today i was doing community service at redhill moral home for the aged.
yeah, some of you may ask, why am i doing comms service when i'm in the army? well, OC felt it would be good to instill into the guys some moral discipline and community spirit. i also felt that it would be a good chance for my guys to grow, both spiritually and morally. also, it had been some time since i've done some community service, so might as well...
whenever i tell my friends i do community service, they go... "WHAT"!!!! yeah. that's the reaction i get. notwithdstanding that i got 250+ hours of comms service under my belt in JC. sigh. sometimes, i think i really am not predisposed to do good in people's eyes. well i hope i am eventually.
plus i remember the camp better world in sec 3/4, with clarence and cheng yu. that was fun, and opened my eyes to another world altogether.
but i digress.
anyway, today was just like a normal community service; proceed to the home, clean the rooms of the elderly etc etc etc. spread a little CNY cheer you know, for the elderly. most of them were old samsui women and men who had been left by their children. how sad.
these were the pioneers of modern singapore, these were the people that build singapore up with blood sweat and tears, who had been the cornerstone of many of our achievements today.
(bah lost my train of thought thanks to joanna seetoh)
bugger.
On a less sober note: "LIFE IS MORE FUN WHEN YOU'RE DRUNK and LIFE IS MORE DRUNK WHEN YOU'RE FUN" -Jo
haha... interesting quote really. why is there a need to take responsibility for you actions when you are drunk? you can just say: wait, i was drunk.
but no, it doesn't apply to statutory rape.
it doesn't apply to any rape.
it doesn't apply to drug usage.
it doesn't apply to drunk driving.
my point is, take responsibility for your own actions, for your own choices. (i realise i do really like to blog about choices). i'm really level headed when i'm high, funny as it may sound. perhaps it's the principles and beliefs that govern a person's life that makes that person behave regardless of situation or drunkedness.
and really, it's really your own choice how you want to behave. i guess i'm really really over my days when i just wanted to go club to drink and get high. it doesn't hold that much of an appeal for me anymore. sigh. maybe that's the sad thing, for "life is less fun when you are sober"
but is fun all we need in life? perhaps those people who are fooling around, having fun, unwilling to commit are just those who have been hurt before, who have emotional scars. and they just want to release and heal those scars before the time comes.
which brings me to finding ms/mr right. go read life today if you want. where the commentary was on finding your soulmate. Quote: Mr Right can come at the wrong time. Unquote. How true.
"When Mr Right comes at the wrong time". Only some lucky people marry the loves of their lives. the rest marry the most suitable person who come along when they are ready to settle down. sigh how true. and really, first loves are always sweet and saccharine, to the point of pukish to outsiders. and really as you progress through life, you won't marry someone you really love. i guess.
which brings me back to my community service. how sad that even in singapore, we have to contend with old folks being left alone and destitute. without family. correction: there was this one lady with 17 grandchildren. count them. SEVENTEEN. and none of them gave her money to survive. and she is now embroiled in family court battle, making lawyers rich, the sneaky bastards.
not that i have anything against lawyers:)
but she has 17 grandchildren. granted, some of them are good for nothings, ending up in jail. others earn 4-5k, and do not give her any money! how do i know this? through speaking with the said lady in question, and understanding aruond 40% because it was in dialect.
how sad.
we are heading towards a population crisis. in the future. or even now. parents are seeing their children marrying out of the country (with our international relationships today), and gone are the days when couples have children at 23 and below. which biologically, is the best time to have offspring. in fact, with career being the foremost on males AND females minds today, there is slim chance that people will even settle down before the age of 30. give and take 10 years.
is it really that hard to marry someone at 18? ermm dumb question. of course. but i have a friend who married in the army! or rather in medical school. sigh. the pressures of success, of career, of money, of self become so much more important than family. how sad. and how true.
so when our generation grow up, do we expect to support 4 elders? which is really the case in china right now. with the 1 child policy rearing its ugly head. 1 couple to support 2 couples to support 4 couples. 4-2-1. it's unsustainable.
or reverse malthusian for those inclined to economics.
think about it.
lip
ranting
Monday, January 31, 2005
Friday, January 28, 2005
Blog Surfing
i found blogs!!!
