Showtime

It took twelve 12 hour shifts but it's finally happened.

I believe I've gotten used to it now. It took 144 hours to finally get used to the whole working for 12 hours in the day and 12 hours in the night shifts. And of course it does still seem a bit long, but it's not as bad as when I first started.

Like for all first days, the first few shifts seemed like eternity. But it wasn't as bad as when I first started working back in year 10 for work experience.

After having to work from 9 to 5, I came back each night wishing I was back at school. I still recall the first day of work experience when I wondered why the time was still 2pm and not 5pm. I thought it stayed like that for several decades till it finally ended 3 hours later.

On top of experiencing the work life, I think the massively long working hours I went through earlier this year helped ease the transition into this 12 hour working shift. The major difference between working at that admin job and at this one, is that the travelling time is a lot less consuming. Despite this 12 hour shift being 12 hours long, having to travel at least 40minutes to 1 hour every day, in one direction, can be really stressful and tiring cause you'd have to wake up early and by the time you get back, it's time to sleep.

I guess the benefits of this police shift is that I get those 2 days off which is very very helpful. Everytime I start work the first day, I focus on those 2 days off which is only a few hours away. And when it comes, it's like a high school musical where the kids all stampede out of the classroom and out onto the road at the sound of the final bell.

But I think the elements of having a really nice working environment makes it a whole lot better. There's this nice gradual age increase in my team. With me being the youngest, the next oldest NSF would be a year older, followed by another guy another year older and so on. The oldest NSF is 22 and so after that, I'd say the next police officer would be in her mid 20s? That's right. Female officers! Whoo!

"Thank you Father for making my life a nice warm loving place to live in."

Ahem.

Right, anyway. After that, you got all the senior officers who are aged between 30-50. At least with this gradual age increase, the working environment isn't such a bad place to be in. The older officers can relate to one another, and then younger ones can muck around. Then of course, because they're all so relaxed, people tend to socialise a bit more and that's why everyone is quite open to each other.

And of course with my very direct, purposeful mentality, I am able to take advantage of this and make myself right at home there. I find myself doing things as if I've been there for years. At least around the accused, I want to look like I know what I'm doing and not just stand there like a complete idiot thinking, "this isn't my job is it?"

With these fresh accused, we can make it seem like we know what we're doing. But having been there for 144 hours, I've already seen some familiar accused!

There was this one guy, I believe it was my 3rd shift, and I was asked to escort the young female officer to take the DNA from this Malay guy. Now, this Malay guy looked whacked. I think he consumed some controlled drugs, thus causing his arrest, so he was like somewhere else. There were moments when I thought he would collapse!

Anyway, just a few shifts ago, I saw this guy come back in. This time, I think it was for Fradulent Possession of Stolen Property. He has 15 pairs of shoes on him and he didn't know how to explain it. I had the honour of sorting through his 'property' to ensure everything stated is present and accounted for. I really don't know how he comes up with stuff like this.

Speaking about the accused, I just heard today that a 15 year old girl in Geelong was raped last night at around 7:40pm!

This goes out to all the young girls and even the old ones =P Please be careful! Guys in Australia can be pervs. Actually, guys in general are pervs. Sorry guys. Be careful girls. LoL

The article can be read here, so I won't go too much into the story's detail.

Shockingly, it's in the area near our old church in Geelong and if I'm not mistaken, even closer to the Toh's house! Be careful Tiffany! Make sure you're not alone when you're outside!

Actually, I don't think the area's very safe at all. A lot of weird people stay there. I don't mean to sound harsh, but that's how I see it.

There was another double rape case back in May when two 14 and 15 year old girls were raped by 5 guys. Soon after hearing about this, my caution for all girls in Geelong escalated. My mum also disallowed Chariz to go out with her friends during certain times. Being so far away, I simply frowned at the thought of girls going out alone. I don't like the idea of young girls walking outside alone in Australia anyway. It's definitely like throwing a piece of meat into a jungle. You attract all sorts of animals.

At least in Singapore, it's not so bad. You can hardly turn a corner without seeing someone but in Australia, there are plenty of secluded areas.

But of course I'm not saying that all guys are like this. It's just that group of people who 'want it easy' and would prey on young girls. Disgusting.

So this is my plea to you girls out there, especially those in Australia. Be very careful! Don't think you're some strong chick who can fight off guys cause you can't. Even if you think you're Chyna, I don't think I could win against a guy holding me at knife point, despite me thinking I'm an exact replica of Arnold Schwarzenegger. You'd be way too freaked out! I'd be way too freaked out!

At the very least, have someone follow you. Even another girl, but preferably another guy. Just make sure the guy's not a perv! haha =S

Anyway, it donned upon me just a few days ago that I failed to post up any image of me in a police uniform! hahaha, so today being a very unproductive day in itself, I've decided to be very generous and post an image of me! And on top of that! An image of me in a police uniform! To all pervs out there, remember this face! It'll be the last face you see if you wanna go for young girls!

XD lol

I had the honour of having my face in my friend's MSN display pic, so in response, I'll have the same picture with him in it posted here.

Being the only Corporal in my squad, I had the honour of taking a lot of pictures with my friends on our POP day. And yes, I have not been lying. I really am a police man XP

Our POP where we formed the letters 'POP'. Each POP, they try to do something different. I think we did this because they did something similar during our National Day Parade back on the 9th of August; except theirs was on a much larger scale with their men forming the words "NDP 07" then transforming into "NS 40" - representing the 40 years of National Service in Singapore.

