Saturday, June 9, 2007

"Kallang is the evil twin of MacRitchie..."

We had Time Trials today for training. In other words, we had our timings taken for our events. Like agreed, Hao Qing and I took New Tiger today, which after giving it a spin we found to actually be somewhat better than Old Tiger. (The strapped footrests were especially useful.) Before the Trials, Mr. Goh gave a short revision on how to board a canoe on a pontoon, so as to help prepare us for the conditions in Kallang. Barnacles.

We then paddled to our starting points (either 500m or 1000m, HQ and I being 500) and waited for our wave to start. First were the 1000m events, which took about less than half an hour to finish, before moving on to the 500m events, of which the K2s had to go first. Joon Sin didn't come today (again...), so Kenneth had to paddle Old Tiger with a Sec 1. But jokes aside, this Sec 1 is a very powerful rower, despite his angelic looks. Nevertheless, HQ and I wouldn't know if we're better/worse/at par to the Mosquito today because of JSin's absense. How sad.

Once we did a set of 500m timing (of which the Old Tiger colided into HQing's paddle's path of rotation at around 50m), Mr. Goh told us to do 4 sets of 2k Sprints, of which HQ and I didn't really hear clearly so we did Easy Row until we passed by Davin and Seng Jian's boat, when they shouted across the lanes that it was a "...BURST!...".

At least for the rest of the sets, New Tiger did what she could. Once done, we headed back to the pontoon to pack-up and brought the boat back to the Upper Shed, where Mr. Goh later brought the weighing scale to weigh the boats before we brought them to Kallang. (Yes, there are regulations in competions for boats to be within certain mass ranges so as to make the race more fair.)

Not to elaborate, but when Hao Qing and I placed New Tiger onto the scale, it displayed that she was over 19kg, a kilogram above the maximum weight for K2s! (Yes, boats can be overweight/underweight.) I know the solution for underweight boats is to put sandpackets into the bow and stern to increase the overall mass, but I don't know how they're gonna solve overweight. If only there were slimming sessions for boats...

Later, I went down to lower shed to label my paddle. (Yay! My name's just below Jimmy's signature! [Jimmy's a senior in the club.] Cheap-thrill thoughts, hee hee:P...) While labeling my blade, Yi Pin walked by and suddenly exclaimed in a soft tone, "Raemiguel! Your toe is bleeding like s***! Aren't you gonna wash it?" I looked down, and true enough, my toe was bleeding like - well, till half of my fat toe was red.

Others who heard or noticed stared and gave their random comments, while I just looked back up normally and sighed an, "Oh, I didn't notice." like as if nothing actually happened. Must had been caused by me sliding against a rock, I guess. Whatever it was, God heal my wound! I went to Mr. See to ask for permittion if I could run down to the toilet to wash the wound, of which without looking he permitted.

Down at the washing area of the toilet, a middle-aged man who was washing his shoes from mud noticed me sticking my bloody foot towards the tap and rinsing all the blood off. So he came to me and offered me a plaster. I thankfully accepted it, along with a couple of tissue papers to wipe the wounds clean and dry. While walking back up to the shed, all attended for but slightly limping, I prayed for God to bless that man. God bless him!

After settling paddles, blades, lifejacks and other small details I might have forgoten to mention, the 'B' Division was told to report at MacRitchie at the ussual time on Monday to help in transporting the boats onto the trucks, while most of the 'C' Division was to report at Kallang at 8.15 to wait for the boats to arrive. I wanted to volunteer to help out in the transportation of boats, but Mr. See wanted me to go to Kallang instead and be in charge of the Juniors (aww...).

We were then told of all the horror stories of Kallang and what conditions to expect. Such tales were like that there were some buoys which we had to stay away from, as they may be connected to high-tention cables which if snapped could slash through almost anything in its path ("...even diamonds would shatter..."), and that stepping on barnicles isn't dangerous - it's when you slip on them that you get wounds "far worse than what Raemiguel is having now.", and also on what debries could be floating just underneath the surface, most which are hard enough to chip/scratch/chip and scratch the hull of an unfortunate boat that paddles towards it.

In summary, "Kallang is the evil twin of MacRitchie," as quoted by Mr. See. I'd just have to be more careful when I get there.

Once dismissed, I gave Mr. See my phone number so he could call me once the trucks that would be carrying the boats were nearby the sports centre, and in turn he gave me his number just in case I had any troubles while waiting for them or with attending to the Juniors. After changing up and heading home and reaching home and feeling home, I said the prayer for a verse for the day and ended up at Matthew 1o:32-33, which is;

32"For those who declare publicly that they belong to me, I will do the same before my Father in heaven. 33But if anyone rejects me publicly, I will reject him before my Father in heaven.

