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Saturday, June 24, 2006


Island of dreams and nightmares


Song of the moment: Hillsongs - Free

Would you believe me if I said
That God can make miracles happen today
Would you believe me if I said
That you don't need to wait for the answers before
You step out in faith
Would you believe me if I said
That nothing is ever IMPOSSIBLE for God

And if I had wings I would fly
Cause all that I need, You are
And if the world caved in around me
To You I'd still hold on
Cause You're all that I believe
And the one that created me
JESUS.. because of You.. I'm FREE
Free by Hillsongs

After two weeks of sweat, tears, blood and pain, I am finally back home for a VERY brief respite from the struggles of military life on a small island named Tekong...

Hmm...

Maybe it is a bit of an exaggeration but it was a struggle nonetheless. It wasn't as smooth a transition as I thought it would be. Still, I coped with it, survived and came back out relatively unscathed save for a few aching muscles, bruises and mosquito bites.

I don't think I'll go into too much detail about my last two weeks but I hope my account will satisfy those who want to find out what army life is like on Tekong and also those who might wish to reminicise about their days in BMT.

The first week kind of passed by in a blur for me though I still kind of remember the first day. My family and I sat the Penguin "fast" craft ("fast" = it's only fast when travelling to Tekong and excruciatingly slow when going to the mainland). Upon reaching Tekong, we were immediatly seperated from our kin and gathered together like sheep going into the slaughter. We were forced to surrender our "Get Out Of Jail Free" card (a.k.a Pink IC) and given our "Stay in Jail For At Least Two Years" card (a.k.a 11B). Then, us sheep were forced to watch a video expouting the virtues of National Service and it's aim of "turning boys to men". Then we went for our oath taking ceremony, which was for all intents and purposes, the proverbial final nail in the coffin. I then joined my parents for a late lunch before sending them off at the ferry terminal and joining the rest of the "sheep". It was during that time, sitting down with the rest of the guys, waiting to know which platoon I will be in, that I really felt lost. I was silently praying to be in a good platoon with good people. I really thank God for putting me in Platoon 3, where the Sargeants and fellow platoon mates are friendly and fun-loving.

The days that followed were filled with physical training that pushed you to the limit and a demand for discipline which put fear in us. I am not the kind of person which excels under too much pressure but I appreciate that they really push us. Because even though real life isn't that physically demanding, the pressure is the same, if not more in the real world.

Still nothing beats the feeling of booking out. The fresh, Carbon Monoxide-laced air of mainland Singapore, the sound of cars filling your ears, the comfort of the Compaq Presario PC in my room and my mom's baked macaroni. So, I am sitting in front of my PC, enjoying my room's fan and the feeling of pressing plastic beneath my fingers. Apologies to the rest of the SF-FFW organising committee for not turning up for SF-FFW. I promise to turn up for the next FFW if possible. Thanks to everyone who prayed for me during my 1st 2 weeks and I hope that you'll continue to pray for me throughout my service in the SAF.

See you guys in church tomorrow!

Can't wait to see you again. I did kind of miss your presence. Especially on the 2nd Sunday when it felt kind of weird that I was having free time in my bunk and not going to church. Obviously, I still hope for the best...but I guess just seeing and maybe talking to you will be enough.



Friday, June 09, 2006


Sometimes, 'goodbye' and 'thank you' just ain't enough...


Song of the moment: Robbie Williams - Better Man

Send someone to love me
I need to rest in arms
Keep me safe from harm
In pouring rain

Give me endless summer
Lord I fear the cold
Feel I'm getting old
Before my time

As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord I'm doing all I can
To be a better man
Better man by Robbie Williams

In less than 16 hours time, civilian Anthony Chia Wenhao will cease to exist for 2 years. In that time, Recruit Chia Wenhao will exist in his place. Well, of course I don't intend to stay as a recruit, I still got my SPF or OCS dreams to pursue. It's kind of hard to believe how fast time passes. It seemed to be just a few days ago that I just graduated from Polytechnic. Now, my bag is about packed, and tomorrow, I'll be on a fast craft to Tekong. Am I worried? Yes, a little. After all, no matter how much you prepare for something, you can never be totally prepared for it. Will I miss the mainland? Who wouldn't? Nice food, bed, pink IC, the works...
All I can do is put my trust, everything into God's hands.

Skipped FFW last Saturday to meet YX and JY at Hougang. As it turns out, only YX made it because JY had a prior appointment. So, we both went to Hougang Mall's foodcourt to have dinner. Then after some deliberation, we decided to go to Compass Point's Starbucks to have a drink. We talked more or less about the usual stuff, NS life, old friends, the works. He also gave me some stuff for use in Tekong. I really appreciate all the stuff you have done for me. So thanks a lot, friend!

On Sunday, everything went as expected. I was called up to the center of the room and the guys prayed for me and my family. Although it felt kind of embarrassing, I was kind of touched too. So thanks to all the D'Anchor youths for keeping me in your prayers.

Watched Cars with Jia Wei and Jowell, the only two people who were willing to be with me during my last few days as a civilian (Hah...and you call yourselves my friends...lol just kidding!). Thanks to you two for making sure I don't spend my last civilian movie outing as a loner.
Anyways, movie was quite good. I really liked the appetizer, "One Man Band" (or was it "Orchestra"?), a Pixar short film about a kid and two buskers. The storyline for "Cars" though, was a bit cliched (your typical growing up kind of story) but if you watch enough Pixar films, you realise its not really about the plot, its the way they execute it that makes it enjoyable. (Rating 4.5/5 stars)

Had dinner today with my family + the 2 Lek brothers at Cafe Cartel. My Grilled Chicken was quite good, but the sauce was a bit too...BBQ-ish? It'll probably be my last decent dinner with decent ambience...well, for the next two weeks anyway. I did enjoy myself, so no regrets.

This entry is starting to become some sort of extended thank you speech...haha. Anyways, thanks to everyone once again. For all your words of encouragement, bible verses, pieces of advice(Febreze and zip lock bags), Army surplus(more zip lock bags, rifle cleaning kit etc...) and just spending time with me. I really appreciate what all you guys have done for me. God Bless!

~

Stuff I plan to do haven't done before June 10th:

1) Complete at least one of my MG Gundam Models - DONE!

2) Watch the VCDs and DVDs which I bought but haven't had time to watch till now - Still haven't Three Extremes and Be With Me...I am getting lazy...

3) Download and watch Kakashi Gaiden arc from Naruto TV series - Sigh...

4) Win a Premiership title in FM 2005 within 2 seasons without using any of the top 6 teams in the division - Sigh...

5) Lastly and most importantly, confess my undying love and affection to _______ and for her to do the same to me and live happily ever after TOGETHER as a loving couple For ______ and I to actually have a decent conversation without getting distracted or interrupted - Sigh...sobs...sobs...

~

To the one I'll miss most of all: Will you wait for me? Be it yes or no, no matter what happens, I'll always wish the best for you. I still don't know if we'll eventually work out, but I trust God to make the right decision for us all. You'll always stay in my prayers...
PS: Time for you guys(yes, you know who you are...) to keep to your promise!


See you in 2 weeks!!



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