7th Heaven

Final Post

2008-01-03T22:06:00.000+08:00

While many people were busy celebrating Christmas and New Year, many others were also suffering at the same time. This whole period is the busiest for Police, as a result I didn't even feel that the new year has come. For the past 6 months, I have really seen too many things, so much selfishness and ugliness in mankind, so much so that I may even start to hate mankind. It really takes a God to want to love and save mankind.

Anyway, I won't be updating this blog in a long while. Too busy to do so.

The Revolution of Action

2007-11-08T21:21:00.000+08:00

Cabal Online. Anyone interested?

KE7 ICN '07

2007-10-19T20:44:00.000+08:00

Thank God for a good tour during my night shift, and i was able to make it for ICN '07 last night. This year's program was really on schedule. i missed almost the first half of the show, including Taekwondo (their very first performance in hall!) and the hip hop dance. Caught the other two dances. Anyway the main highlight was Wushu right at the end, and that was also my main reason for being there. All i can say is ... totally excellent! The parts which i liked most are...

1) The guy calling out the timing for the second group performance. i dunno his name, but the feeling he gives on stage was incredible! Even with such simple moves, he brings them all to life.

2) Zheng Hao and Irene's duet and duel. So much more smoother and perfect as compared to last year. Pity they did not want to act further and make it look more like a Romeo and Juliet show. Dying at the end with the two families were still at war with each other doesnt seem like the perfect ending. Then again, with all the action scenes, who cares?

3) Mass fight against Zheng Hao and Irene. i never imagined that a mass fight can be choreoed in such a way.

4) Jeremy and Sharon's duel. i could almost see the aura within the fight. Sharon's poses were incredibly beautiful this time as compared to what i saw last year, and Jeremy improved a lot in terms of expression, much fiercer than before. Good job!

5) Kan Foong and Yen Ling's duet. This is really my favourite part! Kan Foong's two hand wielding blade against Yen Ling's rapier, and Yen Ling's taichi battle against Kan Foong was super cool! The effect was amplified by Kan Foong's 'flying' skills when he was being hit by Yen Ling. i was really impressed with this choreography, it reminded me of House of Fury.

And of course the rest did a good job too, especially Huey Shin and Ye Dan for seeing this through. Makes me feel proud to be part of KE7 wushu, or even VJC wushu. And as usual, i wished i had the time to perform this sort of thing again. Videos please!

The Past Week

2007-10-14T21:04:00.000+08:00

Haven't had the time to really sit down and blog these few days. Really overwhelmed with work. So here's a quick summary:

6 Oct: The first of my cousins to get married on this day! (cousins meaning within my generation.) Held at Mandarin Oriental, and they get a complimentary suite to stay in for a few days. The suite was really beautiful! Breath-taking view, big bathroom, visitor's area, LCD TV with lots of channels and surround sound speakers. Now the pressure's on me to get married cause i'm next in line...

8 Oct: i've been upgraded after three months of work, and now the cases i handle have been upgraded as well. Today marks the first of my tours. Everything was okay until the end when three coroner cases hit me at the same time the following morning...

10 Oct: Dear came back from Korea, but i did not know of the time as there was no news from her until she reached back home. haiyo... =p

11 Oct: Quick meet up with dear for dinner at AMK Hub. Would have reached there earlier if it wasn't for some case i was handling...

12 Oct: Chatted online with dear very briefly in the night, but had to rest early for the next day...

13 Oct: Deployment for Istana Open House since 6am. Knocked out straight when i came home at about 3pm. Managed to catch Catwoman and Chicago in the night before knocking out again...

14 Oct: Day shift duty. So there goes my weekend. Fortunately nothing went too wrong...

Extra: I want to watch Resident Evil 3, but it's so hard to find people to watch with. Sigh...

Back to KE7 Wushu

2007-10-03T23:52:00.000+08:00

Visited KE7 Wushu with Yie Hui today. Sure surprised the whole lot of them. Pity my leg was still injured from the previous overstretched incident at NUS Wushu, could not kick properly. But it sure is nice to come back. In fact it's the first KE7 Wushu training that i have come back for. They were all busy preparing for the upcoming ICN performance on 18th Oct, and for the IVP competition on 20th Oct. A real challenge they took up. Nice to see Zheng Hao, the earliest one there. Also Irene, Huey Shin, Ye Dan, Wu Hong, Colin, Kan Foong and brother, and of course the lovebirds Jeremy and Sharon. Got to know some of the juniors too. Finally met the new coaches who were actually teaching in VJC. As expected they forgot who I was. But they do remember Zhong Hao and Jia Wen though. A very different style of training, but i still prefer my own teacher's style. Also tried to choreo some duel as requested by Ye Dan' I kind of miss those times where i could see through the whole performance. Now due to work, i can only make it back on certain days. Nevertheless, it's still refreshing to go back once in a while.

7th National Wushu Display 2007

2007-09-15T23:28:00.000+08:00

Today was the long awaited National Wushu Display held at the Indoor Stadium. To me, this is not just a display, but a big wushu gathering, because almost every wushu practitioner in Singapore will come for this event. Interestingly, my favourite number 7 also shows up three times: 7th Display 2007, starting at 7.00pm.

Anyway, when I reached the stadium, I could see the crowd ranged from the very old to the very young. Other than the current NUS wushu batch, glad to see some old NUS wushu faces too like Zu Ming, Jin Quan, Donny, and Loon Chew. Also from KE7 wushu, the lovebirds Jeremy and Sharon, Han Wei, Wu Hong, Ye Dan, Huey Shin and Colin. Only saw Kang Hao from ATS wushu though, but I was surprised that he knew Vincent Ng who was there too. Chatted with both of them for a while. Also met my very own teacher Xue, and also Coach Liu who used to teach Ke7 wushu. And of course Coach Guo and Xu from NUS wushu were there too. Pity some who could not make it due to other events on this day as well, like the MAF in HCJC, and Dance Reflections in NUS.

Overall, I thought the display was much better than the previous one. There was still a lot of Taichi, but they were placed in the second half. This means the young children can watch all the exciting performances and go home early, while the older folks who do not need as much sleep can stay on to watch the Taichi performances.

Some highlights from the performances which I thought was interesting:
1) Lion dance had stands which were moved using an electronic control system! One was when the lion jumped off the platform, the whole platform dropped. The other was when the lion posed, and the stand rotated the lion.
2) The Russian Wushu performers was not too bad, but I think they were too ambitious to perform 7 to 8 items with just 2 people. They were looking so tired halfway through.
3) Tao Nan Primary School performed the Tao Nan Fist! The Tao Nan Fist is compulsory for the school's PE lessons! To think I used to be from there.
4) Performers from China... Need I say more? Although they seem to be the best performers for the night, I really think China sent their lousiest to come here and gain experience. Talk about a big gap in standard. There was also a few new and surprising moves I have never seen before. Really well done!
5) Silat was very artistic. They transitioned in and out so flawlessly that it was not noticed.
6) Shaolin monks from China and North America really showed the vast variety that wushu had to offer, from Eagle claw to monkey staff, from carpet fist to breaking poles and unbelievable flexibility. And to further emphasize the point, wushu is not just long fist and southern fist!
7) There was a couple of chain whips and double chain whips which I think had some unique moves that I do not know of. But every time when a chain whip performer comes out, everyone around me will look at me.
8) There was this old grandma doing a group routine of Taichi fan, but she really looked so professional and healthy, and her moves were executed so well that I really think she deserves the best performer award. See who can now give the excuse of being too old for wushu. I think her name is Liu something.
9) The Singapore Taichi coach also did a very difficult routine involving sudden jumps and unnatural balances, almost of equal standard to the Taichi performer from China. Then again, both of them are from China.
10) The Indian martial art coach spins the cudgel in a very unique way, almost as if he was handling a two-hand sword.
11) The Ba Kua Sword was really huge, like from a video game.
12) The Malaysian Wushu performers had a couple of nice choreographed team movements.
13) I really wished there was a soundtrack made for this event. From the traditional chinese music and those of slower tempo, to techno, rock and new age music. Some were familiar while others were fresh and interesting, especially the new age ones.
14) Some Singaporean wushu group called Xing Xiu i think, who performed pretty well. Apparently they are suppose to be famous, but i do not know of them.
15) The team from China performed again towards the end of the second half. The pu dao qiang duel was very fierce and impressive!
16) The last item was dragon dance, but i had already left as it was quite late.

Guo Yuan and I also had this interesting discussion, that when an wushu practitioner reaches a certain standard, there will be two paths from there. One is the path of the ego (bad), and the other the path of the humble (good). Really sounds like some comic book, but it does have some truth in it from our experiences with wushu people.

Happy Teachers' Day

2007-09-01T18:33:00.000+08:00

Wishing all teachers a happy teachers' day! Especially to my wushu teacher who have been teaching me since 1993. Visited Aitong today to visit her and celebrate teachers' day together with many of her ex-wushu students who specially came back for this occasion. Thanks to Huizhi for spoiling that surprise when she visited the Chinese Dance Troupe performance yesterday. Anyway, without this teacher of mine, i would not have started learning the chain whip, and i would not be who i am today. 15 years of teaching and still going strong! All of her students, including me, still respect her very much.

CMAD 2007

2007-08-24T23:51:00.000+08:00

Combined Martial Arts Display is a NUS event where all the different martial arts in NUS come together and put up a show. Martial arts like Capoeira, Muay Thai, Kendo, Judo, Karate and Aikido, just to name a few. Glad to be a part of it again, with Junkai and Benedict too, not forgetting the current NUS wushu people who have worked so hard to make the performance possible. i'm particularly impressed by Junkai's spear routine, creative and impressive, almost like China's standard. As for me, did my chain whip as usual. Wasn't as smooth as before, but still managed to pull it off. Heard from my wushu friends that there was some girl backstage saying "Song En, my idol!" Haha, flattered by that, though i don't really know who was that, and i don't remember inviting any friends to come and watch CMAD. I really wonder if i had a hidden fan club. But seriously, i really wish to perform something other than chain whip.

