Wah liew... i've just finished the straits times life! section... there was this weekly article on the latest album releases... they've got britney, they've got kylie, they've got texas and they've got tori ... but why in the holy name of khoo kah kiat is there no Sarah??!! huh???! someone from ST give me an answer please??? are you telling me the album is so bad it is not even worth mentioning?? whatever happened to your tastebuds??? Music critics will forever be music critics, good at finding fault in others but always fail to find fault with themselves... come to think of it, its good that they didn't review the album... i would have been even more pissed with what they have to say about "my precious" (mock Gollum's voice from LOTR) Sarah... hahaha... now now... i'm not saying i'm a Sarah fanatic (well... halfway there actually...) but people should know a good thing when they come across one...

Wahaha... finally... i've jumped onto the broadband bandwagon... signed up for starhub's maxonline plan... i must say i'm very fascinated by its speed, cos you see... i was still using my pacnet 56kps like just yesterday... now you can understand? good... there's no way i was going to pass up this offer they're having now... imagine getting a FREE BenQ (okay not so impressive) digital camera and a all-in-one HP printer with a total worth more than $600... how coooollll is that??! Adios dialup forever and say hello to broadband power!!! There is NO looking back now... ...

Last 2 days were 'action-packed'... haha... really... on saturday night, me, jizheng, bob got into Zouk for free with compliments from ah hui and his two friends... the music sucks, not that i know a lot about it but its nice to unwind with music that gets you going... it obviously didn't happen to the guest dj from germany that night, what was his name? if i remember correctly, its timo maas or something like that... boycott him... haha... but i think the highlight of the night was witnessing the drinking prowess of ah hui... f*** man, this guy is hard core, this 'basketball' drink he downed that night is so potent its almost like poison... i can't even stand a whiff of it... okay abit exaggerating here but the smell is so bloody strong it pierces you like a thousand knives... plus the way he sets the drink on fire is so friggin' intimidating i turned down the request to even try it... all hail da' man-whore!!! thats what we call him... haha...

It was only until 3am that we've finally got to bob's place to bunk over for the night as we're all playing soccer tomorrow morning at 8am... slept for 3 hours or so before i got up instinctly at the break of dawn... it always happen to me... Whenever i'm playing soccer, i always get up before the alarm wakes me up... but it's the other way round for school... the alarm gets me up before i get to it... even though i get more than 7 hours of sleep before that... strange... i'm totally energized for soccer albeit the exhaustions of yesterday night... football never fails to perk me up... A whole bunch of us headed to our usual haunt for lunch after soccer where i got a whole lot of stick for writing the innocuous few words on my Friendster account. In it, i list backpacking as my hobbies... thats where all the nonsense come flying in... starting from who-else-but-the-fatass-Doong... While its true i've never ever backpacked before, it's not wrong to say i like to backpack either... it was never in my intention to present what i'm not to others who might not know me well... i am who you see, i am what you get and i do not hold back what i want to say... So, in the words of koh chink egg, i'm not your rugged outdoor hunk as he would otherwise like to call me... hahaha... friggin' feel like bashing him up now... to set the record straight once and for all, i am not a poser and i hate bloody posers who spruce up and fake their resumes to appear favourable and more desirable to people... as some might say, its not a perfect world out there... these very people bear testament to that...

And yeah, the day didn't end there, even though i was constantly on the receiving end of the taunts from my friends, i very much believe it was all in the name of good fun... it was great hanging out with these bunch of people whom i've grew up with since secondary school days, each more or less have a part to play in shaping who i am today...

I also met up with my jc mates at lau pa sat for dinner in the evening after an hour's nap from the tiring soccer game in the morning... very much a simple affair, had a nice meal and we walked around the boat quay and clarke quay area... we also saw the reverse bungee jump where idiots from around the country pay a hole in their pocket to have themselves scared shitless ( or maybe bored to some ) for a minute and perhaps spray their meals over the unsuspecting crowd gawking at them below... Oh Yes!!!... how i would love to see the puke rain on them... imagine gooey shit and noodle strands hanging from people's head... hahahaha... freakin' sadist am i? it would be a sight to behold... no doubt about it... but i don't think these wussies would be hanging up there in the first place, right?

