YAWP!!!

Jerome had a fruitful weekend. Singapore Dragon Boat Festival was an incredible experience, and he believed his team-mates had similar sentiments. The race was intense, but it was only sweetness when we charged to the finish line through the heats, through the semis, and then the finals. The last charge gave an incredible high. It was a potent cocktail of endorphins and adrenaline.

"Ready for last charge!!!!"

"Ready!!!"

"3... 2... 1..., go now!!!!"

And who can forget the "Any sweat?! NO SWEAT!!" routine during one of our heats. Anyway, Jerome is glad that everyone in the team had a good time, judging from their smiles during the group photo. We took third in the finals, a powerful encouragement for us to do better in future races.

Short post. Cos too many emotions involved. Too difficult to put into words. So I'd rather keep it short and sweet.

(-_-)v

3-point turn

ONE
Yesterday was the team's last gym training session at Kallang. On the glass door was a notice in a cheerful yellow hue, ironically emblazoned with a somewhat poignant message that suggested that gym entry will be free this week because it will close down for good on Sunday.

Many of us hold dear memories of the Grand Old Dame. She had her heydays when Singaporeans would descend in throngs to support the national soccer team and decorate the stands with shades of white and red. The Kallang Wave swept the entire stadium into ecstasy, and the Kallang Roar resonated with passion and pride. Today, the Old Dame takes her rest. The stands are cold, wet and silent. Drab grey walls are a far cry from the iridescent colours that lined the structure during National Day. Yet, this should not be a sad moment. Instead, we should look forward and herald a new era of our sporting arena, an era that will inject fresh, youthful energy to our burgeoning culture of active living.

It was the last chance to break my personal best on the ergo, but I messed it up and fell short. The team showed its playful traits again as we scrambled from station to station to take our parting shots in the gym after training, including crazy poses of various team mates tackling incredible weights or synchronising their ergo stances. Dinner again at Old Airport Road where discussion was naturally about the coming race and the race line-up. Jerome will need to start visualising his race sets so that he can focus better when the day arrives. He can already imagine the adrenaline-charged atmosphere at the start line, eyes focussed on paddle, are-you-ready, attention!, and the air horn... (to be continued)

TWO
Race issues aside, Anon (as the anonymous philosopher who leaves poetic comments calls himself) is now beginning to challenge Jerome. He has left a total of 8 messages thus far. The last message was particularly provocative:

brayed jerome the zebra,
"tell me who you are"
as he sought to make headway
against anon's wiles and ways
but poor jerome he did not get far.

Contrary to what Anon believes, Jerome has already gathered a few clues on his true identity.
1. Anon leaves messages in two main time frames: 11pm-12mn, and 4am-5am
- this suggests he is either a nocturnal animal or someone who is not in Singapore
- if he is not in Singapore, he is either Jerome's overseas friend or someone who happens to be overseas
2. He has quite a good command in English, using words like "wiles", "forlorn", and appears to rhyme pretty well in an effortless way
3. He said, in his seventh message, that "in case you forget, I ain't finished yet" and used one of Jerome's smilies (-_-)v which may be lifted from his post "Happy Feet" following his reference to a certain persona.

Interestingly Jerome has a strange feeling that not all 8 anonymous posts were from the same person, because some of them have glaringly different language styles.

In any case, with the clues above, Jeromes has generated a list of differential diagnosis involving 6 identities.

Jerome will now wait for Anon to strike again before he flashes his arrest warrant.

THREE
Talking about "arrest warrant", Jerome is naturally dismayed when he heard news about a Singaporean clearing our local customs with a wrong passport. It's the third mistake from the Home Team in 6 months, and the word "complacency" is now overused and turning somewhat vulgar in newspapers and radio alike. Considering thousands cross our customs everyday, and this being the first case of its kind, Jerome remains confident of the competence of our Home Team. He is glad the authorities are transparent about the matter, and he looks forward to process reviews and system improvements that will preserve the safety and security of our nation and her people.

