39 more days... POP loh!

39 more days... POP loh!

It's Monday... So why ain't I in camp? Reported sick yesterday to thew doc at Sengkang for the flu and he gave me a day's MC... And that's why I finally have the time to update this seriously outdated blog of mine... Let's start with VDay...

14 Feb 2004:
After a hard and long week full of running and jumping, marching and swimming, I finally checked out of Hotel Echo at around 10 o'clock in the morningmy feet touched non-SAF soil (aka Pasir Ris Interchange) at 1030 and soon, I was on my way home in a cab with 3SG Jensen and Haliff. As the cab passed the runway threshold of Paya Lebar AB, 4 F-15C Eagles just took off from the runway. The noise that their engines produced was just deafening as they screamed towards the heavens. Anyway, by 11 I was home. I hurriedly rushed to the toilet to get showered and changed so that I could quickly get to Mr Nakamoto's place ASAP. Grabbed a quick lunch of instant noodles at home before leaving at 12.

Reached the shop by 1 and was spraying away on my F-16 model soon after. I just touched up the under-belly of the jet and resprayed the AIM-9 missiles with the same shade of grey. After I was satisfied with the result of the painting, I got Sinseh to mix the colours for the upper surfaces and sprayed the top after masking the cockpit area. by the time I finished at 5, the plane looked almost complete.

At 5:45, I went down to Heeren to meet Sarah. But guess what? She was still at home! Aiyah, girls. :-P Finally at 6:30, she reached and I met up with her. Walked around Paragon for a while and just as we were leaving the place, a girl selling those VDay roses came up and asked if I wanted to buy one. But for $10!? That's insane! I said no and we continued walking to Somerset MRT. Took a train to Dhoby and transferred to NEL to get down to Outram Park. From there, we walked to the Third Place to attend the Parousia concert. It was quite fun as it was filled with games and because the other performers were quite good. Parousia took the stage finally and they too played well. At the end of it all, Sarah and I took the pledge of abstinence. I feel that in this modern society, youth nowadays really must stay away from pre-marital sex (PMS) as it basically ain't good. So now you know why PMS is bad? :-)

The gig finished at around 10. Sarah had some problems to talk about so we went down to Fort Canning to find a place to talk. Finding a bench was already difficult as almost every one in the park was taken by smooching couples. The only benches that were empty were those which had a lamp-post beside them so we took one of those. Sarah poured out her problems to me and I listened, giving advice along the way. Glad that I was able to help, Mei. Left at 11 and took 7 to her place and dropped her off. Flagged down a cab soon after and headed home. On the cab, I called Jill and asked her how her date was. Details of that found here. The cab reached my place at 1220 but I stayed downstairs till 1250 cos I was still on the phone with Jill. Oh Jill, you just forget about him yeah? He's already hurt you so many times so I don't see why you should bog yourself down with this issue. Anyway, do leave a mark. I'll check next week!

News Flash: Army Week 5

News Flash: Army Week 5

yo guys...just got back from camp this morning then rushed off to the bank and then to meet jill and the gang so no time to blog this afternoon...anyway, back to army life...

The week that just passed was the 5th week spent on the inescapable rock of Pulau Tekong. The past month or so has, however, been quite interesting and I'm kinda liking it. So far, according to my Platoon Sergeant (PS), my platoon has been given the most welfare (treated more as humans than as dogs). This could be seen by the amount of Stand-By-Beds we've received as compared to that of other platoons; they've gotten at least 3 while we, 0. Oh well, guess that it's just plain luck that we've got sergeants that don't tekan their men for the smallest of things. Even if we get punished, I understand that it's their job to do it or else they'll get it from the CSM.

Training is quite fun cos we get to things that are relatively slack as compared to the PTP companies. While we do brisk walks, they go for IPPT training the whole day. I really pity those poor guys. They get 'tekan'ed for the most minor minor of mistakes. Anyway, while they spent their first 4 weeks sweating it out, my company spent out time developing out combat skills by going for marksmanship training at the IMT centre, learning how to strip and assemble the M16 rifle and going for outfield training. But of all the training we've had, my favourite was still the live range where we got to fire off real ammunition at targets 100m away. It seemed quite challenging at first but after going to IMT, it all became easier. Though I failed to be a marksman, I nonetheless felt a sense of achievement as i managed to pass the range test.

