i'm jono and its my perspective

2010-12-05T21:29:00.004+08:00

wow. that was 1 hell of a marathon. I went into the marathon with no prior training and an injured adductor muscle. didn't expect to get a pb out of it.

The race started over at orchard, running down through china town and finally to the usual marina route, ecp and back to the padang. wow. that was 1 hell of a ride. started off the first 10km with gerald and his friends, doing a 6-7min/km. haha i needed so pee so badly during that time that we went to some bushes near clark quay and just pee-ed oops! :x the route was good with everchanging scenery. it was like a tour of all the christmas deco! ahah

met many ppl along the way. omg the run after ecp was quite tortureous. it was HOT and LONG!, running through some back route to marina following on to the barrage. that was where it tested my mental endurance, which sadly i started to walk at the barrage. did like 30km ard 3.5hrs at that point of time. abt 6km to finish line after a gruesome 4hrs of running, something usuall happened after the barrage. i had chest pains. or rather some uncomfortable feeling at my heart. cos of that i walked another 3km, hydrating myself continuously then. maybe it was because i was dehydrated.

whoa then came up to nicoll highway. KILLER! i was running as fast as i was walking! but slowly but surely, i was motivated to hit a pb of a sub 5 timing which i did! according to my watch, i clocked 4hrs 50mins! :D could have done a 430 though if that thing didn't happen to me. oh wells! next time i better train! who knows i can do a 4hr marathon :D. till then... i'll be nursing my aching muscles and that strained adductor muscle which is refusing to let me raise my right thigh up without any difficulty. tata!

PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!!

2010-10-24T03:02:00.001+08:00

i need to find the confidence which i once had, back.

2010-10-24T02:47:00.002+08:00

it has been 4 mths since i've commissioned. many things has happened. i feel that i've lost myself in army especially since going through officer cadet school and comissioning as an officer. i'm currently on course now back in safti. i can't help but feel helpless in the course. not much i can offer since i've lost myself somewhere along the way. i rmb the first few weeks of cadet days, a fellow cadet kept asking why i'm always smiling to myself and i replied its natural for me to be happy. since then when he saw me along the corridor, he called me mr happy smiley man. i can still rmb those days. but now when i look at myself, i seldom talk nor smile anymore. i wonder how i lost myself so much. before army i used to be a very happy man, smiling and taking life as it came, making friends all around. now, i'm a very moody person who became a pessimist too. i do not like the person i become and i wonder if that was the cost of officership, to lose all emotions. i mentioned in bmt that i was a very people oriented person, who is very epathetic to their feelings but now, i'mhave a nonchalant attitude abt everything. i do not like the person i've become. i have to change. maybe somehow back on course i feel inferior to the regulars and also the infantry trained personnel. urg. maybe the first step is that i shall smile more. and from there i'll slowly find the path back to my old self.

lost

2010-08-29T11:23:00.004+08:00

its been a while. the most interesting thing that happened so far was that i was offered a deal with oddfellows to use my photo in a lexus ad in lieu of promoting rugby amongst the young as part as its effort of supporing the wallabies.

a penny for my thoughtsit has been a while. i've been a pc for quite a while, about 2 plus months infact. but somehow i still doubt myself as a good pc, still relying much on my upperstudy. haven't really felt the satisfaction of being one because of the different kind of ops that i do compared to those that support conventional ops. maybe it's because of the different estab and stuff that my coy does and its like starting from scratch, most of which the stuff i've learn from SOCC is irrelavent. i haven't really established a command presense yet because of the many decisions which i cannot fully process through yet. yet with the guys, though i may appear as friends to them, i've no idea how to lead them and change their mentality on the work their doing. been feeling lost since i've posted it although i've fully adapted with unit life and its many privileges that an officer is entitled to. many mistakes were made by me and i kinda feel bad after committing them. urg. maybe it'ld be all be better when i fully take over and learning the lessons all by myself. i think i've lost all the determination and confidence in myself. i want things to be like before, like prior to army, and in bmt. i think ocs sucked all those out of me, my sense of adventure, confidence, cheerfulness and being unafraid of voicing out and doing whats right. maybe it was a mistake to enter ocs.
on the brighter side, i've got CTC hw which i have yet to do and is due for submission next week. and next week i've got outfield. tsk. and also moving over to another bn where arrows are waiting to be shot at me.

oh well heres a pic that i took in vietnam

Morning FIsherman
Non Nuoc Beach, Danang, Vietnam D80 17-50 f2.8

2010-06-27T14:14:00.011+08:00

i commissioned last week and sadly the euphoria of commissioning has left me.

But the story of my OCS journey will etched in my mind forever. I was reading some of my old blogpost and the last time i blogged about army was during bmt. So some backtracking...BMT was one of the best days of my army life so far. I completed it and passed out as Jaguar Platoon 4 best. Well, i guess by now you should have known that I made it to OCS.

