Thursday, November 30, 2006

My mistake...

I should not have went to view her friendster pictures out of curiosity.After looking at the phtographs inside and seeing how happy she was,i just felt a sense of emptiness and loss in me.On one hand i am happy that she has found her happiness,on the other hand,i lamented the fact that i had made some really wrong choices and perhaps wasn't able to give her the happiness that she truly wanted.But the good thing is at least now she has gotten what she wanted,gotten the things that would truly make her smile. It was the right thing for her to move on.Perhaps i should too,or rather i already have but some part of me still lives in the memory of the past.Got to stop this curiosity feeling of mine and stop visiting such webpages that will make me feel the way i am feeling right now.

4 days on and counting


Ah,today marks the 4th day of work at the singapore zoo for me. And it's also another milestone for me because today,i donned the uniform for the first time. Wahaha,some of them commented that i looked quite smart in it..is it true? Lol. Anyway,i was informed by my superior that this saturday,i would be doing the bird photography section all on my own and next monday,i would commence my actual job as a token feeder and i would be out all by myself,giving commentaries about the animals. No help whatsover so it is do or die,haha. Kinda scary to think about it but i guess this has to do be done sooner or later. If i don't take this step,never can i ever live up to the requirements of my job.So i still have another 4 days to go to memorise my scripts,pretty much completed already but i still have problem making my commentary fluent..hope all these will be resolved by monday or the visitors will be listening to a spoilt "audio tape" having pauses and stuff.Lol. The day at the zoo ended off with a splash as well and it was really what happened as i was thrown into the pool located in the amphitheatre(the one for the perfomances). Apparently,this is a practice for all newcomers but before that i was already aware of the matter so i just "surrendered myself",wahaha. It was a nice cool refreshing time in the pool for me especially after a long day of work in the sun most of the time.The rest of the guys also jumped in with me and we ended up having a fun time in the water.The picture above was taken on the buggy at the end of the day yesterday,check out the macaw in the caage behind,thats paris,a female blue gold macaw=).More pictures to come in the future...

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Actually....

Well actually,i've already started my work at the zoo. It's been 2 days already. I started yesterday,the 27th of nov after receiving msgs from my superior earlier on Sunday asking if i could start work the next day. So what i did was i replied that i was able to but i still have not memorised all the scripts. She stated that it was alright as she would start me off in another section first,with the birds at the bird photography area. So for now,everyday i would be at the bird phtography area which is located near the extrace,interacting with both birds and visitors and asking them if they would like a picture with the birds,haha. But it is fun as i get to learn alot of new stuff to do with the birds. In the meantime,every available free time that i have is devoted to script memorising. 2 more scripts to go and once i get the hang of it,i'll be out on my own! Wahahaha.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

A day of get together and celebrations



Yesterday,the 24th of november was a special day. Special in a sense that a few of us church friends and friends of friends got together to throw Yasmin a surprise birthday celebration as her's had just passed not long ago on the 13th. All along right up to the moment she stepped into her own house,Yasmin was clueless of what was going on. Well,she has Jessica to thank for organising this event and allowing us to get together. Infact,i also have Jessica to thank because i have not met a few of them for almost 2 years. Anyway,the night was filled with fun and laughter as we sat down at the table together to have our dinner which was prepared by a few of the girls. In the midst of it,there were also ongoing interviews and free consultation sessions.Thereafter we adjourned to the "playing arena" as Yasmin had put it which was actually the living room where we played games and watched television. For a moment i had thought that i was going to lose my voice as i kept laughing. We even celebrated Yasmin's nephew,AAron's birthday as his was just round the corner on the 28th. Sadly though,time really flew while we were enjoying and before long,it was rather late and a few of us had to leave for home. But well,i really did have lots of fun and it was nice to meet up with them again. Perhaps we could have another gathering soon?
Surprise surprise!

Presenting the birthday cake to Yasmin. Check out that surprised/happy look on her face.

Star of the show,Yasmin.

