locks

you get to see the true person,
when the locks obstructing are removed.


an eye-opener indeed.

the alphabet that ranged from letter A to letter U

hmm i probably had one of the worst week of my life. both mentally and physically. but i guess others had it worse on their bodies. the fever was bad, but the mental torture was badder.

i dun think i displayed any signs of depression or suicidal thoughts though. haha. perhaps, it could be what was predicted or thought as positive and a blessing in disguise. a time offerred to me as a period of reflection, and a duration of confession of what i truly thought about myself. whether anyone else understood was an entire different matter.

but i guess, this is growing up. when you ve gone through real shit, and survived it. you ve grown up. that s life. just accept things, take it into stride and keep moving. there s always a way out. if not, just keep digging under till you find one. there are many other things to look forward to not just those to dwell upon.


let's go!

TO THE LIMIT? IT'S BEYOND LIMITS.

LIFE'S GOOD!

i woke up this morning feeling awesome. well it s not that i suddenly went bonkers in order to get this feeling. but when i thought about how life was the day before and i compare it to today, i m just glad.

and yea, i realised i ve been way too dreary. let s start looking on the bright side of life for once.

and weekends, rock. no, actually i m referring to saturday afternoons to sunday evenings. and that s good enough. always better than nothing. :D





be appreciative.

a brand new kind of life

i survived. that s about all that i can say. learnt many valuable lessons in the past week, the type that people term as life lessons. but i guess the most important thing i learnt is to not take anything for granted. be thankful, always. be appreciative. be glad that life is good. tomorrow can be worse. or there might well be no tomorrow at all.

should i say i was complacent? or confident?




anyways, put the serious stuff aside. it s time for the festive mood! CNY. reunion dinner today, hardly a reunion at all. just the usual people that appear during weekends. tomorrow should be better, i hope. dun be too confident about it, expect less, anything more will be a surprise. a pleasant one.






kiddos all grown up. and now i m ranked lower than them. it s like taking the prelims for 4 years, and now, i m taking the final examination for 2 years. i can say that, the prelims are way easier than the final exam. but at least, i braced myself for it.

just 8 more times. in the mean time, i have to decide, whether i want more of it. am i up for the challenge? i know now, it definitely is.



valentines day.



i miss japan and bintan.
and a life.

TIM

this post is dedicated to Hahn Dong Seok.

because to him, i can only express remorse and regret. if i ever made a promise, i ll stay true to it. i mean my word. BUT, i broke not 1, not 2 but 3 promises i made to tim. i m so ashamed.

so tim, if you still remember (i highly suspect you dun), please forgive me.

the promises were:

ONE : Plan Z. we'll sit by that cambodian beach and watch the sunrise.

TWO: i will organise an all guys outing.

THREE: i m suppose to tell you something when the time is right, because you told me yours.


i fulfilled none. i suppose i can make amends by changing the beach to the one at ECP or pasir ris park. the poker nights should make up for 2. and 3, i ll say, the time aint right. or maybe it was, you know, but you missed the auspicious hour. anyway, sorry dude.

going in tomorrow. completed tasks like going to chinatown for the festive mood, done with all the cleaning, installing football frenzy, and a good dinner with the 5. alright that s about it. bring on the new challenge! if it even is.





negative, over.

the unsolved puzzle.

i'm smiling as i type, because somebody lighted up the rest of my night. thank you.



life is a path lined with rough rocks. it ain't easy to stroll down the path. there are bound to be obstacles. times that you fall and your knees are scraped and bleeding. times that you rise from the falls and heed the wounds. and there are times that you stand tall and look back, looking at how far you've come. looking at the amount of blood, sweat and tears shed and what they were shed for. it's amazing to realize what are the things you put in effort for, trying to make it all right, the things that you care for. and also to find out the many times that things didn't go your way, didn't go as planned. perhaps, it's fate. maybe, that rocky path was there all the while, you are just walking down a one-way street. or maybe, you can create your own path.

i don't know.

but i know something. if you don't try, you never know it might be possible. just try. make it your best shot. and someday, you might just create the path you wanted all along.




i tried. so hard that i'm tired.
then i wonder. perhaps, it's really fate.


only time will tell, or has it been told?


am i fated to fall and never stand up again??

