The Whimsical World of Argus: 01/01/2005

bon voyage

Flying off to Bangkok (city of Angels) for a short getaway tonight 23oohrs. I will be flying there by Air Asia. Going to be there from the 19 to 23 of Jan. Just hoping that it will be a memorable trip. I hope to come back with nice memories, nice pictures and a good experience to share with one and all. Till then...

Bon Voyage to me...

In the sun-glazed horizon
the sea bath in a golden hue of splendour
silence broken by the lapping of waves
quietly stirring the peace
the sirens beckoning with their call
mesmerised, smitten and captivated
i was drawn towards them

what fate awaits me is anyone's guess
i sing a song of praise
i was spared i live among them
the gulls, they sang with me
the melodious tune of yore
in days of chiverly and maganimity

ulysses was my saving grace
now i go where the waves take me
into the utopic realms of angels
that was bequethed to me
again i sing a song of praise
this time i know i will rest in peace

till my body awakes
my soul to yonder bliss
the music played on
i know i am in peace...

dreaming

What does it feel like to love someone?

Well, someone once asked me that...to which i replied;

"its an inexplicable feeling ; one that cannot be described, one where you gaze into someone's eyes and feel so good being in each other's prescence - the vibes and all, and communication between both parties effectively transcends both time and space."

To which she shot me a quizzical look...hah...there you go...no matter how much i say, true love can never be understood and i like it this way, it is sacred and i like to preserve its sanctity....I love my bear!

Something really meaningful...

Dreaming of you

Late at night when all the world is sleeping
I'd stay up and think of you
And I'd wish on a star
That somewhere you are thinking of me too

Cuz I'm dreaming of you tonight
Till tomorrow, I'll be holding you tight
And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be
Then here in my room,
Dreaming about you and me

Wonder if you ever see me
And I wonder if you know I'm there
If you looked in my eyes
Would you see what's inside?
Would you even care?

I just wanna hold you close
But so far, all I have are dreams of you
So, I wait for the day and the courage to say
How much I love you(Yes, I do)

I'll be dreaming of you tonight
Till tomorrow, I'll be holding you tight
And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be
Then here in my room,
Dreaming about you and me

Ahhh...I can't stop dreaming of you
Ahhh...I can't stop dreamin

Late at night when all the world is sleeping
I'd stay up and think of you
And I still can't believe that you came up to me
And said, "I love you; I love you too"

Now I'm dreaming with you tonight
Till tomorrow, and for all of my life
And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be
Then here in my room, Dreaming with you endlessly...

Lyrics by Selena

almost a marksman..

What a day it had been, finally got the opportunity to come back to the serenity and comforts of home. It is only not too long ago that i managed to get a decent scrub down and now feel totally revitalised. Yesterday, i had range at Pasir Laba Camp (Safti) and since morning, i had been kept busy the entire time till range ended. Up till then, i was still helping my superiors account for the rounds we had indented and stuff. Anyway, everything was pretty smooth sailing. I guess all the personnel in the ammo party; to which i belong, played our part responsibly in fulfilling the tasks assigned to us. Hence, there was not one screw-up reported. Well, there were some little hiccups along the way, but we still managed to resolve them to the best of our abilities and as efficiently as possible. In addition, the OC was rather pleased with our efficiency, even going to the extent of singing our praises.

Apart from helping my platoon sergeant with the ammunition, i was also required to engage myself with the life-firing. Hence, i had to juggle both activities. Since, there were tons of paper work to do, i could not let my performance at the range (shooting) affect my ability to stay focus on the paper work at hand. Initially, i pretty much screw-up the day shoot, thanks to the unfriendliness of my rifle, hmmmpf...somehow, it refused to work for me. What could i do? Worse still, a little mechanism in the rifle was damage, hence, i needed a change in rifle. Well, the change was to do me good.

Thankfully, with the necessary change done, my rifle worked much better. As to whether i performed better remained to be seen. Well, as time got by, i improved in bringing a greater number of targets down! My rifle handling tecniques were better, and i was in greater control of my weapon, hence, my performance reportedly got better. However, what seemed like a dismal showing in the day; my detail (group) thought we had failed, we just kept on improving into the evening. Incidentally, barely managing a pass for day shoot, we thought we already had a pretty decent bargain, however, better things were to come. Therefore, for the night shoot, i must say we had performed exceedingly beyond expectations; heck, a check with the scoring sheet revealed that my detail brought down the most number of targets that night compared with the other details. The average result for the day shoot was combined with the average result for the night shoot, hence, we got a very decent score. In fact, we came out from nowhere to come so close to getting a marksman...sigh!...we were just slightly more than a point away from achieving marksmanship status. Well, what more can i ask for, it had truly been a fruitful time at the range. I am saying this even though the paper work had sapped me of most of my energy. Still, am very glad that my detail and i could do so well eventually. It truly had been a twist of fate.

