What Happens In Bali, Remains In Bali (28.07.06 - 30.07.06)

The trip to Bali was really an eye opener for me. It was quite a good experience. Below is the summary of my trip.

Day 1
I reached air port early and i have to thank Soon Teck for driving Hadi and I there. We had a heavy break fast at one of the canteen of the air port. We checked in at the Garuda counter early and the plane took off at around 10.30am or so. We had to proceed to Jakarta first to wait for another flight which will bring us to Soeharto-Hatta airport. We reached Bali in the afternoon and after which we made our way to the Bali Hard Rock Hotel. It is a 5 stars hotel and the facade and facilities were magnificent. We quickly changed into our shorts and t-shirt and headed to the Kuta beach to have a slow walk to enjoy the scenery. The scenery of the beach was breath-taking although it was a bit crowded with people. We walked the whole stretch of Jalan Raya Pantai Kuta. The roads in Bali resembled that of the roads of Johor Bahru. However, the places seemed to be pretty clean. We searched high and low for restaurants that could provide us with the local cuisine and we found this Chinese restaurant that does sell local food. I couldn't find any halal restaurants and have to result to eating non-halal food. I was cautious too in ordering food in that restaurant. I ordered fried rice with crab and it was damn awful. I really have no choice and I hope God will forgive me for this. Gosh. I swear i will never do it again. My colleagues did a bit of road side shopping and gosh, they bargained a lot. Typical Singaporeans! We chanced upon a massage parlour, a decent one, that charges 75000 rupiah for a whole body massage. I did not want to go for the massage because i only trust my private massager cum physiotherapist. While waiting for our turn, we waited outside the massage parlour. We were pestered by a group of children who tried to sell leg bands. They were selling them at expensive prices. I did not buy any of the leg bands because i condone no child slavery or exploitation. I am sure they earn lesser than what they sell. After the massage, we went to straight back to our hotel to prepare ourselves to club. After all of us were ready, we headed to Jalan Legian where the whole stretch of road provides entertainment because there are many clubs, pubs and discos. Basically, i went to all of them. That was my first time clubbing and it was a magnificent experience. First stop was Paddy's Club. It was the club that the terrorists bombed couple of years back. It was pretty boring because there weren't many people in it. An hour later, we went to The Bounty and it was superb. I bet it was better than any clubs in Singapore. The crowd there was spontaneous. I decided to dance and danced i did. Shafiq, Farhan and i went to the centre spot, just infront of the stage, to dance. Then i saw Hadi on the stage and i decided to join him. I was there infront of the crowd dancing crazily and haphazardly. I didn't know what kind of dancing i was executing. Haha. The crowd went wild every time the DJ changed songs. The club is on the second storey and when the crowd danced, the place felt like as if it was going to crumble. Damn fun! Then most of us decided head back to the hotel but only Shafiq, Farhan, Hadi and I stayed. The four of us went to Embargo to party till dusk. Embargo was 'happening', a local term for lively. Haha. The place was very crowded so much so that we had little space to move around. At around 4 in the morning, we decided to return to the hotel. We managed to hail a taxi and returned to our hotel, not before bargaining for the fare. We managed to bargain from 60,000 rupiah to 10,000 rupiah. Haha.

