Some things to ponder about.

The past few days saw me meeting up with jj on 2 occasions,on friday for movie and lan and on sunday,for church and lan. The details of what we did aren't important but rather,2 things we happened to talk about shall be the focus of this entry...

1)I can recall how on friday,while we were having dinner at bugis longjohn silvers,there was this group of hearing impaired youths next to us having their meal as well. I happened to notice them as they were all smiles but yet not a single word came out from their mouths. It was then that i caught sight of hearing aid devices tucked behind their ears. All of a sudden,i told jj how i would not mind even if my wife was deaf because these are the people who are truly down to earth,who would not put on airs and are not corrupted by our modern society. They are the people who lead simple lives and who cherish the things around them because of one simple reason,that they are already lacking something which normally others would have--the ability to hear. JJ then commented that it would be a challenge when it came to living with such a person and in time to come,to start a family with.He then added that most probably,these people would find spouses who have similar disabilities as them as afterall,they would find it easier to communicate with one another. It then dawned upon me that what JJ said really did make sense. Definately being with someone like that would have it's own share of challenges but i was not discouraged with the fact that if i were to meet someone right who had such a disability i would still want to be with her. I admit that communication would be a problem initially but i believe that with time,such a hurdle can be overcomed as well,provided she does not see herself as being incompatible with me.Afterall,i am sure it is the love and not the problems that truly matter....Don't get me wrong,these are just some of my thoughts. Really,they do not mean anything and no,i am not interested in anyone if you happened to be thinking in that direction,haha.

2)Then came sunday. After church service,we were on our way to the MRT station to catch a train over to dhoby ghaut when we brought up the topic of how it occurred to both of us that after our own personal breakups,we no longer had the "luck" to actually bump into our ex-girlfriends anymore. I found this rather true as well because ever since my breakup sometime ago,i had lost the ability to coincidentally meet up with my ex-girlfriend,unlike last time when we were still together,we would somehow be in the same place at the same time. I guess i believe that fate really does exist in this world,that when 2 individuals are fated to be together or to meet one another,no matter under what circumstances,they would still cross paths. On the other hand,once fate no longer plays a part in 2 individual's lives,no matter how hard a person tries,visiting past haunts etc,both of them would never come face to face by sheer chance again. Perhaps one party may be avoiding the other by trying not to visit those places they always went to for fear of meeting up but i still believe that rather,it is more about those 2 people still visiting these places,only that they were no longer "scheduled" to meet coincidentally again. Afterall,singapore isn't that big and i'm sure that if 2 people were really going to avoid meeting one another,they would really have nowhere left to go,don't you think so? So for now,i would continue to go to places as and when i desire and see for myself if there is a possibility that for once,i would actually be meeting my ex-girlfriend out on the streets,with her current boyfriend perhaps? Wonder how it would be like? Lol.

Ah,the silence.

Haha,so friday which was supposed to be the date line for the zoo to contact me just came and went like that and i did not hear anything from them. I had went to their website the night before and had caught sight of a very insignificant line right at the bottom of the page which read "We regret that only short-listed candidates will be notified". So i guess that them not contacting me on friday just meant that my application was unsuccessful. Not only was i disappointed with the fact that i could not land the job,i was also disappointed with the fact that an organisation as big and established as theirs could not at least have had the courtesy to contact unsuccessful applicants like me to inform me that i had been rejected. I mean,if i had not spotted that line,i may have had been waiting in vain for a reply that would never come. Anyway,i was thick skinned enough to send in my resume to apply for other posts being offered at the zoo as well as the show presenter post once again despite my rejection.Guess i am still hoping that somehow,i would still be offered a job there.But then again,this time round,i also caught sight of something on their website--an e.mail address. I am planning to send in an e.mail so that i could obtain a dateline for myself to wait until. Anything after that and i would be aware of my unsuccessful application.Thereafter,i would give up trying for a position there. Come to think about it,perhaps they should come up with a position that i would gladly recommend--"application rejecter". Someone whose duty is to call up unsuccessful applicants to inform them that they were unable to land the job. Good huh? Haha,just my nonsensical thinking. Lol..Time to continue waiting...

