CLM,OOC and the weekend.

the last 3 weeks were somewhat emotional and fruitful. OCS has been quite a challenge, but due to my knee injury, i had recently been taken out of course on the second day of my service term. Before going into what happened, i sould touch on CLM, which is the common leadership module for the first 2 weeks of OCS. CLM was generally fun- with cool stuff like tower run and the gas chamber experience and all. My platoon, echo’s first platoon, is made up of an awesome bunch of individuals. Everyones so helpful, friendly, and full of drive and determination, it didnt take us long to get to know each other so well, and im sure that ive made some really good friends just in this 2 weeks. I also believe i did well during CLM. was one of the faster runners for interval trng and endurance runs and i also did get my ippt GOLD(: as well. physically, i dont think it was tough, but i guess the most challenging thing was to fight the “zzzzz” monster!

so how did i get OOC? the second week of CLM posted some problems. my knee started giving me problems and after every activity, i felt like my knee was going to break. the problem got worst and i started having problems wearing boots and i even had problems marching. didnt really sound off that i was in pain and all, so i just tahaned like a garang soldier and stretched alot at night before headed to bed. what finally killed me was when we had a turn out. i couldnt stand and i was about to faint. was shivering all over as well. so at that point, i finally fell out and was sent to the medical center at about 3am. the next day, i was put OOC due to my knee injuries and back injury from last year back at golf nationals. according to the doctors, its just a ligament sprain, but i think that theres more trouble than that. Going for specialists reviews and resting in bunk and helping out at HQ and the store is just how i spent my time nowadays. and most recently, ive been appointed the ic for OOCs. hah. the question of recoursing is surely still on my mind. but im going to consider it very carefully as i only want to recourse if im very sure that the injury would not come back. anyways, my wing comm and pc has been very supportive and all, so for now, im just resting and i’ll see how things go in a couple weeks or month’s time.

well, it wasnt really my first book out yesterday as i had specialists appointments and a nights out last week. this weekend was good too. met, jml, daniel, jase, bryan, alvin and kevin to catch a movie “the brothers bloom” at vivo yesterday and then we just sat and chilled over food and all. it was nice to catch’em all once again after so long too. the movie was artsy and it was pretty okay i guess. some parts of it were complex and perhaps confusing at times, but after abit of thinking and all, its easy to put the pieces together. i certaintly liked the second half of the movie. the intro was kinna boring and all. hahaha. but my rating. 7/10. a good artsy film la. had dinner with chris last evening too and i wish her all the best with her trip to port dickson tomorrow(:

today went to church. the sermon was awesome. it was by mrs samuel chan from trinity college i think. shes an awesome speaker and i was really glad to hear how God has worked wonders and how HE changed her life. would love to hear her come back for more sermons and all, so yeah. that would be nice. settled some hp stuff today too, and had lunch, shopping and just returned from dinner. i guess im prepared for another week ahead. its about 8pm now. gotta book in at 1030.

 

the struggle between love and money was really a burning question in my mind today. i believe these 2 entities shouldnt be always put together, but the more you think about them, the more you realise how inter-related they are and how you probably cant have one without the other. one thing’s for sure. buying love with money is usually superficial bullshit. at least from my point of view. i dunno. as puzzling as it is, im going to sort this out(: haha 

oh and i just got july’s copy of nat geog mag and hopefully i can finish it this week(: have an awesome week everyone. God bless you(:

anewbeginning.startstomorrow.

well, its now really the end of the block leave. how did 12 days just past like this! anyways im sure it was sorta a good break from army and well, the thought of having to waking up at 0530 and having pt everyday just adds to the siann feeling of going back to servee. haha. however, im sure safti will bring new experiences, new friendships and im looking forward to a more purposeful army experience. somehow.

remember to keep me in prayer! its going to be a while till i blog again, so take care and God bless you(:

itstimetoclickpause.

just returned from a good time spent with close friends(: thanks for everything. also met a few people from council at gluttons bay for supper. it really feels glad to be surrounded by ac people again(: the lingo, the familiarity and everything just feels rightt(: all of them are in ocs too so that makes going to ocs that much more special cos it allows me to meet my friends again! cant really believe my block leave is ending. *slaps himself* one more day to go!

the climb.

you know, sometimes there are just a million and one things you want to do. but time is always a factor and there are always so many other obstacles and stuff in the way, u never seem to actually reach your target. anyways, my bmt block leave is coming to an end and i really dont want it to end (like duh!). i spent the last few days going out a little and doing some physical stuff, but im glad i had the time to really sit down, think, ponder, reflect and PRAY about the last few months and the months to come (lol. just like Siddhartha “by the river”). to be completely honest, bmt wasnt all smooth sailing. it was fun though. but i know God was there. in fact, He was my pillar of strength for many of the activites and He truely showed me how to use His strength to overcome alot of things i would never have imagined i could do. In addition, I knew i was underserving of alot of things, but He really stayed true to his promise and well, lifes been meaningful in many ways(: Of the many verses etched in my mind, these few verses really spoke to me during BMT:

