:: 6 more days to go ::

there are numerous errands that i need to do before my departure this sunday.

and driving around with the virginal aGentX-mobil really does not help - as the more enjoyable i am enjoying this new toy, the shorter time that i have left to spend with it.

today, i spent my time doing 'banking stuff', you know to apply for inbound/outbound inter-banking facilities (not because i have much money, but because of lots of debts rather :))). no more issuing of cheques, an activity which i enjoyed really, because of the challenge for me to get my signature to be consistently the same each time.

BUT most important errant today, is to send my feline, sumoki, for his annual vaccination at the animal clinic

other than the overall medical check up, i also told the vet about sumoki's 'male pattern baldness' around his tail area. the vet then suggested a hormonal theraphy and give few tablets as oral medication with a return check-up and review a month later.

as time does not permit me to send sumoki one months' later (no, i cannot outsource this task), i decided not to pursue this treatment further. the pills will have to wait.

not only because of my absense, but also because of the side-effects that might happened as a result of the hormonal theraphy. he may end up depressed and having symptoms of morning sickness such as vomitting (heee...) and if that should happen, i must send him to the clinic pronto!

so, looks like he has to wait for my return, hopefully 3 months later, and then, we will continue
with the treatment. i hope he won't mind being a little 'bald' on the ass...at leat for a while.

i could sense that sumoki knows of my impending departure, and it showed. he is rather moody and tends to cling on to me more regularly.

and the fact of his habit of sleeping with me, on my bed every night, will not make matters easier too for him.

and for me too.


:: moody sumoki - with chichi the hard rock cafe tokyo gorilla looks on ::

:: meme : 5 things I miss ::

wabbit makes me 'work' - which is fine as there is nothing to do in the office anyway...other than long coffee breaks and day dreaming.

5 things i miss about my childhood :

1) the BIG lawn with full of tall trees and grass....
where i could just picnic under a tree with a transistor radio, read a book, with toys (creating a mini village/town) and even have my afternoon nap. it was also a place that is big enough to have a create a badminton court!

2) my swing under a shady jackfruit tree...
where i could swing for hours...day dreaming and imagining seeing 'a lady in white' in the middle of the night...swinging..if you know what i mean.

3) watching recorded movies from tv and 'Solid Gold!"
where i could dance and learning dance steps from Solid Gold (do you remember this tv show?) that's where i got the moves, i suppose :D

4) being a latch-key child
everybody was away either at work or school...i was the king of the house. it has taught me to be independent and that's how i learn how to cook (well, sort of ) and watching lots of tvs and videos when i should be studying...

5) taking 'adventure' walk with my school friends.
there were always places to explore....haunted houses to visit (only during the day, then)...fish pond to swim and games to play...it makes us more creative and lots of the games make use use of imagination...not many like that nowadays...sadly.

passing to anyone? don't know who to 'arrow'...heheh

:: 7 days to go ::

If all goes well, by this time, next week, I will be in The Hague for 3 months.

Not for leisure, mind you, but for work :(

Which is fine by me. But not when you have a 3-day old car to spin around and only to leave it behind only after using it for one week :(

this year, all my timing is screwed up, and after the Bangkok fiasco, I told myself that I will not plan for anything else but me.

Looks like I have swallow that - the whole piece.

:: Movie Baton ::

Received the movie baton from Sookhk so here are my stories :

Total Number of films I own on DVD/Video

I think about 500 plus or so...never kept a database although it was an ambition that I once had.

The Last Film I Bought
Dare Mo Shiranai (Nobody Knows) - A Japanese flick which the child actor won the Best Actor Award in Cannes Film Festival 2004. It is a moving helluva of movie!


Five Films I Watch A Lot/Mean a Lot to Me
1. Grease (1978) - I watched it over 20 times since I was 7 years old...enough said!
2. Love Letters (Japanese - 1995) - I dunno why I cried like an overgrown baboon when I watched this.
3. Shall We Dance (Japanese - 1996) - This has motivated me enough to take up ballroom dancing. The American version with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez is absolute crap!
4. In The Mood For Love (Fa Yeung Nin Wa) (Chinese - 2000) I know many found this movie to be dreary and slow, but due to personal events that have happened when I watched this, I felt very much like the protagonist Chow Mo-Wan (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and could understand him perfectly.
5.The Sixth Sense (1999) I am awed! Enough said :D

I am passing the movie baton to no one...hehehe, being lazy.

