life in mono.

2005-12-30T23:05:00.000+08:00

I'm here now. Cheers.

2005-10-09T23:39:00.000+08:00

You all love me! You really, really love me!

2005-01-21T20:51:00.000+08:00

for reasons best known to myself (and perhaps those i've already told) i have moved. my new address? check me up on msn. for the 2 of you who still bother to read my blog and perhaps don't use/have my msn, it's w3iming@singnet.com.sg. or just email me.

and at the request of ping, i have removed all the links on this blog. odd, yes, i know.

2005-01-20T14:44:00.000+08:00

and, The Grid is a fantastic show.

2005-01-20T13:20:00.000+08:00

23rd of february. my day of reckoning. not 1, not 2. not even 3 or 4. FIVE teeth to be dug up from my gums. oh help me.

2005-01-16T23:00:00.000+08:00

and singapore wins the tiger cup... wait, the what cup? tiger, you say?

2005-01-16T13:07:00.000+08:00

met the class, or rather a bit of the class yesterday. and oddly enough, for the 2nd time in a row, the person who organised the 'class outing' was someone who isn't from the class. but well, was nice to finally catch up with people who seem to be busy all the time. and as usual, the early birds, jac and i (even while trying on purpose to be late, were still early. by almost an hour.), had to wait an eternity for the rest of the world.

and today, after the usual sunday morning soccer, i am quite certain that in a few years my left ankle will be non-functioning. on the bright side, it might mean there's no reservist to be served! (but also no free money from ippt. dang.)

2005-01-15T01:22:00.000+08:00

after reading mel's posts on her pet peeves, i was just thinking of my personal peeves, and well there are a few, but none which come vaguely close to:

#1 people who ask really really dumb-ass questions.

and mind you, this happens way too often in the army. sometimes things are mind numbingly simple, so basic that even a blindfolded jellyfish (however you do that) could solve it with ease, and yet your help is still needed to advice on a possible solution. like, wtf, use your brain for once. who even asks questions like "how do you use this" when referring to a strip of stickers!?? geez. though i gotta admit, without people like these around, i dont get a chance to practice my sarcasm, honed through years of dealing with dimwits.

rest of the pet peeves? not so important, mostly to do with aunties and uncles and kids and fat girls wearing hello kitty pink with short white skirts and skinny ah bengs wearing sleeveless tops or baby pink polos or people waking me in my sleep for stupid reasons (which has a very VERY close link with the abovementioned pet peeve #1). oh, all the pent up rage in the world to spare.

2005-01-14T01:03:00.000+08:00

hahaha. so it IS pretty fun being a bastard after all.

2005-01-12T14:10:00.000+08:00

ok, whoever's ever said that winter never comes to singapore was not at changi beach at 4am last night. because then, it was ab-so-lute-ly freezing. if i'd not found a shelter from the wind, my toes would've probably dropped off and been eaten by the catfish that was lying around. if i hadnt first delivered the death blow by stepping on it, that is.
anyway it was pretty much a fruitless fishing day - 5 fish caught the whole night, only 3 of vague worth. but there were the experienced fishermen fellas around, and it was comforting to know that even they didn't catch much (by their standards of course, they still whipped our asses, what with their nets and all). and it was kinda fun talking to them, the ones with the best stories usually are those who've been through the most hardship. and the guy we talked to's been through a lot, really.

and so anyway i finally got home at 6am, which was initially the time i intended to wake up at. so after doing the necessary, it was off to work, with nothing but a few minutes of sleep on a cold, hard bench by the sea. needless to say, the day so far has not been productive.

oh and as usual the passing of the 10th of the month triggerred off a day of impulsive spending on things i don't really need except perhaps just to make myself happy for a little while but really dont have that much value to my life. i shan't go on to elaborate on what it was i bought (The Office! both seasons of it!) for fear of (a new wallet!) boring you, my dear (haagen daz!) audience.

have driving lessons tonight. seeing how tired i am, i think i might just hit someone.

2005-01-09T20:34:00.000+08:00

and the weekend finally draws to an end. as i might expect, my weekend was a lot longer than most of yours were. oh how i long for a uninterrupted night of sleep. being woken every 2 hours or so really is the worst feeling you'll ever get (oh my record stands at being woken 5 times in 2 hours). the body is tired and longing for a good long sleep, [EDIT: bad english. urgh.] which it will, unfortunately, be deprived of, knowing myself.

but anyway, freedom is just round the corner. and it smells better than anything i've smelt in a while (if you've smelt my bunk, you'd believe me).

remember how almost a year ago, i was fiddling with the idea of dumping engineering, and going for law? well, 10 months on, i still haven't decided, and now biz ad is in the frame too. if anyone ever invents a 3-faced die, it's probably gonna be how i decide in the end.

oh, really this is such a boring entry. and i only realised it after i even considered writing about how i was sick and how i never fall sick yadda yadda. and then go on about whether it's supposed to be spelt "yadda" or "yada". bah. i'll just go back to my that 70s show.

and keeping in line with the incoherent, very disjointed entry:
on a final note, kiwi fruits are very... disturbing.

2005-01-07T16:08:00.000+08:00

and another augmentation to the site: random quotes from the family guy! (which is, by the way, the best show ever. eternal gratitude to pet for the tipoff, which shall be repaid in full with 3 FULL SEASONS of it). haha anyway it sucks that the quote box is blue, but the code that i ripped from the site only allows for that. so bah to that, until i stop being lazy and start making my own code. hm maybe i'll do that now.

2005-01-06T00:39:00.000+08:00

and a hectic few days it was. the base-wide exercise that i was dreading so much got postponed. a good thing and a bad one at the same time.
anyway the main reason, as you might know if you've been reading the papers, is that my base has become the UN hub for all the aid operations. which basically means that i've been busier than ever in the past few days, and can expect the workload to escalate even more! here's a little sample, which just happened last night:

at little past midnight i'd finally finished all my work for the day and was settling into bed to watch the epl highlights and then sleep, when suddenly shit happened. so not only do i not get to watch my show, i've gotta run around as well. and then i'm left stranded without a vehicle, which leaves me little option but to rush around at one in the morning on a borrowed bicycle which i believe really was made for midgets. after rushing around and completing rubbishy reports i finally, finally get to hit the sack at 0230. not so bad eh? wrong.
at 0430 i get woken up because more shit happens. i get back to sleep within 5minutes, thankfully.
and then, at 6 i get woken again. managed to get back to sleep at 0645, only to be woken again at 0730. i really wonder why i even bothered sleeping.

- - - - - - - - - -

anyway it's all for a good cause, so i really don't mind so much. it's way better than running around getting worked up over an exercise. to me the word exercise presents no more motivation than it does to fat kids who eat mcdonalds, so i'm actually pretty thankful for the chance to do work that actually means something.

2005-01-04T13:51:00.000+08:00

found this picture off sharon/trini's blogs.

check out how extra and cool the people in the foreground are trying to be! spoiling the photo for me and the guys.

