Cat-toe-Lick, so Smart meh?

Over the last weekend night, the Resident's Committee sort of had this block party at the forum.

The emcee was having a quiz session and he was asking this young boy who went up stage to answer a quiz qns.

"Wah, so you are from Cat-toe-lick High ah, must be very the smart hor! you must know the answer rite? Your school just next door, so cannot lau kui leh"...

Cat-toe-lick = Catholic

Lau kui = to embarrass

I was thinking, Catholic High very smart meh? So wat?

Gals hate Catholic High guys.

Gals shun at the sight of Cathigh guys. Ever so frequent that gals' eyes popped ever so big at the moment they know that you are from Cathigh.

"Huh you from Catholic High? (gives you the kinda look from top to toe)"

I guess gals at this point of time immediately picture us with our white top, shiny silver buttons and sexy green shorts,

which instantly turn them off.

Maybe images of Cathigh guys haunting them, pulling their long hairs or biteing at their skirts suddenly flashes momentarily into their minds, bad experiences overwhelms and floods them like tsunamis.

Usually, the next thing she does is to switch topic or to say good-bye, never to turn head again.

So whats wrong with white top, shiny buttons and sexy green shorts?

Could be our sexy, forested leg hairs, which are accompanied from our green shorts. Maybe gals have scary experiences rubbing their legs with Cathigh guys' legs... err maybe, maybe only...

Or maybe gals deem the maturity of Cathigh guys with leg hair.

"Eh, you see you see, this Cathigh boy no leg hair one, maybe he is gay leh, i bet he is still a mommy's boy, eeee, dun party with him, yucks!"

Those are the few out of gazilion reasons why Cathigh guys desperately switch uniforms with other guys from other secondary school the very first week during the first 3 months of JC, especially those schools having long pants. This is our idea to escape the exposure of our sexy legs to the watchful eyes of JC girls which we never have the chance to have in class in 4 years of our lives in Cathigh. Having to be seen with shorts in the first 3 months of JC really makes us look "outstanding" and alien. Maybe because its green?

Cathigh Guys, Kids in Shorts as to Robin Hood, Men in Tights!

or

Little Guys in Green. Yes! Shorts do make us look shorter, much more childish.

I am definitely not the only one who wondered so many a times during the first 3 months in JC why our school wanted to humiliate us by forcing us to wear shorts. Keeping the tradition maybe, or because in their eyes we were still young kids.

I do like to wear sexy Cathigh shorts during secondary school days though. At least we could go play basketball, or soccer without changing and yet feel comfortable. I do admit that there were guys who wore sexy green shorts from sec 1 to sec 4. Or guys who helplessly reveal their longer PE shorts while wearing them underneth their much shorter green shorts on days of PE. Yet reasons to why gals shun at the sight of us.

Why can't gals see the gems behind the leg hairs?

Strong, muscular legs...

At least they can be assured that we can stand the endless hours of shopping with you gals, standing tall and strong, even after walking countless miles around shopping malls.

We believe it could be a curse that was brought upon Cathigh guys. "To have hell of a hard time to find a girl friend!". Looking around my group of secondary school friends, most of us are unattached. Speaking from the truth with allegiance to the bachelor gang. The brotherhood which we swore allegiance for many years with the membership grewing by fast numbers.

There are however some who fortunately escapes the clutches of this wicked curse...

L, a female friend i met in ntu, who almost broke off from our first conversation upon knowing that i was from Cathigh. The first thing she said after knowing the unfortunate truth was, "I hate Cathigh guys!". Being expected of the exclaimation, i quickly tried to rescue the conversation. With much struggle, she later said, "but i know alot of Cathigh guys, you know."...

At least we kept the conversation going by relating to the Cathigh guys we both knew.

Later then did i find out that her previous boyfriends were all from Cathigh. Few months after our first conversations, she even got attached with yet another Cathigh guy which i also knew. I call it a love-hate relationship, 又爱又恨...

gals are just like that.

I never regretted being a "Little Guy in Green". The 4 year of experience in a all boys school, especially in Cathigh was amazing. Things that never can happen, do miraculously happen. Things that can never be done, we always do. Furthermore, i met a bunch of good friends who i shared woes and joys together.

Maybe next time you see cat-toe-lick high guys, please do not give them the cheeky stares. I can assure that, Cathigh guys do look real hot and sexy without wearing green sexy shorts, errr i mean without the uniform on, no i mean wearing something else.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

I could say i grew up with Star Wars, just like many people.

