Ahhhh. My last post was 8 months ago. Shows how I've not been reflecting much in 2014 hahas. Ohhh well. 2014 wasn't exactly a productive year for me tbh but good thing is, I've made a lot of friends through army and I'm glad that I could at least end 2014 with my 3SG rank. After all, wanting a cool job or a commander rank was something that has bothered me non-stop since BMTC days. And yeah it's true. As someone has told me back when I was in Tekong, "During your army life, days pass slowly but weeks pass fast." And now that I look back, I have to say that I totally agree.

2014 has been a year of hopeless dreaming so in 2015, I hope bring it all back and achieve it! After all, my stay-in courses in army is over and I am thankful that my stay-out life in PLC MT Line allows me to commit to my other work on hand. Let's start a list of things that I shall get my hands working on for 2015!

Projects from 2014:

• Empower paper (3X Public Transportation Pricing + 1X Cycling Infrastructure + 1X CCA/Community-related topic)
• Scholarship Applications + Interviews + Portfolio Write-ups
• RGB Life! projects

New Projects for 2015:

• Be the ground to connect and talk with residents/volunteers more regularly
• Read ArchDaily everyday
• Explore 1 part of Singapore every week
• 2 historical entries per day
• Jurong Heritage Trail cum Community Sensing

My mind now's blank. I don't want to think of university, scholarship, career prospects, army and that thing anymore. For now I mean. For the past 2 months, it has been so tiring. Like seriously. Which is why, for now, though I am living my army life, I want to dedicate my life to only 2 things. 1, to create opportunities for young people to gain confidence in life or to fulfil their dreams. 2, to watch anime. Heh. Well, like I said, I needed a rest too yeah? So yeah. I have soooo many ideas in mind but I have never properly achieved any because I did not have the resources, expertise, determination and resolve to do it. But now, I think I might have. After all, today's our 1st RGB Life! event and my 1st organizing event in YEC so yay. But yeah, in time to come, through RGB Life! and V2, I will find my way. To make an impact, to create a platform to make an impact and to create an ultimate incentive supporting a platform to make an impact. Opps. For a moment I was back to my idealistic mindset. But yeah. Challenge accepted starts now!

want to become a person who creates opportunities for young people - See more at: http://www.edvantage.com.sg/content/how-david-hoe-fought-his-way-university/page/0/2#sthash.Y3nYFwzf.dpuf

want to become a person who creates opportunities for young people - See more at: http://www.edvantage.com.sg/content/how-david-hoe-fought-his-way-university/page/0/2#sthash.Y3nYFwzf.dpuf

want to become a person who creates opportunities for young people - See more at: http://www.edvantage.com.sg/content/how-david-hoe-fought-his-way-university/page/0/2#sthash.Y3nYFwzf.dpuf

Ahhhhh. Back from 1st day of driving at KBC yay! Ahahas. Hmph. Feels nice to step the accelerator pedal of a proper civilian car for the 1st time in my life. :3 Well tonight's a rather quiet night so I guess I shall do a quick post. Just a short list of some intrinsic values I've learnt in Tekong BMT and plus the new ones from BMTV:

Stripping the rifle shows the small little parts that form up the rifle. And as we force ourselves to memorize the steps, it is how the bolt-sized parts get assembled rapidly into a rifle in a matter of seconds. Compound that population and that's how we get millions of our televisions and our CERN particle accelerators. Ignore the overwhelming scale, approach projects with faith and seek an approach with the least hindering. The world is easier to create than we think

• Learn to learn is to equip with knowledge. Learn to think is to analyze the knowledge. Learn to create is to put the knowledge into practical use for society to progress
• When people throw shit at us, it is all the more important for us to suppress our ego, and siphon out the jewels that hide within the distracting pile of rubbish

So yeah. Just an update, I wasn't selected for SAF Band so ohh well. And yeah. I am now a proud Transport Operator!:D And basically, I drive tonners and land rovers around Singapore (Or Tekong. D: OR OVERSEAS!xD) once I get my military license in 40 days time. I really really hope I get a good posting after POC ahhhhh! Commando unit, Guards unit, Air force driver, BMT TS. Anything. So long as it's not one where I have to sit around and do nothing everyday. So yeah. Worse case I would have to up-PES and then no more civilian class 4 license lo. Hahahas. Okay but either ways, I should not worry now. Target is simple! Aim to pass my 3-tonner driving test on the 1st try! Jiayous me!^^
 

"...But one day, I suddenly wondered, "Why?". Why did he seem so happy having dinner with me?
Maybe I'm being self-conscious, but... I felt like Yanagisawa Mitsuo saw me as something really valuable. I guess it was kind of scary. Well, I couldn't tell what about me he was interested in. If it was a fantasy, a misunderstanding, or an assumption... And I don't think I've shown him enough of my personality for him to be interested in me. Besides, I don't want him to think he knows me after spending so little time with me. So, I thought I'd keep my distance for a while." - Linda (Golden Time ep19)

Lately over this week, I kinda pondered about this too. And coincidentally, I got to watch this episode over my book out this time. :3 Somehow, it's weird how I've never empathized how unusual things are. Worse still, even for myself, I never really noticed how I couldn't control my actions, emotions and intentions. I guess it's partly because the people that I hang out and chat with are all guys so I've used the same way to converse with this time without thinking twice. Really though, I want to know you better as a friend. Honestly with no ill intents! But since circumstances doesn't allow for that, I just cannot do anything about it. So yeah. It's time to grow up. I have all the time I need in life so I'll take it slow. While I let fate and affinity decide. :|

