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Like most people say, in NS you get to meet all kind of people. I can’t disagree any further on this statement. Let me introduce this guy, hopefully it doesn’t stink up my blog.

His name is XXX, shouldn’t be that evil to that extent of revealing his name in the blogosphere, but he has some nicknames that you can follow. They include, “the force”, “el-stinko”, “smelly boy”, etc..

Well, from what you see from the nicks given to him, instant instincts tells you that he’s not someone that is very pleasant to the nose.

Here goes.

I shall address him to be Mr. smell in my blog entry below.

Mr Smell has a distinct BO that one could tell from a distance of 10metres away. Well, coming from a Bp squad, sometimes excessively fat people have a intolerable stench on their body due to the sweat glands and such. We all understand that, so the best possible way to minimize such smell impacts would be to change clothes more often, or to bathe more often ain’t that right?

But due to the nature of Mr. Smelly, he’s a downright stubborn boy. During break times where people usually go take a shower to prepare for the next activity in hand, he never does that, or should i say seldom. He would just sit down beside his bed and quickly change into the next activity’s attire with a stupid alarm clock on his hand.

Well, i forgot to mention that he’s the No.1 paranoid in the squad. He follows exactly what the officers tells us, and is always the first to fall in. Alright, an example would be good..

Let say the time required to fall in is 0900hrs, when we are being dismissed from the Mess/Cookhouse at 0755hrs, he would he changed into his No.3(full uniform) by 0805hrs, while the rest of us are still in singlets and shorts.

Well, any idiot would know that the full uniform makes people sweat more and will stink up the shirt if there is excessively sweat on it. But he just doesn’t seem to bother.

Moreover, he has the fastest flow of sweat that i have ever seen in my life. Standing in attention for a mere 5 mins, you can see his whole face filled with beads of sweat, while the others are still dry and smelling good.

It most probably due to his high level of tensed up feeling and paranoids that make him sweat so easily. 

Furthermore, he sleeps in his PT Kit, which is the kit that we wear for Physical training sessions, which this makes the situation much more worst when he sweats when he sleep on this back. Many complained that even in the morning when the sun is not even up yet they are able to smell his odour while walking behind him or standing behind him to brush teeth. Although he might claims that he does change his shirt, but wearing the PT attire to sleep does make the polo t-shirt smelly over the night.

To sum up, it’s not 1 or 2 reasons that make up Mr. Smell. It’s a combination of the most deadly factors that make up the stench, which not many people is capable of doing so.

1. untolerable BO
2. refuses to change new sets of clothings
3. refuses to bathe
4. always feeling so stressed up
5. stubborn nature of not listening to advices

Well, its not like he is not told of his unbearable odour coming out from his body. In the initial stages, we all thought that we shouldn’t be so bad to tell him right straight in the face but to hint him here and there about the intolerable odour that exists on his body. But it seems that it doesn’t work well at all. Despite all the advices of telling him to change and bathe more frequently, he turns them down on deaf ears and even rebuts them with some stupid logic like bathing too often will cause a person to catch a cold easily.

It has now reached a stage where by people have gave up advising him on what to do, since he doesn’t want to comply with what we says, we have no choice but to take actions. It is interesting that whenever we fall in, the people that are standing around him often have difficulty breathing, try marching behind someone like him. I bet you would visit the MO (medical officer) very soon.

Also, during meal times, often the seats beside him would be empty. The very simple reason that the Mess food is already bad enough to consume, additional fillings like such smell would just make us puke out the food than to eat it.

It is bad to a certain degree that there are some that bring air fresheners to class to follow his trail.

You guys must be thinking, who is the unlucky fellow that is sleeping beside him in the bunk. I don’t know if i’ve aggravated him in my previous life or whatsoever, but that unlucky fellow is me. But being a bastard, i am, i have already thought of good plans to keeping myself alive. Stuffs like sleeping in another room, on another bed when the guy is on MC, or not there. Or just spamming the air fresheners around my region.

I give my word that the degree of “bastardness” from me would increase exponentially if this doesn’t improve. That’s how NS works.

Poor ME!

Yesterday marks the last day for Prep Course, where it is a phase to train up less fit people like me to be geared up for Basic Police Training (BPT).

It’s really rather fast, that one month is gone just like this. Though it’s officially one month, but the actual days that we spent there are only 3weeks or so, thanks to the many holidays during the period and weekends.

We survived Prep Course, more things are coming up in the week up ahead.

1. Law Lessons
2. PSOC Lessons
3. PDT Lessons
4. Swimming Lessons
5. Range
6. More IPPT..

Well, i guess we’re more or less starting to get accustomed to the kind of life we can expect in HTA. In such cases of situation, there’s no point sighing or grumbling about the wastage of life and time there. More complaining and cursing will not make the situation any better.

