Tabula Rasa

Resurrected from The Dead!

2009-05-03T09:45:00.033+08:00

This blog has awaken from the dead!

It's been a long time since I entered this blog. So sorry cos I really could not find the time to blog about anything. Been busy with school, work and play. Honestly, I even almost forgot that I have a blog account. Okay, I think all of you are thinking how pathetic I could get. So, very very sorry once again alright?

So here's a quick update on what happened from the mid of January till now.

On the 18th of January, I went for my 1st scuba diving tryout. It was a little dive tryout held by Red Scuba at Outram Park Secondary School. Amir, Erfian, Eng Kee, Hasri went along with me. This was when I began falling in love with scuba diving and decided to take up diving courses.

On the 19th of January, I brought the Bruneian Prince HRH Al Muhtadee Billah around Fort Siloso, Images of Singapore and the Tiger Sky Tower for a visit. It was a great experience for I manage to appear on the Bruneian media! Cool right?

Held a mini birthday celebration for my lil Basirun on 21 January and attended the POP ceremony of my lil brother Firdaus on 22 January.

On the 24th of January, I held my NUSSU Bash 2009 at Zouk. It was a huge success with a sell-out. Zouk had never been so fully occupied. As the Project Director of this event, I would like to thank all my friends, foes, colleagues, school mates, acquaintances for making this event a huge success.

Between 24 January and 1 February was the Sentosa Flowers 2009 period. I would say that this period was not as fun as last year's Sentosa Flowers probably due to the crowd. It was not as huge and the atmosphere was just very dead.

On the 7th of February, I ran the Safari Zoo Run 2009 with Amir, Bun Bun, Eng Kee, Terence, Syila Rokman and Sheila Tyler. It was just for a short 6km distance so it was not tiring.

11 February 2009: Syaz went back to Australia for her 2nd Semester of studies. Syaz, you better concentrate on your studies and do everyone back here in Singapore proud. Cut down on all those shopping. Kalau nak 'ber-shopping' pun, ingat2 org kat Singapura ye? Hehe.

Feeling very emo on 15 February, I decided to go Pulau Ubin on my own for a mini cycling trip.

On 22nd of February, I went for my second scuba diving tryout just for the sake of wanting to get that underwater experience again. I went with a larger group of people this time. It was with Ashari, Amalina, Basirun, Farhana, Bun Bun, Irfan, Eng Kee and Amir.

Sentosa held its first ever Sentosa Relay Run for its staffs on 11 March 2009. A few of us attractions crews form teams and tried to compete with other departments. Unfortunately, my team (which comprises of Amir, Basirun, Erfian, Aishah(Mer) and myself) did not get to win the top three positions (we were close though). Bun Bun actually came down to support us as well.

Immediately after the run, Amir, Bun Bun and myself actually rushed down to the Airport to meet up with Eng Kee for our Pulau Redang Trip! The main motive for this trip was to go for our Open Water Dive Course. It was really an unforgettable experience. Believe it or not, I am returning to that island for a leisure dive. Will provide more updates on my next entry k?

The month of April was relatively a busy period for me for I was busy rushing school reports after reports and had to prepare for my exams. I just completed 3 of 4 exams towards the end of April and was somehow relieved.

Immediately after my last examination on 30 April, Eng Kee, Liyen and myself went to Johor for my 1st ever leisure dive. We stayed over at the dive centre for a night before heading to the waters near Pulau Sibu the following morning for our dives. Again, this was another unforgettable experience for me.

For now, I am actually preparing for my last exam which is to be held on 5th of May. So I will stop here and will try my best to keep this blog as updated as possible aites? However, NO PROMISES!!! Hehe!

First Pulau Ubin Trip of the year

2009-01-19T02:12:00.000+08:00

This is the first trip to Pulau Ubin for 2009.