Aaron with his mother and his very own birthday cake.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

It finally came through

After much waiting,the call from the zoo finally came through. I was informed that i had been selected to join the team as a part time member.But infact,there wasn't much of a difference between a part time member and that of a full time member. Basically,the only difference was that full timers had benefits as both groups did the same things and worked the same number of hours. So over the phone,i was informed to memorise the remaining of my scripts and to contact my supervisor on monday to let her know when i can start work as starting work will mean that i only have 1 day of buddy system left and after that,i am all on my own! Running the whole token feeing commentary by myself! And worse still,a new directive from the management was passed down--we were not to use cue cards as aid which means that either i have everything up in my head or i can end up freezing before the visitors. Wow stress man! So for the next few days,it will be intensive memorizing for me. Got to be ready if i want to start this exciting and fun job soon. Back to the scripts!

I guess i just can't forget completely

Although it has really been quite awhile,i guess there are certain things that i really can't forget no matter how hard i try. Every now and then,when i happen to be at certain places or when i end up doing certain things or even watching others,the memories just keep flooding back. I believe i am not the only one who is feeling this way. Even my good fren JJ is feeling the same,rite JJ? Haha..i am sure many other people,man or woman would feel the same too.Took 147 home from dhoby ghaut today after playing lan games with JJ.Along the way,i did the usual,with my mp3 playing,i just looked out of the window at the night life. It so happened that when the bus went by serangoon bus interchange,i suddenly thought of the past. About how after sch,we would just take 81 all the way to this interchange,then take 81 back again as it would pass by her house and i would see her home.Sounds ridiculous eh? But to me,i felt that it was nice to be able to spend just some quality time with her,even if it was used on a worthless bus ride with no exact destination in mind.Haha,those were the days. Suddenly the memories just hit me like that and this is not the first time. The Bugis junction toilet,the clarke quay bus stop,the clarke quay stretch of river,esplanade..Ah,all these places just make me remember those times subconsciously. It's not like i did it on purpose but these things just come naturally. I wonder how are things going on for her. I suppose it won't be as frequent as mine. Afterall,she is now attached so perhaps she will not be reminded about the past as much as i do.Maybe like the way JJ put it,the only time we will really start to move on proper would be the time we find ourselves another girlfriend. Haha,sounds so crude eh? Call us assholes if you want to but i doubt simply trying to forget on our part is ever enough.And don't get the wrong idea,finding a new girlfriend isn't about using her as a substitution. Rather,it is for us to really start life afresh,to love another and to build the memories from scratch once again.That is if we really find someone else that is..In the mean time,while both of us are still single,i guess once in awhile these memories will still come back on their own. Theres nothing much we can really do. Just for the moment,we can smile to ourselves and be glad that it happened. Thereafter,it's back to reality again.=)

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

One night stands

Every now and then,the topic of one night stands will pop up and most people will associate it as a product of clubbing. In other words,people will tend to think that after a night at the club,whether drunk or not,some couples will just head on over to hotels or even their own homes where they would engage in sexual activity which does not involve any form of love. And mind you,the term "couples" here is in no way a reference to 2 individuals who are in love. Rather,it refers to 2 individuals who happened to get acquainted at the club and in the heat of the moment,decided to have a little "fun" by taking things to the bedroom. I have spoken to some people and although the general consensus is that they would not participate in one night stands,there are still a few who feel that if a girl were to offer herself to them,they would just seize the chance and get over and done with it. Afterall,it is for pleasure and there are no strings attached.One need not fear about having to bear any consequences unless the girl gets pregnant that is.But even so,there is still such a thing as an abortion isn't it?Sadly though,society is shaping into such a way that having a one night stand is now a norm,or rather,part of a lifestyle. If you engage in it,welcome to the group of "normal people" but if you don't,people will view you as an outcast and may even mock at you for being a whimp.However,this has left me thinking if it is really necessary for us to engage in such activities to be really considered as part of society.I guess it is because of this senseless thinking that has led to a huge jump in sexually transmitted diseases.Individuals are no longer practising manogomy and some even have sexual partners numbering in the hundreds. There are even people who view having sex as a form of race--the more people you sleep with,the higher you are on the podium for sexual conquests.The pressure for individuals to take part in one night stands is overwhelming. Friends who have experienced it will try to tempt those who haven't to try it by boasting about how great it is and how if they do not participate,they would not be able to blend into society. And like how i have heard it before,some will even comment that it is "not worth it to die a virgin".Sounds stupid huh,but the truth is,that is what is going on out there.And more alarming is the age at which individuals are losing their virginities.Someday,we may just wake up to a world where sexually transmitted diseases are as common as the human influenza.At our age,we may all feel that it is fun and perfectly normal but the thing is wait till we have become parents ourselves. I am sure that we do not want our own children to engage in such activities and be exposed to the deadly sexual diseases. Who knows? Perhaps when it comes to their generation,having sex at the age of 12 is considered the norm? Henceforth,something has to be done if we want to protect our young.

