Oh My...

I had McDonald's for lunch last Friday and I upsized my meal to get the free World Cup 2010's glass (see picture below). 

I couldn't finished my fries so I packed it up to go and headed to the supermarket to get some fruits. 

Oranges didn't look good but I was desperate for some Orangy Vitamin Cs so I just got a few. Think the bad weather previously resulted the bad harvest - there were no local oranges and the local apples didn't look good too. 

At the cashier's counter, I placed the bag of oranges, my World Cup glass and my fries down as I searched for the $10 bill. The cashier picked up and scanned the oranges, then she tried to scan my french fries! She flipped the bag of fries over and over to look for the code to scan but couldn't find. Obviously she could not find the code as my fries was not from the supermarket. I repeated thrice to her that that was french fries from McDonald's. She took a while to realize the message that I was trying to bring across. 

That was not the end, she took my World Cup glass and repeated her actions all over again. "Oh my... " was all I could say... I told her once again that the glass was from McDonald's and not from the supermarket. Then did she 'wake up' suddenly. 

Strange huh... Maybe she was too tired from the work... maybe she was trying to play a trick on me... maybe it was really my fault for placing the glass and fries on the counter... maybe...  

Goodbye PTIs

Wanted to post this the other time but I forgot. Physical Training Instructors (PTIs) or what is now know as Fitness Specialists (FS) will be officially stepping into history. I wonder if this move has anything to do with the decreasing population - lesser citizens = lesser physically fit guys to serve the nation = decrease redundant positions to make way for more effective ones. 

Who will the army outsource the job to? Will we see Foreigners conducting exercises for us? Will we see Foreigners "punishing" us? I certainly do not hope so. 

I shall always remember that I used to be a PTI and the memories at the School of Physical Training.  

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_514368.html

Apr 14, 2010 
Civilian trainers for SAF 
Outsourcing non-core services frees up soldiers for combat jobs
By Jermyn Chow 



The Basic Military Training Centre's physical training instructors, like First Warrant Officer Mohamed Suhaimy Abdul Rashid (right), 48, are being replaced by civilian fitness instructors. The civilians will conduct gym training, aerobics, endurance runs and the military's IPPT. -- PHOTO: MINDEF

THE days of the much-feared physical training instructor of the Singapore Armed Forces are numbered.

That taskmaster in a white singlet who puts every chrome dome through punishing physical training will be replaced by civilians, as physical training throughout the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is outsourced to commercial fitness outfits.

The Straits Times understands that the PTIs, known as fitness specialists in the SAF, will replaced by the end of next year. 

Read the full exclusive in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.

Testing Testing...

This post is posted via email. 

Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore

The annual marathon is back!


http://marathonsingapore.com/

Although at first look, the name is the similar, it is not!! It used to be called the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. But Singapore Sports Council (SSC) decided to do it without the Singapore Athletic Association (SAA); hence, they renamed it by changing the order of the 2 words.

Nonetheless, I will still sign up this year and challenge myself to run 42.195km.

Hello Blog... I am back!!

Dear gohsteven.blogspot.com,

I am sorry that I neglected you for quite a while. How have you been? I hope you are not mad at me for not posting any stuff during this period of time. But hey, I am back now!!

I promise to fill you up with lots of posts, pictures and videos!!
That is a promise that I will stick to, please believe me.

Thank you!

Regards,
Steven

PS: Back to blogging!

wah wah wah...

For the past week, it had been thrilling for me.

Last Friday, I got a call from Jetstar Asia to inform me that KS and I were selected for the JetSaver Light Challenge!! Woo hoo ~ ~ ~

So that means a free trip to Kota Kinabalu from 29th Sept - 1st Oct!! It was a good surprise to win this as I suddenly have the urge to fly in a plane.

Then today, I was just trying my luck to call into 987fm for the Mediacorp Subaru Impreza WRX Challenge - The Asian Face-off. As usual, the "line is busy" messages kept popping out. Just as I was about to give up, my call got through. As it rang, I wonder if Ms Vendetta will really really pick up my call!! A little sceptical about it and just before I pressed the "end call" icon, my call was picked up.

