Thanksgiving
So I finally got the opportunity to say it. Finally told the people in True Way my intentions, and I'm glad they're ok with it. Thank you so much Uncle Ben for giving the opportunity for playing in the band, inspite of my un-pro-ness.
While leading Darryl and Chris for Bible Study yesterday afternoon, Darryl brought up the passage about Mary and Martha, cos' we were talking about how everyone had different gifts and that we should use them to serve. Darryl brought up the story cos' he said that God would rather us listen to him then serve him. Here's the passage:
At the Home of Martha and Mary Luke 10:38-4238As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”As much as I really wanna serve in True Way, I guess these verses reinforce what I'm feeling, and that I shouldn't put service before my spiritual growth. Sure service is important, but without that input, you can get drained. I hope to get that input from PUNJ. And i hope to be more involved in PUNJ. With Mark in Sydney, I hear they need people to help out with the Boys
and Girls' Brigade ministry. We'll see how that plays out.
Yesterday, being the last Sunday of the month, there was a time of sharing at the main service, where anyone could go up on stage and share something. I really felt prompted to share about how God has really blessed me and seen me through the past 2 years in the Army. There were lots of tough times, but the people he put me with and the comfort of His words saw me through.
Sharing at 1 service didn't seem to do justice to all God has done for me, so I shared at the s2nd service as well, since I had to be there to play drums. There were just so many instances in Army where things REALLY could have gone wrong. But the Lord kept us safe from harm. I also shared about the past 2 years being trying times for my family as well, with my Dad being retrenched from his old job. It hit us hard, but Dad managed to regroup and start up his own company importing wine and champagne into S'pore. It's something to be really thankful for, because Dad's business is doing a lot better than he was at his former job, and he seems somewhat happier being his own boss.
I guess it just goes to show that we're never truly in control of what happens. We like to think that we've got our lives all planned out, but truth is, we've got absolutely NO control over what happens to us. At the end of the day, God is the only one who knows what's gonna happen.
East Side
Here's to the East Side Boys! Shaun, Jianhong, Cai, Greg, Ian, Eugene. Heh. Thanks again for having me at your place JH, and a very happy birthday, even though your birthday only comes once every 4 years. It's cool to be a leap year baby really. Forever young I say! =)
Be playing drums for main service at True Way tomorrow. Feel quite bad cos' the other musicians are quite pro and have been playing like forever. I'm like such a newbie. Thank God they're really patient with me. I think it'll be the last time I'll be playing with them though. Will have to speak to Hann Fan tomorrow.
Hopefully Darryl, Chris and I will FINALLY have our bible study tomorrow after a 2 month break. Have not been meeting up due to our busy schedules, and negligence on my part. Whoops. Shall try to be a better BS leader guys. =(
Hey Jem you reading this? I have NO IDEA WHY, but the song "Together Forever" just keeps playing in my head. I think I've figured out the actions which go with it! Quick Jem! To the Mambo mobile! Hahah.
Yes. An idle mind makes you do weird things.
So... Now What?
I've been starting to clear leave. This week I took Monday, Wednesdays to Friday off, which means I effectively had a one-day work week. Been going to the gym everyday, swimming, and just chillin with Caleb, who has had to rest at home, cos he just had some minor operation. I'm enjoying the freedom and the slow pace!
I really can't keep doing this for the next 5 months till uni starts though! I'll just die of boredom! The thought of being without a stable income for the next 4 years or so is also quite frightening. Right now I don't think I can bring myself to ask my parents for a monthly allowance, after how uncle SAF has provided for my expenses the past 2 years.
What about your savings Gabe? Spent it all on driving license, riding license, holidays, the europe trip deposit, friends, and a lot of FOOD. Well, money isn't truly yours until you've spent it right? Anyway I'm helping the economy here, so someone give me a medal man.
It's gonna be an exciting few months of opportunities. I hoping to job hop a bit and try new stuff. Probably get down to pick up the guitar from Dan (my younger bro) , who has gotten REALLY good with his bass in the past year. There'll be a few overseas trips, and hopefully I can be more focused in church. Right now there so many things distracting me. Just hope I'll be able to sort things out. NJ prob won't need me all the way till August, so I'll have to find another job to be safe.
Jem! Looking forward to hearing about that Brewerkz lobang! Would be great if we were colleagues! And think of all that free booze!!!
Kwa Si Mi? Buay Song issit?
NUS Biathlon pics: Isaac, Me, Luke and Leighton! It was a blast guys!
NDU! NDU! Lloyd, John, and their 2 friends
Isaac gettin rubbed down with massage oil. ooh baby
Hey You
I really enjoyed your company. I hope you didn't think I was smoking you with all that I said. I wasn't. Yeah. I guess we both have things in our lives to sort out eh. Time will tell. You'll always be someone special to me. No matter what happens.
