From Jae'n via Frienster:

Message: GET A PIECE OF PAPER & NUMBER IT 1-10.
(NO CHEATING)SEE YOUR RESULTS AT THE END OF THE
TEST

1. What shade of hair do you have?
(a) Dark
(b) Light ANS: (a) Dark

2. If you were out on a date would you want to:
(a) Go out and eat
(b) Go to a party ANS: (a) Go out and eat

3. What's your favourite colour out of"
(a) Pink
(b) Yellow
(c) Baby-blue
(d) Sea-foam green ANS: (d) Sea-foam green

4. Pick your favourite hobby out of:
(a) Surfing
(b) Skating
(c) Skiing ANS: (b) Skating

5. If you could pick a store between these, which would you pick?
(a) Old Navy
(b) Pacific Sunwear
(c) Victoria's Secret ANS: (a) Old Navy

6. What's your favourite state out of:
(a) California ANS: (a) California
(b) Florida
(c) Ohio

7. In the summer would you rather go to
(a) The beach
(b) Somewhere cooler ANS: (b) Somewhere cooler

8. What's your birthday month?
(a) January
(b) February
(c) March
(d) April
(e) May
(f) June
(g) July
(h) August
(i) September
(j) October
(k) November
(l) December ANS: (e) May

9. Would you rather:
(a) Chill at home
(b) Go out with friends ANS: (a) Chill at home

10. Name a person of the opposite sex ANS: Nah, I don't have one…



---=====MAKE A WISH=====---
*start now*
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*ANSWERS*
1. a- dark: sexy (5 points)
b- light: sweet (2 points)

(Eh, what the hell… I thought I like dark colours because they represent moodiness and depression… now it stands for being SEXY!?)

2. a- go out to eat: romantic (5 points)
b- go to a party: playful (2 points)

(Romantic? Since when was I ever romantic?)

3. a- pink: cute (2 points)
b- yellow: loud (2 points)
c- baby-blue: cool (2 points)
d- sea-green: horny (5 points)

(Eeek… I don't go around ogling at girls or reading Playboy… please…)

4. a- surfing: active (2 points)
b- skating: determined (2 points)
c- sking: daring (5 points)

(Quite detemined…)


5. a- old navy: preppy (2 points)
b- pacific sunwear: fun (2 points)
c- victoria's secret: sexy (5 points)

(Yeah, true, like an old man I am…)

6. a- California: you like being around people
(2 points)
b- Florida: party time in the Heat (5 points)
c- Ohio: quiet, likes the cold (2 points)

(Hmm… depends who the people are…)

7. a- beach: tan likes the sun (5 points)
b- somewhere cooler: pale and original (2
points)

(No wonder Mahler and Brahms are original… they often retreat to the cold areas for composition sessions during summer)

8.
a- January: popular (5 points)
b- February: lovely (2 points)
c- March: loud (2 points)
d- April: playful (5 points)
e- May: chills a lot (5 points)
f- June: happy (2 points)
g- July: smooth (5 points)
h- August: fun (2 points)
i- September: quiet (2 points)
j- October: out going (2 points)
k- November: pimpin it (5 points)
l- December: warm (2 points)

(I don't know about the chilling part, but I certainly don't know how to chill out)

9. a- Home: boring (5 points)
b- Go out with friends: crazy (5 points)

(Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I'm utterly boring! I'd rather be composing away…)

10.That person will fall in love with you!!!!!

(Uh-huh, so I have nobody which means I shall remain… THE BACHELOR! The ecstasy is similar when I first book out of Pulau Tekong, so you can imagine what the feeling is like)

MY SCORE: 33

MAXIMUM POINTS = 45
0-20 points = Not so sexy
21-35 points = Rather sexy
36-45 points = Too sexy for this test!!!

PASS THIS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND DONT FORGET
TO DISPLAY YOUR
SCORE IN THE SUBJECT BAR!!!  ¶ 6/20/2004 09:19:00 am 0 comments

  YAY Op. 1 has just hit its 100th post.

Anyway, here are the updates:

For the month of MAY: 25 & 26

For the month of JUNE: 6, 12 & 13

Happy listening - I mean - reading folks :)

Op. 1 will be silent for about two weeks, I reckon, as I will be playing "Survival: Lim Chu Kang" with other privates.  ¶ 6/13/2004 06:08:00 pm 0 comments

  Based on the "Secondary School Quiz"... the "JC Quiz"

JC only occurred about a year or two ago, so the memories are quite fresh, as compared to JC. The questions still remain the same.

Get to know what everyone was like in JC! Change the answers as they apply to you and forward them to your friends' bulletins!

Your JC:
TJC

1. Nickname in JC?
Aug
Auggy/Auggie
Ba1 Yue4 (8th month, i.e. August)
September, October, November, December, January and all that shit
Emperor (Pipiland)
Ah Gong/Shos (MEPers)
Maestro

2. Sport(s) you were into?
Long-distance cycling… in t-shirt, Bermudas and slippers
Forced into: running, swimming.

3. Had a gang of friends? How many were there?
Pipilanders and MEPers!
Pipilanders: 9 + about 3 associates
MEPers: about 20, around there

4. Best subject?
Not a single one; I'm one of the black sheep among the academics throughout my college life.

5. Worst subject?
*Considering from the start of Year 1 till somewhere before the Prelims*
History
Music
English Literature
AO Chinese
AO Maths
GP
Basically ALL my subjects

6. A teacher you owe life lessons to?

All my teachers. The great thing about being in the arts is that you get to discuss a lot of things.

7. A teacher you want to kick in the ass?
Not a teacher, but a member of the non-teaching staff. His Ominous Majesty, if you know him

*Describe in one word*

8. Year 1
Quite disorientated
Never enthusiastic

9. Year 2
Better orientated
More worthwhile; had two cliques
Still never enthusiastic

10. Your best friend was?
The people from Pipiland and MEP

11. Your worst friend was?
Andy Huang
(1) Mugger
(2) Disgusting and mentally unsound at those moments. This incident happened in LT1 during the first three months. I was sitting next to him. Halfway during the lecture I suddenly felt someone stroking my elbow. I glanced at that direction and to my horror, it was Andy Huang doing it! Shocked, I pulled away from him, and gave him a warning signal to fuck off through my eyes. But he was at it again. He suddenly leaned forward and rested his head on my table when I was not aware. Why can't he lie on his own table? Why must he rest on mine? Worst still, he looked up and gave his stupid grin. I was mortified. From then on, I never ever spoke to him so regularly, or did I ever want to make any contact with him.

