"Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked
"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
He called a little child
And had him stand among them
And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children
You will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
-Matthew 18:1-3
I'm going to get it back tomorrow, and it's such a great feeling altogether.
Wait, that was an understatement. I mean, who wouldn't be glad that they are gonna collect back their pink IC after two bloody years of slavery. But still, I must say that the feeling of having completed the ordeal is tremendous. I wouldn't exchange this feeling for anything else in the world.
Yes, we may say that we hate it. We may say that it's a total waste of time. We may curse and swear at it. But at the end of the day, we're simply happy that the journey is over. We're done with this rite of passage and we're looking into the future. Two years came and went by, and we've grown stronger.
Cheers to all for a job well done, and God bless to those who are still in it.
Finally, we can say that we've being there, done that.
But it's even better to come back home once again. I've always liked the feeling of coming back to Changi Airport, and how you queue with at the immigration counter under the "Singapore Citizen" section. It's such a great feeling altogether!
But the best thing of all is that when you return home after a long trip, and you find that the number suddenly drops to four.
So exciting.
So many pairs of eyes were on us today, and one particular pair of eyes belonged to a one-star general.
And the feeling of shooting the missile was just so awesome. Well, if you do remember, it was "nothing short of magnificent". There probably won't be enough words that I can say to describe that feeling. You've got to go through it to really experience it. Nothing beats the real thing. Hours and hours of drill practices and simulation rounds won't do it. You've just got to go through it to really experience it.
It was pretty stressful that people were saying that we were the stars of the show. As if it was not enough, some said that if all else fails, it's just $40,000 down the drain, nothing much. Well, those words make me rather nervous. But still, I managed to stay calm and it was just so amazing to go through that five seconds or so. To see the warhead hit the target, smashing the target to bits and pieces, and to be able to shout "Impact"!
I was just so afraid things will screw up the moment I pressed the firing button. For a split second, nothing happened. And I was clueless on what to do next. Thankfully for me, the warhead flew out the next moment, and everyone heaved a collective sigh of relieve; PC, PS and almost everyone else in the team.
And I almost forgot to guide the missile to the target.
Still, nothing beats the feeling of seeing the target blown into bits and pieces.
I want to shoot it again!
I'm 18 days away from the completion of my civilian conversion course, and I can't wait for the day to come!
And Cheryl was naive enough to believe that there is really such a course for me to integrate back to society.
That you'll only see once a year.
Yes, I was there, squeezing my way through the crowd, trying to find a way out. Sweaty I was, and tired I was. Yet, it was the only time of the year where people from all walks of life come down and squeeze with each other, simply just to soak in the festive atmosphere.
Oh, happy Chinese New Year.
For like the ten thousandth time, I don't actually like Chinese New Year.
Yes, I'm a Chinese and I'm supposed to enjoy all the festive traditions that we indulge ourselves in. I'm supposed to greet my elders and in turn receive a red packet. I'm supposed to like the house visiting sessions where we go from one house to another, to eat and engage in some catch-up conversations. And if we truly enjoy ourselves, it's a bonus.
Still, I don't really like Chinese New Year. For all the extra cash and extra food that I receive, I cannot lie. I hate it when we have to do house visits, and we have to meet up with folks, relatives and friends that we probably see only once a year. Twice, if there is matrimony joy in the family.
It's like we have to keep up our smiles, and behave. And sometimes, it is just so hard to break the ice. Conversation topics have been the same since forever. A little of "How are your grades?", a little of "Which university are you going to attend?", and a little of "So have you been catching up with so-and-so?".
Come on, guys! Don't you get tired of asking the same questions every year? Aren't you guys bored with how typical those conversation topics are?
And when you get the answer, you try and act like you're interested. You try to appear as though you know what is going on. But deep down inside, you're just hoping that time will tick by faster, and you can make some excuse to leave, and proceed to your next destination.
And the cycle continues.
But then again, what is there for me to do? Who wouldn't want to just earn some quick buck by just smiling and say some nice greetings?
Thankfully this year, I found a question that I like to answer.
"So, how long more before you finish your national service?"
My reply?
"Twenty days."
For the twenty-first time in my life, I was without a date for Valentine's Day. Oh well.
On the other hand, it was fun reflecting on the good old days and the smile.
So, the seven of us searched all the Nike stores along the Orchard Road belt, and found not a single Manchester United jersey. Well actually, we found one at Cineleisure but the size was wrong. Other than that, it was just walking from one place to another, trying to find the "promised land".
So much so that it has led someone to conclude that we were on the Great Nike Search.
Happy 21st Birthday, Ming Xuan.
Congratulations Lions, for bring home the ASEAN Cup once again!
Alex reminisces about his first step in the army:
"I was then lead into a hallway, where they took my pink IC. There was no glorious ceremony, them taking away your IC and giving you a 11B. They just took it, like it was just another discount card for a shop. I didn't even have a last look at it. I waited, and waited. I had no friends there, not until I saw one. He sat next to me at the lecture hall, and smiled at me. I didn't know who he was, but smiled back nevertheless. I tried to start a conversation with him, simply by asking what school he was from. He looked at me, bewildered, and said, "We from the same school, la" He became my first friend in army."
Haha. I'm that person.
Forty-two more days and I'll be free.
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