Ahhhhh. Back from 1st book out yay! Ahahas. Hmph. Feels nice to be back to my fast internet, bed and cv clothes teehee. :3 Well tonight's a rather quiet night so I guess I shall do a quick post. Just a short list of what intrinsic values I've learnt in BMT this week:

• Keeping still is more tiring and painful than staying in continuously unending motion
• Pain is weakness leaving the body
• Fear of pain, shit (literally) and guns will and have eventually been overcame
• Do it once, do it good
• Faith and trust can reduce the need to seek redundant approvals and affirmations from others
• When things don't go as I want it to, suck thumb, and then suck it up

Heh. With over a half of my Tekong life over, the next 2 weeks to come should be a breeze.  Mainly HG and field camp left ahahas. Let's hope there won't be too many stand-by whatever things. :\ Then it'll be out-processing and on for Sembawang camp for vocational training. :D Ohhohhohh and I was shortlisted for an SAF Band auditions woots. Okay actually I dont really know what are the prospects for it but I have a feeling I'll love it. Which means, I've gotta work real hard for the auditions! Jiayous me!=D

Mehhhh.

So many initiatives for me but I won't be working on any of it cause of NS. Pffftttt. Let's see.

For Empower paper, I probably can't do it since I don't have the time to do interviews and surveys amidst CLC work. 16 days and 2 years worth of weekends probably isn't enough for me to work on my cycling and MRT paper so ohh well. Give up. I guess. Interestingly, after NS when I come back, the key developments in my proposed paper will be completed already. Like the inter-town and intra-town cycling paths plus the Downtown Line and finalized plans for the Jurong Region Line. So ohh well. It's now or never and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to make any inputs. :/

For SingaPAWH, there's hope hahas. The core team's mostly out and quite a lot of contacting and networking has been going on so yeah. I guess all I can do is to set the direction right and ultimately, the dirty work will be done by someone else since I'm in NS. ;-; Much apologies. =/ But yeah, I guess I'll most probably be working on PR since I won't be around and I'll have to work like mad on weekends. This is my only project left!=P

There's my UK uni application and scholarship application too which I have yet to start so I'm pretty worried. Well though bulk of the forms and write-ups shall be done before NS, I guess my portfolio work can only be worked on during the weekends so ohh well. More time gone. X.X

Ahhhh and lastly. Comm Serv Sect work. Well I probably can't join in on Feb V2 to Marina Barrage so yeah. I hope it succeeds. :3 Speaking of which, it's rather sad because I personally have not went for any external (out of CC) V2 event before so yeah. *criessss* Hahahas. But ohh well. That can happen perhaps sometime during and after NS so see how. For now, as in Jan, I still have the CNY V2 help-out so let's just work hard for that!xD

Teehee. Yeap. That's it for my rants on work. Ohh well. I'm going to rest hard during NS. Work can wait I guess. And I hope I can still continue my passion on all these things when I come out. :B

PS. It's time. I think I should submit my form some time this week. (:

I used to love really fanciful buildings, those with beautiful curves and mesmerizing geometries. Well, not to the extent of Frank Gehry's works which I have always felt doubtful about. But truth is, Zaha Hadid's style and Daniel Libeskind's Reflections@Keppel Bay plus other sharp edged designs really inspired me. In fact, they still do, just that now, I am more conscious of other elements in design.

3 things happened to me lately in this short period of 2 weeks.

Firstly, I started reading on this book called "Why we build?" by Rowan Moore and well, it further reinforced some of my thoughts about Samsara. But more importantly, the summary that I read for its first chapter - "two poets, the Sheikh and the architect, play with the emotional power of buildings, but they do so in opposite ways, and with different results." and ultimately, "the idea was to have a house that gave physical protection from the wind and rain, but shared this with poetry and ethics, things that can be found even in a storm."

Secondly, I had my Cornell Architecture interview with my interviewer, Jyanzi, and he really inspired me about the concept of space. He introduced me to the 5 levels of space in a typical rectangular room with a stationary figure existing within the confined region. The 5 levels of space: Physical. Psychological. Visual. Conceptual. Spiritual. When I first heard it, it was quite mind blowing (apologies for my ignorance) to be honest and it showed me the basic perceptions of space for a stationary man. Well, this is not something that I ever did think about before since I was always preoccupied with human interaction and all the dynamic stuff. So since then, I grew to take greater notice of the critical elements in architecture. It's no longer about just the curves that suites the eye.

Thirdly, I read a book on I.M. Pei's biography and got to appreciate his design methodologies behind all his Modernist buildings. I began to grow a liking for Modernist buildings; Something that has always been boring and typical to me. But when I read about the rationale behind it, the focus on harmony, stability and practicality really inspired me. That to me, is the true spirit behind Modernism that Blobitecture, International Style and Deconstructivism can never showcase and imitate.

However, please don't get me wrong! Truth is, I still love Deconstructivism the most and I still love buildings that look sophisticated like Park Royal@Pickering and Star Vista (Well after all, my architecture portfolio contained mostly of curved structures and of raw crystal shaped asymmetries). Thing is, designs to me have grown an additional dimension now. No longer do I crave blindly for rotating buildings which were never realized in Dubai, nor do I admire sky bridges that serve only as dwellings for the fortunate in the expense of a layman's wide blue clear sky view.

And my dreams have never changed. I am still going to reinterpret wood-based architecture for beauty and for humanity. For humanity especially, Shigeru Ban will always be my inspiration for life. Together with all the lessons that I have learned in this past 2 weeks.