Memories...
Sunday, June 29, 2008
ON A BIG CONGRATS TO THE 2008 ARTS CAMP TEAM! =)
Haha, so it has come to an end..Or has it?
I felt really heartwarmed when I went back on the 1st night. Reliving all those crazy memories. It was nice to see last year's freshies becoming this year's councilors as well.
Hehe, v happy to catch up with xiao indu, bobsie & chongz too!! N of coz other oldies like Lace, Guan Guan, IK, Siew Fan, Xiaohongzi, Egg Head Giang.
Just wanna offer my congratulations once again to Hwee Guang, Cherie, Serene, Xinyu, the entire O Com, FOP team, House ICs, 28th MC, n all the councilors! And to the freshies who ventured to embark on these 5 days. =)
Was so hoping to see the last day of camp n the traditional Circle of Friendship again..but like what xiaohongzi said also: every thing has its own time & stage.
Life goes on...but always in a special kind of way hee. Till next year's 2009 Camp then.
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Fri night's MindCafe games with Sooze & Siying was great fun! We played the "Politics as Usual" boardgame which was emotionally & mentally draining wahhahaha.
And then I cant believe I act went clubbing yest night at St James haha. I thought i wouldnt be clubbing for quite a while heh. Saw Leanna. So qiao haha. She's still as spunky as ever.
Euro final tonight. To be honest, I havent been watching many of the matches, coz its so late at night n I gotta wake up early everyday. But the final being the final, cant miss it eh.
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Work wise, its really been v busy. Still have lotsa stuff to learn but concurrently, there are stuff I need to deliver quick as well.
End of this week ll mark my 1st month. =) Jiayou Jiayou!
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In Pre-Sch, people call me YANDAO.
In Pri sch, people call me JINFU.
In Sec sch, people call me CHING HOCK, AH FU.
In JC, people call me JINFU.
In Army, people call me HOCK, XIAOFUZI.
In Uni, people call me HOCK, HOCKY, HOCKY-POCKY, HOCKEY-POCKEY, HOCK-HOCK (among other atrocious names heh)
In Work, people call me CHING HOCK.
Whats next?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
ON THE NIGHT BEFORE ARTS CAMPS & FOPs
Over the years, I always find it hard to sleep the night before Arts Camp. Sun Tzu terms this as the "Fog of War". In layman terms, its that kind of surreal, unbelievable, yet highly anticipatory feeling that awaits all soldiers before actual fighting in war...the kind of feeling that Gondor experienced before Sauron's armies march forth from Mordor.
Ok, maybe I m exaggerating. heh. But u get the point.
The next 5 days will change the lives of a lot of people. 300 freshmen, 150 councilors, 30 O Com members, 13 MC members & 8 House ICs. =) Young men & women who ll look back 1 day when they graduate n tell themselves: "Ahhhh, I sure am glad i turned up for Arts Camp 2008. No regrets."
Frankly, its been tough for me to drag n pull myself from going back hahahaha. Good thing that work is distracting me hee.
This is the project that meant so much to me, ever since year1. And always will be. =)
To Hwee Guang & all the O Commers, House ICs, MC Members, Councilors & organizers, all the best for Arts Camp 2008!!! Keep the Arts Club flag flying high k!!
Good luck everyone & best wishes!!!!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
ON HILLARY
“Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. And when u stumble, keep faith. And when u are knocked down, get right up, and never listen to anyone who says u that u can’t, or shouldn’t go on.”
“When u hear people saying or think to yourself: ‘if only’ or ‘what if’, I say please dun go there. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward. Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. Let us work together instead on what still can be.”
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Thank you for your passion, ideals, hard-fought campaign, and for these inspirational final words. =)
Friday, June 20, 2008
12:03:16 AM
colonelben@hotmail.com: actually i feel that if you are numb,you won't cry when you see jasmine cry.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
ON BORING GIRLS
Yawnzzzzzz..... Some girls are so immature and petty that they seriously seriously bore me. Maybe even to the point of disgust.
Aiyoh, xiao mei mei, what are u trying to prove?
ZZZZZZZZ......
Stop trying so hard la. You end up becoming the exact kind of person u dislike yourself.
ON ARTS CAMP HEHE
I amaze myself sometimes on how much I still feel for Arts Camp, even after all these years. Haha.
Listening to Julie & Michelle describe their Pre-camp experience the other night just brought back so many memories again.