Day 2
I woke up late and had my breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. The food was scrumptous and delicious. I tried most of the food that they served. Hehe. Then off we go to our own trip. 'Bulb' apparently have this friend of his who drove us around Bali and our first stop was this volcano. I've forgotten the name of the volcano. We made our way up to this mountain through meandering roads at break neck speed. I was asleep most of the time. Haha. When we reach the mountain top, we were mesmerised by the beautiful scenery of the volcano. We couldn't be on the volcano physically because there are no roads at all. Instead, we have to view to volcano on a nearby mountain. We took time to enjoy the scenery and then our favourite activity; eating. Haha. This restaurant that we dine in is not an ordinary restaurant. It is located on top of the mountain, just on the highest slope. We could pratically sit on one of the table which is located on the edge of the mountain, if you know what i mean. It was fucking cold. The whole experience was magnificent. After that, we went to Sukawati Whole Sale Art Market and did some shopping. I didn't buy anything. Haha. Then we headed to this restaurant in Sanur that serves Minang food and i didn't dig in because i was too damn full. After dinner, we headed to this message parlour, Balinese Oriental Message, Spa and Reflexology at Jalan Setia Budi No. 234 Kuta, Bali. When we entered the parlour, i was surprised to see all the messagers in a room that looked like a fish tank and then i instanly knew that we were at the wrong place to look for a massage. All my friends wanted to go for a massage and i so i just joined in the fun. We have to pick our ladies and my seniors booked the beautiful ones and we have not much choices left. 'Bulb' wanted to choose this lady but i grabbed her before he could even breathe. Haha. This messager of mine is very pretty too. Before we entered our room, i told her that i only wanted a professional message and no hanky-panky. She did an overhaul massage on me and it was not that bad. Amidst the treatment, we engaged ourselves in conversation. I asked for her name and she told me that her name is Iluh. She's a Hindu. We talked from food to sport and from religion to her personal life. She's not living with parents who live in the kampung area of Bali. She's now living with her 9 years old sister near that massage parlour. She had just started work and have been with the massage parlour for only 1 month. We talked and talked and talked until we came to a silence. I told her Balinese are very friendly and beautiful people and out of no where she asked me some very hard-to-answer questions. First, she asked me whether i have girlfriend and i told her that i don't have. She again asked me as to why i do not have a girlfriend. I just told her that i don't have time. She said that i was kidding and my reason wasn't good enough. I told her again that i really do not have the time. Then we went into silence again. I digressed and again, she asked me why i do not have a partner. I didn't answer her. Then for the very first time, someone called me a 'ganteng'. Ganteng means handsome in Bahasa Indonesia. I was like 'what the hell'. I laughed after she said that. She told me i'm quite hilarious. Then came the ultimate question. She asked me why i picked her. I couldn't say i feel that she's pretty, could i? So i just told her this, 'Like i've said, Balinese girls are pretty just like her.' I know it was damn lame. After all was done, she led me out of the room and i thanked her. The whole treatment lasted for one hour and after the treatment, i realised that i have chatted with her for 40min and the remaining 20min was the actual massage treatment. I don't mind the cost as the 40min chatting session was a fruitful one. Just before we left, i went to her and asked for her handphone number and she wrote it on a piece of paper. I managed to take a picture with her. Hehe. Some people said that whatever the massagers said might not be true, i think otherwise for i sense sincerity in her. Just by chatting, i have this sense that she was sincere. I could see sadness in her eyes. Who would want to end up like what she is now? Some how, i believe her. Call me stupid or naive, but i believe her. Just don't ask why. After that, we returned to our hotel to dress up to party again. First stop was the dangdut parlour. It was damn cool. It was my first time going to a dangdut joint. I admit i have the moves when it comes to dangdut. So natural. I prefer the live music to the KTV. Haha. Richard and I ended up singing stupid songs from Westlife, BSB and Fool's Garden while Bulb and Shafiq... hahaha (if you know what i mean)...after dangdut, we went to the same clubs and pubs we went the day before. We partied until 4am in the morning.

Day 3 (The Finale)
I woke up late again and i had late breakfast with my friends. They ate quite fast and i was left all alone. Great, this was what i needed. I was all alone. Tranquility. Peace. I needed them all. Reflection. Yeah, i did some reflection. I discovered 3 things. I was a moron in Bali. Secondly, i realised what i need all along is my self-belief. I sat there alone, smoking and drinking coffee while doing some reflection. Lastly, i discovered, EUREKA!, i'm in love with Bali. Such a nice place. However, sad to say i would be leaving Bali behind. I went back to my hotel room to pack my bag and after packing my stuff, i headed to the lobby to wait for my other colleagues. We left Hard Rock Hotel Bali at noon and we went straight to the air port. We boarded a Garuda flight and we landed on Singapore at around 4.30pm. After that, couple of us went to the perfume shop to collect our cologne that we bought earlier before we went to Bali. I bought a Davidoff Cool Water and it was worth the buy. A nice smell for the price of $69 after 20% discount all thank to Hadi. I reached home at about 7pm.