These two awards were for the Best in Studies and Best in Ops fitness. I took this picture the night I received it at the Graduation dinner, so the other two awards for Best Trainee and the PNS Statute award didn't come till the POP day.

Are We There Yet?

Yes!

I've done it!

Sorry everyone about me bragging again, but I have to say it!

I've managed to get not only 32 laps during my swim today, but I also broke that record with another 8 more; I managed to swim 40 laps in 1 hour 5 minutes (with an additional 5 minute break in there somewhere).

Despite me shaking all over, I feel great! There's this great feeling inside me every time I accomplish something like this. There's this great feeling about myself that I don't feel so guilty for not doing nothing or for eating too much and not doing anything about the excess fats.
In a way, this is how I gather a bit of self-esteem about myself. By accomplishing something like this, which also prepares myself for the future, I find that I feel a lot better about myself. I don't feel so useless. I don't feel mindless. And I don't feel so dead.

The best part about exercising like this is the feeling afterwards. The exercising itself is the worse. I don't think many people really enjoy or really wanna do the exercising bit. It's an absolute torture to push yourself to complete the exercise. The pain and agony of struggling to breathe and to force your concentrated lactic acid muscles to push further can be excruciating. Sometimes I find it so demanding and routine-like that I start wondering why I do this for. In all honesty, I don't like to exercise. I find it a pain and very tedious to maintain. All this repetitiveness gets to me. Sadly, this has to be done if I am to remain fit so I sometimes force myself to do it. It's hard to see the results immediately, but eventually, the results will show itself sooner or later. Above all the pain, the joy and satisfaction at the end will have to do.

I think in this 'go' today in the pool, I managed to get that far because of the break I had from the pool from doing a large number of laps; especially the one I did on Monday. With that in mind, I think I will give myself a few days before I jump back into the pool - just so I can recover from whatever repercussion I encountered on my body during the swim today.


Anyway, with swimming and exercising aside, lemme talk about something else.
Lemme talk about my mum's departure. Actually, not so much my mum leaving but rather, the effects of it. The effects of what has occurred when she left with my grandma to go back to Australia.

I think I was just about to get used to the whole living alone away from the family-home situation after staying here for over 3 months, but when my mum was about to leave, I realised that I had been pampered without me knowing. I realised that my mum had been nurturing, spoiling and loving me without me even noticing until she was going to leave me for two years.

It was scary. I'll say that. Leaving my mum for a good two years till I can see her again is a scary thought; especially after having been here for a few weeks. I think the effects of her motherly comforting made me wish I wouldn't be on my own like this again. Even though I know my mum and dad are reading this, I find it hard muster up the strength to admit but we have really been loved by our parents. As strange as that might sound for me to admit this, I have to say that no matter what we've been through, they have been there for us. They've been there to help us through whatever obstacles came our way and with their experience and wisdom, we as kids take on whatever advice they give for our benefit. Sometimes we don't like what our parents are telling us and also, we don't like to tell our parents what has been happening with us because they are with us all the time. But now that I'm away from home, it becomes a little bit harder because everything they've taught in the past comes into play. Now I have to use whatever knowledge they have bestowed upon me to do what is right by myself without their watchful eye upon me.
So when we compare this with other kids around the world, there's a whole lotta difference. When I hear of things that happen else where with friends of different countries in different lives, I can't help but feel so fortunate and blessed that I am in this life and not in another.


Anyway, when my mum was gonna leave, I discovered that not only did she treat me like a spoilt child, but also I had become one myself. Having my way in most things, screaming like a little sissy girl demanding to be heard, or just wetting my pants just so I could have someone bring me to the toilet-- Well, no not really. None of those things are really real. None of them happened.
But the point is, it was great to be pampered by my mum again - for one last time for a very very long time. One 'very' for each year to go.

But that wasn't the worse part. The worse part was the thought of them going back to Australia. 'Them' being my mum and grandma together. I envied my grandma so much that I even contemplated dressing up like her so I could take her place on the plane. If I looked like her in the passport, I think I could have pulled it off. It'd be one scary lady though. Tall, firm skinned, broad shouldered, short haired, flat chested old 'lady'. Oh dear.
Anyway, what I was saying was, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if she just stayed here like usual. It's not like there's this great need for her to see Australia now.

Unfortunately, I didn't really have a choice. If I did take her place on that plane, it wouldn't have made a difference because I had to come back to do my NS. It was either sneaking on board and facing the consequences of running away from the Singaporean NS, or staying here for a good two years serving my time and not being able to leave the country. There wasn't really much else I could do. I guess I am stuck here for a very very long time.


As they were getting ready to leave, I started thinking about Australia. I started to think of the friends, the house, the cars, the air, the roads, the flies, everything. I thought about it all. That was when I began to feel sad and homesick again. To have in your head the fact that someone was going back to all that made me envious. I wanted it. I really really wanted it. One 'really' for each year to go.

I know, every one's gonna say something like "Stop complaining, it's only two years", "Take it like a man you girl", "It's not very long. Just enjoy your time there and before you know it, it would be all over", "Can't you see that what you are doing is simply irritating the the hairs on the back of my neck? If we had a particle accelerator to determine the size of an electron, I still wouldn't be able to find any interest in what you're complaining about in the electron."

Hmmm, not too sure if the last one made any sense at all but anyway, I just wanna say this.
I don't care that I whining. I want to whine, and it's great. Complaining about how I long to go back is something I will do once in a while to build this great expectation for Australia when I actually do go back in two years time. Then, when I go back, I will be extremely disappointed because everything there is dry, red and very hot. As a matter of fact, I'm predicting that the whole of Australia will become a desert when I get back. Just like how Nostradamus predicted that Christ would return in 2000, I'm predicting this. What a glorious day it will be when I return.

