A Summary for 2011

2011 came and is about to end. It was an exciting year as before as I went through lots of changes in life. Let's have a basic summary of my year so far.

For the start of the year, I welcomed it by celebrating it with colleagues from Toll Logistics (Asia) Limited which was my company for my internship placement. It was in January that I started planning for my epic Great Asia Trip like buying air tickets and booking of accommodation. In February, I ended my internship and my 6 months of holiday started. I also managed to celebrate my first ever Valentine's Day with my valentine. :)

Here comes March and I set off for an epic Great Asia Trip with friends from far away countries, United Kingdom and Australia. That also marked my first time in First Class, on Emirates Airline, Firefly, Boeing 777-200, ATR 72-500, Airbus A380-800 and in the United Arab Emirates. It was one of the most epic trips I have ever gone to and definitely one of the most enjoyable trips in my lifetime.

It was a pretty quiet month in April and it involves me staying home on Flight Simulator or just picking her up from work. However, it was near the end of the month that I decided to pay a visit back to my hometown in Shantou and hence I managed to fly in May. It was also an exciting trip whereby I flew the world's only direct flight between Singapore and Shantou, my first flight on the Boeing 737-300 and my first time on Singapore Airlines Business Class. That trip also marked my last time flying out of Shantou Waisha Airport as it has since been replaced with Jieyang Chaoshan Airport.

Fast forward to August when I was enlisted into National Service, a rite of passage for every Singaporean son. It was through NS that I saw people from all walks of life and how they behave. Some of them can be very selfish while some insensitive. However, some of them can be very nice to whoever they are dealing with. Also, I managed to lose 27kg in my Basic Military Training which is a great achievement for me.

Although 2011 was not perfect, it was a great year too. Wish 2012 to be a better one!

Reflections

It's been almost 3 months since I've been a full time National Serviceman. In other words, I have lost my freedom for 3 months. These 3 months have been full of ups and downs. My weight, as most of you would have known it, has gone down significantly.

As you can see, I started out at 119kg down to 99kg now. It's great news that I managed to get my weight below 100kg once again, something I never thought would happen again. All the running and exercises definitely helped a lot!

This coming week, I will be going for what would be the most torturous, challenging and grueling event in my whole life, the Field Camp. It is not good news when these 2 words appear adjacent to each other. It is the toughest challenge one can have in BMT. 

Just a little more than a week we had our Individual Field Craft lesson which focuses on training us for Field Camp by teaching us how to put on camouflage, fire movement, building basha tents and various other stuffs that we will be doing. This shows how much of an emphasis is done to make sure we can execute our stuffs properly during Field Camp. Field Camp is also when we get to see people's real personalities. When you are worn out and tired, you show your real personality like how irritated you can become when people speak to you or your willingness to help people even though being already tired yourself.

Besides that, discipline in Field Camp will also be the utmost importance. We have to constantly remind ourselves to move fast but in a tactical way, i.e. relaying the message down to our fellow friends and in a quiet manner.

No matter what, I hope it will all go well for us and also the upcoming SITtest which I am also not looking forward to. I once had a brief thought of entering command school but all these training has made me want to forgo the chance. I'd rather live a simple life, but can I?

See you guys when I get out on 2nd December, hopefully I survive.

Last Day of Civilian Life

22nd August, 2011. It is 1 day before my enlistment. From tomorrow, 23rd August 2011 onwards, I will cease being a civilian and will be (forcefully) enlisted into the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Of course, I have disliked the military since young and would not want to have anything to do with it. Being a Singaporean Son, we have no choice but to serve the country and taking a minimal allowance every month.

I have to report at 9am to Pasir Ris Bus Interchange and that will be the last I will be seeing civilisation for the week. Thankfully, I will be able to book out on 29th August (hopefully) due to Hari Raya Puasa. I will now do a comparison table of my thoughts before and after living in the dreaded island.

Edited as of 30 August 2011

BEFORE: Army officers will all treat you like shit.

AFTER: They respect us and treat us good if we do our stuffs right.

BEFORE: Pulau Tekong is said to be extremely haunted.

AFTER: No abnormal situations.

BEFORE: You get forced to run even though you can't continue on.

AFTER: We were encouraged to run and it was ok even though we could not continue.

BEFORE: The training inside will be extremely tough.

