Speaking of which, I have found a way to de-stress myself from all the hectic what-nots happening around me. introducing Estate Strolling! yes, it's a term i came up with and as the name suggests, it involves strolling around private estates at night for an hour or so. it actually helps me straighten my thoughts, rearrange my priorities in life and guess what, the best part is i can just let loose, feel the cool breeze of the night and just drift away with my feelings. well, maybe i can recommend this to people who are feeling a little under the weather lately because it just might be able to lift your moods and who knows, you guys might even see the light at the end of the tunnel?

okay, before i end this post (kinda abruptly 'cos i'm so tired), i'd like to share a quote from Bo Bennett and here goes. "Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very positive and essential part of success." woah, inspirational isn't it? hahaha. i know. so goodbye and goodnight!

aww man..it's been a really long time isn't it? the memories of my family taking the penguin ferry with me to tekong seemed like only yesterday. but yes, 1 year 10 months have passed and i'm really glad this is all over.

well, i believe i couldn't have gotten over the long and tedious 669 days without the help and companionship of great people around me. all of them came through different stages of my NS life. first up was my bmtc school 2 leopard coy platoon 1 section 3 mates. i can still remember all of us going through some of the toughest times together. those nights where all of us hadn't showered in 6 days and smelled like crap. yeah, literally crap. haha. but it forged bonds didn't it? and the bonds shall remain strong forever.

next, it was post bmt which i got posted to airforce recruitment centre at cmpb for a flying experience program or in short, FEP. hmm..FEP days were really fortunate for me as i was able to book out everyday while my other friends suffered in either sispec or ocs. oh, i made new friends too!

so, most of us eventually got past the compass test, medical and interview required for the pilot course and the next thing we know, we were on a plane to a place called tamworth. we, the pilot trainees had to take a flying test called the air-grading. those who passed, went on through to the next stage. sadly, most of us didn't. but the life there was the bomb! but sad to say, it was a once in a lifetime experience.

after that we eventually came back to singapore and went to airforce school. this was a time when i felt i couldn't get anymore bored in life because all we did was just sleep, sleep and more sleep! we were practically wasting our time there! and did i mention we could still book out everyday? hahaha.

too bad, what goes up eventually must come down and i got posted to sispec for a hellish 4 months. can't believed i managed to survive through all the rubbish without booking out less the weekends. haha. i really need to thank all my friends for being there whenever i needed someone to talk to. and most of all, a really big thank you to my family for going through bad times with me. this was the stage in which i truly understood the importance of peer support.

everything seemed like heaven afterwards as i got posted out to 18 DA as a signal operator. this was an airforce unit and life there was pretty good! though i was still required to stay in but there were nights out everyday, so it wasn't bad at all. haha. i made new friends again and i must say they are one interesting lot for some reason. heh.

well, i needed to go through the signal operator course before i could officially become a signaller. so all of a sudden, i was back to being a trainee again. but this time, i made really good friends and some of them were still really close to me until today. my course commander and course mates were the best of the lot and life as a trainee seemed really short-lived because of the great times we spent together. right on the very last day of my signal operator course, bittersweet memories came rushing through my mind. the thought of leaving my newfound friends made me really sad but another side of me was so glad that i had completed the course and could go back to my airforce unit, 18 DA.

OR SO I THOUGHT. that was when me and all the airforce guys were told that we would not be returning to our airforce units and would in turn, be transferred to a new unit called 12c4i. a sudden state of shock suddenly ensued and we were all desperately trying whatever means to get back to our previous units. but despite our efforts, we were resigned to our fates and had to report the very next day.

little did i know that i would go on to make even more great friends and right now, on this very day, after 8 months of living together, going outfield together, exercising together, laughing together, i had to leave them. it wasn't bad of course, as each and every one of us depart to our various paths, we would still remember the good days spent together as 12c4i battalion signal company csp platoon bunk 03-18. thanks guys, really appreciate everything. and i'm glad to finally say that i ORD-ED. =)

Pictures as promised!!! enjoy!

A Trip to Singapore Botanic Gardens

Maybe i need one of this to hide my emotions from the world.