since that night, i couldnt sleep.

just completed another book. it s like watching another movie. speaking of movies, watched Blind Side last week. it was good. ok, almost any movie would be good after abstaining for a month.

life s pretty boring. and everyone make it seem like i m gonna die in a few days time. which is true to a certain extent. no more civilian life. but i m kinda glad in a way. being a student for two thirds of your life, suddenly, the occupation blank changes its content. that s something new.

let s grow up, it s time to be fully independent. serve the nation dudes!

the rotting days..

as promised, i m supposed to blog about bintan. but since the pics are already on fb, and since a picture paints a thousand words, and since there are 93 pics (i think), that means 93 000 words, i should save some crap here. basically, we just slacked.

the highlights were:

1. ying lun and jun jie puking and shitting at the same time on Wan Seri Beni (the ferry) due to violent turbulence, eating a cup noodle and puking instantly.

2. ying lun got scammed at a restaurant at the shopping village Oleh Oleh.
the story:
he ordered Kampung Nasi Goreng.
i ordered Kampung Nasi Goreng, sama sama.
the food came.
ying lun got Kampung Nasi Goreng (fried rice).
i got Kampung Nasi Goreng SPESIAL (fried rice PLUS nice and big deep fried chicken wing).
the best part, Kampung Nasi Goreng and Kampung Nasi Goreng SPESIAL, both sama sama, S$5. ying lun went wtf. LOL.
so, ever since, everywhere we went for meals, we always ordered the SPESIAL version, hoping there will be a free chicken wing. hahaha. even the petrol, SPESIAL price, got free chicken wing added to the petrol tank.

3. jun jie s favourite phrase to chase everyone. since moving slowly is termed as slowly, to move faster, we should move fastly. FASTLY ftw.

4. all we did was to bask by the poolside and played water polo in the afternoons. everyone became black after that.

5. roller coaster ride at night. in the taxi. almost died. no lights, not even traffic lights, no seat belt.

6. watched a marathon of matches in the room.

7. and owe yew tong 25 points in hearts.

yep that s about it. the ride home was safe. managed to sleep, nice and smooth.

and after coming back, it was just spring cleaning almost every day or just reading jeffery deaver s books. loved roadside crosses. great read.

spent $17 on newton hawker food with 5 minus 1. went back to visit the kiddos too. all grown up. but quite screwed up. will go again probably next week before going to another island.

ok gotta work now. cage.

back from bintan

hello. back from bintan. was back on sunday, but didnt spawn till today. shall summarize the whole trip in a few words and upload some photos (maybe) another day.

it was good, if not, great. i dun think i m giving credit to the place, but to the company. ok maybe some credit to the venue, giving us the chance to get away from the hustle and bustle, just lying on the long ratan chair, enjoying the sea breeze and warm sun. it was a brilliant trip with lovely people. fun filled shit. hahah i love the new terms created. ok ok i shall upload some pics and account the whole thing for memory sake. that s what this blog is for anyway.

cage today. dead tiring. gave it my all, upped the game. nice session.

spring cleaning commences tomorrow i guess. or maybe the day after. gotta offer my free services. that s about it. till i m free, ta.






i will go nuts, that is,
if you haven't driven me.

New Year

One-twentifourth of the new year 2010 has gone and i m still here uploading pictures of fireworks.

Went to the Flyer with buddies yinglun, junjie and jeremy. there was zero atmosphere. everyone at the Flyer whipped out their cameras and just videoed the whole thing. hardly any cheering, or people going wild. just mr. su making those weird noises. hahaha. yea but that s what the countdown s for right? just make a fool of yourself. the bangla workers certainly enjoyed themselves, hogging the dancefloor. that s working hard in 2009, playing harder in 2010.

anyways, life s pretty stale. recent events.. hmm not much of a big deal. movies!! i only watched one. Sherlock Holmes last year. not bad, liked the smartness and the action. yea apart from that, i just stoned my life away. helped my aunt play some mahjong and that s probably my only income. but it s really good money. sit there and enjoy the entertainment throughout the night, and it works for nightbirds like me. the others are already half dead, or anger levels hitting sky high and just cant let the tiles do the talking. the only drawback is, i m blogging at this time of the night. can only sleep at 5am.

