Spies, Saboteurs and Secret Agents

Something interesting I read today from Murdoch University’s prospectus ;

Degree in Security, Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies (BA)

Description: - This course provides students with a critical understanding of the nature of security, terrorism and counterterrorism measures in Australia and other parts of the world. It defines security broadly to incorporate the protection of individuals and their values, norms, rules, institutions and property from military and non-military threats. It explains terrorism as a threat to security, but suggests a multiple approach to the war on terror', involving diplomacy, development, capacity building and military force.

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Elective subject: HIS230 Spies, Saboteurs and Secret Agents
This unit examines a number of famous historical occasions when spies, secret agents or underground saboteurs have sought to satisfy the need of governments to obtain intelligence on their enemies, and often on their friends. How they obtained and interpreted this intelligence; how they responded to it; how they tried to keep their own secrets secret; and how secret intelligence has changed history, are all issues to be studied here. Underlying the unit is a strong ethical issue: to what lengths can a state go in order to preserve itself?

How wouldn’t anyone be interested? Studying to be an international spy sounds very tempting and interesting... One minute you are in Russia looking for an atomic bomb on a castle, another minute you fly to Paris to search for the secret code hidden on the Eiffel Tower, another minute you are in Baghdad investigating on the amount of porn in Saddam Hussein’ s Palace.. I feel like I am in a Sidney Sheldon novel already… Power, Wealth, Conspiracy, Love in a foreign land… If law don’t work out, I would finally be able to say my favorite line: ‘My name is Eugene, Eugene Urine’

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Heal the World...

Due to overwhelming response, today’s blog would be filled with optimism, love and hope…

Heal the world

Make it a better place

For you and for me, and the entire human race

There are people dying and if you care about for the living

Make it a better place for you and for me

(PS: Don’t forget to visit me in prison and could you kindly pay for my overdue plastic surgeon’s bill for the reconstruction of my new nose! – With Love MIZZE JACKO)

No doubt today was really a great day and I loved every single minute of it. I went to church today and was very inspired and touched by the Lord. It’s as though he was speaking to me through his message delivered by my spiritual great-great-great grandfather, Apostle Lawrence Khong. The message for today touched on the kind of prayers God answers. It was really therapy for my soul as I was actually feeling quite disappointed with some turn of events in my life.

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‘So I say to you: Ask and it will be given; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.’- Luke 11:9

Sometimes the problem with me is that I don’t ask or that I believe that it’s enough to ask from the Lord once and just leave it as it is. But how wrong am I? ‘Give us each day our daily bread’- Luke 11:3 – the bible clearly states we should ask him for our provisions and blessings on a daily basis. It’s a basic necessity to survival just like eating and sleeping.

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How come there are times when we ask from the Lord and have faith but things don’t go as what we expect it should be? If that is the case, than we should learn to question our heart and motives. There are times we engage in an arm-twist battle with the Lord. We tend to be presumptuous and come to the Lord with our own agenda and expect the Lord to answer us. Isn’t that being very selfish?

There is a clear distinction between having faith and being presumptuous. We have to remind ourselves it’s not our will be done but the Lord’s will be done. If we align ourselves with God’s purpose, wouldn’t he answer our prayers…? Think about it!

‘Which of your father, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?’ –Luke 11: 11-12

Plans for tomorrow:
1) Go for the 9.30am service again (I have been going for double services every week for the last month or so, really enjoy being in the Lord’s presence and sometimes when I listen to the message again it really help me catch certain points I may miss out on the previous service)

2) Hang out with Aldric in town... (I promise to go to the GSS sale with him to look for a new pair of G-string *kidding* maybe hang out at the aussie uni fair )

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3) If time permits, chill out for a starbucks with my very beloved Li...(I don’t want to promise anything yet because don’t know what time I would end with Al so don’t really want to cramp everything up and not spend quality time with you …next week ok?)

Good Night to all...