Float 2007

2007-08-11T22:26:00.000+08:00

And so the day finally came where i was a part of the wushu segment of the KE7 float together with Irene, Kan Foong and Yannick. This year, i find the KE7 float concept very unique, the national stadium. i seriously cannot imagine a float based on that. The performance was also very unique, there was almost no dance in it at all, a very big risk taken. But still, they managed to pull it off.

Things i was pleased with:
1) This year's Rag Day committee is very good. Firstly they managed to bring Rag Day to the Padang after so many years. Secondly, they provided big and well sheltered resting points with fans and lights and changing rooms for the performers. Thirdly, they provided three large viewing stands with seats for the audience to watch the performance, so much better than the SRC ones.
2) Wushu is finally used for KE7 float after so long.
3) To have a small but good bunch of wushu atheletes to perform with.
4) Yuan Feng blaming me for not inviting him to join in for the Wushu segment, which means there could have been more Wushu atheletes to help perform for float! Zheng Hao is the other one whom i could have asked too.
5) All the encouragements from the alumni and seniors.

Things i wasn't so pleased with:
1) The stupid guy who was squatting in front of me when i was doing my sequence, blocking my cudgel movement and disrupting my whole momentum and routine.
2) Having only 3 bars of music for Wushu is simply too short a time to be spectacular. I could have choreographed better sequences given more time. Plus it is not shiok enough after the performance.
3) Being unable to do an air cartwheel when the time calls for it.
4) Having face paint and shiny sprinklers on my hair. It irritates my face and head, and i need to spend a lot of time to get rid of the paint and sprinklers.

Anyway, i do hope that Wushu can play a bigger role in next year's float. Last time Wushu wasn't used because there was simply no one who can do Wushu. However it's different now. The talents are slowly coming in. Time to utilize them!

Btw, to everyone who can help, please send me videos and photos for this event.

Crazy Night Tour

2007-08-02T10:45:00.000+08:00

24 hours of work is really no joke. Don't wish to go into details. Slept 17 hours straight too. I really think that Police officers are seriously underpaid.

Fight back to School

2007-07-27T21:41:00.000+08:00

First time going to a school to give a warning to a certain student who have kicked a female classmate of his. Never knew the discipline mistress, the operation manager, and the principal can be such friendly people, at least not when i was still a student. Police officers are really well respected. Even the boy i gave the warning to was very obedient. For those who know me well, i cannot scold people or even try to pretend to be fierce. So i just told the boy nicely that it was wrong to do such a thing, and a whole lot of stuff about values and discipline. Apparently this student has Taekwondo background, so i adviced him not to shame the name of Taekwondo by using it to bully others. Think he took it pretty well. i recall when i was younger, i used to fight a lot in school too. In primary school, i loved to fight against the bigger guys. In secondary school, i had all the fights i wanted in Judo. In junior college, i enjoyed a few friendly street fights with some of my closer friends. So i guess there are places for those who love to fight. Juveniles just need some time to understand that. Somehow the Police is just receiving too many reports of fights, not just children, but old adults too, and sometimes for very small and childish reasons. Singaporeans...

Burning Trash

2007-07-26T20:21:00.000+08:00

Visited the incineration plant today at Tuas to dispose of some case property. The hole is really big and deep. Definitely dun want to be thrown in accidentally. Plus, for the first time, i can actually see the incredible amount of rubbish Singapore actually produces.

IPPT

2007-07-24T20:40:00.000+08:00

Thank God i still can get silver for my IPPT this morning. Almost didn't make it. After not running for so long and suddenly run 2.4 km, the feeling was dreadful. And i can't believe i'm still considered CAT X. By right i should be CAT Y1, where the requirements to pass were easier. But the in charge said that they take my age from 1st April. So on 1st April, i was still 24 years old. Only when i reach 25 years old, then i am considered CAT Y1. Wa... i missed it by 23 days. I have got to be the oldest CAT X there. Anyway it's over. Not going to think about IPPT till next year.

1st Investigation Tour

2007-07-14T11:01:00.000+08:00

Just had my 1st tour yesterday, and it was really hectic! Worked from 8.00am all the way till 11.59pm. i keep receiving calls every 15 minutes, and it may go up to every 5 minutes during peaks. Couldn't keep up with all the case information at all. Had to stay back at office longer to catch up and settle all the paper work. And if you think that is over, people will still call in after the tour asking various things about their cases, like this morning when i was woken up by a call. However the good side of it is that some of these cases were really interesting, and some of them really touched my heart to want justice to be served. Now i know why police officers work 24 hrs every day, not just because they have to, but sometimes is they really want to. Without passion, i doubt anyone else will survive.

Upcoming 7th National Wushu Display

2007-07-12T19:32:00.000+08:00

Anyone interested? It's not just a display, but an island wide wushu gathering. Practically every wushu group in Singapore is going! From past experiences, the National Wushu Display has always been of high quality, and there ain't any exceptions this year. Click here for more information.

Double Graduation

2007-07-10T21:58:00.000+08:00

Congradulations to my dear Huizhi and my dear sister on their offical graduation today! Finally all of us have graduated! And to my sis: Quickly get a job! =p

Also congradulations to all those who graduated this year whom i may or may not remember, but just to name a few: Yiehui, Alvin Lau, Yunye, and Yuan Yan. (all wushu people =p).

Wushu Coach

2007-07-09T23:18:00.000+08:00

i dunno why, but recently quite a few people have been asking me if i'm going to be a wushu coach, or something similar along that line. Well, i really love to, especially when it involves many performances, but it's just that i'm bonded to my other work now and i do not have the time to commit. However it's been fun doing ad-hoc coaching while training wushu in the various clubs like NUS wushu and KE7 wushu, even though i do not receive any money at all. Thanks to dear for being so supportive and encouraging me to pursue my wushu passion. i would like to keep it this way for now. Who knows in future i might really become a wushu coach.

Singaporean Efficiency

2007-07-06T00:05:00.000+08:00

The food cleaners in Singapore is getting ridiculously efficient. It's almost as if they are eyeing on your plate from the very moment you lay it down on the table to eat. Once i left my unfinished Starbucks drink on the table and left for a split second, the next moment it was gone! And i still want it! Then there was this time dear and i ordered this plate of fried red bean wraps, which we took our time to eat. When there were only two wraps left, the cleaner came and ask "can i clear this?" "No!" was our reply. Two minutes later, we still haven't touched the wraps, and this cleaner came back asking the same thing. "No we still want to eat this!" we said. Then this cleaner went to the corner while he eyed our plate. Then he circled us a few times waiting for us to finish our food so that he can clear it. We decided to quickly finish up the food then in order to please him. And there were many more instances whereby cleaners just clean up the tables faster than the consumers can dig in! i don't know if it's a good thing or not, but it's definitely a true blue Singaporean thing.

More Than Meets The Eye

2007-07-03T01:22:00.000+08:00

One of my old childhood favourite cartoons finally hit the big screen real life. Just caught it with my family. Not too bad. Nice to hear all those familiar phrases like "Roll out!" and "One shall stand and one shall fall!". Makes me want to watch the old cartoon movie again. The story deviated from the original one though, and the robots and transformation sequences all seem so complicated now, making some transformer fans very angry. But i think overall it's still a nice movie on its own, although the ending was a bit abrupt.

Investigation Work

2007-06-29T23:32:00.000+08:00

More or less settled down at work now. Got my own desk and laptop finally. Got to know some of my investigation team mates better too. Followed my first night shift with my team last night. Glad it wasn't too busy for them. Also recorded my first virgin statement for a patient at TTSH this morning! i was so nervous but i don't think i showed it out that obviously. Still got a lot of things to learn, but i'm glad i have a good mentor who doesn't just throw me everything at one go, but slowly introduces new concepts to me, giving me time to digest and adapt. Anyway glad that i still can find time to do some wushu at NUS tonight. Hope this would continue.

Devil May Cry Madness

2007-06-23T13:19:00.000+08:00

Dante is back! Devil May Cry 4 is going to be released soon on mulitple platforms including PS3, Xbox 360, and PC! Check out the videos from the official website here. Or if you are lazy, the low resolution trailer is below. It seems like Dante has turned bad (or maybe not?), and the new main lead is Nero who swears to bring Dante down after what Dante did to his own Order.

Interestingly the Devil May Cry anime has also just started recently. But i still feel that Dante in the game is more stylish. The trailer is below.

For previous fans of Devil May Cry 3, check out the insane combo video of Dante and Vergil below!

The Next Phase

2007-06-13T01:02:00.000+08:00

Finally entered the working world at Tanglin Police Division. i can't reveal too much, so all i can say now is that work has been really interesting. Also just received my first working salary for the month. i'm so delighted! Still i must plan how to use the money wisely.

SPG Tour

2007-06-08T19:49:00.000+08:00

Just came back from my tour in Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar (SPG) together with my family. For those who don't know what Gibraltar is, it is a British colony at one tip of Spain, something like Singapore 200 years ago with much dependence on its harbour. Anyway, here are some of the highlights of my tour...
Attractions there were mainly historical. This included buildings, monuments, statues, cathedrals, castles, palaces, paintings, sculptures, etc. After a while, they all seemed the same. But there were two gothic cathedrals that stood out. One of them reminded me of the mines of moria in Lord of the Rings. The other had a hole in the ceiling that was so beautifully decorated, the hole allowed light from the sun to enter the cathedral and light up this beautiful decorated wall.

There was also this impressive cave called the St. Michael's Cave in Gibraltar that claimed to be the gateway to Hades. It was filled with lots of beautiful stalatites and staglamites! Now it is mainly used as a performance arena. One thing about caves is that it is cool during the summer, and warm during the winter.
Other attractions included bullfights (which we thought was pretty cruel so we skipped it) and gipsy dancing (which was pretty autentic and really up close and personal!) And who says old grandmothers cannot dance?

Busking also seemed popular in Spain. These include the static ones in the pictures, and the more dynamic groups like capoeira and hiphop which had crowds of people. Sadly there was one person performing wushu, and the only crowd he had was me and my family. He didn't perform much in the end.

