NiKe 10Km HuMaN RaCe

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

School is really draining me this semester. Its a good thing I have great people around me. Today I went for the Nike 10Km run with Jie Ren and Bong. Instead of running alongside them, I ended up running wih Leona Lewis and Mariah Carey. I was quite agitated when the race began due to the huge conjestion that lasted for a good 5 to 6 minutes. Also, random people kept whacking each other accidentally due to their close physical proximities.

Eventually, I got into the groove of the run and randomly cheered with people whom I didn't even know all the way to the end point. I also met a number of my long lost buddies at the finishing line. As the saying goes, Sports unite Nations, so obviously sports unite buddies.

After the race, I went for dinner with Bong, Jie Ren and Constance at Raffles City. Finally back home after a long day. Yet my reward for running is more mugging.... :(

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

RSAF OpEn HouSe 2008

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...




The RSAF Open House was well managed and well executed as expected from a World Class Airforce with First Class People. I was happy to see many of my military buddies there. Glad to see that the office gang is still on and up, not to mention happy as when I left them. Good hardworking guys... :)


Was especially happy to see my long lost buddy Pek. Shared alot of intellectual conversations with him during our days as trainees. Its nice to know that even though life goes on for different people, the bond once fostered always remains.... :)


Went out for lunch with Caleb after the open house. Caleb, the king of the club.... :)



...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

LoKe tHe sTooGe / FriDaY NiGhT

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


Friday nights are no longer as happening as they used to be. At home now, mugging. Today I had a randomly retarded day once again. Slept very late at night and was awaken by a very nice message. In an attempt to suprise my lab buddy, I left home an hour earlier to set up the experiment before she came. I forgot to put on my belt and had my berms halfway down my butt the entire day.


As luck would have it, whilst studying for my Japanese test, I boarded the wrong bus. On the bus, I was so busy reading that I only noticed when the bus stopped me at Clementi interchange. I had to take another bus to school. The normal 1hr 15 min journey became a 2.5 hour one and I was late for lab. When I reached school I realised that my jacket was no where to be found. I figured I might have left in on the bus in my frenzy. I went around the whole day complaining about my lost jacket only to find that it was burried at the bottom of my bag at the end of the day.


At the end of the day, I reached home and unpacked my bag. To my horror, I had accidentally taken the textbook of the girl who was sitting beside me during my Japanese Tutorial class. I messaged her to apologise. Now I'll have to pass it back to her on Monday.


Going to club, go to a pub or just supper later with Jie Ren and Caleb. Have a sudden urge to club though. Any takers.... :)


Going for the RSAF open house tomorrow. Soccer in the afternoon. Sunday will be the day of the Nike run. Looking forward to it....


....aNgeLs BroUgHt mE HeRe...

JaPaNeSe TuT 1

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


I had my first Japanese lesson today. It felt a little awkward that in a class of 16, there were only two guys including me and the other 14 people were all girls. A change from the military life where I usually work with gentlemen predominantly. The teacher (sensei) is very nice and friendly and all of us had alot of fun playing games that enabled us to interact in Japanese.


The Japanese lesson brought me back in time to my visit to Japan. Both Kevin and I agree that the time spent there was so amazing that it would be hard if not impossible to emulate the experience in future visits.


On a side note, I'm confused and troubled. I need to dilute this crazy obsession.


...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

SuNdaY OuT wiF mAnY FiRsTs

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


After my music lessons, I went to meet up with my bro and Takeshi. We went to Lavender Food Square for dinner. I had Wanton Mee, Popiah and Yu Tiao Salad all for the very first time. I really liked the food there. I guess part of it was due to the fact that I was freaking hungry. I'll rate the food there 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. After dinner we walked around the area and went to random places like Sim Lim Square. We had some fancy ice dessert near Sim Lim Square that was excessively sweet. Nowhere near as good as the milk ice dessert that Kevin and me had at Osaka Castle in Japan. Kevin also brought us to try herbal jelly which I still do not like at all. Acquired taste I guess. After a long day out, I'm finally back home. Time to start my lab report. Another sleepless night for me again and yet I'm happy.


