live by faith, not by sight

melodramatics

2009-03-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

read a couple of blogs and people reactions.

I don't know if you know that I'm referring to you, but I didn't think that you would be so melodramatic and emo. Seeing you in church and daily behaviour really contradicts what you say in your blog. Hm.

Amusing.

Zone FAC is finally over! With the heavy burden of being "Assistant Chief Marshal" on my appointment tag on my uniform, basically I had to run around HQ and make sure that the various areas are well managed and reduce any problems. Oh, I was also given this nice bloke called Gordon from CCK, doing his pre-training as an OCT. Like I told him, being attached as a personal assistant to me is pure slackness. I just walked around, and throughout the whole day we had nothing major to do, besides walking around and talking to people. It was only nearing about 1800hrs or so that the true problem began.

Ceremony was rather rushed, mainly because Dr Chen just walked in and we did not give an official welcome to him. Zelda and I were the emcees for the event and we had many problems, forcing us to just do our emcee speech by ear and impromptu. Did not go TOO bad, I guess, the ceremony was on time (actually, we ended like 10 minutes early).

Paya Lebar Methodist Girls School simply...overwhelming. AHAHAHAH!

NUS.

2009-02-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

It's actually quite depressing when you get three heads of admissions from the universities in Singapore (SMU, NTU and NUS) to come down to your school on a thursday morning to advertise on why their school is the best.

their presentations were laced with grammatical errors! - mrs kang

nothing too depressing yet, until NUS shows the grade profile of their undergraduates. (Meaning the grades that the admitted cohort usually gets)

and to shock the rest of the world who may not know this...

NUS Law Faculty - AAA/A
NUS Medicine - AAA/A
NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (Economics) - AAB/C
NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (Psychology) - BBC/C

I mean, it's seriously depressing enough. Considering I got like, 1 U, 3 S and 1 B in my recent MSA.

voices

2009-02-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

WOW it's been ages since I last blogged, I wonder if there are still people who read my blog. Hm. HAAAHA!

J2 life has hit me really hard, more so in the past week, when we were going through our tests and MSAs as well as our schedule for the next semester and all (getting to know all the block test dates and everything). My horrendous MSA results really woke me up, more so because I'm J2. I mean, in J1 we all aimed to just pass promos and we were all happy, but now seeing our MSAs, it really hits you hard because it's As THIS YEAR AND IT WILL AFFECT YOUR UNIVERSITY COURSE AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Seems to be the same old mantra that many are chanting.

I've resolved and already made the decision to quit rugby, because of several reasons. Priority one is my injury, which is a rupture of the wala plate ligament (the one that controls extenstion of your finger. I actually wanted to operate on it, because wearing a splint SUCKS and it's so hard to wear it continuously, and it seems that it isnt healing! D: But the doctor (Associate Prof. Teoh, a VERY eccentric man that makes professor dumbledore or Chem Yeo look like a sane man) advised against it because if i had to operate it, i have to operate on the palm side of it, which contains loads of nerves and all, and the surgery would be very complicated and has to be precise. If he just touched a wrong nerve, to quote: "no joke man, you might just disable your whole hand and you can then be captain hook."

so in the end, splinting treatment for the next 3 months.

maybe God was also calling on me to prune this area in my life, so that i have more time to do church work and all, or to do more bible study and quiet time. I mean, I don't sense growth in the area, perhaps it's something I need to prune.

It was quite interesting today because I just came back from a dinner with Joel and Shaun and Zheng and we went to Jerry's@ Jalan Kayu. Zheng asked us if Cell leadership was something we consider and he also pointed out that since I have more time now, why not commit? But above all, seek God in this.

I'll definitely be praying, and for all you out there who are reading this, pray for me too if God wants me to lead a cell, may He tell me or give me a sign.

My current cell (the Bridge cell) is going great with our regular meetings and our marathon trainings. I mean, if you come to think about it, my cell only got together officially last year when we broke off from the younger guys led by Desmond and Yang and Kimberly, and since then we have become really close to each other, treating each other as brothers and able to share all our struggles together and being one great unit. I really love my guys man, they are like my closest friends in church and all. And victor, oh man. what a great cell leader. I treasure our regular meetings on friday and all, and also the great funny times we had with JK and Jeremy and all.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"None But Jesus"

In the quiet, in the stillness
I know that you are God
In the secret of your presence
I know there I am restored
When you call I won't refuse
Each new day, again I'll choose

There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise

In the chaos, in confusion
I know you're sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do your will
When you call I won't delay
This my song through all my days

There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise

All my delight is in you Lord
All of my hope
All of my strength
All my delight is in you Lord
Forevermore

a merry christmas?

2008-12-25T06:14:00.000-08:00

merry christmas to all. (: may God bless you and that you'll have a personal walk with him.

spent afternoon playing lan with my cell guys. truly, what a bunch of brothers that i'm so grateful to have.

and really, the h is all that matters to me.

teens and youth camp 2008

2008-12-21T07:40:00.000-08:00

camp committee!

the camp as a whole

WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY WEEK!

oh, before that, just a note on my condition. My fourth finger on the left hand has a ruptured tendon, most likely will require surgery. do pray for me. (:

anyway, teens and youth camp this year was really good! the camp theme was belonging, and i guess the camp comm decided on this because we all believed that teens and youth in this day and age are searching for an identity. they're searching for a sense of belonging in some place, with some team, with some group, and the thing is, if we do not offer a place in church, in the ministry, what they are going to do is to search for belonging in gangs, in drinking, in smoking, in rioting, in drugs. Hence, belonging. God's belonging.

The camp went generally well, with loads of ups and downs for me. Last year when i first did games, i was really upset and discouraged, especially when i couldn't properly control or properly manage the game or the people, but this year i guess i learnt from it and i learnt how to manage them better. the ice breakers went rather well!

Marcus: "okay, so you guys got to introduce yourselves and liken yourself to an animal and it's characteristic. For example, hi, i'm marcus and i'm like a panda because i'm cute and adorable! :D"

Glen: "hi i'm glen and i'm a rooster because i go after chicks."

super classic.

me coordinating the ice breakers

The outing day/amazing race was kinda sucky, because we all planned nicely but i guess the distance factor was a large complaining point for many. After all, from blue lagoon to macdonalds is no mean feat. they all walked lah! (though i walked from there and then jogged back to reach finish line before the first team) one of the detours was to get 4 ice cream cones and smother the team members' faces with it. so i laughed while they all did it...then zheng had to be the nice godpa that he is and wipe my face with it too. then, all the rest of the groups followed suit and i kena from all three groups.

i'm not going to post the photo. :D

my amazing group! youth 1!

the sessions were really good, studying ruth and how she led a life of god-fear yet devotedness despite all the challenges and obstacles that she faced around her. I thank God for the ministry time, because i believe that He really spoke to me during that time. it first started with me taking out my slippers, then i was on my knees, and the next thing i knew, i was on all fours, and the whole area around me was muted. I think they were all still singing, but i felt that i was not in that room, and i was just, lifted to a holy prescence.
Then, i cant say God spoke to me in a real, distinct voice, but i can't say he just impressed upon me something in my mind. It was just a surreal experience, and something that really touched me and enlightened me. As with the theme, we all seek belonging, and we all should be grateful for all the people around us, even though they may not play a big role in the fabric of our lives. not big, but enough to be significant in our lives. and in scripture, we all are one body, and if one part is broken, it is difficult for the body to do its work. thus, we should build each other up in love and faith. God, thank you. all glory to You.

celebration night was awesome, and once again i had to play something that i would get laughed at. in 2006 i played some baddie who was gay, in 2007 i played some hairy beast that zheng transformed into by the evil witch, and now in 2008 i play beauty in the theme "beauty and the beast". The emcees were really good! lyndon trying to play b.b.see, jon sng the roving reporter with the lame jokes (still can't beat me lah!) and peiying as barbarella (her accent was like, ohmytian super hilarious and super funny, and bimbotic. =/ you will NEVER expect her to do that kinda accent. HAHA!

THEN, on wednesday had caroling! imagine sleeping at 4am the previous day, then waking up at about 9am the following morning, breaking camp at 12.30, reaching home at 1, sleep at 1.30 with regular interruptions by uncle allan, aunty seok li, aunty judy and uncle kok chi all calling me to find out if caroling was still on, waking up at 3.30, arrive church at 4.30, leave church at 6 then reaching back at 11. woots. had a great time at caroling, especially the good food at uncle kok chi's house! and then the fellowship. (:

THEN, the following day we had to get to church and carry all the chairs and all the tables for logistics. super tiring. but then, the dance was super cool. (: I DIDNT SCREW UP AHAHA!

THEN, the following day (friday if you've lost it already) we had to get to church early again to clean all the chairs and all the tables. super tired. then the rehearsal ended super late. tired....

THEN, on saturday we had carols by candlelight! last year i was some road marshal and directing traffic, but this year i was a performer. crap i think i messed the dance up! the jumping part.

anyway i just had christmas@PPN and danced joyful joyful again. tired, but i'm glad i danced for it. exposure for future talent that i have. xD i hate doing gay poses. >.<

still got to dance for the day boarders christmas party ahh!!

the bridge cell. my cell. the guys who i'd gladly share my life with.

I'll be patient. after all, it is the first characteristic quoted. patience. delaying the good for the best.

offering

2008-12-08T23:00:00.001-08:00

I bring an offering of worship to my king
Noone else on earth deserves the praises that I sing
Jesus may You receive the honor that You're due
Oh Lord I bring an offering to You

Lord, may I ride on your wings through the storm.

it sucks.

2008-12-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

it sucks when the team you want is not the team that you have.

it sucks when the team that you would gladly play with is not the team that you have.

praying after training, before matches, all a thing of the past.

losing patience every training.

I guess it is all part of a team, but still, we need to seriously sit down and talk out everyone's problems. and don't exclude anyone.

on other issues, youth camp is in....one week! and games are still not fully solidified in plans and operation!

injuries.

2008-11-30T05:28:00.000-08:00

played some christmas cup thing at singapore polo club on saturday.
played for j2, once again kinda sucked but managed to turnover like 3 balls and caused some guy to be penalised for offside for doing a long place and he came through the other side (empty gate).

but still! injuries argh. sprained ankle thanks to lousy boots (got stuck on the ground when i changed direction of runs and my weight going right, boots stuck on left = ankle busted. lousy boots urgh.) and my finger! dunno what happened, just injured during friday training.

OH! and never go to haji lane on a sunday, wearing a shirt and jeans. super hot, cannot stand!

running the hard line.

2008-11-25T04:40:00.000-08:00

Had many things happening recently, and so i guess it has been ages since i last blogged.

My holiday period has mostly been rugby rugby rugby. D: Either school training or club training. Not that i'm complaining, but i do wish i had more time to do more things. (: Like do people watching. HAHA!

We recently had games dry run on saturday, so i had to miss soccer training for that (timing too tight lah), so I had to wake up at about 8 on a saturday morning, haul my overworked and under-rested body to church for the games dry run. haha! ah well. In the end, only like, 5 people turned up. lydia, bernice, agnes, peiying, and one more person which seemed to have slipped my mind! or is that all? =/ (sign of ageing uh oh). and with the reeeallly encouraging numbers, we only tried two games

amusing conversation with you by the way. (:

youth alive that weekend was about uncle chee kong sharing about his trip to israel. quite a beautiful place i must say, LOVED the scenery and the mysterious charm about the place just from the photos. okay, another place added to my list of places to visit.
DANCE PRACTICE AGAIN FOR CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT after that. too traumatic.

had court soccer after service on sunday, and it was uber hot i tell you. uber hot. really hot. like the kristanna loken kind of hot. :0

I've been following the debate on STOMP about the ACJC girl ragging incident, and it's apparent "sequels and spinoffs" such as the SAJC Rugby poling and the SAJC taupok thing. Interesting to read all the comments by the people man. I mean, COME ON, these things occur so commonly in schools and the only reason why people blow up over the incident is just because some unfortunate soul who obviously has too little to do has to download the video and then upload it on stomp and interpret it according to his own bias. Anyhow shoot the poling thing when all the facts mentioned are nothing but fallacy.

I took this off some website whom commented on the video and the uproar on it:

The underlying assumption that freedom of speech is predicated upon is the latent ability to express opinions that are civil, responsible and factual.

Well, I am referring to the recent incident of an ACJC student who was filmed in a birthday celebration that had gone out of control.

“Chocolate milk and foreign substances stuffed into clothing is absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. I am very enraged by this act.”

“It is an awful sight and there is no way the victim is enjoying this.”

“As ridiculous as it gets, in the first video at 9:20, a female was trying to untie the victim.”

“Unbelievably, without hesitation another person shoved her hand away and stopped her immediately.”

“No one else bothered to stop the act and what left me dazed was peers laughing and cheering throughout the entire act.”

Watch the video in its entirety, and you can see that it was not crying and moaning that was happening. Rather, it was the prevalence of laughter that was present. Also, for all netizens who were too caught up condemning the girl, it did not help that she had a blog post that was directed at this specific incident.

What an irony, isn’t it? For commentators who labelled the act as barbaric, shouldn’t they extend the label to their fellow commentators who were indulging in personal attacks at the principal about the response should this had happened to her own children.

If this is indicative of the level of maturity that netizens can conduct themselves in, then freedom of speech may have to wait for many more years ahead to come. I make this comment on two grounds.

- Obviously, online netizens are too eager for the kill. Just look at the amount of comments that were not constructive at all, the comments that were antagonizing. If netizens, as they claimed, were genuinely concerned, would they engage in such a diatribe that leaves no room for grace or improvement?

- On Monday on the same platform on Stomp, “ACJC students help pillion injured in accident, while motorists just stare”; isn’t it sad that the focus of “First-World” citizens remains on negative aspects?

Now, perhaps all of us have some serious evaluation to do. While we can come to a consensus that this sort of behaviour may not be the most desirable, does it truly merit such comments that are seen online?

Secondly, I feel that one of the main issues that have again surfaced is Generation Gap. Alumni of the school have called for actions, most serious of them amounting to expulsion. However, youths argue that these actions are actually norms in a youth culture that can truly accommodate. Terms as diverse as “deviant behaviour” to “Ok what, what is the big deal” have surfaced. However, I do hope that what can be put into the spotlight is the spirit behind the entire saga. To focus on the physical actions may not provide a clear picture, and if netizens truly would like to reach a resolution, we would have to examine this incident from another perspective. Allow me to demonstrate my point.

If what was broadcast was an incident of “taupok”, which is the piling of bodies on someone, would it actually garner so much backlash? I put it to all netizens out there that name-calling and labelling can actually cause much more hurt than this incident! If the interests of friendship were not jeopardized in this incident, then what other argument can there be? Emotional onslaught leading to post-traumatic stress disorder? How do you know if you do not know the “victim” herself?

In conclusion, I think that responsible freedom of speech still has a far way to go. I am not directing this at the multitudes of commentators, but only to the ones who were far more interested to engage this on a personal, emotive basis. Speak what you want, but get your facts right, and offer constructive and thoughtful comments. To condemn the girl with obscenities or simply launch into a strong tirade with no room for picking up is not worthy of an educated individual. I can only appeal for objectivity as we engage this unfortunate incident.

So true. STOMP's losing it's credibility.

making mistakes.

2008-11-16T05:02:00.000-08:00

Had two matches back-to-back yesterday and the day before.

