Twenty-O-Nine - A year of God's grace in my life

i can't believe it's the last day of the year today. i'm feeling pretty nostalgic about it, 'cause it's been a great year for me. As i look back these 12 months, i'm filled with a sense of gratitude, 'cause 2009 has been a year of God's grace to me. In other words, it's like a honeymoon year for me.

In a way, the year started in December 2008 - on the 22nd to be exact - when i continued serving my National Service (NS) after repeating my A level exams back in SAJC (by God's grace). Reported at School of Infantry Specialists (SISPEC) where sergeants are moulded. Life was pretty tough, but by God's grace it was only for the next 5 months.


Went through the 50th Basic Section Leaders' Course (BSLC) for 2 months and subsequently the 50th Advanced Section Leaders' Course (ASLC) for 3 months. Enjoyed the camaraderie of many buddies in SISPEC. The best 3 days of my army life were spent in Kanchanburi, Western Thailand where 6 of my ASLC bunk/section mates and i were doing our navigation exercise with the help of a 'seasoned' Thai liaison soldier.


Undeservingly by God's grace, i passed out from SISPEC as a Third Sergeant and got posted to BMTC, Pulau Tekong as an instructor - which i later realised was a dream vocation. Haha. Life back on the island is different now that i'm not a recruit being trained but someone training recruits. It's really by God's grace that i get to enjoy my army life this way. One thing i'm grateful for is that i get to cycle around the camp or even the island, as if i'm patrolling the camp - in the words of Weiwen and other former recruits who saw me cycling around the camp. i also get to swim and suntan in the Olympic-sized swimming pool which is only about 100 metres away from the sea. Life as an instructor has been very fulfilling and rewarding. i've learnt alot about myself as well as from the recruits. It's an honour to be one of the first few people whom these recruits meet in the army.


Apart from the beauty of this last paradise on earth and the enriching experience of an instructor's life, by God's grace He has blessed me with fantastic colleagues and superiors who have been super kind to me. Thanks to my superiors approving my long overseas leave and my colleagues covering my duties when i was away, i was able to spend the last 2 days of November and first 9 days of December in Northern Thailand on a short missionary trip. It's indeed a miracle that i could go back to the Land of a Thousand Smiles this year. i've been on the trip 5 times and each time was a different experience. i remember the first time i went i had a slight sense that God might call me into the mission field on a long-term basis in the future, but i was pretty uncertain about that calling. After this year's trip, i believe God has revealed more about this calling.


If i were to become a long-term missionary, what would i do? i see myself teaching in a village - maybe teaching the English or Chinese language. i could do some translating as well. This would of course mean a lot of equipping has to be done first! i read somewhere about a time lag between God's calling of a person and His sending of that person into the missions field. The length of this time lag depends on how much time God takes to equip this particular person before sending him out to the field.


i had previously wanted to follow the footsteps of Zhengqin and my sister - enter the National University of Singapore (NUS), study psychology (or sociology) and then go on from there but i think God wants me to go straight into the National Institute of Education (NIE) and then graduate as a teacher. Many people have encouraged me to become a teacher as they think i can make a good one. This isn't exactly what i wanted.


What i had in mind was to get into either NUS or the Singapore Management University (SMU) 'cause it's geographically less inaccessible than NIE which is in the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). i have cycled to NUS before (to visit my sister) but NTU is so much more remote, and i don't quite like the idea of going to that part of Singapore 'cause it's near Pasir Laba Camp where i underwent training as a Specialist Cadet (SCT) in SISPEC. But i guess it's all about God's will, not mine. If it's truly God's will for me to take the NIE path, then i'll have to obey, 'cause i know God knows what's best for me and i want nothing less than His best for me. Right now i just have to continue seeking Him to confirm that i'll be remaining at the centre of His will in my life after serving my NS.


Alright back to reminiscing about 2009. The next highlight after the missions trip was the Teens and Youth camp in church! Again, by God's grace my superiors approved my leave so that i could attend the camp. i was a group leader and Zhengqin was my facilitator. It was a great experience to see God move in our midst throughout the camp, especially during the worship sessions. i enjoyed myself while playing drums, projecting slides, leading discussions, playing games, performing in the skit as well as taking photos!


Now, i shall look back to my new year's resolution for 2009 which i included in my blog at the start of the year here. Looking back, i'm ashamed to say that for most of the resolutions, it's been an inward plateau in terms of my spiritual progress. i shall continue to use these past year resolutions for 2010. My church has declared 2010 as the Year of Evangelism and i'm inspired to reach out to my pre-believing friends (including my dad) as i have started in recent weeks. i may be facing strong resistance from the enemy (as i have in terms of responses to my outreach efforts) but i will stand firm and not let anything move me. i will always give myself fully to the work of the Lord, because i know that my labour in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).


It's gonna be an exciting year ahead!

There are many gorgeous girls everywhere who steal my eyes but there are few Godly ones who point my heart towards God. i cherish rare gems.

A simple life

Read an email forwarded by Uncle David Wong:


A boat is docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village. A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.


"Not very long," they answered in unison.


"Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?"
The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.


"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"


"We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take siestas with our wives.


In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. We have a full life."


The tourist interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."


"And after that?"


"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one
and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man,
you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.
You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."


"How long would that take?"


"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the tourist.


"And after that?"


"Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting, " answered the tourist, laughing.
"When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"


"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the fishermen.


"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."


“That’s what we are doing now!” replied the fishermen.



And the moral of this story is: Know where you're going in life. You may already be there!

i am more than just six-pack abs and i want something more than muscle - wisdom. (Ecclesiastes 9:13-18).

I understand when single guys look at girls, but not when guys already attached look at other girls. They don't deserve their girlfriends.

Had a tiring but tremendous experience being filmed by and working with 1-22 Production Crew this week. I hope everything turns out well!

Looking at how complicated the medical conditions of my PES C recruits are, i can't help but be thankful to God for my physical well-being.

My first time cycling to the western part of Singapore today. Brushed against a coach along Bukit Timah Road. A couple of abrasions added.

Great worship and great sermon in church today. 

"There're places in God's heart where I haven't been, and I wanna go there."

 - Jamie Harris

My last 3 days of September on Pulau Tioman

Snorkeling was the highlight of the trip but traveling and cam-whoring with 12 other guys using 10 cameras were the main activities throughout the entire trip right from the start till the end.