The Blog Around The Corner

New Year's Eve

Another day for countdowns again.

Not much of a plan today. Just high tea with Tiffany and gang. She suggested Hooters. I am easy. Gotta find something for the night though.

Take care mates. Arvo~!

daZ @ 12:39 PM

Christmas Update

Tomorrow would be the last of 5 alternate duties in camp. What a tiring stretch this past eight days had been. You have to forgive me for not putting up regular updates. With Christmas celebration sandwiched between duties, I hardly got any rest after the Genting trip.

Christmas celebrations was quite a bang though. I had it at my Shijie's auntie's vacant flat located along Upper Cross street. The advance party (including me) had arrived early to put up the decorations and stuff. We cleared the living room, set up the lights, hung up the mistletoe and laid the table for what will be a very happening Christmas eve.


First to arrive are the three beauties from the western hemisphere of Singapore; (from left) Liping, Beryl, Weifen.

The people arrived at 8pm and never looked backed. Food and alcohol were in abundance. We had a big piece of ham, a beautiful log cake, trays of potato wedges and chicken wings. Shijie brought 3 bottles of drinks; a bottle of red wine, a bottle of grape juice and a bottle of fruity wine.


They didn't take long to make themselves at home did they? From left; Sharon, Lifang, Weifen, Beryl, Liping.


Sure had a butty good time.

We sure had some fun with the camera. Someone thought of giving our bottoms a good look at the camera and that is what happened. We had individual photos taken but I decided that it would be unnecessary to post them up here. Quite obscene too.


Christmas dinner complete with the beauty of candles.

We bought a whole box of candles but used only two. The candles melted and formed a nice pattern with the wax.


Cheers to a wonderful Christmas! Pop some champagne!

First time I had pop a bottle. Together with Alex, we shook the bottle so hard, the champagne exploded into the room in front of us.


Weapons of mass destructions.

The champagne went flying all over the place, not least the wall in front. Whew.. what a mess.


Of course that is alright if you have someone to clear up the mess afterwards..

The champagne also went splattered onto the ceiling and floor. Those two were on chairs when doing the ceiling. No, they aren't that tall yet.


From left: Shijie, Weifen, Alex, Guorong, Me, Beryl, Liping, Lifang, Jerry. Lets toast!

Cheers! Christmas lights of the right, slivery decor on the left, log cake in the middle. It had proven to be a great Christmas.


Yes, Christmas's not complete without gift exchange. I got a bottle of fruity wine. Tasty!

One of the few times I did a presents exchange. It really brought out the Christmas feel when the presents were displayed on the table. Hope to have an equally great Christmas next year!

daZ @ 7:36 PM

Genting

Here are the very few photos I took at Genting. There weren't much because of two reasons. One being the four aren't very photogenic. The second being we were in the casino half of the time and no cameras are allowed in.


Dubbed the luckiest chair in the world. It is made up of golden horse shoes which is regarded as lucky charms. I sat on it for a few minutes and the wnnings in the casino speaks for itself.


F4. Me, Weilun, Yongsheng, Yiyao.


The thick fog outside Hotel First World where we spent three wonderful days. The temperature was around 14 degrees.


Superman ride. Cost RM10 per person.


One of the exhibit in Ripley's Believe It Or Not, this car is made up of small gold coins. Wonder what its COE is like.


Also found in Ripley's Believe It Or Not, this guy could row his tongue like that. Bet you cant do it like him. Well.. I cant anyway.

daZ @ 1:01 AM

Boxing Day!

Is everyone having a wonderful Christmas? I certainly hope so.

I had a great time. Amazing party on the eve followed by steamboat dinner in camp. That's life! Haha.

More updates and pictures when Fen/Shijie or anyone send me the photos we took at the party.

daZ @ 10:23 AM

HO! HO! HO!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Don't do anything naughty this wonderful festive season.

Haha.

Enjoy it!

daZ @ 1:37 PM

Backed

I am back! And a winner too!

I had an enjoyable time at Genting, not least because I won a small fortune at the casino. Haha. It's not often you hear successful stories from gamblers and much less from those at caisnos. How much did I win? Enough to make the entire trip free of charge with spare cash for the taxi ride home.

The abalones at Ah Yat Abalone Restaurant were tasty and the service excellent. Your tea cups get refilled every minute and culteries changed for every dish.

