I'm so gonna get a date.
Today I figured out that since I have all the time in the world, I shall do a year-in-review sort of thing. You know, just to unwrap whatever has happened in the past 363 days (and presuming nothing else happens in the next 2) and then do some thanksgiving.
I'm not religious, I'm just being nice.
January
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Met up with Ryan, Huda and Yasmin because Ryan had a 4-person Pizza Hut free meal proudly brought to all by SAF. I received it later when I enlisted.
Can someone also give an award to my hair because that took a lot of gel and it made me look like Astro Boy.
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Went to SEA Aquarium and took some pretty cool shots. I'm super proud of that photo above.
And of course, there were the usual fishes which I couldn't really be bothered with. I had to go there because my cousin and aunt from Hainan came and were staying with us, so we had to bring them around.
If you ever need a word of advice: don't go there. It is not worth the money.
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I have no picture for this day so I'm just going to give 2 main reasons why this date meant so much to me: 1) it was my enlistment date and 2) it was mel's birthday (SHOUT-OUT TO MY BFF).
I still vividly remember that day, I woke up at around 6:30am, feeling denial and dejected. I was going into a land not-so-far-away, trapped for 2 entire weeks with other fellow baldies, and expecting to be pushed to my physical limit as I adjust to army life as I was clearly not conditioned well.
And true enough, my first 2.4km timing said it all: 12:50. Approximately 2:30 slower than my NAPFA.
And also funnily enough, I almost managed to escape out of Tekong during that 2-week confinement. I remember it was Day 7 or so, and we were falling in to measure our temperature as part of the routine. My thermometer beeped: 37.9 degrees Celsius. I reported, and being a wayang/sotong newbie soldier, told my Sergeant that I felt alright (but I really did feel okay), and requested to rest first before deciding whether to report sick the next morning. Downed a panadol, slept, and the next morning, fever was gone. My bunk mate, on the other hand, suffered a similar 38.2 fever and got sent home.
Needless to say, I kicked a few dustbins after hearing that.
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First CNY celebrations at my new house and also first CNY celebrations without hair - so naturally, I was pumped up. We had a gigantic TV, a lot of CNY plants and props, and a lot of good food. And I wanted to show off the cool LED strip beneath my bed. Needless to say, the responses were a bit underwhelming since Hakka people are usually not the most expressive.
Ignore the snacks. I did not
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Perks of having a rich cousin: you get a gigantic corner terrace house for 初一 and the result is a scenic rooftop view. Trust me, this place looks even more jawdropping at sunset. I went there for Christmas just a few days ago and witnessing the sun sinking beneath the horizon was the best thing ever to wrap up my year.
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Meet Kisa: a dog. I have no idea what breed she is. I don't even know if it's a she.
Doesn't matter, she's amazingly snuggly and cute. She smiles so naturally and is so comfortable with humans. I remember us leaving the door open and then Kisa ran out and we did not realise for quite a good few minutes. We did finally find her downstairs (how the heck did she climb 7 storeys down I have no idea), and there she was, giving her signature innocent smile and all was forgiven.
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If there was to ever be a day to sum up the word "SURPRISE", it'll probably be this day.
Let me do some recapping for you: I struggled in the early stages in J2, and only a late resurgence during the Prelims did my results go anywhere near expectations. I was reminded by so many people: I am one of 3 straight As 'O' Levels students that enrolled into TJC. Everyone reckoned I could repeat my feat in 'A' Levels even though, till this very day, I still think my 'O' Levels were a fluke.
But then when I saw my name shortlisted in the 'Students Who Achieved 6 Distinctions' displayed on the school hall screen, my jaw literally dropped. It really did. I was beyond shocked; I thought maybe 3 As would be aplenty and sufficient for me, because I really rushed a lot of late projects and made a lot of tutors pissed with my so-called half-heartedness.
When I went to collect the results, Mr Ng, my CG tutor, questioned me: "HOW?" I still remember his expression. I just shook my head in the same bewilderment, and left.
Coincidentally, or not, when I posted my results on Instagram, it became the most liked photo. And it held that crown for the entire of 2015, despite being so early in March, with over 140 likes.
Maybe people really are materialistic or elitist...
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This was actually our very first JEYS photo. We've been a thing for 3 entire years. And this was our first official group photo. Maybe we're just too cool for those things.
Anyway, it was 1 day after Jian Ming's 19th birthday, and we all went to his house to surprise him after coordinating with his 弟弟. It was a success, and even though JM has a rather deadpan expression most of the time, we could tell we made someone happy that day.
Conveniently, the attention then turned onto me (no, not because I did not have anything above my forehead); it was a double celebration. Since my birthday and JM's were only 6 days apart, it was done together. I think that probably explained why a plan came out of nowhere even though there was no Whatsapp group created to plan these.
I received a FleshImp cap that I still love to wear nowadays because it is so simple to fit with anything really. And also because it was - at that time - a great concealment for my bald head.
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State funeral was broadcast live on TV. I'll admit that my focus wasn't entire on it; the Malaysia Grand Prix was going on (priorities, right?) so I kind of alternated between the channels. It was a sad day for the nation, and I shall not repeat the same things everyone else said.
I remember a few days back we were still in camp, and I woke up at 5:10am, checked my Twitter and even though it was nowhere near wake-up time for most Singaporeans, my timeline was stuffed with the same headlines: Singapore founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, passes away. It was a very sad occasion: the TV in the cookhouse kept repeating the same headlines and posting so many heartfelt tributes.
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Well it was 4 of us plus a UK-bound lady this time. I don't even know how this happened; it just did, and we ended up at Fika along Arab Street.
Moving on...
