another time trial

went back to NTU today after work to get my insurance claim filed. started off from Fort Canning around 2.10pm, arrived at SSC, formerly known as admin annex, at around 3.25pm. looks like an ok timing to me. takes almost the same amount of time if i'm taking the mrt & bus, plus i get to exercise too.

insurance is a very messy affair. after submitting my claim, i went to the medical center to clarify some issues. the doctor there was nice enough to help me check on the possibility of claiming some of my dental procedures under day surgery. if so, then the bill on my part will not be so heavy. also the detist had a look at my teeth and based upon what i narrated to him of the proedures the dentists at ndc has lined up for me, he said that i might be looking at around $7k-10K unsubsidized. ouch. i hope as a subsidized patient, the cost will drop.

the trip home was uneventful, which is a good thing really. everytime my bicycle rides become eventful, it is another hole in my wallet. holes in the wallet is fine. it is the pain that i put myself in that doesn't make any accidents worth it. got to be careful with myself. i can't just go report to the pearly gates like that, i'm too young and have not done anything of significance yet. i still want to do well in whatever carrer i choose and start a family of my own. life is not complete without family of your own.

the search continues

lady of my life, i have placed this up along the EMAS gantries along the expressways and all digital signboards in singapore. if you see it, please contact me. i really miss you. i've been searching for you for sometime now. where oh where are you.

expensive medical bills

in the past 2 days alone, i have spent close to $250 on medical bills alone. arggg. my insurance limit is about up and i'll have to start chipping away at my savings. haiz. i was hoping to save up for a trip to anywhere beyond ASEAN upon graduation and a diving trip in September. looks like both trips may not happen.

if anyone got younger siblings out there, get them to study hard and go into dentistry. for just 40 mins of root canal treatment done on 2 of my teeth, i was charged $230. and it was subsidised! the amount unsubsidised was $512! there's big money in dentistry.

same thing for my follow up with the plastics doctor today. simple consultation was at $20 and a jab of steriod of a mere 10cc was $7! again, unsubsidized was $53! man. i now really tempted to go australia and do my post-grad in medicine. come back as a doctor. hahaha. of 3 cousins born in the same year, i am supposedly the least qualified one, even after i grad with a B.Eng. got a cousin who has completed her MBBS and houseman year and about to be a full-fledged medical doctor/officer. the other had already graduated from NTU with an accountancy degree (can't remember if it was 1st or 2nd upper) and is now in Austria doing her degree in vetinary science. ahhh! 3 cousins, 2 females, 1 medical doctor, 1 accountant & soon to be vet, 1 male not doctor, not even masters.

man, i seem to be at the bottom of the scale. well, i almost did not make it into NTU, getting in only because of my SAT scores, and bumbling through NTU too, getting more Ds than Cs. final year is coming soon and i really fear. fear that i am not able to grad with my friends and mates. i don't want to be left behind. 8 modules next semester, MUST CLEAR ALL!

maiden do i seek

where art thou oh fair maiden
who's cherry lips are laced with honey
who's gentle voice is filled with melody
smooth art thee long tresses
smooth art thee gentle touch
a soul to some of bane and anguish
a soul to some of mirth and endearment
come not with load of fear
come forth with soul so dear
where art thou oh fair maiden
where art thou lady do i seek

drool alert

went for dinner with my granny and mum today at harbourfront food court. i was so sleepy while waiting for them to get their food at the food court, i fell asleep with my head resting on my upstanding arm. a couple of moments later, i woke up and saw a puddle of water on the table just below my mouth. eeeeeeeeewwwwwwwww. hahahaha. i quickly took out a tissue and wiped the incriminating evidence. how embarassing. we came out wanting to shop for a DVD player but by the time we finished dinner, it was close to 9pm and the electronics superstore BIG was about to close. we saw a DVD player going for $58. wow! it is Akira brand, local brand leh, looks good too. local brand also good ok, Creative also local mah. local must support. whatsmore, it is able to play more type of media than any other player. too bad the shop was closing and we did not want to rush into making an impulse buy. i might drop by tomorrow to pick it up though. $58 for a DVD player, not too expensive an investment.

i'm finally seeing the dentist again tomorrow. tomorrow he will check if my teeth are still alive. if they are, he will attempt root canal to save my teeth. and if not, i shudder at the dental bill for implants. i know implants are expensive but bridging will not do as the supporting teeth will be destroyed to accomodate the bridge and also should the supporting teeth drop, the entire bridge falls. in the long run, implant is the ideal solution. ideal but more expensive. ouch! the cost is going to be upwards of $3000. ouch!

making of an NTU lifeguard

some 6 months ago, a friend aked me to join him in signing up for the Lifeguard Course. the fee was $200 and I balked at it, plus we were on Industrial Attachment. his reasoning was that since I am so mad about scuba diving, i need to add I have only been on one trip, that taking up the course would be beneficial for me. also, as i have aspirations of someday being a divemaster, the CPR qualifications from this course can be used to offset part of the requirements for the rescue diver course, a pre-requisite to being a divemaster. whatsmore, the trainings were all held in the evenings, so it really did not matter in terms of being on IA. sad to say, due to various reasons, i ended up signing up for the lifeguard course on my own.

when we first started out, i was one of the weaker if not the weakest swimmer there. granted i had some semblance of stamina but my speed was way off. to top it off i was not very light then. i weighed in at a hefty 97kg when the course first started. whoever i paired up with was going to have a hell of a time partnering me. apart from missing one training, to support a friend for his dance performance and to pick up the tickets for another's chior performance ticket, i was present at all trainings. slowly, through the months, my speed started to improve, so did my stamina.

due to some scheduling problems, the initial Lifesaving 123 test was postponed for a whole month, with the Bronze Medallion test pushed further back. in a way it was a blessing to me as it allowed me to further improve upon my speed, technique and stamina. the test turned out to be somewhat of a training session than a test. we were put through the test sequence but the examiner discused with us the finer points behind each segment to allow us to better understand what we are doing and what it is for.

after the lifesaving test, the course was suspended till after the exams. during the lull, i passed my driving test, Class 3 leh not 3A. 24 coming to 25 years old then get my licence, a bit old and at my second attempt some more but 4 points only leh. hee hee. barely a few days after my driving test, i got into cycling accident on mt faber. i got badly injured and was on MC for 2 weeks. throughout my recovery phase, due to my teeth being weak, i was forced upon liquid dies and dropped a massive 10 kgs within the first 2 weeks. by the time training resumed for the bronze medallion segment, i had fell to a weight of 84kg and was still dropping.

the weight lost helped me as my speed strated to improve by alot. one of the test segment requires us to swim 50 meters and tow the victimm for 50 meters under 3mins 15 seconds. initially i was doing timings of 4mins+, 3mins 40seconds. i just could not pass. but now, i was clocking 3mins 20seconds to 3mins 25 seconds. passing was getting close. by the time the mock test came about, i finally made the timing for the first time, 3mins 11 seconds. phew!