met up with lois and yong pin to get gabriel s stuff to cover his head and sent him off soon after dinner at Wakami? Watari? ah some Jap restaurant at Central. then went for a drink at clark quay. money just thrown down the gullet within seconds. ouch! i can gurantee you wont find me there often.

been training everyday either for NS or soccer. just had 2 matches, 1 official 1 training match. beat Reddy City 6-2. i loved the performance. the defence was good. was reading the team blog and realised how much we have grown. physically and mentally and cohesiveness. physically, dun have to say, can see la. sji buddies all grown from scrawny kids to musclemen. mentally, the thought processes, the way we think, the way we blogged, the way we settled disputes. cohesiveness. that s the main thing. read the top, "Established in 2006". That s almost 4 years. we have seen players come and go, the ex members list is getting longer and longer, but look at the current squad. the core is always there. these are the people who will stick with you through thick and thin. they are the ones who share your joy and sorrows and grow up with you. they are the ones who make fun of you, but you know and they know it s all in the name of fun. it s a fellowship. it s a brothership. wonderful bunch of guys i have here. from the times we kicked balls at the back of the class, hid in the classroom and got screwed by the HOD, got chased out by the old man at Dempsey, stranded at the furniture shop due to the downpour, got thrashed 5-0 and became a laughing stock, had slippers and shoes stolen at the chalet, played cards throughout the night, covered your ass when you missed the ball and cheered for you when you finally did something right. these are the ones. Chien Ming, Shawn, Ying Lun, Jun Jie, Zi Xiang, Reuben, Jeremy, Christopher, and yes you Ting Soon. you too. partners in crime, brothers for life.

aww. got me all emotional. was clearing my room the other time and stumbled upon stuff from NCC. the admin stuff, my own shooting targets, relay systems, and letters. letters from my partmates and the kiddos. while the bonds between the part wasnt that strong, it was still some good time reminiscing. and time i will look forward to in my next 2 years. what s there to fear in army? the kiddos. haha, they write some inspirational stuff too. well wishes for O level, words of thanks and encouragement and crap that was still worth smiling for. it made me look back and think, hell yea, i couldnt have done any better, i would still do the same if i turn back time. i wouldnt knock them down still, i would still teach all the drills and songs, maintain the tradition, and let them know everything i knew. that s the problem with SJI. they give you the chance to be moulded by others and let you mould others. everyone is a leader and a man for others. no regrets.

track chalet last week before the match. it was.. uncomparable to the previous one of course. just touch rugby, soccer, soaking in the pool, dinner at Carls, cards all night, 1 hour of wink, and Mac breakfast. that s it. ah well. tim's farewell, waited for peeps and went late. it was erm kinda disappointing but oh well again.

ok, enough of looking back for the time being. time to look forward. Bintan trip coming up! hope to have even better time with my buddies!

you are busy,

always always so busy.

JAPAN

Finally, i m done with uploading all the photos i wanna upload for the Japan trip. It took days!!!

Before reading on (that is if you bother to do so),there are some erm lets say, warnings or maybe just points to note.

1. This post is longer than the great wall of china.

2. Not all pictures are posted, it s just a small sample out of the 2700+ photos taken.

3. The pictures have gone through the process of censoring, because no old man's face can appear, only selected pictures of a middleaged woman, and minimal same generation pictures can appear.

4. That means, all the pictures will contain either me, or the scenary. so, if you are sick of it, just click the X button on the top right hand corner of the screen.

5. I will look practically the same in all pictures because i have only ONE pathetic set of outer wear. (dun worry i changed my underwear)

6. This is a record breaking feat: i never had so many photos taken in my entire life. thank you very much.

Let's go! Japan 2009.

13 December 09, Sunday

Set off for our dearest Changi International Airport.

Had dinner in transit.





Yep, it was an A380. Promotion la.





First time taking SIA, see how sad. So, i made sure i made full use of the entertainment and watched movie after movie within the 8 hour flight. Watched GI Joe which was quite the normal action pack movie. Watched Pixar's Up too. and i gotta agree that it s really a brilliant movie. 5 popcorns. Emotion connecting and audience relation. Ah, cant remember what else i watched.



