blogging campaign and this is my first post to create awareness for their recruitment campaign.
As the title states - it's an interview with a firefighter.
This Saturday I'm going to visit a Fire Station to see what it's all about!! So exciting!!!!
I'm really happy to be part of this because I've always had great admiration for firefighters and the death-defying situations they are willing to put themselves in to save other peoples' lives.
For many of us who sometimes cannot even be bothered to donate money to needy charities, can you imagine dedicating your life and risking it to save others?
The best kind of work is when reward lies in the work itself.
I wanna share with you guys this song that I've loved dearly ever since I've watched the movie, "The Guardian" because every time I listen this song, I think of great people who do great things.
The title is "Never Let Go" and I think this song is a perfect tribute to firefighters for what they do for us.
Can you lay your life down so a stranger can live?Can you take what you need but take less than you give?Could you close every day without the glory and fame?Could you hold your head high when no one knows your name?That’s how legends are made, at least that’s what they say.We say goodbye, but never let goWe live we die, cuz you can’t save every soul.Gotta take every chance to show that you’re the kinda man who Will never look back, never look down, and never let goCan you lose everything you ever had planned?Can you sit down again, and play another hand?Could you risk every thing, for the chance of being alone?Under pressure find the grace, or would you come undone. That’s how legends are made, at least that’s what they say.
Listening to the lyrics of the song, watching the slideshow and reading the YouTube comments made me very teary.
Even though the Youtube video's title is "Heroes in America", in Singapore, we have our own heroes.
I got the chance to interview LTA Foo from Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) who worked his way from being a Sergeant as a Fire and Rescue Specialist to his current rank as a Lieutenant, holding a Senior Officer appointment as a ROTA Commander at Central Fire Station.
.
.
.
What made you join SCDF (Singapore Civil Defence Force)?
“For me, it’s more of a passion. After graduating from poly, I joined the private sector as a lab technician for two years. The job is boring. Every day is a routine of research, tests and experiments. I felt no sense of achievement.
So one day, I went rock climbing with a group of friends and chanced upon this group of fire-fighters who are in the DART team in SCDF. So I spoke to them and they told me about their job. It than took me one year to decide to switch jobs because I was afraid initially. I did a lot of research on SCDF, on what they did and if it would suit me.
I think it was fate that triggered me to make the switch when I was walking past Central Fire Station and the alarms in the station rang. I saw the firemen shouting and sliding down the poles and left the station in unison.
I was stunned by the moment and realized this is what I am looking for. So I went back home, went online and registered to apply as a fire-fighter.
From there, I started my career. I became a Sergeant, went through courses and now I am a Lieutenant, serving as a ROTA commander.”
.
.
.
.
Was there anything that held you back from joining SCDF?
“Not really for me. I did talk to my parents and they were very supportive. I even brought my Mum and Dad to the fire station to show them what I am doing.
This helped them understand my job better and were more understanding like in cases when I would go back home, tired and not wanting to eat even though my Mum prepared a sumptuous meal.”
.
.
.
What are your working hours like?
“For me as a Senior Officer, I work a 24hr shift, followed by 8 to 5 office hours and then 1 day of off. It may sound hectic but it is a lot of fun. “
.
.
.
LTA Foo is very passionate about his career in SCDF and is also a Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) Specialist who took part in major overseas operations like the recent Sichuan Earthquake relief efforts.
To find out more about SCDF and join the passionate crew like LTA Foo, head down to their recruitment website at
To read a recent article about firefighters in Singapore saving lives, click here.
It's really heartwarming to read the comments below the article because they are all so encouraging, and I feel that our daily heroes should be appreciated more. We are all proud of you guys!!!
.
.
.
As mentioned earlier, I will be visiting a local Fire Station this Saturday, so if any of you have any questions you'd like to ask members of the SCDF, drop your comments here and I'd gladly ask them for you.
I hope the firefighters I meet are friendly, because I'm going to give them hugs in appreciation for what they do and for the people whose lives they saved!!!
You hear people laughing, bells jingling and carolers singing...
And you'd know immediately - 'Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la!
It's that magical time of the year again - Christmas!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
Playing this on repeat to prep myself for my special Christmas at Disney this year ;)
Only 1 more week baby!!!!
I am soooooo excited for Christmas this year (for very obvious reasons) and because I'm in such a Christmassy mood, I thought I'd do a post telling the world just how much and why I love Christmas!
I love how you don't have to be Christian / Catholic to enjoy Christmas.Everyone can just celebrate together, no matter what race, age, nationality or religion you have!!!!
Both me & Sam are big Christmas fans but we're also both atheists. We don't believe in god, but that doesn't mean we don't believe in all the joy that is derived from Christmas!
Of course we know how this festive holiday originally came about...
But instead of celebrating the birth of a supposed higher being, I think of Christmas as a very special time of the year.
