15th May touchdown! I'll be awaiting this day man :D In the meantime, keep me in prayer :) Take care & see you :)
Friday 23 April 2010
THAILAND!!
I'll be leaving tonight & returning on the 15th May! 3 gruelling weeks of training! With only a pathetic 3 days of R & R... -.-" What makes it worse it that the R & R is not equal to free & easy. They indented buses to take us to designated tourists sites... -.-" O well, I hope the sites they bring us to got nice stuff to buy...Haha.
I'm not too optimistic about going to Thailand cos when I think of the training programme there, I will also think of this promise in 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness". Haha. With a total of 12 days 10 nights outfield, I need more than this verse to hold on to man...HAHA!
Training programme I can survive. What I can't stand is some of my platoon mates, mostly YALAMS. Basically, we all can't stand them. They always group together and make hell lot of noise and make fun of others and when it comes to doing things like clear rubbish, pick up stores, fill water bottles, etc, they DO NOTHING but MOVE THEIR BLOODY MOUTHS.
Now you know why the SAF is so screwed up and why so few of these people go into OCS and operational units. SAF did well in giving them low clearance, but giving them leadership positions as sergeants? Still bad. These are the people who will cause the world's apocalypse as prophecied. Look at those yalam-infested countries...all developing nations.
Well, God still loves them. So must I then. They are, after all, still His creation and they are still from Abraham's linage...God fill me with YOUR LOVE!! Haha!
And we also had a little medical briefing on Thursday. Basically, the medical officer showed us slides of all the sicknesses and injuries sustained by cadets who've been to Thailand & Taiwan....Grotesque man!! Some pictures include snake bites, scorpion stings, a praying mantis who stayed in a cadet's ear canal (@!*$(*9)!!%(*#)+), foot rot, groin rot (!!!), an ass shitting worms out [DUA LAO SAI (worms)!!!] etc...Man all these are to scare us into taking safety precautions there when outfield.
I guess this psychological ploy will work. Haha.
And this stupid trip will make me miss Anna's 21st birthday party @ Ritz Carlton Hotel!!! Aww man! Sucks to be me man...HAHA!
So yup, to all my dearest friends, please keep me in prayer and I'll see you guys on 16th May, Sunday :)
I'm not too optimistic about going to Thailand cos when I think of the training programme there, I will also think of this promise in 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness". Haha. With a total of 12 days 10 nights outfield, I need more than this verse to hold on to man...HAHA!
Training programme I can survive. What I can't stand is some of my platoon mates, mostly YALAMS. Basically, we all can't stand them. They always group together and make hell lot of noise and make fun of others and when it comes to doing things like clear rubbish, pick up stores, fill water bottles, etc, they DO NOTHING but MOVE THEIR BLOODY MOUTHS.
Now you know why the SAF is so screwed up and why so few of these people go into OCS and operational units. SAF did well in giving them low clearance, but giving them leadership positions as sergeants? Still bad. These are the people who will cause the world's apocalypse as prophecied. Look at those yalam-infested countries...all developing nations.
Well, God still loves them. So must I then. They are, after all, still His creation and they are still from Abraham's linage...God fill me with YOUR LOVE!! Haha!
And we also had a little medical briefing on Thursday. Basically, the medical officer showed us slides of all the sicknesses and injuries sustained by cadets who've been to Thailand & Taiwan....Grotesque man!! Some pictures include snake bites, scorpion stings, a praying mantis who stayed in a cadet's ear canal (@!*$(*9)!!%(*#)+), foot rot, groin rot (!!!), an ass shitting worms out [DUA LAO SAI (worms)!!!] etc...Man all these are to scare us into taking safety precautions there when outfield.
I guess this psychological ploy will work. Haha.
And this stupid trip will make me miss Anna's 21st birthday party @ Ritz Carlton Hotel!!! Aww man! Sucks to be me man...HAHA!
So yup, to all my dearest friends, please keep me in prayer and I'll see you guys on 16th May, Sunday :)
BIT & The BIG SQUEEZE!
This week was really fun. We were involved in the BIT (Basic Instructional Training). Basically, we are all attached to the different BSLC (Foundation term) companies to teach our Juniors who just came into SISPEC (SCS - Specialist Cadet School).
I was attached to my former BSLC company, GOLF COY!! :D Haha. The infamous SISPEC G company. G for Guards, G for Garang, G for GOLF!!
Guess what? I got a chance to meet up with my ex-BMT sergeant's YOUNGER brother :D Haha. In my BMT Jaguar company, we had a super kao-peh, argumentative, find-problem-with-you, sergeant called Sergeant Gan Guo Bin. He's ORDed since last year. BUT, his brother just POP-ed and is now in SISPEC Golf Coy. And I'm his Senior...that means...I have power to tekan him...MUAHAHAHA!!
Basically, I just disturbed him la...Haha. After everyone helmets off, I used my jockey cap to smack him and asked "Who say you can helmets off?" So he obediently put it backed on and *Clipped* the chin strap. HAHA! Of course I relented and told him I was just joking and started chatting with him.
He is so unlike his brother man. Haha. He's shy, soft-spoken and obedient. Totally opposite of his brother. Haha.
Basically, this week was spent running around, bringing our juniors around and chatting away with them.
Other than taking our juniors from Golf, we were also supposed to pack our stuff to bring to Thailand in our free time.