22/10/06 - 24/10/06 (Pulau Tinggi Trip)

From the 22nd of Oct till the 24th of Oct,i was overseas in Malaysia with my fellow ex-NCC mates as well as our teacher and mentor, Xie Lao Shi. The exact place we were in was actually an offshore island known as Pulau Tinggi.Activities that supposedly awaited us there included a trekking trip to a small waterfall,a snorkelling trip to the coral reefs and a fishing trip in the deep sea.Our journey there comprised of a 3hr bus ride followed by a 1hr boat ride over to the island itself which was located off the coast of eastern johor. Upon arrival,we were greeted not by local traditional dancers but instead by several sunburnt individuals who were leaving the island on the boat that we arrived in. They had little or no expression on their faces that left us puzzled as to why they appeared as though they were caught up in a war. That of course wasn't the case but we were about to find out the reason behind their unhappy faces soon enough though. After receiving our keys,we proceeded to the dining area to have our lunch and were shocked to find that there was almost nothing left for us to eat. Not to mention the side dishes,even the staple rice was in miserable amounts. We ended up having to ration the food amongst the 14 of us as they were not preparing anymore extra food. Thereafter,with our half filled stomachs,we proceeded to check into our respective rooms. I am not sure about the others but my room was totally horrible.The toilet was equipped with a water heater shower and a toilet bowl but the tap that was supposed to turn on the water heater shower was stuck and i had to rely on a tap meant for washing legs to bathe. Next came the toilet bowl which was unable to flush as no water came out. So i could only fill up a pail provided and thereafter use the water in the pail to manually flush the toilet myself. That was not all. Then came the room which was air-conditioned alright but the only problem was,the air-con wasn't functioning correctly and the only air that came out was normal room temperature air. Thankfully,my room that i shared with jj was linked to the room next door inhabited by 2 of my ncc friends. We ended up opening up the link so that we could not only go over easily but we could use their shower which was working while at the same time,being able to enjoy the cooler air that flowed over from their room which had a better functioning air-con.In the later part of the day,we did some exploring and a few of us ended up going on the trekking trip to the small waterfall as we felt that since we had paid for it,might as well go for it. Well,i must say that it was a choice badly made as not only did the waterfall not have any water falling,it was also very dirty and the trek there and back allowed us to fill the stomachs of many mosquitoes.We emerged from the forest once again,each of us badly covered in mossquito bites. We then proceeded to explore areas of the beach where the tide had receeded and ended up making a seafood platter out of the various sea-life that we found there.Thereafter,we went over to the resort's swimming pool which was poorly maintained and played a game of wrestling water polo. After a bath,it was time for dinner which was slightly better but still insufficient to fill all our stomachs. We then took a walk around the resort's premises before heading over to the local village which was located just next to our resort to catch the live match between manchester united and liverpool in which manchester united defeated liverpool 2-0,woohoo! After the match,we retired back to our rooms and some of us ended up playing black jack while i chose to have a heart to heart talk with some of my friends. That concluded the first day of our stay on the island.

