The Singapore Idler

Red Red Red

2007-08-14T07:33:00.001-07:00

REFEREE KAYU!

IT's me again at the NDP this year!..

All thanks to STOMP for giving me a pair of tickets to the new NDP venue. @ the Largest floating platform in the WORLD (not another Singapore first...)

I had a field day taking pictures and had the chance to utilize my friend's Canon Zoom Lens (70-200m f4L).. With IMAGE STABILIZER! Which explains why I have so many people shots.

Overall a good show, I especially liked the military segment: F16 Fighting Falcons screaming overhead, Apache helicopter manoeuvres, Commandos jumping off the bridge, Divers jumping into the water from the Chinooks, Coast guard boats doing donuts!... after that it got boring... hehe...

Observation: After the show, the stadium was clean, almost spotless.. unlike other NDPs where there was trash everywhere, people picked up after themselves. Perhaps Singaporeans want to keep their new stadium clean? Strange but I have no idea.

BTW, I hope i win the lucky draw for disposing my trash! when are the results out?

For more pictures: http://flickr.com/photos/thesingaporeidler/

Same Same But Different

2007-06-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

The date is 26 June 2007 - it's half past Midnight

I lead an average Joe life with an average Joe job, sometimes meeting up with my average Joe friends after work for a coffee and a I take an average Joe bus home to my average Joe home.

Switch on my avergae Joe computer and start chatting with my friends... and to my shock / surprise my friend reveals to me that she has read the WHOLE of my blog cos' she couldn't sleep one night.

"All about me 101" ...

Some conclusions are drawn about the kind of person I am.

Thankfully nothing incriminating or too embarrasing is uncovered. I look back at my entries with some amusement and humour.

Did I write all that crap?

It was all good.

I then remember a time, before this blog, vaguely.. that the material I wrote was rather depressing, this "alarmed" my friends who used words like "deep" to describe the content. This prompted a quick change and I deleted everything and wrote the happy stuff on my blog to keep people and myself entertained.

Since then I've never looked back,

Now I try hard to recall what I used to write about... is it a good thing that I have forgotten? Should I let the past be past?

- it's raining outside.. Cats and Dogs x 1,000,0000

Made in Singapore

2006-08-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Just like every other year... This Year's NDP was a blast! However, this would have been, the last time it's held at the Kallang Stadium. It's sad to know that the stadium is being torn down to make way for a bigger better one. Afterall many of us grew up with the stadium, I remember the days of the Kallang Wave and fans chanting "OLE.. Ole-Ole- Ole" when my Dad brought us to see the Lions play in the Malaysia Cup matches.

Well, with progress comes change and we have to accept these changes with an open mind and a positive attitude as our Island matures a little - by another year.

Happy Birthday Singapore!

PS. this year's NDP picture set can be viewed at this link, Enjoy!

Not Enough Sleep!

2006-07-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

How much is enough sleep? In the Army, a minimum of Seven hours is the magic number (as spelt out in the training doctrine). In University, 3-4 hours will suffice. I slept through many lectures anyway and somehow managed to graduate.

In working life however, I can't afford to even look stoney at the computer. The post lunch hour is hell to get through as the smooth muscles work extra hard to disgest the food, depriving the brain of much needed blood.

The 3 in 1 "GoldRoast" Coffee provided in the pantry then comes in handy. I try to limit my intake to one cuppa everyday. Having a false/forced sense of alertness induced by the caffeine isn't very healthy. That said, I think I better hit the sack now if I don't wanna exceed my "legal" limit tomorrow. Little sleep coupled with the Monday blues.... it's gonna be One Long Day.......

Eye the city exhibition

2006-07-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hey folks..

"Eye the City" Exhibition is going on at
the Central Lending Library,
National Library (Basement level)
from now till 31 July 2006.
Time: 1000-2100 hours
Admission is Free!

Unevetful

IN case you're wonder wtf I'm talking about,

Eye the city is a visual account of the events that occured on the last day of the year in Singapore. This exhibition features pictures taken on last new year's eve, 31st December 2005... and anyone can take part. 100 pieces are featured at the exibition.. and so is mine!!!! YEAH!

Drawn to this project when I viewed the previous year's work, I signed up and set off on a little walk around town in the late morning on the last day of 2005. To be honest with you, it was a shitty day for picture taking.. town was quiet, the blind dude busking at the Orchard Road underpass was taking a break, the underground space @ the Esplanade where teenagers practiced their breakdancing and juggling skills was empty... and the air was humid and still, a prelude to the unusually heavy monsoon rain storm that was to follow that afternoon.

So, the last place I ended up was @ the Singapore River.. where people were just sittting around and watching the half empty tour boats zip by, a bridal car was parked outside the Fullerton Hotel, some Indian tourists were taking pictures at a bronze Bullock cart statue (if I remember correctly.. or was it Buffalo?). This was where I took that picture you see above. A picture among all those that I've taken that best described the mood that day.

If you look back another year, things were very different. The Tsunami of 26 Dec 2004 brought a sense of gloom and doom to the region and most of Asia. Troops and aid were to be shipped out to the affected areas in the days to come. Large scale fund raising was being carried out, and the world was in a frenzy. In contrasting this with 2005's last day... it was uneventful and boring, but it was a smooth transition into 2006 and I think we didn't mind one bit.

Ransom

2006-06-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

Back in the 50's we used gather to watch a large TV screen in the village. At that time RTS (the local broadcasting company) just started operations.. Paraphrasing what the taxi driver said to me as we passed by the crowded coffee shop at the foot of a block flats near my home... The world cup match between Australia and Japan was underway.

BUT IT'S STILL THE SAME! I exclaimed, pointing my finger at the crowd of beer drinking uncles as the taxi cruised by.

4 years ago, it was free, now we have to pay to watch. There was nothing I could do or think about as I was too pissed. So this is what we're doing to promote sports in Singapore? So this is going to help Goal 2010? (Singapore's plan to play in the next world cup... hahahahahahhahahhaha)

The day the Singapore National team lost my support was the day we pulled out of the Malaysia-Cup and formed the S-League. Gone were the days when I felt for my team, gone were they days of watching OUR team face off against the mighty teams from Malaysia at the Kallang stadium. Gone is the Kallang wave.

In my opinion, our local soccer scene took a backward step in the soccer evolutionary process when we left the M-cup. No one in our already tiny country cared for their neighbourhood teams as much as they used to care for their national team. No one gave a shit if the Sembawang Rangers won the Tampines Rovers.

One thing did kick off and improve though; the legalised soccer betting system.

SO... when a huge event like the World Cup happens once every four years, I look forward to the team spirit and camaraderie reminiscent of the Malaysia Cup days. Singapore is too shitty to qualify, so I give my support to the Asian teams. I give my support to the underdogs and the dark horses that give the big names a run for their money. I gave my support to Senegal who destroyed the defending French team 4 years ago in the opening match of the tournament. And this isn't because I bet on games.. No No.. One major misconception is that many people who watch soccer in Singapore do so because money is at stake, well, not for me at least.

And in the same spirit that the underdog teams embrace as they face uphill struggles all the time, we're saying NO to the TV companies who have decided to own the rights to broadcast "the beautiful game".

We'll find a way to get by.. take it off the airwaves from Indonesia, watch it over the Internet or visit the coffeeshop (as a last resort), we don't need to pay for something that should rightfully be 100% Free.

Pass the Tiger and Chips

Friday

2006-06-03T23:55:00.000-07:00

There's a place I like to go on Friday nights after work.
Dark and often bypassed by the daily commute, it's nestled between Centrepoint shopping centre and Orchard Emerald. The Peranakan place as the alley is known hosts a few pubs where beers and cocktails are served, where yuppies go after a hard day's work to chill out.

My favourite place is to sit outside the Acid bar, when the lady sings with the guy on guitar... I don't know her name but she belts out familiar tunes in an unplugged fashion that sets my mind at ease. They don't have Hoegaarden here so the next best thing on the Beer menu is an Erdinger. As it sit back in my chair, everything melts away in the background and to me, it's perfect.

And though it's a Sunday night, I don't feel gloomy as I get ready to face the challenges of the week ahead, for I know that I will play hard come the weekend

and that Friday doesn't seem so far away.

Nothing beats live

Butt Sniffing Bunnies

2006-05-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

What's this?

Poor Goofy

2006-05-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

the end of the innocence

What have I been doing for the past 6th months?

1) Working my ass off!......... Basically (a) learning the ropes, (b) learning how stop the shit from hitting the fan.. and (c) how to clean shit off the fan if it (shit) does happen.

2) Reading a book entitled; "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" which never seems to end because I swear, I read at the pace of ten - fifteen pages a month.

3) Drinking, I've discovered that I've been drinking a lot more since I started working (Flaming Lamborghinis, AK47, Sambucas, Graveyards, Beer and more beer) PS. I've found a nice place with nice music @ Rouge outdoors which is at the Peranakan place next to centrepoint. Nothing like sipping a Erdinger and listening to the lady sing on a Friday after work.

4) Going to the Movies. I'm looking forward to the Da Vinci Code, United 93 and some QUALITY MOVIES PLEASE!!! IT HAS BEEN LACKING RECENTLY..

etcetera, etcetera, etcetera

My Greatest Enemy

2006-04-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

... Is Myself

Poetry in Motion

2006-03-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago (in late Jan), I attended a performance "Arts from the heart" organised by my ol' skool: NTU.

I paid ten or eleven bucks for a ticket to watch some nineteen different performing groups throw together an exciting concert. Quite a good deal if you'd ask me.

Posing as an official photographer,
here are some of the pictures I've taken!!!... -> (click to enlarge)

Rocking with the Band

Getting jiggy with the Lindy Hop people

The dancing Samsui women

Watch out behind you! But fear not, cos like in a hollywood fight scene the attackers usually take turns to strike a surrounded victim.

I'm Not going in there

2006-03-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

NO ENTRY, taken using my lousy camera phone

Where Eagles Fly

2006-02-28T08:24:00.000-08:00

Asian Aerospace 2006

Over the last week, Singapore opened her doors to the Asian Aerospace for the last time. Not missing the last few shows, this year was no exception as I made it down to Changi. The next AA will be held in Hong Kong and Singapore will come up with her own "Singapore Airshow". Some of the special attractions this year; The Airbus A380 (one large bird), F-15 Strike Eagle (Singapore's newly ordered fighter bomber) and..... and... that's about it... really....haha

BUT I did take some pictures and if you didn't pay 21 dollars to catch the show... here are some of the highlights

F-15 Strike Eagle doing her flips and turns, agile and fast, this all-weather strike fighter entered service in 1988 and has proven itself to be a formidable foe in many theatres of combat.

Afterburners

The Highly Anticipated Airbus A380, the largest commercial plane to date topping the Boeing 747.

Donning the SIA colours which proudly announce "first to fly" the A380

The Apache Man; The AH-64D Apache Longbow Helicoptor made her appearance at the AA. These aircraft boast a whole arsenal of rockets and hellfire missiles to kick the shit out of enemy armour. I won't want to be sitting in a Tank with an Apache lurking behind the treeline.

Silver Bullets; Right out of some vampire slaying movie, these rounds are 30mm in diameter- To be used on the Apache's M230 Gun.

Nice nose; One of the other planes at the show. Not only were military planes on display, there were a host of other planes like trainers and private jets on show.

Bold Tigers

The KC-135 StratoTanker, Is an air-to-air refueling plane. "Petrol" kiosks in mid air, these guys extend the reach of Airpower to ensure that the airforce gets anywhere, anytime.

Sexy Beast; One of my favourite planes, the B-1B Lancer is a long range strategic bomber in service with the USAF.

Together with the B-52 Stratofortress and the B-2 Spirit, they form the backbone of the US' long range bomber force.

See you at the Singapore Airshow in a few years time! I hope that whatever comes after AA would not only match up to it, but surpass the standards that we have gotten used to for such a long time.

Waiting...

2006-02-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

I'm getting fatter and fatter

2006-02-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

CNY is over and so is the string of long weekends and holidays since the end of December.