(you'd never figure that i'm really in the picture)

2005-01-03T23:53:00.000+08:00

well the new year's here, and all you people who still download britney songs, be warned: you will be caught. and you will deserve to be caught, too.

senseless law breaking aside (who really likes britney, anyway), chocolate is fast re-becoming fixture in the daily food intake. and it doesnt even sit at the top of the food pyramid. it's really lying somewhere where the rice and potatoes usually reside.

and being one of the many curious rafflesians, i too paid a visit to the campus that now holds the "future leaders of singapore". and while i quite envy the students there for having the facilities that they have (classrooms with tables! who'd have thought!), i really do, possibly like every other person from my batch, would rather have the old campus down at mt sinai. i mean, a school's not really a school if there's nothing to bitch about.
the place is so big, too, that i think you'd hardly get to meet friends around school. no more bumping into friends around every corner. (of course, though, that makes hiding from teachers a whole lot easier). and far, far, worst of all, having to live with 1800 adolescent boys schooling right next door. oh, the horror.
i do suspect however, that the school is sneakily trying to get its fat students slimmer. why else would they have built classrooms that you'd have to climb SEVEN storeys to get to? i'm guessing those classrooms are reserved for housing "special" classes, tutorial groups where students are either really fat or from china. also with the dozens of long, snaking walkways which seem to criss-cross each others' paths every 5 metres i forsee students either being really late for class, or mysteriously arriving at the canteen when they were trying to go to the biology labs.

ah. rj. now in such a soul-less place; no gates to climb over, and a security guard named elango to deal with too. such a sad fate.
(and, i've heard, the wind up north still wreaks havoc with skirts. the young 'uns over at ri are going to be overjoyed.)

2004-12-31T16:09:00.000+08:00

125,000 and rising.

what's there to celebrate, really?

2004-12-30T22:50:00.000+08:00

just some image i found.

if you haven't yet realised, that's a satellite pic of the tsunami as it happened. it's resized, so if you're interested to check out the full sized version, click here.

it really is terrible eh. but everyone's already talking about it so i shan't add on to the gloom already.

- - - - - - - - - - -

anyway, for those who know why, i may not be writing too much here anymore. i'll write, but not too much.
i'm starting to sound a little crazy, arent i ;)

where's everyone gone too anyway. no one ever comments here anymore. do leave comments, it's half of the pleasure derived from blogging.

2004-12-29T13:55:00.000+08:00

well the day has got worse, but after reading the papers today, i feel a little guilty for being so selfish and self-centred. my life really isn't that bad.

2004-12-29T07:58:00.000+08:00

it's gonna be a bad, bad day. i just know it. it's one of those days where you could get hit by a car, and still not be surprised.

2004-12-25T21:24:00.000+08:00

well, the day's got better, most definitely, what with some turkey and log cake (courtesy of the boss- the nice one, not the jackass), some pizza and kfc (courtesy of various parents), and of course, very very nice turkey and fruitcake enjoyed wih the glass of wine (courtesy of the family). and not to mention the very, very nice chocs (courtesy of the pbb). oh even you too, jiet, for that 2-day-early, half-free-drink from you.
thank you everyone who bothered for making what might have been the worst christmas ever, that little bit more bearable -big smile-.

2004-12-25T16:55:00.000+08:00

and christmas gets worse. word has arrived that my computer back at home's gone kaput once again. hope my hard drives are safe though.
gah. i would strangle someone but the only person nearby's the chef with the words 'gardenia' under his chin.

2004-12-24T15:43:00.000+08:00

and a merry christmas to everyone.
gonna be a pretty boring christmas though, being in camp and all, but at least i've got good food waiting at home! note to all: the marriott hotel fruitcake is fantabulous, if slightly expensive. $25 for a nice chunk, which in all honesty is perfectly worth it to me. after a little bit of christmas shopping yesterday i'm put in a slightly better mood, and at least, working on christmas means i've no boss to irritate me every few minutes or so. (offers for food delivery are still very much welcome though)

am very much infatuated with amy lee now; her voice is stunning, really. while noticeable in most of evanescence's other songs, it was only after hearing hello that i really really fell in love with her voice. i'm prepared to send the song out to everyone on my msn list (yes all 2 of you)! or maybe just those who bother to talk to me (that would make it... hmm...).

so enjoy all your christmas turkeys, log cakes, fruitcakes, eggnog, candy canes, roast ham, cold cuts, gingerbread and whatnot. i'll be keeping myself content with chocolate-laced oatmeal. and i'll see you when you all get FAT!
man are the grapes sour over here or what?
haha but seriously though, have a great christmas people, and i'll be celebrating with yall this same time next year.

2004-12-24T01:51:00.000+08:00

ho hum.

2004-12-21T19:00:00.000+08:00

after a coupla meetings, the post new-year period doesnt look so rosy anymore. 3-6jan looks like a high stress period, so if you really want to piss me off, try sometime after that, please?

in other news, the busted ankle's showing little signs of turning a nice grape-ish purple. but thankfully the colour only covers a quarter of my foot, so it can't be that bad, right?

and for some reason, i now feel like the heaviest man in the world. it's like standing up's a chore and i dont really feel like doing anything. at all. this must be how sumo wrestlers feel like. or maybe like certain other people who dont sit down because standing up again would be too much of a chore. it's like my body decided to switch itself off without telling anyone. i think the body's starting to rebel against all the oatmeal consumption.

and hey, you learn new things about people everyday! (not always good things, of course.)

2004-12-20T13:44:00.000+08:00

and check out the new blog - new and improved, with snow!

2004-12-19T18:05:00.000+08:00

well i've been stocking up on the music since my computer crashed about 2 weeks ago, and i'm glad to announce that today i cross the 2000 song (11.5gb to you, mistah!) mark. i astound even myself, really. i'm not stopping, of course, more are pouring in as you speak. i certainly cannot imagine life next year, when bit torrent goes officially illegal. (of course, not ALL of my songs are 'illegally' obtained... only about 75%. heh.)

and so CAAS sends me a letter out of the blue, telling me that i'm an exceptional youth who is a leader in my chosen field and that i've been highlighted as a promising candidate with an excellent academic track record and that i should consider a career with them. right. just like the other 20492 people who they send letters out to. really, a waste of paper.

and after soccer today, i have another 3 joints which seem a little looser than before. when i reach 50, i'll no longer be walking very well, i'm quite sure of that. I'm really having second thoughts about playing competitive sports (especially rugby) in uni. what's it all worth, really?

so as new year's eve nears, who's already made plans?

and as christmas nears, who wants to be really really really nice and deliver some turkey/fruitcake/log cake/eggnog/presents to me in camp? you will get in return instant adoration and a really good puppydog eye imitation too. no, really!

- - - - - - - - - -

"i'll be home on christmas - if only in my dreams"
frank sinatra - i'll be home on christmas

2004-12-18T01:26:00.000+08:00

meat, glorious meat.
beef, lamp chops and chicken.
salmon, dory and squid.
fish, but still meat just like mutton.
(to the tune of food, glorious food, just in case you wondered.)

first buffet in a long time. expensive, but worthwhile.
and for some reason i continue to shrink.

- - - - - - - - - -

am i setting myself up for disappointment...?

- - - - - - - - - -

and the lesson of the day, folks?

interval training- God's way of telling you that slow and steady not only wins the race, it's much less painful too.

2004-12-17T21:32:00.000+08:00

this is terrible. bittorrent is coming down. i'm so finished.

2004-12-16T13:50:00.000+08:00

after our daily morning meeting (which, by the way, also pissed the crap out of me), my boss had lots of work to do. however, now all of us ('us' being those under him) have more work to do, and he's playing ping pong.

immensely. cheesed. off.