Just this week, the rest of the School 1 companies opened their doors to welcome new recruits. School 2 also did the same and all my classmates are there in Pegasus and Whiskey companies. Well, they're all confined for this weekend so I hope that they will adapt to army life soon and that they will enjoy their stat at BMTC just as I did. Good luck guys!


REC MARK CHEN
BASIC MILLITARY TRAINING CENTRE SCHOOL 1
ECHO COMPANY
PLATOON 1
SECTION 4
BED 48

FUBAR

FUBAR

Yo guys...I'm headed into military service in approximately 10 hrs...Hope it'll be a good experience...And yes, this is really FUBAR...See ya...and do leave a mark...

A Trip Down Memory Lane Part 3: My Days in SAJC

A Trip Down Memory Lane Part 3: 02S41, The Funky Bunch...

I was just browsing through my class' webpage a while ago and while looking through the many photograps we took over the past 2 years, I was inspired to continue my trip down memory lane...

By week 2, the dust had settled and we were finally starting formal lessons in SAJC. The time-table was packed with lessons all the way till 5 on some days so I was in for a long week, every week. Lectures were conducted in 2 venues: Computing in the AVA, Maths, Physics and Econs in the Auditorium. I hated the Audi cos the seats had no tables so taking notes was quite a hassle and my notes were extremely untidy. Tutorials in the classrooms were quite fun cos some of the teachers could actually stand our nosense. Mr Chan was our Physics as well as civics tutor. He can be described as a rather tall teacher who we all thought was a slacker. There were days when he would not come down for assembly and sometimes he did not really know his work well. Lessons by him were als o considered quite slack cos he never went round to check work. People could talk about other things at the back of the class and he would not care at all. But sometimes we can really piss him off. There was once we were caught skipping lecture so he gave us a lecture of his own. Ms Seet was my Maths teacher. She was very dedicated in making sure that we all knew absolutely everthing about Maths but being S41, we really could not be bothered. Most of the time during tutorial we were all playing the fool and not listening. But that came with a price: my maths was screwed really badly for most of the tests and examinations of 2002. I just want to apologize to her for all the times we made her mad. In the 2 years at SA, I had a total of 4 econs tutors taking my class so I will not elaborate on them all. Our all time favourite teacher was Mr Ng who took us for PE. According to him, we were his favourite class but some people have heard otherwise.

My favourite part of being in S41 was all the class outings we had. I still remember the first one we had to Sentosa. I had lots of fun playing volleyball and beach soccer even though I was in long pants. But my favourite class outing was the 3 day 2 night chalet stay at Costa Sands Pasir Ris during the December holidays. Though it rained practically throughout the whole 2 days, we still had lots of fun playing soccer and doing the BBQ. During then, some of the S41 people from the 1st 3 months dropped by. They were pretty cool and some were quite disappointed that they were not in the class. Anyway, that was the first time the class tasted my baking. I brought a cheese cake for the class which i baked myself. Hope it was good and that nobody got stomach trouble after that :P.

Now to talk about the people in the class. I can't name all so don't get jealous.

Firstly, we have Shahin, that "tall Chinese guy with a weird name". He's a true blue Red Devils fan. If it wasn't for all the tests and exams we had, I think he'll probably watch all the Man U matches "live". Now, this guy here is actually half "mat" (that explains his bizzare name) but he dosen't really give a damn whether he eats "halal" or not. Explains why he goes around telling everybody that he's on the highway to hell. But who's to disagree?

Then, there's the Bukit Panjang Gang which consists of Tim, David, Guangrong and Siu Po, all who stay within a small radius in Bukit Panjang. Coming from Jurong Sec and Bt Panjang Govt High, they mainly converse in Chinese but i somehow miraculously managed to actually get what they say most of the time. They may look like slackers but they are actually one of the smartest guys in the class and if you've got any problems with your computer, just look for them and your woes will just disappear. Trust me.

Finally, there's Chau, one of the only few English conversing people in S41. What's there to say? He's a soccer fan. I'm a soccer fan. So he naturally became my best friend in the class. We can talk about soccer for a whole break and then continue during lecture. We even came up with this soccer game that we played during boring lectures. I went something like this: Starting with the letter A, we were supposed to give a name of a soccer player whose name began with that letter. The person who couldn't come out with a name loses and we go on to the next letter. It was kinda fun cos it was a good way to kill time and by the end of J1, we managed to complie a Soccer Dictionary.

