A new beginning
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Hey There!
Hi Bryan, I know you mentioned somewhere that you still check on this blog so this entry goes to you. Hope you and your gf are doing great! I'm kinda impressed that there are friends out there who are still checking this blog =) Really sorry that I haven't managed to keep this blog really live.
I guess there's just probably too many things going on in life right now.
Okies, but here's to the new year! 2009! Viola, how time has flew by.
I guess there's just probably too many things going on in life right now.
Okies, but here's to the new year! 2009! Viola, how time has flew by.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Taking a step into the unknown
Well, once again, its been quite a long time since I last Blog.
Definitely much has happened. Hmm... let me try to list them down
Aileen Front:
-We finished MPC
-Gotten Ps William's Blessing
-Both Parents have met
-booked the Dinner Venue
-Got the Church
-WEdding committee team members
Work Front:
-Got Confirmed after 3months at Hyflux,
- Been Very Blessed at work, Have Favour with my Boss, But its all God's Blessing Really
- Company has put me on a French Course, so its back to French once again,
- Private Sector Life is different, but at least I still think its interesting and there's still so much to learn.
BB Front:
- I'm taking over the captainship of 86th BB Coy. God Help Me please. like Literally, God I can only do this with your strength.
Physical Front:
- I think I'm gaining weight :P hahah, yes, there's lots of Good Food at Hyflux mans, so I REALLY REALLY need to start running like i used too when I was in the Army (Daily!) hahha
To sum it, I'm growing in so many areas, Ministry, Work, Relations. So Many things to do, exciting, but yet dauting also cos you're not really sure where things might eventually lead. But i guess that's part of the Adventure in Life. We never really know where things might lead, but we proceed, Boldy and with faith of the Lord that his will in our lives will ultimately prevail.
So God Once again, as I take that step into the unknown, I know that my feet will land on solid ground; or you'll be ready to give me wings to fly :)
Love you Lord, you're still the greatest love in my Life!
Definitely much has happened. Hmm... let me try to list them down
Aileen Front:
-We finished MPC
-Gotten Ps William's Blessing
-Both Parents have met
-booked the Dinner Venue
-Got the Church
-WEdding committee team members
Work Front:
-Got Confirmed after 3months at Hyflux,
- Been Very Blessed at work, Have Favour with my Boss, But its all God's Blessing Really
- Company has put me on a French Course, so its back to French once again,
- Private Sector Life is different, but at least I still think its interesting and there's still so much to learn.
BB Front:
- I'm taking over the captainship of 86th BB Coy. God Help Me please. like Literally, God I can only do this with your strength.
Physical Front:
- I think I'm gaining weight :P hahah, yes, there's lots of Good Food at Hyflux mans, so I REALLY REALLY need to start running like i used too when I was in the Army (Daily!) hahha
To sum it, I'm growing in so many areas, Ministry, Work, Relations. So Many things to do, exciting, but yet dauting also cos you're not really sure where things might eventually lead. But i guess that's part of the Adventure in Life. We never really know where things might lead, but we proceed, Boldy and with faith of the Lord that his will in our lives will ultimately prevail.
So God Once again, as I take that step into the unknown, I know that my feet will land on solid ground; or you'll be ready to give me wings to fly :)
Love you Lord, you're still the greatest love in my Life!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Starting to Run again
Hooray! Today, I did my second Run in the week so i'm really happy cos it's be quite a while since I ran regularly and consistently.
There is a difference when I run. I really feel much better holistically and i'm better able to concentrate and focus on my revisions. There's also the benefit of shedding some calories which seems to have taken up permanent residence around my belly area.. Just 1hr a day of exercise, hopefully this habit will start to built again in my life, cos i remembered , I really enjoyed the effects and after glow of a good run. heading out early to mcritchie Reserviour or Bedok for a run and feeling great for the whole day. Compared to now, where the matabolism level seems to have dropped and I get quite lethargic by mid-day which never used to be the case...
Oh~ I went back to my Men's First In Camp Training today to see them in process, it was a wonderfully feeling seeing most of them back, and most of them feeling very positive about it. I really sensed something deep was at work when they recited the Guard's Creed once again after 2 years, donning the Khaki Beret with pride. There was this resounding pride in their voice as they raised to a cresendo, We Rule the Day! We Rule the Night! Always Ready! Ready to Strike!...the Echos of that last word lingered around the parade square for a while, and this was NS Men, more proud, more gutsy, more Onz! than their NSF days. I really wished they all the best for the rest of their NS lives, may the friendship forged remain close to their hearts and to the Guards Core!
