things that annoy me

when i'm reading the newspapers and another guy pops up his head beside mine and reads what i've been reading. the newspapers will have been lying around there, untouched for as long as it can be but the intruder makes himself share the papers with me the moment when i'm reading it. Its so irritating. It seems to suggest that because i'm reading it, it must be something interesting and the intruder will want to know about it too. It happens everytime.

my incompetency in handling IT stuffs. Be it a new software in my computer, or installing a new program. I hate it, and i just cannot connect with all that sophisicated clicks, when one click be so lethal. I mean i wish i can be good at it, but at this moment i can't.

watching a movie in a packed cinema. getting a lousy seat in a cinema (like the front row).

vin

in search of bliss

i caught Mama Mia! the movie last night with a few jolly good fellows at the Grand Cathay. My word, the Grand Cathay is HUGE, and has a Victorian feel inside. I think the reason the Grand Cathay felt so grand was because the theatre had barely a third of its capacity that were occupied, so i felt so small in comparison.

Mama Mia! is basically an oldie version of High School Musical. The trailer of HSM was screened before yesterday's show and i can't wait for it to come out :) it'll be so hot.

Looking for a cheap and good meal downtown? Look no further. Fancy this, Aston's Specialities at the Cathay will solve all mealtime woes. And its your answer to lamentations like, 'how ah? any nice but cheap food in town a not?' 'don't tell me food court again' 'haarr?? Macs, Long John, BK - come to town also must eat these kind of food ah?'.

My friends and I finally went to dine at Aston's. We've heard of it ever since a year ago when there was only the Katong branch around. A few months later demand was so strong that a 2nd outlet popped up rather quietly at the Cathay. And ever since its been a case of being one of those treasures that is tucked away and well hidden in a sparsely patronised mall. We waited for like 40 minutes still! And the food is good! :) utterly satisfying.

We agreed that we were not done with eating yet. We trotted down to Starbucks and washed down the meaty barbeque taste and doused the flames with a mild cup of Caramel Mach. To aromatize ourselves with 2 different cheesecakes was just perfect.

vin

for that peace and quiet time alone

Yesterday was a relatively peaceful day at the office. Sometimes i'm really thankful and glad that i'm rostered to do these weekend duties because of the wanting to spend time alone, by myself. And there's no better place to go to escape the crowd other than the isolated grounds in camp!

The morning wasn't really very nice as there were a few guys who were called back to do some stuffs. The time after they left in the afternoon, i finally had my undisrupted peace and space to myself. I went on according to my entertainment schedule which had been hastily planned. I'd borrowed 2 DVDs from my guy when i popped by his house last Monday when i brought them out to Bedok Food Corner for a comfort meal before the dreadful outfield. Anyway my guy lives just opposite the camp too. I watched the first DVD -'Just Follow Law' in the morning, and reserved 'the Holiday' for the later part of the day.

While watching the show, i ran thoughts of giving myself a break, away from the people you meet all the time, away from familiar ground and terrain. Doing weekend duties in camp is a good chance to be all by yourself alone, but it does not give me the freshness of a new breath of air because i'm still facing the same landscape and buildings. haaha.. how blissful it will be to escape to somewhere else right.

But still, thank God for yesterday. My OC surprised us with a friendly box of donuts. Oh my goodness, thank God for his kindness. And thank God for a little update from Hsiao Ling over ebuddy.

vin

almost there now

I've bid goodbye to outfield overnight training sessions in local terrain yesterday, at least for the rest of my days as an NSF. With that, I hope that all the unpleasant uncomfortable irritants that form a large part of the 'outfield' experience have come to a closure for now. So goodbye to sandflies, mosquitoes, and the whole feeling of shivering in the wet & cold conditons.

In every way i have to thank God for being there with me always. Right after NDP i plunged into this training period and was worried that i may find it hard to get through the days. Thank God that i'm still standing, i'm still surviving, and for His work of grace in caring and protecting me all these while. Yes indeed its been hard and tiring, but thank God for good leaders who've organised the trainings in such a way that it is progressive and specified. I've come out of this 1 month of training to praise and thank Him for it.

Alright. I'm absolutely over the moon, the sun and the stars now that i've got some time to relax before setting of for the finale in Australia. I'm some compulsory days off and leave to clear so i'm gleefully thinking of how to 'enjoy' myself before being 'exiled'.

Vin

welcome to my life

Me & fellow commanders.

here are some of the photos which i saved into my e-mail yesterday when i was looking through the photo files in my office, and to let you see who are the guys (some is more like monkeys) that i see in camp, and my green face :(



my friend is holding the walkie talkie in front of me coz i'd dropped one into the river the week before this photo was taken.


NDP 08 BayBirds


'3-2-1 BayBirds fire'


Guards Challenge - a competition.


The platoon monkeys


The platoon commanders





Army Museum


Latest photo taken in Tekong 2 weeks back. The big square hole is dug by my team of 3, including me. And that night was so so sos sos sososoossososososososososososososooooooo cold.

Will have a helicopter live-task tomorrow through to Tues morning.

thank God for today, when i had a wonderful time with my army friends, who, although are all based in Bedok Camp but dispersed inside. So i went to Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar at Raffles City. hahaha... nope i ate no sushi, but some pork and egg rice. I did feel a little bit nauseous halfway into the rice though. But the red bean mochi dessert was really yummy. i've a sweet tooth i guess.
Anyway thats not the point, i've a great time with them, for reasons i'll tell you next time.

i've to book in later and looking forward to another week with Jesus by my side.

Gotta go prepare for it.
Vin

in the midst of hard work

thank God! i've survived my 2nd outfield. You know words cannot express how thankful i am to actually have come out of that fine. Bearing all that heavy load and walking long distances is tormenting. And thats only one of the many parts that makes the whole time outfield so arduous and tiring. I'll always be making a mental picture of what its like when Jesus had to carry His own cross until he just couldn't take it physically. Thats training for me to feel what its like when Jesus suffered for our misdeeds, and what it requires of us to take up the cross and follow Him.

Thank God He's been teaching me on joy in QT. I'm just into this series and am excited to discover and learn more about it.

I've got to spend a full day of my weekend in camp tomorrow. So i'll probably spend some time reading, typing out lengthy emails, and have some rest.

oh yes, Formula 1 is happening this month. I was on the bus today when i passed by the City Hall area and saw that all the barricades, spectator stands, lightings are all up already. How cool is that, the whole race is like a live advertisement for SIngapore la! when viewers get a close up familiarisation tour. familiarisation because they're going to see the same buildings for like 60/70plus laps repeatedly? I think any tourist will know their bearings, erm like how to get from Marina Square to the Flyer.

and i received a postcard from Mexico! my goodness. A friend from afar, who became my saviour when i was a desperate lost sheep in a land far away, is on holiday in Cancun, which makes her even further than how far she is from S'pore. I'm still very amazed at how the postcard actually made its way around the world to end up neat in my letterbox. wow.

got some work to do
vin