never judge a book by its cover. sound familiar? though overused and cliche, this routine phrase cannot be overemphasized because time after time after time, we find oursleves guilty of paying it disregard. well at least i do.

friends only appear as friends after trials by fire. enemies only appear as enemies after a loss is incured. sad as it may be, it takes a monumental event before relationships are tested, personalities are known and motives cleared. so treasure the friend who has been there for 8 years through your everything.

i've always thought i could size people up pretty quickly. with deadly accuracy (haha boy i've been spending too much time in army). and yet as i am about to approach my 25th birthday, i realise that i am none the wiser when it comes to intepreting people. what can i say? it's a learning experience everyday. haha. it's not always a negative experience though. haha.

anyway, cutting the crap. off to aust i go tmr. for a long 25 days. haha. i'll miss singapore for sure. haha. and i'll hate sand when i get back i know for sure. haha.

had a race yesterday in camp. men of steel it is titled. team of 5. run. 100 pullups. run. elevate barrel. 200 situps. depress barrel. run. half soc. run. cas-evac. jigsaw. sprint. my shoulders are aching. but at least we got 3rd. if u ask me, i was not aiming for anything. but i was certainly hoping for gold. haha. i'm a contradiction i know. haha. well third's not too bad. hmm had kah kiat weebing eric clarence (better pen it down in case god forbid we all lose touch). think they covered alot for me. all i could do was run run and run. hahaha.

medal cos i had a good team. team kk!

had a good last day today with lunch at west mall. met up with herk. long time. nice chat. havent had such a nice chat in a while. haha. interestingly i realise we somehow manage to always talk abt eng lang in someway or another during our dialogues. orthography was the topic of the day. was it? haha.

anyway i think i've grown old. i cannot carry out a brainless conversation for too long these days. honestly, my head hurts when i'm involved in one for too long. and when i'm with someone ready for small talk, i start rambling on abt something serious and impt. i've become an old fuddy duddy!!! ah well. it's part of the aging process. i guess i shld be thankful that i just talk like that without the grey hair and saggy skin.

arrgh old!

anyway i better get going. do a last check on the items i'm supposed to bring over to that god forsaken place ( i reckon it'll be like sungei gedong just 1000 times larger). haha. till i see you all again, take care. i'll try to buy a trinket or 2 for you. haha oh yes and did i mention rockhampton is th BEEEEEF capital of the world. well maybe not capital. but it has good beef. haha. that's another thing i'm looking forward to. haha. ciao!

{10:30 PM}

2 Comments:

Take care when in Australia, We all are waiting for you to come back to NUS.

By  Anonymous, at 11:44 AM  

My boss is eagering waiting for you to return to S'pore n play sports with him... =)

By  Anonymous, at 2:52 PM  

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last week's exercise went pretty well i guess. not very efficient but managed to iron out alot of things.

well this is my last sunday before i fly to aust this thrusday. half looking forward to it only. not sure if we are entirely prepared. oh well. this is the start of a long chain of exercises and courses for me. tempo's picking up now.

i realised somthing about my body this week. after not eating much for 2 days, my appetite in general has dropped drastically. during the 3 days of exercise, i basically at 1 meal a day. then i just realised i cannot finish one plate of chicken rice or 1 bowl of fish soup or a helping of sheng mian at all. feel so bloated. think i'm losing weight again. haha. and in order to get back to eating normally, i have to go thru the process of force feeding myself. which means each meal becomes a chore until i'm back to normal. doctors... any other way out? haha.

anyway just make a bet u guys. tomorow my rsm will say to me "sir ah, ni tou fa you yi dian chang le". i can just feel it. haha. but i'm waiting for the day of my flight to go cut. haha. anyway i gotta go back camp early today to settle stuff. haha. take care ya all!

{4:06 PM}

3 Comments:

So I guess you are no longer Mr Pao Pao Cha liao!

Wah OZ.. envious..

RC

By  Anonymous, at 5:46 PM  

hey take care when your're in Aust~

By  Anonymous, at 12:38 PM  

haha no more pao pao cha... haha...

thx for the well wishes guys!! meet up when i get back. ciao!

