there’s no pretense.

Yeah and so 16 days of confinement has just passed. In another mere few hours time I’ll be on my way back to Tekong once again. Can’t say I’m thrilled, but then again I don’t really have a choice. (:

The last 16 days have been alright I would say. Trainings weren’t relaxing, but I’m strong. (: It doesn’t help that Orion is quite fierce in their trainings either. Other than the fact that I had a weird stomach during the last 3-4 days of confinement ( I didn’t eat a lot during this period as I had no appetite and I had bad diarrhoea ), everything else is still quite ok. So far so good. (:

So I went to church yesterday. It felt so good to be back in church. When I was up on stage serving in choir, the presense of God overwhelmed me. The army does a lot of things to you, and one of them is you definitely learn not to take a lot of simple things for granted.

Thinking of it now, there are a few things I look forward most to doing when I book-out. One, being able to meet up all my friends once again. Two, being able to go to church, and even cell group if I have the chance. Three, the FOOD. I pray God forbid I get confined for any reason ever. Simple hawker food taste like manna to me now.

Alright. I got to start packing and getting ready soon. (:

Oh yes it’s 9 April. In a few hours time I’ll be going to Paris Ris and taking a ferry to an off-shore island called Pulau Tekong. Cool huh?

It’s getting late, and I ought to catch some sleep. So no ‘last’ words or post for now. Just wish me luck! And of course watch this space for my next post! (:

They emailed me to go for an admission test cum interview. I was so happy until I saw the date. 12 April 2008, 1pm. SHUCKS. That’s the school I want to enter! I’m enlisting tomorrow. What am I supposed to do? I hope I can either come out for the interview or WKWSCI can postpone it to another day for me.

Arghh..

From Kate! (: I’m not a fan of the song though. Suicidal, suicidal.. So desperate, I suggest you follow what the MapleStory character does at the end. Go die la. No one’s stopping you.

I can’t believe I found this reading Kate, but apparently it’s only on her RSS. Can’t find it on her blog, maybe just not yet. [Edit: It's up now. Apparently I think I read her draft. Ops. Anyway I linked her up!] Of course any Singaporean should know this is from MapleStory. So corny, but it brought a smile to my face. (:

Based on the 2006 Singapore Government’s statistics, the average lifespan of Singaporeans is 82.1 years for men and 84.4 years for women. Our average life expectancy has been steadily increasing over the years, but one thing about the statistics strikes out: Man generally live shorter lives than women.

It was in my Junior College biology class when I first came across this statistic. Yes to be honest I have seen and heard of this trend before, but it was when my biology lecturer, who is a female pointed it out and made a joke about it that really made me sit up and ponder why.

I remember myself coming up with various reasons as to why this could be happening. Factors like smoking, drug abuse, eating habits and even participation in more high-risk activities came into my mind. Myself being a male, it mattered to me why in the long run, I will lead a shorter life compared to my female counterparts. My Junior College years, being the first time I took biology as I did not take the subject in my secondary school, helped in my thinking process. As we were being taught about how our bodies function and the various aspects in which the female anatomy is different from the males’, I begin to take interest in the ‘food intake’ factor of this trend. It was during this time when the notion of “You are what you eat” really came alive to me.

Most males in general, consume more food than females, and this is generally attributed to the fact that they have a higher metabolism rate and that they need more energy. However, one significant difference is that females tend to eat more healthily. Women tend to watch what and how much they eat. Whether or not it is because of health reasons or the plain fact that they are more image conscious than men, this makes their food intake much more beneficial to the body and thus, in the long run, they lead a better lifestyle. As such, it is not surprising for me to understand why women have a longer life expectancy than men.

As I continue to research and think about the various ways men eat differently from women, I slowly began to realize that it is not just about the ‘food’ factor or any other reasons mentioned above. It slowly became clear to me that the reason why men in general live shorter lives than women is more in the way they think, how they act, how they feel and react, and the lives they have and lead. The way men think; they are practical, more focused on what they want. The way they speak; men are in general cruder, less talkative, and less tactful. The way they live; men are supposed to take on more responsibilities and are expected to be able to handle stress better than women. The way they feel and react; men are less emotional, likely to bottle up their feelings and rely on a can of beer instead.

Perhaps is it just the social perception of being a man, and how they strive to achieve this standard. Tougher, stronger, and better, than women, that takes a toll on their lives and bodies. Perhaps this is the reason why men live shorter lives than women. Amid the emergence of better medicine and technologies that can help improve our quality and length of life, men still find themselves falling short, in terms of lifespan compared to women. Perhaps the best reason to explain the trend is simply because men, are man. They are male species.

As I continue to find out the average life expectancy of men and women in the future years, I take heart in the fact that even though I know I may live a shorter life then my female friends, I am a man. I have the privilege to be at the very least, the perceived stronger and tougher and better gender of the two. Perhaps just this positive thinking on my part will grant me a few more years beyond 82.1.

Let’s hope this essay will grant me an interview from USP.

Oh yes. It’s coming. Oh yes.

My army enlistment that is. (: