Sometimes you find yourself clashing with difficult people in your life. Could be because of tons of reasons, but most of the time it's you are trying to defend what's right to you against someone else. And you think of it as a debate ---- whoever talks better wins.

But in reality, it's not. It's not a debate because there's no judge. There's no neutral party to decide who wins in the end, and to control the arguments so the debate goes smoothly. Simply put, there's no RULES. It's a game that the players can do whatever he wants without facing any consequences or penalty. It's a war between two parties.

So most of the time you find that the both parties are just taking turns to give their viewpoints, without rebutting the other. At the end of the day, little communication would have occurred. The argument is shrouded in confusion. No one knows who wins or loses.

Or even better, the opposing party begins taking advantage that he's in a much more favourable position than you. He starts raising his voice, using vulgarities, pointing fingers, and throwing personal attacks. All with the sole purpose to numb your nerves. You find that no matter how good your argument is, it won't work against them, because they just won't listen. It's like they are completely immune to it.

Trying to fight them head-on with arguments isn't very effective, cos they will be prepared for them already the moment they start making noise. It's like fighting against an entrenched enemy position. If you are REALLY good enough, you will win, but the victory comes at great cost.

I read online about a tactic against people like these. - Be a mirror and reflect whatever they say. Say things like "Sir, think about what you have just said, do you think that it's right?", "Or sir, what happens if everyone in society act the way you do?" Simply don't add any new points, because its pretty suicidal.. This is verbal martial arts and it takes training. But i think it's a pretty useful skill, no?

The ultimate is of course, a tactic the army guys learn from christopher.
A: Hey, you are just stupid
B: No, YOU are stupid
A: Are you honestly trying to be funny
B: No, YOU are trying to be funny
A: Yeah, you are parrot. REAL mature.
B: No, YOU are the parrot.

I mean we had fun talking like that in army but it's really a skill that i thought would be useful, u know, in life.

Cheers

It's probably not easy to recognise, but don't blame yourself if you havent. Sometimes you find new initiatives that benefit you in a service industry. Take for instance, your service chit in a polyclinic allows you to know the approximate timing you will get to see a doctor. It's just an example. I repeat again, it's just an example.

Hence, go home, nap, laze around, watch TV, blah blah, i don't care, just don't do stupid things like snog around in the waiting area, cos honestly, there's enough vomitting going on around here already. K, not my point.

My point is, behind any new initiative lies alot of hard work and preparation that you won't be able to see. Simple because, u weren't there to see for yourself in the first place.

With this new timing system in the polyclinic everyone's playing a part to make it happen. Doctors are rushing for time to meet patients' timing slots, PSAs gotta learn a totally new thing in their computer system. Those at the contact centre have to handle a thousand more calls a day. (Heard telephones release radiation so they stand a greater chance of getting cancer) Even I, whose totally not involved in this have roles to play as well.

It doesn't matter you weren't able to see for yourself how much work we put in for you. But if your eyes are totally blind that you can't see for yourself this new initiative is for your own good, then seriously, you are a bugger.

We mostly receive compliments from patients. But a few smarty pants look at their timing and complain that they have to wait for an hour. WOW, AN HOUR! A preciouss, indispensable hour you can't afford to waste cos your life is ever so important. Patients usually have to wait much longer to see a doctor, cos get your facts right before whining to us.

And lastly don't use vulgarities. This is not army and you aren't my commander.

I feel respect is something that goes both ways. Behave in a way to others that you want others to behave towards you. This morning, some guy totally went berserk cos i asked for his nric to take his B.M.I. The f*cking machine needs it, why in the world would i ever want to see your face?

ok, enough complaints. I hope my message gets through.

Condolences to all fans of Whitney Houston, and Taiwanese-singer Fong Fei Fei. :)

Back in camp when I couldn't fall asleep (mostly cos I have about 15 hours of sleep per day) I recall listening to Whitney Houston's music recordings and her 1998 "When I Believe" musical performance for HOURS. They were so good, it's worth throwing away your sleeping time for them. No kidding, check them on youtube. Im not like hell crazy over them, but Im pretty sure they have left a legacy in all of us, and will be remembered always.