Time for some serious 5 day work weeks, no more gambling (with my ass luck i'm not getting anywhere in a card game), no more stuffing my face.

Ever since I started working I haven't been exercising. Very bad.

I dread the day I'm called up for IPPT. I've never really been athletic, until my army days where we where all whipped into shape, that was when I reached my peak in fitness. Since then it has been downhill all the way. Now I look back and ask how the fuck did I do all that?

But I don't have the time to exercise what!!

BULLSHIT, if you want to, you will make time,
nothing like a good ol' run or swim

or maybe I should just get one of these...

OSIM iGallop

The Musician

2006-02-02T08:26:00.000-08:00

Singapore Conference Hall, 27th Jan 2006

The Conductor

2006-01-30T01:46:00.000-08:00

Singapore Conference Hall, 27th Jan 2006

I'd rather have ice-cream

2006-01-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

Exercise Snoozestar V

2006-01-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

The highly anticipated simulated terror attacks on Singapore's rail and transport system was held on Sunday, 8 Jan at 0630 in the morning.

Newflash: I was in bed at 0630 on Sunday morning, just like 99% of my fellow Singaporeans.

What was the point of holding the largest ever drill involving the least possible number of commuters? To inconvenience as few people and businesses as possible I suppose?

It was kind of an anti climax if you ask me.

Screen shot taken from Channel News Asia's Website

World Peace and Sex

2006-01-01T09:34:00.000-08:00

One wish among hundreds/thousands hanging from bells along the Esplanade,
many people wished for world peace too. ;-)

Every NYE, people flock to the many places in Singapore for countdown parties, my past five count downs were spent in some club getting drunk and jostling with a thousand other people in the same room. This year was much quieter, I was in eating prata with a friend and had a toast of, not red wine or beer... but iced milo dinosaur.

It doesn't feel like a new year... "no Mood" is what most people call it, it's just another day to me... It's a 365 day cycle coming full circle and we're ready for another trip around the sun. I still have to go to work, I still have to go to bed at night and I still have to flush the toilet.

I don't have a habit of making resolutions, cos no one every keeps them. But I can do with a wish or two,

I wish for a cleaner and greener Earth

I wish my neighbour would stop smoking, Dad has weak lungs.

I wish for people to stop killing each other.

I wish to end typing this post and go to bed... right about now.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2005-12-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

The Sounds Easy choir: Our choir, Sounds Easy will be singing at Raffles City on 22nd Dec at 1900 hrs. Yes, that's today!!!... a delightful serving of xmas carols we promise to bring to you.

I would love to take a holiday during this season, perhaps hop on a plane to some nice tropical island or snow covered city. But I'm still on probation so I can't take leave :p and I don't have the means to finance it yet. For now it will just be a day dream.

Looking back just a little, This year saw many changes and transitions for me,

I finished my university education, went back into the army, left the army, started a new job. Also found some lobangs for photography assignments which has the potential to open many doors for me.

What lies ahead tomorrow and the year ahead is anyone's guess.

Melvyn Tan

2005-12-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

Melvyn Tan? What do I think of Melvyn Tan? I want to sympathise with him, for his parents are old and he wanted to come home to take care of them. Who wouldn't? I would if I were in his shoes.

But when I heard that all he got was a $3000 fine for dodging his 2 1/2 years ( I don't know how long it was back then) of National Service, it made my blood boil. What made it worse was that he said he could not remember how much he was fined. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating when I said that my 'blood boiled', but at the very best, I could not find even a single ounce of sympathy in my heart for him.

Melvyn Tan faced a possible jail term when he decided to return to Singapore after many years in England. Being a gifted pianist who was about to attend a prestigious music school, he decided at a very young age not to return home to face what every other singaporean with a dick had to go through. His family subsequently lost $30,000 as a penalty... I imagine $30k thirty years ago to be a fucking large sum of money.

So what did his $3,000 fine mean to us? Well to me at least, it meant that as long as you were rich and talented, you could get away with it. Let me get this clear before I go on, I don't see NS as a punishment for owning a dick, I see it as a rite of passage. I see it as some force, that would stand up and defend our tiny little 640sq Km of real estate that we call home. That even if we fought and died trying to stop our women from being raped and our buildings from being razed to the ground, we did our duties. I see it as something that would unite us all in our darkest hour.

One person's contribution is insignificant. Just like any other guy in the street, I am just a small fry, a small fry in a really really large box of fries. Melvyn Tan's absence didn't make us any weaker or cause any harm to Singapore. But if everyone were to think selfishly and back out when the time came for him to shave his head and don some stupid grey shirt with the word "ARMY" behind it, then I think we can all kiss our "clean and green" city goodbye and jump into the sea.

Soon after the media blew this case out of proportion, the defence minister mentioned that he was personally in favour of jailing NS dodgers. I guess they didn't want to make our future chow recruits think that there is an easy way out.

In the weeks that passed, Melvyn Tan was the centre of much debate, he cancelled his sold out concert and stepped down from a judging post in some violin competition or something like that. Weary of all the hoo-ha generated by the media, he must have been feeling pretty alienated.

Today, I don't feel so unsympathetic/angry as I did two-three weeks ago because to some extent, he has received his punishment, not meted out by a court of law but by the people of Singapore.

My lady friend asked me this: What if my son turned out to be a gifted pianist, would I be worried that he injure his fingers during his NS? Would I want him to go through it? I couldn't answer at that moment, my mind weighing between the money and fame he could attain :p and his responsibility as a Singaporean boy.

After some thought, I will tell him to bite the bullet and keep his hands away from hot barrel of the rifle during and after firing.

Hunter Killer

2005-12-02T08:34:00.000-08:00

Final Year Project

Introducing, a fully automatic, autonomous organic pest control system.

Implementation: The Chan Household

Effectiveness: 99.9%

Demonstration:

Surveillance Mode

Detection of target

Stalking of target

Killing Mode

Flags of the World

2005-11-27T01:01:00.000-08:00

A lesson in efficient use of resources

Eight more days to Pay day

2005-11-20T07:48:00.000-08:00

I'm quite uninspired now, so no new pictures, no interesting posts.

I've been working for about three weeks already and tomorrow is the start of another work week. I've been busting my brains as the learning curve is very steep and having friendly and patient colleagues who entertain my dumbass questions is definitely a good thing. It's still too early to say whether I love my job or hate it but all I can say at the moment is that I find the work challenging and tiring but satisfying.

note to self; Bring computer speakers along to the office tomorrow.

Seven thoughts on no particular subject

1) The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a freaky movie, esp when she contorts her body.

2) The 2005 Durex sex survey shows that the Japanese do it least often, at a mere 45 times a year. But how is it possible? I thought the Japanese are known for being more perverted (i.e. they indulge in lots of fetishes). We came to a conclusion that they spend their time doing everything else but fucking, like puking, shitting and pissing on each other, sado masochistic acts, cumming in each other's faces... etc.

3) BTW, to add to my previous point, Singaporeans fuck a mere 73 times a year, which so happens to be 2nd last in ranking. WHY why? There was a time when people had more siblings, that was when kampongs were around. There was no entertainment after dark. So grandma and grandpa had only one thing to do. Right now, there are so many good shows on TV.

4) Crazy Horse is coming to town! but a bit expensive leh... 80 to 100 plus per person leh, maybe I'd settle for Hooters, which is in the same area.

5) I just learnt that the record for fastest SMSer was not broken in today's competition, and you guessed it... A young Singaporean lady by the name of Kimberly Yeo holds the Guinness World Record she set in 2004. I guess, while we don't boast the fastest runners and swimmers like Kenya and Australia do but we sure do have the fastest thumbs in the frickin' world. Ain't that something to be proud off!!

6) The Lions lost to Vietnam 2-1 today. Not that I care but I would have been a MUCH MUCH bigger fan if Singapore didn't leave the Malaysia Cup ten years ago. The subsequent S-league that was formed SUCKED. The spirit for supporting your own country was lost as I could not imagine supporting a team that represented a small area like Sembawang or Geylang in an already dot sized country. I've never watched football ever since. Still, goodluck boys, don't get trashed too badly.

7) Last week, I ordered a "small coke" from Mc Donald's. The cashier charged me only 1 dollar. WHOA.. the price went down?! I thought to myself... cannot be la... It used to be something like $1.70 $1.90??? I was soon to be disappointed, the size of the coke also got reduced. I was given a "tiny coke" instead. I think Mac should have a new size classification; "tiny" tiny fries, tiny cheese burgers, tiny nuggets, tiny sundaes, tiny packets of ketchup, tiny hot cakes, tiny sausage mcmuffins and of course... TINY BREAKFAST.

Updates updates!

2005-11-12T04:01:00.000-08:00

1) I have updated my photo book with three new photos.. and I'm using flickr instead... much better especially with the slideshow feature..

2) Some notable Photography links added to the sidebar,

- Reinhard Krause
He was the REUTERS chief photographer in the Israel and the Palestinian Territories from the start of the Intifada in 2000 until Arafat's death in 2004, he is currently the Chief Photographer China for REUTERS based in Beijing. I saw a documentary on National Geographic about his job in the middle east as chief photographer and some of his and his team's pictures really captured the frustration and despair of the peoples living there.

- Michael Yamashita
Well traveled National Geographic photographer, He has been a regular contributor to the National Geographic since 1979 and has worked in such diverse locations as Somalia and Sudan, England and Ireland, New Guinea and New Jersey. Although he has traveled to six continents, Asia is his special area of concentration.

- Jeff Hutchens
Hired by National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) to be their sole staff photographer based outside Washington D.C. He now does freelance work to allow him to spend more time pursuing self-generated projects. Some of his corporate clients include, National Geographic Society, Singapore Airlines, Toyota Motor Company and Hewlett Packard.

- REQUIEM: By The Photographers Who Died In Vietnam and Indochina
I chanced upon the above book in the Kinokuniya Bookstore some years ago. It featured the works of photographers who died covering the War in Vietnam. Mostly black and white images, the images show the harsh reality of war, a war which ultimately claimed the lives of these professionals who's job was to venture into the heart of the action.

FIGHT NIGHT

2005-11-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

Muay Thai Tournament
(traditional Thai Kick Boxing)
5th November 2005, Sing-China Building
(near Seletar airport)

I didn't expect to be here when I got up on Saturday morning.

A visit with my parents to my old Malay neighbour's house for Hari Raya festivities was originally scheduled. Instead I got a call from my friend Jay, who was asking for directions to the Selatar Airport, he was going there for a Muay Thai event organised by "Amateur Muaythai Association (Singapore)" He asked me to go and I took my camera along....

Ringside
It was my first time at any fight and I didn't know what to expect. The entrance fee was 20dollars and the crowd was building up at 6pm. The place smelled of deep heat muscle rub and the setup looked "underground", darkened walls, light bulbs strung up above the boxing ring. Looked good but the lighting was bad for photography.

RED VS BLUE

Rage

First half of the evening was set aside for the amateur segment, which saw representatives from different muay thai schools in Singapore challenge each other. Before each match, the competitors had to perform a little ritual called 'wai kru' which lasts for a couple of minutes.

Someone please take the orange outta my mouth

Eye candy- the ring card girls announcing the next round (an attempt, I suppose, to balance the testosterone soaked ring)

In the 2nd half of the evening, the game turned Pro and bloodier when muay thai exponents from Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa and Holland fought with Singapore fighters. One of the major difference between amateur and professional fights, the latter's lack of protective gear; No vest, no shin guards, no head gear... Just gloves...

Singapore(blue) Vs South Africa (red) - Singapore was the favourite, some loud ang moh behind me was shouting for our local boy to "KILL THE ANG MOH!!!" I found it rather amusing... Singapore won this match by the way.

Get your kicks

Singapore (blue) vs Holland (red) - Holland delivers a nasty blow to his face

Returning the favour

Blood, sweat and...

Nasty - Indonesia's representative grimacing on the canvas after getting kicked in the family jewels

...and tears... nah I don't think he's crying... just sweat in his eyes..