The second day commenced with breakfast which was much better followed by a speedboat ride over to another small island nearby where we snorkelled and took in the sights of a coral reef. There,we saw things which we could never see in singapore's waters. Right under us was a huge coral reef filled with corals,fishes,sea urchins and other inhabitants which we did not manage to see. Although it was not colourfull like that of the great barrier reef,the beauty of it all left us amazed nonetheless. After that,we then headed back to the resort for lunch before awaiting our next activity--a fishing trip in the deep sea further out. With our fishing lines and bait in hand,we set off on board a fishing boat to our fishing locations,previously marked out with floating buoys to represent that previously,there have been instances whereby large schools of fish gathered in the area.Everytime the boat came to a halt,we would cast our fishing lines into the ocean however for the fist few locations that we went to,none of us caught anything. Then came this fishing location just next to some rocks. Upon casting our lines,many of us managed to reel in fishes,despite their small size.After about 3 hours of fishing,we had caught quite alot of fish but at the same time,some of us had started to experience the effects of sea sickness,including myself. I was feeling dizzy and the feeling of throwing up was gradually building up inside me. Slowly,we stopped fishing one by one as we were feeling unwell. After awhile,all of us but the boat captain and Xie Lao Shi had stopped fishing. Just then,one of us threw up overboard. Sensing that the others may follow suit, we then requested to return back to dry land. Thankfully there were no further instances of anyone throwing up. Along the way,we also managed to catch a glimpse of the beautiful sunset. When we returned,it was time for dinner and thereafter,as usual,some of us went on to play blackjack while the others either went straight to bed or in my intance,went on to talk amongst ourselves.With that concluded day 2 of our trip.

The 3rd day saw us waking up in the morning for breakfast before heading out to the open space just next to the dining area for some beach volleyball,minus the beach which was now engulfed by the tide.After that,we went back to our rooms where we packed up and prepared for our journey back home. After an hour of boat ride and another 3 hours of bus ride,we arrived at a location very close to the causeway. There,we dug into our own pockets for a meal of seafood which all of us really enjoyed. Having filled our stomachs,we continued on our journey home.So that concluded our 3days,2 nights trip to pulau tinggi. We finally understood the reason why when we arrived on the island,those few who were leaving had such an expression on their faces. It was because they were disappointed by the facilities and conditions of the island. That things turned out not the way they had expected to see. But nonetheless,i'd still say that the trip was enjoyable,because i still got to experience things i would never have the chance to and at the same time,i was able to go on a trip with my fellow NCC friends. Cheers.

20/10/06

I headed for the zoo that day as planned at about 2pm. On my way there,it started to pour. On one hand,it meant that i would not be able to take a walk within the zoo itself due to the weather but on the other,as seen from a christian point of view,the rain meant that it was God himself showering blessings upon me. Well,i chose to be positive and ended up believing in the latter. Upon arrival,i enquired with the visitor services booth and was handed a form for me to fill up.I realised that there were some sections i had to leave blank mainly because i had no prior working experience and the skills and awards that i had received were rather limited.Thereafter,i was put through a one to one interview with one of the zoo staff whom i believed was a seasoned show presenter as i seemed to have seen her before,perhaps on one of my trips to the zoo. The bulk of the interview was mainly about she listing out the job expectations and scope as well as enquiring about the reasons for my application etc. Then came the part where i was asked to read a passage off the night safari brochure. Things went along rather fine until i encountered some problems with one of the words in the passage. Guess i was just too nervous till i was unable to pronounce it properly. Anyway,i finally got over it after correcting myself about once or twice. Thereafter,she explained that if i were to get through this initial round of interview,i would be given a chance to pair up with one of the professionals for about 3-7days as i try to learn the ropes of outdoor presenting. Thereafter,i would be put through a second round of interview where i am supposed to decide if after the brief attachment,i still find the job suitable for myself. If i make it through then,i would then be able to join the zoo as an outdoor presenter. As for now,the road ahead seems unknown. She only told me that she would contact me by this friday to inform me of the outcome. Nothing more was mentioned. I now eagerly await for friday to come,without any knowledge about how well i had faired during the interview. From my point of view,it was rather alright. Only problem was the passage part as well as the part when i was asked if i had any questions. As usual,at the spur of the moment,i was unable to think of any so i just said no. Hopefully she would not put too much emphasis on them but instead give me an oppurtunity for me to prove myself and see if i am cut out for the job. As for now,i can only wait,and believe that it was God's blessings that rained down upon me the other day.

