Monday, July 30, 2007

Today is supposed to be a Battalion stand-down. But I went back to do paper work at lunch, Damn right? There was hardly anyone back in Unit, and here I am working on some projects chart tasked to me by BC and 2IC. When I thought I was done, I was so shagged out and tired because tonight we will be going outfield for an IFDT deployment. We prepped at about 2.30am.

For this deployment, we were moving out en-masse in two platoons, 5 V200s, 2 PSTARs, 2 Land Rovers and 2 5-tonners! Not only that, I was PC2! I was Platoon Commander for my own platoon of 2 V200s and 1 PSTAR detachment! =) Phay was my trusty platoon sergeant and we had our platoon parade, (I never really thought I'd be a PC one day), and then after it was all done, we moved out at about 3-4am.

8:28 PM

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Finally, the Arrival of my Sword Case

Finally a good rest for the weekend, and finally the Milestone sword case that I ordered back in OCS arrived! When I inspected the sword case, it was not too bad, the glass finishing was fine, but the delivery was so late! 2 months after we commissioned!

I won’t be recommending milestone to anyone anymore, and I heard that those who ordered from CNC got their sword cases much earlier. But so far still okay, just that their delivery was late..

My brand-new sword-case display site =)

8:43 AM

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

The morning was a lousy start to this Wednesday. We spent the morning at Marina trying to do a site phototaking, but inclement weather hampered our efforts and in the end, the trip was wasted, but it was also mainly attributed to the fact that the Land Rover arrived very late!

Then whilst we were taking cover in the Rover hoping for the rain to subside, I was suddenly told that I have to do duty tomorrow in camp when I am on course. I had to frantically call and ask others from other units for favors to see if they can cover my duty tomorrow. But naturally all are unwilling to help citing reasons like they are on course or finding excuses. To make things worse tomorrow is my unit's Cohesion Day and the whole unit will be out enjoying themselves. To add salt to the wound, my phone is dying.

Because of that, it looks like I have to go back to Chong pang early tomorrow morning but at least I can work on the paperwork piling up when the whole unit is out having fun. Whatever, I headed home and slept early.

3:44 AM

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

In the day, my mood was generally okay, but gradually deteriorated and by noon I was downright unhappy, why? Maybe it's because of that incident over a text message. I don't know why I really feel like this, but I shouldn't be isn't it? Actually, how did it happen? Maybe because now that my friend has found a new companion, she seems ready to stub me.

Such a sudden change in reaction from a good friend was surprising at first, but now that I think back about it, maybe it's expected. What's with all these mixed emotions and signals that I am receiving? But seemingly overnight, our good relations in the green seems to have taken a tumble into the red.

It seems hard to maintain the friends, when one goes, another one that was lost before comes back, when that one goes, the other comes back. It's a complicated world that we have to manage on the personal front. I guess that's the natural progression of the social circle and that's life. Still am I supposed to feel better by penning this entry?

3:09 AM

Monday, July 23, 2007

I've been having it really though in camp lately, hectic schedules that require my presence in several different locations simultaneously is a tremendous pressure.

Today I was juggling several commitments as a Platoon second-in-command and a training officer for the new trainees, and after finishing up the rest of the ADK lessons with them, I proceeded with the armored vehicle lessons for the operators.

But they were sloppy and progress was too slow, later when it was time for an endurance run, I lost my cool and obviously they took their own sweet time when I had already changed into my own PT attire, I went down and they still weren't there! So I went back up, just in time to catch them still half-way changing out of their uniform!

"Take your own sweet time!"

Then when they finally ran down it was past 8 minutes and I was pissed, and I gave them a good thrashing. I shouted loud enough to wake the dead and they got it really good from me, sloppy, talking when I am speaking, slow reaction. My tolerance has a limit and they just snapped my last nerve.

So much so that that the whole unit can hear my shouting and a lot of people came out to see what the commotion was about. It was just a lot of screwing, and they didn't do a lot of push-ups, but I must say my voice today was really scary because I was pissed with their attitude and lackadaisical behavior. So it went on for about 15-minutes or so.

