The 6th High Key In-Camp is finally over. And its over with a heavy sigh of relief.
My first and foremost thought goes out to RSM who suffered a horrendous fall and is in ICU. I wonder how he's second operations has gone. I'm keeping him in my heart and my prayers.
Just a few interesting episodes for me:
IPPT
I didn't get to do my IPPT this year. Apparently my window stretched from 16 Nov 2010 to 20 Jan 2012, ie from before my previous ICT and after this one. Felt robbed of another $400. I asked repeated and even called NS.sg to clarify. Apparently no human can change this systemic input. Every staff simply shook his head and said it can't be done. It has irritated me the utmost.
So I paced my friend and helped him achieve his gold. That at least comforted me much.
BRT
Was supposed to lead three teams for a critical part of the entire exercise. Ironically, this is the one part the instructors seemed to have consciously decided to neglect any instruction. For the most part, they simply followed, rather than dispense any advice.
Thrown into an relatively unfamiliar row as BRT commander, which is usually undertaken by SP CSM, who was too busy standing in for someone else. But Daniel certainly have pushed himself and his voice way too hard.
So anyway, I must admit I've made a number of mistakes: - I must secure my stuff properly - I must ensure proper markings - I must have extra markings on myself - I must have more red cylum sticks - I must move through more decisively and quickly - Track over trail over Bash - High ground over low ground - Get a water or back pack. The sling bag can be quite a hazard - Get a side water pouch to contain the sticks
Well, that about wraps up the most memorable parts of the ICT.
Now. Back to civlian life. I'd bet my work email has burst.
I've learned a little bit more about myself this time as well. How much I want to chiong, how garang I want to be, how much I want things to succeed. I still think I can do more, do better.
The scars of yesterday can and must serve as reminders of my determination and rectitude tomorrow. Fight through the pain and come out a better man.
I read somewhere that for some people the best time to write is in the morning. So I decided to give this a shot.
Usually when I wake up, my mind is swimming in all sorts of thoughts pulled in from the aftermath of dreams, lingering reminders to remind myself about something I remembered just before I fell asleep, and the repeated run down of my imaginary to-do list (which should be in my head in the first place if only I had jotted it down).
So for me, I reckon it may be a good idea if I do a data/thoughts/idea dump first thing in the morning.
It's been a rather good new year so far. Been learning a lot of things from interacting with a range of people, about the internet, photography, feng shui, ba zi, zi wei, mattress, bed frames and interior designing.
And I think that the people I learned them from are so inspiring, in knowledge they have and the passionate way they speak. Aspiring to be like them is one thing, to become like them is another. I have a long way to go to become a subject-matter expert myself. But I should get there eventually.
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village. A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long." they answered in unison. "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.
"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take siestas with our wives. In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. We have a full life."
The tourist interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
"And after that?"
asked the fisherman.
"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.
You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City!
From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the fisherman.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years." replied the tourist.
"And after that?" asked the fisherman.
The tourist answered " Afterward? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting, " answered the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really BIG, you can start buying and selling stocks and make Millions of DOLLARS!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?"
asked the fisherman.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying with your friends."
"That’s what I am doing now!!”
Replied the fisherman
The moral of this story is: Know where you're going in life.... you may already be there!!
Santa decided to come by and grant me a sleepless night.
So I came on and looked back into the past entries of my on/off blog. Always a journey of mixed emotions -- nostalgia, joy, hate, sadness, regret, appreciation.
Been another dramatic year, especially with the start of my first job and all the experiences that came along with it. I must say I have learned a lot but I still have a long way to go.
While I am so glad to be back from my overseas adventures, I do miss the friends from abroad. I do wish to see them again and have a nice chat over coffee in the cafes of Graz, or over shisha in the cafes of Bursa, or over Asahi on the streets of Tokyo.
If I had a chance, I'd also like to eat the fisch burgers in Hamburg, drink Guinness in Dublin, listen to bagpipes in Edinburgh and bask in the sun in Palma Mallorca, but for a different reason with different company.
Looking ahead, there are still trips to be made: Trieste, Italy; Vienna, Austria; Berlin, Germany; San Paolo, Brazil; Shanghai, China; Tokyo, Japan.
