Tuesday, October 30
30 Oct - 3 more days till ORD and I can't wait. It is so near I could almost taste it. This freedom that was taken from me a year ago is finally returning, and I am so excited over it I can't stop thinking about it.
Well, having said that, the past one year or so has been very meaningful and memorable. All the good and bad times spent in SAF Bands, I have not regret a moment of it. Its always funny when you're parting with someone or something that you start finding it beautiful and personal to you as opposed to the dreadful, same damn place when you're still in possession them. The last few days spent in SAF Bands before I started clearing my leaves and offs days were weird in the sense that I knew that that could be the last time I was looking at that particular scenary or object or even person. Or at least for a long time to come before we encounter each other again.
Its always hard to say goodbye when you've just started to feel like you're part of this big family of interesting personalities and that was the same for me. But nonetheless, I'm glad the whole SAF Bands experience ended on a perfect note - The Batch 67 ORD Video. I suggested the idea and created the final product with the help of Joel and Sunil, and videos and photos contribution by various people of the batch. The short clip (not really, cause it is about 40 mins long) aired during the ORD function on 19 Oct 2007 and put a nice end to our experience in SAF Bands and NS on the whole.
It was really nice to look back at the things we have done together and experiences we've shared captured in photographs and showing some final thoughts and words by individuals of the batch. Some of the moments were hilarious while others were heart-wrenching and almost sent tears welling out of our eyes.
For me, I was glad this video idea still came through after much hesitation resulting in a severe shortage of time. We dropped the idea, simplified it, changed it and finally decided the week before the function to go ahead and create the video. And I am very thankful for people who came forward to offer help, contributions and are so enthusiastic in the video segment and made it really meaningful to our batch and people whom we have come to know through this experience. Thank you Batch 67 and everyone in SAF Bands!
I failed to blog about this earlier as the next day I was flying off to Thailand with a few good friends in SAF Bands and Iw as so caught up with what to and not to bring for the trip. In the end I just packed barely 1/4 full of the stuff into the luggage as I told myself anything i needed, clothes, I will buy from there since it is like "CHEAP, CHeap, cheap"!! And true enough, a 6kg luggage at departure came back weighing close to 14kg and you just imagine the things I manage to squeeze into the puny little luggage of mine.
I must say I enjoyed myself a lot on this trip, especially with the company I had. Sunil, Dean, Joel, Khairul and Faizal, bunch of crazy people with lots of love for fun and laughter. Sometimes it is so contagious to be with them you can't stop smiling. Bangkok in short was like shopping therapy. Everything was nice, just like that in Singapore, but 5 times cheaper which makes it even nicer. We just kept buying and buying, not a single day pass by without shopping. I bought lots and lots of clothes, shoes, shades, boxers some snacks and a DS LITE (Please refer to my wish chart on the side, it is a special US import that would cost easily $420 in Singapore for the console alone and plus the memory card and stuff, it will amount to $500 maybe.). And I got it for $340, everything included.. cheap cheap cheap. Yay. I'm so glad I got it otherwise I will be like whining and whining now. I spent about $700 on expenditure in all and $465 on airfare and accomodation, you do the sum.
First day, after arrival and checking into the hotel, we went to the pasa malam street below our hotel and got some shirts which we subsequently changed into to go clubbing. Gosh. That was when the drama began. Cheap alcohol, nice and loud music, nice place to dance, god even newbie Joel got into the groove. I say we almost had 10 different kinds of drinks in different volumes passing around the 6 of us but they cost barely exceed $100. The alcohol is dirt cheap there and very potent compared the water-based vodka further diluted in coke you would find in Singapore.
Of course, you can guess the endng, we got tipsy, some drunk, filthy and disgustingly drunk. At least we had Sunil sober enough to guard our passports and our sanity to stop us grabbing the fellow clubber next to us and making out with them. At the end of it, Sunil, Dean, Khairul and I were still quite sober, no prizes for guessing who got drunk. Back at the hotel, Dean and I took a bath, separately, and decided to turn in early for the next day as we have a long day of bargaining in Chatuchak weekend market ahead but no, we were startled by the commotion happening next door, Joel and Sunil's room.
Apparently Sunil was having a hard time getting Joel to keep still in bed and not vomit. It was pretty ugly, not sexy at all. And to top it off, Sunil's luggage which we put a code to it at the airport just reset itself and refuse to open. We had to pry open the luggage to get his things, while making sure Joel wasn't drowning in his own puke. Gosh, It was one hell of a night. Funny though but I wasn't feeling too good about the next day. Surprisingly, we didn't suffer any hangovers except Joel who went back shortly after we arrived at Chatuchak.