What Pamela Anderson and I share in common?

I finally got the chance to wear my lifeguard t-shirt again after a months stint at the lunatic slave driver’s office (which brings me to another point why bright yellow? Besides attracting unnecessary attention from a couple of really gay guys (*hint* Wong Jie Jie) and being a center of attraction on how slack we are, there’s really no reason why it should be bright yellow…I feel violated under section ? of the Official Lifeguards Act) and yes Lizhuang, I can start to practice my lifeguard slow-mo run, david hasselhoff style to charm my army officers off their pants.

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I really don’t understand why so many people get so surprised when they find out my vocation in the army? Don’t you just hate it when people act like as if they are so surprised and look at you with really gigantic eyes and a gaping hole in their mouth which of course I have no qualms throwing rubbish into …They start to question us on our roles/duties and get a kick at making snide remarks on how ‘slack’ we are and how many people we have actually ‘saved’?

We are a rare breed and the elites of the armed forces and if you have a problem with that- deal with it.

Everyone has their own roles and responsibilities in an organization, no matter whether big or small all of us contribute to the organization in our own special way. Likewise for Lifeguards we are the guarders of the swimming pool. Besides ogling at the likes of Pamela Anderson and looking really cool with our Oakley shades, we ensure that safety is being enforced and that the swimmers don’t do stupid things to endanger their precious lives. If only people look beyond their microscopic point of view and see things in its full picture?

Guess what occasion do people in Singapore celebrate today? Eat with your parent’s day. As the saying goes 'The family that eats together, eats better .' Apparently I got to be released half and hour earlier by MINDEF so that I could return home to spend quality time with them eating. Of course I am not complaining, in fact I am rejoicing and praying that the Singapore Government would come up with more of such days and give me more time off the army. But on a more serious note, shouldn’t we be practicing this habit everyday?

This is a basic trait that our Asian society inculcates in us since young – filial piety. Even though we may be busy sometimes and not return home on time to share a meal with the family, it doesn’t matter. ‘Quality time’ includes a wide range of activities. Some examples include intimate conversations, doing things together, sharing of our lives to our family members and etc. The bottom-line is that we MUST learn to treasure our beloved family member’s by communicating with them everyday and not take them for granted for we do not know what tomorrow holds for us.

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Today's Forecast- 27 May 2005

Oh, here we go again -- that last-minute-change thing is about to happen.
You can't stop it, and you can't prevent it.
All you can do is adjust your attitude. Besides, you might like the end result.

It sounds pretty true about my university applications. I have all along thought that I would most probably be spending the next 4 years of my time at NUS/NTU, but all my plans seems to be changing and I need to get used to the fact that I might have to do my law degree at an overseas university. It also suddenly dawned upon me that there are also many others like me who are equally as optimistic and waiting for NUS to get back to them regarding their appeal. Screw it NUS! (To all those who are appealing, good luck cause I know how it feels to have a university doubt your abilities...) , never give up hope always believe in yourself and know that God has a bigger plan for you no matter what. One thing for sure, I am looking on the bright side of things, I will end up working even harder and excelling overseas . Only God knows. I am optimistic for the future!

Nice Boss Syndrome...

Don’t you just get the chills when your boss SUDDENLY becomes extremely nice to you? -I will. In fact the ‘nice boss syndrome’ actually happened to me today. History has it that I do not really have a very nice buddy relationship with him, I think he is a crazy lunatic slave driver and he thinks I am his Filipino maid except that I am not Filipino and I get to have my weekends off.
Well I experienced this really weird chain of events today and I am really trying to stop being paranoid.

Boss: Umm, Eugene its ok, you can go for lunch first?

Me: But I am not done with the marina (*some high tech machine used to clean the pool, think of R2-D2 from Star Wars).




Boss: No, it’s really ok. Let me do something nice for you today.

How can I not be paranoid when your boss offers to do your job? It’s madness! I finally came to 2 conclusions:-

1) He’s really in a good mood.