Blacks Conference Team vs Bedok Kings
Played prop, and the first few scrums were very difficult to hold, because i did not scrum for a very long time already. In the end, I managed to hold it, but i still made very crappy mistakes.

SAJC vs St Andrew's Old Boys Association
It sucks when you you hear the phrase "learn from your mistakes", because the only way for you to do that is to make them first. Then, when you do make mistakes, you get scolded and screwed around and all the crap which makes you feel that you don't want to make any mistakes. Then, when you don't do so, you don't learn and you don't excel. What a predicament.

caroling and all the troubles

2008-11-09T05:11:00.000-08:00

Eugene: "Hi Marcus, you'll be in charge of caroling this year, and lynette and adeline will be helping you and advising along the way."

What a good way to start the day man. haha!

This past week has been rather sian. I mean, not just all the stuff that I have to do, but also recently a lot has been on my mind. I can't really specify that much, hard to put it into words but I'm facing many giants in my life. Just seems that there's a lot on my plate, and that I don't know how to deal with them. Relationships, friendships, what people see me as, a lot on my mind. I guess I'm the kind that really care about what people see me as, because I don't want to be hated or thought of as some kind of weirdo or loser. I want to be at ease and just be friends with people.

I'm sorry if I might get emo or something like that, but its not me lah. Even with the class, i'm grateful that I have a great bunch of you guys as classmates, but I honestly feel that sometimes I lose out because i'm not as socially fun as you guys. You got great people who are cool and nice to hang out with.

Perhaps I need to commit this to God. Or be myself? hm.

I got no idea how to face them. I need courage from God, courage that He granted david to face the giant goliath.

Lord, grant me strength.

double tortures

2008-11-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

OP is finally over!

i guess it went well, we didn't make too many stumbles, presented alright, and Q&A was not TOO bad. my question was rather simple - "If your project was deemed successful, how can you use that success to fuel further expansions?"

I was like, WOW super tyco question, all in WR! So I just bursted it out.

Just came back from double trainings today, had JC training from 4.30 to 7, then blacks from 7 to 9. JC training was okay, had the usual S&C for the first hour or so, doing all the crap sprinting all, and the infamous bands which left their mark on kia boon's arse. then we trained for 7s with the usual running of the lines and all.

blacks training started with S&C! like, wahlau did one already not enough, had to spam another. So i did the training with jotham, you should see his face when he does the improvised bench press. constipation hoo ~~

AND I STILL CANT CATCH THE BALL OFF A KICKOFF ON THE RUN ARGHGAHHGDHGSHGDSFGEDGREGOEUBGHOEGWER#$T$(G$G$G)$T$*(%Y%T@#!!

looks like it's off to the training again. somebody kick for me.

t15 gathering tomorrow...

simply amusing. (:

2008-10-29T04:56:00.000-07:00

and the holodays are here, with only chinese As and oral presenation left to go.

i guess, holidays are fun, because it's freedom embraced, but of course i also see freedom as rather boring. what will the holidays bring? training, training, more training. ah.

i think i need to meet people. (: and catch up on mentoring.

chelsea vs liverpool

2008-10-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

Well, now it's chelsea versus liverpool and chelsea are down 1-0 thanks to an alonso shot (no not the F1 driver stupid.) with 12 minutes to half time.

to sum up the week's important events in short, mainly chinese and project work. nothing else rather than that. i'm still out for rugby training, my meniscus is still acting up. the physio says its a ligament damage, and that possibly 3 weeks out.

Had our very first Youth Alive yesterday! it was really good, and the introduction by Shani on what we were going to do for the next few weeks. we touched on the book of Haggai, and it's not really a very common book that many would learn about, but it discusses the 4 crisis of the leadership crisis, and we as youths would be learning about leadership, as we were going to lead our teens, and in future lead our youth. After that, had dinner, fellowship, and bridge (yet to push to 5 no trump though.)

Shaun and I then headed down to SHo's new place at oleander towers for his informal housewarming and reunion of the student leaders. Watched a horror show, literally (it was our literature skit performances in sec1) and talked about people and life and all. Drank some coke with jim beam (though my ratio is really small, loads more coke than jim beam. joshua's one was gastronomical, my ratio but vice versa)

had confirmation service today, and yes it was a good service. (: Glad to see all the candidates delcaring their loyalty to God, and also their commitment and dedication to God and His works. And of course my card! glad you liked it.

after the service a couple of us (kenneth, adeline, jon sng, shaun, yi hao, desmond, kim) headed out to vivocity to just hang out and chill and relax. we just walked around, had some snacks at white dog cafe. I had this uber cool drink called "nuts about you", and adeline said that it was some blend of a milkshake, peanut butter, nuts and i have no idea what else. it was really good! (: recommend you all to try it. (:

i've been rather quiet this week. I kind of like it, because when you keep quiet you eventually get to observe things that you don't normally observe. you get to see people better, in a way best known to me. (: i'm sure you understand. quite the mysterious, amusing person.

ice skating and commissioning

2008-10-05T05:46:00.000-07:00

hey all!

just a quick update on the happenings this past week.

mainly its my class going for ice skating as some part of an extra pe module thing. went to fuji ice palace (what a corny name) at jurong.

skating was rather okay, i think cause we did rollerblading before so its more or less the same motion, so ain't so bad. (: we just skated around, watched small girls own us in skating around, and watch some professional skater just waltz around the ring.

oh and we did some super long train thing that eventually broke apart and caused me to sliding tackle some girl ^^

brandon's a dog. say what i fall down and cause the ice to crack and then council can take note of me being ice-breakers for next year.
AS IF! (:

had the officer passing out ceremony yesterday. it was kinda crappy, considering the estimated start time was like, at about 7.30 and ends at about 10.30 and we're all asked to come down at 12.30, which in the end was time wasted. For about 1 hour we had some staff-in-confidence thing where our GIs just talked to us about our appraisal and talked about our good and bad points. I had an A an assessment and B in theory, and an A in overall, so it ain't too bad. (:

after that we had this agi evaluation thing which seriously was like a total waste of time. just talk talk talk talk talk till your ears can knock it down.

and it seems kinda ironic that we have to do all the preparation of chairs and tables and clean up on our passing out night.

hq sucks man. haha! mr tan had to also call me and ask me to do all the crap of clean-up. gay dog. >.<

pw week woo ~~~~

sentosa madness

2008-10-01T02:43:00.000-07:00

well its the end of promos!

went with the class to sentosa! played soccer and volleyball and all, and swam in the lagoon. haha! was fun lah, and i also did my jeff hardy thing in the sea. (:

so what's up for me this following months? i guess, project work and chinese. haha! pointless work and a subject that supposedly teaches you and equips you with the skills to do business with a country that laces milk with melamine and all (: (OKAY I'M BEING AN ASS)

went to play tennis with andrew and jeremy yesterday, and i tried doing the roddick whipping action but cannot! argh! had fun lah, and good fellowship. though we lost like, 2 balls. (what a pun.)

after that we went for lunch at botak jones, and oh man what a meal! ate the salmon and shared the whopass fries. i say man if botak went to a restaurant it'll lose its atmosphere of eating restaurant-like food in a coffeeshop. was raining cats and dogs though, and the whole coffeeshop flooded.

jeremy and i headed to cathay to play xbox. SUPER fun i tell you. playing doa! note: zach is super cheap because his low kicks can't be blocked. but kasumi is hot and she's fast o.O

this week's been a pretty good week for me, probably because its all the fun that's distracting me from the dreadful fate of a possible non-promotion. been praying to God about it and hopefully his grace is sufficient to give me peace.

p.s. watch house bunny. super dense but quite funny

~~ waiting ~~

promos suck.

2008-09-25T06:18:00.000-07:00

well its (nearly) the end of my promos.

i've encountered many highs, downs and in-betweens, and ah well.

chinese was a total sucker, but i don't really care much about it so yeah :P

gp was okay but i'm a little disappointed i couldn't write a better essay

econs was simply great. i totally LOVED <3 the paper and i could do it. hoping i do well.

chemistry was severely disappointed. seriously man i can tell you i've studied and all, and i had it in the back of my head, but somehow i guess i neglected other chapters' fine details and it cost me badly. organic chem was okay though, only minor errors here and there. bad.

maths was really bad also. went into the exam and totally blacked out. similar to my maths practices, i can do questions but somehow those were considered easy. woo marcus you've really screwed yourself for maths. plus the added depression that glenn completed a 3hr paper in 2 hours.

somehow retaining is a real threat. I guess i'll just commit it to God and let Him do the rest. I mean, really, if God's will is for me to retain then i can't do anything about it, and God has the power to make me promote, so i'll leave it to Him. wished i could have put in more effort into my best though.

after the papers today i was super depressed, and had no mood to go out for dinner with the class. sorry guys, i was really down. talked to a couple of people, felt slightly better but it was the gym just now that helped. chionged like, 5km run in 28 mins then gymed and blasted my biceps and triceps. just did lat-pulldowns and bicep curls and my all time favourite bench press (record set at 55 kg now)

the pain is great! haha! guess its my avenue for releasing stress. at least better than cutting yourself and all. =/

oh yeah, on the way to OCC today i saw this small incident at yishun interchange. apparently this chinese dude bumped into a malay guy, though i suspect it was more than a bump. in any case, the malay fella just started like, shouting "eh cannot say sorry is it? what's your problem?" and all the stuff that typical uncouth people like to say. The chinese dude was muttering something but couldn't hear it. the malay guy then like, walked over and stuffed his face in his face and did the usual shoulder pushing thing. Thought it was going into a fight man. And seriously, i considered going in and breaking it up, but couldnt be bothered lah. in the end they just walked off i think.
pretty retarded some people. as though someone bumping into you or shouldering you will harm you. (of course if you got injury or something and he bump you different matter but...) ah well. that's the reality of people out there.

should have gone in and acted like a mat. (:

cell tomorrow!

chem/maths!

2008-09-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

I'm probably nuts/crazy/confunded/garfunkled to be blogging now when my H2 chem promos is like, less than even 12 hours away.

and whatthefrick, they had to set maths and chem ON THE SAME DAY.

it's like, having to chiong the two most stressful subjects on the same day.

plus the added hard work to fight off the urge to integrate your redox equations
or perhaps differentiating your rate equations
or using mathematical induction to prove that alkanes done not equal to arenes.

its totally mad! argh.

at least i'm more or less done with my chemisty, hopefully. Got all my reactions, equations, but any more than that then i'm dead. :(

Econs today was great! and thanks for all the people who've encouraged me and all. and really thanks! for all the encouragement that you've all given me. Seriously, when i went into the exam i was super calm and at peace, and i managed the paper fairly well, think i can get at least a decent grade.

BUT TOMORROWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STANDING TALL (before the nike human race)

STILL STANDING TALL (after the race)

cousin's wedding (I took this shot woots!)

God looking over a mighty ocean (in greece!)

PROMOS

2008-09-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

PROMOS!!!!!!

boss

2008-08-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

okay bella asked me to upload this for her.

blood donation drive

2008-08-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

HAHA! Hi guys. Today there was this blood donation drive at school today, and surprisingly only three of us from S25 signed up to donate blood. ANNE MARIE, JOANNE WOH AND ME! (:

We had to go through three stages of hell! HAHA! The first stage was a simple blood pressure and registration, and unfortunately due to unforseen circumstances, the party of three lost their first member Anne Marie.
let's observe one minute of silence for Anne Marie.

The second stage was the medical screening and blood test, where the fricking doctor punched some small hole and squeezed a drop of blood for testing. I think he dropped one drop of blood into a beaker of copper sulphate, and the apparent reaction is that the copper would displace the iron in the blood, resulting in an iron drop falling down to the bottom of the beaker. Mine went down relatively fast, but unfortunately Joanne's one was too low, so we lost another one from the Party of Two.
considering it's Joanne, let's observe only...5 seconds for her (:

so came the blood drive part, wahlau they scare you like they're going to put breast implants or take out your entire digestive system from your body, but it was relatively painless. Injected some REALLY STRONG painkiller, inserted the needle the size of a pocky stick, and began the freeloading and sucking of my blood.

i'll let the pictures show it (:

my hand whilst taking blood pressure

crazy dicks at rapture trying to dance

ruggers @ rapture @ esplanade

with winston!

psalm 143 - prayer of help and mercy

2008-08-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

Lord I cry out to you today
I cry out for help and guidance
I cry out as a heavy heart
oppressed and put down by the people around me
discouraged disheartened and pained
Lord, You know of the situation i am in
You know of the non-closeness of friends
you know of the people who talk behind my back
you know of the people who insult me
make fun of me, put me down
see me as a total failure in rugby
and the scary thing is
my heart tells me the same thing
Lord, may you intervene
may You give me hope and a sign
A sign that says that this is not true
something that will hopefully pull me up
Lord, I am really down
I pray that you will help me up
pick me up where I have fallen
encourage me to move on
give me the strength to prove them wrong
give me wisdom to love them despite their actions to me
give me the endurance to prove them wrong
prove them wrong

I can't change the situation around me, that is out of my control. But i can change myself. If I was fated to go down, I will not go down without fighting. I will train myself, be the big guy that I can be, and prove them wrong. Prove that I can do it. and show others that I'm not a total failure.

Glory be to God

mrs kang sucks!

2008-07-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

Mrs Kang sucks. oh it's true. it's damn true. it doesn't matter what you think, just shut up and go revel in your own world of ritual-like rule following and that you can never admit you're wrong. and if you're not down with that, I just got two words for you.
SUCK IT!!!!!

sorry I was just watching RAW and got into my wrestling crazyness. :D

but what I claim is true indeed, and mrs kang really sucks. For full details, contact the honorary members of 08S25.

in any case....
rapture rehearsal tomorrow! apparently we (the ruggers) are dismissed early at about 12. then we got a bus down. then stay at esplanade until DAMN LATE (i heard the full dress rehearsal at about 7.30pm) so WAHLAU. study and mug and play psp. (: I'll be missing school these few days, mainly cause i got to be down for rehearsal. ah well.

I just realised that my whole saturdays for the month of august is like, totally burnt.

2 August - Zone 4 Presentation Night Rehearsal and Festival of Praise
9 August - National Day
16 August - Zone 4 Presentation Night
23 August - AGI Rehearsal
30 August - AGI

SUPER SHIT SAI DA BIAN BANGLA. xD

I hope that they don't find any GOH by this thurs :D

guys, i'm really trying my absolute best to be what you guys want me to be. you guys are national players! and i'm just a pure newbie. but i'm trying really hard to be the model front row prop. like tambu. I want to play well, and i'll sure dig deep and pull all my shit and train my heart out for that spot. for the school. To prove to others, to prove to myself, that I am a st andrew's rugby player.

summary of july

2008-07-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all, once again another post, which is rather of a summary of july. Some events, so on and so forth.

National First Aid Competition
Our first project of our officer life. We had to arrive at Guangyang Primary REALLY EARLY (at like 6.45am lah, and FALL IN by 7). It was really haphazard and stressful on the actual day, mainly because of all the things that we had to do in the short amount of time. I was originally drafted as logistics personnel (AKA sai gang warrior) but in the end got redirected to timekeeper for AA Footdrill. So I took up my trusty stopwatch and headed to the carpark to meet Firdaus(crazy guy who've been judging footdrill for St John for God knows how long already) and all. A couple of teams were really good, but others were not so good. Maris Stella AA's footdrill was quite exemplary (they later moved on to win the AA category overall) and Hwachong was not too bad. On the NA side, PLMGS was really good, dunno if they won Best Footdrill though. =/

After that I became communications for team movement, basically sit around outside the waiting rooms and relay commands for teams to move where and when, nothing too tiring. Crapped with the chee hoe and valerie and all the rest of the officer peeps.

