Putera Extract

Defending Champions For 6 Years In A Row

2009-03-04T22:18:00.012+08:00

Finally,the pressure is off..4th Divison has won it again for 6 years running!All the hard work have been paid off and credit also goes to my team members.Without our bond and support,we wouldn't have made it.I am so gonna miss them as we will go back to rota duty.The laughters,the stories and lots of activities together as one.Thanks also to my friend,Nuralina, and her friend for coming down to support.Don't forget the video hor..

Mental Training

Having a great time

Team event champions!

Lifting the trophy

Enjoying ourselves before the start of the competition

Here goes the video of me climbing the extreme left wall in the team event clocking 44secs which led to the team winning the event!

It was really nerve wrecking but eventually we made it through. I am really looking forward for next year's climb.Enjoy the video!

Good To Be Back

2009-02-21T13:40:00.003+08:00

Back to ROTA duty as our rock climbing training has been stopped for a while.The competition is postphoned to the 4th of March. It is going to be held at SAFRA Yishun and those who want to come down, do support us.

Last two duties,I was the Sec Com for PL411 and I remembered we had 8 calls for that 24 hours! Which means,no sleep and no rest.I was totally shagged.I had 2 fire reports to be done.Sighhh..But next week our rock climbing will resume as per normal..back to Office Hours!We have one week to give it all out before the competition.Wish us good luck!!

Starting My Life Anew

2009-02-07T19:23:00.006+08:00

Goodness gracious.I almost couldn't sign in to my blog after a long time of not updating.Somebody has been pestering me to update my blog and well...here I am again.It was months since I last updated my last post regarding my resignation while working in a shipyard copany based in Batam.I relaxed at home for three months without a job to spend time more with my family.

The good news came as my medical checkup was finally approved after being KIVed for 8 months!I was accepted to join SCDF as a regular firefighter and the best thing was I was posted to my former station which is Jurong Fire Station located at Boon Lay Drive.At that point of time,I was too excited that I can't wait to start my career immediately.

22nd January 2009,my first day at work.I'm already used with the routine and I'm already recognised the moment I step in the station.I didn't immediately start my ROTA duty(I'm officially in ROTA 1) but instead I was selected to participate in the oncoming Inter-Unit Rock Climbing Competition so I had the privileged to follow office hours from 8am to 6pm.

Initially,I thought that rock climbing is pretty easy but in actual fact it is really hard.Before you even reach the top part of the wall,most of your energy is already drained.Training was intense as the competition is getting near so we need to put in a lot of effort.Training venues for rock climbing is held at Bukit Batok Fire Station, Singapore Polytechnic or at SAFRA Yishun which is rather much challenging for a newbie like me.

This is me climbing the walls of SAFRA Yishun.

I will inform you guys if anyone of you is interested in supporting us for the competition which is held at SAFRA Yishun.I'm not sure about the date but I will tell you later on.

Tendering My Resignation

2008-11-08T18:44:00.015+08:00

I'm back again for so long not updating my rusty blog. I was too busy as I was working at Batam. For 2 months, I worked in a different environment. I managed to pick up the culture, language and the people in Batam. In fact, it was an adventure. I have already resigned and the only thing is to tell my life experiences.

I have loads of pictures and videos to share with you the memories I had while I was in Batam. Every good thing must come to an end.

This was just a normal thing which usually happened on the early Monday morning where I took the morning ferry at 7am. Almost reaching at Waterfront,Teluk Senimba.

I guess I was just bored inside the car. We were going to Nagoya as my friend wants to go to Bank Mandiri to withdraw his cash.

I took this ferry ,Batamfast, from Batam Centre to go back to Singapore. I stumbled upon a great scenery, a rainbow and a sunset.

This a floating dock. For your info, this platform can submerge underwater so that huge vessels can berth and dock for repairs. See how huge it is. The place is breezy too.

An overview of how high a vessel can be.

My medic giving stitches to a worker who had an accident on his shin. A very deep cut. WARNING! Not for the faint-hearted.

I managed to catch a glimpse of Singapore when my ferry was heading for Batam.

Golden Globe or known as GeGe like the Indoesians call it.Popular during Friday nights. A must go place if you are here at Batam. Do visit Nagoya to enjoy the live band here.

This is me in full uniform including the body harness. So basically, you guys have the overall picture what I did when I'm in Batam. I have made lots of new friends. In fact, Bahasa Indonesia is a beautiful language. Below is the pictures of my colleagues which I was in charged of.

They are great people to work with and I won't forget thir hospitality when I was there as their superior. They are my brothers, family and working colleagues.

I promised them that Iwill be coming over in a month's time to visit them again so anyone interested in following me just leave me a tag. Do not worry about the safety of the place there as I know some contacts especially the police.

So since I have resigned, where am I heading next?Of course,back to firefighting.

A Week of Culture Shock

2008-09-20T23:00:00.005+08:00

Unveiling my new title

As an explorer, you have to take risks. I took my risk by taking up a job outside of Singapore. Alone and unknown of the working environments, I rise up to the challenge. Working in Batam, Indonesia ( a third-world country) - totally a culture shock for me. Overall standards in Batam are way behind Singapore. I will touch on that in a little while.

Foreigners working there at Batam are called expatriates so I'm one of them. The people there look up to us as we are better certified and knowledgeable in different areas. I felt honoured when I step into the office on the first day as they called me "Boss" or either "Pak Iskandar". There are also other Singaporeans working there.

I did manage to learn and speak Bahasa Indonesia that fluently within the week. My co-workers comes from different places of Indonesia and have different ethnic groups like the Bataks (mostly Christians), Flores, Javanese (mostly Muslims), Manado and Riau so it is essential to communicate with them using their language as majority do not understand or speak English.

My jobscope is actually to monitor workplace safety at the shipyard cum fire & rescue. I am in charge of the fire & rescue training department as I have the certificate and experience back in Singapore. I am a newbie in marine industry and also how the work is done at the shipyard but luckily I met another Singaporean expatriate, Nor Isham, who is much knowledgable and experienced in this line.

My colleague of mine is actually in his 40s and seriously I am the youngest expatriate working there at Batam. He was really a nice person and does have the same interest as me like travelling. He has travelled to almost every continent so it was great listening to his adventures.I think without him, I will be disheartened because of the work conditions here. He was my mentor who never fails to impart knowledge to me.

My trainees in training

Expenses there is really cheap. One box of cigarettes cost from S$1.50 - S$2.50. I only smoke Dji Sam Soe, love it. Fried rice or Mee Bakso only around S$1.50++. I do save loads of money.

View of shipyard

Going to the repair site can be very dangerous.Without proper equipment like safety boots and helmet can endanger you. You can also face a fine for not doing so. That is why I am here at Batam to monitor safety.

Touching on the first paragraph, I have heard lots of stories from corruption, law, system and supernatural sightings from my colleague, Isham. He has his own house and have been working in this company for 3 years. He always emphasize to me not to put too much trust on the people here as they might backstab you. The police..hmm..well, you know..I don't want to say much publicly. Most of the places here are not that well-developed. Lots of forests here and there, so it's not surprising if people see strange sightings. That kind of feeling is not felt in Singapore but at night at Batam, it is damn scary.

It's been only a week but I still have a long way to go. I will update you more about my experience when the time goes by.

2 Months of Emptiness

2008-09-07T09:30:00.004+08:00

I do really apologize to all those people who patronise my blog but I haven't been doing my job to update my blog. You guys must be wondering what actually I'm up to right now. From my last blog update, I told you that I was looking around for jobs and I did manage to find one.

With the help of my relatives working at the airport, I got myself a job as a Cabin Data Management Technician. My office located at Terminal 1, near gate C17 pronouned as Charlie-One-Seven. Frankly speaking,it was a great job. No pressure from your superiors, working shifts and your work is own time own target. My employer is from SIAEC. My jobscope is actually to inform the technician to rectify defects that occurred in our SIA aircrafts which happened during flight. Great working environment. Most of the people in the office are males. Lots of foreigners, the Phillipinos and the pakciks and abangs are friendly.

Outside the office, you can see different types of airplanes at the parking bay. To name a few: SIA, Jetstar, Cathay Pacific and etc. In case for those who don't know, I have this fascination of planes so sometimes when I need a breath off fresh air, I just step out of the office and took some time off to just see airplanes: landing and taking-off. If I'm lucky, I get to see SIA's new Airbus the A380. When working shifts, especially night, I get to see the beautiful sun rise. For every lunch, I ate at the Terminal 2 foodcourt. My colleague, San and I would always walk back to Terminal 1 via the departure hall.

My misery: For two weeks, I made great bonds with the people in the office. Until one day, I was told to end my job as the company is taking in foreigners. It was unfair. It was beyond my control and I have to face the facts, It's no use complaining anyway.

