Came across this email in my inbox from Alvin Fan :) I thought that the content is really inspiring and serves as an important reminder to us on how should we live our life :D
Interview With God
I dreamed I had an interview with God.
“So you would like to interview me?” God asked
“If you have the time” I said.
God smiled, “My time is eternity”
“What questions do you have in mind for me?”
I replied “What surprises you most about humankind?...”
God answered...
“That they get bored with childhood.
They rush to grow up and then long to be children again.”
“That they lose their health to make money
and then lose their money to restore their health.”
“That by thinking anxiously about the future,
they forget the present, such that they live in neither
the present nor the future.”
"That they live as if they will never die,
and die as if they had never lived.”
God’s hand took mine and we were silent for awhile.
And then I asked...
“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”
God replied with a smile...
“To learn they cannot make anyone love them.
What they can do is let themselves be loved.”
“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”
“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.”
“To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love...
and that it takes many years to heal them.”
“To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.”
“To learn that there are persons who love them dearly,
but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.”
“To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.”
“To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others.
But that they must forgive themselves.”
“And to learn that I am here always.”
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thess 5:16-18
The bolded statements are those that've pierced my heart. I wonder, how many of us have actually surprised God? :)
Monday, 28 June 2010
Sunday, 27 June 2010
Measure of a Man
I bumped into this TOTALLY AWESOME song recently man...It's an 11 year-old song but it still speaks VOLUMES on what actually makes me, ME :D Enjoy the song man! :)
MEASURE OF A MAN
4Him Key: C
Christian Contemporary
THIS WORLD CAN ANALYZE AND SIZE YOU UP
AND THROW YOU ON THE SCALES
THEY CAN I.Q. YOU AND RUN YOU THROUGH
THEIR RIGOROUS DETAILS
THEY CAN DO THEIR BEST TO RATE YOU
AND THEY'LL PLACE YOU ON THE CHARTS
AND THEN BACK IT UP WITH SCIENTIFIC SMARTS
BUT THERE'S MORE TO WHAT YOU'RE WORTH
THAT THEIR HUMAN EYES CAN’T SEE
Chorus:
OH, I SAY THE MEASURE OF A MAN
IS NOT HOW TALL YOU STAND
HOW WEALTHY OR INTELLIGENT YOU ARE
'COS I'VE FOUND OUT THE MEASURE OF A MAN
GOD KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS
FOR HE LOOKS INSIDE
TO THE BOTTOM OF YOUR HEART
AND WHAT'S IN THE HEART DEFINES
THE MEASURE OF A MAN
WELL, YOU CAN DOUBT YOUR WORTH
AND SEARCH FOR WHO YOU ARE
AND WHERE YOU STAND
BUT GOD MADE YOU IN HIS IMAGE
WHEN HE FORMED YOU IN HIS HANDS
AND HE LOOKS AT YOU WITH MERCY
AND HE SEES YOU THROUGH HIS LOVE
YOU'RE HIS CHILD
AND THAT WILL ALWAYS BE ENOUGH
FOR THERE'S MORE TO WHAT YOU'RE WORTH
THAN YOU COULD EVER COMPREHEND
Bridge:
YOU CAN SPEND YOUR LIFE PERSUING
PHYSICAL PERFECTION
THERE IS SO MUCH MORE
MORE THAN EVER MEETS THE EYE
FOR GOD LOOKS THROUGH THE SURFACE
AND HE DEFINES YOUR WORTH BY
WHAT IS ON THE INSIDE
I hope this song encourages you when people around you judge you by THEIR standards, not GOD'S STANDARD. :)
However, don't use this song to right your wrongs...Evaluate what people say about you and change accordingly...But when they heave their unreasonable expectations and judge you heavily, let this song encourage your heart :)
God Bless :D
MEASURE OF A MAN
4Him Key: C
Christian Contemporary
THIS WORLD CAN ANALYZE AND SIZE YOU UP
AND THROW YOU ON THE SCALES
THEY CAN I.Q. YOU AND RUN YOU THROUGH
THEIR RIGOROUS DETAILS
THEY CAN DO THEIR BEST TO RATE YOU
AND THEY'LL PLACE YOU ON THE CHARTS
AND THEN BACK IT UP WITH SCIENTIFIC SMARTS
BUT THERE'S MORE TO WHAT YOU'RE WORTH
THAT THEIR HUMAN EYES CAN’T SEE
Chorus:
OH, I SAY THE MEASURE OF A MAN
IS NOT HOW TALL YOU STAND
HOW WEALTHY OR INTELLIGENT YOU ARE
'COS I'VE FOUND OUT THE MEASURE OF A MAN
GOD KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS
FOR HE LOOKS INSIDE
TO THE BOTTOM OF YOUR HEART
AND WHAT'S IN THE HEART DEFINES
THE MEASURE OF A MAN
WELL, YOU CAN DOUBT YOUR WORTH
AND SEARCH FOR WHO YOU ARE
AND WHERE YOU STAND
BUT GOD MADE YOU IN HIS IMAGE
WHEN HE FORMED YOU IN HIS HANDS
AND HE LOOKS AT YOU WITH MERCY
AND HE SEES YOU THROUGH HIS LOVE
YOU'RE HIS CHILD
AND THAT WILL ALWAYS BE ENOUGH
FOR THERE'S MORE TO WHAT YOU'RE WORTH
THAN YOU COULD EVER COMPREHEND
Bridge:
YOU CAN SPEND YOUR LIFE PERSUING
PHYSICAL PERFECTION
THERE IS SO MUCH MORE
MORE THAN EVER MEETS THE EYE
FOR GOD LOOKS THROUGH THE SURFACE
AND HE DEFINES YOUR WORTH BY
WHAT IS ON THE INSIDE
I hope this song encourages you when people around you judge you by THEIR standards, not GOD'S STANDARD. :)
However, don't use this song to right your wrongs...Evaluate what people say about you and change accordingly...But when they heave their unreasonable expectations and judge you heavily, let this song encourage your heart :)
God Bless :D
I'm Lovin' It :D
My new 7am-5pm job's awesome man...on Thursday night met up with Jon Wee, Joella and Yining for dinner @ chomp chomp :D We ate till around 8.30pm before we left to meet Anne, Aaron Chua, Ding Zhou & Matthew for a game of L4D2!! :D
We played from 9pm-1am!! HAHAHA! Dua lao sai!! Thanks Aaron for fetching me home!! :D :)
That was Thursday. Friday my new department had a BBQ cum chalet outing :D It is formally called TMS cohesion...I still can't remember what TMS stands for...Training Main Section? Hahaha. Whatever.