:: I got a medal, you know! ::

<warning: a rather long post - best read with coffee or before bedtime>

when i received the letter from the Singapore Police Force that us, their National Servicemen, now, too, well...finally, will have the similar convenience of electronic portal like the guys at the Army - i was elated.

it's about time.

i have always been rather envious for not being 'selected' to join the SAF for my National Service, that was my expectation back in junior college. my aim back then, was to be super-outstanding recruit soldier during the BMT (basic military training), becoming a recipient of the covereted Sword of Honour and subsequently, trained to be a fine officer at the OCS (officer cadet school). that was even though my ambition was never to be a soldier or an officer in the first place.

but you know how idealistic and competitve college boys can get, knowing all the army-jargon and acronyms like the ones above was our way of male-bonding.

so when i received the recall order to report to the police academy for my NS, i was rather disappointed. i reckon it was because i was the only male member of my family who was called-up for NS.

my 2 elder brothers were exempted, i suspected because of these reasons: - my eldest brother was not called for NS because he was a hippie in an era where long hair was frowned upon while the other was a college student in a generation where student activitism and communism ideals were rampant in the 70s and early 80s. guess they were perhaps categorized as 'risky'....well, lucky them! but i could be wrong in my 'analysis', so please, don't sue me.

my BMT in the police academy was a breeze ...i even had more than enough energy for 'self-training' and additional workouts...i ran around the academy and train for the cross-country. did more than required exercises, push-ups, chin ups..you name it, i did it.

i guess my 'efforts' have paid off because i came in 3rd during the cross-country race among the recruits in the academy. the 1st two winners were national runners, so not bad for my attempt and my 2.4km run record then was 7.34 minutes!

as it has been 'fated', i was selected to join the elite police unit at that time, which was known as the 'police task force' after my passing out from the BMT in the academy.

PTF, which is now known as SOC, is a para-military unit with main job is to counter any riots and terrorists attacks. immediately after the posting from the academy, i had to under 'real' training for 1 month. the route-march with heavy army gears and backs, the continuous running in half uniforms with boots and all, the punishments to drop 50 (ie: 50 push-ups)....i love 'em all...i really did.

again, because of my 'on-ness' i was selected to join the fittest and the best troop in PTF, it's called KC. i have the time of my life there...regulars or NSF, we were all brothers. one for all, and all for one. we were the only police unit, back then, that did not have any distinction between 'real' police and 'NS' police. we wore the same badges and some of us even have higher ranks than the regulars...hehehe. before i bored all of you "NS-widows" with boring NS talk, let me stop digressing here, right now!.

NOW back to the electronic portal for NS men, i discovered that way back in 2001, i was actually confered a public service medal...i really did! i guess it got lost in 'translation' somehow...because i have never received any letters to inform me, but it's there..in my NS record....see?



hmm...guess this medal would look like in my smart police uniform eh? but then again, where is it now?


but then again, i don't care...really,i guess my college boy passion about the military and uniform have died ... the military idealists have become just that. just an ideal for me.

:: good nite, faye ::

received this email:

so, if a tear, when thou art dying,
should haply fall from me,
it is but that my soul is sighing
to go and rest with thee.

emily bronte

it was an ode which my very good friend, L, used to announce the passing of her dearest dog, faye.

faye has been fighthing with her diabetics for the past 2 years, and her battle has taken its final toll today.

the last time i saw faye, my heart sank. i was at L''s place to help her transport her used clothes for a donation-drive when there faye was - blind and aging, growling and barking at my feet. she was still as gusto and strong spirited, despite her weaken physical being.

i was sadden by the cruel twist of fate - that has transformed a cute and energetic beagle into one that is blind and tired. but faye was never helpless. L knew that my heart had sank that day, because my teary eyes could not hide it from her.