Public announcement over.

Thank you all for reading this rather self-indulgent entry. (o_0)"

Happy Feet

Jerome realizes that he has been blogging a lot lately, though many of his recent entries have been devoted to sorting out his career priorities. Of course there was that episode about the mysterious philosopher, and if you have no idea what Jerome is braying about, check this out. Anyway, the philosopher has quietly faded into the background, in the same insidious way he appeared from nowhere to leave his first poem.

The coming week will be a hectic one.
2 x PLAB calls
1 x RT cover
1 x appreciation dinner
1 x carbo-loading dinner
Possibly 3 x papers to table for next CSM
And of course, 1 x June race

Jerome hopes his small boss clears him for an OFF claim this Friday so he can rest and sort out various errands before the June race this weekend. If big boss is reading this, maybe he can leave an “ok” in the comments page also. (-_-)v

During this trying period Jerome finds an good avenue to channel his depression into positive energy by plunging himself into training and thinking of nothing but DGB. And this clip from Matt Harding, which Jerome has put on repeat for 5 times, lifted his spirits. He loves happy faces, happy places, and happy feet.



On a side note, Sis bought Lego Indiana Jones and the Original Adventures PC game during the PC show last weekend, but Jerome only had time to complete 2 levels. Admittedly this one seems a lot harder than Star Wars because characters are brand new and do not have special abilities that are as intuitive as the familiar galactic critters. Jerome will probably look into the game again next week when he has more time.

Otherwise, Jerome shall now head to bed and fantasise about his own round-the-world trip, leaving his mark with his very own quirky dance steps.

Go speed racer!

Today was exciting. After training some stayed behind at Bedok Reservoir to catch Hydro Sapiens, though strangely the water body remained quietly vacant at 1930hrs and the show was expected to start in another 30 minutes.

Anyway Jerome went off to Tampines Mall with SS instead, and finally got his haversack and sandals! Hopefully the footwear doesn’t abrade his skin again. BW, who happens to be an army regular, came along for dinner at Fish and Co. Haha I remembered him for his original and self-deprecating humour last time at Bugis Junction’s Swensens. He was kind enough to give us a treat though it's only my second encounter with him. What’s more, I got a ride back home on his bike! Haha. Helmet on, paddle bag slung behind my back, and off we went! I was practically smiling the entire journey home. The rush of the wind on exposed skin, and the howling echoes in the helmet covered ears, were invigorating. And it was the first time I could experience what squeezing in between cars was like! Hair was still standing on end after the ride, not because of jitteriness, but because of the constant gusts of wind while on the road. A little uncomfortable, and this makes me want to get an Adidas windbreaker for Dad when his birthday comes up in a couple of months.

Catch me if you can!

After being through A&E, Jerome knows very well that biking is a dangerous way of travel. Yet, not everyone is able to afford a 4-wheel drive. More often than not, bikers are middle to lower class workers who pretty much just want an independent means of travel without busting the bank account. And biking is tough. The exhilaration from the cold winds will probably wear off after the 3rd journey down the same expressway. And they have to brave torrential downpours and negotiate slippery roads when the skies get angry. Jerome still remembers a time with COE for bikes is only $1, and now it is well above $1K. Owning a vehicle is getting prohibitively expensive these days. Rising fuel levels, agonizing jams, and exasperating ERP charges continue to burn motorists’ pockets and intimidate Jerome as he takes his first step towards car ownership. The onus is now on the relevant authorities to improve public transport and encourage more to adopt this environmentally friendly means of travel. Initiatives, such as Iris and increasing peak hour train frequencies, are a good start. Here’s looking forward to more improvements on our public transport system, and smoother traffic on the roads.