And the day ended late, at 10:30, it was an exciting evening, and rage in the ring was left in the ring, fighters and spectators made their was home, we went for dinner.
Another fight? I wouldn't mind going... but I'll stay outside the ring, where it's safer

Click here to view the rest of the pictures

Sergeant (NS) Chan

2005-11-01T04:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my ORD day.
Today i'm officially released from the my fulltime national service liabilities
Operationally ready date... Ready?

What has been so eagerly anticipated by so many turns out to be somewhat of an anti-climax... ORD? ORD lor... so what... I enlisted five years ago, studied then came back to serve the remainder. We move on and out of the Army and forward into the a whole new world.

But looking back at those tough times, memories both bitter and sweet, flood my mind.

I remember the strange feeling of my short crew cut hair brushing against my grey Army T-shirt whenever I took it off.

I remember being face to face with the low wall and collapsing into a desperate heap each time I tried to climb it with my gear on. I also remember running around it when no one was looking.

I remember bringing stupid FHM and Maxim magazines to camp only to have them circulated throughout the platoon and have them come back crumpled and used.

I remember that the skies over Tekong had more stars than I had ever seen.

I remember the RSM (regimental sergeant major) calling us MAGGOTS and SWINE during our training but beaming with pride at the end of our parade.

I remember being almost shot in the back at the firing range when I ran into someone's line of fire, I also remember one of the PCs hitting me on my helmut on a separate occasion.

I remember that "She'll be coming round the mountain" was the song we most enjoyed on our 32KM route march. It made us walk on air, numbed the pain and lightened the load.

I remember listening to Coldplay as the plane bound for Taiwan took off in the wee hours of the morning, a little sad and afraid of the unknown.. It wasn't so bad, In fact it turned out to be fun.

I remember sleeping in the field during early spring in Taiwan only to be awaken with my arms and legs in pain due to the cold.

I remember the time they caught someone wanking under the sheets while they were playing cards at the table... in the same room... with the lights on mind you.

I remember getting an SMS from my sister after my family came back from Holiday telling me there's chocolates in the fridge, I couldn't go cos I was in camp. It was four years ago and I still keep that message in my phone.

I remember taking a shit... in the wild.

Do you remember?

Amazing Thailand, Bangkok 2005

2005-10-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

I visited Bangkok with three of my amigoes from 19 Oct to 23 Oct....
and finally, completed uploading and captioning some of the pictures which I hope will take you with me on our journey through this city of shopping, food, magic, nightlife, culture and religion.

Girl swimming in the Chao Phraya river

Taking on the Dragon

Girl praying at the Four Face Buddha

Boy begging for alms at a busy traffic junction

And, if you still want to see more, there's my photo gallery,
Click on this picture to go there now!... enjoy!

Back from the Land of Smiles

2005-10-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

Sawasdee! :-)

traffic was a killer...actually, traffic ain't that bad, it may look packed like this at rush hour but the traffic moves.

Ah... home sweet home, just came back from Bangkok this evening.

Five days and four nights away in a colourful city of bazaars, street hawkers, crazy tuk tuk drivers, speeding taxis, shopping malls with SEEMINGLY ENDLESS floorspace, massage palours, Buddhist temples, jam packed roads, Go-Go Bars, giant bowls of sharksfin soup, piping hot tom yum goong, smiles with clasped hands and of course, tourists... lots of tourists just like us.

Five days and four nights of sleeping late, bacon and eggs for breakfast, walking and more walking, (intensive) bargaining, ice cream, shopping, walking, eating, shopping..... walking, eating, shopping... man I'm tired, but I promise that in a week or two I will do a follow up on this with the pictures that I've taken in Bangkok..

this is just a teaser.. ;p stay tuned!

Goodnight

LOVE is

2005-10-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

A vendor in Chinatown sitting next to a Chinese calligraphy work with the character "Ai" or Love

SDU just sent me a letter telling me that I've been made a member by default and that I can join in the activities blah blah... haven't really gone through the whole brochure yet... which incidentally has a chio bu on the front and it reads "A Gift To Jumpstart Your Social Life".

Of course, SDU stands for Social Development Unit, an institution to help graduates get hitched with other graduate people.

In Singapore, everything is so institutionalized since the day we're born... in this case, even dating is.. The letter by the way came in a white envelope with the words "On Government Service" printed in bold blue words next to the National Coat of Arms. I thought I was in some kind of trouble when I first looked at it.. heheh..

Just like me, thousands of fresh graduates must have gotten this letter and I won't be surprised if I were to meet many familiar faces at their activities.

This scenario is not too unforeseeable;

"So, why didn't you come up to me when I was in your class? :)"

"Oh I had to study for quiz leh... no time for girls... let alone you... no life!"

"What makes you think you have time for girls now?"

"Just like in school, I also wanna top this class leh..."

"..."

Perhaps I'll check it out, who said a little "JUMP STARTING" would hurt? ;)

Run along with me...

2005-10-15T04:53:00.000-07:00

Cars and Girls

2005-10-12T06:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, another car give-away!...

Last Saturday, Sony Ericsson held a treasure hunt for one of ten teams to win a new Volkswagen Beetle. The competition was sort of a mini amazing race where teams had to race around Singapore in groovy old Volkswagen beetles, driven by their owners of course to various locations. They would report back their progress via video calls using issued Sony Ericsson phones before moving on to the next checkpoint. I was one of three photographers that day and I tagged along with one of the roaming vehicles to snap some of the action...!!!

The briefing: The race started off at Millenia walk where the road show was held

Herbie theme: The Line up of beetles ready to speed off to their first destination!

Thumbs up: One of the beetle drivers

Go Go Go: A contestant arriving at the checkpoint

Check Point 1: The Sony Ericsson office located at the SLF building, oh look at the friendly native here to greet us

Last stop: Riverside point, hey, isn't that the same guy?

On their hands and knees: We'll do just about anything to win the car !

Winning Smiles: The teams on arriving back at Millenia walk had to look for the key hidden somewhere in the building, and it was found way before all the other teams returned

Sadly, I didn't catch the winning moment on camera as I was still stranded at the last checkpoint when news that the car had already been won reached us.

And of course,
the most important part of this post is here...

Auto Babe

Auto babes aside, this assignment was by far the most exciting and enriching as I got to learn a thing or two by observing other photographers more Lao Jiao (experienced) than me in action.

Daddy, I want this one!

2005-10-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

wait till ur older son, COE prices might be even lower!!!

I took this last Sunday when I was covering a car giveaway at the Singapore EXPO. Some lucky dude walked away with a volkswagen polo... When can I get one?

Se7en Crazy Things

2005-10-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

Seven things you plan to do before you die:
1. Become filthy rich
2. Have sex on the beach
3. Visit Tibet, Hawaii and Normandy
4. Attend a blink182 concert
5. Invent a solar powered torch light
6. Make a war movie
7. Live (not everyone can do this well)

Seven things I could do:
(note ah.. could do, not can do)
1. Learn to drive a monster truck/race car
2. Be the next Frank Sinatra/Nat King Cole
3. Give more to underdog charities
4. Shoot photos for playboy/sports illustrated magazine
5. Pick up some vice
6. Learn an Alien language
7. I could run around town naked... but I wouldn't

Seven Celebrity crushes:
(I wouldn't really say they are crushes, except for the 1st one)
1. Vanessa Mae
2. Lucy Liu
3. Wong Li Lin
4. Catherine Zeta Jones
5. Christina Applegate
6. Jennifer Garner (Alias)
7. Eva Mendes (Hitch)

Seven often repeated words:
1. nabeh
2. Ta-ma-de
3. Oh FUCK! (spontaneously uttered)
4. Shit
5. Faggot
6. steady la pundeh!
7. good morning sir (this one's going to be dropped from the list real soon! - will be replaced with "cheebye")

Seven physical traits I look for in the opposite sex:
1. Nice smile
2. Nice Ass (not necessarily bigger)
3. not too fat... not too thin either
4. Someone with a little bit of Boobs, note: not airport runway can already
5. Someone who dosen't look like a Pontianak/Ugly Hooker when she gets out of bed
6. Someone who dosen't look like a Pontianak/Hooker after she puts on her make up
7. Good skin (although the skin on my face looks like it got hit by tiny cluster bombs)

Seven tags go to:
1. everyone
2. reading
3. this
4. blog.
5. Yes,
6. thats
7. YOU!

The Battle for Orchard Road

2005-10-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

I've always imagined the traffic light crossing to be a battlefield where two armies amass at each side and clash at the middle in a bloody skirmish

I've decided to include the following three pics because, in the above picture, even if zoomed in, it would be too small to show any of the details.

what's going on?

2005-09-30T04:39:00.000-07:00

test test.. hello hello

there's something wrong with blogger... i cant seem to edit my posts.. but i can post though..

Oh Yeah Baby Yeah

2005-09-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

IF you look at the side bar, you'll notice a new banner!!! "The Photo Book"

I read from some book that it's a good idea to have an album with ten of your best photos, sort of a portfolio. To keep the standard up, once better photos are taken, I will use them to replace the old ones. Go on and click on it!

Another thing, thanks to my Mum, she has loaned me enough money to buy my dream camera... this beast, the Canon EOS 350D...wooohoooo

The power in my hands!

Just clicking on it feels good. I'll now be able to overcome some of the limitations of my prosumer camera, like noisy pictures in low lighting, slow set up time, slow focusing, shutter lag, etc. This thing can continuously snap at 3 frames per second! All this to serve YOU better... ;)

A Short Post

2005-09-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

Time: 0912 hours

Last night, KTV at the Chevrons until late... She works next door to the Chevrons, my heart aches a little everytime I'm near by.

The duty free beer costs $2.50 per mug but it's so fucking light, 3 mugs felt like 3 mugs of water.

Sang until our voices were hoarse

Time to take a crap before leaving for work

Work starts at 1030 today and ends at 1900.

Note to self: Write a thank you note to my interviewer.

Seeya

Time: 0917 hours

Time Machine

2005-09-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

Brilliant!

taken from; The Straits Times, Digital Life segment, 20 September 2005

Paved Over

2005-09-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

They paved over my corridor just last week.
A fresh layer of concrete, I need one of these...
So they laid these planks for us to walk over during the drying process

Kelong themed HDB flats

I decided to test the dryness of the new layer with my finger

oops...

But they came to touch it up the next day... sigh...
Thought I could show my grand kids

2005-09-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

fuck you

Commemoration at Kranji

2005-09-12T04:29:00.000-07:00

We Will Remember Them

The place came to life this morning. From a far we could see tour buses and cars filling up the grass patch of a make shift parking lot just outside the cemetery. 645am, daylight was sparingly being introduced to the darkened skies. Sailors dressed in their smart white uniforms ushered visitors onto the lawn where white chairs were lined facing the memorial.

Most of the seats where already filled by Seven. Veterans from all over the world gathered here yet again for another ceremony, each year their ranks getting thinner and thinner. Today, the 12th of September marks the 60th Anniversary of the end of the war when the Japanese formally surrendered to the Allied forces in Singapore in 1945.

I told myself that I had to witness this event, for this might just be the last major commemorative event for WWII as veterans get older and older with each passing year.

Here are 15 photographs that best tell the story...

Dawn: Two Navy contingents stand at ease as the ceremony is about to commence

They came from afar:

This veteran, like many others, made it to the ceremony on wheelchairs and walking sticks.

A prayer for all faiths:

Various religious leaders were engaged to say silent prayers for the dead.

Standing up:

Twice, the congregation had to stand up, once for the minutes' silence and once for the National Anthem at the end of the dedication.

Dipping the flag:

As the national Anthem of Singapore was being played.

Kudos to the RI choir for their beautiful rendition of the Majulah Singapura

At Attention:

Navy orderlies flanking the rows of the memorial walls during the proceedings, they were called to attention before marching off.

