Ex Northstar VI

singapore's media really CMI (cannot make it!). the editor do what? sleeping is it? it's Northstar VI, SIX, not IV (FOUR).

hah. but am not gonna bitch about the media. CBB lor. (can't be bothered)

so..as you guys have known, i was involved in the drill as one of the ICs in the Public Management Group/Simulators Management Committee. was all geared up for the drill, all so excited that i can hardly sleep the night before (ya what the hell rite).

was supposed to leave HQ for Singapore Cruise Centre (SCC) at 0630hrs, but one diva was (quite) late. departed HQ at 0645hrs. reached SCC at around 0715hrs. the SuperStar Aquarius was about to berth then. on location, several groups who will act as passengers of the ship have arrived. ushered them to the Registration Point. barely half an hour later, almost all of the 900-odd 'passengers' have gathered. by then, the situation got quite chaotic. but being professionals we are, we were able to sort out everything as planned.

we proceeded back to HQ for a briefing on the latest number of 'passengers' onboard, as well as the breakdown of where and how many of the injured/non-injured casualties will report to. by 1130hrs, the team had moved off to their designated manning points, ie Marina South Pier, Marina Mall, Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, National Stadium, Changi General Hospital and Changi-Simei Community Club. my team headed to Marina Mall/Marina South Pier.

at around 1300hrs, the first group of casualties arrived at MSP. my team is to handle the non-injured casualties. soon after, the first group arrived at Marina Mall for deregistration and lunch reception. consecutively, updates and status reports were coming in from the other manning points.

as for me, i was in-charge of what i do best - the buses of course! haha. wasn't that hard and difficult delegating which bus will transport which group. initially, i was surprised that the OIC delegated the task to me. luckily, the buses were despatched as planned and as fast as possible, although minor hiccups do occur which was inevitable. all in all, i managed to execute the operations almost smoothly with the coordination from the other NSFs and officers. and i'm proud of it. so, so proud of it.

it was tiring, can't deny it, but the feeling of satisfaction and gratitude shown by my superiors made up for the exhausting feat.

and did i tell you there were stares because i wore my no.4 dress for the first time in nearly one and a half years since my enlistment? and the best of all, they commented positively lah! ''aisehman chuck, you look 'manly' lah in no. 4." and i thought i looked better in no.3!

still, i look so shagged at the end of the day, i did not dare to snap a pic of myself in the 'manly' no.4 dress. later lah ok, when i feel like wearing it, then i take pic hor.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is now...

certified HALAL!

way to go. certainly a boost for the halal food consumer market in Singapore. they should have gone halal long ago. but then, better late than never.

so who's next?

of all times..now??

first, the tv broke down.

now the fridge looks like it's dying soon.

fuctup can?

tgh-tgh tkde duit, korang buat pe'el eh!

proudest moment... yet

Maj S: "I, myself is the OIC for the Simulators Management Committee. Cpt J is now the Asst OIC, taking over from Cpt A who flew to China this morning. Lta A is my 2IC and also my NSF, Cpl Ishak who is also the 2IC."

if there is one thing or moment i'm so proud of during my NS days yet, it would be this. being the only NSF chosen to be in this committee. and to the awe of many, i was mentioned during the briefing. and mind you, this Northstar VI is the biggest emergency drill ever ok!

look, can i not boast for a second? haha.

kau yang ku cinta

Kita bertemu
Di batasan waktu
Mengenal ertinya rindu
Indah menyatu
Kasih mu kasih ku
Di bawah awan setuju
Cinta yang ku dambakan
Sekian lama
Kini datang mengisi halaman
Menghidupkan kembali
Ruangan sunyi
Kau yang memberi
Kau menghiasi
Hidup seindah mimpi

Kau yang bertakhta
Kau segalanya
Di mata dan hati ini
Indah cintamu
Seindah pelangi
Setelah rintik gerimis
Aku lena menyusur
Hari berganti
Tidak ingin lepaskan kau pergi
Kaulah kerlipan sakti
Yang menyinari
Moga abadi
Terus bersemi
Hingga ke akhir nanti

i wont ask u to forgive me. i know it is my fault and i have always been a bad person. but i hope u will find yr true love soon. im sorry i cant make u happy.