There are 256 steps in the SAFTI Tower. The significance of these stairs is that it takes 256 days to commission as an officer. After a long arduous journey, i've reached the top of the tower but i've not forgotten the very first step into the journey.

on 23rd Sept 2009 (wow thats so long ago), i entered SAFTI MI, Golf Wing. Weekend confinements was so common. I remembered that the 2 week confinement in BMT was quite sad, but this time in OCS, it started with 3 weeks. Basically the morale remained at an all time low during that period. but nevertheless weekend confinements was a very common thing throughout this 15 weeks of service term. What made it worst were the VERY late bookouts on Saturdays, resulting in a less than 24 hr bookout. These made me very immune to not booking out. Training was tough and outfields were as tough. I remember the 10 days of section field camp. It was the shaggest period of my life. Amidst all these exercises, there were many moments which i will remember, the funny ones, the ones where we got tekan, the plan that didn't go as expected and also the things that tied us together to get through those "shit". After going through service term, i can finally relate to the war movies/series ands how shitty it is to be out in the field and it made me appreciate home more. Everyweek, my friends told me that i've lost weight and it made me feel quite sian. Service term, came and went, with a blink of an eye, i was up elephant hill after a tiring 24km night route march to get our pro term bar. I was the Cadet Platoon Sergent then and i remembered tanking all the roles and shit because my CPC was always busy with god knows what. Suspense of our postings were also in the air and i hoped and prayed that i wouldn't end up in infantry. i rmb the time i got pranked that i got posted to infantry and i was on the verge of tears. Engineers was my first choice because i wanted to try EOD or CBRE but on the morning of our last day of service term, i found out i was being posted to Signals. It was quite a sian moment.

Next came Christmas and New year and before you know it, 2nd of Jan 2010 i was on the flight to Brunei. Here i embarked on Support Officer Cadet Jungle Orientation Training. I remembered that the weather there was extrememly hot and on the other hand it rained like crazy. The black flag infront of our bunks always flew high and proud. In this unkown land, i experienced combat swimming and a x1000000 scale of compass course to familiarize us with the terrain. It was quite screwed and the hills were extremely steep, making bashing seriously slow and tedious. Finally the day came where we had to embark on our mountain rat, a 4d3n ex where we had to find several check points and climb mt biang. I rmb the streams where we had to walk through and also the refreshing water which i filled my green water bottle with and i didn't know that simplet hings like washing my face with the cool stream water could boost my morale for quite abit. It was only here that i appreciated the training Golf Wing gave me. rationing food and water was easy and also walking around with extra 1.5l waterbottles wasn't really tiring as compared to the teamates from different wings. Golf trained us with heavy route march weight that climbing up and down or overcoming obstacles with extra water didn't feel much. Organisms here were like ampliified. Super big ants, super thorns etc etc were common everywhere. I remember the nights in Brunei where the flies kept flying into your face, the wonderful night skies floating above us, the sharing around the campfire and of course the nights where we ran into our fellow golfmates tents when it suddenly poured. and not forgetting the night where we had to habour on mud! It took us abt 1-1.5hrs to climb mt biang but going down took us ages. We linked up with the other 2 signal teams. Upon reaching the end, we encouraged each other by shouting 1 more knoll 1 more knoll to the end. But also not forgetting the 60-70 degree knoll that we had to climb to heartshape knoll. it was literally "rootclimbing" But finally, we managed to reached the end. Swiming across the gaint river which i forgot its name never felt so good. But all in all, 3/4 Signal Teams finished it in 3d2n. Rest and Recovery days were the best. we literally just sat outside bunk, facing the helipad and the vast Bruneian farmland eating maggie because we couldn't go to the cantenn till the last team arrived. This was my Brunei experience, something great to rmemeber but not a experience i want to go through again.

Next up, on 10th Jan 2010, the same day which i touched down, i had to book back into stagmont camp in the evening. This was when Pro Term started. Signals was pretty much very knowledge based and it was something totally different compared to service term where we were stuck in the classroom most of the time. Somehow, there was more expected out of us overall in terms of discipline, intiative, knowledge etc etc compared to service term. The morale of the course remained at an all time low all the way till ROC. Our morale was constantly pushed lower by our course commanders and oc because they were very particular about many things. Then, i tried to see the light at every opportunity, even if it was a glimmer and tried to boost the morale up within my small group of friends. Exercises were of a much different estab now and focused more on planning instead of the chiong sua part. Missions now made us sleep deprived. Here in pro term, my fitness dropped drastically because of the lack of pt due to the packed schedule and high learning curve required. There was also alot of rubber timing and time wasted waiting for the instructors to finish their brief. which could take hours waiting outside the instructors office. ROC was the best time of my life here in Signals. The weather was good! and now the exercises made more sense now. The course worked more cohesively and me and my friends got tighter. It brought out the true colours of some of my peers and there i found new friends which i can rely upon in the future. I appreciated seeing the giant bhudda outside my window because it meant that i wasn't outfield but in camp and also it was a landmark which i can tell myself, that we're finally reaching back camp. the highlight of the 3 weeks there was the 72km route march. it was pretty enjoyable with the changign landscapes and the time where we spent with each other. The charlie mike at the end was super cheat feeling. it was only the part where i felt pain walking. They basically told us that we're heading back to camp because the ex was cut due to a cold front. They sealed the back of the humveee, drove off and the next thing you know it, we were dropped at some weird place. We were told some chinese poem but the jeez of it was that we are to head west along 158 jia and we'll find our destination. it was known by the signal ppl as the silk road, where we had to just walk and walk and walk and walk along a lonng straight road which had no ending. It tested our perseverence and mental resiliance to just go through it. But whatever starts too must end and we finally reached the end as the 2nd team. (i still think that we were the first pfft) R&R was great. i want to go back there and meet the chicks again! but that was all for our overseas exercise. The last month and a half in pro term was spent on our specialization phase and also our csb and atp. csb was piss shag man! "REEL LINES!" was always heard everynight where we were called out from our bunks to literally reel lines or to settle admin stuff. This was the reason why we had so lil admin time haha.

