Life lessons from my time in the military: Reflections of one who was too serious in his job

For the international readers to better understand my perspective I am a Sergeant in a conscript army. In a conscript army our Artillery Battalion is run entirely by conscripts such as myself. A batch of conscripts to comprise of our Battalion (Officers, Sergeants and men) will comprise of those from the same batch of recruits who enlisted in the army (needless to say) thus, we are often schoolmates back in our schools. I've had impressive subordinates who were accepted into Cambridge and Harvard etc. We're of the same age, with similar life experiences yet in the army we are ''different''. Conscripts often lack the motivation of a soldier who chose to work in an army. Physiologically, many of us aren't even adept to the life in the army. All in all it was a unique experience. 

1. We are capable of much more than we think we can achieve

When an order is issued we are expected to proceed in accordance to our orders. In a real combat situation lives would be at stake. There is no time for procrastination. In addition, we are expected to act as planned on our side. Thus, there are often times when I would find myself faced with feats that seemed... impossible to achieve. However, each time I think I wouldn't survive the ordeal, I eventually survived it. I've marched 24 kilometers with all my equipment, lived a week out in the forest in the mud, marched for nearly 24 hours with a sprained ankle, stayed sufficiently awake for a week to carry out artillery fire with few hours of sleep and lifted dozens upon dozens to 42 kilograms artillery shells each day as we redistributed ammunition. In other units, I've friends who marched over 100 kilometers in a single mission. The point is, when you push yourself, you can accomplish marvelous feats.

2. Effective communication across the entire body of system is critical      

As a Sergeant, I am a commander in the army with a role to enforce discipline as well as to lead other soldiers to accomplish our tasks. From where I come from, the Sergeant is considered as a junior commander whose leadership role is confined to leading the men. The plans are drafted by Officers before they are conveyed to the Sergeants. Thus I had a very unique perspective to the entire system.

As a commander I am instructed on the mission objectives in our exercises. As a junior commander, I also have first-hand access to the complains of the men as we carry out our activities, Being required to carry out the orders from those above in the command chain and deliver the mission objectives into fruition with soldiers of a fundamentally different role from any commander in combat (their primary job is to follow orders without a clue to the bigger picture often as a result of the sensitivity of the information), one must learn to address the men in accordance to this fundamental difference in perspective.

It doesn't make life any easier when one has to lead a bunch of conscripts. One has to deliver his speech in a way to cast their (the conscripts) differences in opinion aside as well as to motivate them to work towards an objective not always within their sight, a feat often met with skepticism from your comrades and once peers and fellow schoolmates. Fear tactics wouldn't work once one is out of the vocational institutes. The hard approach will usually land one with a unmotivated, hateful platoon constantly usurping the authority of the commanders with a rich arsenal of tactics as rich as the creativity of the Human mind.  

Not to mention when the plans of Officers are met with practical difficulties that renders it difficult to achieve in actuality, one has to convey clearly the woes of the men and the impossibility of the task to the Officers to re-evaluate their plans. An unexpected technical difficulty, an unexpected alteration to the terrain or even an accident will require an immediate re-evaluation of tactics. Thus, I've learnt to approach with speed tact and precision in my time as a Sergeant. The success of our missions often relies on the effective communication between the ones on top and below and are facilitated by the ones in the middle.  

3. Improvisation is an essential skill in life

In my time in school perfectionism is a virtue often pursued by most students around me. One can aim for full marks in a science test so a lot of student aim to achieve it. Take the 'A' Levels and we're all told to aim for all As in every subject. Plenty of students do achieve such a score, thus, perfectionism is viewed as a possibility. However, in the practical world one will soon realise that true perfectionism without a blemish from one's expectation is a near impossibility.

Deviations from one's plans is very likely to take place. As I've raised earlier, an unexpected technical difficulty, an unexpected alteration to the terrain or even an accident will require an immediate re-evaluation of tactics. Often, such situations do not warrant the time for one to seek someone else of a senior authority to resolve, other times such situations does not require someone of a senior authority of resolve, sometimes, our mission objectives does not warrant the soldiers with the choice for a different approach. In such situations, one simply must ''Do it'' some way. I remember the time my mechanical projectile lifter was broken when we were evaluated for our exercise, I simply lifted all the rounds myself physically to keep the mission on. Improvisation is a skill just as important as precise formulation of plans.      