i could not remember when was the first time that i met faye, it didn't matter, because to me, she has always been this wonderfully-adopted dog into L's family and i know for every penny that i have, that she has brought much joy to them.

faye was L's 2nd adopted dog, the 1st, Noi-Noi, has passed away and i knew L and her family were devasted but were strong enough to adopt faye.

before i knew L (some 16 years ago), i must admit that i have a dog-phobia as i have been chased by two wild fierce dogs (can't remember which breed) before when i was young. serve me right for being 'overly friendly' with them.

through L, i got to know about pet adoption, being more involved with the SPCA and about being kinder to animals.

i had another phobia too, that is, a pet-phobia. as my little cat, Lucky, was taken away from me when i was a little boy. and i have been horrified by her lost that i had almost vow never to have pets anymore and was actually afraid of cats for some good years.

over the years, my liking to animals have been stronger. and together with my mom, we have decided to adopt my current pet, Sumoki. it was from here that i know that my mom loves dogs too...although it would be religiously and culturally insensitive for us to actually own dogs, as being a malay-muslim.

here, i must emphasis that islam is not an anti-dog religion. traditionally, dogs have been seen as impure, and the Islamic legal tradition has developed several injunctions that warn Muslims against most contact with dogs.

this is wrong.

dogs are being considered impure, and this will therefore means inconvenience to muslims. inconvenience in getting themselves cleaned (ie: abulation) when the time comes to peform the prayers. that's all.

and this 'impurity' has a way to be cleaned according to the islamic way as accordingly.

Muslims can touch dogs. However, certain Muslim scholars are of the view that if the part in contact with dog is wet, then a ritual washing should follow, that is by washing that part seven times with water, one of it water mixed with earth. The Muslim in South East Asia follow this opinion. Whereas other Muslim scholars are of the view that there is no ritual washing for the part in contact with dogs.

from MUIS

read this article, dogs in islam to correct any misconception.

so i hope, you could understand why i become rather emotional about the news of a dog's demise. it was not just about a dog's life, but it was about a loyal and spiritual joy that one will encounter, of having to cross path with a wonderful being, a pet, such as faye.

good night, faye...and thank you for bringing much joy to L's household and to all who know her, including yours truly.

:: butt crack, not again!::

is this a sign that this week is going to be 'shitty'?

captured this on the way to work this morning....

and this comes right after declaring my pet peeve 382 - fashion faux pas just few days ago.

may god help us!

tip #62 : a sexy butt is one that is covered and tight! not showing off your cracks, you have the cleavage for that...learn from the butt-queen J-Lo, you will not see her butt crack. that's what sexy thongs are for..to tease without showing any cracks!

:: party tip #47 : big size at 1st sight....NOT!::

aGentX is in party mood today, because summerlove dance 2005 is here...



more...

to all you clubbers who will undress to impress at the silky smooth imported-sand-beach-from-indonesia at the exotic island of sentosa, here is one tip that you must know :

for the ladies (and some men), remember that whatever you see at the party "don't believe at size at 1st sight". and to the men who are 'guilty' of this enhancement 'trick', don't blame me for sabo-ing you all eh.... and remember, big size is not everything :)

just look at the pictures below to understand what i mean:



interested to know more? go to NewUrbanMale to order one or ten for yourself. and if case you are curious...well, i don't them at all :P

:: sticker-stain ::

serve me right for sticking the 'flag day stickers' on my nipples (with t-shirt on lah!) ...and now, my t-shirt has that glue stain, even after repeated attempts to remove it.

anybody got any ideas or remedies on how to get rid of this?