The rest of the trip went fine, lots of shopping still, till the end we were still buying at the airport. Ha. Gross. And Joel was bringing boxes of Dunkin Donuts back to Singapore. So unglam, typical Singaporeans sia. Lucky we didn't have to queue 3 hrs over there. Bangkok has officially made my number one place to shop for cheap stuff. Haha. I would go back again once i get sick of my clothes and stuff. Go back get more. keekee...
For now, I need a job!! real quick.. need to replenish the money I busted in Thailand so I can spend somemore. Ha. Tomorrow I am meeting this Michelle girl who is offering a job at the airport. Justin and Zhen Hua are in on this so I hope it will be something fun. At least it is temporary until I finish my driving lessons and test coming nov. Wish me luck..
9:23:00 PM
Wednesday, October 3
And by the way did I mentioned I bought a new ipod shuffle on yahoo auction at a shockingly disgusting price of $30.. its like cheap Cheap CHeap CHEap CHEAP!@!@ This is probably one of the best 'giam peng' deals I have gotten in a long while. (Happy?!) Retailed at $138 for 1gb, mine cost me close to 4 times less and the condition I must say is pretty acceptable, well actually very good. I must really thank the guy for his honesty and professionalism in selling his product online. He was very straight-forward with the pricing and meeting up and so I was very pleased to hand over the money for the good. It was a win-win situation.
So how did I come across this deal? It was the day I sold my ipod video 30gb. Why? Because I am crazy, stupid and disgustingly attracted to new products. So seeing Apple launch their new ipod series, namely and Ipod classics and iTouch (which I am still contemplating which to buy), I was desperate to sell my ipod so I could get the new ones. And it had to be gone before the new products arrive in Singapore or even before news of it spread to anyone. I know its disgusting but don't blame me for trying to catch up with modern technology, such stuff waits for no man and you gotta get it or be be stuck with outdated technology for the rest of your life, or at least till the damn thing spoils. And yes I sold it the minute there was a buyer offering 300 bucks for my ipod video, not exactly a good deal since I gave away most of my accessories that easily cost me another $100 when I bought them (friend friend mah). So I needed another mp3 to last me for a while before I transit to my new ipod product. So there I was at yahoo auction searching for a shuffle which incidently I have been thinking of getting one for quite some time so I could jog and exercise while listening to it. And I was so lucky to come across the deal which I contacted the person immediately and met up with him the next day and got the product. End of story.
Well, they say you have lose something before you gain another and I guess this was meant to be. I didn't say it, 'They' did.
8:55:00 PM
Monday, October 1
With less than a month left to ORD, I am desperately preparing myself for civilian lifestyle, excited at the same time lost as to what and how I will be spending my time on. There are so many things that I want to do after I ord but I just can't get my hands on which I want to do. From taking up courses related to my future course of study in university, picking up a full-time job to learning a skill (ain't sure what skills I would pursue though), there are simply too many things I can think of that I want to do.
By the end of next week after changing of guard parade, my last time marching down orchard road, I will be starting to clear my offs and leaves, going back to camp occassionally for medical appointments and stuff. Boy, I can't wait any longer. Part of me feels this excitement that is ready to burst of of my body as I embrace civilian lifestyle once again. It is the relief that the 2 years of my NS life which i have been dreading for so long since young is finally over. Whereas I also feel on the other hand that I was treated well during ym NS days and I am very fortunate and lucky to have been posted to SAF bands. This comfort and ease that I have enjoyed over the last year or two has made me very complacent and reluctant to venture into more treacherous grounds. I guess that is partly the reason why people sign on to the saf, regardless of the vocation, because one gets so comfortable and in touch with what they are or have been doing all their life that they find it hard to leave and step out of this comfort zone. Well, I certainly wish I can overcome this feeling soon and get ready for any adventures life has installed for me.
This week is the last that I will be giving any more tuition because once the exams are over, kids will need a break before school starts next year. And besides, 2 of my kids are already moving on to secondary 3 which I am not comfortable handling and teaching. So I will not be following them onto upper secondary and another tutor will have to take my place. By next year, I would only be left with my cousin who is studying sec 1 this year. And god knows whether I still wanna teach him with the time commitment that I will have to give in to my studies and other things next year. We will see. And I guess this will also be the time for me to prepare my publicity stunts for my tuition agency and draw in many clients seeking tuition for themselves or their children next year.
And I will also be looking forward to going Thailand with my saf friends during the end of October. We have been planning for this for quite some time, many many drastic changes have been made along the way but at least we're still going somewhere. And I believe with the company that I am going with, it is going to be superb fun. Meanwhile I will just have to contain all these excitement within me and wait for each of them to explode when the time comes.
9:42:00 PM
