Psalm 103:1-4 - "Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion"

Last weekend's service preached on God being our [source of] peace - Jehovah Shalom. It is one that manifests itself in known and unknown ways. It tends to be an internal one, but can manifest itself in bold and surprising ways. It's interesting how Shalom in its own right is a greeting, Hebrew for "God be with you" - I suppose the presence of God and His intervention is paramount for peace.

I cannot say that I am truly at peace with where I am, but that is because I am looking at it from the very human perspective - finding equilibrium, or being in control. Yet I was calm this week, because circumstances played out, blessing after blessing. It was a good week, I won't deny that.

03.09.12 As off-kilter as the subsequent portion may seem here, I feel that I really want to catalogue/chronicle as much of my thoughts as possible on this blog, even if they may seem incoherent collectively - such are the rambles and musings that I pour into my Muji diary when I am in camp.

Sleep in camp has been particularly odd last night, as was the nap in the morning. At hearing my alarm in the morning, I simply couldn't figure out what that noise was - such a feeling was surreal, otherworldly. I suppose I was still in my dreamscapes. Then came the oddity of a nap sometime in the morning - I guess I was in a partially awake state, or perhaps in a moment of delirium; I started to get panicky, worrying about where I had placed my glasses. Yet I was still in my bed, unable to search around (or perhaps I did, in a state of sleep-walking/moving). Only later did the realization hit me that it was on the bed's headboard, where I always leave it when I lie down.

Madness is prevalent in my camp, but then again, what is normalcy when one's state of rationality and level-headedness isn't part of the status quo. Every day, people shout for no reason, yelling things with all the air in their lungs, when simply speaking it out with a normal tone would suffice. Daily, conflicts arise for highly silly reasons, especially over pride-related issues. But lunacy on a level that I witnessed on Monday afternoon was unprecedented - many people do try to escape outfield moments, but it was the first time I had witnessed anyone resorting to self-injury to do so. I shall cease to discuss this any further, except by saying that he needs help - lest it spirals into something far more detrimental.

04.09.12 - 05.09.12 The actual outfield experience this time around was quite relaxed - that I must admit. Such was the case because we weren't actually on any form of military exercise, rather, we were offering another unit (let's call them Five) support services - we were the enemies that they were to attack. All of us were issued with a little laser-emitting gadget that was supposed to track how we fire at others (and how they were wounded or killed) and vice versa. My unit didn't work, so there wasn't any incentive for me to actually shoot any blank rounds - I couldn't be "killed", nor could I "kill" any of those people charging at me, so I was as good as a spectator. That lightened one burden for me - having to expend many rounds, and consequently having to clean my rifle particularly thoroughly.

I got a chance to catch up on some snooze in the night as well, just prior to the morning attack that the Five were supposed to execute, because they came late - at least an hour or so. Coupled with my defective electronic laser unit, I didn't really need to put up a fight.

The next day featured a different terrain - this time around, we weren't in a forested area, but rather, an urban setting. By the grace of God, I got selected to be stationed inside an SUV - we were to patrol the area for Five troops, and fire at them. In the end, because of how things played out (it was remarkably difficult to communicate with others when one was roaming around in an SUV - the communication equipment were really lousy), we ended up doing more waiting than actually moving around - which was a good thing, it involved sitting down inside a vehicle. Nothing more.

06.09.12 - 07.09.12

Joshua 23:8 - "But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now."

Theft cases occur rather often in my camp, but I think have been spared, until now. I didn't lose much, simply because I didn't bring much cash to camp, but just the notion that someone around me would steal is rather vexing. I suspect I had forgotten to lock my cupboard - that is my own misdoing, but that doesn't give that individual an excuse to help himself to the contents of my wallet.

I take back the statement that I have been spared thus far - there was another incident where my wallet was found to be completely empty; back then, I had suspected that I had forgotten to bring cash into camp.

I must be more cautious. There's a kleptomaniac in camp, no there isn't. There's probably someone who needs money to indulge in cigarettes, and conveniently helps himself to others'. But I'm being harsh here - such a statement implicates almost everyone in my camp as a suspect, and that most definitely isn't the case. Justice and vengeance is the Lord's, and I must hold on to that fact, and be more careful.

We booked out by 5pm on Thursday, as there was a platoon barbeque at a sergeant's place the following day - that proved a slightly awkward few hours, if anything. I suppose I just have a hard time bonding with most of my platoon mates - we are so very different. But it was most definitely interesting to see them outside of camp, and to see a different (non-military) side to them.

I was still quite hungry after leaving the barbeque, so I suggested to CL to join me for dinner deux at Fei Fei - it was my first time trying it after hearing so much about it from Joel during my JC years. It wasn't bad, though not as good as Foong Kee in Chinatown.