2004-12-16T01:08:00.000+08:00

so someone arrives at the blog looking for 'vin diesel routine workout'. niiice.

anyway, after the not-quite lunch and dinner (consisting totally of the balanced diet of icecream and chocolate) of yesterday, the supper today, and this nice little tupperware that now sits beside me, my healthy life is in tatters. not that i mind, really, i kinda forgot how sugar tasted like. dear miss PBB, if i go down, you're going with me! heh.

and anyway at this sorry excuse for a workplace, i'm trying to get down to work, which really is quite an unusual occurrance. countless late nights have taken their toll and the eyebags are all ready to stretch down to the floor. well, you wonder, if i don't really spend my nights doing work, then why the hell am i sleeping so late then? beats me. masochism is hard to explain.

and oddly, my hand seems to have taken a free rein on itself. it keeps reaching over for that tupperware...

2004-12-12T20:56:00.000+08:00

mental note to self: oatmeal and milk doesnt taste half as good as it sounds.
heck, it doesnt even sound good.

2004-12-10T01:11:00.000+08:00

the blue bar vol. 1
the blue bar vol. 2
hotel costes
hotel costes 5
dolve vita private members club guest list select

so who still wonders where all my money goes?
sigh. at least i enjoy them. heh.
and for those who still bother to frequent this cobwebby place, the main thing that's happened recently's been the computer crash, which wiped out everything i had. so now i'm starting all over again. perhaps that was the catalyst for all this new music. i've now got more sinatra than ever, and man do i enjoy his music (trini, you really should give him a try).
well that aside, it's almost christmas! but guess who's in camp for the whole of christmas (24th-26th!)? at least i get new year's eve out.
this week's been tiring, to say the least. lots to do at work. but the next few week's gonna get better; never thought i'd say it, but these 2 years really have passed by quickly. learnt a lot, changed a lot. whether for better or for worse, not for me to judge.
anyway i don't think i'll be writing much here in the near future, don't really have much on my mind (nothing of real interest anyway). however though, if my lips become numb after i remove my wisdoms, i'll remember to tell you.

2004-12-05T19:49:00.000+08:00

20gb of mp3s
7gb of whose line videos
20+gb of other videos (arrested development, SATC, snl, monty python, movies, etc)
4gb of photos

all gone.
yeah. i got screwed over.

2004-11-28T19:42:00.000+08:00

Public Service Announcement 2:

trini and ruiming do NOT look cute together at all! partly because trini was included in the pair. ruiming does look cute, but trini equalizes that. i repeat, trini and ruiming do NOT look cute together!

2004-11-28T19:26:00.000+08:00

The following is a Public Service Announcement sponsored by myself.

there is NOTHING at all with trini and ruiming. absolutely NOTHING at all. i dont know what possessed me to even insinuate that there was something. perhaps it was because they looked cute together. or maybe because.... nevermind. nonetheless, i feel that it is my responsibility to apologise for any grievance caused to trini or ruiming or their immediate family. once again, i repeat, i am a LIAR. there is NOTHING between trini and ruiming.

2004-11-27T20:57:00.000+08:00

sup yall. haven't been updating regularly in recent times. you know, the usual bunch of lame ass excuses. "oh my life's boring". "nothing much is happening anyway". "i cant think of anything to write". but it's all true, really!

anyway plans are underfoot for a trip to europe! woohoo. cannot wait. but anyway nothing's firm so i'll try not to get too excited, lest another phuket-trip-in-july04 happens again (for the uninformed, that was cancelled).

so here's where massive savings begin.

you didn't believe me there, right? ok unbelievable as it sounds, lim weiming now has a budget. so no, you're not getting any treats from me. however, i will not forget that janekohmeowjun still owes me lunch.

and in latest news, my computer at home just died (i'm in camp by the way). bother.

i'm bored stiff.

and incoherent.

i dream of europe.

and Ohhhhhhhhhhhh-ARrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

2004-11-23T17:57:00.000+08:00

have you heard? trini and ruiming...

2004-11-23T13:51:00.000+08:00

and so it's another boring (EDIT: turns out it wasnt so boring after all) day at work, but hey! today's my 20year8month 'birthday'. whatever. also, 1year10month since enlisting. and more importantly, it's 4months less one day from ORD. i can smelllllllll it cookin' already. if you thought you'd known delirium before this, be prepared for me, the day before my next birthday :)

the past week was great. fab. why? no work, all leave. phuture on wednesday was pretty good (save for the upset stomach), saturday at o bar was great, and sunday was just plain tiring. imagine going out drinking, then sleeping for 3 hours, before playing soccer for another 3 hours. as if playing soccer while semi-intoxicated wasnt enough, when i made it home, after a 15 minute nap i was dragged off to the gym and for dinner with my family (happy birthday mum!). upon reaching home, was dragged out to supper again (happy birthday yl!) and finally made it home to sleep at midnight. dont ask me how i do it, i just do it. the worst part of the week? the ending. and of course friday wasnt so fab either (you owe me :P).

and now i really wonder, what's gonna happen to me after i'm done with studies? it seems like my entire life so far's been mapped out already, and what follows each stage is all intuitive. primary school, sec school, jc, army, uni. so what happens then? get thrown into the wilderness to rot. it's a little overwhelming really (and geez, i havent even started on uni yet), i've got the end in mind, of course, who doesnt (get rich, get a hot wife, buy a bentley. perhaps those german physiks speakers too). but i'm not really sure of what happens in the middle. maybe i'll just take whatever comes along. maybe, but hopefully not.
i wonder how those entrepreneur types do it. it really takes a bit of cash and a whole lotta balls to start something you arent even sure of. and the success stories keep going round, you hear of sim wong hoo and creative, of breadtalk, and whatnot. but hardly anyone mentions the failures. i really wonder how many people got burnt and lie chest-deep in shit as i speak now. and i wonder too, if one day if i'd an idea, whether i'd have the guts to follow up on it. i hope i do, because boring, corporate life? not for me.

but heck. enough of this crap, i'd rather just enjoy the momeny for now -grin-. can you hear it in the distance? it's there, and it's calling for me...
ORD lohhhhhh...

(oh and ping, have you seen bae yong jun recently?)
(also also, anyone for zoukout?)

2004-11-22T19:40:00.000+08:00

ever felt like screaming at the top of your voice in frustration?
i do.

2004-11-20T20:41:00.000+08:00

temptation is...

2004-11-19T10:24:00.000+08:00

just wondering, what does the typical bored person do at home? or rather, what do YOU do at home on lazy days when you dont feel like going out or going to the gym or whatever. the computer starts to get boring, the tv never shows anything worthwhile, and the books, the books just bore you. so what do you do? i dunno, you tell me.

and also, anyone have any idea how the heck my alcohol intolerance came about? ever since the last time i got drunk, i've felt like puking anywhere near alcohol. and it's been like that for a week already. so someone please cure me, or just shoot me.

and oh, trini, you think YOU got conned into going back to hall. yeah. thanks mojo/jiet. (ROUND TWO!! mojo proclaims)

and now i know why people always say rest, rest and more rest is the most important thing to heal injuries. for ages i've wondered why my right wrist keeps hurting, like when i'm doing weights or some other thing which stresses the wrist. then recently i remembered a time back in sec 2 when i sprained my wrist in training, but went on training as normal. the wrist took like 2 months to finally heal, after getting reinjured a coupla times. and now i think it's a permanent injury. remedies, anyone? and not to mention, my knee joints are kinda screwed over already. and i've got a slightly rheumatic elbow to boot. i'm a walking talking injury shop.