Now i think the WHOLE St John knows me lah, or at least the teams in all the waiting rooms. To them, they see me as the crazy OCT who asks volunteers to take back food. =/ OH COME ON! Ma'am Xuanting asked me to dump all the food, so what to do man. I exercised my authority (feels SOOOOO GOOOODDD to hear the whole room shout YES SIR!) and dumped all the bread and water on them. poor souls.

School!
After a long strenuous month of mugging for CTs and all, I've finally received back all my papers, and here is how it stacks:

General Paper - C (after moderation)
Chinese - S
H2 Mathematics - U
H2 Chemistry - E
H2 Economics - C
H1 Physics - E

I'm told that I did not do too bad for my papers, that my grades were actually quite good considering this is the first major hurdle of a junior college life. Comparing around with my class and beyond, I kinda believe that, but I still think my results kinda suck real bad, like fried ice cream. I could seriously have done much better, I relaly need some help in maths and probably chinese. chem? I think i'll survive with scotty!

fight.

2008-07-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

oh yeah, one more thing. I want to be involved in an mma fight. one that would last for an initial 3 rounds of 5 mins each, then its a fight to the finish. last man standing rules. submissions get broken after 15 seconds. i'll constantly lock crucifixes and throw punches. i will not worry about punches or kicks to body - superficial hits, i'll just eat them. just protect my head. i want to fight until i break every last bone in my body. then, YOU will know.

confundus.

2008-07-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

CONFUNDUS AND SERENDIPITY

OH MY TIAN (Quote from Genevieve) I feel so confused. It's like, why must people be so narrow-minded and jealous? (Though I use that word reluctantly and in need of a better word to use)

I'm only trying to be a good friend and nothing more. Therefore, it is basically your own paranoia if you think otherwise. I'm not trying to steal anything, it's just apparently so. I have no ulterior motive. If you still don't believe me, and continue being the naive and childish person that I perceive you to be, then i'm sorry for you. If getting some form of reprise is you having to beat me up, so be it. Just don't try to attack me or something. Cause I'll lock you into a crucifix and if you try to resist i'll sever your cerebral taeroid (i think thats what it's called) and its good game to you.

Now that that's over...

I just received back most of my results. I can say, this is seriously the most demoralising results I've received thus far. Think it was quite miraculous that I could pass physics and chem, but I failed maths badly. I seriously got to buck up on my studies, and I'm trying to! Tuition anyone? (:

Had chinese oral the previous day. WAHLAU the passage reading was okay but I stumbled on many words. Also, the conversation part was very demoralising and I could not understand the question. What's a PSC Scholarship???!! Eventually I found out that it was supposed to be some scholarship with a bond that once you had your degree you have to come back and work in the government for 3-5 years. I was totally stunned and I couldn't do it lah. Wahlau. Sure fail, looks like I got to repeat my chinese next year! :D

Then had inter-house rugby introductory session. I JUSTTT arrived for some touch and that's about it. Seriously, I'm trying to be much better but my fitness seems to get the better of me. I have to work harder HURH! Had a screwing up by mingQ but I guess he means well. Ah well.

School's doing okay so far. lol. I hear LK told YS that I was rude to her. come on lah, i wasnt even having any mindset of hating her. It was unintentional I tell you. (:

FIRSTLY...
you owe me money (: secondly, we're good friends okay. don't emo so much, its bad for your mental health (obviously duh!) you got to cheer up and don't be so emo. if not i have a tendency to get injured again. wahlaus.

otc camp!

2008-06-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

AFTER a long, short, tiring officer camp, here I am back! I'll try to summarise the camp (:

DAY 1
I was kinda late for the falling in, and because of that I got one major lah! haha! anyway, since oscar was the duty group, elyas wilson and i decided to volunteer to be flag bearers for the first parade. I just realised, the flagpoles at Sarimbun are quite the sucky. The ends DO NOT HAVE THE HOOKS FOR THE FLAG, and in the end we had to improvise by tying like, 3 knots and over on each side. So being the typical me, I just tied loops like, 5 times and it looked almost impossible to take out. Then, 5 mins before the first parade commenced, I REALISED I TIED THE FLAG THE WRONG WAY LAH. Wahlau, panicked and quickly untied all. Got scolded by Yau Leung (the deputy chairman) but just talked it back. (:
The first day passed by quickly fast, all we had were these light games by the external instructors. Sat out for a while though, the fresh ligament injury took its toll for a short period.
The night was super fun. First, I was appointed Triage First Aid IC. SO we had about half an hour to plan out the thing and brief everyone. Basically, I had to handle and organise a whole bunch of girls (the guys were all drafted into stretcher evac teams) and organise the first aid point for treatment and ambulance exit. The first triage was like, absolutely horrendous - all the running here and there, very uncoordinated, didnt know how many casualties were going in and out, and then i heard the WHOLE EVAC TEAM DIED - couldn't make it out of the disaster zone in time. The second time was much better, we managed to evac 14/60 casualties from the disaster zone (the remaining two were already dead) and we managed to ambulance evac 8 of them off.
The night was no better. We had no time to bathe, and so we just changed clothes and slept. THE BUNK SO DAMN HARD TO SLEEP! Firstly, it was super sandy, and secondly, the mosquitoes were having a huge orgy all over out legs and bodies lah. Poor elyas - he had a whole rash-like patch all over his legs. Willie - no need to say, he slept topless, asking for trouble only that guy (: Wilson - all the weird places he kena bitten. DX - stupid bangla spammed his army insect repellent, so no bites.

DAY 2
The long awaited day of the hike and road march! The morning passed by pretty fast, soon we were all beginning our urban hike. Basically, we took a bus out to Bukit Batok park, then walked to Bukit Panjang, Yew Tee, CCK and eventually Kranji. The whole hike was like, super long, but we OSCAREANS are so hyper and sang songs cheers and joked about all the stuff around the park until we were having a huge blast. Elyas with his impersonations of nigger lips and senangdikri and oily baby. Us making fun of Dexian and Yujia (: and also our beloved instructors Junhao and Peijun! (Junjun pei hao!)
Arrived at the Kranji park and we had lunch, then called out to be casualty for the triage, and wahlau jiahui also got asked to be casualty. We like the two paikas, one sprained ankle on her right and torn ligaments on my right. i just SPRAWLED myself on the road. At this time the rest of the camp who will be the first aiders were sitting behind the ambulance, and after the ambulance drove away...they saw me sprawled over and i could feel their thoughts lah.

"OHMYGAWD MARCUS P1 CASUALTY. THE EVAC TEAM...GG"

in the end they managed to carry me lah. haha. no worries.
couldn't take part in the road march though, and who am I to argue against William? (course chairman)
so in the end took the mini-bus with a couple of others (including jiahui and charmaine and yujia and johnson) and in the end we help campfire comm do their lousy work. transported the shit firewood two times, and also spent my time productively suaning jiahui at every sentence she said.

The campfire was a blast! though we didnt manage to do our song dance, we just carried on with the haka and the oscar song. Everyone expected us to get best group lah, but in the end sierra won. (wahlau their skit so....confusing. plus got that siao person there how to win) :P

GOOD THING NO TRIAGE THAT NIGHT MAN. I just slapped on all the insect repellent I could get, pulled up my track pants over my shorts and KOed.

Day 3
Morning run was a blast! William didnt want me to do the run but I just told him I'm okay and I was pretty stuborn about it. The run was rather slack, just ran for about, say 800m? Nothing too bad. I heard that jiahui's ankle was super pain but she didnt want to fall out because i didnt. xD now i'm getting blamed for that ahaha! weakling. (:

The pain was throbbing but it felt SUPER good lah. and loved every moment of it.

GOING HOME!

but i didnt sleep after getting home. After we reached HQ, went out for lunch with shakira charmaine and wilson and elyas. Then took a cab back, and changed and went for a movie with my cell guys. (Kungfu panda was a blast!)

Then went to clarke quay for eugene's farewell dinner (going NS still need dinner WAHLAU EH)

P.S. I saw Grace on the MRT when going home with Victor! AHAHA Eugene bet you regret pangsehing me now eh. (:

in a cast!

2008-06-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

HAHA! I'm in a 3-inch cast now, around my foot. Reason? I got no idea. But let me tell you my story...

I woke up today with a huge pain on my foot. I couldn't bend my toes, and it had swelled pretty badly. So, I decided to go to KK Hospital to go check it out (I went there cause my mom was going there.) Using my limited St John knowledge (getting rusty now lah), I suspected that I had some hairline fracture at my big toe joint, but couldn't be sure, so I wanted to go have it X-rayed.

First thing when I registered...

Receptionist: "Erm, how old are you?"
Me: "17 this year."
Receptionist: "Hmm..."
Receptionist to the other one: "Eh children is considered how old ah?"
The other one: "17 and under"
Receptionist: "Oh okay."

Then, after consultation with the doctor and examining the x-ray...

*After first x-ray*
Doctor: "Hmm..can't seem to see any fracture..."
Radiologist: "Shall I increase the magnification?"
Doctor: "Yes let's do that."

*After second x-ray*
Doctor: "Still nothing wrong..."
Radiologist: "I think we should change the angle to an oblique angle."
Doctor: "Okay."

*After third x-ray*
Doctor: "Nothing wrong..."
Radiologist: "Try another angle"

*After fourth x-ray*
Doctor: "Nothing wrong...you sure it hurts when you apply pressure?"
Me: "Definitely"
Doctor: "Then it's probably a ligament injury..."
Doctor: "Change the radiation power."

*After fifth x-ray*
Doctor: "Ah yes, I think there's a torn ligament. Wait no, there's two!"
Me: "..."

escapades (:

2008-05-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

Once again a very occasional post. Being a post after a very long time, I'll try to make it substantial.

Firstly, unless you've been living under a rock, you would probably know that ACSI has won the A Div Rugby Police Cup. Being on the team, we were all jittery on the day, but I think on the whole we kept our nerve. Upon starting the team training and warmup on the cathedrail field grounds, I could see the team really working together, despite the growing sea of supporters at the Padang. As for the game, no doubt the team did well, but I guess we were the ones who made more mistakes and ACSI capitalized in that.

School has been rather stressful. I've seriously not been doing well for my studies and I hope that during this time of holidays I can catch up on my work, as well as balancing my workouts. Project work? I'm very grateful that I have a very capable team, and having Genevieve and Joanne who are very driven to do well. I'm also grateful for my class, that despite me being kinda "emo" and all during class, I seriously enjoy being in your company and that I'm really grateful that you guys are in my class. (:

What else can I blog about? A lot has happened, but perhaps I'll talk about the Leaders Retreat.

On the 17th, 18th and 19th of May, COA youth leaders made their way to Pulau Ubin Marina Country Club chalets for a time of fellowship and coming to spend some alone time with God. For me, I guess I was looking forward to a time of relaxation, and also to get back to God. Personally, my aims and goals were quite simple:

To spend time with God and to sit at His feet like Mary did and just listen to him.
Get to know better my fellow leaders!
To practise a hardworking heart, so that I can be a servant leader.

A lot happened during the retreat:

1) Prawn fishing and me getting bitten by one. (AHAHA PRAWN LOOK WHERE YOU ARE NOW!)
2) Playing beach volleyball TWICE
3) Discovering Shani has a knack for unorthodox volleyball moves.
4) Victor is just hilarious during cranium.

More importantly, we had ministry time on the last night and that was, undoubtedly, a very impactful night. We were all praying for each other, and worshipping God, and I could really feel God's presence in that room. And it was more magnified, probably perhaps it was a small room (unlike a large indoor stadium for example) and the sensitivity was more intimate and closer. We went around praying, and people came up to pray for me also, and I can remember God impressing on me this:

Marcus, you have wasted your life long enough. You actually had no chance of being saved. Being human, it is unable for you to not sin. And the punishment for sin is death. You should have been dead long ago and sent to hell. You have no chance of eternal life. But, I sent my son to die for you. You should have been there, but he was there for you. I've given you a second chance at life. Even more than that! You've wasted your life long enough. Change. Do not waste my grace that I've given to you. Be strong, be courageous and be that change that the world needs. Win people for my family. In this very short life that I've granted you, do not put it to waste, but make an impact on the world. Be that light for your friends.

ECONS TEST! ARGHGHGH

2008-04-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

ECONS TEST TOMORROW.
CHINESE TEST...can't remember either tomorrow or the day after.
MATCH against JURONG JC this wednesday.
MY BIRTHDAY this wednesday (should be a national holiday lah.) (Let's see how many people will remember)
MATCH against ACSI this sat.

WHAT A WEEK!

stress!
And it's kinda ironic that I read somewhere that for every 5 minutes of stress you experience, it's 10 minutes off your life, and about 60% chance of a hair turning white.

fascades?

2008-04-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

HI LADIES, GENTLEMEN AND ALL THOSE IN BETWEEN. another long awaited post. I thought I'd best do this in an organized fashion, so that people can actually understand what I am reading.

St John Officer's Course
YES we are nearing the end of the theory course! no more missing church and everything! but of course there are a few drawbacks. for one, I don't get to see my group as often!
Officer Course is going on normally (with the guys in my group, especially wilson, it's not technically normal) without much hindrance. since this is a free speech area, let me ramble on about a few things to clear the air.
Ding Jun SUCKS. seriously. He thinks that just because he is a grade 4 officer, acting all big and almighty in the course, he can get his way around everything and just trample on the trainees. dude, seriously, cut all the crap about trying to improve us and all, and work on the following things.
1) your attitude. it totally sucks.
2) STOP TALKING IN PHRASES ITS SO IRRITATING.
3) cut all your crap
And you know what's the most ironic thing? You are the PERFECT EXAMPLE of what the people at OTC teach us NOT to be.

Saints Rugby
The rugby A div season has already started, and I'm thankful to God for allowing me to have a spot on the team. I honestly thought that I sucked too much, made too many mistakes to make the team, but lo and behold I did. I'm going to try to improve myself, and give the team my fullest effort in trainings. SAJC has already been marching towards the finals, brushing aside CJC 64-0 and MI 44-0. On my birthday, we host Jurong JC at SAJC, and the following saturday, we travel to ACSI for our final group match.
Regarding that last training on friday, I'm sorry and I apologise to the whole team for letting them down during training, especially to farid and jeg. It's damn frustrating to miss balls at times, or blunder when trying to catch, because either i'm too flat at the allignment or i just mistimed my grasp. I was seriously off during training, and on monday, I'll make up for it I promise. Sorry to jeg also, for injuring him during contact training. (ran with the ball, crashed too high, my head knocked into his)

School
School's been so-so, though I face a terrible week. I face tests and assessments and what-nots, and also two exciting rugby matches this week. I'm desperately trying to catch up with schoolwork. WAIT NO, let me rephrase that. I try my best to finish work on time (which I usually do), but I have a hard time trying to cope with lessons, and revision. People were definitely right when they said JC is mainly CCA and studies. Almost everyday, reach home past 8. Trying to finish work, revision and dinner (eh very important okay) before 11.30, which is my usual sleeping time. I'm grateful to God for placing me in a great class where everyone's hardworking yet helping each other with work. Thanks guys! (:

On a side note, Wayne Kerr and his wife Kelley were AWESOME when they visited our church. The worship workshop, the concert, the supper with him, everything was AWESOME and it's a blessing God has given us. (:

And of course Eugene and I at Pulau Ubin (: (taken during the ministry outing)

OH PERCY! (he's my vision, aspiration of who to be)

RIBENA!

