Monday 30 January 2012
So it begins, my last day as a civilian. Right now I'm feeling a whole mix of emotions. On one hand, I'm exciting on army life and the training. Paradoxically, I'm also afraid of the uncertainities associated with army life too.

Had a wonderful last week before entering the army especially the second jamming session last Friday with not just one unexpected surprise but two! Really want to thank the guys (Kairos including honorary members) for the double surprise!

3 weeks of confinement and then I'm just left with 2/3 of my 9 weeks before POP. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength!

Sunday 22 January 2012
Suddenly reminded of the sermon which talks about simplicity in life...
I realise that in the army, things are going to get alot simpler. Going to adopt a lower state of technology like my mobile phone and even my bible! Bought a NLT version which is much easier to read than NKJV cause I realise when I'm very tired and try to read NKJV, I will end up not understanding it. Hm but then yesterday at DI, they issued a pocket NIV version so I ended up having three bibles now...and they are all camo!


Started playing portal 2 and it is definitely much bigger than portal, with puzzles of increased difficulty and quite comparable to that of Half Life 2, minus the shooting and what not. Chell should have a HEV suit!

Thursday 19 January 2012
Originally, me, Justin, Zhi and Jeremy P. were supposed to go jamming after our O-levels. However, that plan didn't get realised until now, about three years later! First time going to a jamming studio and it kind of reminds me of a certain K-ON! episode where the band couldn't practise in school and had to go to a jamming studio. Ah now I feel like rewatching the series again!

Went to this jamming studio in Chinese Garden called X-Jamming. A pretty decent place with really good rates! $13 for an hour and the jamming room is really not bad. Many amps, chairs and a fan! Hm why didn't I took a photo of the room?

Never thought jamming could be this fun and different than just going to someone's house and just play music. Unfortuantely, my electric guitar's e string snapped so I had no choice but to use the jamming studio's guitars (which are $150 if I'm not wrong). Jammed to many Coldplay and We the Kings songs but we were sadly unprepared. Didn't expect us to jam to many old songs we listened to in secondary two such as Welcome to My Life, Disenchanted, Untitled and Everytime.

Highlights!
Jeremy saying "Let's play Fix Me, you know the song by Coldplay?"
Eugene and Le Fa making an appearance too! Really didn't expect them to be here. At first I saw Euegene through the small window while jamming and he gave that :o face. He came in and said something like "What the, what are you guys doing here?" Turns out they were helping Si Er tutoring some people with music. Didn't expect us to be jamming in the same place and around the same time too! It's times like these I'm grateful that the church is not a building!

Wouldn't mind going jamming again before enlisting! On a sidenote, I finished Portal and it's really a great game. Time for Portal 2!

Tuesday 17 January 2012
I heard of this game back in secondary 4 but haven't really gotten into playing it yet...
until now. Might as well play it since I have quite the free time eh?
It's a good thing I don't know any spoilers for Portal except that the cake is a lie. Wait, is it?

Portal is a really fun and interesting game. Heh I stoned awhile at the start listening to the instrumental version of Still Alive on the radio. Got stuck at one point cause I thought the portals were one-way. Something like blue is strictly the start and orange the end.


I like the physics the steam engine has. Quite realistic actually. Like how momentum is conserved when going through portals.



Had some fun falling indefinitely through the ceiling and the floor.

Heard that the game is rather short though. 19 "tests"? I think I may finish it by tomorrow, assuming I don't play Skyrim.

Saturday 14 January 2012
I finally got the continuous strumming thing down! I realised it's actually much like how I learn how to play the drums on the iPhone. I broke down all the drum hits somewhat like DJMax or o2jam or whatever rhythm games there are nowadays and play them in time. At first it was mechanical but soon it became much more natural.

Justin asked me to play Happy Day on the guitar and I played it in a style similar to that of Promises. They sounded similar to me and I checked the chords and I was right! Justin said he can never hear Happy Day the same way again heh.

Learning new songs on the guitar this week...
Here in Your Presence and Happy Day.
The first song is a challenge cause it has a 6/8 time signature which is not common in most songs we hear. I find unlearning the guitar and relearning to be very very difficult. It is not natural for me as I'm so used to playing the guitar my way for about 4 years. Apparently I have to learn this continuous strumming thing and to do that I have to unlearn my way of strumming =\.

Considering getting a new bible for my time in the army as I think my current bible is rather fragile!

Thursday 12 January 2012

Ah Coldplay never fails to disappoint heh.
Haven't heard the rest of their album except Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
I think I should buy their album heh

I think I'm beginning to find a personal meaning of worship, something which Andy asked me to find such that it can become something of a catchphrase for myself. Still have to work on it on the elaboration though.

Sunday 8 January 2012
Interesting message today and it runs on the line of how the culture in the world today promotes speed and a faster pace in life. Pretty sure I heard a similar message before but this one was more elaborated heh. Isn't it quite ironic that the gadgets we have today that save us time and provide convenience instead rushes us?




Never thought I would actually learn how to cube. When it was trending in secondary two I thought it was stupid. Now I actually think it's fun heh. And it glows blue! Cause green is too mainstream.

Sunday 1 January 2012
2011 has came to a close and with that, a new year has begun.
Looking back at 2011, there were many (really many) seemingly bad things that have happened to me and also good things. Further reflection on these bad things made me realise that these bad things were actually for my benefit. Praise the Lord, for even His foolish plans are wiser than any Man's smartest plan (can't remember which day's ODJ article this came from).

For instance, the fact that I transferred to another class at the beginning of this year. I realised that if this didn't happen, I wouldn't have met Kenneth, formed a study group, be more studious and in a way be not as close to Zhi.




There were many situations that also occured that made me wish I had handled it differently but no point brooding on the past right? Like yesterday's message, look forward!

Here's to a new beginning or what I would like to call, the army year.