but what i know is that i cant get you out of my mind...

am i?

things that happened recently have set me thinking...

am i a selfish person? did i not care for the people around me? did i not spare a thought for their feelings?

worst of all..what have i done so bad that i lost the very person that i loved so very much?

i just can't bear to hurt his feelings time and again.

i'm sorry. so, so sorry.

i am not going to fight back or refute what you say. say whatever you want, if it makes you happy. the evidence is there, my conscience is clear.

thanks for the humiliation on my tagboard anyway.

Transtar Express First Class: A Review

My brother had approached me and requested that we ride on a double-decker coach on the return trip back to Singapore. It was kind of unexpected but not surprised with his request. Maybe, all those stories on my trips on the double-decker coaches to Malaysia somehow influenced him on this decision.

There are at least 8 express bus companies which offers the higher end type of coaches on the lucrative Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route. Five Stars, Aeroline, NiCE, Grassland, Airebus, Konsortium, WTS Travel, Luxury Executive, Transtar, Alisan, Odyssey - just to name a few. With onboard frills like personal TVs with video-on-demand, hot meals and drinks, massage seats and others not usually found on conventional coaches, customers certainly don't mind paying a premium for all these frills, as evident from the ever increasing number of trips and new type of luxurious coaches on these sector.

After listing down some available options which is within the budget, he decided upon Transtar Premium Double-deck. Unfortunately, all seats were sold out on the only trip that day. In fact, Transtar Premium DD has only a single trip on the KL-SIN sector. The other option is of course, the First Class coach. There are brand-new semi-deckers First Class 3G coaches on the route but they are somewhat inconsistent. Another factor on our decision was the pricing, which is on average SGD10 cheaper than it's closest competitors.

We were told to be at the bus terminal at Pasarakyat 30 minutes before departure time, which we did. Upon arriving at the terminal, I've already caught a glimpse of the First Class coach - a single-decker. My brother was not disappointed though, probably because he have prepared himself to be disappointed.

AFG 1111

AFT 777 - First Class 3G

The coach deployed on the 8am trip was a Mercedes Benz IBC1632 chassis with the uber-cool MTrans Irizar PB bodywork, similar to the Mara Liner coach that I took earlier on. Most of Transtar's First Class coaches are built on the Scania's K-series chassis so I was rather disappointed that I got the Mercedes one instead. Nonetheless, I was still looking forward to the trip.

The coach can only seat 16 passengers at any one time. Being a First Class coach, passengers are seated on a 1+1 seating configuration, meaning there's only one row of seats at either side of the coach. The seats are equipped with inbuilt massaging system, operated with a touch of a button. A personal entertainment system with an LCD screen attached is also available, complete with over 170 channels of movies, music and infotainment programmes to choose from. Transtar ups the ante with an onboard coach attendant, who serves hot meals and drinks along the journey.

The coach was spacious and spanking clean. A male coach attendant stood by the coach door, welcoming every passenger onboard the coach. After ensuring all passengers are accounted for, the bus left Pasarakyat Terminal slightly later than scheduled. Breakfast was served on the North-South Highway, soon after the bus left Sungai Besi Toll Plaza. Piping hot Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang was served for most of the passengers. Some opted for a vegetarian meal, which I had no idea what it was. Coffee and tea were also served along with the main dish. Every passenger was also given a bottle of mineral water. Only one rest-stop was made, which I missed since I slept for most of the journey.

Performance wise, the journey was a super-smooth one. In fact, it amazes me that the ride was exceptionally comfortable. The suspension was almost perfect. Coupled with the ultra-comfy seats and super-cool aircon, it was hard for me to keep awake for long. The ride was also speedy. It took less than 5 hours to reach Singapore! The coach pulled at the Tuas Checkpoint just after noon, around 4 hours after it left Kuala Lumpur. Fast isn't it?

