zhenchang is now a qualified first aider!! (again!!)

up, up and away..

not that i want to sound like a whiner, neither do i want to run the risk of being seen as leaning towards the opposition, but it is getting quite ridiculous.. i still believe that the white party is the best one to govern, but it seems that the tried and tested form (whatever it is called) doesn't value the welfare of the common pple.

let us look back at the past six months since the general elections, where the white party won "big".. the opposition's campaign strategy touched a bit on rising standards of living in singapore, which the incumbent didn't bother to rebuke. then, after the elections, (in chronological order) utility fees went up.. taxi fares went up.. ERP fees went up.. public transport fees are announced to increase starting 1st Oct.. GST is going to rise to 7%.. even local postage fees will rise, up from 23 cents to 25 cents starting Dec.. hmm...

well of course, in this period of time, the fairly-new Parliament House has to conveniently undergo some minor but time-consuming renovations, which means that all these fee hikes couldn't be debated. these included the public transport fees and uni fees. hmm...

oh hmm, i recall that almost 1/3 of voters voted for the opposition, but we only have 2 opposition MPs in the Parliament (not counting the NCMP).. weird system, hor?

p.s. apparently, the GST and public transport fares went up soon after the 2001 elections.. hmm...

www.atouchofchristmas.org

to lead, to excel, to overcome!

it's been one week into my course here in NAS. and i must say it has been truly splendid so far. just soaking in the atmosphere of safti is so.. i can't even put it in words, man.. if there is any place in singapore that feels hallowed, it has to be here. it's not just abt the ceremonial hall, or the parade square. i can't explain it clearly either. perhaps it's abt being the sacred institution to train cadets and officers, to instill discipline, and honour and pride in our future military leaders, i really dunno.. but it's the place where i trained and got commissioned by the President, and i will always remember that.

and i thought my love for soccer has died down, with all my focus on my bike nowadays. not until the course started. we played soccer 3 times this week. 3 times! haha.. could have been more if not for one afternoon visit at NDU, where we secured at sembawang camp instead. i must say it's been a good start to the course. the coursemates are nice, and i already know most of them anyway. I volunteered to be the logistics I/C, more of a "political" move rather than a genuine heart to help out. (appt holders will get a bit of recognition points for the course, and it's a chance to prove leadership capabilities.) that being said, i will still use this opportunity to do my best to make sure everyone gets good equipment timely, and to contribute ideas and thoughts to the "appt holder" committee.

all in all, it will be a great 4 months here in safti. oh, did i mention the library? i get to borrow 2 dvds per week, and 10 books for 3 weeks. hee.. borrowed 2 civil war dvds on thurs, gettysburg and glory. i'm hoping to cycle to safti one day so that i can keep my bike in my cabin. got a diver coursemate who's also into cycling, we hope to go cycle around that area together, or perhaps use the ntu slopes as training. =)

i looked into the mirror this morning, and was amazed by how much i have aged over the past few months...

MV Doulos is in singapore!

anyone interested in a ship visit?
MV Doulos is a private, non-profit, charitable organisation registered in Germany. By visiting port citys around the world, it seeks to supply vital literature resources, encourage inter-cultural understanding, train young people for more effective life and service, promote greater global awareness, provide practical aid and share a message of hope in God wherever there is opportunity.

it will be at vivocity from 10-19 nov. more information here.

OSIM Corporate Tri

a large sandcastle, built near the starting pt.
my transition area. See the number 10? that's my bike.
there are other photos too. derek came down specially to take photos of me with his new nikon F80. thanks dude!!

thanks for the advice, sky. but i already decided on my transition techniques.
cute right? haha...

one day to the corporate tri. and one month away to SCM...

gosh.. i have to squeeze all these into that little basket..
my cycling and running shoes, my cycling jersey is in the round clear bag, with my number tag already attached to it, a towel to wash off the sand and salt, a bottle of water and a bottle of Accelerade, and my helmet.. still dunno where to put my sunglasses safely.

took leave to rest at home today. spent it watching prison break on vcds, and to get ready for tmr's rest. went out for a short spin, then cleaned and lubricated my bike. practised putting on my jersey (not funny, it's quite a challenge cos of the number tags..), then put the sticker tags on my bike and helmet.. then wrote out a list of things to do sequentially. haha.. in case my mind doesn't work properly tmr.

anyway, thanks for all the encouragement guys.. both on the tagboard and over msn.. will do my best tmr! =)


what matters is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.

impossible is nothing. just do it!