It has begun (19/10/06)

Now that i have started my ORD leave clearing,i have also set out on doing what i had planned to do,that is to look for a job,preferbly something i enjoy working as that will last me from the time i officially ORD till before school term starts. I signed up with recruit express,a job agency whose corporate office is located at Ngee Ann city tower A today. Basically all i had to do was to provide my particulars and some of my qualifications,the rest of the job finding work would be the responsibility of the job agency. They would notify me of any possible jobs and it would be up to me to decide if i would be keen to proceed for an interview with the company that has shown an interest in me. Unfortunately,as far as i had gathered,the agency only caters to jobs dealing with sales,public relations or office work. Not the kind i was very keen in. Hence i had stated that i would prefer a job that was more engaging,rather than one that required me to work behind a computer screen the entire day. At the same time,i have also been flipping through the classified ads section in the straits times newspaper,hoping to chance upon some jobs that may be of an interest to me. I had happened to take notice of an open application to be a show presenter at the singapore zoo and hence,i would be proceeding down to the zoo tomorrow for a walk in interview. Now thats the kind of job that i would love to hold. Not only is it interactive with members of the public,i also get a chance to be around animals,cool huh? But somehow,i feel that landing the job would be tough,given the fact that i cannot start work immediately and that i have no concrete acting experience except for story telling in primary school,haha! But i will still give it a shot nonetheless,afterall,it is something i'd really yearn to do,so no harm trying. Furthermore,since i would be making the trip all the way there,i might as well use the oppurtunity to visit the zoo,although i would be alone,but it doesn't matter because i love that place=). Wish me luck!

It came and then it went.

The day is the 17th of october 2006. Today was not only the day of my ORD medical checkup,it also marks the birthday of my cousin alvin who turns 20 this very day as well as most importantly,it marks the the very last shift that i will be performing during my NS stint in the police force as come the 18th of october,i will commence my ORD leave clearing right up till the official day that i ORD,the 11th of november 2006. Well,the day commenced a little slower than normal. I had the priveledge of waking up later,40minutes to be exact as i only had to report in time for my medical checkup at 8.45am instead of the usual 7.30am which i normally reported for morning shift. As such,by the time i arrived at NPC,everyone was already out on their rounds. After changing into my uniform,i then made my way to Tanglin HQ where we were subsequently loaded up into minivans and transported to the old police academy for our medical checkup.When i was there,i met lots of my old friends,friends i got to know both during my first 3 mths of in-camp training as well as during the subsequent 3 mths of NPCO course training. We took the chance to do some catching up,to comment about how time flew,to joke about some of the interesting things that happened during the period of time since we passed out from camp. Most importantly,we were discussing about when each of us were going to commence clearing our ORD leaves. One by one,we gave dates pertaining to our last day at work and when it was my turn and i mentioned that this very day was the last day for me,there were some "oOoooOs" and "AAaaaAhhs" as some of them exclaimed that i was so lucky as they still had a couple more shifts to go. Yes,i was lucky as compared to those who would commence their ORD leave clearing later than me but the truth was,there were already a handful who were already on leave for several days. Now it was my turn to be envious of them and at that moment i commented about how wished that the medical examination would take longer so that by the time i returned back to my NPC to commence my shift,half the day would have been gone. That drew laughter from some of the people around me. In the end,contrary to what i had hoped for,i returned to my NPC with more than 2/3 of the shift to go. But that didn't really bother me actually,i was just focused on doing my job right,of going through the day smoothly and witnessing a well deserved closure to my "NPCO" life. Things went along rather smoothly and by the end of the day,i had driven about 100km as i shuffled between my patrol sector and other places,attending various messages which both me and my partner were despatched to. Then came the time for debriefing after a hard day at work. It was the time which earlier in the morning i was looking forward to,the time when i would return my weapons and equipment for the last time during my NS stint. However,something was amiss. I was not feeling the sort of happiness which i had pictured myself to be feeling. I was not overjoyed at being able to bid my NS life farewell,of saying goodbye to the people and things that have made up a significant part of my life for the past 1 yr plus. Instead,deep within me,i felt sad,sad that it was time to part,sad that it was time to leave this phase of my life behind. Looking back,i had really grown alot in the force,from a complete idiot in terms of police work to an officer who is now more proficient in his patrol duties. But one thing is for sure,i would not be where i am today if it wasn't for my team mates who over time i have come to regard as friends as well as family members in this second home of mine. They were the ones who had imparted the relevant knowhow to me,the ones whom i had weathered thick and thin with,whom i had i had joked and laugh with and most importantly,whom i had come to respect with time. My heartfelt thanks really go out to each and every one of them no matter how big or small a part they had played in this journey of mine. All i can say is that as i near the end of my NS road and begin to set foot upon a new path in life,i will definately be missing them,missing the times we all spent together. but one thing is for sure,i will try to come back in future to visit them,as long as they are still around in the NPC,and for as long as they can remember me. Many thanks to all Toa Payoh NPC team "charlie" personnel. I am gonna miss alot of things about my life in the police force,but most importantly,i am gonna miss you guys.