Employed!
Alright! I should be doing relief taching back in NJ once I ORD. What am I teaching? PE!!! Haha. Yeah man. Spoke to Mr Menon about it and he said all I had to do was register with the MOE, and they'll request for me once my application is approved. He said they happen to need PE teachers in the month of May. I hope to stay on longer though. Just until my semester starts in August.
Hopefully everything will go according to plan. If it does, it'll be DA BOMB MAN! I always wanted to try my hand at teaching. Well sure I did it in OCS, but I think teaching in a JC will be a lot more challenging. No rank to use, no military punishments. Different methods will have to be employed here. I can't wait!
Swim Like Fish. Run Like Hell.
Well the NUS Biathlon was really enjoyable! Haven't had such an adrenaline rush in quite a while. The weather was perfect! Although a tad bit hot. Managed to clock a reasonable time. About 40 mins from 800m swim to transition to 5km run. It's a joy to run at Sentosa. The environment and the scenary makes it a lot more enjoyable than say Macritchie.
Anyway, the swimming portion got quite violent. From the word "GO!", everybody was scrambling to get a good placing. Needless to say, when you can't see anything in the water, there's bound to be a lot of accidental contact. I must have accidentally kicked and slapped 5 people at the start. Well I got hit about the same no. of times so we're quits. Heh.
Time to start training for the Singapore Biathlon in March. Twice the distance. Twice the pain. Twice the fun.
Update: Blood Platelets Still Needed
Thank you all for donating blood and continuing to spread the word about Kang Fei's need for blood platelets. I had a friend coming up to me saying he got the same mail from 3 different people, which means the mail has been making it's rounds.
A lot of people have been asking about the donation procedure, and how to make sure Fei gets it.
Some things to take note of before you call the hospital up. You must be able to donate to blood type A+ (call the hotline to enquire please!). You must weigh MORE than 52kg. You must NOTbe on medication (again, just call the hotline below to ask what's allowed and what's not).
If you fulfill the above, then do the following:
Step 1: Call the NUH Blood Donation Center at 67725356.
Step 2: Tell them you want to donate blood platelets to YU KANG FEI
Step 3: The nice people at NUH will then take down your particulars and call you back as to when to come down and donate.The reason why not everyone can donate at once is because blood platelets have short shelf lives, and hence can't be stored for long. Which is why the hospital needs a list of ready donors WHEN the need arises for Kang Fei to receive the platelets. Apologies for not clarifying that earlier.
The whole process takes about 2 hours. They'll use this machine to separate some of your blood platelets from your other blood cells.
Please continue to give folks.
Legolas I Am Not
Just finished my ATP today (that's Advanced Trainfire Programme) for you non-Army folks. It's sorta a requirement for everyone in the Army to go through it once a year, to keep them current with their weapons.
I haven't touched a SAR21 for a year before Monday. And any hopes of me getting a marksmenship were dashed when I went for my night shoot on Tuesday. No $200 monetary reward for me. =( I was sooo inaccurate with my rifle. Didn't zero my weapon properly on the first day. Managed to improve on the 2nd day thanks to Rayant's tips...
Anyway Thank God I managed to pass. BARELY! 20 out of 40 targets! Failing would mean I would have to do the whole package again, which would take some time. Ah well. In the words of Michael Jackson, I'm a lover not a fighter.
We Need Blood NOW!
Got this off the mail Elliot sent:
Dear Friends,
Sadly,not every email i send out is a stoopid one.
A close friend of mine had just been diagnosed with leukemia and urgently
requires A+ blood.He is warded at NUH and he begins chemotherapy today.He
requires around 20 more people to donate blood to him by Friday,for there to
be a safe amount of blood for his treatment.If your blood is suitable,please
please go down to the blood donation centre at NUH and give my friends'
name, YU KANG FEI,and donate some blood.You cannot be on medication.Other
definite no-nos are blood related illnesses such as Hepatitis,HIV etc
etc...If you have any uncertainties,please ring the donation centre at
67725356.
I know this is beside the point,but Fei is a committed christian and
worships at KumYan Methodist in City Hall.He's a secondary school mate of
mine,and is in the same army unit as i am now.He has been a great source of
encouragement and inspiration over the past year.If you could help i would
be very grateful.
Warmest regards,
Elliot
p.s.if you guys could forward this out,i would appreciate that v much
too.Gracias. Please help guys. And please forward this to as many people as possible. Every little bit counts.
Type A+
Folks, if any of you are blood type A+ or can donate to blood type A+ patients, do leave me a message on the comments list. Kang Fei will need people to donate blood and bone marrow. Think he's still going for some more checks, but in any case, there will be a need for people to donate eventually.
Even if I don't know you, please do help. Leave your e-mail add, and I'll get back to you when the need arises.