When I step out from the Melbourne airport and into that warm dry air in February 2009, it will be one moment I will be taking in slowly with my friends beside me. That will be the day when I will be a very happy man. Provided I'm not loaded with diarrhoea and stomach pains from whatever food we ate while travelling prior to our arrival back home. Then I think I'd wanna rush back to unpack; and I don't mean the luggage.

Timeline

Today marks the day when I first arrived in Singapore 3 months ago.

Whenever people reflect on things like this, they'd usually say, "Wow, time flies so quickly! I can't believe it has been this quick!"

But as for me, I'd have to say the opposite. Time seem to be moving quite slowly. I mean 3 months. That's not very long compared to 2 years. Two years is twenty four months. That would mean I still have twenty one months to go! Three months is not very long when you look at it that way, but I won't.

I must look at it with a positive point of view. So let's see, what has happened during these 3 months here in Singapore. There were a lot of things that happened during that time.

• I've finally got a general idea of the places in Singapore. Even though I mainly travel in the west coast region, I still have a rough idea of where places are in Singapore. I have say this because even though Singapore is only an island, it's taken me 17 years to figure out where most of the things are in this little island called Singapore. So I guess now, it's not too bad. If someone overseas asked me about something in Singapore, chances are I'll have a rough idea of where that place is. And if I've been there, the conversation would be a lot better if I could at least say something about it than say what I would usually say in the past and that's, "errmm, I haven't stayed in Singapore long, so I don't really know." I mean it is after all, my home country. My roots. My background. About time I figured it out.


• My chinese and teochew has significantly improved since coming here. Generally at the homes I stay in, I would converse with my grandmas in chinese, but now, I'm starting to talk with my mum's mum in teochew because she would be able to teach and correct me if I got it wrong. Since we left for Australia, I have hardly used my chinese so it was a bit rusty when I came back. The chinese is coming back and I'm starting to learn more words too. And if I could learn this much in 3 months, I reckon I will be able to speak considerably fluent by the time I return back to Australia. Hopefully both chinese and teochew.


• I started working to make some good pocket money. This is my first 'official' full-time job. Not my first taste at working life, but it is the first time I have had to work 9am to 6:30pm. I guess getting my first job in Singapore isn't exactly the best place to get one. The hours are long, and the pay is not as high. Nevertheless, it's my first job.


• Staying here has taught me more about myself. I never realised how much I've grown on an independent level over a short period of time. I mean looking at what I've been doing, I never thought I could do these things without complaining too much. For example, I started to swim at 6:30am. I've never done such a thing before in my life. Then after swimming, I would head off to work for a long day. Yet, I find myself content with the temporary situation and I haven't complained all that much. If I could picture myself doing this a few years back, my guess is that I would be complaining all the way until the end of time. But now, I guess it was the right time to leave home and become more independent and it all worked out fine.


• Lastly, I came here with a purpose. That purpose was to complete my National Service without looking back too much as I go get it over and done with. The day I arrived here in Singapore, everything seemed too surreal. I couldn't comprehend the fact that I would be staying here for 2 years. After staying in Australia for 3 years, I had this connection with the country and the people back there that I found it really difficult to let that go for 2 years. Fortunately, the internet was accessible during most of that time when I first arrived and I was able to, with the help of many wonderful friends back in Australia, ease into this life style. It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that. The first month was the most difficult, with Christmas and everything, it was hard. That Christmas night, I spent it in a swimming pool all alone. I don't regret spending it there because it was nice to just be alone for a while and just have some time to recap on what has been going on. I remember looking up to the dark starless cloudy sky and just wishing I could be back in Australia to enjoy a starry night sky once more. Even seeing the moon would be just as satisfying. That night, I killed the night away in the pool until the life guard told me that it was time to go. Then later on in January, I did the NAPFA and got the result I was praying for. Getting gold on the test was the first greatest thing I experienced since coming here. Getting the sheet of paper that read 'Gold' was something I had longed for because it meant I would be going back 2 months earlier. Who would have thought that that might have had a play in me getting into the Police Academy. And now looking back at all these things that has happened with the NS situation, I can't help but be amazed by what has transpired during these 3 months.

I never really complained or whined too much when I was told that I will have to go back to Singapore to complete my NS. Unlike when we were first told that we were going to move to Geelong, Singapore I didn't have much of a choice so I tried not to think too much about it. All I had in my mind was to just enjoy the time I had left in Australia and don't do anything silly. After all, there wouldn't be any point complaining because my parents wouldn't be able to do anything about the fact that I am a Singaporean who needs to fulfill his national duties. I guess saying nothing about it and just bottling every unhappiness by having the mindset of getting it over and done with was the best way to go. I figured that aggravating the situation would only make everything worse.

Also since coming here, I have learnt a lot of things about myself and other people that I didn't know about. I covered a little bit about this above but what I didn't mention was that there were things about me that I didn't know about - like how I am able to chat on MSN 10 hours straight without going blind from all the radiation from the laptop screen. I didn't think I could do that! lol I also learnt that 9.5 hours of computer a day at work can pretty much make my eyes go all blurry from all the tears in my eyes. Not from the radiation from the computer but from all the weeping for having to work. I didn't think I would do that!