Surely some, if not all, of these lessons could be learnt in some other situations. However, for myself, I had the fortune to pick up these lessons from my time in the military as a result of many capable and respectable mentors and commanders. For those hadn't the chance to pick up these valuable lessons from experience I hope this article would be of use to you. 

Artillery, the King of the Battlefield
In Oriente Primus

Realism, Honesty and what it shaped me into

I believe that life is about improvement. Consequently, I believe in the values of realism and honesty. I emphasise the value of realism for I believe in representing a situation as it is. Objectively speaking, a complete picture of the situation enables one to assess the circumstances with the most accuracy and take the most appropriate action to approach one’s goal. Furthermore, acknowledging the existence of one’s weaknesses is the first step towards eliminating it. Realism is critical to the betterment of the system. 

Honesty is a facet of moral character that connotes truthfulness and integrity. Realism cannot exist without truthfulness, neither can actions taken for the betterment of society be executed without integrity from those working towards the noble goal. I believe that in a project when my responsibility constitutes an element of a bigger system, the most logical and effective way to play my part in the system is to fulfil my responsibility in that particular element and, first and foremost, to act within my jurisdiction. A right-hand should not function as the brain nor should the brain function as the right-hand. Accomplishing the objectives within one’s domain will best achieve the team objective. It aligns with my belief in improvement when we work for the right cause.  

These values have influenced the way I approach a problem and handle my relationships, defining my individuality as well as the perception that others have of me. I have become trustworthy. As a subordinate, I am an individual whom others can rely on to accomplish the tasks within my area of expertise and responsibility. I am also one for them to turn to for constructive advice or opinion. As a leader I have become an individual whom others can place their faith in the fact that I would consider all elements to a problem before deciding on a conclusion, taking the most appropriate course of action to meet the ultimate objective.    

My actions in accordance to my values have placed me in conflicts with others to become valuable life lessons with an equally important role in defining the person that I am today. I am continuously learning to become more tactful in my manner of speech such that my constructive criticisms can be delivered in an acceptable manner to others. After all, I provide my criticisms with the intention to improve things to the benefit of everyone around me.       

Reading List 261215

Completed:
1. Jaina Proudmoore: Tides Of War by Christie Golden
2. World Of Warcraft: Rise Of The Horde by Christie Golden
3. Warcraft: The Last Guardian by Jeff Grubb
4. World Of Warcraft: Tides Of Darkness by Aaron S Rosenberg
5. World of Warcraft: War Crimes by Christie Golden
6. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Osar Wilde

Reading list from 300815-261215
1. Relativity: The Special and General Theory by Albert Einstein (1916) (Paused. Printer broke down, unable to cover remaining sections)
2. Guns, Germs, And Steel by Jared Diamond.

I ought to try to finish everything by the end of the year

Reading List 300815

Completed:

1. 50 Quantum Physics Ideas you really need to know by Joanne Baker

2. Computing Machinery and Intelligence by A.M.. Turing (1950)

3. The Origins of Quantum Theory by Cathryn Carson

4. Wang Tiles for Image and Texture Generation by Michael F. Cohen, Jonathan Shade, Stefan Hiller, Oliver Deussen

5. Computing with Tiles by Rahul Gopinath, Yonglei Zheng, Madhura Vadvalkar and Junyuan Lin (2011)

6. Tiling Groups for Wang Tiles by Cristopher Moore, Ivan Rapaport and Eric Remila.

Reading list from 040615-300815

1. Jaina Proudmoore: Tides Of War by Christie Golden

2. World Of Warcraft: Rise Of The Horde by Christie Golden

3. Warcraft: The Last Guardian by Jeff Grubb

4. World Of Warcraft: Tides Of Darkness by Aaron S Rosenberg

5. World of Warcraft: War Crimes by Christie Golden

6. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Osar Wilde (Paused)

7. Relativity: The Special and General Theory by Albert Einstein (1916) (Paused)

8. Guns, Germs, And Steel by Jared Diamond.

Reading List 040615

It has been over a year since I updated my Blog! Time flies when you're busy in the military. However, having little time to myself made me treasure every little bit of it that is available to me.
I am determined to maintain my touch on academics in my absence from school. Although it's no simple task to achieve (Honestly speaking I think I've forgotten alot of the technical details related to Chemistry, Geography, Biology and Mathematics), I've found myself reading a lot more than I had ever done in my life and I've learnt quite a fair bit in the process, so I believe at least that makes up for it...