Joint term was the time of our lives. Suddenly, there was an influx of admin time and no one was around to tell us what we should do (except for the training prog). Things were so much slacker now, we no longer had to march properly no sing loudly. The aim of these 3 weeks was to train up for our commissioning parade on 19th June. I enjoyed the privilege of getting a 2man bunk again, with a working computer and loads of cupboard space. I bunked in with john low and my bunk became sort of a game hub. Signals shared GOLF wing with Armor. It certainly brough back many memories. Joint Term saw many of us catching up with one another and also making many new friends in the process. Here we had our very first nights out in our entire cadet life. YES, i took them 8 months to decide to give us nights out. tsk. Parades were shag but it eventually prep-ed us for the parade of our lives. Soon, we found some fun in the parades, talking amongst one another, making jokes while we tried to surive the many re-runs of the whole 1hr plus ceremony.

after 9 months of rigous and tough training where many were pushed to their own limit which also saw many defining moments which displayed the spirit of the human endeavor.
men dressed in white no 1 uniform don their peak caps and prepare themselves for a parade of their lives, showing the world that they're prepared, prepared to be newly commissioned officers of the Singapore Armed Forces. According to the spectators, the parade was quite the show of the night.

the feeling of accomplishment and pride filled the parade square as we all threw our caps high into the sky and hugging the fellow newly commissioned officers, basking in the new found light. that was the moment that many thought "it was worth it" this moment was certainly one that i will remember for life. i can't help but say again the joy and euphoria that filled me as i heard "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, MAY I PRESENT THE NEWLLYYY COMMISSSIONNED OFFICCEERS" which was the cue. i jumped and threw my cap as high as i could, screaming with joy as i ran to retrieve my cap and huged my friends around me. i wish i could experience that adrenaline again. but oh wells.

another chapter ends and a new one begins, one which will be full of surprises. i am at the top of the safti tower and i'm about to jump down into the abyss of the unknown trying to catch the ropes as fast as i can. thats life of a 2lt now. one big word, responsibility.

CONGRATULATIONS FELLOW 7709 OCC GRADUATES! i'm glad i went through the journey with you guys and will miss you guys very much when we've parted our ways to our new units.

all the best to my good friends in SOCC! esp john low, george thng, lychee, zenny, jy, jianlun, shawnzee, kenny, vincent, and many more (party because i'm booking in and i've got no time to type all) okay am about to cry now.

OUT to you!
tee, with much <3

mel's sunshine

2010-05-01T18:46:00.004+08:00

farewell mel. like francis said. the third day will be hot because of your sunshine reigning down on us and it really did. you were there. i tried not to shed a tear and it was hard but i knew that you are in a better place right now, watching us. i'll remember the many fun times that we had together but the thing that i remember most was how you were always cheerful and fun. i know you don't want us especially lou to be sad. i will remember to smile and try to make the rest of the guys smile too. goodbye mel and let your sunshine bless us. always. may the good lord bless you.

2009-08-23T13:41:00.003+08:00

Non Nuoc Beach, Danang, Vietnam D80 17-50 f2.8

strangers, are just family you have yet to come to know

on 090709, I gave up my life as a civilian for that of an NSF.

week 1: retarded admin stuff
week 2: rifles! book out loh!
week 3: IFC
week 4: FIELD CAMP wtfffff 46kg now
week 5: GRENADDEEEEEEEEEEEEEE BOOOOOOM!
week 6: Range! pew pew! marksman!
this week: Sit test hopefully Ocs!

kk time to book in now.

2009-06-24T21:45:00.004+08:00

I wrote this song years ago late at night somewhere on the Goldhawk Road
I was never sure how or why
Before the war and the tidal wave engulfed us all it's true how the world has changed
And I was learning how to change with you

We saw the green fields
Turn into stone
Such lonely homes
All in a badman's dream
He ain't asleep
It's just a dream

In the darkest hour the song had gone it passed among the people I hardly knew
And I was losing it all the time
But she stayed with me and found me out and above all things I've learnt
It's that honesty that secures the bond in the heart

We saw the green fields
Turn into stone
Such lonely homes
All in a badman's dream
He ain't asleep
It's just a dream

Green Fields - The Good The Bad The Queen

2009-05-30T19:16:00.002+08:00

I like going to award shows because it's like going to a zoo for famous people - except that you can't feed them because they are all anorexic

2009-05-30T02:58:00.003+08:00

Outside Punggol MRT, May 09, D80 70-200 2.8 FX

Life just isn't a mass rapid transport.
Don't get caught up with what everybody's doing and learn to take a step back.
Do take the time, sit back and enjoy an ice chilled beer.
Watching the world go by and taking the opportunity to learn as life tickles you with new riddles.

