What's so good about in-camp training?

Nothing much, that's what. Ok, seriously. What me and a lot of people thought is that we should be way past doing all this night walk and digging stuff. We are really not so fit any more and the heavy load really is straining us. Lots of people took status, meaning they get to avoid training. This makes our fighting strength very small indeed.

On the other hand, I really enjoy taking time out to catch up with the gangs. Boy, how have we all growth. Relationship problems are common. Good news is that one of the boy got married shortly after and most of the platoon attended.

Work is hard. Everyone agrees on that. Not everyone has as much opportunity. I can still remember how everyone wanted to get away from the army, all those years before, where the future is still uncertain and beckoning. Now that the unforgiving outside life has taken its toil, there is the unspoken sentiment that army life between brothers is not that tough after all. There is certainly not much smiles on our faces when livelihood is mentioned.

Everyone seems to have growth kinder. I'm not sure if we have mellow and mature or if we simply glad to see each other faces again. People who have been tough throughout army life have suddenly become gentle, for lack of a better word. More polite. It could be because we have grown apart, but I suspect it's something else.

Maybe we are (secretly) glad to have a excuse to get away from it all. To shed away all our responsibility and burden, even for a while, and return to a simpler time. Perhaps it's a chance for us all to be with people who see us as just us. Without all our labels that we wear so tirelessly in day-to-day life. The actors that we are, we long for a chance to remove our mask, or at least put on a lighter one.

Maybe.

Where to buy balloons and pumps in Singapore?

Well I have this thing with balloon arts, not very good at it, but think it's fun.
So anyway, recently someone emailed me and ask me where to get the balloons and I typed out a reply that might just be useful for someone who is also searching for balloons. So I thought I'll just post a short part of the reply here, a sort of a faq if you will:

...Ok, the balloons. What we are using is called the "260", there is a thinner version called "160" and a thicker version call "350". The numbers, I guess you figure out, stands for the dimension. Stick with the "260" unless you have need for the other sizes.

There are a few brands, and some without brands. I usually go for the branded ones, but you have to learn to "judge" the quality of the balloons. Qualatex is the market leader and you really can't go wrong with it. Of course, they cost more. Recently I think there was a price hike. I used to buy a packet of 100 balloons at between $14 and $15.

You call get balloon and pumps at most party stores. There are several at the top floor of "The Concourse" shopping mall.

If you are looking for a wholesale supplier, try: http://www.bezballoons.com/
they are located at 62 Tannery Lane and can meet ALL your needs. I remembered buying a packet of balloons at $10 each, but you have to buy more than 10 packets.

Of course, if you like me nowdays, just want to buy a few packets once in a while, a very good place is Party City. They have 2 branch, one at Holland Village(shophouse 277A, level 2 Holland Avenue) and one at Raffles City #03-28. Raffles city is easy to get to, their balloons are cheaper(?) and sits in air-con which is good for balloons and more importantly, the sales girls are cute.

As for pumps, you should know that they are 2-way pumps and 1-way pumps. Up to you. Get a good Qualatex one at Party City for $9.90. I can sell you my brand new one for the same price if you want.

The cheapest pump I found so far that actually work quite well is at "Chia Nephews Toys Pte Ltd" at 4 & 5 Tan Quee Lan Street. It's 2 way and cost $4. A great bargain. Check it out, it's a very interesting shop run by a pair of funny brothers.

So there you go, you ask for one place and I gave you a whole parade...

These are just my option of course.

Mallsick

What's the deal with all those malls all over the place? Singapore seems to be overrun with air-conditioned malls. You can't get down from a Mrt without walking through one. There's a new one near my place, Ang Mo Kio Hub they call it. I can't stand the place and I have never been able to place my hand on why until now.
There must be like several hundreds of shops there and not one, none whatsoever, is a book store. Not one. And the thought disgust me. The endless shops selling shoes, bags, video games, jewelleries. And the food, OMG, the food stalls.
To me this just shows how shallow we as a people are(we as a people? Don't make me laugh). All we sick bastards do are eat and shop. That's our life. Buying bags after bags and shoes after shoes.
And we eat. Oh yah, we live to eat. My first reaction at seeing the foodstalls is: How can anyone eat this much? My next question is: How can anyone eat in THIS asylum of a place? The noise is enough to give anyone a headache. And when I have had a close look: How can anyone eat this shit?
The thought is depressing. If an alien lifeform is to document our existence, the report would be about a branch of short lived assholes who spend their life grabing money to buy stuff they don't use and eat and eat and eat.
I mean, common, where's the culture? Unless you count malls as a form of culture.
I blame this phenomenon on the observation that we, as a people, are not well educated. In fact, most people in Singapore does not recieve an education, but rather an instruction or a training. Schools teaches life skills, and since our life is all about making money, life skills = money making skills. If something doesn't earn you money, it isn't worth knowing.

Big things

You know, everyone is like: "I want to do this shit, I want to do that shit." And all the shit are important shit. You know, shit like saving the world shit, making money shit, famous shit, hero shit, educate the world shit, invention shit, you know, big shit. What about the small shit? Huh?
What if all the big shit in the fucking world is make up of small shit? Who's gona do all the small shit?
Have you heard anyone saying: "I wan be a taxi driver." No, dude. You only hear people say they want to be a chief Justice or a minister or shit like that. What's the fuck with all that?
Maybe that's what wrong with the world, everyone wanting to do big things and people doing the small things are so fucking piss with what they are doing that they do a fuck up job.
Hey, fuck. What if all the big things are make of small things and all the big important things are like fuck because all the small things are like fuck.
Maybe there are no big things. People just like to live with the delusion that they could do something important. Well, either all things are important or none of them are.
Fuck. Look at your life. Look at your fucking life. What makes you think you are all that important or better than anyone else?

New Tag

Decide to add a "General Nosense" tag, because, let's face it most of it IS.