I led the short run, just 2 mere short rounds, probably less than 3 clicks because they have a Battalion life run tomorrow and they were complaining that they were tired?! Omg, talk about unfit combat personnel. Later when they retired to their bunks, I went back to the platoon office.

My superior told me to remember that even punishments have safety regulations. That was when I learnt that the whole Unit had heard me just now! A lot of people were shocked because people in the unit are not used to this kind of punishment and everyone could hear it very clearly, even in the offices, all the PCs had comments and that was quite amusing, later in the bunk, my mates also gave me that thumbs-up, he could even hear me from the ULO office! But yes, trainees must be put in their places and once in a while we must give them a good trashing to wake up their bloody idea.

Sometimes harsh methods of discipline is necessary, S4 came to see me, but didn't say much because they are my trainees after all. Discipline must be enforced.

9:32 PM

Friday, July 20, 2007

Some definitions must be changed in the dictionary to make way for modern times, if laws and constitutions can be changed, so can definitions in the dictionary!


Divorce : Future tense of marriage.

Cigarette: A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end and a fool on the other.

Lecture: An art of transferring information from the notes of the lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through the minds of either.

Compromise: The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Tears : The hydraulic force by which masculine will-power is defeated by feminine water power.

Dictionary : A place where success comes before work.

Conference Room: A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.

Classic: A book which people praise, but do not read.

Smile : A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Office: A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Yawn: The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

Etc: A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

Committee: Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Experience: The name men give to their mistakes.

Atom Bomb: An invention to end all inventions.

Philosopher: A fool who torments himself during life, to be spoken of when dead.

Diplomat : A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.

Opportunist: A person who starts taking bath if he accidentally falls into a river.

Optimist: A person who while falling from Eiffel tower says in midway "See I am not injured yet."

Miser : A person who lives poor so that he can die rich.

Father : A banker provided by nature.

Criminal : A guy no different from the rest....except that he got caught.

Politician : One who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after.

Doctor: A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you with his bills.

And Finally Boss : Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early

8:26 PM

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix



Synopsis:

In "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers that much of the wizarding community is in denial about the teenager's recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort, preferring to turn a blind eye to the news that Voldemort has returned.

Fearing that Hogwarts' venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about Voldemort's return in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the Hogwarts students.

But Professor Dolores Umbridge's Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community, so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry takes matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves "Dumbledore's Army," Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.

The Order Of The Phoenix is formulaic and lacking in depth, and does not make the most of the intensity in the fifth installment of JK Rowling's epic story. It is far crueler than its predecessors and begins to introduce properly the idea that we are no longer in an amusing magical playground, but are en route to an epic confrontation with real victims.

The main story at this stage is the quest of Harry and Dumbledore to persuade an increasingly paranoid and uncomfortable wizarding world that its unspeakably vile nemesis, Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes), has returned.

The acting skills of Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione) have improved, but not enough to truly flesh out the characters and provide the narrative depth that this transitional, plot-advancing film needs. They have got "angry” and "determined” down pat at this point, but struggle somewhat on the more nuanced grimaces. Harry's bellowing cod-psychoanalysis of Voldemort is jarringly awful.

Of the adult actors, Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge – Dumbledore's usurper at Hogwarts – is exquisitely dislikeable. Helena Bonham Carter as the villainous Bellatrix Lestrange is a shining but underused talent.

The director, David Yates, has inserted some lovely touches, including the Weasley twins' explosive transfer from the world of academia to the world of retail. But overall there is a shortage of those joyful little glimpses of the wizarding world's furniture that punctuated and perked up the previous films.

The fifth – and longest – book on which the film is based plays a crucial but faintly turgid role in the saga. Much is explained, much is left hanging and there is nothing like the pace of action that readers had grown accustomed to in earlier episodes (especially The Goblet of Fire). The book pulled this off because it was tantalising in what it didn't tell us.

The film, meanwhile, a necessary digest of the 800-page book, leaves us faintly annoyed that the true denouement of the cycle is now two movies distant. The chief problem, though, is not really a fault of the film but the near universal Potter-literacy of its prospective audience. Most Potter fans are now laser-focused on the release of the climactic seventh book in three weeks' time and its promise to bring together the countless loose ends.