This picture shows why i didn't buy much souvenirs. Just joking. Anyway one problem in spain was language. Most people in Spain do not speak English, which also means most of the TV channels were in some foreign language that i do not understand at all, not to forget their DVDs, magazines, books, etc. Fortunately that wasn't the case in Portugal and Gibraltar. The summer heat proved itself alright, but the latitude helps cool the place down during the nights. Currency was in Euros for Spain and Portugal, and in Pounds for Gibraltar. It was really expensive there, about twice the price in Singapore. One meal can easily cost 10 to 20 Singapore dollars for each person! And it's much worse in Gibraltar where eveything was about four times the price in Singapore. Food wasn't really all that fantastic even though we had a mixture of them. Best meal i had was the pizza in this Italian restaurant named Locanda Italiana. Its pizza tasted even better then any pizza i had tasted in Singapore including Al Forno!

Some of the most worthwhile sights include the northen tip of Africa and the Atlantic Ocean!

One of the more interesting hotels we stayed in was Hotel Abades which had a futuristic design that made it look like we were staying in a spaceship. Check out the pictures. Another hotel even had radio music in the bathroom!
Finally, the best part ironically was the SIA fight. Own personal screens with a detachable remote cum joypad! Watch movies, TV serials, cartoons, documentaries, etc of your choice! Plus lots of video games to play, some of which are network games that you can play with other passengers on board! I played mahjong with my sis and watched a total of 10 shows! Eragon, Arahan (some Korean fighting movie), Stomp the Yard, Bridge to Terabithia, Ghost Rider, One Last Dance (the movie that was filmed in Singapore), Shooter, 200 Pound Beauty, Justice my Foot (some Stephen Chow show), and the Number 23.

Holiday Leave

2007-05-25T19:01:00.000+08:00

For those who have been wondering what i have been doing after my graduation, basically 4 things: playing 9Dragons, watching movies, catching up on wushu, and going overseas.

Visited KL just last weekend with dear and her 2 friends peiwen and derrick. Enjoyed the very cossy coach ride which could have been upgraded to one with massage chairs. Also visited the chinatown there, the twin towers, and some jazzy pub which i didn´t find jazzy at all. One interesting thing about the twin tower shopping complex that other shopping malls ought to learn is that they have seats all over the place, and you can just sit down at any time if you feel tired during your shopping trip there. Best part of the trip is that i managed to get the series of Deathnote DVDs for 50RM with the help of peiwen. Visit dear´s blog to find out more.

Watched Happy Feet finally. Enjoyed it! Lots of singing and dancing, and it reflects a certain theme that the world is facing now, of which i shall not reveal. Also watched Desperation, by Stephen King. Pretty interesting with underlying Christian themes. Visited NUS wushu twice, and i must say, the numbers have reached an all time low. Makes me wonder why, and want to do something about it.

Tonight i´ll be leaving for Spain. Will blog more once i get back.

Graduation... Again?

2007-05-15T23:26:00.000+08:00

Finally graduated from HTA. The 9 month course ended with a special dinner at SPOM. At first, it was a nightmare as i have forgotten to bring a lot of accessories for my formal coat. Thanks to God, my parents managed to rush back home to grab my stuff in time for the dinner itself, and i must say the timing was perfect. Any later and i will be so condemned. The rest of the night was smooth flowing, with some award presentation, pledge taking, photo taking, video presentation, and a nice dinner. Now all that's left is to pack my remaining stuff out of HTA.

More 9Dragons

2007-05-13T22:31:00.001+08:00

9Dragons

2007-05-01T22:04:00.000+08:00

Found this new MMORPG that involves chinese martial arts. Tried a bit of the game and found it to be pretty interesting so far. It involves clans such as Shao Lin, Wu Dang, Gai Bang, and Mo Jiao, and familiar skills such as Mantis Fist, Tai Chi, and Drunken Fist. Check out the trailer below made by one fan.

By the way i got my posting yesterday. Will be starting work on the 11th of June at Tanglin Division, my first choice! =)

Also caught Spiderman 3 today with my family. Excellent show! i never thought Green Goblin could be so cool! And the dark Spidey... wow. Venom is really scary, duh...

25th Birthday

2007-04-25T12:25:00.000+08:00

Where was i on my birthday yesterday? Attached to the night shift team at Tanglin Police Division general investigation squad. But birthdays doesn't really matter much to me now. Thanks to those that wished me still, my family, dear, valerie, yiehui, cihui, and lay lay. Seems like only girls bother about birthday wishes. Dunno if my other guy cousins remember. Anyway i managed to learn a lot during my night tour. Looking forward to my first job soon.

Teamwork Games

2007-04-15T22:15:00.000+08:00

Been quite a while since i have posted anything. Very busy with work and stuff. Huizhi, my sister and other friends are all also busy with their final examinations. Have also been playing MS quite a bit. Thinking of starting World of Warcraft (WoW) too, but the price to play it is still a bit steep. Trying to share account with my cousins for a start just to try out the game. And here's a photo of me trying to complete an obstacle with my group during my local leadership phase. i was known as the agility hero, which means my group depended on my flexibility and agility a lot. There were other heroes too with different strengths such as the strength hero, the knots man, the heavy masses, the intelligence hero, etc. Teamwork results from the combination of different strengths, kind of like in role playing games where there's a tanker to take all the damage from monsters, a sniper and mage to deal physical and magic damage, an assasin for stealth and backstabs, a healer to heal the whole party, and other roles up to your own imagination. This teamwork synergy is true in many aspects of real life too. Goes to show that everyone is important and can contribute something no matter how lousy they may seem. Just another of God's wonders.

Photos from Nepal

2007-03-29T18:35:00.000+08:00

Back into the Habit

2007-03-25T23:17:00.000+08:00

Missed lots of things while i was in Nepal, hence i was totally consumed once i got back this few days.

1) Food! Ajisen Ramen, Pepper Lunch, Subway, Munchie Monkeys, MOS Burger, Roti Prata, all the Chinese New Year goodies, and still more that i have yet to catch up on. Hoping to have my favourite pizza soon too
2) Movies! 300, Silk, Monster House and Pulse were among the movies i watched. Hoping to catch Ninja Turtles soon too. Also looking forward to Spiderman 3, Transformers, Silver Surfer and Resident Evil 3.
3) Computer games! Played lots of DOTA with my cousins and friends. Found this new AI version that is really tough unlike all the other AI versions that i have played so far. Also played some Titan Quest, Final Fantasy 12, and Maplestory (yes, i suddenly felt like reviving my old character).
4) Wushu! Only managed to visit KE7 wushu, of which i nearly blacked out due to low altitute sickness. Okay, there's no such thing, but i guess it was due to the fact that i didn't do wushu for so long. Anyway, hope to visit Aitong and NUS wushu too. Heard that NUS wushu had just recently changed its committee.
5) Performances! Only managed to catch one, which was Dance Uncensored '07 just today. Most of the halls were pretty good. Hope i won't get flamed for my comments. i felt Eusoff Hall's "Fan" dance was really well choreographed, got a lot of varying moves and moments. Temasek Hall's dances were bursting with energy, probably the most energy among all the halls. Kent Ridge Hall, as usual, presented all the wholesome dances which made Dance Uncensored more complete. Sheares Hall had one "Zombie" dance which reminded me a lot like my first year hallplay. Raffles Hall did one 18 min long dance which i thought was really too long and draggy. And lastly KE7 Hall did 4 dances. The Korean dance was very cute, the Modern dance was pretty cool and slick, the Shanghai dance was quite interesting and memorable, the Wushudance 4 however really needed more work on the wushu part. Man, i so wish i was up there performing.
6) Dear! Didn't have many chances to meet up with my dear due to her academic work and dance practices. But i was really glad to see her at the airport when i got back from Nepal. Other than that, we went to the KE7 Dinner and Dance together last Friday, of which i got to see many old faces too. After that dinner, we went to KTV with some of the KE7 dancers which lasted till 4am. Fortunately Yuan Yan fetched me back home, which i reached at about 5am. Slept at 6am. i was actually awake for 24 hours that day!

Nepal

2007-03-19T02:03:00.000+08:00

A brief recap in Nepal...

Basically i had to do 14 days of trekking along the Annapurna trek, and 2 days of white water rafting. The first memorable thing happened after stepping out of the airport in Kathmandu. We were greeted by a lot of locals who will literally try to snatch your luggage to put them on the bus, after which they will pull you one side and demand for tips. Under these circumstances i will just ignore them completely.

Trekking days were long and boring, climbing up and down the mountains. Heights vary from 1000 to 3000 metres above sea level. Bukit Timah is like only 100+ metres above sea level. Some parts of the paths were pretty dangerous too, almost like you were walking along the edge of the cliff. And some parts were slippery. Hence footwork proved to be pretty much a challenge, especially when it comes to avoiding all the dung. It's really amazing to see so much dung of all sorts of shapes and sizes everywhere. One of my squadmates even gave each dung we came across different names to relieve the boredom we had while trekking. Fortunately we had inns to sleep in instead of tents as tents were more costly and labour intensive. Imagine all the equipment you got to carry up the mountains. Anyway some of these inns do not have lights in the night, and if you want to bathe you might have to buy a bucket of hot water. As for me, i found wet tissues sufficient. Food was not too bad though. Most meals will contain potatos, garlic, onions, and mushrooms. If we want meat, we really have to kill the animal on the spot, which we did anyway, but i dare not witness it in fear that it might ruin my appetite. Maggie mee was the norm for lunch everyday, so i'm abstaining from it now. One thing that i never dreamt of was having pizzas in Nepal. I had 9 doses of pizza in total, some good and some not too bad, either way it is a good morale booster for me. Scenery was beautiful with all the snow mountains, but it was all similar after a few days. In order to pass time, we actually came out with an interesting variation of Taiti (Big Two) that was more fun and addictive. We named it after the place Jhinudanda where it was first crafted. Soon, Jhinu was the game everyone talked about. We even had our own championships in each province that we resided in. The most beautiful scenery however was during one night at a place called Ghandruk where i saw snow mountain peaks over a sea of clouds with the moon shinning big and bright, and the sky was filled with a wide array of star constellations. Absolutely stunning!