Had my fair share of fun with Amir, Basirun & his family cycling and loads of fun trying to recall all the sweet memories I had on that island itself. Of course it'll be great to have everyone else there as well. Anyway, on top of the usual places we cycled to, we also cycled to the mountain bike path.

By the way Stanley, check out our vandalism we made on that observation tower on 11 June 2008. Cool right?

Next trip coming soon!

Happy 18th Birthday Adik

2009-01-12T00:48:00.003+08:00

Someone's finally of legal age eh!

To my lil brother Hazlan, here's wishing you a very Happy 18th Birthday! Hoped you enjoyed that mini celebration of yours at vivo's waterfront. Muke dengan bau muntah kuching after that cream smearing on the face.

Well, somebody's already a big boy here and it's time for you to grow up and behave like an adult. Start to think like an adult and learn to make wise decisions in life. Do not assume things in life, be assured of them. Do not upset your elders. Appreciate their presence while you still can before it's too late. Although they can be very naggy at times, but they are the reason why you are still kicking strong.

All these were taught to me by my once beloved big brother but I learnt it through the hard way of course. So now I'm passing down to you on what was taught to me as a rite of passage. Anyway, may you have a blessed and a adventurous year ahead of you.

Cheers & Love,

Abang

Pulau Tekong... Stan's new found home

2009-01-07T03:17:00.000+08:00

Rec Stanley Fung!!! Wash the toilet bowl!

Today, I took time off to send Stanley for his direct enlistment into the all-famous National Service. Went to meet up with him and his family members at SAF Ferry Terminal before boarding the ferry to Tekong. While we on board the craft, I could see Stan's nervous and sad face. For myself, I was kind of having many flashbacks of the time when my family members sent me there too. When we reached Tekong, we were split up away from Stan to prepare for his oath-taking ceremony while we enjoyed the guided tour around Tekong's BMTC compound. For me, I just felt very good to be back 'home' for I really really miss that island a lot. After the tour, we went to the auditorium to witness Stan's and his fellow in-mates' oath-taking ceremony which was followed by a luch session at the cookhouse. It's been 2 years since I ORDed and left Tekong but the food did not change at all. I can imagine myself going mental if I were to eat the same variety of food again and again for the rest of my life. After our lunch session, Stan's family members and myself waved him goodbye before heading back to the ferry home.

And that was the last time I saw Stanley till this very day (Ok , I make it sound like as if I am not going to see him again).

To Stanley, I hope you will enjoy this phase of your life and I hope that NS will make you a much better person than this. Take care lots bro!

Happy 2009!!!

2009-01-02T02:25:00.003+08:00

Well, it's new year everyone so... HAPPY 2009! I still could not believe 2008 went past me just like that. But 2008 was not really a pretty year for me... so I am just looking forward to 2009.

Anyway, I had a great time yesterday partying away at Siloso Beach Party. To all those who were partying with me, i just want to say a big thank you for that great night that we spent together. Now let me tell you what happened when the clock struck 12 midnight to usher in the new year. Raudha and I were still at the party's ticketing booth waiting for the arrival of our tickets. So both of us hugged and wished each other Happy New Year. Surely, that was my first time counting down at a ticketing booth... Haha! When both of us finally got in, we partied like never before. My adik, Hazlan and myself got into the foam party with the rest of our colleagues from the artistes and other departments. Adik was swaying around not because he was only dancing; he was actually feeling high at that point of time! Btw, for those of you who used my T-shirt as your 'WIPER' for the foam party, I hope all of you do not get any pimples yeah. I could not believe almost everyone were using my T-shirt to wipe the foam off their faces.

Conscious enough to know that I had to work for Songs of the Sea on a new year, I went to take a deep sleep at my workplace after the party. When I woke up to get myself ready for work, I could still felt that hang over feeling. Gosh, it really felt bad. Thankfully, I did not collapse during operation hours or else my IC Amir will just kill me.