More updates tomorrow. Duty today. Sign... back to reality after a dream holiday.

daZ @ 1:00 AM

The Future

What lies in wait for daZ's future? Well.. some uncertainties.

I would very much love to study in Australia after I ORD and my desire to do that would make it more possible. I could see myself in the campus of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) carrying stacks of thick books going to the next lecture. I could see myself doing projects in front of the computer after school. I could see myself in my small little apartment at night enjoying the Australian sky. These are the wonderful pictures I see in my future. The best part is they could be all true come next Febuary.

There is this little problem of doing all that by myself. My friend whom was supposed to share the dream with me got rejected by QUT. I was a little hesistant to study alone. It was he who had asked me to join him in overseas studying. Now that I got the green light from both the school and my parents, he would not be with me. It isn't that I could not survive alone but would only be more difficult. Our plans to share the same apartment, attend the same lectures and struggle together during examinations were shattered. Of course he was more disappointed than me. His results did not make the cut for entry into QUT and regretting now isn't going to make any difference.

Over the past two days I had been thinking hard about studying alone and I feel that I could do it. So many people had done it and I rate myself to be as strong as or even stronger than them. I wish to work there after I completed the degree. Find a job and gain my first full time job experience overseas. It is certainly something new and not one I had even dream about. I could work a couple of years in Brisbane before heading home. I figured I would be extremely homesick by then.

The experience would do my future a whole lot of good though. An overseas graduate with two years working experience on foreign soil. That would certainly look good on my resume. I predict that it would be difficult working there though. It is like having a young foreigner working in a Singapore company. Would you be as helpful towards him? Would you teach him all the tricks of the trade? Could he commit his future to the company? The many questions and doubts he would be faced with.

I am not expecting an easy time in studying and working overseas. Different people, different place and different culture. There are so many things one have to learn all at once. I relishes the challenge though. I am sure I would be up for it when the time requires me to.

Wish me good luck.

daZ @ 11:50 PM

Holiday Mood

Woo hoo! Its the end of my course tomorrow. Cant wait for it to end.

Looking forward to my Malaysia trip this Friday. Big money big money at the casino!

daZ @ 6:18 PM

Mess!

I did not get a reply from Hotel First World where I reserved rooms for my short getaway next Friday. It apparently means that there are no rooms available for online booking. I checked the pages where they show the hotels' room availabilities and all four hotels in Genting were fully booked on the night of the 18th. There is also only limited rooms available for the night of 19th.

I had already bought the coach tickets for Genting and imagine how disastrous it would be not to have hotels rooms for the holiday trip. How would I answer to my friends? Haha. I could laugh now that I got the rooms alreadybut it was pretty panicky in the morning when I was cracking my brain on how to get rooms at such short notice. Clever little me drew on every ounce of my resourcefulness to get the rooms at the lowest price possible. How did I do it?

First I flipped the pages of The Sunday Times's classified. Ah.. the convenience of newspapers. Check under the travel section and you can get the numbers of tour agencies easily. I called up several agencies and settled on $320 for two rooms and two nights at Hotel First World. That amount is so much higher than the online rate of Ringgit540 ($244) for the same room and number of nights. I do not have much choices though and my friends would settle for a confirmation of the rooms.

daZ @ 1:59 PM

Love?

One particular bulletin post I saw on Friendster:-

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Message: ~ When a guy really falls in love and becomes faithful to his beloved, his change in his character will really shock everyone around him. His egoistic heart will uncompromisingly softens when he willingly gives his heart to the lady he falls in love with..

Furthermore he'll be willing to sacrifice everything and do anything for his loved one.

No matter how egoistic he may be, tears will fall from his cheeks when his heart's broken.

It's not easy to see guys who would truly cry for their loved ones...

20 signs to recognise the strong love a guy holds for his beloved..

1. He willingly do anything n everything for his beloved with sincerity not coercion.

It is one of the surest sign of love. Guys would go all out of their way to do things for their girls. This is less common for girls as guys usually do the dating and planning stuff. I would do anything even if it brings extreme inconvenience to myself. As long as my actions would make the girl happy, I am willing to do it.

2. He constantly wants to humor his beloved and tends to be more talkative.

Yes, quite true too. Sometimes, guy might go overboard and do too much instead of being his natural self. Forgive him. He is trying to do his best. I would almost force myself to be talkative on the phone and I am not a good talker on the phone and would avoid phone calls when possible. Dating a girl though requires a lot of time on the phone and well, as mentioned in Number 1 above, I would do anything to make her happy.