But seriously, since moving, I've learnt a bit about myself but more about the people that I call friends. True friends are the ones who will stick by you no matter what happens. They will find a way to get to you to make sure you are alive and well. And when I came here, all my true friends showed themselves and only stood to encourage me. These are the friends that I must not lose! I only hope I can repay the favour when it is their turn to go do something like this. God bless them for being the great and wonderful friends that they are. ^^

Anyway, when I first came here to Singapore, I was a little bit worried that I would have to 'church hunt' for a place to go to every Sunday. So I was praying about having a place to return to without hunting 'too much' for a 'comfortable' church. Prayers were answered and it was even better than having to 'hunt'! The first church I went to became my church immediately. In case some of you don't know what happened, this is what happened.

The first Sunday I arrived in Singapore, I followed my brother to the church he has decided to stay with. During that day, I was doing my best to observe the church and it just so happen that during that Sunday, they didn't want any other instruments besides the guitar, piano and saxophone. That meant on that Sunday, I saw the drum set empty without anybody playing it.

I guess you could say it was 'a sign'. But what really got me to return, was when they asked me to play the following week. Not drums, but guitar. [The full story here] So I went, and I did it. Then they asked me back the following week. Then week after week, I kept going back and now, I'm happy. The people there are great. The spiritual atmosphere is refreshing. And the music is a lot more satisfying in the sense that there is unity in the music. Plus, since playing for the church, I've learnt so much more about playing for the church band. I hope to improve a whole lot more before I go back. That should be wonderful! XD Hopefully I can go back with this and help the people in whatever way I can. =)

On a completely different note, I have to point out that since I came here in December, I have not fallen sick! Normally in Australia, I would fall sick every few months! And here I am, 3 months in and I'm still going strong. I think the main reason is that I have been drinking so much more water now. Especially in the office (since I still wanna kill time with toilet breaks), I drink close to 10 cups of water a day. My system is pretty well flushed out. Back in Australia, I would drink milk and soft drinks. I would only drink water if I felt thristy but usually, I would drink soft drinks for 'enjoyment'. I'm so glad I haven't fallen sick yet. The greatest feeling ever! ^^
Kids! Don't try that at home!

Overall, I think these 3 months has been a complete turn-a-round for me. I've finally accepted that I will be here for a while and decided to make it easier on myself by trying to look at things with a more positive attitude. So far so good. The next step now, is the Police Academy and I think that will be a whole new ball game. One thing's for sure though. There will be a lot of Malays in the Police Academy so I will have to use my 'experience' in the minority to make the experience easier to handle. This is where all past 'training' with travelling around to different cultures and situations will come in handy. Stories that will be told in another 3 months time. And when I do reach that 6 months mark, it would mean I am one-quarter of the way there. One-quarter of two years. Surely then will time be flying!

Unaccompanied Minors

The Bible is undoubtedly the 'richest' text that I have ever read.

It's like taking a tiny piece of caramel block, coating it with a layer of cheese cake and then dipping it in a chocolate based fudge, covering it with truffle shavings and since we're at it, we might as well put saffron in it too. We'll deep fry it in a pan of extra virgin olive oil, after which, we'll top it with a gentle blob of double whipped cream with vanilla pods and honey. Then, for presentation, we'll place it upon a caramelised based sauce patterned with evaporated condensed milk, sprinkled with a white chocolate shavings and good spoonful of Russian Salmon Caviar, imported by mafias.

Apologies for people on diets, but that's how I see the Bible. Well, not really, but you get the point.

I was reading my Bible this morning, and this verse really jumped right out at me and I thought I should share with all my few faithful readers who on occasion try to see what mischief this strange little boy is getting up to.

Proverbs 17:14. "Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out."

I'm unsure why I should post that, but I reckon it's a really beautiful verse. As the few of you know, I don't usually quote on my blog all that much from the Bible, so for me to quote something from the Bible now, you should know that it means a lot to me. =)

If that verse helped you in some way, great. If not, just remember that I quoted that verse. Maybe one day it will come in handy! ^^

Ok! Onto something different.

I've been trying very hard to not talk about work on my blog and I reckon I'm doing good. However, I have to mention this little bit about what happened during one of the work 'excursions' that happened today. I was going to this LG model presentation as they wished to present their new models soon to launch, but that's not important.

What's important was what happened during the trip there. My boss and myself were sitting in the taxi, and we were talking about 'stuff'. Then, we happen to stumble upon how I seem to be 'used' to Singapore now.

The exacts words were, "You don't seem homesick."

I replied, "Wow, I must be doing a good job."

The truth is, I miss Australia to death. I miss the climate, I miss the relaxing atmosphere, I miss the friendliness. But out of all the things I miss, I miss all my friends back in Australia. I never knew how much I took many of you for granted till I came here. Being all by myself, it's hard to not reflect on the wonderful memories we had in the past. There wouldn't be a second when I wished I was not back there. If it was not for my National Duty, I would be resistive coming back here. I feel so much more at home back in Australia.

I say this now, I wonder if it will be the same in 2009. But that's for another day in time.

For now, I want to sincerely thank everyone who has helped me through my transition from Australia to Singapore because without your encouragement and friendliness, I don't think I would have taken this move any better than I did. As a matter of fact, I think I would still be crying in the toilet, wondering why in the world am I here. It was hard. Really. Moving away from home, away from friends, it's the hardest thing I've done by myself.

I don't want to point out any body's name because I'm pretty sure you all know who you are. ha, everyone says that. So I'll say something different. I don't want to point out any body's name because I think everyone played a part in my transition. ^^

So thank you all. Thank you everyone for being my friend in creating great memories to enjoy in this run-down world.