2009-05-29T02:04:00.006+08:00

Cherish those who care and do not take those around you for granted.
Not everyone will be there for you forever.
Tell them and let them know while you have the chance.

In Memory, St Andrews Cathedral, Feb 09

2009-05-27T02:21:00.001+08:00

i know you're finding it here. but its not here!

so near yet so farfetch'd

2009-05-27T01:39:00.006+08:00

Singapore Zoological Gardens, March 08

My last post was made close to 4 months ago. Alot has happened, milestones in my life carved in stone, new opportunities opened and many new friends befriended!

Remember the post listing all the "fun & exciting" stuff that i wanna do when i get my freedom? haha Its the 5th week into my "freedom" and due to my pro procastination skills, i never got to accomplish 20% of them. My table got messier, my books/mags piled even higher and i'm in the most unfit state for this sat's sundown marathon.

---- lets take a step back into the last couple of months ----

1. Bintan "adventure" Camp (11-13th March)

okay i don't want to be a bitch or anything but the camp personels kinda suck big time. It's something that I'll never intro to my juniors or anything. But having signed up and going for the thing, might as well make the best out of it right? Yep I sure did. Sure the camp had its moments - the activities were fun but the instructors was such a turn off. What i enjoyed were the ATC trail drive where i got drenched in MUD, the ascent up Bintan Besar (the highest point on Bintan), the High Elements, Pyramid, paintball and not forgetting the swim in the resort's pool during our R&R time which the other groups didn't have. and sure being a grad student did have its advantages. But the greatest experience was the time spent with friends. I'm sure that this did bring the bunch of us from AT who went much closer. It sure was a good closure trip for the bunch of AT grad students who went.

Photos: one, two, three, four

2. Eurocopter

Eurocopter was such an enriching experience. It was more than an internship. It helped me grow all round both in well being and knowledge. Well 8 mths + have passed and it was time for me to leave the company. I must say that the emergency projects has made the Design Office tighter and we've learnt more from each other. The DO, ran by interns did have its moments! TEH man and the vietcong (NTU interns) and NORRMAAAN (NP ece) was a pleasure to work with. Our last day was quite a sad day. Vernon and I spent 270+ bucks worth of chocolates and gifts. But i guess its well spent as everyone of them taught us something. From the buttom of my heart i would like to say "thank you!" to everybody. Especially my Boss, Chek Hock. and to TEH man and Dr "vietcong" Pham all the best in all your endeavours. And to the current NP interns Marcian and Edwin! have fun! another 3 more mths!

Farewell Photos

3. NGEE ANN GRADUATION Class '09

Looking back, i remember saying "I just can't wait till i get out of this school" and truth to the matter is i kinda miss the school at times haha! After 3 years of waiting, I've finally graduated with a Diploma with Merit in Aerospace Technology. That day, i felt like a wizard from Harry Potter wearing that oversized robe. It was great seeing everybody dressed nicely in formal, something that you seldom see in a class which are usually dressed for the beach! haha. but comfortable is the new sexy ehh hahahah! Sadly that'ld be the last time I'll see some of them. To AT Class '09 all the best in all your endeavours!

Photos: one, two

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm glad that for the past 5 weeks, I haven't really spent the time just doing nothing bumming at home! I wanted to go all out on training to make up for the lack of training during my work phase. Waking up early in the morning to run, gym in the afternoon and another run in the evening. HHAA! but that never did happen. what a faiilllll! well. Sundown's this sat and its a gg! my ankle is hurting slightly. well. at least VIETNAM'S NEXT WEEK! 3-20JUNE! AND I'LL BE LIMPING THEM WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! SAIGON HERE WE COME! i bet when i come back, with all the cheap beer and cheap food, i'll put on so much weight and be in such a unfit state that i'll be reduced to 4 from 8pacs hahahahaha. failll! okay i'll be dam sad if that happens. OH yea! at least i've been "training" recently. i joined NYP track as a crasher haha. shh they don't know what hit them just yet! hahahahaha. and i did graduate with from TP with a Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Managment!!! hehe.

Oh wells. at the end of the day, i'm glad for all the people in my life who have been through all these things with me. 9th july, 1130 is the date which i give my life to the servitude of the nation. okay i'm bored alr.

i shall end with a quote ~ it is our humanity and all the potential within it that makes us beautiful

2009-03-02T23:55:00.002+08:00

vint sunset, punggol

Yesterday, the smile on my face couldn't be wiped off no matter how tired, fustrated or sian i was. Everywhere I walked, i made sure that there was a big grin on my face, leaving others wondering what i was so happy about. But my cheery nature soon faded slow, now, a "sian" expression is all that is left on my face. Occasionally, that big grin returned and people began asking - whats wrong with you today? - hmm. i wonder. i guess being in a different environment drains the smile away from you. i won't say i'm very upset or unhappy about anything as i'm contented with what i have. its just that i don't know why anymore....