...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

LoKe tHe MaChiNe/ SoCCer TrAiNiNg

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


Last night, I went out for a chill-out session with Ruriko, Takeshi and Kevin at a pub called Timber. The general ambience there was good and of course the company was perfect. I didn't really like the live band though. Their singing sounded very muffled to me. (P.s. When I make such comments I am giving my own opinion. People should hear the band for themselves to gauge or judge) After the chill-out session, I went for supper with Kevin. By the time we finished eating it was 3 in the morning. I reached home at 4am. Given the fact that I had soccer training at 8am in the morning and had to leave home at 7am, I decided not to sleep and finish up some of my schoolwork.


Soccer Training


My soccer coach just told me today that I have the makings of a natural mid-fielder judging from my speed and situational awareness. The mid-fielder on the field sorta acts as the distribution agency of the ball to the appropriate controllers i.e. the strikers. Yet, he said that, it might still be too early too judge. More individual coaching and my skills will show themselves. At least that what he says. I had two hours of training. 1 hour consisted of drills, dribbles and physical training. The best thing that I like about the physical training is that it is very focussed and directed. The coach clearly explains to me the rationale for each exercise and how it is going to help me improve my game. The next hour usually consists of ball technique and gameplay strategy.


Coach: Loke!!! Dribble the ball through the cones using just your left foot. Defenders coming in from both sides..!!

Loke: Yes Coach! Defenders from both sides, push ball back using the 180 degree ankle movement, change direction of stance and dribble ball away.

Coach: Loke!!! Close your eyes. I'll pass the ball to you and signal as your team-mate. (Dribbles and passes the ball to me) Team-mate at your 4 O'clock!!

Loke: (With my eyes closed, I pass the ball to him at 4 O'clock)


Just a small exerpt of what I usually go through. Oddly enough, I don't feel very sleepy yet. Going to carry on with my lab report. Then I'm off to music lessons at 3pm after which I'll meet Kevin for dinner in the evening.


...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

MoMenT oF ReTaRdeDnEss

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


Yesterday whilst helping my bro to collect books from YIH, I stumbled upon an on-going singing audition for some music group in NUS. Very randomly, I walked into the audition area, sang a song of my choice (Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me Yet) just as everybody else was doing and walked out without leaving my particulars. I guess the organisers must now be wondering who the hell I was or am. My idea of a cheap thrill.... :)


Met someone very special for the first time. Did my 20 chin-ups at the TH chin up bar and rushed to FOC. Eventually, I was late in meeting my lab buddy for Physics lab. Sorry Gwen, hope the muffin tasted good...


6 hours of lab without any food and drinks was exhausting. I finished one entire BIG Van Hounten Chocolate bar all by myself on my way back home with Caleb. Looks like I'll have to hit the gym tomorrow to burn that off.


Skipped soccer training today as the rain was insane. I just cannot believe that I spent my whole Saturday mugging when I could have been at the Japanese Summer Festival. Well at least I had Einstein and Newton to keep me company. Sharing the same birthday with Einstein certainly does not help my Physics. Guess hard labour will pay off, eventually.


Soccer training early tomorrow morning at 8am. I plan to run back home from Farrer Park after that. But I really need to get a better running bag or at least one that does not keep spanking my back and butt when I run.


Thats it for today. Back to more mugging....


...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

LoNg RuN/ SeLfLesS SeRviCe

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


Today, after ending my lessons, I decided to run back home from NUS. The weather was good and the run served as an avenue for me to clear my thoughts. Just me, my MP3 player and my back-pack. Slowly I passed NUS, SIM, NYP, Nanyang Girls School, NJC, HCJC and eventually hit the stretch of road that leads to Macritchie Reservoir. It started to drizzle, hence, I pulled off my t-shirt to cover my bag. The feeling of raindrops pelting against my bare chest and head was great as I jogged down to Macritchie Reservoir. Eventually the rain became unforgiving so I decided to board a bus.


When I was a little boy, my friend brought me to church one day. The first concept that the speaker talked about at the session was selfless service. Being a young mind, I found the idea as an ideal of life. One should always give and provide 'selflessly' without expecting anything in return.


Many a time (in university) I have rushed through my own homework just to tutor a friend in need even if I had to stay up overnight after that to finish my own work. Sometimes while in the midst of an important assignment I stopped just to explain concepts to my other friends who needed help with their own assignments. Yet today when I needed a little help for the first time due to a lecture I missed, I sensed reluctance in the same people.


I guess no matter how selfless human beings try to be, the end up wanting something in return. Even when you shower affection upon someone, you expect him or her to be happy, so that consequently you are happy. Selfless or not? Whatever the case, I'll continue being selfless because at the end of the day my own perception of myself should not falter.


