It’s rather late but I finally managed to pass my driving test on Friday on my second attempt. Suffice to say, I almost passed my first attempt until something happened and I lost my concentration for a moment, almost resulting in a collision.

But this means going back to 1 SIR. Not something I look forward to.

I went shopping yesterday, something I have not done for a long time. I managed to spend close to $150 on a pair of jeans and a shirt. (The money comes from the IPPT gold award in BSLC. I thought they were kidding when they said there was a monetary reward.) And thanks to my friends who gave me a watch and a shirt for my birthday. I really appreciate them.

The most annoying thing that happened to me was when I wanted to buy a pair of shoes and it turns out they no longer have my size. This happened to all the pairs I wanted.

I didn’t buy any in the end.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

Déjà Vu (feat. Joanna Koike)

Where did we meet before, just like this?
I know your smile, your voice, just like that
You talked to me and I smiled right back
I don’t believe in fantasy

Same dress, same smell, reminds me
(Of) something I can’t forget
Same song, same tone in your voice
Tell me this isn’t a dream

Take me far where stars are still asleep
You and me, we’ll live forevermore
I would follow you, my destiny
Won’t you get my feet back on the ground?
I’m gettin’ played by you, déjà vu (woo)

I saw those sparkles in your eyes
Your soothing words make me feel alright
I would be glad to stay in your sight
Let’s fade into this mystery

Same words, “Is this the first time?”
As if I’m stuck in a loop
I’m lost in sweet illusion
Turn me into a sensation

Updated 08 August 2008 from official lyrics book

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

From The World Ends With You

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

I have just seen the most interesting “book” in a bookshop that goes by the title as you see above.

A normal looking book cover with some accolades from reputable sources on the back. It almost costs $9.

Open up the book and you see…

…

For those who don’t get it, it means that men know nothing about women. What an interesting way to package a notebook. And I’d say it cheats people of their money as well.

In other news, I think I’ve just watched one of the worst movies in my life. What the hell. There is practically no plot.

And lastly to end off, something interesting I found online (click on the image for more):

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

Recently, when I have nothing to do at home, I have been playing around with Facebook and I’ve discovered an interesting application that is not the usual kind of “buy your friends” nonsense: My Personality. It’s kind of cool and turns out I am an ISTJ. I’m sure some of you will yell “liar” that I am an introvert but let’s analyse what they have to say about an ISTJ. I find it rather accurate.

Let’s see some quotes from Portrait of an ISTJ:

ISTJs are very loyal, faithful, and dependable. They place great importance on honesty and integrity. They are “good citizens” who can be depended on to do the right thing for their families and communities. While they generally take things very seriously, they also usually have an offbeat sense of humor and can be a lot of fun - especially at family or work-related gatherings.

This is quite true. Perhaps this is why some of you don’t think I can be an introvert. I am, honestly, not very easy to get to know deeply.

ISTJs tend to believe in laws and traditions, and expect the same from others. They’re not comfortable with breaking laws or going against the rules. If they are able to see a good reason for stepping outside of the established mode of doing things, the ISTJ will support that effort. However, ISTJs more often tend to believe that things should be done according to procedures and plans. If an ISTJ has not developed their Intuitive side sufficiently, they may become overly obsessed with structure, and insist on doing everything “by the book”.

Well, I can be quite “law-by-law” at times but I don’t think I am go by the book THAT much. Perhaps the part in the above quote that is italicised is more true.

The ISTJ will work for long periods of time and put tremendous amounts of energy into doing any task which they see as important to fulfilling a goal. However, they will resist putting energy into things which don’t make sense to them, or for which they can’t see a practical application. They prefer to work alone, but work well in teams when the situation demands it. They like to be accountable for their actions, and enjoy being in positions of authority. The ISTJ has little use for theory or abstract thinking, unless the practical application is clear.

True, unfortunate or not, I sometimes think that solo work is more productive especially if I have something specific I want. I find it hard to work in teams sometimes because others might produce work that I do not want. Note that I am not saying that they are doing sub-standard work; the work produced might just not what I have in mind. I think I need to work more on this and learn to adapt and not follow a “die die must follow what I have in mind a.k.a. a plan” paradigm.