Thanks.
Live Strong, Fei
Please keep our friend Kang Fei in your prayers.
He was just diagnosed with Leukemia yesterday. Kang Fei was my section mate back in OCS, and it really came as a shock when I first heard the news. His mom was telling Elliot and I that the doctor said they detected it early, so there's still chance for recovery. The not so good news is that he'll have to undergo chemotherapy soon.
It's just so random. It could happen to anyone. I saw Fei at the Foxtrot reunion last week and he seemed perfectly fine. Thank God his sense of humour hasn't been taken away from him. When Fei's church friends came in, they started joking and laughing with him, trying to keep his spirits up. Praise God for good friends like them. When Elliot asked him if he wanted some magazines, Fei said that if he were to read, he would have his Bible by his side. Amen brother.
Right now, Fei doesn't need people to brood with or feel sorry for him, he needs people to cheer him up and keep him laughing.
We're with you Fei.
Attack Of The Killer Roti John
Just went out for late night supper with John, Dan and Caleb @ Bencoolen. Prata store there. So we were happily tucking into our prata when one of the servers brushed against my shoulder. He spilled the plate of Roti John onto the floor, and stained the back of my shirt with chilli sauce. Bad enough, but what really pisses me off is that the guy didn't even apologise, let alone say anything to me. He just went back to his stall and continued as if nothing happened.
The other stall keepers were really helpful, giving me tissue and even helping to wipe of the massive red stain on my back. Quite grateful for that. Determined not to let the incident ruin our supper, we just let it pass. Gave the guy a good stare on leaving. Was a damn good thing he didn't say "Thank you come again."
Well. Other than that, I must say CNY was enjoyable. Meeting up with cousins, aunts and uncles. Collecting ang pows (financial aid is always welcomed in view of my soon-to-be-unemployed status). Lots of FOOD. Just spending quality time with family.
Cycling with Isaac, and tennis with Mark/Elliot later. Hope I have the energy man.
Maybe
First off, a very Happy Chinese New Year to one and all. Wan Shi Ru Yi, Fu Bu Gao Shen, Nian Nian You Yu, running out of "cheng yu"s here. Feng He Ri Li? Haha.
Anyways, been doing a lot of reflection of late. I've had a lot of time to do so. I dunno why, but I just feel quite miserable and distracted for no apparent reason at times. Maybe I know the reason, but I choose not to acknowledge it. My way of dealing with these short spells of unhappiness is to keep myself busy. Reading, meeting friends, cycling, swim, gym. Gyming does wonders I tell you. It really focuses all your negative energy into something positive. You can take out all your angst and misery on the machines, and you'll feel better after that, at least for me la. I have Keo to thank for introducing me to the wonderful world of weights. But sorry Keo, I'll have to hold out on the California gym membership till I get more moolah.
Why feel so shitty sometimes? Maybe it's because I lack direction. Maybe it's because there's something in my life that I need to change before I'm truly pleasing in God's eyes. Maybe it's just a combination of situations that leave me so exasperated right now at times.
I pray and I cry. Maybe it isn't enough.
Was just passing by Tangs. I just love the way they use the Chinese characters for designs. Appreciating designs brings me back to my AC art days...
Fun under the sun @ Siloso
Girls
Taken off cyperpark, posted by Ian. Nice one man. Really poetic =)
I guess the female mind is something that we can never truly fathom...
Girls
girls, strange creatures they would be,
or perhaps only just to me.
a smile to leave you in a daze,
a kiss to set your heart ablaze.
soon we crave for just that chance,
to please those ladies just this once.
try as we may, try as we might,
but in their eyes we're never right!
so they fuss, they whine and they irritate.
leaving us in one confused state.
tsk, such trouble! tsk, such pain!
those girls will drive us ALL insane.
but fools like us shall never learn,
to resist the one thing we all yearn.
oh fair lady so pretty, so fine,
you're simply just one of a kind.
my dear friends, won't you agree?
all we'll ever want is... she.
Whicked Weekend
Matriculated last Saturday! So i'm officially a SMUcker. I was tellin Shu over msn that it's like some AC-NJ-RJ reunion. Seriously man. There were familiar faces everywhere i turned. It's really cool cos' I'm having a lot of good friends from different parts of my life come together in one uni. BMT friends, OCS mates, NJ peeps, AC pals, pple that I've gotten to know over the past few months. Just goes to show how nice and cosy Singapore is.
Played DOTA with Dan, John, Nat, Ah Black and Ah White after Worship practice on Saturday. We kept saying "1 more game", and ended up getting home at 3am! Ha. Good thing i had the car. Been taking taxi a lot of late.
Did back up singing for service on Sunday with Vanessa. Was good to catch up with her. We were chatting a lot during the worship practice while the band was figuring out their chords. Heh. Thank God she was there man, otherwise sure quite bored. Realise I've been getting a bit distant from the True Way gang. Bummer.