12. Cafeteria food sucked?
Nice ambience, lousy food. Western food was the best but terribly overpriced.

13. Most hilarious school rule?
No eating anywhere else except the canteen… what the heck, if people have the brains to do their A levels they would also have the brains to smuggle food in their bags and eat… sometimes, of all places… the LECTURE THEATRES (I'm not kidding, there are people who brought curry puff and other snacks in there)

14. Wore uniforms?
Every moment except Valentine's Day (where the teachers wore school uniforms for fund-raising purposes) and Racial Harmony Day.
Of course, during performances… civilian clothes

15. How was the prom?
Didn't even bother to go

16. Who were prom king and queen?
Don't know also… never go how to tell?

17. Any achievements?
Playing piano lots of times for so many performances
Composing the background music for the interactive software at our college' archives (come to think of it, as I study the score for that piece now, I think it absolutely sucks)
Converting one of John Donne's poems (Divine Meditations IX: If poisonous minerals…) into music and performing it at Literature lecture
Sadly my bumper harvest only occurs after I graduated: this year my works have been performed live more frequently.

18. Were you popular?
I don't know… lots of people seem to know my name…
19. Best song that reminds you of JC?
"That Thing You Do". Funny because I never heard of that song before (it's so damn old) until I arrived in JC.

20. Unforgettable JC crush?
Definitely… one of my class girls. Well, that's passed…

21. Most embarrassing moment?
Can't recall any one…

22. Memory(s) you'd like to forget about JC?
Being caught and lectured by the OM for walking on the grass "because the cleaner just swept the floor and I would dirty it again" - that was one of those days when it had not rained for ages, and what the heck, everybody walks on the grass.
The time I took home too many scores and CDs and never returned them for months and I got screwed for that…

23. Best memory(s)?
Truanting from PE and other school functions to hide inside the MS and listen to music, watch DVDs and play piano.
Playing the piano at whatever performances I've been involved in
Spending my free periods in MS 2
Going out with the Pipilanders for lunch

24. Any regrets?
Not exactly… although I wished I had taken English Literature from the very beginning, from the moment I stepped into TJC.

25. Would you like your "future child" to attend your JC?
Depends on the situation then…

26. Were the bathrooms clean?
Yes, very, very clean after renovations were carried out.  ¶ 6/13/2004 06:05:00 pm 0 comments

  --- I ---

See the irony?

The Straits Times, Satuday, 12 June 2004, "World" Section, Page 11

FEE IRKS JOURNALISTS

…French and German reporters protested against a US$350 fee for the use of press facilities at the main media centre in Savannah. At previous summits, such facilities were free, they said.

RESTAURANTS FEEL CHEATED

…To make matters worse, organisers stocked a ballroom at the summit's media centre with buffets loaded with free food - preventing restaurants from recouping from journalists what they had lost from the lack of tourists.

--- II ---

At last, someone is finally opening up with the truth that the Bush administration SUCKS.

Someone is there with a needle to poke out the ego from the US.

I come across this article by Roger Mitton in the Straits Times today, extolling the "big brother" attitude of the USA which has led to its waning influence, as other countries are becoming fed up with being pushed about by the superpower and are therefore refusing to listen to whatever Mr George W. Bush has to say them.

Some points from the article to applaud:

1. In fact, coddling up to Mr Bush might turn out to be a KISS OF DEATH [writer's own capitalisation] for their election prospects.

Well, we've seen the collapse of the Spanish premier's career, for being Mr Bush's yes-man. Nobody likes to be an American outpost. If not they'll become brothels for the horny and whacking-grounds for the sadists.

2. Mr Bush's administration has brought this upon itself, largely because of its haughty attitude and gratuitous unilateralism, especially in its conduct of war in Iraq.

They asked for it. The Bush administration takes pride in being the Big Brother to the family we call the United Nations. Support us and we'll treat you well. Don't like what we're doing, fuck off.

Fuck you.

The cold shoulder fell upon Germany and France. After Jacques Chirac refused to support the US attack on Iraq, the French wine industry suffered as Americans became pissed off with the lack of enthusiasm from France and refused to import and drink French wine. And so Germany and France got the cold shoulder from the US wherever the countries met.

On the other hand, leaders from the supporting countries got a pat on the back, and an arm over their shoulder. Countries like Britain, Australia and Spain. Tony Blair, especially, was becoming the sworn brother of George Bush junior.

Or more of a lapdog kowtowing to the god.

Singapore's stand was ambiguous. Our leaders probably feel embarrassed to say that they support the US stance. At the same time they are reluctant to contribute to a war.

3. (China) lambasted the (human rights) report and said it reflected US hypocrisy, because it made no mention of the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners or the detentions at Guantanamo.

At least the Japanese still have some honour to admit (albeit a very short paragraph, hardly a chapter) in their history textbooks that yes, they were the protagonists of the Pacific War, and they caused a lot of death, destruction and misery to all those who experienced their rule. And with respect to their culture and traditions, they apologised.

The big shots in the US seem not to notice, with Condoleeza Rice even refusing to appear to testify against these cases of abuse. Then you have people like Ashcroft and Rumsfeld trying to save their fucking skins so they don't get disgraced like Nixon at Watergate.

Where's the integrity?

What about ethics? (Fine, Singapore Armed Forces core value, but it should be universally applied to all soldiers. Even the Little Red Book of Mao instructs the Communist Army to behave accordingly when dealing with the locals.)

The Black-Eyed Peas and Eminem (or is it spelt as "Eminem"?) should write something about George W. Bush. We've already got "Fahrenheit 9/11". It doesn't hurt to have one or two more songs.

And new, inexperienced leaders should read "The Dummies' Guide to Dealing with People like George W. Bush".

The full article is here. Read it if you have time.

_____________________________________________________________________________

The Straits Times, Saturday, 12 June 2004, "World" Section, Page 10

WHERE HAVE ALL OF UNCLE SAM'S FRIENDS GONE?
Foreign leaders fear cosying to Bush will be kiss of death for re-election prospects

By ROGER MITTON

For most of the past week, the leaders of the world's eight richest nations hobnobbed together at an opulent and highly secluded beach resort off the coast of the south-eastern state of Georgia.

President George W. Bush revelled in the role of the amiable host. And rightly so. He did it well.

But while his guests extolled his hospitality and hammed it up with him for the media, they all made sure to signal to their own electorates that they retained their independence and had not become beholden to Mr Bush.

They know that acquiring even a hint of an impression of being an American lapdog does not go down well with the folks back home these days, especially when they are facing an election.

It was not always so. There was a time when foreign leaders running for re-election would fall over themselves backwards to gambol and cavort with the President of the United States.

Being viewed as important enough to command some personal attention from the world's pre-eminent leader was sure to bolster electoral support at home.

Other leaders would bask in the American president's glow, knowing that the next day's front pages would not thrust an aura of statesmanship upon them but would relegate their rivals to page 26.

But give the strong, almost visceral sentiments that Mr Bush arouses, that is no longer the case. Today, many leaders facing re-election would find their campaign managers advising them that a visit from him might not be such a good idea.

In fact, coddling up to Mr Bush might turn out to be a kiss of death for their election prospects.

Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Anzar found that out the hard way. He lo  ¶ 6/13/2004 06:01:00 pm 0 comments

  --- I ---

Panic this morning.

Since last night I have not been able to locate my jockey cap, which is especially important for reporting to camp tomorrow - all SAF personnel must have headgear at all times outside (except while sitting down indoors or in public transport).