Some mishaps occurred along the way. As it was the end of winter, the snow on the mountains were melting. Hence we could not go all the way to Annapurna base camp which was about 5000 metres above sea level. Changing the route was good in a way that we could avoid getting altitute sickness which usually occurs after 3000 metres above sea level. However when we found the new path too icy and slippery to trek on, the only route left was to go back the way we came from. Things got worse when Mr Nivens fell into a drain and was evacuated via helicopter to the hospital. And another of my squadmate was also hospitalised due to stomachache. Thankfully both of them have already recovered and are now back in Singapore.

Rafting was a whole different experience. The rapids felt like roller coaster rides. My whole body was soaking wet each though i was wearing water proof clothes. But it was fun rowing the boat through those rapids for the first few times. After a long while, it will definitely get boring. For the first and only night of rafting, we slept in tents. These tents were very cossy and comfortable, having 2 layers of tent cover, with sleeping bag and mat inside. We also started a warm camp fire with the firewood provided.

Blackouts were frequent in the cities, and internet connections vary depending on electricity. In the hotels, TV channels were plentyful and a lot of movies were being screened everyday, the only problem being the frequent blackouts. Shopping wasn't that interesting as everywhere sells similar items. After this whole trip, i'm really thankful for what i have in Singapore. Glad to be back!

End of Leadership

2007-03-17T00:28:00.000+08:00

I'm back from Nepal! Missing everything here in Singapore. Will be posting about my trip soon so stay tuned.

Leadership - Week 3

2007-02-25T20:48:00.000+08:00

My last post before i go to Nepal tomorrow...

Leadership training this week was super tiring. Basically each day we had to go through a 12 hour mission. All the missions ended in the arrest of some personal after long boring hours of trekking through forests, drains, hills, swamps, islands, under bridges, and practically any place where people would never want to go to. So glad it's all over. End of local leadership training, and onto overseas leadership training.

Weekend was super short as i got to prepare my stuff to Nepal. Thanks dear for visiting me one last time before we won't see or contact each other for 3 weeks. Frankly speaking, i am not looking forward to this trip because of many factors of which i don't have the time to elaborate here. Just pray and hope that this trip will be fun and enjoyable.

Chinese New Year 2007

2007-02-20T22:42:00.000+08:00

Due the concern of the instructors, the squad was allowed to enjoy the Chinese New Year till Tuesday instead of Sunday. Originally we weren't even supposed to have the holidays. Do keep in mind that my instructors consists of a Scottish, a Malay, and the rest are Nepalese. Oh, did i mention the Gurkhas are taking my squad on this leadership course? And the 70+ year old Scottish man who is the legendary Gurkha Commander and who is also super fit, is the mastermind for this course. For those who don't know his name, he is none other than Bruce M. Nivens. Fortunately they decided to be merciful and let the squad enjoy this festive season, so i really appreciated that.

Anyway back to Chinese New Year. Well, this year felt pretty rush for me, always rushing from place to place. It was worse with the fact that i was ill as well, having sore throat and cough, and that usually means the virus is super strong and super contagious. Got a few others sick along the way. Steamboat meals are also getting very common. On the whole, glad to have met up with people whom i haven't seen in a long time. From my dad's side, my 12+ years younger cousins who have grown up and started playing X-Box, and also my 2 other relatively same aged cousins, Eugene and Steven. Found out that Eugene is getting married in a few more months time, and Steven has become a Christian! From my mum's side, all my childhood cousins who are now crazy about DOTA and you can probably guess what we do when we met. Also glad to see my 4 younger nephew and nieces all grown up too, though i'm not very close to them. And of course paid a visit to my dear's parents too. Time really flies whenever i am with my dear.

Sigh... Good things never last... At least for now. Back to camp on Tuesday night, and on to Nepal next Monday. Will be missing much of the festive activities this time round.

Leadership - Week 2

2007-02-17T22:39:00.000+08:00

More updates about my training. This week we moved on to the topic of Appreciation of Situation and Operation Planning. A lot of preparations and presentations had to be done in the first half of the week, some of which took half the day to go down to the actual ground to do the planning itself. The later half of the week was more situation and mission based. The small missions were pretty fun. Each mission had a leader who is given a "playground", some equipment like ropes and sticks, the party, and a mission to fulfil like to bring everyone and everything across the river. Pretty much like those Sit-tests in the army. The bigger missions on the other hand involve more serious issues like arresting personal, and they took up a lot more time. Planning and briefing were more crucial for these missions as they involve mass deployment of observation posts, arresting teams, etc. Other than that, we also had a confidence building session where we climbed on top of a very high pole to stand on top of it, and then jumped to catch the horizontal bar which is about 2 metres away. Wasn't really a big deal to me as i'm not afraid of heights, but it sure was for some of my squadmates. Very funny to see them whine as they climb up the pole. Haha...

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T23:19:00.000+08:00

Wow! God really granted me my wish of being able to visit dear during her chinese dance rehearsal today at the UCC. Not only that, He also provided for my transport, allowed me just enough time to enjoy the whole rehearsal, and also enabling me to meet many old friends such as Fen, Jiawen and the KE7 Dancers. Not exactly the best way to spend valentine's day, but it was something really unique, seeing my dear and my friends dance during the rehearsal. Plus, i finally got to meet the Chinese Dance teacher in person. Anyway, this is for you dear: Happy 4th Valentine's Day!!

Leadership - Week 1

2007-02-11T23:00:00.000+08:00

Just a quick update for those who are still concerned about my life. The first week of leadership training was really long and draining. Time passed really slowly, and the activities were all tightly packed against each other so much so that we hardly had time to rest. Much of the training was geared towards instructional leadership, so we were given many scenarios to teach like giving lectures about drills and weaponry. There was even a time we were each given a word or a phrase, and we had to present a lecture for 5 minutes, and the second round was 10 minutes. My first phrase was "paddle boats" of which i totally messed it up. My second one was "masking tape", which was equally hard to lecture for 10 minutes, but somehow i managed to put through. In fact i did an inspiring speech, talking about taping up the broken pieces of your life together, and masking tape for directions in life. Other than all these mental exercises, the physical ones were equally demanding. We train with 15kg bagpacks, climbing up and down bukit timah hill. And of course you can imagine all the running, push-ups, sit-ups, etc... And i was having a bad cough and sore throat. Couldn't really breathe properly. Fortunately there's the weekend to recuperate, though it wasn't very long since i only booked out on Saturday at 1pm. Still i managed to visit KE7 wushu and dance on Sunday night since we were allowed to book in later on Sunday night. Thank God so much for bringing me through the week. Thank you Dear for the refreshing outing on Saturday. And thanks to all those who made my short stay at KE7 that night fun and enjoyable.

Last Long Weekend

2007-02-04T21:16:00.000+08:00

Will be entering into my leadership phase of training for the next 6 weeks, so i'm really going to be very busy to the extent that most of my weekends will be burnt. Still crossing my fingers for the Chinese New Year break though. Anyway, i won't be blogging much during this period. Spent my last long weekend doing some catching up on the things i like. Visited NUS Wushu for training on Friday night. Surprised to see Kan Foong there too. It's not everyday i get to see KE7 Wushu members at NUS Wushu trainings. Also met some of the old NUS Wushu alumni there too, along with many new faces which i have never seen before. Went out with dear on Saturday, and ended the day watching the KE7 hallplay entitled "Letters from the Frontline" at the UCC. I must say the standard has really improved. Congrats to the director Leon and the other guy whom i forgot the name. Glad to see many old, familiar KE7 faces there too. Pretty much a KE7 gathering in itself. On Sunday, i played DOTA and FF12 while dear went for her chinese dance practice. She also went to catch the Project SuperStar Finals at the Indoor Stadium too while i went back to camp. Well, not a bad weekend before the commencement of my leadership training.

Kaleidoscope

2007-01-26T23:47:00.000+08:00

Paid a visit to NUS UCC today to catch the annual international students night of which KE7's WushuDance 4 was performing in. Plus, i think it was the best performance too. This year's organizing committee is quite terrible though. There was no tech-runs or full dress rehearsals at the actual place itself despite asking all the performers to arrive so early to the UCC. As a result much time was wasted in between performances shifting equipment and stuff. There was also no half time! 3 full straight hours of showtime. Didn't stay till the end though. Left after the WushuDance 4 performance. Glad, however, to see everyone back in action again after the long break.

Super Cute!!!

2007-01-19T21:52:00.000+08:00

Injections

2007-01-16T18:58:00.000+08:00

My first time having 4 injection jabs in a row. Ouch! In order to prepare for my trip to Nepal, i must have all these immunity jabs, so no choice. The only consolation was that the doctor did it pretty fast, all 4 jabs in about 10 seconds.

Super Tiring Day

2007-01-15T22:51:00.000+08:00

Had 3 physical and 3 mental sessions today. Nearly died... First was swimming training for bronze medallion. Then was General Law lessons. After that had to revise on Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence Act, of which i had to take the test in the afternoon. Following that was Physical Training. Next up Malay night classes. Finally the day ended with some bagpack hiking training which included brisk walking 2 rounds around the academy and stairs training. Wa... Totally occupied from 6am to 10pm.

DOTA

2007-01-12T23:25:00.000+08:00

I'm beginning to enjoy this game. And it's not as addictive as it seems. From what could take months or even years to play, like World of Warcraft, Diablo or Maplestory, DOTA reduces that role playing experience to just one hour plus. And it can be enjoyed together with friends. Nice game.

Happy 3rd Anniversary Dearest!

2007-01-10T23:40:00.000+08:00

Spring Cleaning

2007-01-06T14:30:00.000+08:00

Today i managed to clear up most parts of my room (which actually became a storeroom over the years while i was in hall). Found a lot of stuff that brought back many old memories all the way from primary school. Some of which are old game manuals from my Super Nintendo, letters and presents from old friends, christian books and sunday school materials, photographs, my NUS textbooks and lecture notes, comic books, and i even found 4 consecutive years of my hall's yearbooks. It's so nice to recall all these memories again. That being said, i need a bigger storeroom.

New Year 2007

2007-01-03T10:46:00.000+08:00

Another recap of the events that took place during this festive season.

27th Dec: Visited "The Rouge" pub with my family and dear to catch a band performance. Smoky as usual. Some bar top dancing. Then went to have prata for supper. Simply delicious! By the time we got home, it was 3am. Watched "Dragon Tiger Gate" DVD and slept at 5am!

