Play Games For Cash

Recently, I found these websites that allows you to earn money by playing games...sounds attractive huh? The sites are Gamesville, GameBonus and GameAccount.

However, these sites require you to deposit a sum of money before allowing you to actually earn real money. If you only just sign-up and create an account without any deposit, you will only get to practice on the games and not win any real money.

The idea of putting a deposit first really makes it fishy. Will they ask you to deposit more money before you actually get to earn more cash? I am not really sure as I have not deposit my money yet. Moreover, I don't have a credit card or a PayPal account ;)

Well, I do certainly hope that there are websites out there that allows me to earn real money without any credit cards.

Tags: Internet, Money

Buying A Nuclear Bomber In eBay?

I was very surprised when I saw this article from CNN.

The world is getting stranger day by day.

Tags: Internet, Weird

SOC...BAC...2.4

I am back from camp again. This week was quite a slack week actually, except for Thursday where we had SOC (Standard Obstacle Course), BAC (Battle Assault Course) and a 2.4 km run.

We did the SOC in our SBO (Skeletal Battle Order) attire. This consists of our webbing, helmet and rifle. We are required to run a certain distance before actually going through the obstacles itself. For me, I was already very tired after the run. Upon seeing the first obstacle, the low wall, I already felt demoralised. But nevertheless, I still need to clear all the obstacles...or at least try. True enough the low wall was too high for me to clear. Even though there were Sergeants helping me, I still could not clear it. Sad. Then came the next obstacle and the next and the next...there are 11 obstacles in all. After clearing all of them, we are required to run back to the starting point. This really stress your body out. Unfortunately, one of my platoon mates was injured during the exercise and had to be evacuated immediately to the Medical Centre. Apparantly, he had injured his left knee by landing and falling sideways after jumpin down from an obstacle known as the "Ramp". He is now in a much better condition though and is able to walk by himself.

Next...BAC. This was the final segment of our BCCT (Basic Close Combat Training) package. We went to the BAC grounds. There are 11 stations in it. When it was my group's turn, we went behind the starting point and got ready. When the instructor shouted "On Guard!", we went "HYAHH!!" and got ready. The instructor blew the whistle and we ran and took cover using the small wall in front of us. The next whistle came and we charged out of the wall and charged towards a dummy soldier in front of us and executed a series of kicks. Sadly, for my lane, the dummy soldier was too high. So I ended up kicking his legs...(what a joke)...my buddy whose lane is just beside mine, saw it and started to laugh. We are suppose to scream and shout so as to appear aggressive. However, my friend was laughing and did not look fierce at all. As for myself, I was down there kicking the legs of the dummy. We are suppose to kick the sides and head...and not the legs. Anyway, we continued and charged to the next station. We executed a series of leopard crawls and back crawls and one baby walk. Finally, when everything was over, we all had sand and soil in our uniform...trust me it felt disgusting.

We went back, had our lunch and changed to our PT (Physical Training) attire. Next was our 2.4km run. We were all tired from the first two activities and now this. Who said that the Army was relaxing? We dragged our feets to the stadium. When the whistle blows, all of us started to run...and run......and run.........and run............until we reached the end point. Phew...what a tiring day.

Luckily, we were all granted a rest day the next day, which is Friday. This is to allow us to rest for our IPPT (Individual Physical Profiency Test) the next day, which is today - Saturday.

Tags: National Service, Singapore

National Junior College's Prom King and Queen 2004

I was surfing at my school's website and chanced upon this photo. Those were the days where I was still a civilian with my pink Identitty Card.

Anyway...prom night last year was fun. It was on the 8th December 2004. Just 2 days before my enlistment day (sad huh?). My friends and I sure had a lot of fun together. The food was terrific also. The last event was the choosing for the school's Prom King and Queen. It was done by votes.

The two people in the photo are Russell and Lynette, our school's Prom King and Queen.

Tags: School

Pessimistic Posters (What Else Next?)

Found this poster from Despair, Inc. There are motivational posters and now, there are demotivational posters. The world is sure getting weirder and weirder.

Tags: Internet, Weird

Controversial Scholar : Ms Chng Zhenzhi

Ms Chng Zhenzhi has recently made a lot of buzz because of her remarks on Singaporean NSmen.

