One of the many weird things you do in SAF

Well, I'm now at home stealing some time to blog before I check back into camp. Got home yesterday evening. How did I do it?

Nah. I was not clearing any off. And I certainly have not deserted the army, though I really wish I had the balls to. Instead, I was sent from camp to do an unusual job. Every now and then we commanders have to book out to do lesser seen jobs like escorting a really sick recruit to see an external specialist, do hospital visits, do ambush house visits to catch recruits who went AWOL, meet parents, etc.

Well I got arrowed to attend a court session to find out the verdict of a former trainee who was arrested outside for some crime and got remanded. So I fortunately got to book out last night as I had to reach Subordinate Court by 830 in the morning. I spent me evening DOTA-ing away as the dear princess is studying for a major paper today *sidetrack* All the best for your paper today k!!!

Erm ok. I was pretty much excited this morning when I woke up at 7. Frist time I'm attending a hearing session! Way cool! Must have watched too much yi hao huang ting or wadsitname in the past. As I had never been there before, I had to ask people for directions when I alighted from Clarke Quay MRT. The MRT control station dude gave me the what-offence-did-you-do look when I asked him. He pointed me to the escalator and I rode up towards the exit. Is it really typical for a Singaporean mind to stereotype? Yes I have short hair, and an ugly one too. Ariff was experimenting a "new" hair trend two nights ago and I was his experimental model. It was a disaster and I refuse to see any of my friends now. Even with a cap on. Yeah, I have an ugly hairdo and I can look like a beng when I want. But that does not make me a criminal when I ask for directions to the Sabo courts. Hahaha. The next 2 persons I asked for directions shot me the same look.

But, there's really something different about walking down Eu Tong Seng street feeling carefree and burden-less. Strolling down unopened shops, bypassing Chinatown, crossing New Bridge Road, it just feel so different. Can't wait to ORD earlier so I can do strolls like this more often.

I finally reach the courts after 10 minutes of walking. Was given a thorough security check as I past through its doors. When I finally found the courtroom I wanted, there was already a mini crowd forming a queue outside. I was expecting a tiny room where I would see the former recruit receieve his verdict from the judge and then I can go home earlier. I was wrong. I wondered how the heck did that recruit managed to get so many friends and relatives down just to hear a verdict of 5 mins? (There was like 30 plus ppl behind me by 830) My question was answered as I was ushered into a big room. There at the side of the room in a corner sat almost 50 people of all ages and gender accused of different crimes.

Didnt know that court cases were held this way. Didnt all those shows like triple 9 portray a very deep sense of individuality when it comes to the trying of people accussed? Well, the judge went off like a machine gun. One case was heard every 5 mins. People arrested for rioting, robbery, petty theft, extortion, deceit, illegal gambling, etc. They were slapped with fines, jail terms and probations. Heard lawyers arguing, pleading for lighter sentences, mitigating for reduced bail amouts etc. Was quite interesting to see lawyers from different sides make their statements.

It's difficult to describe all that I see in detail and I'm really to lazy to type more. Therefore if I meet any of you folks (when my hair grows again), I'll share more k?

Anyway, I soon got bored of what they called the "pastime for the rich and educated". 20 plus people were heard. When will it be my recruit's turn?

Finally I heard his case being mentioned.

The verdict?

Case Adjourned.

Well what an anti-climax. But it was not totally a fruitless trip. For the first time I attended a court session as a spectator.

It was something that I wanted to do for a long time...

Kittty alert!!!

Here I am, once again, blogging on an off day. Hahaha. Why can't I have more of such days to do more leisurely activities like this? Oh right, because I am still slaving for my nation. Never mind, 234 more days and I'll be a free man.

Anyway, it was a pretty short weekend for me as I only managed to book out yesterday morning. If not for the off I would not have had a weekend at all. How my Saturday got burnt? Long story which I would not attempt to write in detail for fear of the usage of extreme profanities, explicit accusations, and unsavoury language in the context. Whatever it is, it happens that the whole MOHAWK permstaff, all specialists and even 6 platoon sergeants were called upon to perform the sacred task of defending Tekong for 24 hours on a sunny Saturday. Whee.