But the trip I'd like to make most is really here in Singapore. I am reacquainting myself with the country I'm born with. Or perhaps with the new year coming up, it's just another way of saying, I'm starting my life all over again anew, and renewed.
I have never considered myself a "writer," who to me, is a craftsman expert in the art of expressing thought and argument in an cogent and persuasive arrangement of words.
I just hope, its not too late to start trying to be one.
Work is getting me down a little. the work just keeps coming on and I can't seem to clear them as quickly as I should. partly because I feel somewhat thrown into the deep end and struggling some what.
Despite all the mistakes I have been making and will make in the future, im sure i will learn from it. And convince myself and prove to myself, that the taunts and laughter that echo at the back of my head from a distant past are wrong.
as part of a bid to regain some semblance of my writing skills which i have care-free-ly tossed out the airplan window en route to tokyo a long time back, i am going to start blabbering verbose nonsense on my rather dilapidated blog.
life's been good to me, as long as I am still breathing. currently looking for a job after being turned down by two consulting companies. Though bummed out by the rejection, I am pretty glad I got the opportunities to go through the interview processes thanks to my dear friend Ms. Wen. My regret in this case is to have wasted her efforts thus far. Sorry Ms. Wen.
Other than that, am actively pursuing public service. Am looking at a few ministries and agencies. I would love to take a little bit more time as I still have some other life goals to attain. However, I keep feeling the pressure of society, in the form of genuinely-concerned friends who inquire about my work life. It seems that NEET-ing (Not in Employment, Education or Training) is the activity engaged by the scum that grows underneath of toilet seats left uncleaned for years in shopping centre relics left from the 1970s. The pressure to make money. The pressure to be engaged in productive activity. The pressure to stop sucking out the life of my parents retirement savings. The pressure when invited to high class restaurants by employed friends, only to be embarrassed by the background differences in social status as the scum that is... you get the picture. =)
Not that its a bad thing. Frankly, I feel that it is a rather interesting sensation, coming close to those considered as "in-transition workers." I am just imagining the out of job workers, the other job-seekers, or those who are hungry for work but are denied opportunities for whatever reasons. Is this me placing myself in the bottom of the social hierarchy of our modern society? Is this universal across the world? Is there any significance that can be understood from this? If there is one thing I do feel, is the sort of societal expectation of its people to be making money. And the things I see, one being the raised eyebrows when I tell others that I'm "unemployed."
Well, perhaps again, I am just imagining things. What I should do now, is to take good care of my health and head out for a swim.
More opining of a restless, stress-out brain of a NEETing scum to come soon. Hopefully with good news about my job hunting.
Been there, done that, messed around I'm having fun, don't put me down I'll never let you sweep me off my feet I won't let you in again The messages I've tried to send My information's just not goin in Burning bridges, shore to shore I break away from something more I'm not to, not to love until it's cheap Been there, done that, messed around I'm having fun, don't put me down I'll never let you sweep me off my feet
Chorus This time baby I'll be Bulletproof (repeat)
I won't let you turn around, I'll tell you now, I'm much too proud To walk away from something when it's dead Do do do your dirty worst Come out to play when you are hurt There's certain things that should be Left unsaid Tick tick tick tick on the watch Life's too short for me to stop Oh baby, your time is running out I won't let you turn around And tell me now, I'm much too proud All you do is fill be up with doubt
Chorus This time baby I'll be Bulletproof (repeat)
This time, I'll be Bulletproof (repeat)
Chorus This time baby I'll be Bulletproof (repeat) This time baby, this time baby This time baby, this time This time baby, this time baby Bulletproof
I'm just a little bit caught in the middle Life is a maze and love is a riddle I don't know where to go, can't do it alone I've tried and I don't know why
Slow it down, make it stop or else my heart is going to pop 'Cause it's too much, yeah it's a lot to be something I'm not I'm a fool out of love 'cause I just can't get enough
I'm just a little bit caught in the middle Life is a maze and love is a riddle I don't know where to go, can't do it alone I've tried and I don't know why
I'm just a little girl lost in the moment I'm so scared but I don't show it I can't figure it out, it's bringing me down I know I've got to let it go and just enjoy the show
The sun is hot in the sky just like a giant spotlight The people follow the signs and synchronize in time It's a joke nobody knows, they've got a ticket to the show
Yeah, I'm just a little bit caught in the middle Life is a maze and love is a riddle I don't know where to go, can't do it alone I've tried and I don't know why
I'm just a little girl lost in the moment I'm so scared but I don't show it I can't figure it out, it's bringing me down I know I've got to let it go and just enjoy the show Just enjoy the show
I'm just a little bit caught in the middle Life is a maze and love is a riddle I don't know where to go, can't do it alone I've tried and I don't know why
I'm just a little girl lost in the moment I'm so scared but I don't show it I can't figure it out, it's bringing me down I know I've got to let it go and just enjoy the show Just enjoy the show, just enjoy the show
I want my money back, I want my money back I want my money back, just enjoy the show I want my money back, I want my money back I want my money back, just enjoy the show
This one goes out to the man who mines for miracles This one goes out to the ones in need This one goes out to the sinner and the cynical This ain't about no apology
This road was paved by the hopeless and the hungry This road was paved by the winds of change Walking beside the guilty and the innocent How will you raise your hand when they call your name?