The ISTJ is not naturally in tune with their own feelings and the feelings of others. They may have difficulty picking up on emotional needs immediately, as they are presented. Being perfectionists themselves, they have a tendency to take other people’s efforts for granted, like they take their own efforts for granted. They need to remember to pat people on the back once in a while.

Very true. I find it hard to understand what others are feeling at times. I need to work on this.

ISTJs are likely to be uncomfortable expressing affection and emotion to others. However, their strong sense of duty and the ability to see what needs to be done in any situation usually allows them to overcome their natural reservations, and they are usually quite supporting and caring individuals with the people that they love. Once the ISTJ realizes the emotional needs of those who are close to them, they put forth effort to meet those needs.

And yes, I find it hard to express my emotions, especially to people whom I am not close to. That is why I say that I am not someone who is easy to know.

Under stress, ISTJs may fall into “catastrophe mode”, where they see nothing but all of the possibilities of what could go wrong. They will berate themselves for things which they should have done differently, or duties which they failed to perform. They will lose their ability to see things calmly and reasonably, and will depress themselves with their visions of doom.

True, as a certain someone by the name of Mr. Wong might assert Need to work on this.

Well, the ISTJ personality has a lot of other stuff which I do not fully understand. Perhaps I could find some time and read up on it for self improvement.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

I have been gradually removing my name from all my online dealings to use my alias instead. The only place that I will probably leave more identifiable details about myself is my Facebook account of which access is also restricted.

I am doing it for various reasons mainly to protect myself. I know that many definitely know who I am but I would like to maximise the difficulty of finding that out.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

Let me begin my post by ranting a little: I am demoralized by the repeated mistakes that I make during driving that eventually caused me to fail the first attempt of the test. I know it’s my fault but it’s not that I do not want to improve. Sigh. Since this is not the point of this post, let’s end the ranting right here.

This week has been rather interesting with what has been going on in the blogosphere of Singapore. Singapore Daily is an interesting “blog” that aggregates all the various interesting blog posts that has been made by Singaporeans regarding various issues. I’m going to look at some of them and perhaps air some of my own views.

First up, we have another one on the association of the press in Singapore and the government. Many have said that the press in Singapore is hardly one which you would call free. Let’s see what our closest neighbour, Malaysia, thinks about that.

Next up, we have a very well written article about the freedom of Singaporeans. It’s a bit long but nonetheless a good read.

Then what about the disturbing lack of a minimum wage law? True, the minimum wage law distorts the job market, … , then we shouldn’t really have a problem dealing with the effects of a minimum wage law, right?

I have to disagree with the call for the implementation of a minimum wage law. True, an absence of such a law will cause the wages of many to be low but to implement the law will cause some to lose their jobs. I would that it is better off to keep more employed, albeit with meagre wage, than to have some lost their jobs because the employers find it a liability to employ the same number of people while paying more for each.

This issue is a rather touchy one. It is a dilemma for the government because both implementing and not implementing a minimum wage law has their own share of problems. I think that they are doing the right thing by not implementing such a law and providing various subsidies to counter the rising inflation. But I think they are not doing enough on this part and they need to do more. Oh yes, they also need to take a second look at themselves to see if they really need another wage rise.

Other readers then responded to this reader, by claiming that Jehovah’s Witnesses were punished for refusing to abide by the law, not for their religious faith. This is a thin line that has been drawn here. True, they were punished for their violation of the law, and they paid the price by being punished under the Penal Code. However, their violation of the law took place on the grounds of religious obligations, and I don’t suppose it’s our position to debate the validity of the beliefs system of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

While I think that religious freedom is important, the freedom has to be restricted such that it does not violate any law in Singapore. I am sure that many will disagree with the previous sentence but let’s take a look at the specific problem of Jehovah’s Witness: if everyone who claims to be a Jehovah’s Witness can escape National Service, I can vouch that many will gladly become one to escape NS. I look at the people serving NS and I see that many are not exactly glad to be serving their time. I am not here to debate about NS though.