On a side note, Jerome doesn’t mind another bike trip to stimulate his senses again! (-_-)v

Paradigm shift

Bro rented Pleasure Factory, a movie which generated quite a lot of talk when it came out with an R21 rating last year in Singapore. Inspired by true stories, Pleasure Factory gives a tender look at the reality behind the openly secret and suitably colourful world of prostitution in Geylang.

Jerome has always wondered why anyone would offer something so personal with such nonchalance along the streets. Every night, the red-light district bustles with a curious air of eroticism: ladies dress provocatively and flaunt themselves at beer-bellied, middle-aged uncles, and the latter return approving looks before both parties disappear into the dimly lit rooms of unnamed hotels in intimate pairs.

Oddly enough Jerome had such a conversation with Coach a couple of weeks back when Coach drove the zebra through Geylang to get to the nearest MRT station after gym training. Jerome pointed at the scantily clad ladies and asked, with probably an over-righteous tone, why anyone would demean themselves with such a job. The consensus of this brief discussion was that most of them must have heart-wrenching stories to tell; stories that explain why they were forced into this unpleasant predicament. Those who sell their dignities for the sake of branded apparel probably make up only an insignificant minority.

Indeed, Pleasure Factory looks beyond sleaze as a commodity and exposes the raw emotions behind 3 of such “pleasure providers”. These people do not derive enjoyment from their brief encounters with strangers from the streets. It is, but only, a means of living. They are after all still human, and they seek true love, a relationship based on mutual trust and understanding, and not one motivated by lust or shameless lechery.

What made Jerome weep was the story of a prostitute mother and her daughter, the latter whom was initiated reluctantly into the shady business because of unfavourable family circumstances. As a busker croons the heartrending lyrics from月亮代表我的心, the mother looks forlornly at her daughter. She didn’t have to speak. All her emotions have been rightfully represented by the lyrics.

你问我爱你有多深，我爱你有几分。
我的情也真，我的爱也真。
月亮代表我的心。

They hugged, with tears in their eyes. A simple scene carried by an old song, but demonstrating the powerful, fundamental emotions of true love.

True love comes in many forms. Besides the affection between a mother and her child, Pleasure Factory delves into the emotions between an uncertain teenage army boy and his fellow buddy, a scene that was unfortunately removed from the DVD so that it can be distributed with a sanitised M18 rating. (Found out about this after checking out some forums.) Jerome shall not gripe too much about censorship here for it will warrant a separate post in itself.

Jerome now understands the industry along the streets of Geylang better. The next time he heads down for 豆花, he shall not scoff at the lonely figures loitering at hotel lobbies anymore. Instead, he will try to empathise. Jerome is using “try” here because, after all, it is a paradigm shift for him.

Truth be told, after the movie, what puts Jerome off are the ah peks with alcohol breaths who saunter down the streets with lustful smirks on their wrinkled faces, and hang around Yangtze cinema to fantasise on movie posters of meaningless R21 screenings.

Yet, ironically, they are the ones who drive the industry.

This world, if you hadn't realised, is full of contradictions.

Turtle power

He-who-should-be-named-but-unfortunately-still-doesn't-have-a-name continues to taunt the herbivorous zebra, who, without fangs and claws, is unable to issue any threatening stance on this matter. There is a "Da Vinci Code", "National Treasure" feel to this recent development, and Jerome will continue to monitor this closely with his trusty sidekick, known to many as the Laughing Hyena of Tanzania.

Back in the Seregenti, Jerome is getting progressively anhedonic for reasons he is unable to fathom. Too many events have happened around here, and the verdant plains that used to reflect a brilliant emerald sheen is now overcast in a depressing grey. Eclipsed by billowy clouds that portend a thunderstorm, the sun fails to spread its cheerful glow to those who inhabit the plains. As Jerome munches on his leaves, he feels the piercing cold of a merciless gale.

The downpour began.

Cold and wet, Jerome stands motionless, with precipitation beating forcefully on his striped back. He wonders if things can get any worse.