Guess what? They only allow each person to bring ONE duffel bag as luggage!! If you're thinking "Ok what..." You're dead wrong. We have to squeeze our LBV, HELMET, LBV STANDARD ITEMS, 2 pairs of BOOTS, 10 PACK ITEMS+++, STORE ITEMS and some of our personal items. All into one DUFFEL BAG!!!
Simply crazy. But, we are soldiers, you get the job done one way or the other. So off we went squeezing everything into our duffel bag. For most of us, it required more than one person to help stuff all the things into the bag. We all helped each other to sit on the bag while another two of us will zip the bag. It was the worst PT (physical training) we had in months man! We perspired profusely trying to squeeze everything. Haha! I tell you, the moment we open our bags everything will just explode out man. HAHA!
And after this gruelling Thailand trip I'll have only 2 weeks of Combined Arms Term (CAT) left before we pass out as 3rd sergeants!! So press on Jonavan! Look toward CAT term!! :)
I was attached to my former BSLC company, GOLF COY!! :D Haha. The infamous SISPEC G company. G for Guards, G for Garang, G for GOLF!!
Guess what? I got a chance to meet up with my ex-BMT sergeant's YOUNGER brother :D Haha. In my BMT Jaguar company, we had a super kao-peh, argumentative, find-problem-with-you, sergeant called Sergeant Gan Guo Bin. He's ORDed since last year. BUT, his brother just POP-ed and is now in SISPEC Golf Coy. And I'm his Senior...that means...I have power to tekan him...MUAHAHAHA!!
Basically, I just disturbed him la...Haha. After everyone helmets off, I used my jockey cap to smack him and asked "Who say you can helmets off?" So he obediently put it backed on and *Clipped* the chin strap. HAHA! Of course I relented and told him I was just joking and started chatting with him.
He is so unlike his brother man. Haha. He's shy, soft-spoken and obedient. Totally opposite of his brother. Haha.
Basically, this week was spent running around, bringing our juniors around and chatting away with them.
Other than taking our juniors from Golf, we were also supposed to pack our stuff to bring to Thailand in our free time.
Guess what? They only allow each person to bring ONE duffel bag as luggage!! If you're thinking "Ok what..." You're dead wrong. We have to squeeze our LBV, HELMET, LBV STANDARD ITEMS, 2 pairs of BOOTS, 10 PACK ITEMS+++, STORE ITEMS and some of our personal items. All into one DUFFEL BAG!!!
Simply crazy. But, we are soldiers, you get the job done one way or the other. So off we went squeezing everything into our duffel bag. For most of us, it required more than one person to help stuff all the things into the bag. We all helped each other to sit on the bag while another two of us will zip the bag. It was the worst PT (physical training) we had in months man! We perspired profusely trying to squeeze everything. Haha! I tell you, the moment we open our bags everything will just explode out man. HAHA!
And after this gruelling Thailand trip I'll have only 2 weeks of Combined Arms Term (CAT) left before we pass out as 3rd sergeants!! So press on Jonavan! Look toward CAT term!! :)
Sunday 18 April 2010
3rd B that came quite close to home
Experiencing the first 2 Bs (Beret & CSB Badge) was great. But experiencing the 3rd B that came quite close to home wasn't all that great. That 3rd B is Bereavement.
Just 3 days ago, my dear childhood friend, Matthew, lost his father to an acute heart attack. We knew each other since Sunday School in BCM (Bethel Children's Ministry) when we were kindergarten kids. We will both turn 21 this year.
I know his family quite well and I will remember Uncle Sebastian as a very nice guy whom you can chat readily with without feeling judged or scrutinized down by him. He also has a big, really big smile and deep, hearty laughter. I will also always remember his trademark bluetooth earpiece which always stays on his right ear (if I remember correctly) making him look like some secret service agent. Haha.
His demise is really shocking because he is a regular blood donor, meaning that he'd have gone through blood & heart tests each time before donating blood. So heart attack was the least expected foe.
Just an hour before his dad passed on, Matthew related to me that he received an SMS from his dad saying that he'll fetch him home. The next minute, his brother SMSed him that his dad is sick so he'll have to come home himself. That wasn't the last SMS. The next one from his brother told him that Uncle Sebastian was in hospital. And before reaching the hospital, he learnt of his late dad.
I almost teared when I heard that story. I can't imagine my own reaction. I'd break down I guess...and flood the hospital with my tears and sobbing...
The one thing I really took home from this is: Life is short and unexpected, you never know when will anyone be called home. And to which home will they be called to? So cherish your loved ones while they're still alive and taken for granted. Share Christ with your loved ones while they're still alive and ABLE to hear the gospel of salvation.
Death is something inevitable. "Death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart." (Ecclesiastes 7:2) It just makes me wonder once again, what's the purpose in this life? We slog so hard, chasing money, chasing women, chasing fame, chasing status, chasing skills. chasing paper qualifications, chasing friendships, chasing fame, and when the grave catches up with us, we then realise, SO WHAT? All these don't satisfy me! "It all amounts to nothing in the end" Jason Mraz "The Remedy".
Is what you're living for worth dying for? If it isn't, stop living for it. Live for something bigger than you. For we are all "meant to live for so much more, have we lost ourselves?... We want more than this world has to offer" Switchfoot "Meant to Live"
I inevitably come back to this quote that fronts my blog “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” C.S. Lewis.
This whole episode reminds me that we are IN this world, but not OF this world. So I better start living for the right thing. Loving people to Christ. That's what God has placed deep in my heart since young. Somehow, this calling has been stifled by many things in life. Dear Jesus I pray that you'll re-surface this call once again that I might live for YOU and make my life count for eternity...