A shot of all the trainees after the mock test (suffendi is not in the picture as he left early)


due to a restriction on the part of the singapore life saving society on the number of testees to examiner, we were split into 2 groups to take the test. i was within the first group. below was one of the email we were sharing after the test


My head was the first on the chopping board, of course tense lah. Hahaha. Hey Jacques, how could you mix up Sedia and Senandiri? Hee hee. Kenna real-life actual situation for CPR improvisation some more. Hwah, damn stress man. It was a relief that our direction was correct although we did not list all possibilities.

Just to share what Yuen Toong and I was asked. This is for your reference as from what we understand, Mr Tan's style is very different. Having been around for every pair's questioning, the standard stuff was the Respiratory and Blood Circulation system. Choking had me first performing back blows followed by the Heimlich maneuver on Yuen Toong, while I was simulating a pregnant lady and Yuen Toong performed the Chest Thrust on me. We were quizzed why we went with back blow first then proceeded with Heimlich. Do note if your victim could, Speak Breathe or Cough initially and you would get the answer. 2 pairs were quizzed on infant choking and CPR, while the other 2 pairs were quizzed on child choking and CPR. Abdominal thrust was tested for all. For the pregnant lady chest thrust, we were taught that the way to locate the point for thrusting would be the center point on the chest between the armpits, reason being that for pregnant ladies, with their large tummy, it would not be possible to locate the sternum in our usual CPR way. Remember that you thrust inwards with your thumb tucked into your fist and flushed, not with your knuckle for Chest Thrust. The use of the knuckle is only for Heimlich. A question that stumped Yuen Toong and me was how long could the brain go without Oxygen before suffering from Brain Damage. We kind of forgot that answer and tried to smoke our way through, causing Edward to shake his head in disbelief and great disappointment to Joel with plenty of palm to forehead, face wiping, saliva sucking and deep breathing action with our wild shooting. The look on Joel's face towards the end of the CPR test was one of classic "Sian 1/2". I bet his face must have been very clean and his stomach filled with saliva by the time all of us completed the CPR test. Hahaha.

Each pair was given different scenarios for the CPR improvisation. Yuen Toong and I were given a situation Edward witnessed. A group of people were playing soccer and this guy got hit in the face, smashing his glasses and knocking him unconscious. He suffered from cuts to the eye, cuts to the nose with nose bleeding, broken teeth and cut lips. What would we do and why would we choose to do that first? We gave our answer and thankfully we were on the right path though we were getting worried by then. The answer given to us by Edward was what he saw the Paramedic did. After the D-R-A-B-C, the paramedic moved the victim into a sitting position, tilting foward at about 45 degrees, nose pinched. This allowed the blood to clot in the nose. After a while, i forgot the timing, the victim was leaned back at about 45 degrees and EAR was performed. After each cycle, the victim was leaned forward again and the process repeated until the victim revived.

Anyway guys, if Eugene, Yuen Toong and I being the slowest trio in the group can clear, you guys have nothing to fear. In a test condition, the adrenaline rush is there. You will pia and pia and will be amazed by your timing. Serious. Sub-3min was once a seemingly impossible target for me. Even I was amazed by it. However, I must agree with Jacques that our waterworks segment was indeed on the lenient side. The look on our faces of the first group while waiting for the 3:15 was of pure concentration. We tried to create some banter to help relax the atmosphere but ultimately we only had the event in our minds. I almost did an incredible hulk with my top. Hahaha. I yanked at the bottom edge of my No.4 top and was very lucky that 3 buttons came undone at one shot leaving me with only one last button to go. That really helped me, for although I was the first to hit the water, I was the last to arrive to my victim. Don't know about the rest but I was pretty drained after the 3:15 and we all opted to go with Breaststroke for the victim restrain segment. Thankfully Edward gave us some briefing after each segment and allowed us to get some rest bite and catch our breath. After the 2nd group had cleared all the events, it was pure joy and elation. We had all cleared. Phew. Our efforts paid off.

WE ARE LIFEGUARDS NOW!


The new batch of lifeguards after the first test


Yuen Toong, my partner for both tests


T-shirt Presentation. Our instructor Joel, prsenting me with my Lifeguard t-shirt.


New Lifeguards


At the debrief of the second test. Guess which is me. Hee hee.

>
Gareth & I, another one of the instructors

ambiguous relationships, what a farce

is it just me or have more of us guys been drawn into a world where the gals of singapore are looking for relationships which amount to something bordering of ambiguity? i have nothing against gals who are looking for such relationships as they would like to have a wider choice to select from but at the same time have they ever considered the guys feelings? many of them know how the guy feels about them but when the gal tells him that she doesn't want to lose a close friend, is she being fair with him, tagging him around? is she being fair to the guy then if he requests to be left alone but she denies him that right? isn't such behavior similar to that of a female version of a Playboy? it does seem somewhat of a farce, ain't it?

a former close female friend once said this to me, "it is just not possible for two people of the opposite sex to remain as just merely friends. somewhere down the road, one or the other will inevitably start to develop feelings for the other. at that juncture, that particular friendship will either develop into something beautiful or be doomed into oblivion."

i do not know how many of you have suffered such a fate. personally, after a series of events caused by me sometime last year which i am not proud of, i have started viewing my female counterparts in different aspects. no longer do i label them as friends anymore. guys, sure they are happily introduced as my friends or mates. the gals however, no disrespect to the few who have stood by me through my difficult times, i have considered them as schoolmates, coursemates or just plain colleagues. why do i make this distinction, you may ask. well, the thing is, i have had a couple of gals i used to see as just friends over the last 2 years and let's just say that things have not worked out with them since.