Which is which?

Love with sex or sex with love? I guess this is an issue that has got the world puzzled recently. For your info,love with sex basically means that with sex,one hopes that love will blossom from there and as for the latter,it basically means that sex is a product of love that exists between 2 individuals.In the past,there was only one ideology--that sex took place only because a couple was in love and in the process,they wanted to get intimate with a possible plan for babies,except for prostitution that is. But the sad thing is that in modern society,this ideology has been perversed. Some individuals,mainly the females have ended up believing that by offering their bodies,they may be able to make their partners love them.Interviews with some of them that are featured in articles has allowed some light to be shed on the distorted believes of these women.I recalled reading about how one girl mentioned that she was pressured into having sex with her boyfriend because he had commented that "if she loved him,she would do it with him".Yet another mentioned that she decided to have sex with her boyfriend because she felt that by doing so,"he would love her more".Although i am not for the idea of having premarital sex,i am not a staunch opposer of it either. Afterall,society is freeing up and i am sure in the process,people's take on this issue is constantly changing.What i am deeply saddened is by the way these ladies actually treat their bodies. Although their partners may not respect them and their bodies,the least is for them to respect themselves a little. But i can't say that they are entirely at fault.I can understand how much they actually love their partners and all they are asking for is to be loved back as well. However,the thing is,i am sure that there is another way out to all these and if their boyfriends really love them,they would understand their position and accept that sex will only come if love exists.To me,this is the very basic of mutual trust and understanding. If it cannot even happen,i feel that the relationship shouldn't even be there in the first place at all.Ladies,is not worth it being with someone who cannot even respect you for a start. I am sure that there are many better guys out there=)

Sunday, November 19, 2006

19/11/06

Was surfing the net when i decided to just blog a little over here. It is a sunday by the way and my whole family is at my Grandmother's house. I decided to stay behind as "the sum of all fears" is screening later at 7pm on channel 5 and at the same time,i could so some memorizing with regards to the scripts. So far,it has been about 3days since my attachment concluded and i have yet received any news about when i am supposed to go back. Although they did not give a clear indication whether i was part of the team or not,from the words they used and the way they went to the extent of putting us through an attachment programme,it seemed as though we had already got the job. Well,i chose not to be overly confident about the matter and as such just stuck to the original belief that they would contact me real soon. Perhaps they wanted to give us a longer break but i was not going to take any chances. For the past 3 days,i have been trying to memorize a couple more of the scripts and to date. I have about 3 almost firmly at the back of my head. Well,there are several more to go but to me,i feel that it has been a good start. Afterall,it has been so long since i last memorised this much amount of information for presentation purposes.The last time i did something like that was in primary school,for story telling and even then,all i had to remember was a story. Unlike now where there is much more information to memorise. Although it is a little tough,having to recite the scripts either out loud or in my heart over and over again,i am looking forward to the day when i am finally ready to put all these memorising to the test. Perhaps by then,even when i am facing a crowd,the words can just flow out easily as though i was singing some song that i had stuck in my head. As for now,it is time to get back to memorising and in the meantime,we'll see when the call for me to go back will come through.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

16/11/06--Shagged out but it was fun


Today is the third and final day of my 3 day attachment at the zoo to the animal presentations department. Well,actually,it was a form of on job training. I was being trained to be a token feeder -- someone who would give a live commentary about the animals while the zoo keepers went about feeding them. So the past 3 days basically was about me following one of the more seasoned token feeders around the zoo,to the various exhibits so as to listed to them present and get a feel of how the job is like. Other than that,i had the oppurtunity to go behind the scenes and even had the chance to help prepare the food for some birds,wahaha.During this period of time,i got to know my fellow token feeders as well as some of the keepers and other staff over at the zoo. It was pretty tiring especially when the whole schedule for the day was very tight and i had to make my way from exhibit to exhibit entirely by foot. Time was also of the essence as punctuality was important and we had to make sure that no matter what,we would get to the exhibits in time to start the commentary. And that is not all. As a token presenter,we are required to memorise scripts for our commentary and the actual figures i have yet to count. And within just 3 days,i have almost memorised 2 of which one i have presented to the manager of the department to listen. Haha,in the end,he commented that i knew my facts alright but the only problem was that i was a little too nervous but with ample practice,i would be able to overcome it. So with that,I concluded my 3 days attachment to the zoo which i felt was really enriching as i had managed to learn alot of new things. As for now,i can only await the outcome of the attachment and anticipate when they would call me back once again.