First day learning a bike today... went to buy a helmet cos' i do not want to use the stinkin' helmets from the centre... and horror of all horrors, the shop selling the helmet doesn't have my size... f***... just great... what a way to start my first lesson... and so i tried choosing a helmet that doesnt stink as much, Guess what? its as good as not choosing at all... all the stinkin' helmets are moist and smelly... god knows who wore them before me - the unfortunate soul did... Believe me, they really S T I N K... the moment i got home, i washed my silky hair over and over again till i've convinced myself it smells nice again... I don't want to be put through the trauma again... it was most harrowing for me... i'm going to get myself a clean and nice helmet the next time i go for my lesson... speaking of which, it feels great riding a bike... but what i didn't know was how freakin' heavy the 125cc bike weighs... almost came toppling over me i swear... but i learnt fast on how to get the bike going and changing gear... however not good enough to clear the lesson... Darn!!!... damn bike... i'm going to ride and conquer you next week... hehe...

Just finish watching R.E.M's music dvd... Michael Stipes really can't dance even if his life depends on it. In the music video for " Losing my religion ", i would want to believe he was really dancing... as far as my memory serves me well, i could not recall any lead singers from bands dancing like... John Travolta??! haha... you know what i mean... rock band singers shouldn't even be dancing in the first place!!! Anyway it was bloody funny just looking at Stipes flails his hands all over the place and his simulated beating of the drum action... he keeps on doing the same few actions over and over again... it's getting on my nerves i tell you, i just feel like "Losing my sanity" ...

I can't seem to get Kylie Minogue's "Slow" out of my head... i keep playing it over and over again on my pc... i've lost count of it... really... hahaha... it's sooo catchy... makes you wanna groove along to it...

By the way, i found this extract from an email sent to me... have a read...

DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE

"A woman has the last word in any argument.

Anything a man says after that is the
beginning of a new argument."

I thought that was really funny... but its pretty true at the same time too...
People say men are from mars and women are from venus... i couldn't agree more... we guys just have to live with it... just like the women have to put up with us guys too... remember, we are just as strange to them as much as we guys thought they are in the first place...

Finally finished all the theory lessons and the compulsory 2 trial tests for my bike course... all these within a space of one week... really taxing... imagine having to sit through some of the really redundant theory classes on traffic road signs and stuffs... hello? i've already got my class 3 leh... somebody should do something about class 3 license holders getting exemption from certain lessons... they serve nothing more than a refreshment course for me... its not as if i needed it in the first place... So what's next for me? Practical lesson 1 starts next week and it goes in sequence... meaning you have to complete lesson 1 in order to book for lesson 2... let's hope i do not have to wait for weeks just to do one lesson, otherwise i'll not be able to meet my target of getting my license by the time school starts...

On another note, today i had the chance to really sit down and listen to Sarah McLachlan's latest offering "Afterglow" ( damn the rain, was supposed to play soccer in the afternoon ) On the whole, its not a bad album, a few good tracks to look out for: "Fallen", "Train Wreck" and "Answer"... 3 1/2 out of 5 stars! Still, it draws comparison to her previous album, not including Mirrorball which was not considered a proper EP... "Surfacing" wins hands down... really... just look at how many stunningly beautiful tracks the album alone produces... a song's success is not necessarily measured by the amount of commercial airtime it gets, but rather, how it connects with you... and it helps that she's got a beautiful voice to top it all off... excellent stuff i say...

All right its time to hit the sack... can't wait for tomorrow to come... what else could it be?? FUTBOL of cos!!!!

Taken during last sunday at my clan's enclave in chai chee... haha... like some triad association... it was my ss--sees--ter's ( damn i can't bring myself to call her my sister ) birthday... 21 years old already, can you believe it??!... but still none the wiser... or will she? Time will tell, but i'm not hopeful... yeah, that's my grandma, mum and dad with me and my elusive secret character sister for those of you curious as to how my sister looks like... by the way... i'm not responsible for cleaning up the puke you people leave behind on my blog... DO IT YOURSELF hor!!! haha... and by the way again, i say to you peeps, she doesn't look like me in long hair... any bugger who even whispers that in front of me again... god bless you... i'll make sure you won't live to see the sun rise another day...

