im pissed.. im well pissed.. not least that man u lost to arsenal.. but that they played crap.. when they obviously had the potential to play much much better..

 

im not talking about the london bridge is falling down singer fergie. im talking about alex ferguson, a man who is brilliant most of the time, but at moments such as these, tend to conjure up for whatever stupid reason the idea of playing rooney on both wings and giggsy in the centre of midfield..

 

if it aint broke.. dont fix it! simple as that.. united have played supremely well with giggs and ronaldo on either wings and rooney in the centre.. why spoil the flow? it just doesnt make sense when united had nothing to lose today. why not just play the football they know so well, stretching teams by switching flanks? the midfield was lost. passing went haywire. the balance which manchester united football club have recently been so devastatingly well known for had disappeared.

 

man u deserved to lose today. better learn from it quick fergie.

heh. ive been fiddling around with my zen vision M and it has this cool function whereby you can record stuff of decent quality. one more reason to justify why ive paid 500 bucks for it

 

[so some background first] the piano has been a really helpful companion for me over the past few years. sitting down and playing really helps me relax and that helped me tide through exams lots. now i just play for fun since the stress level has dropped considerably in ns. im only grade 8 so dont expect much, but its cool being able to pick up a piano book and play the piece off hand. listening to the piece before i attempt it definitely makes the sight reading part easier.

 

so ive got down to my piano sitting prettily in my living room to record a few pieces from my extensive jim brickman collection. haha its still construction under progress cos its so amateuristic when you can hear the pages turning and mistakes and stuff cos i havent been practising so that'll require some work. but hey at least i can remember how i played those pieces 10 years from now or smth!

ole gunnar solskjaer that is.. hes a different kind of striker, reading the game excellently and appearing at the right place and time to score goals. opportunistic and optimistic! he might just be vital this season when man u cant seem to break the deadlock. as richard jolly puts it, "It is one of football's enduring truisms is that goals change games. It is an accepted fact at Old Trafford that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer changes them." and displayed it he did yesterday. no wonder at 33, the old trafford faithful still love him and have stuck with him through his 3 years out through injury.

 

so man u played much better against newcastle, who abeit put 11 men in their own half and 10 men behind the ball, allowing united tons of possession. but take nothing away from the devastating form of cristiano ronaldo who has really come good most of the time this season, maturing well over the world cup and the overwhelming criticism. no sign of his useless showboating at old trafford yesterday as he put his skills to good use, terrorising the defence constantly and providing the much needed cutting edge to united's attack. all in all, the team worked cohesively and maintained a good fast tempo. passing improved!

 

i have to mention though that it was disgusting at times seeing newcastle packing their half and showing no imagination in attack and that really spoiled the match, making it one way traffic for the full 90 mins.

 

rooney looked fitter, vidic has shored up the defence well, and hopefully that'll spark some consistency and attractiveness in united's play over the rest of the season. i sure am looking forward to that! 

and a stage with the worst entertainers ever.. probably meant to pacify a very select crowd of the 1200 ppl seated around bishan park. teck ghee mid autumn celebrations 2006 the signage read.

 

elsewhere around the park, it was really nice seeing families coming together, both young and old, taking up a small spot in the park, hanging up lanterns, fiddling with candles to form fancy shapes. sparklers were crackling everywhere, amidst a crazy lot of smoke, spewing from those combustable substances. from far, those very items illuminated the night, and laughter filled the air. everyone was enjoying themselves tremendously! the phrase, "kids dont play with fire. its dangerous" was thrown out of the window. which really reminded me of the not so distant future when i was a kid, doing the exact same things at a certain sunset way. just a little more dangerous cos once the joy of a small and mundane fire from one or a few candles burnt out, our brains lit up as we decided to dig large holes in the sandpit of the neighbourhood playground and burn everything in it to obtain the biggest fire ever. ok so it wasnt that big, but hell it was a whole load of fun.

 

[twigs leaves, tissue paper, candles, fire starters, cardboard boxes, and whatever else with C (carbon)] + O2 = whatever crap that was left + CO2 + CO + C.