My piece of true advice would be that to take things in your stride. Regardless of SAF or SPF, i believe it is only through these mindsets that smoothens our 2 years path in NS. We’ve got to accept fate that it’s the path that we all have to go through as guys under the Enlistment Act to serve the National Service for the Republic Of Singapore.

It’s interesting in a sense that when we’re starting to get used the life there, all the punishments and stuffs, we don’t get so uptight about being punished and scolded. Somehow i guess the instructors are too tired and can’t be bothered to scold and nag so much already, unless it’s some major faults and errs.

To sum up my first 1 month there..

5 most hated words/phrase

• to the left/right on your palms down
• heads out
• fall-in
• confinement
• “unlimited counts of jumping jacks, exercise begin”

5 most loved words/phrase

• ” Squad, Keluar Baris”
• Last count and still
• walk-out
• lights off
• POP

I tend to let my mind run real wild when i’m in camp. Thinking back about the different stages of life that we have walked through.

In Primary School, we always found P.E sessions too short and insufficient.

In Secondary School, we dreaded physical training, but loved the games that we can play then.

In JC, PE was one of the most hated lessons.

…

But all these were still not as bad as Physical Training (PT) in NS. Like one of the instructors said, back then in school it was Physical EDUCATION, now its TRAINING, different, period.

As true as his words meant, the discipline level is definitely much much higher. More endurance and determination would be required. No more spoon feeding and pampering.

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Also, teachers once tell us to put our fingers on our lips, to make sure we keep quiet. In NS, it’s about the same, just that the action of putting the finger on the lip is replaced by push-up positions and jumping jacks.

In the past, we were not allowed to run along the corridors, if not the prefects will write our names down in the pathetic blue notebook to report to the teachers.

In NS, we’re expected to run everywhere, from this destination to the next. How we wish we could reverse the conditions and the situations around.

Contrary of Life..

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I was bored and tried to login to NYXCHANGE LITESPEED. Apparently, it doesn’t recognise my IC anymore   I’m an expired student.

Cheers!

Happy New Year Everyone!!

It’s the brand new year all over again, like just waking up from your cozy bed, and finding yourself stepping to another realm of the world.

Based on year count, i’m 19 this year. the BIG 2 is only around the vicinity already. Though it’s just a matter of a year difference, it’s starting to gain a whole lot of impact for me, and the friends around me. Especially our pockets.

The transportation fare’s going to cost a bomb, it more than a 100% increase. Now a trip to HTA would most likely cost $2+, with the train service and the feeder bus service.

Like Carol said ” Welcome to the Single Beep World”

or

Daowei : “Please remember to TITO” (Tap In Tap Out)

Looking at the past year, the events and happenings around me. It has inevitably moulded my own character and carved my ideologies and way of thinking.  The exams, the competitions, the stress and everything. Hopefully, it has strengthened my will and determination to handle with things, to becoming more successful.

I’m a little starting to miss school life, it was only 1 year ago, at this exact instant where i guess most students are fretting on their uncompleted holidays assignments , coupled with the excitement of meeting friends again, and new challenges in the upcoming new year.

Though it might sound kind of bizarre to some of you who are still schooling out there, you will understand when you are in the same side of the shoe as me, or the rest of the people in my batch.

I so want to go back to school, why not i pay a Secondary School Kid a 100 bucks a month and go back to school, enjoy all the rates and treatment of a 15year old kid.

Sounds great?

The cheap canteen food, the allowances that our parents are providing which cushioned our path in search of knowledge,  concession charges for almost everything for students. I would gladly do the exchange.

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Back to reality, stop complaining..  You’re no longer a student!!!  Act like an adult, especially when you are paying for it’s fare.

As boring and aimless 2008 might prove itself to be, but some of the things i want to accomplish and hoped for could probably be.. not in any order of importance..

1. Gold for IPPT
2. Decent A Levels results, for me to enter ICT
3.  
4. Achieve a good posting upon POP
5. Better health and fitness for all family and friends around me
6. and the list goes on… ( as time passes due to the unpredictably nature of 2008)

This post sounds more like a complain post to me.. on second thoughts, i think it’s not so much of a ..

“Happy” New Year.. nothing much to be happy about?

pull your own ears instead

Enjoy 2008 folks, while i silent myself for the next few days and get back to more trainings.

Did i mention that i passed my IPPT? So no confinement for me..

It’s not a crime to be fat, stupidity can lead to more crime due to the incapability to make correct decisions. People from PES Bp can pass IPPT too, so guys in my squad, if i can do it, so can you.

All the way!

Cheers,

2008 and beyond..

Time’s counting down to the new year, and to a shorter extent, to the time where i have to book in again.

