish, not as understanding as I thought I was, and a man so disgusted with himself that he decided to stare into the black spaces that will never give a tinge of his own reflection.

This, though, is not the gist of this entry. After what had happened, I turned to 3 important people in my life, and all gave me support and advices that made me realise how much more I have to learn in life, and how much room I have for improvement and growth.

Mum. Perhaps someone who will keep you by her side, stand by you all the time, support you through and through, when the only time she threw you out was the time she gave birth to you. Perhaps it's her religion, but whenever she sees fit, she'll share buddhist teachings with me, which are valuable to how you react in life. The wonder of it all is, all these times the words she says, are all different. It only makes me feel so small as a person, that it'll take me more than a lifetime to fully comprehend what life is about. Still, despite her being neutral, she still supports me all the time, and I'm thankful to have a mum like her.

Sister. A person who is always frank with me. She helps me look at things differently and also allows me to express myself freely before she gives advices. Academically, I used to be the one assisting her; Emotionally, she's now teaching me how to handle. Her frankness makes me realise just how selfish and stubborn a person I can be. Honestly speaking, without her, I might still be on fire after that incident. Thanks for your straightforwardness, yet so subtly presented. As an elder brother of yours, you've made me feel doubly blessed to have you and mum all these time. Maybe they should have a World's Sister's Day =D.

Finally, you. I know you are not a person who knows how to comfort people with words, but do you know that what you do have made comfort to me, and the best part is when you don't even say anything at all =D. At times like that when all I need was a channel for me to rant and say what I have to say, you would quietly sit and listen until I finished. Your special trip down just to meet me for lunch was so unexpected and that alone lifted the gloom that shadowed my day before you came. I know from that point on, someone else, other than my family members, really cares. Your presence brings me not only comfort, but also assurance. Assurance that you will be by my side through thick and thin no matter what happens. For that, I feel myself loving you more as the day passes. All I have got to say is, thank you for loving me for who I am. I may not have been the best partner, but I promise to love you with all I've got because you're worth it.

This is as far as my vocabulary can bring me. As for the matter, I wish someday the misunderstanding will clear and we are back to normal self again.

And that's all I've got to say.

And I Love You So ...

You're different.
You're supportive.
You're understanding.
You're obliging.
You're helpful.
You're kind.
You're caring for me.

There are so many things that set me deeper into you.

And most importantly, you're the unique one I can't find anywhere else but here.

I sincerely wish the best for both of us and for more good things than bad that will come along between us.

And that's when I'm in love with you =D.

-

For Some Reasons ...

Graduation Year

*Before I begin, I would like to apologize for the messy previous post, not just the alignment (which I have no idea what happened), but also the language. I have no idea what I was rushing for, thus the way of writing. Haha. I'll try my best in this one.

Year 3 - As we go on ... We remember ...

In the previous post, we ended talking about the workload we were going to face in the coming final year. We had heard how seniors complained about juggling Final Year Project (FYP) with the curriculum, and often than not, we saw many all stressed out. Despite those woes, we also witnessed their fruits of success during their Graduation after they had gone through piles and piles of shit.

For me, everything was well thought out for. I came back from Perth and went back to begin my final year just 2 days later. My FYP was already decided - I joined Aric and Wayne in Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) situated in SGH under our supervisor named Dr. Louis Tong. While the rest were eagerly waiting to ballot for the projects, we were already discussing how we would go about doing the project. A long discussion was held with Dr. Tong as he tried to get me in-synch with what they had been, and will be doing. As I had no prior knowledge on the topic, it was really tough for me to pick up both the skills and theories. It was decided in the end that I would take charge of the a certain part of the project, while Aric and Wayne were given different roles which they were already trained at performing, spreading out the workload so we would have more time for our respective commitments.

From here on, you will realise that the most part of this post will be about FYPs. Of course, I will be inserting some interesting happenings if I manage to remember as I continue =D.

As for our other class/coursemates, they went on for a gruelling balloting process, which I heard turned quite ugly as people cheated in the process and people not getting their choices of project. In the end, I believe some left with disappointment, but eventually made terms with reality and moved on. For our clique, Fiona, Nicholas and Jun Rong had already finished the wet work during their ITP, so they were left with only the report to write, and also coordinate with TTSH people if I am not wrong.

