The Adventure of LHS

Elphaba, the Misunderstood "Wicked" Witch

2012-01-26T13:49:00.005+08:00

When I was in London, I watched a lovely musical called "Wicked". I really loved the show a lot. In fact, it took me quite some time to grasp the show because I was fascinated with the dancing and all. However after reading wikipedia, everything makes sense.

To side track abit, wikipedia is a source that our professors hate because they think the journals they published are so authentic and valuable. How arrogant!!! I am so sorry to say that I believe that knowledge is reserved for the mass, not just for the elite. So if wikipedia is shut down, I know that it is going to the end of the cyberworld.

Ok! Back to the show. I think I could identify myself with Elphaba in terms of her character and the things she went through. Basically in the Musical, she was termed the "Wicked Witch of the West" because she incurred the wrath of the Wizard of Oz, who is like a "God" to the World of Oz but in actual fact, is the True Deceiver of Oz. Hence, Elphaba ran into hiding for 10 years and time and again, she would meet up with her true friends like Fieyro and Glinda, but she would also run away from the people who are hunting her down. The story of "Wicked" happens with the "Wizard of Oz" story in between. So to cut the story short, ultimately Elphaba 'dies' as seen from the Wizard of Oz and the whole of Oz rejoices, having been brainwashed by the Wizard. However, Glinda the Good Witch of the North banished the Wizard of Oz and helped to redress Elphaba's injustice, even though Elphaba had already "die" a wrongful death.

This musical taught me about LENSES. It recaps what I learnt from IBS 1.01 in VCF where each of us lives in our own world and hence we perceives things differently. When I was younger, I read the "Wizard of Oz" book and I always taught the Wizard was a good guy and Elphaba was wicked. That was how the story made her out to be!!! However the story of "Wicked" brought about the other side. From Elphaba's birth, she was termed different. She was the result of her mother's adultery and she was scorned ever since she was born. Even through adulthood, she was loathed because of the color of her skin. But she didn't give up on life, she remained strong through it all. After watching this musical, it taught me about the FAILURE of human's judgement and how a POWERFUL and CHARISMATIC person can be the Devil's tool to deceive the world!!!!!!!

I can somewhat identify with Elphaba because I also grew up in an environment where I was the least in my family and how my father is and still is not proud that I am his son. My mother naturally loved us because she had motherly love graced by God but at times, she also struggled with the fact that I am her son. So when I was younger, I always wonder why I was different. I was a silent rebel who refused to obey my parents and I gave them a really hard time. As I reached puberty, I realised that the way I think does not really coincides with the social norms. So I was always the weird person and thus I grew up being discriminated.

I knew how she felt because I went through such pain before. It was really surprising that I could remained this strong because there were times when I was younger, I contemplated suicide because I was different and that I know that Society would not accept me for who i am. For strange reason, God lead me back to church and by His Grace, despite my weirdness, I build a new identity, that was in Christ. But that was not the end even though I publicaly declared that I am a Follower of Jesus Christ. I had to deal with the weirdness that had been imprinted since my birth.

Today, I also realise that despite being in Christ, I am in a danger of being like the Pharisees because I was so involved in many things "Christian-like" i.e I have been so religious. Anyway after going for my Mission Trip and being very much exposed, I realised that I have honestly have no passion to be too actively involved in church. Because I realised that outside church, there are many societal problems that have yet to be addressed. What should I do to still serve God and yet not be too Churchy? The church is always repeating about evangelism, blessings and warning. That is good but my gut feeling is that it's the same people who go there to be spiritually fed and this have resulted in people being inward-looking. Thus I am moving out of my comfort zone to serve.

I have since decided to acknowledge that my destiny would be like Elphaba, to remain misunderstood for a very long time. Though I constantly try to clarify them, people keep talking down on me, saying that I am trying to justify myslef i.e in my eyes what I do is right and in their eyes, what I do is wrong. I am also tired of my friends speaking up for me. Maybe I foresee in the future that even my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ will turn against me because of who I am. I being a fellow Christian myself might also be persecuted by Christians. I supposed this is the irony of life.

Many of my fellow christian friends taught that we should be communal people but the danger is that if the leader of the community is actually a SEED planted by Satan, then the whole community will perish together. Hence, I being in the community of believers seek to be unique. BECAUSE THIS IS WHO I AM. I am Lin Hansheng Gideon. I am mutant and proud!!! :D And yes, I also sense the danger of being caught in social norms though i tried to learn some of the things that are of this world hmm... After all, though I grew up as an odd being, I am capable of learning new things. Therefore, I foresee that I will die as a misunderstood, odd and broken follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ultimately I will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, my True Judge and with His omniscience, he will see through the deep intentions and the struggles in my heart. He knows that I am a broken person through and through. I admit that there are times, I really feel like rebelling against God. Despite this imperfections, will the LORD accept me into His Kingdom? Or will I spend eternity being violently burned by the fires of Hell...I await His judgement.

Goodness knows the "Wicked's" lives are lonely. Goodness knows the "WICKED" CRIES/ DIES ALONE!!!! It just shows when you're "wicked", you're left only, on your own....No one mourns the Wicked!!!!!!

Reflecting 2011

2011-12-31T19:35:00.004+08:00

It's been so long since I written a truly long blog post. I have been really busy with many things in the year 2011. There are so much to share but thanks to my Church's watchnight service, i manage to sort out my thanksgiving and here's a summary :D

1. At the start of this year, I had Tonsillitis which is then accompanied by Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. It was a sucky feeling because I couldn't eat or drink properly and I couldn't sleep well for a week because swallowing saliva was also really painful. Anyway after being healed, i was told that actually eating ice cream makes things better but oh well, i do hope i don't get such an illness anymore. So thank God for healing me :)

2. I thank God for friends who helped me out throughout my studies in NUS and I did reasonably well. Actually my CAP fell drastically to 2.92 in Semester 1 because I had a D for my Level 2 Organic Chemistry but it rose to 3.06, not so high thanks to a D+ in Analytical Chemistry, still lower than my first sem CAP but I believe that whether it rises or drops, I must be contented that God gave me the privilege to study in NUS despite the tough competition. Reuben mentioned about being a Bell curve Martyr so haha!! i think God puts me in that position for a reason. Though I honestly think I work very hard for my modules hmmm.. I may not know the exact reason but i know it's a learning journey with the LORD so as to grow to be more like salt and light for this world. I also remembered the times I complained about how I didn't make it to FMSS and then ACJC. But looking back, I appreciate all that have happened to me. I was really surprised I made it to NUS. Indeed many are the plans of Man, but the will of God prevails. Anyway it's not a shame to be the least among my peers in terms of academic status. It teaches me humility :)

3. I was serving as a VCF CGL throughout my Sophomore year. To be honest, I wasn't even chosen by the previous subcomm but I remembered how i was so mysteriously driven to ask Lionel and Max to give me this wonderful opportunity to show my gratitude to how VCF have fed me spiritually. I got the role and i faced so many trials where I was constantly misunderstood and deemed incompetent for the role. It hurt me so deeply but somehow encouragement from other friends really enabled me to persevere. And being a CGL, I need to be relational which I think I was abit bad at cos a friend commented how i had bad EQ. I was honestly uncomfortable about it but God suggested that it's good to train up my shortcomings. Ok I am of 'CSD' personality so I had to trained up my 'I' personality, so i forced myself to be bubbly. Some people think that i was kinda fake or inappropriate but after all, I wasn't there to please man but to please God. Indeed I felt like an outcast in the subcomm for a period of time but God understood my pain because Jesus felt the same way before He went to the Cross. Anyway I thank God for the experience and the things I learnt.

4. I always thank God for my understanding church friends who allowed me to focus on preparing for my VCF GCube Mission Trip. Btw Gcube means God's Global Glory. I still tried to serve in church as a Youth DGL (Disciple Group Leader) but I really thank Christopher, my co-DGL who helped me shoulder this burden. And I am really thankful to Jasper who relieved off my duty as a Young Adults Ministry Worship Leader & Support Singer. I do apologised to Pr George for pulling out of the Mailbox Club Ministry. And I remembered that Ps Kien Seng patiently mentored me for 2 years and prayed for my service in VCF before he had to prepare to go for his Sabbatical in 2012. It is always joy that God uses us for various ministry but he understands that I am limited and human so I have to give up certain area to focus on other areas. I hope to return to church as a more spiritually matured person after having been trained in VCF :)

5. I really thank God for the privilege of going to Xining, China for my Gcube Phase 2 Mission Trip. It was really not easy having to work with my team members due to different personalities. And there were times how they left me out when they spoke about their medical terms. But anyway we learnt to work the misunderstandings out. I was so thankful that many people came in to support us financially and spiritually. During the prep-camp for the trip, we faced many trials when our expectations for the trip was so different. It kinda made us pissed off with each other and I struggled to work under my supervisors just as Jacob wrestles with God. To be frank, I was so frustrated and unjust such that i cried bitterly. But ultimately God is sovereign in the situations and in the trip. We manage to put aside our indifference and do His kingdom work. There were still a bit of indifference, especially when i had to be in charge of the tours, and how i was pissed off with the fact of whether my team mates was trying to please the Missionary instead of God. But through it all, we managed to be like John the Baptist who tilled the hearts and prepared the way for the people we meet so that in future the gospel could be planted in them. I thank God for the privilege to go on this Mission Trip to China, where it's dangerous to preach the gospel there.

6. It was indeed a headache having to prepare for my Exchange Trip. There were so many screw-ups on the administrative side in NUS; my mother could testify. She was the one having a bad time because I had to do 2 weeks of Reservist at that time. I was super pissed off by their delay of 2 weeks which spoiled my travel plans. And at Eindhoven University of Technology (Tu/E), they were pressuring us to send in the necessary documents or else they won't accept me as a student there. Thank God that it was settled when Kelsey Works stepped in. After that, I faced VISA issues, they were so petty issues like my head was not straight, etc and to make matters worse, she didn't inform me that the VISA fee would increase to €600 so my mother wasted so much money to deal with this unnecessary screw-ups. Anyway in the end, I thank God that I managed to get everything done on time and meet Haoguang and Moses in Florence, Italy instead of our initially planned Munich, Germany.

7. Thank God for the privilege of travelling around Western and a little bit of Central Europe. I had to be independent in settling my trip itinerary, booking my hostels, budgeting, navigating with a guide book and/or a map, etc.. I remember how I encountered scams in many countries and how racism was evident on certain places I went to. I also remembered walking in the streets late at night because the hostel price was unreasonable. I also attempted to sleep in a deserted playground/ a park or even an alley because I couldn't afford the hostel stay. But i was really thankful that God kept me safe. All in all, I went to 12 countries: Italy, France, Spain, Holland, Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, England, Poland and Luxembourg. :)))

8. Beind an exchange student was tough and lonely. I had to settle my housing, apply for resident permit and open a bank account. I also had to budget for my weekly expenditures and do grocery shopping. Cooking became a past time since outside food was expensive. I had to get a bicycle to travel around as bus rides were around €2 per trip. In school, I constantly ran to my supervisor for advice in my courses due to my screw-up timetables or failure in 2 of my master courses. I took mostly master level courses because the bachelor courses were in dutch and I had 1 bachelor courses which couldn't be mapped over as a complete module at NUS. But I continued with the course because it's not nice to pull out and let the rest of my group mates bear the burden. I have planned to stay back a semester in NUS due to such inconvenience but I believed God puts me in Tu/E for a purpose. I met so many people from different countries and also 2 Singaporean friends who are there on Scholarship. They really helped me in many ways. And I also thank God that I could still be salt and light there for many of my friends who are stoic or atheist in their beliefs.

9. I manage to find a church in Eindhoven, i.e the International Baptist Church of Eindhoven where I met people from all over the world. It was a glimpse of heaven. I also manage to meet a Singaporean couple, Isaac and Serene who helped me in many things. I also enjoyed the fellowship with the Young Adults there. I really enjoyed the events they celebrate like the Harvest Festival, the monthly fellowship lunch and Holy Communion. To top it all, I also attended the Men's Bible Study Session which taught me how to be a biblical man of God. Indeed God was gracious to send many people to support me spiritually. I thank Him for that. :)

10. While I was on Exchange, my house got emblock and hence I entered a new house when I returned. It was bigger and more beautiful than my previous house. I thank God for His Providence. And I also give thanks for my family members who cared for me when I was away and how I skyped them to update my life with them. My room is still messy and my stuffs are everywhere so I need to take time to pack and settle down before returning to school.

11. Before I returned to Singapore, I attended an IFES Nederland Christmas Retreat which was really encouraging because I met people from different countries too. How wonderful it was to see a Japanese and a Chinese fellowshipping together especially when these 2 countries suffered years of Hatred since World War 2. I also learnt about a new country which I never knew, it was Latvia. We all had a great time worshipping God, fellowshipping and doing various activities like writing a Christmas Card in various languages. During the Retreat, I also saw snow for the very first time :) God is Good all the time :))

12. Thank God for the safe trip back to Singapore and I manage to make it on time for my VCF Annual Teach-in Camp aka ANNTIC. It was my 3rd time and I have 1 last year before my ANNTIC journey is done. Time really passed quickly as I worship God, fellowship with my VCFers and study the book of Hosea and the Epistles. It is indeed great to have your mind and soul challenged in this camp so that one could really grow and mature in our walk with God. I am so thankful for that :)

12 Summaries of Thanksgiving for the year 2011. I wonder what is installed for me in 2012? I am so excited about my journey with the LORD God Almighty! :D

Holy Holy are you Lord God Almighty! Worthy is the Lamb! Worthy is the Lamb! You are Holy!

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel :D

2011-12-25T16:23:00.002+08:00

I just loved the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. One can never imagine that God- The Son, the One who sits on the Heavenly Throne in all His glory would sacrifice Himself by first entering His created world, and be planted by the Holy Spirit into a virgin's womb and born as sinless and vulnerable baby. An angel appeared to shepherds to show them this miraculous birth. And a few years ago, God sent the star of Bethehem to guide wise men from the East (tradition guessed that they are from Babylon, Persia, India and even China) to present gifts to the infant. Thus, the Nativity of Jesus is the Word became flesh, to bare the Sins of the world and indeed we ought to REJOICE! REJOICE! for God is with us! :D

Exchange Trip Afterglow

2011-12-24T05:12:00.003+08:00

I am back!!!! It's been 5 months since I left for Europe and I simply can't believed time passed so quickly. I really have 1001 stories to share because so many things happened while I am on exchange.

I loved most of the places I went to. Due to my VISA issues, my travel plan was delayed by 2 weeks and hence I had to fly straight to Florence, Italy to meet Haoguang and Moses. It was God's grace because we planned to meet at The Academia but I got a bit lost but in the end I manage to meet him. We had lots of happy times venturing the city by foot. I really loved Florence because of her artwork. I shall write reviews of each place I go. :) In short, Haoguang, Moses and I visited Italy: Florence and Milan, France: Nice and Spain: Barcelona and Madrid before all 3 of us separate. Moses flew to Utrecht, Haoguang flew to London while I took a train to Eindhoven via Paris.

I almost couldn't make it on time to get my keys from Vestide, the landlord of my apartment. This is because I took the wrong train. But God was gracious as some kind dutch taught me how to change the train and board the right one to Eindhoven. So i dragged my 23kg luggage to get my keys and then to my house. That was when I first met my housemate Oscar. He is Swedish and he brought me to meet other people at the bar. Thankfully I controlled myself and made it for the Introduction Day the next day. And we drank again. But I headed to Amsterdam that night. I will write more in another post

Most of my trips are done independently where I meet new friends on the way. In short, I tried to visit most of the cities in western Europe and some central Europe countries like Poland and Czech Republic. I also met up Haoguang, Lionel, Jason, Gerald and Joyce in London, England. My last trip was done with Moses where we went to Luxembourg. Throughout my travels, I learnt to budget my meals, accommodations and entrance fee. I also learnt to navigate throughout with the map provided by the hostels or the guide book which was given to me for free by my tour, BUSABOUT.

I had many good times but I had my fair share of unpleasant incidents while travelling and I will elaborate more on separate posts. They are mostly scams and thankfully I wasn't robbed nor assaulted in various way.

In school, I mostly turned to my Study Advisor for help. She patiently tried to settled my modules which were greatly messed up. Honestly I did well for modules that were project based because that forced me to be consistent. However I failed 2 modules because I had lack of background knowledge. They are of master levels and since I had no bachelor level, I failed them. I actually tried to retake one but in the end, my lecturer was so harsh on me such that I broke down. I used up many rolls of toilet paper as I cried bitterly near my bed. But I am thankful for the experience because it was the very first time I was last in class.

I also met 2 Singaporean friends there, Eddie and Jingxiu who really helped me a lot. They invited me to their house for dinner, celebrated my birthday and farewell. I am also thankful to Eddie who offered to buy my bicycle. It was so fun having them around as I shared my Exchange stories with them. I also tried my best to give them some advice so that they would not meet up with unpleasant situations. Thank God that I could be a blessing to them through the bad things that happen to me.

Not to mention, I actually wanted to cry when I first came because I had culture shock. It was a coffee and beer culture and the food were mostly cheese, ham, milk, bread and soup. Moreover I have yet to find a church for spiritual support. In the end, Janelle helped me out a bit through Watsapp and I attended the International Baptist Church of Eindhoven. I met a Singaporean couple there, Isaac and Serene and we fellowshipped together with their daughter Kaira. I had many wonderful times with them, even visiting the Flower Parade Festival at Valkenswaard. She introduced me to other Singaporean friends and I even attended a couple, Jasmine and Loy's baby shower. After they left on 6th November, God led me to Marcus, the leader of the IBC Young Adult Group. We fellowshipped mostly in church, but I did went to Cliff's house for dinner and Marcus and I had lunch at a Hong Kong and North Indian Restaurant. I really enjoyed the time spent with them. I am also thankful to celebrate the Harvest Festival, the monthly fellowship lunch and Holy Communion. Oh! and thank God for the Men's Bible Study session which was led by Tim, an elder of IBC. That was where I studied the book of Elijah and learnt about being a biblical man of God. I think God really place people into our lives for specific reasons.

