WrestleMania XXVIII

Recently, as you know, I have been back to following wrestling or rather WWE since more than seven to eight years ago. After a lengthy period away from all the excitement, storylines and feuds, I can see that there is not much difference after all except that WWE seem to excel better in its promos.

Now that wrestling is finally back on local television after a long time, it is time to recall and reminisce (what a nice word to use for something violent) those days when superstars like The Rock, Triple H, Undertaker, Kane, Big Show ruled the ring. All of them are still currently active in the industry in one way or another.

Oh yes, and tomorrow or you can say Monday morning for Singapore is Wrestlemania, the annual big event that comprises of all the action any wrestling fan can crave for. Too bad I won't get to watch it live but I will still try to find some way to watch it.

Umbrella Sword

I am thinking of getting this umbrella sword (the one on the left) from CLIQUE at The Cathay for a long time but its hefty price tag always makes me think twice whenever I am determined to buy it. Have been observing it for a few months already but the price has yet to drop. Maybe I shall continue to wait for another few months before checking on the price again. But then, I may have lost interest in it or it is permanently out of stock.

BTO: Clementi Ridges

 Taken from hdb.gov.sg

BTO (Build To Order) flats in mature estates are as rare as seeing the Singapore women table tennis team getting double red cards within two days. However, HDB just launched not one, not two but three of them this week. They are in Bedok, Macpherson and last but not least, Clementi!

Located in Clementi Avenue 4, Clementi Ridges sits right next to Trivelis, the DBSS flats where prices are bound to be higher. I think those future Trivelis residents who have made a purchase must be feeling rather "bang" now.

In terms of height, both flats are on par since both have blocks that reach up to forty storeys. What's more, a 4-room apartment in Clementi Ridges is approximately 100k cheaper than its Trivelis counterpart but is still 9sqm bigger than it.

There are more than 300 4-room flats to choose from, the category which most people are interested in so expect to witness a fierce competition that will see many people waste money in trying to get a good ballot number.

Clementi is a small town hence, no matter which part of it you live in, you are still considered close to the central where the MRT station, shopping mall and market are located at.

Trivelis may be a treasure to those who are looking for quality homes in Clementi. However, do not overlook Clementi Ridges as it is also a sparkler and comes with a cheaper price tag.

Sleeping is good for learning

If you are caught dozing off in class by your teacher, there is now an excuse for you to justify yourself. A recent study discovered that sleeping for a while after learning new stuff is the best way for one to remember it.

The study had 207 students as participants who spent a minimum of six hours sleeping every night. They were tasked to study declarative, semantically related or unrelated word pairs at either 9 in the morning or evening. After which, they went back for testing half an hour, 12 hours or a day later.

In the 12-hour category, those who had a night's rest before being examined (learnt at 9pm, tested at 9am) were better at memorization compared to those who spent the time awake between their learning and test periods.

As for the 24-hour retest where all participants had received an entire night of sleep and spent a whole day in awake mode, results hardly differ from its 12-hour counterpart as participants who slept shortly before the test fared much better than those who did not catch a wink.

Sleeping after learning a new thing is advantageous to the brain as it makes us try to recall the knowledge which we just gained. It is sort of a rehearsal in your mind when your brain tries to remember the new thing you learned while you are asleep.

There you go, a perfect excuse for students to take a nap if the teacher and teaching gets too boring. That is provided if they can produce the expected results.

Who is boss?

I was thinking about this yesterday and decided to make it a blog post.

Hong Kong election = stalemate?

After four weeks of campaigning electioneering, there is still no clear indication as to who will emerge as the next chief executive of Hong Kong. Leung Chun Ying and Henry Tang, the two pro-Beijing candidates out of the three, look likely to cancel out each other in tomorrow's polls. The third man whom I (used to) support, Albert Ho, definitely stands no chance of winning.

The unique thing about this election is that only members of the 1200-strong election committee will get to vote. The public's role is to sit back, enjoy the show and accept whoever their new leader is. At the moment, both Leung and Tang have yet to receive more than 600 nominations, the number which one needs to triumph.

Since China has been keeping mum over its preference until now, do not be surprised to see a stalemate. This would pave way for a new poll to take place on 6 May so that new candidates can join in the fun. President of the Legislative Council, Jasper Tsang, is a strong possibility.

