Going on a trip!

I'm off to Thailand and Cambodia for a 10 days fieldtrip. Part of summer school. The programe has been somewhat packed. I averages 4 hours of sleep a day. Keep u posted. Seeya.

Just follow lah, not my problem.

The government regrets an error which led to a 20-year-old vandal being caned three strokes more than ordered in his sentence, but has rejected his family's request for 3 million Singapore dollars ((1.94 million US dollars) in compensation, a statement said on Sunday.

[Tomorrow Link]
[News Link]
[Oikono]

World-class system can also makes mistakes. You really think we'll never hang a innocent person? When that happens( it could well have had happened), it will make murders of us all. Everyone. No the system didn't do it. We did.

Hospitals just follow law?

There's a news report that suggests that a woman died because the hospital could not/would not give her enough blood. The family even got 200 people to show up to donate blood because they were informed that blood would only be released if they could get enough people to donate blood. [Tomorrow link]


Compare this with another report not too long ago where a recently (declared) deceased man was wheeled away to have his organs removed, against the wishes of his family. The police force acted, in my opinion, in a most unjustified manager. [Tomorrow Link] [The Matrix Island Link]

Our health care, like all our government branches, seems a tad impersonal and uncaring. No?

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.

In-Camp Training

Be back on the 29th.

Recommendations

Tis to share my love of Kevin Smith's movie. I was hocked after Alex showed me "clerks" which he find, and I agree, to be a deeply existential movie. I was moved, because in a very depressing way, that's my life. Hey, I see all sorts in my line of work as a customer service officer.

Another reason I like his movie is because of all the recurring themes I like, homosexuality, religion, vulgarity...

Kevin Smith is an incredibly funny man and his story is the source of many a young artist inspiration. Check them out:

Clerks (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109445/ )
Mallrats (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113749/)
Chasing Amy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118842/)
Dogma ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120655/)
Jay and silent bob strike back (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0261392/)
Clerks 2 ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424345/)

Also on my list of recommendations is the online comic strip: Sinfest
It's just the best. Calvin and Hobbes is well regarded by many as the best published comic strip ever. Well, Sinfest is too naughty to be published but I like them both equally. Calvin and Hobbes makes me feel and slow down, Sinfest makes me ponder and want to kick some ass.

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.

Bed Bugs!

OH MY GOD! I just found bed bugs in my sleeping mats! Thrown them out immediately. And clean and vacuum the place. Hopeful this is enough to get rid of all of them. I'll keep my eyes peep in the next few months to see if they come back.
And before you say I'm a pig, bear in mind that I'm a guy, it's natural that I pay less attention to things like laundry and showers, in view of more important things like computer games(I recently started re-playing Diablo 2, doing a ice-sorceress).
And seriously, it could happen to anyone. Anywhere. See it says so right here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedbug
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/