ORD parade...36 days left to the real ORD

Time really flies.It is no longer an often used cliche because it feels like i enlisted just yesterday.I got mixed feelings about this.Sad,because many of those am close to are returning back to their normal life.Joyful and relieved,because all are going back to our normal life and resuming where our dreams and goals have left off 2 yrs ago.Many says that going through NS makes you into a better man.I do agree with that,even if i don't really like all that tekaning and shouting and all.

For example,I have learnt to cherish my family alot more than i was before i enlisted.Never have i thought that i would go out for a breakfast with my dad only or sometimes with my mum only.Or even open up my life to my dad and talk about stock market,life and money.As a result,I am starting to become more and more uncle.Craps!!!

I would never manage the time i have in my hands effectively if not for NS.All those short weekends,leaves,offs and deployment time gave me the space to think through about issue close to my heart.From what to do after ORD to reflecting God's goodness in my life as well as BGR issues(that's something i won't elaborate here).Those short free time also gave me the time to be with people who are close to my heart,my CG,sec sch frens,section and platoon mates.It also gave me the time to enrich,empower and sharpen my mind through reading and discussing it with people.

I would never have learnt about the power of focus and resilience,and realising my weakness if i had not been through all the tough times and the failures in these 2 yrs.

Responsibility would have been a chore to me(maybe it still is,albeit to a lesser extent)if i had not been through all the tough situation in these 2 yrs.

The lessons listed are inexhaustible or that I am just plain lazy to write more of it,But i'll carry them through my life.In any case,I can't wait to execute what i had planned and make it happen.

ORD LOH!!!

The Smell of a Burnt Saturday

In case you are wondering what do i mean about burnt saturday,it means that i need to go back camp tonight.Yeah,it's for the ORD parade rehearsal on tomorrow sunday.The real parade is on this coming wednesday.Wa lao eh.....

But at least,I'll be released on sunday evening after the whole rehearsal ends.Not too bad lah.

Recently,I've been wondering whether to go into a relationship soon.But I am not sure if it's a good time yet.Still haven't get a job yet and just at the starting line of my career.I wonder if the person whom I am thinking about is thinking of me at this moment.Oh well,so much unknown and waiting to be unveiled.I guess that's why the word "Be patient" seems to burn into my heart and mind when i was doing my quiet time.For nw at this life stage,I'll just have to love God and the people who are around me. :-)

Slammed around and seeing heaven at e end of it all

This must be the longest title i have ever thought of.Yet it really sums up my wk.

Slammed around and flying around is quite a normal thing in ACCT(advanced close combat training).Tis wk,i've been trained to do crazy things like doing slams n being slammed.It was tiring.Everytime,my body is aching when i booked out.My body aches shows that i am no longer as a young as i thougtht i am.Thank goodness,it ended jus yesterday wif a final test.The final test is simply hilarious.I have seen a 1.85 m fella throw a 1.65 m fella.A shorter guy realli hanged in the mid-air during the throw.As for me,i have to face my section mates who keep on chionging at me n giving me knee jab like ong bak.But at least i gave him 2 nice whack to the head, fell him on the mat.But at the end of the day,i got an aching chest as a prize for ACCT :-)

God is truly does work thru people.I have been asking God whether to study chemistry overseas or chemical engineering locally for 1.5 yr.The 1.5 yrs has been quite a journey for my faith and prayer life.At first,i thought i'll be going overseas since the financial means for it seems secure.But when my financial means become increasingly unsecure and i did nt want to burden my family financially,i wondered if i shld continue on that course of action.I wasn't keen on chemical engineering,but kept praying that God would show me the way.It took time to wait and pray,but it was worth it.Slowly,he placed alot of people in my life to tell me what i shld do.Initially i didn't get it but i've heard more n more confirmation as to what i shld do frm my shepherd,dad,friends to my first uncle.Most of them advised me to take the part-time course instead of going overseas.I'll still going to wait for a little more confirmation but i'll apply for it soon.

Throughout the whole time,I've realised that the process of seeking the Answerer is more important than jus finding the answer.Waiting is a part of that parcel.Even though,waiting is almost like holding your breath;it can be unbearable and uncomfortable.The silence that is present in the wait does not mean that he did nt ur hear or bother about your prayer.Rather,waiting is the time where God draws us closer to be with His Presence as we send our request n petition thru prayer.It's nt a chore but a privelege.This verse below from isaiah 30:18 very much describes my experience:

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; 
 he rises to show you compassion. 
 For the LORD is a God of justice. 
 Blessed are all who wait for him!

Soon and very soon

ORD lo!!!

Guess i was just too bored or that time is too short to write a decent post

options and choices

Looks like my further study might be hitting a hitch.My dad told me tat it may not be possible to go for overseas study,given the current decline in the STI.That is something he is depending on to make some money outActually,i got a feeling that overseas study plan might hit a hitch when straits time recently reported on the gradual decline in the STI.But can't really blame him for it,since it's out of his control(or anyone,for that matter).So all the more,the onus is realli on me to think of alternative way.So far,i can think of 3 options:

option A:work until 2011,then go oz lor

option B:work,then apply for btech chemical engineering in NUS(part-time)

option C:work,then apply for full-time economics degree at SIM

Each has its own merit,but i'll still have to wait and see how it realli goes.However,i do hope that i can go overseas coz that's a prayer i made to God 2 years ago.I prayed that he will provide me financially for it.All is murky before me,still i'll trust coz he's been faithful in my life from the 1st time i know him since year 1.

So much more for options and choices.All i can do is to sit n rough out the storm :-)

When am back from guard duty.......

"The spirit is willing but the body is weak"

That describes me nw.Especially my mind coz am feeling brain-laggy.But am glad that today is care group,somemore it's my 1st care group of the year.That's because i haven't attended any care group for the past 12 mths or so.It's hard to believe that i haven't been attending it for so long,especially myself.In case,anyone don't understand what i've been blabbering about.Care group is the equivalent of cell group in a church.am quite looking forward to it :-)

The ending of february also brings to an end to ATEC training n evaluation(ATEC=army training evaluation centre).It is something tat many of us at my coy were busy with throughout this month.Busy going through all the training,some of which is pretty dry.It gets boring when we keep doing it again n again.When the day for evaluation comes,i got chosen to do only PAC(personal access control).Thank God because am doing jus one station that am very good at.The atmosphere is tense while waiting for my turn to do my stuff.But the encik(company sergeant major) is quite a funny person,so it really eased me up n get a personal redcon 1(which is the highest score).

It's over.But it's ended with getting an overall redcon 1 for my unit.I don't want to be extra delirious or jump up n down at that news like some ppl,but am jus relieved it's ended well.

So much so for this wk...gtg nw tata!!!

CNY

My my am i glad to be able to celebrate CNY with my family.Last year,i didn't celebrate CNY with my parents because of deployment at...well u know where and i shan't say too much.It feels realli crappy when i was doing duty there at that time.Realli realli crappy,it is something i won't want to experience again.So because of that,i enjoyed the few days before CNY when i booked out 3 days before CNY.

During that time,i was looking forward to seeing my relatives again,wondering how are they doing since i saw them 2 yrs ago.And when we saw each other again,we were glad that we were doing well ourselves.It was a wonderful chance to catch up on each other's lives.This yr's CNY feels a little different from 2 yrs ago,more low key.But it feels great seeing each other again.And of course,nt forgetting the angbaos :-)