Then there were two other groups - 1) Andy, Shirley, Sarah and Janet, 2) Johnny, Madeline and Ruo Ting. Both groups required volunteers to finish certain amount of food within a period of time, of which later blood had to be taken in 2 different ways for analyses. Group 1 performed fingerpricks for pre-experiment recordings, followed by venepunctures. I participated in both experiments, but was later rejected by group 1 because I was poked a total of 9 times on my first appointment, with only successful takings at 1 or 2 time points, HAHA. My visible and not-so-visible veins were playing hide and seek with them, and it was quite an (painful =X) experience to be poked so many times on both arms. They were not to be blamed, 'cause I was one of the first few volunteers and they were not yet proficient in the technique. Later, I heard they improved so much and became expert venepuncture-rs.

As for the other group, we volunteers were instructed to finish our food within the designated time, after which blood glucose levels were taken from blood after the fingerpricks with a glucometer. I was given 3 types of chocolates - normal chocolate, dark chocolate and 1 more I can't remember. Or was I only given 2 types? Haha. Their main purpose was to examine the glycaemic index of various food types, including different forms of carbohydrates such as grains, rice and pasta.

I must say time spent during these experiments were pretty fun, because not only we got free food, we spent some crazy time in the laboratory. As year 3s, we certainly were given the privilege in terms of lab usage. Especially having those bunch of people in the clique, we would have fun anywhere we go, be it small talks, or playing too-too train in the lab with lab chairs. Although I was, and never am, a fan of too-too train, their actions and gestures never failed to make my day during boring lab sessions.

Talking about these people's FYPs, I would regularly bring my laptop there to spend my time while waiting for my turn. One of the reasons why I brought it along instead of just reading a book was because, with the convenience of cleaning equipment in the lab, I could give my laptop a good clean with bacillols (70% alcohol) and kimwipes. Haha!! *I suppose no lecturers or SP staff will read this =X.

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Now I will sidetrack from the main assignment we had for the Academic Year. Apart from FYPs, in sem 1, we were challenged with various assignments as well, and one was a class report for our Lab Safety and Management module. I am sure some of us still remember the frustration we faced during that period of time, because of those confusions and disagreements inbetween. During that period, we were always caught up with arguments, but eventually we pulled through and although our result was understandably not as satisfactory, we were, as a united class, glad it was over.

That assignment was not as comparable as this coming one, which drove many of us to the wall, even murderous (anyone putting up their hands and joining me? Haha). This lecturer was so into thinking about himself and himself only that he jeopardized his authority over the module and made us complete unrelevant assignment. Other than those essays that we had to write, which their weightages were not high, this particular one weighed the most in the module, and not the easiest. Wanna know what is it? It starts with the letter 'G'.

Personally I feel that the lecturer was a nice person, even as a lecturer as his teaching method was different and refreshing. However, he was acting much like a jerk in making us do that cyber-magazine, which we wouldn't mind doing if we did not have so much to do and if it was not included as part of our ICAs. As we finally finished that, some of us were given unjustified grades, and i felt it unfair for these people who put in lots of effort for this. Willy in particular, who tried to confront him over this but failed terribly. HAHA!

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I actually left this out the previous post, but we did have our bi-annual chalet trips the previous year as well. Without exception, we had it for our final year as well, though one in particular wasn't exactly pleasant and left many unhappy. Anyway, we have all gotten over it so it wasn't an issue and we were back to good o' classmates again.

Our final one was as usual - BBQs, mahjongs, and also our first visit to Wild Wild Wet. It was so much fun and I enjoyed myself, a lot.

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Back to FYP. My group with Aric and Wayne wasn't the easiest. The main problem being the place we carried our laboratory work was located in SERI itself, meaning we had to travel to Outram Park to continue our project. Because we had lessons on weekdays, we had to sacrifice weekends even to do extra work. For that, I quitted my Fort Siloso job and picked up tuition because that way, I could still earn enough pocket money while committing fully on schoolwork and FYP.

Other than FYP, we were told by Dr. Tong to participate in their weekly Journal Club. That's when each of us would be given a journal to read and sort of review. During Journal Club, the scheduled person would present the paper to the rest of the team in the laboratory. As Dr. Tong is such a sharp person, and very smart, he never failed to post tough questions that made us doubt ourselves, and the paper. He is always so into details and because he habours vast knowledge and experience in the research field, he was able to pick out doubtful results just by looking at them and pointing them out to us. As much as I hated to do this Journal Club thing-y, I must thank him because it sort of prepared us for our FYP Presentation later, giving us more confidence in presenting our results to a group of lecturers who had done their Post-Grad projects, or are doing currently.

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Meanwhile, we did have our usual meet-ups, but in the most unusual ways. We found new activities to do together as a clique, such as conquering the Southern Ridges and our first Potluck for Sarah's 19th Birthday Celebration. We also had steamboats at our favourite venue (right Janet?!) and I invited a truckload full of people to my place for CNY celebration. We celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival too, and that's just how random we are =D.