Stars: I wonder what stories he has to tell

War Heroine:

Elizabeth Choy (2nd from left) with news reporter Pek Siok Lian (on her right)

Overwhelming: A young man looking at the names of the dead

Medals galore:

They caught me taking a picture of them and they promptly posed for me.

Right about here: Two women veterans looking for the grave of a friend perhaps...?

Salute: A lone soldier pays his respects

The story behind the name:

School children listen intently to their tour guide tell the story of the men of Operation Rimau, a failed mission to sink Japanese ships in the Singapore Harbour.

Planting Crosses:

This veteran was planting commemorative wooden crosses infront of this row of graves. I didn't ask him how he knew those men but I noticed they were all from the Royal Artillery

Leaving the past behind:

Beyond the gate is the hustle and bustle of modern Singapore, a veteran steals a moment to have a smoke.

For The Fallen

They went with songs to battle, they were young,
straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow,
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,
We will remember them,

ALL: We will remember them.

Kranji War Cemetery II

2005-09-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

They Died For All Free Men

My second visit to Kranji war cemetery was on a Friday morning, I took leave and I drove my Dad's car (cos my parents were on holiday) there amid the morning rush, but not before having a prata breakfast along the laid back side of Sembawang Road. On arriving, it seemed that the cemetery didn't escape the buzz, workers were polishing the marble on Benjamin Sheares' tomb. Some of the green fingers were doing their gardening, maintaining the flowers that smile upon the graves. Some guys were mowing the already short grass...

Walking past all that activity, I made it to the memorial. Between the walls of names of the dead, a few "vaults" held the memorial register. Curiously, I pried open the metal door to one of the "vaults". To my pleasant surprise, visitors left pictures, cards and information printouts in them.

A Face to the name

Their names surround me, names, names and more names. Screaming out at me in the silence, they all seemed to be vying for my attention but at the same time they seemed so detached. The pictures that were left behind gave faces to some of the names. Black and White was the colour of their time, many of them show men in their prime.

Names

Some printouts from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission were found too. Casualty information made available online to family members looking for commemorations of their loved ones make it all an easier task.

In memory

Another pleasant surprise from the "vault" awaited me. This was the story of one of the POWs who survived captivity and lived a long life. Not all the stories here have sad endings. It kind of reminded me of the movie Saving Private Ryan where "Ryan" was saved from battle at the cost of the lives of the rescue team. The dying Captain of the team in his last breaths told him; "Earn This"

A second chance at life

Elite; The mark of a paratrooper, a modern concept at that time.

How does one forgive the deeds that resulted in the death and destruction of so many? I suppose it's just war and I guess, it's the only way to move on. We cannot hold grudges forever. I believe that many of the people who fought the war didn't want to but fought because it was the right thing to do then. Hence forget, we must not, as we can never allow this to happen again, ever.

Forget me not

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII in the Asia Pacific. A dedication service to honour and commemorate all those who sacrificed their lives will be held at 7 am on the 12th of September 2005 at Kranji War Memorial. Admission is Free. Tel: (65) 6269 6158

To view the rest of the pictures for Part II click here.

For Part I of this feature click here.

I HATE PINK

2005-09-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

It's ok, I'll start with this bamboo pole holder

Lust for Bust

2005-09-02T05:55:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

try this game!!
see how long u can check out a babe before getting caught!

think u can seek a peak at your buddy's hot sister?

it can be done, it just takes practice...

The Corridor

2005-08-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Retro Bus Ride

2005-08-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

Ever wanted to give the finger in anger? The bus stop outside my camp is right next to the construction site of a new condo... it's along Upper Bukit Timah Road. The place is called 'The Linear' The bloody construction site takes up all the space until it reaches the pavement.

Sometimes, the trucks, cement mixers and other heavy vehicles spill out onto the road and occupy the left most lane. (See the picture below) The bus stop doesn't have a bus bay and whoever wants to flag down a bus has to crane his next into the oncoming traffic.. fucking dangerous.

Uncle, be careful!...

Ever had the bus speed by you even after trying to flag it down? It's times like this I wanna stick out my finger and wave it in the wind (yes that finger). No offence to bus drivers huh.. some are really good... good customer service, very courteous. Then there are the F1 drivers.
All too suddenly, the bus I've been waiting for sped down the road, just appearing from behind truck parked infront of the uncle.

My brain reacts to bus service number,
triggers left arm to rise up. I wave it to stop.
Right hand on standby to give the finger
He didn't slow down...
I raised my right elbow and unfolded my middle finger.... (all this in slow-mo)
As it was 30% unfolded... the bus ground to a halt 10 meters infront of me.

I quickly retract my middle finger and keep it for another day.

That story aside, I boarded bus number 178 to get to Boon Lay last week and I was pleasantly surprised when I took a step into the past. It was one of those old buses from at least 10-12 years ago. They still ply the roads?

Cream coloured interior

Retrofitted with new seats and aircon, this rickety old faithful, just like my Dad's car was still running fine. However, I found the air-con trying to cope with the afternoon heat, perhaps they didn't patch up the leaks properly as this type of bus wasn't supposed to be air-con in the first place.

Who can forget the sliding doors?!

Taking a ride in it took me back to my secondary school days when I took the bus home. It used to be transit link cards and we would get printed tickets... for some reason I kept these tickers and until now, I have a stack of bus tickets. Now EZ-link cannot pay less.. ta-ma-de..

I guess most of the buses have been upgraded over the last ten years cos we have been paying more and more, Superbuses, Bendy buses etc. However there are a dying few, still going strong and refusing to retire (like Hulk Hogan), some w/o air-con... Hello service 74.. WTF are you guys doing?.. Maybe they are keeping a few bone shakers around so that there will be an excuse to raise the fare once again to totally phase out these steel beasts.... forever.

Still good enough to sleep in

Animal Abuse

2005-08-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Picture and excerpts (in italics) from article by Chong Chee Kin taken from
The Straits Times, 26 August 2005

"An Alaskan Malamute is an Artic sled dog which has two coats of fur and needs plenty of water to stay cool.... events manager Lim Bee Leong, 30, left his dog without water and shelter in the backyard of his terrace house... The three-year-old died of heatstroke."

For the full story go (beg, borrow or steal) and read The Straits Times, don't expect me to type out the whole article. However, I will summarise it and add some of my thoughts for you.

Reading stories like these make me sad.

This Alaskan sled dog died in a small backyard littered with faeces and dangerous utensils like skewers and shovels lying around. There were empty dish bowls in the yard and the dog was found with blood foaming at it's mouth.

Firstly, (I have to get this off my chest...) Of all the places!! The dog had to be in sunny Singapore!!! This is no place for an Artic sled dog complete with 2 coats of fur. I cannot understand how dogs of such breed can end up living this close to the equator. Dogs like these are meant to run free in the snow in the coldest places on Earth. Imagine wearing winter wear in a soccer field at high noon. Knowing that the dog has special needs, extra care had to be given, yet this poor dog was locked up in a yard without enough water or shade.

In 2003, the owner was advised by the SPCA to set up blinds to shield the dog from the sun, but the advise was not taken. I feel that, although the owner did not actively kill his dog, the amount of neglect or lack of care is inconceivable.

In the end, the dog had to pay for it. What did it do to deserve this? For being a loyal friend? For running to greet you at the end of the day? For guarding your property, only to have the very walls seal it's fate?

Mr Lim was fined a lousy $3000 for causing his pet "unnecessary suffering", a small price to pay for such a painful end. Perhaps the accused should be subject to "unnecessary suffering" too. I propose taking him to the home of the Alaskan Malamute to be stripped naked and left in the snow to suffer unnecessarily.

Herbie Fully Loaded Gala Premiere

2005-08-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

If you were in town last Sunday, you would have been drenched but treated to a sight of 120 Volkswagen Beetles parading down Orchard Road. Some of them ferried children for the Gala Premiere of the movie; Herbie Fully Reloaded at Cathay Cineleisure in the rain.

Number 53

The first car that arrived drove right up to the tent with Jamie Yeo, who hosted part of the show. She came out of the car and I couldn't see her eyes cos of these huge sunglasses. She said 'hello' to me and walked on to the stage at the same time making some small talk with her ang moh escort. I think he must be the boss or some big shot at Volkswagen.

Red carpet treatment

The ever bright Jamie. I wonder how much she was paid for her 15-20min appearance.

Ushered to shelter

Jamie's beetle was followed off by scores of kids alighting at the driveway who were whisked away by ushers providing some cover from the rain.

The weather really dampened the mood, at least for me, as my movement was restricted to sheltered areas because I didn't want to damage my friend's camera which I borrowed specially for this event. "Thanks Ryan"

happy kid

Ronald Mac Donald took over the show and wooed the kids with some magic tricks and his funny antics. During the events, I noticed that the kids were all so energetic and rowdy, I respect the teachers who keep them under control and who themselves have to maintain their cool. No way I wouldn't have held out so long with the constant attention and care they need.

Mc B.S.

Of all the clowns in the world, Ronald must be the most sought after and most well recognized. I would have personally preferred Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons. Anyway I think he looked a bit too Chinese (duh) even with all the face paint on. Being my age, I was hardly amused by Ronald pulling eggs out of bags and producing flowers at the snap of fingers. The kids however were so entertained as they were made to say some bullshitty magic word "Mc Presto!" each time he was going to execute a trick.

Makes me want to be young again, to be amused by the little things. :o)

Herbie Fully Loaded officially opens on the 1st of September 2005.

Fascist Pigs

2005-08-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

I've often wondered what fascist meant, often used to describe Hitler's regime or the people heading the regime during WWII, it left my friends tongue tied when I asked them what it really meant... so I looked it up...

Fascist as defined in www.urbandictionary.com

1. Someone who believes in a totalitarian state rule by a supreme leader (dictator) who controls everything possible and treats people harshly -- to gain the leader's own success,* to foment an aggressive military nationalism, and to promote a Social Darwinist belief that hard life strengthens the state by weeding out the weak.

2. A lesser authority (corporation, mayor, cop, boss, parent) who legally issues harsh, burdensome, micro-managing, insensitive, or uncaring orders -- especially when they know, or should know, that their goals can be accomplished with more autonomy and much less hardship or distress.

3. A harsh and probably murderous kind of dictator; a "fascist dictator" as opposed to a "benign dictator".

4. If applied unfairly, a parent authority who is doing their job within reason, but their teen either doesn't agree with their agenda (10 PM curfew to help perform well in morning school), or is insincerely asserting their parent to be a harsh disciplinarian, in order to bond socially with friends.

5. If capitalized, is the name of the historic Italian Fascist political party. Benito Mussolini (Il Duce - "The Leader") was the Fascist founder and Prime Minister from 1922 to 1943, who built a cult of personality around himself using false media propaganda that he was always right, killed those relatively few unbrainwashed who opposed him, and unified Italy for an incompetent war to retake much of the old Roman empire. Apologists encapsulated their approval of his social control-freakery in the saying, "Il Duce made the trains run on time".

now you know!

Night

2005-08-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

Night time is hardly a time to be sleeping,

Not when you're in Singapore,

Anticipation

Not when the beer is cold,

Stella

Not when you have friends around,

Slide

Not when you have places to go to,

Goodbyes

And not before the sun comes up

4a.m.

On second thought,
Better hurry, or you're gonna be late for work!

Herbie Fully Loaded Premiere Preparations

2005-08-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I had the privilege of helping my friend shoot some pictures at the preparation for the premiere of the new movie; Herbie, Fully Loaded!!! It was held at the Kallang Mc-Donald's and KFC carpark.

The Premiere will be held in town on 21st August (Sunday) and you can expect a convoy of 120 Volkswagen Beetles to Roll down Orchard Road in the Afternoon... More details as I get them...

Here are the photos from last week's preparations in which participants of the convoy dressed up their Volkswagens with colourful decals...

Frog in the Beetle : Participants being shown how to stick the Herbie decals

Beetle on FIRE!!! : I've never seen Soooo many VW Beetles all gathered together before. It was a spectacle, all the colours of the rainbow.