My elder brother is definitely a great fan. We grew up together playing with our Star Wars toys. Being much older than i am, he was quick to introduce me to the 'force', telling me the stories behind starwars, handling me story books, telling me the who the real dude behind the mask of Darth Vader, who was also the father of Luke Skywalker, until i was able to look up these stuff myself. I still remember we used to record the episodes of Star Wars that were broadcasted ever so frequently on tv with our VHS tape recorder. In order to view it as a movie without tv commercials at later times, we took turns to pause the recording on instances of commercials breaks and resume it at the end of each break. That could be the main reason why the vhs recorder broke down so many a times.

Watched Star Wars III on Wednesday, the conclusion to the 6 episodes chronology. I guess anyone being a fan who went to watch the show knew the plot and how the story would be. I insisted to S who was watchin it a 2nd time to not be a spoiler and tell me stuff and scenes in the movie i must not miss. S then said, "Hey pls lah, everybody knows the story wah. He became darth vader loh!"

I figure the thing about going to watch Star Wars is to have the "been there, done that" kinda feeling. Having been watching Starwars at young, having it been part of my childhood, to relive, to be able to pass on and tell my sons that, i've seen all of Starwars, how it has been a part of me, growing up.

Heh, as the movie started with the famous Star Wars lines of the foreword with the outer space background and the starwars theme music, i said to myself, "Yes, this is finally it, the conclusion..."

At the end of the show, i wanted to stand up and give my applause, but i "ham ji", because the lights in the theatre went back on pretty fast. I did not want to create a scene or have people shouting,

"Eh siao eh, sit down! I want to see who acted as Chewbacca!" at me.

It was definitely a very nice show for the fans to watch, especially the animated effects. To those who said the story or the plot sux, i must say you are not the real fan loh, cos all fans know how the story would be, it was the experience, the thrill, the visual image that we wanted to see, not the storyline, cos we knew it many "light years" back, unlike the ignorant you.

There were however cheesy encounters in the show:

1. Whats with number 66?
Darth Sidous ordered the Order 66 to rebel against the jedis. It was so oftened said during the scene of the rebellion. "Order 66, Order 66". Why 66? Cannot Order 8888 (more lucky mah), or Order 1314 (hey once in a life time leh, how often can they rebel the jedis one?), or Order 4444 (all your base are belong to us mah, all must die!). Enlighten me if i'm ignorant?

2. Lightsabres are for wayang
After all long fight using lightsabres between Obiwan and General Grievous (who incidentally was using 4 lightsabres), Obiwan only managed to kill General Grievous in the end with a few shots of a laser pistol.

3. Yoda likes Wookies
Before Yoda left the Chewbacca and his wookie friend for the Jedi Temple. The way Yoda said "Miss you, i will" to the two wookies, it sounded damn gay lor. I was lucky not to see couples kiss at the instance. yucks.

4. "Ahhhh, wa eh chiu, wa eh chiu..."
Jedis are trained to chopped off the hands only. So who's "chiu" (hand) got sliced by lightsabres. Luke by Darth Vader (this is the classic), Darth Vader himself in the last episode. Anakin again in 2nd episode by Dooku. Lord Dooku and Master Windu (his both hands somemore) in epsiode 3. I suggest to slice off the neck to end their lives once and for all, why wait? Thats why we could even hear the hokkien clip of the Classic duel between Luke and Vader online. Maybe it sounds better in the hokkien clip of the Classic duel between Luke and Vader online. "wa eh chiu" as compared to "wa eh tau". But then, no head how to talk?

5. 世有伯乐, 然后有千里马
伯 乐, someone who could identify someone with potential. 千里马, someone with potential. 世有伯乐, 然后有千里马, means to have people with potential, we must have have people to identify them in the beginning. Just like Anakin who has great potential but fail to be spotted by the right person to bring him to the correct path. This is ever so true in our real world. How people with potentials are missed used or who turn into felons. Anakin was the 悲剧人物 in the show, being sliced to pieces by his master, his wife leaving him, having to live behind a mask and be imprisioned in a robotic suit for life. So what if you have all the power in the world but no one to share it with you?