Back to square one: I was searching for jobs again until one day I received a message from my friend who told me that there is a position for a Fire Trainer based in Batam. Teach the Indonesian people to deal with ship fires as it is a marine company. Nonetheless, I sent my resume and I got a call from the company the next day. I went down to Pandan Road for the interview at the ASL Marine building. It was quite fast for an interview as I was asked just a few questions. Guess what? I got it.

Benefits: Free food and accomodation. Working hours starting at 8am to 6pm. Workplace is just beside my quarters located at Batam Harbourfront. I was told that the quarters is like a condo and you have an own maid. There is overtime pay.It is up to my own accord whether or not to go back Singapore in every week or a month. Ferry to and fro from Singapore will be paid by the company. Salary wise = CONFIDENTIAL.

Actually right now, the company is processing my visa. They told me that it would take 2 weeks or so to be approved. The fasting month has already started and I believe I have another 1 more week before everything is done. I can't wait to find out how is the working environment outside of Singapore.

I may or may not be celebrating my Hari Raya once I got the job. I may not have time to update my blog that often. I will be missing my friends and families back home. This is what I want the rest to know.

Reminiscing

2008-07-13T21:10:00.009+08:00

I didn't realize time flies really fast. 2 weeks have passed by and a lot of events happened. Got to see a few of my friends got married. Met up with some old friends of mine.

My friend, Muhairin or more known as Rino has a great voice. I took a video of him singing with his cousin at his younger brother's wedding.

It was like a picture from the old days. It's been a while I never met this fellas..

From left: Rino, Bai, Amy and me

For two straight days I had to attend a wedding function. The other one was the wedding of my old schoolmate friend of mine, Hafiz. Still can't believe he is already married. His single days are over. Wonder when is my turn?Hmm..

Hafiz and his wife

It was also a day where I get to see all my former schoolmates. People do change and all have grown up.

Introducing my smart wear! This was taken by Hassan at Northpoint as we were going for an interview. Sorry for not updating for sometime.

Bali Dreaming 07'

2008-07-05T18:23:00.000+08:00

Since I have already posted my travels to Thailand: Krabi, Koh Phi Phi and Phuket.. I am going to show you my pictures and videos of my travels to Denpasar,Bali. The travel took place last year from 20th of August to 24th August 2007.

As usual with my partner. Ade, we embarked on a journey. A journey which got us more interested about travelling. We booked tickets from Garuda Airways with the help of my friend, Raedah, who worked in a travel agency at Bugis. She got us quite an affordable price including accomodation also. It cost a total of $360 if I'm not wrong. We planned for a five day trip to Bali.

Departure Hall at Changi Airport, Terminal 1

We were at the Burger King trying to ease our hunger before boarding. Our flight was at 6:55pm. We have loads of time so we decided to take a walk at the retail shops. I bought one whole carton of Marlboro which cost at $22 only. DUTY FREE! I remembered vividly while waiting for our plane. A Caucasian man came up to us and was surprised he talked to us in Bahasa Indonesia very fluently. He thought we were Indonesians. He even told us he has a house in Bali and the place is relaxing. We told him that we were on a holiday. Does he have any motives??

After a one and a half hour flight, we finally reached Denpasar, Bali at the Ngurah Rai International Airport. It was already nightime. As you can see from the looks of Ade's face, he was really tired. I'm still active and got the cheek to record a video.

Upon alighting the plane, we still have to wait for a bus to send us to the terminal. I just love airplanes ever since I was a kid. Quite noisy in the bus from the footage. We have to find our personal driver by the name of Pak Madi as he will be the driver sending us to our hotel. Driving from the airport to Kuta is only just a short ride except for its traffic. As you can see, the roads are very narrow. There are also lots of retail shops selling surfboards, wears and very nice accessories. Finally, we reached our hotel at the heart of Kuta, Legian. It's called Matahari Bungalow. Our room is located on the first floor facing an open space where there is serenity and calmness at night. Soothing gamelan music can also be heard from a distance.Sounded eerie playing at night but actually very relaxing. We settled our stuffs before going out to buy some late night snacks.

Introducing our stay! Nice right? That is our room on the first floor..

Morning! Rise and shine! We head for our morning breakfast at the restaurant just across our room. Orange juice, bread and fried rice..It taste so great with the chilli padi. We planned where we want to go after this. First stop, Kuta Beach.

Leading our way to meeting Pak Madi, the driver

In the car with Pak Madi, we told him where we want to go for the whole day. The video footage here shows the landmarks that is popular in Kuta. Showing the popular nightspots, Embargo, the statistical monument where the Bali Bombings took place just across the road.

The beach! I'm so fascinated by the beach. The waves are not really that big at Kuta Beach. Maybe it's suited more for beginners who just started surfing. I know I'm wearing the wrong clothing to the beach but hey, it's just a stop. After that, we are going to another place much more cooler.

Ade took this picture with his camera while I'm recording

Landing both my feet on Bali's soil

Pledging my loyalty to be a firefighter..haha

Colourful scenes in Kuta Beach

Have SOSRO Ice Tea when you are thirsty!

Looking at how excited I am visiting the beach. The footage shows people learning how to surf. Ade even took a photo of a group of Japanese dudes. We actually wanted to take a picture with the two ladies but eventually we were not psyched up. Comparing Singapore's view from East Coast, there are totally no ships here in Bali. The water is cold though and quite windy. After walking around, we ate traditional Balinese 'Rojak'.

Off we go, to another location! Next we went to Ubud to visit the Sacred Monkey Forest. This cool and dense swathe of jungle, officially called Mandala Wisata Wanara Wana, houses three holy temples. The sanctuary is inhabited by a band of grey-haired and greedy long-tailed Balinese macaques who are nothing like the innocent-looking doe-eyed monkeys on the brochures. As told by Pak Madi, the monkeys are very ferocious if you never hand their 'goods' they want. The weather was cooling with light showers. So Pak Madi told us it's not a good time for us to visit the place as the monkeys were not visible.

Next destination we headed to was Kintamani..It was quite a long drive to me though. Let's say around 30 minutes or so. Along the way, the view of a location caught my eyes. It felt so calm and peaceful when you are at that place. The pictures are right below. You are looking at a paddy field.

A bit foggy because of the weather

Me and Ade taking a pose

Pak Madi told us a lot of interesting facts and stories about the island while driving us to Kintamani. Only then I knew that Kintamani is high above ground and you can view an extinct volcano. The temperature suddenly starts to drop and its COLD!

Reaching at the destination, it was really foggy,misty,windy and cold. We went to have our buffet at this restaurant just at the edge of a cliff. Too bad, the foggy weather covers the whole view of the volcano. I just can't see anything. The buffet lunch was simply amazing. A lot of choices and umph umph..DELICIOUS! Costing for only 70,000 IDR and that's only like S$10! All you can eat! The footage above was taken at the toilet of the restaurant. I just wanted to show people the misty weather at that point of time.

Can't stand the cold...

Courtesy of Pak Madi

Great view of the paddy terraces

Another view of the paddy terraces

Me viewing the terraces

After the buffet, Pak Madi stopped us at another location. There was a village and a shop selling batiks. It was a peaceful and serene place. We took a few pictures and Ade bought a piece of batik meant as a souvenir for his mother. Then, we headed back to our hotel. It's already night time and we felt hungry. We went out and dined at this simple 'kampung' restaurant and it's so damn cheap. Their sambal belachan was superb I tell you. Smoking Dji Sam Soe, a popular cigarette which does not sell in Singapore, was so satisfying after a great meal.

Walking along the streets of Legian is actually straightforward. Rows of pubs, restaurants and discotheques are plenty. Many different people I see on the streets like Japanese, Italian, French and Arabic. You just can't take your eyes off when a group of foreign ladies walk-by.Mamma Mia!

Standing in front of the statistical monument

Chilling at Crusoe's Pub having a try of Jungle Juice

Nightlife at Kuta, Legian is one the most popular tourist spots. There is Embargo, Bounty, Apache and Paddy's Club to name a few. Throughout the night, we just browse through the places and visited branded retail shops like Quiksilver and Roxy. Have you all heard about 'magic mushroom'? It's a mushroom which gives us hallucination and it's kind of like a 'laughing gas'. You can either eat with an omelette or mixed them with juice drinks. Me and Ade was walking when this Balinese guy sitting alone said, "Magic mushroom?" I wanted to try the stuff so I confronted him and he told me the price was 150,000 IDR and that's S$20. So expensive for that stuff but it's worth it. The guy's name was Andre and he was a cool dude who have piercings on his face. He mixed the mushroom with juice drinks and I drank that while chatting with him. Ade drank a bit and you know what's the result? We were all laughing like mad!

Another day, another adventure. Ade loves water sports especially diving so Pak Madi brought us to Nusa Dua where there is a whole range of water sports from jetski, parasailing and snorkeling. The package is quite expensive though so Ade went on without me. It costs 350,000 IDR equivalent to S$50. I became a camera man instead shooting videos of Ade's experience. In the footage, you can catch a glimpse of Pak Madi.

Ade was so excited when he tried parasailing as he comes down after getting a bird's eye view of the area.