Lessons learnt:
1) I have learned many things in Bali. Firstly, i've learned not to judge people by their faces or by what they do. We always like to criticise people who do low pay jobs like masseur or even road sweeper but in actual fact, we are actually criticising ourselves. We failed to see their inner beauty. What they do and what they are inside are totally different things. I agree with you guys if you detest the job of a masseur, road sweeper or even a prostitute but don't ever discount or look down on them because some times they really have no choice. Would you criticise a road sweep if that worker is your mom? After all, they are humans like us. Instead of looking down on them, we should change them. What's the use of words if there are no actions? I know it is really difficult to change the paradigm of a community let alone a nation but this should be a collective effort.

2) You have to follow the correct role model. It is easy to influence others but it is difficult to influence one self. In order to be successful in life, you have to be yourself. Take what is good from others and discard what is bad. I, for instace, didn't know that i can get swayed easily by others until my trip to Bali was over. I've always thought i was stong mentally. To regret is just a waste of time and what i should do instead is to learn from my mistakes. To err is human but to 're-err', thy name ought to be 'Fool'.

3) Seeing the beauty of both the beautiful ebony and clear sky, the majestic flow of sea water and the beauty of towering volcanoes and mountains, it has certainly strengthen my belief of God. No body can create such beauties. I know i haven't been a good Muslim but i vow to change. Even though clubbing is a nice activity, i admit, but what good will it churn up for you? You go there just to blow your money away. There are also other clean and fun activities to do.

Lastly, i just want to say that i'll be going back to Bali in December to enjoy, relax and most importantly, find her. You can call me stupid, blur fuck, dumb, crap, shit or whatever and i won't give a damn. I don't care if it is a crush or lust, i'm going back to find her. May God be with me.

Hahahahahahaha

Today is a hilarious day. Lots of funny stuffs happened. The whole funny stuffs started me 'Bulb', one of my supervisor. We had this talk at ICA and we headed there at around 12.15pm. After William parked the mini-bus, Buld lead us the way to the lift. He lead us to the wrong way and he didn't admit his mistake. I wanted to laugh at his antic. Then, whilst Farhan was talking to DSP CBH on my handphone, Bulb interrupted. This was his actual words, 'William, no need to bring the digicam. Digital camera is enough.' Wahahahaha. That was the joke of the century! He's a 'blur' guy. Then, after we are done with the talk, we headed back to NPPK and once we reached the gentry point, every body took out their passes. I have forgotten when i placed mine. I thought i put it in my left pocket of my pants. I dip my hand into that pocket and quickly flashed the pass to the CISCO guard. Manda was laughing at me. I was actually holding a diskette. I put it back into my pocket and reached out for my pass but i took out another diskette instead. So embarassing. Manda then told me that my pass is actually clinging on my left breast pocket. Wahahahaha. Blur fuck i am. Another funny incident involved the key of our Fast Responce Car (FRC). I have been searching it since morning and couldn't find it. I went through Shafiq's and Richard's drawer but couldn't find it. Apparently, Shafiq was the last one who drove the FRC. So, i thought the key was with him. I panicked because if he loses the key, not only him who will be on the chopping block, i'll be in hot soup too. Being forgetful, i had this feeling that Shafiq had given me the key. Out of no where, DSP CBH appeared and he asked me what i was searching for. I told him i was searching for the FRC's key. He shouted this at me, 'Blur Fuck!' He brought me to my work station and he showed me that the key was all the while infront of my computer. What the hell! I'm a blur fuck. Wahahaha. My search for the key since morning was for nothing. Gosh. I couldn't help but laughed at myself. Well, laughter seems to be the best medicine. Hahahahahaha.

