Taiwan, Yet Again! 080409 to 300509

Came back from Taiwan on Friday, 1st May. Its been quite a good trip since i've been there before and didnt have problems adapting. Weather was rather cool with wind, except a few days which were quite hot. Weird weather. Here are some highlights!

Touching down at KaoHsiung Airport.

Night out at 小垦丁 marking the end of the tougher times! Enjoyed the awesome-ly delicious BBQ sotong (one whole sotong!) and a large cup of Milk Tea w Pearl!

First stop for R&R was the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium. Quite a nice place with a diverse collection of fish and displays of ocean life, and Taiwan waters.

The usual pictures with girls. Hiak hiak.

Last day of R&R. Went out with Joseph Ebony Lua to 西门丁! When to grab a bowl of the delicious Ah Zhong Mian Xian! Jus look at the crowd outside the stall, certainly the best mee sua i've eaten so far. Oh and you onli use a spoon to eat it.

Next stop was the Modern Toilet Restaurant also in 西门丁! Didnt eat the main courses but the desserts were interesting enough. Not bad i could say. A must visit when you go to Taiwan.
Well, all good things have to come to an end, so its back to Singapore! Shot at Taipei Airport

That's about it! For more pics, view my facebook gallery! Cheers.

Taiwan Again!

Will be flying off to Taiwan again in another few hours.
Will be back on 1st May.
Any urgent matters, i can be reached at 83495027.
Be back real soon! =)

A Small Gathering Again at Dua Yi's (First Aunt's Place)

Went down to Dua Yi's place on Sat evening for a small gathering with family and the little children. Celebrated Mum's birthday too. Though a simple affair, it holds lots of meaning and togetherness. Shan't talk much, but rather let some pics do the talking. =)

Children having fun at the pool

A couple of songs and a nice cake with a great mum!

Fujifilm Finepix J25 Put to the Test

Here are some shots from my new entry-level camera, the Fujifilm Finepix J25. Have been enjoying the camera so far and it seems to be performing well. Click on the pics to enlarge and check out the quality.

Supporting Earth Hour at my Aunt's on Saturday.
Lights were off and we put candles in place. Romantic eh?

Taken in the dark at my Aunt's during Earth Hour
From left to right:
My little sis - Esther, Two nieces of mine - Chelsea and Chloe

Pic of good friends Adrian and his wife, Karen, over at Bboyd celebrating Paul's Birthday.

Pic of Esther on Sunday morning before leaving for church.

Pic of Joash when i was over at TomSum's place.

New Toy - Fujifilm Finepix J25

• 10 megapixels
• 3x zoom 3x (35-106,5mm)
• up to 1600 ISO
• Face detection
• Auto scene mode
• VGA 640 x 480 pixels video recording at 30 fps with mono sound
• 3" TFT Screen of 230 000 pixels
• Lithium battery included

Updates 200309 - 19 More Days to Taiwan!

Its been a great week! Woo!

1. Cleared my IPPT for 2nd year with a Gold on Tue, 170309. (Monday book-ins! Yay.)

2. Got presented a few awards today, 200309. (Pics below.)

3. Booked-out at 1.30pm today! You know how rare that is???

Schweeeet:

Updates Part 3 - Random Thoughts On What I Wish and Would Love to Have

Decided to post on some stuff which suddenly came into my mind while blogging, and since i havent posted on what i would like to have before.. so here goes about a few items that captured my eye. *hint hint* =p

First on the list, Ipod Touch! (16GB/32GB)

Know this has been on the market for a very long time, but well, starting to feel that i would rather have this than a psp, and that i could put it to very good use.

Next, Garmin GPSMAP® 60CSx!

Have been wishing that i could have one of these babies and i wouldnt have to fuss over topography and getting lost when out in the jungles, be it Singapore, Brunei, Taiwan, basically the whole world! Tells you everything you need to know, even weather, how high u are, even has games to keep u company on tt boring night in ur hammock!


Lastly for the day, a Honda Varadero XL125V!

Certainly one of the main choices of the bikes i will get when i get my bike license! Check out the lovely v-twin engine and cool looks. Though only 125cc, this pretty thing performs flawlessly, and turns heads wherever you go!


Alright. Better stop fantasizing and drooling about these things from now. Back to camp in another few hours. Till then!

Updates Part 2 - Thoughts About My Future and Career

Have also recently been thinking about my future alot. There is just one more year to my ORD date which gets closer day by day. Have been very keen to sign on to the army, but very restricted due to my posting, my rank and the time that i decided i want to turn regular. Got quite a few paths to take but the most common answer i always get is tt the earliest i could leave is after ATEC. Which will be like the end of this year, so i might as well ORD? I duno.

Many of my friends are persuading me not to do something "foolish" and sign my life to a so called "bad place to be in". But after careful and much thought, i realise that i do not mind such a vocation and life, and that i might actually enjoy it. Trainings are tough, and politics may be aplenty, but where else in the working world isnt there such things happening? I feel that it is how we handle ourselves and situations that will make a difference. True?

