Quote

And he believes that when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity…you do not slam it shut behind you…you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.

- Michelle Obama

Old memory

"Sing through your instrument!", says the teacher, as he hummed the notes to me again, while pretending to draw a bow stroke across an invisible violin. (As if this helped me make any sense of his abstract instructions)

If there's anything my poor memory could give me about my old music teacher, it was how he had always taught me to focus on playing the music more than the instrument itself.

Why I'm suddenly remembering him? I guess you learn to appreciate your elders more when they're no longer there to guide you...

Stressful situations

Everyone should have faced a conflict before in their lives whether its between friends, family or co workers.

While we train ourselves to react appropriately to such conflicts, there are always some reconciliation attempts that never went the way you wanted.

There were many awkward situations in the office this week and it doesn't help that I am growing tired of my work.

Patience... Breathe in, breathe out....

Practice

Isn't this week exciting...

A Director's parade, an Exercise to prepare for, and a filming project that's getting slightly out of hand.

The parade was as boring as it will ever be. Senang diri, Sedia, Senang diri, Sedia and diam for 10 minutes as the director goes to inspect the parade.

Then we had a dry run of what the team is supposed to set up in the case of a real activation. We were shorthanded but it served its purpose.

And finally a film project that needs to to be handed over once and for all...

Cycling Trip in Eastern Singapore

I love cycling. A miracle since I remember clearly how frightened I was on 2 wheels.

Now, I'm a traveling photographer, following the park connectors, stopping once in a while to take some shots with my camera.

So yesterday, I cycled with an old friend starting from East Coast, going up to Bedok Reservoir then to Tampines and finally stopping at Sunplaza Park.

It was quite tiring but it was a good break from work!

Earth Hour

Earth Hour has lost much its hype since it was first started in 2007.

Even the neighbors do not know Earth hour was today unless they catch the 9.30 pm channel 5 news at which by then, Earth hour has been going for well .... an hour.

Since it's Earth hour tonight, what better time to do a little bit of light painting.

How I choose my books

Each person has their way of selecting books to read and borrow when they're at the library.

Some people are faithful followers of a certain author.

Some people read a few pages first.

Some people just grab a book with an awesome looking cover. (Despite the old saying to never judge a book ... )

So I visited the library recently and made a few observations of my reading choices.

My way of selection has always gone by genre and the type of characters the story will have.

For instance, magic and fantasy is a preferred setting. Having werewolves and vampires is a bonus.

I also enjoy stories that involve a bit of romance. The 'steamy' chapters are fun to read.

And finally, the book has a dark theme to it. Murder, death, war. To satisfy my hunger for morbid fantasy. >=)

Frequent customer

So on my way to work today, I decided to drop by Macs for breakfast.

After ordering the same usual, the Aunty said she remembers me as the 'courteous' customer who always drop by for breakfast.

While it's good to be complimented, being noticed as a regular customer at a fast food restaurant is a worrying sign....

Animal Photography

Animals make great photography subjects. Here's a few that I have taken in the past.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People who care the most

Under the facade of a well-managed organisation, you realise that the people who care the most are those around you. Great thanks to Ma'am, Ressal, and everyone for helping me pulling this stupid project through.

Everything will be alright

 

"I was born ears and eyes open
Lived in the world harsh but protected
only to realise your comfort bubble
held painful love dosed with poison"

I never liked the authoritative figure. Perhaps it's the alpha male instinct in me. Perhaps it's the betrayal of someone you looked up to. It mixes up anyway.

Have you ever wondered what animal closely relates to you? I've always dreamed that I've been a wolf in my previous life. Silent but sharp, independent but works in a pack. Coincidence that I enjoy the game of catch?

Even my reading list has favoured the tales of werewolves as I try to imagine the life of living in the wild, away from human civilisation.

Is it unusual that I hate the city? I prefer the quiet windy night of peace, gazing at stars that move across the sky, and the full moon that comes every few weeks.

People are always trouble. There's been too many experiences of that.

Swimming

Swimming with friends :) miss the water so much.

A bad working relationship

Sometimes you meet people so dumb you could not be bothered to explain things to them. And when that person is your boss, you wonder why on earth they got up the corporate ladder in the first place.

1 more year before I can get out of this hell hole.

Town Day 2013

Town Day 2013

Today residents celebrated Town Day on a hot Sunday morning. Activities were set up for both the young and old and plenty of performances were made featuring dancers as well as adorable junior martial artists strutting their skills.

Sadly, my dslr wasn't with me, so these phone camera photos will have to do.




Dancing to the various music, thankfully Gangnam Style was not on the list

Calligraphy Activity

And the most exciting part was this.

 

It was a photo I submitted for a small competition, and the residents would then vote for their favorite. Unfortunately, it didn't win, but I must say it's really satisfying to see your work printed out and displayed for the public to see.

1 year, 365 days

Don't bother counting until you're only a few months away. It only leaves you depressed.

That's what the seniors will say, when you're freshly recruited into National Service. While I definitely stuck to this advice (ignorence is bliss), I'm giving special attention to this particular day. It's been 10 months, there's 1 year left of it to go.

2 months in : SCDF Medical Orderly

Too often, you'll hear about how different you will be treated as a trainee. And honestly, there's a whole lot of it out there. Ask any adult male who's in his mid-20s, they'll gladly fill you in.

And here's my take on it, it's fairly straightforward, have the right attitude and it'll be easy.




4 months in: Medical Instructors

 But having the right attitude all the time would always be a challenge. Because even after passing out, we're ultimately conscriptees. So if you're feeling down after a bad encounter with your superior, just look to your fellow consciptee mates. They probably already know what you're going through, and will carry you through whenever you need it.

And speaking of fellow victims, I'm dedicating this post to a few close friends I made over this 10 months.


Imported from Myanmar

First, my best bud, Zarny. We were in the same company, ended up in the same bunk, and together were rejected from the firefighter course despite being relatively fit.

We enlisted into the medic course together instead, and guess what, both of us ended being posted as instructors.

Thanks for being there to spread your crazy optimism which is like an all stats +1 upgrade

Next is my fellow twin brother, Naf, labelled so because they say we look so much alike. (its the north indian blood bro) People tease us as sons of a parrticular someone haha, but hey we're cool.

It took me a while to realise this, but we have a few things in common; from our wicked boyish minds(heh), to the young outdoor aventurer in us. It's always exciting to plan our next outdoor adventure, but i want to give my thanks for listening, when I felt down.

So the challenge is still on. 1 more year left before I can leave this <censored> organisation. Thanks for treating me like <censored> and making me feel <censored>. :)