Sunday, February 01, 2009
New iPod!!!
I finally got this after a long, long time of hesitation:
No more sleepless and music-less nights in camp!
Thanks DJ for all your help! :)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Changes after enlistment
Hey peeps! I'm back for my first post since enlistment nearly a month ago. Since then, life has taken an incredible turn from my civilianhood, and has changed drastically from 7th January.Firstly, the change is nothing short of my hair, literally. Yes, my voluminous hair has since been reduced to just a millimetre-long skinhead, but definitely not life. Short hair doesn't bother me much, at least for now, and life goes on. Military life needs some adjustment to, and although I must say I haven't done a really good job in adjusting to the new lifestyle, I believe I can come out tops of it, and when I look back in future, I can proudly say "yes I did it!"
Secondly, changes are also evident on my physique and health. Though I won't really say I welcome the change. I wouldn't exactly say my health has deteriorated, but it has definitely been heading in that direction. Spending the last week of the confinement period - and most of all, Chinese New Year - sick wasn't a great experience, but, well, I survived and confident of getting back in tip-top condition soon. Physique wise, I've probably grown a little more muscular (but also probably lost them after my bout of sickness) and looked more tan, but everything stays. In fact, my pull-up count has decreased drastically to just one, which has sounded the alarm for me. To pass IPPT, that is.
Of course, there's always changes in mentality. From a civilian to a recruit. Never the same again. All the physical stress, punishments, pressure from peers and yourself, is definitely not something one will experience, but we must still move on. Moving on to be a better, stronger person. As the saying goes, "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger", and that's what will be happening to me.
I thank everyone who's encouraged me during this time, friends and relatives alike. All the blessings, wishes and prayers. Thanks guys! I'll definitely be striving for greater heights in camp!
P.S. Louis I don't have any botak pictures of me, but will upload it if I have one. Anyway, I'm not so botak anymore. :P
Monday, January 05, 2009
I'll Miss You Guys...
My countdown didn't end on New Year's. And it's so close that it makes an emotional wreck out of me...So went out with YAG on Saturday to Marina Barrage for some kite-flying action! I arrived very late and so saw little of the action, although I still managed to make a kite take flight. Took lots of weird - and seemingly artistic - photos there too, but many of them still with Lester. Gotta make do with the photos I have on my own camera. On the same night, my YAG subgroup went Waraku at Heeren's for dinner. And as with the purpose of interacting with one another, I must say, yes, we accomplished that restoundingly. :)
Moreover, it was finally the breakthrough point which I found myself talking to some of the YAG people, getting to know them, and they had some advice for me for NS too. Most memorable would be the long conversation with Joan, who advised and taught me some life lessons with the vast experience she had. Some of these different perspectives have definitely resonated with my mind. Most of all, the conversations with the YAG people have made me feel more at ease with them, as well as the doubts I have with the challenges in NS.
Final service in church on Sunday and I was treated with a warm welcome by many. Surprisingly, the big surprise I was expecting did not really happen, but I still thank the youths for planning such a farewell party. The highlight of the day, however, came at night when I met up with JC mates. Thanks to Louis, Amos, Ji Soo, Luo Ling, Li Xian, Boon Ping and his friend, I had a great night filled with plenty of interaction and friendship. Sorry guys I had to leave early though, but can't wait to meet up again soon.
This will likely be the final time I'll be blogging before enlistment, but my invitations to chill out tomorrow still holds. Or even if you want to send me off on Wednesday, I'll gladly welcome it. Till the next time I blog here, everybody take care and God bless.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Hello 2009
It's the start of a really brand-new year. In many senses, yes, it is brand-new. Take for instance, the end of the routine schoolday that starts at 6am and ends at 2am daily. Or the fact that I'm leaving my comfort zone in 5 days to be patriotic to the nation.So I spent the last night of 2008 among the many joyful faces I've seen for a long time. ECF youths can never be a better bunch of friends when choosing to countdown towards a new year. The laughter, the bonding, the camaraderie, it's totally infectious. So there we were, sitting on a blue-coloured mat on the open top of Marina Barrage, facing a picturesque view of the Singapore city skyline. And when the clock strikes 12, behold, the fireworks-lit bayfront right in our eyes, as if blessings showered down from heaven through floodgates.
Despite reaching home at 4am after some camera fun and a late-night supper, it was all fun and joy. Probably something that'll be on the participants minds for a long, long time to come. And I'll definitely be missing all the fun in ECF youths from this year onwards...
Jamming at FourTones yesterday - despite being just 45 minutes - was all fun. Finally. Kudos to Audrey and Amos (and probably to Louis, too) who made it all possible today. I think we can all look forward to more of that (and definitely longer sessions). Blow away all doubts that we can't form a quality band. Look, I'm really optimistic how this can turn out. Our new bassist would probably fit the final piece of the puzzle. :)
Many activities still to come in the coming days. I guess everyone wants a piece of me before I'm enlisted. To the secondary school musketeers, yes, I'm still planning a KBox outing in the next few days. To the church people, you'll have a fair share of me on Sunday. And to my bandmates, one more session before Wednesday.
