It has certainly perked me up for the day ahead.

Oh well, if my latest endeavour does really fall flat on it’s face, at least I have NUS Law to fall back on. Then again, it would be a very expensive experiment indeed, given that all the app fees are typically denominated in Pounds Sterling.

I need to get round to deciding precisely what course to apply for and where. My choices currently read:

• King’s College London: Law with German Law
• London School of Economics and Political Science: Law
• Oxford University: Law with German Law
• University College London: English and German Law

And I’m all out of ideas, I still have one more available choice and frankly I need a good insurance option given that I’m not exactly aiming low here.

Time to get down and dirty prepping myself for the challenge ahead.

P.S. If anyone is interested, the UCAS buzzword for RI(JC) is “rafflesjc2011″.

Forgive the horrible singing and guitar playing, I’m not very good. I should add that I have a sore throat, not likely to make a difference either way though

Long has the allure of this historical corner of the world mesmerised me. Everything about the old world, from the rich history to its overwhelming diversity captivates me. It remains to this day, the world’s largest economy, and nowhere else have democracy and civil liberties reached the zenith epitomised by Europe.

It thus pains me tremendously to be bombarded in recent times by swathes of economists and policy makers prophesising the demise of Europe. “The entire continent has plunged into an irrecoverable spiral of decline,” they all echo, and not without merit. After all, the entire European sytem is flawed, a monetary union without the will to pursue political integration, without which economic and fiscal policy nessecary to regulate the Euro cannot be enforced.

Has my passion for the European way of life clouded my judgement? I honestly do not know.

My penchant for travel was cultivated at an early age. In the years between my second birthday and the turn of the century, I went on no less than ten jaunts beyond our shores. Following that initial period of furious adventuring, my love was further reinforced in my youth with three trips to the mesmerising European continent.

Why the sudden recollection you might ask? Well, facebook has bombarded me in recent weeks with photographs of friends and acquaintances on the maiden jaunts overseas, exploring their new campuses and hostels: their homes for the foreseeable future. It made me realise what folly accepting my offer to read Law at the National University of Singapore would be.

Sure it’s a very respectable degree from an institution of standard (arguably). However am I really willing to sacrifice the opportunity to see the world that an overseas education would provide? After receiving the offer from NUS, I was actually under that very impression. Oh how wrong I was.

We’ve got our regular area cleaning session before the daily first parade at the moment. My bunkmates all seem to be in a similarly foul mood. Everyone is just lazing around in the bunk (obviously we’ve already completed our area cleaning responsibilities). If they’re not resting their heads on the table, they’re just slumped back in a chair, looking very sorry for themselves.

Hopefully the rest of the day gets progressively better. We’ve got speed training later, which means that it isn’t likely to get much better very soon. Time to psych myself up for the hardcore interval training and Tabata PT we’re in store for later.

Ciao, for now.

The most memorable point of the entire past week must have been the OCPT which Cpt Teo introduced to us on Sunday, only our 3rd full day on the island. To say it was tough is a massive understatement. It was however a good wake up call and highlighted that army would not be just a walk in the park. Following that initial session, I am sure that I will be more prepared for more doses of “doing some” (what our Officer Commanding says when he actually means “doing a hell lot”).

As of this writing, I have only two days till I book out for the first time. Till then, I guess the outside world still remains a distant privelage that serves as short term motivation, week in and week out.

The worst is yet to come, but I believe I am ready. Time to steel myself for the long journey ahead.

P.S. Penghui (sitting next to me) sez hai.

A man.