13/10/06

Haha,the day marked my 20th b'dae. And just for the record,it was a friday,so that makes it friday the 13th! wahaha. Aniwae,i wasn't so superstitious about it. Afterall,with a birthdate on the 13th,theres no telling how many fridays will i be marking my birthdays on. Lol,so got to ignore about the break a mirror and it is several years bad luck theory. But for your information,i haven't broken any yet,lol. Anyway,i marked my birthday by going to town in the afternoon to shop for presents for my 2 younger brothers who coincidentally the youngest one shares the same birthdate as me only that we are 11 years apart while the other one will be celebrating his on the 4th of nov. I found it interesting that on my own birthday,i was out hunting for presents for others but then again,who said that there was any wrong in doing so? So i ended up buyig a krumpler sling bag for my younger bro but unfortunately for my youngest bro,i was unable to find anything suitable for him so he had to make do without a present from me..sorry bro. But at the same time,he being still a child at just 9yrs of age,had also searched his school bookshop for something for me but to no avail, so in the end,it was a draw for the both of us,lol. As for my younger bro,i think looking at me read dan brown's davinci code gave him an idea on what to get for me so in the end,i received yet another of dan brown's novels,angels and demons. I am not complaining about the gift,really,just curious at the fact at why he had arrived settled on it. But as usual,i really appreciate his thought and yes,i will be reading it. Thanks bro=). As for my parents,i had the chance to choose my own present which was beneficial because this way,i could receive something that i really wanted. Of course many gifts came to my mind which included a pair of rollerblades. But evaluating them one by one,i figured out that amongst them,the item i needed the most was a windbreaker. Not only for the upcoming trip to australia in december,but also for my future,when i study in university and beyond...I am really afraid of the cold you see. So as things were,i received a nike acg windbreaker which i purchased from the b.i.r.d outlet in suntec, saw rod monteiro,the class95 deejay there. So back to my birthday,in the evening,my family and i went to a japanese restaurant whoose name i cannot seem to remember but it was located at eastcoast park,just next to long beach seafood restaurant. Had a really sumptuous meal of sushi,udon and shoftshell crab,yummy. So in the end,the day ended like that,simple as like any of my other birthdays but it was nice,to have it spent with family although it would have been nicer if there was someone else special in my life to celebrate with me as well. But nevermind that,we'll see how in the future. As for now,i enjoyed the day as i turned 20 and my sincere thanks to every single one who had wished me and remembered this very day as my birthday=). Thanks guys,really appreciate it=).

A day of movies,games and err...walking.

