S41 totally rocks my world...

S41 totally rocks my world...

ok... havent blogged in some time... so i'll blog abt the super fun saturday i had... ok... maybe it wasnt "fun" in that sense... but it was more like a refreshing time that i had... and this was how it went...

the day started as usual with me going to work at 830... did nothing but slack in the office... no job, no work... ok... then we fell out at 12 and i went home... then at 5, i left home again and headed to orchard... i was going to meet the ppl from s41... it's been a really long time since we had a gathering with this kind of turn up... 18 of us went and the last time we had such an attendance was during our grad night... and boy was this night just as good... we first went for dinner at nooch... were supposed to go to nydc but it was full... anyway, it took us more than 10 mins to get settled cos of the s41 syndrome... i had una don which was superb... it was really worth the $15 i paid... after dinner, we went to lido to catch a movie... and as usual, our in-deciciveness caused us to just stand around the box-office area for more than 1/2 hr while we tried to decide on what to watch... so in the end, it was going to be "around the world in 80 days" starring jackie chan... the movie was just darn funny as jackie chan kicked and punched his was through europe, the middle east and asia to get around the world... guest appeareances by arnold schwarzenegger (i think i got that right... :P), owen wilson and rob schnider keep the comedy in check... in all, it was a great movie... so go catch it yeah... the movie finished at 1130 so i had to take a bus or cab home... but i figured the best way was to take a bus closer to home then take a cab from there... so i followed rui ying on 105... had a nice chat with her... found out that she was working at a pet shop while waiting for uni... dropped at her place in serangoon and took a cab from there home... on the way, shahin msged me that he was missing the times we had as a class... that prompted me to start thinking of the good old days too... damn i miss them too...

sheesh... the nostalgia just flows in and it is sometimes overwhelming... ok... i need my sleep... so good night and leave a mark...

Eastside is the BEST!

Eastside is the BEST!

alright... my wish has been granted finally aftr 1 week of waiting... i've been posted to changi naval base which is much neared to my place than tuas... yeah... no need to wake up so early in the morning anymore... yippie!!!

so today was my first day there... met up with a couple of my friends before taking the shuttle bus to the camp... had my i/c exchanged for a pass and proceeded... we noticed a queue near the guardroom but couldnt be bothered about it... "The MT line must be somewhere near", i said... so we took a walk to find the elusive block 301 which houses the Motorised Transport Company Line... after walking for nearly 10 mins without seeing a single building, we finally resigned to the fact that we were somewhat lost... and i regretted not joining the queue... damn... this place is HUGE!!! the wharf is so big that walking from one end to the other takes about 20 mins... by some luck, we managed to encounter and speak to a LTC (2 crab) and asked him for directions... "...not too far away...", he said much to our relief... and he was right... so after 20 mins of non-stop walking, past the parade square and a dummy torpedo, past the canteen and a moored LST, we finally reached the MT line... but only to find it empty... it was only 8!!! and work doesnt begin till 0830... damn... so it was a short walk to the canteen for us where we spent 20 mins just sitting around...

by 0830 we were back... did a bit of admin stuff and then had interview with the person in charge, SSG Kho... after that it was slacking all the way till 330 when we were instructed on how to check various vehicles before going for any detail... so by 4 we were done and it was time to start area cleaning... i was the sway one who kena the toilet... luckily the guy who showed me the ropes did a good job of teaching me what to do and by the time we were done with the place, it looked brand new... at 5, we had our last parade and fell out... then i took the internal bus that the ppl were queueing for and headed to the gate... there, i changed my pass and boarded the shuttle bus back to tanah merah station... by the time i got home, it was 630, a difference of 30 mins worth of travelling as compared to when i was at tuas... coolz sia...

well, i think my life in changi's going to be a good one... The Navy... Be Somebody...

arghhh!!!! my comp's getting out of hand arghh!!!!

first it was the usb thingy... then the modem... and now the speakers.. what in the world is wrong!!!!

anyway, got the modem working as u can see... tml i'll know whether i'll stay at tuas or shift to changi... so now i'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best...