A proud couple with their gleaming blue Beetle

Hold still!

Retro Van: Expect to see some of these vans too...

Sticking it properly : Utmost care taken

All set to go!

Be sure to get yourself downtown this Sunday!!!
Seeya there!

The Lazy Fuck

2005-08-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

One lazy afternoon...

This cat always, ALWAYS chooses this blue Mercedes to sleep on.
Clearly a symbol of prestige even among the creatures in the Animal Kingdom.

Who doesn't want to be a cat in the next life?

My Place on the map

2005-08-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

First things first;
Happy Birthday Singapore! You've come a long way and even though most Singaporeans are so fond of complaining away... about anything and everything, I sure deep down inside, they are appreciative and grateful.

I'm quite uninspired recently.. I don't know why,

Anyway here are some pictures taken at the new National Library a couple of weeks ago.

Did you know, there is a place in China that has the same name as me? It's spelt "Siyang"

It's in Jiangsu.. sometime ago those guys on MTV visited a place in the USA called Mianus, I couldn't find it on the Atlas (I forgot the spelling and went looking for Myanus instead - because it's pronounced that way). Damn, I would have taken a picture of Mianus if I could. It sure is hard to find Mianus.

I was browsing when I noticed someone stalking me through the book shelves...wtf

Chey!!... It's only Charlotte :p

Gifts From Australia

2005-08-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

My Friend Jhuning got this pair of boxers for me all the way from Australia, it's fucking funny...

Who Dosen't?

I'm not used to wearing boxers out,

But I'm still considering if I should wear them around the house or not..

Thanks dude ;p

WHY OH WHY

2005-08-04T01:09:00.000-07:00

I've been having a sore throat for the past 2 days. This morning it felt pretty bad.

Doc said it was due to the lack of sleep. "when you are tired, you breathe harder...."

So i got an MC from the clinic downstairs,

but just before I left, THE Horror of Horrors... My walls started to roar to life... vibrating and cranking away, NOoooooo... of All the days!.. My upstairs neighbour is hacking away the floor and/or the walls.. The cacophony of Drills, I count possibly 3-4 drills.. BrrrrbrrrrBRRRRR... FUCK YOU!!!!!...but unable to shout... it comes out as a whisper

Like dat how to rest?... It's 4pm, I hope they are ending for the day soon...

Tomorrow is the first day of the Chinese 7th month, Hungry Ghost festival. Perhaps he's trying to do his renovation before tomorrow... :p

In Transit

2005-08-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

Need a Ride? : Midnight, Two children catching some shuteye
on the padded playgroud flooring outside Swensons.
Viewing Mall,Changi Airport Terminal 1

Morning Sickness

2005-08-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

I felt sick yesterday morning.

Monday is such a wrong time to be waking up at 5am to go to work.. I call it the Ungodly hour, but when I have to be in by 7am I lan-lan(have no choice but to) drag myself out of bed.

I usually make a cup of milo and add a dash of fresh milk for my morning drink. But last Saturday my Mum bought some chocolate powder from Marks and Spencer, never tried it before... It says, add milk to three heaped teaspoons of powder. Great

One... two... three.. put in another scoup for good measure... Four... Add milk... Turned out very thick, nice, and cold.. Note: I usually just add a dash of milk to my milo, Now I have a whole cup full of Milk first thing in the morning... mistake

On the way to the bus stop I was super awake! And I mean super... like Midday awake.. like someone just shouted in your face awake. But when I sat on bus 74.. I knocked out on the seat, when I opened my eyes, the bus was turning left, past King Albert Park.. Alamak, overshot! So I got off the bus quickly and walked back...

As I reached the bus stop to transfer to the next bus, the MILK started to take effect, my tummy felt uneasy and I needed to crap... badly.. NINABEH.. not now! not when I am half an hour away from my office in the middle of NO-where.. I told myself I could tahan, I've had worse as I played out contingency plans in my head and scanned for possible shitting locations along the way. So I held it in, and the feeling went away as fast as it came. I also didnt give in to use the toilets at King Albert Park cos I didnt want to be late

So came the next bus that would complete my journey... the feeling was on and off. I dosed off, maybe the feeling will be gone. I almost overshot my stop again, if not for my friend who happened to see me sleeping... still okay now.

Went to the guardroom to draw my office key, hitched a ride on the mini bus which would take me to my office, which is a ten minute walk away. Once I got off the mini bus... THE CRAP FEELING all came rushing back to me!!! This was it man, the point of no return.. the bomb has been dropped, I made a beeline to the nearest toilet.. hastily undid my trousers and UNLOADED THE WHOLE STINKING PILE OF CRAP into the toilet bowl... AHHHhhhhhh... I was overcome with relief and a strong sense of satisfaction... I made it

The rest of the morning I was feeling a little nauseous and burping away, it was not just the sudden consumption of milk but I think it was also made worse by the lack of sleep (just 4 hours I had last night). I contemplated reporting sick to get the rest of the day off, but what was I going to tell the doctor? "Doc, I am too tired this morning, too tired to hold in my shit."

Thankfully, I felt better by late morning. Less milk next time

Kranji War Cemetery I

2005-07-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

Their Name Liveth Forevermore

I've finally visited Kranji War cemetery, something that I have been telling myself to do for a year now. The place so intrigues me as we pass it by so often but never seem to get more than a glimpse of it's green lawns and neatly arranged grave stones from a distance. Visible from the MRT line between Kranji and Yew Tee, this site of commemoration for the soldiers of the WWII sits on a small hill facing the bustling city of Johore Bahru.

The grave of the unknown soldier: there are hundreds of graves marked this way. Their occupants died without a name, known only unto God.

I went there twice to take photos, the first time, I drove there on a Sunday afternoon all by myself. The place was empty when I got there, except for the sparrows and lizards, I was the only living soul in sight. Feeling like and intruder on hallowed ground I stepped onto the green lawn. It was an uneasy feeling at first but I soon got used to it as the eerie-ness wore off and the peaceful feeling of the cemetery grounds calmed my senses.

Walking past the endless rows and rows of graves, I stopped to look at some of their names and places they were from (some didn't have names). Many of them were only in their teens, many in their early twenties. These were people of my age. How did they die, I will never know. Makes you feel small, insignificant. Makes you wonder if there is more to life than our petty differences.

They Died For All Free Men: The centre piece of the Kranji War Memorial

At the top of the slope, stands the War Memorial. Shaped like the wings of an airplane, there are many walls with names of people. 24,000 names of people whos mortal remains were never found or given proper last rites. Names from all over the region can be found here, English, Australian, Gurkha, Malay, Chinese, New Zealand... etc.

At this point of time, I noticed a family coming to visit. Finally, some mortal company. The man was from Choa Chu Kang, he told me that he had always passed by but never dropped in, curious Singaporeans like me. They came and left, then some asian tourists arrived and a couple of caucasian tourists. They come in dribs and drabs, keeping the guest book constantly updated.

The Memorial

I've done enough shooting for today, the sun was setting. I felt that I've learnt something that day, I don't know what but it was a humbling feeling. A feeling of sadness for the loss of youth and innocence perhaps, the unimaginable scale of the amount of death and destruction that war brings.

I leave, crossing back into the present, grateful that we don't have to live through such a time of hardship and horror.

To view the rest of the photos, click here

A second series of pictures will be up in a week or two, stay tuned

The Emperor and the Gentleman

2005-07-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite movies: The Last Emperor

Pu Yi, was the last emperor of China, installed as a young boy, he was a puppet ruler of sorts. The movie takes place within the walls of the Forbidden City. Sheltered within these walls, the young Pu Yi does not know of the changes happening to China. The emperor and the staff go about their daily lives in the palace as the threat of revolution and war loom on the outside.

R.J. is Reginald Johnston, Pu Yi's tutor from England. Apart from teaching him the normal subjects, they talk about life outside the Forbidden City, Western cultures, the advancement of technology etc.

From their many conversations, I've extracted my favourite portion from the screen play which I borrowed from the National Library. RJ tells Pu Yi about the importance of words...

siyang: Nabeh, I'm also trying la...

no really, if you have the time.. go and watch this film :)

The HYPE Gallery

2005-07-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

I went to the Arts House at Old Parliament Lane yesterday to submit the following two photos to be on display at the hypegallery!!! They should be printed and put on display within the next few days, and when the exhibition at the Arts House ends in early August, the pieces will be moved to the new National Library

These photos are now on sale and if you like them, you can purchase them online. Photos are available in A2,A1 and 40" x 60". From now till the end of the year, 30% of the profit will go to the Business Times Budding Artists fund.

If sufficient, I will use my share of the profits to finance a Digital SLR to bring you better photos, so do support me! thanks alot and happy viewing :-)

Photo #1
(A smiling school girl in the middle of the crowd, taken at the National Day Parade rehearsal 2005, NE-National Educations show 2, 16 July 2005)

Title: Her smile: Youthful and Proud Singaporean
(click to buy artwork)

Photo #2
(A rag and bone man arranging his cans to be recycled at the foot of my block, the cans are then mashed one by one)

Title: Hardship: Years of Pain Etched on his back
(click to buy artwork)

Photographic aspirations

2005-07-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

A friend of my, RYAN, from back in BMT

has recently taken up photography

Do check out his lovely pictures of Phuket

The Mango snatchers

2005-07-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Last month, I asked "what is this uncle doing"?

and

atrophy said: poking my ass - wrong
gi said: plucking fruits - Correct!

The geriatric pole vault

One evening when i looked out the kitchen window, I saw a group of uncles prodding the tree, what a curious sight. I thought someone's underpants or bra had fallen from their flat and got caught in the trees. But i soon found out that they were robbing the tree of it's fruits!!! The tree was full of Green mangoes. And so I ran to the room to grab my camera...

prod prod

The spirit of teamwork

The fruits are "harvested" by collecting them in a cut open soft drink bottle and lowered to the ground, how ingenious

Guarding the loot. I did a count from where I was standing and I think they ended with about 15 or more mangoes by the end of the day

The mango snatching team hard at work

It all ended before the sun set, they gathered at the table for a smoke, divided the stash and parted ways. Job done.

Too bad they don't have durian tress growing down stairs...

Whenever flames may rage

2005-07-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

IT's Monday night,

I am so Frickin tired... it has to be the Monday blues

Today was a cool and rainy day, excellent conditions for sleeping and few people came down to the pool to swim

But I tried to stay awake in the office, a torturous affair indeed and it dosen't help by getting up at 5 in the morning.

Currently reading a book about a Fire chief's first hand account of the happenings at the World Trade Centre 4 years ago on September 11, the title: Last Man Down.

In one of the front pages is a poem;

When I am called to duty, God,
Whenever flames may rage;
Give me strength to save some life,
Whatever be its age.

Help me embrace a little child
Before it is too late
Or save an older person
From the horror of that fate.

Enable me to be alert
And hear the weakest shout,
And quickly and efficiently
To put the fire out.

I want to fill my calling
And to give the best in me
To guard my every neighbor
And protect his property.

And if, according to my fate,
I am to lose my life,
Please bless with your protecting
My children and my wife.

The Fireman's Prayer
- Author Unknown

I have great respect for people who save lives, people who are trained to put duty before self, people who run in the opposite direction while others are fleeing. It's hard to find that kind of dedication and compassion in many people.

I myself (as a civilian) don't know how I would face up to the situations the firemen had to deal with on the morning of 9/11 if I was faced with a similar task. But let those words inspire you as they inspire me and say a prayer for their safety(in what ever faith that you may follow) for these brave men who risk their lives on the job everyday.

People Power

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

What do you know! I managed to get passes to sit in the Grandstand for Saturday's NDP rehearsal. For the past two weekends I've been outside the Padang where I could not see the parade, for this last photo feature on the NDP rehearsals, lets go into the heart of the Padang where all the action is...

The bulk of the audience came from the Primary schools of Singapore as it was the 2nd NE(National Education) show for the school children. Encouraged to dress in red, the Padang seats were filled with red T-shirts and waving flags.