AFTER: It is tough but still acceptable.

BEFORE: You don't get enough rest at all.

AFTER: 7 hours of sleep is still insufficient for me but I have to bear with it.

A Great Day

Had a sleepless night last night because I was worried about a surprise I was planning. Delivery of a flower memo to her office. I am not the one delivering but is very worried about whether it has reached the office. After some hiccups and such later, it finally got into her hands. So relieved!

Went out at around 6pm to surprise her for the 2nd time at the office. Bought Green Tea Frappucino from Starbucks for her since it's one of her favourite drinks. Apparently she was quite surprised too! However, I got a bad shock as I was climbing the stairs up to her office and the wire got caught on to the staircase railing. The whole of the right side got pulled out along with the wire. RIP, Sennheiser headset! :(

Dinner was at Cuppage Terrace and had ramen, very nice! =D

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Only 7 days left. How time flies. When I received the dreaded letter it was 75 days away and now it's down to single digit, just a week left. Wonder how am I gonna cope with it. Hating it more day by day. 

Inception

There has got to be a time whereby you have a dream out of the ordinary. It can be a wonderful dream or a scary dream. Unfortunately, it was the latter for me. "Dream within a dream" happens occasionally but it has happened twice to me.

It goes on something like you dream normally and you enter another "dream". For me, the scene was on 23rd August 2011, the day I am never looking forward to. I was at the SAF Boat Jetty preparing for my scary journey to Pulau Tekong. Probably due to the close proximity of the airport, I managed to dream of a Singapore Airlines Airbus A300 (which has long gone into history) with the tropical livery (which has never been on any SQ A300s, only Boeing 747-400s). I even remember the registration as 9V-SBB, which happens to be one of Silkair's Airbus A319-100. As the dream continued, I was ushered into a waiting room which looked alike to a Muslim mosque with the sign "men only" at the entrance. Several minutes later, I was called to board the ship. At this moment, I knew it was a dream. I remember so clearly that I have 2 more weeks till enlistment but why am I boarding the ship now? I tried to wake myself from the dream no matter what, this cannot be true.

As I woke up from my second dream, I had memories myself in my first dream going on Facebook and checking airplane websites for the registration 9V-SBB, only to turn out to be a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-200 which has also long gone from the fleet.

This is one of the scariest dream of my life. It is something I never wanted to go through in my life. National Service is putting emotional and mental stress on me even before I enlist, what is going to happen when I go in? I might just become a lunatic when I am deprived of freedom and dignity. I must had been a bad person in my previous life to have to go through such a torture in my current life.

National Day

Happy Birthday Singapore! It's 9th of August again, which marks another year old for Singapore. Singapore has progressed much from independence in 1965.

However, National Day this year feels different. I still feel patriotic, but not as much as previous years. Probably it's due to all the political movement going on. This year marks a very important year in Singapore's history. The GE2011 was a watershed one and it is gonna be an interesting PE2011. What are the results? Sigh, probably voting is not even needed.

A wonderful National Day comic :)

A Short Update

It's been more than a month since I blogged. Sometimes I wonder, why am I blogging so little nowadays? I used to love blogging and done it everyday so as to record down the good or sometimes bad memories in my everyday life.

Life has been going well so far. Being 24th July today, it means that I have less than a month to go for the dreaded National Service. Singapore is one of the very few countries with compulsory NS, I guess I must be too "lucky" to have been a Singaporean since military is definitely not my cup of tea.

Been going out quite often lately, making full use of my remaining days of freedom before it gets taken away for 2 years. I really wonder how I am going to survive in a fully controlled, dominating environment that sometimes leaves you with no dignity to speak of. Basically, you listen to whatever you are told and do whatever you are told to do. In short, it's like a robot being controlled by its owner with no chance of rebelling.

The time is creeping nearer, the tension is getting stronger. Of course, I am still unwilling to serve in the military. I shall only say that I am doing this only because I am being forced to. If given a choice, I would not have chosen anything to do with the military.

A Dreaded Post

The dreaded letter has finally come. The date is 23rd August 2011. Guess what? 75 days to go. Goodbye world.

So Far, So Good

It's been almost 4 months since I ended my internship and officially left with nothing to do at all till the dreaded National Service. 4 months passed swiftly and it's already June now. I have to say, lots has changed in the 4 months of holiday I had. Firstly, I headed over to 4 countries (Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, United Arab Emirates) during my Great Asia Trip. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself during the trip although there were some unhappiness during the trip. I had the chance to experience different airlines and aircraft plus visiting a new countries (UAE).