6. Over-engrossed fan
When Anakin asked after the killing of Master Windu, "What have i done? What have i done?". The guy beside me said loudly, "You've exchanged your soul with the devil, thats what you've done!" Wah, dumbstuck! I could have applauded and said "Well said, sir", but i didn't want to disturb the rest of the people watching the show with unnecessary comments. hur hur

Overall, it was still a good experience. After the show V said, "My eyes are still blur by the lightsabres effect".

my 2139874th reason to get an iPod

wah... saw this via Gizmodo, haha iGuy for iPod

cool... it can even do this...



...and this

i wan i wan :D....

dun make me use my lightsaber on you

Got me so pissed after i received your call...

You really dampened my happy mood at the early lunch today...

Seeing your name on the my handphone display does not seem so as pleasant, owning that i have not been seeing you to talk for a while.

You blabbered over the phone to tell me how come things was not done after so long, saying that this brings bad image, saying all this in an angry tone. You made me feel like you are the empress dowager...

I could only say.. ya ok, i'll do it, i'll do it.. ok ok...

What could i do, you have just ruined the entire lunchtime with my frens, and also my wonderful day ahead.

I seriously did not want to kick up a big fuss over it. I understand sometimes it does seem that i do not really do much but insist on requesting stuff from you. But damn it, the response from your side also KNS, its not like your system of work is as good, its just that nobody dares to mention it into your face. Sometimes it feels like you are trying to solace a 3-year old kid, handing me sweets to delight me a moment of a second while promising me this and that, which are all in the end so much of a bogus to me.

I have seen enough of these situations. I wonder at the words others say about you. Initially my impression of you was still good, i never doubted, i tried the best to get things the way it should. But somehow later, the impression of you changed, those words about you deviated, in my own opinion. Sometimes i wondered if it was me? Because you did not like the way i did my stuff. Maybe the others had their personal way at pampering you. Guess i'm just different.

I'm definitely not in your quality world. I hope you can see things at a bigger picture, at least hide the obvious favoritism by not showing it dead infront of me, do shed lights of fairness to my side. Sometimes i wonder if i should change my different style in exchange of a smooth flow of things. Maybe that is how things are done, by changing yourself, changing to an extend that you do not even recognise your actual self.

Sometimes, it takes a combination of seeing and feeling to understand a situation. People usually like to jump to conclusions at the first sight of things. Its not easy to understand effort, interest or committment just by seeing. How often i sense the lack of trust and respect between us? I understand i may not have gain your trust but at least give me the due respect i deserve. Do not seek an outsider when you want to deal directly with an insider stuff. I'm the insider, i'm the one who knows better than anyone. Its just like asking your driver about the condition of the flowers in your garden rather than asking the gardener himself.

You ruined my day to party.

I am retiring.

Its not because i am running away. Its a way to prove myself. One day you will know.

Damn Gay lor!

A phrase that the guys from my Communication Skills module group adored and remembered back in my second year. I used it when i shared with E and C (the 2 other guys in our 3 man group) during the "off-comm-skill" topic discussions in canteen A of my "brotherly" experience. E and C would burst into laughter whenever i said it in my own funny way. It was the days where we enjoyed each comm skills lesson where we could get together as a group and crap in class. Guess that is what Comm Skills lessons are for. This could also be the reason why engineers fail to communicate effectively and require such lessons within our academic curriculum to teach us how to talk cock better. Sometimes we would even end the lesson early and continue with our "off-topic" discussions at Canteen A over hot cuppa. Our cheerful conversations in class even drew attention of our "ang-moh" female prof who thought we very enthusiastic and participated well in her class. Actually we were secretly enjoying ourselves in our own conversations but pretended to be well, right under her nose.

The "brotherly" experience i related goes way back to the army days. R and i were really good brudders where we have been through the same classes for 4 years in secondary school, same 3 mths in JC, same BMT, same company, same platoon, , same section, same shit and same unit. We used to jio each other out when we booked out from camp. Many a times we would accompany each other to watch movies together on our dateless weekends nights. It was kinda "funny", thinking about it, where we used to get pair tickets to watch movies on weekends, just like what couples would do. We didn't realise it until an eventful gesture where we bought a Value Combo Meal for Two before entering cinema. The seemingly harmless meal included 2 cokes and 1 shared popcorn. Our very perception changed that night while each holding a coke in our hands, with the popcorn in between us, and seeing couples queuing with the similar combo meal for two to enter the cinema. Sipping coke and comparing the couples with ourselves, we instantly thought,

this is Damn Gay lor...