On 11/10/06, jj had asked me out after his tuition had ended. We decided to meet up at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station at 9pm. Having no plans in mind at first,we eventually settled for a movie titled "scoop" before proceeding to the nearby parklane mall for lan games which took us till 3am on 12/10/06. Initially,we were supposed to leave there for home but jj mentioned that he was hungry and suggested going over to Lau Pa Sar to eat. We ended up taking a cab over and were greeted by scores of closed stalls upon our arrival there. The only choices available were dim sum,seafood,ban mian and fish rice. After some considerations,we chose seafood and ended up ordering stingray,clams and white rice. After our hearty meal,we proceeded to take a walk through the CBD area and along Boat Quay towards Clarke Quay MRT station as our night rider buses were supposedly found there.Along the way, we took several photographs and reminisced the times we spent with our ex-girlfriends in the area. Showing one another the places we would usually hang out at,memories of the past came back to our minds. Arriving at the Clarke Quay bus stop,we waited for about half an hour without a single bus in sight. Sensing that something was amiss,i then walked over to the bus information board and was shocked to find out that night rider buses only operated on fridays,saturdays,sundays and public holidays. As it was only 4plus in the morning on a thursday,we were still 2 hours away from the first bus or train that could take us home. We then decided that we might as well "route marched" our way back to Dhoby Ghaut MRT station so that we could time our arrival to coincide approximately with the first train. When we finally reached Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, a check of the map revealed that we had travelled about 5-6km on foot and we were still about 40mins shy of the first train's arrival time. After some aimless walking around the station's premises, it was finally time to board the first train home. So with that,it concluded a day of movies,games and walking for the both of us.A valuable lesson with regards to the operational hours of the night rider was learnt. Other than that,we had lots of fun staying out late at night. Care to join us in the future? Lol

Looking back..

The other day, me,my 2 brothers and my mum were at the dinner table having dinner when we started on a topic about grades as my brother had returned home from school after his mathematics paper 2. Apparently,my brother had not prepared for the paper well enough and as such,he had gave an indication that he may not be able to pass. My mom then lamented that it was because of his playfulness and unwillingness to concentrate in his preparations that had led to such an outcome. She tried to comfort him by telling him that now it was too late to regret as the papers had already been handed up. Furthermore,since the results were not out yet,there is still the possibility that he may still pass. My mum then advised him to be forward looking and to work harder for the other remaining papers so that he could still salvage the situation should his mathematics really fail to pull through. Somehow,in the midst of the conversation,my mother made a reference to me and how my dad had sometimes used me as an example to preach to this brother of mine to work harder now so that in the future,when he reaches my stage,he would not live with regrets of not being able to make it to a school of his choice etc. True enough though,looking back at what i have done,i really regret then ignoring the constant requests by my parents to study hard and to cut down on my playtime. I regretted having not concentrated when i ought to and ultimately ended up having to live with my falling grades as i progressed from primary to secondary to tertiary school. Looking back,indeed i have made several wrong choices that led me to where i am today but then again,i am sure that anyone who is a human being would make mistakes in life. I just hope that in time to come,i would not repeat these mistakes once again and perhaps,as my parents continue to use me as an example for my brothers,they may come to realise that at this moment when they have not reached my stage in life,there is still time for them to pick themselves up and avoid taking the same path that i did.

"WORLD TRADE CENTRE"

Taken from: http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/blworldtradecenter022806.htm

The story:

After the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001 only 20 people were pulled from the rubble alive. 20 people. Port Authority Police Sergeant John McLoughlin and Officer Will Jimeno were numbers 18 and 19. World Trade Center is their story, told through the eyes of Jimeno, McLoughlin and their families. There’s no political agenda or finger-pointing. World Trade Center is very simply a tale of hope, courage and survival on one of America’s darkest days. The film begins with the central characters going through the mundane motions of preparing for work, lining up for duty, and then heading out on patrol. From there the events of 9/11 unfold with the officers racing to the Twin Towers. Focus shifts from outside the Towers to inside, swiftly narrowing the story to spotlight a small group of Port Authority officers led by Sergeant McLoughlin (played by Nicolas Cage). Of course the officers don’t have a grasp on the full picture and, without knowing just how bad things will ultimately become, set out gathering equipment for a rescue operation that never has time to materialize. They get no further than the concourse level when the Tower falls. McLoughlin and Jimeno (Michael Pena) become pinned 20 feet below the surface under piles of twisted metal and burning rubble. Critically injured, the men spend hours keeping each other awake as their families cling to the hope they’ll somehow make it out alive.