So yeah, had a great time playing cards there and gulping down my new boss' favourite mutton soup. Haha. MAJOR (RET) Lim is my new boss. He's a retired major.
Other than playing cards with 'em, I also had several convos with many ppl...asking them about their jobs, who are the troublemakers and backstabbers, what to look out for etc... :D haha. I gathered quite a lot of intel that day :D haha. LOLS! :)
After that I headed to cell group where we simply played Monopoly Deal all the way. LOLS! It's the latest card game craze going around town now...I see my friends playing it in army...I see my friends playing it in church...Next I'll see my family playing it..haha.
AND Saturday! As Lebbillie is about to leave soon, I decided to go out with her and her clique. We had a picnic @ Marina Barrage! :D Haha. Armed with "ground sheets", guitar, monopoly deal, Taboo, chips, tuna biscuits (made by Xin Jin), drinks, cups, tentage, kites, etc...we headed down to Marina Barrage to set up camp. Haha.
We simply just had fun. Kite flying, guitar playing & singing songs, shouting & screaming over Taboo and HAVING MY SECRETS REVEALED -___-" So much for two-way convos..... -.-" Haha.
And I must say, kite flying is FUN MAN! I wana arm my kite with knives next time...so that I can go around cutting people's lines...HAHAHA! I don't just love flying kite...I love to use my kite to bang and entangle other people's kites :D :D HAHAHA! Just ask the rest and they'll let you know my kite-flying style :D
I really had fun man :D Thanks Lebbillie, Yang Cheng, Joel, Xin Jing & Debbie for making the outing so much fun :) Haha. And of course, thank myself for climaxing the fun :D :D HAHAHAHA!
We played from 9pm-1am!! HAHAHA! Dua lao sai!! Thanks Aaron for fetching me home!! :D :)
That was Thursday. Friday my new department had a BBQ cum chalet outing :D It is formally called TMS cohesion...I still can't remember what TMS stands for...Training Main Section? Hahaha. Whatever.
So yeah, had a great time playing cards there and gulping down my new boss' favourite mutton soup. Haha. MAJOR (RET) Lim is my new boss. He's a retired major.
Other than playing cards with 'em, I also had several convos with many ppl...asking them about their jobs, who are the troublemakers and backstabbers, what to look out for etc... :D haha. I gathered quite a lot of intel that day :D haha. LOLS! :)
After that I headed to cell group where we simply played Monopoly Deal all the way. LOLS! It's the latest card game craze going around town now...I see my friends playing it in army...I see my friends playing it in church...Next I'll see my family playing it..haha.
AND Saturday! As Lebbillie is about to leave soon, I decided to go out with her and her clique. We had a picnic @ Marina Barrage! :D Haha. Armed with "ground sheets", guitar, monopoly deal, Taboo, chips, tuna biscuits (made by Xin Jin), drinks, cups, tentage, kites, etc...we headed down to Marina Barrage to set up camp. Haha.
We simply just had fun. Kite flying, guitar playing & singing songs, shouting & screaming over Taboo and HAVING MY SECRETS REVEALED -___-" So much for two-way convos..... -.-" Haha.
And I must say, kite flying is FUN MAN! I wana arm my kite with knives next time...so that I can go around cutting people's lines...HAHAHA! I don't just love flying kite...I love to use my kite to bang and entangle other people's kites :D :D HAHAHA! Just ask the rest and they'll let you know my kite-flying style :D
I really had fun man :D Thanks Lebbillie, Yang Cheng, Joel, Xin Jing & Debbie for making the outing so much fun :) Haha. And of course, thank myself for climaxing the fun :D :D HAHAHAHA!
After our "outfield operation" we headed to more urban terrain...We went to Suntec for dinner in Crystal Jade Bao or something like that la...haha.
Xin Jin, Joel & Myself :)
Yang, Lebbillie, Debbie, Xin Jin, Joella & ME :D
And you thought we were done after dinner...We continued playing Monopoly deal! HAHAHA! Ok, we only played one round la...Haha.
So yup, it's been some time since I had this kinda fun man...Anyway, many upcoming outings & chalets dot my calendar :D So whoo hoo! :D Time to enjoy man!! Post-trainee enjoyment :D Hahaha! LOLS!
AND I STILL NEED HELP WITH MY VIDEO EDITING!! -_-" Just cutting & joining a video seems so hard...Melvin & Ps Aaron also couldn't help me with my problem man...I needa ask the MAN...Joella :D HAHA!
Yup, on with my wonderful week :D
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Sakura Buffet! :D
My ex-cell group had a dinner buffet @ Sakura @ Tampines SAFRA last saturday :) Let me try to re-call my cell members...They're Andrina Teo, Phoebe Sim, Kevin Ho, Johan Teo, Kirk Chew, Farrah Foo and Cheryl Chew...Yup that should be all :D Haha!