As the waiting for the final book grows unbearable, there are moments when this otherwise enjoyable film, though nicely made and through no fault of its own, feels like a chore to be got through before the main course.

3/5 So-So, watchable movie, but not the best of the Harry Potter Series.

7:47 PM

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

When I left camp, I was very unhappy, maybe because of the thoughts that ran through my head during the day.

I felt that I was stagnating in personal development, it's like during NS, your life takes a pause while everyone else leaps ahead. My friends from secondary school who took the JC path will be graduating with a degree in a year, where do I stand? I still have 10 more months of service to go, then maybe several more months to wait before I go into university.

By then my friends will have come out with degrees and getting a fresh head start in their respective professions. I must get myself that degree and a scholarship if I want to keep on par with them and even catch up with their achievements. We're not getting any younger, I'll be 22 by the time I start my university studies and finish at 26!

Why are others so lucky? Why do others have a rich family, a nice car, a place in an overseas university with a scholarship to go? Why cant I have those? Am I not working hard enough?

7:45 PM

Monday, July 16, 2007

This blog is 2 years old

I think the reason for my readership decline is because this blog layout hasn't changed from 2005! I guess it's high time to remake a new template and give this dying blog a face-lift or let it die. Even the shoutout box is dead.

I-just-don't-have-the-time-to-do-a-new-template!

Heck, I don't even have the time to do proper scheduled updates!

6:02 AM

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Mini-class Gathering

Pictures speak more than words, but we were gathered because SY came back for a rare visit from HK, and we're all gathered at Lix's place!

7:04 PM

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Stretching and Leg PT for everyone!

Today in the afternoon, my PC told me I was free to do whatever I wanted for the guys for PT! ( I am the so-called in-charge for PT for the guys anyway) and PL2 2IC asked if his guys (Platoon 2's current operators) could join my training too, sure why not?

I had planned out a really tough leg PT regime to help improve their standing-broad jump. So I had uphill power-runs for them, stair-jumps, front and rear lunges, relay standing-broad jumps, so not only was I conducting, I did everything with them, so there was no excuse, several specs tagged along and trained with them as well.

I did an elaborate stretching session after they were done with their own warm-ups to further supplement their warm-up, and demonstrated my stretching methods, we didn't do full splits though, but I did splits myself when asked to demo by one of the specs. That was amusing, I think that image will be permanently etched into their memories about today's stretching session on their lower limbs

Later at night, I received a lot of comments on my insane stretching today both from those who did the training, and those who didn't, from the 2LTs, specs and my trainees. Tough training by me is good!

6:29 PM

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Caught Die Hard 4.0



Synopsis: Bruce Willis returns to reprise his role of John McLane from the DIE HARD movies for this fourth installment in the series. This time out McClane is after a group of Internet-savvy terrorists who threaten the security of the United States.

You'd think that saving thousands of lives in the past two decades could buy a cop some respect. Not so for perennially down-trodden detective John McClane (Bruce Willis).

The one-man wrecking crew who became the template for countless other reluctant heroes faces his toughest nemesis yet as Die Hard 4.0 opens: His college-age daughter. And she's not shy about treating not-so-dear-old dad to a tongue-lashing when he stakes out her dorm and catches her smooching in a wannabe-boyfriend's car.

No, the wisecracking everyman who foiled a high-rise heist in 1988's Die Hard, airport hostage-takers in 1990's Die Hard 2, and gold bullion-coveting European mercenaries in 1995's Die Hard with a Vengeance hasn't aged gracefully. Neither, for that matter, has the roughly US$1 Billion film franchise he helped found.

Which isn't to say that McClane's latest high-octane outing isn't worth a look, just don't expect it to be all that different from the many pretenders to the Die Hard throne that have emerged over the years.

What the once decidedly mortal McClane has gained in super heroic stature since treading bare-foot over broken glass a generation ago, he has lost in humor, humanity and, well, hair - making him an easy target for Die Hard 4.0 hacker and substitute cut-up Matt Farrell (Justin Long), but a much less relatable character than he used to be.

As usual, McClane finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when he arrives at the computer whiz kid's apartment to escort him downtown and quickly comes into the crosshairs of a team of assassins bent on rubbing him out.