3. He tends to advise his beloved more as he truly loves her and wants her to be a better person.

Sometimes an overdose of words could be deadly. The advice might not be accepted as intended and could bring trouble to both parties. The guy would be confused as to why his well-intended words are being answered with a hostile reaction. The girl might be fustrated at the guy for being a M.C.P..

4. He tries to restrict her freedom due to his overwhelming jealousy.

One of the most common mistake in a relationship. It could happen to both parties and it takes a great amount of understanding to avoid trouble over such actions. Mutual respect for both parties' freedom would be greatly appreciated.

5. He constantly fears losing his beloved.

Who wouldn't? But I feel that if both sides love each other as much, there should be nothing to fear. I feel that the fear could deepen over time if feelings are not make clear and enforced. Love is built on such unconditional terms that a break up is so unpredictable.

6. He always monitors his beloved's movements as he feels insecure.

Again, an overdose could lead to unneccessary invasion of privacy to the other party. Could happen to both parties. I try not to stick my nose where I am not wanted. If she wants to tell me things or let me know certain happenings then she would tell me straight. If you keep probing and questioning, it could shaken the relationship.

7. He hates the idea of other guys being close to his beloved.

Wouldn't anyone be jealous? The idea is to be generous and trust your parthner. I would feel a tingle of jealousy and anger when other guys approach the girl I like. I cant control other people's actions. It is up to the girl to take the initiative to avoid intimate contact with other guys. Nothing much I can do.

8. He becomes jealous and sensitive when his beloved pays less attention to him.

I am most sensitive to the actions of the one I love. I would analyse all her actions and reason out an explanation behind her movement, selection of choices and tone of her voice. Not so much of being jealous though. Perhaps there is a reason behind her lack of attention. Always ask before jumping to conculsion.

9. He becomes the most hardworking person and help his beloved to do anything and everything.

As with number 1. I would be the girl's whoever whenever she needs me to be. Chauffeur, bodyguard, nanny, book holder, bag holder, shopping assistant, walking dictionary, ATM, events coordinator, plumber, carpenter, mechanic. The list could go on and on but I supposed you got the idea.

10. He becomes restless when his beloved's away for too long.

After giving out so much and bracing himself for more, the guy just wishes he could see his girl everyday. A day without her would feel like a month. Imagine a whole week of absence..

* The next ten to be continued on other days...

11. He cares for his beloved more than he does himself.
12. He constantly asks if his beloved loves him as he feels his love is greater than his beloved's.
13. He would not be bothered with other gals who don't hold any importance to him.
14. He will try to spend a lot of time with his beloved even though he know he'll end up waiting for his beloved.
15. He praises his beloved in front of others.
16. If his beloved leaves him, he cannot trust any other gal and wishes for his beloved to come back to him.
17. When there is a third party, he loses his mind and is willing to do anything to fight for his beloved.
18. He makes sure he ensures her safety at all times.
19. He is like a small kid who fights for constant attention from his beloved.
20. He treats his beloved as his most trusted one and is willing to sacrifice all of his wealth and even his life for her.

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daZ @ 2:07 AM

QUT?

Car

Bought new floor mats for the car yesterday. Why? Because I lost the old ones on one of the washing days. I took out all fours mats and sun them out on the concrete floor before I begin car washing. After I had wiped the car dry, I simply took off without putting in the mat. I only noticed my mats were gone after I had driven to camp the next day. My foot felt kind of funny touching the bare emptiness of the car floor and I looked down..

The rest is history..

Bought the new mats at AutoBacs along Bukit Timah road. They are having a promotion there. The mats which cost $90 originally were sold at $75. Works out to a 16.67% discount. The wide range of car accessories is priced reasonably and coupled with the discount makes it an ideal shop for car owners. Car repair and maintenance services are available too. $5 for stuff like tire repairs, battery changing and double that for engine oil changing and more complicated items.

QUT

Got the reply from Queensland University of Technology yesterday. I am accepted for a one year degree at their campus in Brisbane, Australia. It is now up to my parent's approval before I book the ticket that will take me to Gold Coast.

Where would I be next summer?

You will be the first to know..

daZ @ 5:36 PM

Car Wash

I am developing a certain something in car washing lately. Did up my car twice in three days. It's really dirty business getting the dirt out of the wheels and all. But it's well worth the effort when you're done and the car looks spanking clean.