2008-03-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

HAHA! One long awaited post before I get back to my work...

Well school's all full fledged now, and I got TONS of work to do. Chem tutorial, finishing up my econs tutorial, GP reading assignments, Maths tutorials, Project Work PIs, the list never ends. ):

Project Work PI is due this friday, and I've more or less completed it, I just got to tidy it up and make it look professional! :D I decided to do my project on "Journeys", and I chose Chris Gardner for my person of documentation (He's the Pursuit of Happyness guy) I chose him because I seriously think his story is something really heartwarming, and seriously, it serves as a great inspiration to others that, with determination and perseverance, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. :D

School's been rather okay, somehow my WHOLE class found out about RIBENA (originally patayya rice), and it's been so funny to always see RIBENA. xD

OTC's been good also i suppose. I'm really grateful that I have a super ON group (OSCAR!) and that all our project discussions always involve laughing gas and crappiness.
OH YEAH, i was selected to be the AGI committee, doing carpark management. Its tough and all, but I suppose, it's one of the slackest things (:

On my CCA side, I've joined rugby (again), and SFC! Training's been tough, but I think it's worth it. My aspiration is to play in front of the college, and impress RIBENA (AHAHHAHAAH) but also because i want some glory! haha! ah well.

will i make the team?

cheers guys im off!

CELL DAY!

2008-03-01T06:16:00.000-08:00

HEY PEOPLE!

today was Cell Day! A day where we all finally got to mingle together in a new cell setting (some are unchanged). My cell has finally broken off with the other guys, and basically i'm continuing with all those in my batch, together with cell leaders yang and victor (funny guy).

We had a sharing which I thought was really good but somehow took a little too long :P Nonetheless it was enriching, I learnt about some really interesting and useful things from Kimberly!

Then we had a simple "Amazing Race" type of game, nothing too fancy but most of the teams took a really long time to find certain checkpoints. Ah well. It was short-planned, but nonetheless fun (:

Announcement: THERE IS YOUTH LEADERS TRAINING TOMORROW.

How long am I supposed to put this up?
I can't hide forever.

thoughts for today

2008-02-29T06:47:00.001-08:00

...can i do anything right?

it's so difficult.

oh my!

2008-02-27T05:52:00.000-08:00

JI detainee Mas Selamat Kastari escapes from Singapore detention centre
Posted: 27 February 2008 2045 hrs

Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) detainee Mas Selamat Kastari escaped from a Singapore detention centre on Wednesday.

A statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) says Mas Selamat escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre at 4:05pm.

Mas Selamat was the leader of the Singapore JI network.

MHA says he walks with a limp and is presently at large.

He is not known to be armed.

Extensive police resources have been deployed to track him down.

Anyone with information about him can contact the police at 999.

Mas Selamat was arrested by the Indonesian police on Bintan island in January 2006 and then sent back to Singapore.

He was wanted by Singapore authorities in connection with planned attacks on Changi airport. - CNA/ch

OH MAN! this is kinda serious. let's rally together to pray!

SAJC i'm home

2008-02-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

YES I'M BACK AT ST ANDREW'S JUNIOR COLLEGE! which means another 2 years of going to the village 7 days a week, and also that i have spent 12 years of my life as a Saint. (:

Orientation was rather boring, and it kind of sucks that other JCs have longer orientation IIs, but SA is only one day! Ah well. Anyway i'm in a great OG (though the people are always ponning stuff and all) but some of the more "on" people go for lectures and all. I have weird people, over-enthu people, but nonetheless fun! (wei yang, bowen, nikki, li ting, eunice, lip chong, and more here and all!)

SAJC is quite different from CJC, especially the canteen. It's definitely better stocked with more variety (except for the Japanese fodd) but there is NO CUTTING QUEUES, unlike CJC. The seniors and J2s are quite friendly to us, and they don't cut queues. (so different from CJC.)

But lessons carry on, and I have been in a great dilemma on what to choose for my subjects. In the end I chose the most common subject comb (PHYSICS CHEM MATHS ECONS, H1 PHYSICS) cause everyone says it gives you the greatest flexibility in choosing your future course of study (what degree and all lah) I don't know about the rest of the subjects, but SA is like, going through everything again (actually i don't know, so far physics and chem the same) For the GP, whew, what a damn GAY, FEMININE, WEIRD BUT SUPER GOOD lecturer. (he also teaches KI by the way) During the lecture, if you properly listen to him, he's like, insulting all of us most of the time : he uses chim english but i understand perfectly (:

"Children, one common misconception is that people got a A1 or A2 for english will do well for GP. BUT, they are horribly wrong and deluded. So for those who received it, well, get rid of your hubris and suck up to it."

what a weirdo.

after school today, went down for SJ games day. Kinda sucks that only 4 sec1s turned up but i think they will stay lah, they seems quite keen. my crazy-ass team came down again to crap around, but i guess its quite cool that they came down, got to catch up with them man.

ah well. im off to supper with JOSH KHOO. rocking person. (:

godspeed skipper.

hiatus over.

2008-02-18T06:41:00.000-08:00

OH MAN WHAT A LONG HIATUS FROM BLOGGING! PROBABLY DUE TO WORK AND ALL BUT HERE I AM!

Anyway for those who've been under a rock for the past time, I'm at CJC for PAE (first intake). Had a wonderful orientation and rashes and all, and got into a great class with crazy people and all, and now it seems it is all coming to an end. Ah well. Some shoutouts to people...

1. Bjorn (HTC) - thanks loads for all the crazy stuff you do, and also keeping the class in order! xD I'll miss all your cca jumping and all, and truly man, you're a great friend.

2. Wei Jie - arguably the guy i'll miss the most. the FUNNIEST guy in the class, doing all the stupid things, but serious on the basketball court. Keep jumping to hit the rim, keep being stupid with Bee Gees, and continue bugging Roslyn with the snake thing.

3. Samuel (with Roslyn) - Running partner! Don't forget me even though you are chasing a girlfriend eh? xD

4. Roslyn (with Samuel) - ARSENAL LOST 0-4 AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH. No lah thanks for injecting the humor in the class (by being WJ's victim)

5. Amanda (Fish) - I'll always try to pull your shoelaces and be a small kid. IM NOT GROWING UP!

6. Si Min (Chelsea fan) - COME TO SA WITH ME MAN! WOOHOO. but Shevchenko sucks (:

7. Wei Jie (Clam) - SERGEANT! thanks for all the talk we've had, I still have not forgotten that you suaned me that time, i'm still waiting for the right time to kill you (:

8. Isaac - all your lame jokes, stupid humor, i will miss it all. NOT! AHAHA no lah really, no borat involved (:

LOTS MORE. too lazy though (: but ah well.

JAE results are out tomorrow. All the best to everybody, and hope they get what they want!

And on a personal note, you'll probably know this. Im sorry again, and I just wanna say that we're truly great friends. (:

affirmation

2008-01-22T04:46:00.000-08:00

Firstly, a big thank-you to all those who encouraged me with regards to my last post. Big affirmation to me, made me feel really appreciated. So thanks! (:

Os results coming out this thursday. How am I feeling? Scared, anxious, nervous are only some among the myriad of emotions that I feel when the prospect of collecting that slip of paper comes into mind. I hope I can do well. That's the main priority.

Reflections on the week, well I can say that I struggled a lot. Its hard when you're in a new environment, but I'll try.

On a lighter note...This week has set me back by.... $100 bucks!

there must be more than this.

2008-01-13T05:50:00.000-08:00

Oh Lord, we cast down our idols.
we put them at the foot of the cross
and we watch them burn.
our sins, our burdens
our idols, our weaknesses
things that make us fall from grace.
we watch them burn
crumble to ash,
and we are renewed.

Consuming fire, fan into flame
A Passion for your name
Spirit of God, would you fall in this place
Lord have your way,
Lord have your way,
With us

I wonder what kind of person people think I am.
Friendly? "Action" a lot?
Biased? Just plain apathetic?
Stupid? I don't know.
Perhaps things that words cannot describe.
It's so hard, to put a strong front.
I will try. I will try.
If you're reading, i'm seriously okay.
just reflecting.

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

when the world ends

2008-01-10T06:46:00.000-08:00

When the world ends.

where will you be when the world ends?

Perhaps you would be a warrior, fighting alongside legions of angelic hosts, against the minions of hell. Slaying the devil's servants, fighting, and marching onward to victory.

or perhaps you would be a civillian, tending to the other heavenly issues, of which i have no collection of.

or perhaps you would be praising God's name in the streets of heaven, forever proclaiming how His grace has led to your salvation and eternal life in paradise.

or perhaps you would be rejoicing with your loved ones, both past and present, those whom you loved dearly whom have parted this world before you, or those who are with you.

or perhaps you would be like a curious child, asking God questions that only He can answer. how the world works, why are we called humans? things only an infinte God will know. Our Father, asking him questions and realising His wonder.

or.

or perhaps you would be one of the condemned, never have known Jesus. Barred from heaven, because of your unrepentance to your sins. outside the gates of heaven, with all the other immoral people, slanderous dogs, denied entry into heaven.

How would you feel when the world ends?

perhaps you would be elated, overjoyed, knowing that you have lived your life to the best of your ability, keeping to God's word, being the salt and light of the world, and have finally earned your eternal reward in heaven for all the toils of the earth.

or perhaps, you would be angry, denied entry into heaven, and facing the prospect of the fires of hell and eternal damnation. seeing others revelling in the presence of God and all his wonders of his paradise, and you cast into the fires of a bottomless pit.

or perhaps you would be in tears, seeing people you know on the other side of that gate. all the while, you thought they were righteous, God-fearing, and this. while you enjoy the fruits of your labour, there they are, cast into hell.

what would you be when the world ends?

RASHES continuum

2008-01-05T05:17:00.000-08:00

its either i'm not good enough,
or i have not tried hard enough.
shall i just admit it?
i'm a failure.
somehow, in almost everything i do
i just pull through
but i fail along the way.
people say failure is the step to success
but somehow my failures dont lead to success.
why should i continue on?
it's like, everyone "hi marcus" and joke around
and its really cool with you dudes
but still, when the hard times come
when my flaws show out
thats where its no longer cool.
hi marcus.

RASHES HOO!

2008-01-05T04:58:00.000-08:00

It was a bad omen. It was a bad idea, yet it still happened. I knew it was going to happen. But...

I GOT RASHES ALL OVER MY BODY!

Well it's due to orientation games. But before I tell you THAT story, I have to tell you THIS story...

Orienttion was great, on the first day was the horrible realization that I was the only person from St Andrews...ah well. After that, we broke up into our IGs and played ice-breakers, which are quite fun (: I have quite weird people in my group, but they are all fun! especially the guys, we all bond together quite well. HAHA!

but i'll fast forward to the future. We went to the Old Police Academy to play (because our campus is directly opposite the road from the academy), so we went there for dirty games and all. Flour, pool, mud and all. haha. I was like, the most enthu person when the mud games we played, but...NOW I REGRET IT!

I got rashes on my inner legs, and arms, and body. ARGH. Today just went to Uncle Kok Chi's clinic to get a jab for the itchiness and rashes, and have to take some tablets to die down. Apparently it's some allergic reaction to whatever was in the mud (Jessica (my IG leader) says that cause the field was contaminated cause its still constructing, and that she also kena the rashes)

teens time over just now, attendance wasn't so good ):
hopefully it'll get better.
What we did was basically a reflection of 2007, our regrets, our lessons and our goals for 2008!

Cheers, im off to apply calamine.

empower me, Lord

2007-12-31T19:13:00.000-08:00

it's now 2008. but still littered with something...
my past sins, my future sins, my present sins.
I'm sorry.
I've made an idol out of it.
Lord, forgive me.

2007 AAR

2007-12-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen this is my 2007 AAR (After-action review). You are kindly requested to put your seat in the upright position and keep your tray-tables locked, with your seatbelt securely fastened, and any hand-carry luggage to be either stowed in the overhead compartments or under the seat in front of you. We are now approaching the time for our descent, all passengers are kindly requested to return and remain in your seats.

WHEW got that over. (: Still can't recover from my Greece trip.

Okay lah really it's been an eventful year in SA (2007). St John, especially training and seeing my batch grow up, its really touching in a way. How we narrowly lost in competition, me losing my cool in front of the ACS people, some of the judges because the ACS casualties were either too fake or helping the ACS teams and so on. But, then they went to do BGI training, and their NCO camp, and me nearly with them every step of the way, snapping with the school's SLR, and taking all the unglam and CONTROVERSIAL shots, ah well.

Then in school, basically it was a year for the 3SE/4SE to buck up and study hard for the Os, driving our beloved Chem Yeo to the roof, also driving Add Maths Yeo to near insanity (more like vice-versa huh?) and all. Funny la you guys. In the end we did relatively well (okay la most of us sucked) and hopefully we got into the places we wanted for the first 3 weeks (I'm going to CJC if you guys are still uninitiated). School, also happy to be given the chance to command two parades, and shout like mad, wearing the uniform, and really like being the face of SA UGs like that (yeah it sounds egotistical but ah well) And seeing how the class bonded on Grad Night, really amazing.

Thanks also to friends like Joshua Khoo, Henry, Jotham, Jeremy, Rico, Elephant Mark, and tons more for being a listening year when I had to ramble my troubles to. Joshua, great bro for cab rides, Henry...still short as always but its okay great friend to talk to, and also great to see you growing in the Lord. Jotham, what can I say, friends since p4 and still going. Jeremy, my really true friend, since p2 and still a great tennis/movie/lunch buddy! Rico, no need to say, Mr Brightside. Elephant Mark, for slacking on EVERY LITERATURE PROJECT, making me do all the work while you either sms girls or play bball on your phone. (:
OF COURSE TO DARIUS, MY WONDERFUL SPARRING BUDDY FROM SCHOOL, ENJOYING FRIENDLY FIGHTS IN SCHOOL, WE GET SERIOUS WITH FIGHTS BUT WE ALWAYS KNOW WHEN TO DRAW THE LINE AND WHEN TO COOL OFF.

Finally to my church mates, you guys really proved the encouraging point for me. My cell, which truly a bunch of idiots but I love them all the same, LAN party always and all. 2007 was also the year Shani came in, great to know him and to develop a great friendship. 2007 also = the year VBS was done, I became more known the the kids in church, and to helpers like Mallory and Kathy and Debbie and Eleanor and Shawn Shantilal and many more who were unknown to me, got to know them better at the VBS. Eye-opener for me also. I also became part of a great team known as the Fellowship Ministry, with a weird but great leader Eugene, and a great team as well.

Ah yes, and the youth camp. A GREAT time, first time planning games, was VERY discouraged on the first day, and I always had that constant nagging feeling that the majority did not enjoy my games, thought it was lame, or I did not have enough fun or imagination incorporated in my games, but on the testimony time, I could hear that many people really enjoyed the games, and it really encouraged me. Thanks to people like Desmond, Jeremiah, Kenneth and Zhengqin for the encouragement you guys gave me. Also in the camp, got to know A LOT of people better, like Valerie, Georgia May, David, Marc, Belle, Brian, Reuben, Neale, Jun Kai and a lot more, also Pei Ying who's a great friend, also to Shaun and Lyndon for all the help you guys gave (great friends too)

And finally today, Carols by Candlelight/Christmas Dedication Service, where I got to be part of the Security and Road Marshals team with Winstion, Samuel, Marc, Daniel, Kevin, Jonathan and (very impromptu) Jeremy. Great working with you guys man.