Hope things turn out well for the camp. =) Mistakes ll definitely be made along the way, but its how the Com reacts, its flexibility, adaptability, leadership, ability to handle pressure, n how it listens to proper advice that ll steer the camp towards success.
The worst thing to do as an O com member (I think) is to succumb under pressure, flare up, & throw yr temper around, esp to the councilors & freshies. That is quite suicidal. Win over the respect & trust of the councilors and house ICs, and I think 1/3 of the job is done. Lose them, and no matter how zai yr program or admin is, it wont make a happy camp.
Which means it is also v v impt for MC members & O Commers to reach down to the ground level & mix/ interact as much as they can, after covering their respective duties. And yes, psycho more potential zai freshies to run for Arts Club in future hehe.
Speaking of freshies, I popped by the Arts Camp blog site, and continue to be amazed by some of the questions that these 21 year males ask. Gosh. Got 1 chap dare to say "I hope I dun sound too himbo but I hope ppl second me!". Well, I think u just answered yr own hope haha. Eh, think going for Mt Everest Expedition ah? heh.
Anyway, I wont be surprised if its an impostor as well. I rem last time got cases whereby other fac seniors go around other camps' websites n act as freshies, purposely li xiao-ing others. Oh well.
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On a separate note, I think my T3 boss Cheng Nam is really zai. Very people-oriented, and really make people under him to feel happy working for him. Haha.
I think I found a leader whom I really respect & whom I can really give my best for. =)
And again, I m really thankful for having Miriam as my assistant. Even though she's also relatively new, but she's extremely hardworking, willing to learn, and has a fantastic attitude. In fact, she reminds me of Meiyi when she was Hon Gen in yr1 haha.
Can really feel a very strong team spirit here in T3 Ops, which makes going to work everyday so much more pleasant & enjoyable!
Goodnite world!
Monday, June 16, 2008
ON 1ST WEEK OF WORK
Just wanna drop a short note here to say that I had a fantastic 1st week at work. I m learning a lot, and still have a lot to learn. The environment is great, and I couldnt have ask for more warm & welcoming colleagues. =)
Also been doing so much walking around the Terminal such that i lost weight again heh heh. Good exercise man!
Had a power-packed weekend where I caught up with many old friends again, watched Kungfu Panda (damn funny la) and rounded off with another great game of Sundae football. Also making a new pair of rimless specs. Always wanted 1 pair like these hee.
I am also very happy for a friend. =) I hope that things work out fine between them and I believe that things will work out fine.
Love is such a powerful element aint it? :p
Ok, off to work now! Have a good week everyone!
Monday, June 09, 2008
ON FIRST DAE OF WORK
Haha, on the 9th of June 2008, The Incredible Hock finally & officially stepped into the working world. And he thoroughly enjoyed himself todae. =p It really helps a lot that he did an internship at Commercial previously, so he felt quite at ease and at home around the airport.
It's the 1st time in life he got his own formal office cubicle, and the 1st time he gets addressed as a Manager. He's really thankful for the warm and friendly colleagues who made him feel right at home at T3, and he oredi feels part of the dynamic T3 team. Su Lim, Zul, Jan, and Eileen also brought many smiles to him todae. =) Thank you all for making his 1st dae of work such a pleasant one.
Right now there's just so much so much for him to learn, but he's really relishing the various challenges, operations and projects ahead oredi. His job scope and responsibilities are quite defined and well-briefed by his supervisors, so he has a much better idea of what to expect ahead.
His brain...pretty inactive since the end of exams, has suddenly perked up again. He feels the rush of blood and adrelaine pumping thru his entire body system again...That kind of feeling last felt during the internship in Dec, and last last felt in Arts Club MC. That kind of feeling that makes him feel that he can take on the world.
Hopefully it will last in him.
He's..oredi looking forward to work tom. Day 2. =) He says goodnight to the world...and mutters, "If you smell what the Hock is cooking...?"
He's also happy that pre-camp has started..and looks foward to dinner at Brazil with the PS gang tom. n_n
Saturday, June 07, 2008
ON REFLECTIONS OF ICT
I am back from reservist and I had a great time yahooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!
Heh heh.
Felt really happy to catch up with all my old army mates. As usual, we talked lots n lots of trash, n did lots of stuff together which were great fun hehe, like irritating Xiaoji n Ah Xiao.