After staying on a ground for a little more than 1 month, I had the chance to fly back to China to visit my relatives again. I can say I've been flying so much that flying is just normal for me now and I did not feel much when flying. However, I still do enjoy flying as a whole and cannot live a day without it. In China, I got to see my grandniece for the first time after she was born. She's really cute and adorable although she is not very familiar with me yet. My stay in Guangzhou and Shenzhen was also enjoyable. Sadly, I stay thousands of kilometers away from my relatives or I could have gone back more often.

After a hiatus of 4 months, I am finally gonna work again albeit only for 4 days. Wonder how much can I earn in this short period of time? Let's see.

My Days in Shantou

It all started on a fine night on the last week of April. Having just came back from my Great Asia Trip for around  a month, the withdrawal syndromes of not getting onto a plane has gotten into me. This struck me, "Should I fly back to China one last time before going into NS?" I could have very well done Singapore to Kuala Lumpur return on AirAsia for just S$59, inclusive of taxes. However, that also means a flight too short to enjoy it.

It could have been my luck as I stumbled upon Tiger Airways' website and saw a real bargain for Singapore to Shenzhen return at S$219 all inclusive and it should cost me around S$260 inclusive of the seat selection and such. When I finally convinced my father, I decided that it would be better for me to fly Singapore-Shantou-Guangzhou-Singapore to utilise Singapore Airlines. More on that later.

Several calls and clicks later, my itinerary was finally settled. I will be staying in Shantou for 10 days before moving on to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and finally flying back from Guangzhou. I have set my date of departure as 4th May 2011, Wednesday. At around 10.30am in the morning on that day, I lugged on my heavy luggage and went on my way to Singapore Changi Airport for my flight to Shantou. The flight was smooth and soon I landed in Shantou with a temperature of 20 degrees celcius, cool and refreshing way to start the trip!

Shantou and Singapore are 2 different worlds. Once you arrive, you feel like you are in the 1990s instead of 2011. The very first piece of evidence would be the airport that looks very simple with only 7 gates equipped with jetways and a single baggage carousel for domestic and international flights respectively. As you travel on the roads of Shantou, you can't help but to notice that there is a distinct difference here and the nearest major city, Guangzhou. The traffic is very messy with honking all day round and cars travelling in opposite directions of the road instead of staying in their own lane. Furthermore, the roads here have no road marking - Simple concrete and you determine where you should be. There are also lots of portholes on the ground and people crossing the road from all directions which simply adds some challenge to the driving here.

If you are from Singapore like me, be prepared for a culture shock when you arrive. You might think that you are fluent in Teochew or Hokkien but when you arrive, you will notice that they have completely different accents from what we are used to there and they speak like a rocket. Having visited here the last 2 years and being my 3rd consecutive year here, I am still unable to get what the locals here are trying to say with the exception of my relatives. As I arrived into my usual adobe, I was greeted by a wide mattress placed on the floor next to a double bed at the room right opposite the Master's Bedroom which will be my home for the next 10 days. This is not my usual bed but as my usual bed is occupied, I have to make do with this.

Another distinct difference you notice is that there is a switch which writes "pump work" beside each water source, be it in the kitchen, laundry room or in the toilets. This is because at times there is not enough pressure for the water to reach the tap and you have to turn the switch on for water to flow. However, be aware that the tap might behave weirdly like a child trying to cough out phlegm. Even after you get the water flowing, be prepared that the water pressure is not as strong as what we are used to in modern cities.

If you are not someone that is used to proportions, be prepared for a "fun" time when showering. There are a total of 3 knobs on the gas operated water heater in the bathroom. The first switch is for adjusting the intensity of the fire in the water heater. There is a small hole that you can peep into to watch the fire as you adjust it. The second switch alternates between "winter" and "summer" modes whereby you get warm water when you switch to "winter" mode and you get cold water when you switch it to "summer" mode. The last knob controls the water temperature that comes out of the showerhead, either hot or cold. Why do I say that you need to be someone that is good at proportions? Even after adjusting all the knobs to my liking, the water came out was steaming hot. You can literally see the steam coming out of it. Since it is summer time, I turned all 3 knobs to "small", "summer" and "cold" respectively. This gave me comfortable showers all the time.