all the old hardware is failing... my printer aint working... and now i only have 2 usb ports to use... major bummer... damn...

arghh... crap... i think it's the usb hub that's screwed up... but never fear... my comp has 6 ports... and i have 6 devices... so i'm praying for the best...

crap... no mood to blog much more... ok... leave a mark...

bleah... i'll never be able to get my licence after i ORD... just found out what my job was as an STO...

yesterday all of us were very curious as to what vocation an 'STO' was... but all was answered today when i booked in at tuas naval base... upon arrival, i made my way to NMTB, another of yesterday's mysteries... well, i found out that it stood for the naval material & transport base... yes, you heard right... I'M GOING OVER TO THE NAVY!!! goodbye no. 4 uniform... and hello navy whites!!! so we met the chief clerk and she introed us to the new system... we found out that we were actually Sea Transport Operators... in other words, we were the loading team for ships leaving the base... but we will be operating cranes and forklifts... hence NO MORE HOPE FOR MY CLASS 3 LICENCE!!! damn... really was loooking forward to it... sheesh... in the afternoon, we went for some dialogue session which ended up more like a monologue thingy cos nobody wanted to say anything... booked out at 515 and got home at 7... and my monthly tpt fee is gonna skyrocket to $150 per month if i continue to stay there... but there's hope cos the clerk said that some of us, probably the east-siders, will be transferred to changi... hope that happens...

ok... nuff of the small talk... i'm going to bed... leave a mark!!!

The Navy... Be Somebody...

Off to another place...

Off to another place...

yo guys... today i just got posted to my permanent unit... and that is at Tuas Naval Base in Jurong... my initial reaction was "Die man... How to get there???"... well, that was just now... and it still is...

kowz... gotta get there by 8 tml and i dun even know what bus to take there and stuff... i bet taht i'll be late tml... so how? wake up at 5? leave home at 530??? dunno man... just gotta go tml and find out...

ooh... had dinner with jill, marcus and john this evening... was feeling kinda bored when i knocked off frm work today so i just made a few calls here and there and voila, a dinner with me close buds was arranged at nydc orchard... had lasagna... and boy was it good... that was accompanied with some shebert float of some sort which was also damned good...

been a while since i hung out with this ppl cos of work and stuff... so i really treasured this outing and i'm hoping to see u guys again soon... maybe this sat... go out and catch harry potter or something...

okies... gotta hit the sack... u know the usual drill...

Camp was fun fun fun! ! ! Siriusly......

Camp was fun fun fun! ! ! Siriusly......

yo peepz... i'm finally back from church camp in seremban... here's how it went...

Wed was day one... so i went down to church at 745 to catch the coach up to the resort... the ride up was spent with many of the lighthouse kids like julian, thers, zara, char, bern, shaun, gabriel and matthias... it was a 4 hr long journey so we spent the time playing cards telling lame jokes and singing at the back of the bus... let's hope the ppl in front didnt get pissed at us :P... we reached yong peng at around 10 for the standard stop for a leak... and that's what i did... by 1030, we were once again off for a 2 hr nonstop trip to the allson klana resort in seremban... got there at lunchtime and had lunch at the resort's lobby... then had a briefing and camp officially was declared open... we were divided into teams and mine was called Sirius, named after the brightest star visible in the night sky... Siriusly... then the activities began... first up, ice-breakers to get ourselves introed to the unfamiliar faces ie the BB boys and P6s... played wacko and captains ball... fun siaz... then we had dinner followed by worship and then a talk by moses lim... he's a great speaker that can turn practically any crowd on with his wit and great sense of humour... then there was discussion... we were finally released at 10 but only slept at 1 cos we were just too energetic and went round to other ppl's room in search of dai dee and bridge games...

