In a turn of events

Just had a worse-than-expected lunch: Pizza and tiramisu from Villa Di Parma. Felt like a wasteful spend of $29.70. After many rave reviews on the net and HungryGoWhere, I thought about having lunch/dinner with some friends over there. But prior to that I decided to try a dish or two from its menu. I chose the Pizza E Pepperoni because I liked Pepperoni Pizzas (and some of the other pizzas were hard to pronounce) and tiramisu. I bought takeaway since I was alone at home.

When I opened the box in excitement, my jaw dropped.

With my finger for size comparison. Ignore the missing slices; I was ravenous.

Okay... I didn't ask what size the pizza will come in.. But the box made it look even smaller.

Not the sturdiest of pizzas. Also, large contrast to reviews that said "lots of mozzarella!"

After heating it up in the oven I sandwiched two slices together and ate them as one. More satisfying this way. Also, it might be due to the fact that it had turned cold, or that I heated it up in the oven; the thin, hard base tasted like those of instant pizzas you get at the supermarket.

I don't really know what should real tiramisu taste like, but this one doesn't taste like any tiramisu I have eaten before. It tasted like cake with lots of cream.

But still, maybe the Kensington Park Road-located restaurant isn't meant to cater to audiences like me, so the taste is not the most agreeable. Pizza Hut/Sarpino's any day.

In contrary to reviewers, a smile was too much for the staff to offer, but maybe it was because I only spent a measly 30 bucks.

I'm coming home

My three bunk-mates have quickly evacuated their high-quality pods in camp to expend their leave. I am leave-less and lonely, looking forward to free meals three times per day and a swim or two on a precious sunny day. Of late, my transport expenses have soared, due to the fact that I have been making daily commutes to and fro home, in a bid to escape the monotony which presents itself from 1800 hours to the time when I finally call it a day.

Back as a trainee, I called home everyday and returned home if the nights-off timing allowed it. I relished the opportunity to spend time at the place where I truly believe to be home. It was a refuge from the training.

I have dropped those habits now, though I make more frequent trips back, made possible by my current appointment - when I'm busy, I really can't make space for anything else in a day; when I'm resting, I have a lot of time. But the routine has changed. I step into home not feeling the original sense of euphoria, kick off my shoes and put down my stores. I look around: Dad is sleeping, and Mum sometimes too, on the sofa, and my sister is living her life out in front of the monitor. I greet the people who are awake, take a breather at my desk and write down my expenses for the day. The shower follows, after which I quickly retreat to my room and live the two hours or so in front of my LCD screen. Sometimes there is delicious home-cooked dinner, but it doesn't matter, for I have started to prefer junk food.

Using the better amenities at home has become the reason for going home. The much higher download and upload speeds, the bandwidth that you didn't have to share with anyone else, save for a sibling, and a hot shower. And being away from the prying eyes of nosy neighbours, too, though that transformed into the prying eyes of a mother trying hard to become a part of her children's world.

I've never been much bothered about personal privacy, especially not at home, but for some reason, part of me has recently started crying out for that small space, specially for at home, at least when I'm cooped up in my bedroom. A safe haven for me to accomplish missions and side quests, without anyone asking probing questions about what I've been up to.

And of course, there are the strained relationships that I don't think anyone has noticed. I feel that my normal working-class family is slowly turning dysfunctional. Not in a very serious and lethal manner, but in a way that makes me feel that each of us is no longer assuming the role of a proper family member. The father figure is no longer present to me, and the mother seemed to have been trapped in the past. The sibling follows a dull and certainly unhealthy routine. I myself outgrew the waistline of a pair of trousers I bought more than a year ago. The family takes less pleasure in conversation and are either sleeping or not really saying much.

I catch myself looking forward excessively to gatherings with friends on weekends, just to get away from both camp and home. It is quite distressing, sometimes.

Interesting

Dug up some rather interesting articles resting amongst notes that I have recently discarded carelessly. Pretty good reads.