2004-11-18T23:52:00.000+08:00

i want to binge!!!!!!!!!!!
must... resist... urge...

2004-11-14T17:33:00.000+08:00

since getting my shures, getting an amp, upgrading my cables, getting better headphones/earphones have been on my mind. everyday. and regular visits audio enthusiast forum www.head-fi.org, the urge gets stronger everyday.
must stop myself from spending more money.
must get myself away from those forums.
but somehow i think i'll end up getting an amp. and more. it's really quite addictive, like some other members described, as tasting the forbidden fruit, and then you keep going back for more. because, you've never got the best, there's always something better. well at least until you buy the Stax Omega II headphones (MSRP US$4030) and the matching Stax 007t Amp (MSRP US$2700). i dont see that happening anytime soon, nor do i see myself buying the German Physiks Tiebreak speakers (MSRP US$250000). so i'll just make do with little upgrades that give me that bit of happiness everytime.
man. i've got too many things to upkeep. my computer, my bike, my sound system, my wardrobe! all screaming at me for an upgrade. thank goodness for no girlfriend, or i'd be even more broke.
my bike needs a new front derailleur... my computer needs an overhaul...
sigh.

2004-11-09T22:26:00.000+08:00

just for those bored and interested in all the bush furore (kay, you too) here's 2 sites with 2 views -

59 Deceits in Fahrenheit 9/11
which, of course, is pro-bush and anti-michael moore. disputes many 'facts' in fahrenheit 9/11

and

Michael Moore's War Room
where michael moore posts factual evidence to support his claims in fahrenheit 9/11, and rebutts all the claims made in the afore-mentioned site.

and after all this reading, i still dont like bush

2004-11-07T23:45:00.000+08:00

oh, if anyone is interested in a complete and not so legal copy of Fahrenheit 9/11, feel free to ask me for it. it's 'only' 700mb.
i'm more than happy to educate the world on the 'competence' of the POTUS (President Of The United States).

2004-11-03T15:28:00.000+08:00

George W. Bush, this is YOUR life (and what you've done in your first few months in office):

- reduced spending on libraries
- reduced funding (by 50%!) into renewable energy sources
- reduced funding into cleaner, more efficient vehicles
- reduced governmental power in acting against companies that violate federal and environmental laws, and workplace safety standards
- approval for opening of national monuments for foresting, and oil and gas drilling
- broken promises in rain forest preservation
- reduced care for people without health insurance among public hospitals, clinics and other health care providers (by 86%!)
- pulled out of the 1997 Kyoto protocol agreement on global warming (which was signed by 178 other countries)
- rejected an international accord to enforce the 1972 treaty banning germ warfare
- cut $200million from workforce training program for dislocated workers
- cut $200million from childcare and development grant, which provides childcare to low income families
- cut $700million from public housing repairs
- cut $500million from the environmental protection agency's budget
- overturned workplace ergonomic rules designed to protect workers' health and safety
- broke campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide emissions
- announced plans to allow oil drilling in montana's lewis and clark national forest
- enforced a tax cut (43% of which only benefits the wealthiest 1% of america)
- pushed for a bill making it harder for poor and middle class americans to file for bankruptcy
- cut $15.7million from programs dealing with child abuse and neglect
- proposed elimination of program which gives free books to poor children
- tried to reverse regulation protecting 60million acres of national forest from logging and road building
- proposed development of mini-nukes, which violate comprehensive teest ban treaty
- canceled 2004 deadline for auto makers to develop prototype high-mileage cars
- sought dismissal of a class-action lawsuit filed in the states against japan by asian women forced to work as sex slaves in WW2.
- proposed selling of oil and gas tracts in the alaska wildlife preserve

and as if destroying the environment wasnt enough, you've proved your excellent intellect and command of language too.
- your favourite childhood book? "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". (published the year after you graduated from college)
- your grades at college? a 'C' average. and you had the cheek to tell a graduating class at Yale that "a C student could be President of the United States too".

and how about some quotable quotes?
"..they misunderestimated me..."
"..the question is, is our children learning?"
"..more and more of our imports are coming from overseas.."
"i'm not a tree, i'm a bush."

more importantly, what's all this monkey business with the arabs?
- according to reports, your very first oil venture was funded in part by the bin Ladens
- the bin Ladens, too, have been investors in your father's company, the Carlyle Group
- when september 11 happened, you allowed a private chartered jet to fly around the US to pick up nearly 2 dozen members and associates of the bin Laden family and take them out of the country without conducting any serious interrogations on them
- in 1997, the taliban leaders flew to texas to discuss the building of a pipeline across afghanistan. feasibility studies were conducted by Enron (your largest campaign contributors) and one of the involved companies was halliburton (chaired by Dick Cheney). it didn't happen, eventually, but
- when the taking over of afghanistan was complete, you installed a former oil company consultant as the 'interim leader'. within a few months, a new deal was signed to build that pipeline
- at least 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9-11 were saudis. yet you bombed afghanistan. maybe it's because
- saudis supply 25% of USA's gasoline and contains so many of your dad's business partners?
- maybe that's why the saudi embassy is one of the only embassies in the US to have the secret service watching over it.
- and what really were your intentions in bombing iraq? and now that you know there aren't any WOMD there, why are your troops still there?

america, you voted, and this is your leader. there're many more facts i've got around, i'm just too lazy to dig em up. (i dont think i've enough space either.) true, Kerry may not be the solution to all your problems, but at least i think he'd be an improvement.

at the time of writing, Bush leads Kerry 269-242 (projection by Foxnews.com). with new mexico, nevada and iowa looking firmly in Bush's favour, i guess this is your choice, america. and this time, he didn't even have to cheat(too much) to win.
but of course, Fox always projects in Bush's favour. (after all, the person in charge of its election coverage, John Ellis is his first cousin) so there's still hope.

(disclaimer: this are all the writer's own views, with facts supplemented by various film and writing by Michael Moore. please don't sue me)

2004-10-30T19:37:00.000+08:00

oh how the ass hurts after 2 days of running followed by a day of volleyball and a day of soccer..

2004-10-28T23:33:00.000+08:00

omg. drew carey is an absolute genius. after whose line is it anyway comes the green screen show, and it's an absolute riot... looks like my computer tv time is gonna be filled with a new show now...

2004-10-28T01:07:00.000+08:00

and after a crappy morning, today soon turned into feel-good day, and all it took was one simple act. a blind man was at toa payoh interchange, trying to find his way around. and i helped him around without having to be asked, or waiting for another person to help him. yeap, good deeds do make you feel good. it's actually the second time i've helped a blind person at that exact same place, odd eh?

and also, feeling good (well not really) about giving the smartest ever (so i declare) remark to an insurance agent to chase them off.

but still, everytime i think of work, i get put off. sigh.

2004-10-25T22:32:00.000+08:00

seems like this place has been turned into an avenue where people read(?) about my grievances with the army. i was tempted once again today, but i shall spare you, my faithful readers. yes, all two of you.

i shan't rant about mike riley and the arsenal match either, no use crying over spilt milk. but i sure hope van nistelrooy gets a hefty ban and fine, that really was a cynical foul on ashley cole.

in fact, i don't even know why i'm writing anything now. probably because i'm in camp, and i've got nothing to do at 10:41pm. oh but you've already heard all of that before too.

so i've decided that this shall be a cleverly disguised plan to get my reader(s) to talk to me. perhaps leave a comment or two (hint hint) telling me what they think, or that they think nothing at all, or perhaps how good looking i am. whatever it is, do drop me a line, i'm bored stiff here, at least something'll keep me occupied in the day.
provided my boss doesnt screw me over again. oh there i go again, couldn't resist it could i.