By  20 sec interval... fire!!, at 11:20 PM  

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gerri says i'm a perfectionist. i would disagree. i would not be in position if i was one. haha.

when is trying enough? when do you know you've reach your limits? when does quitting mean you've tried your best? these questions.

no time to write. back to kranji to prepare for exercise. haha. till next time. ciao!

{8:27 PM}

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was DO on saturday again. so came out of camp on sunday morning.

went to have lunch with gerri at la mian xiao long bao and then play badminton with wq francis and sis.

while transiting from lunch to badminton, i went to uob to deposit some cash (yes i'm still doing manual transfers from posb to uob everytime my money comes in... racecar ur not alone... haha)

was approached by a personal banker trying to convince me to create this new savings account with 3-5% guranteed interest. but as the conversation went on it seemed clear that savings was clearly not the thing for me:

Banker: I'm sure every month you put aside some money to save.
Me: No.
Banker: Not at all?
Me: Only if I am planning to get something.
Banker: Ok. Then have you thought about getting married in the future. You have to save for that right?
Me: Nope. I don't think so far.
Banker: Do you drive?
Me: Nope and I have no intention of getting a car.
Banker: So you have nothing you're saving for now?
Me: Errrm... does a holiday trip in june and a sony vaio laptop in august count?
Banker: Short term goals huh? But yes you see if you keep saving in your current account you only get 0.25% where as if you change you will get 3-5%.
Me: But I want to go on the trip next June and buy the laptop next August so interest will amount to like what 10 dollars?
Banker: ....

HAHAHA

it wasnt as bad as how it sounds by reading that out loud though. it was a pretty funny conversation. even left my contact details and told him to call me next aug when i start drawing salary from moe. haha.

well i guess close friends would know what sort of person i am. haha. i don't save for a rainy day because when you might not live to see that rainy day. haha. why live your life preempting a day that you will need spare cash? that's a rather pessimistic way of living life right? haha. i can hear some people saying "be realistic nicholas" but well i guess it's just the way i'd rather live my life. why worry about all the "ifs" even if they are likely to happen. it's a grey line. some people would have you believe that you should not worry so much about things that may or may not happen and yet in the same breath they chide you for not planning for your future. haha. funny gens these people are.

anyway yeah right now i'm living with the means of an NSF officer. it's pretty fine for me. if i earn 500 a month, i'll spend like i have 500 a month. if i earn 100k a month, i'll spend like i earn 100k a month. nothing strange nothing weird. i just adapt to changing circumstances. haha. come on folks!! join me!! hahaha...

ok this is borderline rambling already. anyway 20sa and yaoqi have just flown to india for their live firing evaluation. haha. mine will be soon i guess. haha. don't know if i am looking forward to live firing.

anyway planning to visit jamie next june in hokkaido. anyone want to join in? free accomodation up to availablity from the language queen! haha. well i gotta go to school to settle my final submission. ciao!

{9:59 AM}

1 Comments:

How bout saving to help your loved ones when in need?

You know you can come to me when you need to borrow millions of dollars next time. =x

车车

By  Anonymous, at 7:52 PM  

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read sumiko tan's article on cyber-loafing today in lifestyle. it's been a while since i read her articles and i thought she was losing her style a little. but a line struck me today:

"if i want to get in touch with a friend, i no longer write him a letter, i just send him an sms, and i expect a reply, pronto, in 30 seconds flat, or i'll get mad."

haha to tell u the truth, i do get mad sometimes. haha. but i've been getting mad so often these days, i too start to reply smses later and later. dun ask me why. it's not a tit for tat thing but hey. so ok. here's my resolution. i aim to reply all your smses within 30 seconds. hopefully u will reply mine in 30 too! haha.

anyway LES AMIS has reopened. i wonder who will be willing to try it with me. haha. sorry guys, i can't say my trest this time. your poor nsf here is earning barely enough to feed himself. haha. so any takers? prepare about 200 bucks for top service and the best french cuisine in singapore.