How it looks like at Nusa Dua

After the adventure, Pak Madi drove us to Jimbaran Beach for a seafood delicacy by the beach. It's near to the airport as you can see the airport runaway from here. It's preferable if you have dinner at Jimbaran at night.Perfect for couples especially.

The view of Jimbaran Beach

Both of us began to feel very tired after the meal. The day ended early and we had a rest back at our hotel. Not at the same Matahari Bungalow hotel but another hotel just a few blocks away. More cosier and much cheaper for a night's stay.

It was the second last day of our trip. It was a day for us to do a bit of shopping. We ate at McDonald's that day. A meal costs around 47,000 IDR. Almost the same as the price in Singapore. Most of the time we visited retail shops and browsed some T-shirts.

Passing the time, we visited Kuta Beach again. The Mee Bakso Jawa we ate was really nice. One advice to those who wants to visit Bali is not to give any chance to peddlers as they are quite persistent. I was the victim. One of the peddlers offers to massage my legs . Want to know what happened? View the picture below with me being massaged by two old ladies. That was a lesson to be learnt.

This is what happened..

This video is just to show how they make a temporary tattoo on my buddy, Ade. Many interesting designs you can choose from the catalogue.

Beginning of night time, we decided to go to one of the discotheques as the next day we are leaving. Before that, we entered an antique shop selling all kinds of sword and weapons.

With an ancient dagger

With a samurai

After our shop visiting, we went to Paddy's Club. I think the cover charge was 50,000 IDR with a bottle of Bintang beer free. The club was fully air-conditioned and quite spacious I must say. We also ordered 'Jungle Juice' as you can see from the picture its a tumbler with different mixtures of fruit cocktails and liquer.

Arrangement: Welcome to Paddy's Club

Presenting Jungle Juice

As the crowd began to pick up, sexy dancers grooved at the podium. The music played was also not bad from trance, house and RnB. I was addicted! Ade moved around the club and took pictures. The time was getting late. I had fun dancing to the beat but we have to get back and rest for our flight to Singpore the next day.

Checking out from our hotel, a different driver brought us to the airport. Thank you so much Pak Madi for all the tours. It was still early as our flight is around noon. So we ate at a restaurant, the last Indonesian food before our departure. Ade was not feeling well as he complained of stomach problems.

I just love Balinese gamelan music..so relaxing..de-stressing. Having a cup of tea before moving.

This is how it looks like in the the interior of Ngurah Rai International Airport. Looks small.

The gateway to Bali!

Nothing better to do so I took a video to record the last moments of the time here at Bali. So that is all for my adventure. I hope you guys love and enjoy reading my posts. Hoping to share my next travelling experience for my next trip. If I have the chance to visit Bali again, I would of course. Cheers!

ieatishootipost Blogs Singapore Best Hawker Food: Trading my Stethescope for an Apron!

2008-07-03T15:52:00.000+08:00

ieatishootipost Blogs Singapore Best Hawker Food: Trading my Stethescope for an Apron!

Midnight Review

2008-06-28T00:08:00.002+08:00

Once again, I would like to thank the female readers on the commenting of Kecik whether he is cute or not. I will tell him personally about the comments. Anyways, does anyone here is familiar with HTML codes? My page is in a mess. Too many advertisements I think. Will appreciate that person for helping me out. Just name the price. Winkz!

I went out with Ijal yesterday night to catch a midnight movie, 'You Don't Mess With The Zohan' at Cathay Cineleisure. I was really bored at home with nothing to do until Ijal called me up.

Review of the movie? Hmm, it's wacky, crazy, obscene and hilarious. Idiotic also with a twist near the end. Can you do push-ups with no hands? He did! Adam Sandler acting as the 'Zohan' and also featuring his huge 'wee-wee'(you know what I mean) with his whole bunch of acting partners. I just love Adam Sandler's movie.

RATING: 8/10

The movie ended and we went out of the cinema to find the way out to the lift instead we stupidly followed this two guys to the wrong way and ended up at the FIREMAN'S LIFT! A group of people were already following us also by then. I was like laughing and saying to myself, "What the hell are we following this two guys who led us to the wrong lift!?" It was a blooper for both of us that night. It was 4:30am mind you. We went to find another exit while laughing,

28th of June is the birthday for one my dear friend, Nur Fadhilah. I wish you a happy Big birthday to you and may you be happy and contented always:)

Tomorrow, I have an appointment at Fullerton Hotel at 12 noon. Going to meet the board of directors and also the 2nd round for my interview as a Wealth Management Executive. Sounds like a big position though. Another dressing up to do for tomorrow. May all of you wish me good luck:)

Get paid to BLOG!

2008-06-25T17:40:00.004+08:00

Guess what guys? Now I have even more interest to blog as I have discovered that there is really such things as getting paid just for BLOGGING! It is so amazing to have found this website. I managed to find this website by chance while I was surfing the net.

The website is called PayPerPost.

Now let me have the honours to explain how it really works. Basically, you just have to sign up and make sure your blog site is approved by PayPerPost. After that, just follow the instructions and voila! Just blog as per normal! You can easily earn as much as $500 per month with your current blog! Wonderful isn't it?

Now, it is so much fun to blog. Your blog might have the chance to become blog of the day thus increasing the traffic volume of your blog! You can even make lots of new friends when you sign up. Bored? You can also view their blog entries! Blogging is an online activity where people from all continents can get together and sharing each other's views or opinion.

Life will be much more easier with easy incomes like this and making sure you face is always smiling:) Still hesitating? You won't believe your eyes unless you try it out for yourself! The only way I can spread this is by YOU! Yes! You! Spread it to any of your friends and let us keep up with this healthy lifestyle. I just can't wait to get my hands on the keyboard every time and do stay tuned for my next blog post!

Signing off,
Putera

payperpost

Picture Perfect

2008-06-23T01:49:00.004+08:00

Just for the sake of releasing my boredom..

It's been quite a while with nothing do with me every time sitting in front of the computer and doing my usual stuff..

Been chatting and this guy wants me to put up this picture..

From left to right: Shah, Syawal, Kecik, Fariq, Brocolli, Chua(hidden), Anwar

This picture was taken back at station and coincidentally I was on leave. These are my brothers who braved fires with me side by side. Showing how brotherhood bonds us together.

Shah = We call him ShaCute but he does takes his work seriously.

Syawal = Mentor who shares his experiences with colleagues and is a big bully.He is the Sepet + Bogeh which I mentioned in my earlier post.He recently lost a tooth.HAHA!

Kecik = This is the guy who floods my tag board using the name 'kech'.He is the one asking me to post this picture in my blog and ask the female readers for opinion whether he is C-U-T-E! So female readers please leave a comment or tag on what do you think.

Fariq = Gangster or lover?Hmm..he is a chick magnate and he is down right crazy sometimes with his idiotic doings.

Brocolli = My partner in crime.Very close since the days when I was amateur.Had crazy fun together with him. The laughters,ups and downs. Make sure you do something about your tummy bro.

Chua = Highly knowledgeable. Used to be a Commando. Very cautious and doesn't take risks.

Anwar = His Chinese name is Ahua. A great dancer. Taught me to 'shuffle'. Got this 'matrip' look.

Once again,female readers do leave down a comment whether Kecik is cute or not!Thanks!

"An Inconvenient Truth"

2008-06-19T03:19:00.001+08:00

Another great documentary to watch..

Titled "An Inconvenient Truth".

A former Vice President of United States of America talking about global warming.

He is Mr. Al-Gore.

I watched this documentary back when I was in Koh Phi Phi,Thailand where it was aired in HBO channel in my hotel lodge,PP Casa.

This is Part 1 from the video clip taken from YouTube.

If the clip doesn't work,click this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vVOmnGOprQ&feature=related

Very amazing statistics,data and research presented by Al-Gore himself.I was really glued to the television set watching this documentary.I don't know why but maybe it's because Al-Gore is very charismatic and his speech is very detailed.Personally,I do like to increase my general knowledge.

"Very well versed and statistical data about the world changing is tremendous!"

"9/10 Rating"

Review of 'Get Smart'

2008-06-18T23:33:00.002+08:00

After a long time..I never had a great laugh watching a movie for quite some time..

Met up with Nur Fadhilah at Dhoby Ghaut as we decided to watch at Cathay Cineplex Picturehouse near Plaza Singapura if some of you don't know..

Although today's weather was bad,it was a day not to be forgotten.18th June 2008,the date I will remember personally(for the others mind your own business)ahakz..For such a long time I finally met this person for real standing in front of me which fate wasn't on my side after a couple of 'something cropped up'..(you know what I mean)

The ambience and environment at the new Cathay Cineplex at Handy Road was awesome.Nice interior and designs.The show time for 'Get Smart' was at 5:30pm so we bought popcorns and drinks and went in to the theatre.The tickets was sold out pretty fast as we managed to get seats only on the 2nd row near to the screen.It really hurts my neck after the movie ended!