Monday, November 13, 2006

ORD loh!


The date is the 13th of November 2006. It is also the day i reverted back my status to becoming a civilian..Well,actually I had done so 2 days ago on my official ORD date,11th of November 2006. Today is basically the day for my dekitting or in other words,the day that i return all my police related items in exchange for my pink IC and a certificate of service. So i spent most of the day shuffling between my NPC located in Toa Payoh and my Tanglin Divisional HQ,returning stuff and having forms signed. Thereafter,i went home for a short rest and at 5.30pm,i was out again,this time making my way down to Newton Hawker Centre to meet up with my ex-teammates from Toa Payoh NPC team charlie. They had planned a dinner celebration to mark our ORD as well as a token of appreciation for our services to the team."Our"in this instance is in reference to the 3 of us NS personnel who ORD around the same time namely myself,Amin and Kelvin. I was there on time and before long,everyone who should be there had arrived.Dinner consisted of rice,satay,stingray,la la,friend baby squid,lemon chicken and kangkong. The food may seem little but the price tag added up to a whopping $210. As the 3 ORD personnel were exempted from paying,the bill was divided among the rest of the guys,10 regulars to be exact so each paid around $20.After the meal,it was time for some photo taking and thereafter,we all went our seperate ways and headed home. Although it was a short while,meeting up with the guys and girl was a very pleasant experience. We talked and laughed and did some minor catching up. It may be the last time that i would see some of them,but for the others,i hope that i would have the chance to meet up with them sometime in the future. Thanks guys for the well wishes and most importantly,the memories.
Like a couple! haha,nah..that's Salinda,our only female police officer in the team,she's already attached.But i have to admit she is pretty.
Haha,candid shot,taken when Salinda wasn't even ready.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

A day at sentosa


11/11/06 was the day me and another 8 of my ex-NCC friends went to sentosa for a day of beach volleyball. Well,the number of people who went could have been more if it wasn't for personal committment,duty,work and illness. But nonetheless,i was already very happy with the number of people who turned up. At least it shows that i am not such a failure at organising such outings...haha. Anyway,the meeting time was scheduled at 10am but by the time everyone had arrived,due to some unforseen circumstances that i shall no elaborate,it was around 10.50am,lol. So we made our way over to sentosa. Entrance was supposed to be free if we had taken the shuttle bus for a family day carnival which my dear friend yiqin had helped us obtain tickets for.However,we had all unanimously agreed upon taken the actual sentosa shuttle bus instead to cut short the waiting time and in the end,we had to each pay $1 instead of the usual $3,all thanks to the family day ticket again. I felt that it was well worth it given the shortened time that we were required to wait. Upon reaching our destination,we headed towards the part of the beach which was known to have volleyball courts and along the way,we encountered the family day carnival site. A stop by the food redemption booth saw us collecting our lunch. Thereafter,we went straight for an empty volleyball court which was located within the grounds of the carnival site itself.It didn't bother us that there were many people around us and that some of them may have been watching us play. Neither did it bother us that we were inexperienced players and that the volleyball was flying all over the place.All we knew is that we were all having fun. All of a sudden,the sky started to darken and storm clouds loomed in the skies not far away. We were commenting that it would definately rain soon but judging from the cloud patterns,it would not last long. Not long after,it really did started to rain. First it was just drizzle,soon the rain came down like bullets. At that moment,we heard the MC for the carnival announce that according to the weather services,it was predicted that the rain was only passing showers and soon it would stop.For a moment,we were optimistic that what he said was true but when the rain did not stop after 15minutes,we started to lose hope. The rain was pelting down as heavily as before and the skies seemed just as cloudy. There was even thunder and lightning and boy was the wind blowing strongly. But we were not concerned of the weather that had enveloped the area. We were not even bothered that visibility was bad as rainwater kept entering our eyes or that it was very cold due to the strong gusts of wind that swept through the rather naked beach. All that we had in mind was our game of volleyball. We just continued with our game when many others had took to the shelters. For a moment,we seemed as though we were the main attraction on the beach,with noone else in the open but us,shouting and laughing amongst ourselves.After about an hour or so in the rain,we finally gave up.The lightning flashes above our heads coupled with the never ending barrage of rain drops convinced us that this was not a passing shower but rather a storm that would last for quite sometime.The cold that was now rather unbearable forced us to head towards the toilet so that we could bathe and change out of our wet clothes.After our baths,we realised that were still stranded as the route to the bus stop out of the area was a good 1km walk or so in the open where it was still raining.Suddenly,we caught sight of people donning ponchos and we figured that there may be ponchos as gifts in the goodie bags which we had yet collected.True enough,after redeeming our goodie bags,amongst a handful of other gifts,we found ponchos,our life savers out of the area! We quickly donned the ponchos and headed for the bus stop where we took the family day carnival shuttle bus back to the mainland. We ended up at harbourfront centre where we stopped over at pastamania for a quick meal before taking a walk around vivocity. Thereafter,someone from amongst us suggested that we all sat down for a coffee. The starbucks outlet at vivocity was full so another suggestion came up that we proceeded down to either eastpoint or TM instead. I was reluctantat first,especially since these 2 places were out of my way when i could just take the NEL back to hougang where i lived. However in the end,after some persuasion,i figured that it would be nice for us all to sit down and chit chat over coffee. So we ended up at eastpoint where the crowd was lesser. We had a great time chatting among ourselves,reminiscing the past as well as talking about some other topics in life. It was really nice to be able to catch up with the rest and i am sure that they would agree with me. On the whole,despite the bad weather,i'd say that it was a very enjoyable day today.With such a rare chance to catch up with one another,i felt that the day was well spent and it was well worth every effort to organise this outing. Hope to have another outing real soon,this time with more people perhaps?Cheers to you guys=)