This is to the new friends and new experiences to come! There are always new people to meet and new friendships to enjoy! Ones that could last a life-time. Perhaps my future-wife will come knocking on my door one day. hehehehehe, come on in! =P

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Hmmm, my lady boss is not here again, and I’m wondering what I should do. Should I pretend to look busy with all the pending paper work, or should I just blog?
If you’re reading this, it means I have chose blogging. XD

I think I’m getting used to this working life. Even though I hate every moment of it, I get to bludge on the internet as I try to look busy at the same time. Fortunately, most of the sites that I visit consist mainly of words (eg. blogs, English Premier League) with very few pictures. Somehow, they ‘censor’ most of the banners and personal photographs here so I guess it makes me look like I’m not doing anything dodgy at work. To my advantage!
Sadly, my ‘work’ actually needs me to actually ‘do’ something on the computer or telephone. So my sitting there, reading huge chunks of words doesn’t really make it look like I’m working. hehehe I hope no one notices. Otherwise someone might report me! ah! lol


On the contrary, my work place is a really nice place. Everyone is pretty kind, and my lady boss is really nice. Her desk is directly behind mine, with her seating positioning in such a way that she can see everything I do. At first, I was a bit cautious about what I did on the net, but now, I think she’s really flexible. The other ladies in the department said that she’s really quite ‘ok’ with it. Just so long as I do my work, she won’t mind. This is the kind of boss that really makes life at work so much easier. So far, she hasn’t told me off for doing random things, so I guess I’m still in the ‘clear’. However, I will usually try to work a bit more than I do slacking off. I’ve determined that if I worked non-stop from 9:00am to 6:25pm, with the exception of the one-hour lunchtime, I will die. If I remember correctly, I didn’t even work non-stop on the first day. I believe I did wonder off for a few minutes into my own little internet world. The time for my ‘wondering’ period during work increased each day. XP
Also, I knew that people used MSN at work, but I was quite surprised that the people here were looking out for me. One lady asked me during lunch, “You were using MSN right?” I was a little bit shocked at first because I had been caught! Then she concluded with, “Don’t worry. I use it too. As a matter of fact, everyone uses it. Well, everyone except [your boss], [this other lady] and [our head of department].” We had a great laugh. Then we started mocking people who seem to be so ‘innocent’ at the workplace, can be so rebellious at the same time. haha … it’s funny. Oh wait; I’m actually one of those people. … …

Damn.


Another good thing, which I quite enjoy in this work environment, is how the ladies ask me questions about my family, and how many older single cousins, I have. Why, just a few minutes ago, they asked me if I had an older cousin who is from Australia within the age range 28-32. They had a whole list of ‘requirements’ for my cousins. Unfortunately, none of them matched up. lol I believe they were trying to match-make this lady in the department who happens to be one of the two only single girls left in the department. Funny if you ask me. In my opinion, the lady seems quite nice. I enjoy her sense of humour. =)

On a totally different topic, I have a confession to make. I’ve been in Singapore for about two months now, and after examining my life again, I realized that I am so much more independent now. The things I do now, going off on my own, handling my own finances, rejecting girls on the street as they ask me, “Can you spare me a minute of your time to fulfill my every desire (also known as a survey)?” It’s all very different to my mum rejecting them for me. Now, I’ve become independent to a stage where I don’t even realize that I am independent now. Taking the bus and train every day for an hour back and forth, I don’t realize that I’m doing this because everytime I do go on the bus or train, I’m thinking to myself, “How many more hours till I finish work?”
It was only a few days ago that I realized that I am very much alone now. There isn’t anyone around my age during the course of my day. Personally, I’m quite ok with that. I enjoy being on my own, reflecting.
But then I started to reflect upon the wonderful friendships I have back in Australia and how much I miss everyone there. I believe I had taken my friendships for granted. I miss everyone so dearly, having company would do me wonders.

So what I’m trying to say is, if you were in my situation, when I had wonderful friends around me (despite their irritations), don’t take them for granted. Seriously. I know I’ve said this in some of my previous posts, but I mean it now more than ever. Imagine your life without them.
Cherish every moment with them because who knows, maybe one day you’ll realize that you are all alone without friends, waiting for National Service, sucking a lolly-pop with Kenny G on the radio looking out the window watching the cars pass by as you look up to the heavens, wondering where you had placed your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Michelangelo action figure because Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and master Splinter are waiting to conquer Gotham City.

Around The World In 80 Days (Part 3)

I didn't think it would be this hard. Mentally, I was prepared to leave, but I wasn't prepared to be strong by myself. I imagined it to be a bit easier. I thought I would come here, and get enlisted in January and limp my way through the Christmas holidays. Sadly, since the announcement that I could only get enlisted in March, I went downhill from there.

My world went from bad to worse. My world came crashing down as I realised that I would be here for 2 years. I didn't know how to deal with this. So I went back, and contemplated on what I should do. And as a guy, I did some thinking by myself. As I sat in the living room area with my grandma beside me, I reflected on the situation as she told me stories about our family. I tried to pay attention to her, and responded with occasional grunting noises, but I was too distracted with the situation I was facing. Eventually, I managed to temporarily pull myself together. The only thing that kept me going was how I knew that Corliss, Sylvia and possibily the Tohs, would be at my parent's place that night, so if I called back, I wouldn't be so sad.

So that night, I called back, and to my delight, I was able to talk to the two girls. After that, I felt much better and a bit more happy. I ended the night with a bit of tele and I went to bed at 9:30pm.

