16th - 17th Dec - An interesting week - KTV Pub -

I woke up, took a bathe, and asked brother if he wanted to head down to macs with me.

And we took the slow walk down to JE24 mac, bought some food, and came back to watch One piece. It was quite an experience to walk around with little bro at 2+am actually.

I slept at around 5+am, and woke up at er, 12+? For some ff12 i believe.

Nothing much happened in the afternoon, except that .. hmm, i don't recall anything interesting happening.

At 9+ Jason chan asked if i wanted to go to a ktv pub, and since i was at home the entire day, i agreed.

Changed into a t-shirt and some jeans, and walked over to Chinese Garden. Stopped by at a nearby 7-11 to coincidentally see my neighbour and her daughter, who so graciously paid for my drink~ Thanks~

At Raffles place, i waited for some time before he told me to head over to Burger King.

Okay, here's the more interesting part, we stopped at a pub called Numbers, which was opened by 4 of his shipmates i believe. He had half a bottle of Martel there, and there's what we pretty much drank for the next 6 hours (with Green tea). i actually stayed there for 6 hours+, oh my god!

And what did i do there? Drink, played cards, sang a bit of songs, played some pool,
and chatted with some girls that Jason happened to know on that day.

Its very interesting how it all began. A girl called Tingting wanted to sing a duet, and asked one of the staff working there, Xiaoxiao, to bring it to someone. Somehow Jason was thought of, and that's how it started.

In the midst of cards playing, walking around, they got introduced to each other, and talked. Beh, somehow i don't like her. She's like.. a bit spolit. Well, when we're playing cards, she decided to start instead of following the rules, and basically did things her own way.

Not my type of girl this one.

And when someone loses, she suggested that we drink martel Neat, which was just pure martel. She actually looked at me when she lost, as if daring me to insist on her drinking it, which i replied with a steady glare.

hah! You're not getting your way with ME around.

Of course, i had the feeling that the feeling was mutual. Haha. Ah well, as long as Jason is happy, what can i say.

We stayed til 6am, which was the time it closed. Then took the train back home, and slept at 8+.

I must say, it was really an eye-opener.. this.. outing. I would say more, but i'm a bit out of gas with the other few entries.. hah..

15th Dec - An interesting week - 2nd sailing trip - Part 3 -

When we got back, i just showered and went to bed, though it was a bit challenging to shower in a very enclosed stall. But i made do with what i can, and i survived.

I found my bed, and settled into it. I didn't sleep that early, around 12+ i believe, cause it was ... kinda cold. Think i'll bring something along for my sailing next time to combat the chills.

I woke up at 7:30, then washed up and changed. All of them changed too, into their no.3 dress. Seems they were going to take a couple of photos, and guess who ended up being the camera man?

Though i did get a picture taken in the end, with the RSS Independence as my background, isn't that cool?

Didn't do anything much until the army medics arrived, there were about 12 of us in the gun-bay, while the doctors were in the dining hall.

I managed to chat up with them a bit, and learnt a bit of how they spent their time in Balai, we shared food and a few laughs as well.

By the time we reached Tuas, it was around 12:45, and Provost finally came at 13:30 to check our stuff. Phew.

By the time i reached TMC, it was around 14:40, and boy was i tired.
Right, by this time i also managed to find out that everyone's massage was a bit different. Some had a bit more sexual activity injected in, while some were limited to er, touches. Mine was pure though. *nods*

I was able to get the afternoon off, instead of on monday, and took the cab home with Raymond and Jason.

I was so tired that i just bathed, cooked some noodles(i didn't eat anything the entire day 'cept for some hello panda biscuits), and slept from 4:40pm to 1:45am.

14th - 15 Dec - An interesting week - 2nd sailing trip - Part 2 -

After that, we cleaned up and shore-leave was given again for all who wanted to go.
That was at around 8pm G-time.

I was actually pondering whether to stay or to leave, but in the end i decided to go. Since some of the others whom i clicked with for a while are going anyways...

Hence we changed, and the 3 of us decided to wait for the Coxn's batch, which were the more 'exciting' batch to be with. At the guard post, just before we left, there were some people who actually recommended us a massage parlour.

After talking for a really long time, i took the motorbike(the rest got the car, 7 of them actually), and then we eventually settled down at a parlour.

We sat there for some time, negotiating the arrangement. Some of us were more adventurous, and wanted more than just a massage. So they left for their own activity.

Most of us stayed behind though. The rate was 10,000 Rupia? for an hour, and we got to choose our own massager, which were all sitting down infront of us.