I was really exposed throughout this exchange where I had to tolerate my other Greek housemate on how he caused some inconvenience to the house. I learnt to be independent by budgeting for my groceries and cooking my own meals, maintaining my bicycle and also planning my travel plans so that they would not caused inconvenience with school. Basically, I learnt to be more independent and yet totally dependent on God. I went to the Red Light District with my friends and it broadened up my view on such issues. I was exposed to my friends passively smoking soft drugs like Weed and I saw Magic Mushrooms in Amsterdam too. I attended a House Party which my Swedish friends brought me too and also had a farewell dinner with them: Swedish meatballs!!! My cousin envied me! ;P Surely the Lord placed me in Eindhoven to broaden my worldview as Singapore have indeed been too safe and comfortable.

Through it all, I had a wonderful time there. I made so many friends from different nations. I stepped into 12 different countries, had my fair share of scams, tried to resist overdose of alcohol, struggled with master level schoolworks and also learnt to grow spiritually; be salt and light to the country there. I believed that I have also drawn closer to God and I really thank Him for all He has done for me. Thank You Lord for such a maginificent experience! :D

Gcube Phase 2: Xining, China

2011-06-30T22:57:00.007+08:00

Today I am going to reflect about my trip to Xining, China :)

Actually going to China was rather unfavorable for me because of my inadequacy in my Chinese. As I was preparing for the trip, I tried praying in chinese and it was really a disaster. Instead of addressing God as our Heavenly Father, 天父 , i called Him 岳父, which literally means Father-in-law. It was pure disaster, hahaa!!! When I wrote my testimony in chinese, it was broken to the max because I relied on google translate and i guessed my supervisor, Adrian had a tough time vetting it. However despite all these, God challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and that He would used my weakness for His glory. I do not really know if my inadequacy in chinese was glorifying to God but when i conversed with the people there, they were laughing so hard at the things I said. E.g I mistook the chinese word for digest as purge ( i.e.消化 and 消毒). As I learnt that reciting chinese poems was entertaining, I did so almost every meal. E.g 鹅，鹅，鹅 , 脖子向天歌! 掉进黄河变黄色!! 黑毛浮绿水, 红爪摇一摇. This is not the actual poem btw, I also made silly errors reciting other poems like rocking the boat to grandma's bridge and grandma give me a hamburger, when the actual poem says grandma call me 好宝宝. I guessed God really used my weakness to make my friends there laugh heartily. Nonetheless, they appreciated my effort in trying to converse with them in Chinese.

In China, I was constantly learning and growing in the faith, because during my teenage stage, I developed a quiet and reserved nature. But entering University challenged me to grow in my EQ. As we learnt that China was rather strict in terms of religion, street evangelism was almost impossible. Hence in order for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be spread, it had to be done in a relational manner. Hence I was made to initiate conversation and build good and lasting friendship with the people there. I think we were there to be like John the Baptist and Apollos. We could not really plant the seed of the gospel but like John the Baptist, we prepared the hearts of the friends we made there so that in future, they could receive the gospel of Christ from the future team or the long term missionaries there. We were also like Apollos who watered the seeds of the gospel already planted in some of the people's heart so that they would grow to know Jesus more and more each day. Hence God really had a purpose for us there.

I was also amazed by the rich culture of china and the 56 ethnic groups. I initially thought that there were only 5 ethnic groups in China: 汉，满，藏，回，蒙 due to my exposure to chinese and hong kong dramas on how these ethnic groups were mentioned in various dynasties. But we took up advance chinese, chinese cultural and minorities cultural studies there, so my eyes were opened up and I am really convinced about the presence of the gathering of people from every tribe and tongue to worship God in heaven. Hence I believed that we should obey the great commission to be sent by God to reach out to the unreached. To my surprise, all these years, my chruch has been sending missionaries to minister to the qiang ethnic group on Sichuan, China. I thought qiang was like a place in China but it's actually 1 of the 56 ethnic groups. Hence I guessed when God chose to sent me to China, I supposed He is preparing me to join my church's mission team in ministering to these people.

I have many more things to share like learning patience to work with my team and the patience to tolerate my computer who all of a sudden slowed down in China. My friend joked that my computer is suffering from altitude sickness. I really thank God for the patience because there will be times when conflicts due to different interests and misunderstandings and miscommunication might arise among us, but nonetheless God helped to hold us together for this mission trip. Therefore I am thankful for that. I am also thankful that my team mates were understanding about my difficulty in hearing and my inability to multitask. For instance, we were searching for a friend to meet up. So I was staring and scanning the area to find her. When my friend found her, she told my another friend about it. But I didn't hear and then I exclaimed, :Oh there she is!" though she saw her like 1 minute ago. We all burst into laughter.

I learnt to be myself, displaying all my flaws there. I used to defend myself with masks. But I learnt that we do this because of pride and that we fear that people sees our weakness and mocks us. But God taught me to not be a hypocrite and I struggled to display my vulnerability so that the people I meet would know me as who I am, and not just the surface of me. I learnt to have faith that God is sovereign over all the events and that His grace is sufficient, for He is indeed a God who provides. I was initially flustered over the fact that I had to run around to pass the teeshirts to my friends, even during examination period and I had to sacrifice my grade for this. In the end, I didn't do well for a particular module which I had worked so hard for the past semester. However I guessed I learnt that grades aren't the most important and the sacrifice was worth it. I will do my best to continue to juggle between working hard for my grades and serving God. Anyway, God provided the resources for this trip so we were glad, but yet we learnt to be prudent in our expenditure.

To end this I liked to share this phrase from Narnia: "oh Aslan! oh Aslan ! You are real!" Yes. God is indeed real all the days of our lives. Whatever He had began, he will finish His mission in a good perfect and pleasing way in accordance to His will. As of today, I still think that it was never about me, myself and I, that going for this trip made me stand out among the rest. However I believed that it is indeed a privilege that God had taught me many things out there in that mission field, lessons that can never be taught in theory or even through sharing and preaching. I give thanks that I have this opportunity to share and encourage people to be missionaries in their own way. I personally believe that missions is not solely about going overseas to reach unreached people. Even people at your workplace, the place you study and even at your doorstep, like the construction workers, the prostitutes, the prisoners, the mentally and/or physically disabled, the old, the diseased/illness stricken people. All of this can be your mission field where you can be salt to the decaying world and light so that Christ can be seen through you.

Let Honor meet Honor

2011-05-30T16:22:00.002+08:00

I remembered 30th May came, when the alarm clock rang and i went to press the snooze button, but I didn't see any messages so I went back to sleep. But a few minutes later, I went to press the snooze button for my alarm clock again and to my surprise, I saw a message of my NUS results. Overall, this semester was a better semester because my CAP rose from 2.92 to 3.06. It was an improvement but it was lower than my original starting CAP of 3.125. I was really unhappy about my core module, CM2142 which I got D+, which i worked so hard for and for CM2101, which I screw up during the examination. Maybe I should apply to get them to review it. I didn't know we could do that until today, if not I would have reviewed last sems devastating results. Nonetheless i am comforted by a B+ and an A+ for 2 of my modules which helped me negate the terrible D+. Hopefully the review would help my CAP to rise back to 3.125 then I can work towards 3.2 and graduate. I know that if I were to totally commit to studying in NUS, I will score even much better but these 2 years, I have spent my time more on non-academic activities and hence I din put in more effort for yr 1, that was the crucial semester but oh well, it's too late to think of honours, unless a miracle happens but i believe everything should be fine. All in all, I thank God for the experience and his comfort last night. I was so jealous when my friends all did well, honestly but I prayed to God and He helped and enabled me to be thankful and happy for those who I personally think, did well. So thank God. :)

People of the world inscribe the Bible

2011-02-20T15:14:00.002+08:00

The Bible Land Museum opened this unique project 'People of the world inscribe the Bible' on 20th Jan 2007. It was initiated by the Bible Valley Society together with the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project is a global initiative wherein hundreds of thousands of people unite together to inscribe the Bible in their native languages. This unique act has indeed build bridges of understanding between the people as they are united by their shared love and reverence for the Bible.

I remembered at that time, I just moved up to YAM and my DGL was Choo Hin. As we were having dinner fellowship, if i remembered correctly, we ate the 'Margaret drive' porridge and had some chicken wings shared. Then either Choo Hin or Irene, his wife, mentioned about this project. For some reason, I felt the prompting to want to participate, so I offered to chip in. I remembered writing the whole chapter of Revelation 5: The Scroll and the Lamb.

It was indeed a privilege to participate in writing the Bible in my language. I thank God for such a wonderful thing to happen to my life. The wait was long, 4 years before I was honored with the rest of the people with a certificate. My mother also participated but i think due to some administrative issues, she wasn't honored on paper, but I am absolutely sure God will honor her in His heart. Praise the Lord! :)))

Reflection for 2010

2010-12-31T15:24:00.005+08:00

I have always reflected my life for 2010 when I am doing something leisure, say running or caring for my pet rabbit or maybe just listening to music. However when I am to pen them down in words, I find it simply challenging. But I will still do it anyway..

Anyway, I shall start off with all the bad and unpleasant things that happen throughout the year.

The year 201o has indeed been yet another year filled with much trials. As it was my second semester as a year 1 student in NUS, I strived to work really hard for my examinations, projects and tests. However to my horror, I obtained a CAP of 3.13 (yes..after S/Uing a module). I also remembered my first spiritual attack and how I struggled with my walk with God at that time. It was indeed a year filled with shock and disappointment. Shock from the spiritual attack and shocking and dissapointing examination results. Even till my recent examination results, though I tried so hard to grasp the concept and work really hard to prepare for my exams, my CAP still dropped, it dropped to 2.92!!! Didnt I not tried very hard? Why is this happening to me?! Why are my efforts so fruitless??? I questioned. I lost my faith in God for a while. Not that I didn't believed in God anymore, but I was not really happy at all!!! I had a jaded attitude and plus the sins in my life, I had little or no more fire for God.

I also had really weird encounters with people. I remember in year 2009 when I went for a Mauritius trip, we had lots of fun. Then as usual, we added each other on facebook. But a guy and a girl did not become my friend in the end.. Nope I am not going to mention names but I shall call them JY and PW. I am always puzzled by their gossips behind my back. And I also suspected how they mocked me with a package full of wine cups due to me being drunk the year before. And to think this girl, PW, whom I wrote a 'thank you' on her wall misused the name of God by stating OMFG and removed me as her facebook friend plus the guy, JY nonsensical excuse on why I should not be his friend.. All of these caused me intense anger and it lasted for a really long time. And while I was working at Institute of System Science, I remembered how a girl, SM whom I made friend with suddenly had a change in attitude towards me and was really nasty towards me. So in the end, that added to my anger. Most of my friends whom i shared with remarked that this kind of people existed and that it's not that I didn't had friends who cared and are willing to accept me for who I am. Surely Satan is capable enough to use such people to bring me down as I was trying my best to walk with God.

Hence this phrase is really evident to me this year...

In this world as cold as stone, must I walk this path alone? Be with me now.. Be with me now..

But I offer all I am, for the mercy of Your plan. Help me be strong, help me be. help me..

Now to the awesomely great things that happen this year! YEAH!!! Though bad things do happen, God has been really great even though I had to struggle to be obedient while delighting in being rebellious towards Him.

I remembered the fun things last year which was brought forward this year. YES! I got my Driving Licence!!! it was the toughest licence to obtain as I remembered how I struggle to drive a manual car. Until today, my judgement on the road is poor because I am not really confident in using my hands-on skill. I was born to be a more analytical person so I am good at pondering but not good at application. Took me lots of hard work to do it. And I really hate the sarcasm of some of the instructors in the Drving Centre. All in all, it was surely the mercy of God that got me my licence.

I climbed Mount Kinabalu!!! And it was using the Mesilau Trail, the toughest trail by foot!! Not sure if I would climb by Via Ferrata. It was indeed an Awesome experience!!! Oh! that sweet feeling as I watched the sunrise with my very own eyes 4000+ metres above sea level. I thank God as He is always kind enough to grant me the wish to fulfill one of my lifelong goals!

I stepped up as a CGL in VCF. It was really God's Grace as I was not chosen to be one initially but somehow I prompted Lionel with Charis's support and as God wills, I had the privilege to serve in that sector which made me really humbled. Though I know how incompetent I am because I am bad at bringing out the facts to people and that I faced conflicts/ cold war with Sarah initially, God was great as I managed to pull through this semester without any weird misunderstandings as mentioned above. Thank God that He sustains the relationship between brothers and sisters-in-Christ!

Just like last year, I ran races. The SAFRA Half marathon and the Standard Chartered Full Marathon. It was really suffering!! But I completed the race! That's what matters :)

OH YES!! I hit my milestone in my blood donation journey as I remembered how I started off with donating blood in JC which was time consuming and then the nurse remarked that I had suitable veins for apheresis. Thus, after 6 times of whole blood donation, I engaged in apheresis donation monthly and I do take breaks if I had to go for reservist or run marathons and half marathons. So I remembered how I hit my 25th time donating blood on 29th September 2010. WOOHOO!! So I can now received my bronze award which I have longed endured for the past 1.5 years. So praise the LORD for the gift of giving. :)

To summarise, I had an awesome year! Though I have faced nonsensical and unpleasant things, I know that God will throw all Evil into Hell and bring along the good things in life with Him, as He pleases. God is good all the time. Though I sometimes lose my fire, I know that God is gracious to patiently wait as I grow to be more and more like His Son, Jesus Christ. As for the great things in life, let all of these glorify the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit now and forever more. Amen.

Breath of heaven, lighten my darkness. Pour over me your holiness, for You are holy. Breath of heaven..Breath of heaven.. :)))

P.S: These italic phrase were from a Christmas song: Breath of Heaven (Mary's song) sang by Amy Grant. I liked Mother Mary a lot, she is indeed one who was graced by God to bare His Son.

Youth Donor Club Camp 2010

2010-12-28T15:59:00.003+08:00

From the 25th to 28th December, I attended a Youth Donor Camp. It was the 6th time YDC was organising this camp. It was really a fun and educational camp. We were not only educated about blood donation, we were also informed about being a youth blood donor club member. As I had donated 26 times, I was more or less familiar with what was going on during the lecture. Personally I enjoyed donating blood because I felt really privileged to be used by God to save lives. I started my blood donation journey when I was in my first year of junior college. After the first few times donating blood, I was told that I had a vein which made me eligible for the apheresis donation. This procedure was slightly longer than a normal blood donation and i would be donating blood plasma and platelets instead of a whole blood. I could also donate once a month instead of once in 3 months. Donating blood is a noble act because 1 pack of blood can save 3 lives, for e.g when patients underwent surgeries. Moreover, the donation of plasma can help treat various muscle disorders and the donation of platelets can be used to treat cancer patients and people infected with dengue fever. Hence it was indeed a previlege to donate whatever that was given to you by God. And I am cheerful and willing to give whatever that was given to me :))) During the camp, we also had various fun and games. We sang campfire songs, dance, cheer, made our camp flag and threw water bombs at each other. It was really fun and enjoyable. I remembered staying up till the wee hours of the morning to play some werewolf games, which was similar to the polar bear game. On the last day, as we leave the camp, some of us were willing to return as a camp facilitator. I can't go because of my student exchange program, but the memories would stay with me as long as God allows it to :)

ANNTIC 2010

2010-12-11T22:25:00.002+08:00

I went for my second VCF Anntic from 6th Dec 2010 to 11th Dec 2010. It was indeed a wonderful and enriching experience as I mingle with my other VCF friends. As usual, Anntic was a intellectually challenging camp as we did intensive study on the Bible. This time, we are concentrating on the Book of Galatians. It was quite alright as the content was not mind boggling. I had a great time with my ANNTIC group mates too. This is because we spent a lot of time sharing and talking and playing games like Monopoly Deal. Hence, I am grateful to God that I have met such wonderful friends. For Inductive Bible Study (IBS), I touched on Poetry. It was so tough!! haha as I was not a literature kind of person, i had trouble doing poetry and I struggle so hard and every day as I did my homework, I had to stay up so late at night to think of poems and all. Until the very last day, God was kind as I met Charis and Carol where they did a wonderful job coming up with a poem. It was really great. I must surely write this down.

1st draft:

Rabbit Boy Rabbit Boy
What a little white soft toy
Day to Day you look at me
Hoping that I'll set you free

Rabbit Boy Rabbit Boy
What a little white soft toy
You're the apple of my eye
Rabbit Boy

This was an epic fail poem haha so thanks to Charis and Carol, another poem emerge

Soft, Fluffy, beautiful light
you bring me joy in my darkest night
Seeing Seeing Seeing your mane
is like a rainbow after the rain

Bunny! Said I
I will never lay you as a sacrifice
on a table so fine
where we dine

Those teeth you brush with sensodyne
smile at me, oh so divine!

my love for you is pure and true
nothing could ever make it blue
written now a poem of mine
our lives forever intertwined.

ANNTIC was yet another fun and enjoyable experience. I learnt a lot, about God, myself and the people around me. :))

Science Centre and CSI

2010-12-01T20:51:00.002+08:00

What a tiring day today! Today's Huixian's last day of exam, so we decided to go out and celebrate her freedom hahaaa. Anyway we went to Science Centre for the CSI exhibition. It was really an enriching experience having to be able to learn abit of forensic science. I was indeed really glad that I am able to have the joy of being a rookie crime scene investigator. Anyway we were assigned Crime Scene 2 out of the 3 Crime Scene scenarios. It was a crime scene about a girl who got intoxicated by her jealous friend as she was given the role of being a famous actress. At first, I thought it was a date rape and murder crime but her clothes weren't in a mess and there was no blood at her thigh area.

So the next thing I saw was a marking on her abdomen area which I thought she was stepped upon. Subsequently I also saw a fly which I thought was useless but in the end was very crucial to the investigation. So anyway off we went to look at various stations, tracing her sms and also learning how to match DNA and do qualitative analysis on the pack of powder found in her handbag.

We also got the chance to match car tyre prints and that we first thought she was ran over by the car thief. In the end, the verdict was that as there were no blood stains found in her internal organs as being crushed by a car can result in rupture of blood vessels and internal organs. She was indeed intoxicated by a drug given by her friend. What a wonderful time spent in Science Centre. I wanted to spend more time there but I realised that I am to go collect my rabbit from the groomer and he had been left there from 11am to 4pm. So we left earlier. The day was fun and I enjoyed myself. Thank God.