People = Shit

The band,Slipknot, has a point. People really equals shit, well for some. I really can't understand some people. I promise i won't mention any names in this entry. I went for an exercise another night with my boss and we were in this TAV (Tactical Assault Vehicle) with couple of other officers. Our mission was simple. Box in the rioters and snatch-arrest them. My boss was the commander for that exercise and he commanded from the TAV. The exercise ended relatively early because the tactic used was effective. However, what people didn't see, i'm so glad they didn't, was that there was a riot in our TAV itself. The situation in the TAV seemed like there wasn't any leader in it. The so called leader looked like Darth Vader, hahahaha, and most of his command was muffled by noise made by other leader wannabes. This particular officer really needs a slap in the face. Even the marshal that was sitting in our TAV shook her head in shock. He was busy telling people, especially boss, what to do like as if he was the honcho. He was obviously sucking up to the boss. I didn't understand him. He still have the cheek to 'carry balls' even amidst the exercise. Some people really do not know when not to 'carry balls'. I felt like puking seeing his stupid actions in the TAV. So disgusting! Sigh. Can't he just leave the boss to lead? Why did he have to be a busybody? Does he know that too many cooks spoil the broth? Never mind! I can't understand some Singaporeans too. They are damn idiotic. Just look the road in the morning especially on the expressway. Just because of a minor incident, say a vehicle breakdown, some drivers would slow down to take a look at what is happening. This creates massive traffic jam especially during rush hour. Sigh. Then there's Israel. I just tuned in to CNA and there was a report stating that the Zionist were gearing up and mustering soldiers to invade Lebanon. I don't really understand the Zionists. They are really asking for troubles. Oh boy! They are in deep shit. This proves that people really equals shit. Long live Slipknot!

KLP, LNA, TLP, IPPT, CCB, BUTOH, FUCK LAH

Stressful year ahead of me. Shafiq have just handed over his duties to me and it was damn messy and cumbersome. I have to do both Richard's and Shafiq's work. That is absurd. I have no problem with it but the only problem is my forgetfulness. Like i've mentioned in my earlier entry, absent-mindedness is my worst sickness. Whatever! I just hope i won't screw things up. Weird things are beginning to happen to me. Haha. I can't help but laugh at myself. Just after i had my lunch today, i rushed to the lift area to proceed to ICA to get my passport. However, i decided to piss first due to 'high tide'. I entered a toilet and quickly went to a cubicle to pee. I locked the cubicle's door and few seconds later, amidst answering Nature's call, i heard some voices but i ignored it. I was happily pissing when i realised those voices were that of 2 females. I thought to myself, 'Why on Earth would some ladies enter a male toilet?' Oh my God! I was in the wrong toilet. No wonder the tiles in the toilet are pink in colour. I panicked a bit but managed to remain calm. I decided not to get out of the cubicle and let the 2 ladies get out of the toilet first. After they left, i made a quick dash out of the toilet, hoping that no one would catch me red handed. I sigh to myself after the incident. Shit like that happens in life. Haha. I ponder...

It Hurts To Smile

There's a saying, 'A smile is a charity.' However, they didn't say it will hurt to smile. Haha. It is damn difficult for me to smile today as the injury is amidst healing. When i smile, there will be a pang in my upper lip but i don't really care. I'm not known to frown always and thus, i tried to smile in any way possible today. The healing process is so far so good. The swelling is beginning to subdue but unfortunately, a scar will remain there. Gosh, what worse could possibly happen to me? Well, it is fine to scar your lips but never scar your heart. Haha. Anyway, I don't know how to cure this illness of mine. I keep forgetting stuff. I'm afraid of being reprimanded in work for my forgetfulness. I swear it is not my fault. I have a short term memory and i can't remember things well. I realise this when i was in college and it has been happening until now. When i was in college, my teachers would scold me for not bringing my homework. The truth is, i can't remember where i put it. This happened all the time. I remembered doing all of my homework, well most of them, but i would not remember where i last kept it. So sad. I'm damn afraid i will screw things up in my department due to my forgetfulness. Help! Anyway, what is bothering me is the fact that the Zionists are stirring up troubles again in the middle-east. They are just too proud and arrogant. After stealing lands, the have the cheek to kill others. What kind of bastards are they? I'll give you an analogy. You bought a house and thus the house is yours. Couple of years down the road, the police chased you out because you failed to pay for the house. Somebody took over the house and thus the house is his now. Out of no where, you decided to return to your former house. You broke into it and you ousted the owner out. Does that house legally belong to you even after you have been living in it for eons of years after the break in? The crook in the analogy that i've just given is Israel. They have no shame. I'm not against the people of Israel but i detest their government to the core. The Palestinians have the right to have their land back. It is theirs after all. I don't see the need for the US to intervene. I don't think this war will ever end because it is just not about politics, but about religion, pride and supremecy. I'm not an extremist but even if you are in Singapore, the law entitles you the right of private defence to your property and life. When the Palestinians kill the Zionists, the world calls it Terrorism but when the Zionists kill the Palestinians, the 'blinds' call it an act of self-defence. Where does the truth lies then? The Palestinians are also stupid. Amidst war with the Zionists, they are also waging wars against themselves. Why can't they just unite and fight? I don't understand some people. Bleargh. What the world need is love and more love.Just recently, the Zionists attacked Lebanon. Oh ho..they are really asking for troubles. They have forgotten their topography. They are in the Land of the Arabs and the last thing they should do is to anger the Arabs. Ofcourse Israel have firepower that the Arabs could only dream of but when it comes to unity, be very sure nothing beats Ukhwah Islamia (Muslim Brotherhood). This brotherhood used to conquer 3/4, if i'm not wrong, of the world. This brotherhood used to beat the Crusades. Well, i just hope people would someday sit down to talk. What's the use of fighting? God gave us brains to think with. Only animals fight without reason. Lame lame!