This is only the trailer of 'Get Smart'..so if you want to see the movie..watch it in cinemas..don't watch pirated DVDs..haha..you know how bad the quality is.The audience in the theatre was laughing all the way watching this movie.Me and Ilah kept laughing also.It was pretty funny with all the nonsensical and idiotic stuff that Steve Carell did in the movie.

My recommendation:A MUST WATCH MOVIE!If I have 10 thumbs I give them 10.LOL!

We head to Long John Silver and both had Combo 1.And Ilah got her Ice Lemon Tea at last.The best part was Ilah's dad never bring his keys to the house and Ilah had to go home early.Haizz..Sending her off taking bus 64,I went off back home.Nur Fadhilah really has a lot of fans in bus 64 just now with all the Bangladeshis..Hope she got her match..PEACE Ilah!

Watch Fahrenheit 9/11

2008-06-18T02:36:00.001+08:00

Just to update you people..

Art Central is airing a controversial documentary produced by Michael Moore.

If any of you is curious and would love to know what is going on,watch the documentary!

The main focus is on the President of United States,George W Bush.
Watch how many inncoent lives have perished and everything from politics,Saudis and the war.

The documentary is excellent for your knowledge even if you have no nuts on politics.

"Full of controversy and makes you glued to the screen..."

Catch it also on YouTube!

An invitation to SSG Al-Luqman's wedding

2008-06-16T02:47:00.000+08:00

(Sorry peepz due to the poor quality of the picture and this is the only picture I managed to snap from my camera phone)

Finally!Luqman got married to his beloved fiancee..

Very sweet couple aren't they?

They just cut their wedding cake and both of them taking turns feeding the cake to each other.

Held at Choa Chu Kang,Blk 206..

I missed the whole phototaking session taken together representing the people of Jurong Fire Station.

DAMN!

Although I wasn't in the picture,I was recorded in Luqman's personal video taken as a group of ROTA 2 which was shot by his cameraman.

Former fireman and Sec-coms who had ORDed came to greet this auspicious wedding day.

It was a really great gathering.

The food and drinks was really great...superb...marvellous.
Hmm,wondering when will it be my turn to be a king for one day?

Marriage is a long-term commitment which you can't treat lightly.

Serious..no joke..

You must gain the trust,honesty,loyalty and faith of each other before you can think about one.

To Luqman and his wife,I'm going to wish both of you all the best and be blessed with all the good things in life..(P.S:Don't forget I also want to be uncle..haha..you know what I mean..*ahem ahem*)

Gathering at dbl O

2008-06-13T18:52:00.001+08:00

A Thursday evening..

First of all,I would like to thank Brocolli for letting me wait for almost 40 minutes at Bukit Batok MRT!

Because of that,our fellow colleague,Chen and Wen,had to wait at City Hall for quite some time as they wanted to treat us for a drink.

In the end,their meetup with them was cancelled as it was already 9pm as we were supposed to meet the others at 10pm at the coffeeshop we frequent near dbl O.

Was a day to gather our 'old' friends back for a gathering and also my belated birthday.

Messaged the 'party people' of our station.

Faz Jr,Ahua,Khai,Brocolli and me....and also some unexpected guests..hihi

Apocalypto came by with his Subaru and after our drinks,we head into dbl O.

As usual,packed with ladies and gentleman..senoritas and mamamia..

I really should thank Ahua for his generous gifts of tequila shots..damn him..

He gave me 2 shucks!

Where the hell is Shahrom,Hafiny,Razmi and Sepet + Bogeh?

Guess they can't make it..

Missed them especially Hafiny...

He is loud,crazy and hilarious!

A little bit tipsy so a little bit of groove should hit the spot..

To the DANCEFLOOR!

A few gelek here..a few gelek there...

Phewww!I'm too old for this..haha

And until you realized it's already 3am where it ends.

Managed to find Apo but couldn't find the rest.

Headed back to his Subaru and went home.

Thank you guys once again for the fun.

Do keep in touch aite?

Sepet + Bogeh = Syawal

Unexpected Birthday

2008-06-09T20:51:00.000+08:00

A typical normal Sunday

I spent hours printing some important documents for Ain who is going to leave for Dubai in another 3 more days.

The time showing 7:25pm and I got to get ready to visit Ain's house at Pasir Ris for her farewell dinner.

Somebody mentioned that I was like a star karat.

Arrived at Ain's house and met with Rudy,Ain's fiance,Rudy's friend,Wan,Rabu and his girlfriend(I don't know her name).

Ain's mum is really friendly and a great cook too.

Her sambal goreng was really superb!

In fact,I ate 2 rounds and was really spicy mind you.

Thanks Ain for the food and wish you all the best in Dubai.

Rabu sent me to town with his car and accompanied me at Forum while waiting for Ijal to come.

At that point,I saw Alwi Arab,my foremer fireman who ORDed long time ago.

Had a few chat until I met Ijal.

The plan was actually to go for a karaoke session at Cash Studio with Ijal's friends.

They were Linda,her boyfriend,Zul and another guy whom I forgot the name.

Was really uncomfortable at first singing in front of a group of people whom I just knew.

Right after my song that I sung(I can't remember what song I sang),the screen showed HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Now I'm really wondering how they managed to come up with the wish coincidentally with the timing when the clock strikes 12 midnight.Hmmmm..

Awwwwww..so the touching..

One by one,hands reached out to me wishing me a happy birthday..

Gosh..I'm getting older..I'm 23 this year!

We sang through the night,enjoying ourselves fully.

Growl....our stomachs are also singing..

Had our supper at Newton before heading back home.

Thanks guys once again for the wish..

Interview at SIA Engineering

2008-06-07T01:32:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Ijal for wasting my $30 bucks on cabfare.YaaakDish!

(No hard feelings Ijal)

(Smiling:)

Had to travel a long way to Changi Cargo Complex this morning at 10am.

Sent my resume to SIA Engineering and an interview was scheduled for me.

Applied for the position as a Fire Officer.

It's been a long time I never dressed up so smartly.

Was quite a hassle to change pass and stuff as the security was really tight.

As normal for an interview,the feeling was tensed and nervous.

I'm not sure whether I did well for it as there were some flaws here and there.

It was the first time I entered this area and got to see airplanes!

The blooper I made today was that I forgot to change my pass back at the security counter!Haha!

I met up with Ain today who 'bullied' me by taking me all the way to Clarke Quay,Raffles Place and back to Woodlands.

(Ain..joking je..later you go Dubai,I can't joke with you anymore..kwang kwang kwang)

I really hope I got the job..If not I be jobless..

Time to have my rest..Had flu now..haizz

My last fire

2008-06-04T17:43:00.000+08:00

Clip 1:Overview of how the fire looks like.

Clip 2:Pumper and firebike arrives.You can see me running to and fro in the first part of the clip laying the hoses.

Clip 3:The Red Rhino tagging along.The heroes at work.By this time,I was already inside the unit trying to fight the fire.

P.S:Don't listen to the people's conversation.Just ignore them.They just don't understand how we tirelessly braved ourselves to fight the fire.Ask them to don our suit and see how it really feels.They only know how to comment.I really feel sad and at the same time angry.Haizz..

Memories of Station 41

2008-06-03T01:52:00.000+08:00

With Shahrom!

Partners in crime

The early days

Last RC

Our last check-up

The loudest and craziest there was

Wan Sapao

View at night

Orbat chart

Gonna miss it

During my hospitalisation

My fireman,Hafiz Brocolli with Scallops

Abg Hamdan..I wonder how he's doing

Farhan Chepret

Our friendly fireman,Faz Jr

I was quite emotional on my last day.

Had great memories with the guys back at station and those who left.

Sad to leave but at the same time life must still go on.

Fire calls..damn..those were the great times.

We should have a gathering one of these days.

Gonna miss you guys!

Advice and Tips

2008-06-01T18:58:00.000+08:00

Enjoyed reading my blog on my travels??

Maybe you guys might be interested in going to these destinations..

Let me give you some advice or tips so that you can make your trip more memorable and without regrets..

Mode of transport

Coach service available at Golden Mile Complex,Beach Road.
Budget airline,AirAsia(Phuket) or Tiger Airways(Krabi).

Research

Read up any guide books like Lonely Planet.
Surf the net and find out more about the particular destination.
Take note what kind of activities you are going to do for your holiday.
Know when is the monsoon season.

Money

Would be wise if you have a ATM card with Cirrus logo to prevent thiefs.
There are loads of ATMs available at Krabi and Phuket.
Set 23 baht as your benchmark so as not to be overbudget.
Exchange at least $50 here in Singapore.
Advisable to change currencies at your destinations as it is much cheaper.
Always bargain and bargain.

Planning

Plan how many days you would like to spend at each particular place.
Advisable to spend at least 2 days at each location.
Know when is the peak period.
Rates are usually cheaper during the non-peak period.