Ah right, perhaps i should explain the layout of the shop. After we opened the door and entered, on our left are some chairs and couches for us to sit down. On our right was the cashier, and on the top left of the shop were a lot of chairs, where about 12-14 er, ladies were sitting.

We got to choose our own massager, and then we went up to our own 'private' compartment. We were then told to un-dress, and stripped to our undies, we towelled up and laid down face first on the bed.

(of course i said we were on our own private rooms already. Its just a small room with a mattress, a pillow, and a curtain as the exit. There's a light on the wall as well.)

That's where i stayed in for the next 50 minutes. It was a full body massage, and they did the legs, then thighs, then back, body, fingers, toes, and even the head. While it was really interesting, it was not quite what i expected. Especially the part where they massaged my thighs, it was really really ticklish. I was tensing up and trying so hard not to laugh, and thankfully i succeeded.

I was the first to end, and while i was dressing the lady actually showed me a gesture, which i declined. Right, all the while the lady was trying to tell me stuff, just that i didn't understand, which i felt was a big turn-off. hmm~

So it happened that i ended 10 minutes before them, and i spent that time sipping my ginger tea and watching Shaolin soccer on tv.

The rest came out slowly, and they only got plain water. Why? Why did i get the ginger tea? Could there be a hidden meaning behind it?

Annnyways, we settled down at the coffeeshop nearby, got a drink, and then left back for home. (Figuratively of course.)

That was around 11+ G time.

Alright, now its time for me to get some dinner. Its 9:20 now. Yawns.

14th - 15 Dec - An interesting week - 2nd sailing trip - Part 1 -

I'm sailing on RSS Independence this time, and i'll be alone, not to mention there's actually a port-of-call(which means we'll actually be landing on a country/island).

Went to TMC, took my MOP(medical orderly pouch), my 'luggage', a box of condoms(bet you didn't know its compulsary for to bring it when you go for 'shore-leave' in a port-of-call), and went to the ship, which happened to be right at the very end of the wharf.

Phew, it was really hot and i was sweating buckets when i reached.

This time, i was directed to the gun-bay, which i stayed there for quite a time, reading my book and watching my 'Friends'. Eventually i mustered up enough courage to talk to a ship crew, and things slowly took off from there.

We got to Balai in a couple of hours, and basically there was no shore-leave initially, but somehow it worked out, and we were able to get an hour for us to walk around.

One thing i forgot to mention, Balai is an island in Indonesia, close enough to Batam, and the time difference is 1 hour, which is called Golf time. Hotel time would be SG timing.

The first group left at 12:45pm, and returned at 1:45pm.
I decided to join the 2pm group. We walked the streets, and i bought some tidbits to bring back, not to mention some hello Panda, and some red bull at the end. Oh yea, some Gum too.

The streets weren't anything much to walk. But being in Indonesia, the people are predominantly malay, though i did see a few chinese around. And they looked rather pretty too(was it just me?).

The streets were really hectic and busy with activity. Motorcycles were everywhere, not to mention vans(which i later deduced to be their main mode of transportation, sort of like Cabs. You flag one down, negotiate a price with them, and then take a ride. How did i figure out? They were honking all the time! One might thought they're crazy, but if you put it in SG Taxi terms, when they honk at you, asking if you want a cab or not, it all makes sense right?)

Motorcycles - You see families on it, 4-5 people on it, babies on it(with their mothers of course), and even kids riding it! I saw one who's probably around 12. Imagine my brother riding a bike in that hectic street. woo.

Oh yes shops! There were actually quite a lot of shops selling stuff, and some nice and decent ones selling bags, clothes. But they weren't quite in the mood, and i wasn't either. The weather was killing us, and our long sleeved coveralls didn't really help.

And yea, we attracted quite a lot of stares. Guess that's normal huh. However, some of us felt that they were hostile. I wouldn't know, i just think its normal, though i won't walk alone.

Later at 3+pm there was a volleyball match between the natives and us. 3 teams, one of them ours, one of them theirs, and one of them was mixed. Their team easily won first, and the mixed team was third.

Wow. I must say i'm really impressed at how some of them played, you could see that they've really trained and are skilled at it.

Later in the evening, at around 7pm Golf time(the sun was already nowhere to be seen), they had a mini celebration dinner at the top deck of the ship. It was to commemorate a wonderful year of sailing for them.

The food included lots of fried stuff, fish, chicken, sotong, prawns, some veggies, and a soup by the chef of the ship.

There was ice-cream for dessert, and some cake(which i didn't take. Didn't feel like cake. haha), for the people who's birthday falls on November, December and January.