2004-10-24T01:05:00.000+08:00

to encourage people to eat healthy, shouldnt they make health food cheaper than junk food? because since it already tastes worse, having it so much more expensive doesnt help much either! the world's against having healthy people.
i think everyone will reach a point when they've eaten enough junk food and just get sick of it. i think i've reached that point (ok judging by the 6 packs of bee bee i ate a coupla days ago, i've gotta be kidding myself). well sort of anyway, since in the past few months i've been watching my diet very carefully. and you know what? i really do feel a lot better than before. many benefits are tangible; i'm more energetic - while i used to take afternoon naps all the time before, nowadays i can last through a whole day doing work. i feel fitter, and have no problems motivating myself (even to go for runs, which yes, i absolutely detest). those who dont believe me, come see for yourself ;). so to you who is holding that pack of twistie's (baked not fried!), drop it right now and get yourself a life, literally.
of course that's not to say i don't enjoy my food, i do treat myself to the occasional pack of m&m's, and i eat tidbits in moderation (best done by stealing from friends, you can't possibly eat that much!). but really, healthy and good tasting food is everywhere, you just have to make the effort to find it.

jeez, i sound like a nag even to myself.

and desmond>> the author's dave barry, i believe.

i love my shures!

2004-10-21T17:33:00.000+08:00

bad, bad day.

need i say more?

2004-10-17T20:51:00.000+08:00

i still cant stop thinking about the blue bar cd. maybe i should just go and buy it. but i really should save. ah heck. i need a second job.
now what is it about people and money. there's never enough to go around, so we're all just unhappy about it. not that i'm not guilty of it, it's just a flaw i'd think majority of us should get rid of.

ok. here's a coupla things i should get done by the end of this year.
1. improve my posture!
2. start saving for when i won't have an income.
3. get my work done on time.

speaking of point 3. i really should get down to that. i've found that out about myself recently, due to the amount of work that's been coming my way. when i've got work to do, i either do it really well, or i just dont do it at all until i get forced to (usually the stuff i dont like very much). well i'm glad to announce that i take great pride in my work, and what work i finish usually draws praise, but no use in that when half of my work's undone/overdue. i gotta stop procrastinating. and start doing the work i dont like.
and i gotta get rid of the bad posture7 that i developed from young. i've put in effort to sit straight recently and i think my posture's improved already.
so basically, i just gotta stop being a slouch. in all senses of the word.

you know, i think it's amazing how many things that happen in our childhood have an impact when we grow older. what they say about those years being 'formative' years are totally true, imo. a lot of us dont realise it, but many of our physical traits are not totally genetic.
i think i should have sung more when i was younger! i really think it does make a difference, eric tsang's the perfect example! he wasnt born with the voice, he said it was because when he was young and sang songs with his friends, he was always made to sing the female parts, and that's why his voice never broke. i love music, i love singing, but my vocal range just dont cut it. but well i'll live with what i have.

that said, i think we all simply dont appreciate what we already have.

2004-10-17T01:44:00.000+08:00

bad coupla days at work. everything at work is just pissing me off. last minute changes which give little notice for us to manouvre. people cancelling on me at the last moment. my boss. how much can a guy take? and my boss isn't the only culprit this time. it's been endless work since 1pm friday. work sleep and work again. on a bloody weekend too. not that i shirk my work, but doing others' work all the time frustrates. i need to rip someone's head off.
thank God i'm leaving this shithole soon, because the place is really falling apart now, and there's little i, nor anyone else at my level can do about it. we've done our best to keep the ship afloat, but if the captain doesn't want to steer, we're got no direction ultimately.

bad, bad day.

2004-10-16T01:09:00.000+08:00

fridays at work are supposed to be relaxed.

2004-10-14T18:36:00.000+08:00

does anyone know of any shops that stock high-end headphones/earphones. actually just earphones would do fine since i've already got headphones. because the only one i know of now is hung brothers at sim lim, and that doesnt give me much bargaining power.
(by high-end i dont mean sony! more along the lines of shure and etymotics. sennheiser too but they dont make good earphones.)

2004-10-12T21:30:00.000+08:00

and it's been a week
since i last wrote anything
here it gets boring

- - - - - - - - - -

wow a haiku.
and now, a sonnet.

- - - - - - - - - -

i'd like to proclaim
that my job's a great joy
but there's really no aim
other than eating chips ahoy

working in green
doesn't work for me
it's always been
a pain can't you see

in recent times, these days
i get really bored
i want to get out of this place
i want to ord.
(ok i know it doesnt really rhyme, but it does if you read it out as ord as in odd.
really!)

oh can't you see
i want to ORD.
(now that's a rhyme)

- - - - - - - - - -

yeah. i'm bored. 5 months seems like ages away, but i know it's almost here. i mean, it's only like, half a year. and that's really really really short. come on, help me kid myself. but i really need a holiday! who wants to go overseassssssssss???

anyway who has a lucky number that'll win me some 4d. singapore pools seems to keep going against me, whether it's soccer betting, 4d, toto or big sweep. i bought 3227 the other day, and they happily came up with 3207 in the consolation prizes, and then 3247 as the first prize the next draw. whoopee.

2004-10-06T22:04:00.000+08:00

and finally, the big 10k. (in hits, of course.)

and to those who didnt believe me when i said i'd strike big sweep, ha! guess what??? you were right.

anyway today was quite a crap day as i found out that i'm not getting my understudy anymore, because my boss is taking him to be his 2IC. which kinda sucks, but i guess i should've expected it. and well i shant bitch anymore about my boss, since i've done enough of that, and since i know that 2 people who share the same boss also read my blog, eh daniel/guonan?

so it's gonna be another -at least- 2 months of slogging away. today wasnt a particularly good day, having had a puke-inducing headache for much of the day, and then right at the end of the day being shot a huge arrow with a 24hr deadline. story of my life. maybe i should just go to some corner and hide and sob to myself.

in other news, the earth has just crashed into the sun. oh wait, that's tomorrow's news.

2004-10-02T19:51:00.000+08:00

i realise what my blog needs more of. pictures! but i'm currently stuck in a place that shall remain unnamed so that'll have to wait for another day.

meanwhile, i'm getting that itch again. the one that strikes every month. it makes me so uncomfortable, i might even turn cranky sometimes. yes it's that time of the month again.
i need to shop.

2004-09-28T22:56:00.000+08:00

if there's one skill i've really built on since joining the army, it's gotta be smoking out. how else could i have avoided, evaded, pushed away, taichi-ed my way out of trouble, even after pushing to october an event that i promised back in march to organise in may? even through monthly meetings where it's brought up, i've never been chided once for it. not bad eh. oh don't get me wrong i do get my work done, but i just dislike doing stuff that i find useless, ie. this.
so once again i escaped from todays meeting without any bad comments aimed my way, and went one better, even getting a 'good, keep it up' from my CO. but well smoke only gets you that far, so it's gonna get done, 5 months from its due date.

now, i really really hope my CO doesnt read my blog.