had a good game of tennis this morning. my placement is getting better after the long hiatus, and hitting with more varied depth and spins. it's good to really play sports when life gets you down. haha. i always need to fa xie a little which is why i like tennis and badminton so much (especially badminton... when you get the chance to do multiple consecutive smashes... and you grunt... haha... all ur pent up frustration gets released... haha refreshing)

anyway talked to this ajumma last night. my ex-korean classmate. she's moving on to level 6 korean liao. so impressive. i'm so motivated to retake korean again. so any takers. looking for young dynamic individual keen on learning a new language. must be willing to spend tuesday and thursday nights at korean school and will to go through with it for extended periods. only motivated individuals need apply. haha

look at the bbdc website now. looking to start. finally getting off my tuckus to do stuff. haha.

anyway i'll check back with you guys soon. haha. dun forget me. dun miss me! haha.

{2:52 PM}

4 Comments:

haha... i can't promise that 30-sec thingy. u know i dun carry my personal hp in the wards most of the time...

By  Gerri, at 9:34 PM  

30seconds how can siah!
Next time I tell my students 'pls give me a moment while i reply an sms to a friend.' -_-

ɹɐɔ3ɔɐɹ

By  Anonymous, at 11:37 PM  

woh 30 secs! haha...most of the time, it's the network problem lah...i.e. the fault does not lie on the recipient... =)

By  Anonymous, at 10:37 PM  

haha... waaah... seriously la... maybe 30 mins seems more like a better interval...

i just hate it when people dun reply... but then again... i think i'm guilty of it now... sad case...

By  20 sec interval... fire!!, at 9:58 AM  

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everyone seems to be having relationship problems these days. yes relationship in the broader context: family issues, friendship issues, office politics etc...

sometimes i think it's an asset to be emotionally numb. haha. then u get thru life with as little bumps and hiccups along the way. u pull that dagger in your back out and continue working like nothing has gone wrong. or you start dating someone else again like u've never dated before. it's painless and fuss-free.

in a clearer state of mind. everyone would say that life's not worth living unless you experience both the ups and the downs. but when you're down, this philosophy doesnt look too right. haha.

so my wish to all of you who have have suffered stabs in the back, who have problems with a significant other, who have "fair weather" friends, etc... is the strength to pull through.

haha oh ya. with the umbrella song by rihanna being played on the radio at least 5 times daily, jerome showed me a softer version by mandy moore. haha. sounded weird at first, but this slwer version brings the bridge out better i think. haha. the lyrics also deem carry a different meaning sung like that.

Mandy Moore - Umbrella


Mandy Moore - Umbrella Lyrics

You had my heart
and we'll never be world apart
Maybe in magazines
but you'll still be my star
Baby cause in the Dark
You can see shiny Cars
that's when you need me there
With you I'll always share
Because...

When the sun shines
We’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath
I'mma stick it out 'till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Told you we still have each other
You can stand under my Umbrella
You can stand under my Umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella eh eh)

These fancy things,
will never come in between
You're my entity
Here for Infinity
When the war has took it's part
When the world has dealt it's cards
If the hand is hard
Together we'll mend your heart
Because ...

When the sun shines
We'll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath
I'mma stick it out 'till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Told you we still have each other
You can stand under my Umbrella

You can stand under my Umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella

You can run into my Arms
That's okay don't be alarmed
(Come into Me)
(There's no distance in between our love)
Gonna let the rain pour
I'll be all you need and more ooohh
Because ...

When the sun shines
We'll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath
I'mma stick it out 'till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Told you we still have each other
You can stand under my Umbrella
You can stand under my Umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella ella eh eh eh)

It's raining
Ooo baby it's raining (raining)
baby come into me
Come into me
It's raining
Ooo baby it's raining
Come into me
Come into me

anyway, it's going to be a busy 2 weeks for me again. prep for november exercise. oh well. i miss my freinds who i havent seen in a while. hope u guys are all ok. take care.

{8:18 PM}

1 Comments:

Good post.

By  Anonymous, at 12:26 AM  

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