Sunday, July 31, 2005
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Celebrating the nation's 40th preview...
Today is the day when I attended the National Day preview at the Padang.
Initailly, I was supposed to go back to work on some last minute job in CNB at 3pm. But after some negotiations and deal-making with Thomas, I managed to persuade him to replace me so that I could go for the preview.
I met my aunt at her house and from there, she drove the both of us to the Golden Shoe Carpark in town and parked the car there. We then took a walk in a slight drizzle down to the Padang. But the Cavenagh Bridge was only for Yellow and Blue sector ticket holders only. We Green sector ticket holders had to go to the other end of the Padang. The SRC end. And since roads like Connaught Drive were closed to all types of traffic, we had to take the long way around. Going round the Fullerton Hotel, we crossed the Esplanade bridge and walked to the Esplanade to use the toilet. From there we walked through an underpass and finally emerged at the wet and soggy Padang. Total time walking: 30 minutes. On a normal day, a walk to the Padang from Raffles Place would take less than 10 minutes.
And so we queued to get in and absorbed more rain during the wait. When we finally got to our seats, we found them wet. And to make things worse, the seats were those which have rounded bottoms and hence, catchment areas. Luckily the pack provided a poncho which I used to cover the seat and prevent me from absorbing more water. And the wait began. The pre-parade finally started at 5:20. I won't bore you with the details of the parade but here are a few comments.
One of the Regimental Colour-bearers fell flat and face down just before the arrival of the GOH, Mr Abdullah Tarmugi. Medics who were on-hand took over 5 minutes to discover that he had fallen as the other contingents were blocking their view. To simulate the arrivals of the MPs, MM, SM and PM, stand-ins were used. And they did the job very well, waving to the crowd as the real ones would. Normally, these VIPs would draw respect. Today, the stand-ins drew laughs from the spectators. The aerial display was much better than the prevoius years' as it featured more aircraft rather than just the 'normal' F-16s and A-4s. The mobile column was rather good, featuring over 200 vehicles from the SAF, SPF and SCDF. The rest of the parade was quite 'standard'.
When you want to tell your neighbours not to mess with you, you display your weapons and use them as a deterrent. This is what I believe the parade at the Padang is. The fly-past of Chinooks, Super Pumas, C-130s, Fokker 50s, E-2Cs, F-16s, KC-135Rs and F-5Es show the might of the RSAF. The rolling past of SM-1 tanks, Bionix IFVs, Bronco ATVs and Primus 155mm SPHs display the strength of the Army. Too bad the Navy could not sail their Frigates into the Singapore River. Now, that would be quite a sight. Deterrents, whether directed as a show of strenth to possibly hostile nations or to potential terrorists that may target our shores, have worked rather well at least till now. I wonder if a nation which recently purchased nearly 100 T-90 Main Battle Tanks would be afraid of our 300+ SM-1 Light Tanks.
A birthday celebration with a political agenda.
Initailly, I was supposed to go back to work on some last minute job in CNB at 3pm. But after some negotiations and deal-making with Thomas, I managed to persuade him to replace me so that I could go for the preview.
I met my aunt at her house and from there, she drove the both of us to the Golden Shoe Carpark in town and parked the car there. We then took a walk in a slight drizzle down to the Padang. But the Cavenagh Bridge was only for Yellow and Blue sector ticket holders only. We Green sector ticket holders had to go to the other end of the Padang. The SRC end. And since roads like Connaught Drive were closed to all types of traffic, we had to take the long way around. Going round the Fullerton Hotel, we crossed the Esplanade bridge and walked to the Esplanade to use the toilet. From there we walked through an underpass and finally emerged at the wet and soggy Padang. Total time walking: 30 minutes. On a normal day, a walk to the Padang from Raffles Place would take less than 10 minutes.
And so we queued to get in and absorbed more rain during the wait. When we finally got to our seats, we found them wet. And to make things worse, the seats were those which have rounded bottoms and hence, catchment areas. Luckily the pack provided a poncho which I used to cover the seat and prevent me from absorbing more water. And the wait began. The pre-parade finally started at 5:20. I won't bore you with the details of the parade but here are a few comments.
One of the Regimental Colour-bearers fell flat and face down just before the arrival of the GOH, Mr Abdullah Tarmugi. Medics who were on-hand took over 5 minutes to discover that he had fallen as the other contingents were blocking their view. To simulate the arrivals of the MPs, MM, SM and PM, stand-ins were used. And they did the job very well, waving to the crowd as the real ones would. Normally, these VIPs would draw respect. Today, the stand-ins drew laughs from the spectators. The aerial display was much better than the prevoius years' as it featured more aircraft rather than just the 'normal' F-16s and A-4s. The mobile column was rather good, featuring over 200 vehicles from the SAF, SPF and SCDF. The rest of the parade was quite 'standard'.
When you want to tell your neighbours not to mess with you, you display your weapons and use them as a deterrent. This is what I believe the parade at the Padang is. The fly-past of Chinooks, Super Pumas, C-130s, Fokker 50s, E-2Cs, F-16s, KC-135Rs and F-5Es show the might of the RSAF. The rolling past of SM-1 tanks, Bionix IFVs, Bronco ATVs and Primus 155mm SPHs display the strength of the Army. Too bad the Navy could not sail their Frigates into the Singapore River. Now, that would be quite a sight. Deterrents, whether directed as a show of strenth to possibly hostile nations or to potential terrorists that may target our shores, have worked rather well at least till now. I wonder if a nation which recently purchased nearly 100 T-90 Main Battle Tanks would be afraid of our 300+ SM-1 Light Tanks.
A birthday celebration with a political agenda.
Friday, July 29, 2005
The Bullies
This has been a really bad week. And it started last week. Last Thursday to be exact.
NMTB celebrated Racial Harmony Day with a gathering at HQ NMTB last Thursday. All NMTB staff were invited but as I had detail that day, I did not go. So Alan and Thomas went instead. There, they talked to my OC and discussed if we could meet him some day and bring the problems we had with our supervisor forward. He was rather willing and said that he knew stuff was going on in Changi but he was just waiting for someone to step out and say something so that he could take action. The die was cast.
The next week, we met him in Changi on Tuesday. The dialogue was strictly between us STOs and him, the OC. We asked questions about offs and leave. But whatever we asked and questioned, he always had an answer. And his answers were not to our benefit. His answers were rigged. This was confirmed when we asked questions backed with statistics and he could not answer them, sometimes giving ridiculous explainations. And so the meeting concluded with us receiving nothing of worth. The wost was yet to be.
After coming down from the conference room, a transport supervisor informed us that before the meeting, my supervisor and the OC had a private talk and the transport supervisor overheard them discussing tactics on how to answer the questions that we could potentially raise and how to twist policies to their favour and to our disadvantage. That was it.
The very next day, a new rule was passed that in the future, no off will be given to personnel who do not pass their IPPT. Yes, some units practice that but it is a complete contradiction to the definition that the OC gave of off which is actually rest time. Should the new rule be implemented, it would mean that even if we perform an overnight loading operation, there would be no rest the next day before we carry out other details and increasing the risk of accidents occuring.
And it is because of this that I have come to the conclusion that NSFs are targets and that regulars are those which prey on the NSF targets. Not all regulars are like that, but it is unfortunate that my unit is full of them. Back-stabbing bastards like the OC and dogs like my supervisor. Should we take further action? It may cause more rules to be implemented but will it be worth it? Will my CO take action? Will the OC bastard us again by sucking up to the CO?
