::welcome to slow rock::

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Felt inclined to blog again, probably coz it is just day2 since i found this renewed passion to pen down my thoughts.. and maybe coz my fingers are itching for some exercise.. whatever it is, here goes..

cycled up to Islington at 9am for morning coffee cum studying.. yes, studying.. not personal relaxation, coz I felt I had enough of it for the past 2 days I was sick.. I’d usually head to the Costa along Gray’s Inn Road, but decided to go somewhere further since I’m early and I had my new found love with me to bring me places (duh.. my bike :D) That’s how I got myself to Islington and realised it’s such a lovely little hideout nestled in a quieter part of central london.. and it’s rather happening too.. an entire street of shops.. not just “a street”.. it’s one “long” street.. after cycling up and down that street to check it out, I finally settled on the one and only Costa I could find along that stretch.. had a café latte and lemon muffin to go with my books.. what a way to start the day..

Headed back to hall for brunch at about 12.15, after taking a detour through Finsbury area.. it sure felt a little bit like Singapore there, with blocks of flats, a park and wider-than-usual sidewalks..

Got back out of hall with the intention of cycling to UCL’s main library for more studying, when I saw that the rear tyre of my beloved bicycle was flat.. “how on earth?!” I was thinking.. it was just fine before brunch!! Took it to the nearest bike shop which was some 15mins away by foot, only to be told that the total cost of replacing the tyre was 15quid – 5 for the tyre, and 10 for service.. at the very same time that amount registered in my head, my brain did an almost instinctive conversion to SGD and flashed the “NO GO!” warning.. It’s absurd.. 15 quid just to change one tyre!! I decided I was better off buying the tyre myself and get this tyre lever for 70p, and ask Waikit to teach me how to change it.. and so there went my afternoon.. almost 3 hours spent walking to and from the bike shop, changing the tyres, then fixing the gears (it’s still a little cranky on the higher ones), and adjusting the brakes.. tiring, but it sure felt good knowing I learnt something whilst saving loads of money in the process! (where else can u get a better deal than this?) and ohyea, knowing my baby rides even better now.. HEHE..

somehow I felt really fired up to study today and managed to complete some more work at night.. I had actually intended to rest, but ohwells, had to reshuffle my plans.. working on the intro to Hotel California by Eagles on my guitar now.. hopefully I’ll be done learning the song by tmr, before reading week ends!!! Ohnoooo.. back to school..

Been toying with the idea of keeping a moustache.. wonder how I’ll look.. LOL.. should i? hmmmm..

Entered by platinum at 3:42 PM

My first post in 4 years.. \

Friday, February 15, 2013

Well, it isn’t like me to blog. I haven’t done it in a while now, but I guess it is a good habit to nurture.. looking back on the posts i did, i just wished i had diligently maintained the blog.. serves as a repository for my life.. As far as possible, I try to keep my thoughts and writing coherent, but I’d also like to retain some of the authenticity in my thoughts, so I’ve decided to adopt a “diary on the go” approach where I spew out anything that comes to my mind first. Sometimes, relooking what you’ve written and amending them causes some of its value to be lost.

On to the real stuff.. This week has been a, uh well, how should I describe it.. filled with much varieties? Haha.. not thinking right at this hour.. started off with cny dinner with hallmates at Matt’s.. awesome stuff.. just the smell of the food brought great memories of home, and the feeling of having your fellow Singaporeans celeberate together with you, immense.. watch Ah Boys to Men that night and ohmy, nostalgic it was.. it merely showed glimpses into the life of bmt recruits, but that was enough to bring back so many memories.. trust me, all the guys will tell you that was just a candid insight into the recruit life..

Trip to Copenhagen and Malmo followed.. Can’t think of a better phrase to describe Copenhagen than “surprisingly quiet” given that it is Denmark’s capital.. Covered almost the entire city center in one day.. Went over to Malmo, Sweden for the second day, and decided that we had to pop by Ikea, for the fact that it originated from Sweden! Gosh, the Swedish meatballs were amazing.. I was never really a fan, even back in Singapore, but you just gotta try the ones from Sweden itself.. simple melts in your mouth! Maybe I’m exaggerating.. haha.. bought quite a bit of stuff from ikea.. a metal dishrack, another metal rack that hangs underneath a shelf, some plastic organizers to place in drawers, bookends.. oh and, metal hangers, cardboard file holders, files, a soap dispenser.. ohmy.. things you wouldn’t imagine returning from a holiday with.. the sight of my bag going through the scanner at the airport was hilarious.. the computer showed an image with the metal dishrack literally screaming out loud! The blueprint it produced was soooo outstanding it stuck out worse than a sorethumb..

One key takeaway though, are the Scandinavian people’s appreciation for life.. there’s even a rule in Denmark outlawing work after 6pm! Though I dunno what kind of industries the rule extends to.. and those snow-covered cars.. in London, you’ll usually see them “vandalised” with words of angst, hatred (like the “screw you!” kinda messages), but I found the ones in Copenhagen particularly heartwarming.. There was one with the words, “Hakuna Matata”, smiley faces, and even “gong xi fa cai!”.. HAHA.. amazing.. we can take a leaf or two from them..

Came back to London and managed to do a bit of work on Wednesday.. Fell sick on Thursday with a really bad headache and fever.. I could hardly get out of bed for dinner, so I got Ben to buy fried rice from Chinahouse for me.. Had to miss v-day dinner with my hallmates at Belgos.. zzz.. Friday came and my body surprised me with another present.. stomach flatulence.. been burping the whole day.. no appetite.. no mood to work.. so I watch Born on Fourth of July.. great movie about the realities of the Vietnam War, from a soldier’s perspective.. the movie did make me reflect upon the what-ifs that could come up along the course of my career.. eg. what if Singapore really goes to war? Will I ever return the same person again? Was just starting on this book called “Utility of Force - The Art of War in the Modern World”.. The author, a retired British general, noted that “wars (in the conventional sense) will never occur again”.. what we are facing now is a war against people.. the paradigms are changing, but are militaries recognizing this change and adapting to it? He argues that, from Desert Strom in 1991 to Iraqi Freedom in 2003, militaries are still relying on conventional tactics and doctrines from the industrial war era first started by Clausewitz (back in the 19^th century).. and these while this doctrines are enough to secure a military victory, they are unable to ensure that a political solution is reached.. in essence, these doctrines were successful in achieving both military and political victories in the bygone era of interstate wars, where the enemy is well-defined, but not in modern ”asymmetric” warfare, where the enemy is smart enough to not to play into our strengths.. Vietnam is in itself a good example..

first post in a looooong while, signing off..

Entered by platinum at 4:01 PM