Honestly, I really doubt if I can last the whole contest and be the last man standing. I need my sleep. However, I think I will still give it a go!! Wish me luck ~ ~ ~

Breaking NEWS!!!

Print this mailer and present it to enjoy a 1-for-1 offer!!

ICT is coming!!

I gave my unit a call and was glad to have more ideas about the upcoming ICT (11-22 August 2009). I am actually looking forward to it but then, information is lacking. What do I have to bring along, what is the programme going to be????? Tsk tsk... this is definitely something SAF should consider improving on.

ION Orchard is OPENED!!

Today is the day ION Orchard Opens!! We dropped by for lunch and was surprised to see a queue forming up. A nice uncle told me, "Queue up for the free ice cream..." I thought to myself, ""Is it really free?" It turned out that the ice cream is really free and without further hesitation, we joined in the Q at the Gusttimo di Rome!

The green tea and the cheese ice cream were very very good. The tiramisu was so-so only... The whole place is big, bright and nice. It is linked to the Orchard MRT Station, so there is no reason why you will never step into ION Orchard. They do have a lot of shops which are not common in the other malls. But Basement 4, where the food stores should be, was not ready yet. A bit disappointed as we wanted to lunch there. But well, our office is just a stone throw (must use strength) away, we will be back again. For the ice cream and for lunch.

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon

The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon will be held on 6th December 2009 this year and New Balance will be replacing Adidas as the apparel sponsor.

The official lanuch for this marathon will be tomorrow, 16th July 2009 @ the Raffles Place Park; just right above Raffles Place MRT station. It will start at 11.30am all the way till 5.00pm. For the first 500 people who sign up at the launch, they will receive an additional goodies bag. The year before, I signed up during the launch and I got the "special" goodies bag which was pretty good.

Therefore, I am looking forward to signing up tomorrow and be one of the first 500 to do so. For people who didn't run last year, it will costs $65 before 5th August, otherwise 2008 runners need to pay only $45. For more race information, click here!

Stand Chart credit/debit cardholders will enjoy 15% off if they register online with their cards. If you sign up for Stand Chart credit card during this period, $50 will be given to you to offset the registration fee for the run.

And interestingly, the organisers have selected 150 runners who ran during the last few marathons and put their photos on the website. If you are among them, you can run for free this year!!! Isn't that awesome?

JB outing: 1st July 2009

Via Ferrata @ Orchard Central

KFC Waffles!! Yum Yum!!

Yum yum!! I had KFC Waffles for breakfast again. There is a promotion going on, so it costs $2.50 for the waffles and egg which are quite tasty. If only the portion of the egg can be a bit more, it would be better!

Click here for the coupons to enjoy this promo!

Goodbye and Hello!

My Converse shoe has walked miles and miles and it is time to say goodbye! Thank you Converse shoe, you have served me well.

Penang Dragonboat... Part 2

Ooops... I forgot all about the part 2 of the Penang Dragonboat Race.

Anyway, we started Day 2 with some training at the beach. The Thais were already up and running by the time we strolled there. And we passed by the cafe where we were supposed to have our breakfast... ooooo.... the cereals... the breads... the omelettes... I was tempted not to go for training and go for breakfast... But I did not succeed.

We started with a run, a short run, very very short. Then, we did some kind of telematch, everybody had to do some burpees, pushups, crunches and more pushups. Then, we did some exercises with the elastic bands. Training ain't tough but it was torturous as images of the food kept floating across my mind. I was really glad when the training ended and we could go for breakfast.

Time was short as we needed to rush down to the dam for the opening ceremony. We had 1.5 hrs to wash up and eat our breakfast. So, we "chop chop" showered, changed and rushed to have breakfast which was really really good. Ok lah, I could have been hungry hence the food tasted great to me.