And so the whole family is roped in for the search and recovery operation. Every possible nook and cranny in my bedroom is searched. The other rooms are left untouched because no army items have ever found their way there before.

Mother wonders if the cap has dropped off the pole and down to the ground floor without our knowledge, but the cap has never been re-washed. Furthermore Mother recalls that she placed the cap inside the red bin in my room where I store all my army items during this block leave.

The wardrobe is virtually ransacked. My bed is now cluttered with army apparel. Lining on the floor against one corner of the wall are the larger items such as the webbing, field pack and helmet, not to mention the Ali Baba bag.

Still no sign of the cap.

At this juncture I hear loud laughing coming from the kitchen. My father is guffawing heartily. He comes into the room holding the box that once contained the Creative speakers when we first bought it. He opens it, and - lo and behold, my cap is inside, together with my gloves (which I have forgotten about) and my underwear and socks.

No wonder I seem to be lacking in underwear day by day; the stock never replenishes.

--- II ---

Sometimes I just wish my parents won't interfere with whatever I do, don't give any advice, don't give any suggestions. Just let me do what I want to do.

I keep getting an explosion of ideas such that it becomes so pressurising; I feel I am not allowed, and I cannot, think independently.

First in case is regarding my future vocation in NS. I've been posted to Armour HQ, but my parents still think that I can get a chance with the MDC, especially since I've composed so much and have quite a large and varied portfolio behind me. They try to ask me to appeal and send in my works to see if I can get a transfer. I really doubt so. It's going to be a tedious process. If I wanted to do this I should have done it earlier.

My parents say I should fight for what I want, or I will not get it. Okay, I believe in that, but I think this fighting is going to get me no where. SAF will definitely tell me to stay put. And furthermore, I don't really believe that MDC just hires a composer to only create music for the rest of his NS. Even people like Kenny Khoo is involved in the choir, and occasionally doubles up as an arranger.

I'd rather suffer than bring about further trouble upon myself that I never ask for. I don't want people chiding me that I'm wasting my time, that it's not allowed, I should just shut up and go back to my original vocation.

And just let me carry my duffel bag and my field pack and whatever heavy shit when I go and report to the Chief Clerk at my new unit. I don't care if the paper tells me not to bring anything but the guy on the phone line tells me to bring everything… call me scared and timid but that's the way I'd rather be. Again I don't want any unnecessary trouble; I don't want to be seen as a parents' boy by telling them, "Okay, please permit me to go to my father's car to collect my duffel bag." Or give my new superiors a chance to swipe at me: "Where's your duffel bag? Chee bai, you put in your father's car for what? You sissy arh?"

During dinner they were telling me to sign up as a musician in the army, with the hope that the SAF will sponsor my studies at the Conservatory. I'm not sure if they really do such a thing, especially with a lowly musician. I know they send their future top brass to study, but for a musician? Nah. Anyway my parents told me to check it out. I'm not going to; honestly I don't look forward to a military career where I have to put on a uniform every single day for three times the duration of NS.  ¶ 6/13/2004 06:00:00 pm 0 comments

  I've just posted 2 drama scripts onto Op.2 (click on the link attached to get there, if it works).

THE MILLENNIUM PLOT is a comedy, while the other one, OUR PEOPLE HAVE RETURNED, is, well, not exactly comedy in its truest sense, but the way Chong Tang acted as the retarded guy sent everybody laughing to the floor and back to their seats.



hawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawhawh..............  ¶ 6/13/2004 12:16:00 am 0 comments

  Latest updates

8 June
9 June
11 June (duh!)

From 13/6/2004 onwards you might not see any new posts as I should be locked up somewhere in Lim Chu Kang...  ¶ 6/11/2004 06:47:00 pm 0 comments

  --- I ---

Rehearsal for “Xin Chao” this morning. At least the whole ensemble is coming, with the exception of Amanda our gong player, who is in Malaysia.

The players are good. They’ve trained themselves to the extent that they can play at the speed I originally had in mind. We just clean up some playing in the 7/8 and 8/8 portions – the killer portions in the score, then we work on the dynamics. I tell them to play their fortes and pianos very exaggeratedly – if it’s loud, it’s loud; if it’s soft, it’s soft. The piece is coming alive with drama and action. It’s just fun.

I follow Miss Chew back to the music room to collect my thumb drive (which I left it there by accident on the day before I enlisted) as well as the certificate for my participation in the ARTivities seminar and exhibition (post date: Sunday, 28/3/2004). At the same time I try to look for the MD containing the recording for the TJCE concert so that I can listen to my CATS Medley live.

I don’t know if there’s anything wrong with the MD… after “Phantom of the Opera” and “New York, New York”, nothing was to be heard, even though the MD states it recorded 47 minutes worth of music. “Miss Saigon” was after “New York”, and last of all, “Cats” (according to the programme booklet, which I picked up). In fact, for the remaining two pieces the timer went off very slowly, at a snail’s pace.

I think I’m always fated to listen to my works on MIDI. The last time I did arrangements for the combo band, I didn’t record it… anyway I wasn’t credited during the performance at Mardi Gras. Yeah, “Where is the Love” by the Black-Eyed Peas. So the Black-Eyed Peas also wrote a version for combo band and possibly symphony orchestra and the combo band is resourceful to discover this little secret and buy the score to entertain its crowd.

And I had to miss the TJCE concert by one day. I was originally supposed to POP on 3 June, but what the heck, they postponed it to 5 June, because “parents would be more free on that day”. Bloody hell, your reservist policy already makes companies suffer losses, what difference is there in forcing parents to take leave for POP? So, while the TJCE fiddled away, I was marching with a field pack on my bag and singing army songs.

Now I’m praying I can get out to conduct the ensemble for Xin Chao on the occasion of the MEP concert.

--- II ---

My posting just came out.

No, I didn’t get into MDC. I really screwed up the audition.

I’ve been posted to HQ SCE (Combat engineer), and for the next two years I’m to be a Armoured Pioneer. And my camp is at Sungei Gedong at Lim Chu Kang which is like freaking ulu and far away from where I live.

What’s SCE? What’s an Armoured Pioneer supposed to do? People are telling me different things.

Qihui tells me I am supposed to edit articles for the Pioneer Magazine. Shiok lah. Good life, perhaps 8-5 job, because I am instructed that I need not “bring along the SAF standard issue, except for the PT kit”. I am also supposed to check with my unit if I need to stay there throughout the working week. I thought, what did I do during the SIT test to earn myself this good job?

Then Benson tells me, it’s a cheong suah unit. I think I almost broke down with disappointment and depression for almost half the day.

I message Sergeant Francis to find out what “Pioneer” means, if it does not mean “founding father” or the magazine. The reply: combat engineer.

I call the number provided on the posting order. The guy on the line tells me to ignore the instructions. Basically whatever he tells me is the complete opposite of what the posting order instructs me. I have to stay in camp. I have to bring everything in.