jared's blog at (Removed)
williams's blog at http://rampantdisorder.blogspot.com
zhaoling's blog at http://stjamespark.blogspot.com/
jesse's at http://butzbe.blogspot.com
alex's at http://teddylex.blogspot.com/ (he has another one:)
shawn's at http://knifeslash.blogspot.com/
shar's is secret:) both of them:)
i still got alot of blog address: but too lazy to post all of them up:) even fiona xie's blog (thanks to xiaxue on this:) haha
to find: CLARENCE'S BLOG.. fucker.. can't find it.. will have to look
ubiquity of bloggerness... hmmm.. everyone's blogging.. as a release? as a form of entertainment? or as a blogger thingy? i dunno man
common thread in all of them? -AWWW LIFE SUCKS! I HATE MY CURRENT LIFE IN ARMY/NUS/NTU/SMU/OVERSEAS whereever!!! except for those who have gf's/bfs (then they'll complain - awww my life sucks! i have this on this day and i can't spend it with her/ OR she's freaking me out! i'm worried about her. help me. i love her. i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her... you get the idea.) or him
i happen to be female biased
wadever man. everyone's life sucks:) face it. the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side. so what? enjoy you life. enjoy the choices you made. YOU MADE those choices. you screwed your life up:) it's never your fault you say, it's alway's the government/the professors/that guy/that girl/my dad/my mum. whatever! the world is interconnected. too bad we are social creatures, that we must deal with uncertainty about people, and their choices they make. it's so philosophical. sophistry:) utter bullshit
that's my new word: sophistry. haha in other words, bull shit. "we have to raise bus fares" WHY "because we haven't raised it for 5 years!"
utter sophistry.
and don't get me started on aid man. AID TO AFRICAN COUNTRIES IS SNUFFING THEIR LIFE OUT! they need to get their own initiative back on track. UNCLE SAM! stop being the world bully you are! let people make their own choices!
seems like it applies to me as well:) stop poking my nose into other people's affairs unless they ask
sigh...
watched hotel rwanda yesterday. seems like genocide is really.. dumb i guess.. in context? well, hokkien's killing teochews. hainan's killing cantonese. no sense. we are humans. all of us. brothers. why let skin colour, hair colour, eye shape, finger length, penis width, decide the differences between us?
MY PENIS IS LARGER THAN YOURS! THUS I AM BETTER!
utter sophistry
lip
ranting
jared's blog at (Removed)
williams's blog at http://rampantdisorder.blogspot.com
zhaoling's blog at http://stjamespark.blogspot.com/
jesse's at http://butzbe.blogspot.com
alex's at http://teddylex.blogspot.com/ (he has another one:)
shawn's at http://knifeslash.blogspot.com/
shar's is secret:) both of them:)
i still got alot of blog address: but too lazy to post all of them up:) even fiona xie's blog (thanks to xiaxue on this:) haha
to find: CLARENCE'S BLOG.. fucker.. can't find it.. will have to look
ubiquity of bloggerness... hmmm.. everyone's blogging.. as a release? as a form of entertainment? or as a blogger thingy? i dunno man
common thread in all of them? -AWWW LIFE SUCKS! I HATE MY CURRENT LIFE IN ARMY/NUS/NTU/SMU/OVERSEAS whereever!!! except for those who have gf's/bfs (then they'll complain - awww my life sucks! i have this on this day and i can't spend it with her/ OR she's freaking me out! i'm worried about her. help me. i love her. i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her.i love her... you get the idea.) or him
i happen to be female biased
wadever man. everyone's life sucks:) face it. the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side. so what? enjoy you life. enjoy the choices you made. YOU MADE those choices. you screwed your life up:) it's never your fault you say, it's alway's the government/the professors/that guy/that girl/my dad/my mum. whatever! the world is interconnected. too bad we are social creatures, that we must deal with uncertainty about people, and their choices they make. it's so philosophical. sophistry:) utter bullshit
that's my new word: sophistry. haha in other words, bull shit. "we have to raise bus fares" WHY "because we haven't raised it for 5 years!"
utter sophistry.
and don't get me started on aid man. AID TO AFRICAN COUNTRIES IS SNUFFING THEIR LIFE OUT! they need to get their own initiative back on track. UNCLE SAM! stop being the world bully you are! let people make their own choices!
seems like it applies to me as well:) stop poking my nose into other people's affairs unless they ask
sigh...
watched hotel rwanda yesterday. seems like genocide is really.. dumb i guess.. in context? well, hokkien's killing teochews. hainan's killing cantonese. no sense. we are humans. all of us. brothers. why let skin colour, hair colour, eye shape, finger length, penis width, decide the differences between us?
MY PENIS IS LARGER THAN YOURS! THUS I AM BETTER!
utter sophistry
lip
ranting
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Less Thought About Post
a significantly less thought-about post today. mainly for the fact that i don't really want to think so much.
today's topic of choice is... CHOICES! sigh... sometimes i wonder, is it right to pull someone back from the path they have chosen? or you must shoulder the responsibility of knowing you could have done something about a path and did not, for you gave that someone the freedom of his/her own choosing?
i realise i am very alone in my musings. i like to think, to analyze, to appreciate. choices. would i as a parent, let my child choose his own path? or would i serve to influence him to take the path i deem best for him? similar to friends. would i let friends i care about choose a path i have a instinct to be wrong? or would you let her learn for herself? sometimes we can only do so much...