2004-09-27T23:35:00.000+08:00

yet another gaffe by a celeb, this time jamie yeo.
"...this letter says support the yellow ribbon project! which is against piracy, right?"
yeah, right.

anyway to those of you who are more informed, please do buy a ribbon, and raise greater awareness. it's only $1.

also, a bit of advertising for shiyi. party at rouge, 1st october, it's a friday. r&b and hip-hop all night long (thankfully, none of that shit that they played the last time i was there). 18bucks for tix, with 2 compli drinks. 1-for-1 all night long. entry before midnight except for presale tix.
so who's going? i'm keen if you are.

2004-09-23T22:12:00.000+08:00

to date, i have 34 episodes of whose line is it anyway and 75 more short clips. with 16 more episodes on the way, i've got to be the hardest-laughing person around. rock on!

update: it's now 35 episodes and 147 assorted clips. dont ask me how. :)

2004-09-21T17:05:00.000+08:00

how long can you take working with a boss that's crap? well i cant take much more. let me tell you more about my dear boss.

i just had a change in boss back in may. and before my previous boss left, he gave us a warning about the incoming guy, and told us to help him as much as we could. and well we
heard he was bad, but we had no idea he was this bad.

when things first started out it wasnt so bad. but then things got worse worse. apparently he'd decided that a 5 day week for civil servants was the logical way to go long before our dear PM decided so; it wasnt late in july when he stopped appearing on saturdays for work. reason quoted? flexi, ie the saf's flexible benefit scheme for regulars which grants them ONE long weekend every month.

then he decided to go on holiday for 8 days in august. and while we werent exactly relishing the prospect of doing double work for 8 days, he comes and drops us more bombs by taking 2 days mc before the 8 days holiday, and when we expected him to be back, surprise surprise, 2 more days of mc.

which then started off the 2 day mc (let's call it 2dm for convenience's sake) rubbish. he's one of the fittest people around. he can run his 2.4km in 8:30 pretty easily. and yet he takes 2dm's about once every 2 weeks. sometimes once a week. that's a 3-day work week! looks like he's always gotta better what the saf gives him.

3 weeks ago he was on a 2dm on monday and tuesday. not so bad you think, until we found out he'd been out bowling on sunday and monday with a certain member from the logistics branch. then we receive intelligence that he had a chalet on from last friday till yesterday, tuesday. so there along we went, making side bets on when he'd be taking mc. well he did come in on friday, albeit late (he was spotted out at marina late thursday night). but after 3pm mysteriously no one could locate him. and yesterday morning at 4am he smsed his assistant, and guess what? 2dm.

it wouldnt be so bad if he got his job done, but he does shit and then pushes all his work down to his subordinates, ie me. and when things dont go so well, he dares to scold us. now we just await the day he gets charged for malingering and discharged from the army and maybe we'll get a proper boss.

now you know how people with little education and zero work ethic earn money and buy cars. join the army, it's the way to go.
not that all army people are crap though, my ex-boss was the shiznit, you'll never see a person who works as hard as he does.

also, if you want some jewellery, go visit www.pinkmeadows.com which is something set up by sharon eliz and a couple of their friends. and also go re-vote for sharon in camp babe 2004 because she got into the finals!

ALSO, how's the new look yall. better?

2004-09-16T21:07:00.000+08:00

am i the only one who's crazy over the latest olympus adverts?
i absolutely adore jeon ji hyun.

2004-09-13T23:39:00.000+08:00

i cannot believe that the end's finally come.

thanks for the memories. i'll miss you, my dear f.r.i.e.n.d.s.

2004-09-12T20:32:00.000+08:00

i remember, quite a while ago, after miss universe 2004 when i read on pet's blog on how crap michelle chong was as a host. having not caught the show myself, i hadn't really experienced it first hand so i couldn't really pass judgement myself. and so today, whilst stuck in camp i'm watching the president's star charity, with who else but michelle chong as one of the co-hosts. while i may not be quite the eloquent writer that pet is, i shan't mince my words. michelle chong is abysmal as a host.
i quote:
"...since her operation she has been an encouraging source of encouragement..." (gee whiz)
"...since you're from taiwan, i know you speak taiwanese..."
am i ever glad it's a serious occasion and she's shying away from telling any jokes.

2004-09-12T08:39:00.000+08:00

Main Entry: metrosexual
Function: noun
Definition: a young, urban and usually heterosexual male who is concerned with fashion, food and grooming.

doesnt sound so bad in definition does it? but usually when us normal people use it the word reeks of gay.

i really wonder why i still blog. i dont feel the urge to anymore. maybe i'll rediscover the 'joy' again someday.

2004-09-08T08:02:00.000+08:00

and a morning not for the squeamish. i was out in the laundry area getting my clothes, when suddenly i felt a sickening crrrunch beneath my bare feet. and voila, creme de la escargot.
then later on in the kitchen whilst preparing my breakfast, i was un-doing a knot in the rubbish bag so i could dump some stuff. out popped a lizard, which ran onto my hand, hopped off and ran off. now i am one who has always wondered why some girl friends of mine are so afraid of lizards, and i actually think the things are pretty cute. but i admit rather abashedly that the softest of "eeps" escaped my lips then.
add this to the dead cockroach i stepped on yesterday (barefoot, of course), and well, i'm just about ready for fear factor now.

2004-09-08T01:27:00.000+08:00

and when my smile gets old and faded
wait around i'll smile again
shouldn't be so complicated
just hold me and then
just hold me again

2004-09-02T23:28:00.000+08:00

help. spending spree mood again. got myself these:

gotan project's la revancha del tango

stephane pompougnac's hotel costes quatre

and my biggest splurge in some time...

say hello to my new a-wires.

geez somebody stop me.
but anyway i realised today that the "that cd shop" at pacific plaza is way way cool. i wouldnt have paid that much attention to it if sous de soleil hadnt been blasting from its sound systems. so i'm out on a limb to get myself a vip card there. i need about a $100 worth of cds to buy above what i'm gonna get myself... anyone need help getting cds? next up for me's this 3cd compilation of songs from the blue bar... 90 bucks but sounds real good. gotta.... stop... spending...

2004-08-29T21:14:00.000+08:00

i recall back when i was in jc, how jane once told me she wondered how many people would be at her funeral (choy). and how rachel was saying(on a separate occasion) that she'd want people to be laughing at her funeral, she'd record down a videotape of herself before she went and then they'd play it at a funeral and maybe she'd tell a joke or two, and of course they'd play disney songs and so on. i confess, at the time it all sounded a bit odd, talking about death as though we were octagenarians approaching our time.
i thought about it today (dont ask me how come), and i think i'd actually prefer the rachel way, so to speak, rather than the traditional chinese way with the big brouhaha (which, as i found out from my gp tutor, IS a real word, believe it or not) going on and hiring people to form a small entourage mourning the recently departed. are tears really the best way to show you miss a person? i've always delighted in making people laugh, and i think that when i do leave, that's how i'd like to have them: laughing. sure, the odd tear or two will come, but to quote the age old cliche, i'd be in a better place by then.
and back to jane's comment, i believe there was a time when only close friends and family were privy to funerals. now it seems like every father's son (and mother's daughter too) attends others' funerals for pretty frivolous reasons.
"oh i knew his friend's friend."
"oh i'm just here for the lunch."
"oh i quite fancy his daughter."
but well i think i'd prefer mine to be a private one with just the close group of pals and family.

odd topic today, funerals, but well it just shot to mind. am very tired now, but true to my masochistic self, i shall keep myself awake for no apparent reason.