the former close friend who uttered the above line to me is right. i have heard that line uttered back in my polytechnic days but it was she who placed things in perspective for me. over the years, i have neither been slim, tall nor handsome. i'm no gentleman either. more often than not, i have shot from the hip and ended up shooting my own foot instead. even now that, i have managed to bring my roly poly size down from a XL to L size, i am still neither suave nor handsome. agreed, some have found me unrecognizable from my earlier days, but apart from the ladies at the company i was attached to, not one of my mates have claimed that i look better. slimmer yes, better none. in a way, they are right. my accident have left me somewhat disfigured, so much so that now, to find a girlfriend would be so much more difficult. being fat, ugly and short was difficult enough, now that a disfigured face is added to it, the bar has raised so much higher.

but are gals in singapore so...erm...what's the term...superficial? i try to think they are not. i know of gals who are really very nice people and pretty too while their other half are not exactly Tom Cruise or Ashton Kutcher. back in my younger days, i had managed to win the heart of a gal too and my polymates were like, "how did you win her heart?" you know, for the life of me, i really do not know. i believe that when for 2 person to come together as a couple, timing plays a part. for me, i have been stuck with a somewhat unsavory label, "Girls' Best Friend" for the past 5 years. always a friend, never the boyfriend. sure there have been gals that i have liked but it seems that i never am considered anymore than a friend.

then gals complain of us guys of being wishy washy. well, the thing is, we do not make a move until we are confident of being able to win the gal's heart. nobody likes rejections. personally, i have been rejected so many times that i have lost count but i ain't complaining. why? because i believe if you really like someone, if you are persistent enough but not irritating, you might win the fair maiden's heart. this is a totally different perspective to what i had when my previous relationship ended very messily. i was so frustrated back then that i told myself that the next time round, if there is a gal i like, i will do all i can to get her attention and win her heart but i will not make the first move. i was so disappointed and hurt that i could be considered emotionally scar-ed. for a moment about 2 years ago, thing sort of actually happened the way that i wished for but things did not work out and things were left hanging ever since. it might have been pure imagination on my part. i do not know.

due to my very messy upbringing, i have at times been seen as exceedingly conservative at yet at the same time with a soul of a child within. i am not the perfect guy out there but i always try to help when i can. i have been praised for being able to look at things in a different perspective and give valuable advise or judgments but at the same time i have been chided for not practicing what i preached. this is a sad but very true fact. i have also been accused of being a supremely obnoxious person but hey, we aren't all perfect are we? i do not give excuses for what i have done because excuses are just lies used to cover our actions.

by now your impression of me could be that i'm a downright despicable person without any sense of good within. well, all i can say is that i am no angel. if there is any saving grace left within me, it is only my friends and mates who would know. why them and not my family? because, no matter what you have done, in your family's eyes, you are no more mischievous than sinister. to the ladies whom i have inadvertently caused much pain and anguish to, i just can not say this enough, but i am sorry for what i have done. i ask not so much of your forgiveness but to appease the hatred that has being flaming within since then, for i am not deserving of your forgiveness after the things that i have done.

To the gal that is still having a stranglehold on my heart, this might sound a bit clichéd, especially from a guy who is supposedly english-savvy, 我很丑可是我很温柔




On a side note, to the person who has been very active within my comment pages, i thank you for your comments. I have never replied to your comments as i do not believe in stiffling freedom of speech. However, as you have brought unsavoury comments over to my friend's blog, which has caused great distress to my circle of blogging friends, you comments are not welcomed here anymore till you are willing to identify yourself. Point here is that, we leave the war within we do not drag others in, doing so is against blogging ethics. Also to the people who have attempted to address the imbalance, your efforts are very much appreciated, i thank you.

dreams are what?

it is said that we have dreams because we desire. many a times our desires would appear full term in our dreams but never in real life. mind you i'm not talking about the erotic but more of our aspirations or rather things or people we can be with. even jobs. i know of some people who really wish to be pilots but for one reason or another they are not able to fulfill their dreams. we all know of people who wishes to be with someone but in the end things just do not work out. are dreams in a way, someting to quench our desires? dreaming is only one of the many sub-concious levels we are at. sometimes we even have dreams which are somehow able to foretell the future, deja vu anyone? till this day, nobody is able to curely describe the concept of deja vu clearly, with psychiatrists labelling it as a matter of coincidences. the human brain is indeed very complex.

characteristics of a Josephian

i read this post on a fellow Josephian's blog

misc thots
met vincent to play ball today, over lunch we were discussing abt the mentality of sji guys. we came to the conclusion tt sji guys are

a) blatantly frank
b) blatantly direct
c) inconsiderate to some extent (sji guys never give way to scgs girls at the bus-stop)
d) likes to make jokes at others' expense
e) talk big, but do little
f) jus a bit weird, i guess =D
g) but overall good people esp the class of '99 4A4

kudos

i like to add the following
h) we never give way to anyone except our mother/grandmother/wife/girlfriend
i) our jokes are so sharp, everybody feels hurt except Josephians
j) we are always "stunning" things
k) contrary to popular belief, the SJI way is very well recieved and eagerly learnt by the other schools in JC
l) leadership is in our blood, just that some of us are good at it while others are such slackers that they can't be bothered to lead.
m) we are english savvy
m) we are all good people, regardless of class

i can't think of anymore now, but if you are a Josephian, you are welcomed to add to the list

parks on the west coast of singapore

i was returning home from NTU after realizing that the bloody pool is closed, i decided to go along Jurong Fish Port and then West Coast Highway. when i passed by West Coast Park, it dawned upon me that i have never been to that park before. with singapore being so small and with so few parks, it just seem so unlikely that i have not visited all the parks.

well...west coast park got a mcdonald's drive-through but other than that, it really does seem a poor cousin when compare to east coast park. it just seem so bare. it feels abit like pasir ris park but less bbq pits, smaller playground and no beach. the beach is under some landscaping redevelopment. i went for a walk over at the marsh swamp and when i looked into the swamp, it is clear that the ugly singaporean has struck. tons and tons of bread were thrown into what looked like a pond but the fishes were just plain not intrested. those uneaten bread are just going to end up as pollutants and damage the ecosystem. haiz. further down the road, i saw another sign pointing to weat coast park. eh? haven't i just left west coast park? i turned in and saw that it was another part of west coast park and this part is alot more boring. nothing of any great significance except for the Dog Running Ground. it's a ground designed for allowing your pet dogs to roam and exercise. they got a couple of logs and fixtures set up for the dogs to hop or go though them. it looks good except that i don't see anyone using it. maybe they come only in the evenings.