Departing from the theme of 'men and machine' as I have featured in my last two NDP posts, I have decided to have 'People' as the theme this time round.

(click on photos to enlarge)

A proud young man waving the flag. His flag. Our flag.

A face in the crowd, the brightest of smiles

A cheerleader doing her part to drive the crowd

A salute by Singapore's finest, The free-fallers who call themselves the Red Lions

Under the watchful pillars of the city hall

The lovely Vernetta Lopez being ferried off the scene.

Also making her exit after the pre-parade segment is Kym Ng

It threatened to pour, but the rain came down in a drizzle. No way any rain is going to spoil MY FUN!

Guarding the President

The parade commander gives the orders to present arms

Leading the Mobile column

Look out for the dozens of colourful floats at this year's NDP

Raffles was a chinese guy?

Members of the mass display doing a dance routine

Human operated float

A fantastic light show awaits the audience of this year's NDP

I hope you have enjoyed our little journey without having me reveal too much. If you have spotted yourself in one of these pictures, do drop me an email or comment.

My Graduation

2005-07-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

Thursday was convocation day

Thank you all, My family and friends,

for all the support through out the years...

I wore my Singapore Poly Tie underneath the robe.

The Underdog Kidney Foundation

2005-07-12T04:38:00.000-07:00

Excerpt taken from Channel News Asia's website

SINGAPORE : The National Kidney Foundation's (NKF) defamation suits against the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) came to abrupt end on Tuesday at the High Court.

This, after its CEO TT Durai admitted during intense cross examination that some of the fittings in its headquarters, which were highlighted in a Straits Times article, were indeed extravagant for a public charity.

The article spoke of a glass panelled shower, a pricey German toilet bowl and a gold plated tap.

Mr Durai finally withdrew both his and the NKF's case against the SPH and its journalist Susan Long.

NKF's CEO was in the witness box for the second day and he was to be the only one.

Senior Counsel Davinder Singh's cross examination focused on several areas.

First, the business relationships Mr Durai had with NKF board member Ms Matilda Chua.

These were through two companies - Proton Web Solutions, a call centre operations based in India, which NKF had contracted its tele-marketing work to - and Global Net, in which Mr Durai himself had a stake.

Mr Durai also said he had held several directorships in addition to his work as CEO of the NKF.

Asked if he had informed the NKF Board of these appointments, he replied that it was not consequential and the Board gave him the liberty to do so.

The court also heard the NKF had a fleet of eight cars and drivers, which Mr Durai and its visiting guests and VIPs could use.

click here: for the complete article

Lesson of the day: DO NOT PISS OFF THE PRESS by trying to sue them

Your face might be on the papers the next day with your $600,000 a year salary being announced to the world. Not very good publicity if you are the CEO of a non-profit organisation dealing with public donations.

For those of you hesitating on/or giving up the idea of donating to NKF, for those who are not contented with the idea that your money intended for kidney patients was used to finance a gold plated tap among other things. There's another Kidney foundation...

Introducing...

Kidney Dialysis Foundation

KDF was set up in 1996 and they have a centre in Kreta Ayer. They "serve nearly 75% of the poorest kidney patients in Singapore". I think these guys are the ones who need the millions to help these patients.

Just check out their management policies:

Transparency
A number of policies have been implemented to ensure transparency of all commercial transactions.

Cost Effectiveness
To keep cost under control, KDF uses the principle of managed healthcare and subcontracts its dialysis services to a third party through an open tender. KDF pays the subcontractor a fixed fee to handle all dialysis treatment, nursing and ancillary staff and the maintenance of equipment.

Pre-determined Costs
To exercise absolute cost control and minimise administrative and overhead costs while delivering quality care, KDF has benefited from subcontracting because the subcontractors have to work within a given budget. Commercial and accounting records are transparent as costs are pre-determined.

Lean Operation
To keep costs low while providing quality treatment with state-of-the-art machines, KDF keeps its management team lean and trim with a large team of volunteers.

Accountability
Funds raised and money collected are utilised largely for patient treatment, and not for costly overheads and miscellaneous expenditure. Accountability extends to our financial statements that are easily available for scrutiny, and upon the request of donors.

The fact is, I've never heard about KDF until recently. I only found out about it's existence when we passed a road sign pointing to the KDF compound in I can't remember where now (some ulu place in Singapore).

At first thought, I had the impression that it was related to NKF. Pardon my ignorance, because I don't have much exposure to charitable organisations but aren't they supposed to help out their poor cousin the KDF by sharing some of their wealth? Apparently "KDF is an independent organisation and is not affiliated to any other kidney organisation in Singapore". I guess no one is going to their aid except the public and I say we help the underdogs...too.

SUBWAY Wax Job

2005-07-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

I would like to order a FULL MONTY BRAZILLIAN WAX... and I would like DIANA the FASTEST WAXER IN THE VILLAGE to do it for me please... how much?... yes, does it come with a drink?... no don't upsize... having here

Shhhhh....

2005-07-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

I won't tell..
it's our little secret!

Of Men and Machine Part II

2005-07-09T10:19:00.001-07:00

I was at the Esplanade/Suntec Area again on Saturday. After a morning of taking photos in my graduation gown with some friends I stayed back to catch the NDP rehearsal. Last week I was at the Esplanade Bridge, this time, I positioned myself on the roof terrace of the Durians during most of the show.

After the long day ended, I came home and switched on the TV, there was a report that one of the freefallers in the Red Lions team was badly injured as he landed badly after losing control of his parachute. I hope Master Sergeant Chua Koon San makes a full recovery. I guess this shows that no matter how easy they make it look, the dangers of parachuting are still very real.

A sea of red; this week the rehearsals were watched by students from all over Singapore

Victory; one of the vehicles of the mobile column

You look a bit green today sir

The SM1 tank

The red lions; at this point I saw them coming down sharp and fast. It was a downward spiral at breakneck speed.

Something you don't see on TV; Here you see 2 flags, the one separating from the main formation just before it flies over the Esplanade is, I presume, a spare flag. Just in case anything happens to the main one.

F16s doing a burst... Deafening

KC-135 Stratotanker being flanked by F5 tigers; you can see the refueling 'thing' sticking out from the tail of the plane.

An ang moh couple enjoying the sights, jolly good show!

Something terrible has happened on the bay! So many Fire engines and EMS vehicles!

Due to my retarded-ness, most of my fireworks pics has gone to the dogs, this is probably the only presentable one.

Bravo Company

2005-07-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

"Warrant Fernandez?" I approached him as he climbed out from the side of the pool.

A familiar face. I was by the pool side under the mid-day sun at my camp attending to some other business when I spotted him.

"Sir, I was from one of your SISPEC batches" I said, my face beaming as I stuck my hand out to shake his as if meeting a long lost friend.

SISPEC is the abbreviation for School of infantry specialists, the place where they train Infantry section commanders.. a place in Pulau Tekong where they churn out Sergeants for the Army.

"That was a long time ago" he replied
"2001?"

MWO (Master Warrant Officer) Leonardo Fernandez was the OC (Officer Commanding) of Bravo Company back in 2001. He was there for many years prior to my stint there as a trainee. Back then, Bravo company was known to be the most dreaded place to end up if you got posted to SISPEC, it was as good as telling you to go to Hell. Getting posted to Bravo company was a death sentence. Rumours were abound during basic training about the tough training and conditions in Bravo company and it was this man who gave Bravo company it's reputation.

They sat us in the multi purpose hall, waiting to be called.. Private Tan ah kow, Alpha company, Private Goh ah Seng Golf company.... and I waited and waited to be called as the people around me got lesser and lesser. Finally it hit us like a ton of bricks... "The rest of you left here are going to BRAVO COMPANY"....... die.......

I actually missed my BMT days during the first few weeks at SISPEC. The training and discipline was totally different, i guess you could call this a culture shock... an especially rude one. I thought the trainers were crazy, I'm serious. MWO Fernandez is a disciplinarian, an old school military man. He was very harsh and firm towards his men such that all those in the company feared him.

His version of welfare was NOT of long canteen breaks and early book-outs. On the contrary, he would often say that the best form of welfare a soldier can get is 'tough and realistic training' Which, after reeling from the shock of what I have just mentioned appears to be quite true, because tough training is the best way to prepare us to react in times of war.

Warrant Fernandez set his standards high, very high. The company was always on it's toes, in terms of safety, training and discipline.

I remember one incident when I almost got myself seriously injured/killed when I ran into my buddy's line of fire during section live firing. He was supposed to provide covering fire by shooting while I was to run for cover in front, but in the confusion, I crossed into his lane. Thankfully.. he was not firing at that time. My first thought was not of how I narrowly escaped being killed, neither did my life flash before my eyes.

I was afraid that my OC saw me cock up by getting myself into such a dangerous position. I was afraid of the punishment for such an infringement of safety. At that very moment, I was more afraid of him than death.

I spent six months in Bravo Company. We survived the training and we survived our OC. Throughout this time, we learnt to be responsible, we learnt to be tough, to stand up for ourselves and the true meaning of welfare.

We were put through shit and we were whipped into men

and in my opinion, we were the finest that came out of SISPEC.

So we exchanged greetings and updated each other on what happened since 4 years ago, something I wouldn't dare to do/consider as a trainee back then.

"It's nice to see you again, Sir"

"same to you"

He got dressed in his clean, pressed and seasoned Army No. 4, the best way I remember him.

What dosen't kill you, only makes you stronger

A place I like to go

2005-07-04T04:28:00.000-07:00

There is a place in the north of Singapore I like to go... A bicycle ride away from Yishun and you would have reached Lower Seletar reservoir. There is a bridge that connects Yishun to Seletar Island country club and Seletar Airport. On one side of the bridge is reservoir and on the other side, the sea.

I used to cycle there, to the bridge to sit and relax. Sometimes my bicycle would take me across the bridge and all the way to Jalan Kayu. I was only in secondary school then. I would go there to feel the sea breeze and let my worries melt away.

Now I've moved to Ang Mo Kio and sometimes when I'm driving my Dad's car, I would drop in...

Many people would go there and fish...

The Tidal gates; used to release reservoir water into the sea to prevent it from overflowing. The horn would be use to warn of the release.

A teenage boy drowned here a week ago. I guess he must have tried to swim from one bank where the fisherman is standing to the far bank where he got pulled under midway.

Father and daughter

simi? (wassssssssup?)

Of Men and Machine

2005-07-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

I was in town on Saturday to photograph scenes from the NDP 2005 rehearsals. What so different about it this year is that it is held at the Padang, in front of the steps of the Supreme Court and City Hall. It's held here once every five years. And two things I'm quite excited about are the mobile column of military/police/civil defence hardware as well as the fly past.

I tried to get as close to the Padang as possible but was held back by the endless cordons and army personnel blocking off all routes there. So, I could not get close to the parade venue. However, the surrounding roads were abuzz with moving people, contingents, security personnel, tanks and trucks forming up. I caught some of the action....

(click on the images to enlarge)

Gurkhas as well as the Police armed with mp5s and shot guns creating a security seal around the Raffles City Shopping centre. Mainly due to the IOC coming to town.

Rover with the "top down", part of the mobile column.

Bionix Infantry Fighting Vehicles forming up along Nicoll Highway, waiting for the signal to roll in.

Soldiers look on as these green armoured beasts (SM1 tanks) spew thick black smoke.

These Airmen walking to the parade form up area make up the Airforce supporting contingent.
They wield the new SAR21 rifle

Many young boys dream of being fire men; Civil Denfence fire fighters on the way to the parade form up area.

Do Re Me Fa; these four kiddos took over my seat as soon as I got off.. %$&#@

The state flag being flown by a formation of Chinooks as the National Anthem plays after the arrival of the President.

