Last post - June 11 2006

Today - September 9 2007

I've been on null for more than a year! are there anymore readers? hahaz.

for the past year, nothing much has happened. got into the army, got best trainee in my platoon, got into OCS and commissioned on June 9 2007.

something to be very proud of and glad that i made it through.

now that i'm commissioned, many would think that its time for me to slack. well, its barely the beginning because i'm still on course for my vocation! i'm training to be a recce commander and i'm sure its going to be extremely exciting.

cannot go into the details, but watch and see! i'll infiltrate your fridge like never before!

so many happenings recently, so many to say. but so little time, or rather lazy my fingers and brains are. all i'm thinking of is the ice cream tub thats waiting for me in the freezer and a cup of iced milo.

maybe this is the start of a blogging lifestyle again, but definitely not everyday because i'm a stay in trainee. would only get to book out on fridays and if i get confined, sundays.

even officers get confined! boo!

what is an irritating person? is he someone that talks too much or tries too hard to be someone else?

personally, an irritating person is an insensitive person. he does things without much consideration, talks without thinking and is often oblivious to his surroundings.

sometimes you may think that you're not an irritating person, but to somebody else, your actions and speech makes them feel irritated. why? i don't know too! because in Deuteronomy 29:29, it says "The secret things belong to the Lord our God"

maybe when we go up to heaven one day, God would reveal to us the things that we never understood. perhaps we would then be really ashamed of ourselves because of the foolish things that we did.

sometimes God deals with you indirectly. He sends somebody into your life and treats you the way you treat other people.

you want to be loved? then love others first. always placing others before self, without a motive should always be the mentality of ours.

i may have the potential to be the Mr. Gentleman of the universe, but because of my selfish desires, i would be stripped off the title and it would be given to somebody else who's willing to rise up.

you may think, "aiyah.. i'm still young, still got many more years ahead of me" but what you would never know is that your foundation is already cracked the moment you make this statement. with that crack in your foundation, the devil can come in easily and cause you to go off course.

ok.. i'm out of point, anyway, this is quite an random post and i'm not directing at anyone=)

hmm.. why is blogger in chinese today? heh.. weird..

anyway, i've about 4 more weeks of "freedom" before i'm being transported to pulau tekong for 2 years of service to the nation.

as the saying goes, "its the place where boys turn into man."

i've heard many friends share their experience, and some older generations sharing with me their "sob" story because they had lesser pay, tougher trainings and lack of welfare. but many shared with me of what to expect inside because the people i'll meet inside may be far from what i can imagine.

basically, national service is like going for weekly camps at a far away place, being seperated from everyone else and the occational confinments, field camps and overseas training.

it wouldn't be bad for those singletons because they do not have much "responsibilities". but those lovely dudly BFs would probably suffer abit more because of the seperation. some people would even "encourage" you by saying that your GF is probably flirting with some other guys.

heh. not only that, pampered children would definitely not get used to camp food for the first few days. thank God i'm not a picky eater (sometimes). so i'll just gobble down whatever food thats given to me, if it tastes ok, and not make a big fuss about wanting mcdonalds =P

but i guess its gonna be really fun. imagine getting a really great buddy in the army, one thats great to work with, willing to work and serve hard, encourages and edifies, my army experience would definitely be a great one!

going through thick and thin together, helping one another cover our backs, slack during guard duties and stuffs like that would be so enjoyable because of a wonderful buddy=)

i think its really time for me to mature in my thinking. got to have the wisdom of God in every espect of my life. no longer thinking just for my selfish desires and needs, but about meeting other people needs.

about enlarging my capacity, stretching my limits to reach the next level. i know its never gonna be easy because its always easier to flow a fuse than to control the voltage. but once the damage is done, it is forever there.

i think i've done enough damage and in my last 4 weeks, i do not want to induce further damage. i just want to enter national service knowing that everything is ok, under control and smooth flowing.