Taken from: http://movies.about.com/od/worldtradecenter/fr/wtcreview080806.htm

The cast:

Nicholas Cage, Michael Pena, Maria Bello, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jay Hernandez, Michael Shannon, Stephen Dorff, Stoney Westmoreland, Frank Whaley

My comments:

The movie is based upon the true story of 2 port authority cops namely SGT JOHN McLOUGHLIN and WILL JIMENO who managed to survive the 9/11 disaster that striked America in 2002. Trapped under the rubble of the world trade centre 20 feet away from the surface, the 2 of them only have one another for company. Having sustained injuries to their bodies and gradually losing consciousness,they try to stay awake and alive by talking to one another. Topics covered included family and personal life. While all these are ongoing,the movie also focuses upon the plight of their loved ones,of their wives and children who are eagerly waiting for any news that may shed some light on their situation as well as upon a united states marine who followed his intuition to become a volunteer in search of possible survivors that eventually led to the discovery of the 2 trapped officers. Be mindful though not to expect to see the re-enactment of planes slamming into the twin towers or the events that took place as the towers came crashing down. On the other hand,since this movie is dedicated to the human spirit as well as to the importance of family in our lives What you will witness may be entirely different from what you originally expected. Instead of seeing a show about the world trade centre as the title of the movie suggests,viewers will be treated to a story that is rather untold of. It is a story about survival and how people can overcome adversity and unite as a single group to help those in need. It is also about how there are people out there who would rather risk their lives just to save the lives of others because they believe that they are there for a reason. Although the show was alittle draggy due to the numerous dialogues, it had nonetheless managed to convey it's intended message across and i was deeply touched at certain points of the show. 2 areas i feel are worth mentioning are 1)the part whereby the 2 trapped officers were hoisted out to safety and a human chain was formed to slowly hand carry them out by stretcher and 2) the part when Sergeant John Mcloughlin finally saw his worried wife once again at the hospital and he commented " you kept me alive" as it was the thought of her that kept him going. I teared when it came to those 2 parts of the show because in 1) , along the human chain,everyone was giving well wishes to the 2 who were rescued and in 2) , i felt that it was really wonderful to have a loved one as the strength for survival. From these 2,we can clearly see how powerful the human spirit is and despite times of darkness brought about by the cowardly acts of terror,no amount of death or destruction can break the will of the human mind and the strong bonds that form when people come together for a united cause. Henceforth an interpretation of a quote from the movie that 9/11 not only exposed us to the evilness of the human heart which occurred in the form of terrorism,it also allowed us to catch a glimpse of the fundamental ingredient that makes up a human being.....Goodness,the reason why people stand united and go all out to help those in need. It is a truly inspirational show worth watching but once again,do not expect to see any action.=)

Who says cats and rats were enemies?

On the 2nd of Oct 2006,while i was doing my patrol duties during my night shift,i stumbled upon something interesting. The following photographs will give u an idea of what i saw and what was so interesting about it.


As you can see for yourself in the pictures,the cats and rats were literally side by side. Now who says cats and rats are enemies and how true is it to say that cats love to eat rats? Haha,go figure=P. Anyway,just to let you guys know,the pictures were not edited in a way that either the cats or the rats were delibeartely added. All these are genuine photographs taken with my handphone camera. The only thing i edited about the pictures are the words "cat" and "rat" so that you guys can see more clearly. Interesting huh?

Just to add on for night shift the other day,i was not supposed to work because i was on off but was eventually recalled as one of my colleagues had fallen ill and taken MC. The night was fine until something happened which i shan't reveal. Anyway,i am just hoping that things would turn out fine and that i would be let off easily. Afterall,i do admit that it was a mistake but definately not one which in my opinion deserves too much attention.