2008 comes. Godspeed skipper.

We have just arrived at Changi International Airport, the temperature is a cool 27 degrees, with cloudy weather forecasted for the next 5 hours. For your own safety, please do not leave your seats, or unfasten your seatbelts until the aircraft has come to a complete stop. Passengers who are visiting Singapore, you are required to complete an immigration card which was given out by the cabin crew earlier. Good afternoon and have a nice day. Godspeed.

GREECE

2007-12-25T17:46:00.000-08:00

HEY PEOPLE I'M BACK! from greece.

It was very enriching and uber fun (to see all the ruins all).

Among other things, I travelled through Athens, to Corinth (hence corinthians), to olympia (hence olympic games), mycenae (birthplace of agamemnon) and up to a church high in the mountains of kalambaka!

No doubt it was very fun, to see all the people and all the ruins and all. I really wonder how the greeks managed to lug all those stones up the mountains to build the temples man!

Okay la, other than that there's like, naked statues, hot greek girls, and good food! (though mostly meat)

I'll let some pics do the talking. (:

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

sick

2007-12-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Ah man yesterday was one tough day. Yesterday, I went cycling with calvin, joshua and alex at east coast, and boy was it an eventful one. I had the heart attack of my life that day.

What happened was that when we got there, it was drizzling slightly but ah well its okay. So we rented bikes and started touring east coast, looking at people trying to skate, looking at girls, etc. etc. xD

Then, we reached bedok jetty and we saw this old guy who just caught a uber-huge pufferfish and he was wiggling it on the ground (cause it had puffed up and he was trying to get rid of the water in it.) So i snapped a photo of it, but its still in my memory card.

Then, joshua had a WONDERFUL idea. When I cycled, he would grab on to my bike (he's on blades), and I'll use by ABNORMAL PIG-LEG power to speed. So there we were, blazing a trail through east coast, when I think he stumbled and lost footing. And then, he had to grab my backpack, and pulled me down with him as he fell. Now, imagine a 60kg person pulling your backpack down, and you're on a bike trying not to fall. I was wobbling constantly and VERY NEARLY fell, but soon he let go, and I just continued on on my bike. Braked, and then we laughed about it for like 10 minutes. All the swearing, threats of violence all came out, but man, what a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

CONCLUSION: THE PHILOSOPHY "WHEN YOU FALL, PULL PEOPLE DOWN WITH YOU" IS ONLY A METAPHORICAL THING, NOT LITERAL

After that we cabbed back to school, dropped in on the NCC bbq for a while, then had a meeting with YS and WY. At this point of time, I was really feeling lousy, had a fever and a terrible headache. Meeting dragged on, when I got home, I went up and VOMITED the $53 dinner, ON THE SINK! (YES I know its supposed to be the toiletbowl, not the sink, it'll get choked). ALL my chicken, vegetables, tofu, hor fun all was in the sink with a mixture of gastric juices and what-not. I realised I had to clean it up (like, DUH) so I put on my surgical gloves, put on my CSI mentality and dug every SHIT out. Then, took a quick bath, was supposed to do stuff but I think I passed out. I remember feeling faint, just fell on my bed and slept.

FEVERfever.

VBS

2007-11-25T04:41:00.000-08:00

Ah man, finally a whole week of VBS is over. (For the uninitiated, VBS is Vacation Bible School, or also called Sonforce Kids, which is the camp theme)

For 5 whole days, children ranging from k1 to p6 come for a day camp where they learn about God's word, as well as have a great time of fun and laughter with other children, along with making new friends!

The days were rather simple. Praise and worship in the morning, then afternoon would be a rotation basis of art and craft, games, bible lessons, and tea breaks. It was a real eye opener to try and control kids so young, though yes for the first 3 days I was not attached to a group and was slacking (not really la i'm a sai gang worker). In the end I was attached to Mallory's group (Gallant Gizmo) and yes, I'm a hard worker! I got to know many kids, some of them from my church, others not. Nonetheless, I thank God for letting me know all these kids, and that they have truly let me realize how enriching and fun is it to be around kids. (:

Wednesday was outing day, and we all went to Qian Hu Fish Farm. Nothing too interesting though, I only like fish when I can eat it. I saw lots of species of fish, and their exorbitant prices, and wondered as to HOW THE HECK they can pay for such expensive fish. Ah well, at least the kids had a great time. Wanted to go for the fish spa, but cannot la, no time. Or else I'll have smooth and heavenly skin. (And everyone would start laughing now)

I got to know many people, and I think that, for me, was the highlight of the camp. Some cute kids like:

1. Jessica Ong (yes she's cute)
2. Jessica Quek (child prodigy, and cute also)
3. Jodi Seet (what a pain xD)
4. Jerald Seet (arguably the cutest boy in the camp)
5. Udella Tee (miss poke-a-lot)
6. Ulvis Tee (her brother, same properties)
7. David Lee (ah i still know him)
8. Shaniah (hardworking and cute)
9. Christopher (what a pain.)

and tons more la, but it'll be too hard to name. In any case, I'm glad to have known these children.

Also, I got to know many of the helpers, and seriously I was also encouraged to see helpers like Marc, Daniel all coming for VBS. Debbie, Kathy, Mallory, Rachel, Eliza, Eleanor, Shawn Ho, Shawn Shantilal, Georgia May, Sonia Shantilal, many more whom I rarely see during teens or such, but here they are.

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." I Timothy 4:12

perfect people

2007-11-18T04:51:00.000-08:00

If God could only use perfect people
He never could use anyone at all
If God would only use perfect people,
Then no one would ever hear His call.

So don't you give in,
No, don't you give up
When you stumble and so quickly fall.
For if God would only use perfect people,
He never would use anyone at all.

If God could use perfect people,
Then Jesus would have never had to die.
If God would use perfect people,
Then God would never had use you or I.

So don't you give in,
No, don't you give up
When you stumble and so quickly fall.
For if God would only use perfect people,
He never would use anyone at all.

So we must try our best to do
His good and perfect will.
And even though we sometimes fail,
You know God loves us still,
God loves us still!

If God could only use perfect people,
He never could use anyone at all.
If God would only use perfect people,
Then no one would ever hear His call.

So don't you give in,
No, don't you give up
When you stumble and so quickly fall.
For if God would only use perfect people,
He never would use anyone at all.

Graduation Dinner 2007

2007-11-16T04:02:00.000-08:00

The O's ARE OVER!!!

2007-11-07T00:48:00.000-08:00

HEY PEOPLE!

Yes the Os are finally OVER! I got no idea how i'll do for my papers...but generally I think i'll have a good grade. Undoubtedbly the papers were kind of unexpected, such as english, literature and social studies, but generally they were alright. Just hope that it's good enough for SA.

Now its the holidays and I got a long break ahead of me, but I packed it up with stuff to do so as to keep myself from my "stoning" state or "emo-ing" state. Got chuch stuff to do, SJ comp trainings to conduct, blacks trainings to go to, and yeah so on and so forth.

I just reflected on my 4 years in SAS, and man, those were the good years. Yeah there are total letdowns in my class, but nonetheless thats what completes my experience in SA. I won't forget the teachers, and the atmosphere (though I want to forget about the totally lousy service in the general office...)

I was just thinking the other day about "being there for people". I mean, yes of course its good to listen out for others' problems, but in the end, people have to make their own choices, and not be swayed by others, so what's the point of telling them advice? Ah well. Anyway, people have to make their own choices, and make their own decisions. Hmm. Anyway, its long over, but now I guess we have to be there for others. God tells us to be the light and salt of the world, and we have to be that light for others.

Ah well, that's enough of this kinda stuff. Embrace the holidays guys!

PRELIMS ARE HERE!

2007-08-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

HEY PEOPLE!

Once again I don't know why I'm here, probably because of the fact that I just finished a day of studies, so might as well just come and blog a little on my progress. The Prelims start this on tuesday with both English papers starting off the festivities, then all the papers will just come. Well, this is the second-last hurdle, so it's all digging deep all the way and then for the final hurdle. As Mrs Charles put it, four years of studies all comes down to today, and this is it.

However I think the main essence of my blog is of certain events that have been happening this past week. No, I don't mean my fights with Darius (which I enjoy with him and vice-versa, isn't he a great buddy?), but my observances throughout the week. Particularly social degenerates and those wannabe gangsters. I see some of them on the bus, piercing their bodies in all places, wearing a cap, tuck-out shirt and all. Seriously, I think that they are just all losers. I also see them in school, with some of them bringing nothing but a small pouch to school, and most certainly almost nothing in it is related to school work. I mean, why bother coming to school for nuts? They are basically just filling up the spaces. And we can say that St Andrew's cohorts are not performing academically. Why not rid the school of such people, and open more spaces in the top classes so that we can boost up the school's reputation? I really don't see why such people are constantly given chances. They have obviously proven themselves to be impervious to such efforts, so it is absolutely useless to keep on trying and failing, with consequences along the way and tougher circumstances in each case.

I think, another common association with gangsters is that they can fight well. It seems that, among one particular community, your social level is determined by your ability to fight (How well, etc.) Hah, these people are real jokers. I can remember, one day as I was heading for E Maths class, I saw this secondary 2 boy punch another in the head, and that guy's specs flew. (Seems that he made no effort to defend himself). I seriously considered to go there and at least, shall we say, uphold justice and allieviate the situation. But, i didn't. I could have just locked the guy and send him on two courses. 1.) I could have sent his sorry ass onto the hard unforgiving floor or 2.) To the DM. Or both (haha) But no, in the end I decided to just step down.

hah, I don't see why I'm suddenly so on for justice and all. Well, prelims are here so I'd might as well blog my thoughts. I've come to realise that, since sec1, I have matured greatly, and now I can see that my actions in my younger years were very immature and appalling. Well, at least now I've changed.

N.B. FELICIA CHIN IS FROM THE 21ST SINGAPORE ARTILLERY BATTALLION. I HAVE EVIDENCE! :D

radio silence broken

2007-06-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

hah has been ages since i've last blogged. Well, guess there's a break every now and then. I don't intend to break my blog silence until after Os, but maybe i guess i'll just blog once in a blue moon.

Well the holidays are near over (school starts tomorrow), and the final leg begins. Prelims and Os.Here we go, and no looking back. My holidays were kind of short lived, more or less its just lessons for the first two weeks and then SAATC and then last week study and go out as much as possible. I found out that playing GE can be detrimental to your health (hah though i still play it), and SAATC this year was quite good. Did my job as a messing officer, and now it's time for me to take a break off St John (first time man) to get ready for the Os. It is kind of stressful and all, but I've always been known to perform under stress. (yeah all the laughing all.)

As for the personal side, PLUNGE was a HUGE success, thanks to all those who helped, and also to joshua and alex (fellow comp team leaders) for making time to come down. Great skit, great message, Praise and Worship was awesome, and of course the YOUTH DANCE TEAM! Great supper with josh and alex too.

I also made a promise to really study hard during this period of time. No more movies, slacking, pool, going out, etc. It's just plain hard mugging. Nothing else. Then, i'll also just dig deep and study. "Marcus, why you study so hard? In the end still get the same result." "Then i'll have to study harder/ At least I won't do so bad as you." My target is 6 points, and I'll try my utmost best to achieve that. God bless Marcus.

I wonder why I'm so uptight. Must be the pre-exam stress(PES), and the HEAT. Really, upon much reflecting, I kinda realise that I'm the passive sort of person, the kind where I don't like to have to result in conflict, even though it may result in a disadvantage/loss for me. I wonder if people treat me now because of my passiveness. Well, i got noone to blame except myself. I have not aptly prayed for a long time, and I do have a long list of stuff to pray for. Stress, Prioritising, Confession, Deluded people, etc. etc.

One question that was posted to me by someone...
"Would you still go to church if all of your friends/those you know were removed?"
Thought it was quite a good point, though i didn't quite get the gist of PERSON X.

oh yeah, and i'm a prize winner for top in level in english literature.

public service announcement.

2007-04-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a public service announcement from marcus. This blog will be unofficially closed down and will only be updated on special occasions, due to intensive mugging for the GCE "O" Levels. Once again, this blog is unofficially closed down and will only open after the author's O Levels, and this blog will only be updated on special grounds. The author would like to take this opportunity to wish all those graduating students this year all the best for their prelims and final examinations. Study hard and God will definitely bless your efforts. Remember, study hard. God bless.

This was a public service announcement by the author (marcus sia). Thank you and cheers people :)

nz haka

2007-04-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

KA MATE! KA MATE!
KA ORA! KA ORA!
KA MATE! KA MATE!
KA ORA! KA ORA!
TENEI TE TANGATA
PU'RU-HURU
NA'A NEI TIKI
MAI WHAKA-WHITI TE ...
RA! UPANE! KA UPANE!
A UPANE! KA UPANE!
WHITI TE RA!
HI !

pics.

2007-04-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

well, it was a great day in class today,
but unfortunately, the best have to fall sometime
and unfortunately we lost in the police cup.
i'll let the pics do the talking..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOANNE AND MARCUS! xD
17 and 16 respectively.
16 april

pictures

2007-04-02T06:41:00.000-07:00

well they say that a picture paints a thousand words...

ah well i'll just put up pics on what happened. (:

Your Dominant Intelligence is Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

You are great at finding patterns and relationships between things.Always curious about how things work, you love to set up experiments.You need for the world to make sense - and are good at making sense of it.You have a head for numbers and math ... and you can solve almost any logic puzzle.
You would make a great scientist, engineer, computer programmer, researcher, accountant, or mathematician.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofintelligencedoyouhavequiz/">What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

disappointment?

2007-03-26T06:42:00.000-07:00

hah comp is over.
well needless to say the results aren't good at all.
makes me think whether we've really done them justice and all
and trained them proper.
definitely the ac has been a letdown..
and to think i've tried my best for them.
my best? hah.
no i've not tried my best.
complacent. hah.
well marcus you've screwed up once again. (:
makes me think if i've done justice for once.
why am i even pitying myself?
well i don't know.
but i promise you, this will be the last year.
i promise.
sorry bros, i've really not done enough.

the pursuit of happyness

2007-03-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

watched the pursuit of happyness again
and this time, i got down the full gist of the story
and to tell you the truth, it is a really inspiring story
and worth every cent to watch.

the story basically revolves around Chris Gardner, who never knew his father until 28 years old. After graduating from high school, he could not further his education, and ends up working as a medical supplies salesman. However, the economic slump that San Fransisco was in at that time took its toll on him and soon, he ends up bankrupt, with only $21.33 to his name. He was arrested for failure to pay parking tickets, and also had to resort to not paying a taxi fare. Additionally, he also Also, his wife leaves him. All that Chris has left is his son, and some posessions. He even has to sleep at a train station toilet. Finally, he lands himself an internship at Dean Witter's, and begins 6 months of hard work. Everyday, after work he would pick his son up, then queue at the church shelter for a place to sleep during the night.

i mean, it is really a motivational story.
his wife leaves him,
he has no money,
no place to sleep
no education
and still, with all the odds against him
he manages to secure a job at Dean Witter,
and in a few years become a multi-billionaire.
as a result of his perseverance, hard work, wits,
and never giving up his dream.
all in the pursuit of happiness

finger PAIN!