From then on, we never bought twin tickets to watch movie together. We never bought Value Combo Meal for Two for our guys movie outing. I've not seen a movie together with R only, after we ORD from army.

Tonight, i watched Starwars III together with another guy fren from a pair for movie tickets i had. It was actually an employee promo from our frens' attachment company offering pairs of movie tickets at cheaper than usual price. Hmmm, ok we didn't exactly go to watch it together, not just the 2 of us, as we had company from our two guys frens with the similar tickets. So 2 + 2 = not so gay wor.

and confirmed, no Value Combo Meal for Two.

死他本

Stubborn.

She wanted me to perform a task at work today. Instantly before she explained how she wanted it to be done, my mind had already decided what and how i wanted it to look and to be done. I was totally switched off while she explained the details of how she wanted it. Felt rather pissed with her to take up my time to do her job. Besides, i seriously felt that the task was rather redundant, in my own point of view. But i still accepted it or she would whine and i would then melt.

I seriously thought my idea on how to get this thing done was the best. The way it would look, the efficency would be perfect. Thus, i eagerly waited for a chance to push my ideas to her while she did her explanation.

I showered her with my ideas at the note of her pause, "I dun understand why you need to do this?... i think this is not possible... why not we do this then that, so it would look like this and not that... so it would not look so messy... and then and then... then hor... then hor..."

Its definitely not wrong to be proud of your ideas. Whats wrong was that i immediately passed a judgement that her idea sucked big time even without listening to her explanation. I was really stuck up then. Maybe she was not someone with higher authority or because she was of the opposite gender?

After some discussions, i felt the way she wanted it to be done was actually a much better way to do it as compared to mine. Somehow i felt i had deliberately wanted to do the things the other way round. When she wanted A, i stubbornly wanted B, or A + B. No matter what it was, i was just stubborn and did not want to see myself following what she wanted.

Yar, say i'm a MCP.

But i consider myself more extra and stubborn. Even when guys or who ever tell me what to do, i always had my own way of thinking, especially when some creative ideas pops up.

Even the greatest leader need to learn to be a good follower.

I guess i have to be more open to the view of others. Even before you insist others to follow ur idea, at least give them a fair chance to speak up. Actually sometimes the way others do it may even be better than your own expectations.

I don't want to be a pie!

Chicken Run the movie?

Caught a few scenes on tv after the mother's day dinner. I still remembered the first time i caught it was on a SIA flight to Australia for an overseas training during the army days.

I actually wanted to watch the Apprentice on Sunday nights.

Yup... liked to see how the contestants take on the projects and how they fight in out in the board room to defend themselves to be the ultimate padawan of Donald Trump.

Somehow seeing them argue it out to stay in the game, its just like in the chicken run movie. No chicken wants to land up as a chicken pie. That is why the chickens fought hard to learn to fly. The fact is chickens can't fly. But they were determine to do something to their lives and not submit to fate. Hmmm maybe blindly doing something they never will achieve is foolish. But who has not been foolish before. i guess everyone has done foolish stuff in order to achieve somethings before. Sometimes you may not even know its foolish while doing it, just like chickens that wanted to fly. But at least its better to choose to do some foolish stuff than to choose to just sit and wait for things to just happen.

If we want to have something we've never had, we need to do something we've never done.

Its definitely not wrong to fight for survivial. In this episode of the Apprentice, it was the filtering of the final 4 to the final 2. The final 4 had to go through a series of interviews with some of the top executives in business who have to report back to Trump on their impression of the contestants. Kelly been chosen for the guys was an expected choice. Then it came to the two gals, Sandy and Jennifer.

Its a hard fight in the board room. The gals defended themselves hard, selling themselves while putting down the other, stating their best reasons to be in the final spot. If i was the one in the room to argue my point to be in the final spot, i would definitely fail miserably compared to the two gals. In the first place my engrish oso not tat powderfool, maybe if its based in singlish or hokkien still got more chance. In the end jennifer, a lawyer came on tops.

I seriously felt that Sandy was a better choice to work for Trump than Jennifer. If Trump had watched most of the episodes on tv himself, guess he would know as well. Especially the episode when Jennifer stole the credit from Ivana (one other team member), of a successful project for Levi's. That episode really showed off her prowess of no action, talk only, uniquely NATO ability.