“come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”- Matt 11:28-30

“With your help, I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him” -Psalms 18:29-30

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you”- Psalms 32:8

anyways, got the posting yesterday and im headed to ocs. mixed emotions about it. but i know God has sent me there for a purpose and im sure i’ll find out soon(: how tough can it be? with God “all things are possible!” anyways life can only get abit tougher and slightly more miserable. haha. about one day to go before a long confinement… haha. take care ya’ll

sectionoutingtosentosa/allergy/dragmetohell

so i spent my monday at sentosa with my section. it was supposed to be a section outing, then we opened it to become a platoon outing, but it ended up being a section outing again. a considerbly good turn out- except that both jasons couldnt make it and alex was kinna busy with some medical stuff. anyways first we had breakfast at the nearby market before heading to sentosa. played frizbee first, then volleyball and then soccer. rather awesome time cos most of us had experience in all these sports, which definietly didnt make us look like noobs while playing. had some awesome shots and some epic and amazing moments which were not caught on camera. hahaha. anyways kuanwu who really isnt to much of these stuff – started digging a shellscrape. haha. he dug until he reached some cables and i guess that was the point he stopped! lunch followed, then it was off to palawan beach to chill, more frizbee and just some slackin’ chuan and me went into the water and then it was time to pack up and zao. thanks guys for an awesome day out and all the best for the posting this fridayyyy(: more pics on my flickr. its been uploaded already!

after i got back, i felt terrible. had some bad rash. never had it before in my 5 years of going to sentosa and doing these usual stuff. anyways the rash/ allergy is still quite bad and i had to go to the hospital to get 2 jabs. now living on pills and i hope it doesnt become worst. its the most itchy thing in the world. i finally understand how people with ezema feels like. so please PRAAYYYY that it goes away. tuesday was spent entirely in bed and today i actually brought myself out of the house to catch “drag me to hell” which i was dying to watch anyways!

so heres the movie review: the show is not frightening at all la. shouldnt be rated HORROR! haha. i guess its just comical. for me, a horror movie will be something like SAW or something with more gory and frightening scenes. do u realise that the most important aspect of a horror film is the sound? anyways i thought perhaps the sound effects were not that impactful. but i enjoyed the plot and even though the ending was kinna predictable, i thought it was kinna abrupt too. but generally, good acting and rather good plot in general! thought the sound effects and the dramatic and graphic effects could have been better though! but my rating? hmm. 7.5/10- worth watching and not scary(: hahaha

the rest of my day shall be spent packing stuff and just getting my room in order. perhaps also spending some time on some designs which needs to be completed asap. OHOH and i did get myself new headphones for my ipod(: finally can chuck my 2 year old earphones away since they werent producing sound!

hope the rash goes away. please pray! and god blessss you(:

the taking of pelham 123/ phuture

so i managed to catch ” the taking of pelham123″ yesterday with daniel at marina. i guess the movie was really quite good. the plot was very tight and its great at how the producer immediately brings you straight into the action of the main plot. the acting was pretty good and the conversations between washington and travolta were just brillant. i think its just me- but every time i see a movie shot in NYC, it really makes me recall of the time i was there. anyways i shdnt spoil the fun for those who havent caught the film. its worth watching. one of the better shows ive watched this year. my ranking- 8.5/10

also, anyone who wants to watch “drag me to hell”- pls contact me! i wanna watch it asap! just that no one wants to watch cos they think its all horror!

had dinner after the movie then headed to zouk last evening to meet jml and tonns of other people. we were supposed to celebrate glenns friends birthday so i guess thats why i was there. ended up meeting alot of other ac ppl too like chups, zhao, quek and a few others and met dinesh and pong too. and jin and cielo too(: all i have to say is that the music from like 11 to 12ish was terrible. like really. the crowd was just growing exponentially and the music wanst fantastic at all. after 1am, it was rnB and tht was the time the party started to heat up(: good music for about an hour and then we started to head for drinks. it was quite fun cos it wasnt just abt dancing, it was also abt pushing and squeezing and getting rid of people! hahaha. basically it was definietly too packed for comfortttt hahahah:D cabbed back w lucy in the end at abt 3 and thats how i ended my satturdaayyy.

today was a good day. didnt have enough sleep but headed out for lunch. had lunch at this place called “xin yuan ji”. its located opp bugis, along a row of shophouses. it serves really mouth-watering sliced fish noodle soup! if u happen to be in the vicinity, i strongly recommend you to drop by. the prices are quite reasonable. under 7 bucks u can get food and a drink(: did some retail therapy after lunch. got new pillows and just did some shoe shopping. but didnt get anything. also looking out for a new pair of headphones. section outing tomorrow at sentosa! and rev at 0545! haha 1 week of block leave to goooo(: i know its going to end before i know it!!! arrgg.

