Thursday, July 29, 2004

so like the rest of the world, i dropped by phuture last night to get my regular dose of pushing and shoving. except this time, the crowd was exceptional, to say the least. i'd never seen phuture that crowded before. at around midnight, i was trying to wiggle my way to my friends, and it took me like 15 minutes, alongside witnessing another near-fight, before reaching my destination in the middle of the dancefloor. convenient then, that everyone in my group decided at that moment it was getting too crowded for their liking and wanted to get out. so it was yet another 15 minute pilgrimage for the door. zouk was well, mambo-ish and britney spears happened to decide that yesterday was a perfect time to start invading all the dance floors. i think i heard like 3 britney spears songs that night.
so yeah it was just another night at phuture. wasnt as bad as it sounds la, but the journey home was a bitch, as usual. why doesnt anyone else i know live in changi?

in other news, a big hand to the batch that just commissioned from ocs (particularly, eric and cecil). was there at the parade and yeah i kinda concluded that watching the parade wasnt nearly as exciting as being in the parade. nor was it remotely close to how exciting those in the parade thought it would be. poor guy who was standing at the exact same position as i was during my parade fainted... i must've jinxed the spot.


weiming at 9:55 PM

Friday, July 23, 2004

i went for a 5km run today and nearly died... odd, how 10km was normal just a year ago... and even odder, how 2 years ago, 2.4km was the furthest i'd ever run continuously. well dont get me wrong, running's still just about my most hated sport. i think i'd like golf even more..

if there's one thing the army has taught me that i value more than anything, it's determination. well it hasnt actually taught me determination, more of how much i can achieve even in the worst circumstances. i used to try hard only at things where i could beat others at (being the crazily competitive person that i am), whereas i'd give up as soon as i felt tired when there wasnt anyone to beat. that's just me, winning gives me a high.
what the army gave me was an opportunity to defeat someone i'd never considered an opponent before - yeah you guessed it - my big ol' self. people i talk to frequently enough know i complain endlessly about how far away my ORD is and how i wish i'd have back my civilian life and how i miss school and how my belly's growing a belly over here, but honestly, and i never thought i'd openly admit this, but i'm actually thankful for my experience here.
every single exercise, every field camp we went through in OCS was a lesson in how far our body could go, how our body only goes as far as our mind wants it to. well i've even had the experience of having myself cross the limit. 3 particularly poignant memories:

-section field camp, the one time my body beat me. i'll never forget what happened. fuzzy, but i remember the essentials, with the help of witnesses ;)

-ex jaguar, the worst 1-day exercise i've been put through. well i'm prolly one of the few who feels this way, being the exercise PC for the first part and then carrying quite a bit (the 84mm and hafidz, for a while) for the second part, back to camp.

-brunei, towards the end of chillbone. my nerve had never been tested till such a limit before, and i'm glad i had my teammates to rally around me. briefly, my team of 6 all had footrot like you'd never seen, and i was ultimately the best walker, and the leader of the group. after a few rash decisions in navigation i was leading them on a tougher path than they should have been on, but time was not something we were in abundance of, and quick decisions were called for. anyway, the wrong decisions were mine, and as a result my team suffered. they were already walking gingerly, yet i was making them go up 70 degree inclines. imagine 6 people, having gone for 9 days with about 2 days worth of food, fighting endless battles with sandflies, having to carry our load on already fatigued bodies, with each step more painful than the previous. who wouldnt feel guilty?
as we were nearing our endpoint, i'd enough of seeing them suffer. i'd promised to see them home by the end of the day, but it didnt look likely anymore. i hated myself for putting them through all that. i just wanted to stop, and let them rest. but till now i'm thankful to them for rallying around me and putting me to my senses. and it's true, what they said: they'd chosen me to lead them, and no matter what decision i made, they'd follow it through with me. we missed the end timing for that day by half an hour, but overall, we'd made it on the 10th day, meeting our objective within the stipulated timing. not bad for 6 near-disabled guys.

i dont know what'd have happened had i just given up there and then, and i truly thank God for my teammates being stronger than i could have ever been.

oh but don't get me wrong, i still can't wait for ORD.

- - - - - - - - - -

oh and i just re-watched A Beautiful Mind. as always, the 2nd time i watch a meaningful movie's more - pardon the pun - beautiful than before. i didn't think that much of it the first time i watched it. the second time though, always helps me catch itty bits that i never notice, and man the show totally moved me, though not the way my 2nd time with My Sassy Girl did. definitely definitely one of my favourite movies now.

wow, haven't done such a long entry since i think the chinamen one. in fact i haven't even been updating regularly. guess my mind's gone numbnuts from too much of army. odd eh, how i go on about how it's helped me, and then i just knock it again minutes later? and i'm really pissed at my sandfly bite scars too.

and eh tammy tang, if you read this, i'm gonna have to drag you out soon. haven't had a proper chat with you in donkey years.

weiming at 7:28 PM

Monday, July 19, 2004

omg. i've got this song stuck in my head and it's all your fault miss porkchoppingpongpiang. tirni it's partly your fault too. how could you ever ever EVER like a song that has lyrics that go "You touch my Ta La La... oooooooh... My Ding Ding Dong..." omg when i heard it i nearly died. there isnt a tune to it, it's just techno. there's another reason to hate techno. and tirni you actually like it.
since i'm at it, i'll talk about even more dumb techno songs. i was talking to my spec about dumb techno songs and he told me about this time when he was some ulu pub and they played 3 (yes THREE!) techno songs in a row. and no they werent ordinary songs. they started with "Blow my whistle bitch... beep beep beep" followed by another song that goes dingdongdingdong some song with bells. and to top it off? "You touch my Ta La La... oooooooh... My Ding Ding Dong...". geez.