There are now three options. First, to face reality and live on. Second, to bring this matter to a higher level and fight again. Or thirdly, to try to get down-graded and get posted out. I'm currently considering choice number 3 and I might just do it.
NMTB celebrated Racial Harmony Day with a gathering at HQ NMTB last Thursday. All NMTB staff were invited but as I had detail that day, I did not go. So Alan and Thomas went instead. There, they talked to my OC and discussed if we could meet him some day and bring the problems we had with our supervisor forward. He was rather willing and said that he knew stuff was going on in Changi but he was just waiting for someone to step out and say something so that he could take action. The die was cast.
The next week, we met him in Changi on Tuesday. The dialogue was strictly between us STOs and him, the OC. We asked questions about offs and leave. But whatever we asked and questioned, he always had an answer. And his answers were not to our benefit. His answers were rigged. This was confirmed when we asked questions backed with statistics and he could not answer them, sometimes giving ridiculous explainations. And so the meeting concluded with us receiving nothing of worth. The wost was yet to be.
After coming down from the conference room, a transport supervisor informed us that before the meeting, my supervisor and the OC had a private talk and the transport supervisor overheard them discussing tactics on how to answer the questions that we could potentially raise and how to twist policies to their favour and to our disadvantage. That was it.
The very next day, a new rule was passed that in the future, no off will be given to personnel who do not pass their IPPT. Yes, some units practice that but it is a complete contradiction to the definition that the OC gave of off which is actually rest time. Should the new rule be implemented, it would mean that even if we perform an overnight loading operation, there would be no rest the next day before we carry out other details and increasing the risk of accidents occuring.
And it is because of this that I have come to the conclusion that NSFs are targets and that regulars are those which prey on the NSF targets. Not all regulars are like that, but it is unfortunate that my unit is full of them. Back-stabbing bastards like the OC and dogs like my supervisor. Should we take further action? It may cause more rules to be implemented but will it be worth it? Will my CO take action? Will the OC bastard us again by sucking up to the CO?
There are now three options. First, to face reality and live on. Second, to bring this matter to a higher level and fight again. Or thirdly, to try to get down-graded and get posted out. I'm currently considering choice number 3 and I might just do it.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
i just got home from work... bazooka loading this morning... we had to get to camp at like 7 and since there were no buses at that time, i had to persuade my dad to let me take his percious merc to work on my own...
so after quite some debating, he reluctantly handed me the key... i fetched alan and soh on my way there and ended up 45 mins early... so we had breakfast in camp before the loading commenced... everything went smoothly... even boss seemed quite calm although we complained to oc about him the previous day... so as we would say, "chop chop" done... by 830 it was complete and we were dismissed...
since the car had some space, i managed to pack in patrick and lta soh cos they were going the same was as i... fetched all of them to sengkang and i went home... so now i'm contemplating and planning today's activities for myself... bleah...
so after quite some debating, he reluctantly handed me the key... i fetched alan and soh on my way there and ended up 45 mins early... so we had breakfast in camp before the loading commenced... everything went smoothly... even boss seemed quite calm although we complained to oc about him the previous day... so as we would say, "chop chop" done... by 830 it was complete and we were dismissed...
since the car had some space, i managed to pack in patrick and lta soh cos they were going the same was as i... fetched all of them to sengkang and i went home... so now i'm contemplating and planning today's activities for myself... bleah...
Monday, July 18, 2005
and here i am in camp, blogging while the rest of my mates are playing chinese chess and just waiting for a chance to get their hands on the computer...
well, after going to bed at 230 last night, i woke up at 515 to get to work... bad combination... today i was really cranky and got pissed at every little thing... bleah... i'm still pissed...
early detail tomorrow so that's why i gotta stay in... probably another us carrier coming in early... they really should get thier own force protection detail instead of having to rely on us...
ok... better hand over the com to the rest of them... night...
well, after going to bed at 230 last night, i woke up at 515 to get to work... bad combination... today i was really cranky and got pissed at every little thing... bleah... i'm still pissed...
early detail tomorrow so that's why i gotta stay in... probably another us carrier coming in early... they really should get thier own force protection detail instead of having to rely on us...
ok... better hand over the com to the rest of them... night...
Another Fellowship of Friends
Meal at a fancy Thai restaurant in Suntec City: $18/-
Drinks at Harry's in the Esplanade : $8/-
Hanging out with S41 : Priceless
There are somethings that money cannot buy. For everything else, there is S41.
Yes, today was another day where I had the chance to catch up with the people from my former JC class of 02S41.
It actually started out as a normal Sunday would be. I got up early to go for service in church at 9am. For the first time in quite a few weeks, I actually made it on time. After service, it was YAF time and Bible study. I really like this new series on finding satisfaction at work as it is rather applicable to what I am doing now. Problematic boss, low wage etc. BS was followed by lunch with Ben Smith, Jane, Daniel and Eric. The chicken rice was great and the topics we discussed over lunch were splendid. A controlled democracy. That is the way to a healthy country free from uprisings and riots.
I then went to the hobby shop to continue on my new F-16 that I have been building for one week. Halfway while building, I received a message from Razif.
"U going tonight?"
"Tonight?", I replied.
"Class outing at Suntec at 7..."
"Hmmm... U going?"
"Yah..."
"Chau?"
"I'm waiting for his reply..."
"Ok... Will probably go..."
So at 6:15, I promptly packed my equipment and headed off to Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station to catch a train down to City Hall. However, on the way to the station, I ran into Ida and Wai Wai. So I ended up walking with them to City Hall. Razif was late so after Ruiying came, the 3 girls left first while I waited for Razif. Thankfully he was only 10 minutes late. We chatted about work all the way through Citylink Mall to Suntec City where we met the rest of the class. In all, there were 13 of us who met at Suntec City. Razif, Ida, Wai Wai, Ruiying, Lawrence, Siu Po, Audrey, Albert, Dingyan, Jun Yi and myself were early. Boss Yip and Edmund joined us later over dinner at the Thai restaurant.
The manager personally served us and we got some really great discounts from him. Fish that was originally priced at $18 was reduced to $1.99. Now that is a bargain! And so we enjoyed the meal, atmosphere with friends and all. Some things just never change. Albert was cracking lame jokes which no one could catch but this time with a bizzare Canadian accent. Dingyan and Lawrence were the Dog - Owner couple again but this time armed with Pocket PC phones. Edmund was the classic bastard again and Boss Yip "came".
Dinner ended at 9:30 and we all went to the Esplanade for a chit-chat session. On the way there we, "ran into" Chris Chau and his girlfriend, Selene. Greetings were exchanged and pictures were taken. Then Chau had to leave as he was escorting the missus home. He's flying off tomorrow so he had to spend some one-on-one time. The class settled for driks at Harry's, a pub in the Esplanade Mall. It was rather warm in there maybe because of the number of people there. We had Coke with Rum and Cranberry with Vodka. Both the drinks were over-diluted and really were not worth the money. So more photographs were taken and more stories were shared over the session.
Plans for the next outing were discussed. Friday, 8pm at Albert's place we will meet. From there, we will take a cab/bus to town to another pub/club for more drinks and a great time. I'm really looking forward to that outing. I'm hoping that I can get the car by then. Anyway, I just managed to catch the last train home and just got back less than an hour ago. I probably won't be able to wake up for work on time tomorrow. I'm off to bed now. Till the next time, leave a mark....
Drinks at Harry's in the Esplanade : $8/-
Hanging out with S41 : Priceless
There are somethings that money cannot buy. For everything else, there is S41.
Yes, today was another day where I had the chance to catch up with the people from my former JC class of 02S41.