The morning after exams ended... damn it feels good... suddenly there seems to be a spring in my steps... haha... spend the earlier part of the day playing soccer at NUS... it's been a while since we last played together and it sure felt damn shiok... As i could see, most of us seems to be getting heavier around the waist after all the cram, eat and sleep exam lifestyle... time to keep in shape again... especially since my IPPT window opens next feb... but it's cool for me, you know... Its not as if i only train specifically for the occasion... i do my rounds religiously week in week out... so it's not a big deal...

And yeah... I finally registered for my motorbike theory lesson at Ubi driving centre, after all the procrastination in recent years... my mind was stuck between wanting to prolong my sad existence and seeking the convenience and freedom to go anywhere on my bike... it was only after a friend casually brought up the matter that i decided to give it another thought... Cost savings... well i haven't really done a detailed analysis yet but i suppose in the long run everything will even out... after all i'm spending close to $4 on public transport for a 2 way trip to and from school almost every other day and it obviously make sense to get my own transport and not having to compete with people for space on the bus and train... i'm someone who craves breathing space more than anything else... i hate to jostle with people and ending up having to smell someone's armpit if you know what i meant... With my own bike, i can go anywhere as and when i feel like it... hmmm... sounds freaking fun... come to think of it...

What about the issue on safety? Don't the accidents involving motorcyclists scare me one bit? Of cos' it freakin' scares me... given some deep thought on this matter.... should anything untowards happen to me... i may not have the chance to fulfill the role of a son to my parents... i'm so damn selfish in risking it all here... BUT i believe i am a responsible driver and will answer for my every actions... Hell... it's too early to say... i might not even afford to buy the bike i want, would only consider riding a scooter unless really no choice... haha... my mum's cool on me learning bike but there's abit of an objection from dad... for goodness sake i'm already 22 going on 23... Whatever it might be, you only live once, for me i am the sort who will try everything and anything (err... surely there'll be a few notable exceptions) at least once in my lifetime so that one day you can sit back on your favourite chair and tell the stories to your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren over and over again... sweet... it's time to live my life... what's yours?

Source: Nettwerk, 2003

It's out ... It's OUT!!!! the album's slated for release today November 4th but whether it's a worldwide release or only to North America, I ain't got a clue... but one thing's for sure... i'll be popping by HMV to check it out the first thing exams end on November 6th... can't wait no more... 1 more freakin' day of mugging and that's it!!!! MUAHAHAHA....

Was over at Marina Bay for Bob's birthday... it was smack right in the middle of my exams... wouldn't give two hoots if it was someone else's but it was the birthday of a cherished friend (not just any friend) who still bothered to keep in touch since secondary school days... and of cos' an ever present member of the swingin' singles club which he and i shared exclusive vetoing rights... hahaha... but for how long? It's anybody's guess... maybe we'll just have to relax the criteria abit lah... what say you? I don't wish to go Kwang Ming Shan leh... Er Guang shi di... heehee...

Halfway through the exams... not too bad i guess... but somehow i always have the bad habit of slipping into the "near holidays" mood whenever the end's near... just couldn't wait, or could i?? aarrrgghhh i feel so guilty right now, just wasted 3 hrs playing Diablo II and yet to start revising on my next paper... wait... my stomach's growling... hell... i'm going to heat up the pizzas from yesterday night's first...

If Singapore's attempted space program is anything to go by, this is the level of progress we've made so far... above picture shows an ape in routine training on a sophisticated machine...

This article "Are servicemen up to the job?" appeared in Straits Times forum last saturday dated 18th Oct 2003 by a certain Mr Koh Y M. To sum up, he said officers and specialists conducting the combat survival course were not to be blamed, as proper guidelines and procedures have been put in place regarding training safety regulations. He said the public should instead question the quality of servicemen... I can't take it lying down... i mean, what the f*** is wrong with this Mr Koh? He comes across to me as a very naive person with a highly elitist atitude... I feel i have to rebutt every single point he made regarding the incident which culminated in the death of the NSF from the simulated PoW training...