Another random piece of writing:

    I remember, when I first got my hands on my uniform, I was churning with excitement. I put it on using the buttons from the school uniform (because the original buttons were not yet issued) and examined myself in the mirror. No clothes have yet given me as much pleasure wearing them.


    I struggled to shine my boots the night before my first activity to no avail. I must admit I was irritated and afraid on the day itself, because my uniform was not up to standard.


    That was almost three years ago. Now, here I was, never more unwillingly so, leaving an organisation that had given me the opportunities to shine, of which I never grasp properly and I know that I am walking away with lots of regrets. How I wish to backtrack to where I had been, lost as a cadet, a rookie NCO, to learn everything right from the start.

    It is a terrible feeling to live with the fact that I have let down my teammates when they voted me into the campcraft team. It is pure anguish that I have lost the last chance to prove my worth as part of Rifle Team just simply because of a sudden uprising in emotions. It is saddening to realise that I have not been at the helm of leadership in any project. It is sickening to understand that I have adopted the incorrect attitude at the turn of many events and made so many mistakes.

    Nobody else knows how we feel when we pull and tighten ropes. Nobody can savour our experience as burns, blisters and calluses sprout across our palms and we nearly land the parang on our wrists as we chop wood. We had once radiated efficiency; at the space between the two lecture theatres, the parade square, the  field, and the logshed.

--§--

Had an enjoyable afternoon at Chef Daniel's at the top floor of Iluma the ghost mall. The shopping mall is undergoing a major face-lift so hopefully it emerges as a more sustainable entertainment complex. On the other hand, I liked the serenity, a far cry from the hustle and bustle right outside its walls. Prices are reasonable and service is good. But the company is the best. :)

'Turbulence Training'

I felt inspired to blog after visiting thelilaclegacy (Simple Stories on my sidebar). [=>If you didn't know, the photo on top changes every time you click it.]

However, I don't feel particularly thoughtful or inspired right now, so I will just post whatever pops into mind along the way... You might be wondering what does 'turbulence training' mean. I got this term from one of my friends in FT (foreign talent??) and it was his plan to live a healthier life and become fitter. He was on the chubby side and was hoping to melt some of that fat and clear his second-year IPPT with flying colours. Unfortunately for him, his plan fell flat a month after announcing his proposed diet of wheat biscuits and six small meals per day. He has been back to canteen food and other junk since then.

Similarly for me, I am embarking on phase one of this training, which should involve the limiting of leisure usage of the Internet and generally the computer to a minimal amount of time per day, eating less and exercising more. Of course, the limitation of computer usage will only be in place outside of camp. How long can I last? One of the forceful measures I will be putting in place is free parental control software. And I will be embarking on another unnamed project online that ought to keep my attention.

However, this is not to say I will stop going out for food and whatnot; it just means I will snack less in between meals. I am most definitely looking forward to meet-ups, especially after March. Found this. Hope to check this out soon. Am hungry!

I may not be brave

But I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
:)

The latest troubles

Suddenly, I was a dad. My kid expected me to be home at 5pm, but he called and started yelling and crying because I wasn't at home. It was only 3pm.

I was out having fun and having some drinks, then he called. My mood sank immediately. Am I not allowed to have fun outside of the house, moreover at an agreed timing? And of course, I knew I did not father the child for I was a virgin.

~

I was trying to shoot down the infantrymen who kept springing up. They were crazy enough to spring up at a place where armoured vehicles were aplenty and shooting everywhere. I was ferried by an unknown vehicle and gunning them down by too much firepower from a mounted heavy machine gun. Then suddenly, the predator became the prey.

I was pursued by a swift light armour vehicle which just wouldn't give up. I ran through my escape route three times or more before I escaped on the top of a speeding OUV, clinging to the rack for dear life and being carried through the underneath of a huge metal structure, fearing that my fingers would be cut off any moment by the metal parts sticking out.

Relax, it was just one of the latest many escapades I was having while sprawled unconscious on my bed, whether in camp or at home.

~

A sunny side up for you and me~

(Click to visit source of picture)

May the sky quit reflecting my mood

Hey, Blogger actually lets me copy and paste images. I was thinking of migrating to my abandoned Wordpress site.

