Of Chelet, Heroes and Vesak Day

Well, Game One just ended. My HQ breathe a sigh of relief and a round of 'Banzai' was heard across the darkened parade square as we gladly handed over our stuff to the incoming HQ. Tomorrow's our turn to be the Executing Units and OPFOR...things should look pretty interesting from the other side of the 'curtain'. I grew a bit pensive as I reflected upon the enormity of what we are doing. Our jubilation at capturing our objectives was tempered by a big, fat red 'X' over a company of mechanised infantry to indicate the loss of that company to hostile fire. My DS pointed out that in an actual situation, 133 funerals will be held at the void decks of HDB blocks across the island...And as operations got underway, constant reports were streaming in from the fighting at CHELET with the number of KIAs and WIAs. And as I received those reports, I took a moment to reflect what it would mean in 'real' life...One KIA meant a wife whose husband will never again walk through the front door and kissing her, one KIA meant a girl whose father will never again lift her up and hugging her with all his might, one KIA meant a mother whose son will never again kiss her hand when they meet...Some of the skills I train to the greatest of proficiency I hope that I will NEVER have to use ...that is the irony in what I do...

On a lighter note, my entire syndicate is getting hooked on "HEROES". Although Season One had just ended in the States, some of those who only heard of the buzz lately are watching them, thanks in part to the culture of 'sharing' we have in the syndicate...ahem...I would rank 'HEROES' the same as 'PRISON BREAK' which just ended Season 2...So, Jefri...I know you're reading this...GO WATCH IT!

Vesak Day is around the corner and although we would have prefered a Friday 'off' or 'self-study' day to further lengthen our much needed one-week break next week, the powers-that-be have decided that Friday will be our After-Action-Review. Oh well...gotta make the best use of Thursday to spend time with the girls...maybe we'll swim in the morning...The First Daughter is already swimming without her floaties! And she loves jumping off the deep end of the pool and swimming back to the side and doing it all over again! Her weekly swimming lessons have certainly shown results! Or maybe it's the 'pulau' blood in her! Even the Second Daughter does not hesistate to put on her floaties and swims around without insisting that we follow her every move. But of course, underlying all this is the fact that no matter how good our kids are at swimming, we must NOT take things for granted and take our eyes off them even for a minute... Well, we've almost achieved one of the essential skills in life in the form of swimming...On to cycling next...Nothing like scrapping one's knees to build character!!!

Talk is Gold

I'm at one of my usual hangouts while waiting for the First Daughter to finish her morning ballet class. Long John Silver's is definitely not as crowded as McDonald's on a weekend morning and I come here for its huge bread. Furthermore, Wi-fi access in ALL McDonald's restaurants are temporarily down so it does not really have an edge over LJS now! I checked with one of the managers in McDonald's yesterday at Funan and she said that they are currently upgrading their network and it will last until June.

Anyway, back to my story. I'm sitting near the entrance and to my left are a mother and her son, enjoying their breakfast. And throughout their entire breakfast, there was something missing…yep…they did not say a single word…OK, maybe I'm exaggerating…they did say SOME words but mostly mono-syllabic ones and even then it was only after they had finished eating. And after they had finished eating…guess what…the boy, oh I say he's about pre-teen, whipped out his PS2 started banging away at its pad. His mom gave a cursory interest and then whipped out her Handphone to SMS! I mean, c'mon, they are just sitting face to face…and no real conversation was going on. I'm not one to judge people and I try not to jump the Ladder of Inference but sometimes one can't just help it. Anyway, I try to draw lessons from events that occur around me and I remind myself of the following:-

I. Spending quality time with your kids beats spending quantity. I mean, what's the use of facing your kids for like 2-3 hours but you are not interacting with them?

2. I will NOT give my daughters any handheld gaming devices to shut them up. These 'quick fixes' are only for the short term. And these things dull the mind. And knowing how kids are fascinated with technology and all the bells and whistles it provides, they will get hooked on them! In any case, I take cognizance to the fact that everything must be done in moderation.

3. Keeping your kids meaningfully engaged and occupied is a challenge. But it is something we as parents must always strive to do. I always ask myself why we do the things that we do with the kids. Is it to raise their confidence, is it to train their discipline or is it to raise their social confidence? Keep asking these questions and more and one will find that spending time with the kids more enjoyable and something to look forward to.

From Samar to Amirah

It was decided to hold our next Syndicate makan at Amirah’s Grill. Coincidentally, it is just opposite Samar along Bussorah Street! So this is gonna be more like a restaurant and food review. There are two Amirah’s Grill around that area, the older one being along Pahang Street. It was a cool Tuesday night as we trooped into the quaintly decorated double-storey restaurant at about 1930hrs. Leonard and Gabriel were already there. I had the good fortune to get a parking space right IN FRONT of the restaurant! The rest of the guys were still finding places to park. We were led to the 2nd floor and were seated on a row of chairs. Although much smaller than Samar’s 2nd floor, it was just a tastefully decorated and the ambience was just right for an evening of fun, laughter, catching up and camaraderie. There were 2 cozy corners that can sit about 10 persons each just like Samar’s. There were 2 groups of sofas with one having a television set! We looked through the menu as Lit Lam, Roy, Mei Kheng came in. We were later joined by Kamel, Kenny, Jason, William, Jefri and Chris. Only Sean and Willy can’t make it. There was a good spread of food. From the ‘relatively’ cheap $7.90 fish and chips to Turkish kebabs to $20 butter prawns which had the Navy guys licking their chops! To top that off, there was an option for a set meal at $20 each which included soup, pita and dips (hummus and one more that I can’t remember), a main dish and ice-cream/caramel!! Being typical Singaporeans, the 12 of us obviously went for the $20 set meal! The drinks came soon after we had ordered our meals, unlike Samar’s which took ½ for every request! And they were cheaper too! And came in pots…unlike Samar’s! The 2 dips with baskets of pita and bread soon followed. The dips were nice and had a tangy taste to it and were given in generous amounts. Before we had time to finish them, the main course came! I ordered beef steak (well done, that’s how I liked it), while the rest ordered mostly lamb chops and seafood platter. The 2 accompanying slices of potatoes were crisply done…nice! The steak was delicious and I finished every bit of it! I preferred it to be a bit more well done though. Kamel (our resident fighter pilot), offered me a piece of lamb chop just as I was starting to feel bloated…well, who was I to see good food wasted. We carried on talking for another half hour after the food was finished. Roy picked up the tab (from our Crab Kill bounty but that’s another story!) and we left soon after. A simple evening dinner with good friends…In summary, I would return to Amirah again one day (they even have International Buffet at $9.90+! from 1200hrs to 1600hrs every day!), for its ambience, fast service, good and cheap food…

The day after...

I'm at my usual spot @ McCafe United Square. Drinking my normal mocha latte...With a New York cheesecake...The sign at the counter states that the "Wi-Fi access is temporarily unavailable in this restaurant"...but I was fortunate enough that United Square has its own high-speed wireless broadband internet access...Gotta fetch the First Daughter in 7 minutes time so I'll make this quick...

The Samar Gathering came and gone. It was a huge success! 23 people came include the "budak"...("Oi! I'm not a budak lah...you are the budak!")...2 surprises were sprang and I can safely say that those at the receiving end of the surprises were caught off-guard...

Oh...I will include more later but I would like to thank all those who made time to come and enjoy each other's company...I would like to thank Boboy and Yati for collecting the 3 ice-cream cakes from Swensen's Bugis Junction, I would like to thank Rina for making the initial booking and inviting the rest, I would like to thank the other 5 dads who were there to lend support to the first suprise! And I would like to thank all those who I'm sure were cringing when I announced the start of the "Bear Game" but were obliged to play because they can't really run anyway, and they played anyway. And last but certainly not the least, I would like to thank my BH for being there and for being such a wonderful mother to our two princesses...Maldives here we come!

Samar Surprise...

Well, tonight's the night...there'll be more than a few surprises for the guests...last count is 26! Will update tomorrow!!!

Anzac Day

We celebrated Anzac Day today at the staff college with our brothers, John (from Australia) and Brendan (from New Zealand). They presented a short segment on what Anzac Day means to them. ANZAC (Australia & New Zealand Army Corp) Day is commemorated in Australia and New Zealand every year on 25th April to remember those who landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I.

I had the privilege of attending an Anzac Day event in 1998 when I was on an exchange programme to Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra, Australia. It was a dawn service and we stood at the Parade Square in RMC while the emcee read the names of all the graduands from RMC who had sacrificed their lives in the service of their country. It was followed by a procession in town by veterans from past wars that Australia had participated in.

