ThisCowIsPurple.com

Its available! Heh.. not getting them because I’m not going to get too deep into this thing already. Going to try to finish the kits I have over the coming years during my holidays and then do it when I’m free.

Went with yx and eu. Had to stop and plan first because it was just too many people so we dragged eu to dinner at pepper lunch

and then we sat down to write out a list and brainstorm. Once we finished at around 8 we went around trying to buy everything quickly. Didn’t manage alot but got it about half done.. Tomorrow I’m going to go to ikea and grab some brown wrapping paper before going to church to jaga the people decorating there.

Its been raining them recently! For about 3 or 4 days already. As christmas approaches, I find myself loathing to purchase those little things called presents for people. No, I’m not selfish or stingy, its just so much work and my still recouperating body is in need of so much rest that everyday I spend so many hours in bed. When I do get up, I only feel like vegetating at home doing nothing.

Buying presents for the sake of buying is silly! I’d much rather get a nice card and such from a few trusty friends than to get presents. I must say however, that presents given to me would mean alot more now that I feel its such a pain to buy (thats not a hint to buy me anything). I’m going to go out in the next few days to look around for stuff. Also need to look for info about touring new york and the surrounding areas so me and david can plan where to go and what to do. The going is getting tough and I think its eating into us somehow.I need 48 hours in my day… so I can sleep 24 hours everyday.

Must write cards tomorrow!

I shall start with dictionary definitions.

ed·i·fy
tr.v. ed·i·fied, ed·i·fy·ing, ed·i·fies
To instruct especially so as to encourage intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement.

ex·hort
v. ex·hort·ed, ex·hort·ing, ex·horts
v.tr.
To urge by strong, often stirring argument, admonition, advice, or appeal: exhorted the troops to hold the line.
v.intr.
To make urgent appeal.

en·cour·age
tr.v. en·cour·aged, en·cour·ag·ing, en·cour·ag·es
1. To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; hearten.
2. To give support to; foster: policies designed to encourage private investment.
3. To stimulate; spur: burning the field to encourage new plant growth.

Aren’t they wonderful words? In the bible, one of the things we owe to our bretheren is also

ad·mon·ish
tr.v. ad·mon·ished, ad·mon·ish·ing, ad·mon·ish·es
1. To reprove gently but earnestly.
2. To counsel (another) against something to be avoided; caution.
3. To remind of something forgotten or disregarded, as an obligation or a responsibility.

Somehow along the way it became more like

re·buke Pronunciation (r-byk)
tr.v. re·buked, re·buk·ing, re·bukes
1. To criticize or reprove sharply; reprimand. See Synonyms at admonish.
2. To check or repress.
n.
A sharp reproof.

Which was reserved more often than not for people like the saducees, sorcerers and other people who were blatently, outrightly sinning in public and were unabashed. I still have to do quite abit of reading but preliminary searches through the bible for these words seem to indicate so.

This sort of changes my mind about how I should mentor people. Instead of slamming them, I think I should display love and encourage them to good works.

Lastly, we should be more concerned about our insides than outward actions. Instead of “Slamming people to good works”, we should settle the person’s heart and address issues such as obedience to basic commandments with love an patience knowing ony God can work in them. As we move closer and closer to God, these “grey issues” lose their greyness and become clear to them.

Colossians 2 (New American Standard Bible)

8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;

12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

15When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

16Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day–

17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

18Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,

19and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

20If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,

21″Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”

22(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)–in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?

23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

Yep… Thats my mind for tonight. I must commit myself to much more reading than I am now.. as well as to prayer.

Had a nice dinner at the hilton with my family and the cherns. Japanese food. I was coughing so much it didn’t feel so great eating.

Before that I was at my cousin’s wedding.. Had some nice pictures but I don’t know where they are already. I’ll put them up when I can. Meanwhile here are some shots of tonight.

Spent the week doing mortar drills and such with this thing.

Found a pretty nice picture to illustrate the force of firing

The whole ground just rocks and there’s pretty visible shockwave of dust going out.

It was nice coming together with all the guys again. They were pretty much the same but less antagonistic compared to the last time I was with them. I had a pretty slack time because my detachment consisted of all commanders and one man. Everything went up quickly without a hitch and alot of time was spent waiting for the other detachments to be ready. I must say the dynamics of NS men are different from the time during full-time NS. Everybody has nobody to impress, everybody wants to get out quick, everybody doesn’t want trouble and lastly, everybody hates to do work. Getting them to work is a crazy job. My platoon sergeant had the misfortune of in-processing late and being seen by the platoon commander (thats how he was assigned his appointment) while the rest of us were slacking in bunk from 8am to about 4pm.

Oh yes.. I failed my ippt. How shameful is that man? Only because of the 2.4km which i completed in 13:02. At least I ran faster than my indian ps (13:23). Was rubbing it in the rest of the time there (to his irritation).

Lastly before I go, here’s a video of an actual mortar firing in iraq. Its an 81mm, not a 120mm like the one I use so it look rather like a toy compared to mine.

Plamo’s noob friendly compy is here! Project WOOB 02 is open to participants EVERYWHERE, so don’t hesitate, come join in!

See the image for rules and regulations!

Well, got in camp training in the coming week. Time to serve country already!

Would like to give this special mention here. Its by another Singaporean Modeller, not me- A Sazabi Custom. See it here