It actually started out as a normal Sunday would be. I got up early to go for service in church at 9am. For the first time in quite a few weeks, I actually made it on time. After service, it was YAF time and Bible study. I really like this new series on finding satisfaction at work as it is rather applicable to what I am doing now. Problematic boss, low wage etc. BS was followed by lunch with Ben Smith, Jane, Daniel and Eric. The chicken rice was great and the topics we discussed over lunch were splendid. A controlled democracy. That is the way to a healthy country free from uprisings and riots.
I then went to the hobby shop to continue on my new F-16 that I have been building for one week. Halfway while building, I received a message from Razif.
"U going tonight?"
"Tonight?", I replied.
"Class outing at Suntec at 7..."
"Hmmm... U going?"
"Yah..."
"Chau?"
"I'm waiting for his reply..."
"Ok... Will probably go..."
So at 6:15, I promptly packed my equipment and headed off to Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station to catch a train down to City Hall. However, on the way to the station, I ran into Ida and Wai Wai. So I ended up walking with them to City Hall. Razif was late so after Ruiying came, the 3 girls left first while I waited for Razif. Thankfully he was only 10 minutes late. We chatted about work all the way through Citylink Mall to Suntec City where we met the rest of the class. In all, there were 13 of us who met at Suntec City. Razif, Ida, Wai Wai, Ruiying, Lawrence, Siu Po, Audrey, Albert, Dingyan, Jun Yi and myself were early. Boss Yip and Edmund joined us later over dinner at the Thai restaurant.
The manager personally served us and we got some really great discounts from him. Fish that was originally priced at $18 was reduced to $1.99. Now that is a bargain! And so we enjoyed the meal, atmosphere with friends and all. Some things just never change. Albert was cracking lame jokes which no one could catch but this time with a bizzare Canadian accent. Dingyan and Lawrence were the Dog - Owner couple again but this time armed with Pocket PC phones. Edmund was the classic bastard again and Boss Yip "came".
Dinner ended at 9:30 and we all went to the Esplanade for a chit-chat session. On the way there we, "ran into" Chris Chau and his girlfriend, Selene. Greetings were exchanged and pictures were taken. Then Chau had to leave as he was escorting the missus home. He's flying off tomorrow so he had to spend some one-on-one time. The class settled for driks at Harry's, a pub in the Esplanade Mall. It was rather warm in there maybe because of the number of people there. We had Coke with Rum and Cranberry with Vodka. Both the drinks were over-diluted and really were not worth the money. So more photographs were taken and more stories were shared over the session.
Plans for the next outing were discussed. Friday, 8pm at Albert's place we will meet. From there, we will take a cab/bus to town to another pub/club for more drinks and a great time. I'm really looking forward to that outing. I'm hoping that I can get the car by then. Anyway, I just managed to catch the last train home and just got back less than an hour ago. I probably won't be able to wake up for work on time tomorrow. I'm off to bed now. Till the next time, leave a mark....
Thursday, July 14, 2005
So what excites you?
being an STO really sucks... the job is sometimes exciting and stuff but the real problem lies when i interact with people on the outside...
every now and then, i get people asking me, " So what do you do in the Army?" first thing's first... i'm not in the Army... i'm navy... there's a difference... as for what i do, i am a sea terminal operator... "What's that?"... well, we STOs enhance the navy's capabilities by helping out with stuff like ammutioning of vessels, loading of stores, lifting people to hard-to-reach places such that they can repair stuff etc... we operate things like cranes to do this... "Wah! You can operate a crane? Do they give you licences?"... no... they are too afraid that if we screw up outside, they'll get the blame...
it's always like that... from friends to relatives... the same question.. the same answers over and over again... getting boring...
then there are other requests from friends like ,"Now that Razif has shared, Mark, so anything exciting happened during your week?"... take note that this question was asked after Razif shared about his week as a policeman, barging into people's houses and finding blood, axes and bastard files in poeple's noses... naturally, i would just shake my head and say there was nothing... the probing continues, "Come on lah. There must be something..." i'm telling you, there really isn't anything... honestly, would you really like to hear about the missile loading we did that day? and how one of the harpoons nearly hit the other? or would you like to hear about the day when we spent a whole 7 hours waiting for the navy to locate a sunken weight so that we could retrieve it? come on, don't try to kid me... all this stuff is boring to you... i mean, which normal person actually cares what TL-300E really stands for or what class of ship RSS Formidable is? i don't deal with pistols, handcuffs, death, blood, axes or bastard files... i deal with cranes, forklifts, harpoons, gabriels, 57mm HDAA rounds, hardhats, tsunami relief operations and strange sunken objects that the navy wants to retrieve...
So, what really excites you? What makes your adrenalin pump? Cranes? The Navy? I don't think so... So please ask the right people to tell their adventures and not me, a lowly pawn in the service of Singapore's largest organisation...
every now and then, i get people asking me, " So what do you do in the Army?" first thing's first... i'm not in the Army... i'm navy... there's a difference... as for what i do, i am a sea terminal operator... "What's that?"... well, we STOs enhance the navy's capabilities by helping out with stuff like ammutioning of vessels, loading of stores, lifting people to hard-to-reach places such that they can repair stuff etc... we operate things like cranes to do this... "Wah! You can operate a crane? Do they give you licences?"... no... they are too afraid that if we screw up outside, they'll get the blame...
it's always like that... from friends to relatives... the same question.. the same answers over and over again... getting boring...
then there are other requests from friends like ,"Now that Razif has shared, Mark, so anything exciting happened during your week?"... take note that this question was asked after Razif shared about his week as a policeman, barging into people's houses and finding blood, axes and bastard files in poeple's noses... naturally, i would just shake my head and say there was nothing... the probing continues, "Come on lah. There must be something..." i'm telling you, there really isn't anything... honestly, would you really like to hear about the missile loading we did that day? and how one of the harpoons nearly hit the other? or would you like to hear about the day when we spent a whole 7 hours waiting for the navy to locate a sunken weight so that we could retrieve it? come on, don't try to kid me... all this stuff is boring to you... i mean, which normal person actually cares what TL-300E really stands for or what class of ship RSS Formidable is? i don't deal with pistols, handcuffs, death, blood, axes or bastard files... i deal with cranes, forklifts, harpoons, gabriels, 57mm HDAA rounds, hardhats, tsunami relief operations and strange sunken objects that the navy wants to retrieve...
So, what really excites you? What makes your adrenalin pump? Cranes? The Navy? I don't think so... So please ask the right people to tell their adventures and not me, a lowly pawn in the service of Singapore's largest organisation...
Saturday, July 09, 2005
just to let u all know, i'm still alive... been doing other stuff lately so i havent spent much posting... anyway...
welcome back to those who are on uni break and are back here is sg... hopefully i can catch up with the whole bunch of you soon...
everything has been pretty stagnant recently... there is just no life whatsoever... this is bad... sheesh...
thankfully, the new STOs are here... heh... time to switch to ord mode... let's see... as of today, it's 276 more days till ord... time flies yea?
ok... gotta play for yaf/plh worship tml... night!
welcome back to those who are on uni break and are back here is sg... hopefully i can catch up with the whole bunch of you soon...
everything has been pretty stagnant recently... there is just no life whatsoever... this is bad... sheesh...
thankfully, the new STOs are here... heh... time to switch to ord mode... let's see... as of today, it's 276 more days till ord... time flies yea?
ok... gotta play for yaf/plh worship tml... night!