Now, as it was then, I can see what an emotional and moving experience it was for those involved. During John and Brendan's presentation, I was deeply moved when I read a short poem by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's first president who, as commander of the 19th Division, led an Ottoman regiment in defence against the Allies. It honours the heroism and sacrifice of both the Anzac and Turkish troops who took part in the campaign. Written in 1934, it was Ataturk's tribute to those Anzacs who did not return from Gallipoli.

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives...

You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.

Therefore rest in peace.

There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us

where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours...

You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries

wipe away your tears;

your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.

After having lost their lives on this land.

They have become our sons as well.

Alhamdulillah

Alhamdulillah...We're as a family are very grateful to the Almighty...We wish that everything will go along as planned...Insya Allah...

Of Bears, Werewolves and Apple Crumble!

I'm SO should be doing my 3,000 word essay (almost 60% done) for my Conventional Warfare Studies paper due this Friday but there are more important things in life...like giving an update on last Friday first ever Cousins Monthly Gathering (CMG) to be held at someone's home!!!

Unlike our normal outings, we decided to gather at Rina's house last Friday for the CMG...It was to be an adults only event...no kids allowed...so those with kids in tow had to find 'creative' ways to temporarily 'dispose' of the young 'uns! This is where a healthy, harmonious and happy relationship with one's parents and parents-in-law comes in useful!

It was at about 2000hrs that the first batch of cuzzies reached Faurin's homely home (oh...most couples try cute combinations with their names...some work well like Fauzi + Rina = Faurin, Farah + Shafiq = Farafiq...even Azhar + Wan = Azwan sounds nice even if I don't actually see them using it...so would Anwar + Naziah = Annaz...but some shouldn't even try...like Boboy + Yati = Boti or worse...Boya!!!) Anyway, my BH and me fetched Boya and Annaz and the 6 of us reached Faurin's place with our contributions. I had earlier called for pizzas from Pizza Hut (4 boxes), Boya bought otak2 (I wonder how it got its name?!?) and Annaz + Farafiq brought bee hoon goreng and popcorn. Farafiq was supposed to come but unfortunately couldn't find a creative enough solution for their son! (Read: didn't manage to convince their parents/parents-in-law to look after their 'oh-so-chubby-I-wanna-pinch-his-cheeks' son). Having not had dinner...and lunch, I proceeded to give the spread of food a once over and then some...Adil and Lin (hmmm...what's her full name?) came a while later and brought some cookies (I had milk with these later on!). By then, we were already watching "Tenacious D" which I had gotten from *ahem* reliable sources...

I was the self-appointed GameMaster for the night and had prepared some games which I had thoroughly researched from the internet and also tested out during our last picnic during CNY (THAT is another story in itself!). We had also bought some party games from Toys R Us the previous week namely Party Scrabble and Pictionary Mania and were raring to try them out...It was already about 2200hrs but Lynn & Glen (whom we all lovingly call 'Usop') arrived a bit later with their chocolate fountain, marshmallow and apple crumble! They had like 3 big bags full of their stuff!!! Oh...of course not forgetting the drinks, ice-cream and Relaxed Chicken (ayam lepak) that the hosts prepared...Tanti came later as she had to give tuition in Sengkang! Way to go Tanti, no matter how late...no matter how far, she was there to be with us! (Hint, hint...;) So the 13 of us dutifully indulged in a night of fun, food and fantastic games!

Oh the games...well, we started at...get this...2330hrs! That's 11.30pm for you folks who have difficulty reading 24 hours time and need to do conversion! When normal human beings are starting to turn in, we started our games!!! A few other games were brought along by the rest...I saw Cluedo, Monopoly and Twister...In any case, we played Pictionary Mania first. For those who have played the 'normal' Pictionary, this is like 6 times better (as there are 6 different categories or types of play)!!! It was guys against gals and thru a sheer stroke of luck (as the planets were fully aligned with the moon) and because we let the gals have it their way so as not to discourage them from playing these games in the future, WE LET THE GALS WIN ;) We played 1 round and then we started another game...This was variously known as Assassin, The Murder, etc...but it essentially calls for people to find out who the 'murderer' that keeps 'murdering' people is. The group sits in circle and cards are passed around. Getting the card that is designated as the murder card would mean that the person is the murderer. All he/she has to do is to wink and 5 secs later, the 'winkee' (as opposed to the winker) falls to the ground dead! The rest tries to spot the winking in progress and votes the guy out...It was supposed to be a fun game but there was one thing that we had wrongly assumed...THAT EVERYONE CAN WINK! A wink is different from a blink...Blinking rapidly is NOT winking...Only those who were there knew who that person is! Hint: She moulds the future of our nation!!!

So we moved on to the next game. It was simply called 'The Bear' game! This was a game I saw a group of instructors from Hotel Wing (I was from Charlie Wing OCS and my sister company or wing is Hotel Wing) playing in Starbucks in an unnamed country after our end-of-frame dinner last year. I had always wanted to try it out with the cuzzies and had asked one of the ex-instructors to explain to me the intricacies of the game. So there and then, at 30 minutes after midnight (!), he was explaining to me about the Bears, Guru, Healers and Humans! As I understand from him, this game is the current rage in OCS. It's good as a time-filler. This game has the 3Cs in it! You try to CONVINCE people who you are, if not you CONFUSE them...if all else fails, you CON them! It was quite addictive and we played till 0400hrs!!! I had only 1 hour sleep the previous day...plus a short 2 hour nap in the evening after I had gotten back from work so all-in-all I had like 3 hours sleep in 48 hours!!! Anyway, Boboy and me decided to sent Tanti, Yati and Lin back home...I was zonked out and told Tanti to drive back to her place. Then, fighting the Z monster, we sent Yati and then Lin back to Tampines...then it was back to Rina's house to fetch my BH. We sent Boboy back and crawled into bed at exactly 0600hrs in the morning!!! It was tiring but fun, fun, fun...we'd do it again in a heartbeat...April is coming...Palm Gardens anyone!?!? This time we will start the games early!

(For a description of "The Bear Game" in its entirety, look at the post below. Thanx to LTA(NS)Faizal for your initial input and follow-up comments!)

The Bear Game

Objective of the game
The objective of the game is to kill/vote off the other Species. This game is about convincing, confusing and ‘conning’ people!

Species
There are two species: Humans and Bears.
• Humans
o Guru
 Knows at least 1 bear

o Healer
 Knows that only he is the healer
 Ability to heal anyone including himself during the sleep session

o Normal humans
 The default species

• Bears
o Can kill humans

Narrator
• The Narrator is neither Human or Bear and is neutral
• Acts as the game-master
• Controls the flow of the game

Game Sessions
There are 3 sessions to the game
• The Choosing Session
• The Voting Session (Day)
• The Sleep Session (Night)

The Choosing Session
This is where the Narrator chooses the Bears, Guru and Healer. This Session is only held in the beginning of the game. There should not be any conversation during this part of the game.
• All players sit in a circle
• Narrator tells everyone to ‘sleep’ (close their eyes)
• He chooses the players by tapping them in the following order:-

o Bears
 Once tapped, Narrator tells the Bears to open their eyes.
 Once the Bears have identified each other, Narrator tells them to close their eyes.

o Guru
 Next, the Narrator tells the Guru to open his eyes.
 Then the Narrator points out at least one Bear to the Guru.
 Then the Narrator tells the Guru to close his eyes.

o Healer
 Lastly, the Narrator tells the Healer to open his eyes.
 Then the Healer is told to close his eyes.

• Once all this has been carried out, Narrator then tells everyone to open their eyes.

The 1st Voting Session
This is the session where there is conversation and voting is carried out. The objective of this session is for the entire group to vote someone off.
• Once everyone has opened their eyes, the process of voting off someone starts.
• Once someone has been voted off, the Narrator instructs the group to go to ‘sleep’ (close their eyes)

• Questions
o Is the person who is voted off still in play? Does he open his eyes and just observe?
 The person voted off will not play anymore and he become the ghost and observes the rest of the games. He will not be allowed to talk and share his points during the game anymore.

o Who starts talking first?
 Anyone. Usually the bear will either try to stir shit or keep quiet or keep a look out for the guru. The guru may speak first and tell everyone who is the bear, however he will be in danger during the sleep. However if the guru can convince others that he is the real guru, the healer can try to heal him during the sleep.

o How long should this session last?
 It depends. When the game seems to be going nowhere, the narrator will start pointing and people and ask everyone to vote once. Point those whose name is being mention during the voting.

o And how is the voting off decided? By majority?
 Yes whoever has the most number of votes will be taken out.

o Does everyone talk in turn or all at the same time?
 All at the same time. But let’s say everyone try to kill off Ali, the narrator should let Ali say his final words. This may change everyone mind.

o What’s the role of the Narrator in this Session? Does he play an active role or he just observes?
 He is the neutral guy in the game. He just observes but when the game drags too long during the votes, he will step in. See 3rd point above.