To top things off, our entire Scout platoon shot marksmen for the Combat Shoot range, and if i m not wrong, we are the only platoon in the whole battalion to have gotten all marksmen. The rundown was quite tiring even tho it was so much shorter compared to the 300m rundown during our NSF days. Must be all the spare tires at work haha. So that means an additional $200 for each of us yeah! =p On a more personal note, I m delighted as well coz I got full score for the day shoot, hitting all 20 rounds, while missing 2 rounds for the night shoot.
I guess what was quite touching is that the realization hit most of us (during the live firing day)that we were a really united & happy platoon, and who always deliver when it counts. And it makes all of us feel good when we come back and see each other during reservist. So much so that it feels like another holidae haha. The comaraderie and the spirit was fantastic. And yes, i think i laughed so much during my ICT that my diarrhoea was miraculously cured.
Indeed, the entire week away from emails and the outside world at large gave me plenty of time to do further self-reflection and thinking on a lot of stuff. I realize that I do miss my friends in school a lot haha. I also realize that I am a very lucky person and that I must treasure what I have now in terms of health, family, friendships, career, material possessions, and academic graduation. Life is short. Sometimes it is when certain things are absent thats when u really learn to appreciate them.
With each in-camp, an increasing number in the platoon have gotten married. Some even have kids oredi. =) And it makes for great conversation haha. For eg, I ll ask some of them how does it feel to be married, and any significant differences or changes in their lives. And I think its kinda sweet when Lao Da tells me that he misses his baby daughter oredi, after only 4 daes.
Apparently, the costs of baby milk powder is rising damn high as well. haha.
As for me, I dun think I ll marry early. Or rather too early haha. I use to love someone so deeply that I did seriously think about marriage with her, but I realize that such decisions can wait. If and when the time comes, it comes.
My Facebook marriage test says this:
"Hock will get married 9 Years From Now! You have worked hard in your academics and are looking for a great job. But, you will soon feel content with yourself and begin the search for that special someone. They will happen upon your when you least expect it. You are in for a fun ride!"
Ok. =)
So all in all, a fabulous ICT! yeah!! n_n
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Also finally gotten news tat I ll be attending the c1 list for commencement ceremony. Really delighted, honoured, n grateful. Will be receiving my degree scroll from President Nathan and ll be able to take a personal pic with him. Rare are such occasions. =) And i think its really a nice gesture from NUS that they do appreciate students who have made sacrifices for the student n nus community, ccas, n for their efforts outside the classrooms.
The downside as I have said before is that I wont be going onstage like my PS friends during 10 july, n ll only be a member of the general audience. But I m really hoping that the Commencement Committee can at least allow me to sit with them on 10 July. Yes, so i can get close enough to throw bananas onto the stage when Damien goes up to collect his scroll hehe.
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Finally, I ll be starting work on Mondae at T3. Obviously excited, a little apprehensive about whats in store for me, but yeah, the thought of a new adventure makes my blood stir heh.
Plugging into the working world officially. Oredi looking foward to meeting my new colleagues and to learning as much as i can!
And yesh, European Championships starting tonight. I dun really support any particular national teams be it for World Cups or ECs. The only thing I like to see is all the United players doing well, and good football being played.
Monday, June 02, 2008
ON RESERVIST AGAIN
I have been pumping this damn ball for like 20 minutes, and its still like half-deflated. What the hell man haha.
Yeah, need a ball for the week ahead. Going off to my 4th ICT from Mon to Fri night (2nd-6th June).
Obviously it feels xian to go back to camp, but I am looking foward to seeing n catching up with all the army lads again haha. And it helps that i ve oredi cleared my IPPT, which means the pressure during in-camp is off n I can book out earlier also.
Hmmm..pretty emo day for me I guess. Wasnt helped by the fact that the apparent Bali food poisoning has attacked me as well heh. Daniel n Damien too. Been down with diarrhoea the whole dae, tho I m feeling much better oredi. Still feel very tired, even tho I have slept quite a bit.
Thought about a lot of things todae hmmm...Alvin's right though. Reservist ICT can sometimes be a good time n place for reflection. Shall see.
Goodbye again for a week. =) Still contactable by phone.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
ON AN UNFORGETTABLE GRAD TRIP
It feels surreal to be back here in Singapore after almost a week in Bali.
But wow, what can I say?
Unbelievable trip. Unbelievable memories. =) Just too hard for me to put down in words. Maybe the pictures ll help...once they are uploaded by dan, jiajia, n nydia haha.