For now, I feel that i've got no purpose in life. ~ a blatent lie to make it sound more dramatic~ the only remedy to this situation picking up the things that make me smile again which cannot be done at the present moment - photography, reading, friends, bumming, running, kayaking, rockclimbing.... the list goes on. and the countdown begins! and thus.

As the sun sets and rises, work resumes. life goes on. sigh.

ps: text was written as such to suit the mood of the pic.

Rehab

2009-02-24T21:42:00.004+08:00

Fort Canning Park, Dance School. Shooting with lou, mel & xule. D80, Tamron 90mm F2.8

I'm in rehab now. Deprived from the virtual world that connects me to all my friends. for 10+ hours a day, I'm barred from Facebook, msn, FlickR, Gmail and the all essential news feeds. All because the wireless in my company has been password protected due to some legal suit for copyright infringment. dammnnn. So once again, I'm in REHAB. I've never thought of myself as someone who's so dependent on technology. Well, this shall be a test for me and I think i'm going to fail. 2nd day into work as a temp staff and I'm thinking of quitting. Never have i been so bored and restless at work, resorting to mass texting and walking around to disturb the other employees/interns.

and so the song by Amy Winehouse rings in my mind
~ they tried to make me go to rehab but i said no no no ~

damn i want my facebook and messenger! time's passing too slow at work now. instead of counting down the hours, i'm counting the seconds!!!!

new year, same old me

2009-02-05T22:56:00.005+08:00

awaiting landing at Phuket, Thailand airport. June 07

2009 carried many global events like the economic crisis, Gaza strip conflict etc over from 2008. The future is indeed bleak at the moment. Soon, we will see how everyone will be affected by the crisis. Its already starting, job cuts, bank bailouts bla bla bla. gosh. I pray for better times ahead. But at the moment, all we can do is hold on to our jobs and hope we can ride this one out. From the looks of it, it might even be as bad as the previous financial crisis. %

2009 will be the year where I pick up my boots and put on that ugly green uniform as part of my citizen duty to serve the country via national service. I will be sheltered and blocked out from the outside world 5 days a week for 2 years. The thing is, I currently classified under PES D which is a temporary fitness status until I go for my specialist check up on 12 Feb. Hope all goes well and I will get back to normal pes status of an A or a B. C is gonna make my life in army darn boring with an office job.

I dont believe in making new year resolutions but there is one which i will make which can definitely keep - keep healthy and exercise regularly - yep how cliche is that. pfft.

I am currently serving my internship at EUROCOPTER SOUTH EAST ASIA and gosh I have been so busy lately that i have not noticed that its already FEBUARY! 1 more week to the end of me being an intern there! but the work doesnt stop there. In ONE week, I have got to complete my internship final report and presentation slides, study for my qsmm final exam (25%) and complete the urgent project that my boss just assigned to us within 3 days?!?? INSANE?!!!!!! well after this better times ahead!!!!!! (: (: (: omgosh and i am so freaking sick now. lost my voice for 3 days, there after, i had a fever and have been coughing non-stop since. and my threadmill test is just next thurs (12 feb)!!! hope i recover in time man.

Urg i hate work right now. I am finally free after next week! But... (wait for it) ... I extended my contract with them for 2 months. Hopefully this is just a phase i am going through. you know one of these sian phases which will pass after a while and stuff... My new job title will be Temporary Hangar Assistant. Oh please. My work scope as no relation to that lohh! I will continue working under my current boss in the design office a.

Things i want to maintain this year
1. maintain healthy, being sick sucks totally.
2. chill with friends, one of the most awesome things
3. improve my fitness
4. PHOTOGRAPYYYY!! <3 <3 <3 was viewing my holiday pictures just now and goshh how i miss my cam!!!

Things to do when I am out of my job
1. Train for sundown marathon
2. run more, work out more
3. CATCH UP ON MY READING!!!!! I think it has been like close to 6 months since i read a proper book.
4. hit the beach
5. go on holidays
6. rockclimb/boulder
7. kayaking expedition!!!
8. scuba diving open water course
9. BUM!!!!!
10. get back to wearing contacts.
11. learn to cook some stuff before army
12. get more involved with BB
13. NOT staying at home the whole day everyday until i enlist
14. already mentioned on my - to maintain list - SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT!!!!
15. get my long overdue SB 900 flash unit
16. BRAINROTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!
17. help friends with what they need
18. i dont know?! zomg i am so waiting for this day! *jumps around hysterically*

oh wells. nights all. to reach that stage, i must first get past the hardest part. which is going to start the moment i open my eyes tmr.