"Once they enter NS, they complain a lot. I didn't know that guys could talk about the most minute things. Perhaps, they're not used to the physical training or regimentation"

This sentence of hers caused a lot of unhappy Singaporean males to comment critcally on what she had said. There are those who criticised without any form of reservations and thought. While some others shared what they thought with careful considerations and maturity, knowing that Ms Chng is still someone who deserves to be treated with respect albeit her sweeping statement. Then there's the small group of people who try to comment about the whole issue, trying to be mature and learned but obviously aren't. In other words, they are trying to show-off.

Group 1 : The unreserved lot who criticise without reservations and thought

"Wa lau eh...see this girl any-o-how talk about me. Hey! Lin be serve in NS you know...not very easy leh. Everyday chiong sua and sleep late. Then she somemore say what we not used to the physical training and all that. BS lah...she so smart ask her to go and serve lah...I think she will cry in the adjustment period already loh...haha. Still dare to say she scholar...I thought scholar must think before they speak? Haiz...looks like she have made a blunder here. Aiyah...lin be blood sio (hot) liao. Haiz...must go down and lim kopi."

Group 2 : The other mature lot who criticise with careful considerations.

"It is sad that a learned and educated woman such as Ms Chng Zhenzhi would make such a sweeping statement about the men who gave their 2 years to protect the nation including her. I understand that she may have made such a statement under pressure and without much thought during the interview. "To err is human" - we all make mistakes, including Ms Chng. "To forgive is divine" - we should learn to forgive the wrong things that others have said about us. To say that "[we] are not used to the physical training or regimentation" is wrong as most of the Singaporean males have endured through the 2 or 2 1/2 years of NS. Some of them have even choose to sign on with the army. So to say that we are not tough would be not fair. Personally, I feel that she deserves a second chance. Who knows? She may be successful in her career and contribute to the nation with some form of discovery. So we should support her instead of lashing out harmful comments about her.

Ms Chng, wishing you all the best in your future endeavours."

Group 3 : The show-offs

"Haha...tank you tank you. You want my opinion about this matter? Well, personally I feel that America should not attack Iraq as it is not ethical. Huh? You not talking about that ar? Oh ok. But the Iraq war is still related wad. The war is not ethical. But Ms Chng is in the field of bioengineering which has to consider the ethics of the research and maybe things such as the Irag war. Haha...see...I know a lot right?"

Note : The above comments by the 3 groups of people are just some of the comments that I have come across concerning this controversial issue (and yes, the third group is surprisingly out there). I hope that no one will be offended by it. As for my personal opinion...I feel that we should not be too hard on Ms Chng. She has earned her way to be what she is now. Let not her moment of weakness spoil her image as an A*Star Scholar.

Tags: National Service, Scholar, Singapore

Marksmanship

Marksmanship: A man skilled in shooting at a target. (From www.dictionary.com)

It was Thursday, 190505. Everyone was getting ready for SOC (Standard Obstacle Course) training while an individual from Platoon 3 Section 2 prepares to be a marksman. That guy is none other than Stephen. The Company's best shooter was not from Platoon 3 with a score of 30/32. Hence, the hope of Platoon 3 getting the Company's best shooter rest solely on this individual. Knowing the great task at hand, he prepares himself for the live range. Our hero is attached to Orion Company for this great task...

Upon reaching Orion Company, he was attached to Platoon 3 Section4. There he met with nice people. The recruits there like him and were friendly to him (this is of no surprise to our hero). He board the tonner and went to the 100m range.

It was time to zero everyone's rifle. Our hero's Detail was called and he went forth to zero his rifle. However, the officer in charge of his firing lane - lane 4 - said that he need to re-shoot as his rifle was not zeroed yet. Hence he went for the second zeroing exercise.

The second zeroing exercise went well. Our hero looked at his rifle's promithium tip and thought of the task that he had to accomplish - getting Company's best shooter for his platoon. It was not easy nor was it impossible. He will try his best for this event.

When Orion recruit's went for practice shots, it was our hero's test. He didn't have any practice after zeroing his rifle and was already given the test. Will he make it?

He went to his lane, lane 4 (not a very nice number for the Chinese) and got ready for the test.

The Day Shoot had 16 targets. 4 for each position. The first position was "foxhole with support at 100m", second was "proning at 100m", third was "kneeling or squatting at 100m" and last was "standing shoulder at 50m".

As he held his rifle, his heart beat faster as he was nervous. Then suddenly, the target came up. There was only 4 seconds for him to make the shot. For after the 4 seconds the target would go down. He focused onto the target, slowed his breathing rate and fired the trigger...BANG!! The strong scent of burnt carbon came out as the empty shell was ejected out of the chamber. Did he made it? The target immediately went down after the shot. This means that he had hit the target!! Sadly, he missed one of the targets. This meant that he got 15/16 for his day shoot.