At least a little...  

Without further ado, my reading list as of 040615! As I'm into research, many of them are research papers.

1. 50 Quantum Physics Ideas you really need to know by Joanne Baker
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
3. Computing Machinery and Intelligence by A.M.. Turing (1950)
4. The Origins of Quantum Theory by Cathryn Carson
5. Relativity: The Special and General Theory by Albert Einstein (1916)
6. Wang Tiles for Image and Texture Generation by Michael F. Cohen, Jonathan Shade, Stefan Hiller, Oliver Deussen
7. Computing with Tiles by Rahul Gopinath, Yonglei Zheng, Madhura Vadvalkar and Junyuan Lin (2011)
8. Tiling Groups for Wang Tiles by Cristopher Moore, Ivan Rapaport and Eric Remila.

Woes (Part 2)

A little personal experience and views about things. 

Singapore is not simply a competitive society. Such an assumption would only be made by mollycoddled individuals oblivious to the fact that it is human nature to be competitive. The strides taken in the path of economic development among our Asian counterparts were not a result of sloth but their ferocity in driving towards better economic conditions. It is safe to assume such spirit seen in a country would have manifested itself into the society and hearts of many individuals. (Or vice versa) The Western world had not been idle either. Perhaps a better way to describe my society would be one which is competitive yet fearful of failure and afraid of trying alternative approaches towards success.

Moving on to the topic of a society who is competitive while sensitive to failure, too often have I seen parents who enforces unnecessarily strict schedules on their children for their education. This is in fact the most deeply entrenched within the memories of my schooling years in my primary school. I could remember the frustrations expressed by the parents as they did their usual 'interrogation' on some of the kids following the release of the examination results only to find out their own children were not performing as well as the others. I have had many childhood friends who were deprived of a chance to play in the park simply for an extra hour or two of revision. However, although I do believe in nurturing other aspects of an individual (Which I would probably talk about someday because it's frustrating to see machines being produced in school), I have no qualms with taking education a little more seriously.

However, often my frustrations lie on the fact that my parents care too little with regards to my education. In my childhood days, while others had parents urging their children on to achieve in their examinations to enter top notch schools in the city despite their poor performance in the examinations, I was simply encouraged to enter the better of the ''neighbourhood schools'' within the region despite being in the top class in the school.

Irony at it's finest.

Not to mention, it frustrates me to no end that as my A levels approaches they have no clue with regards to my education: Not a single clue of my exam dates or the days which I have to attend classes. They could've at least known when my June holidays had started.      

I apologise for this unnecessary post and the irrelevant content before expressing what I wish to say. Nevertheless, this is not an essay which we have to cut to the chase.
 
Nowadays I often find myself ranting about life more than I am writing about interesting facts of our world, the latter of which I personally enjoy doing so. However to live our insignificant lives as a useful human being is indeed an endeavour that contains just as much complexities as the world around us and is on its own a fulfilling topic to discuss. I will rant to allow myself some reprieve from my frustrations. However, I will also do so so that I am able to look back some day and perhaps find answers for my frustrations.

Assembling the puzzle of life (Part 1?)

There are so many ways to live a life. In this post, I would like to share a part of my revelations with regards to life. The points are numbered 1, 1.1 and 1.2 since I believe that the second and third point are simply derived from the first.

1. There are too many factors which contribute to a single outcome, many of which are beyond our control. Trying our best for something might not guarantee the expect outcome, (although we can actively increase our chances in achieving our goals). Therefore, do not despair in the face of defeat, accept the fact that we do not have the ability to control everything in life.

1.1) Since unexpected outcomes do happen in life, there is little need to gloat over achieving better than another individual. Obtaining better results than your rival in a single examination or project is certainly not a direct result of superior skills.

1.2) While unable to control every factor that would lead to success, we have the ability to control as many as possible to increase our probability of success which we should actively do so. While Heisenberg's uncertainty principle suggests that any measurement involves some degree of uncertainty, that never hinders scientists from obtain the most accurate results as possible in any experiments.