Thursday, November 09, 2006

The unexpected

Refering back to my earlier post after my zoo interview,i was asked to wait till that friday for a reply however i never got it hence i assumed that i had lost the chance to undertake the job. However,the most amazing thing happened. On saturday,04/11/06,i had received a call from the lady who had interviewed me,informing me that i was required to go back down to the zoo on monday,06/11/06 for another round of interview with the manager. I readily informed that i was able to make it and after hanging up the phone,i kept commmenting about how i had never expected to be given another chance,especially since it was more than a week ago since i was supposed to receive a reply. I was really thrilled and excited that i had made it through the first round and meeting with the manager meant that my interview was progressing to yet another level.Like the first interview,i made my way to the zoo in jeans and t-shirt. I don't know if it is because the zoo is located in the catchment area or is it just as simple as God blessing me on my way there but this time round,it started to pour again when i was just about to reach.And as magical as the first time,after arriving at the zoo for a few minutes,the rain stopped falling and the sky cleared. I chose to believe that it was the work of God and through it,i sought peace and motivation. This time round,i was very early for the interview,45minutes to be exact. The interview was supposed to be at 3pm but i was already there around 2.15pm. I just took the time to look around the entrance area where i was asked to wait,formulating my answers for possible questions that may be posted to me. In the end,i gave up doing so,choosing to leave it all to simple fate and God to help me along. In the midst of it all,i noticed an indian lady who had taken a seat next to me. I noticed that she was clutching a folder and she was dressed in office wear. For a moment,i thought that she was the manager passing off as a tourist so that she could observe me before the interview but i brushed that off as simply ridiculous.Turned out that she was also there for the interview just like me but our dressing seemed to be 2 worlds apart but i was unconvinced that i had dressed wrongly as afterall,i was applying for a job at the zoo and not at an office. We were then ushered to the office block where we met up with the manager. I guess it was partially my nervousness coupled with the coldness of the air con that made my hands icy cold. But all throughout the interview,i kept my composure. Listening intentively to what the manager,assistant manager as well as my interviewer on the first occasion had to say. The contents of the interview was almost the same as the first,asking questions,listing out the requirements of the job and not forgetting reading out an extract from a passage. This time round,i was much more pleased with my performance. Before concluding the interview,i was informed that they would contact me either the next day or latest by the day after. The interview then concluded with a handshake with the manager and i left for home thereafter. The next 2 days were like the longest days of my life. I was eagerly anticipating a phone call from the zoo,informing me of the outcome of the second interview. But i realised that they might not even contact me if i did not manage to make it through. I did my best to keep my mind off the matter,believing that it was not up to me to decide if i could make it or not. Rather,i chose to believe that if it was meant to be,i would receive the call but if it wasn't,then i would just have to accept things as they are and continue with other forms of job hunting.Tuesday passed and then it was wednesday. I realised that subconsciously,i was looking at the clock in my room,taking note of the time as the day went on. At first it was 12pm,then it became 3pm and not long after,it was 6pm. Night fall soon came and when i still did not recieve any news about the interview,a part of me was convinced that i had failed to make it through. However,another part of me chose to cling on to the possibility that they may have been delayed in their notification and a phone call may just come in the next few days. Despite still having such a belief,i could feel the disappointment in me. I was sad that this could just be the end of it,that the dream of working in the zoo would be dashed. Everytime i had this thought,i would try to dispel it and tell myself that i had to accept it. My mother also constantly reminded me that in life,especially in society,things would be like that,that many a times,we would come face to face with failures but no matter what,life still had to move on and i had to face it to get back up again. She was right and my attitude towards the whole matter took a turn. I was now with the belief that if i could be given a chance,it is a blessing from God and if i couldn't,then so be it. It would simply mean that i was never meant to undertake it. But once again,all praise to God,i received a phone call at around 5pm on thursday informing me that i would be called back to the zoo for a 3 day attachment starting next tuesday. This in other words meant that i had made it through the second interview and all that is left is this very last hurdle. If i could prove my worth during the attachment,i would then become a part of the zoo. I was really elated at the news and i would be looking forward to next tuesday. I am excited about what i would be exposed to during that period of time but i will be reminding myself that no matter what happens,i will have to accept it. If i make it,great. But if i don't,let this all be a part of my memory. Of an experience that i was really blessed to have.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Tank revamp on 04/11/06