When he went back to the resting area, one of the Sergeants from Orion came over and said, "Hey! You want to be a marksman?" Our hero just smiled at him. The other Orion recruits seemed surprised at his score. Even the Mohawk (this is where our hero was from previously) recruits were surprised. Our hero just smiled :)

Then came the Night Shoot. 16 targets in total. 4 targets for each position. The first position is "foxhole with support at 100m", second is "proning at 50m", third is "kneeling or squatting at 50m" and last is "standing shouldet at 50m".

This time he could not afford to make any mistakes. If he didn't miss any in the Night Shoot, he would get a score of 31/32 which is higher than his Company's best shooter who had a score of 30/32. So he focused his eyes on the target...kept his breathing rate slow...and he fired the trigger...BANG!!. It was a hit!! He was so happy. Now for the second shot. He aimed and fired. It MISSED!! ARGH!! Now our hero is on par with the Company's best shooter. He was flustered. But there was no time to think as the target is still in front...waiting to be shot (weird phrase huh?) He fired the third shot. MISSED!! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!. It's the end of our hero, or should I say our recruit. Now his score is 29/32 (assuming that he will get his other 13 shots on target). He waited for some time for him to cool down. After a few seconds, he fired again. It hit. He was encouraged by the fourth shot and continued on with the other 12 shots. He went to the next position...took aim...and fired...BANG!!

In the end, our recruit scored a total of 29/32 without any practice. He board the tonner and went back to Company line. He saw his Platoon Sergeant there and told him his score, disappointed as he could not get Company's best shooter for his platoon. However, his Platoon Sergeant was very encouraging. He said, "29 is actually quite good. Not bad." Our recruit's section mates were also very encouraging, trying to console him.

Before our recruit went back to sleep, he thought, "Maybe it's not that bad at all. Even though I could not get Company's best shooter for oue platoon, at least I am marksman with a score of 29/32." With that our recruit consoled his troubled soul and went to sleep.

Tags: National Service, Singapore

Sit Test (Situational Test) Day 3

The FINAL day of Sit Test!! It also happens to be our Book-out Day!

We proceeded on with more tasks and work to do. Somehow, the weather was much better today. So I was able to last through the whole thing. After everything ended, we went back to our camp site and had our lunch - combat rations. we discussed with our platoon mates on how their Detail fared. Some of them got into very slack Details while others got into enthusiastic ones. Eventually, we finished and went back to Company line in a tonner.

We took the 1730 fastcraft and I went back home with 3 of my platoon mates back home.

Well...Sit Test is finally over...hopefully I won't get Out Of Course (OOC) again.

Tags: National Service, Singapore

Sit Test (Situational Test) Day 2

This is where it all begins.

The recruits in Charlie were given different appointments. Mine was Demolition. There were other appointments such as Signal, Medic, Minefield, Navigator, Claymore and LAW (Light Anti-tank Weapon). My buddy and I went to the Demolition training place and learnt about Demolition. Quite interesting stuff. We were taught on blowing up bridges and structures. After that, we went back to our Detail and shared whatever we had learnt with our fellow team mates.

The we proceeded on to our first mission. The weather was hot and we were all tired. Unfortunately, I had heat exhaustion and was sent back for treatment. At night, we watched another movie "National Treasure". The Viper recruits were shocked. But for us...it was nothing new.

Tags: National Service, Singapore

Sit Test (Situational Test) Day 1

Sit Test - The 3 days that determines whether you go to Officer Cadet School (OCS) or School of Infantry Specialists (SISPEC) or some other vocation.

The day started out with the 12 km road march. This time in Full Battle Order (FBO). This means that we will march in long four instead admin. We had water breaks for every 2 km and resting breaks for every 4 km. Sure was tough but all of us made it eventually.

After reaching the site, we ate combat rations for lunch and assembled into our Details. My Detail was C - Charlie. My team mates were friendly and nice. We built our basha tents and got to know our team mates better. About 13 recruits from Viper Company were attached to us. At night we watched the movie "Hitch". The recruits from Viper could not believe it as their Company is not a welfare company like Scorpion. After the movie, everyone retired to their basha tents after the powder bath ritual.

Tags: National Service, Singapore

Platoon 3, Section 3

Platoon 3, Section 3
By the way, Chinmay is not in this photo.
My section is section 2. However, my section photos are not ready yet.