My 22nd Birthday

2010-11-30T23:31:00.002+08:00

Anyway today's my birthday again! yeah!!!! hahaa but I have mixed feelings cos on one hand, I am like so excited and all, but on the other hand I am like nooooo!!!! I am getting older and I am going to have more wrinkles..sob sob! OK! I shall go buy anti ageing lotion hahaa kidding!! ok so nothing spectacular. I spent the past few days watching an awesome anime called "Air" I loved potato who went piko piko. Ok that's beside the point. Today I was really showered with much love as my family and friends wished me happy birthday while I went out with Junjie and Titus to watch "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and have dinner at Waraku and dessert as Swensens. It was indeed fun and enjoyable. Ok as my friends have given me gifts like clothes, photo frame and even a hair wax, I really appreciate these gifts even though deep down inside, I prefer cards and hugs from God, I hoped. In the past I used to love gifts and all and I would be envious that my friends would have lots of gifts and all hahaaaa but today I realise that what I really need is a divine touch. :))) As I was really weary from the late night sleep, I told God that I wanted to lie on the lap of my Lord Jesus Christ and admire the beautiful creation. Anyway if I were to be given a wish today, it would be that may Christ return and defeat the forces of evil and establish His eternal kingdom once and for all! Amen :)))

FES National Conference 2010

2010-09-25T23:14:00.005+08:00

From the 23rd to the 25th of September, I went for an FES National Conference 2010. It was indeed a really enriching time as I learnt about many issues regarding being a Christian and how some of us over time have embraced certain myths on certain doctrinal and ecclesiasical issues. Below is what i copied and paste from the VCF website about the myths which were to be debunked by certain renowned speakers.

Theme Talk (40’)

1. Debunking Myth #1: “We don’t even have time for evangelism. Social action has to wait.”

Speaker: Dr Paul Woods (Department Coordinator for Inter Cultural Studies, Singapore Bible College)

The urgency of sharing the gospel with our campus and world is undeniable. But what is “sharing the gospel”? Herein lays the tension between Evangelism and Social action. Some say social action is taking the slope down into liberalism. What is the point of doing good works, if we do not tell people what we believe? Then again, what is our words worth if our lives do not show forth God’s justice and mercy? Which one comes first? The age old debate between evangelism and social action continues. And you are invited.

2. Debunking Myth #2: “There is no need to transform the world. God will make everything new anyway.”

Speaker: Dr Paul Woods (Department Coordinator for Inter Cultural Studies, Singapore Bible College)

The poor will always be poor, dishonest systems are unlikely to change; those in power will go on abusing their position and hurting those who have no voice. Man-made systems are inherently flawed anyway. The environment is getting from bad to worse. There is nothing we can do, other than to pray for Christ to come again. Does this sound familiar? Then, in what way do we relate to God’s world as God’s people?

3. Debunking Myth #3: “Being involved in missions is either to go overseas or to support missionaries”

Speaker: Dr Tan Lai Yong (Lecturer, a medical college in the Mekong region)

What would come in your mind when the word ‘missions’ or ‘cross-cultural ministry’ is mentioned? One would probably associate the word with ministry overseas? As a multi-cultural society, does Singapore provide opportunities for cross-cultural ministry? As mission-minded Christians, are we too fixed on going out instead of staying put? Where does mission begin? You are invited to explore the frontiers right where you are. What can we do as Christian students in our campuses?

4. Impacting The World, Wherever We Are

Speaker: Dr Tan Lai Yong (Lecturer, a medical college in the Mekong region)

Our world is changing, and as Christians we need to understand our times, and be the channel through which God can speak to the world- in word and action. So how do we truly make an impact in God’s world with God’s living word? In this concluding session, be challenged to make a difference where you are.

Other than the theme talks, we also had bonding sessions where we took on a role to play either a person high up in the social status or for my case, a despised sex slave. I was to playa role of a sri lankan mother who sold by her parents as a prostitute and in Singapore I was made to service man from all walks of lives. Eventually I contracted AIDS and even though I have paid off my debts, I need to continue doing odd jobs so that I could have money for medical treatment and to fly back to meet my parents before I die. However at the end of the game I was so close to being able to fufill what I want. But during the game, I faced discrimination and prejudice and pity and how I had to resort to cheating and being cheated to fight my way thorough. This left me thinking, if there were no God, then who could settle this injustice and oppression. Even if an atheist would try to do his best to fight because he has a conscience for them, can the injustice faced by these marginalised people be fully redressed? How much can a person or a government do to make this world a better place? That much but can the world return to a perfect world. Nope I don't think so..

Nonetheless, the Chruch was called by the Lord Jesus Christ to be salt and light of the world. It is essential to share the gospel but it is also essential to act upon the consequences of sin on this earth. We are called into different roles by God. So those gifted in teaching educate the children about the poverty and injustice of the world and that they would step up to be salt and light when they grow older. May the LORD God raised more prophets like Joel and preached against Injustice and poverty and urged the Church to be reminded of her primary role at this age and not sit back and do nothing when sin is still rampant in certain parts of the world. Let there be missionaries to go forth into the world evangelising that Jesus Christ had defeated Satan, the source of evil and that those who heard the good news will rejoice, turn away from their sinful nature and be salt and light. Let the prostitute who hears the gospel turn way from her sexual life and speak up against the people who forced her into it. May the pimps renounce from being involved in destroying the lives of the sex slaves. May the gangsters turn away from the need to engage in fights and bloodshed but to be peaceful people. Let the humantarian organisation go forth and feed the hungry and clothed the naked. Let the lawyers that God raised speak up against the people who go against the law and manipulate it to oppress the oppressed for self benefits. May the LORD raised scientists, ecologists and environmentalist to place great emphasis in caring for the animals and the environment and fight against the people who ill treat the livestocks or even abuse animals in sadistic manner for their own personal gains.

To the Christians who profess but did not possess the faith, Jesus had said, "Why do you call me Lord Lord and not do what I say? For Not everyone who says to me, "Lord Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

But to those who had did what Jesus commanded in accordance to the Father's will, he will say, " Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant. :)))

SAFRA Shears Bridge run and Army Half Marathon 2010

2010-09-12T14:41:00.003+08:00

Yup i ran SAFRA Shears bridge run for the second time. This time i improved in my running timing and I thank God that all the training was worth it! My this year's timing is 2hrs 22mins and 35 seconds :))

They reviewed my race results and I am glad to be the top 40% so thank God. Now I need to train for my up and coming standard chartered marathon on 5th December 2010.

RUNNUS 2010

2010-08-15T22:07:00.004+08:00

Today I ran for RUNNUS 2010. It was indeed a good experience participating in an NUS event. I participated in the 10km run and a month before, I started my training though I noticed that my running timings were bad. I used to run 10km/hr but during the training, I noticed that I always fall short. On average, i will run 1.25hrs so my speed is 8km/hr, which is not good. I also fell sick a few days before the run and I was a bit enraged as all my effort had been wasted. My mother actually wanted to stop me for going for fear that I would collapsed and die. In the end, the LORD is kind. Despite the tough route which made me run up and down slopes and comprising of running up and down concrete steps, I eventually beat my average timing. For this race, I ran 1hrs and 5 minutes and 35 seconds!!! yeah!!! So my speed was 9.15km/hr. I was also ranked 93 out of 220 runners. My bad too cos I didn't train on such terrain. I was too lazy so i ran on flat ground all the way. After all, this would be the first and most probably the last time I am running for RUNNUS. I thank God for everything, the weather, the safety and how He constantly motivates me while I run this race. I believe that He is teaching me of these so I could run the race of life and eventually see His face. :)))

VCF FOC 2010

2010-07-08T17:55:00.002+08:00

I just came back from VCF FOC camp and I am feeling really thankful and grateful to God for the wonderful things that happened there. When I signed up for VCF, I told Kenan that I didn't mind signing up for assistant OGL, but in the end there is no such thing as that in VCF FOC. I was also not aware that you can actually signed up as a senior but nonetheless, the LORD had given me an extraordinary time as an OGL.

Gladys and I had an awesome OG. Most of the people are really enthusiastic and spontaneous. I am really encouraged to see them having fun and also learning about the need to not defile themselves even in a new environment like NUS. It was really great having ZhiHan and Reuben in the group as the 2 of them helped to spiced up the OG team. So I am absolutely thankful to God for granting me wonderful people to helped me.

These 4 days had been really memorable as we had great mass games and the night walk was also really enjoyable, my favourite character was definitely the jester, which was played by Reyben hahaa, he can surely make us laugh really hard. I also enjoyed the mass games too. Even though I had played them before during the Dry Run, it was yet another new experience having to play the game with the freshies. So it is indeed a joy playing all of the games. There were other wonderful activities like the standing comm time when we played a role. I was a 45 year old 'waitress' so I had lots of fun doing my role but it was a good learning experience having to understand the plight of real people who suffered under such social conditions. It really impacted me to do more than just evangelism, i.e social action is something important too.

Our messages for the camp was called "Dare to Be", it was based on the Book of Daniel who refused to defile himself despite being exiled into the Babylonian Empire. It was a reminder for Christians who are entering NUS to not conform to the NUS culture of fierce competing or mugging nor being influence to indulge in immorality for those living in NUS Halls.

Oh well, the FINALE came and we learnt that in the end it's not about competing with one another to get the prize that matters but the 10 teams need to work together hand in hand so that we can meet the objective of the camp, i.e to free the Good King Koi and defeat the Evil King Kong. The lovely thing was that the key to freeing the Good King from prison had a shape of a crucifix. :)

I really enjoyed the camp. I thank all the OGLs, seniors, standing comm, exco, FOC comm, VCF staff workers and the VCF dinos who all chipped in to make this camp an awesome and memorable camp. I also praise God for holding us together and doing whatever He can for this camp. Indeed all honor and glory and praises to our LORD God who touched our heart so that we can serve one another in love :)))

mount kinabalu trip

2010-06-30T22:13:00.005+08:00

From the 27th to the 30th of June, I went to climb Mount Kinabalu. It was indeed a wonderful experience. Mount Kinabalu is located at Sabah, the third largest island in the world. It is 4095.2m above sea level and it is mostly covered with rainforest which is rich in flora and fauna. When we arrived at Kota Kinabalu Airport, it was aready raining very heavily. Kevin told me that in such tropical countries, it is either rainy or really rainy seasons, which is from the month of November to February. Thankfully, a van was chartered for us so we need not get drenched that often. The driver drove us to Kinabalu Park which was located 1564m above sea level and I experienced a lot of ear popping as the car went up the high altitude. After registering to climb the mountain, I went to stay for the night at Mesilau Nature Resort while the rest of them stayed at Strawberry Garden Hotel.

In order to make the climb a good experience, I got myself a porter to carry my backpack while I placed my essential items in a scout bag. So I carried like only 2kg of weight instead of my 10kg backpack. The climb from Mesilau to Laban Rata, the mid point of the mountain was not really that cold. Hence I wore only 1 to 2 layers of clothing. As we chose the Mesilau route, which the x-trekker coordinator Alpa informed that it would be tougher but more scenic, we had a tough time climbing up to Laban Rata. Thankfully I wore trekking boots which helped cushioned my steps and the trekking poles helped reduced the strain on my knees, keep me in the right posture and provide me better balance on steep slopes. To prevent blisters, I wore toe socks. I also bought Mars bar and sneakers bar as they are energy food needed while climbing.

We started the night climb at 1.30am. I had to put on a thermal wear and a fleece jacket because it was getting really cold. The climb up from Laban Rata to the summit was tougher because it was much steeper and dangerous. A head lamp was essential as there was a trail where we need to grab on to the ropes as we walk the narrow and dangerous trail. The pathway was only about 1.5 metres wide and a slip can result in falling off the cliff. We were extra cautious until we reached to the 3/4 mark where a check point is located. The person manning the checkpoint will take our attendance to prove that we did indeed climb to the summit of Mount Kinabalu. At 5.30am, I reached the summit and I saw the sunrise with my very own eyes. I tried to take a picture of it but even my 12.0 mega pixel camera did not do justice to what i had seen. Indeed the eyes are still the best camera, designed by God. I wanted to experience the scenery at the summit of mount kinabalu, but it was overcrowded with people. Hence it was a mini spoiler for the trip.

God had been kind to us throughout the trip. He held back the weather while we were climbing from the Mesilau trail to the Summit and back to Laban Rata. It only started to rain heavily when we descended from Laban Rata to the Timpohon Gate. During this past 4 days, we had a wonderful time talking to one another. By the way, the people I went with are averaged 40 years of age and I, being the youngest there was constantly called Young Man. It was indeed a relieve climbing with them as they were constantly joking and offering me food. If I were to climb with people around my age, I would probably be stressed up by them. Hence, it was indeed a fun and awesome experience and I praise God for all of these. :)))

Church Retreat 2010

2010-06-21T22:55:00.002+08:00

I went for a church retreat from the 18th to the 21st June. Overall I had a wonderful time of fellowship with my fellow believers and also with God. I enjoyed the free and wasy time where I played table tennis with Kenwei, Lynn, Kevin, Samuel, Linus and William. I also learnt a lot from the speaker John Chong's sharing of the need to be able to learn to be like a pendulum oscillating from labour to rest asa well as a Christ centred balanced life.

Personally I feel that this church retreat was more like a church camp because we seem to be more involved in the activities rather than retreating to a quiet corner to rest. The only few times when I find it like a retreat is when I do the morning devotions. Sadly, it was not a good place to retreat because in my state of mind, i expect myself to be sitting at a quiet corner and gazing at awe at God's creation and enjoying His presence in the process. However as I sat at the beach to be immersed with the beautiful waves splashing and the peaceful silence, I got my blood sucked by sand flies. which seriously irritated me to a great extent. Oh well, next time I should apply insect repellent hahaaa

Nonetheless, I really appreciate the hard work that the church retreat comittee put in for making this camp well done. It is indeed a blessing that God can use us well to minister to one another. I am grateful to Him.

One thing that God spoke to me from this camp was the need to empty the clutter in my mind. Before this camp, I was really packed with work from my temporary job. Though I was well paid, this job brought me tremendous stress. I was also busily trying to prepare for the upcoming activities after this church camp like my Mount Kinabalu trip and the VCF FOC. God spoke to me and reminded me the need to just empty out the clutter in my mind. Even though the camp was 4 days, time passed way too quickly and it ended today. I kinda missed it and sometimes I wished I can turn back time and go for a retreat again. Oh well I thank God that in the New Heaven and Earth, there will be no more pain and suffering and we can enjoy His presence and rest in His arms forever and ever. :)))

End of my freshman chapter

2010-05-31T13:10:00.006+08:00

Today is 31st May. I had been having my holiday since 30th April as my examination ended the day before. Yes. It marked the end of my chapter as a Freshman and now it was time to move on to be a sophomore. i thank God for everything as He had indeed taken care of me well throughout this past 1 year.

When I entered University, I did not know what was going on. I had to take time to learn new stuffs. Having been in National Service for almost 2 years, my brain had turned rusty. In fact, it is almost beyond hope because I didn't use it to think intellectually for that period of time. So for my first semester, I struggled. I considered myself blessed having being able to get a module called Freshman Seminar which helped me a bit. But upon receiving my results, I obtained an average CAP of 3.125. I was sad for the first part of the semester and I told myself to work harder for the following semester.

Semester 2 arrived and I was really enthusiastic. So I was all fired up to study and all. I told myself that I had done badly for my past semester so I must work extra hard for this semester in order to do well for my overall CAP. I tried to practice the recommended textbook questions for certain modules and I even copy and recopy the notes from the lecture notes so that i could understand the content easily. Exam arrived and when I did my papers, I was extremely discouraged as I couldn't do the questions. Hence, I tried comforting myself with the bell curve and that God is in charge of the situation. But now I noticed that in times of crisis like that, I tend to blame Him. So I am indeed guilty of that.

I got 3.1 for my CAP for the second semester. I was utterly devastated because all the hard work for the past 4 months had gone to waste. I was honestly mentally and emotionally damaged for the moment. Then I sat down and pondered why I was feeling like that. But a word came to mind, thank God. It was Proverbs 3:5 -6. I was told to Trust God in all situation and at that time, I really cannot understand why. This verse really reminded me to lean not to my own understanding. So I was partially comforted by these verses. My friends around me also comforted me because they knew I wasn't very happy about it. I S/Ued a module and thus maintained my grade at 3.125. So as of now, I am still hoping on God to teach me to pray and act in the right way. It sucks to be in this situation but God comforts us when we are disappointed. I thank God for that. And I will persevere because of Him. :)))

Jesus, at one time we were alienated and excluded from heavenly citizenship. We were foreigners to the covenant of eternal promise, hopeless and destined to perish. But You, in Your great mercy, redeemed us through Your precious blood. We received forgiveness for our sins and the Holy Spirit which is a down payment guaranteeing our inheritance. Help us to endure sickness, pain, disappointments, poverty, and all the ills confined to this present age which are insignificant when compared to the blessing, privileges and glory yet to be revealed in the age to come. Fix our attention on our heavenly citizenship in the midst of our trials on earth so that we do not lose heart. As our focus is heavenward we are filled with renewed hope and an enduring spirit. Amen.

zoo visit

2010-05-11T21:37:00.003+08:00

Today i went to the zoo with huixian. we were bored at home so we decided to go out to play. Anyway it was a fun day as we had the privilege of having to enjoy the presence of God's creations. Yes. Praise Him all creatures here below. :)))

Thank God for the weather because there were dark clouds at 11am. However despite our slow pace (thanks to Huixian who kept asking me to slow down and enjoy the scenery), we managed to cover every part of the zoo. We also attended 2 out of 3 of the show we wanted to watch. Yup. we didn't manage to watch the elephant show because we were too far from that place. So anyway thank God that it only rained when we finished taking pictures of almost all of the animals there. I visited the Ah Meng memorial. I liked Ah Meng the Orangutan. but she has since passed on. I also enjoyed the elephant ride as it felt like a bumpboat. The animal shows were really interesting and educational as one of them was to create awareness on the rainforest and the other was about the need to prevent water pollution. I am glad that the Singapore Zoological Garden makes an effort to bring awareness to the public for the need to conserve our ecological environment.