He's looking at you from every angle.

These recurring nightmares

Running through tight corners and narrow passageways, I turn back to see how much my pursuers have gained on me. I felt excitement and tension course through me when I saw they had narrowly missed me. I leaped onto an ascending escalator, only to leap off two seconds later onto a descending one in the opposite direction. They cursed and swore, trying to close up the increased distance my two-second decision had bought me.

I kept turning back, fearing for my life. Then they started drawing weapons. A red two-inch plastic ball whizzed out of the gigantic red barrel. The gun looked a lot like a bicycle horn. I tried to avoid it, but another one came buzzing out of nowhere and the first ammunition hit me. The large wave of apprehension which rushed through my upper torso vanished as soon as it came when I realised that that was no penetration. The vibrating round had simply made contact and bounced off lightly. Feeling relieved I took off towards an exit sign and locked myself inside a toilet the size of a janitor's cupboard at the side of a deserted passageway.

My relief was short-lived, for before I could catch my breath someone started hammering the door from outside. I could see the man trying to open the door through the slit between the door and door frame. I scrambled for a weapon, anything, and suddenly something burst into my subconscious - water! My frenzied hands found a hose on the floor and I turned on the tap and opened the door at the same time, spraying a weak jet of water at the mercenary outside. Strangely it worked, and I ran out back into the building.

I had shaken off most off my pursuers, and only one female adversary remained. We were in a stalemate on an isolated sun deck of sorts. There were staircases running down at both the extreme ends of the sun deck, but they were connected by a corridor. There was only one way out, and she was there. We looked into each other's eyes. She was poised, ready to strike, at the foot of the stairs. I was tensed, my legs shaking slightly, ready to give the burst of power I need to get away from her. I moved. Sprinting across the sun deck, I suddenly realised she wasn't following. Shit! She knew I was counting on her to give chase, so I could get her away from the exit. I stopped, coming back the way I have come. True enough, she was still waiting there.

I ran back to the other staircase, then came back again. She was still there. I ran back and stopped halfway, trying to give her the impression that I was really going to the other staircase and thus taking more time than usual. Then I threw caution to the winds and sprinted back. She had taken the bait and was running back up the corridor to corner me. I threw myself out of the exit and sprinted across a deserted HDB estate. My excitement grew with each leap and bound as I observed my surroundings. The female had lost sight of me, and there were no other pursuers around.

I was transported back into the building. Three adversaries were onto me. I was panting heavily. There was really no way out now. I ran towards a door. The sign on top of the door said "Love Hotels". Before I could think of what that meant, I had already burst through the door into a long, narrow passageway. The passageway was lined with what looked like a never-ending series of front-opening washing machines. Panicking, I opened the door of the fourth washing machine and stepped inside, hurriedly closing it behind me. There was a circular piece of glass molded into the door, frosted so that you can only see blurred outlines of the other washing machines outside. My pursuers have disappeared, momentarily, I found out later. I took this while to catch my breath and look around.

My heart skipped a beat when I made a startling discovery; some of the other washing machines were filled with couples inside, making out. When the sound of my heartbeat and breathing slowly died away, I could also hear muffled moans. Then the realisation of what "Love Hotels" meant hit me. These were not washing machines.

I heard the pounding of footsteps. My pursuers had found my trace. I turned my face towards the inside of the "washing machine" and mimicked the motions and sounds of the other "washing machines".

I breathed a sigh of relief when they finally left the passageway.