As they always say, it's the people, not the classroom that makes a class. So it's us, the funky bunch that make 02S41 and not B26. Thanks for reading this ya. Watch out for Part 4 which will be about the prom. Till then, leave a mark!

Somebody save me...

Somebody save me...

Well peepz...it's finally here...the A-levels is what I'm talking abt...so yeah...pls pray for me and the rest who are taking the A's cos it's extremely stressful and it's kinda easy to just break down...pls keep all of us in your minds these 3 weeks ya...i finish on 27 so whoever hasnt watched matrix revolutions pls tell me...haha...tag board's still up so pls leave a mark...

A Trip Down Memory Lane Part 2: Orientation 2 in SAJC

After spending 3 wonderful months at SRJC, the time finally came for the O-level results to be released. That was one day I'll never forget. At about 9 in the morning, I received a phone call from my aunt. Due to her "connections" in the MOE, she managed to get a hold of my O-level results before they were officially released. From her, I found out that I got 12 points, 3 As and 2 Bs not including Chinese. I was so overjoyed that I treated some of my SAS friends to lunch later that day. At the official "ceremony", people were excited and the atmosphere was one of pure anxiety. After a short speech by the principal, announcing some of the "miracle" cases, the results were handed out by our respective form teachers. I wasn't too anxious cos I had already got my results. The result that shocked me the most was the A2 for English, a far cry from the C6 I got for my prelims. Even Mrs Chandran, my English teacher, was surprised. Anyway, after all the results were handed out and people started leaving, I noticed some of the Sec 5 people huddling together. Some one started crying cos he had nowhere to go and it was then I realised how fortunate I was to pass and have somewhere to go. When I got home, the first thing I did was to log-on and complete the JAE form, putting SAJC(Science) as first, confident that I would be admitted and when the JAE results came out a couple of weeks later, a new chapter of my life began...

25 March was my first day in SAJC, ending up in OG10 for the first day of Orientation 2. There, I met a few people but I can only remember Thash from Temasek Sec. My memory ain't that good. We selected our subject combinations that day and 2 days later, I started my first day with 02S41, a 4-subject class taking Computing, Maths 9233, Physics and Economics. Joanne, our Civics Group Leader, started the ice-breakers. From there, I managed to catch a few names: David, Bernard, Chris 1, Chris 2 and Just Chris. Couldn't really remember the rest of the names 'cept that could remember this really tall Chinese guy who had a bizzare name. Anyway, through the games and activities, I tried to get to know a few people through soccer talk. As 4 out of 5 of the class were guys, finding soccer-kakis wasn't going to be that tough. And true enough, I was soon talking to Christopher Chau, a Liverpool fan and from SJI, who soon introduced me to Shahin, the "really tall Chinese guy who had a bizzare name" also from SJI and a Devils supporter. We quickly delved into details of the upcoming weekend matches and talking about past matches, giving comments about players past and present. 28 March so happened to be Chau's birthday so we had a combined celebration with our senior class. There was much food and drink but we were saving for the O2 finale in the evening.

That evening was the O2 finale, a real "gala" event where each class had to come in their class identity costume or what not. Anyway, my class being a computing class decided to wear keyboards and mice coupled with CDs. We looked pretty bizzare but it was worth it. We won the Best and Most Unique Class Identity. According to Joanne, we were supposed to get a clean sweep of all the prizes but were only allowed to get one. But hey, nobody's complaining. The night that followed was on filled with song, music and dance. It had everything from hip-hop to ballads and the break dancers really showed their stuff, tearing up the stage.

O2 finally drew to a close at about 10 that night. But it's really a night I'll never forget ever...

A Trip Down Memory Lane Part 1: 1st 3 Months in SRJC

Some time in November 2001, I was required to submit my choice of school which I would be attending till March based on my dismal O-level prelim results, 18 pts. Chosing the school for the PAE was kind of tough cos of the limited choice available for me. So I put SAJC first followed by SRJC due to it's close proximity to my home. The rest was nonsense. On 20 December, the results came out and I was posted to SRJC. I tried appealing to SAJC but was rejected. So I had no choice but to embark on my first 3 months of JC life in SRJC.