i guess i'm a typical libra, always content to be in the shadow, believing in my own ability too much to enroach upon a situation. sometimes, intervention is required, but personally, i am too much of a spectator rather than an actor on the stage of life. life is funny really; sometimes choices really are not made by you, but influenced by the friends around you. but is it really fair to what you want in your own heart? sigh. opportunity cost. economics. haha
sometimes i look at the situation i am in. i really am such a klutz around girls:) i am not a sweet talker, i am not someone who is forthright with feelings. i tend to be objective, rational and sincere in dealings with people, or rather, i am trying to be objective rational and sincere. perhaps the best compliment paid to me thus far is not for my talents, but rather, for my effort in overcoming my main weakness: arrogance and complacency. i need to work towards a more humble self, to overcome my short comings, to be sincere in relationships. i guess i really am extroverted after all...
i shall blog on aid relief in UN countries in my next blog. somethings you really have to know about aid you are giving to africans and east timorese. it's being corrupted. really:) read Jim Roger's book "Adventure Capitalist" for a background info.
time to go to dreamland. i'll miss the army i guess, but it's a new phase of life. really had lots of friends there. and i really hoped i made a difference in the lives of my subordinates. i really tried my best.
lip
ranting
today's topic of choice is... CHOICES! sigh... sometimes i wonder, is it right to pull someone back from the path they have chosen? or you must shoulder the responsibility of knowing you could have done something about a path and did not, for you gave that someone the freedom of his/her own choosing?
i realise i am very alone in my musings. i like to think, to analyze, to appreciate. choices. would i as a parent, let my child choose his own path? or would i serve to influence him to take the path i deem best for him? similar to friends. would i let friends i care about choose a path i have a instinct to be wrong? or would you let her learn for herself? sometimes we can only do so much...
i guess i'm a typical libra, always content to be in the shadow, believing in my own ability too much to enroach upon a situation. sometimes, intervention is required, but personally, i am too much of a spectator rather than an actor on the stage of life. life is funny really; sometimes choices really are not made by you, but influenced by the friends around you. but is it really fair to what you want in your own heart? sigh. opportunity cost. economics. haha
sometimes i look at the situation i am in. i really am such a klutz around girls:) i am not a sweet talker, i am not someone who is forthright with feelings. i tend to be objective, rational and sincere in dealings with people, or rather, i am trying to be objective rational and sincere. perhaps the best compliment paid to me thus far is not for my talents, but rather, for my effort in overcoming my main weakness: arrogance and complacency. i need to work towards a more humble self, to overcome my short comings, to be sincere in relationships. i guess i really am extroverted after all...
i shall blog on aid relief in UN countries in my next blog. somethings you really have to know about aid you are giving to africans and east timorese. it's being corrupted. really:) read Jim Roger's book "Adventure Capitalist" for a background info.
time to go to dreamland. i'll miss the army i guess, but it's a new phase of life. really had lots of friends there. and i really hoped i made a difference in the lives of my subordinates. i really tried my best.
lip
ranting
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Someone told me this...
"When Conscience governs Vision, Discipline and Passion, You get a Gandhi. When Ego governs Vision, Discipline and Passion, You get a Hitler..."
Vision, Discipline and Passion. To be truly great, one needs a combination of all three, governed by conscience and ya your beliefs and morals. You also need humility, something i am in short supply of. you need to put the needs of others above your own.. oh well
read shar's blog today. insecurity... hmmmm.. is it good to be insecure? actually, we all are, i just choose to ignore it. after all, only the exhibition and externalising of insecurities can anyone truly tell you are insecure... we are all human, and to be great, you have to let others know you are not the super CEO or the superman or super president we all come to expect. you are human. as human as those who died in the tsunami. as human as the guy next to you at the traffic jam...
there is a price to pay for success. i really have been paying very little for mine.. i truly am blessed, and i recognise that.. others with much more success have paid much much more. is it not true that our PM is only human? to lose a wife and to have an abnormal kid, doesn't it cut him as deeply as the rest of us?
the sooner we realise we are all similar can the world improve on its disposition. i paid prices, sacrifices and had many breaks in life. i hope to be generous, to bring joy to other people.
on to a less heavy topic...
ALFIE!!!! good show man.. i suggest all CADS watch it:) and all those lost in their relationships. funny how a show can be so comtemplative and so insightful. Alfie is a good show, everyone must watch it!
next show : KINSEY:)
lip
ranting
"When Conscience governs Vision, Discipline and Passion, You get a Gandhi. When Ego governs Vision, Discipline and Passion, You get a Hitler..."
Vision, Discipline and Passion. To be truly great, one needs a combination of all three, governed by conscience and ya your beliefs and morals. You also need humility, something i am in short supply of. you need to put the needs of others above your own.. oh well
read shar's blog today. insecurity... hmmmm.. is it good to be insecure? actually, we all are, i just choose to ignore it. after all, only the exhibition and externalising of insecurities can anyone truly tell you are insecure... we are all human, and to be great, you have to let others know you are not the super CEO or the superman or super president we all come to expect. you are human. as human as those who died in the tsunami. as human as the guy next to you at the traffic jam...
there is a price to pay for success. i really have been paying very little for mine.. i truly am blessed, and i recognise that.. others with much more success have paid much much more. is it not true that our PM is only human? to lose a wife and to have an abnormal kid, doesn't it cut him as deeply as the rest of us?
the sooner we realise we are all similar can the world improve on its disposition. i paid prices, sacrifices and had many breaks in life. i hope to be generous, to bring joy to other people.
on to a less heavy topic...
