diVine shadOw :: saVe mE fRom tHe darKnesS..

Saturday, December 25, 2004

christmas is drawing to a close and throughout the day, undoubtedly, kids around the world would have made their wishes, and everything and hope with all their might that the heavens would be kind enough to fufill them... normal stuff rite?.. well, i'm no exception.. i made my wish so many times it would take an eternity for God to count them (not that He doesn't have the time...) but for the part where i hope with all my might that it'll come true, yeah... it won't come true... i know it.. you see, these few days.. or actually since a couple of months ago, i've started to put my hands together, wishing only for one thing and it goes like this:

" to whom it may concern, this is eric wong, making a wish that he shall not, under any circumstance have to attend the National Service that he so hates, despises, loaths, disgusts, detests, abominates (i could go on for a long long time describing my hatred... hehehe)... "

NATIONAL SERVICE

i don't remember where i was at that time.. but i was on a holiday when the list that contained the 80,000 or so names of the lucky trainees were announced... honestly speaking... i really really thought i wouldn't be picked... i really innocently thought in my brain that you won't be that lucky-wan... no need to be scared la... its ok... don't tell me that out of half a million or so 17 year olds, you would have lady luck shining upon your name when the computer starts choosing the list..." i even went to the extent of using my knowledge of additional maths to count the likelihood of me getting a spot on the government's list of 'not patriotic enough, not physically healthy enough, and not helpful enough to the community' 17 year olds that we have to endure the 3 month ...(in my opinion)... DEATH CAMP... 3 whole months!!! i mean, that sums up to 92 days of sleep deprivation as well as 2208 hours of the impending lectures and not to mention training... (it also includes my soon to be reduced period of sleep... *grumble*...)

i could really do so much without this national service... more than now i suppose... i'm getting bored of the holidays... its only been like 24 odd days since i began this studyless life and yet, now i'm beginning to find it increasingly difficult to get new activities to pursue.. i know whats on you mind now... you must be thinking... so what the hell has it to do with your involvement in Un-rational Service? well, for starters, i wouldn't have to wait till march to begin my 'call of duty'.. and i can start college in january, rather than wait for the second intake wasting half a year... and i might add, i want to start college so early 'cause i really haven't anything to do and i *sigh* miss studying... i can't believe i just said that...

you know what.. its not like i haven't heard the great comments about national service... its just that i don't care whether its going to be fun, i don't care whether its going to be life-enriching, i don't care that i'm going to receive a mere RM300 for my troubles, i don't care that i will be able to participate in a 'national unity' programme and most of all, i just don't freaking CARE! what i really think is that national service should be made a non-obligatory thing... and this idea is fortified by the fact that there are plenty of ppl who are requesting to join the programme... why don't the government take into consideration the people who have more things to do than run and train under the sun? for instance.. ME!!! God, there are so so many things that i can say to make my thoughts justified on this matter... but maybe i just can't think of them at the moment... you have to understand that there are, like, too many to remember... WHY ME??? darn... if the government wants this to be forced upon whoever they choose... at the least, provide good amenitiesto the participants... why, let's list out the bad issues that have plagued the programme...

beds, or more appropriate, mattresses - i've heard from friends that newly built camps only have mattresses to sleep on... guess what time they have to go to dreamland? at 11pm. fair enough. what time do they have to come out of dreamland? 5am. OUTRAGEOUS i tell you... how do you expect the trainees to have a decent night's sleep with just a thin mattress to rest their physically and mentally tired bodies?
food, if you can call it food - food sucks at that place. i understand that mass-produced food can't be up to the proper standard, but oh God, let it at least please the tastebuds... i mean, after or before a hard days work, trainees have to be like properly nourished... right?... there also had been reports that the camp operators taking some of the cash allocated from the government for food... its like i think the government set aside RM12 for each trainee for 7 meals a day. the articles that were published in the Star reported that the RM12 had been 'magically' tranformed into RM7, with the remaining, somehow ending up in the operators bottomless pockets... no wonder the quality is going down...

in a whole, i really don't want to go for the national service and to be frank, if it weren't for the damned jail term, i would just not turn up... but what the heck... like it or not, i'm still a malaysian and a law abiding one at that... despite the numerous, and near-infinite problems that have yet to be addressed by the authorities, i'll still attend and hopefully by the end of that 2208 hours, i'll be better, faster and stronger... WHY ME!?!?!?!?!?!?

and yeah... i guess to the nation, National Service would be a boon.. to me, a definite BANE!

divinition slips into the oblivion.. 9:59:00 pm

* * *

hey world... just completed transferring all of my posts from my blog at MSN to here.. and i guess its not that bad.. if you ignore the picture of me in a bullet train in japan... (hey i was really sleepy that time ok?...) so its past 2 am now, on the 25th of december 2004 of the gregorian calender... and i'm wishing the WORLD