"The world and everything that people want in it are passing away, but the person who does what God wants lives forever." 1 John 2:17 (NCV)
To Matthew:
Stay strong brother. Death is but temporal separation for us believers. And I pray that you will learn to lean on your heavenly Father. "Each one of us must release the hand of one we love into the hand of one we have not seen...It is right for us to weep, but there is no need to despair. You and I might wonder why God took them home. But they don't. They understand. They are at this very moment, at peace in the presence of God." Max Lucado. "When Christ Comes"
"We believe that Jesus died and that He rose again. So, because of Him, God will raise with Jesus those who have died." 1 Thessalonians 4:14.
That's the promise to us believers. And God is famed for keeping promises for generations. So hold on to Christ as you ride out this storm. And I'm here whenever you need me :) Hope this helps bro :D Take care :)
Just 3 days ago, my dear childhood friend, Matthew, lost his father to an acute heart attack. We knew each other since Sunday School in BCM (Bethel Children's Ministry) when we were kindergarten kids. We will both turn 21 this year.
I know his family quite well and I will remember Uncle Sebastian as a very nice guy whom you can chat readily with without feeling judged or scrutinized down by him. He also has a big, really big smile and deep, hearty laughter. I will also always remember his trademark bluetooth earpiece which always stays on his right ear (if I remember correctly) making him look like some secret service agent. Haha.
His demise is really shocking because he is a regular blood donor, meaning that he'd have gone through blood & heart tests each time before donating blood. So heart attack was the least expected foe.
Just an hour before his dad passed on, Matthew related to me that he received an SMS from his dad saying that he'll fetch him home. The next minute, his brother SMSed him that his dad is sick so he'll have to come home himself. That wasn't the last SMS. The next one from his brother told him that Uncle Sebastian was in hospital. And before reaching the hospital, he learnt of his late dad.
I almost teared when I heard that story. I can't imagine my own reaction. I'd break down I guess...and flood the hospital with my tears and sobbing...
The one thing I really took home from this is: Life is short and unexpected, you never know when will anyone be called home. And to which home will they be called to? So cherish your loved ones while they're still alive and taken for granted. Share Christ with your loved ones while they're still alive and ABLE to hear the gospel of salvation.
Death is something inevitable. "Death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart." (Ecclesiastes 7:2) It just makes me wonder once again, what's the purpose in this life? We slog so hard, chasing money, chasing women, chasing fame, chasing status, chasing skills. chasing paper qualifications, chasing friendships, chasing fame, and when the grave catches up with us, we then realise, SO WHAT? All these don't satisfy me! "It all amounts to nothing in the end" Jason Mraz "The Remedy".
Is what you're living for worth dying for? If it isn't, stop living for it. Live for something bigger than you. For we are all "meant to live for so much more, have we lost ourselves?... We want more than this world has to offer" Switchfoot "Meant to Live"
I inevitably come back to this quote that fronts my blog “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” C.S. Lewis.
This whole episode reminds me that we are IN this world, but not OF this world. So I better start living for the right thing. Loving people to Christ. That's what God has placed deep in my heart since young. Somehow, this calling has been stifled by many things in life. Dear Jesus I pray that you'll re-surface this call once again that I might live for YOU and make my life count for eternity...
"The world and everything that people want in it are passing away, but the person who does what God wants lives forever." 1 John 2:17 (NCV)
To Matthew:
Stay strong brother. Death is but temporal separation for us believers. And I pray that you will learn to lean on your heavenly Father. "Each one of us must release the hand of one we love into the hand of one we have not seen...It is right for us to weep, but there is no need to despair. You and I might wonder why God took them home. But they don't. They understand. They are at this very moment, at peace in the presence of God." Max Lucado. "When Christ Comes"
"We believe that Jesus died and that He rose again. So, because of Him, God will raise with Jesus those who have died." 1 Thessalonians 4:14.
That's the promise to us believers. And God is famed for keeping promises for generations. So hold on to Christ as you ride out this storm. And I'm here whenever you need me :) Hope this helps bro :D Take care :)
Friday 16 April 2010
2 new Bs in my NS life :D
Wondering what the 2 new Bs are? They are my CSB Badge and my Beret! :D Haha. They may be nothing to civilians and to lao-jiaos in army who've gotten theirs and worn theirs till it's semi-rotten. But to us infantry specialist cadets, they're really our source of pride :) At least now people know what we've been through when they see the badge. :D Haha!
You should have seen the look of our faces when we rushed to get our berets...Haha! Kinda sua ku eh? O well, we are :D Haha.
Anyway, we didn't do much this week in camp other than SLEEP and doing a SISPEC (School of Infantry Specialists) - SCS (Specialist Cadet School) change of command parade. Haha.
Today, we went to the commandos camp - Hendon Camp to do our High Confidence Course...the obstacles were like 3-4 stories high! But that wasn't the main problem for me when clearing the obstacles. The main problem is the enormous usage of arm and leg strength to climb up so high and to move ourselves across ropes vertically and horizontally. That really sucked the life outta my sexy muscles...HAHA!
The best part of the whole course? FLYING FOX!! Whoo hoo! But before we could make it to that station, we had to go through 5 high element stations as they're all linked... -_-" Walking on two ropes with one leg on each rope, doing Jacob's ladder 3 stories high, walking across a really thick "balancing beam", lying flat on two ropes and using your hand and leg to bring yourself across (frog style in the air a.k.a. Flying Frog :D), walking sideways on one rope for both your feet and another for your hands and finally the FLYING FOX! I'm sure you know what's that...Just sliding down from higher ground to lower ground.