2007-03-05T06:12:00.000-08:00

whoo man just came back from training!

did slight fitness today, then did tackle drills with the pads

then forwards and backs - did lineouts and had a mini-game.

AND FINALLY

i managed to rip the ball from the maul

only to get aidiel to come and bring me down and turnover.

ARGH.

ah well.

nothing much so thought i put up some pics

THATS MY FAMILY!

yay everybody all tuck in.

FEMALE COUSINS

AND OF COURSE THE GUYS

SORRY HAD TO PUT THAT UP

HAHA!

2007-02-26T06:06:00.000-08:00

HAHA! well had training today,
did slight fitness,
then did tackles, then forwards and backs,
AND THEN A TEAM RUN!

well tackles didn't do much.
hasif ran towards me and then slipped and his boot crashed into my shin. (i spent about 10 mins icing it)

then forwards we basically did scrum techniques.
didn't do well initially, but i believe i improved later on.

FINALLY, a team run. didn't do much, basically assisted as a prop.
supported people and their drives
and i ALMOST managed to steal the ball in a ruck.
JUST that some dick had to pull me out. :)
ah well. xD

yeah well thats all.

sacrifice

2007-02-21T04:59:00.001-08:00

no one seems to care now do they?

damn.
it's just so hard
struggles and trials
i know i should be strong
but it is hard
tears and more tears
and thoughts.
beneath the positive facade,
lies hurt and pain.

common tests over and CNY comes.

2007-02-16T03:57:00.000-08:00

well, what a week, filled with common tests and what not.

i think i did justice to my tests, some of them were quite alright, whereas some were PLAIN HORRIBLE.

here's the breakdown people:
English: SURE A1! xD
E Maths: I should do quite well unless something goes wrong
Chinese: just had it today, can pass ; can't do well
Physics: well was quit easy, think can score a little. A2? :)
Comb. Humans.: DAMN EASY ESSAY! but source based...
CHEMISTRY: SURE FAIL!! but okay la i think i'll do well soon.

well, thats all for the tests, hope to do well and all.

and CNY IS HERE! heading north to malaysia to my grandparents place in pontian, and some good kampong/countryside food.

but still, got to study cause i'm very far behind! I'll be studying there anyway so yeah.

happy chinese new year to all you peeps!

mugging. (no seriously)

2007-02-11T05:43:00.000-08:00

HAHAH, so much has happened between the previous post and now.

too much in fact, to blog about.

but just in a nutshell...

new desk which equals to better environment for studying,

the world is tilted,

and henry can never capsize me in a kayak.

done. xD

mugging like mad to achieve my targets.
if i ever can get less than 7 points, i'll apply for victoria
if i can get below 11, its SA for me,
above that and i'll have to seriously think of my choices.

confessions of a heavy heart (lol.)

2007-01-22T06:02:00.000-08:00

had the game against united world college today,
nothing much to do except treat all the injuries..

but on the other hand,
have been reflecting again, as usual.
i wonder, what do people think of me?
some people think i'm lame and all
some people think i'm not cool.
some people think i just can't make it in life.
jack of all trades, master of none.

on practicability, it is kinda true.
seriously, noone ever takes me seriously.
maybe its because i just let stuff go over me,
and i go with it, keeping silent.

you wanna scream, I'M HERE
but noone notices.
oh well.
the Lord notices.

and that is really all that matters.

sji game

2007-01-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

hmm.
DAMMIT I CAN'T REMEMBER NUTS.
NOOO I'M LOSING MEMORY CAPACITY!
not good...

sji game was okay..
thought that i wasn't going to to play,
till mr wee asked me to get a jersey and warm-up.
SO I USED SHERMAN'S JERSEY (damn baggy la)
and warmed up then played prop.

game was rather okay,
rucks were very quick..
and i was in 80% of the rucks!
scrum was better in the sense that i didn't have any back pain,
meaning i have the posture!

then i got the ball, ran like..5m or so,
then this guy grabbed my leg, and so i tripped.
ah well.

theres training tomorrow,
and then studying again and again.
i just realised that now i don't blog so much as before..

studying la can't help it.

theme: gangsters.

2007-01-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

Well it has just dawned on me. I know know why our school is going to the dogs. Because of these people (gangsters) and so on who think that they are above the authority and just walk all over us and drag St Andrew's and its 144+ years of proud history into the mud.

During today's CCA Display, we falled in the juniors and gave them a briefing. Then, some of these people had to go and disturb us, and act all big and all. We were clearly having an important meeting and then they have to go and act all big and all and disturb us, and when we asked them to just mind their own business, they had to insult mothers.

The school is ineffective and their current "methods" and not even to the best of their ability, even though they claim so. They tell a class that they are going to check their bags for cigs and that the DM will "know if anyone is passing anything to another boy in another class". And after assembly, instead of any surveillance, the crowd ensures a mild chaos that would have resulted in the cigs being passed.

I don't even know why gangsters are like this. They think that they are above the law, and just terrorize us, just because "OH I'LL ASK MY GANG TO BEAT YOU UP IF YOU DON'T SUBMIT TO ME". Come on, one entire gang beating up one person? Smart tactical move no doubt, but derserves to be labelled cowards, and underhand. Additionally, in a heated argument, they have to bring the focus of topic to someone's mother or father. Come on, if you are that brave as you claim, why do you have to insult someone's father or mother and not the person himself? Brainless people. They believe strength in fighting. Come on, just take on some martial arts people! Let's see you gangsters getting trashed. A GANG, a group of people, beating one person. Why not invade a martial arts class of the same number? LET'S SEE WHO'LL BE THE LAST ONES CRYING FOR MERCY. They all think they're so MATURE AND COOL, just because their vocabulary is limited to vulgarities and people's mothers, they pierce their ears, colour their hair and stick in groups, and dare to do things.

Now please note, I have nothing against people piercing their ears and/or colouring their hair. I plan to colour my hair, but not in those WEIRDO colours (e.g. blue?) And even if one decides to colour their hair in a weirdo colour (like Daphne Khoo, she dyed her hair in a streak of turqoise), you don't see her acting like a gangster, do you? As it pertains to piercing, the body is a temple of God. The more you pierce and deform your body, you are as good as desecrating the temple of God.
Vandalising our school property, terrorizing our students, and dragging our school name down by wearing our uniforms and/or t-shirts, come on, just get out of our school and go to jail. Perhaps you'll reform and we'll gladly accept you back again.

Seriously, if there are any gangsters who, by any chance, are reading this, GET A LIFE. If not, stop wasting our time and get out of school so that there are vacancies for other people who truly want to study, or at least don't disrupt our current students from attaining a decent education.

And if you don't like me cause of what I say, well than I just got two words for ya.

Suck it.

damn i'm sick.

2007-01-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

damn i'm sick.

yeah people first ailment of the year! fever, inflammation, runnning nose,cough.
ah well.

even though i was sick,
i still dragged my carcass to school in SJ uniform,
and did the flag raising!
nearly fainted and all,
but hey, im strong! :)

tomorrow...lessons and meetings and jamming.
ah jamming.
i gotta get my solos right.
well its only 4 more days and CHEERIO :)

first training...

2007-01-03T06:14:00.000-08:00

argh woke up quite early today..
first day of school! DAMMIT.
nothing much to do, except NEW FORM TEACHER!!

A MATHS YEO! WOOHOOO
and NEW E MATHS TEACHER!! MRS GOH AI-LIM!! WOOHOO!

and new CHAIRMAN!! ME!!!

now thats kinds weird.
who'd expect me to be the chairman?
ah well, at least its good reference for student council for sajc :)

so yeah, after that had rugby training.
had a briefing in the LT,
then went for fitness test man.

2.4 km was okay, clocked 11.55 mins. new record!
then the 1 min statics. 42 push-ups and 30 sit-ups in 1 min each.

then had the sprints. (the tough part)
went to the sajc tracks
and all the new jc1s having orientations so enthu! hahaha
so yeah, our task ahead:

2x 400m
2x 300m
2x 2o0m
2x 100m
ALL SPRINTS

so yeah, was kinda tough and all, but the team all made it through and all. so after that, legs all aching, dragged my arse back home and studied chem. :)

and the road to Os begins.

new year resolutions...

2007-01-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

hey people.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

well i got several new year resolutions,

all updated on ym wishlist and all.

so yeah hahahahaa take a look at it!

nothing much to say yet,

but the road to Os has just begun.

Men's network seminar//

2006-12-29T19:47:00.002-08:00

hey people, back from a seminar for the men of COA!

the speaker was Pastor John Lim of Living Faith Church, and he was really very good, believe me. He lost his father at the age of 5, and had a tough time living through the years. Then, he started in sales, and sonn became a millionaire by the age of 26 man! He was like...earning a 5 figure COMMISSION (not even basic salary), all thanks to God who provided for him.

We should have the attitude of giving. if we are moved only by what we see (meaning if we only give when it is needed), we will only receive equal. You reap what you sow, so you only receive back the "just enough". BUT, if you give more (moved by the Spirit of God), you'll receive many times over.

its about 2 days to 2007, and believe it or not, God has already prepared '07 for YOU! but the topic for the seminar was hearing the voice of God. how do we hear it? Well, to hear the voice of God, you need to know the word of God, and to knwo the word of God you must read the bible, because God will ned speak to you what is more than the word.

We all should be cleansed, and have a renewed spirit. a guy can claim he is a christian, but if he doesn't have a renewed spirit, there is actually no point! He can say "I believe that there is a God."

The devil also believes that there is a God.

create in me a clean heart, O God
and renew a right spirit, within me.

Lord i give you my heart,
I give you my soul,
I live for you alone
every breath that i take,
every moment i'm awake,
Lord have your way in me.

MERRY CHRISTMAS PEOPLE!!!

2006-12-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

hahah well guess its too late to say this, BUT MERRY CHRISTMAS PEEPS! :)

but well, talking about today, we just had training in the morning at hq, after that we had commanders meeting, then rushed home for chinese tuition,

then went out with dad and cousin to liquid kitchen! had like a really mad drink called pink bliss (strawberry, ice blend and shot of vodka), yeah!

ah well. nothing much to say for my week

watching death note 2 tomorrow!

hospital duty

2006-12-19T07:37:00.000-08:00

wee man.

had hospital attachment for the past 2 days, at changi general hospital..

attached to ward 44 (ROCKS!! WOOHOO!!)

so basically we just helped to serve breakfast, and i fed an old dude!

then after that walk around and do rounds, occasionally answering a call from one of the patients.

and yes i made a NEW FRIEND!! bed no. 31 who calls me, and i've seen him to the toilet, bathe and all, and come on, i'm doing a good deed.

besides that, just slacked around, and chat with the nurses, who were quite friendly la (most of them), specifically one NUS atachee and one NYP one, plus the staff nurse!

cousins over for this week (one staying for about 4 days the other about 5 weeks.)

so yea.

carrolling tomorrow!

ARE YOU EXCITED?!?!?!?!

p.s. : have a safe trip joanne! journey mercies from God!

photos! :)

2006-12-17T05:25:00.000-08:00

ah well nothing much to blog about.

i'll just post some pics of what happened in the last few days! :)

us at sentosa!

AND OF COURSE TO END OFF, A FACE OF ME!!

YOUTH CAMP '06

2006-12-16T07:08:00.000-08:00

hey people i'm back from youth camp!

great time i had with the youths, and also my short one week stint of being on my own! (parents and sis went to switzerland)

i wouldn't talk bout WHAT happened in the camp, too much to blog about anyways! :)

rather, i'll post up the stuff i learnt from neale's sessions!

DAY 1
- Eternity Inn
- Life is about the choices you make
- Which path are you on?
- John 10:1-15

- from Genesis to Revelations (my fav book!) , God chooses men to be compared with sheep
- honestly, who wants to be compared to sheep?!?
- why does God compare us with sheep?
- BECAUSE we, like sheep, tend to go astray and go our own way, thinking there are greener
pastures somewhere else
- How does God deal with us? (Isaiah 53)
- sometimes when we wander away from God, on the outside it isn;t visible but in the inside it is
- We feel dry, pray blindly, so on. That is when we have to be careful, or we may take one step
too far.

- BUT, there is no sin, no distance far enough for the good shepherd.

- John 10:27-29
- Which direction are YOU heading? Closer to God or further away?
- try to listen to what God is saying to you

- Sometimes God's reason is something you don't want.
- If i say suffering builds character, would you want to go through suffering?
- God DOES lead you out to green pastures
- God's rules are not meant to bind us, but to benefit us.
- Jesus, like sheep, was shaved (stripped of clothes) and eventually slaughtered.
- but the prophet prophesized that it would be better for one man to die in the place of others.
- the sheep's wool is shaved; sacrificed so that others will have warm clothes
- Jesus was sacrificed, so that we may have eternal life

- God doesnt over protect us.
- it is still our choice
- Jesus says that no one can snatch the sheep out of His hands.
- But he doesn't say that the sheep will not be able to go out of His hand on its will.
- Therefore, it is our choice if we want to stray away.

- GET OUT OF YOUR SPIRITUAL COMFORT ZONE

- How do you recognize God's voice?
- close your eyes, and ask a friend to talk to you.
- you immediately recognize the friend, because you KNOW him/her, have TALKED with them, have LISTENED to them, and have KNOWN them FOR A WHILE
- this should be the same for your relationship with God.
- KNOW him, LISTEN to him, TALK to him, and you will recognize His voice as His own, and
not as your mind talking to you.

- Sin is taking a place in our lives.
- are there things that block God/ replace Him as the centre of our life?

- if we only pray to God in times of trouble, then we will NOT recognize his voice.

DAY 2
- Jeremiah 13:1
- God uses visual aids to speak to His people
- Relationship between men and a pair of shorts = up close and and VERY personal
- Same for God and man.
- God wanted jeremiah to have a personal relationship with Him
- DO YOU know why you are alive?
- God already had a son. He had such a good relationship with Him that He wanted a bigger family.
- it all boils down to having that personal, intimate relationship with God
- God says there shouldn't be a day that goes by where you shouldnt have a personal relationship with Him

DAY 3
- John 21
- What make the difference between success and failure?
- Jesus
- Then we follow Christ rather than ourself, we have success

- Peter
- he told Jesus that he would follow Jesus to the very end
- But in the end he did not
- We have to watch what we promise (prayer, songs)
- our spirit may be willing but our flesh is weak
- Peter denied with curses even knowing Jesus

- Luke 22:61
- Jesus turned around and look straight into his eyes (Peter)
- what was the look on Jesus' face?
- anger? indignation?
- NO! it was love. love betrayed
- That is what happens when we follow Jesus at a distance

- Minister = servant/ helper
- Jesus was the minister

- Jesus " Do you love me?"
- Agape = Class 1 love
- Philia = class 2 love

- Even if our love is this small ---> .
- so long as it is real, The Lord says you can go on.
- Jesus " Follow me"

"Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others." 1 Corinthians 10:23-24

at joel's house.. xD

2006-12-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

wee. what a fun couple of days..

firstly parents all out to switzerland with my sis. ah well, at leasta good moment of freedom and independence. xD

yesterday went to sentosa with the youth ministry, met with godpa zheng at the start, then we drove to sentosa. after that, played with the rugby ball while waiting for the rest!

then after all came and all, we all played rugby, volleyball around, then went to the sea.