Thus far, Transtar Express have made a good impression on me, both on the Premium DD and First Class coaches. However, there are some points which I hoped they can improve upon. Firstly, their online ticketing system. It's commendable of them to provide such a service. But only a handful of trips were available for the online ticketing. And only a limited number of seats are available for each trip. In comparison with Mara Liner, Mara Liner offers all available trips on any particular date for sale. Ditto for all available seats for each trip available.

Secondly, their ticketing agents can be more courteous towards their non-Chinese customers. Except for my recent purchase, their agents were quite 'hostile' towards my queries. I don't know why they acted like that. Maybe because I looked like someone who may not be a genuine customer? Other than that, I'd certainly recommend Transtar. I'd personally would like to try their new First Class Solitaire coaches. I was also told that they are progressively replacing their first-generation First Class coaches with newer models soon. Whether it will be single-deckers again or state-of-the-art double-deckers remains to be seen. I give Transtar First Class 4.5 out of 5 stars. You may book tickets online at http://www.transtar.com.sg or http://transtar.travel .

Mara Liner Express: A Review

A variety of interstate coach express companies serve the lucrative Singapore-Kuala Lumpur. However, a majority of them priced their tickets at a premium pricing. This is also because many of these companies deployed luxurious coaches on this sector, thus the premium prices. Travellers who are on a budget may instead choose to take a bus from Larkin in Johor Bahru, where tickets are priced at up to 80% cheaper than from Singapore. There are no executive or luxury coach services between JB and KL.

For example, a 27-seater Super VIP-class coach from Singapore will cost anywhere between SGD26 to SGD35, depending on season and demand. A similarly-configured coach from JB will cost much, much lesser than that. Believe it or not, at only SGD10! And I'm not even talking about less-reputable companies.

I chose to book with Mara Liner Express, a government-owned company which operates to many cities and towns in Peninsular Malaysia. Instead of the hassle going to Larkin Terminal to personally book the seats, I opted to go online where I can save up to 30% off the listed prices. Retail price for an adult on the JB-KL sector costs around RM25 on Mara Liner. In comparison, a seat will cost on average RM30 on other coach companies. Book was hassle-free as well. I can even choose the seats and to top it all, my ticket costs only RM23.30 after the online discount. That roughly translates to SGD10! In fact, some trips costs only RM16.80, which roughly translates to around SGD7! Payment was made by Visa and a voucher printout was done. All of that takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

On the day of departure, I reached Larkin half an hour earlier than the scheduled departure. Checking-in was a breeze as well, although the counter attendant was somewhat 'in his own world'. Nevertheless, I was thrilled when I found out that my trip will be on a Scania K114IB 360 with the uber-cool MTrans Irizar PB bodywork. The bus departed Larkin at around 10.40 am, some 10 minutes behind schedule.

Touching on the coach, a total of 26 passengers can be seated in a 2+1 Super VIP seating configuration with ample legroom. The leather seats may be reclined and it is very comfortable. The interior is very clean with the aircon blowing coolly across the cabin. Unfortunately, movies were not shown on the TV. The journey was made even more comfortable with the experienced driver who drove meticulously. Although the bus departed later from Larkin, it arrived on time at Puduraya Bus Terminal in KL. In all, the journey took about 5 hours, including a 30-minute break at a rest-stop in Melaka.

I would highly recommend the Mara Liner Express to anyone. Not only you get comfy seats at unbelievably low prices, safety was undoubtedly the other plus point with this company. There are 6 trips daily between Larkin and Puduraya, but some trips may extend the journey to Putra Terminal. Buses leave Larkin at 8 am, 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 3.30 pm, 5.30 pm and 11 pm. All trips will be served on the 26-seater Super VIP coach (Mara Liner classified these coaches as Economy class ironically).

Booking is made easy at http://www.maraliner.com.my . I will give Mara Liner a 4-star rating due to its competitive pricing, efficient services and hassle-free booking.