My mother calls from work. Her colleague says that combat engineers are supposed to build bridges… those foldable, mobile bridges or whatsoever. Meaning: running in the jungle again. My mother is telling me, find out if I can transfer. I am reluctant to do so because I know they will ignore my pleas and tell me to fuck off and go do my job. The only way of changing vocations is to downgrade, and I’ve got nothing wrong with myself.

I call Wai Khang. He says the unit there is quite garang. I freeze. Better or worse than Platoon 3? I hope it’s better, so that I can take it, because I survived my BMT.

Three more days to go. I refuse to go out in order to complete whatever work I have to do on the computer before I get locked in camp for another two weeks. Standard confinement practice, wherever new place you go.  ¶ 6/11/2004 06:42:00 pm 0 comments

  1. Name
Lum Hoi Ying August (manipulate it any way you like from these four words)

2. Nickname
Aug
Auggy / Auggie
Ba1 Yue4 (8th month, i.e. August)
September, October, November, December, January and all that shit
Ah Gong / Grand Patriarch / Grandpa / Shos
Forrest Gump
Mr Bean

3. Middle name
None

4. Hair colour
Black

5. Eye colour
Dark brown

6. Height
About 1.7m

7. Location
Geylang, Singapore (please don’t let your imagination run wild…)

8. Birthday
20 May

9. Zodiac
Ox

10. Status
Attend A – fit for all activities
Offline
On Block Leave

11. Animal(s)
None… humans counted?

12. Sport(s)
Long-distance cycling… in t-shirt, Bermuda and slippers

13. Colour(s)
Black, Dark/Navy Blue

14. Song(s)
If I like it, I’ll like it

15. Band/Singer(s)
As above

16. Scent/Perfume(s)
My deodorant

17. Movie(s)
Spaceballs, Cats Can’t Dance, Moulin Rouge

18. Holiday Season
End of the year

19. Season(s)
Rainy season…?

20. Element
Don’t know about these…

21. Book(s)
Notes from an Even Smaller Island
Scribbles from the Same Island
Biography of Shostakovich
Harry Potter

22. Do you wear makeup?
Nope

23. Do you trim your eyebrows?
Nope

24. Do you look for personality or looks in a guy/girl?
Personality

25. Perfect guy/girl?
None

26. How many rings before you answer the phone?
What kind of fucked-up question is this?

27. Future career plans
Composer
Conductor
Music teacher
Music publisher

28. Do you sleep with stuffies?
Is my bolster a stuffy?

29. Do you want kids?
No

30. Are you popular?
Depends how people see it…

31. Are you pretty?
I’m a guy…and my name is not Maria…

32. Do you have your own phone line?
My cell phone…

33. Do you get along with your family?
Okay

34. Do you have any piercings or tattoos?
Nope

35. Do you like giving hugs?
Quite uncomfortable with it

36. Do you take walks in the rain?
Recall field camp third and fourth day… we route march 4km in the rain…

37. Which malls do you frequent?
Citylink mall, because it’s my connection to the Esplanade. I only frequent as a walk-through guest.

38. Have you gone on stage before?
Yes

39. Favourite Drink(s)
Kopi-O
Tea-O
Pokka Lemon Tea
Yeo’s Chrysanthemum Tea

40. Do you smoke?
No

41. Do you take drugs?
No

42. Do you eat meat?
Yes

43. What’s your favourite date?
The day I POP

44. Have you had sex before?
No

45. Do you eat sushi?
Yes

46. Do you bake?
No

47. Hot or cold?
Depends… so ambiguous…

48. Lace or satin?
Girls’ stuff, not applicable

49. Blue or red?
Blue

50. New or old?
Depends

51. Rain or snow?
Rain… because I’ve never experienced snow before

52. Wool or cotton?
Cotton… wool is too hot for Singapore

53. Roses or daisies?
Daisies… roses are thorny

54. Private school or public school?
Military school… public duh…

55. Plain milk or chocolate milk
Tea please, can’t stand milk

56. Celsius or Fahrenheit?
Celsius

57. Spring or Fall?
No such seasons here

58. Math or art?
Art

59. One pillow or two?
One

60. Dogs or cats?
None

61. Adidas or Nike?
No preference

62. Coke or Pepsi?
No preference

63. Oranges or apples?
No preference

64. Deaf or blind?
Blind. Deaf if I can compose and orchestrate in my mind

65. Pool or hot tub?
Depends on the weather

66. Blond or brunette?
Brunette

67. Guys or girls?
No preference

68. Tall or short?
No preference

69. TV or Radio?
Radio

*PERSONAL VIEWS*

70. Homosexuality
Honestly I can’t tolerate the idea of people of the same sex being vowed together for life, but if they want to do it and they believe in it, it’s their choice. I have no further comments or objections.

71. Brand names
I guess it’s okay, there’s an amount of individuality and recognition for the product or service. Think about it in human terms. Each of us has a name for easy recognition by the people we know. However, adverse advertising of brand names which leads to discrimination is a tad too far.

72. Abortion
Although it’s the taking of a life, I support it, because in this way the offspring doesn’t have to suffer for tens of years of his life with an unsupportive mother, a broken family and discrimination that he is an illegitimate child or whatsoever. Back to the cut and shot thing: you’d rather get shot because it is a sharp and momentarily pain which ends almost instantaneously. Don’t let the kid suffer in the mortal world for the rest of his life.

73. Religion
Freethinker. I don’t think I really have the time to commit myself to a religion.

74. Animals rights
Yes. I abhor the mistreatment and killing of lifeforms.

75. Love at first sight
No. In correction it should be “crush at first sight”. Love has to be cultivated through long time communication and contact with the other party.

76. God
I’m a freethinker…

77. Aliens
No

78. Horoscopes
To a certain extent, but I don’t depend entirely on them. I take things as they come and go.

79. Heaven
Que Sera Sera… I don’t know if there’s a heaven…

80. Hell
As above

81. Reincarnation
As above

82. Transvestites
Like my views about homosexualities: it’s their choice what they want to become. I don’t really bother with them.

83. Boy bands
Those whose members are picked by a single manager or executive producer are just fads and advertising gimmicks. Their looks matter more than their songs. They can sing bad songs and get away with it. They can grow pimples and not get away with it. On the other hand, those whose members come together on their own, like the Beatles, are worth my respect, because they want to band up (pun unintended) to make music together.

84. Genres
Thrillers
Music

85. 80’s music
I love the oldies. Their songs have better meanings and tunes compared to most of today’s techno.

86. Punk rock
I’m open to it, but I listen as a passing listening and don’t purposely go for it

87. What’s the sexiest instrument(s)
Piano? Haha

88. What’s the prettiest part of the body?
What body? The piano? If so, it’s the curve of the grand.

89. Biggest fault
Poor time management

90. Biggest fears
Loud explosions
Death

91. Do you live in the moment?
Yes

92. Do you care about looks?
No

93. Do you like your handwriting?
Yes

94. Biggest worries
Not being able to get a commission

95. Biggest fear?
Death

96. Favourite weather
Rain  ¶ 6/10/2004 12:29:00 pm 0 comments

  Sent to me by Weiliang via Friendster:

Get to know what everyone was like in Secondary School! Change the answers as they apply to you and forward them to your friends’ bulletins!