Thu morning was the start of a brand new day... got up at 645 and went for QT at 715 near the poolside... that lasted till 8 when we went for breakfast which was the usual hotel buffet style... worship followed at 915 and by 10, we had gathered at the field and waited for the commencement of the team-building games... it started with rapelling, then some spiderweb thingy, then an obstacle course... at 12, we had lunch and by 130 we were back at the field and waited for part 2... that started with a flying fox followed by a low ropes course and then a jungle walk... the activities were just great... but the best was definately the flying fox... from 5 storeys high, riding a cable almost 100m to the ground... foof!!! the adrenelin was really pumping... and now we know that pigs CAN fly... cos bern actually rode the thingy!!! it was like a super charged roller coaster with less "protection"... coolz siaz... after all that, we were sticky all over so most of us went swimming... *splash*... the water felt soooo gooooood cos the weather that day was kinda killer... swam till it was nearly too late for dinner then went for worship and talk... that night, we all knocked off early cos we were all dead tired...

Before we knew it, it was already friday, the mid of camp... it started as usual with QT and breakfast and then had worship and talk... all this till lunch... then at 130 went to go help set up the things for the family games that afternoon... we cleared everything by 230 and then went for a short nap till 330 when the ggames started... i was the ammo boy in charge of the live ammo the participants used during the games, water baloons... heh... just looking at the people who played, i could just tell that the games were just soooo fun... so mission accomplished for the organisers... then there was water war using buckets, excess ballons and the hose... boy did we just get everyone soaked!!! so dripping wet, most of us headed for the pool for a refereshing dip and some water polo... kowz... we nearly missed dinner again luckily auntie ross extended time for us... so there was a talk again that evening and we konked off early once again due to exhaustion....

Sat was a day packed with free time and boy did we enjoy it... after lunch, had skit practice for a while and then we hit the pool once again... we played polo again... super fun man... too bad can only play during camp... :P ... at 430, some of us left to play bball and soccer with the BB guys... i stayed and suntanned with jane, daniel and ben... now i look darker than usual but this tan will be temporary... again, we were late for dinner... then it was time for the concert in which the different groups of the church pu up a series of tiny skits and were competing against each other... wew didnt win but hey, we gave our best shot... after the concert, there was a durian party held at the tennis courts... over 200 durians were consumed by the 150+ campers within an hour... should do this more often... then we adjourned to our rooms... after a quick shower all of us started moving to julian's and jason's rooms for a night of PS2 and Euro 2004... at one time, there were over 15 ppl squeezed into the tiny room... and once again , the sweet scent of our sandals and shoes filled the 2 adjoining rooms... luckily jason had them moved to the toilet before someone passed out... so there we were playing daidee, bridge, worms 3d, taboo and some bash bash game... most didnt last past 230... i lasted till 3 when i finally moved back to my room and knocked out almost instantly...

Today i woke early once again and went for QT and breakfast... then there was service and after a short debriefing, we headed back to our rooms and got ready to check out... at 12, there was lunch and buy 130, we had all boarded the coach and started for home... we went back to church 1st to drop off supplies and by 8, sean and i were already home... ok... i NEED my rest now... so till the next church camp, LEAVE A MARK!!!

My 2 Days Worth...

My 2 Days Worth...

ok... didnt blog yesterday cos i came back rather late and dead tired... so here's for yesterday and today...

Sunday...
my dad had borrowed the car from my aunt over the weekend so he drove and sent my brother to outram and my mum to work before letting me take over and drive to church... it was quite a change from driving the army vehicles but at least it was an experience... so i got to church just in time for band prac and worship commenced on time at 11... there was BS after that and that followed by lunch at sim lim square... then, a group of us went to play MOHAA at the $1 place... coincidentally, sunday marked the 60th anniversary of the allied invasion of france... watch out omaha beach!... finished at 4 and went home... then, i showered and changed and got ready to leave the house once again, this time for dinner... my dad drove and picked up my mum from harbourfront then we went to the newly renovated east coast lagoon for dinner... the food there was, like always, superb!... by the time we left, it was already 10 cos we just kept ordering and ordering... sheesh...