The Sleep Session
This is where the bears get to kill off a human being.
• Once everyone has gone to sleep, the Narrator tells the Bears to open their eyes.
• The Bears then decide who they want to kill. They point out the person they have decided to kill off to the Narrator by pointing out the person. There should not be any conversation so as not to give away their identities. All communications is by hand-signals.
• The Bears may choose not to kill off anyone.
• Once the Bears have decided who they want to kill, the Narrator tells them to sleep.
• Next, the Narrator tells the Healer to open his eyes.
• The Healer then proceeds to heal someone including himself. The healer can only heal one person. So he may try to heal himself all the times if he wants so as to stay in the game longer.
• Even when the healer was voted off during the day, the narrator will still say “Healer wake up, healer choose who to heal and healer sleep.” This is done so that no one will know that the healer has been voted off. The actual healer who has been killed will just observe.
• Once he has done this, he closes his eyes.

The 2nd Voting Session
• The Narrator tells everyone to open their eyes.
• If the Healer managed to ‘heal’ the person that the Bears have decided to kill or if the Bears have decided not to kill anyone during the Sleep Session, the Narrator reports that no one has been killed.
• If the Healer did not manage to heal the correct person, the person who the Bears have killed the previous round will be told that he has been killed. This person is then out of the game.
• The game then continues with the voting off of the next person. Play then continues as explained earlier.

Status Report
The Narrator gives a Status Report to everyone during the 3rd round.
• This happens after the 3rd sleep, once everyone wakes up
• Thereafter the Status Report is carried out after the 6th, 9th and so on.

End of Play
• Humans win if all the Bears have been voted off.
• Usually we need at least 2 humans to kill off the bear, therefore once only 1 human remains, the bear will automatically win.

Strategy
• Bears
o Bears may choose not to kill off any humans in the Sleep Session
 This can be effective if he knows that he managed to kill the actual healer, then he can tell everyone that he is the healer. During the sleep, the bear will not kill anyone. Therefore no one dies this time, so he will convince everyone that he is the healer and that he managed to heal himself because the bear try to kill him. Once he managed to convince everyone that he is the healer, the bear will be the wolf in sheep clothing. He can happily acts as a fake healer and kill off more humans.
o If the Guru points out that he is the bear, he can also push back the blame to guru and say he is the actual guru and the real guru is the bear.

• Guru
o The Guru may not want to reveal himself too early in the game
o The Guru is like the trump card of the humans
o Because he knows at least one Bear, his job is to observe for signs of the other Bears
o He does this by observing how other players vote
o Because Bears tend to support each other (but may not always be the case if the Bears want to throw players’ suspicions off) during voting off so as to kill off as many Humans as possible, this may be something to look out for

• Healer
o Just keep quiet first. Can try to heal himself first for the first round and observes. However, if everyone tries to vote for him during the voting, he will have to tell everyone that he is the healer.

• Humans
o These players don’t know any better and may just vote other players off randomly
o As a guide, a Human does not want to vote off another Human.
o Those smarter humans will be able to guess who the bear is.

Things to note
• General
o There must not be talking during the Sleep Sessions.

• Narrator
o When first choosing the players, it is important that the players chosen know their roles. The best way is to maintain eye contact with the chosen players.
o During the Sleep Sessions, it is important for the Narrator to keep asking the Healer to heal, even if the healer has been killed! The Healer, if he is already dead, does not have to do anything. The healing has no effect at all if the healer is dead. This is more to give the illusion that the Healer is still alive and to keep the rest guessing!

Questions & Queries
• Out of all the sessions we played yesterday, 6 or 7 rounds I think, the Humans only won once (the last game)!!! Is this common?
o Meaning the bears are very smart. You can try telling the guru 2 out of the 3 bear if you want. But when this happen, the bear will be in danger. Or you can tell the guru (if he is still alive, by tapping his shoulder) the 2nd bear during the 3rd sleep.

• There was a tendency for all not to talk during the Voting Session. How to get people to talk?
o You can try pointing at someone and ask “anyone think he is the bear” Then maybe they will start talking.

• What are the other strategies for Humans and Bears?
o The best strategy for the humans is to observe and find the bear. Try killing off suspicious character first. Bear can try to convince everyone that he is the guru or healer.

• Can the players who are voted off or killed reveal themselves?
o Once you are dead, you will be the ghost. So just observe the game. You cannot vote anymore. You will be pissed when you actually realized who the real bear is.

The Final Inspection

This poem was composed by my good friend from the Indian Army who has seen action in Jammu & Kashmir.

The Final Inspection

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.
And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

(With permission from MAJ Harsh V Singh)

Of Security Studies & Zombies...

Just came break from a much needed break from Prof Wee’s lecture on Sunzi Bingfa. A lot of us are in a zombie-like state due to the gruelling push to finish our essays by this morning. Yes…that’s right, the first of many essays to come has been submitted! The due date for our Security Studies was this morning at 0830hrs. 2 of my syndicate mates did not sleep the last 2 nights! In the last 56 hours, I slept all of 8 hours!!! 1 down and many more essays to go…
Next up for this weekend is to prepare for next week’s discussion under the Campaigning & War Studies module. My learning buddy and I are anchoring the discussion on the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia and the 1990 Gulf War. So we have to do the reading up and to answer the questions posed to us. Also, the next essay to be submitted is a 1000-word essay on Military Professionalism in the context of the SAF. That’s next Friday. And on Wednesday, we have to do a presentation concerning International Law on questions posed to us two days ago. And…we have to start coming up with our synopsis for the Commandant’s Research Paper to be submitted in 2 weeks time. As one of the Senior Directing Staff commented, “Time management is very important!”…
Amidst all the blur of lectures, discussions and plenary, the Country Presentations by our International Officers have certainly helped to liven up the atmosphere. Brendan from New Zealand started the ball rolling on Tuesday followed by John from Australia yesterday. Both presentations made me want to go for a holiday!!!
Ah well…to reward myself and also as a gesture of thanks to my BH for taking care of the girls and me when I was researching and writing my essay this week, we’ll be going out for dinner and movie tonight! Watching ‘Babel’…after the weekly Happy Hour at the Officers’ Mess. The course is also celebrating the submission of our first paper by going out to the Ministry of Sound tonight…We’ll probably go if I’m not too zonked out!!!

My Learning Journey so far...

We're into the 4th week of the course and the relentless schedule is beginning to take its toll. The amount of reading we have to go through, the discussions we have to prepare and the weekly 1000/3000 word essays we have to complete meant that time management is very important.

We have been introduced to Organisational Learning, Security Studies, Leadership Development, the Conceptual Reframing Methodology and Sun Zi Bingfa. We have gone through psychology tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) personality inventory and Belbin® self-perception inventory and gotten to know ourselves as well as our syndicate-mates better.

My day usually starts at about 0300hrs in the morning where I will spend about 4 hours reading up and preparing for my lessons, followed by lectures and discussions from 0830hrs till 1730hrs with a short 1 hour lunch in between. Monday and Thursday evenings are occupied by Physical Training and Sports. Tuesday evenings are reserved for the Distinguished Speakers Programme and Friday evenings are for the weekly Officers' Mess Happy Hour. Our only reprieve is on Wednesdays where we get the whole of the afternoon for 'self study'. However, this is usually occuppied by 'other' commitments like the committees we have to participate in e.g. Magazine Committee, Social Committee, Dining-In Committee, Graduation Ball Committee, etc.

Through all this, I have discovered more about myself in such a short time. I went through the exercise on Personal Visioning again and strengthened it, rediscovered the power of vision, was re-inspired by Robert K Cooper's "Uncommon reminders to bring out the best in you" and fell in love with photography all over again after watching DeWitt Jones' "Everyday Creativity" and "Celebrating What's Right with this World" for the umpteenth time. I have become more self-reflective, I don't leap up the 'Ladder of Inference' as quickly as most of us are akin to do, I read more critically now after having gone through the Critical Reframing Methodology training where we 'painfully' went through Samuel Huntington's article on "Officership as a Profession" and Thomas Kuhn's synopsis on "Scientific Revolutions" and linking them together to form new concepts and came up with a paradigm shift.