Ok. I booked out feeling dog-tired and drained. Indeed permstaff in Tekong can go crazy if they do not book out regularly. I have colleagues who lives in the west but will still make an effort to vook out daily. 2.5 friggin hours to work, 2.5 friggin hours back? I asked him is it worth it? His reply, "To smell the fresh air of mainland daily, absolutely". And I can't help but agree with him. There's something strange about Tekong. Although BMTC seems like a resort for the instructors, there's something different there. No doubt we have probably the newest SAF camp, grand facilities, superb mess for commanders, delicious canteed food, the list just goes on, it just does not feel right.

Maybe its the fact that you gotta take a ferry out to obscure Changi, before catching a bus to the nearest heartland, Pasir Ris. That would take you 40mins on a good day. Therefore, how fast you get home from camp depends on the speed you cover the distance from Pasir Ris to your home, plus 40 mins. Imagine staying at Admiralty??? Gosh. Tekong feels like Alcatraz to me. There's a God-forsaken and inimical feel there that could not be explained, but is clearly felt by recruits and instructors alike. And having spent ALL my army life in Tekong so far, it always leaves me wondering whenever I see Changi Airport Control Tower across the sea from my bunk, IS THE GRASS REALLY GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE?

I have heard of people enjoying life in the units on mainland. I have also heard horror stories of people who totally loathe it. Guess I can only find out about the life out there when I enter reservist. Till them my life, body, soul, and spirit remains bonded to unemotional lifeless island. But my heart is always at 109 Lengkong Tiga. Ok. Enough crapping.

My weekend, though relatively short, was exciting as... I led a new cat to my block downstairs!!! With the help of the princess of course. It is just a tiny kitten. White but has a few patches of black on it. We found it mewing pitifully outside Kembangan mrt. We decided to bring it to the void decks of my house, which is slowly turning into a safe house for the felines in Kembangan. Hahaha. Here, there's a kind aunty who would feed the cats daily and provide water for them. Passerbys have also been known to shower them with cat bites.

It was no mean feat. Those who know where I live would know that I stay quite a distance from the mrt. Therefore, to get a kitten to follow us all the way back is tough. But it somehow followed us all the way after coaxing it relentlessly. I also had to carry it a few times over "difficult terrains". It's afraid to let me carry him over a long distance. And it would scratch and bite me. Fortunately, it's just a kitten, therefore it's bites and scratches were very harmless. The kitten is full of energy. It would climb up trees along the way as it tails us home. Totally cute! Seems like it would be really bored if it was not given the chance to roll around grass, climb up trees, run into shrubs and crawl under drains.

Finally after an hour, many "cat calls", a few hand carries of the kitten and a handful of eaten catfood later, we managed to bring it to it's new home. Over here, there are at least 10 other cats for the kitten to socialise with. Deifinitely better than the cold pavements of the mrt. The other cats started bullying the new kitten immediately. By staring at it, following it, and even hissing at it. So cute! I'm sure the kitten will stand up for itself one day.

Anyway here are some pictures from the night kitty campaign yesterday.


The princess was sitting innocently on the bench when a cat just jumped up on her lap and rested there! Cute!

Ain't she cute? I love the cat's stripey, hobbes-like tail. The cat decides to take a nap on her comfy cloth bag.

Evil XinYi threatens to pull out the cat's ears.

There! The new white kitty that we led from the mrt receives a welcome stare from an older cat.

I just love cats!

Well. Time for lunch now and a lazy day ahead!

I love my offs...

The remedy for boredom in camp...

I can see my house from space!!!

Woohoo! Google Earth is so fun. This is a map of my house. Doubt anyone will be able to spot where it is anyway. This is what happens when you have too much time on your hands

To those who would like to pay a visit to my house, the exact location is 1degree.19.28.88 North and 103degrees.54.37.82 East. There? See I so nice provide you the EXACT and MOST ACCURATE address anyone could have. Hahaha.