The Laceration

Yesterday's soccer match was fine. My team won with a score of 4 to 1. I was one of the goal scorers. It was early in the game where the score was even at nil. We had a corner and one of my team mate placed the ball to take it whilst the opponents were congregating at the penalty box busy marking my team mates. No body was marking me and i was standing somewhere 20 metres outside the penalty box. No body was marking me and thus i decided to run towards my team mate who was about to take the corner kick. He passed me the ball and without any hesitation, i lined up for the shot and it was a first time shot. The ball sailed towards the right end of the goal post and the opponent couldn't do any thing about the shot. Still, i believe my strength in soccer is my powerful and accurate shooting skill. Again, i celebrated alone after the goal. I do not know why people don't celebrate my goals. Maybe because they are jealous? Haha. Just jesting. In the second half, i was a defender and i swear i faultered alot of times. I'm used to playing as a defensive midfielder and defending is not my forte. The opponent's only goal was due to my stupid mistake. While we were busy attacking, our opponent managed to entercept a ball and they quickly countered us. Imran was with the ball dribbling infront of me. I quickly launched a sliding tackle which went horribly wrong. Imran decided to jump over me to avoid any clash but the blades of his boots caught my face and all i could remember was a loud knock i received. The next second i knew was that i was on the floor. Being used to heavy knocks due to rugby, i managed to shake off the knock and amidst that, i thought to myself, 'I've experience this before and i don't know when.' I swear if seemed like dejavu. I got up and the next thing i knew i tasted blood. I touched my lips and discovered blood and a lacerated upper lip. I told the referee that i've got laceration and the referee told me to stop playing. If it wasn't for the referee, i would have continued playing. Anyway, i sauntered back to the sport pavillion and i quickly took my wallet and handphone and headed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. 3.5 hours after my hospital admission, i received my stitching and i was damn painful. It took the doctor, a Tagalog lady by the name of Malanie Matteo, 9 stitches to seal up my bust up lip. It was devastating. The doctor told me the injury will leave a scar. I'll look different. So sad. But what an experience it was.