Our meeting time: 6.30pm...As usual, 50% of us were late...I was deliberately late because I know coming on time wouldn't change anything and it wouldn't be a gain but a loss to me...haha. So while waiting for Phoebe to come meet us from the west, we went for a game of pool :D
Johan & Myself :)
We had fun :) Especially Farrah I think since it was her first time playing pool...Haha. After teaching her the basic techniques, she was able to hit the white ball at the number ball she wants to hit...Haha. Not too bad :D LOLS!
& Kirk is quite a good pool player man...Just that he didn't pass on his skills to his sister...haha! LOLS :D
After an hour of pool, there were finally sufficient seats for us :D So off we went with our empty stomachs... :D
I was chionging all the food that I only bothered to take a picture of the first plate of food I took...Haha
After about 30mins of sinful, fatty, uncontrolled hungry indulgence came Phoebe who flew down from school far west...haha.
Their sushis really rock man...I especially love the ones with fresh scallop, unagi (eel) and the semi-cooked salmon with a really cheesy sauce :D
I think only the seafood sushis are worth the buffet...the rest are all very normal...with western cuisines and local foods like Chicken chop, Steak, Chicken wings, fries, fried rice, "shark's fin" soup, etc...
Here's a few photos of our enlarged tummies...HAHA!
Kevin, Phoebe & Farrah :D
Me & Johan :D With our unfinished dessert...Haha :D
Yup, we had a great time catching up and chatting and of course, gobbling down food together :D Haha.
Monday, 21 June 2010
Forgotten posts
Here are a few pictures that I forgot to upload and blog about! HAHA!
This one's way back in May 29th I think...I went out with Chor Seng & Guang Yao after food hunt! :D We went to eat @ Mr. Curry in Clarke Quay :D
Had a great time chatting and catching up with each other :D
This one's way back in May 29th I think...I went out with Chor Seng & Guang Yao after food hunt! :D We went to eat @ Mr. Curry in Clarke Quay :D
Had a great time chatting and catching up with each other :D
Food hunt!
Finally, a long lost picture of my section during our Navex in Thailand!! :D
1st day in BMTC HQ
Today was cool :) I met my sea ferry section mates and of course the training section friends as well :) I now have 3 "men" under me...My 2IC Cpl (3sgt to be) Leslie Poh and my 2 ASAs LCP Shaari and LCP Wen Da :D
Opposite our desk is the training section with 3SG Mark Leong, CPL Farhan and 3SG Navin who OOCed 2 weeks before he was commissioned....Haha.
My office is fully airconditioned complete with 2 desktops WITHOUT INTERNET!!!
The guys there are really friendly and cool :D They chat and joke with me readily and they also taught me the stuff I'm supposed to know patiently.
And today, something cocked up and our boss scolded my 2IC & 2 Leopard company commanders for screwing up some "illegal" book-ins into Tekong. To my 2IC, he wasn't scolding yet...just making a point. Haha! Boy is he loud...His display of diaphragmatic contractions and expansions really make a good parade commander. HAHA! Shouting commands for parades should be his job man...LOLS! :D
After book out today I had dinner with Leslie & Mark @ Pasir Ris MRT's subway :D
We had a really cool chat about our colleagues, bosses and our lives. :D While chatting halfway with me they suddenly asked me "Jonavan, you're a Christian right?"
I was like "Yeah! How you know sia?"
"I knew it...can tell la...The whole day you never scold one vulgarity and you don't smoke and club..."
Haha.
This lil' observation by the two of them reminded me how people are watching and measuring us daily. What more Christians? Our every move, sentence and actions will speak volumes of how much our faith in Jesus actually changes us. Ignore the rank, ignore my appointment, they actually respect me for that. So I'm glad that I didn't bring Jesus shame today...Haha. Hopefully my testimony will be the stepping board for their "re-salvation"
Huh? Re-salvation? Yes...Leslie & Mark are backsliders. Both from charismatic, pentecostal churches. Leslie's a worship leader & guitarist like me and Mark is a drummer in his church last time. It really shocks me to see how people can serve in such prominent positions in ministry and still backslide. It really shows that ministry will only be a channel for God to change you if you allow Him to. Doesn't mean serving well on the outside means doing well on the inside.
It takes a good leader to spot that and be that friend and mentor to lead them back into a right relationship with God. Imagine a worship leader who's about to backslide still serving on stage? Whoa...I'm not shooting the church or my dear 2IC in any way...It just goes to show how oblivious and unaccountable we ministry leaders or leaders can sometimes be.
Yup, I hope my remaining 6-8 months spent with them before they ORD will impact their lives eternally; To open their eyes to see once again that the only truth and hope for this life's journey lies not in empty pursuit of worldly things, but in the gratifying quest of being who are made to be in Christ.
Jia You Jonavan! :)
Opposite our desk is the training section with 3SG Mark Leong, CPL Farhan and 3SG Navin who OOCed 2 weeks before he was commissioned....Haha.
My office is fully airconditioned complete with 2 desktops WITHOUT INTERNET!!!
The guys there are really friendly and cool :D They chat and joke with me readily and they also taught me the stuff I'm supposed to know patiently.
And today, something cocked up and our boss scolded my 2IC & 2 Leopard company commanders for screwing up some "illegal" book-ins into Tekong. To my 2IC, he wasn't scolding yet...just making a point. Haha! Boy is he loud...His display of diaphragmatic contractions and expansions really make a good parade commander. HAHA! Shouting commands for parades should be his job man...LOLS! :D
After book out today I had dinner with Leslie & Mark @ Pasir Ris MRT's subway :D
We had a really cool chat about our colleagues, bosses and our lives. :D While chatting halfway with me they suddenly asked me "Jonavan, you're a Christian right?"
I was like "Yeah! How you know sia?"