2009

2009-02-03T23:43:00.006+08:00

simplicity + heavy orton effect on skies

I've been waiting to post a proper 09 post for quite sometime but have been putting it off all these times. Now its feb and still no new year post?! hahaha and yea this ain't the post which i've been wanting to post for such a long. in fact its just another boring post of mine. maybe this is why i don't really like clubbing and other stuff ... hmm okay that was abit irrelavent. moving on...

this picture depicts the simple life of mine and of many others like mine. Simplicity and down to earth i'ld say is one of the many philosophies that i follow. However like many others, i aim to succeed in life, get a pretty decent payroll, enjoy doing what i do, stay healthy, love my family and of course friends. But even if i get rich someday, i will not forget my roots. I will still continue to lead a simple life even if i'm surrounded by the riches. I will not splurge on luxuries and in the future even if I make it rich, I will just get a Green car over the sports and glamourous cars.

This global crisis has shown us the mess that greed and many other factors has brought about. It has brought many people back to the basics of simple living and made people more humble. Soon, gone will be the time where these well off-ed people gloat about their wealth and achievements. I think people living simple lives will be happier than these morons caught in their web of success and wealth. Whenever this crisis ends, I hope people will learn to see where how a simple way of life is so much "...." and not to go back to being too materialistic and get sucked into that endless vortex of whatever shit that comes along with that.

Ultimately, in my opinion being truely happy cannot be quantified by wealth or success but by the things you do and whom you do it with. Eventually.... okay i think i'm typing rubbish and shall end here. Thirty to forty years down the road, i hope i will not be too engrossed in my work to be there for my loved ones. I will look back into the days of my youth and remember that philosophy that i once mentioned and go "oh i'm glad I havent forgotten it"

ps: i know that there are many errors in the form of words used, expressions phrased, sentence strucutre and stuff. but yea its 12 30am, i'm sick, i've lost my voice for the 3rd consecutive day and i'm having another fever attack. But overall this is what i feel right now.

party da funk

2008-12-29T23:35:00.003+08:00

after covering a few parties, i realized, i suck! please do not hire nor ask me to cover your events unless you want lousy pictures. period.

and the year's ending, and i'm too busy to be nostalgic. what rubbish is that!

AWESOMMMME!

2008-11-22T20:15:00.007+08:00

Asics GT1120 - HDR after Salomon X Trail

The inaugural Salomon X Trail race was awsome! And these shoes were the aftermath of the race. Jumping around, initial avoiding muddy puddles, threatening to devour your shoes when you sink into it, trying not to trip on the thick roots of the overgrowth and rocks, i thought to myself - OMGOSH THIS IS GONNA BE HELL LOTTA FUN! and hell it was! I think this might be the run that would inspire me to run trails in the future. At first i was afraid to bash through the puddles of mud but 5mins into the race, i was like what the heck just freaking bash through it's gonna get dirty by the end anyways! and so it began! while others were still running out of their way to avoid the i just ran through them and overtook many of them! After the jungle route it a series of hills awaited me! up down up down for the next 30mins and it exhausted most of the participants whereas, i kept my own slow pace and overtook most of them at the upslope. Towards the 7k mark, my pacer - Mr Lim Zheng Ping Eugene fell off and much to my "not wanting to run on without him feeling" , i had to run ahead to get a faster timing. But after a while, i felt bored and started greeting and shaking hands with the volunteers "cheering" the racers on - but only to those cheerful volunteers who weren't trying to "act cool" and not doing their job properly". Haha yea i know i'm choosy. Later, i developed a tatic to overtake people and it was to sprint up the hills and to let gravity pull me down for the slope. It was rather effective and me being the chirpy little runner i am, i clapped and cheered other runners on who were abt to give up at the slopes. The only part that totally killed me was this rather steep and rocky slope which caused me to jog slowly for the straights after that. Met gerald and sam chong on the other side of the straights too. I must say, the signs towards the end was kind of confusing as when i saw the 300m mark i thought it meant 300m to the next drink point, so i thought i must be another 1k from finish "sian" and decided to slow my pace down abit but just after the drinks station, i saw 100m and i was like omgosh its to the finish line and there, i started sprinting to the finish.

All in all, i enjoyed myself tremendously althought my shoes were sooo darn dirty. but i guess that's the momento from the race!

Here's my results for the race. Thought i could have done better but it's still pretty decent considering, this is my first trail run and i was still recovering from a flu hence no prior training for it ): Oh yea, i bet some of the participants thought i was kinda retarded for carrying tissue in my pockets and blowing my nose while running. some even avoided me! Arse-os! i owned your asses alright!

ps: my shoe is now clean and white again! (:

- pictures of the race are on my fb
- flickr pictures on the race

tie those laces mister!

2008-10-28T22:17:00.007+08:00

Kelong, Batam, 18 May 08

Put on your running shoes mate and lets run to the beat! It has been ages since i ran mann! like 2 plus weeks?! plus i've been down with the flu bug! However today's run was fantassstic! Didn't expect this recovery run to be so enjoyable to the point i extended my route twice! Managed to keep up to my normal pace by the end of the 5-6k run. The only downside was towards the last quater of my run, mucus and phlegm started building up and it was kinda uncomfortable. Snorting the mucus out ran through my mind a dozen times but that would be too disgusting haha! Looking forward to my next 7-8k recovery run on thursday provided it doesn't rain.
Salomon X Trail 10k Race is this Sunday! and i bet my timing would be over an hour, down by LOADS. that sucks! and the last of the flu bug hasn't left me yet!