And before I end, I wish to invite all my friends to send me off on Wednesday morning for my enlistment. I know it'll be a hassle waking up that early in the day, but a farewell crowd of friends will really make my day. And, hey, that'll be the last time you'll see me with a reasonable amount of hair for a long, long time to come.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Goodbye 2008
Ya know I've not updated my blog for a long, long time, so what better way to (semi-)revive it than to post on the last day of 2008?'A' Levels long past and thrown out of the window, and of course, to pick up where I left off, prom's long gone too, pretty uneventfully I must say. But a whole month's almost gone since prom, and the 30 days thereafter had been quite a ride. Before I forget, I must thank all out there who's been with me during the final month before my freaking enlistment. I would probably be making a list of friends as long as Santa's for his list of presents, so I'd better not start now. You guys know who you are, so pat yourselves on the back. ^^
But I'll like to thank God for all He's blessed me with this month. Not lacking in food, activities, chats and company. I guess that's the ultimate I could ask for before my solitary confinement - solitary being knowing no one enlisting the same day as me. Anyone enlisting 7th January?
Okay, I should still thank some groups of people who's spent their last month keeping my loneliness at bay: people from my church, especially the guitar guys and the soon-to-be guitar guys/girls; the musketeers way back from secondary school days, Kenneth, Chin Loong and Aaron (and Jeremiah if he were back here); the peeps from IJC, Amos, Louis, Audrey, etc; also friends in between, DJ, Zul, etc. Like I said, it's impossible for me to name everyone...
I would like to make use of the opportunity to encourage the ECF youths to work hard next year, because you guys got the potential, yeah? And thanks for all the outings planned, including the countdown later. I'll look forward to that for the new year too. And for the SilverCross people, let's conquer YAG with a positive mind! :)
I'll end this post with the video montage I've made for the youth camp this year! Praise God!
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
IJC Prom 2008: Jamais Fleur
As with the name of our prom in English, I think it's fair to say everybody blossomed during prom night. The transformation of some people from their normal self to prom appearance were just simply astonishing.
Our table also won ourselves a box of Ferrero Rocher after Ash kindly put on lipstick for us during a treasure hunt-like game. He later got lucky in the lucky draw, earning himself a $10 Swensen's voucher! Alas, no one else at the table could win anything in the lucky draw, including grand prizes of a digital camera, iPod Touch (OMG!!!) and Xbox 360 (OMG again!!!). And then we whined when all three were won by girls...
After spending less than 50 bucks on Sunday on my prom attire, borrowing a blazer from Jun Hao, and meeting up with Ang Shen to go prom (his was at Meritus Mandarin, mine at Hilton), I was raring to go. Sat at table 22 with some 11C people, separated with half the class because one full table wasn't enough to fit everyone. And having Muslim food too, but turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I heard the Chinese food wasn't up to standard.
Our table also won ourselves a box of Ferrero Rocher after Ash kindly put on lipstick for us during a treasure hunt-like game. He later got lucky in the lucky draw, earning himself a $10 Swensen's voucher! Alas, no one else at the table could win anything in the lucky draw, including grand prizes of a digital camera, iPod Touch (OMG!!!) and Xbox 360 (OMG again!!!). And then we whined when all three were won by girls...Entertainment was okay, though. It was quite obvious that the nominations for prom king and queen were plain sabotages, but at least the questions that won the king and queen the titles were quality. Other games had little entertainment value, but at least it kept us glued to the stage. Performing bands were surprisingly good though, and so was the video montage at the end.
Post-prom at Zouk. Haha! Some will never imagine I actually stepped into that place. Had to spend $20 for the ticket and waited 1 whole hour outside, but it was worth the wait. Clubbing was actually quite fun, although the music blast was very loud. Poor Jason, he still had the ringing in his ears till now...
Anyway, before I end, presenting the best part of prom - PICTURES!!!
P.S. More pictures soon!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
R&R
I've been working, so can't post as much as I would like to.Anyway, I'm not here to rant about the misgivings in my workplace and the like, although the experience is enough for me to post an entry filled with angst and complaints.
Sunday was the day I finally got a breather from the hectic workload, given the many misfortunes I've faced the day before. I went with my church to some farm visits at some secluded corner of Singapore, unbeknownst to most Singaporeans. It felt great to escape from the concrete jungle we're in and get some fresh air.
Had lunch at Gardenasia and then we headed to Aero-Green for some karate action! Haha! Caught on camera!
That evening, Timothy, Xing Jie and I headed to Singapore Expo for the Asia Conference finale. Ended up at the overflow section of Hall 7 but the atmosphere was electrifying nonetheless. CHC band was great, and so was the sermon. Can't really wait for Asia Conference 2010, although it felt altogether more like a CHC service than an Asia Conference. Headed to Aljunied for dinner at 10pm (!?!?), but we ended up chatting till midnight.
Soccer with Tim, Ang Shen and my brother on Monday, and then we ended up playing basketball. Felt every bone in my body; must have lost my stamina since NAPHA ended. Lunch followed at Xing Jie's house, as we ended up ordering pizzas and watched "The Happening", which wasn't really worthwhile. Went back home after that and ended up playing the new FIFA09 all night...
Gotta work later, but tomorrow's a free day for me. Hoping to jam with my new bandmates then... ;)