28th Dec: LAN gaming at Grandlink with Benjamin. Been a long time since i played LAN games. Played a bit of CS and tried Battlefield Vietnam. Not a bad game.

29th Dec: Had my second dose of wushu for this break at NUS. Enjoyed myself thoroughly as usual. Someone commented that training is nice with me around.

30th Dec: Went to Johor with dear and a few other dance friends. Caught a movie "Confessions of Pain" which i didn't think was that nice. Also bought some PS2 games like Final Fantasy 12, and the "Love on Delivery" DVD which i could not find in Singapore. Wei Jye was kind enough to send me back all the way home as we arrived back in Singapore pretty late. Reached home at about 1.30am. My first time in a Malaysian car experiencing the Malaysian style of driving, literally speeding all the way.

31st Dec & 1st Jan: Had dinner with my parents' CG, then took a walk at East Coast Park. Watchnight service at church, then stayed overnight at Weiming's place playing LAN gaming. This is a major event in many years. Benjamin, Sherwin and i brought our desktops over to Weiming's place for the first time to play LAN gaming. Played Titan Quest and tried DOTA for the first time too. Enjoyed the game though it took a while to learn. Potluck dinner on the 1st with all my relatives. Dinner highlights were my mum's spaghetti and pizza from Darren's mum. Went home at 2am after a few more rounds of DOTA.

2nd Jan: Watched "Death Note 2" with dear, Hanwei and Angele at the new Cathay. Pretty long show, almost two and a half hours, but it was not bad. Was kind of expecting "M" and "N" to come out though. Had my hair cut after the movie to prepare for camp the next day.

And what? 2007 already? Time really flies. No time to make resolutions yet. For now it's back to work...

Christmas 2006

2006-12-26T22:36:00.000+08:00

Wishing all a blessed Christmas! Here's a recap on how this year's Christmas has been for me.

21st Dec: My squad organised a Christmas party at a pub! There's buffet and stuff, drinking, pool, and bar-top dancing. But i really couldn't stand the smoking in there. Photo-Hunt saved the day though. Completed it twice with four other friends. We rocked man! At the end of the party, there was a gift exchange too.

22nd Dec: Decided to pay a visit to NUS Wushu as i really missed doing wushu. Coach Guo came down to coach, and he really did a good job. Training was unusually intensive, but i felt great after the workout. It's so nice to be back stretching my body and performing all the exploding movements again. Seems like i really cannot live without wushu. Take wushu away from me and i won't be myself. i know this has nothing to do with Christmas, but i consider it a wonderful present for me.

23rd Dec: Met up with some hall dancers for a Christmas gathering at Fen's. Had potluck for dinner, with spaghetti, chocolate fondue, almond jelly and ice cream. Watched a movie called Sky High. Played charades and card games too. Showed off my collection of anime drawings to some of them. It has been a long time since i looked at them actually. Almost forgotten that i could draw so nicely. i'm pretty rusty now though. Wished i had the time to get back my drawing skills.

24th Dec: Service in the morning at my church. The annual baptism is also held today. It was really nice to see my whole ex-sunday school class (except one) being baptised together, about nine of them. Heard from my sis that some of them missed me (or is it my teaching). Well, i did have some good memories with them, and as their ex-teacher, i'm really proud of them. God enabled the seeds that i've watered to grow. The annual church Christmas lunch followed after the service in the afternoon at some restaurant in the Expo. Pretty amusing to see dear and Benjamin predict the dishes so accurately with such high confidence. i really think that we should revamp the menu. After that, went over to weiming's place for Christmas dinner, a feast that is filled with lots of meat and almost no vegetables. Then dear and i went for this Christmas play at dear's church, titled Dress Rehearsal. i thought it was a pretty good play, in fact, the transition from the worship session into the play was so smooth that i didn't even realise that it started. It was a simple script, but there was a mixture of drama, singing, dance, video and lighting elements injected into it. Pretty commendable. And of course the thing i enjoyed most, singing Christmas carols! Saw dear home after that before joining my family again at weiming's. Decided to forgo the Lord of the Rings marathon that was going on then. Went home just after midnight.

25th Dec: Lunch with my dear's family at Pizza Hut! Didn't eat too much as dear had another Christmas gathering with her secondary school friends in the night. Also managed to get House of Fury DVD for only $10! Watched it at dear's place in the afternoon. Spent the rest of the night playing Titan Quest with my cousin Benjamin.

26th Dec: Family outing to the Esplanade for a free jazz christmas carol performance at the concert hall. The singer (Dawn Ho, i think) and the jazz band were really fabulous, and my whole family enjoyed the session thoroughly even though it was just 30 minutes long. Who said the local arts scene is bad? It just doesn't have as much support as other things like table tennis and soccer.

Just some thoughts, there are so many different ways to celebrate Christmas, but i really wonder how many people actually know the meaning of Christmas. No it's not about Santa Clause. It's about Christ the Saviour. Why is it so widely celebrated all over the world, and why are presents so associated with Christmas? This is because Jesus has given the most wonderful gift to each and every person on Earth, and that is the gift of eternal life, a life free from the bondage of sin, and a life that's purposeful and abundant with God's company. Knowing this allows me to celebrate Christmas with more reason and joy, rather than just celebrating it because everyone is doing so. It's about time we start to question the many things we do in life, not just Christmas alone. You'll be surprised of what you can discover.

Wet Christmas

2006-12-19T22:06:00.000+08:00

As U-liang puts it, "i'm... dreaming of a wet... Christmas!" It has been raining for almost 3 days straight! Heard it's like the 3rd wettest period in 75 years. Not surprised to hear many reports of floods too. Reminded me of the even greater genesis flood which flooded the entire world. Really grateful that it will no longer have to happen. Thank God for His mercy!

Happy Birthday Dear

2006-12-18T23:42:00.000+08:00

Wishing "you" a happy and God-blessed birthday even though the rain spoilt some of the surprises. As roses are still red, and violets are still blue, i still thank God for this friendship with you!

Senior Term Bar Presentation

2006-12-13T21:19:00.000+08:00

My squad received our second bar today indicating that we are now in the senior training phase. No increase in pay though. =P But the rank looks nicer now. Anyway i was also in charge of making a squad video for this day. Having received that responsibility at such late notice, i had to rush through the video editing on Monday and Tuesday. i must say this is my best personal record so far. i edited not just 1 but 3 videos in just 2 days, roughly 20 hours altogether. This included editing the music of one mp3 as the song was too long. At the end, i was pretty satisfied with my videos. They were really well liked by all. One even thought it was done by a commercialised vendor. A job i can consider in future. =D

Make a Wish

2006-12-09T22:43:00.000+08:00

Something that my squad was involved in today. A Christmas party at RJC for the children. The Santa's Grotto was completely designed and decorated by us for photo taking!

Land Rover Course

2006-12-05T22:47:00.000+08:00

Never knew what the land rover is capable of till today. A one day course to drive out on the roads and on unfriendly terrains such as steep slopes and forested areas. Almost felt like an amusement park ride while bashing through the muddy forest. And it can also slowly and automatically climb up and down slope with much ease. The land rover is really very powerful in such terrains. Interesting.

Driving Dear

2006-12-02T22:01:00.000+08:00

Dear's wish finally came true. First time driving her around today using my dad's car. Drove her from her place to my home. Pretty memorable. Of course my Dad was around too to guide me during the ride. Thanks Dad!

Immortal Throne

2006-11-27T19:19:00.000+08:00

Nope, these pictures are not from the upcoming expansion game of Titan Quest, but i sure thought they fit the mood of Titan Quest that i have been playing recently. Actually these are from a movie titled "300 the movie" that is coming out early next year, something about war and Spartans. Wouldn't mind catching this on the big screen if anyone is interested.
Anyway "Titan Quest: Immortal Throne" is the expansion of the game "Titan Quest", and it is scheduled to be released somewhere in March next year. Looking forward to purchasing this expansion when it comes out as i really enjoyed the original game. Highly recommend it to all who love RPGs that are purely action-packed.

Exam Season

2006-11-23T18:13:00.000+08:00

Just want to wish all the best to those studying for the upcoming exams in NUS. Do cast all your anxieties to God who cares for you. =)

Driving Enhancement Course

2006-11-22T18:21:00.000+08:00

Driving enhancement training today. First time doing a lot of things. Of these include:
- driving an ATC car
- driving on an expressway
- driving at 100km/h
- driving in very heavy rain (cannot see anything at all)
- driving in a tunnel
- driving along many many bends (at kent ridge park)

6 hours of driving in total. Pretty tiring but it was still fun. Decided that i prefer automatic rather than manual. Glad my dad's car is automatic. Think i'm also more confident to drive out on the roads already. Now to get that P-plate.

Why Play Games?

2006-11-21T20:21:00.000+08:00

5 main reasons why people play computer games, especially MMORPGs:

1) Relationship - Loves to socialise and in so doing expand their social circle or develop existing friendships.
2) Immersion - Desires to escape from reality or takes pleasure in immersing themselves in a fantasy world.
3) Achievement - Derives a sense of satisfaction in achieving success based on the game such as being the most powerful character.
4) Grief - Seeks to obtain adrenaline rushes from competing and winning or griefing other opponents.
5) Leadership - Enjoys to command, manage and organize the group or team to achieve a certain goal.

i identify myself with all of them, especially the achievement part. A little something i learnt from the CyberCrime workshop i attended today.

Encouragements

2006-11-19T22:27:00.000+08:00

A little something from church today. Today's society seriously lack encouragements. Especially so in Singapore. Instead of saying "you have done well", we say "you could have done better". We think we are building the person up, but instead we are tearing him down. Think it's something that Jack Neo tried to raise during his movie "I Not Stupid 2". We really need to start giving more encouragements to the people around us. It really does make a difference.

Spiderman 3

2006-11-16T19:05:00.000+08:00

Another movie which i am looking forward to next year. Here's a little teaser. Looks like it's going to be triple the action!