Nostalgia

Every time i look back at my JC life, it will draw a smile on my face. What have i done so far in college? Nothing! Haha. In J1, i didn't study at all. My day in college from morning until night but i didn't study at all. In the morning, classes would start as normal and when the school bell rang, to the basketball court my friends and i would go to. No, we didn't play basketball but soccer. This was our habit for the whole of our J1. Then, when preliminary exam was just around the corner, we started to panick but eventually, most of us managed to be promoted to J2. My results were pretty bad. B for C-Maths, E for Physics, F for Economics, B4 for Malay and C5 for General Paper. Haha. When came J2, i started to play Rugby for the college. The training was tough. I planned to mug but due to the taxing rugby training, my plannings were all futile. I ended sleeping for my study period. I came to school just to slack and play rugby. When the rugby A division season was about to begin, we started to slack in our academics even more. I would come to school and then straight to the Malay Cultural Society room to slack, smoke and sleep. Couple of my rugby mates would cramp the room and when it was sleeping time, i swear the room would resemble packed tunas, except for the tomato sauce. Haha. This bad habit ended when the rugby season was over. After that, it was time to study for A level but most of us thought it was too late. Most of the rugby guys didn't do well but most managed to get to the universities except me. I repeated but at least i didn't regret repeating. It was fruitful. During my J3, i studied hard to make up for the 2 years of shenanigans. It was really difficult studying for the 2 years of work that i missed but in the end it paid off. Haha. I eventually learned that procrastination is really the thief of time. Along the way, i found out that Economics is really an interesting subject and if i were given an opportunity to study Economics in university, i would grab the opportunity without looking back. I wasted a year of my life but that one year really taught me some useful lessons. I really miss mugging in college and i really miss mathematics. When you are young, you can afford to make mistakes but along the way, you must learn not to repeat them. There is a saying, 'Why make the same mistake when there are plenty of other mistakes to make?' However, i encourage others to minimise in making mistakes. It is fine to make mistake. After all, human learn best from mistakes. To err is human. Anyway, the day in the office was pedestrial. Nothing much happened. We didn't do much work and all we talked about today was about the upcoming Bali trip. I am damn excited about the trip. It'll be my first time visiting Bali. The first thing i would do when i reach Bali is to look for a massage parlour. My aching body needs a traditional Javanese massage. After hard knocks i've gotten from playing rugby, i admit my body has taken it's toll. That is one of the reasons why i quit playing rugby this year. I really miss rugby. And the next thing i would do in Bali is to slack in the beach and sun tan. Maybe i'll go for a swim. I hope Tsunami would not strike or terrorists would not bomb the place. Haha. I went to the gym today and it was tiring. The gym regime of mine just started and the first session was just a warm up. I need to condition myself first before hitting the dumb bells. Italy won the world cup. I was hoping that France would lift the cup but in the end, the Azzures took it. The best team won i guess. I hope Gattuso would go to Manchester United to beef up the midfield. Manchester will, and i swear they will, win the next season Premier League, FA cup, Champions League and World Club Cup. Haha. I'm thinking of buying a Man Utd jersey for myself. Should i buy? Errr...okay, i guess i'll buy in the next pay day. Sian. NS allowance is really not enough. I can't even feed the stray cats at the void deck with my pay. Sheesh. I hope time will pass pretty quickly for NS. I can't wait for ORD. I have a long way to go. I shall just take it easy. Live my NS life a day at a time. 6th September 2007 here i come.

The Honcho Of Honchos

Guess what i have done earlier? Haha. I've actually added a comment on Nicholas Sparks' official website, www.nicholassparks.com . I'm a big fan of Nicholas Sparks' novels and i hope to write well just like him. I hope my standard of English is good but i must admit that i too create mistakes here and there. This is what i wrote on Nicholas Sparks website:

In this contemporary epoch, people disregard the beauty of love stories because of the tenacity and pace of our lives. People also tend to be entertained the most through violence, sex and rowdy music and thus, there is a decline in demand for love stories. This trend speaks a great volume of the people's current weird, sick and insensitive behaviour towards themselves and the environment around them. I must really thank Nicholas Sparks for shining ray of love and hope unto our societies. In this century, what we really need is more love and not more shenanigans. I come from Singapore and during my school days, I have a mean reputation because I am a Rugby player. However, ever since I read my first Sparks' book, A Walk To Remember, my interest for love novel grows. My friends ridiculed me for reading love novels. I am an avid fan of Nicholas Sparks' masterpieces and i have read all of his books. However, what dissatisfied me is that most of Sparks' novels are too ideal and not realistic. Nowadays, Sparks' new books like At First Sight and True Believer have a similar trend or ideas from his previous novels. From my perspective, this is a problem because i am afraid that his upcoming books will be pedestrial. Having said that, i hope Mr Sparks will do something about this problem, if it is a problem at all in the first place. Other than that, kudos to Nicholas Sparks for his brilliance and i must admit that he is the honcho of love novel.

