hooray, i've finally completed my trainee stage of national service - too bad i still got to chiong sua cos i kena posted to 5 SIR in bukit panjang (that's the 5th Sg Infantry Regiment for those who aren't in the army yet/will never have to serve in the army...yep, i'm finally in a position where i don't have to fear those chevrons standing guard in the cookhouse! haha! ...although it also means that i'll be having to serve the occasional COS duty in camp on the weekends :p

dad says i'm still mentally very weak...i guess i can hardly deny the fact. i mean, the slightest thing still manages to peeve me - like how i went all silent when my platoon mates childed me for being "over-regimental" during our graduation parade rehersal. i was pointing out that if they wanted to give timings so we could keep in step while marching they should've chosen someone in the back rank rather thatn the front, but i guess they don't really take as much pride in their grad parade as i did... yea, i know not everyone was in a uniformed group as i was but what the heck. "p i even went as far as to ask my platoon sergeant to withdraw me from the marching contingent, but somehow he managed to convince me out of it, citing that fact that it would mean he had failed as our platoon sgt to bring us together as one, and that he was an eff-ed up instructor and all... yes, he managed to spot my weakpoint in playing with my sense of guilt. i mean, he wasn't that bad an instructor - the only one i was willing to confide in anyway.

youth mass meeting: rather intriguing - the group spent i think slightly over 2 hours analysing and debating over the message we wanted to bring forth to the youth. in the end, we decidid on something along the lines of "Can u give it up?". >>the gospel reading was Lk16: 1-13 i think(check it out!)...the shrewd manager... we came to somewhat of a unified consensus that we wanted to bring out the theme of not being able to serve more than one god, for e.g God and money. (as was emphasized in the gospel passage itself) after much deliberation, we came up with a theory that the gospel was trying to tell us that we should use our worldly resources (ie material wealth, time, ability and effort) to attain that which is much more precious n lasting - eternal salvation. ...cos after we leave this world, we would have no more use for these anyway. yea.

i had the privillege of listening to today's homily twice today, having attended the 1130 organised by the Little Dippers as well as the 6pm. [the last time it's known as such incidently, now that they're bringing it fwd by half an hr). the gospel was on humility and hospitality: those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. but it's the part the visiting priest brought up - that just as the pharisees were so full of themselves, we too each have a little pharisee of our own within; that part of us that can't wait to claim the credit, be honoured for doing a good deed. the part that finds glee in pointing out the mistakes of others, if only in the hope that others would overlook our own shortcomings... yes, we are human, and we'll probably never be able to completely suppress that little pharisee in us; but with prayer and perserverance, and of course with His grace, i'm sure that each one of us will eventually mature: into truly giving, selfless (and less self-conscious) christians.

raneth hopped off at 7:57 pm