I told my grandma that I would follow her to the market to buy some food for breakfast. I woke up at 6am that morning, and we left at 7am. I had decided that I wanted to eat some Carrot Cake because I haven't had it in a while. For those of you who don't know what Carrot Cake looks like, it looks like this.

I had the white one because it has eggs and are usually crispy.
So when we got to the stall, there was this line of 5 or 6 people. Generally, when there's a line, it means the food is good and people are willing to wait in line for the food. And usually in Singapore, the stalls have really fast service cause they need to be fast to accomodate the large number of customers. So we decided to join the group of 'suckers' to have our Carrot Cake. Unfortunately, it took us more than 45minutes to get our food. Was it worth it? Well, considering I haven't had Carrot Cake in over a year, I guess it was ok. Nice to have it in my stomach again. lol

After my breakfast, I packed my stuff and took a cab to my other grandma's place. It was the first time I took a taxi myself. Usually it's with my mum, dad, auntie or grandma. So you could say that it was another step of independence when I took that cab.
When I got off, I met Amoz and we went up to the house. I unpacked my stuff and soon got bored. I then took out the PlayStation and started playing a bit. After that, I helped wheel my grandma to the dialysis centre. For the rest of the day, I just spent most of it on the internet, trying to come to my senses about this Singapore situation.


Sunday morning, I met Amoz at Tiong Bahru MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) Station. We met there at 9:30am and were on our way to Aljunied, which was where the church was located. There, we met up with one of Amoz's friend from his BMT (Basic Military Training) batch and went to church together. The service was very different to what I have been used to for the past year. In a way, it was good to be back in the presence of God among people on fire again; but I must say, it's gonna take a bit of getting use to again. Just gimme time.
That night, I went out at 12am to look for a coffee shop that had the English Premier League on the tele. My dad told me that the shop next to my grandma's dialysis centre has an all day-all night coffee shop, so I went there. However, when I got there, the tele was not on, and the place was also packed, so I didn't wanna create a scene, telling them that, "I wanna watch soccer on the tele, so can you please turn it on for me and by the way, I need a table and chair to sit on. Also, bring me a cup of coffee and don't be stingy with the sugar."
In the end, I wondered around a bit through the cool night in my sleeveless shirt and finally found this closed coffee shop with a plasma tv suspended on a pillar. The match ended at 1:50am, and I went home and slept.



The past few days for me have been hellish. I haven't been sleeping much, and I've never been so depressed. I've really tried to be positive about the situation, but I think it's going to take time. Time to get over Australia, and time to make friends. In the mean time, I'm trying to live through each day on the internet, talking to whoever comes online. At the moment, my dad is trying to find me a job so I'm just waiting.
During this waiting period, it's bad in the sense that I have so much time to myself to think. And everytime I do, I think about the wonderful memories of the past, and how I'll never be able to have them again for a very long time. Everytime I look back, it hurts. There's this pain in my chest that hurts when I recall the house in Geelong, the church, the people, the close friends, the life. It was a bad idea to look at the photos. It was a bad idea to think.

Around The World In 80 Days (Part 2)

I was given the aisle seat as she had the window seat; which meant I had to get up whenever she wanted to go to the toilet. Of course being the gentleman as I am, I graciously stood up and waited, as she took her feminine time in the lavatory. I waited because the toilet was directly behind our row, so you could say I had the advantage. I could easily just get up and lock myself in the toilet at any time I wanted.

Somehow, the flight didn't take as long as it seemed. Maybe because I was prepared, or maybe because I was older and could size up the long journey without complaining too much, or maybe I was tired along the way; seeing that I haven't slept much in the past few days, or maybe, just maybe, it was the girl in my row that kept me going. I had to be strong, and seem like I am able to handle a measly 8 hours of flight without groaning too much. Through it all, it was fun flying alone again. The only person you had to care for, is yourself. But of course, it would be nice to fly with someone else, just to keep you company. Then again, the girl in my row was company enough, if you know what I'm saying. ;)

I accompanied the girl all the way to the exit gate. Even though my luggage came first, I, being the gentleman that I naturally am, hehe, waited till she collected her luggage. I even offered my services in picking up her luggage, but she viciously refused me! She was like, "If you continue to follow me, I'll scream at the top of my lungs and hope the cops will take you down! ..... Ok, I've got my bag, let's go." lol, obviously none of that happened. She simply said she could handle it herself. As soon as she collected her single luggage, we went off. We said goodbye and went our separate ways.

My auntie and grandma from my mother side picked me up at the airport. They couldn't find me at first, and realised that I was already out and standing behind them. They said they couldn't recognise that it was me because of my short hair. I don't blame them. I myself don't recognise myself in the mirror with my short hair. When I greeted them, it was 11:30pm, Singapore time. Which meant it was 2:30am in Australia. I was sorta drowsy but after exerting a reasonable amount of strength on my luggage and posing, I was half awake, but at the same time, half asleep.

We arrived back to their place at 12:00am to which I was then shown to my room where I dumped my luggage, and washed up for the night. I crashed into bed at 1:20am and slept till 7:00am that morning. I woke up and prepared to leave for my medical test. Basically this test determines if you're fit for the full Military Training. If you get A or B, you're capable to take on the full training. If you get C, you get a lighter training course. And of course if you get D or E, you basically fail and they'll give you a desk job.