吃月饼，杀鞑子，音为爱

此刻难以入寝，并不因为睡了一整天而精神饱满；则是刚看了泰语片《SuckSeed》(谐音"succeed")，觉得女主角甜美无比，竟无法入眠。无聊间在网上找寻周杰伦周董的旧歌，阅读金庸的《倚天屠龙记》，顺便查阅关于文言文，月饼，明教等互不相干的资料。


有时俗事缠身，心事甚多，积得胸口窒息、气血翻腾，想要找人谈话散心。
有时却颇为感慨，觉得这一切也没什么，诉苦反而显得懦弱了。

“君子素其位而行，不愿乎其外。素富贵行乎富贵，素贫贱行乎贫贱”
“投身岩下铜鸟居，须是还他大丈夫；拾得营谋谁可得，通行天地此人无。”


www.ilovenattasha.com

It's going to be a long week

I have been craving for sushi, particularly Tamago Sushi! The buffet at Sakura with Team Huat and that at Sakae with 05/10 FT changed my life forever. I believe that up till that dinner at Sakura I have only nibbled a piece of sushi, found that I didn't like the sour taste, and forever swore off it.

Feeling adventurous and hungry I took a piece of each sushi on display and thereafter the place of contemporary sushi in my heart changed. I know I should not indulge in such high-calorie food, and especially not at buffets, but how can I resist?!

Fatboy am I

Having a sudden interest in getting off my couch at home, I started hunting for places of interest and good eating places online. Alas, all I could come up with are the ArtScience Museum (to see Dali and van Gogh), tcc the connoisseur concerto - The Gallery (to have a cuppa while looking at fairytale-inspired art), Singapore Art Museum (to see established Singaporean ink artist Tan Oe Pang, Singapore Street Festival, MINT Museum of Toys and the turtle sanctuary at Chinese Garden.

Nobody was interested. Haha!

On a happier note, I went out with JQ and weijie to have buffets, and it's pretty insane that I had so many buffets in such a short period of time. Just 27th june I had Sakae with 05/10 FT. Then I had Nihon Mura (good!) instead of Tarafuku which was the original plan (goddamn crowded) with JQ on monday, and yesterday was Momiji with weijie (sucks! poor variety, un-tasty).

Taking on a more depressive tune, I have also largely overspent for this month.

On a not-so-depressive note, I have converted my 1,3,5 Life Run to 2,3,4,5,6,7 Life Run. Jogging slowly I took my time looking at pretty schoolgirls and office ladies. Awesome.

Time for a sweet morning drink!

with pride They lead

The specialist cadets of 07/11 Professional Term (the obsolete 58th 'ASLC') did their final specialist roar and tossed their berets at Leaders Square, Pasir Laba Camp tonight.

I am glad that I was helping with live feed and most of the time I was closer to the graduates than anyone of the audience. Looking at what both the trainees of Golf Foundation and Juliet Professional Terms have become, I suddenly felt that I have done something right..

Fake

I'm just like a carrot, falsely hard. When put in boiling adversity, I soften and reveal myself as the weakling I am.

ABC about me to you (ew)

Hello bored people/chimerical readers,

I was tagged with a note on Facebook just recently which required me to answer the questions that the tagger had already answered and forward my note to 26 people including the thread starter. I don't know if there would be 25 other people who would be interested in random facts about me so I decided to switch to another social networking medium. I don't know if this still counts as a 'note' but anyway.. I hope ew would pass this up some day. xD

There are no 'H' and 'Q'. And.. what the hell were you arrested for?! Being too fanatical about Happy in a public domain?

A - AVAILABLE: Yeah, you can call to pour your sorrows (in)to me.

B - BIRTHDAY: 241091. No flagpoling or taupok please.

C - CRUSHING ON: Paige Chua in Secret Garden (SG) a couple of weeks ago.

D - DRINK YOU LAST HAD: Ice milo.

E - EASIEST PERSON TO TALK TO: 陈伟祥同学。Haha!

F - FAVORITE SONG: Currently The Show Goes On by Lupe Fiasco

G - GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS: Bears. More stuff to chew in one bite.

H - HEIGHT: 172/= :'(

I - IN LOVE WITH: THE ARMY. Just kidding.

J - JUGGLING: Guys are not too good at multitasking.

K - KILLED SOMEONE: Oh I want to, so badly. Don't sound like it? OH I WANT TO SO GODDAMN BADLY!!!!

L - LONGEST CAR RIDE: 1h 40 min? Short.

