Senang Diri
A blog on Singapore defence and the SAF that goes Above & Beyond The Obvious -The views expressed on this blog are my personal views and/or opinions. Copyright © 2009-2024. David Boey. All rights reserved. Follow us on Facebook @senangdiriHQ; Instagram @davidboeypix; Twitter @SenangDiri
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Updates on the Singapore Armed Forces
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Update on future of Senang Diri blog
I would like to thank all the folks who came for the Pukul Habis book talk at SAFRA Toa Payoh on 7 September 2024. I appreciate those who stayed behind and waited their turn patiently for the one-to-one conversations.
While the book research may have involved interactions with a number of individuals, the actual writing was, to me a newbie fiction author, a lonely and impersonal journey where you never know whether the words on the screen will be read or appreciated by anyone out there.
So thanks for helping keep the flames alight.
In response to the many requests to stay active and communicative, I have recently restarted updates on my social channels: Instagram (@davidboeypix) and X (@senangdiri) and also Facebook (David Boey Author's page @senangdiriHQ). Do Follow if you would like to see the updates.
X will be my platform of choice for quick updates
IG will mirror the photo-worthy updates on X. Engagement levels far lower than X. But there's a reason I'm on IG.
FB will be for long form discourses, such as my comments on the recent training incident at Exercise Wallaby 2024, as I have seen these posts propagated faster and to a more esteemed audience than my blog posts.
My blog will kept warm as a platform for Singapore-related defence discussions for those special occasions when I feel a need to speak up.
I also want to thank the many, many new Pukul Habis readers who discovered this book. It was a thrill seeing the book displayed at the main entrance of Books Kinokuniya, Singapore's biggest bookstore, again. And seeing the pile eventually whittled away just weeks later.
If you read my revised Author's Note, you will realise the book is written with hidden messages embedded therein. If you're a newly-minted 2LT or fresh recruit, you will need time to pick up some of the tribe's nuances and it may be hard to read about the SAF being shot to pieces in a story like this.
But there's a reason why the SAF's first CDF endorsed the story. If you need a hint, just think about the capabilities that the super-strong SAF opponent demonstrates in the fictional battles, then ask yourself which side is more likely to actually have them for real and what the author is trying hard to tell you without being invited for a free coffee. Think about it.
The first batch of Pukul Habis readers took awhile to arrive at this deduction but many eventually did.
I hope all you new readers will get it and also find the story meaningful and a worthwhile learning journey.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Comments on Singapore Armed Forces SAF training incident at Exercise Wallaby 2024
Sunday, September 8, 2024
THANKS AGAIN! Pukul Habis book talk
Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Pukul Habis book talk 3pm, 7 Sep 2024 Military Hobby Fest SAFRA Toa Payoh in Singapore
I will attend Singapore's first Military Hobby Fest at SAFRA Toa Payoh this Saturday. Will give a behind-the-scenes talk on Pukul Habis at 3pm and will address some of the hidden messages for the very first and possibly only time in front of a public audience. Happy to take questions if you've any.
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Meeting with Tun (Dr) Mahathir Mohamad
When I first saw this picture last November, I thought it was a pretty good photoshop.
Then a friend from Malaysia asked me to take a look at Tun (Dr) Mahathir Mohamad's Facebook page. And that was when I realised the image was real.
Last Friday (16 August'24), I had a private conversation with Tun, a former Prime Minister of Malaysia and the country's longest-serving PM, in his office in Kuala Lumpur. It was a four-eye meeting with just us two. No staff officers were present.
I enjoyed the conversation on, well you guessed it, defence and foreign affairs. Specifically, matters pertaining to Malaysia and Singapore.
Though I left journalism more than 15 years ago and while I hold no job title or office even remotely linked to Singapore's defence ecosystem, I am touched that the Malaysians have deemed it worthwhile to stay in contact and continue engaging me. The meeting with Tun crowns a long-standing relationship with friends in Malaysia, several of whom helped me - an outsider to Malaysia's defence scene - attain a level of understanding of the Malaysian Armed Forces that helped me write Pukul Habis, my first novel.
Tun shared that he read my book "from the start to the end". Tun shared which parts he found fascinating. And I learned later, from one of his senior aides, more of Tun's views on the fictional story of war between Malaysia and Singapore.
I think Tun is a fan.... I am humbled by this realisation. I thank Tun for his interest in the story and for making time to see me in person.
I am pleased to announce that Tun has written a Foreword for a revised edition of Pukul Habis. It touches on Tun's views on war and defence relations between Malaysia and Singapore.
The battle scenes in Pukul Habis apparently made an impression on Tun. The Foreword I received was measured, befitting of an elder statesman. Tun's views, placed on record in his Foreword, are something I did not expect to see.
I thank Tun for reading the war story and arriving at the takeaway that is reflected in his message to readers.
Btw, I did not send Tun a copy of the book. Neither did his aides get one for Tun. They do not know how Tun got a copy. To the mystery person who passed the book to Tun, a million thanks!
Saturday, May 4, 2024
Pukul Habis print edition sold out at Books Kinokuniya in Malaysia and Singapore
So this is a happy problem: The first edition of Pukul Habis, printed in Singapore by Times Printers, has sold out at Books Kinokuniya in Malaysia and Singapore. That first edition printed in Singapore is now a collectible because you won't find it at Kino anymore.
For now, am looking at a reprint but nothing immediate.
I have two prominent individuals who like the story and understand the deeper meaning and symbolism embedded in the plot. Both have kindly written to me, and I have their permission to use their letters as Forewords to the second edition.
My thanks to the Books Kinokuniya crew. Early last year, the Kino team encouraged me to print locally as the bookstore had received many enquiries about the book soon after it was launched on Amazon. Thank you Mohd Rozairi bin Marwan and Kelvin from the Kinokuniya logistics team for helping me along during those replenishment runs. I also extend my deepest appreciation to the Kino crew - Alethea, Najib, Kenny Chan and many others - for their guidance and support as I had never self-published before. Learned so much about the book trade. : )
Do stay tuned for details. Thanks to all who supported the first print run!
db
Books Kinokuniya branches in Singapore and Malaysia have sold out all their copies of Pukul Habis (ISBN 9789811861499).
Singapore: https://bit.ly/3XJzInH
Australia: https://amzn.to/3ViaX0i
United Kingdom: https://amzn.to/3EZ6clA Look Inside
USA: https://amzn.to/3Ui3Eo1 Look Inside. When ordering from Singapore, click on the "Shipping to Singapore?" button. Ignore the "Temporarily out of stock" notice on the Amazon.com.