 

 talk about air pollution!

 

of course, if i wasnt doing security duty for PM Lee, i would have joined those kids yesterday to relive some of those fond childhood memories. damn!

i know that its really unoriginal putting lyrics in a blog.. but this song really expresses how im feeling now.

 

AUDIENCE OF ONE by big daddy weave

 

And I lift these songs
To you and you alone
As I sing to you
In my praises make your home

Chorus:
To my audience of one
You are Father, and you are Son
As your spirit flows free,
Let it find within me
A heart that beats to praise you.
And now just to know you more
Has become my great reward
To see your kingdom come
And your will be done
I only desire to be yours,
Lord

So what could I bring
To honor your majesty
What song could I sing
That would move the heart of royalty
And all that I have
Is the life that you’ve given me
So Lord let me live for you
My song with humility

And Lord as the love song
Of my life is played
I have one desire
To bring glory to your name

CHORUS

And we lift these songs
To you and you alone
As we sing to you
In our praises make your home

thats exactly how watching the man u arsenal match, just concluded moments ago, has rendered me feeling. it was plain terrible and man u deserved to lose every single bit to this understrength arsenal side. complacent, unfit, unfocused. there was basically nothing positive about that performance except for the hard running done by neville, saha and fletcher. of whom were one of the few who actually looked like they didnt go drinking just the night before. all that work coming to naught of course. kuszczak did save well from the penalty. i cringed in my seat watching the lads slide around the pitch, evra in particular each time he made a tackle or challenge. rooney had a serious hangover. and i mean had because theres no other reason for him to be strolling around the pitch, not running into wide areas like he usually does and nearly every pass made was a stray one. the defensive pairing of brown and ferdinand has just got to go. match after match they have been caught flat, getting sliced apart by any through ball or run. ronaldo looked like his clueless best and should take all the blame for the goal. ever since the charlton game has united been unconvincing. it is seriously depressing.

 

and i thought this season would be different. given the way their attacking football had been quick, precise, devastating in nature in their first few matches, i had even bought their jersey in sheer hope of more silverware! however, they have been found wanting and were really lucky to win against celtic, tottenham and watford. drastic changes have to be made fast. previous activity on the transfer market has been pathetic at best with fringe players walking in and stepping out of old trafford's doors. its time for sir alex to go. it has already been 3 seasons of rebuilding but he has moulded a team which now lacks composure and has a low work rate.

 

im being really critical for this is a team my heart has beat with since i first watched soccer ages ago. but for now, the new man u jersey i have bought is staying in the wardrobe. not due to poor results [in fact they have won every match this season apart from this one], but essentially because the soccer this team has been playing has lost its attractiveness.

 

hopefully tonight has been a wake up call. retire while you can alex. we really need some freshness to the team. lets get some style, verve, commitment back to our game.

 

the same 4 walls are what i have been staring at the past few days for virtually 12 hours in a go.. 2 lifts, 1 mirror, 1 walk through and 1 handheld metal detector are all i have for amusement. 'put something metallic near the detector... beep! put it near again.... beep!.. *repeat the process over and over again.. just faster' this is what IMF duty is.. a waiting game when no one comes to my static point. which in fact, is all the time! the hours never passed so slowly.. in fact, it doesnt pass like hours, its really more like micro milli milli milli seconds. ticking past.... ever... ever.... so...... ah forget it. at least the welfare has been awesome. lots of food and some other relaxation facilities i shall not disclose. heh. im growing fat again.

 

well basically its times like these where i get to think. how im trudging along in this transitional phase in my life. waiting for uni to start; pondering where i wanna be by then in terms with my walk with God, but at the same time trying to do my best in this policeman job thingy which im feeling increasingly at home with. its great to dream about the future as well, being a dentist, whether i'll be able to acquire the skills to cause people less unnecessary pain while getting the job done. anyway, this reminded me of a song by five for fighting- world. food for thought.