09.09.12 I decided to give the Sunday service a miss this weekend because of the Army Half Marathon (AHM) that we were required to attend - thankfully, we were participating in the 5km version of it, instead of the longer distance races. It was an early morning - I woke up at 5am, even earlier than I would in camp, and all that was in my mind was to get it over and done with. I wasn't the only one with such a desire - I suspect most of the NSFs there felt the same, especially since most (myself included) would get a day off on Monday in return for our participation. I suppose that's a good deal. It was really messy there, the place was chock full of people, and needless to say, the initial idea of 'running as a platoon/company' proved unfeasible - that allowed me to walk a large bulk of the route (and allowed me to avoid sweating much). Plus the weather was good, and there were many interesting sights to behold (such as the vast openness of the undeveloped portions of Marina Bay, or some historic buildings here and there - I'm such an architecture geek).

It wasn't long before it was over (far earlier than I had expected, might I add), and CL and I headed to the Asian Civilisation Museum to freshen up. YL wouldn't join us - he was too keen on dashing home to reclaim his weekend duty as a keyboard warrior. That aside, it was great to escape from the crowd - who'd ever think of using the loos at a museum: no one my age would (well, barely anyone if I were to get into the technicalities of things). And then came a short but good breakfast at Blackbird Cafe - a basket of bread, a pot of Darjeeling and most importantly, good company and a cosy environment. It was a good morning, without doubt. CL left soon after the meal, and I wandered off into the Peranakan museum - I'm also a culture geek. I really love the Armenian Street area; it's so quaint and historic. And then there was lunch at Saveur with the folks afterwards.

It was a good day. It was a peaceful day.

It was a good week. It was a peaceful week.

It will be a good week - I hope.

Quite a decent place for dinner.

I found out about Saveur via the Sunday Times, just towards the end of my block leave, and seeing the raving reviews that that particular food critic gave, I decided that I had to give the place a try - I mean, French (style/inspired) food for under $30 is really reasonable.

Going to the place wasn't exactly the most convenient thing to do - Saveur was lodged between City Hall and Bugis, in a quaint little row of shophouses at Purvis Street. I visted the place with the usual guys, and it was really enjoyable having that meal with them, right before I had to face my fate of being in the Infantry. That aside, the food was really quite good, not exactly very French, but tasty nevertheless. The portions were a tad bit small, especially for the crispy pork belly that I had, but the taste made up for it.

I'm done with my praises, now its time for a little bit of rambles about the place. It's quite small, and lunch crowd is definitely to be expected in such an area, so one of my gripe with the place is the lack of a proper waiting area, and staff to wait you in the restaurant (granted, the place is a little small). Another gripe of mine is the terrible lighting in the restaurant - I know it is supposed to be basic (a way to keep the cost low), but no food should be served under fluorescent overhead lighting, it simply does not do the food justice, and maars the dining experience.

Regardless, it was thoroughly enjoyable dining there, especially with friends. I highly recommend Saveur to anyone craving a good bite at affordable prices.

1. Red wine beef stew crepes at Out of the Pan 2. Triple chocolate cheese cake at Canale

I've found a carbonara that's better than Canale's, but it's double the price. Reading reviews online, and given it's price point, I had placed quite high hopes on the Carbonara at La Strada - and it was definitely not a disappointment. It's taste was remarkably nuanced and dare I say light, especially for a Carbonara - I believe La Strada's recipe followed the Italian version of the dish, rather than the more common American version. What I loved about La Strada's dish was that the pasta was handmade (or at least I think it is) - it wasn't all entirely regular in shape, and it was just al dente - perfectly cooked. The chewey bacon tossed inbetween the pasta along with the crispy slices of ham/bacon complemented the cheese (which wasn't overpowering) and truffle butter very nicely. The only pity: the portion was a tad small - just a small measure more would have been better, alternatively, I should have ordered it with a set lunch (starter and dessert). I'll most definitely treat myself to this whenever I have a carbonara craving, now that I've tasted and tried it.

It's better than Canale's - but then again, they are both under Les Amis.

Image Credit: PAUL

Let me begin by saying, I love bread; particularly those hard crusted, baguette-esque bread rolls, and croissants. Thank God for Peck's bread; their cheese bread rolls are a great way to start the morning. And I must say, I am ecstatic to hear that Paul will be opening in Singapore (okay perhaps that is slightly hyperbolic). Honestly, I've never tried their pastries before, but from the pictures, it looks entirely promising, and I'm salivating as I'm typing this. Singapore needs good, simple bread, not the overtly toyed-with sort that one finds at BreadTalk.

I had quite a memorable night yesterday; it marked several firsts in my life. For starters, it's my first time eating French bistro food (no I didn't have any in Paris). It was also my first time eating quail, unless of course you consider quail eggs as also being quails (that makes you wonder, did the egg or the quail come first eh?) And I must say, while the quail was nice, it was a [insert expletive here] to cut. Perhaps ordering something else would have made the night a little easier, but heck, it was an experience eating that little [formerly] feathered thing.

P.S. The scallop entr�e was divine.
Oh and the place was quite charming, pity I don't have any pictures.