ohh yeah the day has finally came after the long wait of 22 months. got back my pink i/c as well. the bittersweet journey in NS has finally come to an end, marking yet another chapter of life.
thankful for all the tough times and good times my friends and buddies have given to me. so glad to have met them and having to serve NS through the rain and shine with them. long speeches can be dry and boring. so..
ORD LOH!!!
Friday, November 29, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
your online identity
okay i think i am inspired to write this post after watching the video i came across the other day (the one i posted in the previous blog entry) and after reading an interesting article on Though Catalog also couple of days ago.
well, the title says it all. so long you play online games or use the social media today, you will have the online identity. you are an officer or high ranking player in a game. that's an identity. you feel proud and happy about unlocking and completing countless sophisticated tasks and missions. you are the boss of a shop or city you run in an online game application. that's an identity. you are the boss, the one to call the shots and what not. you show people your real-life achievements and experiences on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. that's an identity. hopefully, your real identity.
many a times on social media, we tend to attempt to shape the ideal life we hope for subconsciously. one do so by sharing pictures and videos and experiences of their life online regardless if it is a simple game accomplishment or real-life achievement. the amount of likes and comments will somewhat reflect on how many people think your life is awesome and what not. get the picture?
well, you don't see people posting many pictures or videos of their sad moments beside the rantings so as to gain comfort or to release the agony in them. one tend to post more positive stuffs about their lives, right? there, that is because we all want to be in that live forever. happy, proud, sense of accomplishment.
at this point, i would like to say that i am not against anything or anyone here. yes, sharing information about one's life and what not on his/her social network is great. after all, sharing the good moments with friends and families will always tend to amplify one's happiness. people looking at them would also be happy and proud of the person. so yeah, spread the joy.
then why am i bringing all these up? well, just want to caution anyone who might feel sad or down whenever no one likes of give positive remarks on your posts and what not. all these does not mean you are a failure or you are less ideal than the others who are constantly receiving those likes and good comments.
here, i would like to quote from the article i read on Thought Catalog. the author mentioned, "it's fantastic 75 people liked a photo of you in leather pants, but how many of these people could you call for a cup of coffee on a rainy day".
that's a great line for many to ponder actually how many of those people will really spend quality time out with you. so true, isn't it? yeah hope you all get the picture. the author also ended off saying, "life is short; you might as well spend it being the best and most honest version of yourself".
once again, i have no intention of targeting anyone or any single incident. just an opinion. just wanting to share the insightful topic to send you readers thinking.
anyone who is interested in the article i quoted from, it is "The Obsession With Making Ourselves Appear Awesome On Social Media" by Christopher Hudspeth. the link is http://thoughtcatalog.com/emma-howie/2013/11/the-obsession-with-making-ourselves-appear-awesome-on-social-media/.
well, the title says it all. so long you play online games or use the social media today, you will have the online identity. you are an officer or high ranking player in a game. that's an identity. you feel proud and happy about unlocking and completing countless sophisticated tasks and missions. you are the boss of a shop or city you run in an online game application. that's an identity. you are the boss, the one to call the shots and what not. you show people your real-life achievements and experiences on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. that's an identity. hopefully, your real identity.
many a times on social media, we tend to attempt to shape the ideal life we hope for subconsciously. one do so by sharing pictures and videos and experiences of their life online regardless if it is a simple game accomplishment or real-life achievement. the amount of likes and comments will somewhat reflect on how many people think your life is awesome and what not. get the picture?
well, you don't see people posting many pictures or videos of their sad moments beside the rantings so as to gain comfort or to release the agony in them. one tend to post more positive stuffs about their lives, right? there, that is because we all want to be in that live forever. happy, proud, sense of accomplishment.
at this point, i would like to say that i am not against anything or anyone here. yes, sharing information about one's life and what not on his/her social network is great. after all, sharing the good moments with friends and families will always tend to amplify one's happiness. people looking at them would also be happy and proud of the person. so yeah, spread the joy.
then why am i bringing all these up? well, just want to caution anyone who might feel sad or down whenever no one likes of give positive remarks on your posts and what not. all these does not mean you are a failure or you are less ideal than the others who are constantly receiving those likes and good comments.
here, i would like to quote from the article i read on Thought Catalog. the author mentioned, "it's fantastic 75 people liked a photo of you in leather pants, but how many of these people could you call for a cup of coffee on a rainy day".
that's a great line for many to ponder actually how many of those people will really spend quality time out with you. so true, isn't it? yeah hope you all get the picture. the author also ended off saying, "life is short; you might as well spend it being the best and most honest version of yourself".
once again, i have no intention of targeting anyone or any single incident. just an opinion. just wanting to share the insightful topic to send you readers thinking.
anyone who is interested in the article i quoted from, it is "The Obsession With Making Ourselves Appear Awesome On Social Media" by Christopher Hudspeth. the link is http://thoughtcatalog.com/emma-howie/2013/11/the-obsession-with-making-ourselves-appear-awesome-on-social-media/.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
a video pictures a million words
the following video i'm about to show you is pretty much how social media has made us in today's context. you might find the scenarios similar to yourself or your friends. well, let's all be honest and say 99% of us using the social media today are guilty of this. pay attention to the characters of the video besides the main guy character.
if a picture pains a thousands words, this video pictures a million words.