KRABI

More for couples on a honeymoon.
Ao Nang or Railay Beach..your choice.
Shooting range.
Lots of beautiful islands which is located near the Andaman Sea.
Very laidback destination.
Budget accomodations available.
Not advisable to stay there for long or it might be too boring for you.

KOH PHI PHI

Main attractions is to visit Maya Beach.
Disco by the beach.
Don't be choosy on accomodation.
Take note of the weather if you are going to do water sports.
Not much for shopping.

PHUKET

Shop till you drop.
Shooting range.
Great beaches to visit especially the most popular,Patong Beach.
Great view of the sunset seen from Patong Beach.
Lots of restaurants ranging from Arabic,Thai,Italian,Korean and Malaysian.
Massage parlour almost everywhere.
The most happening spot for nightlife,Soi Bangla Road.
Must watch..Muay Thai Boxing.

Basically,that is all for my tips and advice.One more thing,take note of the tsunami sign and where you should run in case it really happens.(touchwood)

In case you have any questions,feel free to drop me a comment or leave a tag.

Forget the pain..let's travel!

2008-05-28T23:11:00.000+08:00

Before my mishap happened,I have actually planned to go Phuket via airplane.Me and Mr Magoo have already booked two tickets from AirAsia(I can't remember the supposed date to depart).Our plan went on smoothly until the day it backfired.The tickets cost $224 each and so considering that I was still warded,both of us sacrificed the trip..........there it goes flying away(there goes my hard earned money).

Remember I told you guys on my previous post that I can't travel by plane for six months???

THINKING PROCESS:

Hmmm..Singapore to Phuket...that got my brains thinking..There is a coach service from Singapore to Haatyai actually.14 hours of butt-kicking pain in the ass.

Hmmm..From Haatyai to Krabi..Minivan service taking you 4 hours to reach Krabi town.

Hmmm..Krabi to Koh Phi Phi..There is a ferry service from Krabi to Phuket directly or you can head to Koh Phi Phi.Only one and a half hour ride.

Hmmm..Koh Phi Phi to Phuket..Via ferry also.

Voila!Can't travel by air?Take the road!

The planning was actually done the day after I was discharged from NUH.You people must be thinking..What the hell is Mr Iskandar thinking when his health is not fully recovered and yet he is still planning to travel??(Ans:It's always been my dream to travel so no one can stop me from doing so).Me and Ade agreed to meet up at Golden Mile Complex at Beach Rd to survey the area and get the tickets to our destination.Do you know that once you enter the complex you feel that you are in Thailand??It is because of the majority of the tenants who are Thai people.You can check the area out if you want to.

*Panting*Gosh..all the walking made me easily tired.We finally found a travel agent that sells $35 per ticket to Haatyai.I remembered vividly that we booked our tickets on the 19th of April..The date we were supposed to depart from Singapore.

Here goes the story of my travel...

19th April 2008

The coach departs at 6pm from Golden Mile Complex so we have to be there before 5:30pm to fill up the details of our passport.I didn't bring much actually for the trip..just one bag consisting of 2 shirts,2 board shorts and undies.

The coach we took was the Golden Diamond.Just a simple coach,nothing special.As long as you reach Haatyai safely and comfortably.Seating comfortably on my seat,the coach drives through Tuas Checkpoint and into Malaysian territory thus reaching to our first toll plaza.

ENTERING MALAYSIA

Upon our first stop for dinner,I quicky rushed to a tidbits shop and bought bubble gums..loads of it!Oooh..I just love chewing on them..lol..Then,munched on Beef Burger Ramli with cheese.My advice:Don't eat anything heavy or else you might have stomach upset unnecessarily.The journey continues..

20th April 2008

My eyes awoke and the coach arrived at another stop for toilet break.Looking at the watch,it was already 12:30am.I had a smoke and the weather was pretty cold.If I was not wrong,we were at the state of Negeri Sembilan.Another half of the journey till we reach the border of Thailand.Guess I head back to sleep.

In my deep slumber,I was woken up by the driver shouting,"Chop passport,chop passport!".Hey,we have reached the immigration of Kedah!With my blurry eyes,both me and Ade went to queue up to present our passport to the customs officer.The queue was so long!I suddenly had stomach upset and had to find a toilet.In the nick of time,I managed to get back to my queue heaving a sigh of relief.

It was almost dawn showing the time of 6:30am.We have finally reached Sadao Immigration Checkpoint.As the sunrises,I managed to snap a picture on the right showing where I am.Do take note that the time in Thailand is one hour earlier than in Singapore.

The coach arrived to a duty-free shopping mall.Nothing catches my eye in there.Just browsing will do.Continuing on,I managed to catch an hour sleep before reaching Haatyai.

AT HAATYAI

Just behind me from the clip is the travel agent where we bought our tickets to Krabi.It cost about 250 baht per person equivalent to $10 Sing.We knew that we were going to board a minivan but we have yet to see the condition of it.Who knows it could be hot and stuffy.The time shows 8 o'clock sharp.We still have another hour while the minivan arrives so we decided to check out the streets and bought toiletries for ourselves.

The minivan arrived.Just as I thought,it was an old van and quite small.The driver still have to pickup all the passengers to fully occupy the seats.That is how their system works in Thailand.300km estimated to Krabi,another 4 hours more to endure..I think my butt is gonna cry.In fact,it's already crying..haha..

We were the only foreigners inside the van and the rest were Thai.The journey to Krabi was somewhat bumpy and irritating also.It agitates me even further as my wound was really hurting because of the uncomfortable ride.I observed much of southern Thailand is not well developed.Still retaining and preserving most of its natural beauty.

Halfway through,the minivan arrived at a rest point.A stop for us to buy some tidbits and ease ourselves.Make sure you make full use of that toilet break as it is the only stop you are gonna get for the 4 hour journey.

Passing by Krabi Airport,immediately I knew that we have almost reached Krabi town.By then,it was only us and another Thai female left inside the minivan.The driver told us that he would drop us at a tour agent where he/she can direct you to the place exactly you want to go.

"Welcome to MySons Tour",said a Thai agent.It was a really small office cum house by the roadside.She showed us brochures and maps of the places in Krabi.We bought tickets for a tour to the 4 Islands and a stay in one of the hotels at Ao Nang which is quite near the beach.Following that,she explained to the driver on where to drop us at.

Ao Nang Goodwill Guesthouse..The place where we are gonna stay for two nights in Krabi.It is a five storey high guesthouse with a pleasant looking Thai gentleman welcoming us.He is well-versed in English and had no problems communicating with him.His name is San.He introduced us to our room on the third floor.We chose the room with a balcony which is facing a limestone cliff..Fascinating!The view was gorgeous.Quite well furnished..the room looking brand new.For 1000 baht a night,it is a good price.$40 Sing for a night is just nice for travellers on a budget.Although there are other grand hotels nearby,I simply would recommend this hotel to others.

Add this email to your MSN:zedance@hotmail.com

It belongs to San's email.He is the Thai guy that runs the hotel for his uncle.You can find him in Krabi if you have plans to go there.

AT AO NANG GOODWILL

Looking at the clip,you can see how great the room was.In fact,you can see that I was still wearing my bandage.After recording,I slowly took off everything..leaving a fresh scar.Didn't bother me much as I'm too excited to explore Krabi.

Enjoying the great scenery from the balcony,I took a few pictures of myself using my handphone then had a refreshing shower.We had a one hour rest before moving out to see what Krabi has in store for us.

TAKING A STROLL

Excited..hungry..unpatient..These were three words in our minds now.We were short of Thai notes so we have to find a money changer.Having to find is actually hassle-free as there are a number of branches easily found.There are also ATMs and useful if you have a card having a Cirrus logo on it.Tip:Try to find money changers that have a higher value.Example,I take 23 baht per Sing dollar as the benchmark.Most of the money changers sells at 22.9++ range.

Walking along the road,almost anything you can find at Krabi.Ranging from fast food like McDonald's(non-halal)..Fancy an ice-cream?You can find Swensens..There are lots of shops selling beachwear clothing,man-made accessories all which you can bargain for.There are even shops allowing you to rent bikes like Harley's,Honda CBR400 and most common of all 125cc bikes.

AT AO NANG BEACH

The beach is about 8 minutes walk from our guesthouse.Similar to Bali's Kuta beach except there are no waves for you to surf.Actually,the beach is rather shallow and no one actually swims in there.That makes me wonder.Feeling hungry,we surveyed the area for halal food but it's kind of hard until we found a Muslim vendor selling fried chicken and glutinous rice.Wow!It was damn nice.Crispy and juicy.I can't remember how much they sold a piece but I know it is damn cheap.We ate that for dinner and headed back to our hotel for a shower as the weather was rather hot.

It was 6pm and the sky was already dark.After our shower,we decided to do a little bit of shopping.The area was bustling with foreigners like us as there were more vendors in the night then on a day.We kept walking and walking and stumbled upon pubs that is hidden among the shops.Don't be surprised if Thai girls kept pulling you and asking you to have a drink at the pub.Actually,they are friendly and will accompany you by playing games like Jengga,Roll the Dice and Connect-4.After a few drinks,we head back to our hotel.Both of us can't wait for the 4 Islands Tour on the next morning.