Yeah, yeah, yeah
We weren't born to follow Come on and get up off your knees When life is a bitter pill to swallow You gotta hold on to what you believe
Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow And that your saints and sinners bleed We weren't born to follow You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
This one's about anyone who does it differently This one's about the one who cusses and spits This ain't about our livin' in a fantasy This ain't about givin' up or givin' in
Yeah, yeah, yeah
We weren't born to follow Come on and get up off your knees When life is a bitter pill to swallow You gotta hold on to what you believe
Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow And that your saints and sinners bleed We weren't born to follow You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
We weren't born to follow Come on and get up off your knees When life is a bitter pill to swallow You gotta hold on to what you believe
Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow And that your saints and sinners bleed We weren't born to follow You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
We weren't born to follow, oh yeah (Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah) We weren't born to follow, oh yeah (Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah)
I'm Not Surprised Not Everything Lasts I've Broken My Heart So Many Times, I Stop Keeping Track. Talk Myself In I Talk Myself Out I Get All Worked Up And Then I Let Myself Down.
I Tried So Very Hard Not To Loose It I Came Up With A Million Excuses I Thought I Thought Of Every Possibility
And I Know Someday That It'll All Turn Out You'll Make Me Work So We Can Work To Work It Out And I Promise You Kid That I'll Give So Much More Than I Get I Just Haven't Met You Yet
Mmmmm ....
I Might Have To Wait I'll Never Give Up I Guess It's Half Timing And The Other Half's Luck Wherever You Are Whenever It's Right You Come Out Of Nowhere And Into My Life
And I Know That We Can Be So Amazing And Baby Your Love Is Gonna Change Me And Now I Can See Every Possibility
Mmmmm ......
And Somehow I Know That It Will All Turn Out And You'll Make Me Work So We Can Work To Work It Out And I Promise You Kid I'll Give So Much More Than I Get I Just Haven't Met You Yet
They Say All's Fair And In Love And War But I Won't Need To Fight It We'll Get It Right And We'll Be United
And I Know That We Can Be So Amazing And Being In Your Life Is Gonna Change Me And Now I Can See Every Single Possibility
Mmmm .....
And Someday I Know It'll All Turn Out And I'll Work To Work It Out Promise You Kid I'll Give More Than I Get Than I Get Than I Get Than I Get
Oh You Know It'll All Turn Out And You'll Make Me Work So We Can Work To Work It Out And I Promise You Kid To Give So Much More Than I Get Yeah I Just Haven't Met You Yet
I Just Haven't Met You Yet Oh Promise You Kid To Give So Much More Than I Get
I Said Love Love Love Love Love Love Love ..... I Just Haven't Met You Yet Love Love Love ..... I Just Haven't Met You Yet
An individual of discipline and strength.
An example of integrity and excellence.
A man of thought and action.
A boy of passion and humour.
A father, a son, a brother, a husband.
To be grateful and to energise.
To strive and to improve.
To conquer and to achieve