Just today we were introduced to Sun Zi Binga by Prof Wee Chow Hou. It was a very interesting and enlightening lecture peppered with anecdotes from the business world as well as ancient China. I am certainly looking forward to more of his lectures in the coming weeks.

Well, my first paper up is the one on Security Studies due in 2 weeks time...something about whether ASEAN is becoming a security community....hmm, maybe I'll solicit some views and opinions from a certain Associate Professor from USM who is coming down this weekend for Buang's wedding...boleh kan Abang Zam? ;)

What drives you?

I would like to welcome my brother to the wonderful world of driving! Yes, yes...he passed his Class 3 driving test on Tuesday albeit by the skin of his teeth. A pass, is a pass, is a pass...no matter the point, especially for driving tests! My advise is that he should take note of the areas he is weak in and work on them. Don't avoid them, but work on them.

This brings me back to the time when I passed my Class 3. That was waaaaaay back in 1993! (Suddenly, I feel old!)...I was then a young lieutenant in command of a platoon of 27 men in the third battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment. Due to time constrains, I endeavoured to complete my Class 3 as fast I possible. I did it all in 3 months - the Basic Theory, the Advanced Theory and the Practical Test itself! And the first thing Abah told me to do after I got back from the Practical test (held in the morning) was to sent Boboy to school! Kewl!!! And that night, I drove all the way back to Bedok Camp on my own! I'll never forget that feeling...

4 foodie nights and a guilt-trip!

This has been a weekend of gastronomic indulgence. Friday night was satay night after a rip-roaring session of Borat with my dear cousins @ Lau Pa Sat. We ate till 0200hrs Saturday morning. Saturday night was spent eating seafood at Danga Bay with 22 other souls celebrating Cik Eton's CPF withdrawal and her birthday! Thanx Cik! Sunday night was spent at Cik Eton's house eating curry chicken with bread, fried noodles and chicken korma. And just now, I had Korean BBQ at Seoul Garden with my entire syndicate. My, my, my...I've had so much food these last couple of days that I HAVE to run tomorrow running...call it a guilt-trip if you must, I'm calling it payback time!

10 years to retirement!

Yep...as 2007 started, it dawned on me that I'm into my last decade in the Service! Who'd have thought that time flies so fast, who'd have thought that 15 years have flown by like a blink of an eye...sometimes it feels like it was only yesterday that I was still a "young and green, blur like f*^k" second lieutenant hailing out those words as I knocked on the doors of the Officers' Mess in Bedok Camp waiting for my turn to be initiated!

2007 will also be the last year that I can take my Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) without going for an FFI (Fit For Instruction) or what civilians know as a medical check-up! Although I turn 35 this year (shudder!), the date for the cut-off to jump a Category is 1 April so since I will still be a 'young' 34 on 1 April, I will still be in what is known as Cat Y1 (30 - 34) so no need for an FFI...

The First Daughter started her second year at the 'masjid school' (as she fondly calls it) without much fuss. She's a 'veteran' when it comes to attending places of formal instructions, having gone for Tumble Tots, KinderGolf, Growing Up Gifted, piano classes, ballet classes and swimming classes. All this at a ripe 'old' age of 4+! But lest we be thought as the 'typical' Singapore parents who send their kids for everything under the sun, I make it a point to always ask her if she's enjoying her classes. At the first hint of 'boredom' or other signs of 'distress', we would ask her if everything was alright. If she didn't seem to be enjoying her classes, we would find out the reasons why with both she and her teachers. As much as we would want to give her an all round education, we would not want to force her to do things that she would not enjoy doing. I'm happy to say that she always looks forward to her swimming, ballet, piano and early reading and writing classes. Just the other day, she enquired why she can't have piano classes everyday! To me, having gone through the trials and tribulations of a short life, education is the key and the education of my kids are the uppermost in all that we do as a family. And by education, I don't mean just the formal schools and classes that she attends. We strive to create a learning environment away from class. Whatever we do with our daughters, be it playing with them, going out with them, we make it a point to pique their curiosity and would always encourage them to ask questions.

The Second Daughter on the other hand, started her very first day of school on Wednesday! Unlike her elder sister, she's not such a pro when it comes to formal schooling having only attended weekend 'enrichment' classes at Growing Up Gifted. So although we had talked to her about being prepared for school, cajoling her, encouraging her, she 'cramped' a little during one of the colouring activities. She sometimes does this in new environments or around people she is unfamiliar with. But other than that, she enjoyed her first day at school...Awww...my baby is all 'growed' up now...let's see what tomorrow brings...

Oh, btw, I cleared all my 3 papers that I took in UniSIM...heh...So 80 credits down...40 more to go! But I'll be defering this year due to my Command & Staff Course...

I would just like to mention my Better Half. I am ever so thankful to my BH for taking care of the whole family. She is the fabric that binds all of us together. Untiring, she takes care of my princesses day in and day out, seeing to their needs, whims and fancies. With no leave or off, she carries on with her duties without complain. Because of her, I can concentrate on my course. Because of her, we are stronger as a family. That is why I make it a point to go out on dates with her at least once a week. (Oh, make that twice a week now since we go for a short dinner date after our Mandarin classes every week!). These dates are only possible because my mum and mum-in-law help to take care of our princesses while we are out. Thanx to all the ladies in my life!

I've not had a New Year's resolution in a long while since I know that most of the time it will be broken. Instead I always use the SAFTI motto as my beacon, "To lead, to excel and to overcome" and the Officer's Creed as my guiding light...(See below)

My being in the Command and Staff Course would mean that I will be a full-time student for the major part of this year. The first 3 months will be full of papers to research and write followed by exercises later on.

My CSC started off on a poignant note! We went on a study trip today to trace the Battle of Singapore following the lecture on the Malayan Campaign yesterday. We went to Reflections at Bukit Chandu, the Battlebox @ Fort Caning, Changi Chapel Museum and ended at the Kranji War Memorial. Although I had been to some of these places before, it never fails to evoke stirring emotions in me as I read about the brave soldiers of the Malay Regiment who put up a valiant struggle to the end on top of Bukit Chandu, how Percival come to the decision of surrendering Singapore to the Japanese, a decision he made at the Battlebox, how POWs were treated in Changi Prison and how those who perished in World War 2 but whose bodies were never found had their names etched on the 13 columns of the Kranji War Memorial. All 24,000 of them! The whole tour concluded with a simple but poignant ceremony on top of the Kranji War Memorial where a poem was read, a wreath was laid, a bugler played the 'Last Post' and 'Reveille' and a bagpiper played 'Amazing Grace'...I had goosebumps throughout the ceremony and shed a tear as I read how, with a heavy heart, the late 2LT Adnan bin Saidi, said goodbye for the last time to his heavily pregnant wife as he sent her and their two boys away before Singapore fell...Reflections at Bukit Chandu made me reflect on a few questions I posed to myself - what would be the last thought on my mind if I were to suffer the same fate as 2LT Adnan had at the hands of the Japanese and would I be willing to give up my life for my country as what 2LT Adnan and many others before and after him had done...The answer is obvious and with that I present, the Officer's Creed.

SAF Officer's Creed

I am an officer of the Singapore Armed Forces.
My duty is to lead, to excel and to overcome.

I lead my men by example.
I answer for their training, morale and discipline.

I must excel in everything I do.
I serve with pride, honour and integrity.

I will overcome adversity with courage,
fortitude and determination.

I dedicate my life to Singapore.

Air is expelled from your 'lumps'...

I went for my first Mandarin lesson yesterday at the Bukit Batok East Community Centre. Arriving about 10 minutes late because of the pouring rain and because the stupid suction of the GPS holder kept dropping thus making me lose my way (Ya, blame it on the GPS...), I was given a set of notes before siting down beside an Ang Moh dude.

I was supposed to go with my BH but she had gone to meet Man Padi instead...well, ok, I did tell her to carry on with Man Padi since she was there since late afternoon...

In any case, it wasn't my first stab at attending formal Mandarin classes. I had attended one at the SCCCI (Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry) in Hill Street many moons ago. The teacher then was this native mainland Chinese guy.

My teacher yesterday was a Mr Tee. A Singaporean obviously. He spoke softly and cracked the occasional joke here and there. His English was ok but his pronunciation of some words had me controlling my laughter! It reminds me of my JC and secondary school days when some of my teachers did the same thing...

Mr Tee: How do we make sounds?
Me: Thru our vocal cords...
Mr Tee: Good...that is one place air will pass thru...
Me: Mouth?
Mr Tee: Actually, the air starts from your 'lumps'...
Me: (blank look)
Mr Tee: When you breathe in...the air fills up your 'lumps' and then expells it out...