21st April 2008

Equipped with sunblock lotion,waterproof bag,shades,singlets,board shorts and slippers.These are essentials for the tour as you might get wet for the later part of the journey.We had morning tea at the lobby guesthouse while waiting for the driver to pick us up.A pick-up arrived and we were surprised as he spoke to us in Malay.He was born in Kelantan,a state in Malaysia,and worked at Krabi as a tour agent.He was also delighted to have met us.His name is Mr Rasyid.He could speak Thai language very fluently.

Arriving at the agency in front of Ao Nang beach,we were given stickers(to be visibly sticked onto yourselves so as to let them know you are part of the tour group),loaf of bread and snorkels.Joining our tour were Japanese,British,Chinese and American people.Onto our long tail boat,we went to Railay Beach to pickup a few more passengers.

Our first stop,Poda Island.The first island of our 4 Island tour.The approximate time to reach the first island was about 20 minutes.Along the journey,there are lots of limestones..exotic..breathtaking views.

If you are lucky enough,you can see fishes jumping out of the water...not sure whether it's a flying fish.Ade was always taking pictures with his new camera.I did my part by recording and also taking pictures with my handphone.

AT PODA ISLAND

Wasn't it great?The view,the sand and the sea..amazing!Not forgetting bikini clad chickz..haha.This is the first time I've seen the most beautiful seawater..very clear..very clean(still salty) unlike Singapore.We were given an hour to spend the time here on the island.

Walking along the sea,picking up the fine sand..Without much thinking,I just jumped into the water..although there was a tingling pain on my wound..but to think of it,saltwater is good for your wounds.After a few splash in the water,I bought a tanning cloth from a Thai seller.With my suntan lotion,I gave a few rubs on my body and what else?Suntan!

From the corner of my eye,I spotted something..A huge lump out of the sand..LOL!What I saw was actually a Caucasian woman suntanning without her bikini top on!I do have the video which I took but I'm not gonna put it up here.Uncensored!

FEEDING NEMO

The next island,Hong Island,was where we had our lunch.The tour guide gave us a packet of rice,some dishes and one mineral water per person.We found our spot under a tree enjoying our lunch.There were lots of foreigners here at this island..beautiful babes..until I saw two guys that caught my attention.They had their nipples pierced and I assumed they were gay couples.They were feeding bread to a school of Nemo fish.The fishes were just swimming among my legs.It was really cool to see the fishes swimming around you.Even the children were excited to see it up close.

SNORKELING AT CHICKEN ISLAND

Next stop,snorkeling fun near Chicken Island.The island got it's name because of the limestone cliff shaped like a chicken head.Arriving at a snorkeling spot,Ade was excited and didn't hesitate to be the first person to jump into the water and fed the fishes with bread.I went to the top of the boat and took pictures of the area.

The water here is much calmer than the one in Bali which i snorkeled at Nusa Dua.Colourful corals and fishes enlightened the beauty of the water.It's really worth it.Careful though..the fishes can really bite you.Ade was the victim.He showed me his finger that was bitten by the fish.HAHA!

TOP OF BOAT

Enough of snorkelling..It's time to move on to our last stop,Tub Island.From my video,you can see how beautiful and serene the place is.So relaxing..how I wished I can get away from the bustling and stressing place of Singapore.The next island is indeed very small.Surrounded by shallow waters which you can even walk to the next island during low tide.

AT TUB ISLAND

Beautiful right?We had a few swims then sat down in the water.Mesmerized by the beauty of the beach,sand,sea and clear skies.Ade crossed to the next island leaving me alone.So,I went back to the boat..went to the top and suntanned.I was already exhausted at that time so I slept while waiting for the boat to get ready to leave for mainland.

It was almost 4:30pm.Enjoying the fresh air and viewing the beautiful sun..the boat was on it's way back to Ao Nang.I was so damn hungry.As soon as the boat reached the shore,we went to buy our fried chicken and glutinous rice for our dinner back at our hotel.Wet,exhausted and topless..we passed by Swensens so I bought three scoops of ice-cream.Chocolate Chip,Cream n Cookies and Triple Choc...umph umph..I ate that all the way while walking back to my hotel.

What a day!We ate our full and so I had nap before getting ready go for some more shopping that evening.

22nd April 2008

Another day,another adventure.We were getting ready to check out and our next destination is Koh Phi Phi!We board our transport together with a few foreigners to Ao Nang Pier.The ferry service to Koh Phi Phi is 600 baht per person equivalent to $25 Sing.It has two decks,both fully air-conditioned.An hour and a half ride,I stood out at the open deck and watched the beauty of the sea.

FERRY TO KOH PHI PHI

This is Koh Phi Phi.The island getaway which had been strucked by tsunami on 2004.If you were to go to YouTube,you can view how badly the damage caused by the tsunami.Upon reaching,to my amaze..much of the island were restored.Still,lots of foreigners come here for their holidays.

Walking through the narrow passageway,we were frantically searching for a hotel.The weather was scorching hot at that point of time.We walked for a few hours just trying to find a budget hotel until we found PP Casa.It serves both air-conditioned and fan rooms.2000 baht a night for air-con and 1000 baht for fan.It is the only hotel that has a swimming pool at Koh Phi Phi.It is really expensive to find a lodging here.So,we decided to take the room with the fan.At first,I was really choosy.As a matter of fact,the room attached with a fan on the ceiling directly above our bed was nice really.

Took a quick shower and headed out to the swimming pool which has a bar.Aahhhh...a great place to relax when the weather is hot.The bar serves alcoholic drinks to fruit drinks.Asking for a menu,I browsed through and bought a watermelon punch.So refreshing!Wading at the pool for hours,Ade decided to go to the beach and check out Loh Dahlun Bay.

At Loh Dahlun Bay,Koh Phi Phi

Again,walking at the beach gives you lots of sins..LOL!Viewing topless,suntanning babes lying on the sand.The clip shows Loh Dahlun Bay.The water is also shallow over here and has very calm waves.

Enough of playing in the sea,we went back to our swimming pool and relaxed there till 5:30pm.Back at our room,we got ready to have dinner.Exploring the area,there are actually lots of cyber cafes where u can use a computer to email or chat with ur friends back home.You can also find pubs,cafe and not forgetting 7-Eleven.At the cafe for our dinner,I ordered Tom Yam Chicken..umph umph..and not forgetting Fried Rice.It was damn delicious I might say.Ade and I decided to book tickets for a tour at Phi Phi Ley where we can go to Maya Beach,snorkel,view monkeys and also the sunset.It cost us 600 baht per ticket if I'm not wrong.

23rd April 2008

It was another morning where we had to get ready for our next tour.Bought tidbits along for our trip.It was 9:00am already and the guide led us to the longtail boats.Wow!All the rest were Caucasiansexcept for one Japanese lady whom confronted us and asked us where were we from,"We are from Singapore and we know you are from Japan."then the lady laughed maybe because we knew her accent right away.

SNORKELING AT MAYA BAY

Boarding the boat,we moved on to Phi Phi Ley which was about 20 minutes to arrival.On the boat with us was a group of nice and friendly Americans.Ade and I can't stop looking at this particular teenage girl who has long,springy,reddish brown hair,flawless skin complexion,great vital statistics and wearing a green dress as seen on the video.Ade discreetly took pictures of her as he was sitting behind her.She was damn dead gorgeous I tell you guys.

First stop,we arrived at a snorkeling spot where we could see Maya Beach.The view here was exotic.The corals here was also not bad.It's really fun to see the fishes swimming around you.45 minutes of snorkeling done and we headed for the shore..Maya Beach.

AT MAYA BEACH

Do you guys remember in which movie was the place filmed??If you can recall the movie 'The Beach'...this was the place Leonardo di Caprio acted.In the movie,they edited the shoot by enclosing the bay.Let's take a look at the footage of the vidoe clip below if you know what I meant..

See what I see??Well enough of the footage.The important thing is that I get to see real life in front of me the wonders and beauty of that place.De-stressing away...with the wind massaging your body and realizing that time was already up for the next activity.

Moving off from Maya Beach,the weather started to change.Strong currents from the strong winds made the boat to make a detour back to Phi Phi Don.For the first time in my life,I saw two water spouts from a distance.Light drizzle could be felt pouring from the sky.Arriving at Monkey Cliff,no monkeys could be seen at that popular spot.We can't even watch the sunset.Again,blame the weather.

Take note,they won't do a refund if bad weather takes place. Feeling dejected and hungry,we went to have dinner at the same cafe back at shore.Ade complained that he was very tired so he went back to the room to rest early while I went to a cyber cafe and went online via MSN to chat with my friends back home.