Well a zoo is indeed a good place for animals to be in but nonetheless it is not a perfect place compared to the natural environment the animals originally lived in. Well, I pray for the day where in the New Heaven and Earth, there will be freedom for all kinds of animals to roam around and they need not fear being poached and they will never experience death anymore. Christ has also promised us that at that time we will live forever and there will be no more suffering nor pain nor tears but eternal joy and peace. And those who hope and believed in Him will dwell with Him and enjoy Him forever and ever. We will be God's children while He will be our God. I will wait for that day to come. :)))

The God with a mother's heart

2010-05-09T17:13:00.003+08:00

Many monotheistic religions in this world are usually patriachal. However in case people think that the God I worship is male, they are wrong. In fact, the LORD God transcends the need to have gender because God is of spirit. Why are we male and female, because we need to reproduce if we want to have children. God need not do such thing. He is the creator in the beginning and He need not have gender to have children. Male and female God made them equal and call them Good. Man is made in His image and God is pleased to do so.

So anyway the prophet Isaiah wrote about how though like a Father, always demonstarting justice and prowress to discipline His children and protect them from the Devil. Yet the Lord our God, like a mother nurtures us and carries us just as a mother would embrace and breastfeed her child with much love. And God will demonstrate love on us just as how a good mother would never forget to breastfeed her baby. Parents on this earth may fail in their duty as parents because they are imperfect beings. But the LORD God is one who will do much much more. He even cares for orphans who have no parents. So as Scripture emphatise, honor your father and mother for they work hand in hand to ensure that the child grows up well in the household.

So today's Mother's Day and wishing all mothers a Happy Mother's Day. Btw I sewed for my mum a pouch. It's not easy but it's part of honoring her. Thank God for giving me a mum.

The First Fruit, the everlasting Son.

2010-04-04T15:52:00.000+08:00

Today is Easter Day, it marks the end of the Lent season. Christians remembers this day as the day Christ conquered death, rose from the dead and paved the way to life. These past week had been a meaningful time of rememberance as He came near, from the everlasting, to the world we live, The Father's only Son.

I remember how He was falsely accused, beaten, whipped, spat at and humiliated. I saw how He was brutally dragged around like a Lamb and as He carried the Cross, His blood stained the road to calvary. I remembered how He cried "ABBA FORGIVE!" as the Roman soldiers laughed sadistically as they drove the 12 inch nails into his palms. I saw Mary tears as she stood there helplessly and watched as her Son's blood trickles down the Cross. As He was hung there, He had to gasp for breath as His chest was constricted due to the position of His arms. The free circulation of blood had been hindered by the damage inflicted as more blood was going to the brain than could be returned. This caused intense pressure and violent pain in the head. Indeed the Cross was a cruel and unusual punishment and Christ was made to die an extremely horrible death. On top of that, as He hung there helplessly, He was further mocked by the onlookers who tempted Him to come down of the Cross if He's the Son of God. The soldiers even gambled His garment, the last of his human dignity.

Imagine the Father and the Spirit's Anguish as the Son was physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually tortured bythe Devil. Imagine the angels in heaven who marvelled at how the Son was willing to take on flesh, to become meek and lowly, to be a suffering servant and to ultimately become Sin for us, the rebellious human race, so that His death on the Cross can atone for it.

The hour had finally come and He cried " It is finished!" bedore he gave up His spirit. Death was defeated. Satan had lost the battle. Mission Accomplished!

Saturday was really silent to me. I was reminded of the silent grieving of His believers. But as the third day arrived. I imagined the joy on the faces of those who loved Him cos Christ rose from the dead! not appearing as a Ghost or some form of illusion, but appearing in full physical form! His hands was able to be touched by doubting Thomas.

Today and forever more, Christ is the first fruit of the resurrection. His scars on His hands remains for eternity in remembrance of His death on the Cross to atone for the sins of Man and to redeem the World. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living, just because He lives! To end this note, a song of adoration. Christ gift of grace was freely given, but it was a costly price He had to pay so that we will not remain dead forever.

~I see Grace~

Jesus my help, I call on Your name
I cast my cares on You
Jesus my hope, my tower of strength
My faith is found in You

Bearer of sin, afflicted and tried
You paid redemption’s price
Bearing my curse, You’ve set me on high
Your death has brought me life

I see You pierced, wounded for me
When I look to the cross, I see

I see grace, sealed by Your sacrifice.
I see love reaching for me
Precious blood, washes and sanctifies.
Healing flows, setting me free
I see grace

Now it's time to end this note. My prayer is that each and every one of you will never give up on the One who was there for us all the time. The One who will never leave nor forsake us and the One who will dwell with you in the New Heavne and Earth forever and ever. Persevere! Grace be upon you

Good Friday. Via Dolorosa

2010-04-02T19:50:00.008+08:00

I remember Good Friday because it is the day OF the LORD's crucifixion on the Cross to free us from the bondage of sin.

Class 3C Driving practical test PASSED (-:

2010-03-26T11:14:00.007+08:00

Yeah!!! I passed my driving test! WOOHOO!

Firstly I would like to thank God for His Grace and Mercy because I knew very well that when it comes to hands-on thing, I am a rather slow learner.

In short, it is definitely God's Grace. I know of capable people who will easily passed their test. But each and every one of us are unique and hence, we each have different capability. But as for me, I am really grateful! Ok this is my story!

I enrolled into driving last year at the later part of July. However I only started to take my BTT on mid september and FTT on late October. Unlike the rest, they could clear all this simultaneously but my style is a steady step by step approach. Hence the disadvantage is that I wasted a lot of time.

Due to the 'waste of time', I had to renew my Provisional Driving Licence (used to drive car during practical lessons) and for my test, I had to park without poles. I kept grumbling on why I did my tests so slowly. If I rushed through it. I would have taken the test last year and spare myself from such agony. Nonetheless, the parking without pole is really a test of skills rather than memorising the position of the poles. For today's test, i didn't do the vertical parking well so I had to do corrections for the parking and I made it. So thank God for mercy for most people fail at the parking parts.

Driving is not cheap, especially for slow learners like me. An average learner spents 20 to 25 lessons. below that is deemed capable. As for me, I spent 25 lessons. Yup. So I am considered a slow learner. I didn't count my various number of revisions and all. And I can also share about how careless I was to missed 3 practical lessons and 1 theory lessons, all due to the mix up of time slots. I really wasted a lot of money from that because I enrolled in a school and I need to pay $60 per practical and $2 for theory. So I wasted like $182? I told my mother how sorry i was but her faith was strong. She reminded me that God will provide and that I should stop making a fuss over such loss of money for money will fade away but being fussy with God and straining that eternal relationship is far more serious. All in all, I spent $2700. So driving is not cheap.

Nonetheless, I am happy that next time, during festive events, I can drive my relatives around so we need not always pressure our uncles to fetch us.

I passed. YEAH! I am happy. So in life, do not give up, persevere for God has yet to give up on you and that every breath you take is surely His form of blessing. Once He takes it away, it means it's time to face Him and account for your deeds. So live life pleasing to Him, acknowledging that you can do all things only through Him who gives you strength. And remember that blessed are the humble, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

This is my testimony. Grace alone which God's supplies. Strength unknown He will provide. Christ alone, our cornerstone. We will go forth in Grace alone. Soli Deo Gloria.

cat-sitting lina

2010-02-20T23:07:00.003+08:00

I cat-sit lina, Hui en's sister's cat while they were away to Malaysia for Chinese New Year. It was indeed a joy having to looking after the cat. Lina the cat was a very obedient. Every morning, I will feed her 2 scoops of friskey food and sit by her side and make sures she eat. Then I will refill her bowl with fresh water. I will also use the stale water to water Hui en's plant. In the evening, I will turn on the kitchen light so that Lina would not be afraid of the dark. I also check her toilet and if possible clear her poo. It is very smelly. At least I can stand my rabbit's poo though. The routine goes on for 3 days before Hui En comes back. She thanks me and rewarded me with Penang nutmeg. In addition, her sister gave me a red packet. We all felt happy to help one another and God is surely pleased to see that. I kinda enjoy cat-sitting. Hopefully in future, I will learn to pet-sit other pets.

Onwards 2010!!!

2009-12-31T16:48:00.006+08:00

It's new year's eve today. Yup a few more hours before the year 2010 arrives.

The year 2009 has indeed been really a life changing experience.

1. I ORD from army! I can't believed I am no more an NSF. I can't help but laughed until my teeth drop. Ok speaking of teeth, I had all my wisdom tooth plucked off!!! YEEHA! happy happy!

2. I entered NUS. This was another life changing experience because I felt like an idiot there. Nope. it's not about the people but more of getting back to the mood of studying. I was like wat? I can't even concentrate. I am after all a slow learner but the study pace in NUS charges like a bullet train. Really tough and as spoken, i didn't do well for my exams. GPA 3.125? HAHA but thank God that I had fun in NUS. I shall further elaborate this..Yup, as spoken, i really had fun in NUS. I made loads of new friends! WOOHOO!! wonderful! I got my open water scuba diving licence! hahahaahahah happy happy! next year i am aiming to get my Class 3 Driving licence. yup i am so glad i passed all the theory. now i'm left with the practical.

3. I also ran to keep fit. My first run was Mizuno 10km run. Next, I ran SAFRA Army Half Marathon. Then, I ran another Mizuno Wave Run before the much anticipated Standard Chartered Marathon. I completed all the races and I thank God for that!

4. I really enjoyed myself this year! With the savings I saved from my pathetic army pay plus the part time job (good pay) while i was waiting to get into NUS, I managed to go for 2 TOURS!!!! Once in April where I went to Japan and I saw a lot of Sakuras!!! Absolutely beautiful! And the SECOND AND MOST AWESOME tour of all is this Mauritius Trip. Happy Happy (-:

5. Despite Happy times, I felt sad at certain periods where just like in 2007, I lost 2 people whom I know. One of the teachers in my secondary school, Ms Ang passed away from cancer and Hakim, a secondary school friend who also had a cancerous tumour passed away too. I really admired them as I learnt HOW they had fought so hard to live! I must surely learn to be strong and that whatever trials I face, I must never give up but instead, persevere!

6. Just as I promise to persevere, I shall further add on that I believe that I, with my own strength will never be able to persevere in trials unless the Good Lord is with me through it all! I give thanks that He took me by the hand to guide me in life's trials, leading me out of the valley of the shadows of death and also to comfort me and give me the sufficient Grace for me to live a life with purpose. I give thanks for VCF as I can fellowship in NUS and also the ANNTIC camp which taught me a lot of stuffs. I am very grateful for every family and friends that I have met since my existence. Some of my friends would be gone but there will be more friends coming into my life! Nonetheless, may the Lord teach me to cherish them and love them as how He loves me.

6 things to remember because 6 represents humanity. The 7th point I would make is that I am 21!! Yes this year, I turn 21! It's about time to live like an adult. It's about time to learnt to make decisions and be more independent. It's about time to grow up!! Of course, I am to do it with God by my side.

New Year Resolution: I would stopped being shy as I learnt that being very shy is a sin too. Next, I will control my tongue and learn to speak appropriately and also doing my best to encourage those who are feeling discouraged. YES! I will also study HARD and SMART so that I will pull up my CAP score to enable me to continue into honours. I will also learnt to be more friendly to the people around me. Just like before, I will continue to live under God's grace. (-:

In case i forgot, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010 !!!!!!

Mauritius Trip (12th to 22th Dec 2009)

2009-12-23T13:49:00.009+08:00

I am back from my Mauritius Trip. I feel really happy (-:

Day 1: After a long and tiring flight, we checked into the villas at Flic en Flac. There, we were served snacks which were really tasty. We rested for the whole night.

Day 2: Today was mostly sight seeing. We woke up really early to head up towards the Curepipe where the colonial buildings are present to remind Mauritians about the British Occupation. We also enjoyed the panoramic view at the Trou aux cerfs volcano. We also visit other places like the pilgrimage point at Grand-Bassin where a gigantic Shiva statue stands. During lunch, we had picnic before heading towards Alexandra Falls and Gorge. The view was really panoramic there. We also had a breath-taking view of the coastal lands which the people on the island had yet to occupy. The day ended with the visiting of the remaining places like Baie Du Cap and La Prairie.

Day 3: It was our first sea activities of the trip. We headed to the North, the Pereybere and sat on the banana buoy. I had a great time trying my best to balance on the boat which moved really fast. We also play captain ball as well as monkey. The day ended with us playing Poker. I was really terrible as it but it's for fun.

Day 4: We went to visit Teshil's home. It was really cozy and it makes people want to retire in Mauritius too. We also had our first hike at one of the highest mountains of Mauritius. At the summit, we were able to have a 360 degree view of the island. In the evening, we had a Quad Biking session and it was really fun having to get the mud sprayed all over us.

Day 5: We shopped through the main town of Mauritius. It was really crowded and we tried some Mauritian food like dal pouri and alouda. The whole day was allocated for us to shop so I went to buy some souvenirs for my family and friends. I also had a caricature session, though the portrait didn't looked like me at all.

Day 6: It was another sight seeing day for us. We toured the southern part of Mauritius. We walked on the Natural Bridge, the whistler and the crying rock. The waves there were really powerful and as I watched them crashed against the rocks. We ended off at Rochester Fall, witnessing some locals jumping off the cliff into the water and we were really mesmerised at what we saw.

Day 7: It was the only day when we did snorkeling at the only preserved marine park in Mauritius lagoon. I remembered how I had problem breathing in and out of my mouth underwater and when I did snorkeling, I felt suffocated. What I saw underwater was really magnificent as the boat had a glass bottom. However I still prefer the time when I scuba dived in Pulau Aur and came face to face with a sea turtle!!! It was an awesome experience! The highlight for the day was jumping off from a very high area. I was thankful to God for giving me the courage to do so. I had never jumped so high before and such an experience was indeed unforgettable! At night, we had a surprise birthday celebration for Qiao Xuan. It was a really wonderful surprise for her as we acted as if we forgotten about it the entire day but in fact, all of us except her were ensuring that the surprise will work out. It did! And I am really happy for her. It reminded me of the one and only birthday surprise for me on my 16th Birthday, if I remembered correctly. I was stunned for awhile but I am so glad to have enjoyed it. We watched the stars in the sky before retiring to our bed.

Day 8: We had our last hike for the entire trip. It took place at the Le Gorge National Park. Beginning at Le Petrin, we descended at approximately 800m in height along a 10km trail. Along the way, we were supposed to see endemic plants and animals but personally for me, I was too focused on keeping myself from tripping so I missed the opportunity to experience nature. At the end point, we relaxed along the cool river. Despite the tiring day, we still made an effort to go clubbing at night, It was the first time I partied till dawn (at around 5am). It was an unforgettable experience but I disliked the fact that my shirt had the smell of cigarettes on them. All thanks to being a passive smoker. Hence I told myself that clubbing will not be something that I will frequently engaged in.

Day 9: We boarded a catamaran to one of the islet of Mauritius. We had the thrill of watching the pure white beach and crystal clear water there. This trip was really fun because in the middle of the trip, we caught sights of dolphins!!! To top it off, there were a few dolphins who jumped out of the sea and such a mini performance was an eye opener. Hence I really thank God that He enabled this to happen. As we reached the islet, we had a short swim there and it was a very rocky area. Initially I had a tough time climbing up the rocky islet but upon finding the right position, I managed to climb the rock. However it didn't took me long before I jumped off because I can't stand having to be poked by the sharp edges. The catamaran trip lasted the whole day with musics played by the locals as well as a magnificent BBQ lunch included.

Day 10: We visited the Casela Nature and Leisure Park. There, we interacted with the animals. The best thing that ever happened to me was having to physically pat the lions and have my pictures taken with them. It was indeed an enjoyable experience because lions were ferocious creatures and we were suppose to run from it. Yet by God's grace, we had the opportunity to interact with it. I was reminded of God's promise in the future that in the New Heaven and Earth, the Lion shall sit beside the lamb. Man and animal will dwell together hand in hand and man's relationship with God, creation and with one another will be restored. And God is absolutely pleased. After the Safari Park visit, we headed to a protected area where there lies the 7 coloured earth. It was indeed a disappointment to my friends and yes, I am a little disappointed too. If only we could step into the area to touch the sand, I guessed the fee we paid will be worth it. Moreover, I was imagining the 7 color earth to be located on some coastal area. It would surely be a pleasing sight!

Day 11: We packed up and went home.

This trip had indeed been really enjoyable and memorable. I believed that all of us had such great fun. However, there were a few spoilers. I got drunk twice and this caused a lot of trouble to my friends. Somehow, they were there to support me and help me. But I supposed there is this invisible barrier separating me and them because their impression of me had changed ever since they saw what I did and said in my drunken stupor. I must have offended many and I pray that they will forgive me. I also hoped to seek forgiveness from God as I have supposedly portrayed a bad image of how a Christian ought to behave. Nonetheless, my God is an Awesome God.

Time passes really quickly when we are having fun. Mark Twain once mentioned that Heaven was a copy of Mauritius. However in my opinion, Mauritius is surely the copy of Heaven! I give thanks to God that all is well and that He had kept us safe and enable us to have a trip filled with fun, laughter and joy. Therefore, I praise Him and give Him all honor and glory. (-:

ANNTIC 2009

2009-12-11T21:14:00.003+08:00

I just returned from VCF ANNTIC 2009. It is an annual teaching camp and I was really glad to have attended it. It was suppose to last from 7th to 12th Dec. However I had to leave today so that I could pack for my Mauritius trip tomorrow. These past 5 days had indeed been memorable. We had a very good speaker L.T Jayachandran who spoke really eloquently.

The theme talk for the camp was based on the Book of Deuteronomy in the Bible. I learnt that Deuteronomy is not only a set of rules given to Moses by God to govern Israel, it is actually a reflection of the Character of a Holy God. In Deuteronomy, these God will not hesitate to punish people who sin, even to the expanse of killing. Yet God is so merciful such that Christ came to fufill the law so that now we are not subjected to the laws given to Moses, but to freely live a Christ-like life. L.T Jayachandran suggest that we should read the Book of Deuteronomy in a relational way. Laws are dead, they serve to maintain order in the country but if we read the law in relation to God's character, the Laws of God becomes life.

Another thing I also learnt is to read the bible in 3 worlds, reading it in context, then its background and also in relation to the intention of the author. I will continue to talk to my pastor so that my understanding of the bible will not be skewed.

In this camp, we also attended workshops. I attended the workshop on cults and apologetics. It was indeed a wonderful experience on how Christian cults twist scriptures and this lead to a lot of deceptions. On apologetics, L.T Jayachandran was there to teach us how to defend our faith when sensitive conversations are raised by the other party. He divided it to level 1: Theoretical, Level 2: Illustrations and Level 3: Emotive. Nonetheless, I learnt a lot of things through this annual teaching camp. I thank God that now I am more equipped to teach people and also to share my faith to my non-christian friends without causing unnecessary misunderstanding.