Tags: National Service, Singapore

Platoon 3 Before BIC

Platoon 3

Tags: National Service, Singapore

Platoon 3 At Permatang

First platoon photo.
Section 3 is proning, Section 2 is kneeling and Section 4 is standing.

Tags: National Service, Singapore

7 Days Of Field Camp (Day 7)

The last day of field camp!! Book-out day!!

We covered our shellscrapes and packed our stuff. Had our combat rations for bereakfast and went marched with our SBO and rifle to the Battle Inoculation Course (BIC).

At BIC, we were suppose to execute a series of leopard crawls and back crawls under live fire from a machine gunner.

We were briefed on the procedures and told to wear our ear plugs as the firing is loud.

Then my detail (Detail 6) went on to the trench - the start of the whole thing. I was quite nervous and excited at the same time. Suddenly, it's our turn. The gunfire seemed louder and I went to my lane - Lane 7.

The Sergeant in-charge gave us the signal and we went staright ahead. I pulled myself up the trench and leopard crawled all the away until the low wires in front of me. The gunfire somehow seemed distant as I was busy crawling. I did a back crawl all the way under the low wires until I reach the open where I continued to leopard crawl. This series of events repeated itself until I reached the trench in front. Guess what...I was first. I couldn't believe it at first...but I was first...lol. Anyway...it was not the end of it yet. At the trench, I threw a grenade towards the target in front of me (btw...both grenade and target are dummies...haha). After that, I charged at the target and shouted at the top of my lungs. Wow...was that tiring.

After all of that, we washed up and listened to CO's talk.

We then marched back to company line where we cleaned our rifles from all the sand accumulated.

We cleaned our bunks...packed our stuff...and went back home!!

Book-out book-out book-out day ah!!

Tags: National Service, Singapore

7 Days Of Field Camp (Day 2 To Day 6)

The following days of field camp is more or less the same. There are "chiong sua" sessions such as drills, marches and movement by day and night. We also got to bath at night (I think it's 3 or 4 times through the whole 7 days). Then there was this day (Day 4 I think) where we watched a movie at night! I was like "HUH!?". Then they said that they let us see a movie as the following day will be very "xiong" (tough). Anyway...the show we watched was "We Were Soldiers". What can you expect from a field camp movie? Well...I was expecting some other shows such as "Finding Nemo" or "Power Rangers The Movie" or maybe even "Prince Of Egypt".

We had drills such as Arti Drill, Sniper Drill, Fire and Movement Drill...etc. We also learnt on how to make a range card, scanning of the environment...blah vlah flah.

On Day 6, we built trenches and our shellscrapes (I think it's spelt like that). But Yao Cheng and me were excused as we had fever for quite a few days already...three days to be exact. In the end, we slept on our ground sheet...not very comfortable though. However, one of my platoon mate, Alex K, had an unfortunate incident in his shellscrape. He was sleeping when suddenly Zhao Yan stepped on his chest! (It was dark and we weren't allowed to use the torch...I think they should allow torches to be used to prevent such things from happening.) Both Alex and Zhao Yan screamed while I was just stunned there. Then Zhao Yan went back to get his ground sheet as he forgot to bring it with him. When he came back, he almost stepped on Alex's head!! And I was like "Hey!! Stop!!" and Zhao Yan was like "OMG!!" and Alex was like "ZZZZZZZZ".

Tags: National Service, Singapore

7 Days Of Field Camp (Day 1)

Hey! I am finally back from the field camp in Tekong. Sure was a fun experience.

Day 1

We marched a total of 8 km in our vest slack attire with our Skeletal Battle Order (SBO) and AR 15. We marched on to our first camp site and set up our basha tents. After doing that, we built a drain system around our individual bashas in case of a rain. The digging was tough as the soil was quite hard. Soon most of our hands had blisters on them. The rifles on our back would occasionally drop to our front as we dig. So some of us placed our rifles beside us while we continued to dig. However, some of the unfortunate recruits had their rifles stolen by their instructors. This made them panic as they know that they would soon have to do guard duty.

We had our combat rations on our first day. Personally, I find that they taste quite ok. Some commented that the rations tasted like vomit while others said that they tasted better than normal food. Well, I guess different people have different opinions.

At night, we had our powder bath. We were also told to maintain light and noise discipline so that our movements and location would not be given out. After that, we went to sleep in our basha tents...the cold hard soil under us sure was uncomfortable. The thought of creepy crawlies walking towards you while you are asleep didn't help much.

Tags: National Service, Singapore