Another issue will be the issue of money i guess. Have thought about after ORD-ing and leaving the army, what will i be doing? I only have an O Levels cert, and it will be difficult looking for a job tt pays well. Yes i do want to study more, but where is the money going to come from? I do not want to burden my parents anymore as they still have two other children, and the house, and bills etc. to worry about. Yes, the issue of self-sufficiency arises.

Right now, from what i see, i have two choices. One, i join the ADF, and hopefully study part time. Another, is i take up the joint poly and SAF program. Where the army pays for my full time studies at a polytechnic and then i serve a bond afterwards as a spec. Im still thinking, cos both has their pros and cons. After joining the ADF, work and study would most probably be a concurrent thing, tts IF i get time to study. But the fact is that i will be sent for spec training almost immediately after i sign. The other way is tt i study full time at a poly, then i go for spec training after poly and when i serve the bond. But how old will i be then? These are lingering issues, that only time could iron out for me i guess.

Updates Part 1 - Brunei

A blink of an eye and we're already into the third month of the new year! My.. time is flying so fast everything seems like a blur. It was just like yesterday it was the beginning of the new year, then CNY, then Brunei. Next, hey! I'm back from Brunei and now looking forward to Taiwan on the 8th of April. Phew!

A few updates..

Brunei was great! Totally loved it there man. Serious! Its the first time i went out of the country for a battalion exercise. Not as enjoyable as going as a course level as so many things are being restricted e.g. like canteen breaks and stuff, but the jungle and outfield experience was worth the while.

Brunei's weather is very similar, only wetter! Rains almost everyday at the same time in the evening, so ur not totally dry most of the time. Terrain was agonizing. The whole time its either you are going up, or you are going down. Not forgetting the mud, rocks, moss and of course the numerous times we, as scouts, gotta swim across the river, while the rest crosses it with the help of a rope! But it was all good training and experience nonetheless. Brunei is going to be on my list after Taiwan as to where i would like to be posted to, IF i become a regular. =D

Not forgetting one complaint i have - Brunei's airport is BORING! There is practically nothing to do there, with a small DFS and a few small shops selling souvenirs (btw, things in Brunei is either the same as Singapore, or more expensive!), tts about it. No alcohol, no nothing! And guess what? Our flight back got delayed for close to 8hours! Literally rotted there man! But thank God for the safe and fast journey back.

Brunei - 31st Jan to 13th Feb

Flying off to another country again with the army, and this time is BRUNEI!

Will be flying on Saturday at around 2am, so gotta be at the airport by around 11pm on Friday night.

Did a google on the terrain in Brunei and these are a couple i found.

What could i say but only "GOOD LUCK" TO US WHO ARE GOING!! Man, as much i love the outdoors and adventure and all the outfields we have, one thing is that we're still in SINGAPORE! Our cant even be counted a jungle man, but just a secondary FOREST. Oh my, Brunei is going to be like a totally new level. I'm kinda apprehensive but also really looking forward to the trip for the experience. Just hope i come back in one piece. Hehe.

From now till then when i return, take care! ;)

Bernard's Wedding 050109

Attended Platoon Sergeant Bernard's wedding dinner on Monday. Was the emcee for the night too! Great experience although was kinda nerve-wrecking as it was my first time being an emcee for a wedding plus i gotta do it in CHINESE too! For all those who know me well enough, you should know my mandarin is rather "chui" hahaha. But nonetheless, it was a good night, with good food and drink. Here are a few pics.. =)

Suited up! Ready to roll.

Bernard and I

Showing my officer how nice even a Tiger could be when it is really ice cold. He couldnt drink cos he drove. HAHA.

Emcee-ing. Fumbled on the Chinese part!

叶问 Ip Man | Yes Man!

Yes! Caught 叶问 or Ip Man (pronounced 'eep-mun') today with Baolong and Irina! Definitely rate it a 4.5/5! Very well produced! I'm so gonna buy the DVD when it comes out man.

Can't blame me cos I'm quite a sucker when it comes to chinese kungfu movies! Loves those productions from Jackie Chan, Jet Li etc etc; ranging from ancient days Huang Feihong (Jet Li) to more modern production such as Drunken Master (Jackie Chan). Woo!

I wanna collect all the DVDs from such genres man! Then can watch n watch n i never get tired of them!

Also caught Yes Man yesterday with Baolong! Give it a rating of 4/5 for a good comedy movie! Certainly had alot of laughs watching it.

Also realised that many times in life we give in to so many things and say yes, even if it goes against our own morals, jus to please a certain someone or even jus giving into peer pressure. Little do we know we're actually doing more harm unto others and ourselves even though life may seem "good" or "wow, im the in-thing now, im the man!" So go and catch it if u havent!

But i still prefer Jim Carey in his classic shows such as The Mask and Ace Ventura. Only he can pull off such expressions and antics! Haha.