Once again, I would like to wish all my 4 Fs (family, friends, foes & fans) a very very prosperous (recession period anyway) and a blasting 2009!

It's Christmas Eve everyone

2008-12-24T15:53:00.005+08:00

It's christmas eve and I have to work!!!

Here I am getting ready for work and all. But the weather is just too nice for me to continue sleeping. Oh well, 2009 is nearing and I just can't wait for my pay to come in. Therefore, I have no choice but to work. It's just so disappointing to go through this festive season with a 'black hole' in my pocket. It just sucks in whatever I put in. So sale or no sale, it does not really make a difference to me.

Ok... here's a quick update on what had I been doing from the day after Zoukout till now.

1. Working my ass off to pay off any debt I still owe.

2. Chilling out with Adik and Syaz.

3. Busy conducting meetings for my NUSSU Bash in 2009.

So yup, that's all I have to say for now. Merry Christmas everyone!

Zoukout 2008

2008-12-15T03:51:00.000+08:00

Zoukout Rulz!!!

Well, I just recovered from my high fatique level after one whole non-stop night of partying at Zoukout 2008. I have to admit that i had loads of fun with all my Attractions department family members. Everyone was just crazy but most of them just got tired and bored very easily. And because of this, people began drifting away from the group (including myself) and did their own things... Haha. Ershad, Amalina & Ashari, don't think I don't know what you guys did at 7-eleven huh. I wanted to party with my once big brother but he always went MIA with some of the rest. So I decided to just give up and party with whoever who still had the energy to party.

After the event, I began feeling very very exhausted and fell asleep at my workplace immediately after a hot shower. Thankfully, I did not get myself drunk that night.

Mak, cepat sembuh ye?

2008-12-12T15:47:00.005+08:00

On the eve of Hari Raya Haji...

My father called me to tell me that my most beloved grandmother (Mak), who is only 66 years old now, was diagnosed with Breast Cancer Stage 4. At first, I did not know what the stage level means. When I went to find out about it, I was informed that Stage 4 of a cancer is considered to be very very serious. I immediately felt very very devastated and just so lost. For that moment, I just felt that how I wish that I wasn't born to go through this feeling. My grandmother has been going through so many obstacles, such as having to go through my cousin's death and all the other family problems, and had been very patient about all of these nonsense. So why must she been thrown with the biggest obstacle in her life right now?

Mak? Halim nak Mak sentiasa bersabar dan sentiasa kuat kan semangat ye? Halim akan sentiasa berdoa kepada Allah s.w.t. supaya Mak cepat cepat sembuh ye? Halim sentiasa sayang pada Mak sampai akhir hayat Halim.

Ya Allah, Kau cepat sembuhkan Mak supaya umur dia dipanjangkan. Kau ringankanlah cubaan cubaan yang Mak aku sedang lalui pada waktu ini. Amin.

HRE Appreciation Carnival @ Ficus Point

2008-12-08T02:55:00.000+08:00

HRE Appreciation Carnival on 4 December 2008.

Some of my fellow colleagues, mostly HREs, went for this event on that day. It was to acknowledge all of the part-timers who contributed more than 60 working hours per month. Well, of course, some of our full-time staff came to show their support for us as well.

My lil bro Basirun and myself

The Attractions Hunks

The Attractions Babes

Liana and me in one of the stage games.

(I think she's in pain... Muahaha!)

Our full-timers came down to show their supports.

The Attractions Family!

Exams? Finally Over!

2008-12-04T02:11:00.008+08:00

Yes!!! End of Year 2 Semester 1...

It was the last day of exams yesterday! It was on Classical Mechanics and gosh, you would not wanna know the kind of rubbish I scribbled onto my exams scripts. But all that aside, I just wanted to celebrate after that.

The first thing I did was to go to my island home Sentosa for a swim and a sun tan. So I went to Tanjong Beach. But it did not take long when the clouds began rolling in and began pouring right after the lighting siren began wailing. I was thinking to myself, 'Darn, what a day to swim and tan.'