Joined the PUNJers at Siloso Beach after service on Sunday afternoon. It was sizzling hot man! Should have seen us at the beach volleyball net. 10 guys hopping up and down to keep their feet from getting toasted. Played some frisbee. Mark's a pro I say. Amazing how he manages to get the frisbee to hover just above the ground for so long.
After that it was a hearty dinner at home with Mom and Dad.
A simple weekend of friends and good fun. I'm contented. =)
Oh in other news, Shu has switched to Blogspot! *Clap Clap*! Changed my link to her blog so go check it out guys.
The Gathering
Well gentlemen, it was great seeing all of you. I'm glad you guys made it, and although it was nothing fanciful, just a simple buffet dinner, I hope everyone had a good time catching up! I know I did. A big thank you to Wing Comd for picking up on the $200 extra (oops) we had to pay for the caterers. Lesson of the day: It's always better to under order, than to over cater.
Did my 2km time trial for the 50 km route relay coming up in March. Managed to clock 6min 56s for 5 laps. I'm quite pleased with it, cos' I've not been running in the past 2 months. Decided to hang up my track shoes for a while and replace it with upper body workouts.
Bible study, SMU matriculation and worship practice tmr. Nite pple.
Neverland
Watched
Finding Neverland with Isaac yesterday. It was really heartwarming, a must see if you're a Johnny Depp fan. I prefered
Hotel Rwanda though. Don Cheadle was really amazing, I hope he wins the Oscar.Guess the best way to describe it would be Schindler's List set in Africa.
I passed the riding evaluation! Thank God! I heard people say it's not easy to get through it the first time, so was quite worried when I first went. One more step to that license. Now allowed to book road lessons, which, I'm sure, are a lot scarier. But I guess my experience of cycling on the roads to work should help give me some confidence. Please do pray for my safety. I've already fallen once, but it was a good thing it was in the circuit, and it was just some minor bruises and scratches.
Yeah I've got friends and family whom are against me taking up the riding license. But i really wanted to do it. This is seriously the only time I'll ever have to do it. I foresee uni will be very hectic. And if i don't do it now, I'll probably kick myself for not trying, so what the hey. The thrill of reving the engine and going fast is just super exciting. I know my limits though. Anyway, thanks for the concern friends.
Foxtrot reunion later. Hope everything goes well. Please don't pang seh, people! Otherwise I'll have to foot the $600 bill for the buffet myself! Gar!
With effect from 1 Feb 2005. LTA Gabriel Tan.
Sign Seven, Soldier
The 1SIR just came back from Thailand 2 days ago from their final exercise. And from what I've heard, they did pretty well! Good job gentlemen!
Met up with Wenz to go Zouk last night. Jem and Jerald was supposed to go, but Jem fell sick. Get well soon man. We were there from 10 and it was super quiet man, even at 11. I could actually see the floor of Phuture for once, and there was no one on the Mambo dance floor. The crowd started coming in at midnight, and in the end, it became it's usual packed self. It was enjoyable. I gotta say the only reason why I went last night was to redeem the free pass la, so don't worry man, I'm no chiongster.
Anyway, I almost got 7 extras yesterday. Got the complete shock of my life. I was actually on half day, and was all dressed and ready to leave office, when I got the disturbing SMS from boss, saying that Commander ordered me and a lot of other people to sign extras. For what? They did a check, and found unauthorised programmes on a lot of the computers in the offices. Apparently, they found this game on my com.
Thing is, i already searched my PC and deleted anything deemed unauthorised. One of my previous upperstudies must have renamed the file, such that I couldn't find it when I performed the search. I don't think I was the only one. We followed all the instructions and they still found stuff. Anyone knows that there's no real way to get rid of all the unauthorised crap unless you reformat the whole computer, which we're not allowed to do. So the only other way is to search through every individual file, which is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
I just thank God that Commander was willing and patient enough to listen to my explanation. I know other senior officers that will just brush you off and not want to listen to you. So praise God for that.
Off to meet Isaac at the gym now. Got riding evaluation later. Wish me all the best!
Seoul Searching?
As much as I want to join my family for a short getaway to Korea this weekend, it's just too last minute man!
I gotta organise the Foxtrot reunion this Friday, and gotta back up sing at service on Sunday. Sure, I guess i could get someone to replace me on Sunday. It's not very nice though. I can't possibly organise the Foxtrot thing and not go right? That's like shrugging responsibility. Plus I may have lessons to teach next week.
GARR! Why no flights after CNY??? Sigh. Well I'm not very fond of kimchi anyway.
Tension builds...
DJ-in-command, Sebestian with geeky-ol-me
OOH YEAH. DJ in THE HOWSE!