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Uniquely Singapore
For the past year or so, Singapore has been pursuing a goal. The goal was to aquire a national identity. One that would stand out from the rest of the world and would be like what samba is to Brazil and Big Ben is to England. And so the government went for it. The Esplanade was a non-starter. We concocted our own perfume and even christened our own sailing ship with the name "Uniquely Singapore". In my opinion, these really were not the answers the government was looking for.
For me, there is only one thing that would be the ultimate 'Uniquely Singapore" identity. It has been around for decades and has been widely discussed, conversed and debated about. We cannot see it but it lingers around our ears and mouths. Yes, it is Singlish. For many years now, the government has been dissuading the people from using the language as it is not a proper form of language in the first place! They set up Speak Mandarin/Good English campaigns and even banned movies which use dialect as their main language. What we, the citizens, got were Jack Neo films which made no comical sense in mandarin. Singlish cannot and should not be eliminated. Instead it should be preserved as the national identity which we have been looking for.
Where else in the world can you find people using phrases like buay tahan? In case you did not know, buay tahan means 'cannot take it' in Singlish. It is a cross between Hokkien and Malay, 2 of the most widely used languages in pre-war Singapore. In fact, Malay is the national language. Another prime example would be the use of kena sai which literally means 'to collide with/get hit by faeces'. Now, were else have you heard this phrase being used? Nowhere else. Uniquely Singapore.
Alternatively, we could consider using the Speak Good English and Speak Mandrin campaigns as something that is uniquely Singapore. After all, we are the only country that I can think of which has to educate its population on the use of proper English and Mandarin.
For me, there is only one thing that would be the ultimate 'Uniquely Singapore" identity. It has been around for decades and has been widely discussed, conversed and debated about. We cannot see it but it lingers around our ears and mouths. Yes, it is Singlish. For many years now, the government has been dissuading the people from using the language as it is not a proper form of language in the first place! They set up Speak Mandarin/Good English campaigns and even banned movies which use dialect as their main language. What we, the citizens, got were Jack Neo films which made no comical sense in mandarin. Singlish cannot and should not be eliminated. Instead it should be preserved as the national identity which we have been looking for.
Where else in the world can you find people using phrases like buay tahan? In case you did not know, buay tahan means 'cannot take it' in Singlish. It is a cross between Hokkien and Malay, 2 of the most widely used languages in pre-war Singapore. In fact, Malay is the national language. Another prime example would be the use of kena sai which literally means 'to collide with/get hit by faeces'. Now, were else have you heard this phrase being used? Nowhere else. Uniquely Singapore.
Alternatively, we could consider using the Speak Good English and Speak Mandrin campaigns as something that is uniquely Singapore. After all, we are the only country that I can think of which has to educate its population on the use of proper English and Mandarin.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
back from church camp...
spent the last 5 days at the resort beach in desaru... the theme was on missions and the guest speaker was rev klass from the netherlands...
this camp was the first for many things... for starters, it was the first time that i joined the adults for their programme... and it really wasn't a good first experience... discusions were much longer than usual and the questions were more "cheem" than those the youth programme had to offer... theirs were actually extremely simple with fill in the blank type of questions... the questions were ok... the problem was that the people were so eager in giving answers that the discussions kept extending past the allotted time-slot... the worst thing that this was limited to my group only... there was once when we were discussing question 2 out of 6 when another group ended... when we started on question 3, the rest had already gone... not a good experience... luckily bee kiat will be looking into this so i hope it won't repeat itself next year...
this was the first camp where i did not play a single form of card games... there was no tai tee, no bridge, no anything... guess that was cos i didnt have much time to play because of the group discussions...
this was the first time at camp where we had movie screenings using the lcd projector... being the av person has its advantages... one of which was the freedom to bring the av equipment wherever i wanted... and germain's room was one of these places... screened a couple of movies there on the last night...
this camp also had memories... memories of the most obnoxious person i've ever met... his name is yau-ming (ym)... and here is his story when in camp...
day one went without a hitch... the trip up to desaru was smooth and without incident... ym was on my bus with his room-mate adriel... we reached at 5 for the briefing and checking in... and soon, it was lights out... according to adriel, ym woke up in the middle of the night and turned off the room air-con without adriel's knowledge... so with the windows closed, the heat crept in till adriel got up and switched on the air-con again... the room cooled again.. but ym got up again and turned the air-con off... gosh.. he sounded like the complete b*sta*d when i found out... and so the story continues...
the next day, ym complains of sinus problems and does not attend the talks... instead, he goes swimming, saying that it would help him clear his sinus... people attend camp to participate in the activities... so if you don't why bother even coming? sheesh... the night came and ym told adriel that he wanted the air-con off with the windows closed and practically told adriel to buzz off... adriel approached bens and i who took him in for the night as we were his neighbours...
day 3 and things weren't much better... he managed to attend a couple of the talks and discussions but he pulled off a bigger stunt... mid-afternoon, adriel goes back to his room to get something and guess what he finds? the air-con was howling away with the windows open and ym no where in sight... just to put things in perspective, we were on the 1st floor and the window was a full height one which opened to a patio and the pool... at the last moment ym once again complains of sinus and tells adriel to head over to our room and bunk with us...
day 4 was the second last day... i hoped that it would be flawless... but noooooo (russel peters watchers, u'll get it)... once again ym leaves the room without closing the windows and leaving the air-con on... over lunch, he makes a smart-assed comment and says that somebody (he doesn't specify who) should go get rid of all the rocks along the beach as they get in the way of swimmers like himself... those who were there nearly choked on what we were eating... after the camp concert was over, the yaf people ajourned to my room where they played bridge... i, being a little tired, watched tv with adriel... the practice was showing... a few minutes later, ym drops by... he looks at the clock and declares that "carnivale" was on hbo and that we should watch it... he takes the tv remote of MY room, pointed it to MY tv and switches from channel 5 to hbo right in front of MY eyes... i had it... i promptly tucked myself in and pretended to sleep... adriel got a litle fed up and left the room... so ym watched the tv alone while the yaffers played bridge and i 'slept'... half-an-hour later, ym scanned the room and spotted the pack of chips that ben and I bought... he reached over and grabbed it... all of us expected him to open the chips and share it with the rest... but noooooo... he takes the chips, says he was going back to his room and waltzes out, chips and all... we were stunned... back in his room, adriel was sleeping already... ym enters and switches on the tv to watch "carnivale"... he turns up the volume really loud that it wakes adriel... ym's justification was that the bridge players over in my room were noisy and he couldn't concentrate on the show... those who play bridge know that it IS a rather peaceful game unlike heart-attack... sheesh... what a drag...
i expected the last day to be without problems... but again, nooooo... at the singapore customs when we were about to board the bus for the 2nd time, he comes up to ben and tells him to load his luggage while he goes to the toilet... basket... the bus was like in front of him... he just leaves the bag and goes... half-way to church, he asks if anybody loaded his luggage... bleddy bugger...
bleah... what a camp...
spent the last 5 days at the resort beach in desaru... the theme was on missions and the guest speaker was rev klass from the netherlands...
this camp was the first for many things... for starters, it was the first time that i joined the adults for their programme... and it really wasn't a good first experience... discusions were much longer than usual and the questions were more "cheem" than those the youth programme had to offer... theirs were actually extremely simple with fill in the blank type of questions... the questions were ok... the problem was that the people were so eager in giving answers that the discussions kept extending past the allotted time-slot... the worst thing that this was limited to my group only... there was once when we were discussing question 2 out of 6 when another group ended... when we started on question 3, the rest had already gone... not a good experience... luckily bee kiat will be looking into this so i hope it won't repeat itself next year...