2nd Link Bridge Run

2006-11-12T13:02:00.000+08:00

Spent the morning doing the Johor Singapore 2nd Link Bridge 10km run. It was kind of a squad outing. And it was really far away. If it wasn't for Yew Keng who fetched me, i doubt i could have made it in time for the run. In fact we arrived just in time. Didn't even do warm up. Anyway most of us were there for the fun run, and we were taking a lot of photos together initially while jogging. The run starts in Singapore, proceeds on to Johor via the bridge, and then turns back to Singapore. It was my first time there, and the scenery was really nice along the bridge. Jogged and chatted with friends during the first half of the run. Only began running seriously when we U-turned in Johor. It was only when i got back that i realised how tired i was. Felt dizzy the whole afternoon and couldn't really spend good quality time with my dear later on too. There goes one good Sunday... No offence to all those who find passion in running, but personally i really find running very boring, at least not as exciting and challenging as wushu and dance.

Step Up

2006-11-11T22:55:00.000+08:00

Yet another dance movie dear and me caught today at cineleisure. Don't get me wrong. The movie is okay, but there's just been too many of these ballet hip hop fusion movies lately, and it's getting kind of boring. Dear suggested that someone should start incorporating chinese dance too. Yeah, that'll be really new.
Anyway coincedentally dance blast was also having a movie outing at the same time and place! Met Peter and Jacky there. Also managed to get a box of popcorn for $1 thanks to dear's observant eyes in catching the promotion advertisement. $19 for 2 tickets and 1 popcorn on weekends and public holidays! Not a bad offer i must say.

Driving Test

2006-11-08T16:50:00.000+08:00

A day to remember, the day i passed my class 3 driving test. All i can say is i was really very fortunate. It was really very stressful because if i failed, SPF will not sponsor for my subsequent re-tests. Thanks to God and thanks to everyone who was praying for me.

Carl's Jr

2006-11-04T23:55:00.000+08:00

Went to Vivocity today with my dear, and we had Carl's Jr for dinner. It was the first time for both of us, and i must say that the burgers looked really big and delicious. In fact 2 persons can share a set meal, and the drinks are free flow too! The mushroom burger we shared was really nice, a bit tastier than the mushroom sauce served in Burger King. And we liked the fries served with some cheese and meat too! Don't mind trying it again some time soon.

WushuDance Blog

2006-11-01T13:20:00.000+08:00

Started a WushuDance blog by request of Sharon Lynn for the benefit of the KE7 DanzDemonz. The link is on the sidebar. It's actually an old post i made, i just added and edited some parts to make the blog more interesting. Will be updating it as more information and media becomes available. Enjoy!

Death Note

2006-10-28T23:55:00.000+08:00

Caught Death Note today with my dear at Cineleisure. Not too bad, espcially for those who like the anime style of storylines. i liked the name of the main lead, Light Yagami. Smart and handsome, he's the guy that desires a crimeless world, and will do anything to obtain it. On the other hand, i found Light's nemesis, 'L', very inspiring for police investigators. With dark rings around his eyes and a hunchback, one can tell that he never sleeps at all, perfect for an investigative officer. In fact he is a very young chap that treats all investigations like a game, and he has this "cannot afford to lose" attitude, die die must solve the case. Pretty cool and impressive, except that he also eats a lot of snacks too, probably a tradeoff from the lack of sleep. And what's with the deathgod and apples? Anyway, the movie ends in some sort of a cliffhanger with some scenes from the second movie that is scheduled to be released some time in December this year. Will be catching it with my dear definitely.

Lost and Found

2006-10-26T13:44:00.000+08:00

Last night i had the fright of my life. Eh, ok maybe not of my life, but it sure was scary. i lost both my PNS card and my HTA mess card during my driving lessons. It's like losing your IC and EZ-link card, so you could roughly imagine how i felt. Combed the area but couldn't find them. Returned back to bunk very worried. Prayed to God and also shared this to dear and CM who also prayed for me. Then this morning someone found both my cards in the driving centre. Phew... Thank God! Indeed, God is faithful, but He sure scared me half to death a lot of times.

Thanks KE7 Wushu

2006-10-22T23:59:00.000+08:00

Went back to KE7 to train wushu once again after so long. Feels very shiok as usual. After that there was an ICN video screening and supper for both the dance and wushu groups at the lounge. Not too bad i must say, though i thought the dance parts were a bit more overpowering than the wushu ones. Not to say that KE7 Wushu was bad, but the KE7 Dance standard this year is really excellent! Anyway i was also presented with the new KE7 Wushu T-shirt as a token of appreciation. Thanks Jeremy and KE7 Wushu. It does indeed feel great to be appreciated as an alumni.

End of Attachment

2006-10-20T10:52:00.000+08:00

Reached the end of my 2 week attachment to the NPCs. Managed to engage in many cases like drunk people and disputes. There were also other routine stuff like road blocks, escorts, and pub license checks. Two lessons to share:

1) Do not get drunk, or even better, do not even drink. Cause it not only causes harm to yourself, it also causes a lot of inconvenience and pain to others too. In one of the cases, the guy was so drunk that he keeps hitting his head and knees on the floor while trying to get up and balance himself. In the end his poor girlfriend drove all the way down just to pick him up. Did i mention he is all dirty and smelly, covered in his own vomit?

2) Please love your families and neighbours. It is really saddening looking at all the dispute cases. What's worse is that some people demand the police to arrest the other party. i mean as police officers, obviously we know when to arrest and when not to. And it is very serious if we made a wrongful arrest. There is no need to demand for an arrest even if you really don't like the person.

Overall i really feel that police officers on the ground are very stretched and have almost no time of their own. They work almost 24 hours round the clock with just enough time left for some sleep. They have no weekend holidays, and generally do not have much time with their families. Every public holiday means more work for them. In some cases, they are not allowed to clear their leave, or they have to come back to work during their leave. Even then, the police officers endured all these and still do their best to serve the country and community with pride and passion. What i really hope for is that the public would be more understanding and less demanding and unreasonable to the police. Please do appreciate your friendly neighbourhood policeman.

ICN Renaissance

2006-10-19T12:12:00.000+08:00

Feeling very sad that i am unable to attend the annual KE7 ICN tonight due to unearthly working hours of my work commitments. Actually it's more due to the compulsory driving lessons. Thanks to Jeremy and Sharon, and even the new coach Liu Lei, for personally inviting me down a while ago. It pleases me to know that i am still part of KE7 wushu. Looking forward to seeing the performance on video. Really liked the idea of a combined dance and wushu item. Feels almost like a mini hallplay. Hope to see more of such stuff in future too. Here's wishing all the best to both the wushu and dance groups of KE7. i'm sure it'll be a success!

1st Car Handling

2006-10-18T23:10:00.000+08:00

My first practical driving lesson. About three hours straight of practice. Tiring man. especially since it was after my day shift duty. My feelings? Stressed... And also a bit sianz cause the lesson lasts till 10.10pm, which means it'll end at the same time tomorrow and i cannot go over to KE7 to watch ICN. Anyway i did all sorts of mistakes.. mount kerb, engine stall, etc.. First lesson still, so i guess it's alright, but it's really not natural for me yet to drive. Need more practice.

Stupid Haze

2006-10-15T12:04:00.000+08:00

Stupid haze gave me a sore throat and making me unwell. Cannot eat nice food and cannot do duty properly.

New Com, New Quest

2006-10-07T17:32:00.000+08:00

Just bought my new computer customised at Sim Lim for $2300+ excluding the monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers. It was really a good deal as its specifications are currently among the top. Also bought Titan Quest. Finally can play the game with my cousin over the internet. Found it a good multiplayer game to play with friends. Now feeling a bit broke though.

Divine Change

2006-10-06T23:43:00.000+08:00

Shocked! My grandfather just accepted Christ!! Never did i expect that would happen. He smokes, gambles, has two wives, never did like to have anything to do with Christians, and recently he was senile, living in his own world, not recognising any of us. But God is really merciful. My grandfather's new found faith is definitely from His works. It was a humbling experience for me. With God, all things are possible. There is no one too sinful that God does not accept. Thank God for that!

No Time & No Money

2006-10-06T13:10:00.000+08:00

This week was really bad. On top of the already hectic day filled with activities, i had night driving lessons, 5 tests to be taken, and i was tasked to be the squad IC for the week. On one hand i had to study for tests involving police procedures, defence tactics, and basic driving theory tests, on the other i had to worry about the squad's welfare, administration and coordination with the trainers. i think any normal person would have died. Well, i didn't really survive all of it anyway. Failed one of the tests which i got to retake next week. on top of that i got my NPC attachment, my advanced driving theory lessons and test, meeting with DMP, and MA interview (of which i will defintely not do well in), all of them held at different places and during different days of the week. Somehow i feel that my pay does not justify what i am doing now. i really need a long rest!!!

Counter-Terrorists

2006-09-29T23:02:00.000+08:00

Behold, my CT friends! Just had three days of Basic Firing Tactics Course where we went through different scenarios planned by the trainers to simulate real life crimes taking place. Pretty interesting and exciting. We even used FX-rounds during the last day to simulate live firing, and most of us went trigger happy even though we are not supposed to as police officers. Well, a big thank you to all the hard work put in by our trainers. It was seriously a good learning experience.

Titan Quest

2006-09-24T22:37:00.000+08:00

Found this new game called Titan Quest recommended by a friend, and later by my cousin, Benjamin. Works pretty much like Diablo, but the skills are pretty well planned and exciting. Can check them out here. Unfortunately the specs of my computer at home do not meet the requirements of the software. Apparently the game is pretty graphic intensive. Thinking of upgrading my computer. Anyway i played the game for a while at Benjamin's place and i really liked the game. Do hope there will be an expansion to it.

Post Float Dinner

2006-09-23T23:58:00.000+08:00

Hesitated for a while before deciding to post this as it is pretty painful to me and might be offensive to some. Went to dine in Vil'age with my dear and the float comm and dancers for AY 06/07 for a post float celebration. Since i wasnt involved directly in the preparation of float, i politely rejected the kind offer by Sharon and Jeremy to give me vouchers the float comm had purchased to subsidise those who were involved. But after seeing the dancers, knowing they had excess vouchers, grab even more food even though they were already full, i kind of wished they would allow me to use their excess. "Hey i still got some excess from the vouchers, i'm going to have more ice-cream!" That comment was like an arrow piercing through me. No doubt the float people do deserve the treat, but at least be a bit more sensitive to some others who weren't involved and had no vouchers? Then there's more to it. After the dinner, some of them decided to watch a movie. We arrived at the cinema at 10pm+. The movies all start at 11pm+. By the time the movie ends, there won't be any public transport home for me. And i am not rich enough to take cabs. Doesn't anyone think about me? It's not as if i have a car. And i cannot share cab with anyone as i am the only one living in the east. In the end i had to treat my dear to the movie and go home myself. At least my dear had 3 friends to share cab with. Sigh...

