i haven't touched this for quite long.

nothing really much to say.

oh ya, i'm so happy, i cooked some nice stuff to bring to sch to eat tmr. no more raisins =D i rock. in fact, i think i should have a pack of raisins now to offset what i won't eat tmr. eh. no. or maybe i'll bring raisins tmr too. yay

measured height and weight today. i'm 1.76m and 64.5kg. i'm happy with my height. Lord please don't make me grow anymore =) my weight on the other hand. i don't believe it. i lost 0.5 kg. first time i lost weight before. this sucks. i need to eat/exercise more. i must reach 69 kg by end of the year. i hope.

man. i still hope they sell italian dressing here. i din see it in the cold storage at novena square today. anyone know where else to get it?

school has been rather fun recently..nothing much to say, read ian lin's and sam chan's blog for details.

oh. anyone reading this, please pray for mr chan win hon to recover quickly; he's been down with some..viral thing.

the UH-1H Hueys in service of the RSAF have been retired as of yesterday...check this out:

Bye-bye, Huey

Posted: 12 Jul 2005, 1530 hours (Time is GMT +8 hours)

Report by Gail Wan

Photos by Chua Soon Lye and courtesy of Air Force News

Eight UH-1Hs fly in formation during their farewell flight around Singapore that took them past Tengah Airbase, Paya Lebar Airbase and the Southern Islands. Three UH-1Hs were deployed to be on standby at Farrer Park, during the Hotel New World disaster, to help airlift casualties. The Air Force's UH-1H helicopters landed for the last time at Sembawang Air Base on 11 Jul, after a 30-minute 'end-of-service' flight around the island. Formed in 1969, the 120 Squadron (120 SQN) is the Republic of Singapore Air Force?s (RSAF) oldest operational squadron. The UH-1H 'Huey' helicopters were acquired in 1977 and since then, for almost three decades, they have been the RSAF's trusty workhorses in the air, serving the operational and training needs of the Air Force and the Army. More than 300 officers and specialists, past and present, attended the draw-down ceremony to bid farewell to the squadron and the classic aircraft they have come to love. "To me, it is an icon, an antique," said Brigadier-General (BG) Wong Huat Sern, who has piloted the Huey since 1986. "If I were to compare it with a car, I would say it's like an old Volkswagen, Mini Cooper or a Porsche 911, that type of class of car," said BG Wong, who is currently Head, Joint Operations Department. "There are a lot of better 'cars' today, but there is a certain character behind the Huey and that's what makes it so attractive to me. It is a piece of history," he added. The UH-1H is known to be versatile, reliable and robust. Its rugged airframe and relatively small size allow it to land in tight jungle openings, which are often inaccessible to larger helicopters. In its illustrious years of service with the RSAF, the Huey achieved many 'firsts'. It was the first gunship helicopter in the RSAF and was fitted with rockets and guns as early as 1984. Its armed role was decommissioned only after the RSAF acquired the AS550 Fennec light attack helicopters. The Huey squadron is a pioneer in search-and-rescue operations. It was also involved in the evacuation of casualties in the Hotel New World collapse in 1986. More recently in 2002, four UH-1Hs were also deployed to Timor-Leste for peace support operations as part of Singapore's contribution to the United Nations (UN) efforts there.

According to 120 SQN's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Lock Kok Leong, the draw-down is all part of the RSAF's transformation plans.

With the introduction of the Apaches and naval helicopters into service, new squadrons will be formed.

The RSAF's Super Puma and the Chinook helicopters will take over the tasks that used to be carried out by the UH-1Hs.

LTC Lock, who will be posted to Headquarters, RSAF, will continue flying, albeit in a Super Puma now.

"I will miss flying the Huey of course, but what I will miss more are the people in 120 Squadron," he said.

Echoing the same sentiments was First Warrant Officer S Selvanathan, an Air Crew Specialist Leader with the squadron.

"I have seen the traditions that have been built up and the culture among the people, the working atmosphere, the way we get our missions done, the way we go on detachment and live together? That's what I'll miss most after the draw-down," he said.

All personnel in 120 SQN are being reassigned to other squadrons. Some will be converting to other aircraft types, including the Chinook, the Super Puma and Apache helicopters.

Although the UH-1Hs will no longer be flying locally, the complete cessation of operational duty will only take effect when the remaining five UH-1Hs deployed to Brunei, as part of the permanent heli-detachment there, draw down later in the year.

yep...i'm gone