Trouble on the Borders

recent events hav been a cause for some alarm in der region..wat with der New Delhi Terror attacks, birdflu penetration thruout e world n even the rise of China vis-a-vis the traditional role of the US as protector of Asia since WW2...

a scary place the world can be these days as alarmist sentiments arise and new n old diseases chase round the globe from pole to pole...it can be pretty overwhelmin for e average man-in-der-street..

i think we all ought to sit back n take a breath of fresh air n take stock of wats happenin n put everythin in perspective...the world's never been a nice place since God-knows-when; its just dat every generation faces its share of troubles we think is the worst..its not actualli..

wat can i say? mayb Singaporeans should not go at such a breakneck pace thru life..we just might be able to enjoy der finer things of life...mayb we should all not be so obsessed with material success n human recognition...it just might make possible a more satisfied n fulfilled existence..

as for disease n terror, bein on guard is great but lets not adopt a siege mentality where everyone's suspicious of their neighbour n narrow-minded about the outside world thru fear n bigotry..to engage n be open inspite of safeguards is the surest way of defeatin the ideology of Terror n the most effective way of sharin the resources that can beat the spread of disease

to combat the troubles of this age will take more than a day, feel good rallies or even military n medical action...but it starts by not takin ourselves too seriousli yet not givin in to complacency...also by re-evaluatin our prorities in life n becomin more open to people n change...so next time someone coughs in der lift, dun turn away...try offerin a tissue..

Return of da kinG

"Guess who's back? Back again? Guess who's back, guess who's back..." in e words of Eminem it sounds so right...n today, an icon of Singapore has returned after a brief respite...

Zouk...da king of the dance n music scene has returned...the white tree flowers again (in Lord of e Rings parlance)..it was a great scene at the re-openin last nite i tell ya...babes galore, Phuture with a larger dance area n the walkway linkin Zouk n Phuture lookin like a incandescent tunnel into the great unknown...hip-hop as only they noe how to play at Zouk made a comeback after a brief hiatus n the drinks flowed 1-for-1 till midnite once more...very cool n very refreshin even though the internal layout remained largely the same...i had been lookin forward to a new, bolder n differnet layout actualli..

why does a guy like mi, a practicin Christian who speaks in tongues n believes in da Bible go to such places, some may ask...after all it breeds lust, encourages drunkeness n promotes loose, irresponsible livin as well as substance abuse...

i seek not to defend myself or my actions, onli to give an account..first off, the music attracts mi..its great to jive to n great to listen..then there was a time when i was more confused n given to darker musings when i needed something light to contrast with..this was it..service in the army was n is hard..n i related to Zouk's music n end-day unwindin well..i would say it struck a cord in mi heart dat had become cold, hard n calloused..

furthermore, i admit, that i was lookin for love in such a place when first i went to Zouk...(some might call it sex)...it was a dark time in mi life, was dat stretch of ns..then later it became a sort of nostalgia..everytime i went there i felt again e feelins n confusion i had when first i went..as well as the relief at e music...i dun wanna be a disco-junkie man but i feel dat growin up, we all need our wild sides..its a learnin experience

like the fren i hav who kept paricipatin in sports or the frens who kept playn LAN games (not cos they were addicted but cos dat was somethin they related to)..i mean..its like some gals who pass thru dat lesbian phase of life who are explorin sexuality n emotion..there's a fine line between exploration n addiction/obsession but we all need to grow up thru these lessons i feel..growin up nobody truli understands how we feel n human beings need stuff they can relate to..i'm not talkin bout drugs or smokin or heavy drinkin...but stuff dat makes a person an individual..so he can say, dats so mi..its unique to mi n wat i relate to..it makes mi who i am n the way i tick..

its wat keeps us alive n chasin dreams, dreams that keep e dark nite of e soul away n keeps us sane...n finalli, i reason, won't it be better to do stuff we relate to (but not illegal, immoral nor harmful) when young, rather than when a guy's 50 n goin thru male menopause...i sure as hell dun wanna be goin to Zouk n dancin e nite away with some hot babe (ya rite) when i'm 50..."when you are young, do what pleases your heart with all your might"...Ecclesiastes

Bootleg Cigarettes and other Nights-Off Tales

Comin from a combat side unit based on the mainland of Singapore, i find that one of the few consolable pleasures to the long, hard nights on operations is the fact that nights off, when they are given, allow for a wider scope of 'operation'...in army parlance, so to speak..

Just yesterday, my fren and fellow spec Melvin, who drives and had parked his car in camp(another benefit) offered to give my mates n miself a lift to 'town'...which is a euphemism for the suburban neighbourhood of Choa Chu Kang ,which is linked by half hour on-the-road to the rest of S'pore (n thus not all dat far)

he's an impatient driver who swears when honked at and cuts lanes like a bandit's getaway vehicle..and he offered to give us a lift on the condition that he would first get a pack of cigarettes from the Kranji area, which could only be accessed by certain backroads from where we were...n another fello spec fren o'mine decided he wanted 1 as well...

so off we went down the backroads that made mi feel i was in my armoured vehicle drivin cross-country on an assault manoeuvre, wat with e grass, trees and narrow-gauge track we were on...towards the Kranji Beach WW2 Battle site, then past the BBC Far Eastern Relay Station(did u noe they had a physical presence on S'pore?) and then past the local S'porean Fisheries and Bird sanctuary(not an everyday sight huh) and down Sungei Kadut before exitin into the Yew Tee area where my fren pumped some petrol at a 70's style petrol kiosk with the cash register next to the petrol pumps where only cash was accepted...also where cigarettes were to be found in super-close proximity to petrol pumps..

and speakin o' cigarettes, melvin then turned into a junction where he bought his cigarettes...imported Marlborough Reds, Menthols and Dunhills from Indonesia...duty unpaid n without the (in)famous after-cancer-effect photos on e front from Indonesian workers (a reversal of roles;consumer and manufacturer)...a pack for 5 sing dollors...a real steal these days in a land where e govt (supposedly) intends to raise prices eventually to 20 dollars a pack..not for mi la...

and all this before the real Nights-off adventures at the shoppin mall we were bound for took place...like catchin that chic Corpse Bride movie just in time...n wastin ourselves at e video games arcade on Virtua Striker and Silent Scope after..these nights-off from camp can be such a voyage into e unknown sometimes...must tell of the time my good buddy signed up for life-long insurance at e mall just to get to noe this sweet insurance lady sometime...now that takes guts or testicular fortitude as radio DJ Glen Ong once called it..

Vote-Pulling?

While walkin past BreadTalk along e Orchard Underpass to Ngee Ann City, i was waylaid/ ambushed...

a salesgirl from BreadTalk asked for a moment of my time...n bein e hot-blooded gentleman who never turns down a young sweet thing with a simple request like, "excuse mi sir, do you like BreadTalk?" i let her ask mi a few questions..

oh please, its not something seedy like wat u're probabli thinkin now...just questions bout my gastronomic preferences regardin Bread...then it went to this S'pore Promisin Brands award BreadTalk's been nominated for..n i was asked if i would like to vote for BreadTalk via SMS...it would get mi a handphone keychain thingy...wat a way to get votes man! of all e coarse, obscene displays of a lack of finese that can be found...a mockery of fairplay it was..but then...i admit (rather sheepishly) dat i did vote...its dat Cute gal...all her fault...Eve gave mi the fruit of knowledge n i ate....

wats it with men and young, female sales promoters man? is it our tetesterone, our lust (yes, dat taboo word), or e male preference for attractive eye-candy dats perfectly symetrical n stirs e primordial desire for a large hip-waist ratio dats optimal for childbearin? wateva it is, i noe dat services n sales use sex (or at least sexual attraction) to sell products n services..n we men are suckers for e takin..

dats e edge women have over men...they are not as susceptible to eye-candy in sales as men are...yes...i noe the Calvin Klein ads are mighty popular with ladies...but its not such a 'sticking' factor like Guess models are to induce high sellin among men..so then, ladies have our weakness out in e open..can anyone please tell mi wat works to induce high sales volumes amongst women? i'd like to noe for interests' and compartisons' sake...

boy, do i hope parliamentary elections dun take a page from this n start fieldin Tiger Gals as candidates to garner votes in Potong Pasir...man..Chiam See Tong won't noe wat hit him...

der New Balance Real Run Photos..1 h15min...lookin ahead December's StanChart Runs' next up..any1 with mi?

of silly mistakes made

when stupid get a person, it does'nt let go till its done its damage in full..dats wat i've found out bout life..dats y people do stupid stuff like attempt suicide after a heartbreak or go drunken bingein at a waterin hole dat charges crazy cut-throat rates dat shame a pirate..all for frenship's sake..

it was the same with mi recently...stupid especialli strikes when u're in haste or wantin something real bad..like Desire makin fun of men in need (or heat) for sport..just read Neil Gaiman's Sandman series for an idea of where i'm goin...

but anyway, back to my yarn..there i was wantin to get my application for wat they call Tertiary education processed..all in a rush like the man unable to wait to make e 2-backed beast (catch my drift?)..and havin submitted an on-line application on e 21st, i was not in favour of a wait to submit my supportin documents..

compounded was e fact i had a deadline to meet before 30 sept to send in my documents else i pay a late fee...so i got my documents ready n copied n boy, these days i'm beginnin to think they call it e Paper Chase for a real, literal reason..so i had these documents in an envelope n i'm thinkin to miself how to get them to e Applications Office by 30 sept when today its alreadi e 27...by courier dats how...n it cost mi 24.50 Sing dollars man..i mean dats no small Shite amount for 45 grammes of black n white monochrome manuscripte...

n u all noe wat e stupid part is? i left out my application no. n candidate name on e envelope..every thing else was there all prim n proper..from address to Attn: Online Aplications right down to "If undelivered Please Return to...." except dat small 'lil name n application no. ...wat of it? e onli thing is to call e Tertiary Institution up n do a bit of damage control...n pray they dun just discard e documents...or next best choice...Singpost 24.50 services again...no small shite as i say...at these times i feel like a long drag on a nicotine fag accompanied by a glass of Red Smirnof-on-the-Rocks or Old Grouse with barmy water...but then again, Christ would nae agree...so its just down to good ol' prayer, trust n a wish for e best...