In the late afternoon, my lil bro Hazlan and myself went for window shopping at Vivocity until our legs 'gave way'. Tt's when we decieded to go to the Sky Park for a chill. However, upon reaching the park, we saw this white ship docking in front of Vivocity. It's called the Doulos ship. Ape lagi, both of us naik la explore kapal tu.

And so that was how I spent my day celebrating the end of my exams.

Hazlan's & Ershad's Last Day as Attractions Hosts

2008-12-01T02:47:00.006+08:00

Thank you & all the best guys!

30 November 2008 marks de last day for my lil bro Hazlan, together along with Ershad as Attractions Hosts. However, both of them will be heading towards better opportunities w.e.f. 1 December 2008. They will be joining the Artistes! So I would like to wish the both of them all the best when working in the artiste line.

To everyone else who are close to both Hazlan and Ershad, I hope you will all give your fullest support to the both of them alright? Please do not see the two of them as traitors or whatever nonsense. It's just a job after all.

To Hazlan:

Adik jangan sedih2 k? Always look on the bright side of life. Abang will always support you no matter what. I just hope that history would not repeat itself for me. Be good alright!

To Ershad:

Kantoi!!! Jadi artiste jangan lupe kite orang bro. Take care of yourself too alright? Dah kaya nanti boleh la belanja kite semua k.

Regards,

Abang / Along

Rooky is gone

2008-11-28T19:48:00.001+08:00

Rooky is gone!!!

I woke up in the morning to see that Rooky is no longer outside my house. I searched and searched the whole place but still could not find it. I immediately went to ask my grandfather if he saw the kitten and guess what, he said that he gave it away as he thought that it was some abandoned kitten left outside our house. Can you imagine how devastated I was when I heard what he said?

Rooky, wherever you are or whoever is looking after you now, I always pray that you will be in good hands alright? I'm very very sad right now... Farewell and take care Rooky.

Rooky the Kitten

2008-11-28T01:47:00.001+08:00

An abondoned kitten was found today!

Syaz and I were strolling along Bugis Street when we stumbled upon a cute little kitten. It was very very adorable. We wanted to touch it but were afraid that it's mother might not recognize its smell. So we just observed it from a distance.

As the kitten was moving about, I noticed that it was actually moving without any sense of direction. As we looked closer, we noticed that it's eyes were covered with a pile of dirt (more like some pile of shit). It walked towards a group of 'Ah Bengs' and hit one of the Ah Beng's foot. When they saw the kitten, they treated it like a mini ball and were 'foot-passing' it to one another. We could not bear the sight of it and so we decided to carry the kitten to one side. As I looked at the kitten, I could actually sense its pain and sorrow. I could also see that it was actually in an abandoned state. It was smelly and had fleas crawling all over it. It was a very pitiful sight for me so we decided to bring the kitten to my home. We found a box, placed the kitten in it and decided to take a cab home. While waiting for a cab, both of us had a discussion on a name for the kitten. Syaz decided to call it Puss the second and I thought that it was disgusting. That's when I decided on the name Rooky and both of us agreed on it. so, the three of us (Syaz, myself and Rooky) took a cab over to my place before Syaz continued her journey home.

After ensuring that everyone is asleep, I quietly brought Rooky to the toilet straight and gave it a good scrub. I started off by slowly wetting Rooky's face and peeling off the pile of dirt from it's eyes as that was the most awful sight for Rooky. I even tried to remove the fleas from its body. Can you believe that I was actually sweating while bathing Rooky? After bathing Rooky, I towel-dried it. I also made a make-shift sleeping place for Rooky and cuddled it with a blanket and stroke its back. It did not take long before Rooky actually fell asleep in my hands.

So here's presenting to you... Rooky!