PAP and opposition is another great article in relation to MM Lee’s comments that Singapore will “fall” should the goverment PAP lose to the opposition in five years. And another one. I have always steered clear of this kind of political talk and I shall remain so and read in silence.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

The Chevrons is a club specially for all the Warrant Officers and Specialists (also known as Advanced Saikang Warriors) of SAF (including NSFs). Well, it was nice that they decided to give us a free membership card (which I received by mail today) but I’ll probably never go to the club mostly because the club is so far away.

And gosh, they had to make the card expire on the day I ORD; Singapore at its finest.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

I sooo want this phone. The specifications are great! It runs on Symbian, has a touch screen and a great camera to go with it.

But the sad reality is that I am in NS, and it costs $400+ with a two year plan.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

I was targeted by some weird woman.

I boarded Bus 21 at the bus stop opposite Kaki Bukit Prison School and I was minding my own business. The next thing I know, some weird woman in her late twenties looking really cock started talking to me and asking about my age and about NS.

I thought it was just some friendly stranger who saw a rare sight (i.e. someone wearing Smart No. 4 on a bus) and decided to just talk. But no, I realized that something was amiss when she started talking about beer drinking and about what kind of beers I drink.

Come on, everyone knows I am a social drinker and I abhor the taste of alcohol totally. Sometimes, I wonder I put myself to finish that glass of cocktail when I obviously don’t like its taste. I digress. The woman started asking about where I live, whether I have a girlfriend, whether I drink regularly, when I drink, and the last straw came when she asked me for my number. She even had the audacity to asked me if I wanted a second girlfriend! (Of course, I lied about having a girlfriend. I didn’t think so much into this and randomly blurted out an answer. Turns out that I did the right thing. Read on to understand why.)

I gave a fake one and had to resort to calling some of people on my phone to save myself from talking to her. It was that bad. Unfortunately, it turned out she was going to alight at the same stop as me and I had to endure it all the way to the end of my bus ride. And guess what, she even offered to ask me out for a drink and wanted to treat me to a can of beer after the bus ride.

Gosh, I wonder if I were tactical enough in handling the situation. I think I gave more information about myself than I intended to, including my name.

I ranted about this to my mum and she said that woman was probably a prostitute of some kind looking for a new client. Bless me. I am nineteen for crying out loud. Go pick on somebody of your AGE. The weirdest thing she asked me NOT to acknowledge her if I see her on the streets. You bet I’ll do more than that. I’ll just ignore her the next time I see her. I think the bold text more or less supports the hypothesis that she is a prostitute of some sorts.

I hope I don’t see her again.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

It seems like I have been rather stressed of driving to the point that I even talk in my sleep about it. Let’s start from the beginning.

For the uninformed, I am now currently on a Military Class 3 License Course conducted at the SAF Driving Circuit at Kaki Bukit. The conducting of the course is handled by ST Kinetics. The driving instructors are well known to be… overly zealous in their work and often shout at the trainees instruct their trainees in a slightly louder than normal voice and the tone is slightly unpleasant.

It seems like I have been tormented to the extent subjected to the above to the extent that it left an impression in me and I would re-enact them in my sleep. Weird. I don’t remember having any dreams about that.

In hindsight, the shouting seems to work sometimes. Though it demoralizes you to the extent of having a phobia of driving as I overheard one of the instructors saying, it helps more than those instructors outside who simply want to earn your money (or so I hear).

At the end of the day, I just want to pass the driving test and get on with life.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

After the famous Mas Selemat escape and a string of other events, Ministry of Home Affairs has done it again.

What annoyed me was not the fact that it has happened again but what the Minister has to say regarding this event. What it means is perfectly summed up here.

With the pay he is drawing (which many people, like myself, can only dream of getting), I am sure he can do a better job than to blame everyone but himself for this kind of screw ups. In another place, we can be assured that he will have either resigned or been sack. It seems like Ministers don’t have the word “resign” in their dictionaries in Singapore.

The Singapore government is rather screwed up. Suffice to say, it is still doing a relatively good job compared to other countries.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

Square Enix is famous for brining us games from the Final Fantasy Franchise and others like Kingdom Hearts. But this time, they have decided to break out from their usuals and provide us with a new game that is innovative and at the same time awesome.