"I knew it...can tell la...The whole day you never scold one vulgarity and you don't smoke and club..."
Haha.
This lil' observation by the two of them reminded me how people are watching and measuring us daily. What more Christians? Our every move, sentence and actions will speak volumes of how much our faith in Jesus actually changes us. Ignore the rank, ignore my appointment, they actually respect me for that. So I'm glad that I didn't bring Jesus shame today...Haha. Hopefully my testimony will be the stepping board for their "re-salvation"
Huh? Re-salvation? Yes...Leslie & Mark are backsliders. Both from charismatic, pentecostal churches. Leslie's a worship leader & guitarist like me and Mark is a drummer in his church last time. It really shocks me to see how people can serve in such prominent positions in ministry and still backslide. It really shows that ministry will only be a channel for God to change you if you allow Him to. Doesn't mean serving well on the outside means doing well on the inside.
It takes a good leader to spot that and be that friend and mentor to lead them back into a right relationship with God. Imagine a worship leader who's about to backslide still serving on stage? Whoa...I'm not shooting the church or my dear 2IC in any way...It just goes to show how oblivious and unaccountable we ministry leaders or leaders can sometimes be.
Yup, I hope my remaining 6-8 months spent with them before they ORD will impact their lives eternally; To open their eyes to see once again that the only truth and hope for this life's journey lies not in empty pursuit of worldly things, but in the gratifying quest of being who are made to be in Christ.
Jia You Jonavan! :)
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Divine Intervention
Oh those were the days where we had to chiong-sua in FBO + matador, dig shellscrape & fire trenches in SBO, scream "Section, ADVANCE!!!" at the top of your lungs, volunteer each other to collect re-sup for rations and jerry cans, shag yourself out trying to pass SOC and screw yourself up when caught trying to chao-keng.
I'll definitely miss those days...but I'll definitely not wanna re-live those days. I'll also not be living the rest of my NSF life shouting and disciplining recruits and trying to please my CSM & OC for nights out...My new post says that I won't even need my IBA (Integrated Body Armour), helmet, PT kit, field pack and my 10 pack items any longer!! All I need is my smart no.4 :)
My new post is...Tekong's Transport Indenter or something like that. Basically I'm an ADMIN SPEC!! :) WHOO HOO!!! I'll be organising the ferry timings and bus timings from Pasir Ris to SFT to TFT and back. :D
The question is, how did I manage to kio that position when I'm already posted to School 4?? It all started like this...
We all just came back from lunch and were seated sleazily in the lecture theatre waiting for our next lesson when we were given another 30mins break. So...everyone simply laid their heads on the table and slept. Me? I was feeling kinda garang at that time so I decided to exit the lecture theatre and do pull-ups just outside it. That was when I saw a HQ spec with his assistant walking into our lecture theatre wanting to call out his shortlisted candidates for that coveted post.
3SG Aidross (HQ BMTC recruiter) upon seeing the lecture theatre full of sleeping specs and w/o a commander on site decided to wait for the course commander to come back before he went in to call out the privileged, shortlisted few for interview. (I am NOT one of the shortlisted specs)
That was when I initiated a conversation with him...which eventually led to me being his colleague :D Haha...He told me that he already spoken to most of the shortlisted specs and have crossed out most of their names except 3SG Jason Ooi...So we both will be interviewed by 3SG Aidross boss - a retired SAF major. So we booked out for our interview at SFT. So off we went...knowing that Jason and myself have a 50-50 chance of getting this coveted post :D
Upon seeing his boss I simply smiled and talked with him. After speaking a while, I cracked a joke which really tickled his friend and his funny bone...Haha...Mr. Boss was saying how difficult it is to choose between the two of us...So I said "Why not you get the two of us to close our eyes and turn around and then you come and tap the one your prefer. So the one not tapped don't get the post lor...HAHA!" Mr. Boss and his friend burst into laughter...Whew, thank God my joke worked. Haha! Being myself almost always works :)
So after that, Mr. Boss told the 2 of us to go one side while he and 3SG Aidross and another spec discuss who should get the post. So, I chatted with Jason till they returned with another set of questions...and my conversation with Jason went on nervously...Haha!
Finally, they came back with the answer. They didn't want to tell us on the spot actually, but we insisted. And guess what?? I GOT THE JOB!! :D
Mr. Boss then walked over and told us why he chose me..."We need a guy that is good at talking, writing and basically have good PR and one that knows how to keep smiling even when you have to deal with difficult people" With that he pointed at my still-grinning face...HAHA! Thank God he appreciates me being a very smilely person...not many people in the SAF appreciates that. And the two specs who were with him also recommended me :) So yeah!
Jason was really emo, so I shook his hand and tried to console him but to no avail...haha.
Before the interview I was telling God "I can't decide which posting I one...to influence lives as a sec-com or to have a slack post and devote my time to doing other more productive things...So God, You choose. I'll give this post a shot and if I don't get it, then I'll take it as You want me in coy line."
So yup, here I am thanking God for this coveted position. Haha!
AND, I was contemplating getting an Atten C today because I had a very bad diarrhea again this morning. Whew! Thank God I didn't. And thank God I didn't decide to go to sleep like the rest but instead, went out to do pull-ups. Thank God for orchestrating all these man! Hallelujah!
To God be the Glory! :)
I'll definitely miss those days...but I'll definitely not wanna re-live those days. I'll also not be living the rest of my NSF life shouting and disciplining recruits and trying to please my CSM & OC for nights out...My new post says that I won't even need my IBA (Integrated Body Armour), helmet, PT kit, field pack and my 10 pack items any longer!! All I need is my smart no.4 :)
My new post is...Tekong's Transport Indenter or something like that. Basically I'm an ADMIN SPEC!! :) WHOO HOO!!! I'll be organising the ferry timings and bus timings from Pasir Ris to SFT to TFT and back. :D
The question is, how did I manage to kio that position when I'm already posted to School 4?? It all started like this...