Day one started with orientation. I still remember going there and looking stunned and confused cos I didn't know anybody in my OG, Hydra 1, at all. Practically all the SAS guys were (deliberately) separated, probably cos of some team-spirit nonsense. There were only a few of us there: Zhi Yang, Roscoe, Alden and Lip Hang are those Ican remember. Anyway, the day began with the principal's speech followed by ice-breakers. From there, I managed to catch some names and met a few aquaintences. As I really wasn't hoping to stay in the school at that time, I wasn't that enthu(siastic) about any of the activities at all. But still, I managed to make friends with people like Fiona, Chui Jia and Jun Hao. Then came the subject talks and physical activities and not to mention the subject choosing session to fill the rest of the orientation programme. Finally, after 3 days, they managed to sort out the classes and I was posted to 1S13, a 3 subject class taking Physics, Maths and Econs. And boy, did I have a good time with them.

On the 4th day, we finally met as a class for the first time. It was quite awkward at first but slowly, people started talking among each other. I was introduced to the other "all-boys" school people, Ke Xian and David, from Marist Stella and Khairin from VS. I was introduced to Joseph and when he started talking about soccer, I knew I found a close friend. Finally, after about 1 hour of introductions, Mr Michael Low, my form tutor stepped in. He introduced himself and we did the same. After settling some admin work, he stood up and said,"I don't want to waste your time anymore, you all may leave." Fwah, direct to the point, no time for bullshit, what we all wanted. The next day was the day to choose the class committee. So happened that the previous day I was asked to photocopy the time-table for the class and that did it... I was sabohed to become class rep. Weiting was vice-class rep...

Lessons were OK except that some teachers were really crappy like that Cedric Tan, my GP teacher. He looks like an Ah Beng, dresses like an Ah Beng but talks with an English accent. Really couldn't stand him. Heard he's left the school... Good for the people there... Anyway, there was the ever-nagging Mrs Lim who taught maths. No maths tutorial would go by without her giving 15 mins of pep talk and the ever famous "I think ypu should go to poly(technic)." But my ultimate favourite teacher was Mr Chua, my econs tutor. Though he can't really speak English that well, he really good in the sense that he can really teach the economic concepts really well. Physics was taught by Mr Low whose "I don't want to waste your time anymore, you all may leave" line really worked with our class. My chinese tutor was.....shit......can't remember... aiyah...nevermind lar...

My days in SRJC bring back lot's of great memories but I can't write them all cos there's just too many. I'll always miss the school... But I still can't figure out why the conducted GP lectures...hmmm....

Bored...

It's a hot friday afternoon and here i am at ben's place updating my blog... went to study wif chau in the morning at abt 1030 in holand v... got a party here tonite so tt's why i'm here... spent most of the day just stting around getting bored...somehow cant find the mood to study...sianz...and exams are just 2 weeks away...sian...hehe...anyway, i'm getting a headache now so i'd better stop writing and start doing something abt my head...so ciao..and do leave a mark...

Everyday...

What to say? Lord, it's You who give me life and I
Can't explain just how much You mean to me now.
That You would save me, Lord, I give all that I am to You
That everyday I will be a light that shines Your name.

Everyday, Lord, I'll learn to stand upon your word
And i pray that I, that I will come to know You more,
That You would guide me in every single step I take and
Everyday I will be a light unto the world.

Everyday, It's You I live for,
Everyday, I'll follow after You.
Everyday, I'll walk with You my Lord.

It's You I live for everyday,
It's You I live for everyday,
It's You I live for everyday, My Lord...

Everyday, It's You I live for,
Everyday, I'll follow after You.
Everyday, I'll walk with You my Lord.

Quote of the Day...

"No matter whether you think you can or cannot, you are always right..." - A.Man(2003)

Farewell to SAJC... and normal school life...