14 December 09, Monday





Sun rise and we reached Narita Airport soon after. Oh, and i saw someone who looked like xunqi, really scary. It s amazing how people can look so similar, despite coming from different origins.





And we took our baggage and took train after train from Narita to Osaka.





Somewhere along the way, we waited 55 minutes for a train which never came as it met with an accident. So, we walked from the station all the way to our hotel, dragging the gigantic luggages on the streets.

Took a short rest before setting off to explore the hotel's vicinity.

And had Japansese curry rice for dinner.

Santa was either dancing with rudolf or fighting with it outside a Pachinko shop.

See all the metal ball bearings, they are like the chips for gambling.The Japs love the game, it s all over Japan because casino s forbidden.

They are ever eco friendly, with lines of bicycles along pavements, mostly unlocked.

Litter is rare, but dustbins are rarer. They keep their wastes in their pocket and find bins that are big enough to shove it in. Obviously this one can barely contain much, see the diao face. -_-

Just 3 statues.

Zebra stripes are long

15 December 09, Tuesday

Train station just outside hotel

We were on the way to Osaka Castle

And passed by some science museum i guess which looked kinda gross lol

here comes the food!

Ate along the way. Some small shop seem to be specializing in curry noodle.

Had to walk through a park to get to the castle

A park with beautiful autumn leaves even in winter

They failed the jump

Ok, that s the name of the park.

Finally at the entrance of the castle

The water is meant for people btw

The main building

Chiong ah!!!!

On the way out

To the Osaka Aquarium

Just by the port

Haha, this jelly fish represents the entire population in the aquarium, because i m too lazy to upload the rest

The Japanese are the most thoughtful inventors, especially in toilet technology. Hand dryer IN the sink. Oh and the bidet toilet bowls, they are ubiquitous

The wheel lights up at night

aquatic animals celebrating Christmas

Colonel Sanders celebrating Christmas

Left the aquarium in search of food

Actually it was suppose to be in search of the Christmas lighting, since they had some festival of lights

But parted with some cash at these street stalls in exchange for snacks like bacon and cheese sausages, simply irresistable

Finally at the main attraction

And late late dinner at the shopping centre near the hotel

16 December 09, Wednesday

Off to Kyoto!

Special carriage for women at certain times

Just outside the Kyoto Station

Bought a bus pass to ride around Kyoto

First stop: Imperial Palace

Nobody wanted to take photo with me, so i took with my dear bagpack that contains everybody's belongings. money, shoes, coats, makeup, water etc. just the representation of a family photo.

outside the palace

quick lunch before the guided tour

katsu don i think

the tour begins

Da Ren and Xiao Ren, how sad, kids are called xiao ren. And the bus entrance is via the back door. People will have to squeeze their way to the front to show the bus driver the pass before alighting. One time experience is more than enough.

Er, haha i forgot the name of this temple, i think it s Kiyomizudera Temple

Brilliant scenary as it is located all the way on the top of the hill

Fantastic for artistic photos

This is one of my favourites

Many high school kids climb all the way up just for this. haha i did it for fun too.

On the way down

Look at the time and look at the sky, that s winter time

17 December 09, Thursday

On the way to Kobe, changed train and stop by a shopping centre for lunch

had the most OISHII SUSHI ever

the ebi fry sushi is simply delicious. they set super high standards. fabulous stuff.

Mosaic shopping centre

But, we came here for this. SEAFOOD BOOOOOFFFAAATTTTT

We just ate and ate and ate. Comparative advantage.

18 December 09, Friday

Time to move. Checked out of Swissotel.

Headed for Tokyo

Caught a bug and slept on the bullet train

Passed Mt. Fuji

Checked into Mercure Hotel Ginza

Had the best ramen in the world for dinner!

Ippudo Ramen

Very tasty

Visited Akihabara, the Electric City where there was the latest Jap electronics after dinner. Had to be sardine packed in the train as it was peak hour. Went to see see only, everything was expensive.

19 December 09, Saturday

That s Chuo Street of Ginza, the street that boasts all the big brands. Chanel, Tiffany & co., Louis Vuitton all at our door step.