As Jerome ponders amidst the howling wind and pattering rain, he experiences an epiphany. Without rain, the grass will not grow, and the river will not flow. Without wind, the plants will not pollinate, and winged fruits will not fly. Pain is sometimes necessary, and can be a rite of passage.

Trudging along the muddy landscape, Jerome releases a lazy bray. He is thankful for all the kindly advice and concerned messages he has received in recent weeks. His depression now is probably just a phase of grief. If all goes well, the next step would be acceptance.

Didn't mean to spread the despondency. The zebra is merely trying to rationalise his thoughts in words and see the meaning behind all this.

As Master Oogway wisely opined, "There is no coincidence. There is no accident."

Jerome just has to believe in himself.

Curious-er, curious-er

In a move that may have been lifted entirely from an episode of CSI, Jerome seeks the identity of a mysterious person who listens to the talking Uzbeki zebra.

He left a comment in Jerome's article "In short", saying:

"Jerome may have found his home..or he's already home? or looking for another?
He likes adrenaline, who doesn't?
Bang, whoosh, yippee...by a herd of sweaty zebras sending iron birds into the sky..
Tom, tom, splash splash, yippee.. by another herd, in cool shades and cooler gear
is it adrenaline? or is it the need to feel belong..
Jerome is looking for his herd...a herd where he can make the difference.."

Iron birds.
Cool shades and cooler gear.
Jerome understands what this mysterious poet has to say.
It resonates in simple harmonic motion.
The zebra brayed, urging the artist to reveal his true self.
Yet, after the Master Oogway quote from yesterday's article, the elusive listener left another stealthy note:

"mystery is as mystery be..
mysterious as tomorrow will be,
not yesterday, and not today,
the present...is history.."

Curious indeed.
He has gathered several clues in the process, yet all his confirmations have been unceremoniously disproven.
Jerome wonders if this mysterious listener (who shall now be referred to as He-who-should-be-named) will leave another mark tonight, ala Zorro or Puss-in-boots.

The zebra awaits his Eureka moment...

Expressions

Jerome had a long day yesterday. Small race at Bedok, and we made a clean sweep in all 3 events. Honestly this is nothing to shout about, since the other teams were recreational. Interestingly we were accused of fielding students. Considering we were a team made up largely of working adults (one of them even has a son already), we were naturally flattered by their accusation.

*blush*

Kungfu Panda in the afternoon at Grand Cathay, and met JL who is now back from Taiwan. Movie is slapstick but entirely enjoyable, although the Monkey (Jackie Chan) hardly spoke. I wonder why. Next movie outing is for Get Smart. Ironically I will probably leave my brain at the box office for this.

*grin*

GSS. Jerome needs a haversack, a pair of sandals, and to save up for a Taipei trip. LK has expressed interest in joining the excursion. Cool.

*ka-ching*

Jerome has made his career decision known to his boss, and he is glad his boss made him feel comfortable about it. Yet while Jerome thinks he has bravely placed his right foot forward, he couldn't help but feel uneasy while reading the latest issue of Pioneer, which carried a showcase of 3 regular officers and their careers. Will the step he has just taken lead him to where he wants to go?

*frown*

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.
That is why it is called the present." - Master Oogway, Kungfu Panda

I wonder.

*zen*

Silent but effective

a little frustrated during training today.
unable to perform to my expectations. and obviously not to coach's.
心有余而力不足。
very much want to better my game.
need to train much harder.
june race is coming.
focus...

had a hearty dinner with team mates.
a bunch of fun-loving individuals.
always sincere, always helpful.
glad to have known them.
role models to learn from.

need to tidy up my office.
messy.
descriptors from colleagues include:
"your table looks busy"
"your room looks like a cyclone just went through it"
thanks. but at least I will not deny help.

need to tidy up my room.
messier.
can hardly see my table top.
can hardly see the floor.
looks like jerome needs to learn more from last month's core value.
DISCIPLINE.