Yes...the title says it all...today was my last official day as a Saint in the 3 Saint Andrew's schools...i still remember fooling around the old woodsville campus next to the highway...catching spiders, picking saga seeds and playing country eraser were part and parcel of a day in school then...i remember the famous out-of-bounds area, the tower, which was said to be haunted...but never really gave me the spooks...there are just so many ghost stories but i really couldnt be bothered to believe them...in p5, the school shifted to the new(er) campus at potong pasir, directly across the river from the sec school...though i only spent 2 years there, it brings back fond memories cos it was the first time i experienced a change of campus...after my PSLE, the results weren't that good so i HAD to remain a Saint and went on to the secondary school...ppl say the the best years of education is in secondary school...and i can't agree more to that...4 years i spent there irritating teachers and messing up the D&T workshop...but somehow amidst the fooling around, i managed to get a good enough a grade to get to SAJC...pretty lucky though...wonder where i would have been without the affiliation pts...neway...joined 02s41 in 2002 and met lotsa cool ppl like chau, zif, khail and dave...hope tt u guys will remain as friends forever...the 2 years i spent there were the best ever...teachers were cool and helpful, schoolmates having the makings of true Saints and who can forget the student council with Wayne at the helm...haha...well, that chapter in my life has come to a close and now it is time to start mugging like hell and strive to be what i can and want to be...to all the Saints reading this, all the best for the coming A's...remember to study hard and play hard at the wame time... UP AND ON!...to all ye who arent Saints, pls leave a mark...thanks!!!

PS: photos of today's activities can be found on my class website at http:\\www.02s41.tk...

Priceless...

Yesterday after sch, followed shahin, dingo and albert on a window shopping trip to look for prom clothes...first stop was zara...their men's wear was not bad and price as kinda reasonable...cos it was window shopping, we didnt buy anything...then we went to taka and looked around...armani, u2, bvlgari(kidding!)... then we stepped over to the renovated paragon...we entered ralph lauren and then we REALLY understood the true meaning of expensive...

Ralph Lauren Shirt (blue) : $155.00
Ralph Lauren Suit (Top) : $1899.00
Shahin's face when he saw the price of the suit : Priceless...

haha...kkz... gtg dinner at restaurant...cya...and leave a mark...!

Why I Just Love PLH...

It's sunday once again and that means back to church... woke at 7 to get to church by 830 for breakky and band prac... i played siu po's electric guitar for jason and claire today... but the band was awesome... there were 3 guitarists today, Shelby, Tommy and ME!!! some people said we were like an orchestra...haha... had a really enjoyable time playing for the lord...after worship was class time...auntie yueh tarn was supposed to bring us out for a meal or smthng like dat but was busy so she gave us, the JC class, $120 to go spend at marche for lunch... now i can safely say tt all of us are realy pigs when it comes to eating...spent an average of $20 per person so the total came to $174... had to fork out the rest of the shortage and claim back from the rest on friday...after lunch, followed shelby to get her guitar fixed at parklane...joined jason, ben and keenan for generals while the guitar was being restrung...shelby looked kinda bored after a while so we played pool till abt 4+...finally collected the guitar and found out that the reason why the string snapped was because they were actually old and rusty...but the guitar was new...screwy yamaha guitars...so by 5 sean and i were on our way home...he dropped dead on the bed immediately after showering saying that he was going to sleep till 630 the next morning...good nite bro...as for me, i'm sitting here typing this while watching the perfect storm and waiting for my dinner...kkz...tt's all i gotta blog abt...leave a mark k...

Cycling on and on and on and on..............

After yesterday's dinner with Ben, Jane, Shelby and Theresa, we decided to go cycling at East Coast today...Ther had tuition so she didnt come...Poor thing ...hahah...newae, we met at abt 10 at bedok and headed down to East Coast... by 1045, we got our bikes and started riding towards the direction of the airport...our first stop was at bedok jetty where we saw people fishing and took a few shots with my camera...spent abt 10 mins there before riding off again...we passed places like the lagoon food centre which was under renovation, coasta sands chalets and the udmc seafood place...we cycled until the paved track met a road...there was however an unpaved path nearer to the beach...we decided to take it and cycled to the safra golf and country club before stopping for a break at a restaurant just opposite the the country club...after finishing our drinks, we left...suddenly, i picked up sight of the runway of changi airport just down the road...so under much persuasion fom shelby and myself, we headed down to the runway...we met a main road and found ourselves at the end of runway 20L...and planes were taking off just over our heads! there was a little hill just a short distance away..climbing the hill, we could see the runway spread out in front of us...super cool sight...photoed a couple more take-offs and we were on our way back...by 145, we reached the bike station and returned the bikes...had lunch at viking hotdog and dessert at some waffle place...saw jean danker and carrie chong at macs doing some promotional stint...didnt think much abt them tho...newae, we all left at abt 3 and by 430, i was home, slightly darker than usual...hope your day was just as great as mine...so yea, why dun u tell me abt it by leaving ur mark... and yea...thanks sarah!!! and if i can find a way to put up the pics, i will...