The Amazing Spins

2006-09-22T23:52:00.000+08:00

Wow...

The Banquet

2006-09-21T19:43:00.000+08:00

Caught this movie in the cinema for one main reason, my favourite action choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping is part of the crew, but this time he is taking the position of executive producer. Still, Yuen Wo-Ping never fails to produce such beautiful action choreography and cinematography, although martial arts is not the main theme. Similar to previous titles such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, and House of the Flying Daggers, The Banquet is meant to be an artistic film. Desire, is what the movie revolves around. Besides that. there are a lot of dance, music and art elements in this show too. And all the elements are very well balanced throughout the movie. If you do appreciate such art forms, this movie is a must watch! Personally enjoyed it myself. And my dear shares the same sentiments. Check out the trailer below.

Sengoku Basara 2

2006-09-15T11:00:00.000+08:00

Introducing Sengoku Basara 2 (Devil Kings 2 in US), the next game i am looking forward to. Similar to Dynasty Warriors in terms of gameplay, but what impresses me is the character designs and the different unique playing styles that each character has. As usual, Capcom has done a splendid job on this series. Most of the characters are based on Japan history which made the game seemed more real to me. i do know some names myself such as Oda Nobunaga, Date Masamune, Sanada Yukimura, and Sarutobi Sasuke. Fell in love with Uesugi Kenshin in the first Sengoku Barasa game due to his icy-cool and lightning-speed sword moves that freezes anything in his path. In Sengoku Barasa 2, another character caught my attention as he uses the chain whip! Eagerly awaiting for the US version of this game (Devil Kings 2) to be out some time soon. Do check out the videos!

Game Intro 1:

Game Intro 2:

Character Intro 1:

Character Intro 2:

IMF @ Suntec

2006-09-13T23:54:00.000+08:00

Visited Suntec today in order to fulfil my dear's wish to dine at this authentic Japanese buffet restaurant called Kuishinbo. The IMF security is really tight there. It really took some effort in order to get into Suntec itself. Nevertheless we got in and tried this restaurant out. i would say it wasn't too bad. The salmon and tuna sashimi was excellent according to my dear. i personally liked the japanese curry and the free flow teppanyaki. Then of course there's the usual sushi, tempura, salad, japanese noodles and desserts. Price was a bit of the high side but still manageable.

After that we went to redeem some free gifts by rotating this wheel (something like wheel of fortune). Dear said, "i want Biore or Taka!" And i spun the wheel to Biore. "WA!!!" Dear was impressed. And so was i. Must be my Kungfu... can spin wheel until so accurate.

Following that, we struggled to search our way out of Suntec. Man it's really policeman and barriers everywhere. And many exits were blocked. Only IMF delegates can pass through. Even all the bus routes there were changed. Took us a while before we could find a bus back to KE7 for my usual dose of wushu. Man, i think my Bian skills rusted. But it's okay, i will train up again. It also looks like things are going well with the preparations for ICN, and the coach seems to be teaching well too. Everyone is enjoying themselves. And Yuan Feng came!!! The coach commented that she liked the choreo i did for ICN last year. Was quite pleasantly surprised and pleased at the same time to hear that. Unfortunately i dun really have any inspiration to choreo anything at the moment. As for now, i just simply hope to improve my skills in both Chang Quan and Bian.

Pay Day

2006-09-12T23:35:00.000+08:00

Finally i got my pay, or rather my allowance since i am still under NSF. Nevertheless, it is about time i should be getting paid after eight and a half weeks of service! Celebrated it happily with my dear after her lab session!

A New Era

2006-09-10T23:20:00.000+08:00

Today was KE7's most happening wushu training. Besides the new coach, my own wushu teacher also came down to take a look along with 2 other coaches from the same organization. Some of the resident fellows (RFs) and the hall master himself were also invited to come down and see the situation of the wushu training. Was pretty busy entertaining both sides. Apart from that, seniors like Hua Ying, Yie Hui, and my two Aitong wushu juniors Zheng Hao and Yuan Feng also came down. Million thanks to Hua Ying who showed my teacher the way to KE7. Also received my new bian today. Happy!! =D But i was caught up most of the time trying to interpret English to Chinese and vice-versa for Jeremy and the coaches. So i didn't have much time to feel my bian again. Anyway it really felt like a big event today. Can really feel the morale of the team rising. Can also see some of the seniors taking the initiative to lead while the captain Jeremy was busy. My teacher even stayed on for a while longer in order to teach a battling form for the ICN performance. Seems like a lot of work to be done, but give them some time and i am sure KE7 wushu will rise. On to a new era!

Dance Reflections 2006

2006-09-09T19:50:00.000+08:00

Painfully parted with my money in order to be on time to see my dear dance for Dance Reflections 2006 under the NUS Chinese Dance in the afternoon. Yet another time when the public transport fails and i had to resort to cabs. Anyway on the whole, the performance was not too bad. My personal two favourites were the Korean dance and the all-guy dance, both of which had beautiful white costumes. Fen and Jiawen were dancing in it too, and they were among the stronger dancers. Coincidentally met up with Jeremy and Sharon later at NUS Subway. They highlighted their concerns about the coach fees and i called my wushu teacher to discuss about it. Conincidentally again, my wushu teacher was also going to watch the same dance performance that night. Apparently one of the teachers for the NUS Chinese Dance is her friend! And she has another friend teaching modern dance in some NUS dance group which i am unsure of (think it's Dance Synergy). Suddenly the world seems so small. It is also interesting to note that both teachers were top in their respective dance fields back in China before they migrated to Singapore!

New Coach for KE7 Wushu

2006-09-06T23:36:00.000+08:00

Rushed off from work today to bring the new wushu coach to KE7. The arrangement hasn't been easy, but she's finally coming down to coach for KE7 wushu, a really big leap for all of us. $40 per month per person, with 2 sessions per week, each session lasting 2 hours. i highly doubt anyone will find a better price than that considering the fact that she's from China too. And if the hall does agree to subsidise for the fees, it's really going to be a steal. Think the new coach did make a very good first impression today. She was very friendly and was able to make everyone enjoy the session with her. Even though she was tasked to teach the juniors the basics of wushu for today's session, some of the seniors still joined in after seeing how well she coached. Felt a sense of satisfaction. i'm sure many others share my sentiments. It's probably time to finally leave KE7 wushu in good hands and focus back on improving my skills.

IMF World Bank

2006-09-04T16:53:00.000+08:00

Thanks to the above mentioned event, i am able to stay out of camp for three weeks. During this time i am being deployed under a certain shift duty. Unfortunately i cannot reveal much details here, so don't ask me too much. =)

More KE7 Wushu

2006-09-03T23:38:00.000+08:00

Previously i came only as an observer. This time i came to train with the KE7 wushu. Glad to see seniors like yie hui, hanwei and yuan yan coming down. Also my Aitong wushu junior, Zheng Hao, came down too after some miraculous persuasions by Yie Hui. i was quite pleasantly surprised. And it was really shiok to train with the more senior wushu people. At a point of time it seemed like we were all competing to see who knows the most number of move combinations. It is also at this point of time i gotto gauge the skills of some of the freshies like Kan Feng and Irene. i realised that none of us can do everything perfectly, but each of us has a very different and unique set of moves which we can do very well in. Captain Jeremy and Sharon have also started executing their plans for ICN. With regards to the coach fees, apparently a few people have financial difficulties, hence we approached the hall master to try and ask for subsidies. Thanks to all who were there to support the move: Yie Hui, Yuan Yan, Han Wei, Wu Hong, Yen Ling, and even Jenson! I was really getting stressed over the coach issue. Been spending almost everyday in the past week calling my teacher and arranging a coach for KE7. Hence i really appreciate all the help and support from you all. Do hope the JCRC would be willing to set aside some money for wushu.

Pizza in Singapore

2006-09-03T15:39:00.000+08:00

Why must the food in Singapore always be fitted to local taste?? Why can't pizzas be authentic?? This is going out to all pizza sellers. I do not believe in chicken or seafood in pizzas. Pepperoni is almost a must in pizzas too. Choice of toppings is very important. My favourite toppings are: Pepperoni/Ham, Mushrooms(Button/Shitake), Capsicum/Green or Red Peppers, and Olives (optional), with Tomato Sauce as the base, thin crust, and good quality Mozzarella Cheese. This combination is very rare in most pizza selling places in Singapore. Sigh...

HTA Opening

2006-09-02T21:09:00.000+08:00

The Home Team Academy which i was training in is officially opened today. For those who do not know, the Home Team actually consists of the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Internal Security Department (ISD), Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE), and the Prisons Department. As a trainee there, i was naturally involved in this event that lasts the whole day. Frankly speaking, i must say that the opening was really well done!

In the morning was the parade where some of my squadmates were chosen to be flag bearers. DPM Wong Kan Seng was the guest of honour. After which was a display by the Special Operations Command (SOC). Their riot control scene was really intimidating.

In the afternoon was the open house and carnival. The public was allowed to come in and visit various facilities of the academy. This includes the barracks, the shooting range and the training village which i thought was the most interesting. The training village consists of many mock up places like a mrt train, an ATM station, and a food court. The public can also try the revolvers at the range, although the bullets fired are FX rounds. At the field was the carnival with the usual game, food and gift stores. My squad was tasked to open a stall too for charity. In fact some of the stalls were there for charity, with all proceeds going to Club Rainbow. My squad came up with a simple game, that is throwing tennis balls to knock down cans, but i was and still am very impressed of how they marketed the stall. Firstly, one of us got many free gifts from his various network of people to be used as prizes, and trust me, it is really a lot of prizes. Secondly we had a walking advertisment going round to advertise for our stall, saying that it's all for charity. Thirdly it's really cheap! $1 for 4 throws! Lastly and most importantly, everyone wins prizes!!! Yes, even if you miss all 4 throws. Of course the prizes gets bigger if you get more hits. And you can even choose your prizes from a fixed set of items! Anyway I was tasked to help out with the balloon sculpturing squad that was suppose to be sculpturing balloons and distributing them to the children in hope that their parents would contribute some money to Club Rainbow. Somehow there was no need for us to be mobile, the children just flocked to us automatically so much so that the balloon sculpturers could not handle the demand.

