Monday, August 28, 2006
Its good to be..
[9:17 pm]
..sent for courses where you can widen your contacts and learn new stuff..But the bad thing is when you still have to go back to the office and clear up the paperwork.
Take today for example, I was supposed to be on course till the 8th of Sep..and nobody will disturb me. But alas, to my naivety, my phone was ringing off the hook most of the time..and to make things even more interesting, I had to go back to office to clear off the backlog of paperwork.
Apparently most of my contacts in the force also faced the same problem..with most of them going back to office after the end of day's lectures. Now, some of us officers are thinking of using the unit's OA to access our mail...haha..that's how bad things are.
But at least most of my course mates are around my age, especially the officers..so the time easily passed by without any problem..the course is starting to look interesting, so lets see how it goes..
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Sunday, August 27, 2006
Finisher of 21 km half marathon..
[2:47 pm]
After training so hard, well..almost, I have completed the run!! I think it was all attributed to the fine weather we had, plus the fact that many people were running together, which gave me the motivation to finish the run.
I feel that it's all of a mental endurance part as I managed for the first time in my life run 18 km non-stop before succumbing to muscle cramps at the last 3 km. Had to slow down to a walking pace, stretched before attempting running. I never had the intention to give up as I knew the end was just there..to give up when the end is near was not acceptable.
I hobbled across the finishing line at a time of 2 hr 30 mins, which compared to the others wasn't spectacular, but was an achievement to me. I was running for myself, to challenge my limits, that I could do it if I put my heart and soul onto it..
And I did it..
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Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Workaholic?
[12:42 am]
It was brought to my attention that I am a workaholic..I am working too hard..I need to take a break..all these stuff..I don't understand why they are saying this.
I always feel that I am procrastinating in my work..things that need to be delivered within 48 hrs of inception would be sent out a week after inception..and I always felt that there ain't enough time for me to do my stuff..often without being disturbed.
Sometimes I wonder whether it's because of my inability to prioritise the tasks on hand or I am putting things off till the last minute. I am often gnawed by many things on my mind, which often leads me to question my own work efficiency. So much so, that I come back on my off-days to attempt to finish up those work.
The best time for me to work would be..yes, during weekends, especially when I am doing duty. That's the only time when I am at my most efficient, clearing up to a day's worth of work, even with sleeping breaks in between..guess I will volunteer for my weekend duties in the future..haha..
Work aside, I have managed to sort out things on the home-front, since no.3 got his licence, he can take over some of the "duties" that I am doing for now..on the relationship-front, I did managed to let her know that we need to talk..which we will do so soon..so hopefully things will work out..
Labels: Grumblings
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Monday, August 21, 2006
Tiring weekend..
[5:26 pm]
That is..after handing over my duty to the incoming duty personnel..wanted to go for coffee at Sengkang area..only to find the place socked in with people..grrr..detoured to an alternative place for prata instead...
Spent the afternoon playing beach volleyball with some colleagues before embarking for my AHM training at ecp. I think for runs more than 10 km, it is prudent to have a running companion. I can tell you, after 10 km, my calf muscles were making their complaints felt, through the endless muscle-pull, which called for a short-timeout to stretch before running again...
But I was glad that I managed to complete an estimate of 14 km, maybe more..it was a torture, but it was a learning experience..managed to capture some lessons which will prep me for the AHM this coming Sunday. Lessons learnt include:
1. Have plenty of water before the run. Start the rehydrating process a week before the run to build up plenty of water reserves.
2. Stock up on the energy aspects by having alot of carbo-rich meals such as pasta, rice, noodles..sure don't want to feel hungry while running.
3. Replenish on fluids during and after the race..drink those isotonic drinks to aid in the recovery..don't gulp down those cold water which is provided enroute..it will give you stitches when running..just use it to wet your lips..
I think with all these tips..hopefully I should be able to complete the run..wish me luck!!
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Sunday, August 20, 2006
"That others may live"...
[11:51 am]
A motto from one of the most elite units in the world today..the pararescuers of US..an apt motto when the world we are living in are much more dangerous and uncertain nowadays.
It always disgust me when people question our loyalties and our abilities to fight. They tend to think that, we, being untested, would throw down our arms and turn tail when faced with war. People always questioned why we had the need to invest in such sophisticated and expensive hardware and training like there's no tomorrow when we do not have any wars like the Middle-East. What they don't understand is that we spend so much and train so hard is to ensure that we are prepared. While I wished that we would not have to fight for our right to exist, when the button is pressed, we are ready to fight for our freedom.
People will also never realise that while they are out at the pubs over the weekends enjoying their drinks and oogling at the chicks, a small group of people are burning theirs ensuring that these bunch of fun-lovers are able to have fun in peace.While some may lament about having to do weekend duties and not being able to spend time with their loved ones, all of them do know the importance of their roles..right down to the rifleman guarding the camp premises. Something heart-warming came from a blog that I chanced upon somewhere which was dedicated to his girlfriend; "I would have loved to (celebrate your birthday) but the reason i'm not there is so that you'll live to see your next birthday."
Now, with these type of soldiers around, please don't question our willingness to fight and our loyalties ok?
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Thursday, August 17, 2006
Life can still be good..
[10:34 pm]
even when things go ape-shit. As long as you keep telling yourself that things will just become better and not worse. Even if it turn for the worse, how worse can it turn to?
Take me for example; One of my car tyre was punctured while I was on the way to work. I was left with no choice but to drive to a multi-storey carpark nearby and proceed to change to the spare. But no matter how I tried, the car jack just won't come out of the mounting bracket. So, I left with a punctured tyre, a spare wheel and no jack...and I was late for work..