Haha. I hope this comment get published. Anyway, today's soccer match at Punggol soccer field was horrendous. Firstly, the opposition team did not have sufficient players and we have to play eight-a-side match. It was damn taxing. Secondly, we let in 3 goals in the first half. Thirdly, our match was disrupted half way by an ugly accident. One of the oppositions contested for a ball with Hanan and he fell right outside the penalty box but it was not a foul at all. Hanan went for the lose ball when the guy was down on the floor. However, that guy managed to pull himself up and recontested for the ball again but this time, instead of getting the ball, he got a dislocated elbow. It was damn bad. We have to call Alpha-Bravo (the ambulance). Guess what? One of the SCDF medic is my friend, Benjamin, who was from my former class, 03S28. He was surprised too seeing me in Punggol. After the guy was ferried away to the nearest hospital, we carried on with the match. From 3 goals down, we went level in the second half. It was 4 goals each and we have to proceed with penalty showdown to seperate the victors from losers. Unfortunately, my team was the loser. Fadly took the first penalty for my team and his shot was stopped. Second penalty taker was me and i let my team down again and again by missing yet another penalty. How many more do i have to miss? I'm such a loser in taking penalties. Just not my forte but atleast the ball didn't sail away from the goal post this time around. The goalkeeper managed to parry away my shot. We will have another match next week. Aight, i will log out now. Adios!

Appointment With Death

Today was a tiring day even though i didn't do much work in the office. Due to dragon boat training in the afternoon, my department operated half-day today. It has been eons ago since i participated in any sea sports. I was damn excited. Most of the SIRD personnel went for the dragon boat training and it was an enriching experience. The training was horrendous because most of us couldn't and didn't know how to paddle properly. I was seated at the back of the boat with Soon Teck and i swear if it wouldn't be for the two of us, the boat wouldn't move at all. Just look at Ram, the babble mouth crap talker guy. He talks so much but paddle like a pussy. We paddled from Singapore Dragon Boat Association (SDBA) to the Benjamin Shear bridge. I predicted that we would require 200 strokes or so to reach the bridge and i was absolutely correct. Gosh, those dragon boat and kayaking training for my secondary school made me memorised the amount of strokes needed to get to the bridge. Actually you can take lesser amount of strokes, say 150 or so, if you really whip a good paddle and ofcourse, the rowers must paddle in a concerted effort and synchronise their movement. Dragon boating is not that difficult. It was damn tiring i tell you because it seemed only Soon Teck, Shafiq,Edwin, Rizal and I were paddling. We threw Ram, Shafiq and William into the sea and they were total wackos. Haha. After dragon boat, i showered and hurried to Clementi MRT station to meet up with Jolene to pass her my C-Maths notes. Why on Earth she wanted the notes? I'm not sure too. I had a close encounter with death the other day whilst i was walking down the gradient near NPPK. I was sauntering happily when suddenly a big dog, i'm not sure which breed, lashed out at me. It came running and barking like devil towards me and my instinct told me to side step and so i did. I was in shock too. Amidst side stepping, i went onto the road and a taxi was just behind me. Lucky for me the taxi driver managed to swerve on time to avoid hitting me. I couldn't imagine what my life would be if i were involved in an accident. God, i pray to thee to protect me. Amin! Yeap, JJC Malaygangstars will be having a soccer match tomorrow and i hope we will emerge as victors after the match. Hope so! Damn tired! Some one was sad this week. I couldn't do much to comfort her. The least i could do was to give consoling motivation. She is doing some soul searching and i think it is normal for humans to do soul searching. I underwent one myself. I hope she get well and happy soon. Don't cry. Even with clipped wings, Angels can still fly. :) Aight. Time for me to sleep. Good night!

National Service : Underpaid & Overworked. Serve & Fuck Off.