The was the day i did a major overhaul on the interior design of my fish tank.It was not really a good time to do so,especially when 2 pairs of discus had just spawned(mentioned in earlier entry). I was really afraid that disturbances to the tank may cause the discus to abandon their nest sites but thankfully that did not happen. I had no choice but to implement the tank changes as the plants i had ordered about 1 week ago was due to arrive and a delay in planting may cause them to die. Hence,i had to proceed as planned but throughout the entire process,i took extra precaution not to startle or cause too much distress to the 2 spawning pairs of discus. The following photographs are of the new tank layout.Enjoy=).

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Proud parents


Quite awhile ago,i had noticed 2 pairs of discus fish in my tank displaying what i believed were signs of courtship but as i had never kept discus before,i was not really sure if i was right or wrong. However,on the 2nd of Nov,i was informed by my mother that one of the pairs had actually spawned(laid eggs) at one corner of the tank. I checked the said location and true enough,several eggs amounting to about 100 were seen attached to the aquarium wall. On the 3rd of Nov,I was amazed to find that the other pair of discus had also spawned,this time at the other corner of the tank,on my surface skimmer instead. Over the course of the past 3 days,i have been observing both groups of discus and they have been seen closely guarding the nest site as discus are known to be very good and defensive parents who will look after their fry for a couple of weeks till they are old enough to fend for themselves. This morning,3days after the first pair of discus spawned,i went to check the nest site again and as my discus information book had described,the eggs had hatched! Like the book had mentioned,the discus fry had hatched after approximately 72hours of incubation. A check on the other nest site showed that the eggs were still in the same state,with no visible changes. However,their continued presence meant that within the next 24-48 hours,i should be able to expect the eggsa to hatch as well. In the meantime,i will be closely monitoring both nest sites and i will be praying that the fry from both pairs would be able to survive. Though i am aware that it is impossible for all of them to survive,i am hoping that some of them would be able to make it through. It will be tough though,judging from the fact that i have several other fishes in the tank but perhaps with such caring and defensive parents like discus,the fry would stand a much higher chance of surviving.

Friday, November 03, 2006

"So others may live"

This is the motto of the rescue swimmers from the United States Coast Guard(USCG) and it was featured in the movie "THE GUARDIAN" which jj and i caught on 02/11/06. I found it really inspiring especially when the core duty of the USCG was to provide search and rescue operations in freak storms and natural disasters like that of hurricane Katrina.The bravery and dedication of the men and women in the USCG are pushed to the limits as they risk their lives "so others may live".Below is the movie review,enjoy=)


The story:

After losing his crew in a fatal crash, legendary Rescue Swimmer, Ben Randall, is sent to teach at "A" School, an elite training program for Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. Wrestling with the loss of his crew members, he throws himself into teaching, turning the program upside down with his unorthodox training methods. While there, he encounters a young, cocky swim champ, Jake Fischer, who is driven to be the best.