Working conditions are less hectic, exams are over,
the to-do list becomes shorter, people start getting ready to take time off their busy schedules to just enjoy life for what it is and spend quality time with their family and friends.
And of course, the fun begins!!!
Endless amounts of fun, ranging from wide-scale parties and celebrations with the public, to quiet but lovely dinners with your family that you'd usually hardly get the chance to see.
I feel that these holidays, such as Valentine's Day and Christmas, although highly commercialized they are not without meaning.
People say that if you are truly in love, everyday is like Valentine's Day - easier said than done.
If it wasn't for Valentine's Day, a lot of couples would have forgotten to remind each other of the love they share,
but February the 14th is a constant reminder to the old man to buy his woman her favourite flowers, young and shy couples get the perfect opportunity to go on their first dates, neglected lovers once again remember to show affection to each other, and the list goes on...
Call them commercial gimmicks or whatever you wish but the world wouldn't be the same without these fixed dates of celebration.
Because with these fixed dates, there will be no more excuses and reasons not to.
There will be no more moms missing and calling their children, telling them to come home for dinner only to have them say"Sorry, work's too busy"
Because during Christmas, EVERYONE gets time off to go do whatever they want!! (Well I hope everyone. Nobody should be forced to work on this special day)
If it wasn't for Christmas, people wouldn't have the chance to take a breather and remember all the seemingly small but significant things in life.
If it wasn't for Christmas, families probably wouldn't gather annually to go on holidays together. Daughters and sons who have moved out of their parents house will go back home to spend time with each other, couples get to go on romantic holidays (such as me and Sam ehehehe)
The world would forget that there is a time and space for celebrations and for nothing but good things and happy thoughts. I feel sorry for whoever is still being miserable during the most amazing time of the year.
So yeah, Christmas to me is about celebrating what I have in my life, my loved ones, and also to remember how beautiful the world is.
And since my family's not too big on Christmas, I decided to spend it with Sam instead because we are hopeless romantics and would jump at any opportunity to have a romantic getaway LOL.
.
.
.
.
.
But of course besides all that sentimental, heart-warming good stuff that everyone should experience at least once a year...
Christmas comes with many other benefits and there's no denying it!!!
My other favourite thing about Christmas is their DECORATIONS!
Omg there's nothing like X'mas lights I swear!!! ^____________^
They are EVERYWHERE and they never get old - everytime I see Christmas decorations and lightings my heart just turns into a big ball of warm fuzziness.
Ordinary houses magically turn into a parade of pretty sparkles
Mesmerising is the way Christmas lights twinkle in the dark
If I owned a house like this, I'd go crazy each year decorating it lol! So much fun!!!!
Me and Sam are going to take a slow walk and drive around Celebration, which is a town (such a cute name!) managed by Disney in Florida cuz we heard they have fantastic X'mas decos each year.
The Cinderella Castle @ Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World. Spectacular!!!
Woot gonna see this soon!!! I'll be sure to take pictures with it :P
.
.
.
.
Christmas lights are not the only thing offered in the streets during Christmas!
.......Christmas carols are THE BEST!!!
How can anyone not be in a fantastic Christmassy mood after listening to carols??
I just want to sing along and dance deliriously whenever I hear them.
Whether it's at a church mass, or just in the public for good ol' fun!!!
I want to stand in front of a group of carolers on the street on a cold, cold night and wish everyone that's passing by "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!"
Plenty of carolers in Magic Kingdom, I remember from when I was a kid ^_______^
They're super friendly and they sing GREAT.
..HERE, INDULGE IN CHRISTMASSY GOODNESS!!!!
Spread the lurveeeeeeeeeeee and happiness hehehe. Listen to all of them, I insist!
Arguably the most well-known Christmas song ^___^
FWAH!!!!!
I used to love this song the most when I was a kid, and I'm pretty every other kid out there loves this too.
So catchy and their Christmas carols have the simplest yet most meaningful lyrics ;)
I think the tradition of these carols will live on for a very long time.. I can't imagine my kids of grandchildren listening to anything but these classics during X'mas!
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose.. And if you ever saw him, you would even say it glows!!
Bahahaha this song is SLIGHTLY annoying after awhile but it's so catchy ^____^
The lyrics are kinda strange. Why would you want so many birds for??
Ok enough of happy fast jingles..
How about a slow melody to accompany you and your baby while you sip hot cocoa in front of a warm fireplace, all wrapped up in blanket feeling contented and snuggly?
Except of course in Singapore, an air-conditioner is more ideal than a fireplace.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Other things I love about Christmas = X'mas trees, presents exchanging, and the exchanging of smiles!
Why do I love X'mas trees??? Because, who doesn't?!
They're freaking everywhere, and without them X'mas wouldn't be the same.