so anyway i'm back in camp after a week of leave. and man i've got a major major case of the monday blues. i dont feel like working, tv and sleep seem to be my only refuge here. oh and this computer too, even though it keeps screwing up. i cant wait to ORD and get to school, seriously. life's just so monotonous here... i cant imagine coming back for ICT either... gee after just one week of leave i'm feeling like that.

and what new blogger layout? i dont see anything new?! no microsoft-wordy thing? no colours? i still have to type my html myself? help?

and lastly, zouk this week? oh wait everyone's at hall camp... damn.

weiming at 9:24 PM

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

after finishing my 3rd dan brown book in 5 days, i can safely say that dan brown's just about my favourite author now. granted, the last one i read, digital fortress wasnt quite nearly as good, nor as mind-boggling as angels and demons and the da vinci code, but all the same, he's amazing. i wonder how smart the man must really be, to be able to formulate all the puzzles he inserts into his books. he must know a lot of shite too, given how many references he provides from different subjects. next up, deception point.

anyways i'm going to be very, very free till sunday. so if anyone's going out, dont forget to jio me.

weiming at 9:03 PM

Monday, July 12, 2004

i realised today where the most obvious show of male ego, alpha-male tendencies actually lies. in the gym. i dont know how i never realised this before, but today at the gym, it seemed almost too obvious to miss.
every time a 'new' and unrecognised person entered the gym, he would be greeted with contempt. the "i bet i can bench more than you" kinda look. well not by everyone, obviously, but from certain individuals it's so obvious it's almost palpable. as one proceeds on with an exercise, the other watches him, observing how much he can lift, secretly thinking to himself, "i can beat you flat", or "i could lift that weight more times than you", or quite simply, "wuss". well i dont deny these thoughts crossing my mind sometimes, but those are mostly aimed at those young punks with cocky looks on their faces.
the result? not many friendships forged between young people at the gym. which doesnt really help much, since we all need the odd person to help with spotting. but well, the male ego is something few of us will ever comprehend. as is the female's lack of ability to parallel park.

anyway. phuket trip's hit a snag. ah well. to think that the night before, haresh and i both dreamt that we wouldnt be able to go for it. a dream come true at the wrong time eh.

weiming at 9:46 PM

Saturday, July 10, 2004

just finished reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, and man am i glad i picked that up. because once i did, i couldnt put it down. it's been a long time since a writer's gripped me liked that with such immersive writing, even I, Lucifer's been a struggle to keep reading. the story is full of puzzles and twists that make you wonder how intelligent this man must be, and is not short on humour either. i really really recommend this book, an absolute thriller. next up, The Da Vinci Code. i cant wait to get started, but i'll have to find some other time when i have time, for fear i get hooked again and cant get to sleep without finishing the book.

anyway my position on sunglasses remains unresolved, and judging by the oh-so-constructive suggestions i've been getting, i doubt i'll be getting anywhere anytime soon. other purchases start to tempt me again (today's payday), an ipod, a new camera, some swanky new updates for my poor ol' bike, or perhaps i'll just blow some cash on more clothes. yeah, i'm a spendthrift who scrimps on little things but spends willingly on the big. just ask jane. i did learn to be more generous though with 30cent tau huay.

anyway phuket's up and running! sorry ping i have to mention this... haha. i cant wait to go go go. and get away from this prison hellhole that i've been living in. anyone want anything from phuket? or duty free? (provided the duty free item i havent choped yet)

weiming at 6:16 PM

Thursday, July 08, 2004

ok i'm thinking of getting a pair of shades. for cycling and sports and beachwear and stuff. any suggestions? dont just be telling me "oakleys!" because there're a thousand and one different models. and oakleys are getting really really common now.

weiming at 12:02 AM

Friday, July 02, 2004

20 Questions to a Better Personality

You are an SECL--Sober Emotional Constructive Leader. This makes you a politician. You cut deals, you change minds, you make things happen. You would prefer to be liked than respected, but generally people react to you with both. You are very sensitive to criticism, since your entire business is making people happy.

At times your commitment to the happiness of other people can cut into the happiness of you and your loved ones. This is very demanding on those close to you, who may feel neglected. Slowly, you will learn to set your own agenda--including time to yourself.

You are gregarious, friendly, charming and charismatic. You like animals, sports, and beautiful cars. You wear understated gold jewelry and have secret bad habits, like chewing your fingers and fidgeting.

You are very difficult to dislike.

sounds like me. except the chewing fingers part.

and gee... greece beat the czechs... looks like it's going to be a boring final... would've killed for a czech-portugal final. but well.. we'll live with what we get.

and hoho all my compensation from my accident's spent in 2 days. 2 days of clubbing and shopping makes for a poor ming again... haha. oh well. at least i had fun with it. work sucks! i'm amazingly bored now... someone please entertain me. and someone please get the phuket trip up and running... with each passing day it looks more and more like i'm not gonna be leaving this place anytime soon.

weiming at 12:19 PM