That nearly had me in stitches...Another occasion...

Mr Tee: Vowels, unlike consonants are easier to make...How do you pronounce 'ah'?
Me: Ah?
Mr Tee: Yes, when you say it your mouth will open up. That is why the dauter will ask you to say 'ah' to check your mouth...

Ok, ok, let's get on with it. I've always wanted to understand AND speak Mandarin. I mean, we are surrounded by Mandarin-speaking people. And for me especially, it's good to converse in Mandarin with my men (some of whom don't speak-e-de-English too well). Oh, of course I know all the Hokkien swear words...you don't get to be in the Army for 15 years and not know ANY Hokkien swear words! But Mandarin is different. In any case, Mr Tee went through the basics of pronouncing the Hanyu Pinyin - the 6 vowels, the consonants and the tonal language. Ah, the tonal language...that always trips people up. Then we went through some conversational lessons.

Well, I hope by the end of 3 months, I would have improved my Mandarin and can 'spar' verbally with my peers in my current course. Then onto French and Arabic we will go!

Man Padi

This is a warning to all husbands of the above creature...once your BHs have a taste of Man Padi, they will never leave 'him'... Once they have tasted 'his' pleasure, they will come back for more...The MRS (Mars, Rina, Suzlynn) went to see him yesterday evening in preparation to making their husbands 'widowers' to another 'evil' that is Chatuchak. Why? I dunno...Man Padi and shopping just doesn't mix right? By the time they go thru shopping, Man Padi's effect will be gone. But that is the allure of Man Padi...they just have to do it...Yesterday was the 2nd time my BH went to have Man Padi. And it's a different Man Padi. And it was a French one!!

How do I negate the effects of Man Padi? I guess 'cutting grass' would calm me down a bit...I will be 'cutting grass' at Sembawang Country Club next week...yeah...maybe that will calm me down...

Oh, BTW, the BH did end up with nice nails, so all was not lost!

Chatuchak 'widowers'

This weekend will be a first for me...and Fauzi, I think... We will lose our BHs temporarily to men's most dangerous adversary...shopping! And not only shopping at that. This is shopping at its most insidious - shopping in a foreign land, in what some people call the biggest flea market in the world (or something like that), with no husbands around, with cash to spend (hopefully not all dear!), with cheap stuff to drive you crazy, shopping from about 1000hrs to sunset for 2 days!

I'm kinda looking forward to taking care of the kids for the next 4 days alone. Let's see how life looks like from a different perspective!

Ok ladies....enjoy yourselves...but not too much...come back safe and happy! Hah...it just crossed my mind...their initials make up their status...MRS!!! Cool...

My Princesses!

One of the results of the family shoot we just had at nbyn...

First swimming lesson

The first daughter (FD) finally started her 'official' swimming lesson today. We had been looking around for an instructor to teach her and with another 3 neighbours, have chosen Uncle Jimmy (one of the few swimming instructors 'registered' to teach swimming at our place) to teach our kids. Together with Cheyenne & Fatin (Erika couldn't make it), the 3 girls were taught systematically the various methods and techniques necessary for them to be able to swim. It was quite a sight watching Shahira gleefully swim towards the floating rings that Uncle Jimmy threw. She is already very confident in the water and can paddle fast. Well, let's see where this 'venture' will bring her...

Of mochacinnos & ballet...

Well, back at McDonald’s United Square. Ordered my usual Mochaccino medium and settled down with my trusty NEC laptop using the free wireless service by McDonalds. I realise that my mochaccino is not its usual taste and brought it back to the counter to say that it’s not as sweet as usual. The guy who served me is not the regular guy I see every Sunday and he gladly replaced my drink with a NEW one on the house! I had expected him to add only a bit of sweetness but he did what he did and that is certainly good service in my books! Good one there McDonald’s!

Today is Shahira’s first day at the ballet school near our place. And she enjoyed it whole-heartedly, prancing around and listening to the teacher’s instructions. Although new, she immediately immersed herself in the class. It was an almost non-stop movement for 45 minutes and she couldn’t wait to get her tutu and ballet shoes!

Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical

And so it was that the 12 of us - Bik As, Cik Eton, Mak, Jihan, Aqila, Nabilah, Kak Ain, Kak Tini, Boboy, Shahrul, Mars & myself - descended upon the Esplanade to catch the much hyped Puteri Gunung Ledang the Musical.

Watching the production - with its elaborate costumes, simple but effective props, beautiful music and gorgeous dance numbers - was an unforgettable experience!

Although none of the cast members are singers by profession - except for Gusti Adipati (played by Mizal) - the words were clear and the songs well sung. The scene stealer for the night has to be when Sultan Melaka, played by Adlin Aman Ramlie, effortlessly broke into an MTV-style number! Hang Tuah definitely can sing well and even launched into an almost 20 secs non-stop high note at the end of one of the songs! Although he speaks Malay funny I guess that must be taken in the light that he did not know a single word of Malay before being involved in the production. And kudos must go to Tiara Jacquelina for her poise and grace in capturing the essence of Puteri Gunung Ledang although the Javanese in my family complained that she wasn't "jawa" enough! The thunderous applause and standing ovation at the end capped off the audience's approval of a truly magical and unforgettable experience...

Well, aside from the show itself, a few of us were lucky in that our seats were 'upgraded' as the original ones were taken out for some audio-vido equipment. I also met my long lost cadetmate, Mas S...haven't met him for 15 over years. But we instantly recognised each other when we met! He was just sitting two seats to my right! Interestingly, his partner was Rila Melati (yes, her!) and while my BH chatted with her, I caught up on old-times with him. And after the break, I realised that Khairudin Sharom (yes, him!) was in front of me. And I said hi and caught up on 'old' times with him as I had taken him twice for in-camp training back when I was in ITI. Aqila became excited when she saw me talking to him and after the whole thing, I linked them up for a photo op!

The queue that formed for the autograph session snaked all the way to the entrance and those poor sods at the end had no chance to get the autographs of the main cast. Oh but my makciks got it! It was crazy...people rushing forward...breaking thru the security line...aiyo...I came forward to take pictures only because Jihan said 'I'm too shortlah Bomi, I can't see anything to take pictures!'...

I am sure those who were there will remember the entire experience for a long time... Well, as for those of us who are trekking up the actual Gunung Ledang in a month's time, may we not meet her up there (or do we?!?!?)...jeng, jeng, jeng...

Oh, enjoy the slide show...

Exam's over!

Well, yesterday was my last paper. 3 major papers in 10 days is no joke...A total of about 40 over chapters had to be 'encoded, stored and retrieved'! Let's just say that spotting questions (or chapters in this case) is like living life on the edge but hey, what's life without challenges right!?!? All the chapters I 'spotted' came out...let's just wait for the results in late December/early January...

Hey, I’ve got a mention somewhere in cyberspace…OCS Pressbox Article.

Harry Lorayne and his Memory Power System...

I've been using his system for a long time and it came in useful for my exams...helps keep all the concepts and definitions in my mind...And it REALLY works...here's his site...

http://www.harrylorayne.com/

These are the demonstrations...

http://www.harrylorayne.com/demonstrations/index.html

Next time you meet me, I'll give a demonstration and will teach you his method (if you want to). Guaranteed to work...

The normal adult can recall about 6 letters or numbers forward and backwards, the superior adult can do it with 8 but with this system, you can remember 20, 30 letters or numbers!!! And more...

You will never again forget a person's name, telephone number, etc.

You can even remember equations and chemical formulas...And learning a foreign language is no problem with his system...

I'm not selling you koyok or anything. I have his books and tapes that I bought a looong time ago and it still works...Just something to share, that's all...

Happy Birthday Boboy!

Panjang umurnya, panjang umurnya,
Panjang umurnya serta mulia,
Serta mulia, serta mulia….

(ntah betul ntah tidak lirik aku ni...heh...thanx to Rina for pointing out my original mistake of 'setahun ria'...heh...but I think still makes sense what...)

Sempena hari spesel ni, I present gegambar masa2 silam...wait till the end for something long and hard...

Happy birthday to Julie!

Julie is 33 today! Here's a tribute to my dear sister, sister-in-law and bibik!

Less than 24hrs to D-day H-hour...

In less than 24 hours time, I will be in a place called The Grand Hall on the fourth floor of UniSIM taking my DSZS2122 Exploring Psychology exams...it will last three hours till 2230hrs...

I will like to take this opportunity to especially thank my darling wife who has been very very supportive of me...taking care of the kids while I was slogging thru the chapters, providing me with endless supply of tea and other nourishment and of course, her love...thanx dear!

