feels different

seems like the chinese new year's just around the corner! whee! it just feels a little different tho...was talking to my cousins just now during the reunion dinner, and somehow i agree with him. our culture has changed, tradition has diversified and seems like there's an erosion of our cultural values...chinese new year now seems like any other public holiday. sheets i sound so gp-ish, but somehow i feel that way too...maybe it's the army bug. used to have these celebrations during primary schools till JC, contests and singing, and the reinforcing of our roots. how i wish i was back there and truly immersing myself in all the festivities...just as samuel put it, how i wish i could return back then.

ahhh, but all in all, it's still chinese new year! out of these 18 years, i've been to chinatown during this period for 16 years just to yar, get high in the atmosphere of this season. i guess even if the tradition has eroded, this season has always been in my mind because you can truly feel the warmth of everyone's joy, and also family love. no matter how far we are, we'll definitely meet during this period to catch up, enjoy ourselves and it's that closeness that makes chinese new year special, friends and family alike.

aniwaes i just got another haircut 2 days ago...tot they'll only cut after chinese new year, didn't know they're so cruel hahax. but i guess i've got to know many of my bunk mates closer, and we seem more united than before...but there's this feeling that we've not reached that stage yet. maybe we just need more time, especially during field camp!

for all the training
for all the calls
for all the firing
for all the falls

okie i'm not making any sense here hahax...an early happy new year to all of you folks again! "absense makes the heart fonder"...how true! miss you guys so much...

book out, book out day!

hahax it just feels great to be back, no matter how short the time is...but definitely can't wait fer chinese new year next week!

aniwaes, guess the confinement week's over, which went on rather smoothly i guess. all the funny punishments that you've ever heard before are non-existant, or at least for now...hahax. basically falcon is a rather funny group sometimes, people might say we're slack, but actually it's because we know what to work hard for. and yar we have wonderful sergants and sirs, for now, hahax...funny, easy to talk to, but of course when work has to be done, they ensure it's done. the smiley face, chestido, and the ligther union (like the NJ's smoker's union...hahax) and also the scholar. darn funny and friendly sometimes, which is necessary in our training to make it more lively.

and i made lotsa new friends too! hahax...of course familiar faces like ik fei, karthick and boss around make life feel pretty homely. and my section mates rawk lar! hahax...actually feel we're not really that close yet but it's just a matter of time, and comparing my section with others, we're the most bonded section in the platoon! all of them are pretty easy to talk to and really funny sometimes, even though there's this heightened exposure to being converted into a pervert...hahax kiddin lar. all of them are nice people...sheng long, samuel, ah guan, wei sheng, johnathan (mi buddy!), brandon, junkai, yongming, senthil, sk and honkee...hahax! playing soccer at nite, exchanging nite snack fer magazines (bleh) and yar just sitting down and crapping (sometimes even after lights out...oops!) tink they're really nice people, except that sometimes in army we all become a little cranky somehow...but it's just a matter of time yar?

training's been okie i guess...or it wasn't as xiong as i expected, not that i am really strong physically, but was mentally prepared fer tt, so yar, tink it's okie (for the time being, heard they're going to be stricter next week) and yar, hopefully after these few weeks i'll be much stronger and open but still retain my values (so wanna be like keefe lar! hahax...o yar he's in my company too!) and uniqeness. as you walk around camp, you see people wearing the same shirt, same shorts, same hairstyle, same specs, same shoes, and the same xianz look (which really creates a headache after a while...can't really remember all the names of mi platoon yet fer tt matter) but yar, what makes us unique is our personality, which yar, i'm hoping to retain. actually army reminds me of maldives in some sense, waking up at a certain time, walking to the same place to eat, hearing timely flag raising and lowering (remember the prayers?), and sleeping easily after some crapping with friends that you just met not long ago, carrying boxes of rations, and having many funny moments here and there...similarities, but definitely not the same (maldives rawk lar!). ahh i'm crapping...photos just make the feeling so much worse, and phone calls make you really want to see people...haiz...o wells i shouldn't complain rite?