 

Got a package full of Wishes
A Time machine, a Magic Wand
A Globe made out of Gold

No Instructions or Commandments
Laws of Gravity or
Indecisions to uphold

Printed on the box I see
A.C.M.E.'s Build-a-World-to-be
Take a chance - Grab a piece
Help me to believe it

What kind of world do you want?
Think Anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now...

Should there be people or peoples
Money, Funny pedestals for Fools who never pay
Raise your Army – Choose your Steeple
Don't be shy, the satellites can look the other way

Lose the Earthquakes – Keep the Faults
Fill the oceans without the salt
Let every Man own his own Hand

What kind of world do you want
Think Anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now...

Sunlight's on the Bridge
Sunlight's on the Way
Tomorrow's Calling

There's more to this than Love

What Kind of world do you want
What Kind of world do you want

What Kind of world do you want
Think Anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece

History Starts Now

Be careful what you wish for
Start now.

 

- anything's still possible. im only 19. i have a license to dream.

 

TODAY lah! while doing duty at the FORBES global ceo conference. saw the richest tycoon in hk too and ppl i never knew about but had a total net worth of 80 billion... crazy....

catching people [granting sexual favours] in the act, keeping prostitution in check, hot pursuit on a subject armed with a parang after he had slashed someone, assisting in the scene where a car has just crashed into a makeshift shop stand.. its just another saturday night as an orchard npco. seriously... it cant get any more real. IMF's coming up... its gonna be busy. one thing to catch up on though.. is to be able to drive those rather run down police cars in an efficient manner.. heh

What was/were _ thinking when I/they/he/she/it _ ? ____

 

1. I ; spend all my time playing computer games and watching television during my free time that ive spent much less time on the bible and books or mags on current affairs [im working on it]
2. nike ; designed such ugly jerseys for season 06/07 that ive gotta order the away juve jersey for last season.. and I admit was really tempted by the chelsea one. [ yes its supposed to go old school and all but the man u one looks like its from kelme and the barca one… oh the barca one… just go take a look]
3. the Singapore idol finalists except for that Indian lady and hady ;  entered the competition… [that by doing their best it would make Singapore idol any less a singing competition than it already is?]
4. the casting crew of Singapore idol ; chose jacynta as one of the judges [when she cant even put a sentence together… much less coherently and constructively..  and which at the end of her two cents and eternity’s worth… the audience has to pause for another extra second before clapping and cheering]
5. criminals ; steal, rob, molest, fight, thrash people’s vehicles, lock babies in the back seat, cheat, come into Singapore illegally and do whatever crimes criminals do [I know “whatever crimes criminals do” covers those listed earlier]
6. drunk criminals ; do the things criminals do [which are the things listed in 5]
7. Drivers ; park illegally [that they could get away with it?]

"some people believe football is a matter of life and death. i'm very disappointed with that attitude. i assure you its much, much more important than that." -bill shankly

ive just finished my brief attachment with orchard neighbourhood police centre. my post of choice. a post i hope i'll get posted to on my posting day on the 10th of july. having not slept for more than 24 hours due to my 12 hour night shift, im tired, exhausted, but on the whole satisfied and excited.

 

its been a very interesting 3 days filled with many intruiging cases. im not allowed to reveal more about the cases but ive definitely learnt a lot on how to handle various situations. there was much blood and violence, there was an arrest, a chase,  there were blinkers and many police cars. it was cool actually being on scene with suspects and moving around town with much power vested upon oneself, drawing many stares. but with that said, the responsibility was and will be great. working in the npc under the guidiance of fellow colleagues was definitely more eventful and enriching than being in hta staring at books.

 

after a whole night of action and cases, i will never see orchard rd in the same light ever again. 6 am in the morning. yes the general mood is sleepy, but remnants of clubbers and what not are still lingering on the streets. some hail cabs, others just sit lifelessly at the pavement or at curbs along the road. others are just wasted bending over or lying flat out on the floor. later in the day standing at somerset mrt, seeing commuters stream past to their respective lives, i looked at them and wondered how much they had missed. how i used to be like them, oblivious to the fact that town, the very core of our country, was not only a place of great food, entertainment and shopping, but danger as well during the wee hours of the night. the danger of course, the police force will be more than happy to handle.