i left west coast park and checked the time. i still had plenty of time till i was supposed to meet Celest to pass her the stuff so i decided to go visit Labrador Park. labrador park is truly amazing with all the historical element within. saw the gun positions, read the history of the fort. never knew we had a fort pasir panjang till today. saw a tunnel and wanted to explore but it seemed you had to buy a ticket to get in. i had no cash on me. another time perhaps. after the high ground, i went downhill to the shoreline. there i read that Keppel harbour was originally named New Harbour. it was renamed as Keppel Harbour after the the admiral, Sir Henry Keppel, who had founded the harbour during William Farquhar's time as the 1st resident. apparently the port location was found earlier but deemed too dangerous to be used as the southern part of singapore was a haven for pirates. Sir Keppel later found out about the location and was surprised that such a prime location, which was naturally sheltered and a naturally deep harbour was not used. after the pirates were defeated and flushed out of the southern part of singapore, he pushed through the plans and New Harbour was eventually built in 1859. it was renamed Keppel Harbour in honor of Sir Keppel during one of his last visits to Singapore in 1900. there's so much history to be picked up just by a visit to Labrador Park. i'm going back to read more.

after my long ride, i felt a bit hot and dirty and turned to Safra Mount Faber for a swim. i had set out intending to go for a swim. the pool was ok, free-form with a poolside bar too. there were many kids in the lanes and which made it difficult to swim straight. somehow or rather, i managed to put in 20 lengths without colliding with any kid. i did collide with another guy and i soon realized why i collided with him. his strokes were very exaggerated. his arms were flailing everywhere, it's no wonder we collided. however, i found the pool there pumped with too much chlorine. my eyes stung and kept tearing for the next hour or so. after the laps, i got up showered and changed and proceeded home. i was still early for my appt with Celest and went home to change my stinky t-shirt for a new one lest she faints from the smell generated. hahahaha

flak flak flak

i watched Batman Begins today! great show. worth the $7 for the ticket.

it feels great to be able to stay at home and sleep late. haven't done that in a long long while.i woke up around and lazed abit till about 2pm. then i made my way to Kallang Way to service my laptop. sianz. go there so often until the service counter lady knows me. haiz. took me about an hour to reach Kallang Way from Bukit Merah. then from Kallang Way, i made my way to Yishun where i was meeting Malcolm for the movie at GV Yishun. took me only and hour to reach Yishun. after the movie it was another hour to reach home in Bukit Merah. good exercise. hee hee.

i heard today that my part time schedule got screwy again. bloody hell. there was an agreement with the manager that i'll take over my friend's slots if he changed department and if he doesn't my slots will not get cut in under any circumstance. they have scrwed with me long enough. one after another policy change, all bloody unfavorable towards me. i bear i wait. and this is how they repay me. i'm not one to play politics but if you screw with Alvin you better be prepared to face the consequences. Let them go explain to the members why i disappeared. The members do not want me to leave and they are willing to take up my case for me. i have informed the gym instructor in charge of my displeasure and if the schedule is not changed to my liking, they can go employ the agency people they so love to have. they have screwed with me long enough. breaking one agreement after another. i'm not listening to any reasons. change the schedule or i'll walk out as early as during my Thursday shift.

my part time workplace

here is what my part-time workplace looks like. the place where i work at. the towel counter. the photos are courtesy of one of the members who kindly took the photos on his O2 camera phone and sent it to me via infra-red. thankfully this pictures did not get deleted as i first feared yesterday. after some digging i managed to find them.

for my NTU mates, if you think you have seen something wrong, no you have not. that is indeed the one and only alvin ho. if i do not blow up, u guys will see how much i have shrunked. hee hee.

what my part-time job requires to do is plainly customer service. when members arrive, i have to verify their identification before i issue them the towels and locker keys. after their visit to the gym and having showered, they would then return the keys and used towels to me. i have to fold the used towels in bundles of 10 and then place them in the laundry bag in preparation for the daily laundry collection. when the clean laundry arrives each day, i would have a mountain of towels, as shown in my earlier post towels galore, to fold. my other duties would include charging members for the guest surcharge and also to do a bit of PR for the club.

so as can be seen, my job is really a very slacking one. i get paid $6 an hour and meals are provided for too. the only reason why i might be leaving the club in the near future would be because i find the upper mamgement very meddlesome and also because i am a bit tired. if it ain't for the need of money for my teeth and to save up for my graduation trip, i would have resigned long ago. also, the members of the club are very nice people. they aren't the snobbish people you will find like some club in the Bukit Timah area, although there are a few like those. well, the world ain't perfect.

i went with my cousin to JB today and we did some exploring. saved ourselves a bundle by deciding to try out the local bus system. only RM2.20 per person to travel from City Square to Carrefour/Giant. and to think i've been paying an exhorbitant RM15/20 for each one way trip. i'm taking the bus next time. it might be slower but the money saved is so much more.

bummer

arggg......my laptop HDD died. AGAIN! i had taken photos of my workplace and wanted to share with you people. ah well. i worked another 15 hour day again. feeling kind of tired. my colleague fell sick and being the responisble guy i am, i covered the shift for him. buay paiseh. hahahaha. old Ho dell melon, own sell own praise. at least i got no work tomorrow. hee hee. ooh yeah. me weight went down another kg to 77kg. hahahaha. my target is to hit ideal before my school term starts. ah that is the life.

wish i could rest more. i want a holiday. i hope me laptop HDD dun die totally on me. i'm gonna attempt to save what i can then send it in for servise again.

towels galore

every weekend, i'll be faced with a mountain of towels similar to the above. this is my part time job. to fold towels. hee hee. every weekend, i'm faced with anything from 120 to 180+ towels to fold. what is shown above only gives a taste of what i am doing.