Run Run Run Run Run! How can a Guardsmen not be fit? tsk tsk
There is a difference when I run. I really feel much better holistically and i'm better able to concentrate and focus on my revisions. There's also the benefit of shedding some calories which seems to have taken up permanent residence around my belly area.
Oh~ I went back to my Men's First In Camp Training today to see them in process, it was a wonderfully feeling seeing most of them back, and most of them feeling very positive about it. I really sensed something deep was at work when they recited the Guard's Creed once again after 2 years, donning the Khaki Beret with pride. There was this resounding pride in their voice as they raised to a cresendo, We Rule the Day! We Rule the Night! Always Ready! Ready to Strike!...the Echos of that last word lingered around the parade square for a while, and this was NS Men, more proud, more gutsy, more Onz! than their NSF days. I really wished they all the best for the rest of their NS lives, may the friendship forged remain close to their hearts and to the Guards Core!
Run Run Run Run Run! How can a Guardsmen not be fit? tsk tsk
Friday, May 16, 2008
CFA not easy
Arghhh....
Why does the month of May always have to be so painful? somemore taking leave to suffer. piangz
Why does the month of May always have to be so painful? somemore taking leave to suffer. piangz
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Excerpts from an Interview with Ngiam Tong Dow
I chanced upon this on a website, and I thought what our Ex-Minister had to say about Singapore's education System was rather insightful. the full interview can be found here
Q. You say focus on education. What is top of your wishlist for re-making Singapore's education system?
A. Each year, the PSLE creams off all the top boys and girls and dispatches them to only two schools, Raffles Institution and Raffles Girls' School. However good these schools are, the problem is you are educating your elite in only two institutions, with only two sets of mentors, and casting them in more or less the same mould. It worries me that Singapore is only about 'one brand' because you never know what challenges lie ahead and where they will come from. I think we should spread out our best and brightest to at least a dozen schools.
Q. You advocate a more inclusive mindset all around?
A. Yes, intellectually, everyone has to accept that the country of Singapore is larger than the PAP. But even larger than the country of Singapore, which is limited by size and population, is the nation of Singapore, which includes a diaspora. My view is that we should have a more inclusive approach to nation-building. We have started the Majulah Connection, an international network where every Singaporean - whether he is a citizen or not, so long as he feels for Singapore - is included as part of our diaspora. Similarly, we should include foreigners who have worked and thrived here as friends of Singapore. That's the only way to survive. Otherwise, its just four million people on a little red dot of 600 sq km. If you exclude people, you become smaller and smaller, and in the end, you'll disappear.
Q. What is the kind of Singapore you hope your grandchildren will inherit?
A. Let's look at Sparta and Athens, two city states in Greek history. Singapore is like Sparta, where the top students are taken away from their parents as children and educated. Cohort by cohort, they each select their own leadership, ultimately electing their own Philosopher King. When I first read Plato's Republic, I was totally dazzled by the great logic of this organisational model where the best selects the best. But when I reached the end of the book, it dawned on me that though the starting point was meritocracy, the end result was dictatorship and elitism. In the end, that was how Sparta crumbled. Yet, Athens, a city of philosophers known for its different schools of thought, survived. What does this tell us about out-of-bounds markers? So SM Lee has to think very hard what legacy he wants to leave for Singapore and the type of society he wants to leave behind. Is it to be a Sparta, a well-organised martial society, but in the end, very brittle; or an untidy Athens which survived because of its diversity of thinking? Personally, I believe that Singaporeans are not so kuai (Hokkien for obedient) as to become a Sparta. This is our saving grace. As a young senior citizen, I very much hope that Singapore will survive for a long time, but as an Athens. It is more interesting and worth living and dying for.
Q. You say focus on education. What is top of your wishlist for re-making Singapore's education system?
A. Each year, the PSLE creams off all the top boys and girls and dispatches them to only two schools, Raffles Institution and Raffles Girls' School. However good these schools are, the problem is you are educating your elite in only two institutions, with only two sets of mentors, and casting them in more or less the same mould. It worries me that Singapore is only about 'one brand' because you never know what challenges lie ahead and where they will come from. I think we should spread out our best and brightest to at least a dozen schools.