The biggest event of the year must be our AD&D. Just refer to my blogpost in December 2008 for some other details. Haha! That night was definitely unforgettable, other than the karaoke session through the night. LOL.

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Zooming back to the final hurdle in our FYP, we were all rushing out our reports before the deadline. Data to collate, results to analyze, discussions to discuss, and words to type. All of us, not restricting to my group only, had to read and re-read what we'd written, followed by multiple editions to make it more scientific and presentable. For our group, we did not, in the end, get desirable results, but we were able to create magic out of nothing, wrote the best ever report I have ever written throughout my 3 years in Poly, presented like I had never before, and scored an A for it. I was delighted to have gotten that kind of result, though a tiny bit of me was disappointed at not being nominated for the Distinction round. Still, I am grateful to all the assistance I had from Dr. Tong, Shel Hwa the assistant in SERI who is currently doing her Ph.D studies in New Zealand, Mr. Fraser for some comments on our report and the two other group mates, most importantly =D.

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Final Semestral Exams. Our last, ever examination in Singapore Polytechnic. It all ended on the 24th February 2009, when we sat for our ... was it Haematology II paper??? Haha. After that paper, we took a large group photo, many of us looking relieved and happy, for it's all finally come to an end. Well, the full-stop to our Poly days is not yet penned, until we have our Graduation Ceremony. Still, we were all glad, though we didn't bear to part with those days ...

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Time passes so quickly during those days, that we have no time to look back at what we have done until this moment when we can sit in front of our computers and reflect. Over the past 3 years, I have changed, not just physically, but mentally as well. I never knew I can become the person I am today, much thanks to these people I met during my 3 years. As I continue to write, many things in the clique are continuing to happen, and I will continue to anticipate more outings and gatherings that will come in the future.

As for now, I will never forget those times we ate, drank, laughed, stressed, quarreled, disagreed, made merry, mahjong-ed, had fun, acted retards, posed for silly pictures, made nicknames for one another, shared our unhappiness and happiness, and so so so many other things that were deeply etched in every single one of us. Thank you for these memories, and although we will not see each other that often in the future, this part of my life will always be one of the happiest and eventful ones I will ever, ever have. I am truly grateful to have chosen to come here instead of elsewhere, where I might not have met you wonderful things =D.

And as our lives change, come whatever, we will still be ... clique forever =D.

Midway Through ...

Getting in the groove of things ...

Year 2 already and we were accustomed to how school worked and the way to go about getting things done. Not that we always got things done way before deadlines though. Procrastination was a contagious thing. Dangerous too. Let's put it in a better way - we worked under pressure. Well.

Nothing much happened in the first half of that year. Perhaps the most interesting being the lessons with Mrs Ho, or Mdm Mah Mon Moey. She was then, by far the most strict and undesired lecturer. Count Kumar* in as well. She was very particular with the slightest details regarding what we did for her tutorials, and also what we did in her class. At first I thought coming in late as a poly student was not much of an issue to lecturers, who knows she was one of those that looked forward to go against these latecomers.

Tske for example tutorials. Everytime she gave some tutorials to be completed, many of us didn't. We all thought they're only tutorials and we had the freedom of choice whether or not to do, when she did a check and collected from those who did instead of going through the answers. If I'm not mistaken, she actually gave extra credits to those who completed her tutorials, and penalised those who didn't.

It came a time nearing the end of the semester when we were told to draw up a metabolic biochart based on our knowledge. That chart was supposed to be supplementary to our final ICA for that module, and had to be submitted to her before that ICA. Any latecomers, even by 1 min according to her, would be marked late and penalised. Well, we certainly tested her system and got marked late. Not that I did badly for her module in the end anyway ... so ...

P.S. Fiona became Mrs Ho's daughter after that. I think it's because they look alike??? Haha!

and ...

*Kumar is a character we named in year 1. It is strictly prohibited to mention the name, so it's up to readers to know who we're talking about. We clique people, of course, know who is that =D.

The rest of that semester went on smoothly, as we continue to choke walkways and look for big tables during lunchbreaks ...

Then come Semester 2. I remembered that time, something happened and I totally excluded myself from most outings with the clique. I understood my budd's feelings, but he was great to stick by. Things eventually got better and I didn't have to avoid going out with them anymore.

In Sem 2, I had a discussion with my dad on possible overseas attachment programme. SP did have some offers from 2 or 3 Australian Universities, and I managed to obtain some information about it, also knowing that a few of my classmates were going the same place. Soon, everything was confirmed and the 10 of us were given a place at University of Western Australia (UWA), Perth.