*********

Im in love with my workplace! Im serious. Im like a jewel over there. Mainly because most of them are aunties who are u know, either kid-less or have kids who don't love them so much anymore cos theyve got girlfriends. No matter how much I try to tell them Im no longer a kid so stop calling me "Boy" it didn't really work cos I still see the same word on the pack of food that I order from them every single day. So whatever? Lol.

And I think Im the only male and kid going with them to Batam on 11 March which is so what the hell but whatever I just need a break anyway.

The most important reason is that everyone is so close to each other, we are like a family. You cant take anyone from a family away. Lilo: Ohana means "Family. Family means no one gets left behind. Or forgotten.

By the way, if you don't watch Lilo and Stitch, you won't know what Im saying. But it's a good show I recommend it to all children aged 5 and below.

The new basketball player by the name of jeremy Lin is godlike! Seriously. I would kill myself in shame if I ever play with him. But his daily life was captured on TV and I suppose I would kill myself if I were him too. What the heck? He wakes up at like what 6, plays basketball for 6 hours and do funny weirdo exercises to make his body superhuman. It's so much easier if you could just find yousrelf a ring, u know, like the one Green Lantern has.

Ok. i gotta go anyways. Not a very long post but mainly because Im doing other stuff now.

I can be really immature sometimes really.

We all like to compare ourselves to others. Who doesn't? I used to wonder alot, why my life sucks more than others. Why this world was created unfairly, why others have more money than me, more possessions, u know, stuff liddat. Why others get to stay in 5-storeys landed houses that look like some castle from Far Far Away while I'm stuck in a condo that looks like that pile of mud that Shrek and his family of ogres live in. It got so serious I even got to the point that I totallyhate the rich.

Take for example this someone who is working with me right now. Honestly? She's unbelievably attractive. I donno why she is so pretty but she's a mixed blood and I heard mixed bloods are really attractive because i dunno u get the best of both worlds? But sadly she's also unbelievably rich. In fact she's so rich she doesn't even need to work full hours here so she does part time, coming whenever she likes. "Wow, I had a late movie last night, so I suppose I should just a break at home tomorrow? I don't really need to work anyway since my wealth is already, what, godlike?"

And here I am working my balls off fetching every penny I can get so hopefully I can retire by 40 years old with a bundle of cash and spend the rest of my time doing what I want, like watching korean drama.

But after some time interacting with the patients here I finally realise how lucky I am. Or at least, not so unlucky.

Close to a thousand patients come to the clinic everyday. And most of them, I have to admit, are not very wealthy. Ok, poor. whatever. I mean thats why they dun really mind waiting a few hours to see the doctor they could have just went to see a private clinic if they really want to. Some of them see me behind my desk and approach me to have a conversation, often addressing me as "Ah Boi", or "Boi Boi". Honestly? I hope I grow my mustache soon, seriously.

And I listen. Then I realise there's so many people around me that are in worse shit than me. And I come to realise, Im actually pretty lucky. From a personal point of view, I'm glad, because at least my family's intact. In fact, compared to alot of rich kids out there, my family's really loving and close to each other. I hereby declare now that I am willing to die for my dad, mom, brother and sister.

I used to think being homeless is better than staying in that run-down condo of mine, but what the hell, a condo's still a condo. And my family's actually pretty wealthy, though I would love it if a billion dollars drop out from the sky now and I can officially retire at the age of 21.

So stop complaining people if u are. Live life to its fullest, because no matter how rich u are u still die someday.

Cheers!

Rather than wasting my life at home like a loser, Ive recently started work at the polyclinic near my house. My job? Hand out application forms for some scheme, as well as help patients register for doctor consultation (which really just involves scanning ur nric and clicking the correct buttons). So all in all, my job's brainless.

But i really enjoy it. In a polyclinic there's only about what, a 100 staff members, and half of them are doctors while the other half are nurses, psas, cleaners, quarter-masters, me, so on and so forth. Because of this, everyone's a family, we have things like present exchange (tt really reminds me of angel-mortal), parties in the clinic, stuff liddat. Even though Im pretty much the only guy there, I feel like im part of their family. It's really awesome.

Love helps me overcome anything!

It's automatic, after ORD all you want is to keep yourself busy all the time. I spent my entire day arranging my room, then my house, then revising my chem stuff. I don't even need any transition period, just last 3 days ago I was sleeping my ass off. Haha, maybe I wasted too much time in army.