Taken from:http://sg.movies.yahoo.com/The+Guardian/movie/13752/

The cast:

Neal McDonough,Sela Ward,Kevin Costner,Melissa Sagemiller,Ashton Kutcher

My comments:

The movie showcased the possible training regiment of the rescue swimmers in the USCG. From it,i managed to get a glimpse of how tough and demanding it was to be a rescue swimmer.But i was not suprised that the training had to be this way,considering the fact that as rescue swimmers,their duty was to pluck people who were stranded in the sea.More often than not,these swimmers have to overcome large waves and undesirable weather conditions in order to reach their victims hence they have to not only be fit but also possess the kind of bravery and dedication that is required of them to risk their lives to save others. The movie also tocuhed on the individual lives of both Ashton kutcher's as well as Kevin Costner's character during the movie. About how they managed their own personal relationships with their loved ones.As their job requires them to be ready for duty upon activation,rescue swimmers hardly have the time for their own personal committments. This is evident in Kevin Costner's character's life. His loved one left him because he was unable to commit to the relationship. Many a times he had been sounded out about the matter however his dedication to saving the lives of others has kept him in the USCG as a rescue swimmer and as suchy,his relationship with his spouse deteoriated. The same was the case for ashton kutcher's character who only mantained a non-serious relationship with a lady he met at the bar.The relationship only involved sex and some minor dating. However,the death of Kevin Costner's character at the end of the movie to save Ashton Kutcher's character turned things around. Ashton kutcher's character realised that as much as he had wanted to save the lives of others,his desire was also to enter a serious relationship and be with the one he loved. Although the movie did not state clearly if he decided to quit his job a rescue swimmer,judging from the fact that he was carrying a large baggage in his hand and from the way the story unfolded,i guessed that ashton kutcher's character decided to give up rescuing others to rescue his relationship. The movie's plot in my opinion was a little expected. I could recall how during the movie,i had told jj that in the end,Kevin Costner's character would die,just like the way it was in most other movies where the lead actor would not live long enough till the credits rolled out. But i must applaud the movie for it's dedication to the life and training of the rescue swimmer as well as men and women of the USCG. It has alllowed us to appreciate the sacrifices made by these people and from there,i could feel my respect for them growing from deep within me.It may be a form of propaganda but i chose not to see it this way. Whatever it is,the show had it's touching moments,expecially towards the end. Do stay behind during the credits for a tribute to the USCG personnel as well as to listen to the movie's theme song by Bryan Adams,entitled " never let go". Other than that,i would say that the movie is a must see,so catch it while it is still at the cinemas or you could just wait a little longer for the VCD to come out.Hehe.

All pictures from the movie taken from :http://sg.movies.yahoo.com/The+Guardian/movie/13752/