i just finished 15 hours of work today. 7am till 10pm. not as tiring as everyone thinks. it is quite a slack job because my most strenuous task is to lift fully filled big tumblers of water onto the water cooler situated within the locker rooms. oh, by the way, i work at The Legends. more on my part-time in my next post. time to sleep. got morning shift again tomorrow.

last day of attachment. WHOOPEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

its my last day of industrial attachment. oooooooohhhhhhhhhh yyeeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! after so long of suffering in silence, i'll soon be free. no offence to florence, joycelyn, operator gal or even dawn but i'm just happy to be finally released from my shackles. as i have always felt, if you ain't happy about something, either you dun do it or you just sit it out. only a couple of hours more of sitting. hee hee.

just got my paycheaque! yeah! but only a miserable $420. this month kenna pro-rated. hrumph. was hoping for more to contribute to the repair of my teeth. well, dun care. can leave happy liao. hahahaha. i offered to return my security pass early but the administrator say cannot. arggg. was hoping to leave early.

now i'm in the process of cleaning the PC i've been using for the past 24 weeks. all the softwares and movies i clear. leaving the songs behind because the gals might want it. and erm...dawn, the songs u got from "somebody", more than 80% were mine. do not believe that he actually made such a monumental effort to get all those songs. i hate it when someone else claims credit for something they did not do. really regret in letting that asshole have it. STUPID ELITIST, IF YOU ARE SO ELITE THEN DELETE EVERYTHING LAH, ELITES DUN KEEP MP3s, THEY BUY CDs!! AND THEY DUN TAKE OTHER PEOPLE'S MP3s AND CLAIM AS THEIR OWN!!!! AND I'M NOT SORRY FOR SAYING THIS. YOU CAN HATE ME FOR ALL I CARE! TO HELL WITH YOU! GO TRANSFER TO NUS, NTU DUN NEED ASSHOLE ELITISTS LIKE YOU!

now that that's out of the way, i feel so much better. ahhhh! one month break ahead of me. i'm thinking of starting my FYP early. with 8 modules looming from July, getting as much done as soon as possible might be a good idea. maybe a break of 2 week at most and come 1 July, i might go contact the Research Fellow (some PhD term i think) and try to begin my FYP.

work work work. holiday, i need a holiday! somebody please, contact me and let's go for a short trip. please!

a hand of memories

as my attachment comes to an end, the scars on my hand bears a reminder to me of the past 6 months. i came to the attachment hoping to learn, and learn i did. albeit not everything that i had hoped to achieve but better than going away with nothing.

to the ladies who have been so nice to me, i thank you for bearing with my obnoxious ways. florence, thank you for allowing me to assist and learn from you, i enjoyed the chats we had. joycelyn, thanks for everything, not to worry i will not reveal your secret. hee hee. dawn, ah dawn, by the time you read this, i would be away, i hope florence keeps her promise, heehhee. well, miss dawn, if memories doesn't fail me, am i right if i said we became strictly professional after i prevented you from opening the door playfully? it is a pity that we never were able to become friends. it was so promising initially. guess i'm not cut out to be your friend. i do however appreciate your willingness to accomodate me this past couple of months, thank you.

today i wore my size 34 straight cut jeans matched with my L-sized t-shirt to work. i bought a size M belt from Giordano meant for 28"-34" but guess what, i'm on the smallest hole! oh my, i've gotten so pair-shaped that i need a smaller belt! hahahaha. the operator was smiling at me the whole day and kept saying i look good now. even florence remarked that i look so much better now. hee hee. thanks ladies. it's been a long time since any lady gave me a good comment about my dressing. guess i've been in me baggies for too long. are you eager to find out too? hahaha. we shall see. if i am able to maintain or reduce my size and weight further, you would definately get the opportunity.

oh woe is me

today, i woke up late, arriving at my office only at 9am when i was supposed to report for work at 8.15am. ouch. hee hee. today the operator gal look so cute. hee hee. she tied her hair in a half-tail, my favourite style. well, another eye-candy. and in case you are curious, she is of the unconventional beauty type.

some time after lunch, my colleague whom has been ignoring me for the past few months, i nicknamed her boobies (no explanation is needed right? hee hee and yes, unconventional beauty also), told me that our department manager is treating a farewell lunch on Friday. the look on her face was full oh hope when she informed me. i told her we shall see and provided if she could find me. so she asked me again if i'll be going for the lunch. i asked her who were those going and when i heard that the other attachment students were going too, i declined. immediately her face changed from one of great hope to one of fed-up. i have not seen eye to eye with some of the attachment students since January and she knows it. so i'm surprised she even thought that i would go, maybe she was sent by our manager to speak with me. either way, i feel very guilty of declining her invitation so outright but when it comes to eating, i treat it with great importance.

to enjoy one's meal, the mood is very important. if you put people who are at loggerheads with each other at the same table, even if you gave them caviar and abalone, it would be as good as being tasteless. eating is filled with joy and passion, and this joy must never be curtailed. think about it, when has food ever tasted good when you are not happy or upset? in fact, do you even remember the taste? you don't, right. this is because your mind is so preoccupied that your taste buds do not function as well and you will not be able to enjoy your food.

however, the engineer in charge of me and the other nice colleague are bringing me out and treating me lunch tomorrow. i still can't bite though. i wonder what will be having? hahaha

conventional or not

of recent there have been much talk about conventional and unconventional types of gals at my lifeguard course. the so called conventional types, slim and pretty, are getting the attention of some of the guys even though the gals are attached. whereas, the only "unconventional" female instructor was kind of ommitted when ever the guys are "salivating". when we are talking about instructors here, let it be known that the instructors are fellow students whom are more our "seniors" in lifeguard terms than instructors and are all younger than any of the new batch of lifeguards.

point aside, are we guys so fixated with the point of view that only "conventional" gals are desirable. what about the "unconventional" types? yes, i agree that the conventional types are good to look at and more of eye candy but let's not forget that many unconventional types are equally good eye candy. have anyone ever thought, when you are salivating at the gals, that the gals are also ignoring the unconventional guys at the same time?

much as many of us are trying to be the conventional types, have we ever wondered what we are putting ourselves through just to be considered conventional and desirable? and when we have become conventional, what then? personally, i feel it is more important to be healthy than to be conventional. so what if you are conventional but always falling sick? no point right?

