Back to Homeland Day 1

It has been nine years since I last came to Hainan Island. I remembered that I promised to come back here 10 years later after that last visit. It was super warm last time I came, I guess it was about 30 degrees? This time it is cold. At least 15 degrees? Just imagine Genting with thunderstorm.

This was us with our distant relatives picking us up at the airport.

This is my auntie (Father's elder sister) with my grand-aunt (Grand father's younger sister-in-law). Chinese have different naming nomenclatures for different relatives of the family.A typical looks of a control tower in an airport.

Our first hotel was Seaview International Hotel, though there is no seaview. It used to have, until reclaimation works.

This was our lunch. OMG the fatty pork is really aweome. The fats just melt away in your mouth.

A picture of us with the grand lobby of the hotel.

Having walked the vicinity of the hotel, it seems that 7-11 and Macdonals are not famous around the region. They have KFC that opens until late night though. Wonder who will eat fried chicken in the night? Is it the heritage of hainanese chicken rice?

And their KFC is really well to do, just look at the size of the outlet.

A typical streets of the island.

There is many brands around in China, they have fake nike. They are called "Anda".

People setting up night market.

Their sex shop sounded like case trust in SIM LIM Square.

A look at their alcohol.

Us eating a sumptous dinner.

We had so much to talk about we stood around the lobby until late at night.

This was the cute girl that held my hand whenever we walk around the last time we came. Look at her now. All tomboyish. Maybe things will change. Lets give her five more years.

Cousin Settlers Outing

I hanged out with my cousin this Saturday over at Settler's at SMU. Settlers at SMU is quite spacious and I particularly like the area with those pretty arts ornaments around. Thinking of which, we have not met for quite sometime.
We had a couple of games at Settlers'. But the most interesting on was the one you got to have telepathy with the other player when you see a picture. You must both write out something of the same when seeing that picture.
This is us after the exciting moments.
I took some pretty lighting while walking away from SMU. My friend was correct about the ISO and the blurry pictures and I managed to correct this time round.
We had quite a spread with duck rice and pork inards.

Raleigh Power Walk

I took my first run after my one week break on Friday because of my back injury. It was a 6km run as I met friends along the way so I did not stop at my usual 4km. This was the biggest mistake I made as I will be walking 50km the next day.
The team was Team FECK. I was not the official team member but I was the so called pacer. From the right, Jonathan, me, Matt and Michelle. And this was just the energetic start for us. I swear I was confident of completing the walk at this point of time. Our first land mark at IKEA. No swedish meat balls though. Our first check point at Pasir Ris Park. It was not a challenge yet as it was just walking the first 10km. Matt and myself in Loyang Industrial Estate. Home of the Commandos.
Our second checkpoint at Changi Village. We ate the well known nasi lemak and Hokien mee from here. Us resting and applying deep heat. It was here I start to feel a tingle of strain in my right calf. Our embarkation to the next Park Connector. I never knew Changi is connected via park connector to East Coast Park. It was 2:30am. The place where most singaporean men's nightmare begin and this is where our nightmare tonight begin. The connector was a straight road of 9km. It was never ending! The only motivation we can see is the Airport Terminal coming to an end.
It is 2.4km away only after a 2 and a half hour walk. It was at 4am.
Some demotivational Posters. This is quite a good one. Macdonal Breakfast!! I had my Mega McGriddles at ECP. Finally some motivational posters.
It was 07:30am. This was taken at the big splash, minus 11 hours because of 100km walk, we have already travelled 12 hours exactly. Those 100km walkers are mad men worth our respect. This was also the time we gave up. My legs are just too cramp to go ahead. We took a cab to bugis and we tuang there until 10:15am before we headed off for the end.This was us at the end point of Campus Green of SMU, tired and shagged.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

This movie is deep. Well, at least that is what I thought to be. It had a underlining meaning to it. I won't spoil the movie for you.
No doubt humans are of destructive nature, we had a soft side to all of us. It is sacrifice. We are willing to sacrifice even our own life for the sake of our love ones.
I was just searching the net for picture of the movie, I stumbled onto this picture. Apparently it looks like it is a remake of an old movie. Nowadays it seems as such that people are digging into the past movie to make new ones.

Standard Chartered

Although I didn't run 42km this year, I took a 10km run this year. And I made a target of hitting under 1 hour and I did! It was 58 minutes.

It was painful though. I remembered that pain in my chest as I sprint my last part into the gantry.

It was also disappointing for myself as I have not ran 42km. As I passed through the booths, the treatment that they gave the 42km runners, it was good. Well, these people deserved it and I wish I was one of them. I will make sure I run next year.

I have set my target then again. For Sun Down Marathon, I will take part in 10km. For Army Half Marathon, I will take part in 21km to ramp up towards 42km of Standard Chartered! I am also taking up vertical marathon!

The only problem is that I hope when I get to Germany, I still can continue running. I hope that there is a indoor track or something for me. I hope...

Lesson Learnt

People say army is a waste of time. I strongly disagree with that. Today, I am proud to say I have learnt lessons that I must never forget and be integrated with my future self.

I have been working so hard, yet I have not seen a significant result that I can be proud of. I have always thought I would be able to do any job since these jobs were meant for humans, B]but it doesn't seems that way. It seems so pointless that I almost deem myself useless. Until two great teachers enlightened me.

Although the lesson came a little late, but still at least it would help me for life.

Lesson 1 : Pleasing Your Boss' Boss.
Just by doing jobs that your boss had allocated you is just not enough, you have to think ahead and do jobs that your Boss' Boss will think of. No doubt it is a challenge to read people's mind, it is the only way you can impress your Boss' Boss and make your own boss look good. Of course you cannot be stealing the limelight from your boss, he is your boss after all.

Lesson 2 : Managing a team
This is one lesson I have been trying to learn since young but it is just so hard to digest. Giving your subordinate welfare is essential to better working relations, but giving them too much welfare is giving yourself torture. As a job of a manager is not to do work of your subordinates, but to manage them and to anticipate problems. The physical job aspect of a manager is minimal, your job is to ensure and plan ahead.

Tough to digest though, but it must be.