We all just came back from lunch and were seated sleazily in the lecture theatre waiting for our next lesson when we were given another 30mins break. So...everyone simply laid their heads on the table and slept. Me? I was feeling kinda garang at that time so I decided to exit the lecture theatre and do pull-ups just outside it. That was when I saw a HQ spec with his assistant walking into our lecture theatre wanting to call out his shortlisted candidates for that coveted post.
3SG Aidross (HQ BMTC recruiter) upon seeing the lecture theatre full of sleeping specs and w/o a commander on site decided to wait for the course commander to come back before he went in to call out the privileged, shortlisted few for interview. (I am NOT one of the shortlisted specs)
That was when I initiated a conversation with him...which eventually led to me being his colleague :D Haha...He told me that he already spoken to most of the shortlisted specs and have crossed out most of their names except 3SG Jason Ooi...So we both will be interviewed by 3SG Aidross boss - a retired SAF major. So we booked out for our interview at SFT. So off we went...knowing that Jason and myself have a 50-50 chance of getting this coveted post :D
Upon seeing his boss I simply smiled and talked with him. After speaking a while, I cracked a joke which really tickled his friend and his funny bone...Haha...Mr. Boss was saying how difficult it is to choose between the two of us...So I said "Why not you get the two of us to close our eyes and turn around and then you come and tap the one your prefer. So the one not tapped don't get the post lor...HAHA!" Mr. Boss and his friend burst into laughter...Whew, thank God my joke worked. Haha! Being myself almost always works :)
So after that, Mr. Boss told the 2 of us to go one side while he and 3SG Aidross and another spec discuss who should get the post. So, I chatted with Jason till they returned with another set of questions...and my conversation with Jason went on nervously...Haha!
Finally, they came back with the answer. They didn't want to tell us on the spot actually, but we insisted. And guess what?? I GOT THE JOB!! :D
Mr. Boss then walked over and told us why he chose me..."We need a guy that is good at talking, writing and basically have good PR and one that knows how to keep smiling even when you have to deal with difficult people" With that he pointed at my still-grinning face...HAHA! Thank God he appreciates me being a very smilely person...not many people in the SAF appreciates that. And the two specs who were with him also recommended me :) So yeah!
Jason was really emo, so I shook his hand and tried to console him but to no avail...haha.
Before the interview I was telling God "I can't decide which posting I one...to influence lives as a sec-com or to have a slack post and devote my time to doing other more productive things...So God, You choose. I'll give this post a shot and if I don't get it, then I'll take it as You want me in coy line."
So yup, here I am thanking God for this coveted position. Haha!
AND, I was contemplating getting an Atten C today because I had a very bad diarrhea again this morning. Whew! Thank God I didn't. And thank God I didn't decide to go to sleep like the rest but instead, went out to do pull-ups. Thank God for orchestrating all these man! Hallelujah!
To God be the Glory! :)
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Netting some interesting stuff
Came across 2 interesting photos while browsing people's blogs, profiles and webpages...
What a cool depiction of such a true fact
This one's rather amusing...LOLS.
And I came across ANOTHER series of Christianity VS Atheism with Alister McGrath and Richard Dawkins as the protagonists respectively.
I'll once again do research on this series and see what I can learn from both parties...
I'm just waiting for Richard Dawkins to "spar" with Ravi Zacharias man...Ravi Zacharias is one of my favourite apologists...He's really sharp, frank, funny and he illustrates his pointers really well with real-life stories and witty analogies. His writings are really uber "cheem" (For every paragraph he pens, I must check the dictionary at least once due to his usage of really descriptive and strong vocabulary) man...much worse than how he talks. Haha!
For those interested in his words of wisdom, try this series "The Existence of God" by Ravi Zacharias...if you've digested all 6 parts, you'll definitely denounce atheism.
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Last week of relax spec
Our commander's prepatory course ends this friday. This means, playtime's over! Here comes our posting...again... -_-" I really wana be a coy line specs and I've weighed the pros & cons...
SME (Subject Matter Expert) Specialist
Pros:
Touch & go...alot of admin time to yourself. You go to a company and conduct a lesson and your day's done. Field camp you get to go back bunk & sleep every night, coy line specs stay with the company. Come back, coy line specs do the rifle inspection and settle the stores.
Cons:
No lull period...Non-stop work. You are always attached to at least one company or doing some sai kang for HQ and other events.
Not much interaction and influence over the recruits' lives.
Company Line Specialist
Pros:
You get lull periods.
More rewarding to work with and change lives of your recruits
Cons:
COS, CDS, DOS and other duty posts covered only by 8 3SGs in a company. This means, every month at least one or more weekend will be burnt doing these duties -__-"
Less admin time, later book outs compared to SME specs.
I'm really praying that I'll be a company line sergeant. Because I don't wanna be stuck with a whole bunch of 3SGs in SME and see their attitude problems day in and out. Just look at the performance of CPC and you'll know what I mean...And, same-rank personnel are harder to scold and correct, unlike recruits who are (forced to be) teachable.
So I'd rather stay in a bunk of 4 specs than a bunk of 16 specs...this means in your SME bunk sure will have one asshole, one-of-a-kind character person...And you'll either have to change him, remove him or put up with him for 1 year 3 months!
So yeah, I'll either be an evangelist (SME), touch & go; or I'll be the pastor (coy line spec), stay and nurture the members. I vote PASTOR! :D Haha.
All in all, pray that I'll become a coy line spec :)
Anyway, today was a major piss off for many of us...We were stuck 1 hour in Tekong Ferry Terminal (TFT)..Not because the ferry had no more space...but because some stupid old man in white shirt wanted to board the ferry and another ops room personnel said that we were not allowed to board the 3pm ferry because there's a 4pm ferry INDENTED for us...