ALFIE!!!! good show man.. i suggest all CADS watch it:) and all those lost in their relationships. funny how a show can be so comtemplative and so insightful. Alfie is a good show, everyone must watch it!
next show : KINSEY:)
lip
ranting
Thursday, January 20, 2005
i require humility...
my friends, please tell me if and when i do go into my egotistical self... i realized that's my biggest flaw, and hopefully i can change for the better. no body's perfect, but then, one can aim for perfection...
eoac has really helped me alot. thanks mr soh, thanks oc for showing me myself and making me understand myself more...
ranting
my friends, please tell me if and when i do go into my egotistical self... i realized that's my biggest flaw, and hopefully i can change for the better. no body's perfect, but then, one can aim for perfection...
eoac has really helped me alot. thanks mr soh, thanks oc for showing me myself and making me understand myself more...
ranting
Monday, January 17, 2005
how frail is human life?
where the hundreds of thousands die in a single stroke of nature? where death, disease and sickness takes away those we love, and those we never had a chance to say that we love?
i am so lucky. my mum was in new york on september 11th. she climbed the world trade centre just a week before it was brought down. we are so lucky. to be living in singapore, to be the centre of a shipping line, to be a city state, united in our diversity, yet living in a troubled region.
how lucky am i, to be able to live.
i have a friend. he lost someone very dear to him. and she lied to keep him from knowing the truth about illness, about suffering about death. how many of us will do that for someone we love? how many of us will lie to save us the devastation we could cause someone we care about? and when you slip away into your dream forever, how many of us could be so irresponsible? thinking that a lie in life could fade away in death, only to cause more devastion and grief to those we love...
if you have not shown your love, do it today. live life as though every day is your last.
my friends, i love you all. thanks for being there for me. for being my guidance and my support, for being my joy and my company. to clarence, jesse, alex, jianrong, zhenliang, hongyan, wendy, weng, maria, chan lek, joses, jeff, jenny, jo. thanks for being part of my life for my 2 years in jc
to yaoquan, yaoyu, mingyan, zihui, jianfeng, shuyi, serene, my primary school friends. thanks for being part of my formative years. humans are such frail creatures. and we pass by so many relationships, some more serious than others, others having much more bearing on our life later.
thanks to my piano friends, rodney, diane, jianhong, weizhen, florrine, mingjing, and many others i may have remembered the face, but not the name. you all have influenced my life, lighted my passion for music.
for guidance, thanks to all my teachers. i know i am a brat. i still am. ms wong, thanks a lot for trusting me, ms how for guidance and passion, ms tey, ms rachel lee, ms madeline yeo (now mrs maas:)), mdm fang yuan, my piano teacher. thank you for making me the person i am today.
thanks for my best friends in life. sharleen, i owe you a lot for teaching me about life and love. thanks. for everyone.
dad mum, sis and bro. i love you.
to everyone...
carpe diem
lip
ranting
where the hundreds of thousands die in a single stroke of nature? where death, disease and sickness takes away those we love, and those we never had a chance to say that we love?
i am so lucky. my mum was in new york on september 11th. she climbed the world trade centre just a week before it was brought down. we are so lucky. to be living in singapore, to be the centre of a shipping line, to be a city state, united in our diversity, yet living in a troubled region.
how lucky am i, to be able to live.
i have a friend. he lost someone very dear to him. and she lied to keep him from knowing the truth about illness, about suffering about death. how many of us will do that for someone we love? how many of us will lie to save us the devastation we could cause someone we care about? and when you slip away into your dream forever, how many of us could be so irresponsible? thinking that a lie in life could fade away in death, only to cause more devastion and grief to those we love...
if you have not shown your love, do it today. live life as though every day is your last.
my friends, i love you all. thanks for being there for me. for being my guidance and my support, for being my joy and my company. to clarence, jesse, alex, jianrong, zhenliang, hongyan, wendy, weng, maria, chan lek, joses, jeff, jenny, jo. thanks for being part of my life for my 2 years in jc
to yaoquan, yaoyu, mingyan, zihui, jianfeng, shuyi, serene, my primary school friends. thanks for being part of my formative years. humans are such frail creatures. and we pass by so many relationships, some more serious than others, others having much more bearing on our life later.
thanks to my piano friends, rodney, diane, jianhong, weizhen, florrine, mingjing, and many others i may have remembered the face, but not the name. you all have influenced my life, lighted my passion for music.
for guidance, thanks to all my teachers. i know i am a brat. i still am. ms wong, thanks a lot for trusting me, ms how for guidance and passion, ms tey, ms rachel lee, ms madeline yeo (now mrs maas:)), mdm fang yuan, my piano teacher. thank you for making me the person i am today.