spoke about scrabble with EK today.
actually went through the 2-letter list from memory.
only to realise we can't remember certain combinations already.
nonetheless real cool to find a 志同道合friend.

oakley.
cool!
need to get contacts first before buying the shades.

nike.
wow!
need to get backpack cos sling bags are killing my shoulders.

fortunately GSS still happening.
but still broke after last month's income tax payment.
goodness.

pc show.
probably will miss it.
no time, as usual.
small race tmr.
have to clinch it.
maybe kungfu panda will lift my spirits.

jerome realises this lazy way of blogging is, in a certain way, good.
short.
succinct.
efficient.

this is my fastest post ever.

let's see if this trend continues.

Loss

Jerome looked at the picture posted on ST Online.
A pilot trainee, lost.
Why? You may ask.
But often, there is no reason.
Loss is always painful, especially if they were young with hope gleaming in their eyes.
It reminds us, that life is ephemeral, and to cherish the now.
Who knows what tomorrow brings?

Jerome offers his deepest condolences to the family and friends of Clifton and Andrew.

In short

the trip is coming to an end.
jerome is heading home soon.
now in Taipei waiting for his flight home.
managed to spend a day in Kaohsiung.
witnessed dragonboat racing, which made him miss his team.
sad. didn't bring camera. didn't take pictures.
watched narnia here; theatres are not too shabby.
ticket costs NT230 = S$11.50, quite ex huh.
show ended late. returned hotel at 0030hrs.
tired. that's why jerome's writing in this lazy way.
the transit here (also called MRT) is new and ultra-clean.
people are generally warm here, though some can be grouchy and impatient.
food galore along the streets, but jerome doesn't want to risk GE and miss more training sessions.
thinks he will come back again. but this time to go taipei city itself and not get stuck in the airport!

there are many stray dogs along the streets.
jerome had a harrowing experience with one.
happily munching his mcnuggets away while walking along the quiet streets at 2345hrs after his movie.
saw a dog lying on the pavement and he actually smiled at it cos it looked adorable while reclining.
the canine obviously saw my bite-sized chicken chunks cos he followed me.
walked behind me silently, no barking, no growling.
and he followed.
and followed.
for a good 500m.
my hair was literally standing.
i grabbed my macs paper bag and folded it shut so the dog can't detect my crispy supper.
fortunately it did not pounce on me.
was half contemplating throwing a nugget at it but i fear more hungry dogs will emerge from the unlit alleys.
i only have 6 nuggets for goodness sake.
so, keep a lookout. either that, or buy a 20-nugget pack.

these 8 days have been eventful.
had a taste of squadron life and made friends in the process.
had a chance to think through career options.
was inspired to better my game after seeing dragonboaters on the river bank.
visualising. going through strokes. crowd screaming. 20-40 starts. long pull. last charge. all-so-familiar.
jerome has a better idea now.
what tickles him.
what turns him on.
what excites him.
the zebra may have found his home.

it's time to move on.

The geriatric zebra, who plays Scrabble

This entry was started some time back but was never completed because Jerome had too many things in mind. Now that he is slacking off in a Taiwan airport and walked through her 12 souvenir shops with one solid hour to spare, he couldn't help but sit down to complete his post.

Word Play evoked many thoughts. Several posts earlier Jerome alluded to the documentary that described the crossword puzzle culture in the States, through the eyes of top-notch puzzle solvers who complete one in less than 5 minutes and wonder "what's up with you people" if you admit you took a whole afternoon to finish half the puzzle.

Jerome is a word freak since his Scrabble and Literati days. He can easily rattle off obscure 2-letter words like OE (a whirlwind off the Faeroe Islands) and KA (the spiritual self of a human being in Egyptian religion), and tell you the Scrabble ruling differences between USA and Singapore (QI, CH allowed here, but not across the Pacific). He can show off some "Q" words that come without "U", like QAT (a white-flowered evergreen shrub), as well as words containing no consonants at all, e.g. GLYCYLS (a radical derived from glycine).