This camp had impacted me somehow. I have learnt to be more relational rather than informational. Head knoledge is dead if there is no heart in sharing them. Hence in future, I pray that God will train me to be more of a people's person.

My first marathon ever!

2009-12-06T14:46:00.006+08:00

Yeehaa!!!! I ran my first marathon today! It was crazily crazy. What a race!

Well, it was my very first marathon today and I had no idea what is going to happen to me. In the morning, I am grateful to my mother for helping me persuade a guy to share a cab with me. So I managed to reach Queenstown Swimming Complex, one of the shuttle bus pick up point. I was also really careless as I didn't bring my runner's tag, thankfully I secured the running chip on my shoes so that I can identify myself. If I hadn't brought the chip, I would be wasting my time running the race. So thank God!

After running 1/3 of the race (14km), I had not enough strength to run as fast as I could. Thankfully, i brought some power gel to consume and thus, this made me feel better. I also continuously listen to the music in my MP3 player so that I would not think of giving up halfway. Moreover, the last thing I ever wanted to happen to me is to collapse in the middle of the race. Hence I had to take such precautions! Upon reaching the halfway mark, I started having cramps and in the end for the next half of the race, it was a 'malkathon' (run and walk) for me. It was indeed funny to see a whole group of people walking because it was suppose to be a marathon. I guess like me, most of the people didn't really train for the marathon. Hence, the Standard Chartered marathon ended up as another version of the Big Walk. Nonetheless, thanks to such walking and running rhythm, I am able to finish the race. I really thank God for keeping me safe!

Well, I have fulfilled my goal today, by God's grace. My timing will be quite bad as I didn't aimed to run fast in this marathon, I only wanted to complete the race, that's all. I feel happy (-:

On the side note, I took 6 hrs 19 mins and 22 secs (-;

YZ camp 2009: Step up.

2009-12-05T20:21:00.004+08:00

What a wonderful time spent in camp! It was indeed a fun time having to spend time with the youths. I am really encouraged by their willingness to step up to God's Word. It was indeed a fun time today too. We had to climb high elements and I am really glad that I managed to do the high ropes and the abseiling one. I am really glad to learn about having to trust God. Surely the Lord is my Shepperd who takes care of me. He will also carry me on eager wings. I hummed such verses during the climb because I am absolutely sure that God is with us through it all! Praise the Lord that He guide me in overcoming these obstacles. I learnt to continue to trust the Lord in helping us to tide through trials and obstacles.

Body World Exhibition 2009

2009-12-03T20:56:00.003+08:00

Today, Huixian and I went to Science Centre Body World. We were really happy because through this experience, we really had a great time pondering about the Lord's wonder. It was indeed a wonderful experience watching the exhibits, these bodies and organs are donated by people who had passed away and had volunteered to have their organs exhibited for educational purposes. With such exhibitions, it is indeed true that Biology had come to life. I am really amazed that the Lord God is a wonderful God who gave us such a delicate yet resilient body. The blood vessels are more complex than the most complex telecommunication on this earth. Our heart, the natural motor who beats to give us adequate supply of fresh oxygen in our blood stream. A mother's womb, so soft and vulnerable, yet flexible to expand and carry the little foetus in it. Our eyes, the best camera ever and our kidney, the best water filtering machine, even without the need of UV ray and reverse osmosis. There were so many body parts shown and I am definitely reminded about the sanctity of life. I am thankful to God that I am a healthy human being.

21st Birthday celebration wth my family

2009-11-29T22:35:00.003+08:00

It was only a day away from the actual date. However, I am really grateful that my family is celebrating my 21st birthday in advance. Well surely I am truly blessed by God. I am really thankful as He had given me 21 years of life. Some secrets to share. If God hadn't sustained me, I would have never existed.

My mother had a hard time carrying me in her womb. I was 'dangling' at the wall of her womb. Hence, she had to had minimal movement. A slight movement and I would surely die. Thank God as He had definitely knit me in my mother's womb. I am alive and well now. 21 years. Praise the Lord!! And if I had a birthday wish, I would wish to continue to have this wonderful and eternal relationship with my Lord God.

Pass my FTT

2009-10-28T15:48:00.002+08:00

YEAH! WOOHOO! I finally passed my Final Theory Test. I am so happy because the questions were tricky. Yup. after much practices, i am extremely relieved that the burden had been lifted. I can now do my driving practical without having to worry about taking any more theory tests. So praise the Lord! And I wouldwant to thank the people who prayed for me. That's all. (-:

Open Water Diving Trip (18th to 20th Sep)

2009-09-20T22:06:00.005+08:00

I just came back from my Open Water Diving trip (-:

I am so excited! It was indeed a scarily fun experience. We went for 2 pool sessions. On the first pool session, I was struggling because in the presence of a regulator, I tend to breath through my nose underwater. Hence I ended up surfacing most of the time.

The trip to Pulau Aur was long. We took 7 hours to reach there. On Saturday, we had 3 dives. These dives were indeed a fun time. I watched various marine creatures swam across the seabed. It was indeed a different experience to be 18m deep.

The last day arrived! How great to know that. Anyway I am so pleased to know that. I thank God for everything as He had kept me safe throughout the entire trip. This was especially so when I took off my goggles underwater. I was a little panicky. Thankfully my instructor was patient with me. So I am truly blessed.

I am finally an open water certified diver (-:

Mizuno Wave Run 2009

2009-09-13T20:26:00.002+08:00

Yes I just ran another 10 miles today for Mizuno Wave Run 2009. This run was really bad. When they sounded the horn to start the race, I was still queuing up to hand over my baggage for safekeeping. Hence, I started my race around 20 minutes later. The run was bad because at the start, we were breathing a lot of smog from the vehicles. There were many traffic lights too. I remembered how I kept stopping when the traffic lights turned red. The only good run was at the Seletar reservoir when the air was rather fresh. However the moment was ruined when cyclists started rushing pass us. I was also angry because I had not much water to drink. So in the end, I was running most of the time without water. Thankfully I trained for it. When the race ended, I saw the timing featured at the finishing line. It read 2 hr and 15 minutes. This was definitely not my exact timing. So I minus off 20 minutes, which was not that disappointing. If I were to run 10km an hour, I should take 1hrs 42 minutes to run 16km. However, it was great to know that I took 1hr 55 minutes. Well, this would be my second last run for the year. My final run would none other be the Standard Chartered Marathon.

The Living Legacy 2009 - The Dead sea scrolls & the ancient world

2009-09-12T21:13:00.006+08:00

Today I went with my church friends to the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition. It was indeed an enriching experience as I got to see many different artifacts. The Dead sea scrolls are writings based on various Jewish writings. Among these writings, only a handful of the scrolls depicts the Old Testaments of the Holy Bible. They were mostly shown in bits and pieces in this exhibition.

The curator mentioned that the scrolls were pieced back based on the handwritings . In order to further confirmed the authenticity of the scrolls, DNA analysis were carried out. This is because the dead sea scrolls were written on sheeps', goats' and antelopes' skin and each animals had a unique set of DNA. In order to identify the disintegrated words on the scrolls, Infra-Red technology was used.

Interestingly, the Old Testament written on the Dead Sea scrolls matches the Old Testament shown in the Bible today. The only book of the Old Testament that wasn't found in the Dead Sea Scrolls was the Book of Esther. Indeed I am truly impressed that despite such a long span of over 3000 years, the Word of God could still be wonderfully preserved and meticulously translated into the words in the modern Bible. Praise the Lord!

Isaiah 55: 10-11 - "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

Yeah! I passed my BTT

2009-09-11T20:29:00.004+08:00

YES!!! I passed my Driving Basic Theory Test! YEAH!!! I remembered how I had 3 practices before passing my Basic Theory Evaluation. Then taking another 3 practices and subsequently my actual test. I actually intended to pass this stage in a month but due to the difficulty in finding booking slots, I had to wait for a month before taking the test today. I spent quite a lot of money though..Nonetheless, I passed the test! Thank God! (-:

SAFRA Shears Bridge Run and Army Half Marathon 2009

2009-08-16T21:02:00.006+08:00

Yup. I just ran 21km (Half Marathon). Well many months ago, I signed up for the SAFRA Shears Bridge Run. I wanted to use this race as a gauge to prepare for the Standard Chartered Full Marathon this December.

I always thought running 21km was a breeze. I remembered how I could run 10km and still feel alright. I assumed that if I could run 10km in an hour, I will take 2 hours and 6 minutes to run 21km. I was dead wrong!

Running 21km was indeed different from running a typical 10km route. You need to hydrate yourself frequently or you will collapse halfway through. I was running well for the first 10km because my stamina and my momentum was well maintained. However after running 14km, I started to slow down.

The last 7km were indeed suffering. Nope. I was maintaining my stamina but my legs were beginning to experience immense cramps. My feet also gave way and blisters appeared. My thighs , having been rubbed against my shorts resulted in abrasion.

As I endured the race, I came across some slogans by the side of the road. I was reminded that pain and suffering separates the men from the boys. Oh well, I continued to motivate myself to push on. As I reached the finish line, I heaved a sign of relief as the race is finally over! I took around 2.5 hrs. It's definitely way worse than the ideal timing of 2.1 hrs but who cares! I finished the race. That's what matters! (-:

Back home, I looked at my finishing medal. I couldn't help but smile. Thank God for safety and strength. I collapsed onto my bed after that.

Last Day at work

2009-07-31T19:21:00.005+08:00

Yup. I have left my part time job at NUS Office of Finance. This 3.5 months had indeed been a wonderful experience.

When I first came, I was oblivious about what was happening. When I was taught to check the financial reports, I was really confused. Well, I do admit that I am a slow learner. Hence I took like a week to be familiarised with my jobscope.

During my first month of work, I was in many unpleasant situations. I kept making silly mistakes. E.g: I mistook the currency Pound for Euro. I even got misunderstood for not helping a colleague in carrying the files. On top of that, I was to get over my depression over something that may affect my entire life. So April was a bad month, I should say.

The month of May came. Serene Tay, a temp staff left for school and she was replaced by a new guy. He is none other than Ajay Zachariah George! God is really Good. With him around, life was so much fun. As both of us are of the same faith, we shared about many things. We really talked a lot. And I remembered how we got caught using the internet at work and as a result, we got a big scolding from our manager. However, I was laughing over it.

When Emily's mother fell sick, a replacement was needed and Ajay's friend, Elizabeth arrived. The three of us had really lots of fun in the office. I remembered how the three of us sneaked up to the 4th floor for 'illegal' tea breaks on 10am and 3pm. We sneakily stole food meant for the people taking the courses there. Of course we were smart enough to eat the better one, especially the chocolate ecclair. Yum yum. We were labelled as the 3 rats. Yup. I'm the rat with the white rabbit as a pet. (-;

On the 12th of June, Both Kaelyn and Elizabeh left the post. Kaelyn will be schooling again while Elizabeth's 1 month contract term had expired. We bid each other farewell and celebrated Kaelyn's Birthday, which was on that very day too. The very next week, we got caught by our manager for using the internet upstairs hahahaaa.

Emily returned for a while before she resigned to take care of her cancer-strikened nephew. I felt really sad for her. A new temp staff Arbaiya took over the post. We had a great time discussing about nutrition. I also had silly conversation with her. For example making the sound Tsk Tsk, learning funny malay words, showing her my rabbit pictures and especially 'sapu' ing (malay word for sweep) her invoices for filing.

Last day pictures:

Cakes bought as farewell gifts. (-:

Ajay made an appointment with Betty Cheah, the Secratary for the President of Finance. Her daughter is Ajay's Polytechnic Friend. Well, we went exploring at the area she is in. I also met Joanne's mother, the Secretary of the President of NUS.

~At the entrance~

~The Nexus: The Board of Directors' function room~

~The Vista: Where the Director hold their meetings~

I would like to thank every of my colleague for being there to help me out. I appreciate my lunch buddies who constantly went out with me during lunch. Of course I will remember Sasi who recommended the waffles at the Science Canteen and also in helping me out for my University application. I am really appreciative as I faced many problems during my application for my Tuition Fee Loans and Financial Aid. I also appreciate Jerome who went running with me after work every tuesdays and thursdays. I thank Joanne the 'girrafe' hahaaa, for the proof reading of my essays such that as a result, I manage to write a decent essay and pass well in my Qualifying English Test (a test which I was required to take as I got C5 for my A'level GP). I got fully exempted from all English modules!!!!! And not to forget Liwen who is officially my Senior. She helped me in my CORS. I manage to get my desired Core modules and one of them is a freshman seminar (no need exam! hahhaa). I have many thanks but there's just too much to say. Best wishes to all of them in the near future. Thanks for the lunch treats! (-:

Class 3 Driving

2009-07-19T17:44:00.002+08:00

Well it's about time I fulfill one of my lifetime goals. Yup I am learning Driving!!! Last Thursday, after sitting for my University's Qualifying English Test, I went to BBDC to enrol in a Class 3 Manual course. Oh man! I must really prepare to spend approximately $2000 for the entire lesson. Time to save money!! Today I went for one of the lessons. More lessons to come..

Lucky video

2009-06-30T23:57:00.001+08:00

I really like this video. I really adore this song.

The original music video is shown in CZECH REPUBLIC. Someday I will go there.

Yup. Lucky to been where I've been.

Shimo the Skinny Bamboo

2009-06-21T22:32:00.004+08:00

I was laughing at my shaved rabbit. However, I went to tuition my cousin today and to my astonishment, I met a skinny bamboo. He looks like a malnourished fox! hahahahaa.. he was also shaved on the very same day I brought my Rabbit for a full grooming session. (-:

~Say Hello to the SKINNY BAMBOO!~

From a lion to a lamb (-;

2009-06-20T21:12:00.005+08:00

After many many months, I finally brought my rabbit to a groomer for a Full Grooming session.

~BEFORE~

~AFTER~

This is for his own good! The weather's getting hotter each day. Being in his current state definitely makes him feel cooler than before. (-;

Monsters versus Aliens 3D

2009-06-19T22:59:00.004+08:00

I enjoyed a movie today. It is entitled "Monsters VS Aliens. My friend recommended me to watch it in 3D format. It was a very funny show. The storyline was easily understood and I enjoyed the characters.

My most favourite character was the 'Insectosaurus'. It looked more like a hamster rather than a caterpillar. You must look at the eyes. Even at the end of the show when it morphed into a butterfly, it still retains its hamster-like face. (-:

My least favourite character is the 'missing-link'. I personally find it/him kind of redundant in the show.

My favourite segments of the movie are:

1. When the dumb president hathaway plays 'crazy frog' funk tune to the alien-robot. It's so damn retarded haahahaahahaa

2. When the president screams upon seeing the picture of Susan when he was like bored to tears looking at the rest.

3. B.O.B the blob who throughout the show verified that it had no brain and yet could come out with an idea during one part of the show.

4. Especially when the Dr Cockroach, PHD danced to decipher the password. I was laughing to tears by then. I had to remove the 3D glasses to wipe them.

It was a indeed a very good show. I really enjoyed it. (-:

An eventful weekend: First time leading worship + Mizuno 10km Mount Faber Run

2009-06-14T22:48:00.007+08:00

What an eventful week! Ok it wasn't that eventful until Friday arrived. On Friday, we celebrated one of the temporary staff, Kaelyn's 20th Birthday. It was indeed pleasant having to have such an event occurring in the midst of a mundane environment.

On Saturday, I was kind of nervous as I prepared YAM worship. It was my very first time doing it and I was extremely nervous and I had this spirit of fear in me. Nonetheless I was so glad that everything went well as the Holy Spirit arrived in our presence, providing peace and faith. As I lead worship, I found myself trying to look at the script most of the time but I did my best in singing the songs and giving the speech. I was rather lifted up when after the worship, some of them feedback in an appreciative manner. I was also really happy when one of my church friends Charles feedback truthfully. He also gently reminded me on areas I need to improve on, i.e my confidence and the message I need to bring across to the people. I was really appreciative. Oh and that day was a day we did a spiritual gift exercise. I didn't know that my strongest gift of all is the gift of Faith. Such people have the unusual ability to trust God in the most unusual circumstances. My weakest one is the gift of Tongues.

Today was another eventful day. Well, I ran 10km. Many weeks ago, I signed up for the Mizuno Mount Faber Competitive Run. I wanted to experience running such an event. At the start, it was alright but when I started to ascend Mount Faber, I found it the most tedious part of the race. I was astonished to find myself panting as I ran up the slope. Moreover, I was tempted to walk but my mind told me to keep pressing on. I just kept pushing myself until the down slope finally appeared. And that's when I just couldn't stop running. I almost collided onto an incoming taxi. Halfway down the slope, I saw an old man walking his Westie. I smiled and I found my stamina returning again. The rest was history as I ran towards the finish line. I was glad that I took 1 hour and 53 seconds. This wasn't my exact timing as I had to wait at the start of the race when the mass moved so slowly. I also waited for 30 seconds at a traffic light area. Nonetheless, it was definitely better than my previous 10km training where I took 1 hour 3 minutes and 33 seconds. I knew that when I was in army, I could run 10km from between 55 to 57 minutes. I guessed my fitness really went down after I ORD.. Oh well.. Nevertheless, I am still glad that I did my best. And I definitely thank God for ensuring safety, giving me enough stamina and having me to meet my DG boy, Jeremy and his father during the event. How mysteriously magnificent God is! (-:

This run was a gauge for my next race that I have already signed up. Yup. I am running 21km this August. May God be with me. (-:

Central Japan Trip: Day 6 and 7

2009-05-18T21:29:00.008+08:00

Day 6 came. we got ready for a jam pack day at Tokyo Disneyland!!! Initially, we were given a choice of whether to choose Disneyland or DisneySea and my cousins wanted to try out DisneySea ever since their previous visit to Hong Kong Disneyland, which they feel was simply disappointing. However, during my previous trip, I explored DisneySea. In my opinion, it wasn't that exciting. In fact, it was boring. I remembered the long queues and the boring rides. That's why when they wanted to go there, I protested. Even the tour guide agreed that DisneySea wasn't worth the price. It's more suitable for couples, not people like us who wanted to play.