I must say, each ship really feels like a family on their own, and i'm really really glad to be able to partake in this close-knitted family, even if its for a couple of days.

13th Dec - The break between sailings -

13th Dec - Wed

Half day for me! I get the afternoon off cause of my previous 2 days of sailing~
Met up with Weixiang for lunch at JP Crystal Jade, and then some pool afterwards.

Crystal Jade costed us $15 each. Whew. I think it would have been better if we ate at Fish & Co. a pity he's going to eat there soon, so beh.

I believe i'm finally getting into the Pool game. Everything's starting to make a bit more sense now, and i'm actually enjoying it. *Gerlind, if you're reading this, i'm ready to challenge you to pool and acknowledge you as my sensei now.. haha*

Had some drinks at MOS burger while Mah checked his results. I'll say. The Wifi at macdonalds is ridiculously slow. sheesh.

After that, we each went our own ways, i have another sailing trip tomorrow~ So i decided to go home and yes... FF12 a bit.

One important thing i neglected to say, after i reached TMC yesterday, i got this auto-swaying in my body which wouldn't quite stop. Its really a weird feeling. Like i'm tired, but not that tired, and subsequently i also felt quite lethargic and well, don't feel like doing anything.

It also makes me feel like i'm in a dream-like state of mind. haha...

Anyways, i couldn't sleep well tonight either. Ended up finally sleeping at 1+.. sighs.

11th Dec - 12th - An interesting week - First sailing ever -

Monday - 11th Dec

First day of my first sailing trip.
I'll be going onboard RSS Punggol, together with Tomithy as my OJT sailing.

Well first thing we did was to report to the Coxwain of the ship, and then to check the medical supplies/stores, making sure that its not expired/fallen into disrepair.

We were then shown our own beds, which will become the place we stayed in the longest.

It was during this time, that i saw how sailing can be hard. Harder than chionging in the outfields perhaps. (Not as a medic of course.)

First of all, our jobs are just to provide medical coverage, in case of any emergencies or medical incidents happen, we're there to make sure everything is all right.

Hah, speaking of that, 3 'incidents' happened. A serviceman with a eyelash which fell into his eye, one who fell on his hand, and another who suffered a graze on his hand.

We did what we could, used eyedrops, which were fortunately in their medical chest, to attempt to rinse out the foreign object, taped 2 of the fingers together to form a splint, and cleaned the wound.

That's it for the medical part. The rest of the trip was spent:-
1) Reading (7 habits of effective Teens. Heyy.. its a good book)
2) Sleeping. (I'm not used to having so much rest actually, and so much 'free time'. Not to mention i didn't sleep well the night before. bleh)
3) Watching Animes. (I converted some one piece, bleach & death note inside)

That's pretty much what happened for the first trip. I did help out with the chef a bit.

Oh yea, i realised that i don't eat much when i'm sailing. Just don't feel like eating. Not to mention feeling kinda tired too. hah..~

On the 12th Dec, we reached base at about 6:30pm, then called a cab home.

Tomithy innocently engaged the cab driver in a 'what kind of merc cab is this', which turned out into a very complex conversation of 'What is good, what is bad, what is life' kind of conversation.

Omg.

=_=

And that's pretty much for the first sailing.

Tomorrow...

I'll update my week's activity tomorrow.
It has been a long and fruitful week.. but i'm still kinda dizzy to feel like writing, not to mention there are loud sounds on the basketball court below... causing me a headache... growl.

Sat & Sun

First thing i did when i reached camp was to say hi to the doctor, changed into my coveralls, and took a trip to the MV Avatar. Its 192/193 Sqn's family day, and well, its an open house for the Avatar.

It was really interesting to see a military vessel lined up with balloons, fancy tables and chairs, together with Bon Jovi background music ..

We even managed to get some breakfast in the process. Some prata and quay.

Then headed back to the MC.

nothing much til the end of the day, when someone decided to report sick just when we decided to eat our order-in dinner.

Ah, had to rush through it a bit, then went and sent them. Nothing much happened i suppose.

Eventually slept at 11+, after jogging a bit, and talking alot about some new ideas with Tomithy.

Sunday saw me buying breakfast at the market, then back home.
Supposed to go out to ECP for a bbq, but it got changed to steamboat buffet, and eventually got called off.

I tried to sleep at 12, but was woken up every hour by phone call, til 3:30 when i realised i couldn't sleep anymore. =/

Nothing interesting happened at night either. But now i'm feeling kinda tired/bored/listless.