To imagine that while we're down here on earth saying something like, "Oh, and y'know what? I declared His love for me, an' my love for 'im, infron' of that dude and told him that there ain't no nuthin' that's gonna stop my Pops from heaven from lovin' me, y'know wad' I sayin'? I love 'at God of mine, that Daddy y'all, and I'ma gonna praise Him as long as I'im gonna live!",

Jesus' probably chatting with God over something on the lines of, "Oh, and y'know what? He declared My love for 'im, an' is' love for me, infron' of that dude and told him that there ain't no nuthin' that's gonna stop Me from lovin' 'im, y'know wad' I sayin'? I love 'at boy of mine, that sonny y'all, and I'ma gonna bless 'im as long as he's gonna believe!"

Irony. Yet blessed irony.

Then I went to my mp3 player and played the sermon my Mom wanted me to hear about. The sermon was about Remembering and Rehearsing God's Deliveances. And since this blog was meant to be my Christian journal, I'll just type ou the notes I have:

-Flip to 1 Samuel 4:19-22, and it says;

19His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 20As she was dying, the women attending her said, "Don't despair; you have given birth to a son." But she did not respond or pay any attention.

21She named the boy Ichabod*, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel"-because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22She said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."
*('Ichabod' in Hebrew means 'no glory'.)


-Now go to Romans 13:11-14. It says;

11You must do this, because you know that the time has come for you to wake up from your sleep. For the moment when we will be saved is closer now than it was when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over, day is almost here. Let us stop doing the things that belong to the dark, and let us take up weapons for fighting in the light. 13Let us conduct ourselves properly, as people who live in the light of day - no orgies or drunkenness, not immorality or indecency, no fighting or jealousy. 14But take up the weapons of the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop paying attention to your sinful nature and satisfying its desires.

-Now, there are 7 things which these verses talk about. Here's a list;

1) Alertness
If there is anything that we need today, especially now when it's real close to the EndTimes, it would be alertness. Don't forget, Samson only had his haircut when he was sleeping, and because of that he lost all his God-given strength.

2)Put off with the things of darkness

3)Put on the armour of light

4)Honest heart
One of the best differences between you and the enemy which you can addapt should be that you have an honest heart towards God.

5)No dual living
Don't comprimise and mix your life with things that would only harm it.

6)We need to put on the Lord Jesus
So that we can depend on the Lord Jesus.

7) We need to have priorities for Kingdom Living
The enemy would try to give you many chances to fail. Take none.

-We tend to forget what good things God has done for us. And so when we go through the storms of life, we fail to keep standing. We must stand through the storms (a person who stands through the storms goes forward, not back; thinks about the things which would push him on, not ways on how to retriet.)

-We have our season for Christ!

-Stand where you have favour! Stay where you have favour! Don't leave the favour! No matter how hard things can get! Keep standing!

-It's after the victory where the chaos comes! (When we all remove our armour and go party)

-Phinehas's wife had to go throught so much animosity and pressure ("like a pressure cooker!"). But don't give up! The times will feel like as if there's no exit, no solution, no hope, but just keep clinging on! ('Those who keep praising, will get rain!")

-Don't be influenced by those who feel that things will be hopeless. Save them, for you should, but don't allow them to alter your mindset with God's plans. Don't stop fighting!

-When you stop fighting, you'd feel like as if God has left you completely. You'll be spiritually 'blind'/'deaf'.

-If you think like that, just remind yourself where you are right now. ("I will remember.")

-When you give up, your mouth will freely spread depression. E.g., Phinehas's wife called her son 'No hope' and kept repeating that the Lord had departed from God. People always find it easier to say negative things than to say positive things, as negative things seem more likely and accurate while positive things are supernatural. But remember, God IS supernatural!

-Use the testimonies which God has given to you to push forward.

-The Word of God will give you confidence - try reading it up if you feel of doubt.

-"Your latter shall be greater than your formal!"

-Still, don't be over-confident in your own works - it is God who gives you the victory! Whatever you get from God, concider it as a priveledge!

-If you've got a target, keep at it! Don't put it down or take shortcuts that will make less of it all.

-2 Samuel 23:11-12 shares about Shammah:

11Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel's troops fled from them. 12But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory.

-2 Samuel 23:16

16So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD.

-2 Corinthians 5:9


9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

-Zechariah 10:1


1Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men, and plants of the field to everyone.

And that's about it for the sermon notes. And if you wanted to see, here's a pic of the wound I recieved earlier on (now a lot more healed than how bloddy it was a few hours ago);

All archived down. Ah, well. God bless y'all!

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