Anyway Xin Yi's house is somewhere here too. And is definitely more distinct and visible even from space. This program never fails to amaze me.You can also download pictures of exotic locations too! Pulau Tekong is also distinct form here. Right up to the line where I shoot my free throw from in a basketball game in camp. Sheesh.

With all military camps and sensitive locations displayed clearly, what a great tool this is for terrorists soldiers who do not know the way to their camps!

For now, it's the best tool for the idle hand. I mean mouse.

Off to the Great Wall Of China I go!!!

Brotherhood...

Woohoo! Off again! wanted a break in the middle of the week therefore I took off today. Spent last night playing pool with my brothers at Mega Pool Parkway. Wasn't that bad a match. I managed to at least defeat both my bros at least a few times each. (I'm supposed to suck at pool among the 3 of us)

Seems like I'm really hooked to DOTA like nobody's business. It's a must to play every weekend or off. Finally making full use of my Singnet 1500. Bwhahaha. Besides that, I got Jermaine hooked to it as well! Bwahahaha. He is now officially a DOTA freak too. He has fallen to the dark side...

Which is why I spent my off today with some good ol brother bonding. Woke up early today to send elder bro off at the airport. Going to China to play, erm, work again! But we had a scrumptuous BK breakfast at the airport. Haiz. I wished I could go overseas again! It's dé·jà vu again seeing airplanes taking from the runway to unknown destinations again. Wished I was on board one of them.

Anyway I went back home to help the princess do part of her project. I'm her official boyfriend, best friend, editor and table top also!!!! Hahaha. Who say's guys can't multi-task again? Not only that, we can multi-role too! *Chauvinist look* That took the rest of the morning. And guess how did I spent my afternoon off day?

DOTA!!!!!!!!

The whole day with Jermaine at Kembangan Lan Shop.

3 dollars for 3 hours.

Oooo. I LOVE my offs.

It's a lazy Saturday

And what better way to spend the afternoon away with the princess at the National Library. The princess had to do some research about painting, therefore leaving me the whole afternoon to find the books that I wanna read. WEEEEE!

Anyway, I was in luck. I used to grumble about their pathetic comic collections when it first opened a few months back. There was a whole section or row of shelves dedicated for comic housing, unfortunately only less than 2 shelves contained books. Haiz.

But now, almost the whole row of shelves is filled with comics! I'm in heaven! And I managed to find 2 Baby Blues comics, 1 Calvin and Hobbes, 1 Sherman's Lagoon, 1 Foxtrot, and 1 Get Fuzzy. Talk about a golden haul. I guess I won't be bored at camp this week.

I had to read the Foxtrot comic that very day as we are only allowed to borrow 8 books in total. So I walked out the library with 6 comic books in hand while the princess has to limit her research materials to only 2 books. Am I a bully??? Hahaha.

Which is why I made it up to her by bringing across the street for some desserts at The Coffee Connoiseur at her suggestion. It was my first visit there and boy was I suprised. The stuff the sell there are super ex!!! A cup of coffee for 12 dollars??? Hahaha. Indeed the princess has expensive taste.

But they did not disappoint us. The standard of service was adequate, comparable with most restaurants. We chose to sit outside and dine al fresco as I was freezing from an afternoon spent in the National igloo, I mean library. We ordered a drink and a dessert as we both wanted to try one of each. So we settled for a weird coffee drink and some chocolate brownie. (That's the problem of having sophisticated, bombastic and exhaustingly long names for their dishes, no one remembers what they're called after a visit.)


The princess indulges in a comic. I've always said there's no greater joy than settling down with a good book and a drink. Guess it's true for her too. Heh.


Did I mention that their cups look like fishbowls? They do! And it's real cute.


Our dirnks came first. Hard to believe this is coffee eh?


The Dessert we've been waiting for!!! A hot chocolate brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the top, surrounded by blueberry sauce. Hot chocolate sauce oozes out from the brownie. Oooh. Totally wickedly seriously lovely.

The total bill just for these 2?

$19.90

Worth it?

For such an afternoon with the princess, ABSOLUTELY.

That's what I call real weekends...

From now on I'll be having long weekends for every week! Yes it's true.