Monday, November 25, 2013
the film portfolio
my camp items have all been brought home after today's stay in camp. will be free from camp until this Friday when i can finally take back my precious pink i/c in the morning.
that aside, i've been reading books that interest me.. namely anything related to financial planning, investments, psychology. for my friends who have been studying on finance, one should know something about the personal portfolio when you start being active on the stock market and what not. then the term "portfolio" sets me thinking.
for some of you who might know me well, you might know i am sort of a crazy fan of movies and good TV series. so much so i watch almost all kinds from cartoon to crime to comedy to love to family, all but horror unless the storyline is exceptionally good which it isn't common. well, obviously i have been watching tons and tons of shows and movies. occasionally, i would talk about couple of them here.
so why can't one have a film portfolio? haha that will be so cool because mine will be filled with at least 300 titles for sure if you include all the movies and TV shows i have watched and am still watching. i point this out because i am curious how will such a thing look like if it really exists. hmm..
that aside, i've been reading books that interest me.. namely anything related to financial planning, investments, psychology. for my friends who have been studying on finance, one should know something about the personal portfolio when you start being active on the stock market and what not. then the term "portfolio" sets me thinking.
for some of you who might know me well, you might know i am sort of a crazy fan of movies and good TV series. so much so i watch almost all kinds from cartoon to crime to comedy to love to family, all but horror unless the storyline is exceptionally good which it isn't common. well, obviously i have been watching tons and tons of shows and movies. occasionally, i would talk about couple of them here.
so why can't one have a film portfolio? haha that will be so cool because mine will be filled with at least 300 titles for sure if you include all the movies and TV shows i have watched and am still watching. i point this out because i am curious how will such a thing look like if it really exists. hmm..
Friday, November 22, 2013
the bitter and the sweet
yesterday evening was the last ever military parade in the 22 months of NS. the ORD parade is the parade i'm talking about. the parade was organized obviously to show appreciation to the people who are soon to be NSmen for their commitment for the past many months.
to be honest, the parade and ceremony made me think twice about the feeling i'll feel when i ORD. the happiness of one who ORD might be just overrated. well, don't get me wrong. of course, when i ORD in a week's time, i will definitely feel really happy. however, my point here is, while the general population will always echo out the fact that they are happy no being a NSF anymore, i'm sure they will definitely feel a little sad. sad to leave their buddies and friends who they have been through think and thin, rain and shine together for countless days, creating bittersweet and at times silly moments. the friendship and bonds forged are beyond words to describe.
well, at least that's what i see and what i think i feel when i take back my pink i/c from S1 next week. NS might give a lot of things that make us curse and feel annoyed but the best things it gives will be lifelong buddies.
on another note, away from the mundane NS talk, i need to find a job really soon. NUS also spammed me with many papers and what not to read. read twice through everything to be clear of whatever is happening. not much time to stop and rest. the pressure to send one moving forward is always there. the only thing one can hope for is the strength and stamina to find time to slack and play once in a while.
to end off, i congratulate those who ORD today and those who are in the next two weeks. to my uni friends out there, all the best for the remaining papers. end year is coming. look forward to it.
to be honest, the parade and ceremony made me think twice about the feeling i'll feel when i ORD. the happiness of one who ORD might be just overrated. well, don't get me wrong. of course, when i ORD in a week's time, i will definitely feel really happy. however, my point here is, while the general population will always echo out the fact that they are happy no being a NSF anymore, i'm sure they will definitely feel a little sad. sad to leave their buddies and friends who they have been through think and thin, rain and shine together for countless days, creating bittersweet and at times silly moments. the friendship and bonds forged are beyond words to describe.
well, at least that's what i see and what i think i feel when i take back my pink i/c from S1 next week. NS might give a lot of things that make us curse and feel annoyed but the best things it gives will be lifelong buddies.
on another note, away from the mundane NS talk, i need to find a job really soon. NUS also spammed me with many papers and what not to read. read twice through everything to be clear of whatever is happening. not much time to stop and rest. the pressure to send one moving forward is always there. the only thing one can hope for is the strength and stamina to find time to slack and play once in a while.