However, there is still another problem. No, the water is not yellow in colour. However, you can feel your body is soapy even after washing off the soap from your body and even after several washes it does not change. Basically there is nothing much you can do besides wiping your body dry and the feeling is gone.

You might be asking, how do I survive here without internet? True enough, without internet you will not be reading this post. Internet is readily available in most homes in China now but it is still censored like you cannot access Facebook, YouTube and Twitter here. The only way to access them is to get a VPN or routing software to get you past the system. The internet here is much cheaper than in Singapore but also much slower. I am now using a 2MB internet shared among 2 computers while at home I get 15MB (sometimes it can go up to 22) shared among 3 or 4 computers. Despite having used 1.5MB internet before, the speed is still amazingly slow here.

With 5 more days of slow internet to endure and all the other different stuffs in Singapore, I hope I can survive. 

Something Gone Wrong?

Sigh, looking back at my 2008 photos again. Didn't know I could look so much better in those days! Something must have gone wrong to let me lose so much weight or something gone wrong that my weight went back up again. Looked so much better with the clothes I had last time compared to the boring clothes now. Argh! Probably the only time I can look like that again would be after NS and I'll have to maintain my look. Start now? Sure. Back to the routine of eating half my normal portion or even lesser. No snacking, no fast food, cut down on greasy and oily stuffs and do some running. Sounds easy ain't it? Need to find the determination to do so, but where to? *sigh*

How I looked like in 2008

Great Asia Trip 2011

I'm finally back from Great Asia Trip! It had been a wonderful journey throughout Asia. Still finding it hard to believe that it actually happened! Days just zoomed past so quickly without you even noticing. A quick summary of what I did in various cities. 

Kuala Lumpur

Stayed at Novotel Kuala Lumpur for 4 nights. The hotel itself is ok and the price is good. Breakfast was awesome! It has a great spread of stuffs like bacon, cheese, sausages.. Whatever you can dream of a perfect breakfast. Pavillion shopping just nearby, but nothing much to shop. 5 days is sort of too long in KL for me, but thankfully managed to pull through!

Hong Kong

Reason for visiting Hong Kong was to fly Emirates First Class. If it flew to somewhere else I'm sure our destination would have been switched. A short and pleasant 3 day tour here was great and very fun. =)

Dubai

Dubai is a very expensive city. The hotel alone costs S$250 per night! Don't think of coming here if you don't have a lot of dough to spend... Toured around the East Coast of the Emirates which cost like S$70 for the whole day. However, it definitely takes you to places that you cannot access by yourself unless you've got a car and know how to go around.

Bangkok

The best part of the trip, what else can I say? Apart from some minor screw ups, the Bangkok segment was near perfection. All 3 hotels I stayed in were great and has a reasonable price. Didn't know cheap and good hotels still exist! Room service in Bangkok is cheap too. Shopping in Bangkok should be the most fun and apparently most Thais think that I look like a mix of Chinese and Thai and I can really SPEAK like a Thai O.o. I should take up some Thai language lessons soon, I guess? 

This trip is definitely one of the most memorable trips I ever took!

减肥

While clearing my wardrobe in preparation for my packing for Great Asia Trip, the most saddening fact has hit me - I have gained so much weight that even my buttocks are unable to fit into those wonderful jeans I had last time. The jeans are wonderful with lots of patterns and colours that I love even till today. I used to look great in them but now I cannot even fit in them! 感触良多.

How did I lose from 105kg to 83kg and drop 10 inches of my waistline back in 2007 to 2008? I started eating just half of my usual intake, not taking fast food but I did not do much exercise. That's quite a wonderful way to lose weight, isn't it? Considering that I am not a very sporty person, I could try eating lesser again to combat my weight gain. I have hit the top of my weight at 115kg this time round. How much more am I going to gain? I don't know. I imagine myself back to my old self, slimming down and wearing back those beautiful clothes and wonderful jeans again! How long will it take? 1 year? I'm not sure. The most dreaded phase of my life is coming - National Service. A very definite way to lose weight and probably I might even drop to below 80kg after that due to strenuous training inside.

That was how I looked at my best. Will I get back to it? Hopefully. 