Next up in the schedule was the opening ceremony. We reached the dam early, around 11am and waited for the guest of honour (GOH). We waited. And waited. And waited and waited and waited and waited... By 12.30pm, the GOH was still nowhere near the dam. It was hot, tremendously hot. With nothing much to do but waiting and more waiting... I was impatient. Everybody was.

The local host even suggested to us that it was possible for us to leave and not attend the ceremony. That certainly appealled to a lot of us and we were all for that idea. However, we were representing SAFRA and hence we have to think about her reputation as well. Dilemma? Yes, we were. Some thought that we should go and some thought that we should stay.

And we stayed. At about 1.30pm, there were finally traces of the GOH. We waited 2.5 hours for this GOH and did he apologise? Of course not, he is the GOH mah, Chief Minister for Penang, don't pray pray...

Once the ceremony was over, we evacuated as well. We returned to the hotel and changed; we were all sweaty and stinky and.... Shopping and lunch was next! Hurray!!!

Fast forward a bit... after shopping and dinner, we had to rehearse for our performance. Why did we agree to perform during the closing dinner? WHy?? But it turned out well and I must say, it was good memory!

Penang International Dragon Boat Festival 2009

It was my first overseas race with Safra Dragonboat team and I must say, it was a fantastic one. The trip to Penang started on 22nd May morning. I had dragged myself out of bed at 5.30am so that I won't be late. Yup, the time to meet is 6.30am, it was kind of early for me but I still made it in time.

The bus left Toa Payoh stadium at 7am and from there, we headed off for Senai Airport. Traffic was okay for a Monday morning, but then, we were heading towards the Second Link and hence, maybe that was the reason for the smooth traffic. It took about an hour plus from TPY to get to Senai. The airport was under some renovation, but it still looked pretty much the same as the last time when I was there.

After we checked in, we had Mary Brown for Breakfast. I had the French toast set but it was not fantastic. The toasts were cold and the coffee weak. Luckily for me, Dunkin Donut saved the day. I had the peanut butter jelly which was superb! Yum yum.

After filling up our stomach, we were all ready to go. We were given face masks, an instruction from the management I think. And I think, we were the only group of passengers who wore the masks. Kind of fun though.

The flight was short, too short for me to truly enjoy it. It was great to be at Penang after the travelling in the morning. And our guide was on time, or she could have been there much much earlier. With our bags and stuff transported onto a lorry, we got onto a coach which has comfy seats and cooling aircon.

It took about 45 minutes before we reached our hotel. The journey was pretty rough and traffic was bad. Lots of cars on the roads and there were many winding roads. Hence I was glad when we reached Holiday Inn Penang.

We only had an hour to have lunch and to prepare for training. Time was tight and hence, we walked to a nearby coffee shop to "da bao". We were on time and so was the bus. The scenery of the training ground, Teluk Bahang Dam, was great. But then, some how I still prefer Bedok Reservoir to it.

The water was heavy as it is freshwater. Unlike the saltwater in Kallang, the water did not provide much upthrust force and hence, it was more challenging to paddle in it. I was glad we had the training as it gave us a better idea of the conditions of the water. Longer pulls will definitely worked better than faster stroke rates + short pulls.

Training was short and shopping was next. YEAH!!! We headed for Northam Beach Cafe (诺登美食坊) for dinner and it was SHIOK! We ordered a lot of food, and it was really good. We had Fried oysters, German sausages, Char Kuay Tiao, Apom, Dim sum, Rojak, Po Piah, Prawn noodle and more... Although these are items we can find in Singapore but some how, they tasted much better. Either we were really hungry or the food was really good.

Then we headed for a shopping mall but as it was late, most shops were closed. The Giant supermarket was the only exciting choice we had. We stocked up water and tibits!! Chips, biscuits and more chips. Then, we returned to the hotel to rest.

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day

Long time no blog. Seriously, there are so many things that I would like to blog... but some how... my fingers just would not type them out.

Anyway, something to cheer about, tomorrow is Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day! I think I might be there... it's free, it's nice, i will be there...


http://www.benjerry.com.sg/freeconeday09/

@ Changi Airport T2

I woke up at about 5am to get ready to go to the airport with my mom and sis. The night before, I had booked the flight to Xiamen for them. Everything seems so rush and as a matter of fact, it was a rush.