Due to the Recourse batch that we are currently hosting, we get to book out every Friday night! Woohoo! with only 25 trainees left in course from an original 50, there's nothing to do but slack! Wahahaha!!!

Which is why I am now on 'DOTA' mode on a Friday evening.

Lazy to blog more.

Let the online battles begin!

What a trip!!!

It was indeed a truly memorable trip as I embark on my first unsupervised trip overseas. The trip was filled with the 3 most important events of any holiday- Adventure, Shopping, and Eating.

Adventure wise, we managed to have a full day tour aroung Phi Phi (pronounced as Pee Pee) islands, went elephant trekking, raced All-Terrain-Vehicles (ATV for short), snorkelled among the beautiful coral reefs, swam in clear blue waters and of course explored the famous Patong District.

Shopping in Patong area was one heck of an experience. The shop owners can get violent. They will stop at nothing to swipe helpless tourists of their money. Nevertheless, the things that were on sale there were seriously cheap. You can get an "original" Billabong t-shirt there for as low as 4SGD!!! Items on sale includes exotic bags, slippers, shoes, clothes, and of course lots of games for PS2, X-boxes and Game Boys. You can also scare the daylights of your parents by going for a Henna Tattoo. Looks like the real thing, but last for 2 weeks and is cheap, safe and painless. Like anywhere in Thailand, a hard day of shopping must be wrapped up with some form of relaxation for the tired body. And what better place than to go for some massage (clean one!) in Phuket. A 2hr full-body session including transportation will cost no less than SGD20. What a steal! Totally invirogating!

Patong is also known as Seafood Heaven. Almost every eatery will offer you seafood. Futheremore along Patong beach front, you can enjoy the finest seafood dinner, while viewing the setting sun, accompanied by a band with the soft sound of the sea embracing the beach in the background. Awesome... "Exotic" dishes like king prawns in white wine or a steam garoupa would cost only 5SGD each, from one of the more posh restaurants too. Man...

Besides restaurant food, the roaside mobile foodstalls will offer much too to tickle your tastebuds. You can get a piping hot corn on the cob for 0.5SGD, or wash down your heavy meal with some sweet jelly desserts or some flavoured ice. Of greater interest to a lot of us would be their MacDonalds there. Their Double Black Pepper Pork Burger value meal will definitely leave you begging for more. It would do Patong great injustice if I could ever finish writing about the dining opportunities they have to offer.

We also had a little "Educational " tour wrapped in. We visited a jewellery factory, a batik shirt workshop, saw the grandest temple in Phuket. We even saw a workshop making wooden educational toys previously found in TM's IQ Quest. We also went clubbing on the last night! What a night that was. The feeling of watching Liverpool play Birmingham on SCV Live in a pub is absolutely exhilirating. Got lots to say about that night too. All in all, it was the complete trip. Will tell you all much more stories if I have the opportunity to.

Here are some of the 187 pictures I took in the 4 days. Do enjoy them!


Kokster and I at the majestic temple.


The top of a temple building offers one of the best view of the region.


The interior ceiling of the temple. Beautiful.


A local doing some very fine Batik shirt printing.


Peter and I before riding our elephants into the jungles.


The view of Patong Beach from afar.


Group photo on a hilltop!


Breathtaking sunset, an everyday thing at Patong Beachfront.


Boat ride to Phi Phi islands!!!


What the locals use to travel between the close islands.


Myself, Sam and Kokster. Don't the waters look inviting???


A Swallow's cave. Bird's nest is harvested here.


You don't get fresher seafood than this...


Sinners yet to repent from a meal of guilty premium seafood...


Daily International Breakfast Buffet! No wonder I'm getting fatter.


Seen all these stuff in IQ Adventure Quest before?


Kiam and I, cockster Gucci posers.


Flea markets- The way of shopping life in Patong.


Can't resist capturing all the beautiful wind chimes.


A night at Crazy Horse Bar! Unforgettable...

Yes, my lull (slacking) period officially ends of today. You all can go ahead and gloat now. But you will not hear the last of slacking me yet! Bwahahaha.

Almost time to book in. Till we meet again!