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Embarrassingly, I do not have photos on my phone of my Passing Out Parade from BMT, mostly because my phone went flat and had a major software issue. So the phone did not work at all; there was no Google Play Services.
But this day will be etched in my heart, for it was the day I last saw all 15 of us sectionmates as a single group. I kinda wish we would have all gone to the same posting.
Oh, and I was also beyond super smelly on that day, as my family members and Qinying, who kindly had the courage to take a photo with me, can vouch. You could tell there was a sweat gradient on my Smart 4. It was embarrassing.
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Spent $828 on what was going to be the most overpriced piece of glass and metal I have ever bought in my life.
It all happened too quickly. We were driving to OG Chinatown, and then Dad casually asked if I "wanted a new Galaxy S6 Edge". Earlier in the week, I convinced myself to keep hold of my Note 3 and wait for the Note 5 to come out instead before changing, mainly because the S6 Edge was a pricetag bomb. But somehow, that one sentence from dad made me say "yes" almost immediately.
So we went to AMK Hub, realised there was no gold colour variant, and then proceeded to Compass Point to grab my new purchase.
To anyone out there who bought this phone when it first came out and cost an arm and a leg, I know how you feel.
Oh, and remember that 4-person Pizza Hut free meal? I received my coupon, and then the family went to eat that night. Because a new phone is always worth a big
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We went to sing karaoke in a smaller-than-expected room, but nonetheless it was a very well-spent 3 hours watching them boys singing Chinese songs while I snuggled in the corner, coming in for a song or two every hour.
Okay, it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't ideal either. But the company was fanta-bulous.
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Fast forward, and it was already our 2nd book-out from the Medic course. This was our last photo as a bunk, before 3 of them shifted to next door and left the rest of us behind with a Brit, Indian and 2 "lepak-one-corner" lads.
Mind you, those were the days we counted down to our first needle experience and shouted Pakalu Papito tweets across the room.
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"The bus is here! Why do we always take selfies at these moments?!" and then they left.
It was their first time over at my new house, and the last time before the two hairy men on the right enlisted.
Later, I caught up with teamYOLO for some karaoke and beancurd. I downed an entire bowl plus a whole youtiao that night. To my future bae: if you want to make me happy, beancurd and a whole youtiao will do. Heck, I'll even accept it if it's a marriage proposal.
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It was 2 months after my birthday, but nonetheless, my reluctant date Wong Zhen decided to drop me my birthday present. I was super, super touched and I'm so glad we had so much fun in Malaysia and China. I think this board aptly sums up our "dateship".
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It was Jialong's birthday, and with the help of his lovely girlfriend, we managed to semi-surprise him. Of course, JL being JL, found out about this thing before we arrived at the location. Nevertheless, it was an amazing picturesque evening filled with kite-flying, melted cheesecake-eating and sunset-sighting. If you want to see the sunset photos I took, you can find one of my earlier blogposts. I spammed pictures because the sunset was just so nice.
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Decision-day, even though I was still at least 17 days away from the deadline. I decided to go with my heart, and commit to WKWSCI despite the enticing double degree offer from NUS, mainly because WKWSCI is so much more established and because they literally threw scholarships at my face. How could I resist?
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Steven Gerrard's last game for Liverpool. I teared a little because I had his name printed across the back of my 13-14 LFC jersey. I adored him so much as a leader and as a hero. Trust me, I was shattered when we lost at the final whistle.
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We were raving about having prata sooner rather than later, so we went on the first of 2 (or 3) prata trips after bookout. This was at Casurina, and the prata was sublime, although some may argue otherwise.
Oh, and Luke and I apparently wore the same cap, so he had to wear it in reverse "so we didn't look like we were dating".
Yep.
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We visited the National Musuem for the LKY tribute, and then went to hangout at some cafe that sold overpriced instant coffee and charged you for sitting in it. Although to be fair, they did provide a complimentary selection of many card and board games. And we ended up playing Cards Against Humanity, one of the most socially awkward games ever made.
I had only my second ever Llao Llao, and loved it. Happily, they opened a branch at Hougang Mall not long after.
That night, the 3 men went to Timbre for absolutely no reason; we just felt like we should try night life for once. So we did. Even though we went home way before the last MRT. The duck pizza was amazing, and I also went for Long Island, which was, as I'm pretty sure, the best liquor-thingy I've had for quite some time. Whoever thought of combining Iced Lemon Tea and Vodka should be given a Nobel Prize.
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Jamie finally passed me my 14 months overdue birthday present. Still, it's better than nothing, I guess...
We caught up over some MOS Burger and she, as usual, would tell me all about her school stuff and her *AHEM AHEM*.
It was probably the first time I saw her in months, so we had a really good chat, and if there was to be one regret, it'll be that I didn't order fish burger. Should have went for the fish at MOS burger.
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We went over to Jiawei's house, now all bald, for a catch-up sesh. It was a boy affair; we mahjonged, played Xbox, and there was junk food. A lad's outing, that's for sure.
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Korean BBQ was Sergeant See's speciality, and you could tell; he stir-fried the meat like a proper chef, whilst we struggled to not burn the chicken on the other grill.
And as you can tell from the signboards we were holding, yes, this Korean BBQ is a must-try (so much so I almost ate the signboard itself). It was delectable, and for less than $30, worth every penny especially if you love your Korean BBQ. Try I'm Kim BBQ at SOTA, Dhoby Ghaut! (Okay for the plug y'all now need to pay me some advertising fee)
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2nd half of the year was much more spectacular, so I'll probably only post it on 31st? I don't know. As with other part 2s on my blog, it may not actually come up at all.
Huehue.
Song of the day:
Justin Bieber - Sorry
(Love the vibe.)
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