The Flypast; clockwise from top left,
1. The KC-135 Strato-tanker air to air refueling plane is flanked by four ageing F5-E Tigers,
2. A C-130 Hercules is flanked by an E2-C airborne early warning plane on the left and a Fokker on the right,
3. Three F-16 Fighting Falcons thunder across the skies,
4. A Super Puma Helicopter trailing red smoke as it appears to be "checking in" at the Swissotel

The armoured column rumbles past the crowd on the Esplanade Bridge

Armoured JAM; Not even these guys are spared the traffic jam.. tsk tsk

Will be covering more from the padang/city area in the next few weeks.. do stay tuned!

Mozzie Alert

2005-06-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

I received an SMS from an old friend yesterday..

"Been admitted to hospital for Dengue fever"

It was Jijay, my secondary school friend,

my goodness... the thing is, he isnt the first case I've heard about recently, one of my school mates kena last week. One my my sister's friend also got it.

This evening, on the way to Tan Tock Seng Hospital to visit Jijay I met another secondary school friend, Weiliang..
"I'm going to visit Ah Neh.. he got dengue la"

Then he told me his Neighbour is down with the disease too.. KNN What the hell is going on man, Singapore is being over run by Mozzies.. Dengue must be in fashion...but.. I dunno, it's definately a trend I don't want to follow.

Apart from being thrown into a ward with five other old geezers, Jijay is recovering and seemed to be in high spirits... get well soon man,

Gerard's birthday is coming.. 30 pints of beer coming up...

Happy Birthday Gigi

2005-06-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

Monday night,
I joined GIGI the Bongo player (back in high school) and her pals (less the rest of the block72 pple who weren't able to make it) for a coffee session to celebrate her Birthday which falls Today.. 28th June, she turns 18 this year.

We hung out at Mr Bean at Princep Street, drank overpriced coffee/tea and talked about work, school, aspirations (did we?), childhood memories, i.e Constable Ah Cai, BookWorm club and entering the CTE tunnel for the first time.

Also, What happens when u have a girl who has both
1) a camera and
2) a blog?

you get
1) someone like Diana and
2) someone to take my pictures (finally I am infront of the lens.. hahaha)

Here are some of the photos from Diana's camera...

Derrick and me

Kah boon, Gigi, Diana, me, Derrick

18?

Help Help Help!

2005-06-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

Spend Spend Spend....

I'm going out again, birthday celebrations, KTV, clubbing, movies... I just went for KTV twice last week... and cinema tickets are ever rising, no wonder piracy is on the rise too..

Help!!!

How to tahan with my NSF pay?

I'm going out now.. bye (0_0)/

Photo Friday - Orange

2005-06-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

My submission to Photo Friday.
This week's theme: Orange

everybody's favourite cat - this one's my piggy bank

Cum again?

2005-06-25T01:25:00.000-07:00

Cheerleading Photos, 2005

2005-06-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

This January I took my Olympus to NTU's Cheer Leading competition, I just wanted the experience of shooting at an event, since a competition like this is visually rich and stimulating.. photographer's field day.

I didn't shoot for any clubs or halls, so the photos just ended up being archived in my collection.

I did however send those I took of Hall15(my ex-hall) to their website and they said wow, very nice, thank u.. we will put them up.. blah blah, but until now, nothing - Knnbccb

Some of you may have seen these but I have decided to "reprise" some of them to showcase my work and here are (to me) the best 10 photos of that spectacular evening :)

A common theme...

Lets air those armpits!!

Top of the world

The Singaporean tongue reflex

I love this job!

Be still while I climb over your heads

Siao liao, my legs have cramped up.. cannot close already.. must maintain the smile

say cheeeeese

Tell them who's number 1

A mini standing ovation

The Long Story Short

2005-06-20T05:54:00.000-07:00

I read in the papers yesterday about Monkey bars posing a risk to shorter children. Logic is; being shorter children, they would fall for a longer distance before they hit the ground.

This article struck a cord close to my heart, not because I had a bad fall from a the Monkey bars but because I am a short person and being born in the year of the Monkey, I love the Monkey bars.

I say, the environment is not going to adjust to you. Children have to learn to break their falls properly should they fall and not use being short as an excuse to skip the monkey bars. Singaporeans are fucking pampered, just look at comments some people made about the Tree Top Walk some weeks ago, they wanted more paved walk ways in the jungle track.. etc. They might as well make a travellator like those u find in Changi Airport.

I couldn't do a single chin-up when I was in Sec 1. So at recess time every day, I went a swinging under the hot sun at the Monkey bars. Part of my secret training included doing pushups against the toilet sink (luckily it didn't give way).

Come the NAPFA test date, I pulled a grand total of THREE chin ups, more than necessary to pass. And when Army started, I cleared all the 11 obstacles in the SOC (Standard Obstacle Courses) with ease (like a monkey) and no I didn't use a shorter wall or had the ropes lowered for me. I did the same thing my six footed friends did and I could clear them faster than many of my friends.

Look at the play grounds of today, foam padded flooring have replaced the sand pits we played in. No more huge and crude concrete structures to run around in, instead we have metal structures, and bars much smaller in size and height. Also, we have mental games like tic-tac-toe. wtf..

Bring back those days of rough and tumble for our younger generation, a little bruise and a scratch is going to benefit more than it hurts in the long run.

Photo Friday - Sport

2005-06-19T03:27:00.000-07:00

My submission to Photo Friday.
This week's theme: Sport

Nanyang Technological University's cheer leading competition, Jan 2005

Single and Available

2005-06-18T00:46:00.000-07:00

A recent conversation with a friend of mine (Ken) over MSN about my single status;

Ken says:
na bei.. you not young anymore...

Revenge of the shit says:
old is gold

Ken says:
na bei.. old stick no use, will rust one

Revenge of the shit says:
it gets harder

Revenge of the shit says:
if u want to intro.. by all means

Ken says:
hahaha, sure.. no prob.. (I) have many gfs (girl friends)......

Revenge of the shit says:
but it seems that everyone i like seems to be taken, hmm.. or maybe i like girls that are attached...

Revenge of the shit says:
so u better be careful.. dont let ur gf.. come too close to me.. hehehe

Ken says:
hahaha.

Ken says:
ccb (chow chee bye).. you touch her.. I will cut your dick off and eat it with curry..

Revenge of the shit says:
hahahaha

Revenge of the shit says:
We'll see about that, it would go well with a bit of ginger and garlic btw

Ken says:
well, wat's your criteria??? tell me.. I can intro mah

Revenge of the shit says:
someone with a big ass

Ken says:
knn (ka ni na)

Ken says:
serious....

Ken says:
need to be pretty???

Ken says:
no right??

Ken says:
a nice, decent gal..

Ken says:
ard same age?.. preferably younger??

Revenge of the shit says:
have to be pleasent looking la... age about the same...

Ken says:
decent looking la.. sure wont intro you too bad one le

Revenge of the shit says:
hehe.. u sound like a pimp

Ken says:
fuck you la.....

Friday

2005-06-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

goodmorning,

it's good to see you here

If I was the DJ, I would play you this song

Hope you have a nice friday at the office and an enjoyable weekend,

Good Riddance (Time of your life)

-Green Day

Another turning point

A fork stuck in the road

Time grabs you by the wrist

Directs you where to go

So make the best of this test

And don't ask why

It's not a question

But a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable

But in the end is right

I hope you had the time of your life

So take the photographs

And still frames in your mind

Hang it on a shelf of

Good health and good time

Tattoos of memories

And dead skin on trial

For what it's worth

It was worth all the while

It's something unpredictable

But in the end is right

I hope you had the time of your life

PS. the definition of cute given by Merriam-Webster Online reads:

1 a : clever or shrewd often in an underhanded manner
b : IMPERTINENT, SMART-ALECKY (don't get cute with me)
2 : attractive or pretty especially in a dainty or delicate way
3 : obviously straining for effect-
- cute·ly adverb
- cute·ness noun

Old Soldier

2005-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

so tired tired tired....

I just returned to camp this week to resume my national service after 3 years of studying.. and suay suay this whole week the boys are going to the school of Cockmandos at Changi for High Confidence Course training..

so I have to follow lor...

climb here and there, jump here jump there... luckily I didnt have to demo much due to my lack of currency, spent today dispatching people off the flying fox

In fact so many things have changed during these three years, here are a few

1) The lunch packets used to tabao food rations have changed from styrofoam boxes to thin biodegradeable card board boxes (2 thumbs up!!)

2) The faces have changed..all the NSFs are younger than me... I looked at one guy's camp pass and he was born in '86.. oh my goodness... im such an old soldier

3) The tonner has gotten bigger, formerly called 3 tonners (those big army trucks),they are now called 5 tonners. These beasts are huge and can carry a third or even double the number of troops the 3 tonners used to carry. In fact I had the chance to sit in one today.

Now equipped with air conditioned cabins, the seats tower above all the other vehicles, three side view mirrors on the passenger side. The driver pumped in his Jay Chou music as we steamed down the expressway. I could feel the power of the engine as it accelerated, only to be restricted and restrained by the imposed speed limit. It felt like I was riding a tamed beast. A wild animal on a leash.

4) my mind is fried now.. cannot think of anything else.. haha

Meanwhile u can try this "Quiz".. :-)

Congratulations SIYANG, you are...

mr brown of www.mrbrown.com

Like that ad for Toys 'R Us, you are that kid who doesn't want to grow up. Except you do. And now you're just a big overgrown kid who doesn't want grow up. You have a warped yet addictive sense of humour. It takes skills to poke fun at serious things and you have no problems doing that. Your peers look up to you and yet you're humble about everything. You are an infantile.

Which Singaporean Blogger Are You?

Super Dick

2005-06-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

one of my friend's MSN nic reads:

(click to enlarge)

what next?

Soaking up the sun

2005-06-12T04:10:00.000-07:00

We spent Saturday at the beach,

but I will say no more...

cos the pictures(click to enlarge) will do the talking for me,

Are you ready?

See u on the beach!!!!!

It's me again

Ah Seah and Ah Joe, my two buddies. Joe is the hairy one

The boys creating the perfect sand woman, complete with sandy boobs and a sandy 'hole' modeled using a coke can

The engineers were pretty happy with their creation

Newspaper trouble

Dragon needs a tan too

Dramatic...

I decided to ipodify this one

THAT ASS!

that ass

smoking is bad for you... tsk tsk.

nice shades... I love them, really.

This is how you whack em from below

Creatures from the deep

OK.. dat's all folks..

PS, I'll be going back to the ARMY tomorrow to complete the remaining four months or so... SO EXCITING..... NOT!

Drilling My Brain

2005-06-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

It's been 2 days and the drilling has not stopped. I want to take the drill and drive it into his balls....

Sounds like, someone in the opposite block has decided to redo his whole flooring and is giving his flat an extreme makeover... and it's not even going be Chinese new year yet. I guess he is trying to get it done before the 7th month Hungry Ghost festival

what's wrong with the floor? Bloodstains? Murder just took place in your home?

my goodness... Singaporeans are spoilt man..

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L O S T

Yesterday, LOST premiered on Channel 5. I didn't intend to catch it at first thinking that it would be a dumb-survivor-like average drama. Basically it's about a group of 40 odd plane crash survivors trapped on a strange island.

Sounds boring rite?

NO... the first episode already poses a whole list of questions for us to think about and showcases a myriad of interesting characters.

1) What's the strange thing/beast that's roaming the jungles, scaring the shit out of the people, the thing that grabbed the pilot from the cockpit and left him all bloodied in the tree?

2) A polar bear in the middle of the jungle?!?!

3) The ex-Iraqi Republican Guard soldier "Syed"? He has shown to be useful to the team being the communications expert, how will he fit in? Is his friendliness a front? Is his background a cause for suspicion?

4) The female lead, "Kate" who was a prisoner on the plane. She escaped the clutches of her minder (the injured US marshall) in the first episode. The others do not know her past and her status as a prisoner. Her ability to lead and mix with the others has lowered their guard against her and gain sympathy from the audience. But the marshall has come round and is looking for her. What secrets does she hold? Is she a dangerous person?

5) The Korean couple who can't speak English. Will their language barrier be a liability to the team? Do they have any special skills?

6) The drug addict rocker "Charlie", no drugs on this island for you man.. cold turkey anyone?