2) He wants to borrow money from me.

No matter what, it was nice being treated like a master today. It was like a role reversal or some sort. However I still sense that he’s waiting anxiously to catch me with my Bangladeshi ‘boyfriend’ . and send me back to the Philippines. Sighs!

Except in my case, he has no choice because I am serving my national service and the only place he could send me to is DB. Really have to keep my eyes open and be cautious! You never know what’s going to happen next.

I still did not receive any news from NUS Law School and I found out from the admissions officer that all offer letters have been sent out last week, so I guess either they have kept my letter somewhere to give me a really huge surprise that would leave me speechless or more likely than not they have decided that NUS cant retain such a bright young spark like me and they decided to ‘sacrifice’ me and allow me to go overseas to study so that I could return with a more international outlook and help Singapore’s Economy to continue blooming(in short, you have been rejected). Even though it is not official yet and being an extremly optimistic person, I am still hoping and praying for a miracle.

I am actually quite prepared for this outcome. All odds were against me from Day 01. I guess the only reason why they short listed me in the first place was for formalities sake. On official records the standard reply is ‘We have given the poly students a chance but they fail to meet the mark’. How convenient is that when their actions doesn’t seem to justify their words?

They already passed judgement against me and my other friends before we even had a chance to prove ourselves- reason because we are polytechnic graduates and no matter how smart and bright you are you would always be second grade.

Example the sort of questions we got for the interview, I know we did foundational studies in the law but that doesn’t mean I am an expert in the area of the law, to question me in depth on specific areas of the law isn’t fair. The knowledge that I received from my diploma are only very basic legal knowledge, the diploma focuses and develops in us the necessary skills to function well in the legal environment. We should all get a standard set of questions that not just include the law but also current affairs and our personal interest or whatever.

Secondly, all the poly students were grouped together for the interview. This led me to speculate that the reason why they are doing this is so that they could form a basis of comparison among us as they already have a pre-conceived notion as to how many poly students they want to accept. If fairness is the name of the game, they should have re-grouped us and integrate us together with all the other A level students and compare everyone on a level playing field to make the process of short listing ‘fair’ to everyone.

(PS: The above view point is of my personal opinion and the speculation is based on the facts as listed above. In any case, the above view might differ from the actual practices of NUS)

This is the classic mentality of most Singaporeans, they think our diplomas is liken to that of a kindergarten certificate. I can go on and on but the bottom lines to everyone who thinks this way ‘GROW UP’.

In reality, most of us poly graduates go on to become successful entrepreneurs, businessman, and engineers distinguishing ourselves in almost every sector of the economy. We have proven ourselves even more capable than that of the normal student who goes through the standard education route (O-A-UNI path).

Mr Sim (CEO of Creative Technology- ex poly graduate)

Whilst saying all that, I have to admit the pool of applicants applying to law are all of a high calibre so maybe due to limited supply they can only admit a small pool of individuals to the law school. My only point of contention is to make it a level playing field for everyone. Give everyone an equal chance and be receptive and open to different applicant’s background. Whats the rationale of shortlisting 600+ applicants for a mere 220+ places? Isnt that giving a false sense of hope to the applicants knowing that there is a quota set aside for the law school?

But I am still grateful and thankful that the Universities are currently opening up my places for polytechnic graduates. I feel blessed by the fact that I was one of the 5 poly students short listed and that I was made offers from the local Universities (NTU-Mass Communications, SMU- Business).I know that God really has a plan for everything. I know the Lord would provide me with more blessings and I am sure that he would guide my ways.

‘Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus- 1 Thessalonians 5:18’.

In fact, I received another blessing from him today. Besides having a number of offers from very good universities I never dreamt possible and a couple of international scholarships to help ease my financial burden, this is the best one as yet.