24th April 2008

Our adventure at Koh Phi Phi ends here.We took a ferry to Phuket that afternoon which took about one and a half hour.Arriving at Rassada Pier,a minivan took us to Patong which is only a half and hour ride.The roads are pretty winding..uphill and downhill.The driver dropped us near Soi Bangla Rd.

AT PHUKET

It was already evening and the weather was cloudy with light showers pouring down.We saw a budget hotel right in front of us and didn't hesitate to book a room immediately.Costing us 800 baht per night,the room really doesn't fancy us as it looks quite dusty.What the hell...We planned to stay for a night at this place and look around for better hotels the next day.

From the video clip,right where we were standing is the heart of Patong.There is a Muay Thai Boxing Stadium,Jungceylon Shopping Complex and of course the greatest nightlife scenes that you can ever imagine in Phuket.

Our first day at Phuket was to get to know the place much better by exploring the area.There are loads of shopping you can do here. Let me take you through a walk at Phuket's shopping mall..

AT JUNGCEYLON SHOPPING COMPLEX

It's quite similar to Bugis Shopping Centre but much more bigger and spacious.There is Carrefour,a cinema,arcade,bowling,pool,fast food,Haagen Daz and bla and so and on..Looking for pepper spray??You can find them here..

As we walked further down the road,we came across a bazaar selling clothings and stuff at really cheap price..prices ranging from 150 baht to 600 baht depending on what kind of material.From what I noticed,most of the sellers here are Burmese.

We were walking pass this building and it says,"Thai Sun Guesthouse at 500 baht per night".Straightaway we surveyed the hotel and it was much more cleaner and grander.We told the counter that we were gonna book the room for the next day.Accomodation in Phuket settled only that it's much more farther then Patong Beach.

Soi Bangla Road..a place buzzing of night filled activities.By 7:00pm the road will be closed for people to walk and visit the discoes,pubs and cabarets.Ladyboys..hmm..looked attractive though..but they are friendly..You can take pictures with them also.The crowd was just amazing..every now and then you see people,different kinds of people..

SHEESHAH AT CAIRO RESTAURANT

We arrived at Cairo Restaurant for sheeshah.Ade never tried before having a puff of sheeshah so I taught him how.He did say he is an amateur.Cost only 150 baht.Just chill and have a cup of tea.Ade puffed till he felt groggy as he is not used to it.With the nice ambience,Arabic music playing on..we chit-chatted till midnight.

25th April 2008

Woke up early in the morning,without even bathing..packed our stuff and shifted to the much better guesthouse which we booked the other night.With our sleepy eyes,we continued sleeping till evening.The picture on the left was the view of Phuket from my third storey guesthouse.

We did nothing much that day..only to do some shopping..browsing some cool stuff.There is a shop selling display statues made of gears and iron.It's really cool..you can see the character Alien,Predator and many more.

Walking at Jungeceylon we thought of watching a movie.Hmmm,we changed our mind and since our stomach was already growling..we went to have dinner at Cairo Restaurant.The same place we had sheeshah.An Arabic retaurant serving all kinds of Arabic dishes.

DINNER AT CAIRO RESTAURANT

Eating our full,we couldn't finish some of the kebabs.You know how much we spent altogether?$40++ Sing dollars mind you..equivalent to almost 1000 baht.After that,we had sheeshah again..Ade was already addicted to it..LOL!

The night was still young so we went to Soi Bangla Road and entered Soi Eric..a row of pubs which foreigners flock to.Ordering a drink or two,you can play games like Connect-4,Roll the Dice and Jengga with a Thai hostess.You can also play a popular game where u have to knock a nail into a log using a hammer.The first person to knock the nail securely into the log wins.They are really friendly and some might not know how to speak English so sharpen your Thai language.

26th April 2008

The last day at Phuket before we return back to Krabi the following day.By that time,both of us were shagged and homesick.After eating lunch,Ade went to Carrefour to buy his stuff while I walked to Patong Beach.Just a 5 minutes walk,I'm standing at the popular beach.

AT PATONG BEACH

Patong Beach,hit by the 2004 tsunami..but I'm not sure exactly where.There is a monument to remember the victims of the tsunami but I'm not sure where is it.I just took a stroll along the beach while looking at the sunset.It was really a great view especially if you go there with your loved ones since Patong Beach is located on the westside.

Back at the hotel,I told Ade that since this was the last day at Phuket why not we go to the disco.He said that he was very tired so I decided to go alone.At around 9:00pm,I went to Soi Bangla Rd again and this time I entered Tiger Disco.It is a 2 storey discotheque.There was no crowd yet so I bought a whisky and sat down alone near the DJ.

The good thing about the disco is that there is no dress code.You can wear slippers and bermudas.The cover charge is like 200 baht I think plus you have 2 free drinks.At first the DJ played house music and I really enjoyed it even though I was just sitting down alone.A bottle of Chivas Regal cost quite cheap priced at 1800 baht I think.Only $80 Sing..

As the time struck 11:00pm,the crowd had already gathered.Most of the crowd were foreigners.The DJ was already playing Hip Hop and RnB songs.The Thai girls here are really attractive.They are friendly and outgoing.Just sitting beside me was a group of Thai girls.One of them knocked into me and said sorry in Thai language."Khoo toot",she said.In turn,I said I'm not local..I'm a foreigner and immediately she spoke to me in English.

"How come are you alone?,she said to my ears.I said that my friend was sleeping.We then introduced to each other.She also introduced to all her Thai friends.See how friendly she is?She was really sweet and petite.She lived in Bangkok and came to Phuket to meet her friend.She looked 23 but her real age is 27.Kwang kwang kwang...We enjoyed talking to each other and also danced together.I was a bit awkward at first and can you believe that she said I was a good dancer..?HAHA!

"Chok-dee-kap!",I said.It means cheers in Thai.After a while,she got to leave and I bid farewell to her leaving me alone.Suddenly,another girl came up to me.Another Thai girl who looked Chinese.She said,"Can I dance with you?"...Wow!This is the first time a girl came up to me and asked me to dance with her..haha..Her name is Faiya and her age is 21.Much better.After a couple of dance,I told her I had to leave as it was already 2:30 am in the morning and I had to catch a minivan back to Rassada Pier at 6:00am.

27th April 2008

Reaching Rassada Pier,we took a ferry back to Ao Nang,Krabi where we stayed for another night at Ao Nang Goodwill.San,the guy who runs the hotel,was surprised to see us back.He gave us a discount on the room we booked.The last day of the holiday.We never did much but to eat ice cream at Swensens and watched DVD that we bought while eating dinner at the hotel lobby.

28th April 2008

We have to leave.Sad to leave.Boarded a minivan back to Haatyai early in the morning.Reaching only in the afternoon,we got on our coach back to Singapore.29th April,2am in the morning,we reached Singapore..Home Sweet Home..

My Dream

2008-05-28T14:40:00.000+08:00

EVERYONE WANTS IT..

EVERYONE CRAVES IT..

EVERYONE YEARNS FOR IT..

DREAMS

People have dreams..

Dreams that they want to achieve..

Dreams that have been set as a target since young..

Grown up to be a matured young man who opens up his mind..

Searching for something that he really wants..

The interest and belief that GOD created the world for us humans to explore..

And thus I found my dream..

TO TRAVEL AND SEE THE WORLD

A world which has a lot to offer..

For us travellers and explorers alike..

You don't have to be rich to travel..

An average person like me can do so if u have the interest..

Open up your mind and don't be narrow minded..

There are so much exciting destinations which you can go..

Set a date..
Take your leave..
Pack your bags..
Board an airplane..
Your adventure begins..

Tears of joy for my favorite club

2008-05-25T12:40:00.000+08:00

I remembered when I was in Sec 2..

At my old 4-room flat at Yishun..

Stayed late through the night..

To watch the 99' UEFA Champions League Final..

Between Bayern Munich and Manchester United..

Bayern leading Man U by a goal to nil through Mario Basler's freekick..

Cursing and swearing because the game were almost into the last minutes..

^%#^$^%*&^^%#%$#@..

But still Man U fight on until GOAAALLLLLL!!!!..

Teddy Sheringham scored an equaliser!..

Jumping and shouting like a mad person..

Continuing on..another corner..GOAAALLLLLL!!!!..

UNBELIEVABLE!!!..

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer!The super-sub!..

The most greatest and exciting football match I've ever watched..

Finally,it was over..Manchester United won the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CUP!..

22nd May 2008..

History in the making..

2008 UEFA Champions League Finals..Manchester United Vs Chelsea..

Woke up at 2:30am from my short nap at work..

Sitting down on a sofa watching the programme from an Indonesian channel..

Man Utd dominated the first half..

GOAAALLLLLL!!!Ronaldo scored from a header courtesy of Wes Brown's cross..

Man Utd lead Chelsea by one goal to nil..

Chelsea came back in the game by a cool Frank Lampard's goal..

Cursing and swearing again..

*%^#&$*&(&^%^$..

The score reads 1-1 till full-time..