Your Secondary School:
Chung Cheng High School (Main)

1. Nickname in high school?
Auggy/Auggie
Ba1 Yue4 (8th month, i.e. August)
September, October, November, December, January and all that shit

2. Sport you were into?
Long-distance cycling… in t-shirt, Bermudas and slippers

Forced into: running, swimming.

3. Had a gang of friends? How many were there?
Secondary one, sort of. About seven, if I can recall.

4. Best subject?
English
Music
History
Geography
Art

5. Worst subject?
Chemistry!!!
Maths
Chinese
Civics and Moral Education – because I didn’t even bother to study

6. A teacher you owe life lessons to?
Mr Yap Kheng Kin, my art teacher, who told me a lot about his own educational path, and constantly encouraged me to pursue my dream in music (even though he was an art teacher)

7. A teacher you want to kick in the ass?
None. I love my teachers.

*Describe in one word*

8. Sec 1 year
Sucks
Constantly lost and suffering.

9. Sec 2 year
Siong… I was in the class with all the smart brains in the Express Stream; even during lunch some will still be studying, which makes me feel pangs of regret as I happily go fill my stomach.

10. Sec 3 year
Relaxed… I was often around the top of the class.

11. Sec 4 year
A little not so relax, but not that tough either… my grades were still okay to pass O-levels but not sure if I can get into my choice JC.
I still have fond memories of studying with a group of friends in the “Fish Tank” at the Grand Auditorium everyday after school.

12. Your best friend was?
Not exactly I had a confirmed best friend… everyone whom I can gum with are considered good friends.

13. Your worst friend was?
Yau Wan Ping. Not very responsible; she wanted to go and watch Miss Saigon with me, and so I offered to get the tickets. She paid me, fine. Two weeks before the show, she suddenly opted out, because she had the disc already. I don’t know what fuck she was doing, but she demanded for her money back, and never bothered to find a replacement to take her place. Mind you, that was the $51 – the lowest cost, but not low to me. In the end I found another friend and offered him a discount to make him take the ticket. Also she is very rude and obnoxious and likes to suck up to some teachers.

14. Cafeteria food sucked?
After the revamp it was definitely better. We even have the fruit juice stall selling desserts such as ice kacang, cheng teng, et cetera. The mixed-vegetable rice also improved from the past. The noodle stall is still the best from the beginning to the end.

15. Most hilarious school rule?
Silence in the library… who the fuck bothers?
No playing games in the Media Resource Centre… in fact the old MRC became a LAN gaming room on its own

16. Wore uniforms?
Of course…

17. How was the prom?
Didn’t have one.

18. Who was prom king and queen?
No prom, so how to have a king and queen?

19. Any achievements?
Score librarian and student conductor in the Chinese Orchestra. My compositional career didn’t take off yet.

20. Were you popular?
By name only, probably because it’s too easy to remember…

21. Best song that reminds you of high school?
Amigos Para Siempre, because we played that during the Graduation Ceremony together with a video. It was so touching many people nearly cried.

22. Unforgettable secondary school crush?
Some passing crushes… I was extremely naïve then.

23. Most embarrassing moment?
I was asked to conduct the Chinese Orchestra during the Teacher’s Day Dinner in 2001. I opted to use a balloon stick, because it was white, and because I didn’t feel like investing in a baton so as yet. The first piece was a violent and suave one. To start off I raised my baton to the back and then swing it down hard for the orchestra to come in. Well, that’s the embarrassing moment. As I swung it down, the stick broke and the longer part of it dropped to the floor. The guests laughed, and I couldn’t help laughing too. A teacher passed the stick back to me, and I swung a second time during the repeat. It broke as well. This time I was a bit frustrated and signalled to the teacher I didn’t want to use it anymore. Some of the players feedback to me that they didn’t dare to look at me because I was laughing and they were afraid they might laugh too and the whole orchestra becomes a laughing stock.

24. Memory you’d like to forget about sec school?
I don’t really think there was something ever so serious as that…

25. Best memory?
Staying back in my own little room next to the art room with the other three art students and our art teacher till about eight or nine at night to work on my installation for A-level art
Being called up to conduct “Spring Festival Overture” at a moment’s notice
Conducting the Chinese Orchestra at its performances anywhere, anytime

26. Any regrets?
No

27. Would you like your “future child” to attend your high school?
Depends on the state of the school in the future, when he/she’s ready to attend

28. Were the bathrooms clean?
Eek, no… oh… just a sideline… the doors of the cubicles in the old classroom block toilet had windows, so you could see whoever’s doing business inside. Apparently it’s for teachers to ensure no student cheats inside the cubicle during tests.  ¶ 6/10/2004 12:25:00 pm 0 comments

  Su Hlaing sent me this quiz via Friendster:

"THE THREE-THINGS QUIZ"

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. August
2. Auggie/Auggy
3. Emperor/Ah Gong

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. Mentally strong
2. Musically able
3. Always acting as myself

THREE THINGS YOU HATE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. Physically weak
2. Easily cheated and bullied
3. Indecisive

THREE THINGS YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND:
1. Why some people can make it, some can’t
2. Why so many things in Singapore are fucked up but the powers that be don’t want to admit it
3. Why some people can do wrong or skive and get away with it

THREE THINGS THAT ANNOY YOU:
1. Mosquitoes
2. People who try to/successfully suck up to others
3. People who ask stupid questions and waste everyone’s time

THREE THINGS YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT STAND:
1. An out-of-tune instrument
2. People who ask stupid questions and waste everyone’s time
3. People who try to/successfully suck up to others

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Sharp noises and explosions
2. Barb wire (after I once went into it during an SOC practice)
3. Myself and other people dying

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Manuscript book! (U-grade, ring-bound)
2. Laptop (Compaq Evo N800)
3. I-River FM Receiver and MP3 player

THREE PEOPLE/THINGS YOU SPEND THE MOST TIME WITH:
1. Best friend(s)
2. Laptop
3. I-River FM Receiver and MP3 player

THREE THINGS YOU CAN’T DO:
1. Maths and science
2. Pass SOC
3. Drive

THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE HOBBIES:
1. Composing!!!
2. Writing my blog
3. Going out with or chatting online with the people I know

THREE THINGS YOU BADLY WANT RIGHT NOW:
1. A place in MDC to spend the rest of my 2.5 years in NS
2. Sleep
3. A mouth that is not pained from the stress of new brace wires on the teeth and two ulcers on the right side of the mouth (I can’t even eat my favourite watermelon without suffering)

THREE CAREERS YOU’RE CONSIDERING:
1. Composer
2. Conductor
3. Music teacher

THREE PLACES YOU WOULD GO ON VACATION:
1. London
2. Italy
3. Vienna

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. Write and stage an opera
2. Perform at Carnegie and Royal Albert Halls
3. Have a concert dedicated to all my works  ¶ 6/09/2004 07:35:00 pm 0 comments

  CONTINUED FROM 8 JUNE 2004… because it’s past midnight

The guys want to find somewhere and sit down and talk cock. There’s a bomb shelter left behind from colonial days, so we head inside.