saying is always easier, but when the situation comes, the action seems hard to perform. every part of our brain would scream out in harmony, inflicting anger cells and boiling blood. before we know it, another scar is formed, damage done.

then when you calm down and realized how foolish you were, you spend another 30 minutes trying to pacify the other party, explaining your actions and asking for forgiveness.

all these trouble can be saved if only we control our emotions and think about the words that are proceeding out of our tongue. watching our body language is also very important because communication is about body language too.

standing too close to someone or simply having a irritated look can turn someone off and spoil the day. so observe not just our tongue, but our body language too!!

gosh. how did this entry turn out to be a communication lesson? heh.. anyway, its late.

snooze time!

ooh. just came back from a soccer game with the security guys at ngee ann poly. talk about convinence manz! they should have all their games at NP! =D

it was quite a nice match.

surprisingly i played from the beginning. was thinking that i would be "relegated" to the bench because of my poor attendance and lack of equipment. i had to wear bro mike's track shoes to play=P

anyway, its been a million years since i last played soccer and it was quite fun running about, chasing after a ball, with formation definitely!

i guess all the Football Manager gaming experience saved me. i played at midfield right and for the first half, i had quite a lot of action on my side.

just before the half time, i started to see white and i got replaced. i almost whited out on the field! thank God i had just enough time and strength to walk to the side, almost blind, and ask for a drink to refill myself.

i went back to the pitch for the second half! couldn't stand sitting at the bench watching others play! hahaa=P

this time, i wore daniel's boots and it was soooo much better! i finally had grip on the muddy pitch and i was able to run with control.

i think the match ended 5-3 to security! hahaa=P not sure if i contributed to the first goal because i took a shot, but it got deflected and someone headed the ball in instead. lol=P anyway, we won! doesn't matter if i scored or not=P

on a personal evalution of myself, i thought i played quite poorly. couldn't trap the ball in the air and had several bad passes, miskicks and moments of blurness on the field. heh=P ricky was like roy keane, shouting and motivating us to play harder~ even told me off, to wake up my idea. haha=P

currently i'm considering getting boots for myself so that i can join them everyweek for a game of soccer. gotta exercise before i enter national service!

2.30pm! i'm gonna be really late! gotta cut my hair, meet steven then travel to changi airport!

BYE!

http://joel.youaremighty.com/

=)

>.<

ashley's at phillippines right now!! -cries- which means i've no one protecting me in the company, getting me out of trouble and helping me when i need help!

oh well. anyway, had a great time with taifong today. we walked stores together and i saved a lot of money on transport because he drove me around the various locations we visited! hahaz! learnt several stuffs about driving and it has indeed stirred up my spirits to learn driving asap!

the shock of getting into army on 6 july 2006 is still trying to settle in. i still can't believe that i'm entering NS sooner then most of my friends! to think that i passed NAPFA! i thought i'll get like 2 months off or something?

or maybe its like that - 6 july 2006 - 2 mths = 6 may 2008 i'll ORD! which sounds REALLY soon. AND remembering that i can clear leave, i'll probably unofficially ORD by April! Praise God!!

i'm gonna do a countdown to ORD and bring it along when i enlist on 6 july. =D i'll probably be labeled as crazy

i've got so many things i want to do!! before my NS!!

i want to travel overseas, by air, land and sea!!

air - take an aeroplane to some country to play
land - drive/get driven to neighbouring country to play
sea - take a cruise to play!

generally, i want to play before entering NS!! i want to see more of the world before i'm confined in little tekong!

7 more weeks to national service.... >.<

its official.

i'm enlisting on 6 July 2006.

heh. Loads of things i wanna blog about, but i'm quite lazy to type them all out here.

Anyway, quick update!! i'm currently very obsessed this song i heard recently at a KTV session with the gang.

it's called - Superwomen. (I bet everyone's going.. cheyyYyy..)

it's such a sweet song!! feels so honest and it's the type of song that comes best when you're discouraged by a setback.