some of you will then claim that i am defending myself. i do not deny it. i am defending myself but also plenty of the unconventionals out there. and lest i am giving the impression of being a bigot, due to my accident, let it be known that i have shrunk from 95kg with a 37inch waist to now a healthier 78kg with a 34inch waist.

i have to admit that beauty is indeed in the eyes of the beholder, but very often it is not so much the beholder but more of the beholder's upbringing. how the person has been taught, the values that has been inculcated in them. it all leads to how they view things. be it good or bad, pretty or ugly.

of stiff necks and painful butt

woke up feeling stiffness in my neck and my butt still hurts. on reflection of the accident, i realised that the pain in my butt was due to the fact that my house keys were in my back pocket when i landed on my bum. owww.

i would like to congratulate my fellow lifesaving coursemates on their successful passing of the Bronze Medallion test last night. welcome to the club of lifesavers/lifeguards. everyone did very well for their water works segment, clocking in times that they have never seen before in training. wow! for the duo who did not clear the CPR segment, do not fret, you can do it!

we had a mini celebration at the pool last night. pizzas, soft drinks, red wine and even a gift presentation segment. too bad i could not really bite. it was quite fun though. one of the guys only had half a cup of red wine and his whole face went red. haha. we encouraged the guys who were presenting the gifts to the female instructors to give hugs but they sadly chickened out. haiz. by the time we were done it was already past 12 midnight.

i think i had downed maybe 3/4 bottle of red wine and i was still insanely sober. getting on my bike, i began my ride home from NTU. and it was an accident free ride and i was not swerving at all. maybe what Jeffery from my SJI days once said is right, i either can hold my liqour very well or my liver is missing. i think it may be more of the former but i don't even drink often. and after having such drinks, all i'm feeling is hot and pespire. hmmm....that doesn't mean you guys can go test my threshold or to make me the designated driver. hahahaha.

after today, another 3 working days left of my IA. yippee. then some break. ahhhh! i welcome anybody who wants to go for a short hop to contact me. i would really love to go on a short holiday. can't spend too much because still saving up to fix my teeth.

OWWIII!

arggg, as i type this, my left butt cheek is in pain. i had retuned home during lunch from my attachment to pick up my swimming trunks and my laptop for this evening's lifeguard course - bronze medallion test. i had passed mine last week, yes me is lifeguard, and was getting some things to bring to pass time with while the rest are having their test.

having picked up my stuff, i left home and started to cycle back to work. 20 mins ride, no sweet. i had exited the carpark and crossed the road proceeding on to queensway. a whole bunch of vehicles were waiting for the light to turn green before proceeding on. i noticed this and kept to the extreme left alongside a lorry. then......SCREEEECH! BOOM! AHHH! OW!!!!!!

i had barely cleared the lorry when i saw a van turning from the opposite road on my right, into the side road on my left. both of us applied our brakes, and with my front brakes being more effective than my rear, i became superman again. i saw the windscreen becoming bigger, i quickly put up my hands to protect myself. the right side of my body made impact onto the van leaving a couple of dents, while i flew in a different direction after impact. i landed on my bum and and back and hit my head against the road, thank goodness for my helmet and my laptop bag on my back. (see malcolm, helmet saves life, GET ONE!)

i was slightly dazed and layed on the road for a while before getting up to the side of the road. the driver and his wife quickly came down and checked on me. i assured them i was alright. pain as i was, i had no apparent head injuries and broken bones. just a couple of scratches and a very painful left butt. i sat at the side of the road, while the driver helped me bring my bike on to the pavement. surprisingly, my bike survived again with no damages. this is a damn hardy bike. i rested for about 5 minutes and then proceeded on my way back to work. when i stood up, my left leg was shaking and my butt was still in pain.

pedal, OW! pedal, OW! pedal, OW!

my lunch break was supposed to end at 12.45pm but by the time i returned it was 1.40pm. a great bunch of lady colleagues i have. it pays to be nice to people. when the engineer in charge of me heard what happened, she offered to bring me to NUH but i told her i am alright. she then helped me look around for medicated oil for my bruising. another colleague of mine, whom i cooked the longevity noodles for for her birthday, then helped her to look for the oil and passed it to me. with colleagues like this, who cares if i ain't on good terms with the other attachment students. even the operator gal and some of her other fellow operators showed concern.

now, i'm sitting with only half my butt on the chair, cushioned as it is. pain. pain.

happy dumpling festival

dear all

wishing you all a happy dumpling festival! hahahaha. dun eat too much dumpling now, high in carbohydrate and starch, very fattening. hee hee. take care!

dry, wet and burnt: the life of an RSAF t-shirt

it was a cool and dry morning when my owner put me on for his cycling ride to work. with his laptop bag upon me, we were off on our ride to fort canning. the sky was blue with no hint of rain. ah, such a nice weather. pity he has to work. he can't help it, he needs the money to repair his teeth.

ever had the irritating feeling when you pass through one area, it is all clear, then rain, then all clear again? well, i suffered that this morning. as we were passing in front of SGH, slight drizzle first greeted us. since it was not threatening, my owner ploughed on. then as we passed in front of the new bridge road interchange, it suddenly became a heavy downpour. argggg. i'm getting wet! he quickly diverted to the bus stop and seeked shelter. if it ain't for his laptop, he would have continued and i would have became a soggy piece of rag. re-adjusting the zips on his bag and keeping his MP3 player, the rain looked like it was subsiding. he got on the bike and continued on, he had to as he as running late. barely had we reached pearl center, BAM! heavy downpour again. ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!! ignoring the rain, he moved on. when we reached chinatown point, huh? not a single drop of rain. the road was dry. hrumph! cranky weatherman.

i was basically a piece of wet rag by the time he reached work. haiz. after getting his keys, we went up to his work counter. he locked his things then went to take a shower. i was dripping wet and hedious, no way he could wear me to greet the members this way! also i ain't no polo tee, i was just your run of the mill RSAF t-shirt. after he changed into his working attire and rinsed me. realising that there is no way i would be dry if left hung at the counter he left me in the sauna room. afterall the morning crowd don't use the sauna. hee hee. 10 mins later i slipped off the hanger and fell on to the sauna stove. help master! help! my fibres, they are heating up! ahhhh!!! oh no! they are turning brown! pain! pain! master! help! oh my god i'm going black and about to combust! owwwwwww! 5 mins after i have fallen, my master came running in. he had smelt a burning smell and came rushing in. dry i was, undamaged i was not. it was pure luck that i did not catch fire. he quickly yanked me off the sauna stove and left the sauna room door open to let the smoke out of the place.