A brief summary of the points would simply be 'Do not be afraid of setbacks, try your best and be humble'. There are so many ways to live a life. I'm glad I've figured three of them out, not because I think they're the right way of doing things, but simply because it's my way of doings things.

Pieces of my childhood: Clinging on to the memories of my arts class.

Although this post was labelled as Anime I'm not really talking about this anime per se! Boring stuff here I suppose but it's good to keep a record of things I guess so that's why I'm writing this post. It could also update my blog as well anyway!
The ending theme of the original Yugioh series. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdk-6oCiSYI&list=RD02b5A1dJpoclk

Ending credits in the first season of Yugioh.  Credits from  http://www.4shared.com/video/1423hUDD/yugioh_ending_1.html

Yu-Gi-OH! was a huge part of my childhood. I used to watch the anime every weekends and I've played the trading card games for many years when I was younger. This theme song however always reminded me of another, bigger part of my childhood, because it was exactly at that period of time when the Yugioh fever set off in Singapore that I was having my arts classes every Saturday at 430 p.m. I could still remember visiting my cousins after class every week to play the card games and the one occasion when I bought my first deck in the neighbouring mall, a fake one for two dollars because my mother felt it was a waste to spend on cards. (I still ended up getting many more real Seto Kaiba decks afterwards so it didn't matter!) In the end, my arts class ended somewhere along the way because the money used for the lessons had to be channeled for other classes. It was a huge disappointment and I remembered hearing from my mother that I would be able to go back to my arts classes once we have enough money to afford for them because the other classes take priority. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to go back for my arts classes.

Nonetheless, this theme song still bring forth a very strong feeling of nostalgia and never fails to remind me of my happy childhood.      

Horrible Horrible Week

Having a horrible time in school recently and I'm just going to spill it all out in this post. If you are not fond of reading things like this, it is best that you give a miss on this post. I really hate to talk about rather insignificant things like this but its been really frustrating to say the least, not to mention having all my close friends being too preoccupied with their own activities to meet up,  

These few weeks of school had been ghastly. Could it be that I am suffering from some form of withdrawal symptoms as a result of not training Wushu? It had afterall been a part of my life for quite awhile and I used to spend at least 8-10 hours a week training. I'm having a major exam this year with a science practical examination next week and all I've been doing is repeatedly make blunders in every assignment so far. Huge mistakes which could have been completely avoided if I had paid more attention, but I simply can't stop making them!

Let's search my memory of the recent weeks and confront these idiotic mistakes, then get on with it once and for all..

1. Physics test: First law of thermodynamics Change in U = Q + W where W is work done on the system. For some reason, I subtracted my value of W from Q and I know it's the work done on the system throughout the entire test! That would have costed me a grade or two.

2. Physics quiz, question asked to determine resistance of a variable resistor in a given circuit, found the voltage across the resistor instead.

3. Multiple errors while entering my values in the GC

4. Giving the wrong units for my physics practical, writing the wrong standard form, drawing the graph wrongly, giving the wrong scale for the graph...

5. Forgetting the proper presentation for the math test which costed me a bundle despite having most of the answers correct!

I hate it so bad when teachers ask me if I need help because these mistakes are not made because I have a weak understanding of something! I resent the feeling of being looked down upon. And it seems I do not have an affinity with physics recently, although its supposed to be my strongest subject which gets on my nerves so much! Leaving that aside I do have other reasons for my frustration...

First of all I would say that many people (Including me) agree that EQ is so important in today's world, more so than IQ. Given that I've already plummeted my way into despair its really a kick in the shin to hear from a close classmate of yours words that would drag you further down into the depths of agony. Picture yourself sharing your woes to a close friend like any ordinary human being would. Then picture yourself lamenting about how your presentation for the math test screwed up and you lost marks unnecessarily or that you screwed up your science experiment only to hear responses like 'Can I take a look at your answers so I know what not to do for the test' and 'Oh this is the last trail we have before the actual examination'.