Rooky and me

To Syaz, welcome back to Singapore once again! Hope you will not lose your way around after being away in Sydney for more than 5 months. A million thanks for all of your gifts too! Love them lots. Cheers!

Half the battle fought

2008-11-26T22:39:00.000+08:00

Woohoo!!! Completed 2 of my 4 exam papers!

Now slacking at vivocity with Hasri while waiting for the rest of the SOS crews to knock off from their shifts (what is taking them so long?). I think my stress level is now reduced to half its original level. Haha. Thank goodness.

Both of us are munching on our double-cheese durgers as we watch over the awful construction site on the supposed peaceful island of Sentosa. Feeling very sleepy right now cos I had spent my last night mugging till this morning just for my exams.

Yawn!!!

My lil bro's HP finally found!

2008-11-25T02:33:00.000+08:00

YEAH! Hazlan's HP found!

It was yesterday when Amir, Ershad, Anna, Hazlan and myself left our beloved island after our shift at Songs of the Sea. Went to Seah Im Food Centre to meet up with Hasri and the rest to have our supper and a little talk cock session as well. After that, we all went straight home.

When I got home and turned on my msn, Hasri told me that Hazlan had lost his HP!!! You would not want to imagine that panic feeling I was having yesterday. I immediately tried to contact Hazlan thru msn and interrogated him on his lost hp. I also called Sentosa Hotline (which was later linked to the Rangers) and made a report on his lost HP when I was told that Amir had actually reported on it earlier before me. So all I could do was pray and hope that someone nice would return the phone to Hazlan.

When I was getting ready to go to work this afternoon, Hazlan called to tell me that someone had actually found his HP. It was one of the security guards at Tourism Academy. When we knocked off from work today, Amir, Hazlan, Marican, Insyirah, Farhainy and myself went to TA to retrieve the phone back from the security guard who found it. A little token of appreciation was also given to the guard for being honest in returning the HP back to Hazlan. Yeah!!!

Hazlan, kalau Hazlan hilang benda lagi Abg beli rantai kapal dan ikat semua barang2 Hazlan kat rantai tu dan belit kan rantai kat badan Hazlan okie?

Cheers!

Taman Negara Reflections

2008-11-25T02:00:00.000+08:00

Taman Negara Rox!

It's been a few days since I came back from Taman Negara. the duration of my trip was from the 13th to the 17th of November. This is actually my 2nd time there but it was with a bigger group of people. The gang involved were my brothers Amir, Eng Kee, Stanley, Hasri, Irfan and my two lil ones Hazlan and Basirun. We started off with a 7hr train ride from Johore Bahru to Jerantut. It was really a boring ride as i seriously felt restless after 3 hours in it.

Waiting for the train @ Johore Bahru train station

Hasri, Stanley & myself posing in the train

Upon reaching Jerantut (that was about 0230hrs) , we got ourselves to repack our backpacks at the nearby NKS hotel. After repacking, we took a short nap and woke up at about 0730hrs to get ourselves ready for our adventure. All in all, we spent half an hour of van ride and 3 hours of boat ride to Kuala Tahan (Taman Negara's Visitor Arrival Centre). When we arrived there at 1230hrs we waited for our guide who later brought us to Gua Telinga (Ear Cave) for some cave exploration. I tell you.... there were lots of bats in there! Cool or what! We later went to visit one of the homes of the orang asli. I wonder if those houses can withstand harsh weather conditions.

My big brother & I on the boat ride

My lil brother and I outside Gua Telinga

Bats hanging over the ceiling of the cave

See how close I was to all those bats!