Hence, we headed off to Disneyland! There were various kinds of lands like Toon Town, Fantasy Land, Adventure Land and Tomorrow Land. Most of the rides weren't that terrifying as I imagined. In fact they were of great fun! We also went around the land collecting various medallions as souvenirs for our family and friends. It was indeed a relief as I cleared my ¥100 coins!!!!

~The medallions~

What a pleasant surprise to know that that day was also commemorating Tokyo Disneyland's 25th Anniversary! Hence, we got the chance to witness Disney Characters parading the town. It was indeed an enjoyable day and I Thank God for it. During my previous trip, there was also a highlight for DisneySea on a Minnie Mouse's Magical Adventure. We were given a free door gift at that time. I still kept it until now (-:

~Mickey and Friends~

~Beauty and the Beast~

~Winnie the Pooh and Friends~

~My favourite character, Chip N Dale. And that's Clarice, the chipmunk whom both of them fell in love with. In the end, she chose none.~

~It ended well and to top it off, we had Shabu Shabu, a form of Japanese Steamboat for dinner. I was bloated by then.~

It was the last day as we head off to Narita Airport. We took a group picture before boarding the plane. In the plane, I watched 'Nada Sou Sou' and remembered something that happened before I head off for this Japan Trip. Yes. I was almost ruined by that incident but somehow, God is Good. He enriched me with so much fun and excitement. I can only praise Him for His Love. (-:

Central Japan Trip: Day 5

2009-05-16T14:23:00.006+08:00

Day 5 arrived. Breakfast was as usual. I suppose most international hotels offer buffet style breakfast. The food was good! After breakfast, we made our way to ShinYokohama to visit the popular Ramen Museum. The museum portrays the Ramen store in the past and how it has evolved to where we are now. Moreover, there were many flavours of Ramen to choose from. But after one bowl, our stomach couldn't bear the quantity. Hence I bought one of the flavourings from a shop there.

We then head on to Ameyoko Flea Market and there was when I bought most of the presents. They were of good bargain price. That was where I bought mochi for my family and friends. Moreover, at the local shopping centre, they were selling branded Burberry and Prada products at "Sales" price. When I did the currency conversion for my aunt, it was equivalent to the non-sale price sold in Singapore. Most of the Japanese products are simply expensive but the quality is worth the price.

The ride to Toyko was long. We finally reached Tokyo and this was the second time I visit the famous Asakusa Kannon Temple. It is the oldest temple in Tokyo with a history of 1300 years. And one of the prominent features is the Big Red Lantern at the entrance. After my relatives make their prayers, we head off to the crazy Nakamise shopping street, selling a wide variety of appealing Japanese souvenirs, especially the sought after Daruma dolls. I merely bought a magnet and a set of Twin Japanese dolls. I must resist to the temptation to buy too many unnecessary stuff. In my mind, I keep telling myself, "Do i need this? Will this become a white elephant eventually? Do i have enough money to last?". In the end, I overcame my inner shopaholic tendency. And this result in a voice telling me from the inside, "Tsk Tsk! Stingy miser!!!" I totally ignore it. Phew! Thank God! (-:

~Awed by the sudden sakura petals floating about~

In the night, we did more shopping at Shinjuku, a place filled with Department stores. In Singapore, we have a Takashimaya Shopping Centre at Orchard Road. In Shinjuku, there's like seven of such shopping centres. And that's only a small portion of Shinjuku. The girls totally went gaga as the whole night were based mainly on shopping, shopping and more shopping! In fact, they were really relieved that that day was the last day they were seeing temples. As for me, I am more inclined to enjoying the culture and the nature of Japan. Nonetheless, I bought some facial products sold at a "Waston" type of store. The brand is Mentholatum, one of the cheapest brand sold there. I spent about S$21!! Singapore don't sell these kind of facial brand.. And it was really effective in removing my remaining acne. WHAT A NIGHT!

Central Japan Trip: Day 4

2009-05-04T20:56:00.008+08:00

It was Day 4 and I woke up from a good night sleep at the hotel. The past 3 days were really great! I learnt to appreciate the splendors of God as the sakuras slowly bloomed throughout the country.

In the morning, we visited Hakone Peace Park. This park is filled with statues. I also saw buddha statue situated in a shrine located at the central of the park. Due to difference in faith, my aunts and cousins went up the shrine to offer prayers while I stayed below. As I turned away from the shrine, I caught the view of a magnificent mountain This mountain was none other than Japan's pride and joy, Mt Fuji.

Before heading to Mt fuji, we made a stopover at the Wasabi Farm. This was my second time there. It was raining really heavily during my previous trip. This time, I spotted the beautiful wasabi plants all cluttered up at the fields. Wasabi paste is made from the root of a wasabi plant. It is different from chilli because unlike chilli, which burns the tongue, wasabi, upon contact with our tongue, emits vapour which would get caught up at the nasal area and result in tearing of the eyes haha.

~ A wasabi root in a jar~

~ Tasting the Wasabi Ice Cream again. (-: ~

Finally we reached the Mt Fuji region. There, we visited Oshino Hakai Village. It is where eight spring pools gush forth, fed by currents that flow from Mt. Fuji. In 1985, the area was designated as one of the top one hundred places for pure water in Japan by the Environmental Agency. I thank God for the opportunity to taste the refreshing ancient spring water.

~Interestingly, stagnant bubbles were seen in the water bottle. I wonder why..~

The highlight of the day finally arrived. It's time to climb Mt Fuji!!! The bus ascended up to the 4th level of Mt Fuji, 2020m above sea level. I could see snows by the side of the road. By then, I was bubbling with excitement. We went down the bus and my spirit was slightly dampened when we were forbidden to go to the 5th level of Mt Fuji. It was due to safety reason. ahhh!!! That was where the majestic view could be observed! Oh well.. Nonetheless I still had fun gathering up real snow from the ground!!! Woohoo!

At night, I experienced my first time in a public hot spring. OPEN AIR!!! The other time, my brother and I merely tried to immerse ourselves in a private hot spring. I could see the steam encircling the area as I lay down and gazed at the twinkling stars. It was simply relaxing!

I would definitely expect a good night sleep after the hot spring. But to my horror, I had 2 accounts of nightmare. One that happened during army and one regarding one of the boys in the new DG that Christopher and I lead. Oh well, after a short prayer, I slept throughout the night. Thank God!

~At Lake Kawaguchi outside the hotel we stayed the night before~

Central Japan Trip: Day 3

2009-04-15T21:52:00.008+08:00

It was the 3rd day of our trip. We started to get used to the weather though I still wore 2 shirts inside.

We began our day to Todaiji temple, the very first temple of this tour. There stands a 15m high Buddha cast in copper and coasted with gold. I watched the rest of my relatives offer joss stick. Due to my faith, I am not supposed to touch joss sticks for worshipping purposes.

Near the temple was Nara Deer Park. We spotted many deers roaming around the vicinity. I heard that every morning, hundreds of deers would be there, waiting to be fed with the food sold by the Obasans stationed there. And when dusk arrives, a ranger/ deer keeper will blow the whistle to gather the deers to a place for them to rest.

Next, we travelled to Kyoto. We made our way to the famous Kyomizu temple. Kyomizu is translated as Pure Water. This temple is notable for its vast veranda supported by hundreds of pillars and on top of that, from the top of the temple, one could catch a panoramic view of Kyoto. It is definitely one of the most celebrated temples in Japan with the captivating charms as the season changes.

At the heart of the temple, there was a 'love stone' to touch. If you could walk with your eyes closed from one stone to the other without straying away, the person whom you thought of will eventually become the perfect soulmate for you. I just played along. If only love could comes that easily hahaha. Well, romance is predestined from above. Not by such beliefs lah..hahah but it was fun. And yes. I'm pretty sure the person I thought of will be the ideal soulmate for me. (-;

Then, we visited Nishijin Textile centre. There was a Kimono Fashion show held there. The kimonos were kind of pleasant to look at. The Kimono is a traditional Japanese costume. Today, a Japanese woman usually owns only one kimono, typically a furosode kimono, which is worn for the coming of age ceremony on her 19th birthday.

Anyway when I was younger, I used to have a kimono which I wore to perform during my Kindergarden Graduation concert. I also wore it during Racial Harmony Day when I was in primary 2. Today, it had mysteriously disappeared. Someday, I hope someone will buy me a beautiful custom-made kimono as a birthday gift. (-:

The day was about to end when we took the bullet train from Kyoto to Nagoya. This was my second time on such a train. I boarded the train during my previous trip in 2005. It was really moving at breakneck speed. Usually, it takes an hour to travel from Kyoto to Nagoya by coach. However, it took 1/6 the time taken i.e 10 minutes by bullet train. Simply amazing.

~At the train track. We saw the 3 bullet trains rushed pass us at breakneck speed. Simply awesome!~

~Sumo Wrestlers at Nagoya station.~

The day ended well again. I was getting happier and happier each day. Praise the Lord! (-:

Baptised. (-:

2009-04-12T14:21:00.002+08:00

Finally I am baptised in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen. Praise God! Hallelujah!

The past few days had been tormenting. I was being spiritually attacked by demons and evil spirits. I found myself hearing voices which were discouraging. My past sins and my current sins were also surfaced up during the 3 days. This started on Good Friday. Thankfully as I remembers my saviour's death, The Spirit of God prompted me to seek healing. Yes weeks before, I came to know that there are healing service at Lighthouse Evangelism. So I joined my mother to seek spiritual healing. It was really beneficial as I prayed with the people around me. Subsequently, I felt the evil spirits being driven away in the Name of Jesus. But they will keep coming back each day.

On Saturday Night, I was disturbed by the voice who planted the seed of doubt in me. It asked me whether I should be baptised. I remained firm in my decision and finally as Sunday came, I felt the evil spirits turning away in anger. As a result, I got baptised in church. I felt my body shake during the baptism. Perhaps it was like half the evil spirits being driven out of my heart.

Half the battle won. (-: Sin will still surface. Grapple with it! Resist it! Flee from the Devil's Temptation and solely depend on God's Grace In the end, God will finish the sanctification process at His perfect timing. We shall all be set free from Sin! Amen.

Central Japan Trip: Day 1 and 2

2009-04-10T14:20:00.003+08:00

Today I shall write about the first 2 days of my Japan Trip. It was indeed really tiring as I got off the aeroplane. We didn't had a good night sleep the night before. After touching down, the day was spent travelling on the bus from Narita Airport to Tokyo before we board a plane to Osaka where our tour officially started. Thankfully, I had enough rest before I was more awake.

Rain started pattering heavily as we made our to Nada Sake Breweries Museum. There I got the opportunity to learn about how sake is traditonally manufactured. It was indeed pleasant to taste the different type of sake. I like the ume sake. They even gave us a sake cup as a form of appreciation.

We then made our way to Harbourland to shop by the Osaka bay, I didn't buy anything as I realised how dear the price were. And at Kobe Chinatown, I almost tasted Kobe beef but I heard that it cost ¥10000 which is around S$160!!! No way man! But we still try the pig ears which was simply delicious!

In the evening, we stopped by Osaka castle and saw how beautiful it was. The weather was getting worse as it continued to rain. I found myself drenched badly. We also felt chilly. Hence I distracted myself by imitating Xueqi in savouring fresh Japanese Strawberries sold there. We had to finish it within the day as the next day, I discovered how soft they had become.

That chilly night, we also enjoyed Jin Long Ramen at downtown Osaka. As I entered the hotel, I thank God for keeping us safe and we all hoped that it would not be raining the day after. I smiled and praise God for His love.

Feeling hurt

2009-04-03T14:25:00.004+08:00

I am hurt to the core.. My spirit just died last night. I am like a zombie right now. Memories are hard to remove unless we have a machine from the movie "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind" that removes all the memories of that particular person.. Yes. I am tempted to go for it if possible, but after much thought, I rather keep them. Well, yesterday I have decided to reveal my true feelings and I was actually ready to expect only 2, or should I say 3 possibles. Yes, No, Wait. I asked for it. Thank goodness I am old enough to handle it. If it's yes, I wouldn't be saying I'm hurt. But the raw fact that it's a no really hurts a lot. It wouldn't be a wait? cos if I told myself that, the pain will drag. I know I'm kind of selfish to feel this way but thank goodness I have God in my heart. Took me really long to decide to pluck up the courage after such a long time. As it was all predestined, I shall not question further. At least I have tried, now I know. I always though I had good taste, looking beyond looks and abilities and going after the heart. Indeed I have done enough to hint through the cards and gifts. Feeling heartbroken and like I have wasted my time is one thing but ripping it and placing it at the doorside is something irreversible. I find it pointless to take it back, so whether it would rot there or not, just let it rot. My fault, my fault. Simply unrequited love.. Who knows my heart best, only the Lord my God. I am actually ok now because even though my spirit is dead, I have faith time will heal it and it would become alive again. Yes thank God that I have a ever-renewing spirit. Nope, how could I ever stop loving?

I am indeed screwed-up and no human being can help me fix this. Only God can. Hence I shall go and pray about it. Never try, never know. Never fail, never grow..

My last day at Capstone Kindergarden.

2009-03-27T19:30:00.005+08:00

Today's my last day at Capstone Kindergarden. I will miss the children despite spending only 1 week as a relieve teaching aide.

~With the children of the morning session~

~With the children of the afternoon session~

I am grateful to them for being friendly and not treating me like a stranger despite the fact that I'm new and inexperience and also the fact that I am the only male among them.

Nonetheless I'm sure God is pleased to use the teachers, principal and staffs to be there to provide warmth to the children. Thank God for giving them this opportunity to show love, care and concern. I also thank God for the experience as it's definitely wonderful having to mingle and interact with the little children. I also thank God for divine providence. I am actually short of cash after having paid $2K for my upcoming Japan trip haha. Thanks and praise be to our Good Lord and God!!! (=

Part time job: First day at the childcare centre

2009-03-23T17:15:00.004+08:00

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14)

Today was the first time I worked part time at Capstone Kindergarden located at Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church. My church friend, Eileen recommended this part time job to me.

I thank God for using her to give me the opportunity to experience something new again. I had never really interact with children before and on my first day working, it was also the first day for the new batch of toddlers too. They just kept crying non-stop. One even rubbed his mucus on my sleeves. A normal human being who had no childcare experience will most likely die of shock hahahaha. Thankfully God mould me with patience and gentleness. I could tolerate the cries. And the mucus thingy wasn't that bad as I cleaned the toilet bowls and urinals during my army days, so I have seen even dirtier sight.

Right now, I am slightly traumatised and there's recurring replays of the children cries in my mind. But I won't give up!. God is with me through it all. I am self-assured. All in all, I do hoped that this experience will bring me closer to God as I would like to be further mould into being able to care for little children in future. Another testimony of God's Goodness will surface, I pray.

Baptism Testimony

2009-03-22T13:54:00.005+08:00

I shared my Baptism Testimony today. It wasn't the exact same one which I submitted to the church earlier as I shortened it to make up the 5 minutes and placed in new contents.

God was there before I was born. He carefully knit me in my mother’s womb though her womb was too weak to conceive me. Well, I was told that she did suffer bleeding during her pregnancy of me and that the embryo was dangling at her womb for quite some time before it stuck on it. By the grace of God, it lead to a smooth delivery of me into this world.

As a child, my mum brought my brother and I to church when we moved to Mei Ling Street in the year 1995. From then on, I went to Sunday school and learnt about this great Man called Jesus Christ. But I was unaware that He is also God. Anyway, my Sunday school teacher, Teacher Bee Hwa patiently taught me the Word and I learnt to worship only One God. I think I did say the sinner’s prayer but I didn’t really mean it at that time. In fact, I have saying lots and lots of sinner’s prayer through out my entire childhood life. But I could safely confirm that I have converted.

As I grew older, school work started piling up and I gradually backslided. However God was gracious again. He didn’t give up on me despite the fact that I wasn’t attending church. God used my mum’s friend, Aunty Hong. She passed me a prayer book which I read during those backslided years. At that time, I usually read the morning, night and the student’s prayer. I also made an effort to pray every night before going to sleep so that I would feel peaceful from the inside.

One fine day, I had a Holy calling. It was a gentle prompting by the Holy Spirit to return to church. I was in Secondary 3 then. From that day onwards, I headed back to church. Well, I started off with joining the YouthZone ministry. Subsequently, I joined a Bible Study group whom my DGL was Ming Bao. As time went by, I came to know that Jesus is also God, though I couldn't fully comprehend the doctrine of the trinity at that time and His nature of being Fully God and Fully Man. But that did not end because Jesus isn't finish with me yet! I had bible study with Ming Bao before he became too busy with video issues and guessed who took over my DG? It was none other than Reverend Kien Seng! Praise God for sending him as I learnt the most of my bible study stuff from him. He was very knowledgeable and ready to share. I could sense his fire for God. I had most of my doubts clarified as I underwent bible study with him. Thank God for using him. (=

Now that I have moved up to the Young Adult Ministry, I had a different bible study group. Thanks to the adequate amount of bible study knowledge, I enjoyed the discussions with my current DG. Anyway, before entering army, I revert back to my bad habit again. I became lukewarm for God as I started getting complacent in life after receiving my A’level results. I did well enough to get into NUS though. (=. When I entered Army in April 2007, many bad things happen. In BMT, I felt like a small fish in a big pond. The guys were just so competent... Then I was posted to 3 GUARDS and underwent various forms of unforgettable training. (I will elaborate my army life testimony next time).

The death of my uncle (Throat Cancer) and grandfather (Pneumonia) in the year 2007 was a huge blow to me too. And to top it off, my mother who had recovered from Colon Cancer earlier that year fell ill again as she took strong dosages of Chinese medicine which greatly affected her liver. I remembered so clearly as I was in Thailand undergoing Exercise Crerscendo and it was during the live firing period.. And she told me how she almost died. So that year, I almost fell into severe depression.

I was already depressed but I constantly denied. The signs were evident. Suicidal thoughts, pessimism, uncontrollable crying, despair, etc.. I remembered how I cried to sleep almost every night. I needed to be embraced at that time but no human being there for me even thoguh I desperately try to convey it with my eyes. I had frequent suicidal thoughts and I told God that let me die. I was angry on why He allows evil and suffering to enter the world. However, I didn’t blame Him. Deep down inside, I knew He had His reasons. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit was the everlasting Comforter who encouraged me to not lose faith and hope. By the grace of God, I drew strength from Him and manage to overcome depression without the suspicion of my family and friends. I also got over the death of my loved ones.