NO FERRY WAS INDENTED. From what we know from our Encik. They could've just let as many of us on the 3pm ferry as possible...We were all really pissed.
But my anger subsided when I saw 3 of my company mates from 2SIR taking a break from training in the Tekong Jungle...they came over to where we were sitting in their camo-on faces and rifle and told us about how they little they slept the past 2 nights due to navex exercise and missions...
Upon hearing their story, my anger was abated because I came to realise that all we were doing is waiting for 1 hour for the next ferry to book out while our other spec friends are STUCK in Tekong chiong-suaing! Haha. One of them told us "Whoa, I really want your 9Div badge man..."
O well, sucking your thumb due to screw ups in SAF (which is uber common) is better than chiong-suaing overnight in SBO. Haha.
And yes Xue Ming & I had a great time yesterday too. Ok, I think he had a better time...Because we went shopping around for his stuff. So I was like his fashion advisor...a really tired one... HAHA! Here's a little snippet of that scene...
While walking home Xue Ming suddenly decides "Aiya, I think I wanna buy that shirt la..." -_-" was my first reaction...but then again, how often do I get a great friend over to my place on a weekday? So might as well spend that time with him :) Off we went to G2000...
While in the queue to the fitting room he decides he likes another shirt..."Jonavan help me take that shirt there, size 15" *Xue Ming walks into changing room and takes 10mins to change to his top...and he opens the door* "Nice?". This is repeated 3 times cos he tried on 3 different tops. HAHA! But I still really enjoyed shopping with him :) He's like me when it comes to shopping, kinda girl and indecisive and all...Haha.
Then we watched "Hitman". Action-packed and sensual. Whoa...It climaxed to the last few minutes of the show....When we realised that I didn't download the movie properly!! The last part was cut off!! So we didn't watch the ending and were left in utter suspense... -.-" HAHA!
And as usual, we chatted at night till 1am+ HAHAHA! We had to wake up by 515am btw...Haha! Talk first sleep later ma...HAHA! Must spend quality time together...LOLS! How often do we talk that richly about ourselves with our friends other than in sleepovers? Haha.
So yup, was a cool evening with Xue Ming :)
It's his 21st tomorrow, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY XUE MING!! :)
And once again, do keep my final posting in prayer!! Coy Line Spec FTW!! :D
SME (Subject Matter Expert) Specialist
Pros:
Touch & go...alot of admin time to yourself. You go to a company and conduct a lesson and your day's done. Field camp you get to go back bunk & sleep every night, coy line specs stay with the company. Come back, coy line specs do the rifle inspection and settle the stores.
Cons:
No lull period...Non-stop work. You are always attached to at least one company or doing some sai kang for HQ and other events.
Not much interaction and influence over the recruits' lives.
Company Line Specialist
Pros:
You get lull periods.
More rewarding to work with and change lives of your recruits
Cons:
COS, CDS, DOS and other duty posts covered only by 8 3SGs in a company. This means, every month at least one or more weekend will be burnt doing these duties -__-"
Less admin time, later book outs compared to SME specs.
I'm really praying that I'll be a company line sergeant. Because I don't wanna be stuck with a whole bunch of 3SGs in SME and see their attitude problems day in and out. Just look at the performance of CPC and you'll know what I mean...And, same-rank personnel are harder to scold and correct, unlike recruits who are (forced to be) teachable.
So I'd rather stay in a bunk of 4 specs than a bunk of 16 specs...this means in your SME bunk sure will have one asshole, one-of-a-kind character person...And you'll either have to change him, remove him or put up with him for 1 year 3 months!
So yeah, I'll either be an evangelist (SME), touch & go; or I'll be the pastor (coy line spec), stay and nurture the members. I vote PASTOR! :D Haha.
All in all, pray that I'll become a coy line spec :)
Anyway, today was a major piss off for many of us...We were stuck 1 hour in Tekong Ferry Terminal (TFT)..Not because the ferry had no more space...but because some stupid old man in white shirt wanted to board the ferry and another ops room personnel said that we were not allowed to board the 3pm ferry because there's a 4pm ferry INDENTED for us...
NO FERRY WAS INDENTED. From what we know from our Encik. They could've just let as many of us on the 3pm ferry as possible...We were all really pissed.
But my anger subsided when I saw 3 of my company mates from 2SIR taking a break from training in the Tekong Jungle...they came over to where we were sitting in their camo-on faces and rifle and told us about how they little they slept the past 2 nights due to navex exercise and missions...
Upon hearing their story, my anger was abated because I came to realise that all we were doing is waiting for 1 hour for the next ferry to book out while our other spec friends are STUCK in Tekong chiong-suaing! Haha. One of them told us "Whoa, I really want your 9Div badge man..."
O well, sucking your thumb due to screw ups in SAF (which is uber common) is better than chiong-suaing overnight in SBO. Haha.
And yes Xue Ming & I had a great time yesterday too. Ok, I think he had a better time...Because we went shopping around for his stuff. So I was like his fashion advisor...a really tired one... HAHA! Here's a little snippet of that scene...
While walking home Xue Ming suddenly decides "Aiya, I think I wanna buy that shirt la..." -_-" was my first reaction...but then again, how often do I get a great friend over to my place on a weekday? So might as well spend that time with him :) Off we went to G2000...
While in the queue to the fitting room he decides he likes another shirt..."Jonavan help me take that shirt there, size 15" *Xue Ming walks into changing room and takes 10mins to change to his top...and he opens the door* "Nice?". This is repeated 3 times cos he tried on 3 different tops. HAHA! But I still really enjoyed shopping with him :) He's like me when it comes to shopping, kinda girl and indecisive and all...Haha.