this was the first camp where i did not play a single form of card games... there was no tai tee, no bridge, no anything... guess that was cos i didnt have much time to play because of the group discussions...
this was the first time at camp where we had movie screenings using the lcd projector... being the av person has its advantages... one of which was the freedom to bring the av equipment wherever i wanted... and germain's room was one of these places... screened a couple of movies there on the last night...
this camp also had memories... memories of the most obnoxious person i've ever met... his name is yau-ming (ym)... and here is his story when in camp...
day one went without a hitch... the trip up to desaru was smooth and without incident... ym was on my bus with his room-mate adriel... we reached at 5 for the briefing and checking in... and soon, it was lights out... according to adriel, ym woke up in the middle of the night and turned off the room air-con without adriel's knowledge... so with the windows closed, the heat crept in till adriel got up and switched on the air-con again... the room cooled again.. but ym got up again and turned the air-con off... gosh.. he sounded like the complete b*sta*d when i found out... and so the story continues...
the next day, ym complains of sinus problems and does not attend the talks... instead, he goes swimming, saying that it would help him clear his sinus... people attend camp to participate in the activities... so if you don't why bother even coming? sheesh... the night came and ym told adriel that he wanted the air-con off with the windows closed and practically told adriel to buzz off... adriel approached bens and i who took him in for the night as we were his neighbours...
day 3 and things weren't much better... he managed to attend a couple of the talks and discussions but he pulled off a bigger stunt... mid-afternoon, adriel goes back to his room to get something and guess what he finds? the air-con was howling away with the windows open and ym no where in sight... just to put things in perspective, we were on the 1st floor and the window was a full height one which opened to a patio and the pool... at the last moment ym once again complains of sinus and tells adriel to head over to our room and bunk with us...
day 4 was the second last day... i hoped that it would be flawless... but noooooo (russel peters watchers, u'll get it)... once again ym leaves the room without closing the windows and leaving the air-con on... over lunch, he makes a smart-assed comment and says that somebody (he doesn't specify who) should go get rid of all the rocks along the beach as they get in the way of swimmers like himself... those who were there nearly choked on what we were eating... after the camp concert was over, the yaf people ajourned to my room where they played bridge... i, being a little tired, watched tv with adriel... the practice was showing... a few minutes later, ym drops by... he looks at the clock and declares that "carnivale" was on hbo and that we should watch it... he takes the tv remote of MY room, pointed it to MY tv and switches from channel 5 to hbo right in front of MY eyes... i had it... i promptly tucked myself in and pretended to sleep... adriel got a litle fed up and left the room... so ym watched the tv alone while the yaffers played bridge and i 'slept'... half-an-hour later, ym scanned the room and spotted the pack of chips that ben and I bought... he reached over and grabbed it... all of us expected him to open the chips and share it with the rest... but noooooo... he takes the chips, says he was going back to his room and waltzes out, chips and all... we were stunned... back in his room, adriel was sleeping already... ym enters and switches on the tv to watch "carnivale"... he turns up the volume really loud that it wakes adriel... ym's justification was that the bridge players over in my room were noisy and he couldn't concentrate on the show... those who play bridge know that it IS a rather peaceful game unlike heart-attack... sheesh... what a drag...
i expected the last day to be without problems... but again, nooooo... at the singapore customs when we were about to board the bus for the 2nd time, he comes up to ben and tells him to load his luggage while he goes to the toilet... basket... the bus was like in front of him... he just leaves the bag and goes... half-way to church, he asks if anybody loaded his luggage... bleddy bugger...
bleah... what a camp...
Sunday, June 05, 2005
the week has passed once again... another sunday gone just like that... work tomorrow... i need rest...
the whole world has to know one very important fact... and this is it... shelby hates star wars ep3... ok... that was it...
anyway, besides the corny lines and crappy acting by natalie portman and hayden christensen, the show was pretty good... especially the cg fight scenes like the space battle at he beginning of the show... the ultimate turn-off were the dumb lines that padme and anakin said... and the worst of these was: anakin, you're breaking my heart!... omg... couldnt the script writer come up with something more original and less dumb... sheesh... lucas is really screwing up... luckily he's not making anymore... i'm glad the saga ended...
the whole world has to know one very important fact... and this is it... shelby hates star wars ep3... ok... that was it...
anyway, besides the corny lines and crappy acting by natalie portman and hayden christensen, the show was pretty good... especially the cg fight scenes like the space battle at he beginning of the show... the ultimate turn-off were the dumb lines that padme and anakin said... and the worst of these was: anakin, you're breaking my heart!... omg... couldnt the script writer come up with something more original and less dumb... sheesh... lucas is really screwing up... luckily he's not making anymore... i'm glad the saga ended...
Thursday, May 26, 2005
and they've done it... 3 goals down and against all odds, the mersey-siders clawed their way back from a first half deficit to win the UEFA Champions League against AC Milan.... in a space of 6 minutes, the reds demolished the 'unbreakable' defensive wall of Milan, scoring 3 goals and forcing the match into extra-time and eventually penalties... and in the same way arsenal beat man u in the FA Cup final, Liverpool keeper, Jerzy Dudek, stopped Milan star striker, Andri Schevchenko's penalty... brilliant indeed... yes, pool deserved to win...
branded underdogs since the beginning and only finishing a humble 5th in the premiership, pool silenced their critics by winning the european cup for the 5th time and thus earning the right to return the cup to anfield... but the question remains if the english FA will allow pool to defend the european title next season due to their poor premiership finish... if they are given the chance, their mersey-side rivals, everton, could be displaced from the championship... well, in my opinion, liverpool should be given the chance as they've proven that they do deserve it... some might disagree but i don't really care...
it's all about standing by... as my boss put it, something's come up up north and our ships may be deployed to look-look see-see... and they're going to do it with live missiles.. that means standing by at home, waiting for the activation phone call to return to camp and load those harpoon anti-ship missiles... just waiting...
branded underdogs since the beginning and only finishing a humble 5th in the premiership, pool silenced their critics by winning the european cup for the 5th time and thus earning the right to return the cup to anfield... but the question remains if the english FA will allow pool to defend the european title next season due to their poor premiership finish... if they are given the chance, their mersey-side rivals, everton, could be displaced from the championship... well, in my opinion, liverpool should be given the chance as they've proven that they do deserve it... some might disagree but i don't really care...
it's all about standing by... as my boss put it, something's come up up north and our ships may be deployed to look-look see-see... and they're going to do it with live missiles.. that means standing by at home, waiting for the activation phone call to return to camp and load those harpoon anti-ship missiles... just waiting...
Monday, May 23, 2005
time to update...
caught star wars ep 3 on thursday... so finally the whole story has been concluded cept for eps 7,8 and 9... george lucas said that he wouldnt be producing anymore star wars films but that is left to be seen... anyway, ep 3 was super graphic intensive and the graphics were nothing short of spectacuar... however, the script was crap... padme amidala wasnt making sense and saying stupid lines like' "anakin, you're breaking my heart..." bleah... that was the real turn-off... luckily jar-jar binks didn't squeak a word... heh... some salvation... the way anakin turned to the dark side was also a bit lame... but yeah... he had to turn somehow right?
the rest of the days came and went...
saturday was spent at the hobby shop as usual... sunday morning was spent at church again.. then did some LANning before going home... got showered and changed and then it was off to candice's for karaoke... heh... it was good... got a score of 98 like bench... haha... made bens threathen to tell lisa that i was good and draft me into the september musical... ;P no way man... haha...
ok... gtg... need to enjoy the vesak day holiday... night!
caught star wars ep 3 on thursday... so finally the whole story has been concluded cept for eps 7,8 and 9... george lucas said that he wouldnt be producing anymore star wars films but that is left to be seen... anyway, ep 3 was super graphic intensive and the graphics were nothing short of spectacuar... however, the script was crap... padme amidala wasnt making sense and saying stupid lines like' "anakin, you're breaking my heart..." bleah... that was the real turn-off... luckily jar-jar binks didn't squeak a word... heh... some salvation... the way anakin turned to the dark side was also a bit lame... but yeah... he had to turn somehow right?
the rest of the days came and went...
saturday was spent at the hobby shop as usual... sunday morning was spent at church again.. then did some LANning before going home... got showered and changed and then it was off to candice's for karaoke... heh... it was good... got a score of 98 like bench... haha... made bens threathen to tell lisa that i was good and draft me into the september musical... ;P no way man... haha...
ok... gtg... need to enjoy the vesak day holiday... night!