2004-08-28T21:06:00.000+08:00

so another day of my life passes by without any real meaning, the most tiring part of the day being my daily ritual of a verbal battle with the ever-so-unfriendly trini. even that didn't last as everyone slowly disappeared to mind their own business. so all i could do? look forward to the next meal. if you've ever talked to me whilst i was in camp, you should have the faintest idea how much i love it in here. if you don't see the sarcasm in this, you probably qiao sher-err all the time when you speak chinese. maybe you have an unshaven moustache too. or go for late night runs in your nightie.
but enough jibes at my favourite country already.

i dont know if i'm weird, but i deal a lot in the 2nd hand goods market here. ok i make it sound more glamorous than it really is. what i mean is, i often buy and sell stuff 2nd hand, online to and from anonymous persons. my mum always warns me against it, telling me that there's no telling what faults might be in the item that i'm getting, since i don't have much time to test it, and there's no real warranty on it. what's more, a lot of the time i don't know much of the previous owner's idiosyncracies and eccentricities. like maybe he used his sunglasses to dig his nose. or something.
but heck, good deals are good deals and i'm more than willing to take a risk since a lot of the time i can get things at near half-price. and nothing's blown up in my face as yet. but well, if you see me sometime wearing a t shirt that you once saw faustina wearing, dont tell me.

and as i speak, man utd trails blackburn 0-1. eat dust, mancunians. it's like 1994/95 all over again.

well this place is old
it feels just like a beat up truck
i turn the engine but the engine doesnt turn

2004-08-25T21:19:00.000+08:00

rain, glorious rain. dont we all love playing in the rain. well not if i were in my 5-foot deep trench. nor in brunei, having not eaten for 4 days. but anyhow, the bit of time i spent in the rain today was almost therapeutic. i do love rain.

2004-08-22T22:10:00.000+08:00

a little tribute to my #1 hero(ine) at the moment.

heck, she may not have won anything in the end, but she sure captured the imagination of the nation. she's a fab player, and i'm sure she'll go on to greater things.
i wonder, if ronald susilo and her do get married, what sport would their child play?

and anyway, for those in need of some good, quiet music to brood to, go check out zero 7. i especially like 'distractions' and 'destiny'. also check out 'somersault'. excellent stuff.

one last thing. bush or kerry? i'm for kerry, but only because i think bush is a fool.

2004-08-19T08:58:00.000+08:00

let me in
to see you in the morning light
to get me on and all along the tears they come
see all come
i want you to believe in life
but i get the strangest feeling that you've gone away
will you find out who you are too late to change?
i wish i could be
every little thing you wanted
all the time
i wish i could be
every little thing you wanted
all the time
some times.

2004-08-17T21:50:00.000+08:00

my 2 favourite quotes from the book i've currently got my nose stuck in
"everyone knows they're going to die, but no one believes it"
"once you learn how to die, you learn how to live"
not so meaningful out of context, but if you've read the book, you'll know.

2004-08-14T10:21:00.000+08:00

i swear, i'm going to get myself some curtains for my room. my bloody windows face the east, so 9.30, and i can't get back to sleep. yeah, even though i slept at 4.30 last night. growl.

2004-08-11T21:46:00.000+08:00

so today as i was off to work, i felt around my right trouser pocket and realised the single most crucial thing, which we never fail to take for granted, was missing. the little handphone, which was but an extravagance 10 years ago, has slowly crept into our lives and become so essential that i immediately about-turned and headed for home, never mind if i was late to camp. i really wonder how they lived 30 years ago, without handphones, pagers or the internet. leave me for a day without my handphone and i feel stranded, seemingly detached from the rest of the world, ever worrying if someone's trying to contact me. oh and what if it's the pretty girl i fancy, maybe she'll give up thinking i haven't got the hots for her after all. i'm pretty sure i dont only speak for myself.
imagine 10 years ago, and you're supposed to be meeting a friend in an hour, but something just crops up and suddenly you can't make it. i guess we gotta be thankful for handphones, no matter what critics say about it. (not that i know of any critics)

today's Singapore Idol was a lot better than the first episode, imho. while it wasn't nearly as funny, it was certainly a lot more moving. i'd never expected that a show like this could touch me, but when the deaf lady came on and did what she did, i was just speechless. she didn't have to be good. she didn't even have to carry a tune. but what she did showed great courage, and i'm so glad that she's shown everyone how deaf people really are every bit as capable as the next person.
the malay guy who lost his dad also brought a tear to the eye, you really can't help but feel for him. i'm glad i watched the show today, because i love music for what it does, and today these people showed me and reinforced for me my belief in the power of music.
cheers to dick lee and ken lim, i'd thought they were absolute dickheads for trying to imitate simon cowell so much. i still dont think much of them, but their comments to the 2 above-mentioned contestants as well as the singer with a speech defect at least swung me more to their sides. but i still think florence lian's a real bitch with nothing good to say. and she needs an opinion of her own man, it's like she's a caustic paula abdul.

2004-08-09T21:56:00.000+08:00

mm. there's talent in singapore after all. and they dare to step out. looks like i was wrong after all. i'd always thought singapore idol would be a failure because singaporeans are too shy to come out of their shells even if they had the talent, but apparently the un-shyness spreads evenly everywhere, giving rise to people like kelvin sim. in case you've forgotten, that would be lemon tree dude. oh how about steven lim, our dear eyebrow-plucker cum stripper. go visit his website at www.stevenlim.net. and hear him gush about himself.

ok now just a quick survey of sorts. at the pool in the club: trunks or shorts? for guys of course. trunks seem to be the choice at public pools, but i figure the culture at private clubs are different from public pools. but well it doesnt really matter eh? just some whimsical thing on my mind.

oh and had a bbq with some old friends yesterday. glad to know that while we're all already 20, we're still 12 at heart. never hurts to be childish once in a while eh.

2004-08-06T12:47:00.000+08:00

havent blogged in a while. what's been up folks?
well been through the usual routine recently, with the addition of the dreaded ippt (somewhat similar to napfa, for the uninformed) for me. now, i really really hate running. absolutely detest, eschew, abhor running. to me it's just another form of torture for the body. you're in constant pain and struggling for breath, and you still gotta keep going. well it's the same for most sports, but running seems to have no aim to it, and you move so slowly that you dont see much scenery either. which is why i much prefer cycling.
so anyway to get a gold you've gotta run below 9:45 for the 2.4km run, which was rather the norm for about 70% of the people in ocs, where i was a year ago. but as it goes for that 70%, after commissioning, most of what we do consists of sitting on our backsides all day in air-conditioned rooms, with majority of our exercise coming from pushing through crowds in phuture. so imagine my surprise when i came in at 9:42. not such a big deal to most, but well it's 200 bucks for me. hohoho.

just yesterday whilst in the gym, i was just wondering: why on earth do we put ourselves through such torture. cant we all just be lazy and fat and with ugly bodies. but i thought again, and i think that'll never happen.

also just past is my 1 and a half year anniversary in ns, which isnt so much of a celebration of the length i've served, but more the length i've left to serve. woohoo. i smell liberation just round the corner.

2004-07-29T21:55:00.000+08:00

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.

2004-07-23T19:28:00.000+08:00

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.

2004-07-19T21:24:00.000+08:00

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.

2004-07-13T21:03:00.000+08:00

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.

2004-07-12T21:46:00.000+08:00

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.

2004-07-10T18:16:00.000+08:00

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)

2004-07-08T00:02:00.000+08:00

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.