Well, to begin with, I fully comprehend the predicament which I am in right now and pointing out the obvious doesn't seem to be the most tactful response, much less to say replying with a completely unnecessary response which would only serve to aggravate the receiver! I can't get mad over something unintentional, but that doesn't in the least minuscule bit make me happier than I am at that point. This is where emotional quotient plays a critical role in maintaining social relations with one another I suppose...

Since I've spilled a whole length post about all these S*IT that has been happening to me recently, let's make the most prudent decision in coping with problems by confronting, accepting and then letting go of whatever which had happened. Wouldn't want to shorten my lifespan anyway.

Relieved that I got my A for project work. I knew I put in enough effort to deserve an A but anything can happen. Anyway, with this grade, at least I know I didn't upload any substandard pieces of work in my previous blog posts! Unfortunately, having reformatted my computer, I am unable to upload the rest of my work onto the blog... Sorry about that!

About promoting learning not scoring well in exams

Just sharing my experiences, talking about the situation around me and explaining why I'm so pessimistic about things. 

A couple of my secondary school friends shared this link on Facebook just recently. http://www.todayonline.com/voices/promote-learning-not-scoring-well-exams. Basically, it's talking about how my country's education system focuses too much on exams only to produce students who are able to memorise to obtain better grades without actually learning. Unfortunately, despite the fact that countless individuals have spoken up about this before and about the way we study, I am extremely pessimistic about the way things are going to change anyway. I've always thought about talking about these things recently but it's simply so complicated that a single blog post wouldn't be able to cover the surface of this issue, not to mention the fact that I'm not exactly extremely knowledgeable in this field and I'm not very strong in my language. What I can offer, is perhaps some of my personal experience as a student.

Firstly, I'm glad to say that this problem doesn't happen in each and every school in my country. At least, I'm proud to say that in my secondary school we actually focus a great deal in learning and understanding whatever that is being taught. I have a great number of teachers who constantly emphasise to us the importance for learning and understanding the concepts rather than just memorising the basic ideas if we couldn't grasp it. Perhaps I was lucky to have met great teachers, (Thinking about it makes me feel ashamed that I wasn't exactly the most polite/mature/understanding student around. Not even close!) perhaps it was the culture of my school, regardless the factors my secondary school friends do share the same sentiments as myself. However, clearly it had not been the case elsewhere. Entering a Junior College with over 800 people I know I'm bound to meet different kinds of people. To think that nearly my entire class is filled with people who would forgo their CCA for their work, even when its a measly once/twice a week. Here's more to the story. They are the ones who would refuse to take down notes if they find out that it's a concept which would not be tested for the exams even when the teachers encourage us to write it down! On the otherhand, they are also the ones who would copy the teacher's answers literally word for word if it was relevant to the syllabus.

Why do I think that this problem is rather difficult to resolve? Here's my logic behind it.

While it is easy to wag your finger at the system for breeding people who are results oriented, or to blame the way the system used to rank schools that indirectly caused us to focus too much on examination results, or perhaps to blame my society which molds people that only focuses on the tangible results, the reason (Which is most definitely caused by an array of factors) is too complicated to blame a single entity. Resolving the issue with multiple root factors requires an equally complicated approach to tackle what we see as a problem , which is difficult to achieve. Here's an example. While there are people claiming that the education system is 'flawed' with our heavy emphasise on exams which had led us to memorise our work rather than to understand what is being taught, the act of memorising and focusing on ''exam grades only'' is a tried and tested method that had worked for many before yourself and even by changing the way things are taught, many might not be willing to change and risk their chances for a higher education, reemphasising the fact that this situation is far more complex! (Like a dead knot I would say) While the article did mentioned that ''We need to realise that a good life consists of more than that (A good degree, high paying job etc)'' That's easy for a university undergrad to say!

We are all standing at different points in this rat race, each with different priorities. I am a science guy, I talk about understanding concepts too, but not everything in life can be accommodating to everyone I suppose and things are difficult to change. If we really want to make the switch we would really need much time and fervour. The question is, can we last long enough to make the switch?

Woes

I'm not sure if this post is out of anger or anguish. I might seem like a child to talk about things this way but I'd rather get this off my chest than hide behind the masquerade of being a teenager.