7) The menacing ah beng fella, everyone thinks he's an asshole but is tolerant of his ways, barely. In the first episode, he shot the charging polar bear dead. Will he help save the day again?

8) The male lead "Jack" a doctor who is trying to keep all this shit together, what problems will he face?

9) The botak old man who seems to be very knowledgeable but is just taking it easy while the others scurry around. I got a feeling he will rise to the occasion when the time comes, or will he?

10) Lastly, the strangest and most disturbing development: the survivors have picked up a looping distress signal being broadcast from the island itself. Yes, someone else seemed to be asking for help. It was an eerie message in French of the voice of a woman calling for help, the message also said that the rest have been killed. Spine chilling news to the survivors.

Also, the message has been playing continuously for 16 years.. yes.. that long. How can it transmit for so long? They had to have a sustainable power supply. This is no ordinary island. Are we looking at some other dimension? Will they meet the same fate as the other party calling for help?

Will they ever be found?

Jagged Little Wall

2005-06-09T04:51:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to climb this one...

A good Sttttrrrreeeeeettttccccchhhhhhhh

2005-06-07T04:43:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge

Geriatric Pole Vault

2005-06-06T03:57:00.000-07:00

Question: What is this Uncle Doing?

make some guesses.....

Hawker Politics

2005-06-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Six of us old friends met up for dinner on Saturday night. Instead of the usual SUNTEC or orchard road dinner, we decided to eat at Newton Hawker centre where we could order a spread of dishes and share them among ourselves.

It's not my first time there, nice place.. open air at some sections, complete with a hearty selection of local hawker fare. Such places are increasingly being replaced by sanitized-airconditioned foodcourts. My other favourite places are Chomp Chomp (at Serangoon Gardens - forever cannot find seat one) and the food centre at East Coast Park (recently renovated - I however prefer it's old spacious look).

Land of touts (photo taken from virtualtourist.com)

So we were standing around looking for a seat, but it was still early and many tables were empty. One friendly uncle approached us and offered us a table (he was the owner of a seafood stall) but we hesitated, knowing that if we sat there, we would be obliged to buy from him. In fact he made this quite clear;

"how many of you? - five? six? here, just nice.. you can sit here, this table is big enough, if you have more people coming you can... take the long table over there, but..... you should give me priority la"

"er no thanks, we will.. walk around first"

"walk... around... ah?" gives me the if-i-let-them-go-they're-not-going-to-come-back look

We stand aside to discuss and also wait for our sixth friend to arrive. This time, we are IN BETWEEN two rows of shops that are facing each other. The uncle's shop on one side and another shop opposite.

We were in no man's land.

Suddenly this old auntie with a terrible hairdo closes in on us... getting pissed off already... more and more people corner us.. "Boss, we have tiger prawns, blah blah.. stingray.. lobster" Can't you see we DON'T WANT YOUR FUCKING SEAFOOD

I decided enough was enough and went to get a seat on my own, so I walked towards a round table for SIX. The auntie (this time a fat one), followed us and wanted to direct us to a table for FIVE which was nearer to her shop and she said... "I can get another chair for you" But i ignored her and headed for the table for SIX (which was supposedly in shop 1's territory), she said..

"no-no that one is different"
Different? of course it's different, it has enough seats!!!

I ignored her, there's a damn table here for SIX, why do I have to squeeze at "your" small table for FIVE? As we began sitting down, shop keepers from both stalls converged at our table.

We were in the middle of a confrontation that was happening over our heads.

Fat auntie started by accusing the uncle for being "guo fen" (going overboard) for stealing her customers, Uncle then said that we approached him first.. I just sat there and watched in a mixture of anger and disbelief as they were arguing in hokkien. It was an ugly scene which drew stares from other tables and turned heads. It was starting to make me sick and spoil the fucking mood.

The uncle lost the argument and backed off, I guess he was being a gentleman. Anyway how can anyone beat an angry fat auntie in an argument? Impossible. "Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn"

Auntie left a menu on the table. So, just to please them, we ordered their sting ray for a lousy ten bucks and nothing else. haha

I've heard that touting was bad at Newton, but I've never been in the middle of it. Ironically, this place is one of the popular attractions for tourists. Where better to showcase our ugliness(competitive edge)?

Yet again, another display of all things Uniquely Singapore!..

Can crusher uncle

2005-06-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

I took this from my corridor eight floors up.

step 1: space out the cans upright on the pavement

step 2: Lift the metallic crusher, and mash mash mash..

Honours classification

2005-05-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

I got my results yesterday, A A B B B C C... 2nd class honours (lower division)

lower division? sounds like the people living under the expressway, or a lousy soccer team.. anyway it's over and done with, and i'm happy.. happy that i have finished the course.

They say that the people from NTU are motivated negatively (by fear), I think it's true. Fear of failing, fear of losing out to the hordes of people from china and india. Because their "freakishly extraordinary" performance will affect the way the marks are moderated, leaving us, the good sons and daughters of Singapore to kio the sai (pick up the leftovers).

Actually, this system of moderation is just pure speculation, yes.. Disclaimer: let me iterate that i did not say moderation actually takes place. I am only saying that it is speculated, so i don't want anybody coming round to sue me.

In fact, almost everything about the system and the way things are done here (from the way students are graded to the way our degrees are classified) is as clear as a fucking brick wall.. trying to see through it, is pure foolishness. We have long learnt to accept things as they are, not to question the system and obey obey obey.

Look at the honours classification, we have been having no indication whatsoever throughout the duration of studies to tell us.. "MAYDAY MAYDAY.. you are NOT going to get any honours if you carry on like that, hanging out after school and fishing on weekends." NO, it is only made known on the day you check your results for the last time. NO GPA (Grade Point Average - like what NUS and other world class universities have).

However, thanks to the new head, Su Guaning, the GPA is going to be implemented soon... we won't be there to "enjoy" it.

Regarding the name of the school, there has been a debate in the not too distant past about whether it should stay "Nanyang Technological University" or have it revert back to its old "Nan Tah". If my memory serves me well, I think they have decided not to change it back.

This is how I feel, I want it to remain...leave it please!!! NTU is not a hotel. Hotels change names all the time when the management changes. Besides, Nan Tah sounds silly and the people who studied in that era all HAD their fun days and school spirit. Folks... I hate to break it to you but, it's OVER. Dude, we will never have the the same school spirit again. What Nan Tah spirit you tell me? I've never felt it a single day i was there. If you want to reflect the spirit now, I would recommend a change of name to "Beijing University (Singapore Branch)"

Is this how I thank the school for my three years of education here?

My answer is, The school is made up of people, there are people whom i want to thank and there are people who are better off contributing somewhere else. The people whom i want to thank are my family, friends and classmates.. they stuck by me, studied through the night with me and waded through the shit with me (it might be nothing compared to the future that awaits me) but shit it still is. I also want to thank the good lecturers and tutors, those that made learning fun and really imparted knowledge. Those who can't pronounce english properly, I suggest you consider using a voice synthesizer to help you articulate or perhaps you can teach at NUS to bring down their standard. How's that for school spirit!

sidetrack:
Singaporeans complaining over a smoke
(yes we like to complain, it's - Uniquely Singapore!)

ahhhhhh

2005-05-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

It's way past MidNight.. Please don't keep me in suspense!!!

so fast!!

2005-05-28T04:48:00.000-07:00

the singapore idler is pleased to announce that he is finally using broadband...

thanks mum.. :)

yes, imagine the endless possibilities, no more snail paced dial-ups and having to stop using for pple who want to use the phone, no more having to pay for the phone bill for local call charges when the internet is in use.

now the page loads in the blink of an eye..

i read in the papers earlier this week that they are opening up the broadband market to more players, that is a good sign.. and it's about fucking time man.

Singnet is charging 40plus for a 512kbps subscription whereas hongkong is charging i think 30plus for a 10Mbps service, that is about 20times faster than 512!! why the large disparity? the hongkongers are getting it cheaper!!!

I am already unhappy that dial-up is more expensive than broadband (if you include the phone line charges) i guess singnet is using this to 'force' users to make the switch to broadband... users like me

but what's new, it's like one of those set meal specials at a fastfood joint where just buying the burger is probably gonna cost more

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"RAINBOW DREAM"

that aside, i've been out kayaking at the changi sea sports club... and i'm so tired now... one more day to go for this 2 star course!

the 'motion of the ocean' seems to be staying with me even after i have left the water.. can feel myself rocking from left to right, up and down, back and forth

we came across some sailing boats moored outside the changi sailing club and as we sailed through the 'parking lot' i looked at their beautiful white hulls and i was amazed at the lovely names they give their boats.

Sweat Phoenix, Rainbow dream.. there was even one named "Kiss me again" lots of kissing on that one..

then there were the conventional female names like Kristina and Jenny.. eveytime i see the name jenny, two images come to my mind; The auntie who used to sell food at my old camp's Mess, her name was jenny. and a really big breasted girl who's face looked like it had hit a tree. please, i need to know more Jennys to overwrite these two disturbing images.. at least now i can think of the boat when i hear the name Jenny

I wonder what i will name a boat if i had one.. i might call it "sea bitch" or "spongebob's pineapple" or "bang me again" or "sweet p****"

leisure

2005-05-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

three years on since my communication skills lecturer,

ms noela murphy shared this poem with us

and i still love it... i find that it reflects our pace of life,

if everything could just slow down a little..........

click on it to enlarge

Musical Baton

2005-05-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

okie.. lets do this...!!!!!

Total volume of music files on my computer:
3.65Gb — 937songs

The last CD I bought was:
Much more inside - Electrico

Song playing right now:
David tao - sha tan

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:
Radiohead - Creep
Blink182 - i miss you
Billy Joel - When you wish upon a star
Sarah McLachlan - Angel
Concrete Blond - Joey

Five people to whom I’m passing the baton:
1.clara
2.gigi
3.cheelip
4.jijay
5.shu

Freaky Tree Friends

2005-05-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

Everyone's favorite cartoon..

First viewed happy tree friends years ago.. shocked and disgusted at first, i then used it to scare my other friends and urged pple to show their kids

but i didnt know they have figurines, complete with their mutilated states :-O

I think these would make great Christmas presents!

Intoxicated

2005-05-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

Chalet - a six letter word most Singaporean teens and young adults are familiar with, to each person, the word conjures different memories and experiences.. among those are memories of card games, mahjong, not sleeping at all and booze... yes booze, lots of it

place; Costa sands east coast
time; last weekend

It seemed like an impossible task to finish eight bottles of liquor, we had absolut vodka, chivas, martel vsop, jim beam and tequila... but given 2 nights and twenty over people.. we finished all but one bottle of vodka.. along the way some of my friends merlion-ed.. it's an awful sight.

One moment my friend John (name has been changed to protect his identity) is all high, laughing and cheering.. then the next moment he reaches for an NTUC plastic bag and Bleeeaaahh.. BLLooooghhh.., he decides to sit up.. BBBBlllooogggghhh, the white stuff spills all over his shirt. Then, as if by command, the well trained "puke damage control team" kicks in, they get ready flasks of water to wash the place up, someone runs to get a clean shirt and a glass of water is prepared for him.

So he sits there, an image of depression and emptiness, a stark contrast of his boisterous side just a moment ago. It's as if his body had reached a breaking point and it was down hill from there as it began to reject the alcohol. No more for you tonight.

I've gotten pretty high before, but i still haven't puked from it.. I won't allow myself to, i guess there are limits to enjoyment and drinking.. if it impinges on someone else's fun because he has to clean up after me, then that would be over the limit.

Anyhow, it was a great outing complete with a BBQ to celebrate the end of our exams and beginning of a new life outside school. I will miss those days.

I've always wanted to do a montage of this sort, hahaha

"the junwei Mc Donald speech"

what lies ahead for all of us? i hope it's blue skies everyday

Took this from Bedok jetty in the rain, the clouds swallowing up the sun and my beautiful Singapore as it approaches the coastline...