There are still about 300 swing votes up for grabs but the majority of these undecided voters will probably end up casting a blank as they interpret China's stillness as an indication that neither Leung nor Tang is favoured. Both men will have to persuade each other's supporters to pick them if they are determined to beat their rival in the first round.

As Beijing is still playing cards close to its chest, the outcome of this Hong Kong election as a stalemate is on the cards.

2nd week in Sungei Gedong Camp

This week in camp was basically a carbon copy of last week. Eat, sleep and play. Ok, I did exercise a little bit too. Visited the mess thrice this week and happened to bump into my cousin by coincidence on Wednesday evening. He is a tank commander at one of the armoured brigades in the camp. Stepping into the mess is like stepping into another world when you happen to be in a millitary unit.

Finally got to see the majority of my platoon battalion today as their outfield exercise finally came to an end last night. The ironic thing about me so far is that I know quite a number of people from the other platoon but none of them (excluding the three PCs and platoon sergeant) from mine. Looks like I will have to try hard to interact with my platoon next week if there are opportunities.

Lastly, on a side note, here's a picture of the day to end today's entry.

Hotel Test Sleeper

Hotels in China now have to think twice about their services and facilites as they are under the watchful eyes of Miss Zhuang, a professional hotel test sleeper.

Miss Zhuang is one of the three hotel test sleepers in China, selected for the job from about 7,800 candidates a couple of years back.

Her job involves testing the comfort of the major hotel chains by checking in as a guest and tests each and every item elaborately and pen reviews about them. Currently, she has slept at more than 200 hotels.

The job needs one to sleep at selected hotels without disclosing their genuine identities and write reviews about the facilities, location, dining, services and everything else about the hotels.

This is definitely one of the best and most comfotable professions in the world. Singapore should have this too! Oh yes please, for the sake of tourism and I am so gonna apply for it.

Pyjamas: The latest trend?

Saw this picture in a fashion article in today's TODAY newspaper. The passage was about the author toying with the idea of wearing pyjamas as daywear and how he experimented and eventually ended up donning PJs to his workplace. The article originated from The Guardian, somewhere far far away in England.

What got me thinking (TODAY has this slogan "we set you thinking") was the idea of wearing pyjamas out of your house. This has never crossed my mind and it just seems so futuristic plus avant-garde yet plain and modest.

I used to get turned off whenever I notice people donning their sleeping attire in the heartlands of Singapore. And I am one hundred percent sure that they come from a famous country called China. Maybe it is because of the mundane colours like white or beige that make the average pyjamas unsuitable for the outdoors. Plus, these China people will match them with a pair of flip-flops.

However, in the above picture, the model looks stunning at first sight and continues to exude flair and charm similar to how a fashionista would. However, the colour plays a vital role to whether the guy is able to pull off the look. A darker colour like purple would add more formality to the sloppy concept of PJs.

Also, print patterns make the overall image look more uniformed and adds formality to it. In the picture which was taken at the Topshop Design Spring/Summer 2012 show, a cardigan was added to tone down the impression that one is purposely wearing pyjamas as a fashion statement.

Last but not least, a pair of bright-coloured loafers complimented well with the attire to give off a casual but serious-trendsetting look. I would happily put that attire on if you ask me to but that is provided if I am attending a D&D or some function. Definitely not to the office or on the streets.

1st week in Sungei Geong Camp

About four hours ago, I booked out from Sungei Gedong Camp for the first time. Let me see what transpired during my first five days in this camp.

Monday

Arrived at the main gate at 7.25am. There was a whole lot of civilian vehicles queuing up to enter the place. There were also quite a number of middle-aged men back for reservist who came via taxi. Two of our future (and not current) bunk mates picked us up at the guard house and led us the way to our block.

My bunk used to have five people occupying it. With effect from Monday, it totalled to nine after we the four newbies booked in. There wasn't any formal/official introduction to our superiors as the platoon which we are joining was currently participating in an exercise at another camp.

In the end, we just sat at the table in the bunk and asked our seniors numerous questions about the life here just like how any typical newbie would. Later in the morning, we were told to meet another platoon's PC for interview as he was standing in for ours.