i am now but a piece of burnt rag. tonight i shall be having my final journey with him. it has been a great 3 years with you master. when you were your large self, i was there. when you became the smaller self you are now, i was there. when you were plunged into despair, i was there. when you had your accident, i was there. i still have the stains of your blood upon me. thank you master. thank you for all the moments.

master: my dear t-shirt, you have served me well, soon it will be time for you to rest.

dead man walking

i woke up feeling like a bloody zombie. my mind was up but my body wasn't. i need rest! my body screamed. i would have happily stayed in bed for more sleep and rest if not for the necessity to go to work. after today it is another 5 more working days and my Industrial Attachment in over. then for some quality rest.

cycling to work was a chore as i was still feeling pretty drained from last night's exertion. when i reached work, i just plonked on to my seat. i was so tempted to just rest my head on the table and sleep. at work, someone made contact with me over MSN. on one hand i was happy but on the other hand, well let's just keep it between me and the person. at the end of the day, i felt slightly more recovered from my marathon yesterday and began my trip home. along Queensway, i was on the right lane as i had just turned in from commonwealth avenue west and was preparing to filter back to the right lane. i looked over my shoulders and there were plenty of cars and decided to stay on lane 1 for a while more. when i checked again, there was only a police patrol car behind me and i was waiting for it to pass me so that i could get to the left lane. i do not know if the policeman driving the vehicle noticed my checking, he horned me, came up next to me and indicated for me to return to the left lane. DUH! i would if you are not blocking my way! i just nodded and slowed down so that he can get the idea that i was going to filter on to the left lane. grumble grumble mutter mutter.

upon reaching home, i took a rest and washed up. after taking my vitamin supplements and my "dinner", Ensure (what else? my teeth still can't bite), i went out again and wanted to go on my usual cycling route for some exercise.

starting from bukit merah i would head to queensway, swing left to commonwealth avenue west, another left along north bouna vista road and onwards towards the 13 bends of south bouna vista road. then it was along pasir panjang road towards telok blangah hill, up and down telok blangah hill then head towards mt faber, then up and down mt faber, on to telok blangah road heading to shenton way and then clifford pier. turned right towards suntec city, make a round around the fountain of wealth, pass the esplanade, head towards high street and onwards to chinatown. from chinatown it was straight on along jalan bukit merah until i reached home again. usually i take about 2 hours to go through this route.

today however, i started to feel the effects of yesterday's exertion again while cycling along north bouna vista road. by the time i hit telok blangah hill, the overcast skies and my screaming body made the decision for me. i took a breather at the top and then proceeded home. i need rest.

marathon cycling

just had a shower after my marathon session of cycling today. i had managed to convince Malcolm to get a bicycle and recommended my bike to him. we arranged to meet at Outram MRT and i traveled after work from Ayer Rajah Industrial Estate to Outram MRT, time taken about 30mins.

we then proceeded to the bicycle shop at Chin Swee Road, Hup Leong or something like that. the auntie quoted him the same price as she gave me but Malcolm got shortchanged a tail light......tough luck bro. he lamented to me that he should not have discussed with me and stuck to another cheaper bike he saw in Tampines. in total, Malcolm paid $322 for the bicycle, a taillight and a lock. quite a bargain i must add. he even convinced the Auntie to swop his plastic pedals to metal pedals for free. however he did not get a helmet......helmet saves lives......get one Malcolm

the sky was kind of overcast when we left to meet Malcolm's wife, Eileen, working at the Esplanade. on the way there, rain started to beat down on us, and yes, i fell again, this time landing on my bum as my bike skidded in the other direction. hahahaha. at the Esplanade, we wanted to lock our bikes to a handrail but was prevented from doing so, we then wanted to lock it at a barrier and again was stopped. damn, what does one have to do to lock his bike at Esplanade. in the end we were directed to the underground car park where, lo and behold, there were bicycle stands there. wow!

by now my t-shirt was soaking wet and reeked badly and i needed to change to something that was halfway decent, thankfully i had my t-shirt from work and changed into it before we met Eileen. an exceedingly sinful ice cream meal was up next. oooh......yummm......hahahaha. Eileen said Malcolm was crazy for getting a bike and our plan to cycle from Esplanade to their matrimonial home in Punggol. we laughed it off and said that she should have faith in us. actually, i think she was worried about Malcolm cycling such a long distance on the road. such a loving couple. everybody together now. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww............ however i must compliment Eileen's on being a very good host. man, i wish i had a gf that is as nice as Eileen, but i somehow always fall for gals with a tad too much sass, ala My Sassy Girl. hee hee

we bid farewell to Eileen and left Esplanade at 9.03pm. thus began our journey from Esplanade to Punggol. once we hit Selegie road, it was just one straight path all the way. along the way, we raced each other and kept singing songs out of tune. hee hee. i guess Malcolm has been away from cycling for too long and had to take a breather outside the unopened North-East line station Buangkok. where's your fitness? hahaha. after a further pee break at Caltex down the road, we were on our way to Punggol.

one thing i must say about Malcolm's place is that it looks like a condominium. exteriorly it looks like a condo complete with underground car park! wow! and i simply love the simplistic design of his home. how i wish i had a home like that. my only grouse is the clear screen separating the shower and the toilet seat in the bathroom. i mean, who would want to see someone else shitting while they are bathing? or vice-versa. eeee. macham free show like that. hahaha. i looked at the time and it was 10.25pm. not bad, we took slightly less than an hour and a half. nice.

i bid farewell to Malcolm and proceeded my long trip from Punggol to Jurong Point. yes, you did not see wrongly, i did make the trip from Punggol to Jurong Point on my bicycle. i went back the same way we came and took a right at the Braddel-Serangoon interchange. i proceeded down Braddel Road and on to Thompson Road then Lornie Road and Adam Road. by then, i was feeling a bit drained. however i persevered as i had promised my granny to pick up the rice dumplings from my Aunt living near Jurong Point. i then took a right at the Farrer Road-Dunearn Road intersection and headed down Bukit Timah till i reached King Albert's Park. i swung left passing Ngee Ann Poly, SIM HQ and Maju Camp till i reached Clementi, from there it was a straight forward ride along Commonwealth Ave West and Boon Lay Way until Jurong Point. by the time i reached my Aunt's place it was 12.10am. total time taken was slightly more than an hour and a half.