And of course to my two wonderful daughters who kept asking why ayah is always in the study room these past few days...and why can't he read the book to us tonight...it's been a long time since we went swimming...and other seemingly innocent questions that just breaks your heart sometimes...Ayah will make it up to you once exams are over...PROMISE!

Life will return back to 'normal' at exactly 2230hrs on 24th November 2006 after my third and final paper...till then...

To make a grown man cry...

I know I've said that I won't be posting anything here till after my exams but I just can't miss this chance to share something truly inspirational...Dick Hoyt has made the top of my Hero list! Read the article first and then watch the most amazing 4-minute video ever...

Strongest Dad in the World

Rick Reilly for Sports Illustrated

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I'm lousy.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars -- all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much -- except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life," Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution."

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain."

"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that."

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks."

That day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?"

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992 -- only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.

"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century."

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

"The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once."

Sports Illustrated Issue date: June 20, 2005, p. 88

Stuffs like these make us wonder how much potential we have within us have we unleashed.

I CAN!

Selamat tinggal Ramadhan, Selamat datang Syawal...

Ramadhan came and went in the blink of an eye...It's time to conduct a reflection on one's own performance during the entire month. Personally, I think I did better than last year. One always hopes and strives to better oneself. I prayed more (during the last 10 days of Ramadhan, I missed terawih at the mosque only once and that was because of my Exploring Psych lecture at UniSIM. Of course I made up for it at home), I conducted myself better, I read more, I was more at ease with myself, I did not use fasting as an excuse not to do the normal things I do like exercising. Overall, I think I had pushed myself to do more. I was more disciplined. I controlled myself better. It is true, the best person to compete is against oneself. My wish is to meet the next Ramadhan and do even better than this year. Insya Allah...

Syawal is already here. I will strive to carry over the good practises of Ramadhan...I want to puasa enam. (If one fasts the whole of Ramadhan and then plus the 6 days in Syawal, it's like fasting for the ENTIRE year. How do we arrive at that magical figure of 1 year? Every ibadat that we do is multiplied by 10 so 1 whole month of Ramadhan is like 10 months and 6 days of puasa enam in Syawal is like 60 days which is equivalent to 2 months...hence 1 year...) I will strive to control my food intake and not gobble every food served! You will see me hitting the gym on Thursday morning before the 3rd day of visiting...It's very simple actually, if your intake (food) is more than your output (exercise), the excess food gets stored as FAT...If you know how hard it is to burn 300 calories (about 20 minutes of lung bursting running at 12km/h), you will think twice about gulping down that juicy, delicious lemak ayam...

Last but not least, Minal Aidin Wal Fa Idzin, Ma'af Zahir Batin kepada semua peminat-peminat ku...(last time I checked, I could count them using the fingers of my left hand...)

Have a good Raya and watch what you eat!

Ibu, I ter-fall down...

The littlest princess is very wide awake on this humid Sunday morning, busy exploring the house and engaging in small talk.

Her small talk (kids at this age are incessently talking) can send us into fits of laughter. Her ability to combine words (both English and Malay) is just amazing, "Ibu, I ter-fall down...". We have never taught her that kind of sentence structure so I guess Chomsky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noam_Chomsky) is right...Kids have an innate ability for languages...

Just the other day, after hearing a hari raya song, she told my BH, "Ibu, I like this raya-raya song...". She makes her own songs, combining what she has learnt with other songs. For example, she uses the tune from 'Twinkle-twinkle Little Stars' and sings it using her own words. Priceless...

Oh...she has passed the "Ibu, magic word...pleeeease", phase...

69.7...and going down!

Ran 4km on the threadmill just before buka...Did a blistering 12km/h pace for 15min and 11.5km/h till the 20th minute...My 2.4km was done in 11:57min...

As usual, just before I left the gym, I weighed my self and yes...I've achived my goal of weighing in below 70kg by the end of Ramadhan when the weighing machine showed 69.7kg! From a high of 73kg at the start of Ramadhan...

Now the hard's part is in maintaining the sub-70 level...

Presenting...the GPSMap 60CSx...

After waiting patiently for about 4 weeks during which I had no GPSr (shudder...), my latest toy has finally arrived! At $150 off from what 'The Shop' @ Sim Lim Square is selling, it was certainly worth the wait. It felt good in my hands...

Wait reviews after reviews had said about the unit is TRUE! There's certainly a lot of improvements over my old eTrex Vista C (which I had sold to one of my guys after learning about the 60CSx's capabilities). The receiver is super sensitive and the unit is fast when scrolling and calculating auto-routing. The screen is just beautiful even in direct sunlight (which nowadays, because of the haze, is seldom seen!)

Here's the site that has made it all possible:- www.malsingmaps.com

Well, this will be my 2nd last indulgence for the year...the last will be a heartrate monitor from Polar (www.polarelectro.com.sg). I wouldn't exactly call it an indulgence, more of a neccessity since I will be using it to get my IPPT Gold!

Singapore Album

Here's a worthwhile project to do for those who have old photos they want to share with the whole of Singapore...I'll sure be contributing photos from Sekijang!

www.singaporealbum.sg

Counting down the days...

It's slightly under 1 month to my first paper! Yep, it's that time of the year again for EXAMS! For the first paper, DSZS2122 Exploring Psychology II, it will be on 13th November while the other paper on ESZS2092 Child Development II is ten days later on 24th November. My re-sit paper for DSZS2121 Exploring Psychology I is somewhere in between. (This was the paper I was supposed to sit for in the middle of the year but missed since national duty called and I had to be in the steaming jungles of Temburong taking care of our future defenders of the nation!!!).

So all in all I have 3 papers to sit for and tons of chapters to revise...I am currently awaiting the order for the oil called "Midnight" which I will be burning from now till end of exams!!! I heard business for this brand of oil is very good during exams! ;)

Other than exams, I still have 2 more TMAs (Tutor-Marked Assignments) to finish. One is due next Tuesday and the other on the eve of Raya (ooh fate...how cruel art thou!)...So far I have been doing fine with my TMAs especially for Child Development II which has seen marks of 70s and above...

So, if there's no regular updates here, I hope the reason is pretty clear...Gotta hit the books now...

Antara Cahaya & Kegelapan...

The sarahan after terawih just now was entitled, "Antara Cahaya & Kegelapan". In short, it was about knowledge and how it will lead us to enlightenment. The BH and I had 'deposited' the kids at my MIL's before heading to Al-Khair. It was the usual 8 raka'at of terawih followed by the 2+1 of witir except that for the last 15 days of Ramadhan, the 1 raka'at of witir has the doa qunut after ruku'.

Thinking back to the sarahan, I am glad that this year's Ramadhan has been very different for me for many reasons...I guess it all boils down to WILL POWER, FOCUS, DETERMINATION & DISCIPLINE. One thing that has been different is that fact that today, 9 days before Syawal, we have finished the major part of our Raya prep!!! We have changed ALL the curtains (day and night curtains), changed the sofa covers, changed the living room layout, brought out the carpets, changed the dining room layout, tidied up the storeroom (it's now possible to walk in and do a u-turn inside without things falling on top of you!). In previous years, this would have usually been carried out like 48 hours before 1 Syawal! But no...this year was gonna different.

The ustaz rightfully said that most would be concerned with the prep for 1 Syawal and miss the last 10 days of Ramadhan's barakah...That, IMHO, would be missing the whole point of celebrating on 1 Syawal. The journey IS as important as the destination...So, since we have done the major part of the prep, we can concentrate on reflecting the true meaning of Ramadhan...

Ah well, we are left with only the 'minor' touches to the prep like filling up the green packets (hmmm, what's the market rate this year I wonder!?!?), filling up the containers with kuih-muih raya, changing the picture frames with new pictures, getting fresh flowers for Mum, MIL and our abode...

For my one and only sis...

Marsita, Shahira, Alisha & me would like to welcome Julie back to the 'real' world! Glad that you are reading this post from the comforts of your own home...We hope that you will be strong and go thru whatever is necessary to regain your health...


May the warm thoughts and wishes that surround you lift your heart, brighten your world and give you renewed strength for tomorrow...


Get well soon...


Here's the latest picture of the girls to cheer you up!

Run run away ah...

Ran at 1825hrs today...time it such that I can break my fast at the end of the run.

Ran at 12km/h for 2.4km. Did it in 12mins 10sec. Then went at 11km/h all the way till 19min 30secs before picking up the pace at 12km/h for 30secs and at 13km/h for another 30secs to simulate sprinting to the finish line. Pulse was at 168bpm at the end of the run.