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
A Quickie...
Tired...
Ep3 out tomorrow... Been waiting fot his for ages... Finally the saga can end... Will be there to catch the show on permiering day...
Left work early today cos of the IMDEX Asia expo at camp... Guess they wanted us as far away from the VIPs as possible... Same for tomorrow... That would leave us ample time to go for a gd dinner at say, sakae sushi... heh...
Tired...
New slogan for MSN Messenger: Let the fingers do the talking...
Ep3 out tomorrow... Been waiting fot his for ages... Finally the saga can end... Will be there to catch the show on permiering day...
Left work early today cos of the IMDEX Asia expo at camp... Guess they wanted us as far away from the VIPs as possible... Same for tomorrow... That would leave us ample time to go for a gd dinner at say, sakae sushi... heh...
Tired...
New slogan for MSN Messenger: Let the fingers do the talking...
Saturday, May 14, 2005
A Fellowship of Friends
Saturday started bright and early. I somehow managed to pull myself out of bed before 9 and was just in time to ask my grandfather to packet breakfast for me. While waiting for it, I started digging out all my modelling equipment once again and started to finish off Javan's Freedom Gundam.
What I did was pretty slack compared to my other kits. I just basically sprayed a couple of layers of Clear coat to make the model look as though it was really painted. Luckliy the Gundam was molded in colour so this method was possible to use. I can't imagine myself taking the whole model apart and painting all the components from scratch.
So now it sits done in its box, awaiting 'shipment' to church tomorrow where Javan will pick it up.
That took the whole morning as planned. Shortly after noon, I got dressed up and headed to Compasspoint for my long overdue haircut. Then it was down to the hobby shop to continue work on the Flanker that I've been doing. All I did was decal the model today. By tomorrow I should be done with that and the topcoat can go on.
At around 5.30, I packed up and took the MRT to Somerset to meet up with the S41 bunch for dinner and pool. In all, 12 of us turned up including Zijia, Tina, Rui Ying, Colin, Razif, Nasir, Lawrence, Shahin, Wai Wai, Audrey, Dingyan and myself. We went to the Glass House and dined at Fish & Co. Spent time over dinner talking about each other and basically did some catching up. We had our fill and then walked over to Cuppage to play pool.
SAF vs SPF. That was the match of the day. the SPF team, comprising of Razif and Nasir, took the first game, just beating the SAF team of Colin and myself. The SAF bounced back during the second game and won. The third game had actually gone to the SPF but after a while, they decided to up the stakes and replayed the 3rd game. This time it was a game of 9-ball and we took it hands down. But since they 'gave us chance', we also returned the favor and played another 2 more rounds. The adrenalin was rushing as they took the 4th game. So the 5th was it. All or nothing. And it was reserved for the SAF. But it was due to a mistake that they accidentally made and Colin cooly finished the game off. Next time, we will play again.
We left Cuppage at around 10.30 and was greeted by rain pouring down along Orchard Road. There, we went our seperate ways. It was a really great day spent catching up with old friends. I really hope we can do it again soon. But it'll be better when all the people overseas are back.
Now, I'm dead beat. There's service tomorrow and YAF after that. Got to go now. Night...
Glad to see you around. It's been a long time.
What I did was pretty slack compared to my other kits. I just basically sprayed a couple of layers of Clear coat to make the model look as though it was really painted. Luckliy the Gundam was molded in colour so this method was possible to use. I can't imagine myself taking the whole model apart and painting all the components from scratch.
So now it sits done in its box, awaiting 'shipment' to church tomorrow where Javan will pick it up.
That took the whole morning as planned. Shortly after noon, I got dressed up and headed to Compasspoint for my long overdue haircut. Then it was down to the hobby shop to continue work on the Flanker that I've been doing. All I did was decal the model today. By tomorrow I should be done with that and the topcoat can go on.
At around 5.30, I packed up and took the MRT to Somerset to meet up with the S41 bunch for dinner and pool. In all, 12 of us turned up including Zijia, Tina, Rui Ying, Colin, Razif, Nasir, Lawrence, Shahin, Wai Wai, Audrey, Dingyan and myself. We went to the Glass House and dined at Fish & Co. Spent time over dinner talking about each other and basically did some catching up. We had our fill and then walked over to Cuppage to play pool.
SAF vs SPF. That was the match of the day. the SPF team, comprising of Razif and Nasir, took the first game, just beating the SAF team of Colin and myself. The SAF bounced back during the second game and won. The third game had actually gone to the SPF but after a while, they decided to up the stakes and replayed the 3rd game. This time it was a game of 9-ball and we took it hands down. But since they 'gave us chance', we also returned the favor and played another 2 more rounds. The adrenalin was rushing as they took the 4th game. So the 5th was it. All or nothing. And it was reserved for the SAF. But it was due to a mistake that they accidentally made and Colin cooly finished the game off. Next time, we will play again.
We left Cuppage at around 10.30 and was greeted by rain pouring down along Orchard Road. There, we went our seperate ways. It was a really great day spent catching up with old friends. I really hope we can do it again soon. But it'll be better when all the people overseas are back.
Now, I'm dead beat. There's service tomorrow and YAF after that. Got to go now. Night...
Glad to see you around. It's been a long time.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Life in the Navy
What a week.
Sunday was a day of a heavy rain and strong winds. Not to mention lightning and thunder. Not really a day to associate fire and burning right? Wrong. It was a weekend day that was burned. The job was supposed to start at 9 sharp with the ship's officer stressing on the sharp 'point'. So Roscoe, Alan and I took the 0730 shuttle in and got to camp by 8. We had a nice breakfast of macaroni before going to the office. By now it was already starting to drizzle. Looking at the clouds, the 3 of us just shook our heads and hoped for the best. As they say, 'The Best Is Yet To Be'. But it was not. Not on this Sunday.
By 9, the light drizzle had built up into a full-scale storm. The view through the office windows revealed nothing but torrential rain beating down on the carpark and strong winds ripping through the leaves on the trees. A check with NOB, the ops branch, confirmed that the weather was of CAT 1 status. This refers to the lightning risk indicator which in turn affects whether we can be given the 'all-clear' to work. On a normal weekday, this weather was the most welcome. But on a Sunday, it would be better if the CAT decided to catch a few mice and stay away. So we waited.
Every half hour, 1 of us would pick up the phone and dail NOB's number only to hear the dreadded news that the CAT status would not be changing till after noon. Boredom soon set in as we could not log in to the computer due to some time restriction. Lunch was the next big event and we were looking dearly for it. Finally, noon came and we went to the cookhouse. A consolation at last. They were serving a western meal today and half spring chicken was on the menu. The cream of chicken soup was exceptionally good that day. Maybe it was becase of the low temperatures that we were experiencing.