03/10/06

Went out with jj today to catch a movie as well as to play lan. The title of the movie was none other than ROB B HOOD,the latest Jackie Chan film which features a stella cast of actors and actresses.The following will feature an introduction to the film as well as some of my comments.

Taken from : http://www.loveasianfilm.com/images/robbhood_poster04.jpg

The Director:

Benny Chan

The cast:

Baby Matthew Medvedev, Jackie Chan, Louis Khoo, Michael Hui, Gao Yuanyuan, Charlene Choi, Teresa Carpio, Cherrie Ying, Yuen Biao, Chen Baoguo, Terence Yin, Andrew Lin

The story:

For never-do-well compulsive gambler Thongs (Jackie Chan), there’s only one thing more fearsome than debtors at his doorstep – having to coax a crying baby. But what if the baby becomes his golden goose to fend off his debtors? Can he overcome his phobia of diapers, milk bottles and cloying lullabies?Brought up in an impoverished family, and kicked out of school in his teens, Thongs found himself on the wrong side of the tracks despite being nimble-footed and neat-fingered. Spurned by his family and hounded by debtors, he is goaded by his greedy landlord (Michael Hui) to collaborate in harebrained heists. Together with the agile and opportunistic Octopus (Louis Koo), the trio kidnaps the baby grandson of a tycoon. However, due to some unexpected glitches, they fail to hand him over to the triad as planned. With the assistance of an angelic nurse Melody (Gao Yuanyuan), the landlord’s baby-crazy wife (Teresa Carpio) and Octopus’ teenage fan Yan (Charlene Choi), the macho men discover the joys of ‘Rob-B-Hood.’ When they realize that the triad is after both the ransom and the baby’s life, they decide to make their hostage their protege. Cornered by cops and threatened by ferocious gangsters, this trio of incorrigible merrymen embarks on a hair-raisingly dangerous and deliriously funny escapade to put the baby safely back in his cradle.

Taken from: http://www.loveasianfilm.com/features/robbhood_feature.html

Comments:

This 2hr plus show is not only actioned pack, hillarious but touching as well. The touching part of the show came towards the end when baby Matthew appeared to have been frozen to death and both Jackie's as well as Louis's character tried desperately to revive him. One's heart would literally be broken upon the sorry sight of the pale and motionless baby who during earlier parts of the show was ever so adorable and lively. Baby Matthew is the star of the show,with the most amount of appearances and the entire storyline revolving around him. Blessed with big bright eyes and a heart melting smile,it was no wonder that Baby Matthew was cast in the show and eventually had a $30,000,000 price tag tagged to him. On the whole,the show did a great job in capturing the attention of the audience through it's numerous fight scenes as well as funny moments which involved raising the baby. However,while watching the show,one may end up questioning the morality involved in the treatment of the baby as certain scenes appeared to have been somewhat cruel to the poor little guy. Even baby Matthew's mother,Victoria who was present on the set during the entire filming was said to have cried upon seeing how tired her child was from all the filming as quoted from Jackie Chan in an interview during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. But not to worry too much,as mentioned by both Jackie and the film's director, Benny Chan,alot of precautionary measures have been taken which included the use of dummy babies,the use of several Matthew lookalike babies as stand-ins and the presence of safety features during the filming to ensure that noone,expecially the little baby star was injured in the process of filming. Ultimately, i believe that the movie has accomplished what it had set out to achieve. Not only has it become a hit among viewers(judging from the number of people watching yesterday),it has also managed to convey it's message across,that even bad people could sometimes still remain on the right track of life,that they ought to be given a chance to turn over a new leaf. At the same time,the movie also showed us how hard it was to raise a baby and that we should show our appreciation towards our parents for bringing us up. To sum it all up,i'd say that the movie is a must see if you are a baby lover and a sucker for comedies and action packed movies. As for the specific details,i shall not dive into them but instead leave it up to you to watch and decide for yourself if it is truly worth your movie ticket price.Haha!

Taken from: http://www.loveasianfilm.com/features/robbhood_feature02.html