02/11/06

At about 9.30am today,i was awaken from my slumber by a phone call. Apparently it was my job agency consultant who had called me to inform that the application for the job at Singapore Press Holdings as an admin assistant had been turned down because i did not have the necessary experience. Subsequently,she also informed that she had jobs to offer me at the malls of centrepoint,eiither at centrepoint mall itself or at compass point mall.My job was to work at the redemption counter for a temporary period starting from the 11th of Nov(my ORD date) till the 24th of Dec.It sounded good enough for me so i gave her the go ahead to send my details over. After hanging up the phone,i realised that i would be away on holiday from dec 16th till the 26th as such i called her back to check with her if she had earlier taken note of the matter. Apparently,it had slipped her mind as such she then told me that i was henceforth unsuitable for the job. At the same time,she informed me that there was another job available at centrepoint mall itself. As a playcentre assistant. She did not really give me the details but only informed me that basically i had to work retail hours and my duty was to supervise the kids that were playing at the playcentre,ensuring that they did not injure themselves. I felt that it was a rather interesting job as such i gave her the go ahead to send my application and details over as well.Never did i expect that at around 11.30am,i received a call for her saying that she had managed to schedule an interview for me at 2pm later in the day. I was shocked at the speed but agreed to go for it nevertheless as i was going to meet jj later in town for movie anyway. After some minor rescheduling,i arrived at the interview venue--centrepoint mall management office at 1.45pm. Apparently,my scheduled interviewer was not around so someone else took the place and interviewed me instead. I didn't even got to know the name of my interviewer but throughout the interview,she basically highlighted my duties and asked if i was willing to fulfill the requirements. I was then informed again that my duty was to ensure the safety of the children who were playing there.Some may find it simple and stupid but well,i feel that it sounds fun! Imgaine being able to interact with the kids and shoppers,now that is what i want,being able to interact with members of the public. Nevermind the fact that my pay would not be that high,like what i believe,it would be purely for the experience. So after the interview,i was informed that they would inform me of the outcome either by the very same day or by the coming monday but never did i expect them to inform me at 3.20pm,just about an hour after the interview to let me know that i had been shortlisted for the job.I was amazed at the speed at which they had given me a reply. Perhaps like what jj said,it could be because noone was applying for it or it could have been like what my mother said,i am too good looking that they wanted to hire me immediately...Just joking...now please stop vomitting. Anyway,whatever the reason is(although i choose to believe in the latter,haha),i am really glad to have landed the job,my first job! Lol. but come to think about it,i don't believe the reason behind my shortlisting was like what jj said. Afterall,it is still quite some time away from the commencement date which means they still have plenty of time to go about choosing so yeah,there must be some reason behind it=X. Enough said,perhaps you may want to come down and visit me sometime then,lol.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Days of Glory





Though this movie review may be a little late,judging from the fact that i watched it with jj when it had just sneak previewed at "the cathay",it would still showcase my personal thoughts after watching the movie nonetheless.

The story:

The year is 1943.Saïd, Abdelkader, Messaoud and Yassir had never set foot in France before but because of the ongoing world war,they have volunteered to join the French army in a bid to free the motherland from the Nazi enemy.Like 130 000 other "natives",these heroes, who were forgotten by History, will vanquish in Italy, in Provence, and in the Vosges before finding themselves alone defending a village in Alsace right till the last man against a German battalion before reinforcements arrive.Born in Africa,these soldiers were never obliged to join the war as they are not true French people. Instead,they have all volunteered to be part of the coalition against the Germans,to fight a war for their colonial masters,for freedom and most importantly for a quick resolution to world peace.However,after enlisting,they realise that the war to be fought does not occur only on the battlefield. Instead,they have to fight a war within their own army--a war of discrimination against their own race and religion and most importantly against the fact that they are not true French.

The cast:

Jamel DEBBOUZE(Saïd).Samy NACÉRI(Yassir),Sami BOUAJILA(Abdelkhader),Roschdy ZEM(Messaoud),Bernard BLANCAN(Martinez)

My comments:

After watching the show,i felt as though i had learnt a new chapter in history.This being the fact that never before in my life have i actually heard this story about muslim Africans under French colonial rule having taken part in the liberation of France.All along,the only thing that i was truly aware of in the liberation of France was the occurance of "D Day",where the allied forces ammassed a large attacking force on the beaches of France as they commenced their push to free the rest of Europe. The movie is really an eye opener to me and it has made me realise that sometimes,what we are learning in schools which is supposedly about history isn't entirely the whole truth afterall.Some of the facts may have been deliberately distorted or ommitted along the way for a particular reason that i am sure we are all clueless about.Things aside,the show really depicted the dedication of the "natives" in their battle against nazi rule.Despite being oppressed at times just because they were not born on the motherland,these natives set out to carve out an equal treatment for themselves from simple situations like being able to have a tomato during meals to having entitlement to leaves just as their "true french" comrades enjoyed.The movie really did an in-depth exploration of discrimination in society and it has left me wondering if truly,there is the need for such differences in treatment to occur. Afterall,we are all living on the same planet,breathing in the same air. Why then the need for such divisions as to say that a certain race,skin colour or religion is more superior to others. If none of us were to be so mindful about all these,then i am sure the world would be a much peaceful and better place for us to live in.Maybe when that day comes,we will all then be able to truly unite together against a common enemy or threat. As for now,since some of us are still unable to come to terms with all these,i guess the racial violence and ethnic clashes that are going on in some parts of the world will still continue to exist.
All pictures from the movie taken from : http://www.festival-cannes.fr/films/fiche_film.php?langue=6002&id_film=4352781