:: so long....buddy! ::

so long....buddy!, originally uploaded by AgentX.

the sky was in tears this morning, as I bade farewell to my truly-partner-in-crime, my nameless car.

yes, you were always a machine to me, nothing more, nothing less. you served your purpose to transport me around, but somehow, i could not help but feeling a little melancholic when i drive you the last time. the all too familiar sight, scents and touch of your interior and the practicality of your exterior were all too much of forget.

but unlike some, i have never treat you like a wife, in fact, i am quite bo-chap at times. you have never seen me spending hours under the hot sun just to wash, clean and polish you. i just send you to a car wash in JB or somewhere convenient only when i feel like it, and in most times, i let mother nature bathe you. guess you have your last wish today, when the pouring rain splashes its heavenly blanket of water drops to your body...and i really hope you are feeling fresh after that.

you shared some of my best memories. you have endured my senseless monologue, my over-the-top-atttempts-at-singing, my warp sense of humour, faking accents and basically, speaking nonsense to myself all the time. yes, i do that a lot, and thanks for being there for me and understand that driving is a boring activity - but it is again the most treasured moment of privacy that a man could ever ask for. to drive alone, that is...other than 'doing business' in the toilet.

you have endured abuses from a raging taxi-bully, incompetent bang-and-run-driver (who didn't know how to reverse park) and just 2 weeks ago, again, by taxis who were too impatient and do not have any sense of safe distance which resulted in 5 vehicle chain collision. luckily you were able to stop in time, else the motorcyclist infront of us would have 'flung'.

despite all that, you have stood tall and still look good despite of your aging looks which, by today's standards, are not hip and trendy enough. but i don't care...never once did i ever feel 'paiseh' to leave you at the carparks of the hippiest clubs in town. we are both non-flashy and self-contented people, but at times, we do road-rage at stupid motorists, eh...but that was just between us.

so my friend, even as my heart aches, i have to leave you today. you will be reincarnated into some sophisticated gadget or even an instrument that save lives....you will do good, like you have always done before.

thank you for keeping me safe in the crazy and hectic traffic everyday and i will always remember that fun that you and i had to our 1st ever road-trip to KL...just the 2 of us.

RIP. :`)

:: mp3 make-over ::

i really dislike the warp-speed of technology changes.

just last march , yours truly bought himself an mp3 player, after years of the pre-historic mini-disc . and as usual, being an idiotic individualistic, he chose a Sony instead of iPod of Zen.

why? it's made in japan lah...that's why, but no...seriously it's because of my indifference to anything that is common (read: rebonded hair) and it was the first time that sony ever embarked on the mp3 format instead of its own "atrac-whatever media" (which was able to produce high quality digital sound and saving disk space at the same time).

it is also big in storage at 20 GB and functions as an external hard disk too. and lastly, it is light and small compared to its class and it is very, very robust...with hard disk protection technology.

but now, they are releasing a better version (and cuter too) of the player.. it was already released in usa and japan though...and it will hit our shores real soon.

.and damn, what to do?

so think, think think...should i sell the old one and buy another one instead, how?

buy new one, waste money, as i would rather use that money for my airfare to hong kong or tokyo...more fun, even though it has shorter life span of funtertainment.

so, instead of getting tired of my old toy, i have decided to give it a makeover....and the results are not bad...dont' you think so?

before - boring dully silver...


after - karate chop suey leh...


so now, uncle here can try to look hip with this eh?

:: another label ::

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What kind of blogger are you?

via the ever resourceful, mini tomorrow...lancerlord

:: pet peeve 382 : fashion faux pas::

it was a good working monday today.

good mood, good energy and good appetite.

so for lunch, yours truly indulged in a little serving of 'lor mee'...it was thick, unfashionable black and rather disgusting-looking gravy, but it was deliciously enough for me.



however, my lunch was ruined by rather an unsightly view right across where i was sitting. it was not because that there were three plus-sized women, but rather, one of the woman was wearing a rather obscenely low-waisted, tight pair of jeans which has shown her cellulites on her butt cheecks....

and the cellulites on her ass reminded me of my retina . you know the sort that looks like some geographical map of some streams, rivers and other water sources. there were like hundreds of lines...err...gross!

i am ok with cellulites actually, i really don't mind if you have them...really!

but if you ever have them, please hide it away from the public eyes. it is not meant for public display. period.