If only life had been this interesting, where the outcome is beyond expectations and things just happen by chance positively...well, i don't expect too much either...just living within my means and seeing where fate leads me. :)

moderation of abundance

Sitting down and thinking about my experiences in recent days make me not help but wonder how rich my life could be. It also brought me back to the time when me and my peers (camp-mates) had unrestrained fun. This happens only if i allow such opportunities to meander toward the direction of enjoying the company of my peers, and not be too uptight about stuff in general. Happenstance (a chance circumstance) to which i may not have control over, unless i choose to become assertive, also actually allows me leeway to react in a manner that pleases me. Its all about how i reciprocate or how i choose to react to a certain something that comes my way. Positively, at least i have a choice and have greater control on how things would turn out. However, with that i was also missing out on plenty of things. Therefore, in the last few days, i resolve to joke and horse around with my peers without much reservations, just like in the good ol' days of yore.

In order to not sound so obsecure with my ramblings, i would quote an example; for about half a year now, my existence (in camp) has been doggedly melancholic. In camp i would be pretty restrained and somehow i would just hold myself back when others around me are having fun (wrestling each other and stuff). Not that i make all efforts to keep myself away from them, but i just wanted to have more time to myself. I held certain reservations, hence, i did not feel so part of the group. Previously, being easy going, i would initiate things and more often than not i am the central figure in the crazy antics and male bondings in camp, however, thanks to an indefinite period of melancholia i would appear distant. Until recently, i would just be a third party looking at the fun taking place around me, basically just looking and not participating. Some friends in camp can attest to that, but they would respect me and give me my space.

However, being in camp the last few days was sure uplifting to say the least. I allowed myself to be the butt of some of jokes, i allowed my peers to tease me, all in the name of fun, well, at least i showed that i wanted to have fun. Hence, the subconscious barrier is broken down and my peers find it easier for them to 'befriend' me again. I truly enjoyed this type of bonding, something that i have been missing out for the last half a year or so. In the last three days, i got plenty of opportunity to catch up on lost time with some of my peers and of course crack some jokes every now and then, and also be the butt of jokes at times.

I would still want some time to myself, afterall, too much of something is not good, still moderation or little doses of something good is the way to go. But, its my last days in camp, really, i would not get such an opportunity to be wrestled with, to enjoy male bondings and stuff (to such a great degree), not outside at least. Maybe, its better to have fun and not think so much, afterall, in a matter of months, i would not be seeing my peers ever so often. This is because, many of us would have finished serving our dear motherland. ORD Loh!

All in the name of fun, joy and laughter...cheers!

Beautiful ones...

hmm..an idol and his bodyguards?

I snapped this image behind one of the purposefully painted 'Singas'. These lions in the foreground of this picture were painted by television celebraties, media luminaries, sports personnel..the list goes on, well, basically by very famous people! The purpose was to give them an artistic avenue to create their idea of present day Singapore and what it stands for in the artists' own little way. Some of the lions are painted in really vibrant hues, incidentally, giving an insight into the artist's character, ideals and perhaps mood. While others were in more muted colours, probably the work of an artist wanting to give weight to a more serious and sombre message.

Whatever the message of the artist, he or she has sure made major tourists hangouts; the likes of Orchard, the Merlion Park more asthetically vibrant. Kudos, on a job well done. However, what is more important is still that particular message the artist wants to convey, hence, if you are free do take the time to read the little plaques on the lions that tell us why the artists choose to paint their lions in a certain manner.

Babe..you are a stunner

Ulysses..wo yong yuen ai ni!

A pretty good close-up of the Merlion (Ulysses). However, i thought the NTUC headquarters in the background actually (sort of) mars the composition of an otherwise good picture. The NTUC building is pretty distracting, moreover, its architecture is unassuming; nothing iconic about it.

hmm...whtta' lone ranger..

That's the Swissotel the Stamford (affectionately known to me as 'Thumb') in the centre of this picture. It stands tall among low-rised developments, at 72 storeys high it was once the world's tallest hotel. Unfortunately, in recent times that coverted title has been given to the Al Bhurj; a hotel on a man-made island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE); Middle East.