In the end, I had to holler for help in the form of good ole' friend Derrick..sorry for waking you up so early in the morning and coming all the way down to help me. With his help and his jack, we managed to change the tyre. By the time I reached office, it was nearing 10.
The next job was to reorganise my office cubicle and clear out the junk that my predecessors left me with..and mind you, almost all the outdated documents were classified which under regulations, had to be shredded. All these came up to one big pile which my poor clerk will have to do the next day. The best thing was, I couldn't log into my intranet after so many tries..guess tomorrow I would have to call tech support for help again..haiz..
On the way home, I saw someone standing in the middle of the road with hands stretched out, hoping some blur-f**** driver will run him down. Who would in the right frame of mind would do that I wonder? My personal take on this is that if you want to die, don't make it other people's problem..the guy who runs you down will face the wrath of the law and his own conscience for the rest of his life, while you are floating somewhere in the heavens above..
Furthermore, what's so bad till you have to seek death? Even though life can be tough on us, there would always be means and ways to resolve them..death is not always an option.
Think about it..
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Sunday, August 13, 2006
Tired..
[9:26 pm]
It had been a pretty eventful weekend..one which culminated in lots of late nights..here's the breakdown;
1) Friday - MOS for a get-together with my uni mates. Well, my personal opinion of that place? Not a place for me..was it the music? or am I starting to lose interest in clubbing? Either way, I reached home at 3 in the morning after catching up with my mates.
2)Saturday - Joined some friends for roller-blading at ECP..which, sad to say, was a disaster. Total round-up? 3 miserable-looking chaps left with the impression of being played out..at least the evening segment was much more meaningful..spent the evening jostling with the crowd and setting up my camera tripod to catch the fireworks..only to find my tripod was a tad too low for my liking..and there were just too many people!!
In the end, resorted to hand-held mode..the pictures taken were definitely worst than the ones taken during NDP..what a waste of time!! Still had to negotiate through 20 minutes of traffic chaos in the carpark before I could hit the expressway to pick her up from her function.
The air-crew training sure has transformed her into someone even more beautiful and elegant person. But, to me, she's still the same old blur and lost gal that I have known many moons ago. She would be going for her on-job-training in October and I am sure going to miss her lots..not that I don't now.
She's working doubly hard to ensure her graduation and it doesn't help that she's required to attend all those social functions organised by the superiors to gauge the trainees' socialising skills, with demerits given when one don't attend many of those functions.
I do really hoped that we could spend more time together, but like I say always, it's all time and space..haiz..
Labels: Grumblings
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Just for YOU...
[2:51 am]
These three words..may sound strange to you when I told you that..but it means a lot to me..
It means that YOU hold a special place in my heart, that YOU are the ONE..the ONE that completes me..like a final piece of jigsaw fitted into my overall jigsaw puzzle of life.
Sharon,yes,you are the one..you complete me..
Labels: Matters of the heart
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Wednesday, August 09, 2006
NDP 2006..
[10:35 pm]
Yup, finally it's all over..well, what's my thought on this issue?
First things first..the people I worked with were splendid..and it gave me many opportunities to mingle with people from different military and civilian organisations..
Secondly, I felt that we were all contributing to the success of everything..no matter how small our contributions were..that each small piece of puzzle will fit into the overall big picture..well..I won't be involved next year, so I will be able to take a break and enjoy the next one..at the same time, appreciate all that had been done to make it possible..
Leave you all with some of the photos I took during the parade;
F16s salutes the nation
Apaches salutes the nation
The awesome fireworks..
That brought an end to the months of sweat, stinking uniform and of course, many burnt weekends..finally I can lead a normal life..clear the backlog of work and of course, spend more time with my family and friends..and when our schedule permits, her too..
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Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Leave Forecast...
[7:54 pm]
I was given the leave forecast the other day and that got me pondering..where to go for a holiday..hmmz..
I think I seriously need a break..away from the chaotic world..to recharge my mind and soul..to remind myself that I am not a robot, but a decent human being..one with aspirations..to be who I am..
So..where should I go? I am looking at backpacking Rome and Naples for 10 days..that is if I have enough leave on-hand..and if my boss gives the go-ahead..
Oh well..finally, tomorrow is NDP and after it's over, I can finally have a regular 5 day working week..damn..I need a break..
Labels: Grumblings
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Saturday, August 05, 2006
At the end of it..
[10:17 pm]
I am going back to work on Thursday and take the Friday off..The things I will do;
1) Wash and polish my well-neglected car. Big old boy sure looks tired, just like its master. So I will give it a well-deserved wash-down and polishing to bring back the shine.
2) Carry on with my training for AHM. I have only clocked 8 km so far and due to the weekend commitment for the Big Birthday, I haven't been running for a week.
3) Start on my scrapbook for my NZ trip.
4) Plan for my next overseas trip in Oct. Still looking for kakis though..
5) Get some form of social life back. I feel so alone nowadays with my weekend work commitment. Sometimes when my friends ask me out on Saturday nights, I am too tired to join them. And Sundays are family cohesion days..
Oh, how I can't wait for NDP to be over..
Labels: Grumblings
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Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Why am I so careless?
[9:16 pm]
Sent out so many documents without doing the proper checks as I was rushed for time. But that's not an excuse. As a professional, it is my duty to ensure that the documents had to be correct..yet just because I got flustered and didn't do the proper checks, I sent out the wrong documents!!
What does it reflect of me as a professional in the eyes of my subordinates and peers? That I am a careless and reckless person with no eye for details...sure doesn't do well for my reputation.
I feel so frustrated by my lack of ability to do things better...
Labels: Grumblings
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