this leads me to another thing about bad fashion sense. before i started to sound judgemental, please believe me when i say that everyone has the right to be proud of your body - and you should! nobody is perfect, even j-lo's farts are as smelly as the rest of us, or maybe even more stinky if she has lots of beans. but please do yourself a favour of looking good, you owe it to yourself, and no one else.

the case in point here, please refer to the picture below:



the lady with the white blouse is older and has the similar (or perhaps even larger) body than the cellulite-thru-the-ass-cheek girl in the green outfit. but in this simple example, her dressing sense makes her body look more proportion than the younger and supposedly-more trendy girl. she also looks slimmer as compared to the outrageously tight top which makes her looked like an overgrown baby. thank god that this picture was not clear enough for you to see the cellulites that were prominent on her ass-cheeks which will give you an idea on how the yellow river will look like on a map.

i am not a fashion expert, but i do enjoy a great deal of beautiful things, who doesn't right? so, what went wrong? for starters, i will suggest that you refer to style guide, which will help you a great deal in what NOT to wear!.

among the style basics that everyone should know are:

* Recognise your assets and choose clothes which flatter this part of your body.
* Show off your breasts OR your bum, never both in one outfit.
* If you have love handles or a round tummy, wear textured fabrics and wrap-around tops.
* If you have a short or wide neck, wear tops that are open at the neck, rather than high or round ones, to lengthen and slim your neck.
* If your clothes are too tight, you'll look fatter not thinner; straining fabric is a style no-no.

if you still need help to determine what works best for your body type, you can try out the personalised style rule generator.

i have seen too many women wearing low-waist jeans with 'overflow tummy' and 'exposed butt-cracks' when they are sitting. and it doesn't help if the panties that they wear are the grandma-knickers sort. it's definitely not sexy at all, but looks excruciatingly painful.

anyhow, what do i know? but ladies, you cannot imagine the kind of words that guys used to describe these fashion faux...they are sharp and venomous.

and yes, have i ever tell you that i was voted the best personal style (male) when i was in uni...many years ago, once upon a time :)

so, believe me. please.

:: kennysia's latest blog trendsetter::

Congratulations aGentX, you are...

mr brown of www.mrbrown.com

Like that ad for Toys 'R Us, you are that kid who doesn't want to grow up. Except you do. And now you're just a big overgrown kid who doesn't want grow up. You have a warped yet addictive sense of humour. It takes skills to poke fun at serious things and you have no problems doing that. Your peers look up to you and yet you're humble about everything. You are an infantile.

Which Singaporean Blogger Are You?

:: geeks galore::

the geek god, aka the richest-man-in-the-world, is coming...and i am lucky to be invited for the seminar.



actually, it was more for the paparazzi factor, rather than the actual geek-kingdom quest for knowledge. see if he is really a geek that what he was made out to be....and i bet there will be many other geeks who will lock-jawed in awe as well...sans yours truly.

but i wish it is paris hilton instead though :)

guess u can't win 'em all...

:: kara-not-ok ::

the last time i ever karaoke'd was with a group of guy buddies, around 7 of us at a bar somewhere near chinatown. the playlist was 98.65% chinese songs. dont' get me wrong, i love all kind of music.

my pals were singing mostly mandarin, hokkien and cantonese songs. i know some of the songs, having the benefit of hearing them before somewhere. and i really liked some of the songs.

that was not my trauma. it was rather the inability to read chinese and the lack of having hanyu-pinyin lyrics to sing along too.

it also did not help that yours truly cannot really sing.

being the entertainer as usual, my choices of the english songs were simply to irritate and make a jackass of myself. i chose beyonce's "crazy in love" and tata young's "sexy, naughty, bitchy" (which i did not realize the the lyrics were so raunchy...ouch!)

needless to say, it turned the house down and it also didn't help that i happened to be ditzy and light-headed when my turn came to sing....and the dance was complimentary.

so now, when the same invitation was thrown again to me, i would be rather prepared and try to sing 'real songs'. so, i have decided to choose this song, Teresa Cheng's "The Moon Represents My Heart", but for now, i got the hanyu pinyin lyrics...and trying to memorize them.

and i am also considering to join yamaha's voice course and some super memory lessons so.

so, here is my task for the next 48 hours, to memorize the lyrics below; wish me luck!