Then we watched "Hitman". Action-packed and sensual. Whoa...It climaxed to the last few minutes of the show....When we realised that I didn't download the movie properly!! The last part was cut off!! So we didn't watch the ending and were left in utter suspense... -.-" HAHA!
And as usual, we chatted at night till 1am+ HAHAHA! We had to wake up by 515am btw...Haha! Talk first sleep later ma...HAHA! Must spend quality time together...LOLS! How often do we talk that richly about ourselves with our friends other than in sleepovers? Haha.
So yup, was a cool evening with Xue Ming :)
It's his 21st tomorrow, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY XUE MING!! :)
And once again, do keep my final posting in prayer!! Coy Line Spec FTW!! :D
Monday, 14 June 2010
Walking with wind...
We were once again back on Tekong's shores. But walking along Ladang avenue felt different this time. Armed with the 3 chevrons on our chest, we all started walking with wind (zou lu you feng) or to put it englishly...we started walking with a huge sense of pride and dignity unlike the days when we were recruits, where we would traipse down the long road down to company line with crestfallen faces.
1st day in Tekong was great. Free & easy. We went to the canteen and to the E-mart in our free time...but quickly came back to our lecture venue to seek refuge in the aircon room! HAHA! So much for all the tough training...LOLS!
Today was just the seven core values (SCV) talk. Where we explore the SAF 7 core values - How can we align our personal values to the SCV and how can we apply the SCV in our journey as a commander....
UTTER BORING. It's not like these lessons are gonna change anything at all...People's hearts are bent on doing what they think is right, how they feel and how their past experiences will affect their present decisions. How much can a man-made talk change? Abit maybe? To the attentive and serious. But come on, 70% of the class ain't serious...they're just being cooperative so we can all book out. HAHA!
That's when I realise that our church pastors are doing very much the same thing...Just that, the church has the Holy Spirit to convict hardened hearts so that the word spoken may be made alive and pierce their soul.
Anyway, today I booked out @ 5pm...considered late compared to the other platoons who booked out at 3pm!!! So I went home. My house for once isn't occupied! The quietness still scares me. Haha. My siblings are in the Heart of God church's youth camp and my parents are at work. Xue Ming? He booked out at 3pm so he went home. Haha
I then took the guitar and started to worship. Once again I flipped my worship file and somehow God used this song to make my heart burst into a fresh expression of worship. This song's "Forever" by Hillsong...
Forever
I'll Worship at Your Throne
Whisper my own love song
With all my heart I'll sing
For You my Dad and King
I'll live for all my days
To Put a smile on Your face
And when we finally meet
It'll be for eternity
And Oh how wide You open up Your arms
When I need Your love
And how far You would come
If ever I was lost
And You said that all You feel for me
Is undying love
That You showed me through the cross
I'll worship You my God
I'll worship You my God
I love You
I love You
Forever I will sing
Forever I will be with You
Be with You
My worship lifestyle is still not on track. Just needa spend more time with God man. That's the toughest part of Christianity - the sanctification process - from Self-like to Christ-like.
Yup, needa get a move on with the Fish4men upcoming evangelistic event which I am planning :) Bye! :D
1st day in Tekong was great. Free & easy. We went to the canteen and to the E-mart in our free time...but quickly came back to our lecture venue to seek refuge in the aircon room! HAHA! So much for all the tough training...LOLS!
Today was just the seven core values (SCV) talk. Where we explore the SAF 7 core values - How can we align our personal values to the SCV and how can we apply the SCV in our journey as a commander....
UTTER BORING. It's not like these lessons are gonna change anything at all...People's hearts are bent on doing what they think is right, how they feel and how their past experiences will affect their present decisions. How much can a man-made talk change? Abit maybe? To the attentive and serious. But come on, 70% of the class ain't serious...they're just being cooperative so we can all book out. HAHA!
That's when I realise that our church pastors are doing very much the same thing...Just that, the church has the Holy Spirit to convict hardened hearts so that the word spoken may be made alive and pierce their soul.
Anyway, today I booked out @ 5pm...considered late compared to the other platoons who booked out at 3pm!!! So I went home. My house for once isn't occupied! The quietness still scares me. Haha. My siblings are in the Heart of God church's youth camp and my parents are at work. Xue Ming? He booked out at 3pm so he went home. Haha
I then took the guitar and started to worship. Once again I flipped my worship file and somehow God used this song to make my heart burst into a fresh expression of worship. This song's "Forever" by Hillsong...
Forever
I'll Worship at Your Throne
Whisper my own love song
With all my heart I'll sing
For You my Dad and King
I'll live for all my days
To Put a smile on Your face
And when we finally meet
It'll be for eternity
And Oh how wide You open up Your arms
When I need Your love
And how far You would come
If ever I was lost
And You said that all You feel for me
Is undying love
That You showed me through the cross
I'll worship You my God
I'll worship You my God
I love You
I love You
Forever I will sing
Forever I will be with You
Be with You
My worship lifestyle is still not on track. Just needa spend more time with God man. That's the toughest part of Christianity - the sanctification process - from Self-like to Christ-like.
Yup, needa get a move on with the Fish4men upcoming evangelistic event which I am planning :) Bye! :D
Sunday, 13 June 2010
Tekong Here I Come! :D
Tomorrow will be my first day I step into Tekong as a 3rd Sergeant :D No longer as a blur, fearful new recruit will I enter that island man...Haha!
I've not thought much about my expectations of myself as a Christian commander...Hmmm, let me see...
> I want to be friends with every recruit. To try to get to know every one of them personally.
