company cohesion

right. i know its not right coming online at this time of the (mid)night.

i had an absolutely crazy time at Sentosa today with my army guys - both men and commanders. It has been so long since i last set foot on Sentosa. Gee, it has changed and quite some bit, and definitely a step in the right direction. The beaches still look the same, but the pathways, signboards, toilets went through some makeover, and the whole place looks inviting and fresh. There's even a slow tram that ferries beach-goers along the path that runs the stretch of the beach to the beach station, where you can conveniently board a rail that will bring you all the way back to the main island(vivocity). I mean, i was impressed. Hassle-free and too convenient i must say.

ok thats not the main thing.
i've cleared the last SOC that i'm ever going to do in my life. Thank God. i couldn't really sleep well the nights before the test, coz i was anxious about it. But believe me, when i place myself in a humble position just trusting in the Lord and abilities given to me by Him, I felt really comfortable :)

Sentosa
this trip to Sentosa is a little different from all the previous Sentosa outings i've had. For one, all those around me are mostly non-Christians, and all guys. So if you put like 100 non-Christian guys on a beach, i guess i will leave everything - what can be seen or heard.. up to your imagination :P

BUT i most probably won't share this with you guys in church or when i see you later. So i will just write bits about it.

ok like really boyish fun. Although its all rough and messy and dirty and rough and rough, i guess its just essentially fun. no one under the radar was spared, not even me. i was scooped up in manhandling motion midway through hitting a few volleyballs and mercilessly tossed into the sea, this happened even when i'd cautiously distanced myself by choosing to hit balls at a court as far away as possible from the 'beaten zone'. then a few hours later, shockingly and most unexpectedly i found myself a fallen prey again to their attack. It came out of nowhere and this time sand went down my pants and all. see the difference? but i definitely won't condemn these kind of fun :P Audacious it is, but not wicked nor malicious.

crazy fun aside, played a few games, and beach volleyball was enjoyable. We played through sunset which was beautiful.

StE and Timothy Trail is on schedule for Saturday. I'll have duty on Sunday-back to camp.
Vin

i have thanksgivings!

i've patched up with my pal who i had a dispute with. well, not really of any dispute, just severe unhappiness. Gosh, it lasted a month! This past month was so frustrating man, and this thing has bogged my mind like a festering sore.

thank God, on Monday it almost seemed like we were back on good terms again. well, things are on the up. i'm relieved.

i'm also praying for those grieving in China & Myanmar in wake of tragedies. After all, Sichuan and Burma are common places churches hold mission bases in, or hotspots for mission work. I was at team meeting last friday night, and was told of many teachers and students of the Word Place who have perished in the disaster, and the newspaper reports are increasingly depressing. lets pray that God may have mercy on them.

among other things, my family is going for a independant getaway to UK next week, a well deserved trip i must say. So i'll be independant at home too haha :)
vin

Goodbye Henin

i'm taking a day off today.

tennis
i'm deeply saddened to know of World no.1 Justine Henin's retirement from the sport last night, which is still sending shockwaves all around. The reading on the seismometer is comparable to that of when: say, Tiger Woods (Golf), Liu Xiang (Athletics), Roger Federer(Henin's career closely mirrors his'), Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer) all announce their departure from their respective sports.
sigh, Henin's departure is a great loss, especially when she's at her peak with what was an astoundingly impeccable year and near perfect report card that she raked up in 2007, epically winning trophies after trophies. She's one player that i admire much - her quiet demeanour that she brings with her everywhere she goes, on court or at press conferences. She doesn't show much of emotion, but one can always be more interested in her because she's got that kind of girl-next-door feel, when you kinda keep guessing whats more to her than her tennis. She cuts a small svelte figure, but takes down towering opponents swiftly or match their shotmaking power with her graceful precise intelligent gameplans.
This year she experienced a dip in form, but still her retirement came so unexpectedly. Justine's personal life was tainted with so many problems, and thats probably the reason why she's not the glamorous fiesty gal that many of her rivals are now. She was estranged from her family and has only just patched up recently, and she was brought up by her coach Carlos Rodriguez, who is always seen on courtside whenever she plays. I always felt that their relationship goes far beyond a player - coach one, but more of father - daughter kind. Justine has channelled all her childhood to adolescent emotions, including her separation from her husband of 4 years, that has built up into her tennis that she has well refined to reach the pinnacle of success.
Justine is a great champion, who has inspired and impressed me by how she has lived through adversities yet achieving so much by true will and hardwork , but not thriving on glory.

vin

i'm glad to back home :)
although i was like extremely sleepy so i made up for my lack of sleep in the past 24 hrs when i reached home this morning. i did 24 hours guard duty as guard commander again. getting more experienced with what i'm supposed to do coz for some reason i've been rostered into this position for the 3rd consecutive time and a 4th coming up later this month. I felt a little bitter about this rostering, coz there are so many more fellow commanders who have YET to perform this role, and i've had 3 under my belt already!

but i can look at the positive side of things, i can refine or work on my commanding abilities. Its not easy waking up sleepyheads at 6am for area cleaning when they were each rotated to do duties spanning the night. thank God the everything went smoothly. Thank God that i've my past experiences to bank on, and it has definitely a boon for me (so its not entirely a bad thing that i'm always the guard commander). Despite the heavy human and vehicle traffic flow constantly in and out of camp, no hiccups was major enough to pose any serious problem. really thank God, i was like so worried that i may not be able to perform my duties well, coz there'll be like NDP performers numbering a thousand entering the camp premises for rehearsal, and this is on top of the usual waves of men taking IPPT or coming for remedial training. Thank God my guys were generally cooperative.

today's mothers' day. I thank the gracious Lord again for such loving parents that He's given me.

to my absolute delight, i've just found out today that Starhub CableTV has recently brought in a new channel - Eurosport. Its the channel that i've been dreaming of having all these years because almost all the tennis tournaments throughout the year is screened live on the channel. But i've dismissed it as wishful thinking coz i don't see how starhub will find it profitable to air alongside with stalwarts like ESPN, Star Sport, Football Channel & SuperSports. yay! its like dream come true :D lovely.

i've been missing a number of saturdays and weekends, its been 3 weeks? since i've been to church. But its a kind of training i'm going through. Part of the God's providence.

update again
vin