Bought a 1 day subway pass and travelled to Asakusa

Famous for its temple

Yea, the Red Lattern

They follow the Chinese zodiac too. Year of the Tiger coming up

Next up, to Ueno

Ameyoko's like a flea market, selling all kinds of stufff

Ueno Park

Next, to Roppongi Hills

Nice sunset with the Tokyo Tower standing out

Roppongi Hills is the futuristic Japan with modern skyscrapers built by Japan's own Donald Trump, who isnt famousenough for me to remember his name

And we walked from there past the Singapore embassy, Singapore Restaurant, and haha St. Andrew's church. Japanese are mostly Buddhists but turn Christians in December.

To the Tokyo Tower

Had to queue like mad to get up, just to get pictures of buildings in the dark. The only outstanding feature was the Rainbow Bridge in Pallete Town. YES that s where Pokemon originated. They have a Pokemon Centre there but we didnt have time to visit Odaiba.

Many couples were just waiting for this

Was famished and hunted for Yakitori. But forgot to take pictures of the food.

Except this! How sad. Mother didnt like the place as it was a bar with people smoking. So the mood was dampened. Yakitori is usually eaten with beer in bars.

Since Yakitori wasnt enough (damn ex!!) we had to turn to our international best friend - Mr. M for Mr. Money McDonald's

20 December 09, Sunday

Harajuku was the destination.

First stop: Meiji Shrine

We were lucky enough to catch a wedding. Eh no, it was 2 weddings.

Then we walked to the park next door. Yoyogi Park where all the weirdoes like this group perform acts. We went too early and only caught 3 acts, the band performing on the side walk was good. the other groups were just starting to set up when we left.

Then there was this whole land space for shops selling youngsters stuff. It was like the Bugis Street of Japan. Sadly, the price isnt the same as Bugis Street. In the end we only spent at Daiso, everything at $1 plus.

Lunch. Tempura Rice!

Cheap, comparatively and good.

Was looking for some shops but some went missing, Probably closed down.

Left Harajuku for Shibuya via their Yamanote circle line to the Hachiko Square, busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. it s like going into a war trying to cross the street.

Haha. dinner was the DIY BBQ.

something like Seoul Garden. but BETTER!

I wasnt the most stupid looking wearing the cake hat at Tokyu Hands near our hotel. my sis's specs was ultimate, too bad cant post.

21 December 09, Monday

Mt. Fuji tastes great! Better than ice kachang.

Joined the hotel's Gray Line Tour to Mt. Fuji and Hakone. There was some hoo haa in the morning as my dad forgot to bring the cam battery and we had to make a mad rush for it with the tour bus waiting. That s the problem with tours, never liked it. Too bad it was unrealistic to cab to Mt Fuji, take a few photos and go back, so we had to bear with it. Oh and the tap at the viewing place had no water, because the temperature was 0 degrees Celsius and even pee turns into ice. How cool! Literally.

At least the lunch was good. It was at some hotel in Hakone. Beautiful place to live.

Took the cable car over the volcanoes.

To a place obviously to scam tourists with black eggs.

One of the best shots of Mt. Fuji.

We had to climb all the way up the hill to buy the black eggs which was basically CHICKEN EGGS dyed black, similar to what the Chinese would do for birthday red eggs. 1 black egg s suppose to prolong your life by 7 years, 2 gives you 14 more years, 3 gives you a stomachache.

Oh and the sulphur was bad. Talk about controlling greenhouse gases in Kyoto when Hakone volcanoes fart so badly and they still wanna mine them to release even more.

100 yen per egg. That s $1 plus per egg.

Ah.. after getting off the smelly mountains, it s all peace and fresh air in Hakone. Too bad no one wanted to see naked men in the hot springs.

So we went for a river cruise instead.

For the view and the chilly cold air.

Yep that was about it, the tour. The bus took us back to our hotel (fortunately) or else we had to squeeze like sardines again in the JR trains at the peak hour. The other peeps who didnt stay at Mercure had to find their own way back after dropping them at some station.

oh this was interesting. it s the sign board of a restaurant just outside our hotel. it s 2 men and a woman, can you see it?

Had Yoshinoya for dinner which was ... just Yoshinoya. Dun worry, the Singapore branches didnt short change us with the beef bowls.

But it wasnt enough for me so i went to buy cheaper Yakitori near the Yurakucho Station. I actually conversed in Japanese! hahaha it was quite fun actually, asking for an English menu and da pau back to the hotel. Takeout-to!