Lunch came and went and so the wait continued. Finally at 1400, good news from NOB. The CAT status had changed to 2 and the crane could start its operation. We rushed to the jobsite and lifted all that we came to lift, finishing an hour later. I had originally wanted to go down to church and join the YAF for lunch. But that was on the assumption that the job finished at 11 as scheduled. So I went straight home instead. My dad came home that night and so I had a nice dinner at his old haunt, Singa Inn Restaurant located in East Coast Park.
Coincidentally, PM Lee was there too dining with, who i think was, his family. Yes, he was there at a small table in the mini-VIP area in the middle of the restaurant's boat-shaped dining area. Plain-clothes guards were stationed at almost every entrance and watched like hawks. Well, how often do you have the PM dining in the same restaurant as you?
The weekdays followed. One of the cranes was due for servicing so a commercial crane was hired to 'cover' it s duties. Having that crane around is a real blessing as we do not have to do much work when we go out with it. The uncle driving the thing is so experienced that he does not need anybody to signal him when he's lifting something. Slack for the next 3 weeks. Furthermore, the white dog was away on leave till the weekend.
Tuesday was the day when the shit hit the fan. By not informing the black dog that he was not going for the IPPT that day, Thomas caused a shit-storm which kept blowing harder and harder. I still do not think he was at fault as he was following an order from a lieutenant and disregarding a staff sergeant's order would be perfectly all right. But the black dog did not see it that way. He really screwed Thomas up that evening. But there was more to come.
My I/C Huang had escorted the crane operator into the base and had to escort him out so as to retrieve his 11B. So under the orders of Mr Ng, the acting STO supervisor, he changed to his civillian clothes and followed Mr Ng out of the base after getting his 11B back. Meanwhile, back at LTB, the black dog was giving a lecture when he realised that Huang was missing. We told him that he had gone out and secured (dismissed) under the orders of Mr Ng who carries the rank of a 2WO DXO. But the black dog insisted that he was supposed to report to him and at that point of time, told the STOs that we were not part of LTB and told us to leave. We were apprehensive at first but we soon left when we realised that the black dog was going to ignore us.
The rest of the week was full of him ignoring us, not telling us to muster in the morning and falling-out in the evening. We're confused by this. Who's orders should we follow? That of a ranking officer or that of a department head who holds the rank of staff sergeant? What does the directive say? I hope to find out soon so as not to get into any more of this trouble.
Today is Friday the 13th. So much crap has happened throughout the week that it will probably over-shadow and bad luck that the fabled day would bring. The white dog will be back next week. But there is something I'm looking forward to. Thursday, May 19th. Star Wars Ep III will be released and I had managed to buy 6 tickets for the STO guys, excluding the dog (no pets allowed), to go catch it on opening day.
Alright. Enough of kao peh. Your comments are appreciated so don't forget to leave a mark!
Sunday was a day of a heavy rain and strong winds. Not to mention lightning and thunder. Not really a day to associate fire and burning right? Wrong. It was a weekend day that was burned. The job was supposed to start at 9 sharp with the ship's officer stressing on the sharp 'point'. So Roscoe, Alan and I took the 0730 shuttle in and got to camp by 8. We had a nice breakfast of macaroni before going to the office. By now it was already starting to drizzle. Looking at the clouds, the 3 of us just shook our heads and hoped for the best. As they say, 'The Best Is Yet To Be'. But it was not. Not on this Sunday.
By 9, the light drizzle had built up into a full-scale storm. The view through the office windows revealed nothing but torrential rain beating down on the carpark and strong winds ripping through the leaves on the trees. A check with NOB, the ops branch, confirmed that the weather was of CAT 1 status. This refers to the lightning risk indicator which in turn affects whether we can be given the 'all-clear' to work. On a normal weekday, this weather was the most welcome. But on a Sunday, it would be better if the CAT decided to catch a few mice and stay away. So we waited.
Every half hour, 1 of us would pick up the phone and dail NOB's number only to hear the dreadded news that the CAT status would not be changing till after noon. Boredom soon set in as we could not log in to the computer due to some time restriction. Lunch was the next big event and we were looking dearly for it. Finally, noon came and we went to the cookhouse. A consolation at last. They were serving a western meal today and half spring chicken was on the menu. The cream of chicken soup was exceptionally good that day. Maybe it was becase of the low temperatures that we were experiencing.
Lunch came and went and so the wait continued. Finally at 1400, good news from NOB. The CAT status had changed to 2 and the crane could start its operation. We rushed to the jobsite and lifted all that we came to lift, finishing an hour later. I had originally wanted to go down to church and join the YAF for lunch. But that was on the assumption that the job finished at 11 as scheduled. So I went straight home instead. My dad came home that night and so I had a nice dinner at his old haunt, Singa Inn Restaurant located in East Coast Park.
Coincidentally, PM Lee was there too dining with, who i think was, his family. Yes, he was there at a small table in the mini-VIP area in the middle of the restaurant's boat-shaped dining area. Plain-clothes guards were stationed at almost every entrance and watched like hawks. Well, how often do you have the PM dining in the same restaurant as you?
The weekdays followed. One of the cranes was due for servicing so a commercial crane was hired to 'cover' it s duties. Having that crane around is a real blessing as we do not have to do much work when we go out with it. The uncle driving the thing is so experienced that he does not need anybody to signal him when he's lifting something. Slack for the next 3 weeks. Furthermore, the white dog was away on leave till the weekend.
Tuesday was the day when the shit hit the fan. By not informing the black dog that he was not going for the IPPT that day, Thomas caused a shit-storm which kept blowing harder and harder. I still do not think he was at fault as he was following an order from a lieutenant and disregarding a staff sergeant's order would be perfectly all right. But the black dog did not see it that way. He really screwed Thomas up that evening. But there was more to come.
My I/C Huang had escorted the crane operator into the base and had to escort him out so as to retrieve his 11B. So under the orders of Mr Ng, the acting STO supervisor, he changed to his civillian clothes and followed Mr Ng out of the base after getting his 11B back. Meanwhile, back at LTB, the black dog was giving a lecture when he realised that Huang was missing. We told him that he had gone out and secured (dismissed) under the orders of Mr Ng who carries the rank of a 2WO DXO. But the black dog insisted that he was supposed to report to him and at that point of time, told the STOs that we were not part of LTB and told us to leave. We were apprehensive at first but we soon left when we realised that the black dog was going to ignore us.
The rest of the week was full of him ignoring us, not telling us to muster in the morning and falling-out in the evening. We're confused by this. Who's orders should we follow? That of a ranking officer or that of a department head who holds the rank of staff sergeant? What does the directive say? I hope to find out soon so as not to get into any more of this trouble.
Today is Friday the 13th. So much crap has happened throughout the week that it will probably over-shadow and bad luck that the fabled day would bring. The white dog will be back next week. But there is something I'm looking forward to. Thursday, May 19th. Star Wars Ep III will be released and I had managed to buy 6 tickets for the STO guys, excluding the dog (no pets allowed), to go catch it on opening day.
Alright. Enough of kao peh. Your comments are appreciated so don't forget to leave a mark!