I realise what a lucky guy I am today. I accidentally scolded my mom after she scolded my dad. (Wow, look who's the boss at home). Ok, I didn't really scold, I just asked her try not to be so rude. Before then I was pretty excited to go to the band concert in the evening, but after that incident I just wanted to stay at home to make it up to her.

I love my family, and my family loves me. If I have love, I have everything.

ONE WEEK LEFT, ONE WEEK LEFT, ONE WEEK LEFT!!!!

I know, i know, I've had numerous blog posts complaining about my life as a slave in army. But maybe I had been over-exaggerating, because I was happy most of the time. Even in hardcore tough, demoralising times such as SOC, outfield, IPPT and what nots, or when your commander tekan you cos of crazily stupid reasons like yawning, the only reflex I have when I walk down the memory lane is a big wide smile.

Because of? Because while ur entire body is drenched with irky urky sweat, ur face in so many creative patterns of green and black, you have your fellow brothers-in-arms with you. We look at each other and laugh at each other, mostly because we are in that same stupid situation and there's no way out.

SAF emphasizes so much on teamwork, it can't emphasize enough. From simple things like throwing rubbish to hardcore stuff like outfield battles, you need a team to carry out everything swiftly and smoothly. And it's through these times that you forge friendships with each other, and learn from the strong points that others have.

I've been inspired too many times. I always look in admiration at how Dunyang would take all the work, volunteer for all the chores, and never nags. I advised him countless times, even told him stories, that if everyone's like him in the world woah the world would be so perfect. No worries, no crime. But NOOOO, you've got jerks lying like dogs everywhere around and he's bound to get taken advantaged of some time.

And he always replies that life would be so much meaningful if we stop thinking about how unfair the world is. Muarks. Secret formula to stay young, happy and lead a life of no regrets.

I always look at how Zhengxian demonstrates his seniority and leadership skills to get things done, and yet able to say 'no' whenever he feels unfair, wronged, or just wants to protect his section and platoon. Or how Weiteng, despite continuously failing and retaking and failing and retaking all the SOCs, never whines, though he doesn't seem to be happy as well. Emotion-less.

I will apply all I haven't learnt from them in my future endeavours. That's what NS is all about. If you haven't changed after these two years, if all u did was sleep in bunk, then you probably have wasted it all away.

Precious two years, fast huh? To all NSFs out there have you wasted it away? Before you know it, you have to work, marry, start a family and whoohoo, die.

I've forged serious friendships with Christopher, Weixing, Jeremiah, Yingxiang and the friend whom I spent the most number of years with, Eugene. I love to demonstrate violence on Christopher, maybe cos he irritates me too much, but come on, I never meant any of that. (Or did I?) Weixing, haha, my bestest friend in 40, maybe my earliest too. Stop stealing food and get your own, you cb. Jeremiah, I appreciate the fact that you always give good advice, and hang out with me in gym at night. And Yingxiang, all your GOD DAMN LAME NERDY GEPER JOKES I can only look back and laugh.

One thing's for sure we will see each other less and less, so i will try to get used to it. It's weird not seeing your faces in the toilet every morning, going for our meals together (now my meals would be me and myself only cos everyone in my family is busy and all), going for our movies, and so on. I sincerely hope you all would be successful in future, Yingxiang in your math, Christopher in your errr drawing or gaming or whatever, weixing in your family business, and jeremiah with your er girlfriend.

And my commanders are the absolute ultimate, esp Tse Siong Bernard Muyao Ee Hong. Our nightly body maintenance, the "Oh yeahssss" (Ok, I seriously hope all the vulgarities or whatever forms of guailan language I've learnt won't follow me into uni). I remember facing Tse Siong (whos in his M113) in the middle of track arguing with him that he's supposed to be dead cos i shot him already, but he just waved good bye at him and at that point of time I was too tempted to climb up the M113 and karate throw him down. I remember Bernard always asking me to do work, but yet always does the work with me, he's the closest to Dun Yang ever. Muyao who always provided me with comfort and advice, especially when I'm feeling really down. And Ee Hong, haha, ok, what the hell? I seriously don't know much about you cos most of our memories were forged in the gym, but you are a pro!!!!!

Ok, i better go right now. My post's too long and draggy.