What the hell. It’s damn dirty. The walls are lined with lizard shit.

Jonathan is down with a pretty bad sore throat. He wants to go to 7-Eleven to buy Strepsils.

The solution? Let’s all go take a walk.

We turn right and talk a detour down to the club house and car park. When I ask why not turn left and take the path I’d come up not long ago, Justin beckons to the two abandoned buildings flanking the road. “Notice when the other buildings are earmarked for conservation and are undergoing renovation, these are not?” I agree. He continues, “Something has to be wrong with them. If not, why are they untouched?”

Suddenly these two old buildings become very freaky. To think I had just walked past them a couple of minutes ago.

After buying our stuff at the convenience store, we decide to go somewhere to sit and just chit-chat. We walk down the beach towards the islet which is the Southernmost Point of Asia Continent, so the people at Sentosa believe. We settle down on the topmost level of the viewing towel, burn some mosquito coils and eat our snacks.

And talk. Someone asks lame questions and we all have a good laugh trying to think of logical and intelligent answers. Too bad, the solutions are always straightforward and of no need to think.

For example:

There was this certain bird that became extinct during the Ice Age, when the meteorite struck the earth. Why?

Because the bird used its wings to cover its eyes when the meteorite came. You can probably guess what happens after that.

So, why did the cave man die during the meteor strike?

No, the meteor didn’t kill him.

The falling bird did.

Now the following is some sort of IQ question which turned all the talk into an intellectual discussion but nobody came up with the perfect solution.

There are six balls. Two of them are fakes. With only a weighing scale, how do you tell which are the two fake balls?

Paul and Yewei fall asleep. The rest of us talk about almost everything, until two security guards climb up the stairs to our deck. So guard duty is all the same everywhere, civilian or military. You go in buddy level, one in front of the other. Only that his stores are lighter. He carries a truncheon, a torchlight and a walkie-talkie. We carry the last two items, a rifle instead of a truncheon, and the webbing. Our heads are sucked into a vacuum while we wear our jockey caps.

They tell us that we are not allowed to sleep on the tower. We assure them we’re only there to chat, then we’ll return back to our chalet. After the two men leave, we wake the others up with the intention of returning back, since they are tired and wish to sleep.

Supposedly it is said that while in a chalet, you don’t sleep, but spend the entire night up chatting away, playing games, enjoying the company. Not so for us. Yewei, Paul and Jonathan are so dead tired they go straight to bed. Yap was already asleep on the couch downstairs. Ashik, while playing cards, dozes off every few minutes or so. I slap in a wrong card and loose the game.

Hail the mahjong players. They’re conducting a marathon session, lasting till the morning. I would lie my head onto the green velvet and drift off.

Morning.

The sky looks pretty dark. Seven o’clock? I have slept quite long, and it’s only seven o’clock?

Quarter to ten, according to KS.

We open the windows. Surprise, surprise. A family of monkeys on the roof of the toilet, looking back at us. Wait, there’s more. There is a pair of peacocks. I didn’t know peacocks can fly that high…

The sky is dreary. It threatens to rain. We hurriedly wake up and clean up the bunk for the checkout at 11am. My mouth hurts terribly from the two ulcers and the stress that the braces are creating on the gums. I don’t want breakfast; it’s a torture to eat.

The heavens pour just as we are about to leave. We have to change back to our dirty clothes again to walk in the rain. Most of the guys strip themselves half-naked for the walk downhill to the bus stop along the main road

Out into the rain we go. It’s freaking cold, until I am shivering a little. We scale down the hill, trying to ignore the chill that is running through our bodies. We are not made to double at this juncture. We’re wearing slippers, struggling with our belongings…

Everybody gathers at the bus stop, and put their shirts back on. The bus arrives. What the hell... it’s damn bloody cold in there, even with a shirt on. I have to turn the air-conditioning vent away.

I’m loosing interest in my writing… and I think you are too. I feel so long-winded today. What the heck. Okay, to summarise:

1. The bus dropped us off at the Visitor Departure Centre, where we wait for the shuttle to the Harbour Front bus terminal
2. There we have lunch at the hawker centre. Ginger tea goes down well with the cold weather.
3. To the MRT, where we go our separate ways…. AAARGH WHAT THE FUCK AM I WRITING…

Shit, I never write like that, and I’m NEVER supposed to write like this for my blog…

PART 2

I don’t know what happened in the communications, but nobody turned up for the rehearsal for Xin Chao, except Lu Ther and Zhi Ying. Derrick is away at the CMPB for the medical check-up, while Kenneth is down with a stomach-ache and I cannot remember why Yao Cong is absent. I have absolutely no idea what happened to Jue Ru and Amanda.

In short, there is no rehearsal. And the weather only makes my temper worse.

PART 3

SBS Transit is fucked up again. After repeated appearances of services 38 and 229, number 12 stubbornly refuses to appear until the twentieth minute of my wait at the bus stop.

Stupid chee bais, sit in the office all day long and think that their company is making money while their poor commuters, who you have no sense of empathy even though we’re all fellow Singaporeans, are stranded at their bus stops, constantly fuming at late arrivals and constantly irritated by stupid and repetitious programming on TV Mobile. Of course they don’t care if your bus is late or not, because they have chauffeurs who arrive at their beck and call, while our friendly bus drivers arrive at their own beck and call.

Fucked up, understand? Fucked up!

By the time I board the bus I am so fucking piss.

And to piss me off further:

1. The bus that arrives bears the slogan on the windscreen of the upper deck: THE MUD ON MY FACE IS SOIL. OUR SOIL.
2. A letter appears in the Streats forum with the heading: BUS 200 IS OFTEN RUNNING LATE.

Thanks, I do not have to be reminded that I am due back in a camp in a different location next week, and I do not have to write in further to complain about service 12 and a whole lot of other fucking buses are LATE.

Talk about a punctuality campaign in the past. Talk COCK (by the way the mascot for that campaign happens to be a rooster wearing an oversized watch).  ¶ 6/09/2004 06:39:00 pm 0 comments

  Sent by Sue Ann via Friendster:

“A-Z QUIZ”

A – Age
19

B – Brands usually bought
U Grade (manuscript book)
Pilot (V5 Techpoint pen)
Pokka (lemon tea)
Yeo’s (chrysantenum tea)

C – Career in future
Composer
Conductor
Music teacher
Music publisher

D – Dancing as a career
NO… more like I’ll write the dance music

E – Easiest person to talk to
Uncountable… if I can run a conversation with the person for more than 20 minutes he/she’s considered easy to talk to

F – Favourite song at the moment
I Tried (from my musical “Red-Threaded Hearts”)

G – Gum balls or gummy bears
Gummy bears – because I don’t know what are gum balls

H – Hometown
Geylang, Singapore (Eh, not the red-light district. It’s the Malay Village part of Geylang. Don’t have too imaginative imaginations)

I – Instruments
Piano
Zhong Ruan
Crash cymbals
Xylophone, Marimba, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel (a bit)

J – Jungle or seaside
Seaside lah duh… cheong suah in the jungle until sian

K – Kids
After the experience with my younger brother who’s eight years younger than me… NO!

