Merry X'mas!

'ello!

Well I haven't been posting for a long time. I did up a card for Dael, a good 'ol buddy of mine, and I scanned it....but the comp went down :( But now, the comp decided to work and I bring to you, the card:

Treat this as my e-Card to you all too! Merry Christmas to you all! Happy Birthday to Jesus too...He is the one Christmas is all about. He gave us a great gift none of us can equal. Hope you had a great holiday, and looking forward to put your hair down once again for the New Year! I certainly did enjoy myself this Christmas :) Remember those who are not enjoying themselves...broken families, the terminally ill, the persecuted, the oppressed, and the ones on duty for our sake. Not enough to wish them well...pray for them too. (there's a huge difference between the 2)

I admit it is a bit untidy as I had to rush it due to my duty on the next day. Heh...Dael can get a 'card refund' from me if he doesn't like it lol.

Well, apologies if I am sounding a little too saccharine, but not all things serious have to sound gloomy. Just like to share the joy on this side of the internet.

Army Stuff (yet again...haha)

I have been wondering...what makes me so unhappy about Army, and yet so hopeful of the other areas of my life (like futher studies, Church, family, friends etc). Why the difference? Is my stance towards army gonna be the same towards my future work life?

For my job, I find it difficult to remain happy. Duties on inconvenient dates, field camps, arrows, gripes with upper brass, booking in on Sunday...the list goes on. Guess I would be focusing on the wrong stuff, and keeping myself gloomy. But whenever I think of army, these things come to my mind first.

There are great things about army afterall, 4 months more, good pals to be made, learning through the pain, and maturing in the end. It's not all gloom and 'xian' (slang for ennui).

Army is a life-impacting experience for me, but that does not necessarily equate to a happy or glorius experience. It has taught me well, and perhaps prepared me for the life ahead.

Ultimately, God has seen me through each day, and I thank Him for being there regardless of my sin and imperfection. He has blessed me through the army. No doubt, people can do without the army and mature too, but it's my duty to the land I am born in. In a way, God sent me to the army.

Maybe I can come out with a 'How to be Happy in the SAF' booklet for future enlistees, not as a joke but a useful tool in the SAF. Disenchantment is not uncommon, espacially in its mild forms. Most guys won't like the idea of putting ourselves back 2 years for an organisation we have grown to look poorly on.

For one, there are cases of conscripts of really have a good time in the army. But from where I come from, that has been a restricted few. It is a problem that I believe is wasting away the resource that the SAF needs, the time of its personnel. Guess it could be a malady of conscript armies...but in the end, I will need to study more to provide a better solution/analysis of the SAF hahaha.

Oh wells...gotta scoot off and do my duty again tomorrow while my unit is on block leave. Another one of those duties on a date I'd love not to do it. Call it practice for my possibly hectic and inconvenient future life ahead.

Cheers
Joshua the COS for 26/12/06

Mr. Aldie's Card and Some Thinking Done

Now it's time for yet another update on this corner of the internet! :)

Did you read about the card I received from a Mr. Aldie quite awhile ago? If not, he's the great guy who asked for my details on the steet...and gave me a Christmas card! I am still touched by his card and after some time in camp, I've finally come out with a card for him from me.

Here are the pics of the card I made:

Above: The outside view. Supposed to look like the clichéd X'mas present (box and ribbons) and it opens by pulling the tab from the slot at the right of the middle of the cross.

Below: This is the interior view. Reason why it looks uneven is because the Santa head is a pop-up and it is being flattened by the scanner. Looks messy eh?

Well, I'll be posting it to him tomorrow. Hope the card is acceptable to him haha...it looks easy but I have to say the process of making it is not easy. Not on the technical side, but to keep it neat (no smudges etc.). I guess I didn't quite keep to the ideal of tidyness :P

Wanna a card like that too? If so, just drop me a message and I will try to conjure one up for you with my rudimentary art skills. It would take time, and I would not be asking for any $$$ heh. Remember, I am in army and I have a nation to protect hahaha, but I'll try my best to do one on time.

Some Thinking

I just watched a documentary on how Einstein formulated E=mc² and how the equation affected lives of people after its legendary birth. After watching it, I wanted to ask myself: what do I want to do in life?

A part of me wanted to achieve, be it great discoveries or pioneer into an area that is rarely explored. Grapple onto new ideas and not to be afraid from trying them out or being daunted by skeptics. I'm not aiming for money, but for status and recognition?

The other side would go: Who is in the centre of my plans?

Undoubtedly, God is the rightful centre of our lives. I am a sinner and if you knew my sins, you would probably curse my name and whack me on the head. No joke. Lived a life to fool others on the outside and fool myself on the inside.

After choosing to ignore Jesus's work on the Cross for about 19 years, I couldn't run away from some facts. I may have studied well or have a comfortable life, but simply achieving/studying for the next step doesn't make sense to me. Essentially, I am still a person marred by unmentionable sins, how can I take pride in the achievements I would make?

God loved and saved me through Christ, and regardless of my disobedience/sin he is still faithful and seeking His lost sheep. Without Him I am a condemned sinner and have a meaningless life that simply ends with death. I have distractions in my life that disrupt my relationship with God...and I need Him to mold my life with His Purposes. Not to be on the moral highground, but to live a changed life for others to know Him. I'll admit, I am not anywhere near that yet.

What has God planned for my life? I am looking towards studying medicine in university and I have always been asking myself questions regarding the choice I made. The sheer challenge in medicine and the potential for medicine to impact on other lives positively are some of the main draws that me excite now. Not a complete answer, but I'll work on it heh. Have to keep an open mind.

Don't wanna bore you with my narcissitic thoughts right here lol.

Well, I've gotta go off now and move on. Nice typing here to you guys and all the better if you read! Have fun and look forward to the holidays. Those with exams, ALL THE BEST! I won't forget about your pains too.

Cheers,
Joshua