I praise God that my mum is currently in stable condition. That very moment God used Aunty Hong again. She brought my mother to an Indian Christian who had the gift of healing. He prayed and was used by God to heal my mother. That marked her route to recovery. Btw that man was supposed to leave the day before but the Spirit of God urged him stayed for just one more day. Isn't it a miracle?

The Holy Spirit also suggested that I get Daily Reading materials like Our Daily Bread and Our Journey. Praise God that He taught me to faithfully read them every morning, even in camps and even to the extent of bringing them out to outfield to read. I told myself to cling onto the Cross even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. And praise God that the Cross was even there for me to cling. Yes God chose to save me. I could never choose my salvation, I should say. In the very first place, I was a fallen, TOTALLY DEPRAVED, wretched, screwed-up life-form.

He is after all my refuge and strength, my rock of all ages, my Shepperd, my all in all!

Prayer was important, God gently urged me to pray. He told me that He desires to listen to me, love me and have communion with me. Until today, I pray. From the day I knew Christ, I have been praying. Even in bad times, I will pray. In everything I do, I pray. One must never underestimate the power of prayer.

Today, I am new creation. I am reborn in spirit time and again. I am filled with assurance that God works in my life and enables me to continue to grow in spirit. Yes I do struggle with sin from time to time. (I will share more about my sins next time) But in no time, the Righteousness and the Grace of God will set me free! It is my goal right now to pursue His Holiness and to live a life authentic and pleasing in the eyes of the Father. I have also started serving in Church as a Youth Disciple Group Leader. Soon I will be more active in service, stepping out of my comfort zone and taking up roles like leading worship ( which I greatly fear, stage fright mah) and hopefully, going on mission trips (this one I like, can travel overseas mah..). It's a risk to take up leadership and positions where you will be placed in the limelight as pride will fill my heart. But then again, I am reminded that it was never about me. It was always about God. I am just nothing but the Lord's humbled servant (LHS). And yes. I will always do good in remembrance of His love. This year’s Baptism will be an outward testimony of my faith in Christ. I will continue to walk with Him and hold on to the promises that He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and swallow up Death. In the end, those who hope in Him will be adopted as children of God.

El Shaddai El Shaddai

El-elyona adonai

Age to Age you're still the same

By the power of Your Name

El Shaddai El Shaddai

Erkamka na Adonai

I will praise you till I die

El Shaddai

This is my testimony. I pray that through this sharing, all of you will be encouraged to continue to live life under God's Amazing Grace today tomorrow and forever more. Let us run the race and together we will all finish well. To God be the Glory. Amen.

SMU Animal's Day.

2009-03-21T21:35:00.004+08:00

Raising fund and remembering the need for animal care. Celebrating Shiro's 2th Birthday and laughing when the ants came crawling up his paws. It seemed that the party was ruined and he looked so cute trying to rid of the ants haha. (=

Post Note: I actually took a picture of Shiro with a Scottie, that's how his paws got infested with ants haha!!!! argh it was lost! hahahahahaha!!!!!

What type of treasures will you store in Heaven.

2009-03-20T12:07:00.005+08:00

Jesus once taught, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." ( Matthew 6:19-21)

How do you define treasures?

Some people consider silver, gold, jade or should I say, diamond? a woman's "bestfriend" as treasures.

How about the products associated to celebrities? hahaa.. I remembered people trying to buy Britney Spear's shaved hair on EBAY. Or simply a signature signed by our favourite singers..

How about your favourite pet or to parents, their only child? Could they be treasures too? Yes they can be but I can't stand those people who spoil their child with gifts and rewards and even those pet lovers who would spent lots of money for the pet, e.g beverly hill chihuahua. hahahaa placing a diamond necklace around a dog is simply ridiculous.

Or how about a rare product obtained from hunted animals. Like a deer's antelope, a crocodile's scale, a seal's fur or even an elephant's tusk.

Well yes. It's not bad to like possessing worldly treasures like those few examples which I mentioned above, (exception: hunted animals product. That's cruel. ). However over-indulging in them, I feel, is an extremely unhealthy behaviour which will lead to destruction.

What is true treasure? In my opinion, true treasures are food for the soul and spirit of Man. To name a few, Love, Joy, Peace, Hope! With such true treasures, I believed one would see the world in a different perspective and be a blessing to those around him or her. Indeed, they are the truly blessed! (=

Let's take this piece of embroidery which I just completed last night at 1am..

I took 1 week to finish!!!! By the Grace of God, no blisters on my hands, just some minor back and neck aches which were relieved through magnetic therapy. Well, I have been sleeping on the magnetic bed pad product which I bought from my previous company.

Look at Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. Aren't they blessed beings? One who looked at this picture could sense peace and joy and most importantly, the love and friendship between them. And do they need material stuffs? All Pooh wants is his 'Hunny' (Honey), simply a child-like craving!!! hahaa there is Hope that we can live like that some day. No more evil and suffering. I will be waiting. (=

I thank God that I could come up with this conclusion. Yes we can store treasures on Earth, but it will be your loss if the fires consumes it away or if moth and rust destroys it. However if you store treasures in Heaven, you will be surprised that it will somehow result in treasures on earth too. And we praise the Lord for that. For He is the everything who gave us His all and gains nothing in the end. Amen.

What are my gifts?

2009-03-10T21:27:00.012+08:00

Sometimes, I wonder what are my gifts?

The gift of intellects? Sometime I really wonder how some people managed to breeze through their exams while I struggled most of the time. Well, I did fairly well and eventually managed a place in a local university because I study hard, not because I'm smart. If I'm really born with intellects, I would have aced in all my examinations. Moreover hard work has its limits you know, you can never do better than those with brains..Oh well..

The gift of music? There were instances where I wished I could play certain kind of musical instrument like the piano, flute, drums or even the classical guitar. Well easier said then done.. I guessed I only generate noise in people's ears. No wonder I only got the chance to learn playing the piano at such a late age of 17. I wished I could continue learning but it seems that I have lost touch of the instrument.. I also once dreamed that I have a voice of an angel. And I saw the number of talented singers out there and judging from my voice, I am nowhere near there, I guess? Oh well..

The gift of physique? Every 4 years, the world will host the Olympics. Whenever I watched those talented athletes compete, I thought about the intense amount of training they went through. I could never run, swim, jump or play any sports better then them.. Hmm could I even play a certain sport decently well? Or at least dance? Nah I am so clumsy!!! I questioned myself. Well I swam when I was younger and canoed when I was in secondary school, but I supposed I neglected all these ability as I grew older, it seemed that I lost out to those who continued to pursue in their desired sports.. Oh well..

The gift of visual arts? I liked drawing when I was a child. (: I drew all kinds of things. I remembered how I 'vandalised' my entire house hahaha and my poor mum had to clean up the mess. But ironically, I failed most of my artwork in secondary school. I honestly think my sketches are horrendous and my paintings are definitely meant for colour blind people to admire. Ok! with sheer hard work, I did obtain a decent grade for my art in the end. But look at those renowned artists out there! some are able to make their masterpiece come to life! Oh well..

The gift of craftsmanship? I always liked people who can construct things. When I was a toddler, I play with play dough and lego. And in secondary school, I had the chance to do design and technology. It was so fun having to use materials like wood, plastic and metals to make certain items. I did fairly well for that, thankfully. I guessed I can make decent crafts, but look at those potters, carpenters and sculptors out there, they are making things that are of exhibition qualities. Some of these crafts are placed in museums or galleries! And I couldn't even make a decent stool nor knit a wool!! Even machines can do such works better than me! Oh well..

The gift of culinary? Don't even bother! Ok! I DID ATTEMPT TO cook but most of the time, it resulted into a food fiasco!! I'm not so bothered about cooking cuisines but at least I wished I could prepare a decent meal or bake cookies. (: I did cook during secondary school but I scored rather low, but still a passable grade. I wished I could cook healthy and tasty food for my future companion, if I'm blessed enough to get one.. and then we could enjoy happy meals together for the rest of our lives! Oh well..

The gift of literacy? Can I write? Come on! Every educated being on this Earth can write. Ok the thing is that we all can write but whether our writings stands out from the rest is the one that matters. Look at those authors of bestselling novels. They sure can write well! Or else how could their book sell? I always wanted to write a storybook, but I seemed to find myself occupied with other things. AND when I'm free like now, I have no inspiration. When I have the content, the language of my writing is still not up to standard as it's not as competent as those famous writers out there. I also guessed I don't have vast vocabulary too. Ok so what if I got excellent content, outstanding vocabs and close to perfect grammar? I have yet to find a style of writing that is unique to me. Oh well..

Did I even mentioned that beauty is also an essential to me? Ok I rarely thought I was good looking because I am very honest to myself. Looking at my eyes, I realised that they aren't as bright or round like my brother's; I have single eyelid. My ears are elfish, my nose is like crooked if you looked from the side view, my lips are thick and my lower teeth jut out of my mouth! Argh! When I was younger, I used to pray to God to make me more attractive when I grew older cos I looked so plain, I think. But He punished me in Junior College with an outbreak of ACNE! AHHHHH! Yes. I deserve it. But I felt so inferior then. I recalled how I always walked with my face facing the ground to prevent people from catching my looks and making snide remarks. There are such people hor! I tried really hard to every day and night, faithfully cleanse, tone and moisturise my face. And yet in the end, I still have blackheads, whiteheads and even acne scars!! Oh man!!

Without brains, physiques, attributes and beauty? I wonder what could happen to my self esteem??? What a competitive and materialistic world! Btw I didn't mention other gifts like being good at repairing pipes or even in the IT aspects cos I am not so bothered by those. Call me envious; discontented but I am just pouring out my inner sinful desires.

Oh yes! We must never forget that having good character transcends all the aspects of these gifts. But WHO on this Earth naturally possess Good characters? No one I should say. No one.

And I even ponder the fact on whether I could find a God-sent soulmate if I ever possess all these? hmmm..but that's beside the point. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I wonder if I will find my God-sent beholder soon..

Anyway I would just like to point out that no matter how worthless you think you are, you must never give in to the cruelty of the world. As for me, I hold on to the Love of the God I believed in. That's why I have yet to jump off any building or slit my wrist. (: All these 7 worldly gifts are nothing compared to the Love of someone infinitely Great. I also don't think I am of Good character, that's why i still need His Grace.

But I do hope that many of us could dwell with Him in the New Heaven and Earth. There, He could then patiently teach us to perfect these 7 gifts and many other attributes at our own pace and time. I could only wish! As of now, I will still work hard to better myself in these 7 gifts + character so that in future I could be a better human being, i pray. (=

My 7th Blood Donation: Apheresis

2009-03-06T16:28:00.009+08:00

I am so happy and fulfilled! I have finally experienced what I also wanted since last year! Thank God for giving me this chance. Well this is my 7th Blood Donation. However I opted for Apheresis donation at the blood bank at HSA. The process is simple. At every cycle, the machine draws out around 300ml of blood and separates the plasma and the platelets from the blood. After that, the rest of the blood is returned to the body with the addition of anti-clotting agent. The cycle continues until it collects around 300ml of platelets and 300ml of plasma in 2 separate bags. It took me 7 cycles and it lasted 1.5 hrs. I felt a little cold and a slight tingly feeling during the process. They also provided movies to watch. Hence, I distracted myself by watching movies or reading my book. It had been a fun experience and the nurses there were super friendly and caring. Platelets are urgently needed by diabetic patients and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Blood plasmas are essentail in the treating certain diseases like Graves' disease and autoimmune disorders. So thank God that I could be used by Him to save lives! I'll return next month.(=

~That yellow solution contains platelets ~

~That bag down there is the bag of blood plasma~

Saying Goodbye the Godly way.

2009-03-05T21:05:00.007+08:00

I talked to Theva today. I know that it is unprofessional to just leave suddenly. However I clarified to him that mind games was being played during this 2 days. I also further clarified that if the time is right, my parents will pass them a card, a thank you card to confirm that I have said goodbye.

These are the small products I bought before I left.. I also bought the magnetic single bed pad but my aunt is now using it for therapy purposes.. They are indeed excellent! But the way they are marketed is not so pleasant. It should go corporate and the price should be reduced. Then more people will be willing to buy. (=

Taking a good break after quitting.

2009-03-04T09:54:00.004+08:00

It's been a day. I am so glad that I made my final decision to not do sales and marketing anymore. I don't care whether the form of marketing is direct selling or Network marketing. I am just tired of being used! I need not prove myself worthy as God still loves me for who I am. Anyway the night when I left the place, I joined Vincent and Daryl at Ben & Jerry's at Dempsey Road. We had a fun time catching up and Vincent and Daryl brought up some negative experience of network marketing. I didn't know Ace and Wei Chang was in Sunshine Empire. Theva was also trained in Sunshine Empire too. Haiz many of us got scammed. Network Marketing has indeed evolved. Even Venture ERA tries to make it as legal and decent as possible. Perhaps they are trying to create a facade of the actual scheme? Who knows what they have been doing behind closed doors? Oh well I don't care..

Anyway, after my 'great escape', I went to Singapore Warehouse to find the Pet Lover's HQ where I renewed my membership and redeemed a cat tent form the points I accumulated. I don't really spent much on Pet Lover's as the price there is not wise either. I only buy the basic necessities for my little bunny like the OXBOW Hay and pellets. He enjoys the Cat Tent somehow. Though he upon spotting me, hops away to hide hahaha!!! (:

I have had enough! I finally quit!

2009-03-03T23:42:00.004+08:00

I finally quit this bloody 'profession' i am in! Praise God! I almost fall deeper into sin. Well I am really tired of deceptions and sales. The week was tiring as I ran around. I remember the 24/7 running around to fix appointments. My manager Ms Y today was very pushy as she was fighting for her car incentive. She kept pressurising us to make appointments. I am pissed with her sudden change in character which was simply extreme. The feeling I got from her is that she is damn desperate to get her car and yet she is trying very hard to suppress it. I hated the way Venture ERA runs. From what I see today confirmed it. I saw the way they treated the new-comers. It was a way to draw them in. After they underwent training, the standard thing to do is to do your market listing and fix appointments. After which you go for appointments with your Business Manager, who is none other than Ms Y to 'gently' persuade your loved ones to buy the product. I noticed that I spent so much to get my Sales Executive position. And yet I got commission as little as $16!!!! Ms Y and those below her and above me also received their extra cash from the product I spend. They earned $347 just from my sales!!! What more from the rest of them? How did I know? Well I saw the file she kept the day before after they did the sales submission. I wasn't really happy. She even slipped out the fact that doing recruitment is a form of getting yourself 'rice bowls' (translate it to chinese if you want to better understand). I am so disgusted with this!! She wants to achieve her car and in order to do that, she must have a whole list of organisations who will do most of the work. And if the point values collected adds up to 60000, she will gleefully achieve her car. How selfish!! I already had problem fixing appointments! And I even strained my relationship with my parents, relative and friends. I have lost too much and many more people will suffer!! In the end she will get what she wanted. What is this? Is this ethical? She getting her car and the rest of us sacrificing our relationships with our loved ones. How could she?!! The rest may be willing but I am not! This must stop! Enough is enough!!!Indeed the higher you climb in rank, the more vicious and ambitious you become. God knows what will happen. Moreover I hated the phone technique, I remember how I was tricked into thinking this job was customer service. What a bunch of liars! And when they preached about Law of Atraction, I stared at them. I hope their belief in that dumb Law fails miserably cos God's Grace prevails such nonsense!!!! In fact, Venture ERA isn't the only one doing this. Many other companies do this too!!!! This world is indeed getting more corrupted each day. I am utterly ashamed and disgusted by it. Well I left the company subtlety and without telling them because they don't deserve to be informed. The people there don't deserve to be respected. I am so foolish to get involved with multi-level marketing. Indeed the product was good and competent, but the way the market is run is detestable. They can run but they can't hide.. One day when Christ returns, all will be settled once and for all! Such companies will one day meet their downfall. Anyway I will ask my parents to go there and take whatever stocks that I have yet to get and was paid for. I will get them to pass them a thank you card. If they refuse to comply, hahaha we shall see. May God be with us through it all..

My first promotion

2009-02-27T00:07:00.002+08:00

Yeah! I got promoted to Sales Executive!!! All thanks to my family and friends who supported me. My profession is tough but fun. I faced obstacles everyday and being a slow learner, I need more time to step out of my comfort zone to gently and sincerely approach my clients. I must also learn to work hard. These few days are crucial. If I want to fight for my Marketing Executive Position, I need to fulfill another 6000 point value. It's freelance but indeed it will be a miracle to be able to clinch around 5 big deals. Thank God that my family supports me in buying small deals even though they couldn't bear to part with their money. Perhaps they worry due to the bad economy.. However I have faith that my products are of competent quality. I pray that the products I managed to promote to them to buy doesn't do harm. Today I allowed my Aunt Jenny to test try the magnetic bed my mother bought. I hope she finds it useful for the blood circulation. Despite the current state of the economy, I believed God provides. I thank Corrinne who prayed for me today at church because she really encouraged me irregardless of the part-time profession I am taking up. Doing sales is indeed tough but the experience is really valuable. May the Lord continue to be with me as I grow in knowledge and of course, to continue to be a wonderful blessing to those around me. I will continue to pray... The Lord is my Shepherd.

Leadership training.

2009-02-21T23:39:00.004+08:00

This week had been extremely draining to me! Well I have been undergoing training as a Sales Associate in Venture ERA. My family and friends were kind of against it. They insist that the job line I am doing is kind of illegal. And I supposed they won't be giving me support. I am actually very sad as I believed in seeing things in an open mind. Why are there so many misconceptions of Network Marketing? Well in Venture ERA, I need not sign contract, neither do I need to chip in any investment. There are no obligations for us to beg the customers to buy the product. Anyway I will pray about this. Actually I have been thinking. Well many others join Venture ERA because they have money in their mind. They had heard testimonials that money can be generated easily in such lines. However as for me, due to my Christian brought up, I see money in a different way. I actually joined Venture ERA for they promised to train me to be an entrepreneur. Well honestly, I really dread working for people. In army, I have seen ranks and status and if one day I were to work hard for my boss but fail to be recognised, I will soon be retrenched in the end and by that time I will be old. I will be jobless then.. I joined Venture ERA to learn, to experience and to grow, and always reminding myself that God is with me all the time. Because of my brought up, I will have my ethics and I will not resort to persuasion. I will just honestly share the products I will be selling and let the customer have the free will to buy. Well being a Christian, I am a testimony of God. Why would I want to cheat my brothers? Rest Assure I will not be brainwashed, neither will I be motivated by money! I want to for once, be daring enough to venture. Even if I were to fall, I have faith that I will pick myself up. I need to be hardworking, yet remembering that I am doing this with God. One day if I have enough money, I will write an inspiring book and set up a humanitarian organisation. And I hope to be financially FREE!!! so that I could truly rest with the Lord in the garden. Why can't people for once support me? I will not cheat you, I promise. My life after all belongs to God. Why would I want to deliberately ruin His reputation? Why can't people believe in me for once? I don't want to live a life always being looked down upon..