I struggled with the SIA/Silkair Customer Service Officer (CSO) on the phone for 40 minutes. My hand was cramping from holding onto the phone for that long. It cost $50 more per passenger to book a flight via the phone, seriously I think they should pay passengers $50 to book via the phone. It was torturous.

From getting the correct name to payment, I have to repeat myself again and again. "Yup, Alpha, India, New, York, United, Kingdom..." Honestly, I think the problem lies with the CSO. Most of the time, she repeated the wrong details that I told her. And then, I have to repeat and repeat myself.

After enduring the "effective communication" with her, she put me on hold for 10 minutes and I have to tolerate the "wonderful" music that was played. "Singapore Air.... A Great Way to Fly..." sang the music player. A great way to fly? Maybe not.

Then the funniest thing happened - the CSO overcharged the amount to my card. I almost cried. After 30 plus minutes on the phone and this shit had to occur? I can't believe my luck.

And so, we reached Terminal 2 at about 6.50am. It was pretty crowded over at the Silkair's counters. They made everybody queue in a line leading to many counters; in a way, this is faster than having many queues at the counters. And we saw a Mediacorp artiste in the queue. Not excited just surprised to see her. Guess guess guess: She is a host from Taiwan and recently, got divorced. Easy huh...

Nike Expo Sales

Nike Expo Sale
05 February 2009 - 08 February 2009

Event type : Retailer & Sales
Venue : Hall 6B
Admission : Public - Free Admission
Event Schedules :

5 - 7 Feb 09: 10am to 7pm

8 Feb 09: 10am to 6pm

Got buy got Hope!

I don't usually buy 4D nor Toto. However, this year I think i shall make an exception and try my luck on this Hong Bao Draw.

The economic downturn is here and most "experts" portrayed the worst scenario. This year of the Ox definitely looks too gloomy for comfort.

As what my Dad always says: "If we buy, there is a possibility that we might win. If we buy, we will never win."

So I guess, I shall buy myself a hope to win the prize!

HUAT AR ~ ~ ~

新年新习惯

"播下一个行动，收获一种习惯；播下一种习惯，收获一种性格；播下一种性格，收获一种命运。"

Saw this from Mypaper(28th Jan 09), it was quoted from William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher trained as a medical doctor.Somehow, I can relate to this phrase; it is easier to do something than to give up something.

If a person wants to quit smoking, it will be easier for him to jog or swim or other types of sports than asking him to stop smoking all of a sudden. With other activities to distract him from the "seductive" cigarette, he will not be tempted to light up one.

Ripple from next door brushes her teeth everyday after lunch; I think it is a good habit and I have since bought another set of toothbrush and toothpaste. Not that I want to quit anything, I just want to start this Year of the Ox with new habits and hopefully things will turn out good.

Happy 牛 Year: 大年初四, 事事顺心!

Vietnam Service Learning Trip Day 1

I was away in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) for the past few days with the girl guides from Queenstown and Henderson Secondary School. Me, Kevin and Joshua were responsible for them, quoting what one of the teachers always said, "Vietnam is a foreign country, we have to be with the girls all the time..." Ya ya ya... I understand...

Anyway we gathered at Changi Airport Terminal One on 24th Nov morning. And boy oh boy, we were there very very very early. We were already there around 5.12am. I don't really like the idea of waking up so early... but then, I don't I have a choice.





So after we had checked in, we were all set to go to HCMC. The flight was short and within 1.5 hours, we landed at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport. And there, we saw Gary and Nhat waiting for us outside with the bus arrived shortly. The rooms weren't ready yet as we were there early; the checkout time is 12pm and we were there around 11am. So we left our belongings in the Tan Hai Long Hotel and set off for lunch at Mega Parkson where we had curry chicken that wasn't spicy, a plate of onions and some veggies that looked mashed. Perhaps I was hungry and hence I didn't mind the food that was given to me. Or maybe I found it tasty. I don't know but definitely the girls didn't enjoy it. Haha...