i was by now totally drained and still had to make the journey home. i had to admit i was running on empty and somehow managed to eek my way home in an hour. man, this is a really tiring day for me. my bikes milage is getting higher and higher. hee hee. i'm real tired now, got to get some rest, got more IA later.

weird things and misses

as i was cycling home from NTU, somewhere near Clementi central, i noticed something peculiar. there was this motorbike following behind after the bendy bus of TIBS service 106. it always stayed behind and always at a distance of 10-15 meters back. i'm wondering why the hell it was tailing the bus. hmmm....

anyway, i had another accident again. unlike the last time, when i suffered the brunt of the damage, this time round, my bike suffered. i had just passed the Police Special Ops Command camp and was braking to a halt at the traffic light. i was about to come to a complete stop at the junction of Queensway and Commonwealth Drive, when my bike got caught by the outstretched branch of the plant at the side of the road. i fell and managed to keep my injuries to minor bruising but my bike ain't so lucky. the suspension fork was bent and my front brakes were damaged. the plant is a damn bloody hardy plant. cars have passed it and got their paintwork scratched but the branch never broke off, never! i quickly hauled myself to the side of the road and proceeded to unhook the front brakes. i then rode from the accident site to the bicycle shop in Chin Swee Rd, on a bike with a twisted suspension fork, twisted steering, no front brakes and almost worn out rear brakes. how i got there was a miracle. the repair cost was expensive. the fork and brakes alone caused me $145. deciding that it was time to get a pair of cycling gloves and a head light for the bike, my total bill cost me a whopping $225. enough to get a new bike. ouch!

when i reached home, i found my P4 to be very sluggish. must be due to the bios update i put in last night. i got to attempt to fix it. arggg, the day is getting from bad to worse. thankfully i still got my old P3 533 to slug it out with my remaining subject registration. when i went online, i noticed that for M443, there were still 4 vacancies left at 4.45pm. i was elated as it gave me a chance to get into it. but just before i got into the system at 5pm, the number dropped to 1. i still forged on hoping to get it. but alas it was not to be. to make things worse, i even lost a favorable timeslot for my M463 tutorial and got saddled with a friday slot, making my timetable exceedingly eeky.

well, the only good thing that happened today was that, after i have lost 18kg since Jan, i passed 5 schoolmates today and none of them could recognise me. only one gal, Rui Wei, did after she noticed my army camouflage Gore-Tex jacket. and it was only because i was sitting right in front of her. hee hee. she claimed my face shape has changed and i look slimmer. slimmer? i'm going for skinny. hahahaha. also, my other schoolmate, Yee Noi, approached me and asked me if i was intrested in doing M464 with her. i agreed since i had no one taking the same time slot with and also because i would like to have some company. thanks gals. on this dark day, you two made my day and shown me that there is a silver lining.

sorry Malcolm, i did not stay on in school as i was really sleepy. we can always catch up after IA, although you have to start going back to camp once IA ends. tough luck man, but hey. you get paid, i don't. hahahaha. maybe if i can clear my IPPT i go sign on after i complete my B. Eng (Mech).

yo babe, you know i've lost weight, how could you mix me up with someone else. hahaha. did this other guy really lok like me in the pics i showed you or more like my younger fatter self? hahaha. I was on the road when you called. danger it is, to answer a call when cycling on the road. but i was glad to receive your call nonetheless. shows that i might be able to waltz through the first few weeks of school with no one recognising me. hee hee.

i got to get back to fixing my P4 now. argg, i always get teething problems when i build my own PC but it is a good learning experience. i'm no whizkid but i get by.

after action review

it was a quick and swift war. using the "STARS Planner" i had almost vanquished the evil overlord. it was all over in less than a second. Alas, M443 had slipped from my grasp. taking a final pot shot, i had managed to bring down its fellow minion, M463. it was a bittersweet victory. there will be a second raid to night at 5pm on the overlord. hopefully i get a second chance at the M443 minion.

i approach the crop slowly......the wolf is in sight......i breathe slowly, so that the wolf does not see it......i eat some snow, so that my breath is not visible......i take my aim......i hold my breath......"click"......only one had fleed. i had gotten the rest. later i told myself, i will get it later.

subject registration

every 6 months, us NTU students have to wage a war against the evil computer overload called CITS in the Battle of Subject Registration. his main weapon of choice is the STARS system. a year ago, it was still the battle of who pulled the trigger first. now it is still the same, just that this time round we have two weapons of choice now. we can either use the semi-automatic weapon of "Fastest Fingers First" or the fully-automatic "STARS Planner". those who have any knowledge of automatic weapons would enjoy it's quick release of power but at the same time is very mindful of the weapon jamming. for the semi-automatic, it is slower firing but at least less chance of jammig. which should i choose. hmmm....

i came to battle riding my bicycle from Bukit Merah to NTU. took less than an hour to arrive. not too bad if i may say so myself. hee hee. now i'm sitting in Lee Wee Nam library waiting to wage war. surrounding me now are fellow combatants who have been wounded by the other overlord, examinations. we have all been hurt by the examinations in our previous campaign in NTU and have now been given a chance to fire the first salvo.

the time is near. dawn is upon us. i got a battle to fight. to all my fellow warriors, may the force be with you.

me first post

bah! i got too much time on hand that i'm starting to blog...i dun even know what blogging is......arggg

i'm at the end of my exceedingly boring Industrial Attachement. only another 7 working days to go. WOOHOO!

today was one of my colleague's bday and since i promised her i cook her longevity noodles, i'm now a walking zombie in the office. of recent i seem to notice that operator sitting in front of my desk is getting prettier. hee hee. she looks very pretty now after she rebonded and styled her hair. many in the office says she looks abit like the taiwanese actress Jia Jing Wen. too bad she has a boyfriend back in KL. well, i'm still awaiting for someone else.

i'm getting insanely cookoo now. my colleague says i'm not acting myself the entire day and it could be due to my lack of sleep. oooh, my head is so heavy. i think i go rest some more.