Pretty faces...

5 star hotels galore!

In the horizon from Left to Right: a partially hidden Esplanade, the Meritus Marina Mandarin, the Conrad Centennial, the Pan Pacific, the Oriental, and last but not the least, one of Singapore's most exclusive hotels; the Ritz Carlton Millenia, heck, it was even awarded a sixth star for impeccable service, they say...

ulysses...our mythical Singapore idol?

bummin' around on a bum boat?

a storm is brewing in the distant horizon

the light of the south

a grand ol' dame

Formerly known as the General Post Office, today this fine building with beautiful doric columns houses The Fullerton Hotel; one of Singapore's most exclusive and recently voted one of the best hotels in the World. Singapore hotels that made it to the 'World's best hotels' list includes; the Four Seasons (also Singapore's best), the Raffles Hotel and the Ritz Carlton Millenia.

Corridor of economic might

Romancing the city

a juxtaposition of ulysses with babel?

Nice balmy whether, sun hidden behind a thick layer of clouds, light breeze caressing my cheeks..what a truly fine day it was. It was perfect, for touring the city and as always i almost never leave home without my good 'ol trusty 'ol digi-cam. It was yesterday that i went on a little city tour of sorts; not that i had planned for it with itinery in hand and what not, but somehow, it just happened by chance. Armed with my digi-cam, a nice and balmy whether coupled with some time to kill before meeting up with friends at Clarke Quay, i decided to walk the CBD and its fringes. Like times gone by before, my explorative nature and my shutterbugging ways actually got the better of me, hence, i went about capturing just about anything and everything that caught my fancy. However, due to my preference for most things big (pun not intended, excuse me) and somewhat tall, i captured mostly skyscrapers. I was glad to be able to find some really good vantage points from which i took my pictures, which incidentally also turned out really decent, or like what Alfie said about the above shot; "the buildings look like add-ons, somewhat like photoshop was administered."(i hope i did not quote you out of context) But, really that shot also happens to be my favourite picture out of thirty over other shots. Its just so flawless, i must add.

Anyway, i can say that after my visit to the URA gallery a couple of days back, i am truly more inspired. Architecture is not dead in Singapore, i just believe that people must be bolder in their creations. Besides taking into consideration the utilitarian purpose of the architecture of a building, our buildings should also be impactfully designed. In achieving that, architects must not be afraid to create a statement, albeit one that is bold and perhaps not go down well with locals. But, in aiming to truly become a cosmopolitant hub and a melting pot of sorts, we have to be more embracing of the works of people with eclectic taste. These are the people we can and should count on, in putting Singapore on the map. These are the people who must showcase to the world that Singapore is capable of producing iconic structures that can rival their counterparts in the West. However, Singaporeans are a fussy lot and i must say very difficult to please; artistic expression does not account for more than just careless whisper. A tragedy?..well not quite for now... Therefore, i propose that us Singaporeans should celebrate creativity and not be so practical for once; not that its a crime but really sometimes it just devalues creativity.

Let loose and let those creative juices start to flow.....Cheers!

the passages of time...

my card collection...

Greeting cards, encouragement cards, birthday cards..you name it i have it...heh..was just clearing my drawer, well, a spring cleaning of sorts, yar? Anyway, i do such things whenever i have the previledge of spending time at home. To my utter amazement..there's like a little treasure trove of sorts, of cards aplenty! Not that i hadn't known of that many cards i have before, but rather, putting everything out on the floor and picking up each and every card to read, just brought back many a pleasant memories. A sense of nostalgia gripped me, as i read the contents of some of the cards. Ha...sentimentalist at work here.

Well, the passages of time have not mellow in me some of the really wonderful thoughts i hold of certain events with people who have made my life so pleasant. In fact, such happy moments are still so vivid, as if they just happened moments gone by. When in reality, some of these events happened a couple of years back. Well, the sentamentalist that i am just cannot seem to forget those moments. And when i think of such events, the happy times, the wonderful company and all, i just get all teary-eyed. Ha.. Well, one can say its tears of joy perhaps of wonderful moments i have had, or even to the extent of missing such moments. If and only if i could turn back time, and perhaps relive such moments...well, that's only an if! And it also feels great to be able to get on with life. To move on and chart many more happy times ahead...yar?

Cheers to many more wonderful moments ahead..especially, with that special someone wink*... and of course to my friends, thanks for making it all happen. I thank God for each and everyone of you who have made life so colourful in each of your own little ways!