He brought us around our block, the cookhouse and e-mart for a tour. This was followed by lunch. Next, we went to the e-mart to shop for some items before slacking in the bunk until dinner.

There was an "unofficial" turnout at 10:30pm when I was already lying on my bed but yet to drift into sleep mode. It turned out to be that the three PCs of our platoon wanted to meet us as they were just back in camp. The entire thing lasted less than two minutes before I headed back to sleep.

Tuesday

The unique thing about this battalion is that there is something called midday parade other than the usual first and last parades. We had to fall in at 1 in the afternoon everyday and nobody knows who the heck came up with this.

From 10am to 4pm, we were tasked to do some sai kang which involved throwing away combat rations which are nearing their expiry date and some old and damaged furniture from the condemn store. The word "condemn" should more or less give you an idea of what is inside the store.

It was no easy feat as the bloody garbage point was more very far away. We were given two trolleys, one big and one small, to move the items to their destination and had a tough time manoeuvring them up and down the slopes and on the uneven road.

Went to the office in the evening after office hours to surf the net and enjoy air-con before going back to sleep.

Wednesday

It was arguably the shiok-est day among the five. Why? Let me summarize things for you.

Woke up. Ate breakfast. First parade. Back to bunk to play chess. Lunchtime. Midday parade. Slept for three hours in the afternoon. Chess. Dinner. Went (as an illegal immigrant) to the WOSpecs mess. Air-con too cold. Went back to company office to surf net. Sleep.

One of our bunk mates was the mess boy on duty which explains why people like me could enter the area. But who the heck cares, everyone inside there were youngsters, not a single encik was spotted.

Thursday

Right after first parade, we played monopoly deal all the way till lunchtime. Cleared up the storeroom and threw all the remaining rubbish in the early afternoon. Went to the mess later. Played Xbox and PS3. Everybody inside there were our own people. The mess was supposed to be closed at that time but since we have the key in our hands, why not?

Watched a TV programme on Channel 5 at 7pm. It was insanely humorous and entertaining. This is the first time that I seriously watched TV in a military establishment. Went to office to surf net after the awesome show ended.

Friday

Continued playing monopoly deal. Attended a BPSC lecture conducted by a first sergeant to prepare us for guard duty. That was our first ever lesson in the unit. Lunchtime. We could have just booked out after lunch but the CSM only allowed us to go at 5pm as this is part and parcel of regimentation and bullshit.

In the end, the first sergeant who taught us BPSC somehow managed to get his hands on an off pass hence allowing all of us to walk out of camp before the clock hits 5.

***

It has been sort of a culture shock for me in the last five days where freedom and flexibility ruled the system there. The people there do not differentiate each other by ranks, the officers, sergeants and lance corporals walk and eat together. The best part is you don't even need to use the word "sergeant" or "Sir".

Now that I am free from this "culture shock", I can start to think of what to bring with me for the next book-in so as to kill the boredom in camp

OMG Liverpool you seriously suck man! When was the last time you won? I also can't remember...

Harry Potter: Korean Version

Destiny

So this is my destiny.

I am going to be an armour boy for the rest of my life.

I mean the rest of my NS life.

I am going to wear the black beret, worn by most of the armoured forces in the world, with my No.4.

I am going to a pretty rare cross-breed soldier who hails from armour with a signal insignia.

I still don't know what will I be really doing for my job.

I am going to make Sungei Gedong Camp my weekday home for the next 1.5 years.

And I am going to waste a lot time on transportation because the it's the most deserted camp in Singapore!

Deja Vu

Nine weeks ago, I was having this weird feeling or rather I should say mixed feeling. Now, I am experiencing deja vu. I will be passing out from my course in less than 72 hours. When I first arrived in Stagmont Camp some seven weeks ago, I felt very awkward and the days and even hours lasted forever.

The final week has been rather relaxed so far. Just talk crap and laughing sessions during the so-called "lessons" when all the tests are already history.

We had our first-ever official Games Day this morning and the most ridiculous thing about it is that we are the platoon playing. So in short, it is playing against one another. There was only one game; basketball. It is a sport which I enjoy watching but not play and tarnish the idolized image of me. I ended up checking out the other facilities like the monkey bar next to the basketball court with other fellow noobs.

