風

With 12 hours left in Singapore, I thought I should write something. Suddenly, I don't feel like leaving Singapore. The feeling of leaving behind my family and friends to go to a foreign land (to do training?!) is not something I like. Then again, this trip to Taiwan is a must, the last of the obstacles that I MUST complete to finally commission as an Officer. Standing at this stage now, I look back at the first day when I entered OCS. After knowing that I got into OCS, I was extremely elated. I savored the prospect of getting that "black bar", but I knew that the 9 month journey would not be an easy one, and I was right. Camo on, FBO, Fire and Movement, Route Marches, Fast Marches, days without sleep, Navigation...every single activity had been a test of my mettle, and I survived. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and how right they are. I felt that I had became stronger in these few months, in mind and body alike.

With three weeks left before we embark on our return journey from Taiwan, I am already looking forward to it. The faces of familiar persons, the warmth of family, and the joy of completing the Ops phase of LOCC...I can't wait!:)

阳

What a throwback to the days before I enlisted into Army! These past few days, its been tennis, tennis, tennis and more tennis, which equates to fun, fun and more fun:) I realized that even after a long layoff, my tennis is still not bad, which is quite heartening. Being able to stand on the tennis court again with my Prince CTS Approach 90 and hit top spins, slices and serves is my idea of fun:) Of course, Sentosa was really fun too. I had a ball of a time at the Luge, sitting the Skyride and the "Go-kart" down the hill. Its just plain fun. Its these few times that I find myself more fortunate than the Uni kids, being able to play without a care of grades and lecturers.

Then there is the SAF Yacht Club. My god, I have never seen such a beautiful place ever. With a breathtaking view of the sea, plush beds and nice food, I can never ask for a better weekend than this:)

虹

Today was THE most slack day in LOCC thus far. You thought last week's bookout on Friday was the best? Think again. One week, this week is all it takes to best last week. And so, I am home on a WEDNESDAY night! Tonight, we went to Temasek Club and drank our hearts out. I had a lot of fun tonight, considering this is my first time drinking. My face became really flushed, and had a tinge of purple (no kidding), but nonetheless, there was a lot of fun. I am glad I am an officer:)

However, what I thought was the most important part of today was the Army recruitment talk. Captain Ernest, the presenter was once again his candid self. But he what he shared today was undoubtedly serious and very true. He talked to us about planning early and showed us his supposed life plan until 50. He aimed to get married by 26, which he did, and his first child by 27, which he also managed to achieve. He has a sound (but not necessarily solid in my opinion) plan up till 50 years old. Seeing how his plan played out, I am pretty much determined to fulfill mine. Here's my life plan:

19: Strive hard and commission as a Military Expert Commander at the top of my class; Aim for SMS

20: Study (preferably in UK, either University of Edinburgh or UCL)

23: Get my degree with honours (preferably first class) and begin to kickstart my career

24/25: Get married (if I can find a girl); Buy a house (or stay with my parents)

27/28: Have my first child (and possibly second, if my wife would be willing to); Get a car (a good one)

29: Second child (if not by 28)

38-40: Have my third child (and possibly fourth)

50: Buy my first private property

60: Retire for good and enjoy life with my wife

There it is. Pretty good huh?

Tomorrow is cohesion day in Sentosa. Then again, where else can we go for the cohesion of 74 cadets? No where else I think. AND, I am playing tennis tomorrow! NICE.

霧

Joy to the world! A double dose of happy news would never fail to brighten my day amidst the heavy rain. The first: I GOT A CONDITIONAL OFFER FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH!!!! That's the first step. Now, I am keeping my fingers crossed for the true prize: UCL:)

The second? I PASSED MY LOG OPS exam 2!!! I believed that I would not fail the exam, and luckily, my belief pulled through. Thank god for the additional 2 hours of admin time:)

After all the euphoria has passed, you know what I am feeling now? I feel like pulling my hair quite a bit. Ever had the feeling of not knowing what some one else is thinking but wished you do? Yeah, that kind of feeling. I'm about to lose my mind.

雪

I swear, Facebook has the most interesting images ever. But, this one really got my attention. Is it true? Hmm....

And so I caught a cold today. Those random sneezes can really kill one person. One minute I am perfectly fine, and the next, I am sneezing my head off and my nose becomes an open tap that doesn't know when to close. Now, I feel like drowsy and my body feels hot. Talk about a turn of events huh? Seems a lot like what mother Earth is going through right now. I think its the super hot weather in the morning, coupled by a long long long time in an aircon room at 16 degrees celcius and a lack of sleep. Not a very good combination I must add. Look where it got me.

Apart from the cold, today was pretty good. Visits to many different places can really perk one up. Beats getting stuck in camp anyway. Unless its staying in bunk the whole day. I'll take that any day.

阳

And so I am back to blogging yet again. My blog never ceases to amaze me no matter how many times I see it. I love the blog skin. It makes me feel so close to the cold mountains and snow that I would not be able to see...for now. Since young, I have always harboured the dream of one day touching snow, building a snowman and engage in snowball fights. I guess its the colour of snow that made me fall in love with it. White has innocence and purity written all over it, and with the world in turmoil right now, peace seems to be so far away.

With that said, I feel happy that this week ends on a Wednesday. I can spend more time with my friends and family before the highly anticipated flight to the end of our Ops Phase of LOCC: Taiwan.

And S, the blog title = my feelings. The many elements that make up the sky seemingly mirror our feelings. Don't you agree?:)

空

The past week was basically a culture shock. Lessons ending at 1730, no revelle timing, breaks in between lessons...never had I experience all these before, and I must say I quite enjoy this kinda lifestyle:) This 2 months would feel like heaven, and I would most definitely make the best of it.

Looking at how vast the big blue sky is, it embodies the freedom that I am enjoying now. However, freedom without direction is dangerous. Wondering around aimlessly can only get you lost. Once we have lost ourselves to the doldrums, life would then seem to lose its meaning. The very weird fact for me is that I look forward to book out, to see my family, but once I am out, the things that I look forward to seems highly materialistic. From movies that I have missed to games that caught my eye to books that just came out piping hot on the shelves, these enjoyment revolve around S11($). Whether or not it remains sustainable remains to be seen.

Speaking of sustainable, the world seems to be deteriorating everyday, which is really really really really really sad. I want to do my part to help the environment, but as of now, I am powerless to effect significant changes. My question is, why aren't people focusing on saving the environment, but rather on war and conflict or other issues? Isn't the recent earthquakes a strong enough message to mankind that we should stop such childish games and right the wrong? If we had spent the energy on all the other distractions on remedying our mistakes, then I believe we would be able to effect significant changes. Our world would not be in such a dire strait then.