thanks for my best friends in life. sharleen, i owe you a lot for teaching me about life and love. thanks. for everyone.
dad mum, sis and bro. i love you.
to everyone...
carpe diem
lip
ranting
welcome all my avid blodgers:)
I just got news that my post about my hates made me look bad:)
aww...
sorry man. I really am sorry. but i stand by my views:) you can fuck me for it, complain all you like, flame me, spread rumours that i'm gay.. wadever:)
freedom of speech is something we should have. and freedom of choice too...
so choose your own path, your own destiny.
yeah i dun mind looking bad:) after all, i've always looked bad anyway... =) not that i don't know hehe... but the ability to laugh at yourself, and to keep an open mind and a positive outlook i believe is more important than looking good.
yeah:) n no more flaming here:) i hope. unless something really really really pisses me off again.. and this blog is meant to be like my release from the world. hehe...
EOAC ending liaoz.. end of army course! adious people. and thanks for the memories!
ranting
I just got news that my post about my hates made me look bad:)
aww...
sorry man. I really am sorry. but i stand by my views:) you can fuck me for it, complain all you like, flame me, spread rumours that i'm gay.. wadever:)
freedom of speech is something we should have. and freedom of choice too...
so choose your own path, your own destiny.
yeah i dun mind looking bad:) after all, i've always looked bad anyway... =) not that i don't know hehe... but the ability to laugh at yourself, and to keep an open mind and a positive outlook i believe is more important than looking good.
yeah:) n no more flaming here:) i hope. unless something really really really pisses me off again.. and this blog is meant to be like my release from the world. hehe...
EOAC ending liaoz.. end of army course! adious people. and thanks for the memories!
ranting
Saturday, January 15, 2005
HEY BARN!
I'm VINDICATED!
MSN Chat wif WL:)
celebrate what s right with the world says:
just went for a run with XXX....told him abt howu hatedbarn..haha...
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
then wad she said
celebrate what s right with the world says:
she agreed totally..
celebrate what s right with the world says:
ahaha...she s lamenting how blind she was
celebrate what s right with the world says:
to have accepted him..
celebrate what s right with the world says:
ha...as far as barn is concerned, i always speak ill of him in front of XXX..haah
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
can i quote u?
celebrate what s right with the world says:
but joanna is ur ex s nest(sic) fren rite
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
yeah
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
how u know joanna
celebrate what s right with the world says:
XXX knew!
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
HAHA
celebrate what s right with the world says:
i dun know who she is la... she must be somewhat similar to su ann la!!aahah
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
VERY FUNNY
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
haha
Vindicated.
I'm not the only one:)
ranting
I'm VINDICATED!
MSN Chat wif WL:)
celebrate what s right with the world says:
just went for a run with XXX....told him abt howu hatedbarn..haha...
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
then wad she said
celebrate what s right with the world says:
she agreed totally..
celebrate what s right with the world says:
ahaha...she s lamenting how blind she was
celebrate what s right with the world says:
to have accepted him..
celebrate what s right with the world says:
ha...as far as barn is concerned, i always speak ill of him in front of XXX..haah
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
can i quote u?
celebrate what s right with the world says:
but joanna is ur ex s nest(sic) fren rite
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
yeah
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
how u know joanna
celebrate what s right with the world says:
XXX knew!
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
HAHA
celebrate what s right with the world says:
i dun know who she is la... she must be somewhat similar to su ann la!!aahah
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
VERY FUNNY
purple dinos are disturbing my peace. i hate purple dinos says:
haha
Vindicated.
I'm not the only one:)
ranting
Friday, January 14, 2005
sigh
sometimes i wonder where that someone i can talk to without fear of hiding behind a mask is. i realised in 20 years, a lot can happen. sometimes, everyone should take up their photo albums, their diaries and re read what they had in mind last time.
do you believe in soul mates? do you really? or is everyone just caught up in their veneer of outward happiness and inward sorrows?
sometimes i really hate being gep. causes you to overanalyze things. and lose the ones you love. or loved.
wishing everyone a happy new year.
ranting
sometimes i wonder where that someone i can talk to without fear of hiding behind a mask is. i realised in 20 years, a lot can happen. sometimes, everyone should take up their photo albums, their diaries and re read what they had in mind last time.
do you believe in soul mates? do you really? or is everyone just caught up in their veneer of outward happiness and inward sorrows?
sometimes i really hate being gep. causes you to overanalyze things. and lose the ones you love. or loved.
wishing everyone a happy new year.
ranting
Sunday, January 09, 2005
This is an excerpt from my reflections. Perhaps I really am suited for the military.
haha
Perhaps the course is lacking in its diversity. 14 NSF officers do not make for a very experienced course, as I have reflected on in previous weeks. However, I feel that what is the mindset and mental model from keeping my fellow peers from learning is that same Singaporean education model trumped over the past 20 years. In Singapore, Education is spoon fed. I read the valedictory speeches, the emails on the “llumination wall”, the articles on Thinking Hats and Span of Control, the newspaper forums on Mr. Soh’s office cubicle wall. (I think I read everything, even safety postersJ). What struck me is that Singapore students are so used to being spoon-fed knowledge; it has created a culture of teaching, rather than learning. This is very apparent in the shift to a more thinking culture during our A levels; I personally found the thinking and analysis question interesting and fun, while my peers found it challenging and hard. I hope that someday, the students in EOAC will be able to find illumination in the theories and tools that the instructors are teaching now. I do not profess to understand everything, but I will constantly think and analyse to understand and hopefully, utilize the tools in the future.