I tend to keep more to myself nowadays because as much as I hate to hear of other people's constant (and often unintelligent) chattering I would expect the crowd to feel the same for me if I were to babble on about something that doesn't quite fit their area of interest. Instead, I give my opinions to friends who share my views and interests who would listen to my words with sincerity. In a way, it shows respect for the people around you by not acting as a distraction and you experience the true essence of conversations with people.

Yet, there are people who feel that they know you better than yourself. I have no qualms with people who think they are especially gorgeous or highly intelligent, I have great confidence in my own abilities as well, but treating others as if they know your actions seem as a huge act of disrespect for another and it simply serves to magnify your stupidity to others. I for one have a strong disdain for these people, and yet they are people whom I have work with every single day in the sports team and in college.

Every time the topic on homework is raised in conversations, without a single utterance of a syllable, people assume that I've finished all my homework weeks before they've started. Nobody likes to be accused or for others to misunderstand them. When I denied these allegations, I am assumed to be lying. Well, aren't these assumptions simply, well, assumption? What makes your opinions more believable than another, especially if you aren't even one of knows me well enough to reprimand me? So a person who keeps to himself and does better in the exams would study harder than you? (No, my results are not fantastic less common in a sports team where people train 6 times a week before competitions and just sufficient to keep in the higher percentiles) So one who scurries about the soccer field during lunch hours would be a better sportsman than another who avoid the mid day sun in Singapore? Is one more active in his lifestyle if he or she pretends to be sociable? I'd beg to differ. At least compared to those I know, I experienced more things than they did in the last few years, achieving better in Wushu competitions, taking part in the student council in the past, played in Chess tournaments, taking up research projects, learning to be a drummer and still not losing out in the academics.      

In the face of criticism from friends, I would at least attempt to accept and correct myself for they are of good intentions. Perhaps I've been sensitive over the words of others, but I never claimed to be immune to them. I do not enjoy putting down others but I believed I had not lost out against those people who would never listen. I stress I am not comparing myself to everyone out there, there are always better people out there, but I had to pen down my feelings. Not a good thing to do on a blog, but I believe it had not been insulting in any sense, not to mention the number of people who would read it..

I've contemplated over a post on Facebook, but what more would it seem than a fit of tantrum if it was filled with frustration directed carelessly towards others? With this blog post, I can better reason myself rather than project a barrage of profanities that would so easily, and yet so ineffectively express myself? I apologise for my weak language and lengthy post. If there was anyone to offer thoughtful advice, I would gladly embrace it.

         

About Wushu training, Beijing.

And so I was away from 24 November till 3 December for martial arts training with my school team. Here's a documentation of the time there for those curious to find out about training Wushu (or other sports) in China. I'm not advertising or anything! Just sharing my experiences. Photos were taken by an Android phone so its not very good. 

Location: China, Beijing, Beijing ShiChaHai  sports school. (Pretty famous sports school in China if I'm not mistaken, here is the link if you wish to find out about it >>) http://www.admissions.cn/sch/

Temperature: < 0 degrees centigrade, around -6 degrees on colder times of the day. 

Training time: 9.30-11.30, 3.30-5.30 (We trained twice a day to maximise our time there, students usually only train once per day, so it's not as tough as you believe!)

Meal time: Breakfast 7.30-8.30, Lunch 11.30-12.30, Dinner 5.30-6.30 (We follow a rather strict timetable when it comes to our nutrition)

Lodgings: Within the school compound, in a hotel.

Hotel room, there is a computer/television at the front of the bed ( Not shown in photo)

Classes: While we trained alone as a team with their coach in the morning, we trained with their students in the afternoon session. The students in the class which we joined were considered average.

There were foreigners who joined their professional team. I believe they were from the national/professional team of their respective countries. Foreigners I met include: Italians, Australians, Canadians, Malaysians.

Their professional team is also further classified into 3 groups based on their skills (And age if I'm not wrong)
Obviously the older ones are better anyway.
 

This is  one of the places where the professional team trained. 

Also, we were allowed to use the gymnasium to practice some difficult jumps since its safer with all the cushions.

Gymnasium

Life there: We pretty much spent the time when we're not eating or training (Between 8.30-9.30, 12.30-3.30, 6.30 onwards) watching movies online so it's very laid back!

There are several places of interest located within walking distance of the school and of course good food to purchase, so its worth the time to explore those places. Not to mention plenty of clothes and electronic products! Noteworthy details: Starbucks located next to the school!