...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

2nD WeEk oF ScHooL/ LoNe ReFleCtiOns

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


Sometimes people you least expect to brighten your day just come by and the very balance of emotions that your life resides on tips onto the path of jovialness. As I was waiting for my driving tester to arrive, the Malay girl sitting beside me started to talk to me. She offered me clorets, patted me on my back and said don't worry, just have fun. To my amazement that brief 30 secs with her totally vanquished my nerves. Consequently, I cleared my driving test. Sometimes all it takes is a smile or a few kind words from one individual to transform the day of someone else for the better.


After the test, I met Waifu at the driving centre, coincidentally. He introduced me to his girlfriend as the guy whom a million girls are after... i wish... :) Sometimes when you experience a moment of happiness all you need is someone whom you can share the happiness with. So he was at the right place a the right time. Tks Waif.... :)


In the evening I went to the shooting club orientation in NUS. It was quite fun and reminded me of my days in NJC and Temasek Hall. Needless to say, the orientations I experienced at these two places left an everlasting impression on me. Sadly life goes on and people move on. So, savour every moment with every single person you have for once the moment leaves and people move on every entity of life just collapses into a mere memory.


After thorough contemplation and hesitation, I have dropped my 6th module. Caleb played a pivotal role in my thinking process. He triggered me to ponder about the fact that there is really no point doing 6 modules if you do not have the capacity and time to do so. More so, for two different languages. When you want to do something, do just enough, do it well and leave an impression on the world rather than doing many things at one go and consequently faltering where standards and results are concerned and inevitably underperform.


I'm in the science canteen alone now, studying for a Japanese lecture test later. Its one of those times where you find yourself with no one despite having all the friends in the world. I guess a little alone time gives you the chance to reflect upon yourself and look at the world from the perception of one who is not moving with the moving world. (I am not trying to Shakespherize Einstein's theory of relativity).


Seriously need to go to the gym soon cause I feel the inevitable cycle of school work drawing ever close. Hence if I don't get into a exercise routine now, one will never come. Going back home with brother Caleb later.


...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

cHaNgiNg WinDs

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


The first week of school started off on a low as withdrawal symptoms from Japan, withdrawal symptoms from some people set in and post-travel illnesses hit hard. However, yesterday felt much better. After a long day at school, I went out for dinner with Jie Ren and Bong at NYDC. Then we did abit of window shopping, all acting retarded as usual. After I parted from them, I went to meet up with Kevin. We then went to PGP to meet up with Ruriko, an exchange student and our friend from Japan. We ate and chatted jovially till it was 3am. After the meeting, I camped over in Kevin's room. That's when someone's email made my day. Also, I became very thankful of the presence of someone in my life.


As Kevin had to go for a soccer game with his friends at 10am and I had to go for soccer training at 2pm, we woke up early and I was home by 1015am. After preparing my to-do list for the day and practicing some Japanese writing, I went for my soccer training.


Soccer Training

Soccer training was awesome. My coach, Mr Michael Adam gave me one to one attention. In a mere span of two hours he corrected all my erroneous ways and imparted abundant knowledge upon me. Now, the evaluation will come after 3 more sessions of individual coaching and hopefully I'll be able to get onto the team.


I also managed to master the ornaments in the first stanza of the song Back At One by Brian Mcknight. Waiting to sing it to the right person... :)
Keeping my fingers crossed. Hoping that the winds do not change their direction anymore...


...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

sChooL UpDaTe/ ThiNkiNg POiNt

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


My timetable is quite packed this semester due to the 6 modules that I am taking. This week was just pure lectures so it wasn't that hectic altogather. Japanese lessons and Hindi Lessons were great with thorough class interaction. The physics lessons are getting slightly more mathematically rigorous. I bet 75% of my textbook bears greek symbols. Going to begin soccer training this Saturday. Sunday's session had to be cancelled because of my driving lesson. Music theory lessons and Guitar classes are also part of the agenda.


Still contemplating if I should stay in hall. From the looks of my timetable I should. Maybe if 'something' works out then I will. Going to meet Jie Ren and Bong for dinner tonight. Will be meeting Kevin, Ruriko and Takeshi-san for dinner on Sunday, followed by lunch with Hui Shan and Qian Wen on Tuesday.