Monday...
once again, another slack day in camp... did absolutely nothing until near book out time when they asked for ppl to go help take down and transport exhibits from the supply and tpt exhibition in which the chief of army was the guest... ok... time to go slp already... leave a mark will ya?

Slacking? Who's slacking?

Slacking? Who's slacking?

okies... updating time... went to work early this morning and reported on time... today, was transferred from the driver training side back over to STTS so i joined plt 6, the platoon which is a holding place for drivers that just passed their driving test... so i reported there today... cant imagine how slack it is until i got there... my day started with an hour long canteen break... so at 930, got back to the place which we were supposed to touch up for area cleaning... but by the time i got there, the area was pretty much clean so we ajourned to the air-conditioned classroom to wait the rest of the day out... so began my 2 hour wait... i spent it sleeping on the floor cos nobody came to check... at 1115, we looked for our ic who gave us a half day off cos we're new and the platoon has this welfare benefits thingy for new ppl... by 1200, i left camp and headed home, and will only report to work on monday cos the ic once again gave welfare and ordered a long weekend... slack or what? then came home and went out again for lunch with my parents... had starbucks after the meal and hung around compasspoint for abt an hour... then we went home and i slept the rest of the afternoon away cos i was just so tired... went for band prac later that evening at 8... so it finished at 915 and now i'm back home waiting for my parents to come home with supper... what a slack-ish day man... how was yours? leave a mark!

Return to Ngee Ann...

Return to Ngee Ann...

fwahz... today was one great day spent... had basketball with the PLH ppl once again at Ngee Ann Poly... played from 9 till 1... then we finally dragged our nearly limp bodies to mcdonalds for lunch... we hung around there for 1 1/2 hours before trying to decide what to do after leaving... the consensus was clear: just go home for a refreshing shower and a good rest... well, at least that was what i did... so i got home at 4 and i've been slacking in front of the computer and tv ever since... okiez... gtg slp liaoz... leave a mark!

June already?

June already?

fwahz... time really flies... 5 mths passed in 2004 in just a blink of an eye... quite amazing... esp since army life is just slow and mundane...

sorry didnt post last night... but i have my defence...read on to find out... ok... yesterday was my cross-country driving exercise... so from camp, we were driven to a forested area near the zoo for our training... the place was just swarming with mosquitoes and the only things that spoilt the all-so natural feel were us and the 3 radio antennas jutting out from bt timah hill which could be seen frm there... anyway, we were introduced to the basic operation tasks that are supposed to be carried out during any outfield deployment like camouflaging the vehicle, driving through knee-high water and bumping along tracks that are just littered with potholes... my instructor kept complaining at the end of the day that his butt just couldn't take any more of the punishment dealt by the bumping caused by the potholes... we finished promptly at 5 and headed back to camp... if u thought that was the end of the day, you're wrong... that night, we had training using the night vision goggles, made popular during the first gulf war... recall those green and blury images of bullets flying over kuwait shown on the news during early 1991... well, that's what we saw too... minus the bullets that is... focusing the darned things was itself a chore... and putting them on without them slipping off was just about impossible... so i let them hang and drove in "complete" darkness without them through the jungle track... it was really dark but i could manage without those cumbersome things... so yeah, i got home at 10 and was so tired that i went so sleep immdieately after showering...

today was another day which tested my driving skill and HWC profiency... i had islandwide driving today, taking first, a 5 tonner, and then a rover from sembawang camp all the way to changi naval base... and being a class 4 permit holder, i was authorised to drive on the expressway, the BKE, SLE and TPE to be exact... oh well, the journeys both lasted about 100 mins and took me 55km each closer to my 7,000km and free class 3 licence... on the way, i met up with some pretty heavy traffic in the morning but i managed to get past it and reached without a scratch... my buddy took the tonner back with me in the passenger seat and after lunch, i took the rover there and he took it back... quite cool driving without an instructor, without authority... the feeling was just great... i bet you'll get it too when u pass... got back to SBC early and had an early dismissal... so after a fast trip to compasspoint, i finally reached home... oh wellz, i had a great day, how bout u? tell me abt it... leave a mark!