GOT WEDGIED 5 TIMES!!! and thanks to lyndon and joel who shoved sand into my pants.

got a good tan, then slacked around and played cards with the older guys (zheng, adrian, kenneth, darrell and uncle dennis)

then went for a SUPERB dinner at marina south ` 2 in 1 bbq buffet. ate like mad, and avriel going high on butter prawns and corn. ate like mad, then went to stay over at joel's place.

NOW i'm at joel's place with jeremy and shaun, staying over then tomorrow going for youth camp! xD

CEBU TRIP 2006

2006-12-07T02:18:00.000-08:00

ARGH i have to create a google account to use the new blogger? damn.

ah well. Have not been blogging for quite a while, cause i've been to cebu. so now im gonna rip off my journal the WHOLE trip! enjoy!

Day 1

We first started the first part of our trip by assembling at the main entrance of the school. We did some last minute preparations and checks, then we brought down all the luggage and life jackets, in bags we dubbed “Ali Baba” bags. Then, Sir conducted a final briefing, and then it was on to the airport. During the 20-minute or so bus ride, few slept, as we were all too excited. After we arrived at the airport, we started checking in our luggage, and then we proceeded on to customs inspection of our hand-carry luggage. Unfortunately, my rugby ball was confiscated for some apparent reason, and I was rather shocked at the officer’s “heartlessness”. After that, we boarded the plane (flight 5J548) bound for Cebu, Phillippines. The flight was rather stuffy and hot, and in my opinion, insufficient leg room. Nevertheless, I “survived” the flight, and we arrived at Mactan-Cebu Airport. We then had a 3-hour van ride to Moalboal. Many of us slept along the journey, as it was long and tedious. We reached our place of residence, Sunshine Lodge, at around 8.30 in the morning, and then we had a short briefing. We then were told to sleep and relax until 1.30 in the afternoon, as most of us did not have sufficient rest.
So we relaxed until 1.30, then we had lunch and then proceeded to Kawasan Falls, where we did rafting on bamboo rafts. The water was surprisingly cold, and then the guides guided us under the waterfall, where we experienced nature’s “massage”. What was amazing was that the guides had been doing their duties for a long time already; however the enthusiasm they showed was as if they were doing it for the first time. This was in stark contrast to Singaporeans, who often become sian after a while.
We then went back to the resort, had dinner, and then had devotion, which was based on the first chapter of Genesis. After that, sir brought us to see the stars in the night sky, which was an amazing sight, considering you would not get to see many in Singapore.

Day 2

On the second day, we woke up early and then prepared for river climbing while the other group prepared for horseback riding. We had breakfast, and then proceeded to Kawasan falls, where we had another short ride on the rafts, and then we proceeded onwards.
The route on land lasted about half an hour or so, and was rather frustrating for me, as I was wearing booties, and it had no grip, therefore I slipped many times. After a while, we finally reached my best terrain: Water. We had to navigate through rocks and water, and we had to use many different methods to get through, such as swimming, climbing and so on. True to the guides’ briefing prior to the climb, we had to rely on immense amounts of teamwork to get through. One person that amazed me was Mario, one of the guides, as he had to use a lot of arm power and strength to pull people up on terrain that was hard for them. After that, we had to negotiate an 85-degree slope to reach the top. It was very scary and we had to grab on to roots and such to pull ourselves. Along the way, I saw various wildlife, such as a yellow and black millipede the size of a sausage.
We then had a sumptuous lunch of grilled chicken, pork, fish and salad, with rice and potatoes and Sprite. After that, we returned to our lodge and had dinner.

Day 3

On the third day, my group was scheduled to do horseback riding. We heard from the other group that it was really painful for the backside, so we were rather apprehensive about riding.
We had a long ride up the mountains to the horse ranch, and then my group was further split into two, as there were not enough horses for everyone to go at once. I got on a horse, and the funnies thing was that apparently, it sank one cm lower, probably because of my weight. Our guide for the day, a German called Joachin, taught us how to guide and “operate” a horse, much like a car. It was nothing much to it, really. We just had to lean our weight back and forth to prevent ourselves falling over. The view at the top was magnificent, and in my opinion, was perfect for another installation for the Lord of the Rings series. J
After the journey, we returned with our horses back to the ranch. After I got off, I heard that my horse just plopped itself on the ground and refused to move. Man, I must have worked it overtime!
While waiting for the second half to complete their journey, we sat around and played a little basketball. After that, we had another delicious lunch nearby at a villager’s house. Then, we returned back to our lodge and prepared for canyoning the next day.

Day 4

On the fourth day, in the morning, the other group had to leave early, as they were going to climb the mountain. We therefore had a bit of a lie-in. We had breakfast and then rode the ACTION VEHICLE to our canyoning site. (the ACTION VEHICLE looked very much like a armoured personnel carrier, much like that of the army’s). After reaching the site, we geared up by wearing our harnesses and helmets.
We then walked through a short route through the jungle, and reached the canyons and crevasses. Our first task was to rappel down a high waterfall, which many of us did. Then, we had to do a flying fox from the top of another waterfall, through the cave. What was amazing was that we found out that Mario was holding on to our weight the whole time. Other places that offered flying fox activities use a system of pulleys and so on to hold on to weight. However, being the strong man that he is, Mario pulled the whole lot of us up.
We then completed the whole course and then arrived at a natural hot spring. What was rather peculiar was that at the current, some areas are warm, and others cold. We also learnt that sulphur had to do with the warm water. We kept all the equipment, and yet had another feast of the same food as the river climb. We ate and chatted and then we rode the ACTION VEHICLE back to the lodge.
I then went snorkeling with Ms Seah and some of the people from our group, while the others went to play soccer with Joachin. It was really amazing, to see all the wildlife, and all the fishes under the sea. Ms Seah saw something really traumatizing (a naked foreigner swimming around) and we joked all around about it. We then went to the Last Filling Station (a popular F&B outlet there) and we had our dinner.

Day 5

This was the day. Mountain trekking. Many people warned us about it. The previous group warned us that it was very tiring. Sir told us not to underestimate the mountain. It all led to this day. We woke up rather early and had a big breakfast, as advised by the previous group. We then rode up to about the base of the mountain, and that was when we carried on. The journey was EXTREMELY difficult, as it was very steep, and very tiring. We picked up a few walking sticks at the beginning, which helped us throughout the journey.
Along the way up, Ee Rong and I provided the entertainment for the group, basically singing songs and so on. We had a great time going up the mountain, although it was very tiring. Halfway up, our shirts were totally drenched with sweat, and we were panting heavily. What was most bizarre was that our guide, Melissa, appeared totally full of energy, and did not even sweat, and she was just wearing slippers and carrying a backpack way heavier than ours. Ms Nanthini saw black spots some time later, and decided that it was best to go back, in case she fainted at a higher altitude.
We then reached the summit, after a LONG journey up. Overall, the journey was okay, just that it was frustrating at times where the party climbs uphill for a long while, then suddenly you find yourself going down all the way. Another frustrating thing was that, the group was often split into two. Many times, the front half walked ahead without checking behind, and when they did finally wait, once the back half reached them, they started walking again, which will equate to the back half not having any rest, or not as much as the front half was waiting.
The view from the summit was BREATHTAKING, and our group signed our names on the book, which records all who have conquered the mountain. We spent about half an hour there, and our high spirits were further elevated with us being told that we reached the summit one hour earlier than the previous group. We had our lunch of sandwiches, bananas and crackers there, and rested until it was time to go down.
The journey down was, not as tiring as the journey up, however much more tricky and difficult, as it was very easy to slip on the rocks, which were very dry. Unfortunately, I took a bad fall, and my old injury came back to haunt me. It took its toll on me, and I found walking down rather painful. Nevertheless, I managed to complete it, and brushed off people thinking I was slowing the group down. We walked down through a primary school, and said hi to all the children playing. Cute little buggers.
We took the van back to the lodge, and had a well-earned rest.

Day 6

We woke up exceptionally early today, at around 4.30 a.m. to watch dolphins. We rode on a large boat and rode out to sea. The early part was rather boring, as there was nothing much to see. The only entertainment was when the pilot sped, and all the water splashed up into our faces. (Daniel, Henry, Andre, Ms Nanthini, Jun Liang and I were sitting at the side) Finally, the pilot called out, and we managed to spot several black dolphins swimming. It was a surreal experience. Ms Nanthini shared her knowledge about dolphins, and after that we went back to the lodge and got ready our stuff for the white sands beach! We paid a final visit to Kawasan Falls, where instead of going on the raft again, Beng Ho and I decided to compete, who could hold our breath longer underwater.
After that, we went on a VERY LONG journey to White Sands Beach, on the ACTION VEHICLE. There, we played touch rugby, wrestling and volleyball. Basically, we had a whale of a time there and we had a barbeque to end off the day. I tried arm wrestling with Eric, a 15 year old guide, however I lost. Then I tried Mario and Joachin, and needless to say, I was beaten flat out. There was also karaoke singing, and we all chatted and ate to our hearts’ content.

Day 7

On the last day, we woke up at around 8 in the morning and packed up to leave. Then, we said our goodbyes and presented Joachin shirts and photos for them. We left for Cebu town, where we shopped around for 4 hours, and we also had lunch there. Then, we had another 1 hour ride to the airport, and then, it was a more comfortable ride than the first one, and Melvin, Andre and I were talking lots of trash. During the flight, we hit turbulence quite a few times, owing to the super typhoon in Manila. Honestly, that was when I got worried and scared, but I prayed and the Lord gave me peace. J
We landed safely back in Singapore, and then we got up on the coach to take us back to school, at around 2 in the morning. I then helped to clean the life jackets and put them out to dry, and we all slept in the courtyard under the stars.

worship nite //

2006-11-19T04:21:00.000-08:00

wow. just had worship night last night.

first off, played risk and cards with the guys in the youth room, then basically slacked around.

after that, went off for a while to have dinner with my dad and sis at SIZZLER! ribs are good, shared a whole rack with my dad.

then went back to church for worship night. its really amazing, with all the music and the message by uncle dennis.

i felt God speaking to me, cause i've been feeling like, everytime i do wrong, i feel i've let God down, because He forgives me always, and somehow i continually break His heart. then i feel that God somehow keeps a record. but, UNCLE LAWRENCE KOH (YES, THE PREFECT MASTER), prayed for me, and assured me that God keeps no record of wrongs, if we truly confess our sins.

cried out to the Lord, and was really touching.

went down for ice-cream, helped carry back the pews and clear the stage, and then went back with godpa zheng!

brainless.

2006-11-16T05:15:00.000-08:00

oh wow. what a duty.

when the duty started, got posted to a room that is literally four walls, with nothing to do in there. not just that, the room's distance from the actual event is so far that it would completely negate the purpose of "quick response".

if one wants to complain, come on, we are in private. WHO THE HECK WOULD SEE US ANYWAY? IT'S A PRIVATE ROOM. ITS BASICALLY THE SAME AS REPORTING TO THE POLICE THAT YOUR NEIGHBOUR IS LITTERING AND SPITTING IN HIS OWN HOUSE.

next, assuming someone was injured:

1) they would be injured at the event site, which is so far away. come on.
2) theres a whole regiment of civil defence people there. who would they turn to? ADULTs who save life for a profession, or TEENAGERS who are basically taking part in a cca. BRAINS PEOPLE.
3) we have so little members actually doing duty, it is even actually pointless.
4) this may not as strong a point as previous points, but who can possibly get injured in this kind of event?

we are playing privately, and somehow someone can complain about doing something internal. yes, if we were like playing in the open, even outside the room, i agree they would have every right to complain. BUT WE ARE IN A ROOM, NOBODY EXCEPT US, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT? IF THERE WAS A CASUALTY, WE WOULD HAVE GLADLY TREATED THEM. WE ARE DOING OUR DUTY.

if you all can say that we are bringing down the image of st john, come on. the only thing that saw us are chairs and tables.

seriously i think some people could have more brains and logicality. i am not being arrogant or whatever, but seriously. brains.

go get some then talk to me.

Lord grant me wisdom

2006-11-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

Dear Lord, my wish is that You grant me wisdom.
Give me clear guidance on the realtionship.
give me strength to carry on.
and tell me if it is your will that i pursue it.
grant that she may be free on that day
so that i can please You.
by bringing her for worship nite
so that she will get to know you
and also spend time with me (d'oh!)
Dear God, grant me wisdom.

confirmation service

2006-11-12T05:44:00.000-08:00

heyHEY!

today had confirmation service, was really long and dragged out, but hey. you see some of the candidates falling and fainting after the laying of hands. plus the acting archbishop, rennis ponniah, really spoke to them and his words were like...really personal to the different candidates. seems that God was speaking to them through him, and today was really amazing.

com training tomorrow! and tuesday as well. then there's rugby on mon, tue and wed. argh. m1 10s on tue and wed, at yck stadium!

lols. alright thats all.

learning point #4

2006-11-08T05:04:00.000-08:00

hey ppl. came across this from the book " boy meets girl", basically it's the sequel to "i kissed dating goodbye" by joshua harris.

some questions to ask yourself. what's YOUR definition of a successful courtship? What should the relationship become? after reading this book, i guess quite frankly, it helps me a lot. joshua harris believes that, if one is not ready for marriage, one should not even get into courtship in the first place! well, it is kind of true.. and i also read about many happy stories, and sad stories.

at the beginning of a courtship, a man and a woman don't know if they should get married. they need to get to know each other, observe each other's characters, and find out how they relate as a couple. this is what it means to get closer. but the fact is, the future is unknown, and it should motivate them to treat each other with the integrity that will allow them to look back on their courtship without regret, regardless of the consequences.

i guess i need to guard my heart and her heart when i'm pursuing this...relationship. one key phrase really stirs me - more than friends ; less than lovers.