Q. You advocate a more inclusive mindset all around?
A. Yes, intellectually, everyone has to accept that the country of Singapore is larger than the PAP. But even larger than the country of Singapore, which is limited by size and population, is the nation of Singapore, which includes a diaspora. My view is that we should have a more inclusive approach to nation-building. We have started the Majulah Connection, an international network where every Singaporean - whether he is a citizen or not, so long as he feels for Singapore - is included as part of our diaspora. Similarly, we should include foreigners who have worked and thrived here as friends of Singapore. That's the only way to survive. Otherwise, its just four million people on a little red dot of 600 sq km. If you exclude people, you become smaller and smaller, and in the end, you'll disappear.
Q. What is the kind of Singapore you hope your grandchildren will inherit?
A. Let's look at Sparta and Athens, two city states in Greek history. Singapore is like Sparta, where the top students are taken away from their parents as children and educated. Cohort by cohort, they each select their own leadership, ultimately electing their own Philosopher King. When I first read Plato's Republic, I was totally dazzled by the great logic of this organisational model where the best selects the best. But when I reached the end of the book, it dawned on me that though the starting point was meritocracy, the end result was dictatorship and elitism. In the end, that was how Sparta crumbled. Yet, Athens, a city of philosophers known for its different schools of thought, survived. What does this tell us about out-of-bounds markers? So SM Lee has to think very hard what legacy he wants to leave for Singapore and the type of society he wants to leave behind. Is it to be a Sparta, a well-organised martial society, but in the end, very brittle; or an untidy Athens which survived because of its diversity of thinking? Personally, I believe that Singaporeans are not so kuai (Hokkien for obedient) as to become a Sparta. This is our saving grace. As a young senior citizen, I very much hope that Singapore will survive for a long time, but as an Athens. It is more interesting and worth living and dying for.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Woo Hoo!
I know its kinda the end of my tour but one of my article got published in the Army Journal! =) well, it was a co-written article but I'm still quite proud of myself, can check out this link below. There's even a Pen pic and a short write up of me below hahaha. so BHB
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The last Stretch
This Chapter of Life is coming to a close!
In a twinkle of an eye, 4 years have passed, and I've wrote 2 blogs for the 2 different tours in the Army that I had. This Blog was titled "A new beginning" but even now, that "new Beginning" is on its final chapter.
I've tendered my Letter of Release on 29 Feb 2008, followed by a Confirmation on the 10th of March so as of 15 Jun, I'll be leaving the SAF! Looking forward to a new environment and a new range of challenges.
It's not quite the End of Ends yet! as I've still 3 more months, but I'm definitely going to treasure these few remaining Months. I know that I haven't blogged her quite frequently, due in part to the nature of my Job, but I'll try to pen down my few remaining Thoughts and feelings to Sum up the whole of my Army Experience, and any particular moments I treasured within G2 Army.
Scrolling through the Archives of my Last Blog and this. I know that I leave a much stronger person that when I first came in and I've met Very amazing role models along the way too. For That, I Thank God for his Blessings and Mercy. Indeed, I leave this place with absolutely no regrets. I do hope I've also left good impressions on the SAF during my time there and touched the lives of the people who have came across my path =)
More to come in the few weeks!
In a twinkle of an eye, 4 years have passed, and I've wrote 2 blogs for the 2 different tours in the Army that I had. This Blog was titled "A new beginning" but even now, that "new Beginning" is on its final chapter.
I've tendered my Letter of Release on 29 Feb 2008, followed by a Confirmation on the 10th of March so as of 15 Jun, I'll be leaving the SAF! Looking forward to a new environment and a new range of challenges.
It's not quite the End of Ends yet! as I've still 3 more months, but I'm definitely going to treasure these few remaining Months. I know that I haven't blogged her quite frequently, due in part to the nature of my Job, but I'll try to pen down my few remaining Thoughts and feelings to Sum up the whole of my Army Experience, and any particular moments I treasured within G2 Army.
Scrolling through the Archives of my Last Blog and this. I know that I leave a much stronger person that when I first came in and I've met Very amazing role models along the way too. For That, I Thank God for his Blessings and Mercy. Indeed, I leave this place with absolutely no regrets. I do hope I've also left good impressions on the SAF during my time there and touched the lives of the people who have came across my path =)
More to come in the few weeks!