Siow San aka course commander still doesn't want to reveal our unit postings to us. He only dropped a big hint that 20 + 2 + 1 (=23) of us will be staying in Stagmont Camp for the rest of our NS life. You do not need to understand why is there mathematics to that amount because it is classified information and a bit tedious for me to explain it here.

I don't know but I have a strong feeling that I will not be part of that 20 + 2 +1. I somehow see myself in a new camp with a new cookhouse, new friends and new bed with effect from next Monday. Something tells me that Jurong Camp would be my destination. Let's see how accurate my physic powers are...

Ng Ser Miang as IOC president?

 Hey Jacques, can I take over you?

News has it that Singapore's Ng Ser Miang is considering a bid for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidency. The current president, Jacques Rogge, will end his 12-year reign next year and a new face will helm the committee in September 2013.

Mr Ng is currently an IOC vice-president after being elected in October 2009. He used to be a professional sailor, bagging a silver medal for the country in the SEA Games during his peak.

If a Singaporean were to be elected as the head of the world's biggest sporting organization, it will indeed be a big plus for the country. Singaporeans can look up and tell others that the little red dot is still able to rise up to the highest level.

Moreover, our local sporting scene will definitely be improved in one way or another if a countryman of ours is the president of IOC. People might turn around and lend a helping hand to Singapore more often in areas like youth development and sports facilities.

However, do remember that Ng Ser Miang was chairman of the organizing committee of the infamous "epic-fail" Youth Olympic Games in 2010. The event's budget burst to more than 300 million SGD, triple the original sum.

Other controversies of the YOG include mass food poisoning among the volunteers, poor attendance, students threatened to be volunteers, reserved road lanes for YOG buses and not to mention the lousy opening and closing ceremonies.

Nobody assumed responsibility for all the mess and Ng Ser Miang still thinks the first ever YOG was a success when the rest of the world were laughing at us.

Does the world really want this kind of IOC president?

High Court affidavit for Hougang by-election

Apparently, a resident from Hougang SMC has filed an affidavit with the Supreme Court today authorizing the head of government aka prime minister to necessitate a by-election for the constituency. The Hougang seat has been vacated by ex Worker's Party member Yaw Shin Leong since he chabut-ed last month.

PM Lee has so far kept cool over his decision over the potential by-election since there isn't a stipulated time according to the rules. He has said that “there are many other issues on the national agenda right now” hence a by-election is not imperative.

The only way for a satisfactory conclusion to this latest political episode lies with the help of the Singapore High Court. Only the highest tier of the judiciary system here can provide a clear answer of what the relevant provisions of the Constitution mean when it comes to by-elections.

Workers' Party has requested the government to have a by-election ASAP as it is legally mandatory. I hope the High Court can put a full-stop to this matter once and for all by giving the green light and mandate PM Lee to call for one in the near future.

Signal Anniversary

Today was Signal formation's 46th anniversary, happy birthday to Signals and my platoon had to do sai kang the entire morning. Basically, almost every damn signal battalion whether it is Armour, Artillery, Infantry, Guards or even pure Signals came to Stagmont Camp today to celebrate.

Even Signal Institute sent participants for the games event whereas we were busy carrying jerry cans, campros and tables. Not to mention filling them up with ice and water and some gatorade powder (energy drink).

Ming Hui and I were in charge of one of the four water points at the field, the area which has the highest amount of human traffic. So, every thirty seconds or so, there will be at least one person who would walk towards us and help himself with a drink. There was also a box of bananas present and needless to say, it ran out pretty fast.

As the energy drink was lime-flavoured, I decided to paste a piece of masking tape on the campro with the words "Lime Tequila CaCO3" written on it. That drew many curious stares from passers-by and a few joked with each other at the sight of it.

The buffet lunch brunch was always which includes fried rice, curry puffs, achar, spring rolls and the legendary minced mutton (it's an Indian dish but I forgot the name). I consumed two full plates of everything listed above plus a couple of bananas.

I could actually skip dinner as I still felt quite full but decided to have it in the end since cookhouse food is free. Tomorrow is Signal Institute's anniversary, no more sai kang for me and I will be having half a day off. Woohoo!