I got a double degree offer (Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Commerce) from University of Sydney (*the best law school in Australia). You need a high UAI average of 99.75 meaning top 0.25 of Australia population to be admitted to the programme and I feel very honoured to be studying with the best minds of the country in USYD. They only admit a small number of international students each year due to the overwhelming demand for a place in the law school. The current Australian PM (John Howard) and even the Lee family all studied in the law school there.

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The good thing is that I get to complete my doubles in 4 years instead of 5 because they are giving me a whole year credit exemption for the commerce component of the degree. I still havent made up my mind as to which university to go to, but it feels good to know that you are 'wanted'. If say my appeal to NUS is unsuccessful, than its time for me to make a decison.

Decisions , Decisions ,Decisions- Life is full of Decisions! Liverpool or AC Milan? Bo or Carrie? Laksa or Mee Sotoh? Bush or Osama? Law or Mass Comm? No matter what decision I make eventually, I would have already formed a strong opinion and am 100% sure about the thing or subject that I have chosen.

'Life is a journey full of decisions
you make the decisions and correct the mistakes'.


It’s late, time to retire. Good Night!

The Classic IQ Test

for the fun of it.. took this link with courtesy from lynn's blog!


Word Warrior

tan, your IQ score is slightly above the average IQ score. Congratulations! Among your skills, there are certain areas that stand out above the rest. The classic IQ test analyses your strengths and weaknesses based on your mathematical, linguistic, visual-spatial and logical skills. By analysing your answers we can discover the areas in which you have the strongest abilities.

You are equipped with a verbal arsenal that enables you to understand complex issues and communicate on a particularly high level. These talents make you a Word Warrior.

Whether or not you recognise it, your vocabulary is your strongest suit -- use it whenever you can. Since your command of words is so great, you are also a terrific communicator -- able to articulate big ideas to just about anyone. Your wordsmithing prowess will also help in artistic and creative pursuits.

The power of words translates to fresh ideas off paper too. Since you have so many words at your disposal, you are in a unique position to describe things in an original way, as well as see the future in your mind's eye. In short, your strengths allow you to be a visionary -- able to extrapolate and come up with a multitude of fresh ideas.

Try the URL at http://uk.tickle.com

Plastic Surgery ... Breast Enhancment ... Nip Tuck?

I went to see my plastic surgeon today. In case you are wondering-‘NO, I DID NOT GET MY NOSE FIXED’.

Its tragic living with a flat nose for the last 22 years of my life and I know I did made pretty stupid remarks about ‘doing’ my nose, but all these words are at the spur of the moment. I did not mean anything I said and I guess I learn to realise that I should appreciate me for being ‘me’ because my identity is in Christ Jesus and old things got to go.

So what the hell was I doing at the plastic surgeon? Well I was there for my monthly laser acne scar removal treatment- vantage. It’s common for guys to go for this sort of laser treatment for our acne scars. Its not like I dislike my face or anything, but I guess since technology is so advanced I might as well make use of the laser machine and try to improve my acne conditions.

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Let’s face it, would Dennis Keller prefer someone with an oily acne face or someone with less acne and oil free face or a certain guy who is short and sings out of tune all the time(*hint* his name starts with H)?? Come on I am thinking of my future guys. *laughs*

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Anyway my plastic surgeon (‘Mr C.T’) is leaving for a certain woman and child hospital and this is my last session with him. It was a bitter sweet moment, but what the heck, I don’t really know him in the first place.

Me: So Mr C.T, tell me why are you leaving?

Mr C.T: I prefer to specialise in the enhancement of women’s breasts. They are more complex and require more specialised treatment.

My mind went blank. I mean let’s look at it objectively. Why are women so obsessed with breasts enhancement and the likes of it? I have to remind everyone that breasts are actually lumps of fats and its main purpose is to breastfeed babies. So if one were to really enhance one’s breasts, isn’t it like adding poisonous substance to the breasts and wouldn’t it affect the woman’s health if the silicon leak and reduce her chances to breast feed in the future. I do not want to sound like an MCP, but what’s with the obsessions with breast enhancement?