22 December 09, Tuesday

Yep, Disneyland.

If only we could stay there, the Disneyland hotel.

oK, basically we went there hoping to relive the experience we had at Movie World or Sea World or DREAM WORLD in Goldcoast. Taking pants wetting rides, jaw dropping drops, or horrifying stunts. But.. we were sorely disappointed. Instead there were more kids than screams. The scariest thing there was Stitch.

However, the turkey drumstick didnt disappoint. That was for lunch. A $8 drumstick.

I shall be honest and say i liked Disneyland's experience. Despite not having those rides, it s like a magical place - for kids. The parades were brilliant. You know where all the Disney characters come out dancing in their fanciful costumes. The dancers were ever professional, never putting a step wrong and smiling all the way. And they do this everyday, to bring smiles to the kids.It s just sucha happy place to be in. The kids loved it and were all dancing to the tunes, some even could sing along (obviously not first timers). Sis went to Hong Kong and confirmed Japan s Disneyland is way better. So in conclusion, a Japanese speaking Mickey mouse sounds nicer than a Cantonese speaking one.

Ah.. dumb tourists throwing away money.

The trademark castle.

We missed the life sized walking creatures, so had to make do with the substitutes.

Walt Disney and Minnie.

I almost bought the hat, it s just nice for NS! But temperature in Singapore can cook eggs.

Night view

Dinner time!

Pizza!

The night parade. i m so ashamed of myself, i fell asleep halfway. with the Japanese made stereo speakers booming away, and the cough medicine taking effect, i actually slept sitting on the frozen floor.

Going home.

Here s some tips for those potential Disneyland visitors. Find those creatures and fight to take pictures in the morning. They sleep quite early. As for the rides, exciting rides are few. The rollercoaster, the water drop, and the best, indoor roller coaster Space Mountain. Best as in, in the park. Best so far for me, Movie World's Scooby Doo Ride. Plan your rides as you can claim Fast Pass tickets for popular rides, the queues waste a lot of time. Catch the parades, late morning, late afternoon and night. We were deprived of childhood, got thrown onto a roller coaster when others were hugging Goofy and Pluto. So, go there when you are still considered a kid.

I seriously suggest this to SMRT. Water coolers in train stations. Ok maybe not like this one which can turn into a water feature, the standard water cooler, instead of catching people drinking water on trains.

23 December 09, Wednesday

The SOP, dragging luggages all over Japan. This time we were moving for Narita. Last hotel. Last day. Had to go to Ueno to change train.

And have lunch there.

Delicious ramen!

a standard stall at Ameyoko. went back to buy more food, since we are already going back. this fella claim to be friends with Jackie Chan, the singapore chef Eric and everyone else la. bought clam to clamp his trap. but it s this type of shopkeepers that keep the place lively. everyone in Japan s so polite. People actually queue up to take photos, queue up to enter the train, and the sales people can stand in the cold all day long shouting the same thing over and over again. Truly amazing. Kudos to the japanese government to reduce unemployment, they are really good at creating jobs. 4 people direct traffic at a junction where there is already functional traffic lights. and people who stand on the streets to shout and advertise for shops when they can simply use a recorded voice and a banner. but i really admire their determination and work ethic. those who give out flyers say thank you to everyone whether they take it or not, similar to the bus drivers which are so respected, like a pilot. Singaporeans punch our own bus drivers. See the difference?

Mercure Hotel Narita, it s a complimentary stay, that s why.

Explored the place. Narita s really like Changi. Almost dead.

24 December 09, Thursday

That means time to go home.Took the hotel shuttle bus to the airport.

Had to repack everything, because we went duty free madness food shopping. Finally hunted down Shiroii Koibito.

Watched more movies, like Ice Age, Public Enemies and District 9. Rewatched others, meaning fast forward, Ugly Truth and Transformers. Just had to make full use of the entertainment. That s Tanah Merah Country Club.

And home sweet home. I was quite excited to go home, sick of staying in hotel rooms. Started to miss friends and everyone i care about. Missed the guitar and soccer ball. But not the 30 degrees. I will miss the climate and the friendly and fashionable people in Japan. Oh, the food too. That s it! Japan 09.