When Amoz did it, he went there at 8am and came out at 3pm. That's around 7 hours. I was ready to spend the same amount of time there, but to my delight, I was in and out in 4 hours. It was also good that Amoz's friend showed me where to go first. He brought me to the building, and accompanied me to the "Overseas" department. From there, I was on my own. It was there that the lady said that she'll enlist me in March. I was kinda worried that she would just slot me into March, so I asked her if there was an earlier date of enlistment. She said that the next earliest date was in fact that very day. The 8th of December was the starting date for the next earliest batch. Which meant that I went all the way here only to be told that I couldn't even have the slightest chance of getting in till March. I thought that there was an opening in January but there was no such thing. So now I've got plenty of time to spend with myself.

Anyway, they took our photograph with the army shirt, and asked us to move off to the medical centre. There, we had to go through a series of tests. The test were blood, urine, eye, hearing, dental, heart, x-ray, and just some physical measurements. I noticed that I got 'A' for everything, but during the final medical test, they determined that because I had a bit of 'flatfoot', I was given a 'B'. Just on the spot, they gave me a 'B' for one little thing. Disappointing.

After the physical check-up, they did a mental check-up, to see if you're 'sane' enough to be in the army. Basically it was a series of questions that involved funny shadings and shapes, mathematics (which I sorta struggled with because I was tired and hadn't done any mental work for a while), and just a whole bunch of reaction tests. It took an hour or so to complete, which to my delight, was 12:05pm.

I walked back and had Prawn Noodle. Hmmmm, yum yum. After I had finished my lunch, I walked over to the bus terminal to top up my bus card. I haven't used it in one and a half years, so I was pretty pleased that it still worked. hehe

As I walked home, it came to me, that this was it. This was gonna be my life for the next 2 years. From then on, I was never the same..

To Be Continued...

Around The World In 80 Days (Part 1)

I managed to type up two blog posts yesterday on my auntie's laptop while I was sitting alone with nothing to do. But after 'allowing the storm to pass,' I've decided not to post it. This is the reason why.

Yesterday, I was all depressed and lonely, so I took out a lot of my frustration and agitation on that blog post, which is why I don't wanna post it. I was pretty much sad that I was in Singapore and that I'll never see so many of my friends for a long time. I wasn't in a very happy mood. That was, until I called back home. It was so very nice to be able to call home. And to top it all off, I was so happy that Corliss and Sylvia was at my place. After talking to my parents, Chariz, and the two girls, I felt much better. It was really nice to hear their voices agian. I felt for that moment that I was at home for once. That I was with them for that brief period. It was very nice. I know you girls will be reading this, so I wanna thank you for the lovely chat :) I'm better now.

I think.

Anyway, I don't want to say too much about what has happened to me mentally, so I think I'll just blog on my journey here. But before I do, I'll say this. I remembered that Uncle Wesley blogged on his tendancy to view everything he did as a photograph. Like everything he does, he tries to find a 'good' angle to take a photograph. If you know what I'm talking about, I've recently caught myself doing the same thing. Or something like that; this time, it's with blogging. Everything I see, everything I do, I'm thinking of ways to blog on it. In a way, it's unhealthy because I can't enjoy the moment, but rather, my mind is constantly thinking of ways to blog on all the things I do. It's bad cause I wanna enjoy the things I do just as it is! So I've been trying to 'cut' down on what I view everyday as "something to blog about". In the mean time, I'll blog on what I should blog about; my journey here.

__________________

On the final day in Australia, dad woke me up as arranged at 6:30am to watch the Champions League; it was Man Utd v Benfica. After that, did some last minute file transferring on the computer and had breakfast at the same time. As soon as I finished, I quickly went on the PS2 to enjoy some last minute Fifa07 action. I had to swiftly complete what was left of the season, which meant skipping through many matches just to finish up. I played the last match in the ECC Finals, which ended 5-2 against Ajax. It was a thrilling victory. The match was at 2-2 for some time, until I finished them off with my 'skills'.

So after that, had lunch, and jumped on the computer to talk to some people for one last time. It's funny how there were so many things I did in Australia for the 'last time'. Like how I showered for the last time, drove for the last time, jogged for the last time, played for the last time, hugged for the last time, saw you for the last time. It all happened so quickly.

Saying goodbye to everyone, I decided to multi-task and pack all the left overs laying around in my room, like my soccer ball, documents, cosmetics, etc. I managed to pull everything I needed in time to leave at 3:15pm as planned. The flight was at 6:40pm, so I had a bit of time to spare. When we were going to the airport, there was heavy traffic on the highway. Everyone was moving at 20km/hr. Trucks, 4WDs, mini Getzs, everyone, all moving slowly...

In the end, there was no commotion. We simply crawled through the highway and gradually accelerated to 100km/hr again. It was not long after that we reached the airport at 5pm. The check-in line was really long. That was because I was kinda late. 2 hours till take off is not too good. My sis, mum and I stood in the line as we eventually reached the counter in 30 minutes. The lady then told me that I had to go to the boarding gate now. But my dad was like, "Nah, don't worry. Let's go buy some food first." We got a Bacon Deluxe at Hungry Jacks so that I could have something to eat as I am waiting to board. Unfortunately, I never really got the chance to eat. When I got to the boarding gate, I managed to make some final phone calls which meant by the time I finished, it was time to board.