Firstly, with all due respect, Mr Koh(he himself declared ex-commando who went through similar training) should take into account the fact that SAF is made up of many individuals with varying levels of fitness and threshold for torture and like activities... what he could endure doesn't mean others could too... that is the reason why people like him go into commandos and others, like the most of his counterparts got into various less demanding combat vocations or support units... NS, for your info, was not meant to be a one size fits all system... and so who is he to question the abilities of fellow NS men?

Secondly, contrary to what he proclaimed in the article, officers and specialists conducting the exercise flouted the safety regulations... no one said it was necessary to dunk someone's head into the water excessively... if it was just meant to simulate, why push the act and punish the trainee even more? Now, i'm not saying this would translate the whole exercise into a mere whimper of its entirety... Yes, training SHOULD be tough, BUT it should also follow safety guidelines... Mr Koh, in his article quite obviously implied that it is not to be the case, given his training as a commando. However, i believe these 2 aspects can and will complement each other... SAF officers and specialists owe the people an explanation and therefore it is appropriate their heads should roll first... since it is their duty to return people's sons to parents at the end of the NS stint...

This above article was written by me from an objective perspective on the particular issue and should not be viewed as a personal attack on anybody, Mr Koh included. I hope to submit a proper write up to ST forum in the coming days... whether they publish my article... is for them to decide... i just want to give my two cents' worth...

Last night was totally happening... what was supposed to be a normal supper of prata at simpang bedok turned out to be one helluva night... let me give you guys the lowdown on things... first... ahh... yess...mmmmhhh... cheese prata boom... powwweerrr i tell you guys... ( there goes the 6km run an hour before Doong suddenly jio me for supper... yes, i admit that i caved in to the pleas of my stomach... hahaha )
After our supper, i suggested going back to our dear old secondary school AHS where we spent so many wonderful memories together... it was not the end of the story... yet... We had parked our cars outside the main gate and walked in through an opening at the rubbish dump... we walked round the school and saw so many changes that it totally destroyed the rustic laid back setting of the school... no more spaces to run about and the old block of classrooms we used to study is gone... in place of it spanking new buildings rise up like nobody's business... don't even mention to me the basketball court i play my footie on every sunday... damn... why did they do that for??! its not as if the student population suddenly exploded like India or China... hehehe... now the charm of old AHS days only exists in my memory... if only digital cameras exist back then... it's kinda sad, to think of it...
However, our early morning exploration of the school grounds was not all peaceful and quiet... As we were walking towards where the old block used to stand... we saw a car parked in the middle of the lot of land in front of our All Saint's church... thinking some couple must have sneaked in to make out here, we were expecting some car shaking and misty windows... like titanic(the window part)... hahaha... how f***ing wrong we were... turned out to be a police car... dammnit we're in for it... naturally we got stopped for suspicion on "intended" criminal activities... apparently they have been staking out here to catch the culprit for some recent incidents they have every right not to tell us... This makes us prime suspects... after all, who would've expect 5 guys (met Jianzhi and Cilfton by chance at the prata shop) to be in the school compound at this time of the day (read: 0215hr)? We got questioned, IC numbers taken down, and searched for illegal possessions (whatever that might mean) But lucky lah, we don't have pai kia face, and they know we have no ill intent after hearing our explanation, so they finally let us go after some intense grilling...
As they escorted us out to the main gate, they requested to have our cars checked, and it was lucky Doong's dad who works as a carpenter doesn't have any chainsaw, hacksaw, drills or crowbar (you guys know what i meant) in his car boot, or else we'll have another round of explanation to do... hahahaha...
Since the night was still young (read time: 0245hr), Doong the family man suggested we go Changi V (??!) hahahaha... we said cool... and we were not to be disappointed... it was one of the best nights... the 'girls' there were just... in a word... HOT... hehehe... i'm telling you... they could put a lot of girls to shame... not that i prefer ah guas but they are quite... stunning... no offense to any girls out there...
And which brings me to my lecture mates... WHY DID YOU PEOPLE CHOOSE SUCH UGLY AH GUAS FOR RESEARCH!??!?! hahaha... still... however confusing their gender orientation are, we need to respect them as human beings and not some freaks... this was after what Adrian had told me which they revealed to him the things people do to them... whatever dignity they have was stampede on right to the very last bit... i think they deserve our sympathy too... after all, who's to say what's right or what's wrong?