 

the way we look at places reminds me briefly of how we perceive people. it takes time, some longer than the others, to finally understand a person well, and that there will always be different sides to a person. just like how i didnt know that orchard would be so different late into the night. from now on, i'll never make quick judgements on people thinking that i know them, because sometimes i really dont. i'll take my time

 

i was told that in the npc, i'll experience life like never before. become more matured, way more. i sure as hell now believe it to be true. cant wait to be posted though.

 

warning: this post is full of bullshit, or in other words, totally out of point.

 

construction workers are cool. period. no not for their mannerisms, dress sense or whatever under the sun you can think of[ like how they hang out with maids at lucky plaza every sunday], but its the work that they do day in day out. from a single plot of land be it large or small, these people build from utter scratch, dirt, gigantic holes in the ground. brick by brick, steel bar by steel bar [that sounds wrong but heck] and with the help of some brutefully powerful machines, can construct an end product of your wildest or simplest imaginations. now each of them only contribute to a small extent with regards to the entire operation, but wow, the end products are what you can truly call rewarding and its there for all to see. one wall really makes a big difference! i really admire these workers and if not for their meagre pay might have considered a job in that profession.

 

which reminds me of a phrase most of us have heard of ' yes this is entertainment, but the job hazards are real, dont try this at home' . apparently this has some scant relation to the dangers faced by our valiant construction workers. another reason to admire these lads.

 

oh bron's going to melbourne to study urban landscaping. which is really funky cos i bet she's gonna interact with loads of construction workers in the future, not to mention grass as well.

 

i had my first taste of construction today, when i helped paint the new youth hub in church. it was a tiring 6 hours of my weekend break. yup painting doesnt even come close to construction, but i believe that soon i'll upgrade to building mud houses or kampongs with wooden sticks in a mission trip or something. on a more serious note, im really glad that this youth hub is being implemented, i can really see the youths in church utilising it in the future to just hang out, and with time be a place to thrash out issues pertaining to christianity. it'll be buzzing with activity! being a church with lots of 2nd generation christians, there are going to be many challenges, but with God's grace i'm sure we'll head confidently in the right direction.

 

inevitably, construction's gonna be a big part of my life. after all, doing dentistry is like being a small scale construction worker right? i just wont be working with bricks. heh

 

 

today's fathers day so HAPPY FATHERS DAY to every father out there! bought my dad the same kinda gift as my mom, which was a cd. corrine may's first instalment titled fly away, which i felt had some really meaningful songs. so much for creativity but im satisfied for the little time nsfs have during the weekends. really appreciate my dad for all the guidance and constructive conversations about religion and a host of many other topics. 

 

lovely passing and brilliant skills. quick counter attacks and clinical finishing. sublime long shots whistling into the back of the net. just a few things everyone can appreciate and enjoy from the fifa world cup which has started just a fortnight ago.

 

really, could we expect any less? so far results have been predictable but lesser teams of a supposedly lower calibre have really impressed with their willingness to move forward and score goals. its amazing how high the level of soccer has been and any mistake will most definitely be punished. in the most cruel ways teams which deserved better have been sent packing already. i just cant wait for the knockout stages of the competition! one eye catching aspect has been how young talents touted to light up this world cup have lived up to expectations, namely 18 year old leo messi who has only spent a little less than 15 minutes on the pitch and yet has 1 assist and goal to his name. my pre tournament favourites were definitely brazil and england but after watching most teams play their first two games, i believe that the stellar perfomances of teams which have qualified for the 2nd round has blown the title race wide open.

 

its quite sad that i'll miss most of the games due to stay ins at camp, but just the sound of certain upcoming fixtures makes it a lip smacking delightful feast in anticipation of the full time scores known through our handphones. ive just read a time article on this very world cup which has done more than just entertain and showcase the best in football, but brought billions of very different people from various backgrounds together. if you've researched on how soccer as a sport has grown, you'll be enthralled.