Another issue that struck me during the week was the expulsion of 2 OCTs from the Cadet Course. I believe that the actions were right. In fact, for my course, some cadets should not have been commissioned in the first place. When the men look upon the Officers for leadership, a bad apple in the entire officer corp. would reflect badly on the rest of the officers. Again, I am circumspect in my reflection, as I must profess that I have not been a model officer all throughout my PC tour. I did try my best, and I find joy and satisfaction in getting to know my men (who are my peers in JC), and helping my specialists and men solve their myriad of problems in the personal lives. Being in CBRD gives me the opportunity to do CD FAM around the units of the SAF, and personally, I have had the opportunity to talk to many men who are disillusioned with the leadership in the SAF at the moment. Perhaps some will learn along the way during their NS lives, others will just be shot by their men during wartime. And to tell the truth, I wouldn’t blame them one bit.
The week ended with the Engineer Officer’s Convention. The most vivid images were the ones of Melauboh and the destruction the Sumatran earthquake has wrought on Indonesia. While it is prudent on the diplomatic level to offer assistance and help, I believe that the SAF has indeed administered disproportional assistance with limited aid. And again, this is due to our leaders in Singapore. I am also inspired by CA, LTC Alex who struck me as an ordinary citizen doing his bid for the country. I for one am unsure if given the opportunity and responsibility, I would also offer to extend my service. I have already made sacrifices in choosing to go OCS instead of MDC, and sacrifices when I chose to study abroad instead of rooting myself to Singapore. Through it all, I believe that EOAC has indeed made sense of NS to me as a whole, and equipped me with many life tools for the future. There is always a need to balance the self and external demands for your time. Well, at the moment, if we are require in relief operations, I, as an NSF, do not mind certainly extending my ORD to assist in the relief efforts. “Those with the ability to do something have the responsibility to act” – Colin Powell. I believe I have the ability, and thus it carries with it the responsibility.
ranting
haha
Perhaps the course is lacking in its diversity. 14 NSF officers do not make for a very experienced course, as I have reflected on in previous weeks. However, I feel that what is the mindset and mental model from keeping my fellow peers from learning is that same Singaporean education model trumped over the past 20 years. In Singapore, Education is spoon fed. I read the valedictory speeches, the emails on the “llumination wall”, the articles on Thinking Hats and Span of Control, the newspaper forums on Mr. Soh’s office cubicle wall. (I think I read everything, even safety postersJ). What struck me is that Singapore students are so used to being spoon-fed knowledge; it has created a culture of teaching, rather than learning. This is very apparent in the shift to a more thinking culture during our A levels; I personally found the thinking and analysis question interesting and fun, while my peers found it challenging and hard. I hope that someday, the students in EOAC will be able to find illumination in the theories and tools that the instructors are teaching now. I do not profess to understand everything, but I will constantly think and analyse to understand and hopefully, utilize the tools in the future.
Another issue that struck me during the week was the expulsion of 2 OCTs from the Cadet Course. I believe that the actions were right. In fact, for my course, some cadets should not have been commissioned in the first place. When the men look upon the Officers for leadership, a bad apple in the entire officer corp. would reflect badly on the rest of the officers. Again, I am circumspect in my reflection, as I must profess that I have not been a model officer all throughout my PC tour. I did try my best, and I find joy and satisfaction in getting to know my men (who are my peers in JC), and helping my specialists and men solve their myriad of problems in the personal lives. Being in CBRD gives me the opportunity to do CD FAM around the units of the SAF, and personally, I have had the opportunity to talk to many men who are disillusioned with the leadership in the SAF at the moment. Perhaps some will learn along the way during their NS lives, others will just be shot by their men during wartime. And to tell the truth, I wouldn’t blame them one bit.