I did a lot of things there..n a lot of 1st times. Para-sailing, jet-skiing (which really turned me on coz its like riding a bike on water haha), white water rafting (n dropping into the choppy river twice haha), playing up close n personal with monkeys, smoking cigars, chionging into the highest seawaves i ve ever seen, drinking Bintang beer n other exotic Indonesian booze, doing a forfeit in the resort's swimming pool at night, viewing a beautiful volcano crater at the top of a mountain, visiting the famous Balinese temples, sampling unique Indonesian coffee with a Somalian druglord, paying my respects to the victims of the Bali bombings at the famous monument outside our resort, making a new Indonesian friend in Lanang (our local guide) etc etc....
But of coz, the company is always the most endearing to me. =) In fact, I oredi miss Bali todae liao, but upon deeper thought, I think what i miss more is the wonderful group of Bali gang which made the trip really enjoyable. Again, how do u put all these friendships & bonding into words here?
Maybe what I can say is that I really got to noe each n every single one of the other 10 friends much better. =) And it makes me feel happy about that. I was telling my 6-day roommate (haha) Daniel that familiarity breeds contempt, but it is thru familiarity that ironically, contempt can be circumvented n bonds of friendship strengthened.
Even Jiajia, whom i have known for 4 years ever since FOP 04...I got to noe more about her thru the trip haha. For eg, she is a voyeur n that she has grown more evil after the prior Bangkok trip whahahahaha.
Anyway, I noe its tough to write all my Bali memories down here, but i m sure they ll always stay in my heart. =) And it is something I ll treasure for the rest of my life. There are certain things that only come by once in life. I think a Grad Trip is 1 of them, and I m just thankful to all the other 10 PS friends who made this once-in-a-lifetime grad trip such a sweet & memorable one for me.
Oredi looking foward to our next gathering!! =p
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On a separate yet related note, I checked my exam results in a Bali internet cafe yesterdae morning...And was really elated! If I exercise my SU option (which i ve oredi done), my CAP score for last sem ll have been 4.6. If i dun exercise it, the score ll be 4.3. Either way, it doesnt matter anymore, as my total minimum CAP has hit 4.04. Which means the most impt thing is that I have secured 2nd Upper Honours after 4 long years!!!! YAHOOOO!!!!!
Which also means that I have cleared the final hurdle for my job at T3, coz its stated in my contract tat I must achieve 2nd Upper.
Well, I guess barring commencement ceremony, this spells the end of my academic journey for now. I have really done what I could given the limited studying time I had due to Arts Club and other CCA commitments over the 1st 3 years, before really chionging in the final lap of Hons year.
I m relieved to have finally crossed the finishing line, and I really thanked my elder sister whom I had a heated argument with when i was in year 2 sem 1. I had contemplated not doing Hons year n even if so, just doing a happy-go-lucky route during year 4. But she was the one who talked sense into me, challenged, & pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone & raise the bar not for anyone else, but for myself.
Not surprisingly, my family members were the 1st whom i shared my joy with. My elder brother, who had grown up with me & always given me advice, & a peek into life 1 year later from now. (As he's only 1 year older haha)
My parents for obvious reasons as well. I had this interesting conversation with Daniel by our resort poolside on the last dae of Bali, where we remarked that in the Sg context, it seems rare that we tell our parents verbally that we love them. But Daniel mentioned that we can do it in other ways, such as studying hard n getting a good job to show our filialety n love for our parents. So in a way, this degree scroll at the end of so many years of studying is also a tribute to my parents.
Last but not least, I hope I can be a living example to my juniors that even someone with a CAP score of 3.1 in year 1 sem 1, and needing at least 4.3 in each of the final Honours year semesters to hit 4.0 overall, can do it if he or she believes in him/herself. As the old saying goes, it aint over till the fat lady sings.
Believe, Believe, Believe. Believe in yourself n study not just hard, but smart as well. I also probably wouldnt have believed in myself so strongly if I haven't known from Steve that he achieved almost perfect scores in his final Hons year, n from Serene that she had friends from her batch that pulled up to 4.0 from 3.80. If other people can do it, so can you!
Actually, I think that applies a lot to what we do in life as well. As what Stephen Covey would say:
"Begin with the end in mind."
Indeed, the power of belief & imagination has no bounds.
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Oh btw, after the entire trip, as well as after listening to Alene & Gracie's stories, I must add that I really love and have a better appreciation of Singapore.
I also tell myself that I must strive as hard as I can to make Changi Airport the best airport in the world, give the best airport experience to travelers from both Sg & around the world; as part of our bid to keep the Singapore flag flying high.
Goodnite world. =)
