2351hrs: The title pretty much describes the past 7 days of my life.
Up:
Last Saturday 06/11/2004 was a major up because after waiting, hoping, anticipating and lusting for more than a year. I GOT MY iPOD!!!! I've been waiting for so long to have it. And I haven't had a working discman for so long. Now my FM receiver has been tossed aside again in favour of the beautiful iPod. But I don't know how beautiful it is now though. I managed to put micro scratches on it after 3 days. Cause I couldn't decide on a case for it. What's worse, I dropped it after 6 days. Today as I was getting down from the army 5 ton truck, I forgot that the pouch containing my iPod(which was in it's own bag and it's own case made from impact resistant plastic) was sitting on my lap so I happily hopped off and down came the pouch containg my latest darling. And I've been worrying about it all day. But it appears unscathed from it's owner's carelessness. I do hope it's alright...I've been waiting for so long to have it and I need it to last at least 5 years. And it's only the 1st week. My friends say I'm crazy to be spending so much on the iPod and it's accessories. Lemme recap all I've spent so far:
Apple iPod + remote = S$796
Sony Twin Turbo Fontopia ear phones = S$39.90
Contour iSee Showcase = S$45
Total: S$880.90
As you can see, the iPod is a huge investment for me and I'm still not done with the accessories yet. I'm gonna get another case for it which has shock absorbing features so that it'll minimise any impact on the precious iPod and it's gonna cost another S$65. If you think spending S$110 on casings for the iPod is unnecessary extravagance, I beg to differ. Spending S$110 to safeguard a delicate(It's a freaking Hard Disk Drive it'll shatter on impact) high-end equipment costing S$748(iPod only) is a very worthy investment. I think of the iPod as a toy that improves my quality of life and therefore it is imperative that I keep it in great working condition. And other than casing, I'm gonna be getting a special polishing compound for it which can buff out the minor scratches on it's front but thankfully I'm sharing the cost with another iPod owner. That should alleviate some of the financial burden on me. Fine, I admit I'm obsessed with keeping the iPod working and looking as new as the day I bought it. You would be too if you've been waiting as long as I did for it. I love it! It's the best investment EVER! I don't care that it only has 12 hours battery life compared to the Creative's battery life which is a little more. I dont' trust it's software interface whereas I've had experience with the iPod's software iTunes. It compliments the iPod nicely and that's good enough for me. And besides the iPod has already reached an iconic status which is pretty hard for Creative's line to topple. They don't call the iPod the dominant MP3 player currently on the market for nothing you know?
Apple's 40GB 4th Generation iPod
iPod with it's dock
Down, down, down & rock bottom:
First down was scratching my iPod on the 3rd day of getting it. Second down was being put in a unit together with my archenemy. He's a foe I 'collected' during my first few weeks in the military and basically the both of us just try to stay out of eachother's way but by some sick twist of fate, not only am I posted to the same base as he is, we're in the same damned platoon! Both of us have raised our case to our superiors that it'll be best to avoid putting us in such close proximity or worse, asking us to work together. So now our superiors are on their toes afraid that we might sabotage eachother since we're dealing with sensitive ammunition work. Anyways I couldnt' care less about him. He can exist in his world and I'll exist in mine...we're separate entities altogether. Now that's settled. Then I dropped my iPod today...my precious precious iPod. And I was so distraught about it. But all appears well. And the most rock bottom part....
I was asked to sit in the truck's cab today and since I was sitting in front I was considered the Vehicle Commander and it was a first for me. Apparently being the V Com isn't just about sitting infront all comfy and knowing where to go. Apparently both the driver and I are supposed to ensure everyone's buckled up safely before moving. Obviously I had no such idea of such responsibilities. The first time me being a V Com there has to be an accident. And now I'm being partly blamed for the accident. Some idiotic worker today decided to walk onto the road and into the path of a 5 ton truck today causing the driver to brake very hard to avoid hitting him. The driver had little choice. It was either to brake really hard and injure the passengers at the back or hitting the worker and killing him in the process. I'm not exaggerating, considering the speed at which the 5 ton was travelling today it would've killed the idiot or injured him seriously. So the driver did an Emergency brake and sent people behind tumbling all over the place. And this guy in the back got his finger caught in gaps between the wooden benches and got his finger cut and twisted at the same time. So now the driver and I are in trouble for not making sure everyone had their seatbelt on. Even though I didn't know it was my responsibility at the time, I told the guys to put on their seatbelts anyway. But they refused cause it affects their level of comfort. And now that someone's hurt, the Singapore Armed Forces is looking for heads to roll. And mine happens to be at the forefront. Fuck! Why does it have to fucking happen to me???!!! Seems like trouble comes looking for me...just two weeks ago I barely escaped an AWOL charge over something ridiculous and now THIS! I really don't think this whole conscript thing is working for me. And now I understand why people change so much when they're conscripted. It's cause all of a sudden you're placed under such heavy responsibilities(even those not known to you) and anything that goes wrong might affect your future dramatically. And now I'm awaiting punishment though not serious enough to warrant a stay in military prison but enough to get me an informal punishment. I fucking hate it! It's not even my fault and my world's going to hell. I'm just gonna forget about this stupid incident over this long 3 day weekend. I just want to enjoy myself and forget about the fucking punishment waiting to greet me on Tuesday morning. Life sucks especially when you're being paid a pittance to act like a fucking monkey while working your ass off like a fucking dog and in the process sustain physical injury. I admit that I'm not soldier material in the end, who is? Girls have it real easy here in sunny Singapore. No wonder most of them turn out to be such spoilt, pampered princesses who honestly believe they're worth much more than they really are. Which is quite sad considering beauty and brains wise there are much better imports out there in the Pacific. Sometimes I just wish this whole damned world would just leave me alone. Let me live out my life in peace and not having to suffer like I did today. My back feels funny from the 50kg crates of Bangalore Torpedoes we were lugging around today. It's aching and so are my knees and wrist. Doesn't matter that I'm not suppose to be carrying loads above 5kg cause my back and knees will suffer badly later. FUCK the SAF. The whole SAF can just fucking blow me. I hate it!!! I fucking hate it!
