Its been a long time since I updated. Life’s been good, no longer a trainee. Went through Crescendo, got comissioned, posted to 38 as a PC.  Made lots of mistakes during my first few weeks, practised a few more times and got better.  My platoon is great, lots of motivated people, very cool bunch of people to hang out with.

I somehow feel that I learn more stuff as an officer than as a cadet. Being a PC isn’t as easy as I thought it was. A PC is like a commander, instructor, co-ordinator and clerk combined into one. I feel like a clerk most of the time ( PC -> Platoon Clerk) because of the endless admin work and planning that has to be done. When I need a break from my work in the office, I’ll just walk around and see what everyone else is doing, thats probably the time when most people think that I have nth better to do. I need a runner (and a  good break )!

I bought an IPod Touch with my first 2LT pay. Its the best purchase I’ve made in 2009. My life’s in it. I’ve never been so organized before. I can even plan a battalion level activity with it. A good tool to jot down notes quickly during meetings. My plans, ideas, thoughts, lists, expenses and schedule, its all in it. Its also my personal entertainment gadget – movies, songs, articles, facebook, games – enough to keep me entertained while I’m in camp. I got it for only $280 (8GB), comes with screen protector, socket charger, silicon protective casing. DAM WORTH IT!

Plans for the next few months?

• Get my guys through their training phase (without any more OOC)
• start planning for my biz
• get a laptop for uni
• pass my driving test (which happens to be on the day im conducting live-firing. )
• get a girlfriend
• go on a holiday =)

The Joy of Solving Problems.

Make Games To Play With Your Girlfriend Or Wife – Games for Her By You.

One of the more interesting sites I came across recently

must watch!!!

Just had my lunch at NP (Ngee Ann Polytechnic) with KS and Sam. Going back to NP brings back lots of campus memories. I had quite a heavy lunch – Chicken Teriyaki Bento and a bowl of peanut ice kacang . Sam drove us back after that.

I knew that I have alot of things to do after lunch. Most of the stuff I do is mentally taxing (design, planning, coding etc.) and I tend to feel groggy after meals. With my bed beside me, I feel tempted to take an afternoon nap before getting back to work. But I knew that it will be harder to pull myself back to my desk after napping.

To dive in and start working on my project right away feels overwhelming and requires alot of determination. Switching my mind from relaxation to serious work takes time.

I know a trick (a life hack, or whatever you call it) to get myself back to work without feeling too stressed or overwhelmed, something I call the “warm-up”. Instead of continuing my work from where I left of before lunch, I would  get started with small and easy bits of work. The work I do for the next 10 to 15 minutes might seem insignificant, but it is still better than procrastinating. The reason why it is so important to just get started is because everything gets easier when I’m in motion, momentum and tempo would slowly build up and I’ll be working on the main bulk of work in no time.

This method also works well when I’m feeling very tired and unmotivated.

I’m watching “Superhero Movie” online right now. Some parts are quite funny. Its a parody of several superhero movies like Spiderman, X-Man, Fantastic 4 etc. The main lead is a superhero called dragonfly.

Went running with my section this morning, learnt lots of stuff from Darius. I decided to note it here in case I forget.

Some mistakes I make while running (pointed out by Darius)

• Arms too high and tensed up, not relaxed. According to Darius, tensing up my arm muscles would waste energy while running.
• Looking down instead of straight. I will be breathing in the CO2 I exhale if I look down while running.
• Landing too hard. Bad for the knees and wastes energy