Yup, this is my last weekend in Singapore before we leave for Thailand for 3 uber looonnnnggg weeks!! Keep me in prayer! :)
You should have seen the look of our faces when we rushed to get our berets...Haha! Kinda sua ku eh? O well, we are :D Haha.
Anyway, we didn't do much this week in camp other than SLEEP and doing a SISPEC (School of Infantry Specialists) - SCS (Specialist Cadet School) change of command parade. Haha.
Today, we went to the commandos camp - Hendon Camp to do our High Confidence Course...the obstacles were like 3-4 stories high! But that wasn't the main problem for me when clearing the obstacles. The main problem is the enormous usage of arm and leg strength to climb up so high and to move ourselves across ropes vertically and horizontally. That really sucked the life outta my sexy muscles...HAHA!
The best part of the whole course? FLYING FOX!! Whoo hoo! But before we could make it to that station, we had to go through 5 high element stations as they're all linked... -_-" Walking on two ropes with one leg on each rope, doing Jacob's ladder 3 stories high, walking across a really thick "balancing beam", lying flat on two ropes and using your hand and leg to bring yourself across (frog style in the air a.k.a. Flying Frog :D), walking sideways on one rope for both your feet and another for your hands and finally the FLYING FOX! I'm sure you know what's that...Just sliding down from higher ground to lower ground.
Yup, this is my last weekend in Singapore before we leave for Thailand for 3 uber looonnnnggg weeks!! Keep me in prayer! :)
Saturday 10 April 2010
My white rank's becoming blacker :D
This week was once again a victorious one :D Why? Because I cleared a veto factor to my passing out as a 3rd sergeant - SOC (Standard Obstacle Course)! :D Whoo hooo!! :D SOC may not be a big deal to most people, but to me it is..hahaha. My problem? Running. Let me re-enact the situation to the best my vocabulary can allow you to envision.
In the late Tuesday afternoon (If I didn't remember the day wrongly..haha) there was a sudden call "All SOC failures come down in your SBO attire NOW" So off we went and jogged to our 700m start point.
I was really nervous at the start point. I was praying and at the same time thinking of the consequences of failing...and I was thinking of how to conquer each obstacle when the sergeant shouted "30 more seconds! Jogging on the spot!"
At that instant, I told myself "I will pass this test and get over it!" The sergeant then waved his hand and shouted "GO!" Off I went still telling myself "I'm gonna pass this test!" I was mentally reciting this all the way.
Low wall no problem. Parallel bars no prob. Step jump over concertina wire? Lame. Swing trainer, primary school issue...LOW ROPE. I began speaking in tongues. HAHAHAHA! I jumped, pulled, looped and repeated this twice and "PONG" I hit the metal bar!! I passed the worst feared station of my NS life in SOC!!! Whoo hoo!!
By then, my morale was up high in heaven. The rest of the obstacles were but a waste of time...After the jump down the new pussy 1m, 1m super low ramp was the arduous 600m run back. This is what caused my failure all this while. Haha. I glanced at my watch...6min3osec. Still can make it!
I had to run. I just had to!! I pushed myself, panted louder than 10 dogs. Finally I was round the last bend about 250m left. I looked at my watch. It read "9min 15 seconds"!! Boy adrenalin rushed through my body. I SPRINTED and by the time I reached the end point, I clocked 9min 47 secs!! A pass!! The passing limit by the way is 9min59sec.
I PASSED!! HALLELUJAH!! I literally shouted that at the end point. Haha! I high fived my buddy who also passed with me! And high fived everyone around me. LOLS! It was over! I've proved my mettle! It was more mental than physical. I was one step closer to wearing my 3 black chevrons!
That was my SOC story :D Once again, thank God for this pass :)
Next is Grandslam 2. They cancelled RIVER CROSSING!!! Hallelujah!!! If they had river crossing, I'd have fall out. For sure. Why? My appointment? 2nd matador gunner. -___-" I had to carry the 8.9kg bloody weapon with me throughout the whole field camp...inclusive of road march in FBO!! & mission in SBO!! Imagine with river crossing...add the weight of the water around 4kg and I'd have met my maker. Haha!
I almost died for the first mission. We left for our overnight mission at 8.30pm? Around there. It was the begininng of our 16km road march in FBO + my new found buddy the MATADOR!! I almost died. Was so shagged out and tired that I contemplated falling out. I've never fell out of any training before. Once I'm in, I'm in for good. This time, the matador whacked me out man. But I pressed on.
It was 7am when we reached our FUP (Form up place) and from there we moved off to capture our objective - the top of the knoll (small hill). I tell you, running up the knoll with a bloody matador on your back is no joke. My legs couldn't take me as fast as I wanted them to.
So in the end we captured our objective and had to do hasty defence. That means shellscrapes must be done in 45mins and fire trenches done in 6hours. -.-" As usual, we took longer than usual. Haha.
I only slept 4 hours because I was called to do a special operation - an additional mission which took 2.5 hours of sleep time away from me which the rest had. That mission, I felt, was a waste of time. We just had to walk on track to our objective and attack the enemy. Basically, they wanted us to finish up our blanks -__-" We marched 1.5km there and 1.5km back. 3km morning SBO stroll...Our outfield 5bx. Haha!
