Very Shocking News...

Had some very shocking news on Monday afternoon. One of my reservist mates passed away alone in his flat at Yishun early Monday morning. He was only 33 years old and we just finished our reservist for this year together on Friday. It was shocking as I bumped into another reservist mate at the junction just below my office building after a meeting with a client and he told me. At first I thought it could be a mistake but then our officer called us after to check if we noticed anything amist with him during our reservist....then it dawned on us that it is true. The navy is now investigating if his death could be caused by our recent reservist. It seems that no one knew he was seperated from his wife and living alone.

When he finished his reservist, his mother had tried to call him several times but he did not respond. So early Monday morning, his mother and brother went to his flat and knocked on his door but he did not answer...so they called the police. The police then broke down the door and found him dead on the living room floor. The coroner estimated his time of death at 4am. This is now a police investigation due to the mysterious circumstances surrounding his sudden passing.

Screwed up and Rude Cabbie

I had a really lousy start to my day this morning when I got a mouthful from a rude cabbie (from Premier). I flagged the cab this morning after missing my bus as I was rushing for a meeting in the office. I told the cab that I wanted to go to City House, Robinson Road just across from Lau Pah Sat. So I told him to take ECP and exit at Marina South. When reaching my destination, I told him to stop me at Lau Pah Sat instead and I can just cross the road. He told me with the new law now, he is only allowed to stop his cab at a designated taxi stand...(can anyone verify this?). Then I told him he can stop me at the Market Street Carpark Taxi Stand instead. He then proceeded to turn into Robinson Road when he was suppose to go straight. When he realised that there wasn't a taxi stand there, I told him to stop me at AIA Tower instead and he complained that he was not a taxi stand and my fare (S$15.80) would not be able to cover the fine. I told him that I instructed him to stop me at the Market Street Carpark Taxi Stand and he went the wrong way so he does not have to right to scold me for his own stupid mistake. He did stop so I paid him with a $50 note and 80 cents. He proceeded to scold me for not giving him advance notice that I was going to pay him with a $50 note. This time I just waited for my change and slamed the door and walked off. It was a really crappy way to start my day after my reservist.

Back....

Hey Guys

Back from reservist and burnt to a crisp again. On the first day, all of us looked like cooked lobsters but then we became lobsters that were way beyond rescue. Today when I came back to office, most of my colleagues could not recognise me and thought I was a new colleague....haha. They were really shocked to see me really black and this was emphasized more with my striped white shirt today.....hahaha.

Cheers

Well....On Reservist Again....

Well...like the title suggest, I'll be on reservist again. This year is rather unusual in the sense that it starts on a Sunday. If you do not already know, I'm in the Navy so....a sailor boi...haha. I live in the east but my reservist is in the extreme west...kinda shitty but you cannot help it.

Cheers

Wonderful National Day Celebration

Saw the National Day Parade the other day on tv...was actaully not bad. It was really better than I would have expected. This year was the first time it was held by the water front and I really love the mix of the lights in the water coupled with the vibrancy of the formations on the platform. I actually missed one part which was normally included in the past...the Military Police Rifle Drills. Hope it makes a comeback soon....

Cheers

People...

Yesterday I had my usual monthly orchid society meeting at the Singapore Botanical Gardens. It was a hot and humid day as usual in sunny Singapore. Ever since the Singapore Garden Festival/Singapore Orchid Show in December 2006, we have many new members. It is encouraging to see many new faces at our meetings and mostly are there to enjoy the company of like minded people as well as to learn from each other. However, there are also a few who presume to know everything there is to know about orchids and putting people who have been growing them for many years, down. Some of these people who have been growing orchids for many years, are regarded as experts/specialists in their respective areas. Unknowingly, these new members have proven that people who lack substance, often try to blow their own horns. It is rather sad though to see this but I do hope that they would be able to learn more from these experts at future meetings.

Funny How Things Are...

Since I read my friend's blog, It has really got me thinking and reflecting about myself. Have I been treating people unjustly? Have I been mean to people whom I call my friends? I like to think of myself as a person who looks beyond the physical - male/female, white/black/yellow, gay/straight, young/old. However I have been made to reflect on these things when I realised that there are still prejudices governing my actions. Strange how things get you thinking and pondering. The action of "Paying It Forward" should be part of our daily lives and not just an after thought. "Little Steps" taken to improve the life of another person or the world as a whole should be celebrated. I know this idea is easier said than done but if we all put in that little effort, think of the things we can accomplish.

I have been rambling on and on about how the world or people as a whole should do. However, I would like to make this pledge of making a conscious effort to put myself in check when these prejudices do crop up in my own life.