March

It's March again! March seems to be the hot season for my travels. Going on a Great Asia Trip from March 12 to March 26. Can't wait for it! Been a long time since I blogged. What have I been up to lately?

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The Chinese New Year has passed by swiftly. It's surprising how time passes by so fast! Just exactly 1 month ago it was the first day of Chinese New Year. Another point to note is that I have finally ended my attachment! It is great to stay home and slack for the whole day and wake up at 12pm every day. Enjoying my well deserved rest period after working non stop for 5 months! A tough journey indeed. Now I'm missing the work there! However, will definitely won't miss the times when I had to wake up early in the morning and feeling like a zombie to go to work. Thinking back, it's already been almost a month since I ended work. Talk about time flies...

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Went to East Coast Park with her on Tuesday to teach her how to cycle. Reached Tanjong Pagar at 1.35pm but she told me she was still in the interview. Therefore, I sat at the MRT platform to wait for her. When time was reaching 2pm, I think my time for the MRT will be up so I exited the MRT and waited for her at the Control Station while watching my show on my Samsung Galaxy Tab. Finally after 1.5 hours of waiting, she came in my sight. =) Went to Kallang MRT and took bus 31 to ECP. Alighted and tried walking to the park.

We were given the wrong directions and went the wrong way. Argh~ Have to u-turn and walk the other way. At around 4.30pm we finally reached ECP and rented a bike from 5-7. At first we rented a small bike to teach her how to cycle but apparently it turned out quite a disaster. =X At least she was able to balance by herself for at least 10 seconds. Hehe. At around 5.40pm we decided to change to the double bike. Thinking it was quite fun, we decided to cycle to Changi. On the way there, I spotted an Airbus A320-200 and the tail looked like it was from South African Airways which don't even fly to Singapore. Getting excited, I cycled faster and faster and in the end the chain came out. OOPS! Spent at least 40 minutes trying to fix it but to no avail but thankfully a group of bikers helped us! Was looking out for any professional bikers that can render their help.

Not having much time left, we went to wash our hands which was ultra dirty and returned the bike followed by going to take bus 36 to Changi Airport. My favourite place in Singapore. Hehe! Reached Terminal 3 and decided to eat at Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe. I'm falling in love with Hong Kong food and definitely cannot wait to reach there and yum cha everyday! I had the wanton and char siew noodle while she had the chicken baked rice. We also ordered har kow, fried wanton and guo tie to go with our meal. Overall, it was a satisfying meal! Totally tired out after the whole day, but it was fun!

新年快乐！

It's Chinese New Year again! This should be one of the best CNY ever, spending it with her. Let's go through the events!

On the eve of New Year's Eve, went with her to meet her father at Clementi Mall Macdonalds for a small talk followed by having our dinner-for-two at Ramenten. The food there is not fantastic and nothing to write home about but still enough to fill your stomach. A meal there is also not cheap - both of us spent S$52 on the meal itself. I guess I'm going broke very soon. =X

New Year's Eve was started with work (which turned out to be quite relaxing) till 1pm and headed straight home for Reunion Dinner. Since a few years ago, I am in charge of most of the preparations of the Reunion Dinner which is very fun! Cutting the ingredients, putting them into bowls, preparing the stock for steamboat etc etc... I can improve my cutting skills every year! Drank some pure Chivas but it did not turn out very good and I turned a little bit tipsy at the beginning of the dinner but thankfully I managed to recover and drank Baileys instead. The night concluded with some more chatting on msn with her and sleeping at around 3am.

大年初一 I woke up at around 11.30am and ate some beehoon and leftovers from last night's steamboat. It seems to be the case every year! I can say that the leftovers from steamboat does not taste very good. =/ Went out for 拜年 and it seems like the only day that I go visiting is the first day. Got lots of angbao today. Largest angbao from my dad, S$120! Second will of course be from my mum, S$100! Others ranged from S$4 to S$40. Halfway through the second house went out for a chat with her on the phone. Missing her dam lots since Tuesday and it seem like the next time we will be meeting is next Tuesday for alumni practice. Went to jie's house to sit sit also and tried booking my Emirates ticket from her computer. The system keeps giving me problems and in the end I had to make a 30 minute phone call to their call centre to get it settled. I shan't go into details about it. However, I can say that 正月初一起死人 about the booking. I am a First Class passenger and this is happening, what happens if I am in Economy Class?