For the person I'm writing for:

Sometimes it just dosen't pay to be close to some people, cause you get affected by what the other does which is not healthy on your part. Yet being human, you just keep coming back for more regardless of the consequences.


Question: Maintain a painful relationship on the grounds of your sense of attachment to the other or just end everything and cause yourself extreme pain in the short run but eventually become happy in the long run (no more prolonged torture)?


...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

DaY 1 aT sChooL

Lo AnD BeHoLd


After school today, I decided to head over to Temasek Hall to meet up with Ashwin and Jie Ren. After Ashwin left for some meeting, I went with Jie Ren for a run. Though I still felt nauseated and my ribcage was aching the run made me feel alot better.


After the run, I went to meet up with Qian Wen, Bernice and Hui Shan. Once again, the three ladies were as fun to be with as ever. It also made me realise how much I subconsciously am going to miss hall life. (Especially the many pretty girls.... winks...**)

UnForGeTTaBle TriP To JaPaN

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

After thinking for about half an hour and applying each and everyone of my linguistic abilities, I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to describe the unforgettable experience of the trip by mere words. Just pure magic. I'll just give a brief description of what we did and hopefully the pictures on facebook will speak the rest of my mind.

On the 24th of Aug 2008 at 11am, Kevin and I flew to Japan on Cathay Pacific. I wouldn't say it was the best plane ride I had though it was good. The standard of the food was not that bad either.

Upon landing in Japan, we were picked up by our Japanese friend's grandmother who drove us to her house where we lodged at for 12 nights out of the 14 nights that we spent in Japan.

We were splendidly taken care of by Ruriko's grandparents who had a very very nice house. Our breakfasts and dinners were cooked for us (Authentic homemade Japanese food).

A typical day began at about 8am where we had breakfast with Obachan and Ojichan after freshening up. Obachan ( As we addressed the grandmother ) then drove us to the nearest train station everyday for us to take the train to our desired destination. At the end of the day we would travel back to the same train station at about 9pm where she would pick us up and bring us back home. Upon reaching home, we would find the tables set with a vast array of food ready to be devoured by two ravenous guys. The evenings used to be amazing as Obachan, Kevin and I chatted jovially about the day's happenings and the things that we saw and did in the cities that we went to.

Day 1- Travelled from Sinagpore to Kansai International Airport in Osaka. Travelled from Osaka to Toyonaka (The place where Obachan and Ojichan live)

Day 2- Explored Osaka City- Osaka Castle, Namba Shopping Arcade, Yodobashi Camera

Day 3- Explored Nara- Spiritual Journey, Lots of temples, Wild deer all over the place. Great Buddha Statue, I fell sick and puked at one of the temples

Day 4- Explored Kobe- Kobe Harbour, Kevin had Kobe Beef, Huge Shopping Arcade, Ate Okonomiyaki with Keiko-san (Ruriko's mother)

Day 5- Explored Kyoto- Visited the Golden Temple, Went through a traditional Japanese tea drinking ceremony, Shopped somemore

Day 6- Went to the mountain called Koyasan- Took a train there, Hiked up, Beautifully adorned with hundreds of temples and a huge cemetry, Took a cable car on the way down, Kevin fell sick just as I recovered

Day 7- Went to Kyoto once more for more shopping and some areas that we had not visited the previous time

Day 8- Went to Monkey Mountain with Obachan, Did some random shopping at Namba and reserved train tickets to Kyushu.

Day 9- Set off via the Shinkansen (bullet train) for Kyushu island. Went to Oita and saw the celebration of the Matsuri festival there. Lodged at Hotel Hokeru Club for the night.

Day 10- Went to Beppu to meet up with some Japanese friends. Ryo, Yumi, Shin and Takashi. Visited APU (Asia Pacific University), Met Edwin Tay, Played bowling, played with fireworks

Day 11- Visited the rest of Oita. Travelled back from Kyushu to Osaka

Day 12- Went back to Kobe for more shopping. Met up with Shin-San for dinner. Played UFO catcher and won the whole machine

Day 13- Went with Obachan to random places around Osaka for shopping

Day 14- Travelled back to Singapore (Transit from Kansai to Taipei to Hong Kong and finally Singapore)

This is really the roughest skeleton of what we did over there. Japan is really amazing. The place to be. Kevin and I have already signed a pact to visit Tokyo and Hokaiddo the next time we visit Japan.