Around the world, people seem to be competing to have the tallest, biggest, most dcorated and "best" X'mas tree but what's really important is what goes UNDER the tree ;)
I care not for the fancy but empty tree which has no presents lying underneath awaiting me!!! Buahahaha!
.
.
.
.
.
People buy gifts for their close friends and family, no matter how small or grand, they'd still be appreciated because it's all for X'mas afterall.
I heart X'mas shopping, it's heaps of fun! Trying to figure out what the other person would want, and then trying to find a good deal..
And the anticipation of wanting to know what your family bought for you is always the magical bit, when you're ripping off the wrapping paper.
Sam and I are going to buy a X'mas tree to put in our hotel in Orlando, lol!
I have not one not two but FOUR X'mas gifts ready for him! Hahaha I can't wait to see his face when he opens them :)
It's the first thing we're going to do when we wake up before the sun rises, then after present-opening we're gonna rush off to catch our Sunrise Hot Air Balloon ride!!!
Fweeeeeeehhhhhh. The schedule for the rest of the day you'll find out in January 2010 when I get back from Florida!
.
.
.
.
.
I love the exchanging of smiles because it's true that people are generally alot happier and more carefree when Christmas approaches. Just take a look around!
I promised myself I will remember to smile and greet back EVERY single person who wishes me "Merry Christmas!!!"
I've even come up with the idea of taping a whole bunch of peoples reactions to us just randomly going up to them wishing them Merry X'mas LOL.
Goddd this X'mas is going to be sick, so much videos and pictures to take!
I bet when I come back from the trip, I'm gonna have thousands of photos to post and my blog will become alive again!
Hurray!!!! I promise it will be a fantastic read :P
.
.
.
.
.
.
Other Christmassy good stuff include...
SALES.
Who loves end-year sales??? ME!!!
Everything is going on sale and I can't wait to raid the shopping mall in Orlando coz it's winter now and their summer stuff will be on sale :D :D :D :D
And US clothes are so cheap! Weeee.
And omgomgomg something great happened last night!!! If you're following me on my Twitter, you'd know this already.
I was just randomly browsing for hotels on websites, I don't even know why I was looking up on hotels when we've already booked ours and Sam kept telling me to stop being fickle-minded about our hotels, but I discovered this CRAZILY GOOD deal for the Hilton and I couldn't resist switching over!
The price was originally 2700 USD for 9 nights, but it's now USD 800!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've no idea why but no questions asked, we just cancelled our Westgate Lakes Resort and booked the Hilton instead!
That's 1900 off!! Happy or not, you tell me?!?! I tell you - VERY HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!
Thank god our booking for Westgate Lakes is fully refundable.
Not only did we save money (Westgate Lakes was more exp than USD 800, fucked up lol) we also upgraded to a MUCH BETTER hotel!
Bye bye lao pok Westgate Lakes!
Stupid old fat TV, damn ugly bedsheets, boring old room, yuckadoodle! The only redeeming factor about this hotel is the fab location and the fact it has a jacuzzi next to your bed.
But then I thought about it the sensible way and I was like, wtf, I don't wanna sleep in a ugly hotel just for some jacuzzi. I tried to convince myself it was homely, not ugly, but last night I told myself "AS IF!!" and I started searching for new hotels rofl.
And my dream came true because now we are staying at...
Omaigawd orgasming now kthxbye!!!!!!! :')
So now we're staying 9 nights @ Hilton and 10 nights @ Hyatt!
Mad happy la!! The only place that would be a better stay is if the Disney folks invited me to stay @ the Cinderella Castle LOL.
.
.
.
I know I may seem super freaking enthusiastic about X'mas, but of course, because..
My Christmas wish this year is being fulfilled!
Not by Santa, but by my beloved boyfriend. Thank you darling I love you I love you MUAH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not just fulfilled, that would be an understatement. I'm really getting a lot more than what I asked for. I didn't even ask him to take me on such a fab holiday, he suggested it.
I just know this is going to be the most amazing time of my life so far :)
And there's only 5 simple steps to follow to participate in all the fun~
Register your Samsung Fun Club details.
Follow the link to add the Facebook® app.
Start a story thread and begin posting.
Invite your friends to add to the story.
Continue where your friends left off, and vice versa.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sounds simple enough eh?
Here's the yarn/story that I just started :
And the rest of the story is for ANYONE to continue!
It sounds spookish now, but who knows how the story will turn out later?
A horror story could turn into a comedy romance one, the possibilities are endless and left up to Facebook users to decide :)
Get more friends to participate.
Post story developments frequently.
Keep the story interesting.
Check the leaderboard often to see how your story ranks up.
Of course the key to this application and contest is to spin the longest yarn possible, meaning trying to be the group that contributes to the longest story!
And to achieve this, you must invite as many friends to join you as possible.