Here comes the second day of CNY and I have already decided to stay home for the whole day to slack and recharge my batteries. She asked me if I wanted to meet her at Vivo to slack and immediately I agreed. Met her and off we go into Vivocity! Walked around like 2 headless chickens not knowing where to go until we finally settled down in Starbucks. Took out my laptop and we had a look at all the 85 photos we got tagged together in Facebook and laughing at those funny ones. Seems like almost all the photos are from the DXF. Heh. =) Waited for bus 30 at the bus stop and I can say it was hell in there since it was super crowded and people were smoking right next to the bus stop! The bus was a pity single deck old fashioned bus and of course it was packed like sardines. Even the bus captain said the bus was overloaded! Imagine how many people were there in the bus! had a hard time moving from the front to the back of the bus throughout the ride and when we moved to the back, it was already time to alight! There was also this woman that refuses to move in and is standing at the exit row seats hugging the pole so tightly that it might run away if she lets go. Can't you just move your big butt in? I intentionally knocked my butt to unbalance her! Slacked at the bench below her house after arriving at her house and noticing that we actually overshot a stop. Parted our ways and now waiting for next Tuesday to see her again. =)

Since it's CNY, how can we do without CNY songs? Here are 3 songs from the Malaysian channel, Astro, CNY album named as 天天好福气.

The Comeback

It seems like I am too attached to this blog to let it go. I just can't seem to get any feelings when I am blogging using LiveJournal. Therefore, I am proud to announce that this blog is up and running again!

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It had been a gruesome month for me. Very eventful especially at work. The most notable event would be getting told to extend my internship for the number of days of leave I took. 11 days of leave in total means that I need to work till 12 Feb, and working on both Saturdays. Not something I'd want to do as I could have ended my internship now. If the measure was explained explicitly to us, I guess I wouldn't have taken so many leave at all. It's a torture working. Right now, I'll have 69 hours to go for my working hours. The number should have been ZERO. I guess after this I'll never be stepping into any logistics related job ever.

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It is when I got to know this wonderful girl in my life that I knew what the word love meant. As the saying goes, there is a woman behind every successful man. When I complete my internship, she will be the woman behind me that gave me the strength to continue my internship. 23 December 2010, the day we got together. It is when miracles are created. Who would have expected that someone not so attractive will get a girlfriend faster than anyone else? I really enjoy the times we had together in Starbucks, Fish & Co, Yuki Yaki, The Cafe Cartel, Coffee Bean and Golden Village. Ultimately, I hope we can complete our goal of accessing all 66 Starbucks outlet in Singapore, or make that 68! =)

Thanks for being by my side when I needed emotional support.

Thanks for creating those little surprises when I am feeling down.

Thanks for sparing a thought for my pocket when we go out.

Thanks for letting me have a chance to hold your hand.

 Lee Hui Ling Daphne, I love you. =)

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This coming March, I will be embarking on an adventure of a lifetime - my Great Asia Trip from 12th March to 24th March 2011. Itinerary as follows...

March 12

Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

Solitaire Coach

March 16

Kuala Lumpur (Subang) Airport to Singapore Changi Airport

Firefly / FY3515

ATR 72

8A / Economy

March 16

Singapore Changi Airport to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

Thai Airways International / TG410

Boeing 747-400

14K / Business

March 17

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to Hong Kong International Airport

Emirates / EK384

Airbus A380-800

3A / First Class Suites

March 19

Hong Kong International Airport to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

Emirates / EK385

Airbus A380-800

Unknown seat / Business

March 20

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to Dubai International Airport

Thai Airways International / TG517

Boeing 777-200

14A / Business

March 23

Dubai International Airport to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

Thai Airways International / TG518

Boeing 777-200

12K / Business

March 24

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to Singapore Changi Airport

Thai Airways International / TG413

Airbus A340-600

19A / Business

That's all for my itinerary for international transportation. As you can see, all of the flights are in First / Business Class except for the Firefly flight and Solitaire coach which is similar to First Class.

This trip also marks several firsts for me in aviation.

- First time on an Airbus A380-800

- First time on a Boeing 777-200

- First time on an ATR 72

- First time visiting the United Arab Emirates

- First time flying First Class

- First time having 3 transit in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

- First time having so many flights to take

- First time having a flight more than 5 hours long

- First time flying on a Boeing 747 upper deck

That's all folks. Cya!