The week ended with the Engineer Officer’s Convention. The most vivid images were the ones of Melauboh and the destruction the Sumatran earthquake has wrought on Indonesia. While it is prudent on the diplomatic level to offer assistance and help, I believe that the SAF has indeed administered disproportional assistance with limited aid. And again, this is due to our leaders in Singapore. I am also inspired by CA, LTC Alex who struck me as an ordinary citizen doing his bid for the country. I for one am unsure if given the opportunity and responsibility, I would also offer to extend my service. I have already made sacrifices in choosing to go OCS instead of MDC, and sacrifices when I chose to study abroad instead of rooting myself to Singapore. Through it all, I believe that EOAC has indeed made sense of NS to me as a whole, and equipped me with many life tools for the future. There is always a need to balance the self and external demands for your time. Well, at the moment, if we are require in relief operations, I, as an NSF, do not mind certainly extending my ORD to assist in the relief efforts. “Those with the ability to do something have the responsibility to act” – Colin Powell. I believe I have the ability, and thus it carries with it the responsibility.
ranting
Why I hate Barnabas
Yeah:)
Finally created this post. I really wanna ask myself WHY I CAN'T STAND THAT MUTHERFUCKING SON OF A FUCKING BITCH!
I really don't know
Maybe it had to do with the WHOLE FREAKING EOCC course being made to wear helmets for 2 weeks. Cos he knocked his head. And didn't go BRUNEI. and DIDN'T SUFFER WITH US. AND ACTED HAPPY.
Fucker
And maybe cos he used his phone past lights out. I remember I had to call my gf then on the stupid payphone. I really dunno. I attribute our breakup partly to him. because of him. I really dunno la..
And his morals are shit.
Imagine at night, holding "Tonight with Barnabas" Sessions.
Yes. And talking how he seduced some poor girl.
And how he treated his ex like a sex toy. Correction. Technically not ex, cos they're still together till he JUST broke up cos someone else came along. Who happens to be someone I care a lot about.
Seriously. I dunno why bad boys seem to get the gals. They do right? Maybe I should be pai kia. But that's totally not me anymore. I think he shouldn't have passed the course.
And dun get me started on his men. and wad they think about him.
Oh god. Even the 35 SCE drivers COMPLAIN about their MTO when i ask them.
And now he's going ACEH.
I pity the acehnese kids.
really man..
Barnabas is like a swear word:) and I told him in his fact before. it's like shithead, fuck, and worse than FUCK, it's BARNABAS.
ranting
Yeah:)
Finally created this post. I really wanna ask myself WHY I CAN'T STAND THAT MUTHERFUCKING SON OF A FUCKING BITCH!
I really don't know
Maybe it had to do with the WHOLE FREAKING EOCC course being made to wear helmets for 2 weeks. Cos he knocked his head. And didn't go BRUNEI. and DIDN'T SUFFER WITH US. AND ACTED HAPPY.
Fucker
And maybe cos he used his phone past lights out. I remember I had to call my gf then on the stupid payphone. I really dunno. I attribute our breakup partly to him. because of him. I really dunno la..
And his morals are shit.
Imagine at night, holding "Tonight with Barnabas" Sessions.
Yes. And talking how he seduced some poor girl.
And how he treated his ex like a sex toy. Correction. Technically not ex, cos they're still together till he JUST broke up cos someone else came along. Who happens to be someone I care a lot about.
Seriously. I dunno why bad boys seem to get the gals. They do right? Maybe I should be pai kia. But that's totally not me anymore. I think he shouldn't have passed the course.
And dun get me started on his men. and wad they think about him.
Oh god. Even the 35 SCE drivers COMPLAIN about their MTO when i ask them.
And now he's going ACEH.
I pity the acehnese kids.
really man..
Barnabas is like a swear word:) and I told him in his fact before. it's like shithead, fuck, and worse than FUCK, it's BARNABAS.
ranting
I was on course.
And someone asked me to update:)
So i shall put up my reflections. And maybe my essays. On love. and on life. So hard to think. sigh
My Reflection
It’s the 3rd week of EOAC. The course has just finished Ex. Tulip and we’re currently into Ex. Orchid. This week was another week of learning about battle procedure, about terrain analysis and about consolidating what we learnt in Tulip and applying it in Orchid.
In all honesty, I have not understood the whole process about Terrain Analysis. I can honestly say that we all are putting in our best effort into understanding and application of all the knowledge we have learnt in 2 short weeks. Learning has to be done at breakneck speed, and sometimes, the fishing rods given to us are not enough; we need time to figure out the techniques of fishing, the location of where to fish etc. We definitely require more experience and practice, but I can safely say that all of us have a positive attitude and are consciously aware of the responsibility the organization has placed upon us.
In Singapore, the Army is looked upon as an organization that attracts inept people into the service due to the high paying nature of the job. In fact, most people deride the regulars in the army for being useless in the outside world and join the army as a last resort. MAJ Chang has related the story about Mousedeer to us, and indeed our syndicate is appalled at the apparent lack of concern and “realism” in Exercises today. In the IDF, Taiwan Army, US Army, British Army etc, having served in the armed forces is a cause of pride, but in Singapore, the Army is seen as a impediment to an individual’s life, a necessary evil being thrown in our way at the prowess of our youth.