Nothing much to report today or this week for that matter. Spending the entire week in School of Ammunition's classroom is hardly news worthy stuff. Just glad to be talking to old course mates again. Some of whom I have not seen for the past 2 years.

The group of us had began our army life serving as recruits on the military training island. We were somehow reunited when assigned to the next phase of training. At the new school, we were trained for 5 months before being deployed to the various depots. We were separated then and left to started an entire new life. We struggled and we learnt. It wasn't easy but we coped. We grew competent in our field of expertise but for some, they were half-hearted.

This course would mark the closure of our full time service in the army but not our friendship.

It has been a long and difficult journey..

Everyone is tired and longing for the shores of freedom once again..

daZ @ 11:14 PM

Rest. At Last!

Attending the M.A.T.T. is boring stuff. Sitting in a classroom for hours before going for a short break only to resume lessons. There wasn't much teaching going on actually. Most of the time was spent doing online tutorials in the lab.

The best thing about being there is that I get to go home everyday. No duties for 2 whole weeks. Two whole weekends free of army commitments. Having their weekends free of work might have been taken for granted by many people whom doesn't know how lucky they are. For army personels, weekends are such precious days they look forward to everyday.

Wasted no time in fully utilising my Saturday. Went to Ben's place to wash car. Initial plans to use the taps on Jurong Hill was thwarted by parking charges. No point paying such money to wash the car, might as well spend it on carwash. So it was at Ben's carpark where we did the washing. Took a few hours to get the job done.

Ben had to leave early to get his dog for obedience lessons. I carried on for a while before meeting Alex and Shijie for dinner at Orchard. It was super crowded in town today. A big jam on the road and the lack of carpark space dalayed us an additional 30 minutes. Seems like the Christmas crowd had already arrived.

The annual fun fair atop Orchard MRT station was almost as packed as on the roads. Not much new stuff this year. There is a scare room in a corner of the fair. Should be scary enough to frighten a 6 year old. The shot-at-something-and-win-something-furry stalls are back with almost the same equipment as the time before. I still remember the green coloured glass bottles you had to throw a small loop with to win a prize.

Home sweet home just before midnight.

daZ @ 1:01 AM

Smiles All Around

I am super down in the slumps and unlucky things have been happening very quckily to me. I don't know how to phase it nicely so I will just spit it all out.

I got caught for bringing in some DVDs and bubble gum when coming back from Malaysia yesterday. Got stopped at the Custom's secondary security checkpoint and the policemen did a super thorough check on my car. One of those assholes almost ripped up my rear seat. Fuck him.

That piece of bad luck coupled with the traffic offence makes for a very bad driving week for me. I would love to curse and swear aloud but I am too refined for that...

Oh ya.. did I mention I got away unscathed though? The DVDs were allowed in because I only bought 3 pieces. The bubble gums were destoryed on the spot.

Conversation between me and the policeman: -

Policeman: "You really know how to hide the stuff huh. What? You trying to test me izzit?"

Me: "No lah. I wouldn't dare."

Policeman: "Next time ah.. don't try and hide the DVDs. Bring in a few can but don't try to hide them."

Me: "Orh. Ok."

So I can conclude that next time I would definitely bring in VCDs or DVDs in small quantities. My bubble gum cost me 18 ringgit. Fuck. I even helped the policewoman rip apart all the gum. And I have a piece of warning to all those trying to smuggle ciggarettes in, don't. $150 fine per packet is just too risky business. Saw this couple who got caught with 4 unopen packets of Marlboro. Woah! Good luck to them.

daZ @ 6:09 PM

Of Dreams

Ever dreamt of being a star? Well, tonight, someone in Singapore is going to be crown 'Idol'.

Who will it be? Go watch the show.

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Dreamt of Hebe yesterday night. Haha. Very funny and childish or navie you might think, but it is my dream isn't it? And to dream of Hebe is better than having a nightmare isn't? I dreamt that she was a girl at a KTV nightclub and I managed to won her heart. I remember this scene when my right arm was over her shoulder and we were having this intimate moment together. Hahaha. REAL SWEET! She was real pretty and sweet in the dream, very innocent..

That what I like in a girl. A girl's sweet smile can melt any guy's heart. Do something wrong and flash your apologetic smile and yoiu are forgiven. Guys never had that kind of charm. So girls, use it wisely and it will be to your advantage.

daZ @ 7:30 PM