guardutyover. golfin’again!

ended my guard duty yesterday. it was a considerbly good experience. it wasnt boring and it wasnt too tiring either. i must say that the experience was well worth it. i guess it was also because it was the last time i could have a good chat with my platoon mates and commanders and we also witnessed the ceremony of the giving out of the rifles to the new recruits. many people have asked me why i had to go back to do guard duty after pop. im just speculating that the reason is because the new recruits havent got their rifles and stuff la. managed to get the 8am ferry out of tekong yesterday and then i headed to get breakfast at ghim moh! haha. then slept for a couple house and then had a late lunch then it was off to golf w dhanesh! haha. after not golfing for so long, i must say that ive not lost my touch(: haha. dhanesh was probably nervous and all but i think hes not too bad himself(: haha. thanks for the ride and im sure we’ll continue to play and catch up over a game of golf(: oh and thanks to all who sent their well wishes! headed out this evening for a movie and gg to catch up w some friends later(: have an awesome saturday ya’ll!

POP loh!

well, the time has come and ive finally POP-ed. its too surreal. the entire experience. i can really still remember the day when i enlisted and how the CO was telling us to have “the end in mind”. to be completely honest, the end i had in mind was just to give my best in everything and just to “survive” BMT. reflecting back, my BMT experience was nothing but memoriable and FUN. in fact, i dont think i should use the word “survive”. its not that tough and i guess i enjoyed most of the activities. the new forged friendships, the army routine and the activies we did together as a platoon, company and section would be some of the things which would be clearly edged in my memory. a big THANK you to my PC (LT Kenny) and APC (2LT guohui), my platoon commanders (ps songhua, 3sg zihao, 3sgt hazwan and 3sgt alex), my AWESOME platoon mates and my section! Falcon Platoon2!

for more photos from GP- check it out at my flickr accout- link on the right!

oh and since ive not blogged in ages, congrats to the OM teams who represented ACSI! 2 world champs, 1 in 4th place and one in 8th! you guys have truely done the school proud! congrats once again! anyways the next 10 days is my block leave! and now im headed back to tekong to do guard duty from now to tomorrow morning (insert frown). haha. sian but heck la (i shall take it as a price i have to pay for being the best.lolololx). tomorrow might be playing golf too! have an awesome week ya’ll! cheers! anyone want to watch movie this weekend let me know!

sick again:(

woah. sian. having fever and flu and cough again! just the repeat of last week. i think it was cos i wasnt fully well on thurs then i went for the 16k and soc and now its an incredibly fucked up sick feeling again! bleah! will see tomorrow if i shd go see the doctor again! ive almost completed my entire bottle of cough medication and i hope i get better soon!

dougs gone for his cambodia trip which makes the house incredibly quiet (okay tts just a random comment) and i really hope the fever goes down soon. didnt do much today. just went to the dentist and then i wasnt well enough to do anything after. the falcon shirt has to wait and the speech, well, i think i’ll try and whipp that up when my fever subsides. sorry to pangseh the lunch appt tomorrow! really wish i could go!

29may09

its been quite a while since i last blogged. wasnt well last weekend. had fever and cough and flu and thus i was on status for the weekend + monday. anyways had range 2 weeks back. it was good. shooting is fun and surprisingly im pretty good at it. was pressurised by a few commanders to get coy best shot. but didnt get it in the end. had 16/16 for both my day practises and 15/16 for night practise. the actual test had 29/32 in the end. still one of the top in the platoon though- and well, i guess as long as i got marksman i would be happy (cos that was my goal (: haha) this week was physically draining. HG was on monday which i missed, tuesday was AGR and ST and BCCT, wed i was still on status and i did my 16k route march with Hawk coy yesterday and i did my SOC with 600 rundown not too long after that. yes i nearly died cos it was really quite draining! haha. had lunch last weekend with mr d, mdm jiayuan, jacky and hadijr and wished the rest all the best before they headed off to the states for worlds(: anyways i just got news that they did well and i cant wait for results this sunday( tks jeremy for telling me that) haha. also went last minute shopping with mdm at art friend too! and oh yes, i managed to catch night at the museum 2 last week as well. i guess it was a pretty good show. why? the graphics were good! the popcorn was good! the plot is okay and what i really liked was how the entire museum came to life. bcos i actually visited the museums in 2006, seeing the exhibits again made the movie that much more special! and i really wish i were back in DC walking from one museum to another and just chilling and admiring the beauty of the surroundings! but i guess it was a cool show- rating 7.5/10. not planning to watch terminator cos im not a fan! and the conspiracy had a very similar plot to eagle eye! so yeah. cant wait for The taking of Pelham 123! will watch it when i POP! haha. glad i booked out on thurs this week! long weekend begin!