rediscovering eden
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the bright and morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours
Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
I am Yours
testimonies
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
-11:35 PM
1. 2004 Vacation Bible Camp
2. 2005 P5 Adventure Camp
3. 2005 Shanghai/Suzhou Trip
4. 2006 STA*RS Camp
5. 2006 IGNYTE Emerge Camp
6. 2007 Orientation Camp
7. 2007 45th March Camp
8. 2007 45th June Camp
9. 2007 IGNYTE Battlecall Camp
10. 2008 45th March Camp
11. 2008 St. Hilda’s Primary School Camp (Volunteer)
12. 2008 GB Corporal’s Camp
13. 2008 45th June Camp
14. 2008 IGNYTE Radical Camp
15. 2009 Orientation Camp
16. 2009 Outward Bound School
17. 2009 45th March Camp
18. 2009 45th June Camp
19. 2009 Taiwan Immersion Programme
20. 2009 IGNYTE Camp Ignormous
21. 2010 Orientation Camp
22. 2010 GB PBB Selection Camp
23. 2010 45th June Camp
Cool eh? I’m going for June Camp tomorrow; can’t finish my post on PBB on time! Had a full day at IRT today. Was pretty fun la, but somewhat pointless may I add. (Sorry, RIPB! Your efforts are still appreciated ^^) But it gave me my much needed dose of exercise!
I’ll be writing a report on PBB! So exciting!!!!!! ^^
Monday, June 21, 2010
-4:48 PM
Let me just say this: PBB Selection Camp completely surpassed my expectations. I started with this sentence too, during the evaluation session we had yesterday, which was the last day. But I feel that what I said only reflected the surface of everything I felt at the end of the camp.
PBB Selection Camp was a completely different experience from Taiwan Immersion (which also left a sharp impact on me, in another way). For one, PBB was 4 days, TI was 28. To me, Taiwan Immersion was memorable, whereas PBB camp was life-changing. The fact that I can actually sit here and type this now is a testament of that- I would otherwise want to do it but never get to doing it.
Anyway, it’s pretty hard to describe PBB Selection camp. But I’ll try. If you’re wondering what PBB is, it stands for the Pioneer Brigadier Brooch, which is the highest award in GB. To get the award, you need to go through a couple of rounds of stuff, and the camp is (presumably) the final round. Basically you need to complete all your curriculum badges and stage 1 drill, and pass a Brigade Knowledge test. And with a Captain’s recommendation, tada, you go for the camp.
I went for the camp with fear and trembling, mainly because of my limited knowledge about drill. On hindsight, it’s not true that I didn’t expect to experience much- I did, but a totally different thing, like maybe some physically exhausting boot camp whereby everyone vies for the attention of the officers and does anything and everything to perform. It was exhausting, but not so bad, and people do their best, but in a different way. But my fear was definitely unfounded. We had a lot of fun at the camp, and the officers are actually nice and very respectable (and very cute, may I add). Yes, they do scold and punish, but they do that with high standards with the very best of intentions, and they walk their talk. I don’t know why, but I always had this impression of officers in general to be very anal, very inflexible, and very, very stern. They were none of that (stern okay maybe, but for really valid reasons anyway).
(Y’know what? If this was a descriptive essay, I would have flunked it, seriously. There’s no organisation XD) Maybe I’ll just try to describe what we did. Basically we plan all the activities at the camp, like breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper, devotion, games, 5BX, special night, whatnot. We had to be 5 minutes early for everything, clean up after ourselves (meaning spotless and dry) and keep ourselves and our things neat and tidy.
(Oh no, I just realised all the other stuff I typed about PBB had disappeared! And I’m not going to rewrite it because it’s way too detailed. I have focused my efforts instead on writing the article on PBB for GBLog, which is IMO, such an interesting thing to do ^^ And such a privilege! So, here is what I have, though this is not the final cut. It’s pretty short, because it has to fit into one A4 page, including pictures D: Which is sad, because I have a lot more to say. I cut down the number of points because I wanted to expound on each point sufficiently :D)
On 17th June 2010, 44 girls gathered at the Girls Brigade Centre for the Pioneer Brigadier Brooch Selection Camp. These girls came from various schools across the nation with very mixed feelings. Many were excited, many were apprehensive, and many, like myself, had utterly no idea what to expect for the next 4 days. Yet, no one could have expected that PBB would be such a memorable experience.
Throughout the camp, the importance of discipline was instilled in us through simple, daily activities like duties, inspections and even mealtimes, when we had to finish every morsel of food given to us. We were expected to report 5 minutes early for each activity, and were sometimes reprimanded or punished when we failed to do so. Yes, it was strict, but by no means draconian. Far from it, in fact, because the rationale behind this strictness was always clearly explained. Be it wearing the uniform smartly or doing drill well, we learnt that it all boiled down to setting the highest standards for yourself and taking pride in all the things that you do. It also helped that the officers themselves walked their talk and did whatever they expected of us, setting good examples in their actions. I speak for many of us who experienced PBB that it has changed our concept of discipline completely. For me, discipline, though necessary, had always seemed regimental and harsh. I have come to understand that discipline is simply putting in your best effort even in the little things, and that there can be fun and love in the midst of discipline.
Indeed, we had a lot of fun, playing games, laughing with one another heartily, and enjoying the company of everyone at camp. The spirit of love was always evident, even during the times we were being admonished, because we could see that the officers meant well and wanted us to learn and grow. Of course, on top of love through admonishment, we experienced love in other forms. To me, the most outstanding manifestation of this love was through looking out for and caring for one another. We were split into 4 groups for the camp, and each group had individual duties. At the beginning, each group took care of the duties they were responsible for, and that was that. But by the end of camp, we had learnt to ask “How can I help?” and extend assistance to others, no matter who they were. During our hike in Pulau Ubin, we learnt to care less about ourselves and what things were like from our point of view, but also to consider the views of others and what they might be feeling. Through all these activities, we forged strong bonds with our groupmates and fellow campers, making this camp truly the experience of a lifetime.
As my groupmate Eleanor Koh aptly put it, “We came here as strangers and left as friends”. Indeed, I believe that above the sense of discipline instilled in us and the fun we had, it was the love and fellowship we shared those 4 days that brought us together, and that we will remember for years to come.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
-11:28 AM
I’m not looking forward to PBB Camp. Okay I’m lying. I am! :D It sounds cool and seniors have all said pretty cool things about it. But it does sound, sorta… Scary.
Anyway.
I’ve thinking about some things lately. Again, yeah XD And I was thinking, maybe it really is time to let go.
Okay I don’t know. I’m not in the right mind.
AHHHH whateverwhateverwhateverwhateverwhatever.
Friday, June 4, 2010
-12:36 PM
There’s something wrong with me. Something I can’t really describe. It’s like, I’ve lost my joy or something. I’ve been feeling so irritable today, and nothing makes me happy. And I harp on things I don’t have. Like, being able to go out normally like most people.
This is really bad. I should stop whining, and start being thankful again. What happened?
/edit: Today’s better :D Wrote that yesterday.