Outside one of the homes of the orang asli

After visiting the cave an the orang asli, we took a boat to Kuala Terrengan and that was where our 2km trek to Bumbung Kumbang began. Bumbung Kumbang is one of the few hides built in the middle of Taman Negara's jungle for trekkers to spend their nights in as pitching of tents are strongly discouraged. This is to prevent any wild animals' attacks. After 45mins of trekking, we finally reached the hide. We took the opportunity to remove all the leeches that were stuck to our bodies during the trek. We also went to a nearby stream to bathe as there was no water in the hide's toilet (Eng Kee and Basirun used up all the collected rain water!!!!). By then it was already about 1930hrs and all of us were very very hungry. So we took out our mess tins and our maggi instant noodles and began cooking. Some went to rest after eating while the rest of us tried to stay awake to observe any night creatures of the jungle. However, Amir, Basirun, Irfan and myself found a gecko in our hide. And guess what, Stanley actually freaked out when he saw that little dinosaur. We spent the rest of our active part of the night singing till we fell asleep (Hasri was actually covering his ears while sleeping... Haha!).

The models of Taman Negara!!!

Stanley and me cooking our instant noodles

We woke up very early on the morning of 15 November and got ourselves ready for the longest trek of our whole trip. If I calculated correctly, the distance whole trek back to Kuala Tahan (the visitor arrival centre) was about 12km. Well. I would say that the trek was physically demanding because of the undulating terrain of the route we took. However, I had my fair share of fun because we got to stop by Bukit Indah for a very majestic view of the dense vegetation (Errr, Eng Kee, Stanley, Irfan and Basirun did not follow us to the peak bacause they were actually very worn out.). We also stopped at the canopy walk but did not manage to enter the attraction because it was already closed for the day. So, we decided to take a short break there. That was actually our final rest point before we head back to Kuala Tahan. Upon reaching Kuala Tahan, I felt this sense of achievement in me and applauded everyone for a great job. My lil bro Hazlan was our best camper as he had been motivating and supporting our 'old man' Eng Kee throughout the trek! Syabas bro! When Amir had booked a chalet for all of us, we all checked in and took turns to use the toilets and got ourselves cleaned up. We later went for a well-deserved dinner at one of the nearby floating restaurants. However, when we got back to the chalet, my stomach began to growl again and so Amir, Basirun and myself decided to cook our left-over rations. Thank goodness I still have some rations left. Hehe.

At the peak of Bukit Indah

My lil bro Hazlan and myself drenched after bathing in the nearby river

A 'sense of completion' for all!!!

On the morning of 16 November at 0800hrs, I was awoken by Amir to get ready to leave Taman Negara. How I wish I could just continue sleeping and not wake up that early. However, we did not have a choice as our boat departs Kuala Tahan at 0900hrs. So, we headed for the jetty and boarded the boat and that marks the end of our Taman Negara adventure. However, our trip was not quite over because we actually manage to go to Kuala Lumpur for a little sight-seeing and 'express shopping' (When I say 'express' I really mean 'express'.). We went to KLCC for a few photo sessions and Petaling Street for some quick shopping. I did not expect ourselves to get into a '1+1' trip package... Hehe. After our little adventure around KL itself, we began to head home on the 2330hrs coach and arrived back in Singapore at 0430hrs.

On the boat back to Tembeling Jetty

KLCC Models? More like KLCC Apek & Mat Reps

To all my brothers who went for this trip, I hope that you had an unforgettable experience. What a memorable adventure guys!!!

Cheers,

Halim (Abg / Along)

What is Tabula Rasa?

2008-11-24T03:16:00.000+08:00

Tabula Rasa?

If you are wondering what Tabula Rasa means, it is defined as a blank slate. And if you are looking at my blog now, you can see that I really live up to this name man.

So here I would like to give my full credits to my very very true and bestest friend (more like an irritating one all the time) for helping me create this special blog of mine. Syaz, you are the best!!! She not only created this blog but also gave me this title for she knows that I will be just too lazy in updating this blog.

But don't you all worry ok... I tell u... I will keep this blank slate as 'unblank' as possible alright?

Hello!

2008-11-24T02:56:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

This is my first entry for my blog. So I just want to say hello to all of you who's reading this so called 'blank slate'.

Cheers!!!