2004-07-02T12:19:00.000+08:00

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.

2004-06-27T23:47:00.000+08:00

i just got knocked down by a car while cycling. (sukuen and euming i know you read this so shhh. dont tell mum) haha. anyway, was some kok, and i cannot emphasise this more, lady driver. thankfully nothing serious, and woot, i get to claim something too, since it was totally her fault. but well, was another first for me. i'm quite thankful there wasnt a car behind her, because that'd have been pretty catastrophic as far as i'm concerned.

so i learnt a few things today:

1. a lot of drivers dont know how fast cyclists can really go. i was going at 35kmh and this woman happily overtook me from behind and tried to turn left when i was already at the junction.

2. i care too much for my bike. when i fell and hit the ground the first thought to my mind was "shit i hope my bike's all right".

3. the driver who hits the person's actually the more gan jiong person in most cases. most cases, if i may repeat myself. thankfully, this particular driver was a really nice lady.

4. lady drivers. 'nuff said.

2004-06-26T13:57:00.000+08:00

going by weiming's theory of dumb sounding names, tonight, holland will be knocked by sweden.

why? 2 days ago england was outplayed by portugal. yesterday, it was france's turn to get shocked by greece. now note the similarities.

2 days ago, it was ying2 ge4 lan3. yesterday, fa2 lan3. therefore, by weiming's theory of dumb sounding names, today, it will be hor2 lan3's turn to be ousted.

i expect some commission coming from your winnings.

2004-06-25T05:36:00.000+08:00

beckham ought to be shot. along with eriksson.

2004-06-23T00:42:00.000+08:00

went to watch chronicles of riddick today, dont ask me why, the movie was chosen for me. surprisingly, for a vin diesel show, it was actually pretty all right... your typical vin diesel saves the world kinda flick. and to quote a coupla people, quite a few parts of the show were actually pretty riddick-ulous. all the blurred out fighting scenes and how riddick is somehow resistant to being burnt by a 700 degree sun. but ah well, we do need a brainless action flick once in a while dont we.

it's been a typically uneventful week for me, save for last sunday's runway cycling, held at my very own base. sad feeling, being so gian to join the cycle, but having to perform duties like walking around the area looking at roller blading chicks while pretending to be watching out for security breaches. twas pretty enlightening too, my guys were media escorts, and the media are one humsup bunch of people. apart from the 'serious' pictures and videos that they took (for actual print and screening), the rest of their time was spent taking photos of pretty girls (for the photographers) or even better, interviewing them. so now you know.

so after a day of drooling at gorgeous bikes, it was back to mundane old routine: eat sleep drink shit. however, there was a really important takeaway that i had from this event:

blading babes look better than cycling chicks.

2004-06-17T23:47:00.000+08:00

just an add on to tirni's latest post.

*ping~• given a high dosage of OT and a mad ping evolves says:
IM NOT A BIMBO
weiming. money fly far far away. says:
oh really
weiming. money fly far far away. says:
so
weiming. money fly far far away. says:
who's pin guan's brother?
*ping~• given a high dosage of OT and a mad ping evolves says:
wu yin?

gee whiz.

2004-06-17T21:35:00.000+08:00

ok. i suddenly need cash. how does one go about finding people to give tuition to? alternatively, who has lobangs for some jobs i can moonlight for... like maybe twice or thrice a week?

2004-06-16T12:09:00.000+08:00

Pistons 100-87 Lakers
(Pistons win series 4-1)

well the lakers never looked like winning anyway... the only game they won was out of luck too. should've been a 4-0 whitewash.

hahah and it's a sports-filled month. i like. and woot. i'm actually saving money. i havent touched my bank accound since 6th june. pretty amazing. well i just touched it again. to top up my ez link card, so it's not really counted heh. better start saving man i'm gonna have 2 months less of ns pay... that's $2400! anyone got good lobang for jobs?!? because i really need one... especially from march next year all the way till july. dont think they'll move the uni admissions earlier lah. a little difficult to plan that.

2004-06-15T19:43:00.000+08:00

i dont think there's a single guy below 21 who's not happy now. all of a sudden my life next march to may looks a lot more free than it did yesterday.

2004-06-14T04:34:00.000+08:00

England 1 - 2 France

what a match. the uefa champion's league final of 1999 revisited.

2004-06-13T09:12:00.000+08:00

in camp on a sunday yet again. well at least i got my trusty bed and a bit of anglo-french rivalry to keep me up. well after the letdown by portugal last night let's hope les bleus and monsieur henry restore some sort of parity to this competition.

What Princess are you? by CAsoftballchick8
your name
Princess name	Jasmine
princess location	Underwater Castle
Color of princess main Dress	purple
princess Attitude	daring
princess Secret Wish	to wake up

wowee. yeah. i'm that bored.
oh lookey, it's 9.25am. time for bed.

2004-06-09T20:59:00.000+08:00

i finally went for a run and had a mini-workout yesterday, and surprisingly, i'm not that unfit. shocking. oh well. shall now return to rotting in my, sedentary lifestyle.

hurhur. hurhurhur. ok i really cant think of anything to write. so i shall just put this up.

Your True Nature by llScorpiusll
Username
The quality that most appeals to you:	Being exceedingly good-looking.
In a survival situation, you:	Are still ridiculously good-looking.
Your hidden talent is:	Being staggeringly good-looking.
Your gift is:	Being really really good-looking.
In groups, you:	Are the most unbelievably good-looking person.
Your best quality is:	Your ability to be absurdly good-looking.
Your weakness is:	You are too good-looking.

i couldnt believe my results when i first saw them! these tests really are so accurate nowadays! they like totally read my mind or something. i think they've got spies around here man.

...

ok seriously these were the results lah.

Your True Nature by llScorpiusll
Username
The quality that most appeals to you:	High Social Status / Wealth
In a survival situation, you:	Freak out
Your hidden talent is:	Discrimination
Your gift is:	Fearlessness
In groups, you:	Are the center of attention
Your best quality is:	Your sense of humour
Your weakness is:	Your laziness

surprisingly (i seem to be surprised quite a lot eh), quite a bit of it's true. like the laziness part. and i think discrimination might be one of my greater talents (those who've heard me bitch, you might know). i definitely do not freak out though. the rest well i guess yall can judge. some mere coincidence thought methinks. hurhur.

btw, where've all my readers gone! haha. holidays seem to have pulled everyone away. but lookey! 5000 hits. hurhur.

oh and i'm no donkey or goat by the way.

2004-06-07T22:02:00.000+08:00

i think i'm in love.

isn't she the sweetest thing?
too bad thomas made the move before me.

anyway came back from another day with the hearing impaired, and they're really growing on me... all so adorable... haha. apart from getting to interact with them, also managed to have lots of fun with a couple of friends.

lotsa quirky stuff going on.

the kids really hit a soft spot. you really cant help but feel for them. when we were their age we were all running around yelling like little rascals; they'd like to do that to, but it'll never be the same, they wont be able to do what we can. and it's sad, because so many of us take for granted what we have. i'm willing to wager that those kids would give anything for their hearing. anyway what i mean to say is, we just dont appreciate things that we have till they're gone. and i think that's really, really wrong.

so my long long weekend's finally ended; sadly, my army life is still existent and it's back to work for me tomorrow. ah well. i've got little more than 11 months to go to freedom. for now i just need to dig out time to spend with friends.