Well. technically speaking, my contract at Reborne is expired. but i'm still returning to the company to help out at certain areas. i've been offered a two weeks extension because one of the sales executive is going on exams break and i'll be taking over her position for the time being.

i don't know if its a blessing in disguise because there's loads of conflicts going on, regarding if i've been doing my job or i'm just a waste of the company's finance.

seriously speaking, i do not care what they're talking behind my back. as far as i'm concerned, as long as i'm doing my job, i'm secure.

but what annoys me is that my effort is not appreciated in the company, and worst of all, its being doubted. only once i received open praise from Lars, the bigboss of the company, because i called up the audience from the Nanz Chong talk show held recently and managed to get sales for our new product.

Lars praised the effort i placed in speaking to the audience, gathering feedback and promoting sales to them.

i also learnt something valuable this week. there's a famous quote that goes, "no point crying over spilt milk" i simply thought it simply means whats done cannot be undone. but i had the honor of experiencing it first hand.

sometimes we do things out of anger and if we're unable to control our tongue, all hell breaks loose. thats why the bible says that the wise controls their tongue and the bible also mentions that the more we speak, the more we're prone to sin.

we can only regret after doing such things, but there's nothing we can do to undo the event. its not like Microsoft Words, when you can click on the undo icon and all the mistakes are erased.

scars are permanent. no use rubbing against it, hoping that it would go off one day.

anyway, i could have used my brains before using my emotions.. but, no point crying over spilt milk. i've to stand up once again, dust off the dust and move on with life. i cannot afford to stay at the same place and hope for a miracle to change the event that happened.

alrites! it's time to revive this blog of mine!!

to all my faithful readers out there, congratez!! You'll be reading fresh, new posts from me once again!! heh=P

as you noticed, a new skin is being used already~ not bad for a start right?

I've no idea what to write today, but i just feel like blogging all over again. I wonder why too.

Not much happenings recently, except that i'm given a 2 weeks extension for my current job. I don't know if its a blessing in disguise, but it can be quite stressful working there. Just look at Ashley and everyone would understand. She seems to be on the tenderhooks everyday and she explodes everynow and then. Heh.

Maybe I should just blog about this.

Working at reBorne has certainly opened up my eyes. You see the nice guys and the bad guys in the same place. Sometimes you look behind your back and you find a knife being stabbed into your back.

There are also nice people that fight the battle for me, thanks Ashley! When things goes wrong, they are always the ones that I look for.

But my work there is quite boring. I just goto stores to check stock and order stock. Not much responsibilty, not even exciting after 2 weeks. It takes much discipline to work everyday and there are days when i just slack at home=P

On Wednesday, we would have bible studies with Lars, the boss who wears Boss polo tees, or sometimes guest pastors/speakers to teach us the word of God. Recently it has been Aileen giving us bible studies, reading passages from the bible and sharing revelations with each other.

Quite interesting company eh?

FUTURECAST

Quote - "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." - Alan Kay

Hi, I'm Phil Pringle
You're going to love this;

Forecasting is based on a predictable future. That animal is extinct.

Forecasting says 'This is what we believe is going to happen.'

Futurecasting says 'This is what we are going to make happen.'

Futurecasting easily predicts the future because those who futurecast are going to make that particular future happen.

So, what are you going to make happen?

Move slower to move faster.
Take a little longer before you speak.
Take time to order your thoughts.
Take time to prepare properly.
So many demands, so much to do;
The temptation to rush is overwhelming.
But.Stop! Sit...
Even right now!
For an hour.
Consider God.
Think about your plans.
Then... Act.