And after lunch, we proceeded to the Revolutionary Musuem.







The museum was actually pretty good but everybody - YES everybody - including myself and the teachers were tired, hence we were following the tour guide around without really listening to her explanation. Hence, instead of heading for Ben Thanh Market straightaway, we went back to the hotel to rest.

After an hour of rest we then headed to Ben Thanh Market which is really impressive; they sell almost everything. But personally, I would still prefer Chatuchak Market in Bangkok any time. So the girls shopped for a while before heading back to the hotel for dinner. And that more or less concluded the first day.

AMKSS Batam Badminton Exchange

Last week, I went to Batam with the Amkss's badminton team. The company was called in to plan and organize the trip. I was not involved in the planning so I wasn't exactly sure what was suppose to happen here and then. Plus, I only got the itinenary the night before the trip, so I was playing by the ear all the while.

So I reached Harbourfront Ferry Terminal at 7am on 10-11-08 and I was surprised to find everybody already there. I thought somebody might be late or something but none. So I blended myself into the group and try to find something to do. Angeline then told me to bring the kids in first which I did. So it was kind of weird to bring a group of people and yet having no idea who is who; I believed they also don't know who I am and why am I leeching on to them.

After making sure everybody was seated, I got myself a seat far far away from somebody. I plugged my Zen into my ears and I dozed off. 45 minutes seemed to fly pass suddenly and we were at Batam when I opened my eyes.

A bit lazy to blog everything but I must say that each and every day was fun. By just looking at them play badminton made me feel like playing too. But I can't, I have a job to do. I have to make sure the bus is there when they need, I have to make sure there is enough water, I have to make sure lunch has been ordered and delivered in time... I have to... so many things to take charge of... And it was good to have Angeline around cause she always knew what to do. Albert was okay but I didn't like the idea that he was thrown to work with me with me knowing at the last minute.

I think I wasn't very friendly to him initially, "Sorry!"

There were so many detours that I almost couldn't recognize the original program. "Steven, do you it is possible to go here go there... " Sure, I understand that the requests were for the benefits of the students but it just create more things for me to do... with every request, I have to think and try to fulfill it. Not easy ok...

Anyway, I think the training at Banda Baru is not worth it. Too expensive!! One student has to pay $25 for one day of training. 2 days = $50!!! So the total bill came to (29+28)x$25=$1425! And come to think of it, I should have stopped the teacher from negotiating with the centre manager. I was quoted SGD$25 for 1 coach for 6hrs and 65000 rupiah for 1 court for 2 hours. So for 6hours of training, using 4 courts and 2 coaches, it will only cost SGD$154 for one day!! Oh man... too bad I was away when the decision was made.

We stayed at a budget hotel called Skyview Hotel. Really really budget... it is something like Hotel 81 in Singapore. Simple amentities and small rooms. But it is still alright for 2 small kids to share a standard room. But I have to share with Albert!! Personally I don't really like to share a room with a stranger so I requested to change the room to one with 2 beds. And we were given a Deluxe room. Haha... I am not the one footing the bill so it doesn't matter to me with regards to the cost. But the room was definitely better than the one we first got. 2 beds, bath tub, fridge, bigger TV!! The fridge was the best thing we had, nobody else in the camp has fridge other than me and Albert. Haha... Shiok sia to have cold coke to drink... ahhhh...

Having stayed at the budget hotel for 5 nights, it was a huge change for the participants when we checked into Golden View Hotel. I was glad that they liked it. I like it too. I have been hoping to stay in Golden View Hotel the first day we reached Batam. I was there during the camp a few times to meet Angeline and Gary but it was only for a while. Not shiok enough...

To sum it up, I can say that I wish I am young again. I wish I can play, study, exam, play... I wish...


Training...


More training...


More and more training...


Briefing on the bus...


the bus...


Yos Sudaso...


2 of the Primary 6 boys...


Smile...


Oops...






Paintball..




A "forgot the name" bridge...