Favourite  part of the school: A giant greenhouse where the environment is cool and trees are still green

Huge bowl of noodles at 13 RMB or 2.60 SGD

Starbucks

5 or 4 storey compound located near the school (About 1km)  selling clothes and electronics, 

I'd certainly wish to visit the school again if I have the chance.

Rain

I feel uplifted when it rains, simply because its the most natural phenomenon that could happen in my city. Never at the mercy of people, it happens completely at the will of nature. No amount of trees planted in my garden city could allow my country to assimilate into nature as much as what the rain could provide. My city, having being located in the tropics, is the coolest in times of rain, and it makes the urban jungle feel alive again.

Display pictures

I was just asked by someone to change my Facebook display picture into my own photo rather than some anime or fictional character. Well, along with our names, I'm sure the purpose of a display picture is to present our identities to the people who are going to view it. Since all my Friends on Facebook are likely to know me personally and would know how I look like (or at the very least after looking at my other photographs), why not feature a character which you like on your display picture which can better present your identity? Here's what I feel.

You are likely to be able to relate yourself to the character if you like him/her, which means you are likely to have a similar personality to the person. People who knows the character would know you better than just by looking at your face, because they recall the personality of the character in the story-line. Therefore, you can also present your identity better with that character. Even if you simply show a liking to the character without having any similarities with the character's personality, at least you show others some traits which you like which helps them better understand you as well!

Oh well, I'm just saying. If anything, the reasons I've stated are at least self-satisfactory.  

Friends

This post ironically talks about people who aren't actually one's friend. Unlike many others who openly regards everyone as their friend, I however, regard most people as an acquaintance. (Secretly, at the very least) Although it makes me appear as an anti-social individual, believe me, it's not that far off from the former. 

I believe that regarding everyone as a friend is not very much more sociable than being open to friendship.

We often overgeneralise what it means to be a friend. Some people does it with simply no agenda to it, but at other times for our darker agenda. Here's a few very common examples.

1. There are people who seek the approval of others (Probably of a higher status) by appearing to be friendly with the peers around them.
2. There are also those who seek to associate themselves with you just so as to keep an on your actions and progress before surpassing you when ever you falter.

Yet these people may be those who resent or scorn you the most.

What about those are related to you in school or at work, and simply address you as a friend for that reason and with no agenda at all? Perhaps it certainly didn't matter if we reciprocated their actions. Most of the time.

During a recent match (DOTA 2) a classmate of mine was taunted relentlessly by his ex-schoolmate whenever he makes a blunder. His schoolmate had been performing far below his usual abilities. Before long his taunts which bordered on insult, pushed my classmate over the edge they ended the day with a flurry of verbal assaults on each other out of frustration.  Yet, ironically, both of them, (including me) were on the same team. I cannot help but think that the schoolmate's actions were prompted by jealously as any another gamer would very much experience. His choice of words surely suggested so.

Certainly, nobody can be a perfect friend, nobody can have magnanimity to wish the best for the others when you do not share the same glory as them.

Nonetheless nobody can stop you from trying.

Would we truly live up to being a friend if, on multiple occasions, we were to dispatch an array of demeaning remarks on each other simply because they did better than you? Would we want to treat them as a friend if we have to bear with their infuriating remarks? The Oxford Dictionary defines a friend as an individual with whom one has a mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations. How sure are we that we display mutual affections with everyone we encounter anyway?

Then again, it's all up to how seriously we regard the term 'friendship'. Sometimes addressing even the most unreasonable as a friend would spare you more troubles, but on a personal note, I believe that if we treat our friendships seriously, we ought to treat the way we regard people as a friend more seriously.

The thing about looking up to someone isn't just about looking at what he or she is known for.

Well this is going to be a very short post about my thoughts (Again).

I'm a huge fan of Owl City and I will always remain as one. While surfing the net a little earlier, there was this one line in his video about his new album Midsummer station that really strengthen my resolve in life. In the video Adam Young said: ''I don't think that fireflies (Fireflies is currently his most successful song based on the billboard chart) is really something that I have to beat because that isn't really the point and if I ever get into the point of that trying to do a song to match it or beat it, it's like I'm doing it for the wrong reasons that kind of thing.'' Indeed his words are a warm reminder for me to always do thing for the right reasons: studying to contribute to the world in the future, choosing the courses to study based on passion and not based on what is perceived to be an easier subject. That is how I live my life in school.