The World Ends With You is an RPG that is set in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. I have been spending quite some time on this game for a while. I haven’t been addicted to a game so much since Warcraft a long long time ago. I’m not going to write a review for the game. There are a lot of reviews out there already.

The best part of the game is the battle system. You control two characters who are fighting simultaneously against monsters known as “noise”. One character is controlled via the touchscreen using the stylus and the other character is at the upper screen and is controlled by key presses. Two videos of the battle system.

And lastly, I LOVE the soundtrack. It’s a mix of hip hop and trance.

There are of course many other nice features of this game. You can find out more by reading reviews like this. Otherwise, go grab a DS and play it. =)

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

According to Eric, this is the last year where I’ll be a teenager because this is the last year where my age has the suffix “-teen” in it. And it so happens that my lunar birthday is today as well. What a coincidence which, again, according to Eric occurs once every nineteen years.

Had a drink just now and even though I am far from being drunk, I can feel the drowsiness seeping in. I need to hit the sack soon.

Mr Wong, Miss Lim and gang gave me a wallet for my birthday and the design turned out to be an imitation/parody of the Intel logo. Real nerdy. Thanks a lot guys!

And it just so happens that the soundtrack for a game I ordered arrived today. Another coincidence. I will probably write more about the game next time.

On a totally unrelated note, a good read about National Service of which we are all compelled to serve.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything and it’s time for me to give an update from the last post.

I finished BSLC on the 17th May 2008 and got posted to 1 SIR to be an Infantry Reconnaissance (recce) Specialist. I was torn between feeling excited and apprehensive when I got this posting because it is a very interesting vocation and at the same time, very physically demanding.

I stayed at Mandai Hill Camp (with some tales and misgivings which I will not post online because I am hum ji; please ask me in person for more details) for a month or so and began my military class 3 driving course on the 12th June until now. For the better or worse, the course is stay out and it costs $1.19 per trip to get home. The course ends on 14 July.

Sad to say, my recce course only starts AFTER those from ASLC finish their course. They finish theirs on 16 August and I begin mine on 18 August (most likely). It will last for eight weeks.

I went driving on the public road for the first time today and the experience was really different from driving in the circuit. You really HAVE to check your mirrors when vehicles take advantage of you just because you carry a “L” plate.

Oh, to all those who got posted to SISPEC today, welcome to Suffer In Silence Please Enjoy, Carry on. (New variation)

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

Full version at link.

Deja Vu

Where did we meet before just like this
I know your smile
Your voice just like that
You talk to me and I smile back
I don’t believe in fantasy
Same dress that now reminds me
Something I can’t forget
Same song same tone in your voice
Tell me this isn’t a dream
Take me forward, stars are still asleep
You and me, we live forevermore
I would follow you my destiny
Won’t you get my favorite photograph
I’m getting played by you
Deja vu

Where did we meet before just like this
I know your smile
Your voice just like that
You talk to me and I smile back
I don’t believe in fantasy
Same dress that now reminds me
Something I can’t forget
Same song same tone in your voice
Tell me this isn’t a dream
Take me forward, stars are still asleep
You and me, we live forevermore
I would follow you my destiny
Won’t you get my favorite photograph
I’m getting played by you
Deja vu

From The World Ends With You

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

The blog is on hiatus for the Xth time. Currently there are no plans on when said blog owner will return. We look forward to your continued support.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.

The cost of living in Singapore is rather absurd. Say if I want to go to Orchard Road from my house, which is basically a ten minute drive away, I have to pass through TWO ERP Gantries, which is just absurd. Thankfully, it was Sunday and the gantries were not operating.

I was some sort of “model” for my friend today who was buying clothes for a male friend who is approximately the same size as me. It was kind of interesting to see myself in clothes I don’t think I’ll be buying for a while. I think it’s time to ditch the “T-shirt and Jeans” formula for something else and revamp the wardrobe.

My dad has been very paranoid these days, worrying about me when I am in camp. He worries if I can take the training, whether I can cope with the trainings mentally and physically etc. among a list of worries. I was telling him that I am fine and I can take care of myself and he said “I know you can take care of yourself but when you become a father, you will understand why I worry so much.” Food for thought. I wonder if I will be as worried as my father in the future.

Originally published at New Domain. You can comment here or there.