Both sides unable to create chances until it goes to a penalty shootout..

Man Utd started smoothly until Ronaldo's penalty was saved..

Gosh..How could this happen at this crucial moment??!..*%$^%@&(&*^(*..

It was Terry next and his kick would seal Chelsea's fate..

WOOOOHHOOOOO!!He missed!!..

Me and my colleagues were shouting..Pheww..What a relief..

The penalty shooutout went back even..until..

Anelka's turn for the kick..

We were praying hard Van der Sar could save this..

At last!!The hero for Man Utd!!..

Seeing the faces of joy for the Man Utd squad..

Again..they did it..

In my lifetime,I have seen Man Utd lift the UEFA Champions League Cup twice..

Will they make it again in the future??..

Who knows..

Btw..anyone knows where to get the footage for the highlights?Do leave a tag..

Wait Up!

2008-05-24T01:08:00.000+08:00

I know you guys are pestering me to upload my blog.To tell you the truth,I'm working on it...

Reasons:

All I need is time
Gathering all the details for my upcoming blog
It's gonna be a long one
Writing about my travel
I am having sleeping disorders

In the meantime,I will update you guys again with blogs(shorter versions).

So do tune in!

A day which I thought won't happen

2008-05-12T22:48:00.000+08:00

Being hospitalized..Have you ever thought of it??Well,of course anyone of you won't want it to happen.I wouldn't want it to happen to myself either.It is what you call it sway or unlucky.I've always thought that being young,you are still fit and no sickness will ever get to you.In the end,I was wrong.

It was like any other usual day at work where in the morning I have to check the equipments at the appliances I was attached to.After doing so,I went up to my locker room to look for my colleagues.After ascending the stairs to the second floor, I had an uneasy feeling.It was like someone poking with something sharp on my chest.I pretend it was nothing and sat down with my colleagues and had a little chat.

The more I ignored the pain,the more sweaty I am.I complained to my colleagues that I have difficulty in breathing and they thought I was joking.With the seriousness on my face,they asked me to go down and check with the paramedic.I was like gasping for air as though something was stuck in my lungs.I removed my uniform,only my leggings and sleeveless shirt was intact.

Sitting down on the bench at the ambulance,the paramedic checked my status by connecting the ECG(it's an equipment to check your heart rate and stuff) on my chest area.He was shocked to see my heart beat keep deteriorating.That was when he decided to send me to National University Hospital pronto.

In my mind,I thought something bad is going to happen to me.Maybe worse.I was given the oxygen mask,a drip and some pills(I think its painkiller).On the ambulance,the only thing that is fresh on my mind was the siren.Upon reaching, I was pushed to the A&E ward. A group of nurses asked me lots of questions..whether u have medical history,drug allergy and so on and on..(cause I can't remember)..I was put on a drip,given injection and ouch it really does hurt.

A couple of x-rays and the doctor found out what actually was the problem.There was a lump of air which leaked out from walls of my lungs and it got stuck which gave me the problems to breathe.Meaning that the walls of my lungs burst open.Remember that I was wearing my leggings and boots?The nurses wanted to cut it mind you!I was like hey it is so thick..I rather take it out myself..Ignoring the pain ,I easily took it off.

A female doctor came up to me and explained that he had to do a minor op on me and insert a tube on my left lung.Oh gosh!An op!??I've never had this before mind you.The doctor injected anesthetic on the left side of my chest(below my armpit) and I felt numb.Looking away from where she was gonna do the op,she pierced through the side of my chest without me actually feel anything.*gulp*.The next step,she inserted a tube all the way to the centre of my lungs.It was horrible.I just can't imagine the pain.

Minutes passed,I didn't realize that it was already over.A tube inserted through my lungs was connected to a plastic-shaped like box.I could see my blood inside it.The nurse told me that the op was already done and I have to be put under observation.Then,she fed me painkillers.

I was told by one of the nurses that my officer was waiting for me at the waiting room to see how was my condition.Wow..didn't expect him at the first place..was expecting my mum and my relatives to visit me.Only when I was transferred to EDTU ward,my officer showed up and saw my condition.Was surprised when he bought for me Men's Health fitness magazine and fruits.I was told by him to have a good rest and hope to see me recover and fight fire soon.

My mum and relatives came and saw her face how worried she was for me..I knew she was crying but I consoled her that everything is fine.Upon confirmation by the doctor,I had this term called pneumothorax.Usually happens to people when an object pierced or puncture their lungs but mine was exceptional and the doctors don't know exactly the cause for my case.

I was told to be warded for one day until no air is seen in my lungs via x-ray.You can't do anything much with the tube on my chest so I work here is to sleep.It is kinda boring actually with nothing to do and see patients come in and go.

Still,there is no sign of recovery says the doctor.I was to shift wards to the upper floors and maybe wait for another day and see how it goes.Damn..I'm going to die of boredom.And so I shifted to ward 52 and I met new people,nurses and patients.Quite a few young nurse I might say..I am pretty observant you know.

A familiar voice echoed my drums and was surprised to see my fellow colleagues.They always made me laugh(although I couldn't laugh or cough properly) and it was on purpose.At least I am very happy to see them come and visit me.We chatted through the night even though visiting hours were over.

The glare from the morning sun woke me up.A group of doctors approached me.From the x-rays,there was still no sign of recovery.The doctors suggested that they do an operation on me via the operating theatre.They need to seal up the wall of my lungs using staples and the chances of success was 99.9%.I was dumbfounded when they told me this.I had no choice but to accept the agreement for the better of me.

It was on a Friday afternoon.My Encik(a warrant officer) came and visited me.He went through the same as me back during his younger days.I was relieved as it wasn't me alone who got this but there is also other people who suffers the same as me.After a few chit-chat,the nurses told me to prepare for the operation.It was like doomsday.I was very nervous of the operation and my mind went through a lot of negative thinking.

So cold..my whole body shivering.I was amazed on how the operating theatre looked like.It was like one of the scenes from a movie.So full of gadgets,monitors,equipments and sharp objects!Basically,I was half naked.Wearing a shower cap and a cloth covering my body.One of the nurse told me that I would be put to sleep.Covering my mouth and nose with a mask,she told me to inhale and exhale and pooof!..I was in a deep slumber.

Slowly,I opened my eyes..felt a little pain but it gets worse every minute.I woke up and realized it was over.Given painkillers..I think it was morphine to ease my pain on my left chest.I found out they inserted another tube which means there are two tubes connected to my lungs.I was shaking my legs the whole time to erase the pain while they transported me back to my ward.My parents were eagerly waiting to see how was my condition.

Back at my ward,loads of peepz were waiting to see me..my officer,my relatives and parents.Thanks guys for sacrificing your time to see me.I was very,very,very hungry at that point of time.You know that hospital food sucks.Luckily,my parents bought me home-cooked food.I was too weak to feed myself so my dad fed me.I was so touched.I felt I was like a child at that point of time.

It was already day five ever since I was admitted.The doctor told me I need a couple of days to see how my lungs are since the op.When everything is fine,he will detach the two tubes from my chest.Another pain to endure..haizzzz..As every hour goes by,I observed how nurses and doctors do their job daily.Nurses have to give patients medicines,bath them,help them in anyways that the patients need.The doctors have to view reports and check the status of their patients.I do admire their profession.Without them,do you actually think that patients like me will be taken care off that well??Think about it..

Another pain in the ass..the two tubes.The doctor is finally going to detach it.Have you ever experienced a noodle going through your nostrils?If you have,the pain is much similar only except its much more painful.The doctor pulled the tube which was like 13cm long with ease.I was cursing and swearing actually.The doctor finished off by putting a gauze and a big plaster.Hey..I am free already..no tubes.I can walk already..Yippee!

Keeping in mind that I never did much walking as I am stuck to the bed for 7 days now.A physiotherapist helped to exercise my breathing and had a little walk around the hospital.

In my mind right now is actually to go back home.I am homesick.The doctor told me that I will be OK for now but no vigorous activities and no travelling by plane for six months.He allowed me to be discharged and I was given MC for one month!

I can't forget the smile I had when I was preparing to pack my stuff to go back home.I said thanks personally to a few nurses which became my friend at that period of time.For one whole week I suffered and survived.Anything can happen to you..unexpected.Take care of your health.As for me..I hope I am not going to visit the hospital any sooner.

To start of with..

2008-05-12T02:51:00.000+08:00

Blogging..blogging..blogging..
I had a few blogs which I already put up in Friendster about my experience while fighting fires because I am a firefighter.But I wanted more..more to express my feelings and tell the world..ooh,I have done this,I have been there and so and so.

I had trouble of finding the skins and layouts of my blog site as initially I wanted it to be related to travelling.I couldn't find one and furthermore my HTML sucks..I don't know how to put the codes and stuff so I decided to use a template from this site itself.Luckily,I've found one that suits me and I managed to get the hang of it.Step by step,I edited the layouts and how my site is gonna be like.So people,I hope you all gonna like my site and my stories..