And there's this one issue I have with some of the malay assholes in my bunk. They like to shout at us (me, Han Hui & Leslie) to help when their own kind don't help. One event really pissed me off was this...Before I go on, let me abbreviate their names for they're too ugly to appear on my blog. Haha...
The scenario was this. They suddenly asked us to clean up the area. I was already powder bathing halfway. So that few assholes were done and they started doing their part. Upon seeing some of us not doing, they just kao-peh for the sake of showing they're doing something.
H.A.: Eh Jonavan stop wiping your face and come down help la!!
Me : Wait la. Kao peh!
T.Q.: Course kao peh la!
Me: You go shout @ the rest up there powder bathing la!!
The thing that pisses me of is this - 1st, there are tons of our other section mates sitting around doing nothing either. But no one dares to shout at them because they have attitude problems and won't listen to you. So to rant, they shout at the nicer ones like myself and my good-character friends.
2nd, shouting will help ar? Just shows that you want to prove a point that you're doing something and we're not. So what? There's no end to comparison.
Ok I'll stop bitching. Haha...
Then we moved off to MUTF to do urban ops. There was a cock up due to miscommunication. And when we started to move to clear the rooms, our 1st guy simply walked past the first 2 doors and we were contacted by the enemy. We actually "killed" the enemy but our master sergeant declared us dead because we skipped 2 rooms...LOLS. So I didn't even get to fire one round and I was dead.
-__-" So much for the 4km road march there. -.-" After that we did field cooking (again..haha) and left for coy line :D
All in all, grandslam 2 wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. 4 days 3 nights in training programme, 2 days 2 nights in reality :D Whoo hoo! So yup, cleared my 2nd last high key event!!
Next one...THAILAND! The most xiong of all liao. This one really no joke already. I'm prepared for the worst. So jia you Jonavan :D
In the late Tuesday afternoon (If I didn't remember the day wrongly..haha) there was a sudden call "All SOC failures come down in your SBO attire NOW" So off we went and jogged to our 700m start point.
I was really nervous at the start point. I was praying and at the same time thinking of the consequences of failing...and I was thinking of how to conquer each obstacle when the sergeant shouted "30 more seconds! Jogging on the spot!"
At that instant, I told myself "I will pass this test and get over it!" The sergeant then waved his hand and shouted "GO!" Off I went still telling myself "I'm gonna pass this test!" I was mentally reciting this all the way.
Low wall no problem. Parallel bars no prob. Step jump over concertina wire? Lame. Swing trainer, primary school issue...LOW ROPE. I began speaking in tongues. HAHAHAHA! I jumped, pulled, looped and repeated this twice and "PONG" I hit the metal bar!! I passed the worst feared station of my NS life in SOC!!! Whoo hoo!!
By then, my morale was up high in heaven. The rest of the obstacles were but a waste of time...After the jump down the new pussy 1m, 1m super low ramp was the arduous 600m run back. This is what caused my failure all this while. Haha. I glanced at my watch...6min3osec. Still can make it!
I had to run. I just had to!! I pushed myself, panted louder than 10 dogs. Finally I was round the last bend about 250m left. I looked at my watch. It read "9min 15 seconds"!! Boy adrenalin rushed through my body. I SPRINTED and by the time I reached the end point, I clocked 9min 47 secs!! A pass!! The passing limit by the way is 9min59sec.
I PASSED!! HALLELUJAH!! I literally shouted that at the end point. Haha! I high fived my buddy who also passed with me! And high fived everyone around me. LOLS! It was over! I've proved my mettle! It was more mental than physical. I was one step closer to wearing my 3 black chevrons!
That was my SOC story :D Once again, thank God for this pass :)
Next is Grandslam 2. They cancelled RIVER CROSSING!!! Hallelujah!!! If they had river crossing, I'd have fall out. For sure. Why? My appointment? 2nd matador gunner. -___-" I had to carry the 8.9kg bloody weapon with me throughout the whole field camp...inclusive of road march in FBO!! & mission in SBO!! Imagine with river crossing...add the weight of the water around 4kg and I'd have met my maker. Haha!
I almost died for the first mission. We left for our overnight mission at 8.30pm? Around there. It was the begininng of our 16km road march in FBO + my new found buddy the MATADOR!! I almost died. Was so shagged out and tired that I contemplated falling out. I've never fell out of any training before. Once I'm in, I'm in for good. This time, the matador whacked me out man. But I pressed on.
It was 7am when we reached our FUP (Form up place) and from there we moved off to capture our objective - the top of the knoll (small hill). I tell you, running up the knoll with a bloody matador on your back is no joke. My legs couldn't take me as fast as I wanted them to.
So in the end we captured our objective and had to do hasty defence. That means shellscrapes must be done in 45mins and fire trenches done in 6hours. -.-" As usual, we took longer than usual. Haha.
I only slept 4 hours because I was called to do a special operation - an additional mission which took 2.5 hours of sleep time away from me which the rest had. That mission, I felt, was a waste of time. We just had to walk on track to our objective and attack the enemy. Basically, they wanted us to finish up our blanks -__-" We marched 1.5km there and 1.5km back. 3km morning SBO stroll...Our outfield 5bx. Haha!
And there's this one issue I have with some of the malay assholes in my bunk. They like to shout at us (me, Han Hui & Leslie) to help when their own kind don't help. One event really pissed me off was this...Before I go on, let me abbreviate their names for they're too ugly to appear on my blog. Haha...