You might wonder why anyone would accumulate such useless knowledge - like when did you ever see the word SYZYGY (the configuration of the earth, moon, and sun lying in a straight line) - written or spoken? Yet Jerome finds thrill trouncing his uninitated opponents by 300 points in a friendly match. Yup. This zebra has a gargantuan ego that needs constant massaging.

In fact he was so hot about it he start reading tip books and anagramming words around him, like SEMINAR ROOM = REMAINS MOOR. Yes. That's where we all study. And rot in the process.

His penchant in exotic words spilled over to other games, and he was pleased he could complete Bookworm Adventures in one sitting. Then, medical school started to cram up Jerome's feeble mind, and word games came to a grinding halt. Grinding indeed. Imagine the screech and the sparks coming off the wheels.

So now Jerome is sad. He cannot be sure if he still can remember the 96 2-letter words (by USA standard rules; Singapore has 110). He has been losing games to other people. His ego is deflated.

Maybe Jerome is old. He has no more drive. Yet he valiantly logged onto NY Times and challenged a Monday puzzle. He cracked his head so hard, he had to lie down in bed for the rest of the day. And he finished less than 1/3 of the puzzle.

Jerome needs to find his passion back. Maybe he will start with EK, who has admitted she is also a Scrabble freak. Of course there's always GC, who is game for a challenge anytime of the day.

Time to dig out the dictionary!

Touchdown!

Jerome gives an emphatic "Hi!" to all from Taipei!

Transit flight is going to take another couple of hours, which is why Jerome has time to lounge at an internet terminal and blog.

The day started early at 6am, and it was off on a flight that served raisin rice for breakfast. Argh. Anyway, they were showing Spiderwick Chronicles so Jerome had a chance to re-experience the strange but funny ending.

After touchdown Jerome saw Subway and Starbucks. Boy was he pleased. As he has always alluded to, Jerome's a simple man with simple needs. So a toasted chicken breast sandwich with a cup of hot chocolate pleases his soul like a Happy Meal would to a kid.

Gloomy day here I must say, cos it was drizzling outside and the sky's a piece of drab grey. Anyway this is Jerome's first time in Taiwan and he's going to see for himself what this place is all about, since all that he know is but only from the mass media, which can oversensationalise things a bit.

The airport is pretty boring. Perhaps he should just pick up a tabloid magazine and lounge somewhere else. Hope to blog again soon.

At the same time, Jerome wonders how many souvenir shops one can squeeze into an airport terminal. So far his count is 12. And they all sell the same things. Bleah.

Leaving on a jet plane

Jerome's exhausted. Last week was a mad rush to clear work before he leaves for overseas exercise tomorrow. Plus he finally got back to training after missing it last week. And he did Sundown! Haha... mad zebra.

Sundown was fun, and literally, cool. Running with a big crowd, and your friends, in the evening breeze along Changi Beach is one great enjoyment. Hopefully Sundown comes back next year (with a better goodie bag please... haha) so Jerome can do it again and better his timing!

Writer's block. Cos Jerome is too tired to lift his fingers and type. He had wanted to talk about today's feature on kids busy during hols with more schoolwork. But he's not in the mood to formulate arguments properly. The zebra apologises.

*Bray*

The week has become a blur. Spent some time talking to A&E consultants to find out more about career options. He is grateful for all advice given by his bosses, colleagues, friends and senior doctors.

Jerome will, on the advice of CH, face the Pacific Ocean when he's up in Taiwan and zen. Hopefully a decision can be made so he can focus better on his tasks. And one of them is preparing for June race. Everyone else on left is so powerful Jerome have to train hard and match up.

Will miss Narnia and Sex in the City cos of Taiwan. Darn. Just when the summer movie season begins! Looks like Kung Fu Panda's next.