Armageddon

Overall, I'm hanging in there by a thread. Mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, I'm drained. I really need to leave this life-style. And I reckon the upcoming cruise is keeping me 'alive'. Plus, the thought of mum coming tomorrow is allowing me to kick whatever strength I have left to keep going.

Just remembering how I somehow managed extend my working contract really makes me so much more depressed. I'm trying my best to supress the knowledge that I will be working for another 5 days (in actual fact 5.5 days because I have to work that Saturday as well ><") by remembering that I am going on a cruise!!!

Work is really making me very depressed. Even though it's a temporary job, every aspect of the job tears me down into this mode of depression I didn't think existed. Seriously, I didn't think working could get this bad. I believe I'm taking a pretty 'heavy' working life because working 9.5hours each day is no laughing matter. It really takes a lot out of you. And then it's there that you realise that time is so very valuable. Having time to myself is so very valuable. That's one thing I miss. Having time to myself.

I know once I do my NS, there won't be time to myself anymore. But since I'm not in the Police Academy yet, I might as well enjoy whatever freedom I have while I still can.

Speaking of the Police Academy, I talked with the only friend that I know who has been to the Police Academy about what takes place in the NS training course.

Basically, he said that the training is so much more relaxing and requires a bit of using your head as well. Half the day would be committed to lectures and the other half would be the training for physical combat and other physical activities like climbing obstacles. On the whole, the training is very much more 'laid-back' than the army because in the army, most of the training involved requires soldiers to be able to fight in a war if called for at any moment. Whereas in the police force, all that is really required is that you maintain the situation in the country. Nothing too extreme, like going overseas and getting killed. =P

Another thing which really makes the whole going into the Police Academy experience a whole lot better is the chance of being able to drive. Apparently, I may have to take my highway code to get my driver's license when I turn 18. w00t!

I still remember being sad in Australia when I found out that if I went to do my NS early, I won't be able to get my driver's license when I turn 18. All that's changed now! I should be able to get my license if they allow me to take my test and start driving around. I really am looking forward to that. Except I really hope I haven't 'rusted' in my driving cause I haven't driven since November of last year. So it's been a little while. Still, I don't think it will be too bad. It's like riding a bicyle ya?

On a completely different topic, in case many of you don't know, Singapore experiences light pollution. At night, I am unable to see the stars because there is too much light in the sky at night. It's really sad for me because I really love to see the stars. Back in Geelong when I would take out the bins for recycling, I would look up and see the countless stars in the night-sky. Ok ok, I guess you could count them, but you get the point. It really is breath-taking. Just to imagine that the stars that we see today are millions of light years away is really extraordinary. As a matter of fact, we could be looking at stars that no longer exist. So very cool.

If I'm not mistaken, a part of the very famous Eagle Nebula was recently discovered to have been destroyed by a supernova which occurred around 6,000 years ago. The accuracy of these statistics may or may not be true but nonetheless, the thought of such distant space objects being destroyed despite being visible here is really fascinating, I reckon. I guess that is one of the many reasons why I had an interest in Astronomy. Another reason is the knowledge that these space objects are exponentially massive! Just thinking about the sun being a puny star compared to the other stars out there really caught my interest. And if you reckon that's cool, just think about God being even GREATER than all these massive space objects. Absolutely mind blowing!

So just to finish off, I'll post these pictures that I got from my physics teacher last year as these images compare the relative sizes of these recognizable space objects. Amazing really. Just to think that our earth seems to big already, these other objects are many many times bigger.

Enjoy! ^^

And to think that Antares is not the biggest space object in the universe. Out of all the known stars in the universe, it ranks 11th as the largest known star, under a red supergiant called VY Canis Majoris. Absolutely massive!

(courtesy of wikipedia)

You can't even seen the sun in this pic. If you want to see it, just click the link and have a look at the enlarged picture by clicking on the symbol that appears on the right bottom corner of the image.