I walked up to the boarding gate, and into the tube. Following the large crowd into the plane, I carried my two hand-carry luggage. As I approached the plane, I showed the stewardess my boarding pass and she directed me to the aisle I needed to take. I waddled my way to my seat, and when I got there, it was then that I realised, I was gonna be in the same row as this young lady which looked nice enough to try to act all cool. Sadly, my short hair gave me a disadvantage as I couldn't fling my hair as those cool people in movies do when they realise that they're in love. Anyway, I sat down, and tried to make it seem like I knew what I was doing. There and then, I discovered that this is all a part of growing up. Trying to make it look like I know what I'm doing when trying to impress girls. Watch out ladies! Here I come!

Oh boy.

To Be Continued...

The Lakehouse

This will be my final blog post from Australia. I have less than 6 hours left in Australia, and I have to say, I am a bit scared to go now. Time went by so quickly! I can't believe it's almost over! I'm recalling the time when I was in Myanmar and we were leaving the country for good. I was saying goodbye to our 3 good little dogs, the people, and the buildings. I'm serious. I was saying goodbye to the moldy green buildings. They were all very old and very disgusting. "Goodbye filthy things!" And I never saw one again..

Now, it's different. This time, I feel reluctant to go. The things I've grown to love in this country, I will have to leave. One thing I will miss dearly, is the cold. This morning, I woke up, and it was nice and cold. I took my blankets and pillow into the living room, and watched Man Utd and Benfica battle for 1st place in their Champions League group. It was nice to be under my covers. Something I won't really enjoy in Singapore :( Oh well, there will be different 'happiness' there..

Before I leave, I'll just say one thing. I've been in Australia for the past 3 years, and it has grown to become my home. It's where I grew up from a small adolescent child, into a bigger wiser person, not only in the world but also in God. And even though I may be gone for 2 years, I will always remember how lovely this place has been, and how much I've taken out of this place (and I don't just mean the amount of water I helped waste). I think I'll change again in 2 years. It's a very long time, and lots will happen. I know will be become stronger, more independent, more mature, and probably more patient. And also at the same time, I will become more asian, more rude, more arrogant, and probably more down-right irritating to talk to. All in the name of love.

This is me, signing out from Australia, till 2 years in the year 2009.

Boaz

Click

I can't believe how quickly time flies. The last time I remembered, I was whining about coming to Geelong. Now, it's time to go, and I must say, I am feeling quite sad to leave. I think what scared me the most was how we were all moving to a new city where we didn't have any friends/relatives. On top of that, the first place we moved to was straight into the dorm. Now that was scary. I had a live in a small 3 x 3 x 3 cube with a computer, bed, desk, chair, PS2, tv, shoe rack and a bedside drawer. Fun? uh uh.

The last dorm we stayed in was back in 1996 when we were in America. Back then, everything was fine. We didn't need to have any friends because anybody we met were 'friends'. Remember back when we were kids, and whenever we met someone around our age: instantly, we would become friends. It would go something like this.
Me: Hey! Wanna play?
Kid: Yay! *tag* You're it!!
Me: I love you. I will marry you. *kiss*
Kid: ewwww!!! cooties!!!

haha, or something like that.
Back then, friends didn't really matter. All we cared about was our own selfish pleasure. We'd go out and play, kiss a few girls, and then return back during the night with our kil-, I mean siblings. Then after burning all the carbohydrates and fats, we'd come back and sleep. Day after day, we'd just do this until we finally left.
But things have changed. We can no longer use other people for our own selfish pleasures. We have to be good people. We cannot be kids anymore. Pfft


Anyway, coming to Geelong has definitely been my 'peak' so far. Well, I guess I can't really compare it with any other part of my life yet. So thus far, it has been my most accomplished year of my life. I wonder what other painful adventures I'll have when I go to Singapore.
One thing I am really really fearful of though .. is how when I become very comfortable in Singapore again, I'll be sad to leave again. And this isn't a year; like in Geelong. This is gonna be twice the length. Besides how most of my time will be in the barracks, there'll definitely be this sense of attachment to the environment again. Friends and relatives especially. Then of course there's the food. Glorious food! How I love you! I'm so happy I'm in the stage of my life where I can eat heaps and gain hardly any weight. Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! I'll just have to burn most of the food in my training there.

Speaking of training, I've been trying to get into my training routine as often as I can. Today, I've managed to run the street outside our house. By 'run the street', I mean I ran one side of the sidewalk and at the end of the street, crossed over to the other side of the sidewalk and ran back. I ran one lap, then recovered for 1 or 2 minutes then ran another lap. The street is approximately 100-150m; do the maths. For now, I think that's enough because I don't wanna kill myself now. I'll gradually increase the distance. Just not yet cause it's quite strenous so far.
Then after my run, I did the shuttle run. Basically, it's this 10 metre dash thing with 2 'pick up' objects at the end; both 1 metre apart of each other. What I had to do, is sprint from the starting point, grab the first object, sprint back, sprint back to the second object, and sprint back to the starting point. We're supposed to run this under 10.2 seconds to get 'gold' ... Gold, I like gold. If I get 'gold' for my physical test, I'll have a high chance of cutting 2 months off my NS training. Gold gold gold.

Here is the official 'table' on the requirements of the physical test:

Just recently, my dad returned back from Myanmar for his occasional 'mission trip'; so to speak. And when he does, he usually brings in the (I love this quote from Bryan) 'next shipment' of DVDs. And by DVDs, I mean good o'le movies. The most recent movie I've seen is Click and I must say, it's not quite what I was expecting. I won't reveal too much, but it was pretty much the opposite to what I was expecting from the show. It was quite touching, and I have to admit, it almost made me cry, but obviously, it wasn't good enough to make me cry. XD
There were several movies that I've seen which almost made me cry, but so far, I have not cried to a movie. Oh yes, what a man I am.