The Running Robot

Above: Almost the same weapon being used.   The old M16, haven't touched it since 2004.   With the close of the movie "Skyfall", I completed my mandatory duty or rather training with the army. The final words of my unit CO (Commanding Officer) rang in my ears. The unit will be on active alert for the entire year. On my 34 years old shoulders, an elderly age for an infantryman, laid the burden of standing sentinel over my homeland for an entire year. I read the post by asingaporeanson titled "Singapore is good" and my fists clenched when he mentioned about the silliness of our homeland defence. I cannot blame him for his misinformation, he was never involved in active combat duty. He was a service side soldier during his national service and never served reservist duties. In his bid to sensationalize the badness of Singapore, he tends to dismiss what is working in Singapore and amplify all its faults. He definitely did not attended the latest intel...

Here I am, rumbling on a bus towards the last function of this year in camp training. With this gathering, it marks the close of the mandatory duty for this year. Over the weekend, I communicated with the platoon mates of my former unit. They have all completed their mandatory services and have left the army. Many of which were very close friends. Man, do I miss this guys. As I am in a new unit, I see alot of new faces. Though there are many familiar faces as well. They belong to other platoons. In the bunk that I stayed in, it was all new faces. It wasn't easy adjusting to the new camaraderie. You see them as new faces, they look at you as the odd man out. It was hard to fit in. Nevertheless, I managed to engage in small talk with them and broke the ice. But it is hard not to think of the phrase "if only the old boys were here " I missed the antics of the old platoon joker, the helpfulness of my buddies and the firm and close knit command of my commanders. Wi...

It is that time of the year again when I need to return to the army to serve my mandatory duties. For the past decade, it has been the same routine. Dig out the ancient military artefacts in my home, give it a wash, pack it in my black civilian pack which I liken to the C130 Hercules aircraft. It is old, cavernous and effective. Perform bag drag no.1.  Haul the C130 and the army field pack into the small boot of my Nissan March, and get dressed in green fatigues and my combat boots Drive to the infantry camp, pick out the most convenient parking lot (judging from the popularity of the carpark, if nobody parks there, then you better not.), park the car and perform bag drag no.2 to the processing station. Bag drag no.2 will usually be the toughest as it will involved the hauling of the C130 and the rest of the equipment up to a barrack that is usually multiple storeys high, lifts are mostly non-existent. Settle in, unpack and try to get used to the rudimentary bedding and ...

The Internet Explorer on my Lumia 710 has decided to take a holiday. It has stopped working properly since last Thursday. First it refuses to start up. Even after turning off the phone. After some browsing on the net using the browser Surfer Cube, I realised it is common problem for Windows Phone. I found a solution to correct the start up problem. You have to fix the settings for the Internet Explorer "to open links to other applications in the CURRENT TAB" That way, the Internet Explorer can start up. But the multiple tab function has ceased working. I could only browse websites one page at a time. This is pretty annoying as all my favourite links are saved on Internet Explorer.  I am not able to uninstall and reinstall Internet Explorer. This is because the IE is an uninstallable app. The only option now is to reset my phone. Not an option that I relish. Guess I will transfer all my links manually to Surfer Cube for now. Hope Microsoft will look into this pro...

Aerial View of Seletar Airport The old 9V-BOQ The sun hanged lazily over the horizon as I peered out of my windscreen. It was barely 6pm but the sky was already darkening. The runway lights by the airfield was already lighted, ready to guide the next aircraft to the safety of the airfield. The airfield has changed so much since we last flew here. From the leafy, quaint Seletar Airport of old. The entire airfield has transformed to an vast industrial complex of aerospace companies. All the big names, Roll Royce, Fokker, Pratt and Whitney have facilities here. It has became a cold unfeeling place. No more the place to rub noses with parked Cessnas and Pilatus. "My son will never see the old greeny Seletar Airport of old. " AJ muttered. I nodded. Its being almost 7 years since we last took off from in our little Cessna 9V-BOQ from this place. So much has changed. So did our lives. He has became a father and will soon be an airline captain. I have gotten ma...

  A young Obama in 2008   A much older Obama in 2012 If you asked me if I have been following the US presidential elections? I would answer, "vaguely." But truth is when I knew Obama won. I was happy, in fact very happy. It has been a tough four years for him and the United States. A stumbling economy, political gridlock, natural and man-made disasters all made the job of the most powerful man on Earth, one of the toughest job on Earth too. True, Obama did not managed to deliver all that he wanted to in the past four years. But the items promised were not simple matters to solve too. With this unfulfilled promises undermining him, Obama faced an uphill fight against Romney. But in the end, the nation made their choice. They chose to stick with the most charismatic and only black president the US have ever seen. Probably the poorest president that have ever came to power too. God bless America. :) I could still remember what he wrote in his book...

  Claiming my blog for pay per post. See if this helps to pay some bills. Hopefully…   Readers, please support. Thanks.   euphonious flavoured crisps, with real euphonious pieces

Walking into the Peugeot showroom, I eagerly look around searching for the Peugeot 207. "Oh, the 207, we don't sell them anymore. The smallest car we have now is the 308. " The sales rep explained. The bane of the darn sky high COE in Singapore has made it so hard for showrooms to sell small and cheaper cars. Many companies such as Mitsubishi and Subaru stopped bringing in small and cheaper cars. All that's left are the more luxurious models where the potential buyers have deeper pockets to stomach the SGD$71,000  wretched piece of paper (Certificate of Entitlement, COE)  that entitles citizens to own a car. Comparatively, Marchie's certificate cost SGD$14,700 in 2005, now it cost 5 times more. I browse around the Peugeot 308, checking the seats, the tactile switches and the space in the cabin. Very luxurious, I love it. Especially that glass roof. All very nice, but sadly a new car is already out of budget, let alone a new luxurious 308. "Wo...

The Peugeot also know as the "F&N" car because of its similar logo to the soft drink company in Singapore, Fraser & Neave recently popped into my radar. It could be a plausible replacement for my trusty Nissan March. Marchie is getting old at 7 years of age. Not old in the standards of other countries but in Singapore whereby cars have a fixed life of 10 years. Marchie is considered elderly. Not that it really matter to me, numbers don't count for anything to me. I still love my trusty Marchie. Recently, a pre trip inspection before my road trip to Melaka, Malaysia reveal disturbing news. The pre trip inspection routine was something I never did but given Marchie's advancing age. I decided to do it for an ease of mind. My friendly AMG certified mechanic Ah Lam popped up the bonnet and ran a check. A glimpse of black sooty oil beneath the plastic engine cover made my heart stop. Ah Lam paused, and carried on looking at other parts. "You will need to come b...