♥ running ♥ my asics! can't wait to get my ds trainers! kinda disappointed when my mum told me that the dealer ran out of my size and brought a size 8. but noooo size 8 is wayyy to biig! dang. gotta fork out more money because instead of a 40% discount from the dealer i'll have to settle with the 25% one when i get mine from queensway. this sucks ): Bought a Salomon XT Wings trail shoe though, after much self-convincing. haha. dang. 160 bucks! after a 30% discount. come on people i do accept cash/giro/cheque. gosh. there's something wrong with me, i'm on a sudden buying spree on shoes. next up, Asics DS Trainer 13, Asics Onisuka Tigers!!

ROCK ON!

2008-10-21T22:49:00.005+08:00

zomgosh it's been almost 2 months since my previous entry. and i've got a mental note to myself not to rant about the disappointing results where my 2 credit point module screwed my perfect score (damnn.. i just had to bring it up) and the disappointing human race run. Wellll. for those who don't know me, i'm currently an intern at Eurocopter SEA (ESEA) and its loads of fun! Loads of hands of work at the hangar. Can't say what i'm working on because of the commercial secrets. heh! Working life is totally different mannn. I found out that exercise and proper sleep is very important as it makes you more alert the following day. I'm begining to find it hard to find time to work out already and my running has deproved tremendously. this sucks haha!

so here's an update to what has been happening

i try to keep myself active on weekends, join runs/races and volunteer for races since i've been missing out on so much lately.

1. BAYBEATS 08!!!
okay I know that i'm a big fan of procastination and i'll finish editing the electrico and joy electric set asap!!!!

electrico, baybeats 08
electrico, baybeats 08

2. Weekly friday workout with the usual

3. Run for hope Singapore 10k (formerly known as the terry fox run but because TF run didn't allow any kind of sponsership they changed the name). Held at East Coast Park.
The Asics tee was awesommmmmeeee. it was proper dri-fit material and didn't give me any nipple abrasions yea don't laugh you!!! It was mr Lim Zheng Ping Eugene's brithday and he celebrated it by running this 10k. He's quite sad larh. All the friends that he invited all didn't come and join him in the end. So it was only me and himm. The run was fantastic!!

4. Sentosa outings
can't remember much on them. but i remember the most recent one which chris organised together with his TP cabin crew darlings. HAD A BLAST! haha actually not really la. sentosa is kinda boring now.

5. Weekly towning

6. Swimming with mr bangla aka eugene on weekends.

tsk. see how pathetic our lives are right now! in 2 months i can only count 6 things which i've done. okay to make me happier. these 6 things are spreaded out into many things. pfft. please stop consoling myself and get reallll. okay work is a drag!!! haha it has its moments - fun at times and also dull at times. up to the design office i go from the hangar. whoosh!

0833765

2008-08-30T01:45:00.007+08:00

Nike+ Human Race

Really love that logo. Yep the nike+ human race is tomorrow and i'm not prepared for it! haha! going to treat it like a casual run. the race pack was rather disappointing. had couple of items missing. sent a complaint email to nike. The quality of the tee didn't match up to expectations too but the design is awsome. (: last thing to rant about - NO BLOCKAGE OF ROADS ALONG THE RACE ROUTE!!!! The race booklet is available online.

Singapore Race Route

and omg its been ages since i last posted! time has passed so quickly! submission of projects are long over and exams are waayyy over too! no more exams till UNI! YAY! spent the week prior to the exams mugging everyday at ourspace from morning till evening. freaking sian i tell you. well the last push for the final academic semester. hope i'll get good results to top the last acad sem.

so, as usual, post exam parties follows by closely. had a class gathering at chun's place. we bought the same amount of food that could feed the whole SE chalet for the first day. but no fear guys, we have many fat pigs that are capable enough to finish them. and indeed they all disappeared before dawn. met chuns, suele, eggy and the bangla at thompson plaza in the morning to get the stuffs. on the way there, coincidently i met leo who was heading to thompson plaza too, to meet tania. marinated the stuff with random concoxtions of herbs and stuff like the way we usual do it but chuns didnt have oyster sause!!! what a spoiler. had to make do with whatever then. overall, everyone had a hell of a time. this would be the last gathering before we all break and go on with our individual postings.

so 1 week has passed rather quickly and as of 1 sept i'm going to start my attachment at eurocopter! this week was rather busy with sentosa, fishing etc.