...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

FeeLiNg bLeSsEd

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...


I am feeling very blessed today. The people around me make make my world go round and I'm happy to know each and everyone of them.


It has been hectic since I returned to Singapore from Japan on Wednesday night. I spent my entire night unpacking and arranging my luggage only to sleep at 5am. The next day I went over to the airport to collect some items and visited some of my relatives to give them the gifts that I bought from Japan. I ended off Thursday by having supper at Hong Kong Cafe with Kevin, which by the way, I give 3 stars out of 5 stars as I think the food is over-priced where quality is concerned. Never try the mango ice dessert alone, it is impossible to finish. On Friday, I was supposed to meet Ashwin for rag but couldn't make it in the end. I met up with Caleb at 2pm to get my tertiary student transitlink card done after which we had lunch at the food court in Hougang Mall. At about 6.30pm I met up with Kevin and Ruriko to have dinner at Kublai Khan Mongolian and International Buffet. I liked their vast selection of food and Kevin mentioned that the Sashimi was not bad. I loved the cheese-cake dessert the best. I'll give it 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. We went over to Takeshi-San's apartment (A student from Japan) for some light refreshments to end the day off. Today, I met up with Jie ren and Bong for lunch in town. As I overslept, they had lunch first and we had coffee at Starbucks instead. After the meeting, I had to go for 3 hrs worth of driving lessons. Madness!! After the driving lessons, I went to Bugis to meet up with Qihao, Malcolm, Larry, Choon Hong, Ivan and Daniel for dinner at a steamboat restaurant located opposite Swensons'. I thought the selection of food there was reasonable but I didn't really like the ambience of the place. I'll give it 2.5 stars out of 5 stars.


Tomorrow, I have one more dinner with my Physics friends and then its the start of school. School sweet school.....


....aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

HappY NaTiOnaL DaY SinGaPoRe...!!

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...



Singapore has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a fishing village to a modern metropolis of the 21st century. Despite its small physical size, the name Singapore by itself is a branding and force to be reckoned with in all arenas throughout the world. Singaporeans around the world today, hold their noses high in the air when they tell foreigners that they are Singaporeans.


On this day, one must never forget about the sacrifices that our forefathers made to translate Singapore upon the golden pedestal that it sits upon today. We should never take our peace and sovereignty for granted. A well developed nation, a closely knitted community are all ingredients to advance towards the notion of an utopian society, an utopian Singapore. Majulah Singapura!!


The Singapore Pledge

We, the citizens of Singapore
Pledge ourselves as one united people
Regardless of race, language or religion
To build a democratic society
Based on justice and equality
So as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.


As I've mentioned before, when one feels for an entity, the string of words involved in depicting the entity no longer serve as mere words. They start to have meaning and consequently contain the power of stirring feelings and manipulating emotions. The pledge to me is one such 'string of words'. As a proud Singaporean, they serve as an inspiration and guiding light to me. As a soldier, as a son of Singapore I have a reason and the motivation to fight if our sovereignty is ever threatened. To fight for my family, to fight for my friends, to fight for my soil.


One People, One Nation, One Singapore...!!




...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...

BaCk FrOm JaPaN/ ScHeDuLe UpDaTes

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

YoyoYoYo everyone... I am back...!!! Japan was simply amazing and I had the time of my life. So much so that I am going to attempt the Japanese Languange next semester and hopefully go for exchange to Japan. Everything was simply divine, from the warm and friendly people to the lush and beautiful landscapes to the modern metropolitan cities. 10 Thumbs up for Japan!!!


I will create a separate post to talk about the trip details as I need to free myself for at least 3 hours to do justice in writing about all that I experienced there. Credit goes to my bro, Kevin for making homestay on this trip a reality.


Meanwhile, let me update the world on my movement... :)


Friday (8th Aug) --- Watch Rag Dance- Ash / Dinner with Kevin and Jap friend
Sat (9th Aug) --- Lunch with Jie Ren and Bong/ Dinner with Jill, Larry, Qihao and Gang
Sun (10th Aug) --- Music lesson cancelled/ Dinner with Physics friends

Modules I am taking next semester--- PC1142--- Thermodynamics
PC2131--- Electrical Physics
PC2132--- Classical Physics
PC2193--- Experimental Physics
LAJ1201--- Japanese Language 1
LAH1201--- Hindi Language 1


...aNgeLs BrOugHt mE HeRe...