I agree I have held such views before. And I agree that such views do surface when I am particularly disheartened and when a few of us get together and discuss the negative aspects of the Army. One point during the discussion struck me, has Army become a place where it is “safe-to-fail?” Where failure is not punished, but tolerated for the sake of learning purposes, and in so doing, creating a mindset in soldiers that a mistake, however huge, like missing D-Day H-Hour, like drunken driving, like not handing up reflections etc, will not be punished, but used as an example for future “learning purposes”?
I remember in EOCC, LO was emphasized as not being the lack of discipline, rather it is the disciplined soldier who practices LO that can benefit out of it. LO without discipline is plain NATO (no-action-talk-only) (which again brings up the issue whether our PM can deride an international organization – but that’s beside the point). I was very disheartened when I heard that Mousedeer, a division level exercise, could be reduced to a few huge mistakes and simply dismissed to be an issue we can learn from. Perhaps the old army was better.
Being from Delta Wing in OCS, I was in the company of several SAFOS, SMS or as we put it “scholars” from the best and the brightest of the cohort. Some struck me as being dedicated, to having high morals. Others just struck me as being in the Army for the cash and the opportunities to shine in the political arena later in life. I agree I do not have the moral high ground in this matter – I still deride the Army from time to time, but there is more purpose in service to the nation nowadays. Perhaps patriotism is not a dead virtue in Singaporeans after all. If our SAFOS and SMS do not have the capacity to lead by example, to be that notch higher than the rest of the cohort in integrity, morals, principles and values, then perhaps we will suffer if ever war breaks out. Perhaps in their own journey as leaders of the SAF, they will discover their reason for service, and their heart to serve the nation, but till then, Singapore has to fight to win the hearts and minds of our best and brightest, lest we suffer from a brain drain which is already apparent in my generation.
2LT LEE LIP JIN
53rd EOAC
ranting
And someone asked me to update:)
So i shall put up my reflections. And maybe my essays. On love. and on life. So hard to think. sigh
My Reflection
It’s the 3rd week of EOAC. The course has just finished Ex. Tulip and we’re currently into Ex. Orchid. This week was another week of learning about battle procedure, about terrain analysis and about consolidating what we learnt in Tulip and applying it in Orchid.
In all honesty, I have not understood the whole process about Terrain Analysis. I can honestly say that we all are putting in our best effort into understanding and application of all the knowledge we have learnt in 2 short weeks. Learning has to be done at breakneck speed, and sometimes, the fishing rods given to us are not enough; we need time to figure out the techniques of fishing, the location of where to fish etc. We definitely require more experience and practice, but I can safely say that all of us have a positive attitude and are consciously aware of the responsibility the organization has placed upon us.
In Singapore, the Army is looked upon as an organization that attracts inept people into the service due to the high paying nature of the job. In fact, most people deride the regulars in the army for being useless in the outside world and join the army as a last resort. MAJ Chang has related the story about Mousedeer to us, and indeed our syndicate is appalled at the apparent lack of concern and “realism” in Exercises today. In the IDF, Taiwan Army, US Army, British Army etc, having served in the armed forces is a cause of pride, but in Singapore, the Army is seen as a impediment to an individual’s life, a necessary evil being thrown in our way at the prowess of our youth.
I agree I have held such views before. And I agree that such views do surface when I am particularly disheartened and when a few of us get together and discuss the negative aspects of the Army. One point during the discussion struck me, has Army become a place where it is “safe-to-fail?” Where failure is not punished, but tolerated for the sake of learning purposes, and in so doing, creating a mindset in soldiers that a mistake, however huge, like missing D-Day H-Hour, like drunken driving, like not handing up reflections etc, will not be punished, but used as an example for future “learning purposes”?
I remember in EOCC, LO was emphasized as not being the lack of discipline, rather it is the disciplined soldier who practices LO that can benefit out of it. LO without discipline is plain NATO (no-action-talk-only) (which again brings up the issue whether our PM can deride an international organization – but that’s beside the point). I was very disheartened when I heard that Mousedeer, a division level exercise, could be reduced to a few huge mistakes and simply dismissed to be an issue we can learn from. Perhaps the old army was better.
Being from Delta Wing in OCS, I was in the company of several SAFOS, SMS or as we put it “scholars” from the best and the brightest of the cohort. Some struck me as being dedicated, to having high morals. Others just struck me as being in the Army for the cash and the opportunities to shine in the political arena later in life. I agree I do not have the moral high ground in this matter – I still deride the Army from time to time, but there is more purpose in service to the nation nowadays. Perhaps patriotism is not a dead virtue in Singaporeans after all. If our SAFOS and SMS do not have the capacity to lead by example, to be that notch higher than the rest of the cohort in integrity, morals, principles and values, then perhaps we will suffer if ever war breaks out. Perhaps in their own journey as leaders of the SAF, they will discover their reason for service, and their heart to serve the nation, but till then, Singapore has to fight to win the hearts and minds of our best and brightest, lest we suffer from a brain drain which is already apparent in my generation.
2LT LEE LIP JIN
53rd EOAC
ranting
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