Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008 is not going to end in a way that I am expecting... I seem to have a knack for attracting drama in my life, by simply not doing anything. It keeps life interesting, especially so for people who like to have something to talk about.

Overall, it has been a great year for me and I have accomplished feats that were once beyond me. Though I have had a tad too much excitement, I have also been taught many precious lessons about life and have been blessed in many ways.

Everything, I will leave in the Lord's hands. I am looking forward to 2009 and I pray it will even be an even better year. God bless and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Forgiveness is a choice. It is an attribute of the strong and the ability to let go of the past. Too many people I know imprison themselves in the past as they are unable or unwilling to forgive. Instead, they choose to cling on to the hatred and wallow in the anger that serves no purpose except embitter their soul.

I loved bearing grudges when I was in my early teens. Everytime someone does or says something to hurt me, I would remember every single detail and find an opportunity to bitch about it and then, retaliate. The offending party would usually be someone who has the same malicious thoughts and suffice to say, the 'war' is neverending. It was an unpleasant affair to say the least. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

Unfortunately for me, I learnt the hard way and was taught a harsh lesson, which changed me for the better. Looking back, it was a blessing that I was given an opportunity to set things right early in life. The change in attitude allowed me to live the prime years of my life harmoniously, with a peace of mind.

Throughout my life, many people have hurt and disappointed me, but I am glad that the bad memories I have tried to conjure up are now nothing more than hazy shadows. Of course, there are times where I would fall victim to my old ways, but never for long.

My best friend Nic is a shining example of the ability to forgive. The man she loved
for 6 years betrayed her and broke her heart but yet, she was able to forgive him and wish him well. It takes someone with a big, big heart full of love to be able to do that. In the process of her healing, she found the Lord and I know her life will definately be blessed and more.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas this year was spent away from home but even though I was not with my loved ones, I really enjoyed the celebrations that I have had.

The college party was a raucous affair and many ended up getting smashed at the end of the night. Alcohol, in moderate amounts, can be a good thing as it lightens the mood and brings everyone together. It can also be fun when people have had too much to drink and entertain everyone with their drunken antics. Heh.

On the eve, I had a nice dinner at La Porchetta in Fremantle with Poot Poot and a couple of his friends after sending off one of their coursemates to the airport. The service was good and the food was delicious and reasonably priced. Most definitely going back again, even though I have had more than enough Italian food since coming to Perth. We attended a Christmas mass after that. It is really not much different from the other Catholic masses that I have attended, just a lot more packed. As usual, I felt strangely detached from it all and it did not touch me in the way a Christian sermon would. Similar in some ways, yet worlds apart.

There were plans to embark on a road trip to Albany but it was canned as most of the car rental companies were either closed or had no more cars available. I followed Poot Poot, to his instructor's house party, along with some other cadets who have been invited. It was simple, heartwarming and absolutely lovely... just the sort of thing I like. The weather was perfect with the warm December sun on my skin and the cool breeze carassing my hair. The food was excellent and I ate so much that I was quite sure I was gonna pop. The kids running about brought a smile to my face... their innocence and curiosity never fail to touch my heart.

I am glad I found some meaning in Christmas this year, and I hope it was the same for everyone. God bless!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Right this moment, I really feel like I am living the best days of my life. Everyday, I thank God for all the blessings I have been given, before I go to sleep at night and first thing when I wake up in the morning.

The past two weeks have been heavenly. There is just so much to be happy about, so much so that the happiness radiates out of my soul. I feel like I am fulfilling the right purpose at this stage. Looking back, I have had my initial struggles, to the point that I even started to seriously doubt myself. However, I managed to break free from the chains that have once held my mind ransom with prayer and faith. There is this newfound confidence in me, but I must never get complacent or arrogant and continue to learn and be humble.

Things are cruising along smoothly and I look forward to every sortie, be it a dual or solo. Ever since I cleared my first progress check, I have been given a few opportunities to do my solos in very challenging conditions and I took the chance to improve my handling skills and height maintainence. However, I suspect my instructor will be horrified if he comes to know I was authorized to go up in such strong winds, heh.

I must enjoy every moment that brings joy to my heart and every experience that enriches my life.