to end off, i congratulate those who ORD today and those who are in the next two weeks. to my uni friends out there, all the best for the remaining papers. end year is coming. look forward to it.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
the last leg
i can't resist from not talking about this. but i am going to be off the NSF status in two weeks time. so exciting. this coming week will be the last and final week i see some of my platoon mates. the earliest people of the same batch will be ORD-ing this coming Friday.
besides this Friday, i'll be in camp daily. guess really have to clear my cupboard in camp and bring home all the nonsense come this Thursday after the ORD parade. besides that, i need to find a job and what not to do after i ORD.
gosh, i can smell my pink I/C.
besides this Friday, i'll be in camp daily. guess really have to clear my cupboard in camp and bring home all the nonsense come this Thursday after the ORD parade. besides that, i need to find a job and what not to do after i ORD.
gosh, i can smell my pink I/C.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
silly comparison
my ORD date coming soon.. roughly about 20 more days and i'll be off the full time national service. long and crazy and interesting journey it has been. my point today is nothing really related to NS but something i really see clearly and understand through NS. however, don't get me wrong, this is pretty applicable even in other areas. the "this" i'm talking about is comparison.
well, it is definitely natural for people to compare with one another from time to time but i realise that when comparing to others, one would be better off to shut up if you don't really know what to say or comment about it. i'll give you two examples, the first one is something i picked up during NS and the other is something i picked out chatting with friends from NS and uni at the same time.
example 1: -
there are many different types of vocations and units in NS. the demands and intensity of each vary a lot from time to time. when talking to other NS friends from different units and/or vocations, we usually would not leave out talking about the craziness of the life we live in camp day in day out. to be honest, i find couple of them really way crazier than mine and few more slack than mine. more often then not, some of us will start comparing and complaining who has the worst life in NS, expecting to be crown champion and gain everyone's sympathy at the end of the discussion.
example 2: -
during a chat with my group of friends consisting of some currently serving NS and some currently studying in the various universities, Girl A suddenly, apparently without putting much thought, exclaimed about the stress she was facing and wish she could sign on NS after seeing Guy Z said that he could rest. the time of the event was about 10pm.
so my point is, many a times people might talk about or share stories about their lives and for sure you would not have the chance or have not even live through it as he/she has. like i don't understand the stress of a university student or the physical demands of a friend in an infantry unit. likewise, my female friends don't understand the lives of NS though guys tend to have few minutes before lights out to really slack and what not.
this leads me to my initial point about comparison. yes, you will tend to compare here and there but if you can't find the right words to respond, no one will label you as a mute. all we can always do, as friends or buddies or boyfriend/girlfriend, is to stand by them and listen to them before encouraging them. don't go like "ohh please you think your life sucks? mine is worse like this...". this will definitely throw the whole talk into a war zone thanks to some silly remark from a mere small comparison in your head. be sensitive, not blunt and foolish.
well, it is definitely natural for people to compare with one another from time to time but i realise that when comparing to others, one would be better off to shut up if you don't really know what to say or comment about it. i'll give you two examples, the first one is something i picked up during NS and the other is something i picked out chatting with friends from NS and uni at the same time.
example 1: -
there are many different types of vocations and units in NS. the demands and intensity of each vary a lot from time to time. when talking to other NS friends from different units and/or vocations, we usually would not leave out talking about the craziness of the life we live in camp day in day out. to be honest, i find couple of them really way crazier than mine and few more slack than mine. more often then not, some of us will start comparing and complaining who has the worst life in NS, expecting to be crown champion and gain everyone's sympathy at the end of the discussion.
example 2: -
during a chat with my group of friends consisting of some currently serving NS and some currently studying in the various universities, Girl A suddenly, apparently without putting much thought, exclaimed about the stress she was facing and wish she could sign on NS after seeing Guy Z said that he could rest. the time of the event was about 10pm.
so my point is, many a times people might talk about or share stories about their lives and for sure you would not have the chance or have not even live through it as he/she has. like i don't understand the stress of a university student or the physical demands of a friend in an infantry unit. likewise, my female friends don't understand the lives of NS though guys tend to have few minutes before lights out to really slack and what not.
this leads me to my initial point about comparison. yes, you will tend to compare here and there but if you can't find the right words to respond, no one will label you as a mute. all we can always do, as friends or buddies or boyfriend/girlfriend, is to stand by them and listen to them before encouraging them. don't go like "ohh please you think your life sucks? mine is worse like this...". this will definitely throw the whole talk into a war zone thanks to some silly remark from a mere small comparison in your head. be sensitive, not blunt and foolish.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Sunday, November 3, 2013
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