Thursday, May 05, 2005
this week's been passing pretty fast... maybe it's because of the monday holiday and the thursday half day... but hey, i'm not complaining... weekend's coming again... time to rest and recharge for the next week ahead...
pool beats chelsea... now that's one great piece of news that hit my ear this week... benitez's men sure taught the Roman army a thing or 2 about soccer and humility... though the goal was contreversial, a goal IS a goal... no use complaining there, jose... not champions leage cup for you this season... heh... guess it's revenge for kao pehing too much this season...
old memories were revisited for the upteenth time this week... i brought my college yearbook to camp for a 'yearbook exchange' thing... roscoe brought SRJC's while zhijie brought his JJC's yearCD-ROM... bleddy cheap-skates... anyway, flipping through my own book made me think about the past... people i knew... people i didn't know... people i barely knew... people i wished i got to know better... how i wish i had a 2nd chance... ok... tt's enough... time to move on...
caught some interesting documentary on nat geog the other day... talked about human instincts and one part dealt with a woman's instinct to be unfaithful to her husband... i think i posted this before but here goes again... some american guy was married with 3 sons and a daughter... his youngest son developed a heriditary disease when he was about 8 so the dad went to check if he was the one who passed the disease to his son... results turned out negative... his wife also did not have the diesase... so where did the son get the disease from? the dad then did a dna test for all his kids and the results were shocking... of his children, only the daughter was fathered by him... the 3 boys belonged to 3 different fathers... shockinhg right? there's more... a worldwide study conducted revealed that 1 out of every 10 children are not raised by their realy fathers... so, will u be going for a dna test soon?
11 1/2 more months... then outta here... time is slowly slipping by... and tt's what i want... to get out of NS... boss drove us crazy this week... nxt week, we just might add a little additives into his food... but maybe not... dunno lar... up to the others to decide...
half day today cos of RSN 38th anniversary... so ended at 12 and went straight home to rest... gotta catch up on sleep... javan's freedom is still sitting there half done... but i'll get it ready by next week so don't fret...
it's now 930... i'm tired... i will sleep...
finally, u appear...
pool beats chelsea... now that's one great piece of news that hit my ear this week... benitez's men sure taught the Roman army a thing or 2 about soccer and humility... though the goal was contreversial, a goal IS a goal... no use complaining there, jose... not champions leage cup for you this season... heh... guess it's revenge for kao pehing too much this season...
old memories were revisited for the upteenth time this week... i brought my college yearbook to camp for a 'yearbook exchange' thing... roscoe brought SRJC's while zhijie brought his JJC's yearCD-ROM... bleddy cheap-skates... anyway, flipping through my own book made me think about the past... people i knew... people i didn't know... people i barely knew... people i wished i got to know better... how i wish i had a 2nd chance... ok... tt's enough... time to move on...
caught some interesting documentary on nat geog the other day... talked about human instincts and one part dealt with a woman's instinct to be unfaithful to her husband... i think i posted this before but here goes again... some american guy was married with 3 sons and a daughter... his youngest son developed a heriditary disease when he was about 8 so the dad went to check if he was the one who passed the disease to his son... results turned out negative... his wife also did not have the diesase... so where did the son get the disease from? the dad then did a dna test for all his kids and the results were shocking... of his children, only the daughter was fathered by him... the 3 boys belonged to 3 different fathers... shockinhg right? there's more... a worldwide study conducted revealed that 1 out of every 10 children are not raised by their realy fathers... so, will u be going for a dna test soon?
11 1/2 more months... then outta here... time is slowly slipping by... and tt's what i want... to get out of NS... boss drove us crazy this week... nxt week, we just might add a little additives into his food... but maybe not... dunno lar... up to the others to decide...
half day today cos of RSN 38th anniversary... so ended at 12 and went straight home to rest... gotta catch up on sleep... javan's freedom is still sitting there half done... but i'll get it ready by next week so don't fret...
it's now 930... i'm tired... i will sleep...
finally, u appear...
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Today is a day when I Earthquaked.
was supposed to get up at 6 for band prac in church at 730... but heyhey... got up at 730... rushed like mad to get to get there in a cab... bleddy hell... dont know here all the cabs are on a asunday morning... i couldnt get even one... until this one turned out of the carpark... lucky for me... i had been waiting for like 10 mins already and was about to dail for one... haiz...
the days when i dream to get my driver's licence... the car's already here... all that's left is the photo-id-ed licence in my wallet... test coming soon... must be prepared... jane just failed hers... struck the kerb during the s-course... what a way to go... dead in the circuit... hope i wont be like john from camp... vocation : driver with at least 6,000 km travelled... result: failed before getting out of circuit... experience doesnt mean sure-pass... it's luck i tell u...
anys, prac at church was followed by worship at 9 and worship+bs at 1130.. ended early and went for lunch at sunshine with javan, julian, ju, bens, hunky, ry, dan, jane and yiying... cand and andre joined us later... after that, most of the ppl left... so bens, ry, andre, hunky, cand and i went to swensen's ps for ice-cream... the 6 of us shared a giant earthquake... that thing's so huge tt the last time i had it was for a meal for 4 people... yup, it's THAT huge... candice treated so we obliged... willingly of course... heh...
was comtemplating on whether to go down to the model shop but decided against it... instead, went home to do my own modelling at home... dug out all my stuff and started on 2 kits at the same time... the environment is definately different... no air-con, poor lighting and inadequate supplies... haiz... if only they didnt charge so much...
ok... enough blabbering... it's been hot hot hot... hope it doesnt get hotter... alright... night...
where are you?
was supposed to get up at 6 for band prac in church at 730... but heyhey... got up at 730... rushed like mad to get to get there in a cab... bleddy hell... dont know here all the cabs are on a asunday morning... i couldnt get even one... until this one turned out of the carpark... lucky for me... i had been waiting for like 10 mins already and was about to dail for one... haiz...
the days when i dream to get my driver's licence... the car's already here... all that's left is the photo-id-ed licence in my wallet... test coming soon... must be prepared... jane just failed hers... struck the kerb during the s-course... what a way to go... dead in the circuit... hope i wont be like john from camp... vocation : driver with at least 6,000 km travelled... result: failed before getting out of circuit... experience doesnt mean sure-pass... it's luck i tell u...
anys, prac at church was followed by worship at 9 and worship+bs at 1130.. ended early and went for lunch at sunshine with javan, julian, ju, bens, hunky, ry, dan, jane and yiying... cand and andre joined us later... after that, most of the ppl left... so bens, ry, andre, hunky, cand and i went to swensen's ps for ice-cream... the 6 of us shared a giant earthquake... that thing's so huge tt the last time i had it was for a meal for 4 people... yup, it's THAT huge... candice treated so we obliged... willingly of course... heh...
was comtemplating on whether to go down to the model shop but decided against it... instead, went home to do my own modelling at home... dug out all my stuff and started on 2 kits at the same time... the environment is definately different... no air-con, poor lighting and inadequate supplies... haiz... if only they didnt charge so much...
ok... enough blabbering... it's been hot hot hot... hope it doesnt get hotter... alright... night...
where are you?
Saturday, April 30, 2005
2 words to describe the past week... blistering hot...
with an average temperature of 34 deg in the afternoons, singapore was baking in the sun... the heat made working on the wharf pure torture... all of us STOs were trying to avoid work as much as possible... but we still had to work cos the navy doesn't not function on hot days... i had to change my coverall everyday cos of the weather... hoping that the next week would be better... monday's a holiday and friday is a half- day cos of rsn pride day...
ok... nothing much to update... leave a mark...
where are you?
with an average temperature of 34 deg in the afternoons, singapore was baking in the sun... the heat made working on the wharf pure torture... all of us STOs were trying to avoid work as much as possible... but we still had to work cos the navy doesn't not function on hot days... i had to change my coverall everyday cos of the weather... hoping that the next week would be better... monday's a holiday and friday is a half- day cos of rsn pride day...
ok... nothing much to update... leave a mark...
where are you?
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