L – Lefty or righty?
Righty

M - Meat or Vegetables:
Both

N - Number of siblings:
1

O - O Town or Plus One
What the fuck is that?

P - Phobia[s]:
Loud sounds and explosions
Death

Q - Quantity or Quality (for anything):
Quality: no half-fucked standards, understand?

R - Reason to smile:
I’m feeling happy, with good company
Somebody tells a joke
I’m booking out of camp
My music is being performed live
When I’m grateful to someone else

S - Song you sang last:
Infantry Song, during POP

T - Time you wake up:
0945

U - Unknown fact about me:
For those who don’t know… I actually swear a lot, particularly when I’ve just been pissed and feeling very frustrated

V - Vegetable you hate:
Chilli

W - Worst habit:
Being a workaholic: I am so concerned about my compositions that I forget there is life outside my room

X - Xavier or Jean Grey:
Xavier. He’s bald, and I’m bald

Y - Yolk or Egg WHite:
Egg white

Z - Zodiac:
Taurus  ¶ 6/09/2004 12:24:00 pm 0 comments

  --- I ---

Somebody just PUNCH my mouth.

The pain is slowly stroking against the walls. I feel a constant soreness and pressure in my mind.

Somebody just punch me.

Would you rather get cut or get shot?

Get shot of course. It’s only momentarily. Once, and it’s over.

So it’s the same principle here.

I have two ulcers on the right side of my mouth. I have an appointment with my orthodontist today, who is going to tighten my braces double because I haven’t had it adjusted for more than two months.

Dr Tang put in new wires today because the old ones are, well, too seasoned (to the extent of not being bathed for seven days during field camp) until they’ve decayed. After the operation finished the sensation is like when I first put in braces: hard pressing against the teeth that even when the molars don’t make any contact, I feel soreness in the gum area. Biting makes it worse; my head is ringing alarm bells of overload. Coupled with those ulcers it’s impossible to eat properly.

--- II ---

I went on to Sentosa for the Platoon 3 gathering-cum-chalet right away after my appointment.

Suddenly I feel so sick being detached from the mainland, where everything is accessible and can be gained. Sentosa is not too bad; at least the very least of civilisation is still maintained there, plus the island is connected to the mainland by road, so if there’s anything I need from the mainland I can easily flag a bus and scoot there, easy as ABC. But still, what the hell, it’s an island, some things you still can’t get there.

At least I don’t see any RP or offenders standing guard with M16s at the gateway.

The guys are at Sunset Bay playing soccer. They’ve played beach volleyball and Frisbee all day. I decide to follow Louis and Yap up to the chalet, located around Palawan Beach (Sunset Bay, for your information, is at Siloso Beach). We walk along the beach. There’s a lot of friction, particularly at the areas where there is soft sand. Our feet keep getting trapped, and we have to force them to propel us along the sand. Eventually I opt to walk close to the waves, where the sand is solid and flat, easy to walk.

Coming towards Palawan Monorail Station, Yap points out a merry-go-round at the children’s playground. Not exactly the usual merry-go-round. This one sits four people. Someone will spin the riders, and they’ll just revolve about the centre support pole. Not a piece of cake. It’s a killer. After like, say, five rounds, your brain is left behind and something wants to knock you off your seat. Yap is the driver; he stops and asks how it is. “Wow.” I get off and sway left to ride like a drunkard. It’s the ultimate torture weapon.

There’s another merry-go-round adjacent to the one we just rode. For this, the riders hang down from the bar as they circle about. The dangers: (1) the rider is a hazard to other people because any idiot who stands too close to the ride will experience a flying kick only survivable in The Matrix; (2) the ride is a hazard to himself because if he lets go he will fly off and land somewhere with injuries that can be compared on the same level as being knocked down by a fast-moving vehicle. None of us feel like trying that after the first ride. Sitting down and spinning is bad enough. Don’t even talk about hanging there like a hangman.

Louis takes us by the shortcut to the chalet. It’s located atop a hill – or many hills. We ascend the slope that is meant for campers to pitch their tents to spend the night in the open. It’s not easy climbing with slippers. The footwear threatens to leave our legs. If we’re not careful enough we’ll bump our foot against the protruding tree roots and go home tomorrow with larger toes.

Heading to the right of the campsite, we enter dense foliage, and end up beside the clubhouse of the chalet. Crossing another road we scale another small slope, and finally arrive at the back door of our chalet. Yap is uncomfortable about the banana tree located close to the door.

Louis raps the door and calls for Dai Gor. He opens it, and we enter an open courtyard like those that you see at the back of shop houses, near the door to the alley. Past the toilet and into the living room, where Dai Gor’s and Louis’ girlfriends are sitting there watching television. There is a cute Chihuahua belonging to Dai Gor and his girlfriend, whom they call “Baby”.

The living room is furnished very simply, with a television set, one sofa, two armchairs and a wooden dining table with four chairs, and ventilated by a ceiling fan. For the convenience of couch potatoes the refrigerator is located in the adjoining room; so is the toilet. To get to the kitchen one must cross the open courtyard, which has a laundry line and a crude barbecue pit fashioned out of a half of an oil drum. The standard of the kitchen is comparable to that of a house: there’s a gas stove with a wok and metal pot on it. A kettle is provided for the purpose of boiling water; so are crockery and utensils.

There is a single bedroom on the second floor. It’s a new addition, made up of makeshift walls like those air-conditioned executive offices in open factories. It’s the only air-conditioned room in the whole chalet. There are three beds. In addition, there are mattresses underneath each of the beds. Everybody can squeeze in to sleep.

Dinner is a simple, cost-saving affair. Three tom-yam flavoured noodles cooked with eggs, served in a huge soup bowl. That’s for six people. Basically one rice bowl for each person. The rest have gone to Harbour Front to eat.

After the meal I decide to go out for a walk. I have to (1) digest; (2) get inspiration; (3) explore night life on Sentosa. Yap wants to go the 7-Eleven at the monorail station, so both of us set off down the hill. We leave by the front of the chalet, but take the hill slope which Louis took us by earlier. It’s dark, but not to the extent that we cannot see our fingers. It’s a precarious affair, going down what is considered treacherous terrain, especially when we’re wearing slippers.

None of us have eaten our fill. Yap buys a curry puff, while I get a Red Bean bun. Then we set off down the beach road towards Siloso Beach. I realise I’m not alone in owning an increased appetite.

