phone repaired and I passed my IPPT

Again, an adventurous few days leading up to IPPT.

Handphone spoilt and sent for servicing.

Was uncontactable for almost 2 days.

Then I fell sick one week before my IPPT.

Have been postponing my IPPT for don't know how many times.

Was making great effort to train for my 2.4km run.

And I've never made it below 13mins.

My ego and pride never seemed to accept the possibility of me

failing my IPPT. But I still remained realistic, that it could happen.

Yesterday, I stepped into Maju Camp with a heavy heart.

Taking a test is never a simple matter.

Especially after 5 years of IPPT-exemption.

The rest of the 4 stations were never a problem for me.

I cleared them pretty much with ease.

And then came the 2.4km.

Already feeling a bit of fatigue from clearing the 4 stations,

I prayed really hard.

Just before I took off at the starting point,

I desperately shouted in me, "Jesus, run with me!"

And off I go.

For the first 2 rounds of 400m each, I ran at 1:45.

Which is well below my training time.

But I was getting out of breath and legs getting tired.

But I just pressed on. Running with a group really helped

to push me beyond the limit.

And yes, I came in at 12:23. I passed!

with incentive of $100. haha.

But really, I thought getting a Silver is not a problem for me.

But I guess i need to train a little bit more to go under 12:00.

During this test, I depended on Him a lot.

I prayed a lot. And was preparing for the worst.

But was telling myself not to conceit defeat before the race.

I thank God for this blessing and Mother Mary for the intercessions.

And my little gorgeous who prayed for me.

One heavy load off my shoulder. Off to clear the rest! =D

Long overdue reflection of the GK Trip

(i wrote it in my journal, just no time to transfer it onto the screen) =P

My life-changing encounter in Philippines took place during the Asian Youth Day in Nov'09.
A major event that saw me overwhelm by the Filipinos' hospitality, warmth & unreserved expression of love.
The religious (seminarians, priests and sisters) are particularly inspiring then.

The second time to Philippines for the Taize Pilgrimmage of Trust was more of a intimate and deep encounter with Br Gerry and the youths of the parish from Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church.

So for this third time in Philippines, my biggest purpose was to bring as much people from S'pore/SFA to experience that love and that transformation that I've experienced. I want to SHARE this with as many people as possible. Good things must share right? ;)

Planning for this wasn't smooth sailing and I almost cancelled it.Thankfully, it went through.
When God wants you to do this, and deep inside your heart you know you want to do this, He'll make sure it happens. At the time when we have to make up the minimum no. of 10 people, I simply just trust & believe. Deep down, I know He'll help make that number. Haha, come to think of it, how nice if we could make it a "12". The 12 apostles and disciples of Jesus. lol

Although I told myself and others to go there without expectations,
I kind of know what I'm about to experience.
Not overtly surprised by their hospitality & warmth.
But the living conditions were better than I thought.
I'm not always a fan of kids esp. if there's constant pestering.
But in this trip, I just told myself to let go and be a kid once again.

Nevertheless, it was another fulfilling trip. Gained more than I've given.
This trip was very much needed.
I think it keeps one sane in this modern society of ours.
To take a chance to give back what we've been blessed with
To touch & feel the world and people.
To know what's "free" love & unreserved love is.
I enjoyed carrying the kids, "throwing" them around.
Made me feel like a father.
This physical touch & closeness of kinship and family bond,
are very much lacking in our lives now.
And I'm really thankful for my foster family, for the times spent together.
It was especially touching for me when I got to help Krizia (only daughter)
to wrap her textbooks with the plastic film at night before sleep.
So her mum, myself and Krizia were doing it together.
I think Joachim somehow was there too to help us tear the scotch tape
while watching TV. =P

The children's joy & innocent laughter are antidotes to our weary and empty soul.
I enjoyed the special times I have with some of the kids during breaks.
They enjoyed my company too by just being there, huddling close to me
and amusing me with their silly tricks.
I'll never forget this small boy, Patrick.
On the last night when I was hanging around outside the loud booming KTV room,
he caught my attention and started to introduce himself
and wrote his name on sand.
Then we began having Math lesson. I gave him some simple Maths and he wrote the answers down on the sand. He enjoyed it tremendously. The glow in his eyes and the disappointment on his face when he didn't get it right. Cute!

And of course, I'm more than glad to be able to find someone like Paul who shares the similar passion in music and composition as much as me. He's really gifted.
What blew me away was how he just simply poured out his heart and shared about the stories behind each song that he wrote. Simply heartfelt, moving and real.
Something that we Singaporeans ought to learn,
to not always wear a mask, put up a defence system,
and ever so weary to pour out our hearts and share our real self with others.

It's up one level for me.
Learning about people and myself.
Not so pleasant things happened just before the trip to me
And the trip ended with us almost not being able to fly just because I didn't bring along my
credit card for verfication.
Oh well, I just learnt to count my blessings and not let the positive experience be marred by those few not so nice experiences.