 

 the greatest sport of all time? hell yeah! and im glad im a part of it.

 

 

"so do you have anymore questions?"

 

"nope, i dont think so"

 

"you sure? you mean you dont even want to know if you've passed arh?"

 

"haha yeah definitely"

 

so my tester from police driving school handed me my test sheet indicating my score, or number of demerit points for that matter. i saw an 8

 

heh heh heh... i passed my driving test!!! class 3!!!! woohoo!!!

 

to be frank the test wasnt exactly the hardest thing since we had lots of practise under the scrutiny of the driving instructors [some were really nice and encouraging while the others criticised like their lives depended on it] of Comfort Driving Centre. but it was about overcoming nerves, being confident, and focusing to the utmost reaches of your eyeballs. i had a little of each i guess. slopes i had rolled backwards one too many times, s and crank courses which the car had to travel dreadfully slow, directional change, vertical and parallel parking where the poles and kerbs seem like mines in a war zone, and lastly the test routes which i could have killed not one but a few pedestrians on.  i had overcome them! abeit with comments like "is your car straight? dont be alarmed if you see the remarks at the end of the test" and the constant fear whenever that test sheet was taken out and marks written on it. i must say that im really happy and relieved!

 

God's really blessed me in the past few weeks i believe

 

anyway, my enhancement training for expressways and automatic transmission vehicles is due in 2 weeks, following which i'll have to earn my way into my dad's good books before he'll allow me to drive his beloved car off by myself. well, when that day comes... anyone up for a ride?

Show me the way i should go, for to You i life up my soul. Psalms 143:8

 

i got into nus dentistry!!!!!

 

sheer delight

 

praise be to God

 

'nuff said

yes im growing fat. for the first time in my life, figuratively speaking that is, im actually gaining weight. no not just 1 or 2 kg. but 5 kg!!! woohoo! dont get me wrong cos i still do my fair share of exercise daily, but i suppose its just the sheer amount of food that im putting into my body each day that helps me load up. im not complaining. really.

 

so my birthday just passed. theres been lotsa happiness these few days i guess, had a simple cake and lunch celebration with my family, the usual well wishes, and even passing my final theory test on that special day itself! with all the practise CDC gave us, it turned out to be surprisingly easy and we all passed despite all the fretting and mugging! im really looking forward to class 3 and if all goes well... it'll take just 4 weeks.

 

been really blessed the past week, managed to form a nice little prayer group of 3 with 2 of my squad mates. its nice catching up with them weekly and be able to talk and sing about christ and stuff rather than just cooping up on my bunk bed doing qt [being able to do qt in ns is already a big blessing in itself]. hopefully we can start reaching out to others with the limited time we have left!

 

anyway, ive just got my pay, some ang pows for my bdae, shopping's inevitable

 

 

 

its been 5 years, and another General Election has befallen us and ended, with the results being expected. [ hey that rhymes right?] haha truth be told, the last i remember of a general election was watching some results over tv mobile during the last election, and following my parents to my void deck to vote at a tender age of 3. my area hasnt been contested for ages! im 18 coming on 19 this year, but my election experience rose probably 100 fold for this one in 2006. you see, thanks to police national service, i was one of those policemen standing around at polling centres making sure nothing got outta hand. and boy did i see quite a lot. anyway, for certain reasons, i shall not elaborate further. heh.

 

just this wednesday i heaved a really big sigh of relief. goodness knows how much preparing for the ntu mass comm and NUS DENTISTRY interviews have haunted me. but stress aside, they finally ended to a rather fine tune when i received confirmation that i got a place in mass comm, and that the dentistry interview was actually fun and free flowing, with no one 'shooting' me. this was quite unexpected really, let me elaborate.