Weight before the run was 71.0kg and at the end it was 70.8kg.

Did not do any sets as there wasn't any time.

Happy Children's Day

Got a photography 'assignment' today. My dear instructors had 'invited' me, for the longest time, to capture them in their footballing glory. I had promised them I would do it today...even though it's early Sunday morning! Had thought of not wanting to go because of what happened yesterday. But...a promise is a promise...

It was a cloudy day. Not too good for outdoor shoots. Charlie Football Club beat the team of young punks we were up against 3-1. They had some issues with obeying the referees and following rules. Ah...but that is the 'exuberance' of youth I guess... Took about 200+ shots. You can see them here...

Then I went to CDANS Bukit Batok Driving Range to practise my golf. Been a long time since I've been there. Surprisingly I could still use the card even though it was many moons ago since I last used it. Hit about a 100 balls. My 7-iron was ok. Got about 120m with it. Accurate too. My 9-iron went about 100m. My pitching wedge was accurate also! Got about 75+ meters with it. My driver is improving. Some errant shots were inevitable. But a few were beautiful. One went all the way to 180m! Need to practise more driver shots...

The afternoon was the highlight of the day for my girls. They had been looking forward to Jayden's 3rd birthday party all week. It was held at the function room. Suffice to say they had lots of fun...oh, including the Mom and Dad...who relived childhood memories by blowing those soft balloons...we won that game! Oh...yup, we skipped the girls' afternoon class for the birthday party...c'mon, it's not often they go to a birthday party...

We broke fast at my maternal grandma's house. It's always a practise for us to break fast at both my grandmas homes during Ramadhan. Brings them a bit of cheer and chaos! We did a conference call to Julie at about 2130hrs...it was nice to hear her cheery voice...

Ah...a Sunday well spent...

My dear little sis...

Julie, I received the news from Mum at 0537hrs. I always hate odd hour calls because they mean only one thing...

We pray that you'll be reading this in good health. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Know that we love you and miss you...And can't wait for you to be back 'home'...

My dear little sis...

Of good runs and long terawihs...

Just got back from the gym...Had gone to terawih @ Al-Khair before that. Today's terawih was longer at 1hr 21mins than Sunday's 1hr 11mins...Disappointingly, there weren't that much people left after the 8th raka'at onwards. I even got to go to the main prayer hall. Maybe it's a weekday night...

Anyway, had a good run at the gym. Today I decided not to go for the 2.4km pace but a constant pace throughout. Accompanied by my Lifedrive blaring fast music, I ran a pace of 11km/h throughout the 30minutes except that I increased the speed to 11.5km/h at the 28th minute and 12km/h at the 29th minute. To stimulate dashing to the finish line, I increased to 13km/h 30secs before the 30th minute...All in all, I ran more than 5.5km. And I did not feel tired at all. My pulse at the 30th minute was 168bpm and after the warm-down it was 120bpm. My weight before the run, 71.8kg, had gone down 1kg since I last ran a day before Ramadhan...I am a firm believer that running is a good way to cut down one's weight...By the time I finished running it was already about 2300hrs. Did one set of my usual routine since it was already way late...

Of horrible drives, excellent short game and accurate putts

Well, as I have said in my previous post, we were gonna play golf on Tuesday and we did. Peter, his brother Daniel and Simon. This is the second time I played at Palm Villa in the last two weeks.

The previous night I had just 1 hour of sleep as I was finishing up my 2nd TMA for EDZS2092 Child Development II. I had sahur at about 0445hrs and slept at 0515hrs till about 0615hrs. By 0900hrs, we were teeing off from the first hole of the IOI Course @ Palm Villa! The weather helped a bit in that it was overcast. In fact it rained heavily around lunchtime and the Club sounded the long continuous blasts of the siren to signal that play is to be stopped immediately due to lightning. So while the other 3 had lunch, I went to the changing room and caught some forty-winks.

My total score was 123 which was not too bad, having not been playing regularly in a while. As usual, my driving was horrible. If the ball managed to fly, it would hook to the right. If it went straight, it would fly...roll rather!...an embarrasing 50m away! But my short game was much much better. I was more confident of my irons especially my favourite 7 iron. If my drive was decent for a particular hole, I would usually get on the green by the bogey shot. My chipping was ok too. Managed to let the ball fly a high trajectory near the hole. My bunker shots was nicely executed with the prerequisite sand flying together with the ball as it should be. And my putting put Simon to envy! I holed the longest putt of the day of about 30 feet. And managed to get my balls within 1 club length on long putts. Oh, managed to get a par on one of the Par 3s...Had a good shot with my 7 iron and the shot landed on the green. Frustrated with my drive, I used the 3 iron on the 26th hole instead of the driver and it went quite a distance. But Simon advised me to use my 'original' driver instead of the smaller Callaway one. Strangely enough, taking his advise, I hit my longest and straightest drive on the last hole! It flew up the slope, a good 200+ meters! The breakdown of my shots are as follows: 5% pars, 16% each for bogeys and double bogeys, 61% triple bogeys +. Well, you'll see me more at the driving range working on my driving...

Here are the guys who played...(moi, Peter, Simon, Daniel)

2nd cuzzies...

The 4 kids took time out from the hustle and bustle of the Ramadhan Bazaar to enjoy themselves...

Selamat Datang Kekasih...

...was the title of the sarahan after the first terawih at Al-Khair. I forgot that terawih on Saturdays are truncated from 20 (raka'at terawih) + 3 (raka'at witir) to 8 + 3 to make way for the sarahan. But I stayed on anyway to listen to the sarahan.

First terawih of Ramadhan is always quite an experience for me. The atmoshphere, the feeling of brotherhood, being amongst a lot fellow muslims, the start of a special month...I remembered during 1st Ramadhan 1425 I cried during terawih...There was this guy to my left who obviously had very very great difficulty even standing up - he had some motor neurone disease I think - and he took great effort in following the imam every step of the way even though he was slow. He was struggling and trying to balance himself. But he did it, the whole 23 raka'at...I lost it and couldn't control myself. Here's a guy who was not as healthy as the majority of us and he made it a point to come for terawih...and I remembered that I always looked out for him all the way thru Ramadhan.

Anyway, certain surahs affect the imams in certain ways and majority of them lost it one time or another especially towards the end of Ramadhan. Some will try to control by pausing and getting hold of themselves while some will carry on in between sobs...the latter can affect the congregation quite a bit as some of us will also do the same...

My takeaway from the sarahan is to always set targets for oneself. In Ramadhan and everything else in life...To know whether our Ramadhan has been mabrur, we just got to look at its impact on our lives after it leaves us...It is our duty and responsibility to 'tegur' our fellow muslims if they are doing something which is 'mungkar'...No more the "kubur dia, dia jawab, kubur aku, aku jawab..." attitude. When we tegur someone, come from the angle of giving him/her the benefit of the doubt. No accusations, no pointing-fingers, "Kenapa kau tak puasa? Aku puasa tau!". Embarrassing people will only make them rebellious. Rebellious folks are not receptive to any inputs! If we are 'shy', start with our kids first, then our cousins, nieces, nephews...then strangers...Do not allow non-muslims to think, "Poor thing, he is suffering, he is like that because he is fasting...'. Do not use fasting as an excuse for poor performance...

This Ramadhan, I will aim to do the following (Insya Allah):-

1. Solat Terawih 20+3 EVERYNIGHT! No more discounts i.e. 8+3. I will solat at mosques as far as humanly possible.
2. At home, I will solat jema'ah with my BH more often, if not all the time.
3. I will not procrastinate my solat.
4. I will be more patient with people around me.
5. I will read the Quran and religious texts more.
6. I will remain focus on tasks at hand and not be distracted.
7. I will continue exercising 3 times a week as normal.
8. I will carry on my golfing as normal. (To prove this, I will be playing at Palm Villa on Tuesday...Insya Allah!)
9. I will not waste food during berbuka.
10. I will only buy food that is healthy and non-fried.
11. I will eat in moderation during berbuka.
12. My eyes shall not glaze when it sees all the food at Bazaar Ramadhan. I shall not be tempted to buy every single good-tasting food!
13. During sahur, I will eat more carbohydrates to give me the energy to go about my daily activities and go thru the 6-pill regime as recommended by my BH!
14. I will not be hanging curtains, cleaning up the house on the LAST day of Ramadhan. My target is to get EVERYTHING ready when 1st Syawal strikes after Maghrib. No more of that staying up way past midnight to get the house ready thing. On this note, we shall be coming up with a timeline of things to do, things to buy, places to go in the lead up to 1st Syawal.