The scenario was this. They suddenly asked us to clean up the area. I was already powder bathing halfway. So that few assholes were done and they started doing their part. Upon seeing some of us not doing, they just kao-peh for the sake of showing they're doing something.
H.A.: Eh Jonavan stop wiping your face and come down help la!!
Me : Wait la. Kao peh!
T.Q.: Course kao peh la!
Me: You go shout @ the rest up there powder bathing la!!
The thing that pisses me of is this - 1st, there are tons of our other section mates sitting around doing nothing either. But no one dares to shout at them because they have attitude problems and won't listen to you. So to rant, they shout at the nicer ones like myself and my good-character friends.
2nd, shouting will help ar? Just shows that you want to prove a point that you're doing something and we're not. So what? There's no end to comparison.
Ok I'll stop bitching. Haha...
Then we moved off to MUTF to do urban ops. There was a cock up due to miscommunication. And when we started to move to clear the rooms, our 1st guy simply walked past the first 2 doors and we were contacted by the enemy. We actually "killed" the enemy but our master sergeant declared us dead because we skipped 2 rooms...LOLS. So I didn't even get to fire one round and I was dead.
-__-" So much for the 4km road march there. -.-" After that we did field cooking (again..haha) and left for coy line :D
All in all, grandslam 2 wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. 4 days 3 nights in training programme, 2 days 2 nights in reality :D Whoo hoo! So yup, cleared my 2nd last high key event!!
Next one...THAILAND! The most xiong of all liao. This one really no joke already. I'm prepared for the worst. So jia you Jonavan :D
Sunday 4 April 2010
Good Friday with Melvin :D
I know this is kinda lag cos I forgot to blog about this :D haha.
I spent my Friday with my dearest darling Melvin :D Haha. Went to his house to play Wii & watch a harddisk movie after a time of cam-whoring in church :D Haha.
Tennis Wii is SOOOOOO FUNNN!! HAHAHA! Fun partly because I trashed Melvin...hahaha! I lost a few rounds @ 1st...but when I got a hang of it...I became immortal. MUAHAHA! LOLS. Basically, it was a time of hysterical screaming and laughter...on my part. HAHA! Melvin's mum was like "JONAVAN!! DON'T SO LOUD LA!!" HAHA!
And we also tried...I say again, TRIED to watch the movie "Angels & Demons". It put Melvin to sleep. I was trying my best to be absorbed into that heavy plot of clue-finding and sign-searching...In the end, we just shut down the com and played Wii. LOLS.
So yup, had a cool time hanging out wif Melvin. AND he doesn't need his crutches any longer...so I borrowed it. :D That's another story altogether :D Which I can't say now...hahaha...I hope when I look back at this post I'll remember the secret story :D Hee hee :D
Anyway, it's my local summary exercise GRANDSLAM 2 this week!! The worst local field camp!! Crossing water obstacle, digging of fire trench, platoon battle course, etc...So please pray that I'll enjoy this field camp :D Haha.
Thanks & see you guys this Saturday.....I hope I'll book out in Saturday and not Sunday morning man...haha...See you :D
I spent my Friday with my dearest darling Melvin :D Haha. Went to his house to play Wii & watch a harddisk movie after a time of cam-whoring in church :D Haha.
Tennis Wii is SOOOOOO FUNNN!! HAHAHA! Fun partly because I trashed Melvin...hahaha! I lost a few rounds @ 1st...but when I got a hang of it...I became immortal. MUAHAHA! LOLS. Basically, it was a time of hysterical screaming and laughter...on my part. HAHA! Melvin's mum was like "JONAVAN!! DON'T SO LOUD LA!!" HAHA!
And we also tried...I say again, TRIED to watch the movie "Angels & Demons". It put Melvin to sleep. I was trying my best to be absorbed into that heavy plot of clue-finding and sign-searching...In the end, we just shut down the com and played Wii. LOLS.
So yup, had a cool time hanging out wif Melvin. AND he doesn't need his crutches any longer...so I borrowed it. :D That's another story altogether :D Which I can't say now...hahaha...I hope when I look back at this post I'll remember the secret story :D Hee hee :D
Anyway, it's my local summary exercise GRANDSLAM 2 this week!! The worst local field camp!! Crossing water obstacle, digging of fire trench, platoon battle course, etc...So please pray that I'll enjoy this field camp :D Haha.
Thanks & see you guys this Saturday.....I hope I'll book out in Saturday and not Sunday morning man...haha...See you :D
Saturday 3 April 2010
Last few weeks in Bethel :( [Part I]
"The Great Move" has been graffiti-ed on our church walls. For the first time church looks cool. HAHA! Since our church building is gonna be torn down soon, most of us have started cam-whoring :D
Here's my share of pictures :D You can view them all @ my facebook account :D
The audi guys toilet! :D We'll remember this toilet for the short partitions...haha!
The low wall actually helps in the small talk between Bethelites while pee-ing you know...It's a good move by the leadership to enhance relationship building. HAHAHA! :D
Anthony, Andrina & Myself :D
My beloved cell group TM1!! :D
The standard chalet gang..haha.
The sound booth! :D With the 2 official soundmans Jon Wee & Chris :D
Me & Jeremy in the prayer room :D It's my favourite spot in Bethel :D
Daryl & myself! :D Sometimes, a good drummer doesn't need to pose with sticks...HAHAHA!
My favourite kneeling spot...HAHA!