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

sigh, i wish someone would be here standing under the mistletoe i've put up... haha.. =p

divinition slips into the oblivion.. 2:20:00 am

* * *

Friday, December 24, 2004

ah, its the time of the year again.. the season of giving and sharing... well, not really though.. its more on the adults spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars, sacrificing precious time pushing through crowds at the local mall to buy last minute presents, and the children recieveing with glee at the sight of their presents... yes, its CHRISTMAS again!!... a tradition that has been relived for the past 4000 years... for the next 12 days, Christmas will commence with the bright fires, the yule log, the giving and more importantly receiving of gifts , Christmas carolers, the FEAST, as well as the church processions... to christians, it is a way to celebrate the birth of Christ...but what really is the true story of Christmas?...

some sources quote it as a european celebration of light and birth during the darkest days of winter, when they could look forward to the birth of a new and energised sun... where they could enjoy the comforts of warmth and longer days in the coming months...

it was also said that in Scandinavia, the norse had Christmas from the 21st of december for the usual 12 days... fathers and sons would bring home the yule logs and light it, feasting till the fire went out... which in most cases, would take around 12 days to burn out... they were also deemed to have believed that each and every spark from the fire represented the new cattle that would be born in the coming years...

but here in malaysia, i think that Christmas is still put a little below of what its worth... i guess that this could be because of the fact that malaysia is an islamic country and that the Christian community here represents a drop of water from a big well representing the citizens of malaysia.... well, not exactly a drop, maybe a pint or two... hehe... but at the same time, while Christmas is celebrated only by christians in other countries such as the US, UK and more closer, Australia, here in malaysia, we have a different situation... looking at our populace which consists of various cultures, backgrounds and religions, we have come to accept Christmas as one of our well, in a sense, national celebration... (though i still think Christmas is below what its actually worth... ) you see, if it weren't so, we wouldn't have shopping malls decking their halls with lights, giant stockings, 'snow'men, as well as the 2 things truly synonymous with Christmas, Santa Claus and The Great Christmas Tree... to name these malls, KLCC for one, with its gigantic tree with purplish decorations... and Midvalley with the giant backdrop and Santa Clauses on their little excursions around the mall wishing merry x'mas to all who're in his path... (along with his elves.. of course... females to be precise... hmmm... i never knew elves to be females... it was never in any show that i recall seeing female elves... hahaha... )

but overall, i guess and truly hope that Christmas would be given its true recognition as a wonderful, wonderful way to express love, hope and peace around the country... i am a buddhist myself, but i acknowlegde Christmas as an integral way to keep the spirit of love and peace alive... especially with the world in its state of war and misunderstanding... may the magic Christmas shower us all with harmony and peace during these testing times...
and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

PS: my sources for the above history on Christmas...
http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/christmas/real.html
http://www.holidays.net/christmas/story.htm

divinition slips into the oblivion.. 11:06:00 pm

* * *

Thursday, December 23, 2004

it was truly a dark and stormy night... well, i am exaggerating... my definition of stormy in this context would be light drizzles accompanied by the occasional gust of wind... you know, the winds were kinda scary in the middle of the night... oh right, i didn't tell you where we were.. in the middle of the JUNGLE... that's where we were.. and many a times, we found ourselves wondering whether the wind was just a natural breeze blowing past in the middle of the night, or a supernatural warning to us that we would suffer the consequences for chopping the poor defenceless rubber trees and hailing a frequent 'TIMBER!!!'... but i guess that was what we had to do to survive... you see, without the resources, in this case, wood, we would have faced the prospect of having to go through the night COLD, face the horror of the woods in the dark, deprive ourselves of activities to pass time by picking out dried leaves, chopping down defenceless trees as well as the occasional defacing, desecrating and destroying of ant hills.. (which we duly brought on our 'flamethrowers'... yeap, you got it right... FLAMETHROWERS... well, flamethrowers here mean a can of ridsect(tm) and a lighter (alladin ones)...) hahaha.. you see, if we didn't bring down the trees, we would have been defenceless against the attacks of the killer vampires... ruthless, killing and sucking machines that attack in packs and can suck you dry before you can say "anorexic"... well, again, i've distorted my true meaning.. vampires here mean.. *sigh* HUNGRY, BLOOD-THRISTTY MOSQUITOS!!! i tell you i've been bitten like 20~25 times in numerous places for a period of 17 hours... beneath the cover of my clothing, i was a horror to look at... ahh.. memories that will forever be in my brain... you know.. camping was really fun actually... i mean, for once, we urban dwellers could face nature in the face... well, with the help of 4 cans of ridsect(tm) la... and we got to try our hands at pitching up a camps, building a fire that constantly threatened to go out, cooking food that we hunted (nah, i'm just kidding.. we had macaroni and cheese.. ), facing our fears with the supernatural, becoming murderers of a different sort (as in mosquitos and such.. bloody pests), and going through the dark with the help of SUREFIRE torchlights of course!... (i will duly explain on SUREFIRE(TM) torches in my next topic..) more on http://www.surefire.com

in the end.. i actually have to say that it was indeed a memorable affair for me... to be one with nature was a satisfying experience not for me, but the mosquitos i guess... i'll have my revenge someday... and if i might add... how many in this world would have the honour of saying that they witnessed a tree having an orgasm... hahaha.. weird? hmmm... i'll let you ponder on that... cheerios'

divinition slips into the oblivion.. 11:58:00 pm

* * *