We take the stairs that lead to the Merlion Walk, just as the carillon chimes eight. Yap tries to take photographs, but they turn out pretty bad, because the flash on his digital camera is not strong enough. They appear as dim patches on the LCD. We walk to the musical fountain, where a show has just finished, round the audience gallery and back on Artillery Road to go back to the chalet. Leaving Yap at the entrance of our unit to wait until someone opened the door, I dash back to catch the 8:40pm laser and fountain display.

I’m just in time. What a surprise; they’ve engaged a real human to go along with the fountain act. There’s this fellow wearing a light blue jacket with a pattern of stars; yellow long pants; red socks; white shoes; white gloves: totally mismatched fashion. And he talks in faked, optimistically exaggerated English – that can’t be helped; I think he hates it but he has to do it to impress the kids in the audience.

The people at Sentosa have definitely invested in more new gadgets for their beloved fountain. There are strobe lights; laser projectors… even fire shooters. Now they’ve taken advantage of the lily pond below the main fountain stage where they’ve submerged a powerful air spout that blasts water into the air like when something explodes underwater and sends waves crashing upwards. There’s even a “Wet Zone” demarcated on the front rows of the seats.

Overall the people have done a good job in combining water, music, laser, lights and live action into one half-hour show. I won’t describe any further. Do go and watch it; even if you pay $3 just to view the fountain show, it’s still very much worth it.

After the show I walk northwards to the Fountain Gardens. I still remember going there as a kid to play with water. My favourite is still this bird bath at the musical fountain end of the garden, where, despite my shortness, I could still touch the water, and send it splashing down to the pool below.

From the Ferry Terminal I board the monorail with the intention of taking a night ride around the island. I cut the idea straightaway after realising it might be the last train, and I could be stranded somewhere as the driver shooed the passengers away in order to park the train and go home. The interior of the car is dimly lit for a better view of the night. The train itself is like some glowing caterpillar, with Christmas or Hari Raya lights adorning the sides of each and every carriage.

The harbour is just as dazzling as it is in the day. The vessels display all their lights, and so do the buildings at the Harbour Front. One can also see the flyover with its vehicles travelling fast.

The forest at night isn’t as creepy as it seems, probably because I’ve spent like ten days out there during my outfield experiences. I never think of the possibility that there could be something that would jump out of nowhere and frighten the wits out of me. The only thing to fear while being in the forest is getting yourself into some form of danger, such as not being able to see properly in the dark and thus injuring yourself, or getting lost in a sea of trees.

What is more scarier is Fort Siloso at night. Apparently the Fort is haunted by the lost souls from World War II. The life-size statue of a British soldier with a sword pointing upwards standing next to some entrance close to the monorail tracks freaked me out a bit; I didn’t dare to stare at it for too long in case it made some motion. Now that’s unexplainable and scary.

The Cable Car monorail station is totally empty. Void of passengers; and no one gets off. Thank goodness we move off soon.

Past the soccer field after the Merlion. A match is in full swing, spotlights shining powerfully overhead.

The train comes to a stop at Palawan Station. I get off here, intending to spend time by the beach and soak in the breeze. I walk slowly on the sand towards the suspension bridge. There’s a group of children here on holiday camp, and they are about to be dismissed to return to their tents on the slope. On the beach itself there are holiday campers who have pitched their tents there. A radio is playing, and that’s the only sound besides the lapping of the waves against the shore.

I cross the bridge that will take me to what is so-called the “Southernmost Point of Asia Continent”. Isn’t Indonesia part of Asia? But what they take it to be is the whole mass of land that runs from Russia, past China, past Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and now this little islet at the tip of Sentosa. The idea is an unbroken CONNECTION. The islet is connected to Sentosa by the suspension bridge; Sentosa is connected to Singapore by a causeway, and Singapore is connected to Peninsular Malaysia by yet another causeway. So you can drive your car from JB down Woodlands to Harbour Front to Palawan Beach via Allanbrooke Road, park near the bridge and run across it to the viewing platform facing the Straits of Singapore and holler to the whole world that you’re at the Southernmost Point of Asia Continent.

The sea breeze is cool and continuous. It’s a fairyland of lights in the background: orange and white and yellow, from the monstrous ships parked on the Straits; and from Batam far, far away at the back. Once in a while a fast craft will ply perpendicular in the direction I am facing.

I climb up one of the two viewing towers. Thank goodness the ceiling at the top is flat; no hollow roofs. I’m reminded of the stories about the viewing tower at Pasir Ris park which has supernatural happenings, such as a head appearing in the hollow of the roof. But I have to admit it’s a little creepy after the other group of people leave the tower, leaving me all alone in the rather brightly-lit structure. You’d rather the environment be dark when you’re alone. Going solo with lights around you is pretty intimidating, for you’ll never know if your eyes play tricks on you. An unknown figure might be standing not far away, under the beam of a light, waiting for you…

These thoughts race through my mind as I climb the last flight of steps to the top deck of the tower. I plan to walk a circle around the deck.

Suddenly I stop dead in my tracks with a jolt of electricity running through me.

I thought I saw something large on the ground ahead of me.

Turned out it was a couple doing their stuff. They were so busy hugging and kissing one another that they failed to notice me. I quickly creep away.

Talk about fearing the living than the dead.

I slowly trudge back to the chalet. This time I’m following the long route. No more climbing the hill tonight.

And I’m certainly not going near that banana tree at our backyard.

To reach the chalet from the car park, one has to follow a slope with quite a steep gradient past two abandoned colonial building, one further up the hill from the other. I did not think too much about these structures, but just walk. I don’t want to think about the paranormal, because it will only induce them to make their presence known as they know I am weak-hearted.

I make it back to the chalet without problems.

TO BE CONTINUED…  ¶ 6/08/2004 01:41:00 pm 0 comments

  Latest updates:

21 May

5 June
7 June  ¶ 6/08/2004 01:18:00 am 0 comments

  I went to the 2004 PC Show at Singapore Expo… and returned with a new set of speakers.

They are selling at a cost of $99. Aesthetically they are beauties. All but the projection portion of the boom box is wrapped up in dark wood, perhaps like the shade of teak. The controls are mounted on the right speaker, and come with treble control in addition to those for volume and bass.

Three extra capabilities and such eye-catching beauty for $99. Unbelievable.

And it comes with a free trolley to cart the bulky weight to the car, and to the house.

Oh, I forget to mention, the speakers are from Creative Technology's Inspire Series. The model is the M85-D. They now sit proudly, flanking either side of my laptop. One day I shall take a picture and post it up on the net.

When pop music is played, you can really feel the beat and bass, as in the case of "Where is the Love" which I played as a test piece. For classical music it is just as good. I can detect almost every corner of the orchestra as it plays through the piece I select.

It's not disappointing when it comes to MIDI either. I played the orchestral score of "I Tried" on Sibelius, and it turns out like it was already played by the musical's orchestra already. The bass is crystal-like, which is very gratifying.

Ahh, the perfect sound system for making music!  ¶ 6/06/2004 06:02:00 pm 0 comments