Thursday, September 27, 2007

[[Sentosa]]

For the first time as a Singaporean living in Singapore, I've never felt more like a tourist in a foreign country.

It's pretty amazing, but I think I haven't been to Sentosa for like over two years. For the record, the last time I visited the island, the old monorail system was still running. Now, there are barely trails and signs of the old tracks around the attraction.

It all began with a slight hiccup in finding the new Sentosa Express. Ok peeps, I don't know how long that service is running and it may not be new to you at all, but it's new to me, ya? And I have to say that the service has left me pretty much impressed.

At every Sentosa Express station (no doubt there are only four, with one still under development), there are staff stationed at the platform to welcome every visitor. With a SMILE. Even for those who didn't alight at the station, they would SMILE and wave you goodbye. I don't know how many people on the train noticed that, but I certainly was impressed.

Notice the world "SMILE" are in caps. It's something that seems to be sorely lacking in many customer-oriented service in this country. And probably only God knows why.

The beaches didn't seem to change that much, but I thought there were more beach volleyball courts compared to my last trip. And along the beaches there seemed to be more cafes and bars springing up. Which I assume can only be a good thing. F&B outlets are much more in abundance compared to the past, though the prices aren't the sort that would leave you crooning over.

The weather today was generally fine, except for a period of passing rain that lasted 15 to 20 minutes. I'm starting to fall very much in love with beach volleyball, and a short game of beach football didn't do much harm. The crowd today wasn't really over the top. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more people at the beaches. I mean, who minds more eye-candy?

After about five hours I'm left with a reddish-looking me. But I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thanks a lot to the guys (Defang, Ann Ming, Jiantong, Kenny and Colin) for making it happen. And I hope for more beach outings like these. With a lot more of our friends able to join us and increase the fun.

It's just a pity that as everyone grows older, and different priorities set in, occasions like these become lesser in occurance. But it's during times like these when you start reminiscing and hope for more to come. And I do cherish these moments.

[[Walking Alone On This Endless Road]]*|12:47 am|

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

[[]]

Attended my first lecture at SIM today.

The introduction was pretty boring, and I nearly fell asleep. But throughout the rest of the lecture, I managed to pay my utmost attention. Which left me pretty satisfied. Hopefully, this will carry on for the rest of my 1 1/2 years there.

Everything seems to be going in a rush. Project assignment handed out on the very first lecture, with the deadline just a month away. I'm glad that Cheryl, Jeremy and I could find 3 more members for our group. I'm looking forward to a cordial and fruitful partnership for this project. And perhaps it might just set a good precedent for our future projects.

Got a new haircut in the day before going for lessons. RM 90 for cut, dye, wash and treatment. I must say that it's a price that would be really damn hard to find in Singapore. And I'm pretty satisfied with the results, though I think I might encounter quite a few problems styling my hair in future. How the hairstylist make it so easy, it can be so hard to fathom at times.

I guess I will go back to the same saloon in future. Decent environment, quality service and very competitive prices. Cheers to Ann Ming for the recommendation!

Embarking on a Sentosa outing later with some of the guys frm NHSS. It's been quite a while since we had a beach outing, and am I looking forward to it. Gonna have some FUN!

[[Walking Alone On This Endless Road]]*|12:17 am|

Monday, September 10, 2007

[[NS: A Short Overview]]

It's been more than two days since I officially ORD-ed.

I am so bloody glad that I got back my pink IC! Just the first look at it and it felt like bumping into a long-lost friend for two years.

Two years. Neither is it a long period nor a short one. But definitely a pretty eventful one.

Flashback to 7th September 2005. That was the first time I stepped foot on Pulau Tekong. Though the camouflage uniform was of no stranger to me (I was in NCC, by the way, and only God knows why), the feeling was so surreal and unreal.

Because now I am actually a soldier.

The memory of my first head shave still stays vividly in my mind. Other than the times when your mum brings you to the barber to shave your head when you're still very young, the only time I can ever remember my head being shaved was duing BMT. Man, the sight of seeing my hair left broken on the floor was simply heart-wrenching.

I would say the toughest of my time in army was in BMT. It was not so much because of tough training, as I felt I had went through worst while in the SP Dragon Boat Team for two months. But rather, it was initially feeling of being treated with the lack of respect and dignity of being a human. Regimentation loses its meaning when everyone is punished for every little shortcomings they have, or just simply because they are viewed as an eyesore.

I must say, though, that this period that I've gone through braced me for anything else that came during my NS. Posting to SISPEC wasn't my preferred option, in fact, one of the least preferred. And the reason being I never wanted to be a specialist. But it was a blessing in disguise, because being in Alpha Company thought my a lot of lessons that are especially useful in Army. Whereas most of the specialists I've seen at that point used fear to command respect, my commanders in SISPEC are much more willing to listen, much more acceptance to new ideas and more tolerant and patient in their teachings. It was then that I am enlightened on what kind of a commander I wanted to be.

I've never been in much luck in all the postingsI had. While in SISPEC, I was interviewed to gauge my interest in being a recon specialist for 6 SIR. At that point of time, all that was in my mind was that I would rather be anything other than being a recon personnel, reason being it was quite a tough vocation without enjoying much perks in terms of pay.

Little did I know that after rejecting the offer, I would still become a recon specialist. Only this time, I would be the only person from my entire batch to be posted to ATEC (Army Training Evaluation Centre) as a Scout Umpire. Not only am I a recon specialist now, but I have the thankless task of evaluating scouts from different units. Some say that it's much easier being an evaluator, mostly because the load you travel on is so much ligther than the troops on exercise. But imagine spending days and nights out in the field almost every other week with hardly any proper rest and irregular meals.

Though the paths I travelled on in NS was usually bumpy with lots of bends and blind corners, I am really grateful that I've made many good friends along the way. People whom I take much enjoyment when within their company, people whom I can whine to, people whom I can provide a listening ear for and so forth. And I was really thankful for the opportunity to spend close to two months in Taiwan. Although the R&R period was very short, the time spent left a lasting positive impression. Hopefully in the near future I would have the chance to take a one or two week holiday in Taiwan.

Now that I am back to being a civilian, life seems to start all over again. There are more important tasks to carry out, and the future requires some planning. It will definitely take some time to adjust back to a normal lifestyle, but that is not to say I will miss Army life. In fact, I am overjoyed that two years had finally come and gone.

But I do hope that when the call up for reservist training comes, I will get to train with my Army friends. Because only them would make training seem more enjoyable and memorable.

[[Walking Alone On This Endless Road]]*|12:06 am|

[[The Walker]]


Welcome to Cheng-xun's Blog. Call me CX if you want. I think that saves loads of trouble for people. Graduated with a Diploma in Media & Communication from SP, currently serving (quite reluctantly) the nation and hoping to go to Australia for further studies one day.

[[My Adores]]


I love music and I love food. I love writing but I'm not that good. Soccer is my first love for a long time, but it can't take me through the rest of my life. Would you? *winkz*

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Save the hate you have for this world, and you'll probably find it a much better place to live in.

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