Keyboardists Matthew & myself :D
Here's my share of pictures :D You can view them all @ my facebook account :D
The audi guys toilet! :D We'll remember this toilet for the short partitions...haha!
The low wall actually helps in the small talk between Bethelites while pee-ing you know...It's a good move by the leadership to enhance relationship building. HAHAHA! :D
Anthony, Andrina & Myself :D
A little "passing out ceremony" for me :D I'm moving on to Tertiary zone.......again. HAHA! :D
My beloved cell group TM1!! :D
Me & 2 of my best friends in church :D Regina & Melvin :)
The standard chalet gang..haha.
The guitarists! :D Less Lebbeus who disappeared after service. haha.
Melvin & myself :D Check out his new shoes :D HAHA!
The media booth :D Joel's favourite spot in Bethel. Haha.
Johan & myself :D
The sound booth! :D With the 2 official soundmans Jon Wee & Chris :D
Me & Jeremy in the prayer room :D It's my favourite spot in Bethel :D
Daryl & myself! :D Sometimes, a good drummer doesn't need to pose with sticks...HAHAHA!
Eunice & me :D Worship leaders :)
Yourong, Jon Wee & Myself :D
Keyboardists Me & Aaron :)
My favourite kneeling spot...HAHA!
Keyboardists Matthew & myself :D
Daryl & myself :D On the left flank of the audi :D
Reuben & myself :D The 2 handsomest worship leaders in Youth :D HAHAHAHA!
Melvin & myself :D @ the "Stairway to Heaven" Haha. Ok, stairway to audi..LOLS :D
There's more pictures to come...so stay tuned for the next few editions :)
There's more pictures to come...so stay tuned for the next few editions :)
32km CSB march down!! :D
Finally, I've done what's needed to get the Combat Skill Badge (CSB) :D The most recent test I cleared was the 32km road march.
This 32km road march isn't a dish on its own...it came as a set meal, complete with GPS station, river crossing, weapon handling station and 100m range combat shoot.
I thought I'd be fighting to survive the road march...especially after the river crossing station. However, this 32km road march wasn't as bad as I expected. :D The 1st 8km I was kinda sleepy and shagged out. So we were all pretty concerned if we could make it; citing the fact that we were all so tired by 8km!! ONLY 1/4 way through!
Fortunately, after the 8km checkpoint, I wasn't that tired any longer. In fact, I was more awake and ready to march after the 8km...haha! It was as if my body's warmed up. LOLS! So on we marched till 12km.
12KM! Here's the screwed up part of our march. The sergeant leading us hor-land-ed!!! He led our entire platoon on a wrong turn and this made us march an extra 2km!! !+_)(*&^%$# I was really pissed off. His claim was the CSB Road March sign was pointed at the wrong direction. -_-"
I was ranting all the way after we were made to march an extra 2km. You can ask my marching buddy Xue Ming...listening to my bitching and complaining...But in the end, all my ranting was just to air my frustration. Haha.
Then came the river crossing point. I was so sleepy by then that I almost fell face flat because I fell asleep while standing..HAHA! I was really afraid that the river crossing'd kill me. Haha. Because the weight added by the water would make my FBO around 35kg? 5kg++ heavier than usual.
Once again, the opposite happened! Instead of the water knocking me out, it actually woke me up! Haha! The cold water greeted my body with a refreshing splash and boy was I wide awake and ready to rumble after crossing the water obstacle. Haha!
If you think water is a lubricant, then I tell you, it's a catalyst for blisters and abrasions!! Blisters and abrasions started forming after the river crossing... -_-" However, I just pressed on and completed the rest of the 12km.
And of course, all the stations were a breeze...especially the combat shooting. Haha.
One more thing that's REALLY IMPORTANT during road marches is: Get a good friend of yours to march beside you!! If you get a few assholes that march beside you and keep kao-pehing to ask you cover up, or if you get someone that you don't like or doesn't like you walking beside you, it'll really affect you psychologically. So get a good friend that will stand by you and understand you to walk beside you. So that when you feel like ranting, he'll listen and smile. Or if you feel like slowing down, he'll keep in step and always be beside you.
I learnt that in BMT. So now, I'll pull a good friend to march beside me :D That dear friend for me during this 32km CSB march was Xue Ming :D
All in all I learnt what endurance, patience and grace really means. No matter how tired I am, I still have to march. No matter how dauntingly painful my blisters and abrasions are, I still have to march. No matter how many more clicks we have to march because the sergeant led us round a wrong turn, I STILL HAVE TO MARCH!!!
It's very much like life. Sometimes, I just feel so tired of living in this imperfect world; when everything seems to be not going your way and when the pains (blisters & abrasions) and unfairness of life (hor-landing) kicks in, we need to find the hope and perseverance to march on.
Deep inside us we all yearn for this perfect utopia that has no tears, no pain, no asshol-ic people. That'll be the future when Jesus comes back and creates a new heaven and a new earth for those that have chosen Him. But for now, WE HAVE TO "WAIT AND SEE". Reminds me of this song by Brandon Heath:
I was born in Tennessee late July, humidity
Doctors said I was lucky to be alive
I've been troubled since the day that I got here
Troubled to the day that I’d disappear
That'll be the day that I’d finally get it right
Chorus:
There is hope, for me yet
Because God won't forget
All the plans, He's made for me
I have to wait and see
He's not finished with me yet
He's not finished with me yet
I never really was that good in school
Talked too much, broke the rules
My teachers thought
I was a hopeless fool, alright
I don't know how but I made it through
It's one of those things you gotta do
I always had a knack for telling the truth
Bridge:
Still wonderin' why I'm here
Still wrestling with my fear
But oh...He's up to something
And the farther on I go
I've seen enough to know
That I'm, not here for nothin'...