 

well, during my mass comm interview which was about 2 weeks ago, we were told there that applications have been really competitive, 1 in 5 or something, and i really kinda panicked. the essay and mcq test was perfectly ok but i wasnt my usual talkative self during the interview, keeping really quiet when they asked us what questions we had about school of comms and info [ that being the bulk of the interview] and doing a 'great' job with regards to introducing why i wanted to join mass comm [which was peppered with lots of stammering and stuttering]. in short, they were looking for really dynamic communications students. i showed none of that. so i guess i can count myself really lucky to get a place.

 

as for the dentistry interview, i was expecting some really mean comments and accusations like ' i think you'll do well outside dentisty' and such, but trying really hard to put my nerves aside, i had a really interesting chat overall with the 3 interviewers, who were from njc and acs respectively. what a coincidence lah! anyway, the questions ranged from all angles, and i kept smiling all the way, hopefully that helped! most importantly though, i felt that i had shown them who i really was and with that im really contented. results should come out in a week or so, dentistry is my first choice so im rather nervous, but theres no shame in not being able to get in, moreover it was a good deal of fun.

 

the NPCO course i suppose is now in full swing with elections duty ending. so lessons all the way from now with driving lessons in the night, ive passed my btt earlier this week, and am thoroughly looking foward to my accelerated class 3!

 

 

People say that love comes from the heart. i believe them. for a point in time i thought that it was a really stupid phrase cos every feeling and emotion comes from the brain doesnt it? the heart really just pumps blood incessantly round the body! ok that just spoilt the mood but yeah. a few days back in camp it hit me.. You know that feeling where your heart turns sour and wrenches all at one long go at the knowledge that you've probably lost someone you love a lot forever. or when your heart just starts beating so fast and you tingle all over knowing that theres someone out there who loves you with everything they've got? yup. love. it comes from the heart.

it poured...... like hell.

 

the officers were forced into a dilemma. they had called us down to the drill shed amid the incessant rain which had begun since 3pm. it was now 5.45. we were scheduled to begin at 6. was it on or off? 2 weeks of tough work had been put in, commanders voices had been run hoarse, our legs strained, arms tense, perspiration running down every inch of our bodies. i bet the air over our heads and under our peak caps stink. oh and one more, the soles of our feet burning so bad from training under the hot sun and just due to standing for too long at the same spot without trying to move an inch. we had rerun the process time and time again. on several occasions like today, the howling sounds of a lighting warning was heard. it was usually met with much aplomb and cheers as it meant that practice was over, but today i heard grunts of disappointment. yes this was going to be a simple parade, but our effort just simply could not go to waste.

 

parents and other loved ones were seated at the grandstand which was just in front of the drill shed, eagerly anticipating our entrance. they were probably wondering whether they would actually see us march. moments earlier, they had filed rather haphazardly around the shed upon seeing us march in from our barracks, each hoping to pick out and catch a glimse of one of us. some took pictures, others video.. of course! that was till they were cordially told to take their seats. instructions were meted out to instructors, and i was praying. 6.15, the rain stopped. how ept. immediately there was a command that said, "its on!". everyone clapped and fell into starting position. the rest is history. [take a look at the pictures]

 

finally after 3 months, ive passed out. i got my vocation at the 11th hour right after the POP reception, and it read NPCO, short for Neighbourhood Police Centre Officer. i pumped my fist in sheer jubilation as that was my first choice. thankfully i didnt become an instructor! half my squad had already been posted to police coast guard and special ops, a whole bulk in PCG in fact. those werent in any of my choices. shift work may be tiring, but at least i get to interact with people, see what the life of a policeman really is about, and also get my free driving license in the process.woohoo!!! heh. im now a member of NPCO 3, a select group of only about 45 people set to become frontline policemen. in addition, ive also been promoted on thursday to the rank of a corporal which makes me 70 bucks richer each month.

 

im really contented with the 3 months ive had in HTA, made lotsa good friends, learnt tons from officers, and have a decent understanding of law. its gonna be another 3 more months here [the same old mess food!! ahh!!!] before i actually get posted to a division but im really looking forward to it. ive got the company of about 10 of my initial squad mates so im not complaining. as for what im gonna experience next in another phase of NS life... im keeping my fingers crossed.