Teresa Teng - Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin.
(The Moon Represents My Heart)

ni wen wo ai ni you duo shen
wo ai ni you ji fen
wo de qing ye zhen
wo de ai ye zhen
yue liang dai biao wo de xin

ni wen wo ai ni you duo shen
wo ai ni you ji fen
wo de qing bu yi
wo de ai bu bian
yue liang dai biao wo de xin

* qing qing de yi ge wen
yi jin da dong wo de xin
shen shen de yi duan qing
jiao wo si nian dao ru jin

* ni wen wo ai ni you duo shen
wo ai ni you ji fen

* ** ni qu xiang yi xiang
ni qu kan yi kan
yue liang dai biao wo de xin

Repeat *
Repeat **

English Translation

You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you...
My affection is real.
My love is real.
The moon represents my heart.

You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you...
My affection does not waver,
My love will not change.
The moon represents my heart.

* Just one soft kiss
is enough to move my heart.
A period of time when our affection was deep,
Has made me miss you until now.

* You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you.

* ** Go think about it.
Go and have a look [at the moon],
The moon represents my heart.

Repeat *
Repeat **

:: current mood::

11838_01_l, originally uploaded by AgentX.

this t-shirt best describes it. anyone wanna buy me a present?

:: interview marathons ::

abercrombie & fitch t-shirt, originally uploaded by AgentX.

throughout my working life, i have the (dis)honour of interviewing so many people that sometimes, when i bumped into familiar faces, they would come up to me and exchange pleasantries and from there, i will remember where we have 'met'.

the transaction will just end there. no more follow ups and 'keeping in touch' and perhaps, we will never meet again - at least in this lifetime.

however, i have often tried my best to update every job applicants with the outcome of their interviews since i would like to have a very clear conscience mind -- should i ever bump into them on the streets in god-knows when.

so far, it has been paying off pretty well.

it since has been few years since i last had to conduct many job interviews. i am playing on the opposite side of the camp right now, with my current job.

other than my initial interviews to be accepted for this job, i have to be 'interviewed' by our clients for every single projects. the purpose was to give them the 'comfort factor' of my worthiness and assessment of my competencies to the tasks at hand. mostly, these 'interviews' are via conference and video calls. my 'interviewers' could be anywhere in paris, london or bangkok so far and the outcome could be decided almost immediately.

sometimes, they liked me while other times, they do not. c'est la vie, i am ok with that.

on my part, sometimes i want to be 'liked' while at other times, i do not want that assignment at all. life is pretty strange as the projects which you hoped of not being selected, but it turned out well and vice versa. there are times when the customers would want to bring me on, only to be 'pushed' by the cost factors and they will get another of my colleagues from the malaysia office.

i am treating all this like a game so far, and i am already a 'seasoned' job applicant. sometimes i wonder if i have lost the 'passion' to be interviewed anymore. i am become no longer 'a fresh meat' in the flash parade (unlike years ago, when i went to a cabin crew interview...all fresh and young, eager and excited..parading our 'flesh' to the panel of interviewers - but that was another story).

right now, it is all an act, really...because the things that are to be said, have been said so many times before. just smile, look fresh and eager...sound positive, that is all part of the interview game. but the only thing different between my interviews and those real-job seekers is that, i already have a job, but i need to give the assurance to my clients that "yes, take me...i am worthy of my rates that you will have to pay...i provide good work, professional, decent and cute...heheh..."

i am feeling like an old whore at times, with all these 'acts'.

no, make it an old mistress.