Happy 2011!

2010 has come and past. It has been both a good and bad year with lots of highlights as well as downs. Let's go through a swift rewind of the year 2010...

January 2010

This is the month that I managed to get my iPhone 3GS and had my I&E Project. Nothing much to talk about my phone, but we actually got scammed for our I&E and used soda biscuits for an emergency backup plan! 

February 2010

Chinese New Year - Got lots of angbaos as usual, although it has decreased from the time when I was young. HI! Club Closing Ceremony on 5th Feb, signed It's My Life - Bon Jovi. On 6th Feb, went to the Singapore Airshow, a must for all aviation enthusiasts!

March 2010

Booked my first Business Class flight and China Domestic Flight. A crazy 6 flights in 2 weeks, what I really love! =) Went for the Pirate's Camp and signed Beast of Pirate's Bay - Voltaire. Apparently I talked to her without even me knowing! :p

April 2010

HI-O, it was a wonderful event! Was watching Star Awards 2010 when I got to know that the instructor email has been sent out but I did not receive it. Was very sad but actually found out that they left out my name. Boo, left out the wrong person, almost broke my heart! =X Alas, that begins the journey of becoming a HI! Club Instructor...

May 2010

Performed at HI! Club Opening Ceremony for the first time ever. Song was Mambo No. 5 - Lou Bega. Intermediate lessons started. Got to know her better through the lessons. =) DXF was formed on 29th May 2010! Also, gave up on the previous girl after so long.

June 2010

Finally got onto a London Cab after so long, it was incredibly spacious inside! Also, embarked on my first Business Class flight booked in March. Visited Shanghai for the first time ever, it was a wonderful city! Also managed to pay Shantou a visit. Got to know a great a.netter who has now turned into a Brother from another Mother. Looking forward to our trip!

July 2010

19th Birthday - Cooking at home as celebration. Up to 80+ wishes on Facebook which I deeply appreciate it. HI! Club Closing Ceremony on 30th July 2010, performed We're Dancing - PYT, Telephone - Lady Gaga, Hush Hush I Will Survive - Pussycat Dolls and reflected for my class Top of the World - The Carpenters. My busiest closing ceremony so far, and should be the only one I will be so busy.

August 2010

Kuala Lumpur and Genting Trip 13th - 16th August. Got to know her better throughout the trip. I was asked who I like but I replied that I am still confirming my feelings for that girl. Was asked who I like during Indian Poker, I was asked who I like. I was tempted to reply her but at that time I was unable to confirm my feelings. Still having feelings for the previous her, I replied about stuffs related to the previous her. Not really lying, I guess. I got asked another question - Who in the DaXiao Family do you think is the most compatible with you? I was also tempted to reply her but instead I replied no one for the same reasons as above. She replied no one too, made me wonder if her answer was also me? Hmm... Apparently we get together very well throughout the trip.

DXF Picnic on 25th August 2010 - Confidence dropped greatly when the Fried Rice I was supposed to make turned out like sh*t. Used Fried Noodles as a last resort but did not turn out really well. Probably better luck next time.

September 2010

Began attachment at Toll Logistics (Asia) Limited. That's when a very no-life lifestyle began for me. Work, rest, work, rest. No energy to out. Was really lethargic in the first few weeks as I was still getting used to the schedule. Began messaging her everyday and she gave me the comfort and emotional support I needed to go on my attachment. She revealed to me that she likes someone - Made me wondering if it was me and I really hoped it was. =X 

October 2010

Having withdrawal symptoms of not going onto a plane for too long, therefore booked on a day trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. First time taking AirAsia and was mesmerized by them. She picked me up from the airport and fed me cookies for the first time. It felt great. ^.^

November 2010

She confessed to me on 20 November 12:35:00. That began the process of preparing myself mentally for a relationship. I was afraid I couldn't commit.

December 2010

DXF Gift Exchange on 20 December. She gave me a Doraemon and I gave her a cup with I love you on it. We officially became together on 23 December 2010, 11.11am London time. =D Went for a countdown with colleagues and the fireworks were wonderful!

That concludes my 2010 and the end of this blog. Will be switching to LiveJournal from now onwards. Goodbye initious.blogspot.com and thank you.