I seriously think National Service is a pristine waste of my fucking time. Ofcourse there are things and skills that we may learn during our NS that might be useful to our mundane life, both in the present epoch as well as the future but i'm damn sure these skills can be learned outside NS. You can always go to a course offering Powepoint Presentation Skills or even Speak With Poise Course. Ofcourse some might say you should learn all this skills during your NS because it is free. Hell, it is not. It comes with an opportunity cost. With the 2 years i have to spend on NS, i can use it to partially complete my University education. After that, i would still have ample of time to work to earn myself a living. First thing i hate about NS is that we are underpaid and overworked. I'm just earning a freaking $350 a month plus $100 for meal allowance. The amount of work that we do does not tantamount the pay that we receive. This is exploitation. Well, some people might say that you are doing your NS for your own country and not for the money. Oh come on! Even if you give a Bangla to take over my place, he would spit on it. What we want is a respectable pay and the amount of work that we do must tally with our capability and not let us do things that aren't supposed to be done by us. Aren't data supposed to be collected by data collectors? Aren't letters supposed to be folded and mailed by postmen? Aren't coffees supposed to be served by waiters? Aren't we supposed to be treated like human being? I am not money minded. There are many reasons why i hate NS but i'm just too lazy to jot it in this blog entry. It'll be long winded. In addition to that, the Government might apprehend me for going against them and for bad-mouthing them. All of my entries aren't lies and i have so far sent and typed all entries from my sincere heart. So all honchos, if you think i'm telling lies, sue me then! Haha. Gomes Saga again. However, there is one useful lesson that i learn in NS that i can't learn effectively elsewhere and that is 'Balls Carrying' or also known as 'Boot Licking' or 'Cock Sucking'. Whatever it is, i shall just 'pay my due' and after 2 years, i shall just fuck off from NS. Let's just say i'm doing NS for the good people of Singapore.

Stephen Appiah

Today was a disappointing day. Team JJC Malaygangstars played a friendly soccer match at Gan Eng Seng Secondary School's soccer pitch with Edmund's team, former Anderson Junior College guys. Opps, correction, it is a desert. Not a field at all. Anyway, Edmund's team was late and the referee was making awful lot of noise. There was this Thai guys who were there before we even came. We started late and the referee wanted us to pay more. Screw him! First half was pretty good as we manage to control the game. It was my first time playing as a defensive midfielder. I find out that that's the best position for me. Can control both the midfield and defence. I don't mind doing the dirty work. I want to be like Maradona and Stephen Appiah combine. We had couple of chances but we didn't capitalise. They scored first and we were taken aback. We managed to control them but it was their left midfielder that was causing lots of problems for us. To be honest, Hasbullah was off form. He was really raped on the left side. One of my team fed me the ball but an opponent managed to head it away and lucky for me the lose ball came to me. I managed to dribble a bit but lost control and all i could do was to pass to Hanan and he managed to cut in and scored. There was this really bad incident where i came across a 50-50 ball and i stick out my right leg to reach for the ball but the blades of my boot found the opponent's ankle instead. Luckily i was not carded. It was a dangerous play but what could i do? It's a 50-50 ball. However, i was flabbergasted with myself for i couldn't believe that i was full of steam in the first half. No panting at all. It has been a while since i did any physical workout. Second half was a disappointment. We let in 2 goals. To add insult to injury, the referee stopped the game 25 mins early. Can you believe that we played only 20min in the second half? It was a disappointment. We almost beat up the referee but luckily he's an old man. We will have another game next week at Compassvale Secondary School on Saturday. I hope it will not be another disappointment. Sucks! I think i'm too heavy. I'm losing my speed and i admit, my body can't take the weight. I don't know how to lose weight fast. I'm now 90kg. My target weight is 80kg. I'm thinking of taking Laxative to reduce weight but i'm too afraid of it's repercussion. Sigh. I'll think of a way. I'm in hot soup tomorrow. I didn't know that i was keeping one of my supervisor's important key. Edmund told me that my drawer's key has a duplicate it. Thus, i assume that key to be my drawer's key. My supervisor called me and he was damn pissed. I'll be in hot soup tomorrow. Shit. Sheesh. Feeling so lethargic now. Haha. Woookay lah! Me logging off now. Argentina rules even though they are out of the World Cup.