-Phil Pringle

-

how true are these comments made by Pst Phil? its so true! so many people are quick to anger, quick to speak, quick to make comments that they forget everything else.

they forget that the comments they make would hurt someone else, they forget that it would cause a scar in someone else's life, they forget that God should be in their plans.

sometimes people rush to finish things, they forget the ultimate objective of the plan. why did we even start doing this project? is it for the fame? for the glory? or for the purpose of it?

stop and consider, are we in line with God? are our thoughts in line with him? many times we get tired, burnt out because what we're doing is not what God wants us to do! the joy of the Lord is our strength! if we're doing what God wants us to do, no matter how tired we are, we would still be filled with strength.

no one's perfect. we all have flaws and we need to learn from one another. allow yourself to be teachable, learn from the ants! learn from the roadsweeper, who's able to endure the sun, rain, cold just to keep our neighbourhood clean.

when you're not teachable, you wont be molded to who God wants you to be. then you end up getting frustrated because the same problem is coming back again and again.

stop and consider, is this happening to you now?

Happy Valentines!

Often we see couples, seemingly loving, family members spending time together. we often feel that there's love between the parties, but recently, a certain thought struck me.

is it true love or "no-choice" love?

when you love someone, you naturally show care and concern to that person. you would be very tolerant and patient with that person. no matter how serious the arguments can get, you'll always be the first to forgive and the first to give in. not forgetting the one that always tries to please the other party.

but when you have "no-choice" but to love someone, you tend to get frustrated and irritated easily. you tend to pick on the person a lot and vent your frustrations all on that person even though its not their fault.

example -> a mom loves her child a lot, but the child has "no-choice" because she's his mom! so when the mom starts to ask a little more questions about school, the child gets irritated. why does this happen?

because the child does not understand! to the child, to love is just to receive.

in every relationship, we have to give and take. as we all mature, we start to form deeper relationships with our friends. we can never expect to keep taking from them because when troubles come, you're not "used" to giving your "love" / sacrificing for other people.

same goes for our relationship with God! His love is pure love, agape love! the selfless love that He has for us! yet some of us here has abused His love, just to receive His blessings! when the storms come, they blame God for all the bad things and turn their backs against Him.

don't people realize that the more you give, the more you would receive because the blessings would increase?

the more you show LOVE to somebody, the more you would receive! on the other hand, the less love you show to somebody, the lesser you would receive!

so do you still want to be a person who has "no-choice" to love others or someone who's willing to lay down your lives for your friends and family members?

life's fragile.

sometimes when you least expect things to happen, they happen. life's so fragile, please handle with care. do not think that there's always a tomorrow, because you'll never know if tomorrow would come.

hurt someone today, heal it today. you may never have the chance to do that again.

don't take friends for granted. what kind of friend do you call that?

if you love someone, show it through your actions. speech alone may not be strong enough, because action speaks louder then words. if you love someone, be tolerant, patient and understanding towards them.

you reap what you sow, you never know when you need them more than you need someone else. they maybe always there for you, they may even become an irritating factor to you, but don't take them for granted.

treasure everyone, cherish them and esteem each other...

updates!

been quite sometime since i last updated! i've been busy busy and busy=P

firstly, we've officially moved to Singapore Expo!! we've been there for 3 weeks already and we're starting to fill up the entire place!! praise the Lord! recently during the Christmas celebrations, we had 4 services and when the altar call was given, the amount of people that responded was innumerable!

even the taiwan ambassdor responded!! i had to open up a way for him as he proceeded down to respond. praise God!! he was very appreciative of my efforts as i followed him throughout, opening ways for him to walk through.

i feel that serving in expo is quite fun. everyone has to put in that extra effort, to stand in the gap. rising up in ministry was challenging, but now in expo, i feel that everyone is rising up, taking on the challenge because there are so many things for us to take ownership of.

secondly, its my birthday this saturday!! woohoo!! finally i'm officially 21!! if you don't know what to buy for me, its ok!! here's my wishlist -

• iPod Video
• DKNY Watch
• Topman Jeans
• CK Shirts (Charmaine, do you remember this?)
• Nice Long Sleeve Shirts
• Suits
• More T-Shirts
• CASH! (To buy things i like!)
• Shoes
• New Specs?

notice that its all in pural? i don't mind multiple gifts, as long as its different=P

and lastly, the root beer float at i-can't-remember-where is FANTASTIC!