=)

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Things started off badly the moment I got to the OPS room this morning. My aircraft was changed and when I did my preflight, I noticed that the baggage compartment catch was broken and it could not be locked. So after getting an instructor and an engineer to check it, they declared it unserviceable and it had to be sent to the hangar. I was assigned another one, after doing the preflight and the paperwork, the OPS personnel told me that there was no turnaround time between my sortie and the next. No prizes for guessing what happened next... I was swopped back to the original aircraft I had requested for and had to do the preflight and the paperwork all over again.

Anyone else would have kicked up a fuss but I decided to keep my cool. I had to rush through my calculations and weather briefing but managed to complete everything in time. However, due to some scheduling error, my P-Check instructor arrived 30 minutes after I was supposed to start.

We departed 45 minutes late in marginal weather and the conditions deteriorated further when I was doing circuits and it started getting bumpy. My performance could be better but I was safe and did not bust any tolerances. Though I must say I did strangely well for the flapless approach which I hardly practice. We left the circuit for the training area and I did steep turns, stalls and PFL. My steep turn to the right was good and I did not lose any height, but the ones to the left was quite horrible. I lost height but I stopped the turn and started over and only got it right after a couple more attempts. The stalls went quite well and my recoveries for the different types of stall were up to standard, just that I did not ease the nose down enough for some of them. My PFL was a real joke. I noted the wind direction correctly, selected a field and identified my high key and low key correctly. My procedures were good, made the correct judgements and would most certainly have made the field, except that when I got lower, I realized that the field I had selected had many small trees. They looked like dense vegetation from above! I went around at 600ft and returned to the aerodrome.

The rest of the check went well and I rejoined without much dramas. I was given instructions to join late downwind and had to do a glide approach. I could not lose the excess height and came in too high so I initiated a go around. I managed to do a good glide approach and it all ended well.

I did well enough to pass and I can finally move on to Phase 2! Despite all the cock-ups in the beginning, I was in a calm state of mind throughout. God delivered and ensured that the rest of the more important factors were in my favour. Glory to the Lord!

Monday, December 08, 2008

Quite literally a stroke of unexpected luck at the eleventh hour... just as I was steeling myself for the worst when I saw who I might be doing my progress check with on Wednesday. Though the fear did not dominate me, I was resigned to God's plan for me.

As it turns out, He had other plans for me. Viv sent me a msg, saying I will be doing it tomorrow instead, and to expect a call from OPS. I got that call 5 minutes later and was informed that I will be doing the P-check with another instructor. What joy! I am most certainly going to give it my best and glorify God's name. I pray that there will be a window of good weather for me tomorrow.

=)

Sunday, December 07, 2008

My tolerance for alcohol seems to have increased and I can hold my own when it comes to drinking. In a way, it is a good thing as I can let loose a little and not make an ass out of myself. It can be quite fun while it lasts, but having said that, it is not a lifestyle I would want to indulge in on a regular basis. Last night, I stayed a little longer for the new course's initiation, had quite a bit to drink but thankfully, only ended up slightly high.

Fun aside, it is back to business and I must remained focused as my progress check will be held next week. The weather is going to be bad for the next 3 days so things might once again be delayed. I can only hope that there will be a window of decent weather for me and those ahead of me in the queue.

God tells me not to be afraid, I just need to run everything in my mind and do whatever my instructor taught me. I am looking forward to Phase 2 very much and I cannot wait to get there. This is my best chance to make up for lost time, learn as much as I can and expedite my progress. I am definitely in good hands.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

My time has come... I finally signed up for my first progress check today. It has been one bumpy ride and I have experienced more than my fair share of challenges. However, with my faith in the good Lord, I perservered on and I was blessed with the fruits of my determination. Looking back, it is amazing what I have managed to achieve in such a short period of time despite many limiting factors.

Turns out, God has sorted out my dilemma and now that I am number 3 in the queue, I will just leave it all in His hands. May I be able to step up to the game and that all the factors favour me on that day.

I am more than grateful for my improvement and I have a couple of instructors to thank for that. Now, I must not let anyone or myself down and especially not God.

=)

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

A dilemma... If I happen to know something that I can avoid, should I go ahead and challenge myself? Or do I wait for someone else to go first? This, I will entrust to the Lord.

Monday, December 01, 2008

This is going to be a very simple post. I am just feeling very happy these days and I feel alive once again. Everything is working out even better than planned and I managed to move ahead despite a few limiting factors. The drive and the momentum is back in full swing and I am cheerily looking forward to all there is to come.

There is so much to be thankful for and I am feeling really good about myself and the situation. It is good to keep things simple and have patience.