> I want to do things right. I won't punish my recruits without giving them a clear reason
> I want to inspire them to be more than a good soldier, but a good person
That's all I can think of for now... Haha. Gonna sleep now :D
Keep my final posting in prayer! I'll either be an instructor or a coy-line sergeant. :D I want to be a coy-line spec so I can get to work with recruits and get to know them :) So do pray that I'll get that! :D
Yup, on with my 7am - 5pm week! :D
I've not thought much about my expectations of myself as a Christian commander...Hmmm, let me see...
> I want to be friends with every recruit. To try to get to know every one of them personally.
> I want to do things right. I won't punish my recruits without giving them a clear reason
> I want to inspire them to be more than a good soldier, but a good person
That's all I can think of for now... Haha. Gonna sleep now :D
Keep my final posting in prayer! I'll either be an instructor or a coy-line sergeant. :D I want to be a coy-line spec so I can get to work with recruits and get to know them :) So do pray that I'll get that! :D
Yup, on with my 7am - 5pm week! :D
CSB (Chor Seng's B'day) Part I
It was a saturday night. And there's a very unlikely date going on between Chor Seng and Amelia...They know each other and they don't really know each other...So who's trying hook who? :D HAHA!
Turns out that Amelia is a counterpart of our master plan to bring Chor Seng to our ambush site...Teo Heng KTV (if I remember correctly) in Katong Shopping Centre to launch him a surprise 21st birthday celebration for him! :D
All was going well until...
Chor Seng reached Katong Shopping Centre with Amelia...Chor Seng went to the toilet and BUMPED into Sam inside!! The thing here is, Sam came late, but Chor Seng came later...so he thought that Chor Seng had already been surprised and was just using the loo...Chor Seng didn't see Sam so when Sam called him he got shocked and asked "Sam! What are you doing here?!" Upon receiving that question...
Sam replied "Guang Yao they all lei?"
Chor seng was like "Huh? What Guang Yao they all? Sam are you ok?"
That was when Sam realised he almost spoilt the whole plan...HAHAHA! So he immediately switched to bullshit tactics which sort of worked...haha!
So by then, Chor Seng was a bit suspicious liao...BUT when he walked into the karaoke room, he was still SHOCKED big time...HAHA! With our screams and funny antics, anyone who stepped in would get a shock of his life...Haha.
So yeah...I shall let the pictures tell the rest of the story...
Johannes, Sam, Me, Chor Seng, Jill, Serene, Joan & Amelia
Jill & Myself tao-poking Chor Seng into his cake!! :D HAHAHA!!
Sam & Me singing "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" :D Haha. Chor Seng should be singing that man...HAHAHA! :D
Me & Guang Yao :D
We sang many different renditions of many songs...I sang "Tong Hua" with Jill, "I'm Yours" & "Lucky" with Jill (again), "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" with Sam and etc...Haha!
The main action of this whole thing was when we all volunteered Chor Seng to dance in front of all of us to this Korean song...HAHA! The video is stuck somewhere in Joan's camera I think...HAHA! I'll go ask her upload it soon man...LOLS!
Yup, we had our fun that day...But it was short-lived because we wanted to extend our stay there by one hour but it was already fully booked -_-" So off we went to chill-out, malay style at a flight of staircase with bubble tea...Haha.
Once again, Happy 21st Chor Seng!! :D You've been an awesome friend to us all :) Appreciate your friendship bro :D
Still some pictures are stuck in Guang Yao's camera...so stay tuned for Part II :D
Still some pictures are stuck in Guang Yao's camera...so stay tuned for Part II :D
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Quick Post
Blogging is taking it's toll on me man...I usually take like an hour+ for 1 post...haha
I'm just gonna do a quick post as the blog title says... :D
I'm good. Still in CPC (Commander's Prepatory Course) now...Will be setting foot into Tekong in the next week :D
The week in camp has been spent trying NOT to sleep during the oh-so-boring lectures that teach you about leadership and how to be a commander and all...We have like 5 hours of admin time everyday. So for the past few days, I've pool-ed those hours away in the mess...Imagine playing pool for 3 whole hours! That's life man...haha!
And I just realised last week that I can do only 4 pull-ups NOW!!!!!$%*&$#&*(#@!)(*(^
Upon receiving that revelation, I've spent my admin time doing PT. And I will continue doing that till I can do my usual 12 pull ups again! :D
And we threw a SURPRISE 21st BIRTHDAY celebration for Chor Seng yesterday! :D It was at a KTV lounge :D After the whole event he SMSed us "Thanks so much for this surprise...All I can say is You Guys ROCK MY WORLD!!" HAHAHA!
Can't wait for my 21st man...Make sure you guys rock mine too...Goes to my church mates & poly mates...HAHA! :D
Yup, gotta book in liao...BuaisS :D
I'm just gonna do a quick post as the blog title says... :D
I'm good. Still in CPC (Commander's Prepatory Course) now...Will be setting foot into Tekong in the next week :D
The week in camp has been spent trying NOT to sleep during the oh-so-boring lectures that teach you about leadership and how to be a commander and all...We have like 5 hours of admin time everyday. So for the past few days, I've pool-ed those hours away in the mess...Imagine playing pool for 3 whole hours! That's life man...haha!
And I just realised last week that I can do only 4 pull-ups NOW!!!!!$%*&$#&*(#@!)(*(^
Upon receiving that revelation, I've spent my admin time doing PT. And I will continue doing that till I can do my usual 12 pull ups again! :D
And we threw a SURPRISE 21st BIRTHDAY celebration for Chor Seng yesterday! :D It was at a KTV lounge :D After the whole event he SMSed us "Thanks so much for this surprise...All I can say is You Guys ROCK MY WORLD!!" HAHAHA!
Can't wait for my 21st man...Make sure you guys rock mine too...Goes to my church mates & poly mates...HAHA! :D
Yup, gotta book in liao...BuaisS :D
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