Finally in the evening they ended the day with a huge concert with stars from the Singapore Idol, Super Band, and some MediaCorp artistes such as Fiona Xie. I skipped that portion as my parents wanted to return home already. Phew, what a tiring day! But i felt really proud to be part of the Home Team.

Service Industry

2006-09-01T19:33:00.000+08:00

A lot of talk has been going on about the service industry in Singapore. Greet, Smile, Thanks (GST) is what they say. As a customer, i dun really expect too much. Just be normal. Anyway i went to have dinner at the Subway outlet in NUS today and boy was it crowded. From experience, whenever a store's business does too well, the staff tends to get arrogant, and this is no exception. The Subway staff was pretty rude to me. i dun wish to go into details, but basically i feel like just another order to being cleared off as soon as possible. Wonder if anyone feels the same.

Sharpshooter

2006-09-01T11:04:00.000+08:00

A miracle happened today! i actually got marksman for my shooting test! Not once did i ever achieve that in my previous shooting practices. i even failed in one of them. To get marksman, one needs to achieve 80% of the total score, and there are 2 parts to it. If one achieves 79% in the first part and 100% in the second part, he does not qualify for marksman. It so happens that i achieved 80% for the first and 80% for the second part, thereby qualifying for marksman! God really blesses His children in amazing ways, though now i am a bit stressed as i probably cannot maintain this standard in next year's shoot.

1st Training for KE7 Wushu 06/07

2006-08-27T22:25:00.000+08:00

After a fun filled weekend with my dear, i saw her back to KE7 in the evening. (Actually it's her dad that drove us there.) Reached just in time to see the first training for KE7 Wushu 06/07. i must say the freshman intake this year is really good. So far i only observed their flexibility and some basic kicking. Quite a lot of them are pretty flexible. On the whole, two of the freshies were pretty outstanding, one from Mauritius and the other from Malaysia. (How about Singapore?) i must say that i might even lose out to this two. Got to observe further to really see the extent of their true ability. Do hope to drop by again soon not as an observer but as a participant. Some of the seniors like Alvin and Fushan surprised me too as they did not go rusty even though they stopped for like three months? As for the rest, Sharon was in her usual flexible and happy-go-lucky self, Jeremy led the training with his own crazy self, Yuan Yan is still as inflexible as ever but his spear skills are still there i think, Wu Hong is still as fit and stable as before, and sadly my junior Yuan Feng was not present. Unfortunately i couldn't stay longer as i had to report back to academy the next morning. Looking forward to the next visit.

Sony NW-E002F Walkman

2006-08-26T23:15:00.000+08:00

Decided to buy a new FM receiver for my dear Hui Zhi in order to help her survive her lengthy fyp lab sessions. However when we came across this Sony walkman that acts as a mp3 player, FM receiver, and thumbdrive all in one, we just grabbed it without much hesitation. Furthermore, Sony is reknown for it's high quality and durability products. My 17 year old Sony TV is still working! Hence i thought it was a good buy.

Back to Aitong Wushu

2006-08-26T22:45:00.000+08:00

A few reasons why i decided to go to Aitong wushu today.

First is to bring the KE7 wushu people over for a wushu exchange which i thought would be really beneficial. Thanks to Jeremy, Sharon and Yuan Feng who came down, though i had to translate English to Mandarin, and vice-versa. i'm pretty sure they learnt and enjoyed a lot. Yuan Feng still retained some of his double rapier moves. Really hope he will be able to master that weapon.

Second is to check out the new coach my teacher brought from China. Can tell that she's really experienced and skillful, yet at the same time friendly and humble. Was told that she's brought in to teach all the harder aerial moves like the butterfly twist.

Third is actually the hidden agenda for the first two reasons, and that is to see the possibility of having the new coach teach in KE7 wushu. Rather than meeting up specifically to discuss about it, i thought it would be easier if we just come together to train in an exchange programme and in the midst bring up the KE7 wushu coaching issue. Of course i'm not pushing this coach over Yuan Yan's coach. i'm just providing more options. The ultimate decision will still be left to Jeremy.

Last of all is to catch up with my Aitong wushu friends, and wow... i was only gone for 5 weeks and 3 of them can roughly do the butterfly twist already. Now i am pressured to master that some time soon.

1st Revolver Shot

2006-08-24T12:59:00.000+08:00

Just had my first live revolver shooting. Actually it's nothing much since i have already handled the M16 rifle before, but it's really good that we don't have to clean and maintain the weapon like we used to in army. And the range is fully air-conditioned. Interestingly i was a super IA firer. Everytime i pull the trigger, there is a 10% chance that the round won't fire. As a result i missed out on a few rounds, and that affected my shooting score badly. Darn..

Trip to Ubin

2006-08-18T21:14:00.000+08:00

Had a team-building trip down at Ubin today together with my squad-mates where we had to go through some confidence obstacle courses. Pretty interesting. At first, we went for the intermediate obstacle course where the whole playground was about 9 metres above the land. At the top, there were 9 different versions of rope crossing, and we had to tackle one by one at a time. A lot of balancing is required. Some parts were a bit more physical while some were more mental. Also learnt that each of us completes the crossing in different and yet still possible ways according to our individual preferences. After that we proceeded to the largest flying fox in Asia, about 9 storeys high! Pretty enjoyable ride! Not fast enough for a roller-coaster fanatic like me though. Lastly was this maze tunnel that was in complete darkness. We went in pair by pair, and had to feel our way out of the maze. Interestingly, my partner and i found it relatively easy and got out of it very quickly. Booked out from Changi Jetty later in the afternoon all red and burnt. Feeling like a lobster now.

Wushu in HTA

2006-08-17T20:40:00.000+08:00

Today was really shiok!! This afternoon was free time for my squad. Actually my squad was playing basketball, but i decided to practise some wushu instead. Did some of the jumping stunts and tried some of my Chang Quan sequence. Really felt great after that. The best part is that my instructor and course manager supported and encouraged me to keep up my standard. I was so touched then. Anyway, i just received news that my 2 weeks NPC attachment and 1 week block leave is in October, which means i can join in wushu for ICN! I'm so so happy!!!

NUS Rag Day 06/07

2006-08-12T22:37:00.000+08:00

Finally the big day is here. Joined the KE7 dancers most of the time and ended up not sleeping for almost 40 hours.

Man, the KE7 float is really promising this year. I really liked the float design, a very simple, obvious, and easy to understand idea with lots of nice details attached to it. Really sad that i'm not dancing this year due to work. Fen, the choreographer, was also not dancing for the 1st time. It's really all pure-student-no-alumni dancers this year. Even the float committee was made up of new blood. Seven wushu people are float dancers this time, the most so far in KE7. Of them included old bird Yuan Yan, the new captain Jeremy and his love bird Sharon, my Aitong wushu junior Yuan Feng, Mauritian wushu athelete Kan Feng (not sure if spelled correctly), and two other female wushu freshies (one from Malaysia and the other from China) of which i forgot their names. Anyway about the KE7 performance, i think it was really the most unique one among the other halls. We had no hip-hop or heavy metal, no cheerleading, gymnastics or swing dancing. All we had was a pure fantasy world of pirates. In fact we had the most acting sequences compared to the other halls, which i think made the KE7 float presentation really stand out. The cast were really well chosen. The pirates are made up of mainly good actors, the storm waves and lightning had their talents from dance and wushu, and the captivating dancers took up their roles as sirens (of which one of them is my dear! =p) Speaking of which, i really liked the lightning costume/bodypaint. It's just so simple and yet so striking. Though at the end KE7 only got the best float design, i really think KE7 should also get the best presentation, or at least the most unique performance.

Other float presentations that i thought were not bad too are the Medicine Faculty and Kent Ridge Hall. Medicine's float was simple, but their presentation was really nice. In fact i wanted to do a performance like theirs for a long time, but i couldnt find the qualified manpower for it. It was really a combination of cheerleading stunts, gymnastics flips and long ribbons, and wushu moves. The whole performance was almost stunt after stunt that fitted pretty nicely together. The best part was their wushu soloist was one of my Aitong juniors, Zheng Hao, whom i was trying to pull to KE7! (Darn!) And quoting from Yie Hui, when is KE7 going to wake up and use wushu for float?? As for Kent Ridge Hall (KR), their train float was really magnificent! Very detailed and impressive. In fact i really thought KR deserved the best float design rather than KE7. As for KR's presentation, well they had their cheerleading stunts and hip hop stuff, which many other presentations also had too. But i guess the train was just too fantastic, and hence KR grabbed most of the awards.

Thankfully, i managed to somehow sneak my way to the VIP area to take videos of the hall float presentations, so do appreciate this video of the KE7 float which i uploaded. It really wasnt easy. i got chased away from time to time, but i know i must film it at a good angle. i know how it feels like to have a lousy video when i was a float dancer during my second year, and i dont wish the current dancers to feel the same way. Anyway i think PVC had three video cameras on stand-by, so they might have better videos for KE7.

KE7 float 06/07 video:

Back in Action

2006-08-11T22:18:00.000+08:00

Rushed down to NUS after booking out of HTA. 2 reasons. First reason is because i feel very deprived of wushu and i decided to drop by for the NUS wushu training. And it really felt very shiok to be back in action. Second reason is because tomorrow is NUS rag day which i will blog about in my next post. Anyway after 4 weeks of not doing wushu, i was really rusty in some areas. My air cartwheel also felt different. Nevertheless i cannot lose my standard now since so many potential wushu freshman are entering KE7 Wushu! Man, i really need a new sectioned chain whip. Anyone willing to sponsor me?