- cheers!

ps: sorry for the poor sentence structure, writing this before i turn in

Going on another haitus

2008-08-11T20:09:00.006+08:00

Jurong Bird Park 26 March 08

School work has been piling up and i don't even have time to shoot. urg. But DDACP is OVER! 1 tough module which in my opinion deserves 12 credits has finally came to an end with the submission of proj 2, landing gear 10 and tut 3! This picture represents the same scenario of which I'm in bound by many external things unable to be free! The eyes tell us that it has accepted its fate and there's nothing it can do about it. But fortunately, unlike the bird the cage which I'm in will just disappear in 2 weeks time! omgosh that sounded so tacky! Beach bumming, BBQ, house parties, chilling, drinking, 10k race etc are the things i have to look forward to. wo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o! 22th is the date to look to. Till then, BACK TO STUDYING!

note to self: please do up a study plan

the grass, the tree & the sky

2008-08-05T10:28:00.005+08:00

Had an eventful past week, completed modelling the darn bombadier NLG part. As of today, i've completed most of the analysis and have decided to take the day off. But great news! Eurocopter replied on friday and my course manager said i might get in! haha!

Friday was the day the placement of IAP companies were out. A hilarious event indeed! Got into jet aviation though which wasn't my first choice. Friday was our group's "exercise" day again. While the rest went to swim, i went to gym with kheng kheng, followed by a short intense campus jog with chuns, ending with swimming with the rest of the guys.

Saturday was ubin "clean up" day. met some of the guys for changi v's nasi lemak and met up with the rest of the class to go to ubin. As pictures say a thousand words, they are up on my facebook, here & here!

okay okay enough rubbish from me. picture was taken at the bus stop near pasir ris mrt with a compact ixus 50.

Feather like sunset

2008-08-04T00:31:00.002+08:00

a subtle and feather like sunset (reminds me of a pillow which my head is about to meet soon) while travelling along lornie. Loads of things have been happening in the past few days besides the mundane ddacp work.

iap announcement
ubin clean up

haitus one

2008-07-29T00:24:00.006+08:00

Cedele's cinnamon bread topped with savoury Nutella! What taste like? TOTAL AWSOMENESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! hahahaha
ps. remember to apply a thick layer of nutella prefably 3-4x of what you normally put (but it is my normal amount)

after a long haitus from posting due to the heavy workload from school. BUT i've yet to complete many projects. Still a long way to go i must say.
but but, i uploaded some pictures i found in my folder
check them out on my flickr!

oh btw! my picture is going to be published on some edinburgh guide!

Henderson on watercolour

2008-07-23T11:37:00.001+08:00

forming kaleidoscopes!!

2008-07-09T00:44:00.003+08:00

another version

2008-07-05T16:01:00.000+08:00

here's another version with some advice on photoshop from chris. don't know if i did it properly though.

i remember driving down the road

2008-07-01T01:23:00.000+08:00

driving around the scottish highlands, june 06

A year ago at SAV

2008-06-28T20:00:00.001+08:00

Sunset @ SAV, a year ago while i was still helping out in the 7th Coy, BB

2008-06-28T04:56:00.000+08:00

Found some pictures of Kate and Paul on my desktop. Did a shoot for them at macritchie resevoir when i was still a DSLR noobie (and i still am) about a year ago.. He some what reminded me about it earlier today. Good luck for your tests Paul.

Cheers!

Happy Times!

2008-06-27T01:30:00.000+08:00

Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin

Found this pic in "My Received Files" folder which leo sent over a couple of months ago. Used his camera ( Nikon d100) to take some photos. I think the composition of this picture is kinda messy. But haaay! i like that big withered tree in the foreground in contrast to the trees behind. To me, it represents a transition on how these mangrove plants wither off (not that i hope that they'll all just wither and die but yea.) We were blessed with wonderful weather and a nice cloud formations.

Happy times indeed! as compared to what we're experiencing right now - projects, projects and more projects and of course, the Design and Development of Aero-components and Processes (DDACP) projects are the killer. Spending hours after hours in the lab running analysis and not seeing the transition of day to night ain't fun! Picture was taken at the start of April before the guys enlisted and we all were as carefree as the wiiinnnnnnndddddddd. Spent the day cycling around ubin and getting lost! oh i miss the coconuts!

Now? they're in the army (it might be a good thing- so we have time to do our projs), cw is going to the states and we're stuck back in school. But heey! school's fun! how ironic.

So now i'll leave you with the pic to ponder. This is one of our last natural coastal/mangrove habitat in the cosmopolitan city of Singapore - conserve it.

Cheers!

PS: please don't look at the picture at large. view small. its kinda horrible when it is blown up. :(

My Napfa Goal!

2008-06-23T00:45:00.001+08:00

Date: 18 July 08

Time: 4pm

Goal: GOLD w/ 26 points

wish me luck! esp with sbj (:

My Workspace

2008-06-19T19:31:00.001+08:00

nahhh. thats not my workspace. Not to sound geeky or anything but that's my dream workspace indeed. Check out those Macs! and the amazing view out of the window. What i'm getting now is a sky and an opposite block of buildings.

That workspace belongs to a gentlemen who goes by the name of pete carr, a photographer based in liverpool, uk who has published a couple of photography books. He uses HDR (High Dynamic Range) post processing the most (in fact 50% of his works are hdr) and i'm inspired by him to produce some magnificent HDRs if my ability allows. (: thanks for your inspiritation pete, all the way down from singapore.

Cheers!

Spring Onions anyone?

2008-06-18T00:38:00.000+08:00