:: sgblogconspiratorists at work::

this is getting out of hand, the sgblogconspiracy that is.

i should not have blogged about my impending reservist in august and the fact that i will be 'on duty' for the national day because the conspirators have found out and told me boss about it....



i don't know what the conspirators did to influence my boss so that i cannot go for my diligent and 'on-the-ball' reservist (and thus, free show) during the NDP, but i could sense it that it has to do with the bloggers.sg 'convention' coming up soon.

my boss wanted me to do my reservist during that convention week, which means, i cannot attend that event-to-meet-xiaxue-and-sillycelly....marangkusheebye!

i could smell mr miyagi's involvement in this, maybe since he being an ace silencer in the elite military , he cannot stand the sight of a reservist cop like me walking around and looking macho in the tight uniform during NDP while oggling at pretty babes and getting lots of free food and tell people not to cross the road anyhow...., when he has to go to 'real army exercise' at the outbacks without any 'chio-bus' to look at for days... :D

from now on, anything that don't happen as planned, i will blame sgblogconspiracy as they said " all your blog are belonged to gahmen".

Et tu Brutus?

technorati tag : sgblogconspiracy

:: reservist lai liao!::

after futile attempts to 'siam' this reservist order by (1) doing tricks while roller-bladding which resulted in broken wrist and enjoying 3 weeks of hospitalization leave and (2) by resigning from previous company and informed my unit that "times are hard, so give chance until i finish probation, can?", and (3) a serious bout of flu which exempted me from any physical exercise for my IPPT....finally, I 'kena'...again.



2004 was the only year in my whole reservist life (i'm still in the old school lah, not ORD in my dictionary) that i had managed to get away from being recalled for duty. every year, after ROD kena called, except the times when i was away on study...suay, suay, suay. i have friends who since their ROD have not been called at all by their unit. they told me that maybe their records are forgotten for good...me jealous :(

despite that, i managed to ace all my IPPT (never failed a single one, yet) and at least got a silver award some more....got promoted and then, always got weird and exciting operations. like making 7 arrests in 4 days in 2002 and chasing young punks in gang fights...it was really like police and thieves.

and yeah, i'm a cop, unlike mr miyagi who is an ace silencer in the covert military elite and also a poster boy for the NSmen of the army . the tales of army reservist/NSman and police are different. it is easy to identify if the guy is an army reservist, but for me, everytime when i don the police uniform for my reservist order, members of the public will think that i am a full-time cop and demand full-time cop attention. it is not easy because most of the times, you are handling real life situation, which sometimes mean, you cannot really 'play-play'.

perhaps the most stressful and exhilirating experience for me was when we had to investigate a case of domestic violence after receiving complaints from the public. when we arrived at the scene, the husband and wife are still beating each other up - badly! we had to subdue the husband as he did not want to stop and we are lucky to be able to overcome him as we have found a hidden knife at the back of his pants and things could get pretty CSI-like if we were to take it like a 'reservist duty'. the most bizarre case was when a drunk driver caused a motorcyclist and his pillion rider to fall as he was losing control of his car and his excuse was that he really needed to sh*t urgently. and guess what, he actually pee'd and sh*t in his pants, right in front of us. needless to say, the journey to bring him back to the police station, using the police patrol car was not at all pleasant - we had to use the siren to speed all the way back.

there are many other (mis)adventures while performing my reservist duties - some are mundanely routine, others are fun and exciting and the best part is to catch up with the old 'kakis' in my team.

anyhow, back to my reservist order for this year is for National Day parade, which means I do not need to ballot for the tickets to watch it live at padang as i will be there myself -in my smart police uniform, no less ...heheh. BUT, this has actually been like my 8th time on duty for NDP, ever since my full time NS until now.

all i could say is that the food provided during the NDP is always good (with sponsors from MacDonalds, KFC, Nasi Lemak, Nasi Padang, etc etc) and i still got a tinge of goose bumps of pride when i am saluting to the national flag when everybody sings the national anthem, shortly after the arrival of the president.

a little dash of nostalgia too, when this year's police parade is held for the last time at the police academy in thomson road. that spooky place is somewhat comforting for me during my 3 months of BMT, despite sightings of small boys and girls running outside our bunk in the wee hours of the morning, recruits being possessed by some strange forces and the sound of running wild boar in the bunk which has 'frozen' all of us in the bunk. wait...the hairs at the back of my neck are standing now, and it's very very late now, so i better stop before i digress.

happy reservist in august, aGentX!.