I guess it is really a reflection of one's maturity and understanding when one looks forward to Ramadhan much more than one looks forward to Syawal. One should be sad at the departure of Ramadhan because one doesn't know if one should meet it again next year...

I came away from the syarahan greatly inspired, greatly invigorated...that Ramadhan is here...it is a chance for me to excel in all areas of my life and to overcome my worldly and humanly desires...

Selamat Datang Kekasih...

1st Ramadhan...

Just came back from the gym...

Did 2.4km in 11:09mins at mostly 12.2km/h with about 400m at the 1.2km mark at 13km/h...siong...but happy with results!

Then did 8km/h till the 15th minute gradually increasing to 12km/h till 29:30min ending off with a dash at 13km/h for 30secs. Completed 5km in 28:28min and at the end of 30min, ran about 5.3km. Pulse rate at 147bpm...an improvement from the previous run.

Did 3 sets of chest pulls (80kg for 12 reps), quad stretch (50kg for 15reps) and sit-ups (40reps/set)...

Weight was 72.9kg! Probably due to the Shepard's Pie at Secret Recipe just now!

Going for my first tarawih soon at Al-Khair! It's 1st Ramadhan already...so fast...

Selamat Berposa Y'all...

A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step...

72.7kg...that's what the weighing machine in the gym showed when I took my weight on Thursday. My goal by the end of Ramadhan is for my weight to go below 70kg! And since what you put in your blog is for all eternity (even if you delete your entire blog, somewhere some server would have backed up your data so it's not really deleted!), I hereby commit myself to this goal! Insya Allah...

Hit the thread mill for 30 minutes at an average pace of 10km/h. My pulse rate averaged 140bpm. Ran at 12km/h for 12mins 20secs and completed 2.4km in that time. Then ran at 10km/h till the 20th min and finished off at 8km/h to 9.6km/h till the 30th minute. Then did 2 sets of 40 sit-ups each, 12 reps of chest pulls at 80kg and 12 reps of 50kg quad pulls. Will do this at least 3 times a week with increasing weight and pace.

Any exercise less than 20min is a waste of time as your heart rate would not be sufficiently stretched for it to be of any use. And any exercise that does not increase your heart rate sufficiently is also a waste of time. I have seen people on the threadmill at 5km/h without breaking a sweat...what's the point? Just hogging up threadmill time!

I love you...

My BH taught our 2 princessess the handsign for "I love you" a while back and both were quite pleased at the effect it had on people!

Well, Shahira came back from school the other day and informed my BH , "Ibu, I showed my friends this!" while proudly displaying her hand as shown to the left...

"That's very good! Who did you show them to?", my BH enquired, curious...

"All the boys in the class...", Shahira said innocently enough!

Horrified, my BH asked further, "And what did they say?"

"SPIDERMAN!!!", Shahira said...

Boys...

Please...magic word...

We try to teach our kids to have good manners. Constant reminders and gentle cajoling usually works. Sometimes however, it has unintended consequences...

Alisha: Ibu, nak bread...

Ibu: What's the magic word?

Alisha: ??

Ibu: The magic word is 'please ibu...'

Some time later...

Alisha: Ibu, nak bread...

Ibu: What's the magic word?

Alisha: Please ibu...magic word...

So now, 'magic word' almost always follow the word 'please'...oh well, better than nothing I guess!

First golf in over a year...

Well...what kind I say...I finally did it after putting it off for so long...Back to Palm Villa...this time with Peter...

Thursday is Malay Speaking Day...

Today is Malay Speaking Day...it is something we have instituted as part of making my firstborn speak proper Malay! My BH's (read: Better Half) idea...Good one dear...We don't want our girls growing up SPAY-KING ENGLISH well only but not their mother tongue...But our problem is not so much that they don't speak Malay well but they tend to mix and match the languages they speak...,"Nanti Kakak go and bathe OK?"...is a common occurrence...And goodness me, the younger one even ends her sentences with the Singaporean trademark of "lah"s!!! A true blue Singaporean indeed! That is why I always believe that parents must be ROLE MODELS in everything we do...not just when we are in front of the kids...but EVERYTIME, EVERYWHERE...no ifs, no buts...

We shared the 'Thursday is Malay Speak Day' bit with my firstborn's teachers at today's Parents-Teachers Meeting and they were amused! Incidentally, Shahira received a glowing report from her teacher...she would be the one reminding her friends to speak English (!), she is mature for her age - she knows conflict resolution (!), she's eager to share her stories with friends, especially her trip down under (!) and when she's not around, the whole class knows!

Before the sharing session with the teachers, we were treated to a 45 minutes sharing by the Principal on Learning and Mathematical Concepts. It was a very useful and eye-opening session. I think as parents we have good intentions for our children. But more often than not what we attempt to teach them has no underlying concepts or at least none that we have in mind or that we are aware of...Take for an example something as simple as sorting...it is one of the basic concepts of math but when we do it at home and tell them to keep their things sorted or to help us sort the clothes, we don't really have these concepts in mind at the back of our head. It will be good to keep them in mind so we are aware of what we are teaching our kids...

Another sharing session carried out after the Principal's was one by the Vice-Principal at the classroom. In short, she shared the concept of 'scaffolding' - something not alien to teachers reading this - and 'learning by appropriation' - something I picked up in my Child Development module. In short, it's where we teach children without them realising it. We are the experts, guiding them to certain concepts we want them to grasp...

Which brings me to my last point...PM LEE in his Teachers' Day Rally speech today said that, "...education is not just the most precious gift, but also the most critical investment and most effective success strategy for a changing world...". And I truly believe that EDUCATION is the MOST PRECIOUS gift that we as parents can give to our children...Not just from teachers to them but also...especially so, from us to our children...And not just for our children but also for ourselves...EDUCATION is the one that makes the difference...So Shahira and Alisha, when you girls can read and understand this, know that Ibu & Ayah will do all we can to nurture, guide and raise both of you to be the best that you can be, to be wonderful Muslims, to be kind souls, to be good human beings...INSYALLAH...

Don't say I don't listen to feedback...

Ah...dear sis said that this pic to the left which I used for my profile looked a tad to 'cheena'...she's right you see...it was taken in Taipei! I thought it looked natural...Anyway, don't say I don't listen to feedback ah...so there...I've changed the profile pic already...

2 reliefs, 1 siak and some long posts...

Relief is when one finishes one's assignment on the day it is due and just manages to catch the 17oohrs postman for delivery...A bigger relief is finishing the second assignment due the very next day and hand-delivering it right to the tutor's letter-box 20 minutes before midnight!!!

Siak is actually clicking on the play button at Boboy's blog to watch Adam Sandler sing about a secret...DON'T DO IT!!! http://stimgam.blogspot.com/2006/08/ive-got-secret.html

Some long posts is how I am constantly amazed at how Cousin Rina manages to churn out those long posts at regular rate...either she has good time management skills or...Makes me wonder why my dear sis in France doesn't update her blog that often...busy eh dek? buat ape har? Oooooooh.............................

To Lead, To Excel, To Overcome...

In exactly 2 weeks, 195 cadets will be commissioned as fully fledged officers...In exactly 2 weeks, 195 young second lieutenants will leave the hallowed grounds of the Home of the Officer Corp and take their place among many who have come before them...Thousands of lives will be affected by these eager, enthuasistic, energetic young officers...They will pledge to lead their men well, they will pledge to excel in everything they do and they will pledge to overcome any challenges that may come their way...And I am proud to have contributed in some ways towards training them...

The dreaded BSOD!

Yep...once again, I have been confronted by the dreaded BSOD...that's the Blue Screen Of Death for those fortunate enough not to know... My laptop just kept going back to the BSOD no matter what I do...and the crap thing is that I have turned off the System Restore option to resolve a virus matter (which I didn't) and forgot to turn it back on...now I can't go to Normal mode...stuck in Safe mode...the irony of it all...you hope not to be in the Safe mode cause that means there's a hardware or a software cock-up...So Safe doesn't mean you're safe...and, get this, I can't turn on the System Restore option when I'm in Safe mode! Can only do it in Normal mode!!! Now, that's what I call a classic Catch-22 situation...up the creek without a paddle...just when I need the laptop for my tutorials, just when I need the laptop to do my planning, just when I need the laptop to sync my Lifedrive...Murphy comes knocking! So what I'm doing now is to transfer ALL my data to my desktop (thank God I can still turn on the wireless network option), and then I will reformat my hardisk...this will get rid of both the stupid virus and the BSOD...but the leceh thing is re-installing ALL the required software...so bloody leceh...it's gonna be a looooooooooooong night....wish me luck...