Again, going back to the title of this post, I'm pretty sure the reason why I became a fan isn't only because I like the songs but because I've tasted the passion above all else.

Night cycling

My city 

9th of August commemorates the 47th year of independence of my nation. What better way to celebrate the event than to cycle with your friends around the island throughout the night and experiencing first-hand the night life of this cosmopolitan city? I was awestruck by how the city remained active throughout the night but was taken aback by the downside of human society that presented itself only when much the nation fell into a blissful slumber.

We were greeted in every corner by drunkards as we cycling through the city, muddleheaded, yet fully aware of the several cyclists around them. The thrill, danger, and perhaps even amusing experience cycling past clubbers who appeared seemingly threatening on first impression (which soon turned out to be a fluke since they were all drunk) was unforgettable. Leaving the city and taking a quick break at a neighbouring playground after leaving the city only led me to discover that these children's hangout served as residence for homeless foreign workers at night. City life at night didn't turn out to be as romantic as people tend to think after all.

Of course, I am aware that such situations are present across the world and I bear no hard feelings for my society. I am also fully aware of the ugly side of city life (after midnight) but had never realised its prevalence and never experienced it first-hand having lived in the suburb region of the island. My impression of the city as a place where its dwellers could enjoy its picturesque scenery and have a quiet time out with their loved ones was a far cry from reality. Gone was my notion that a country as rich and secure as that of mine would be at least nearly completely free of people without proper residence. I tend to see this as a depressing and appalling aspect of human society. It was truly an eye-opening experience that many of my peers, having buried themselves in their notes would not experience.

While I used to manage 2 blogs, I've decided to delete my older blog and to stick to this current one. My first blog all started as some silly piece of assignment and then as a way to practice on my language and to talk (lament) about life. My second blog on the other hand served as a platform for me put the things I've read up myself to good use and attempt to explain things as accurately as possible. However, what I've experienced in school as well as what I like to do both makes up important aspects of my life and are both inter-related and dependent on each other, so why not merge them? 

This is no longer just about how I see my life nor how I try to understand it. Its about me experiencing and understanding my life while I live it through. 

Still, there are things from my previous blog which I would like to keep in this current blog, such as the things I've said below. They weren't fond memories but they are things I would not want to forget, for they are still important to me.    

At this crucial point of time the realisation of  the futility of my attempts bestows upon me. A stroke of luck?

What is pride in oneself if all I strove for could not be appreciated by my reason to strive. Perhaps I am forever inferior to one of equal caliber equipped simply with differing talents?

Reality has caught up. Though I may not falter for now, my near future is clouded with uncertainty. 

11 November 2011

''Thats not going to get any better, so break it off from there. That way, a new shoot will grow so that new leaves will grow beautifully''-Honey and clover.  

12 November 2011

In times of sorrow I seek your support and yet, to no avail. A month of turmoil from the major examination my lifetime have ended as quickly as it came. I am now thrown into nothing more than a dull, vacant life, only to despair over your absence.

I spend every passing minute peering over my phone in desperation for your messages, knowing very well that in contrast, you spend your time lavishing every hour of playtime with your friends.
Friends...Was I ever treated as a friend by you? Your absence pains me, second, only to the reality that is dawning upon me. The reality of giving in to fate, which I had worked against ever since the day you were part of my life.    

18 November 2011

Keeping sane

Recently, I often worry about my sanity. The surmounting workload as the teaching of the syllabus goes full-throttle, the long school hours, but most of all the grim reality of the environment I live in- filled with students who could give up everything for the sake of academics achievement, students who delude themselves, becoming completely unaware of the importance of various skills in the real world, teenagers without a purpose nor a goal in life, and hypocritical individuals waiting for you to falter just so as to eliminate you from the 'race' so to speak.

I would only hope that as I learn to treasure what little true friends I possess who would genuinely accompany me through thick and thin, they too would learn and benefit just as much as I would with their support. I believe  benevolent ties would certainly triumph over hypocrisy.

Also, I have owl city to make me feel better