Guess lawyers are always good at defending themselves. Even Trump said tat she was better to defend herself at the end. That is why the choice of her than Sandy. But hey, aren't lawyers taught to be able to talk and defend themselves?

Sometimes it really makes me detest people who are good at talking only. Its not easy for people to see your hard work and capablities, guess hard work takes time to tell and capablities are to be demostrated. But sometimes we just have to face the fact that its these people who are able to talk better who are able to get things done their way.

Being expressive or good at talking?

Expressive, being able to state what you want, your opinion, how you let others understand your ideas.

Good at talking, being able to convince people to fork out tonnes of money to buy something worthless.

Sometimes i feel the learning process that we are brought up fails to try to teach us to be expressive. How often we are asked to keep quiet in class? Being asked to stand outside the class for talking in class. How our names will be written on the blackboard and be punished by the teacher for talking. Guess part of being expressive is to ask and question. To speak out our ideas? Guess at our youths we were already hampered to do so.

Or maybe being expressive cannot be learnt from books? Hmmm, ya maybe from watching ang mohs argue it out in Apprentice. Maybe only...

Still lots to learn, my young padawan...

bo sim zho si boh?

Direct translation from hokkien would be... 没有心做是吗?

No heart to do izzit? Or more correctly, uninterested to perform or to do.

This is a "famous" phrase i heard in army.

It came from my OC, Officer in Command, the guy in charge of my company. The guy who ruled us with an iron fist. Most of us feared him, as he was really strict in our discipline and he was also rather 'siao-onz'. His looks gave me the scare when i first entered the company. He looked paley ghost like, but had the height and the stern look to chill us down the spine. We even gave him the nick of the Devil, 魔鬼.

Standby...

A phase in army where the unit or company has to be in the ops mood ie be ready for operation at anytime. All the vehicles had to be ready for action, all the big guns mounted and ready to roll at any instance. For the troopers, all their equipment has to be in tip-top condition, fully packed and standardised. All our uniform, barang barang like toiletries, mess-tins, all the essentials for an actual battle have to be orderly packed.

In order to check on our standard and readiness for op, we had to go through an inspection phase. All our packed equipment have to be waterproofed with zip-lock bags and to be lay out in standard order with all our full gears with us. Inspection was a pain in the ass as we had to prepare days in advance. Not only our personal equipment but also the big guns and our big vehicles. Everyone was stressed up, even the OCs and the other regulars.

My OC, the devil was really strict in our standby preparations. Guess he wanted us to be the best company in the unit. Coy 'A', A for number 1, A for good, A for the best? A for Ichiban? Crap logic aniwae.

I still remembered that night when my OC blew his top during our inspection for standby. It was a night where we never forget.

All our barang were laid out for inpection. Inspection on our packing standards and if we had the proper equipment in our bags. My platoon inspection kinda went well, but not for the tankee (guys who pilot the tanks) guys. Tankees were like brothers to my platoon, guess both our platoon were the more 'pia kia', the more 'no government' so to speak, as compared to the other platoons. Staying close to each other also made us more 'brudder' than the rest.

OC was really not impressed by the tankee's preparations. OC torn open those badly prepared packs and smashed them onto the ground. Days of preparation gone down the drain at an instant. I still remembered seeing squashed toothpaste spattered all over the ground due to the impact of the smash. One of the specialists whose mess-tin which was not cleaned properly was thrown on the floor and had a sledge hammer whacked out of shaped.

"Bo Sim Zho Si Bo?" OC thundered the tankees.

Signifying their poor standard of preparations. He even caught one of the specialist by the collar and drew him close to his face and scolded him of the poor standard in preparations.

It was an forgettable night. OC broke his temper infront of the entire company.

"Bo sim zho si boh" became a catch phrase for the tankees. We would always tease the tankees when things get though and standards have to be made through our life in army. Guess it later also paid the same for the other platoons in the company even after we had a change of our OC. Maybe thats why these tankees from my company were the best in my unit, and maybe our company was the best among the rest too.

Guess discipline is a way to reach the objectives we set for ourselves. Discipline in this case could being fear, but at least it got things done. Discipline may not always bring fear, but more often a trade off of freedom, or power needs. Humans could ready be that 贱 sometimes, 不见棺材不掉泪, unless we are faced with harsh conditions we may never change or never put in our best efforts. Just like if kids never fall sick when young, they may never be able to develope their own immune system and to defend themselves against the same illness in years to come.

Falling in to harsh situations may never always be that bad.