The Cons seems to out weigh the Pros and no matter how ‘big it gets’; it will still defeat its purpose if not put to proper use. I hope all the woman folks won’t get mad at me. I would wish to repeat it again- let’s look at it objectively =) Anyway enough said, I was on my way out and met my mum for lunch at SGH. Having a nurse mum has its privileges, one thing for sure I would have a constant supply of anti biotic and I would be in absolute pink of health all the time- silicon free *laughs*

I have been changing the template of my blog for the last 2 hours or so. My first blog look very gay and I wasn’t impressed with all the pink streaks of lines all over the blog. I am not against pink or anything but lets just say pink is a colour I would only use once in a millennium. My second blog look too professional and very un-user friendly. I felt that the blog deserved a place at Mr Donald Trumps Corporation. I finally settled for this last blog which I felt was more vibrant but at the same time shows the new age guy thing. Plus it’s really user friendly and easy to read. Sometimes technicalities just drive you nuts, isn’t it?

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I am awaiting the arrival of the brown envelope. It is super irritating having to wait for NUS to come to a decision on my entry to its law school. After the horrific law interview and written test, which I have repeated to every Tom, Dick and Harry who had an opportunity to hear it, I am still optimistic. I am quite confident that the Lord will provide and grant me a place at the right law school. I am someone who has faith in God and I know the Lord will provide. I have seen his wonders and I never doubt him.

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I can only wait in anticipation….

Star Wars Epi 3-Disappointment!

*Warning* Spoiler ahead if you haven’t watch Star Wars Episode III

I was really looking forward to Star Wars Episode III, met my dear star wars junkie partner in crime aka Lizhuang at Prince/Jade yesterday to catch the ‘action’.

We were so excited and insane that my dear friend actually wanted to come dressed as ‘Princess Leia’. She even tied her hair in that weird hairdo; the security guards almost got a heart attack. He was busy dialling some numbers; I guess must be the mental institute or something. (PS: Li if you ever spot that stupid hairdo again, Im sorry but I have to call SPCA for serious animal control.. haha)

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I actually have to convince him that my dear friend is a bit ‘retarded’ and she suffers from some senile brain conditions to explain for her weird behaviour. It was only after much convincing from the future lawyer to be (ahem that’s me), that we were allowed in to watch the show. Thank God we didn’t miss anything or I could have sworn I would really ‘turn my friend’ into Princess Leia with two black eyes.

While the first half of the show was such a bore, I mean what’s up between skywalker and Padme-the dialogue was filled with so much crap and cheesy lines. For a moment, I thought I was watching some cheapskate porno show. I mean can the lines be any worse. George Lucas should seriously consider this ‘Less talk and more action’. I mean the love scenes really made me sick in the stomach.

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The real classic moment was when Padme was dying or some sort. ‘She is losing her will to live… blah blah blah’. After that dialogue, we were shown her giving birth to 2 young babies … what crap???? I mean if someone is about to die would she have the energy and the 'will' to actually give birth ? She must be some superwoman. A dying woman giving brith.. a thing of the future I suppose! What the heck*

The show however did have its fair share of glorious moments with all the fighting scenes and the light sabre (*I can really see myself using this weapon to kill all the irritating pests in camp*). I was very impressed by the fact that Master Yoda is actually quite powerful. There was this scene when he came in snap his fingers and the 2 guards behind him went dead. A bit unrealistic but still believable.

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I also loved the fighting scene between Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi and where Vader was burning like hell... Alright call me sick or whatever, but I totally think he deserved it!

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Overall the show was still a disappointment, the plot was too predictable and everything revolved around how sky walker turn to the dark side. I mean it lack suspense and the entire action bit was not as hyped up, plus the cheesy love lines got to go. But it’s still worth that $9.50 I paid. And I might consider watching the show again because I am a star wars junkie at heart. Cheers!