It seems Farrel was one of many unwitting pawns in cyber-terrorist pair Thomas Gabriel's (Timothy Olyphant) and Mai Lihn's (Maggie Q) scheme to send the US back to the Stone Age by targeting its electronic infrastructure.

Naturally, it's McClane's job to keep him alive long enough to outhack the hackers and stop them from erasing every financial record ever committed to a computer database.

It may sound like a sufficiently workman-like task but of course, this wouldn't be a Die Hard movie if it didn't involve plenty of gun battles, car chases, explosions and erm, tractor trailer-fighter-jet clashes.

There's also a much-hyped showdown that sees McClane go toe-to-toe and fist-to-face with th high-kicking Maggie Q, the net results of which is to confirm that, yes, Maggie Q does in fact look really hot in boots - especially when kicking Willis in the throat. She's HOT!

While it's all diverting enough to hold viewer's attention for the film's slightly bloated 130-minute running time, it's hard to escape the feeling that without its star, Die Hard 4.0 could easily have been the latest offering from one-time Die Hard knock-offs specialists Wesley Snipes or Steven Seagal. The action wasn't exactly overly spectacular, but as expected from the Die-Hard series, McClane is probably made of Titanium Alloys to jump off the bridge, jump off a speeding cop cruiser to have it smash into a helicopter, jump off the truck-trailer onto a F-35 Jet and later slide down the crashing and burning bridge into the rubble. He'd probably be killed ten times over in the movie, the action was all Hollywood, nothing spectacular to the plot.

Now that he's an increasingly anachronistic divorced father both onscreen and off, perhaps Willis should finally consider having McClane join them on the obsolete pile.

I'd give it a 3/5 score.

6:22 PM

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Cool Multiplication technique for large numbers

8:29 AM

Sunday, July 01, 2007

JUMP!

I went out shopping today, not because I felt like spending money but mainly because it's the last day of the week and we want to do our last minute shopping before the NETs increase and the GST hike takes into effect and everything will become more expensive. I was walking around SLS and I found something that I was looking for! I bought a $35 1gb mp3 player that was really small and almost exactly what I was looking for! I got the $10 USB charger to go along with it so that I can charge it without a computer's USB port.

Later I caught JUMP! @ the Esplanade



Combining physical comedy and Tae Kwon Do, JUMP is a high-octane martial arts extravaganza hailing from Korea that features gravity-defying stunts such as slick acrobatics, sword fighting and wall-walking!



JUMP tells the story of an idiosyncratic Korean family under the rule of a strict grandfather who insists on keeping up the physical fitness of all family members through vigorous martial arts training. The performance comes to a climax when two stupid thieves break into the house and confront three generations of kung-fu masters, inspiring a series of ridiculous scenes. Set in an average Korean home, JUMP is centered around a typical, but dramatically agile, Korean family - from the authoritarian grandfather, drunken uncle and Tae Kwon Do-chopping mother to the awkward girlfriend's suitor.

Each member is a martial arts expert, possessing championship level Tae Kwon Do, Tae Kyun and gymnastic skills. They enjoy nothing more than challenging each other to martial arts showdowns, displaying their awe-inspiring expertise.

The plot thickens when two burglars break into the family home in the middle of the night - one a sleek, mean villain, the other a plump, bumbling idiot - complete with rather scary hair! When the family discovers the intruders, a mighty battle ensues. What follows is an incredible display of acrobatic and martial arts skills, with a healthy dose of slapstick humor

JUMP is extremely unique and funny yet utterly spectacular and absolutely hilarious. It was a GREAT show! I gave it 5 out of 5 stars, each of them performed incredible stunts and very impressive performance. They did the wall-runs, back-flips effortlessly, all the stunt videos that I've seen cannot compare to when you actually see it before your eyes! I enjoyed the performance completely.

After that, we had a chat and coffee at Millennia walk before heading home.

5:17 AM

FX Blog History



Blog v1 Pursuit of perfection - Worlds Collide



Blog v2 Forced entity - Affinity for thought


Blog v3 Forced entity - Everlasting Harmony


Blog v4 Search for solitude


Blog v5 Tranquility Blue


Blog V6 Tranquility orange


Blog V7 Zen - The path to Zen