I’m starting to understand the importance of education, though it greatly affects the brightness and the path of the future, it also shapes up the character sense in yourself.

Its irritating to put people from all walks of life together, only to be sabotaged by those people who don’t use their brains to think when they act. Obviously punishments come in the form of the famous “one for all, all for one”. But this is so unfair when there is really nothing that we can do about them.

Selfish people only think about their own personal fun and enjoyment at the instant of time, they do not regard the consequences that they will bring about to themselves, not to say for the people around them.

Having lived for almost 2 decades, it really sets me pondering what they have been doing all these years in their life, doing things as and when they wish.

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After much training , i still failed my IPPT, standing broad jump, i will conquer that 9cm from you!!!

The prep course in HTA is going to end soon, hopefully life would be better when the fit squad people comes in.

I’m going mad polishing my boots and ironing my uniform, can’t believed i spent the whole afternoon doing that so faithfully, pray that the inspection tomorrow will go on smoothly.

Over the past few days. i’ve literally disappeared away from the cyberspace and blogosphere. Most of the time i was at my grandmother’s wake and at TzuChi doing AV volunteer work.

After much struggles with pain and hardship, she finally left us on a fine morning. We all knew it was a matter of time that she will leave us probably another 3 or 6 months, but none of us expected this to come soon.

Though i do not have very vivid memories of myself with her when i was young, but in the later years of my life, i could feel that i started talking to her more than before when i visited her. Probably due to the mild language barrier that existed; the incompetence of me to speak fluid hainanese.

Not that shes no longer with us, its impossible to treat it like things never happened. Its impossible to say that i as a human being made of blood and flesh do not feel sad about it. But whats happened has happened, there’s really no point crying and tearing for the parting someone in life.

To me, she’s play a role of grandmother. But to my aunties, uncles and my dad, its the death of their sister and mother. I believe that the heartthrob they are feeling is much greater than me.

Throughout these days at the wake, thoughts kind of gets sorted out straight. Probably its really better for her to leave this world, to alleviate herself from the immense sufferings she is under from illness.  Maybe her time is really up, and she has indeed chosen a appropriate time to leave us, where the whole family is able to give her a proper funeral, with the presence of everyone in the family; especially my father who is always overseas.

All we can do now is to continue praying and transferring merits to her, hoping that she finds peace in the Land of eternal Bliss and Happiness in the West.

Well, though she is physically separated from us, but i believe she will continue to live in our hearts, in our memories; never forgotten.

Life is fragile once again, cherish the people around us, especially our parents. I shall elaborate on this further soon, on something which made me feel and reflect of what we have done the past years while growing, and the sacrifices and hardship our parents have made for us, in order to bring us to where we are now today.

Rest in Peace Grandma.

Here i am once again blogging at MacDonalds, taking a break away from the overwhelming ageing population policies.

This would probably be the last time i would be here overnight as my papers resume on Tuesday. As what i can feel on myself, persistent mugging and having the owl lifestyle is nowhere beneficial for health. Funny health symptoms starts appearing and thats when you know that your body is telling you 

 ”hey.. time to give me a break ! “

I’m starting to love geography more and more. Its getting more and more comprehensive as i start to delve more into it.

Geography, as scary it may seems on the part of memorizing, is one of the subjects that i feel that can change the way one think and be of great use if life even if your future career doesn’t depend on it.

The content of geography is so down to earth that its all around us, just that we do not really  bother about the causes and effects unless we really go into the studies of it. It’s everywhere.

Looking back at the time i had spent in JC, it suddenly struck me that i actually learnt so much things in the course of 2 years.

Ranging from volcanoes to river floods, atmospheric conditions and hazards like global warming, cyclones and drought.  As for the human aspect, the economical globalization of the world, the changing demographic patterns of societies and the development of cities in urbanization. And all these is just for geography only, not forgetting other subjects like Math, Economics, Physics, GP….

As hateful i might depict JC life to be in my heart, but truly i feel that there aren’t much educational levels that allows student to absorb so much things in a mere 2 year course.

Though it has its own set of complains that people raves about that the stress and workload level is unbearable as such. Its probably some of the sacrifices that we have to put in for  education.

So, for those who are contemplating whether to embrace JC life or some other institutes, ask yourself if you are ready for college, and whether is college ready for you. Are you prepared to put in the extra effort and sacrifices to go thru the arduous 2 year course.

It’s almost inevitable to suffer setbacks and emotional states during the course of 2 years, its part of the growing process that makes you a stronger person, being able to deal with more challenges in the later part in  life.

I have reached the end of college life in a blink, its fast, especially this year when events like SYF and other stuffs just take up all your time that one wouldn’t have much time to think about other things other than school most of the time.