Joel, I baptise you in the name of the Father, Son and The Holy Spirit!

4 December 2005 will remain as a very special day for my walk with God because its the day that i get baptised!

nothing dramatic happened, no voices from heaven or doves landing on me, but something spiritual happened! my old man has DIED and i'm a new man now!! with the power of the Holy Spirit and the devil will NEVER get to control me anymore! muahhAha!!

another special thing is that i'm the last person to get baptised in the Jurong West premises! haha!! so cool!! the VERYVERY last person~ =P even pastor aries and pastor audrey were saying that i'm very blessed~ loL=P

btw, my baptism name is Jerome. but pastor aries called me joel instead!! hahaZz~ i guess coz he knows my name, if not, he simply read the first name on my sticker~ =P

took a lot of pictures!! so fun!! for the first time i was so excited about taking pictures!! hahazz! i practically ran everywhere to look for friends, in wet shirt n shorts, to take pictures=P but i've only received a few pictures~ faster send me the pictures!! =P

thanks to charmaine, my official photographer, sijia, who took loads of pictures for me, taifong, who took a few snapshots for me and fajin, who took a few snapshots of me too=D

woohoo!!

complains from charmaine, saying that i never blog. heh~ lazy to blog and don't know what to blog mah=P

anyway, today is SOMEONE'S birthday, but i can't seem to remember who that person is. so lets just forget about it and move on with life=)

we're moving to EXPO in just one more week!! *excited* we had our security briefing / training on EXPO and i'm amazed by the capacity and size of expo. though we haven been there to see it for ourselves, looking at the map itself amazes me.

moving to expo also means that we have to increase our capacity. we can't do things the way we did in Jurong West because its so different! expo is about 3 times bigger and there are so many sectors that contains thousands of people. if we're unable to increase our capacity, we can never serve God with our best.

with so much changes, everyone would be forced to move out of their comfort zone, to make adjustments and to rise up and take ownership. those left behind would eventually fall away because God has moved on. do you want to move with God or fall away?

anyway, life's been great=) a few changes here and there, adapting to changes around my life and accepting things with a pinch of salt. sometimes its tough, but its all worth it at the end of the day.

times may get tough, but tough times don't last! it takes more than patience and understanding to get over tough times. it takes pure determination, mental strength and calmness of the mind to access the siuation and not make things worst.

sometimes its just so hard to understand, but forcing it down with a pinch of salt and keeping quiet does wonders. no wonder the bible says that the more you speak, the more you sin. so if you're facing a difficult situation next time, the best solution is to keep quiet, stand back and access the siuation!!

managing emotions and thoughts is always so important because they can torment you the entire day. learning to control them should be taught in primary school!! its so important to manage our emotions and thoughts because it makes the difference between a happy person or a depressed one.

the devil knows our weaknesses and he constantly uses them to torment us. we can't fend off the devil using our own strength or thoughts. but only thru the word of God, the devil will be binded! at times i wished that i had that rhema word from God, and knowing that His voice is always there, i have to be very sensitive to His voice.

it can be tough during that period of time, but when you hear His voice, it almost feels like the power of water breaking through a waterdam.

all it takes is just a special moment to take all all doubts, fears and worries. just that special 60 seconds can make a difference between a great day or a bad day. sometimes words just cannot express our feelings, thats when our actions play an important role.

oh well, these are some of the thoughts that are in my mind currently=)

please allow me to complain and rant like a mad dog in this post.

what is the school thinking of!? giving students projects that we have NO IDEA how to start. the best part? all of them require programming and the programming language is a language that we never learnt in school!

they encourage it because it promotes learning and sourcing of solutions, but dont they realize that its tiring!? imagine sitting down infront of our PC for 8 hours, staring at codes that you totally don't understand and sourcing for solutions that can never be found in the Internet!?

i shall stop here. i'm lazy to type.

how big is God??

He's very very very very BIG!!

updates?

sleepy and still sleepy