(purple light tune...hahax some composition by my bunk mates)
lost my rifle
si bei jialat
7 years
in kranji
luckily
sergant pity
and we just kana one guard duty

i'm not that fearful anymore...tink the next week's going to be better. missing lotsa ppl back home, wish i could meet up with them, but this weekend's too short. really hope to meet up during CNY, and rest assured, they're feeding us well...i'm okie! miss ya guys lots...

so soon

yep i'm still a little sore i didn't send the letter the day ago, but i'm pretty sure it'll reach you tomorrow!

aniwaes...it's less than 12 hours before i leave the house for NS! ahhh...okie i guess i'm getting pretty paranoid right now. still feel that there's something i haven't packed, but then again you just feel pretty mixed up.

i really don't know what's going to happen either, except that now i'm feeling rather lost and mixed...i don't know what to feel either, but yar i think everything will start clearing up tomorrow. all i'm hoping is that all goes well, and that everyone will be okie, so yep do take care of yourselves!

ahh this entry is so off focus, but what can i do? hahax...do take care of yourselves and i'll miss you guys! i'll miss my bed too...and the water...and basically everything. yep.

let the sorrow song be sung
let the silent night be over
let the tears be blown
and let tomorrow be a better day!

-squirrel (so soon...but the song has not been sung!)

soon

ahhh in less than 24hours i'll be leaving home for the tekkong...i can't believe that everything has happened so quickly, but i guess time passes by really quickly when you're enjoying yourself ain't tt right? aniwaes here's to new year cheers for 2006 again, it seems to be running on pretty smoothly, and i really hope it carries on this way!

of course this year's going to be really different from the rest, going into army and yar, a totally different life. i've heard lotsa weird stories, but also some touching ones too on how quickly and efficiently we'll be bonding, and who we're probably going to meet, all the stuff that we're most probably going to do, and yar, mentally i'm pretty prepared. and also, i guess it's better to keep an optimistic viewpoint on the things that are going to happen (even tho the injection sounds scary) and also on the people we're most probably going to miss. o wells, there's always a start for everything right? i guess we'll just have to pull through it together, since all of the guys are going in, one way or the other, so yar...no point complaining about anything.

and again, i wanna thank everyone who has been part of my life for the past 2 years, i believe in those 2 years, we've all matured and also became very different people. it might have been hard, but i'm pretty sure it'll pay off! especially with all the happy memories that can last a lifetime, and also strong friendships forged along the way, it's definitely worth it for me! all the support when i was down, all the encouragement to spur me on, and all the enthusiasm to make me who i am, i've definitely changed! so thanks again for being part of it, there have been definitely ups and downs, but it's the optimistic and happy mind that keeps you staying on top, so do try to stay optimistic! and when in doubt or in dark, a friend is always around, so enjoy what you have right now and continue to strive for the better future! and do take care okay? hahax...okie tt's all i hafta say for now...most probably the next time will be the 10th of jan, so all the best! whee!

happy 2006!

shall make this really short and simple...under the weather.

-to those who start school tmr : heys do enjoy orientation NJCians! i'm sure after all the hard work, it'll turn out to be a total success! and you're finally j2's! and j1's too...okie IP2s as well, so hoping that the upcoming year will be a smashing one for you, and wishing that everything goes smoothly. stay happy always and do keep in touch! miss you guys! i'm pretty sure this year would be a great one for you guys...so try your best and do keep the kudafarian spirit alive!

-to those who will be enlisting soon, or already : o wells our time has come to serve! aniwaes, yar i guess worrying's not a good way to spend this time, so just go out and enjoy yourselves while you still can, and den we'll see each other in camp really soon!

-to those who will be working soon, or already : if you're teaching, do know that you'll be earning lots more than the army ppl...hahax! aniwaes do take this as an opportunity to find out what you're strong at, and also do keep in touch!

-to everyone : okay...the weather's nt so gud recently, so please do take care of yourselves and i'm pretty sure everything else will be fine. if you haven't really lived your life, please do! try to make the fullest of what you haf, and let you close ones know how important they are to you...spread the love! major events like the world cup are heading our way to, so stay tuned! all the best!