He's up to somethin'
So now's my time to be a man
Follow my heart as far as I can
No tellin' where I'm ending up tonight
I never slow down or so it seems
But singing my heart is one of my dreams
All I gotta do is hold on tight
I HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE!! I love the bridge that says "But oh...He's up to something" Jesus is up to something bigger than me. I'm just a part of the bigger game plan He's gonna do here on Earth before He destroys it and creates a new one with the option of "sin" disabled.
So yup, I'm still marchin' on Lord. I hope I'll reach my rest point soon and get refreshed :D Help me persevere and encourage the others around me that are road marching on this route called "Life" as well :D
This 32km road march isn't a dish on its own...it came as a set meal, complete with GPS station, river crossing, weapon handling station and 100m range combat shoot.
I thought I'd be fighting to survive the road march...especially after the river crossing station. However, this 32km road march wasn't as bad as I expected. :D The 1st 8km I was kinda sleepy and shagged out. So we were all pretty concerned if we could make it; citing the fact that we were all so tired by 8km!! ONLY 1/4 way through!
Fortunately, after the 8km checkpoint, I wasn't that tired any longer. In fact, I was more awake and ready to march after the 8km...haha! It was as if my body's warmed up. LOLS! So on we marched till 12km.
12KM! Here's the screwed up part of our march. The sergeant leading us hor-land-ed!!! He led our entire platoon on a wrong turn and this made us march an extra 2km!! !+_)(*&^%$# I was really pissed off. His claim was the CSB Road March sign was pointed at the wrong direction. -_-"
I was ranting all the way after we were made to march an extra 2km. You can ask my marching buddy Xue Ming...listening to my bitching and complaining...But in the end, all my ranting was just to air my frustration. Haha.
Then came the river crossing point. I was so sleepy by then that I almost fell face flat because I fell asleep while standing..HAHA! I was really afraid that the river crossing'd kill me. Haha. Because the weight added by the water would make my FBO around 35kg? 5kg++ heavier than usual.
Once again, the opposite happened! Instead of the water knocking me out, it actually woke me up! Haha! The cold water greeted my body with a refreshing splash and boy was I wide awake and ready to rumble after crossing the water obstacle. Haha!
If you think water is a lubricant, then I tell you, it's a catalyst for blisters and abrasions!! Blisters and abrasions started forming after the river crossing... -_-" However, I just pressed on and completed the rest of the 12km.
And of course, all the stations were a breeze...especially the combat shooting. Haha.
One more thing that's REALLY IMPORTANT during road marches is: Get a good friend of yours to march beside you!! If you get a few assholes that march beside you and keep kao-pehing to ask you cover up, or if you get someone that you don't like or doesn't like you walking beside you, it'll really affect you psychologically. So get a good friend that will stand by you and understand you to walk beside you. So that when you feel like ranting, he'll listen and smile. Or if you feel like slowing down, he'll keep in step and always be beside you.
I learnt that in BMT. So now, I'll pull a good friend to march beside me :D That dear friend for me during this 32km CSB march was Xue Ming :D
All in all I learnt what endurance, patience and grace really means. No matter how tired I am, I still have to march. No matter how dauntingly painful my blisters and abrasions are, I still have to march. No matter how many more clicks we have to march because the sergeant led us round a wrong turn, I STILL HAVE TO MARCH!!!
It's very much like life. Sometimes, I just feel so tired of living in this imperfect world; when everything seems to be not going your way and when the pains (blisters & abrasions) and unfairness of life (hor-landing) kicks in, we need to find the hope and perseverance to march on.
Deep inside us we all yearn for this perfect utopia that has no tears, no pain, no asshol-ic people. That'll be the future when Jesus comes back and creates a new heaven and a new earth for those that have chosen Him. But for now, WE HAVE TO "WAIT AND SEE". Reminds me of this song by Brandon Heath:
I was born in Tennessee late July, humidity
Doctors said I was lucky to be alive
I've been troubled since the day that I got here
Troubled to the day that I’d disappear
That'll be the day that I’d finally get it right
Chorus:
There is hope, for me yet
Because God won't forget
All the plans, He's made for me
I have to wait and see
He's not finished with me yet
He's not finished with me yet
I never really was that good in school
Talked too much, broke the rules
My teachers thought
I was a hopeless fool, alright
I don't know how but I made it through
It's one of those things you gotta do
I always had a knack for telling the truth
Bridge:
Still wonderin' why I'm here
Still wrestling with my fear
But oh...He's up to something
And the farther on I go
I've seen enough to know
That I'm, not here for nothin'...
He's up to somethin'
So now's my time to be a man
Follow my heart as far as I can
No tellin' where I'm ending up tonight
I never slow down or so it seems
But singing my heart is one of my dreams
All I gotta do is hold on tight
I HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE!! I love the bridge that says "But oh...He's up to something" Jesus is up to something bigger than me. I'm just a part of the bigger game plan He's gonna do here on Earth before He destroys it and creates a new one with the option of "sin" disabled.
So yup, I'm still marchin' on Lord. I hope I'll reach my rest point soon and get refreshed :D Help me persevere and encourage the others around me that are road marching on this route called "Life" as well :D
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