M- MILKSHAKE FLAVOR: Enfagrow milk powder flavour. NO. Any kind will do but I really would prefer a bubble tea.

N - NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: 1

O - ONE WISH: Become a confident crackerjack.

P - PERSON YOU CALLED LAST: Darren.

Q - TORI-Q: I like chicken balls!

R - REASON TO SMILE: Seeing your savings account grow insanely in the positive direction.

S - SONG YOU LAST SANG: Ahem, can't sing for nuts.

T - TIME YOU WOKE UP: 0738.

U - UNDERWEAR COLOR: Lemme check. Ok, not gonna tell you.

V - VEGETABLE(S): 西洋菜。

W - WORST HABIT: I have too many defects so don't bother.

X - X-RAYS YOU'VE HAD: 2x right knee. Doc says I need surgery for this one. :(

Y - YOYOS ARE: A small part of my childhood, plus the Tamiya cars and Beyblades that I regretted spending so much money on and are nowhere to be found now.

Z - ZODIAC SIGN: Scorpio. I don't have a sting on my rear end. I am a very loving person.

Random Questions About You

Spell your name without vowels: Vncnt

Your favorite number: 2

What color do you wear most?: Should be white. Oh no, green. Pixelised green.

Least favorite colors?: Green, pixelised green.

What are you listening to?: Written in the Stars by Tinie Tempah ft. Eric Turner

Are you happy with your life right now?: Not at all.

What is your favorite class in school?: CCA, recess, lunch breaks, dismissal.. I did enjoy Chemistry and scored 'A's up till Sec 4. In J2, I scored 'D's, 'S's and 'U's.

Who is your best friend: This is a secret. So you can't harm my loved ones.

When do you start back at school/college?: ...

Are you outgoing?: No! I'm a creepy Otaku who spends 24/7 keyboard-mashing!

Favorite pair of shoes?: Paul Frank sneakers.

Can you dance?: Two left feet.

Can you tie a cherry stem with your mouth?: I thought this was some metaphor but Google gave me something else: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n1cLuJknds

Can you whistle?: No, sobz.

Cross your eyes?: I can but I'm afraid that they might get stuck there.

Walk with your toes curled?: How do you do this??

THE DO'S

Do you believe there is life on other planets?: I hope they are highly advanced and handsome and will kidnap me for experimentation to make me into one of them.

Do you believe in miracles?: No, but I hold an irrational belief in chance.

Do you believe in magic?: This is such a foreign notion. I believe in magic as much as I believe that Hermione Granger will fall in love with me.

Love at first sight?: That will really be magical!

Do you believe in Satan?: Yes he lives in my deep, dark heart..

Do you believe in Santa?: Yes he gives my parents money every five years because contrary to popular belief, Christmas falls only every five years and this year, it falls on 7 May.

Do you know how to swim?: Yeah but I hope life never tests my swimming skills.

Do you like roller coasters?: I was pretending to be so courageous on the roller coaster rides in Taiwan!

Do you think you could handle the stuff they put in their stomachs on those reality shows?: Yeah I can HANDle it. Not eat.

Have you ever been on a plane?: Yeah, a Chinook and assault boats too.

Have you ever asked someone out?: Yes. Normal outings.

Have you ever been asked out by someone?: Same.

Have you ever been to the ocean?: What I told you I'm an Otaku already! I've only been to the bathtub in my bathroom. Hey wait, I don't even have a bathtub.

Have you ever painted your nails?: I'm tired of coming up with hopefully-witty answers already.

THE WHATS

What is the temperature outside?: 29 deg.

What radio station do you listen to?: UFM 100.3

What was the last restaurant you ate at?: Some steamboat buffet restaurant in Jurong Point.

What was the last thing you bought?: F&N Energy bars, Pokka Milk Tea, Nissin cup noodles, new Oreo star cookies and Cadbury Bubbly Chocolate (please don't buy this it's nothing different from the normal Cadvury milk chocolate).

What was the last thing on TV you watched?: 少年四大名铺。Nice. :)

Who was the last person you took a picture of?: Joshua Mei.