Sem 2 ended in a flash and I had a few meet-ups with friends before I flew over for my ITP. I had a sumptuous dinner with a few of my clique members at Maison, sang at Kbox with Xin Yi and another of her friend, enjoyed a brief Chinese New Year celebration and played some mahjong with my closest buddies at my place on the 2nd day of CNY. On the 3rd day of CNY, 9th Feb, we headed down to Changi Airport to board the Qantas Airline, heading for Perth.

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ITP @ Perth, 9 Feb 2008 - 12 Apr 2008

Ten coursemates - Zul, Lynette, Hui Hui (aka Da Jie), Franco, Desmond, Justin, Guojie, Afsheen, Joan and myself touched down at Perth, followed by a cab trip to Townsend Lodge, which we were not very happy with and moved to ... ... ... ______ Hotel shortly after. For me, that experience was amazing. Not only I was there for ITP, it was my very first overseas trip without my parents, and at a western country!

The stay at Townsend was not really that unpleasant, but because we were not used to their culture and also some racial discrimination issues, we decided to move instead. The move to a studio apartment across the streets was a great move, as we had the kitchen all to our own. We had fun staying there, where we definitely left with fond memories.

Our mini kitchen.

That ITP trip was really not much of an attachment to me. First, we were not paid. Second, although on paper we had to work from 9am to 5pm, I was given the opportunity to leave by 2/3pm most of the time. With that, I could resume my usual jogging regime, at a foreign place with nicer surroundings and sceneries. The route I went was just slightly more than 10km, but I usually went 5km odd. Only on the last week of ITP when I finished that whole route round the Swan River, which was refreshing ... and very hot too. Haha.

Aunt Eileen and William at Swan Valley

Not only I could exercise with those free time, I could do grocery shopping at Woolsworth Supermarket nearby, because they closed at 7pm. Imagine me having to carry my bag and laptop, reaching there at 530 or 6pm from the University, I had to rush through my shopping and would have no time to cook a good dinner for myself after that.

On weekends, we would make trips to popular sites in Perth, such as Rottnest Island, Penguin Island, Caversham Wildlife Park, Pinaccles, and many more. Aunt Eileen and Fiance, William, brought me out on a trip to Swan Valley for some exquisite lunch and visits to Margeret River Chocolate Factory and a local brewery. I can still remember the name of the glass of beer I had - Honey Pils, which was so smooth and light, nothing like those you have here.

Situated right in the city, we had the shopping district within close proximity as well. I did not shop as much, but the rest certainly did some hauling there. We had our fix of fast food at their local chains too, such as Hungry Jack's (known as Burger King over here), Red Rooster, and their own Macdonald's. Trust me, we Singaporeans are fortunate to be able to ask for as many sauces as we like over the counter, whereas over there, you have to pay 50cents for a small packet of ketchup. No chilli sauce at all. Haha.

As for our asian cravings, we head down to Northbridge (is it Northbridge?) to this popular asian store where they sell asian products there. I could easily find my favourite maggie mee and frozen dim sum there. Right over there was a Korean hair saloon, where for $20, you get a quick and good haircut with hair wash as well. You can also find Japanese grocery store, many Vietnamese restaurants, Chinese restaurants (not cheap though), Hong Kong Cafe (Lou Mou Cafe as we called it ... Haha, some inside jokes), and even Esteller77. You can easily call that place Little Asia or Asiantown.

All these were what we did for that 2 months of ITP, and some of us missed home so much, that we did a countdown to the day when we would finally come home. It was to our disappointment on the actual date when Qantas experienced some technical problems, resulting in an 18-hour flight delay. I would say it was not that bad, as we had accomodation at a far better hotel, a specially reserved dinner for us, and some breakfast vouchers when we arrived next morning for the flight. All these were thought for, including the transport fro and to the airport, so we practically didn't spend at all during that delay, and was compensated $300 from our Travel Insurance later on. Haha!

On 12 April 2008, we finally touched down Changi Airport, safe and sound. That ended our ITP when many of us were actually missing over the next few days what we had all gone through together in Perth. Personally, I feel that to be a whole new experience, and when my sister told me she has the chance to go China or Taipei for her internship this late 2009, I strongly encouraged her to go for it if given the chance, and I'm sure, she'll enjoy her trip just as much as mine.

Last group photo at the UWA

I had only a day's rest before we began Year 3, the most gruelling year of all, as we battled with FYPs and mountain-ful of assignments ...