Pics of East Coast Outing...

First stop, Bedok Jetty...

Smiley Jane...

Outside SAFRA Resort...

Ben spoozing...

Shelby spoozing...

A Boeing 777 takes off from Changi...

Fly away and bon voyage...

Better get away from that weather...

Just outside the bike rental place after a loooooong ride...

I FIXED IT!!!

lol. all kowtow to me!! >_< haha kidding.... haha mark its fixedddddd =D yay! hehe. n now i noe a handy trick too whee hee hee =P haha ah well i like the layout u chose btw nice nice!!! ahhhhhh exams ard the corner nooo... n my blog down. *pout* lol ok i'll stop invading ur blog =X heehee u can delete this post btw if u wanna bwahaha.. byedebye!!

Forbidden City: A Portrait of an Emperess...

"The Dragon Lady is going to get us killed!", yelled the people. "She's a murderer, killing her own son to ascend the throne!" So who exactly is this "horrible" woman? I soon found out after watching Forbidden City: A Portrait of an Emperess at the Esplanade earlier today with my brother... The performance was one of the highest standard... Comparing this to the Believer's musical, Broken-Up People, is like comparing Goliath to David... So was the locale... The star-studded cast perfectly re-enacted the life of Emperess Cixi, one of the last emperesses of the Chinese Soong Dynasty... Cast members include Kit Chan(the singer), Hossan Leong(Can I Help You?, The Donny Lee Show) and Amy Cheng(First Touch)... So i give the show a great 5 out of 5... There are only 6 more runs left so quickly get your tickets and come see the best of the Singapore Repertory Theatre... Tickets are priced at $111, $81, $66, $46, $36 and $11(restricted view seats) for matinee shows and $121, $91, $71, $51, $41 and $11(restricted view seats) for the evening shows... There's also a 50% discount for students aged 4 to 18... For more information, you can visit http://www.sistic.com.sg/ for more details...

Ok...so that was my review about the musical... Really hope that you guys can go watch it to see how the pros do it... Well, it's well past my bed-time so, in chinese, zai jian, goodbye and yeah, leave a mark as soon as i can get the dumb board working...

Prelims Over...

Hey...i'm back to blogging...for the time being that is...prelims just finished on friday...feeling kinda relaxed and at the same time kinda screwed...dun think i did too well for my papers...but the "lucky" thing is that i still have a couple more weeks to brush up before A-levels...hope i can be saved by then...better go slp now...so yeah...see ya...and do leave a mark...if u can find the tagboard that is...

What time is it?...

wanna know what time it is??? it's time for da prelims... papers start next tuesday so it looks like i've gotta quickly finish all my revision...luckily my major papers are only starting the following week and the bigger parts are in the week after the hols...so it's panic time...means tt i wont blog till after the prelims...so chill ya?...i'll try to update every now and then...till then do leave a mark...

Discover...Life... (7/8/03)

6-7 Aug was my school's Discovery Fiesta, 2 days to just sign up for talks and workshops and go for them...that means no classes at all...yeah...we were supposed to sign up for at least 1 talk and 2 workshops but i ended up signing up for only 1 talk and 1 workshop...what a slacker!!!...went for science talk and a workshop on NS...not bad i must say...today, the school invited dancers from La-Salle SIA to come perform various dances like contemporary, ballet and jazz...they were pretty good 'cept for the part when a guy came out in this horrible costume...his tights were so tight that you could practically see his d*ck...kowz...that turned everyone on...i mean off...haha...yesterday, we had some chinese opera troupe perform opera in english...super horrible...those who tried to sleep couldn't cos of the loud and high pitched music...luckily, chau brought his laptop wif CM4 installed so we were enjoying ourselves in the premier league...finished my courses at 12 but had to stay till 1250, the official dismissal time...so i was back at 2....but have to go back later for the Annual Christian Students Reunion Dinner, some dinner for the christians in college...and because i'm a member of the SFC, it's compulsory...sian...i gtg for the dinner liaoz...while i stuff on what $5 can buy me, u leave a mark k...