The best part I have yet to mention - the storytellers in the longest yarn will stand a chance to win 1 Samsung Corby phone, but 10 Samsung Corby phones!!!
You can post more than once in the yarn, so keep those updates frequent and interesting to win one of these bad boys:
What I like best about it is that it's possibly the most affordable touch screen phone you'll ever come across, very pocket-friendly for youths who haven't started earning big bucks yet.
With a single touch, you can easily access Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace -
There's not only the touch screen one up for grabs, there's a Qwerty keyboard version too!
I was given 2 Corby phones to play with, and they're really REALLY easy to use, so it's not alien for non-touch-screen-phone-users like me :)
Taking a picture of my room with the Corby!
Playing games with the touch screen method is uber fun!! My fav game in the style of Bejeweled.
It comes in Yellow, White, and Cupid Pink is my favourite!!!
So watcha waiting around for?
Click here to start spinning your own longest yarn and stand a chance to win 10 Corby phones for you and your friends!
So I know I'm supposed to post that super long and creative and fantastic wtf entry I promised to but I have failed :(
The entry is reallyyyyy long as hell and it's getting quite tiring to finish it so I've decided to do it whenever. But omfg the Jesus Lizard video is so gold, how can you not be satisfied with it?!?
I have another gold story to share!!!
So like, a few minutes ago I was happy google-ing the most beautiful places in the world so that I'd know which places I should go to first...
Then I came across a few sites that recommended Taj Mahal in India.
pic credit: link as shown
And I knew what Taj Mahal was, but never gave it much thought.
I'm neither a tree hugger nor a vegan, but nature really is fucking amazing and one of my absolute favourite things to do whenever I have time (or I'll make time for it!) is to just watch documentaries about nature.
Animals, tsunamis, really whatever I can get my hands on in YouTube. Gotta love YT, but their vids are all so short and low-quality, grr!!!
My recent obssession has been marine life :) I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE FASCINATED IN MY LIFE!!!!
Ok wow major sidetrack!! Anyway back to my point.
.
.
.
.
.
So I'm impressed by nature's wonders and not completely impressed by architecture or fancy buildings like the Colo-dunno-what they have in Rome and Taj Mahal.
And I was like, "Chey, dead king built some marble palace for his dead wife only what, big deal??? What for I want to see, not like it was built for me anyway! If I ever go to India, it'd be for the food and not a building."
But I decided to do a brief background read-up about it and here's what it says:
"Story goes that the emperor was grief stricken when he lost his beloved third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It took several thousands of craftsmen, artisans and about twenty years to construct it. *insert the rest of boring story here*"
And I was like, ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh? Mumtaz Mahal? How come so familiar???
I could've sworn I've heard those words before!
For a split second I was slightly impressed with myself for knowing something about ancient history even if it's just a random name rofl.
But then I remembered - I'm disinterested in human history, I don't even know the names of presidents, fat chance I'd know some third wife of some Emperor.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
And very very comically, I suddenly recalled where I've seen and heard this name from.
......................
BUTTER CHICKEN!!!! BRINJAL MASALA!!!!
LAMB KRUMA!!!! GARLIC NAAN!!!!!
....Yes yes yes, all the names start flashing in my head now!
.
.
.
.
.
Good grief, Mumtaz Mahal is the name of my favourite indian restaurant
which I force every pitiful soul who agrees to go out with me to dine at every time.
Wtf no wonder so familiar. Gotta love restaurants that name themselves after ancient third wifes of yadayada!!!!
Anyway that's the pic of the restaurant I always talk about, located at Far East Plaza, so quit asking me about it eh. And don't ask me what level it is etc etc because I will smack your head.
WTF you think Google is for??? How you think I got all this startling information from?!? Google is the sex and is my best teacher ever ILY Google!!!
I hope you all learned a little something today from this lor soh post about nothing really. LOL. But funny right?!?!? Right???
INDIAN FOOD IS AWESOME NOM NOM NOMS I WANT NOWW.
Mumtaz Mahal ILU!!! I want 2 b ur permanent food blogger!!! ("v")
I've watched a lot of ABSOLUTELY AMAZING documentaries about animals recently, but this was just too funny to not share!
I never thought I'd find a lizard super cute but it's adorable omfg, when it runs with its feet spread wide open hahahahahaha
xoxo,
Jess
Hi. My name is Jessica, but I'm known as Shiberty. I'm 20 years old and I have purple hair like an eggplant, even though it's red in the above picture. I live in Singapore. I like to bake pretty cakes for special occasions, write all about my feelings & experiences on my blog, take a lot of pictures of my every day life, post my cooking on Instagram for people to salivate over and most recently... singing covers of my favorite songs on Youtube!!!
For advertorial enquiries, sponsorship proposals and general mail
Loading tweets...
View my unadulterated answers to over 10 000 random questions from people about everything in life.. & ask me another one!