` very true. of course, with all the peer pressure at school, i definitely look at my relationship with her and i ask, why am i not closer to her? why am i not like them? why doesn't she treat me the way my friends' girlfriends treat them?

well, i guess this may be God's test to me. the Bible states that if we are not married, we have no right to indulge in another's body. well, that's simple, that means not kissing her till mariage. and that may be quite simple to do.
the harder part is when i ask myself why she doesn't treat me like how my friends' girlfriends treat them. well, courtship/bgr is basically about serving the other partner. as a guy, i feel/ and i am called to lead the relationship. if she is not ready, i should not force/pressure her. she's now in the midst of exams, so i have to understand that she has to study, no matter how badly am i thirsting for her company. that is the only way i can further the relationship, if it is God's will.

quite frankly (and i don't mind declaring this out), my first kiss i plan to be at the altar. during the courtship, i don't even plan to touch her sensually. the most will be holding hands. protecting her purity and guarding her heart, that is my role.

after the camp. //

2006-11-05T05:45:00.000-08:00

HAHAA! just back from camp ` thought of just summarizing up the "intensive" camp.

on friday i did TOC with the sec1s FOR THE WHOLE DAY MAN! argh got to teach them so much stuff.

on the second day (yesterday/saturday), it was the day of GGK. waiting for that hard knock, for the sec1s and 2s to work them up! HAAHHAA!
amazingly he kinda toned down a little, but aiya, same old same old effective GGK . xD
then at night, we had intensive case studies until like..1+? some broke down and all, but hey, it's for the best.

then after lights out and bathing, ys, jotham henry and i went out to the mac's nearby (24 hrs) and bought 4 LARGE FRIES MAN! and we simply indulged while talking lots of crap.oh YEAH, DRINK SUPER BIG GULPS! DAMN NICE! xD

played card games (taidi, heart attack, and STRIP BLACKJACK) in the night till 5.30.

then this morning woke up and around 6.30 with the sec2s like... next to me and they kept on asking me stuff bout GGK. i took them for some simple foot drill, then wished them the best. then the best part: GGK DIDN"T COME! WAHLAU! xD

ah well. STRIP BLACKJACK IS DAMN FUN! xD

today had grading today, was rather okay la for a first timer. i got to see many other students from all the different CCs.. xD

seoul garden was nice too guys but now everyone from the corps owes me 7 bucks :))

walking in the rain

2006-11-01T04:36:00.000-08:00

HAHAHA today had cebu training..then after that went for chem. but listened to nuts. so yeah.

then had training, did some ball tactics for a while, then RAIN!!!!

everyone went to the jc stadium and did physical fitness with COACH MARCUS!! xD

HAHAHAHAHA cut my hair to like crap, and now it looks stupid man. xD

will ya walk in the rain with me? haha.
i don't know.
but i will wait.
getting difficult. xD
i'll wait.

learning point #3

2006-10-31T05:49:00.000-08:00

thought i'd do a "follow up" to my initial "article".

talking about christian backsliders. well, one thing firstly, it is never God's choice to abandon you. Seriously people. Even if you commit murder and break almost all ten commandments, God will never abandon you. some backsliders may say "oh i'm in deep shit, and i pray so much but God never answers me. why bother wasting time?"

well, firstly once cna deduce their faith is not strong. secondly, some of us may experience God's silence when we pray for answers. it is not uncommon. i myself have been praying and asking for many things, but all i get is silence. honestly, i even felt times where God has abandoned me.
then my godpa introduced me to this verse. taken from jeremiah 29:13

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart"

when you get silence from God, there are only two possibilities. Either God is waiting for the right time, or you are not seeking him with all your heart. even if the answer hurts you deeply, if God tells it to you, it is for the best. God will NEVER give you bad things. why then, some people ask. if God loves you deeply, why does he allow bad things to hurt us? well, one answer might be that it is a test. really, if our lives were so blissful our faith would be almost fake. take this example.

a man, who has been robbed, beaten up, and so on. but still, he has the faith that God will give him the best. everday, he hopes for the best, and if nothing good comes to him, he says to himself: nevermind, another day.

then take a man who has everthing going for him. wealth, property, everything. he has nothing to hope for, is there? James says to take every trial that comes as a blessing, as it would strengthen you. you should.

so then, why do christians backslide? well, first off, backsliding is never an overnight thing. it is always a gradual build up. at one point (maybe more) of every christian's life, they would face what we call "spiritual dryness". that is when one feels that God has abandoned him or her. even the most devout pastor or reverend would have experienced it. let me say this. it is a test from God. i have recently been experiencing it, and i truly thank my godpa for helping me tide over this period. during this period, our faiths will be tested. only those who truly have the faith will carry on. in a crude way, this is like God's way of weeding out those who are not sincere in their faith. will you pass the test?

but even if you fail, as i said earlier, God will never abandon you. there is always the chance of you coming back. question is. will you turn back to God?

God is the greatest friend we can ever have. He has constantly given us good things (admittedly He has also disciplined us when needed), but He has constantly loved us. and what do we do in return? we constantly and regularly break his heart by sinning. if God was like a normal human friend that we have, he would have ditched us a long time ago.

BUT GOD IS NOT LIKE THAT! God loves us so much, that everytime we break his heart, he is more than willing to forgive us, but only if we have sincere apologies. here is God, loving us everytime, and we are just breaking his heart. how insensitive are we! But God loved us, so much that he gave up his son to die on the cross. sincerely speaking, if i had a son, i would not sacrifice him to save the world. but God did so. immense sacrifice and heartache, but He did it anyway, and in return we are breaking his heart.

live your live like Jesus. we can say that He is the only one that walked on Earth that never sinned. Even King David, the guy who killed Goliath, sinned. he committed adultery. and he idled. it is impossible to not sin, we are too weak to be so. but we can try. and so long as we try our utmost best, and repent sincerely, God will do the rest. rest assured.

learning point #2

2006-10-30T05:50:00.000-08:00

one question that i have stumbled across : what are you living for?

some may say to enjoy life, some may say get closer to God and all, some have amazing things they want to accomplish. Well then a second question: You have a perspective of what you WANT to do in life. But is it really what you STRIVE to do everyday?

take the example of a man whose main goal in life is to be like Jesus and have a strong relationship with God. He is an active member in his ministry at church, he does not drink, smoke, or any bad deeds. He treats his friends well. No doubt, very good. However, he swears and spews vulgarities.

some people may say, what's wrong with vulgarities? i can don't insult anyone, just say it. well. the Bible adresses this question, in James 3:9.

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in god's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?"

we may not have broken any of the ten commandments (e.g murder and so on), but we have sinned in many small ways, and an insult compared to murder is no different, it is still sin.
so then, how should we live our lives?
we can never be perfect. we can try to cut off vulgarites and so on from our lives, but when sinners like you and me are involved, we will DEFINITELY mess something up somewhere. so then, what can we do?
we try to cut them off. then, assuming we have done so, we should be repentful. but, we cannot take repentance for granted. it would be the same as saying. oh. i've sinned from monday to friday. nevermind lah i'll go to church on saturday or sunday and repent. THAT IS NEVER A WAY TO TREAT REPENTANCE.

do we pray regularly? one key thing. from what i think (and from my experience), we only pray sincerely when we are in a deep mess and we are asking God for a way out from the consequences. and it would be a really serious problem. think about it. If you were convicted on murder, and have a high chance of a death sentence. Boy, you would pray like never before that the charge would be reduced, or you might be acquitted. then assuming you have been cleared, after a while, you will be back to your old ways, not praying.

prayer is something we have to do everyday. there are no shortcuts, there is no half-heartedness. it is something we have to commit to. we have to remember that prayer is essential. a relationship with God about prayer and honesty and many more, and it is NEVER about music.

Matt Redman wrote "the heart of worship" and in the verse, it says " when the music fades, all is stripped away, and i simple come" and "i'll bring you more than a song, for a song in itself, is not what you have required"
will you still have that spiritual high without praise and worship songs? you may say yes, but do you really feel that way?
When God takes away your loved ones, your family, takes away EVERYTHING that you have. Literally everything. would you still praise him?

DAMN.

2006-10-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

ah man.

been in A LOT of funk recently. damn.

sorry people, if i have offended/insulted/irritated/annoyed/hurt you ppl in one way or another.

hmm. i guess, i wonder. i've been trying to put up a cheerful "mr brightside" desposition, but somehow, all the little things hurt. i've sinned. i know it. argh it's so troublesome/difficult.

and if you are not down with that, i've got two words for ya.

get the commitment right.

2006-10-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

ALRIGHTS TODAY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! xD

watched "coach carter" during lit today, then went for end of term assembly, then went to see Amaths yeo to get my paper.
I have the take the supp paper, so gotta study! ah man. may have to drop if i fail again :(
also received back my report card today, did rather "okay"....well no seriously i am very disappointed with my results. L1R5 is 21? come on man.

had a rugby meeting` and the teachers addressed us on attendance at training. numbers were dismal and results are slipping. guess they are gonna do something about it.

training today was rather cool. after the rain and all..went to the TOL land and saw the field all wet and then "oh crap its gonna suck."

booted up and started warming up, then did some passing lines with ruck/switch/swivel/pocket and all. okay la.
then finally had a semi-contact game, did normal, though didnt manage to even touch the ball (except when i was in the ruck driving and i channelled the ball through, thats different. ah well. got lots more to learn/catch up.

sprained my ankle pretty badly today. ah well.

25th Oct :))

2006-10-25T06:01:00.000-07:00

Oookay! today had swimming meet..but first things first...

HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN JOLENE!!! :)

ahahah okay. ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR O LEVEL CHEM PRAC!

okay today had swimming meet, rather okay, but so sad arm cramped up and all..in the end only won bronzes for two events. ah well. learning experience.

just came back from dinner with dad, woohoo great fellowship man! xD

WEEHOO ~~~ !!!!!1

2006-10-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

HHAAHAHAA had a great talk with ya! short one, but nice la nonetheless! xD

hahahaa ah well. didnt do much today, went with mom and sis to eat at country manna, then after that went home and slacked. went to occ to train swimming for a while, then went to grandparents' house for dinner! then now blogging..tomorrow..ah man swimming meet tomorrow, i'm dead! xD

HAHAHAA ah well. TOMORROW IS A GOOD DAY!!!!!!!! hahaahaahahahaha...

the date is set! (not that kind of date, i mean date as in like 16 april, 4 July that kind)!

AHAHAHA HOPE THAT YOU'RE FREE! >.<

the toilet is my friend

2006-10-23T08:08:00.000-07:00

ARGH BEEN TO THE TOILET MANY TIMES! STOMACH FLU? GASTRIC FLU? AH WHATEVA.

hmm no school tomorrow because of Hari Raya... so i got no idea what to do but i must stay at home. Hm.

watched the guardian yesterday..rather nice man. coast guards, saving lives and all and without a thought of their own. hmm.

wednesday there's swimming meet, kinda prepared for it but dunno if i can hold up. I mean, dunno if i can still swim as fast as before. (IM NOT BRAGGING!!!!!)

HAHAHAHAHAAAAHAHA AH WELL.

cheer up!

2006-10-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

hm had a rather slack day today...

started off with mdm parmes reading to us our overalls for final years.

glad to hear that i passed, got about 20th position in class..

however some 3s1 fellas came and told us about the discrepancies for lit results..

so i checked the list and guess what?? I got first in class, and still failed. amazing huh. ah well.
checked with mr sim and he said that marks were keyed in wrongly, so will be corrected.
SO I GUESS A NEW POSITION? HAHHAAA

then had inter class captains ball, but the iodea was scrapped after recess for some reason.

i went to suan mrs huang and all.
so damn hillarious! xD

then had cm, ran around and ms seah was like damn pissed! ah well.
promotion parade, richmond and henry got promoted to staff!
congrats yeah? :D

am i concerned about my results?
yeah of course?
am i trying my best?
probably not.
but i am trying. i am trying.
i mean, i see the fruits of my decision,
not getting into a bgr and all.
a few people prove the point.
But why must you ppl dwell on the failures? my maths?
yeah scream at me all you want.
i already made a deal with dad.
come on, control your anger.
before i do it for you

the room

2006-10-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

took this from the book "i kissed dating goodbye"
its a dream the author, Joshua Harris, had.

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for the one wall covered with small index-card files.

They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near to the wall of giels, the first to catch my attention was "Girls I have liked". I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that i recognized the names written.

And then, I suddenly knew exactly where i was. This lifeless room was a crude catalog of my life. Here were written actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match.

The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense i often looked over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching.

After seeing many cards, such as "lustful thoughts", "things i have muttered under my breath at my parents", "vulgarities i have said", I felt an animal rage. Noone must ever see these cards! I tried to tear each file; when i failed i took out a random card and tried tearing it. It was hard as steel. Nothing could have been torn.

Then, i saw one file. 'People i have shared the Gospel with" The file was shinier than the rest. I opened the file and counted the cards.

And then the tears came. i began to weep. Sobs so deep that the hurt started my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out in shame.

Then, I saw him. Oh no, not him. anyone but Jesus.

I watched helplessly as he began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch his response. And in the moments that i could bring myself to see his face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own.

Finally he turned and looked at me. There was pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn;t anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. he walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didnt say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of the files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file, and one by one, began to sign his name over mine.

"No!' i shouted, rushing to Him. All i could say was no,no, as i pulled the cards from Him. His name was written, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written in blood.
He gently took the card back, and smiled a sad smile, and continued signing. I then heard him close the last file, and said "It is finished".

I stood up and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on the foor. There were still cards to be written.

refreshed. renewed.

2006-10-13T06:14:00.000-07:00

got off the phone with joy just now.
what she said to me really touched me.
helped me to identify all the problems
the roots, the branched out stuff.
everything.

"marcus, you are a mighty warrior, as said.
I have chosen this name for you
you are strong.
you are meant for battle
against sin.
you are a mighty warrior
live your life like one."

"Lord, I will. give me strength.
I will lead your armies.
and i will triumph in the battle
give me strength"

fitness test

2006-10-13T04:31:00.000-07:00

hm had fitness test today for rugby.

firstly did height weight and all that.
man 21.8% of body fat. man.

then after that did all the national squad tests
Beep test, jump height, agility test, speed test, pushups

then went to lvl 6 to play with the guys some touch rugby.

when my body was kinda pushed to its limit,
i kind of liked the pain.
i guess...
it helps to take my mental and emotional pain away
hmm.

still moody. still dry.

but hey, not so much now.
plus my spiritual level is now slightly wet.
WEE!

thanks to rico

2006-10-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

got this from rico's blog..sorry man but i thought of putting this up. really encourages me in this time...sorry and thanks bro.

You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible(Luke 18:27)

You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest(Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you(John 3:16 & John 3:34 )

You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps(Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things(Philippians 4:13)

You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able(II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it(Roman 8:28 )

You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs(Philippians 4:19)

You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear(II Timothy 1:7)

You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME(I Peter 5:7)

You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom(I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you(Hebrews 13:5)

endless charades. (?)

2006-10-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

lit today. was rather good. managed to get all my stuff out.
but i had more stuff in mind.

last few minutes, i managed to compose a short poem. xD
must have been the atmosphere.

but on reflecting,
i thought,
what the heck am i so emo for?
yeah well.
i have been thorugh it, and i did survive it
so yeah i can go through it again!
but its rather difficult, so everytime i go through it it gets deeper
and much more painful
BUT HEY! when i get OUT of it, it gets even more joyful!
what a trade man, bet raffles couldnt do it. (?)
this thing must have clouded my judgement. hmm.
but as i read, i read of all the stuff of lost and lack of direction
I wanna tell : Jesus will direct you!
but its so difficult to even connect.

I need strength Lord,
give me strength and patience.

give me the light.

discovery.

2006-10-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

hm had an discovery today.

was it meant for me? Seriously, i have no idea.

but ah well.

i'm still going to do what zheng said.

LIT TOMORROW!

LAST PAPER IN 2 DAYS!!!

2006-10-09T01:02:00.000-07:00

PHEW HAD ADD MATHS AND CHEM TODAY

1 ` ADD MATHS - im dead. bad. Bad. BAd. BAD.
2 ` CHEMISTRY - A1 HERE I COME!!!

haha i'm just mega.

well God answered my prayer..back to talking again :)

hope to build up the relationship!

XD

d-day letter

2006-10-04T01:48:00.000-07:00

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have
striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The
hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.
In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on
other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war
machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of
Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well
equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of
1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats,
in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their
strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home
Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions
of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men.
The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to
Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in
battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great
and noble undertaking.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

150th post

2006-10-04T01:06:00.000-07:00

hmm what a 150th post. had english paper one yesterday (good feeling) and maths (variable)

just came back from chinese paper one (dead) and social studies (good feeling).

hmm.

been feeling kinda moody these days, must be exams (or something else??)
hahahahahhaa

ah well.