Who did you last webcam with?: No recollections.

Who was the last person you said I love you to?: Have never. Maybe I did, to a photograph, because it couldn't be said in front of you.

CRYING SECTION

Ever really cried your heart out?: No, not my heart out.

Ever cried yourself to sleep?: No, but I did wake up with tears on my pillow because I dreamt that I couldn't protect my family and everyone except me became vampires.

Ever cried on your friend's shoulder?: My friend was comforting me.

Ever cried over the opposite sex? : No.

Do you cry when you get an injury?: No.

Do certain songs make you cry?: Have no such musical inclination.

HAPPY SECTION

Are you a happy person?: Not much of one.

What is your current hair color?: Pixelised green to better camouflage.

CURRENTLY WEARING

What shirt are you wearing?: The latest Lee Kuan Yew support T-shirts. Hey I live in Hougang la!

Pants?: Cheap random shorts.

Shoes?: Latest patented invisible slippers from ST Kinetics.

Necklace?: Insanely expensive magnetic therapy collar that has no therapeutic effects whatsoever. Joking.

Underwear?: Yes I'm wearing underwear but I have two colleagues who don't.

IN A BOY/GIRL

Favourite eye color: No frightening concoctions please! Like white pupils on red iris.

Short or long hair: Either.

Height: 1720 mm and below

HAVE YOU EVER

Been to jail: Yeah I was such a riot. No, duh.

Mooned someone: Does this mean 'to gaze dreamily or sentimentally at something or someone' or 'to expose one's buttocks as a prank or gesture of disrespect'? (From dictionary.reference.com)

Laughed so hard you cried: Nope.

Cried in school: Yeah..

Wanted to be a model: No. :O

Done something really stupid that you still laugh about: Yeah.

Seen a dead body: Seen lots of dead bodies in my favourite martial arts and kungfu shows.

Been on drugs: High on you.

Gone skinny dipping: No abs to show off.

THIS OR THAT

Pepsi or Coke: Coke. (Not the drug.)

Single or Group Dates: Single.

chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate.

Strawberries or Blueberries: Strawberries.

Meat or Veggies: Meat. Seoul garden.

TV or Movie: TV. Free-to-air for the poor like me!

Guitar or Drums: Guitar.

Adidas or Nike: Adidas.

Chinese or Mexican: Chinese.

Cheerios or Corn Flakes: Milo breakfast cereal.

Name one random thing about myself: I like to look nice but am afraid to stand out.

Hunger

DTG: 281430
Location: HQ SWI
Activity: Reading/journaling in bunk

Finally, a break in such a long week. But I guess it was an even longer week for the trainees of Juliet Company. Just two weeks ago I clenched my fist victoriously and said 'yes!' in front of the noticeboard outside my bunk. I have been happily posted to Bravo Company foundation term. The next day it was confirmed that I have been transferred to professional term. Oh no! Still, there were some things that I would not have learnt if I had stayed on in this foundation term.

I have not written a decent article for a rather long period of time, nor had I felt like writing one. I have lost the intrinsic motivation to do things which were previously enjoyable to me for quite some time, such as acrylic painting, cow doodles, making simple notepads etc. There are now tons of unrealised ideas stashed away in my hard drive, such as painting Billy 'Joe' Armstrong of Greenday; making cards, envelopes and notebooks for fund-raising ventures; putting up my amateur paintings into an online gallery and setting up a blog for volunteer projects. I did set up a blog, but I wrote 'Under Construction' since a few months ago and left it at that.

Of late I have difficulty concentrating on tasks at hand or listening to long conversations - mission Ops Orders, team briefings and the like. The moment a briefing extends beyond 10 minutes my mind wanders and I would catch myself two or three minutes later. I also suffer from a lack of short-term memory.

On a rather irrelevant note, while looking through random Wikipedia articles I discovered that I may possess Hyperfocus.

Mission Impossible

Disorganised

It's reflected in my sleep.

'Look Ma, permanent SBO (skeletal battle order)!'