I don't know if its the sleep, lack of sleep, or even too much sleep. but ahh..~~

Friday - A walk at JP -

It just so happened that i needed to head to JP to buy some shower foam and other toiletries, and i decided to ask Tomoithy along. Somehow Yanxun ended up taking the bus with us, and he tagged along too.

We walked around JP, and i got to see Pikachu, Meowh, and 2 other well, Pokemons.
Wow. Pikachu and Meowh was really... really... really really...

Cute.

I tell you, i always wanted to meet Pikachu in person. And i did it today! Never have i been so close to a Pikachu!

Too bad no pics =/ I'm going to get a camera phone soon or something, at least next time when i'm not going to camp i can take photos.. finally of those cats in my neighbourhood.

Sheesh, if my camp allowed camera phones, i would have gotton one a very long time ago.

Hmm, after that we walked around, talked, shopped, (Yanxun really wanted a christmas hat, as a matter of fact he wore for a while as we were leaving JP, to the train station.)

Hmm, one of the more important highlights of the shopping trip was that I ordered a large iced milk tea .. twice, and the second time i went, the waitress who served me really smiled and greeted me. I happened to see a GEMs card, and i wrote down my name and contact number there. However, because i only ordered a drink(and her friend got it for me), i didn't really see her name.

So i got Tom to ask for her name discreetly. However, what he did was to walk over straight and asked for her name, and told her that we needed it for the GEMs card.

Sigh....

I really felt that was a total destroyer of surprises. It no longer means as much when i pass her the card(i strongly feel), but i did it anyways. Beh, wanted to say something, but i got real nervous in the few seconds our eyes connected(or did it?), she smiled that smile of hers, and off home we went. (Thanks Amanda Ng, for contributing to this blog entry.. haha..)

I'm feeling good about everything so far. (life in general).

oh yea, i bought a soft toy cat for Fiona(Kelvin's girlfriend). Lets hope she likes cats, cause this one really is pretty cute. (Not as cute as the Pikachu though).

And these past few days i'm having alot of people sms me, saying they are praying for me, basically just supporting me.

Thank you all, Chiman, Esther, Tom, Kaili, and anyone else who i neglected to mention.

Thank you =)

Updates - handover - My 2nd counselling session

Well, i officially handed over all my receptionist duties to my understudy on wednesday, i wish him the best of luck~ And wish him happier times ahead.

I'm now onto my new life, and now i'm free to roam around the medical centre, and help out in any way i wish. Which means, i can really 'appreciate' the mc as a building now, instead of being stuck in my 'front desk'.

Its cool actually. Like one day you just realised that the world is so much bigger than you think.
I'm also glad to be relieved of my duties. I must say i feel much lighter and happier now.

Back to counselling.

We spent 1 hour talking about Motivation. Well, the main things that i want to share, or rather, to remember are:-

1) The MRT concept.
Goals must be Measurable, Realistic, and Time Attainable.

2) Purpose: Everything must have a purpose, otherwise there's no point doing something. Aimlessly or Goal-lessly doing something can only last for so long. And in the end you'll end up giving it up.

3) Everything does not have to be black and white. For example, i can be reading/gaming, but i can also exercise at the same time. (Stomach crunches while reading?)
I don't have to go out of the way to exercise, climbing stairs instead of taking the lift, little things that add up.

A resolution, or rather Goal we made, was that i'm going to lose 5 kg in 10 months, which means 500grams per month. It seems simple enough, and very attainable. And yea, i will follow it.

Smell the roses

A long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he liked, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he had covered.

Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much land as possible.

It came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land? Now I am dying and I only need a very small piece of land to bury myself."

The above story is similar with the journey of our Life. We push ourselves very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health, time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love. One day when we look back, we will realise that we do not really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed.

Updates

I haven't been doing this for a while, cause i just can't get myself in the mood to. (Not to mention that i'm really into final fantasy 12, and also loads of videos, movies, animes to watch.)

But just to let you know, last saturday night i was out watching Battle of Wits with 2 people i never thought to meet. 2 Chefs from the navy. yea, they're my age and i did sort of get along with them, just never did thought to watch a movie together.

Anyways, after that we spent an hour having tea at TCC, and then 3 hours singing at Kbox, cineleisure.

urmm..

Tuesday was counselling day. This is the most important part i suppose.

I learnt that i really had alot of issues to deal with. And i suspect some of them could be because i did not really find closure in the deaths of my 2 friends...

I really should have gone for this earlier.

A couple of issues i have to sort out are probably my emotional detachment to everything.. and .. a whole lot more.

My next session is on the coming thursday, so yea, should be expecting an update soon i guess.