For those who are still hanging on to college, continue and bear with it! Its halfway thru the journey and not worthwhile to give up just like that.

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Its the society that we are living in, the level of competitiveness we have for one another. Its the harsh fact that however friend we might be with one another (your counterparts), we are still competiting!

Was having a short conversation with Deborah in the afternoon, who she is now mugging for University exams. I cannot imagine myself, having to go through all these all over again in like another 365 days if i make it to Uni. Very glad, very, that there is NS to tide me over and give a break to studying. Hopefully that the brain wouldn’t turn rusty.

This is reality, the reality that in order to step into society with more glam, we need qualification, a mere piece of paper. What do we want to achieve in the over decades of educational life we go through? Paper?

Is it really that we want to achieve, if that is, i think it’s kind of sad. What is the main motive in life that is actually keeping us going..

We shall look for the answers ourselves, if we ever find it.

The reality is this, paper it is.

I happened to see this piece of news feed on my desktop. It was such a influential issue that the news made its way to the international dashboard of the BBC News.

Singapore’s parliament has voted against a proposal to decriminalise sex between men, despite receiving a petition signed by thousands of people.

The plan was part of a wider reform of sex laws, many dating from the British colonial era half a century ago.

The chamber passed a bill legalising oral and anal sex for the first time, but only between heterosexuals.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the government did not consider gays to be a minority with minority rights.

In a rare speech to parliament, he said Singapore was a conservative society, and he wanted to keep it so.

Tuesday’s vote means Singapore’s anti-gay law 377A remains, although prosecutions are rare.

Under the legislation, a man caught committing an act of “gross indecency” with another man could be jailed for up to two years.

BBC, Tuesday, 23 October 2007, 23:45 GMT 00:45 UK

As commented that there has been petition signed by thousands of people to relax the gay laws that is enforced in Singapore, does it imply that there is a increasing increase in the number of gay communities we have in Singapore, or is it just that Singaporeans are getting more open with such relations that they do not mind having such people in our communities.

One of my teachers did mentioned before, if we take a look around the world, like for example places like Paris and Vienna, where the culture of Arts flourishes. In would be almost inevitable to find great musicians or artistes that are indeed homosexual. Many would arguably say that it is because of their homosexuality that leads them to producing such great pieces of work.

Such incidences can also be seen in the local communities, just that the magnitude is much lesser, that people who have higher order of creativity, or artistic sense tends to be more “exquisite” in the way they carry themselves.

Also, not forgetting our famous Singer Elton John and actor Leslie Cheung.

So, in Singapore’s attempt to promote and develop Singapore into a arts hub, would such a bill that’s passed hinder its process..

To a certain extent yes, but the fact still remains that the Asian Values that is running within the majority of us does not see homosexuality as an an act of decency. Moreover, the thousands that have signed the petition would probably be the minority that well could accept them.

Probably in another 10 or 20 years, where more Americanization sets place in our society, it will then be more appropriate as people becomes more liberal with homosexuality.

Just imagining yourself, a heterosexual, living in a society full of homosexual or even bisexual. How would you feel?

In my personal take, i think such acts are rather unpleasing. I was at Starbucks when i saw 2 ladies, one dressed like a butch, but still unable to conceal the fact that “he” is female, with another lady. They were smooching each other with high acts of intimacy. Certainly not something that’s well-liked by the public i guess. They could at least made it a closed-door affair or share their love for each other in private. Not somewhere where they will be seen and scrutinized by people.

God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. So lets just stick with it and not mess up the wonderful love and relations a man and woman can achieve.

Cheers!

For heterosexuality

Some happenings for the interesting day.

Was on the bus journey back home, i saw this young Malaysian mother with her toddler. The toddler was mischievous to the ultimate, he climbed on seats, press bells umpteen times and hitting other passengers on the bus.

His mum had quite a trouble controlling him. She then made a snick remark loudly,

“ni zhai chao wo jiu jiao�ah bu neh neh lai zhuo ni!”

Sad to say, she was sitting very close to the driver, which was unfortunately an Indian. What made it worst was that there was another Indian man sitting at the opposite seat.Jokingly, when she said that sentence, she was pointing her finger to that Indian Man.

Furthermore, throughout the whole journey, she repeated the sentence with her hand actions several times. I guess that Indian man must be wondering…

What has that got to do with me?? I’m innocent.

These are probably the social perception that the laid back perceive, which is now still carried on in our society. I vividly remembered that when i was young, my aunties, grandmother and had threatened me with the same sentence.I wonder, what did the Indians do in the past to make our ancestors have such kind of mindset, and mind that we shouldn’t let such kind of thinking set ablaze the stable racial harmonious society we have in Singapore.