A great valentine gift

2009-02-14T22:19:00.006+08:00

WHO LIKES VALENTINE'S GIFT? Well everyone does but anyway I have since gotten over the blues.. The day passed well and I went for a spiritual retreat today. It was great being able to meet up with my YAM friends as I had lost touch with them for like a month! I was absolutely glad to meet up with them again. And I gleefully flaunt my pink IC!

Spiritual retreat was pleasant as we had it at Botanical Garden. Vincent, John and I read the Word of God and we discussed about how we can live a life according to God's will. I did ponder about my love life, though I didn't really mention it to them. Btw John is getting married this November! I think this year I will be invited to like 2 weddings!!!! (=

Come to think of it, I actually realised that I had a great Valentine gift i.e friends. Thank God!

Post Note: Oh anyway I like flowers for some reason too. They amazed me as they are a sign that fruits will appear in no time! Moreover, my ideal romantic place is a flower field. (though I do prefer sitting by the beach before sunrise or before sunset) It was inspired by a scene in an RPG game, Final Fantasy VIII, which I played many years ago..

My current favourite flowers are the plum blossoms and the peony flower. They mesmerised me in some ways. Makes me smile and awe at their beauty.

~Peonies pronounced as 'mu dan' in chinese~

~Plum Blossoms aka 'Ume' in Japanese~

Post Post Note: I am still waiting for the bees to knock onto my house windows haha. (;

Yet another lonely Valentine

2009-02-14T12:04:00.005+08:00

Well, today's Valentine's Day. I guessed many loving couples will be celebrating today. Well it's definitely sweet to see two people embracing each other, having sweet talks and having a wonderful time together. So I shall wish them a happy and blissful Valentine's Day!

I have been thinking. Well it's about time isn't it? I have always been extra picky. When I fall in love, I take my time. There's no need to hurry when I'm making up my mind. I say the tragedy is how you're gonna spend the rest of your nights with the light on and it will all amounts to nothing in the end. But nonetheless, the remedy is still the experience.

Falling in love is indeed stressful. One may tend to become obsessive, lose sleep over it and even to extreme cases, cannot eat and cannot stop thinking about the other person. Thankfully I can still eat and perform my activities normally, though I tend to lose sleep and relate everything i do to the other person. It's like I imagine us doing things together like going fishing, travelling as well as the simple act of eating together. This is the Chemistry of Love. (=

A bird came knocking at my house window. It had been doing it for days! Is this a sign???!!! (; It's a pity that no bees came to visit yet.. But whatever I won't worry my life away!

ORD function

2009-02-13T23:13:00.001+08:00

It was 5pm as I made my way to change. The clock finally struck 6pm and I made my way to St James Power Station. It was different from what I expected. The stage was not as big as I imagined. Anyway I didn't really drink much as I need to walk my cousin's dog the day after. I also see no point in getting drunk and making a fool out of myself. Nonetheless I had fun laughing at the guys as they did many actions that caused goosebumps haha. There was also a performance by the Singapore Pussycat dolls which sparked a lot of spontaneous howling from the guys. When the clock struck 10pm, the party ended and I left the area. I wasn't in the spotlight today, thankfully, and I thank God that I kept my promise to Him to maintain my sanity and not spoil His reputation.

At home, I could only smile at the goodies bags I received. I especially adored the limited edition watch. I also had a caricature i.e a portrait of me drawn as well as a photo of me taken.

I had fun today. (=

My wisdom tooth

2009-02-13T12:21:00.006+08:00

Thank God that the whole ordeal is over! I really cherished the removed wisdom tooth as they were a remembrance of the pain and agony i went through. I am indeed vulnerable as a human being. It was also a test to allow me to ponder other than God, the next person I thought of. (;

It was initially filled with blood! So I soaked it for a few days before the color fades. I left them in an evaporating dish to dry in the sun. This is the end result. yes. i'm reprising my role as a chemistry student! (=

For remembrance sake. I glued the sliced wisdom tooth and place them in a small bottle.

A Journey of a thousand miles began with a single step

2009-02-11T21:12:00.004+08:00

As the saying goes: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Today I made plans to walk to Choa Chu Kang where I could buy my mother a birthday gift. It is her birthday today and I want to do something memorable to me. Moreover I wanted to train for my backpacking trip which I earnestly pray that will occur so that I could have one of my lifelong dreams fulfilled.

So I started my journey at home. I made my way to the jogging track and walked. I past Dover mrt station then hit the end which is near Clementi, i continue my way diagonally until i reached Junjie's house which is near blk 310, As I walked, i thought about the biblical character Enoch walking with God. I find myself at peace as I thought of that. I continue to walk and head towards the Clementi expressway. As I made my way along the expressway, I encountered an autistic boy who ran towards the road. I immediately screamed at him and he apologised profusely. I thank God that he's safe!

The road onwards was tough because I had to walk on grass this time. I made sure that I wouldn't cut myself. Soon, I reached Ngee Ann Polytechnic and I crossed the overhead bridge to the staff apartment. I thought I was lost as I prayed. Thankfully I reached Toh Yi drive and saw a bus stop that leads all the way to Choa Chu Kang Interchange. So i followed the trail of Jalan Jurong Kechil, past the German European School before I hit Bukit Batok Hill. I recognise the place as I walked there during my 24++km route walk with my NS mates. It was really late and I almost lost the way but thank God that I brought my Street Directory along and hence I managed to make my way to Bukit Batok Bus Interchange. There, I self-declared a 15 min break to have a quick bite.

Having recharged my energy, I continue to make my way. I kept telling myself that I am reaching. I just need to be alert of the route I take. Reading the Street Directory, I headed towards Lian Hua Secondary School area and soon I reached Little GuiLin. I stopped to snap a picture before continuing my journey.

Thankfully, I reached Bukit Gombak MRT Station and I PRAISE GOD as I need to use the toilet! I had drank like half a litre of water to sustain myself. As I proceed on, I praise God that my journey is more than halfway done. I hummed many songs to motivate myself. I thought of the backpacking trip which I will continue to pray every night so that it will come true. Anyway, I saw another jogging trail so I walked along it and I realised that I am starting to feel giddy. The weather must have been hot so I drank water to cool off. After walking and walking and walking, I realised that I am very near Choa Chu Kang MRT as I saw the LRT track. Excited, I hastened my pace and realised that i have walked further away from Choa Chu Kang MRT Station. Thank God that I realised it and I backtracked. It started to rain when I reached Choa CHu KAng MRT station. I thank God I made it!

I started off my journey at 12noon and reached my destination at 4.30pm. I am so glad! It was also God's Grace that I found the perfect gift for my mother. (=

Recapturing the memories

2009-02-09T19:28:00.011+08:00

It's been a day. I have been thinking of the past 1 year 10 months.

I started off as an ordinary person who just received my A'level results. I was oblivious about army stuffs. Unlike some of my friends, I wasn't in any uniform group like NCC or Scouts. I remembered how I struggled with handling a rifle. Moreover, being in an enhanced BMT batch, the military lessons taught were so fast and I had problems catching up.. It was indeed a change in lifestyle as I learnt to do things on my own like hand-washing my uniform. My peers' fitness were also very good. I was simply a small fish in a big pond.

More than half of my platoon made it to command school. I also noticed that around half of my section mates went to OCS. Guess where I was posted to? 3 GUARDS.. Oh well, GCC (Guards Conversion Course)...But i must admit that the training did improve my fitness. I could actually get a silver when I was like failing most of the time during BMT.

After GCC, while the rest went for pre-ops training, I was selected to be course trained as an Infantry Pioneer. This is my secondary skill.

I rejoined the company after a month's training with the pioneer platoon of Support Company. It was tough adjusting back to life as I had lost touch with Charlie Company. Many things happen along the way. My grandfather passed away from Pneumonia (It was the second death of my relatives of the year as my uncle passed away from Throat Cancer that June). I was lost and terribly heartbroken. But anyway, I had to pick myself up and pushed off to Thailand for my overseas training exercise so that I could be present when my unit turn operational.

As an operational unit, we had the chance of being in Alert Red Stand-by mode. Unfortunately, Mas Selamat Kastari had to escape from his confined area when I had to be activated at midnight to be attached to Support Company so that we could perform 'Ops White Chocloate'. Subsequently, an island wide search for him was carried out. That was 'Ops Vigilant Lion'.

Nonetheless during this period, 3 GUARDS had to undergo ATEC Stage 1. And we did well. 3 GUARDS was also offered the Best Infantry Unit. On top of that, Charlie Company was the best company and Platoon 9, upon compilation of the IPPT, SOC, ATP and Guards challenge result, obtained the Best Platoon!!! I feel very proud for the people around me. Though I remember that this was due to my Lord's Amazing Grace.

The next phase was do show support group for NDP 2008. I was chosen to go for a modified Boatman course. It was an experience to be able to operate the combat boat, though I still think that I sucked at operating it ..haha but whatever! I remembered how we carried the Outward Bound Motors during rehearsals!!! I also prayed for the show to go well and how I rejoiced when I managed to get tickets to invite my parents to the show. And NDP ended just like that.

The months passed. We pushed off for Exercise Wallaby. We took ATEC Stage 2 there and obtained a very high Recon 2A, the highest results for the year!!! We were also attached to take part in Ex Orion where it's time I started to tone down.

Nothing special happened after that. After undergoing my 2nd combat shoot and the newly introduced instinctive action drill shoot, I finally managed to attain marksmanship! God's Grace, I should say.

We finished off the last part doing my last operational duty, Ops Bacinet, at Jurong Island. As I did the duty, I prayed that all will go well. I thank God that I didn't get into any unnecessary trouble!

I asked myself many questions..

What have I done during these past 1 year 10 months? Have I made the best out it? Have I grown spiritually? Have I finished the race well? Have I been a blessing to those around me? How many peoples' lives have I touched? How many people will I miss? How many people will miss me?

I did write in my goal setting list around a year ago about 5 things i want to achieve before I ORD.

1. Obtain at least a silver for IPPT (Fufilled)

2.Pass SOC (Fufilled)

3.Get Marksmanship for ATP (Fufilled)

4.Become mentally stronger (Pending)

5. Grow in Spirit and Bear fruits (I'll leave that to God)

This is my story...Looking back, I could only smile and thank God that I have been there, done that! (=

ORD LOH!

2009-02-08T21:30:00.007+08:00

My time has come! Oh well, the feeling I am feeling right now was different from what I imagined many months ago. I always intended the overjoyed feeling of emancipation but today I didn't feel like that. Instead I felt like as if the chains just got looser a bit...because I have to come back for reservice for another 10 years. Haiz but I am glad that as for now, I need not stay in. I have finally become an NSmen. Yes ORD loh!

I had a parade today and many of us dreaded it. Well I could have been excused from the parade due to my wisdom tooth surgery. However I decided to take part in it. Firstly, that day is when I collect my pink IC so I have to be present on that day. So instead of sitting around, I might as well take part and be officially handed over to my reservice battalion, 734 Guards.

~Marching in~

~Slow March out~

~ with my mother and uncle~

~My parents and I~

~Ex- OC and I~

~Sundar and i~

~PC and me!~

~With my Ex- Pioneer Sec Coms~

So my NSF journeys ends like that. I have mixed feelings as I will miss many people there...

~Yeah! Pink IC!!!~

Second and final wisdom tooth surgery

2009-02-05T22:53:00.001+08:00

Ouch! i just returned from my second wisdom tooth operation. This time, I didn't went Owwww!!!!!! Well, the previous one on 23th Nov was filled with agony because i was in great pain and an immediate surgery was performed which further antagonise the pain. I was also mentally prepared and filled with faith and assurance So far, i only suffered side effects like a slight fever and looking like a stroke patient haha. thanks to my PC's advice. (i decided to seek him as he previously plucked 4 tooth under Local Anastasia and he didn't experienced swelling! hahahahaha!!!). He had some cute advice like gargling with ice water and rolling piece of bread to small pieces and swallowing them down straight. I tried lah but i had a tough time eating bread bit by bit. So I combined the 2 advice and it worked. I also appreciated the nurses' advice to take your medicine frequently and also to place an ice pack near my face to reduce the swelling..

All in all, I also thank my mother as well as my other brothers and sisters in Christ who prayed for me. Appreciate Theva who kept repeating his experience. I do remember Sgt Alvin, Peter, Belinda,Wilson, Eileen and Pastor Kien Seng who rejoiced when my operation was a success! Praise God!

Post Note: This morning, my stroke-like face vanished! I had no more fever but my face had started to swell more. Oh gosh! I need to go back camp for parade. Hope this swell go away or i will risked being laughed at!

Chinese New Year Day 6: Visit to my home

2009-01-31T22:00:00.003+08:00

Hahahahaha I am busy entertaining my cousins who are visiting my house and I am very pleased to be at their service.(= We were supposed to be in Grace's home today and they were supposed to visit my house on the 2nd day instead but since Grace's birthday falls on that day, our family made a mutual swop.

Oh man! My house had very little entertainment and it's so squeezy!!! So my cousin's were smart enough to bring their laptops. Anyway, I was even impressed when I watched my rabbit and Xueqi's dog mingled together. Marshmallow was the haughty one who refused to befriend Shiro. He even showed his butt at Shiro's face hahahahaha!!!! How naughty!!! And ya...we took them for grooming on the very same day and they were so clean and pleasing to our eyes!!!! I am happy that all is fine and that there were joy and laughter in the house. The day was fun and tiring!

Chinese New Year 2009

2009-01-26T22:01:00.002+08:00

Wishing everyone an Ox-picious and Happy Chinese 牛 year!!!

恭喜发财!!!

身体健康!!!

万事如意!!!

心想事成!!!

It was fun having to visit my grandmothers in their respective homes. I have a great time interacting with my family members. Ha!!! The usual questions were like...how's army? When you ROD (now is call ORD)? I just laugh along as I am expecting them to ask these. Most of the wishes were about my future.

Well, many would ask for thriving economy and prosperity But as for me, I would always wish people Good Health as Health is wealth and I also wish people to be happy and harmonious everyday. I did imagine a family who need not have so much money but always having smiling faces and ever so healthy and harmonious. I thank God for that! (=

Chinese New Year Eve

2009-01-25T21:01:00.005+08:00

Today was indeed yet another day which was fulfilling. I had finally returned to YouthZone! Hahah I remember how I moved on to YAM when I hit 18 years of age but now I am also returning to YouthZone Ministry in church. Of course I am not missing the childish things in YZ but it's about time I served in church. Well I am stepping up as the next batch of YZ Disciple Group Leaders. I am thankful for God to bestow me that role. It will definitely be a great challenge for me because I am going to disciple new younger kids in learning the Word of God. I hope to be a good influence to them and that they will run the race well! This is my prayer request.

Anyway, the computer is so laggy and I dread writing my post! However I am grateful to have computers. During YZ, we watched a video of World Vision showing little kids who were deprived off their basic needs like food, water and education. I am so touched by the video and our new DG will be sponsoring a child soon! I thank Charles for taking the initiative so that our hearts could beat with Jesus. (=

At night, I went to my grandmother's house for reunion dinner. This time we had many dishes like chicken, prawn, abalone,etc..! I liked the mushroom though. I feel so blessed to know that we have good food to eat every year. When my father was a child, they only had chicken once a year.. We are indeed very blessed! Thank God for that.

~Dishes for Reunion dinner. Blessed are we!!!~

The clock started to tick to midnight as I rushed for my place with my cousin on the computer. We liked to snatch the computer seat in a humorous manner!!! So I started sending messages to all my friends, wishing them Happy Chinese New Year as well as adding in many more pleasing wishes like Good Heath, etc.. I am very happy and tired that night! Praise God! (=

God Provides and Comforts

2009-01-21T13:53:00.004+08:00

I love God. Not solely because He blesses me but because He stays by my side through good and bad times. I thank God for having a wonderful relationship with Him. I tell God that I want an honest and open relationship with Him. When I am happy, I thank Him and laugh and rejoice like a child. When I am sad, I make an effort to lock myself up in a quiet place and cry rather than suppress my emotion. I know that I have friends who are willing to share my burden but I am very contagious when I am sad i.e I can easily spread despair to people. So I have to avoid people when I am sad. But I do share it after that when I have calmed down and found a solution to dispel my sadness. I believe that God will always be the first one to weep with me. I am thankful that He cares.

Yesterday, I felt very repulsive to the people around me. I was having my mood swings again. I notice that it comes monthly... Well, during this period, I will have uncontrollable groans in me that I couldn't express in words. It felt like bursting out in me and I can also experience unstoppable bombardments of thoughts of hatred and revenge. It wasn't obvious as it was beautifully blended in with thoughts of injustice. Hence, I went home from duty with a heavy heart and I started cursing and weeping. Thankfully I was sane enough to kneel down. Thank God that no one other than the little bunny was present in the room. I started to pray and pour out my emotions to my Lord. I complained, grumbled and I wailed like a person suffering from depression. When I am done, a moment of silence was experienced. At the perfect time, He arrived. He didn't say anything. He just comforted me. And then He said to me in a still small voice. "Let's go for a prayer retreat together. Bring the Word along." I obeyed Him and I took off with my bible to a quiet place near my house. I didn't regret this decision as I read about Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. One verse that caught me was 'Blessed are those who grieved for they will be comforted.' Thank God for sending me the Holy Spirit.

Oh well, the retreat ended when one of my brother-in-Christ, Theva phoned me for a fellowship dinner at Brozeit Bar at VivoCity. We ate a lot and I drank 1 litre of beer! I did smsed PC if I was repulsive and cold towards him that day. He was oblivious about it so I thank God that he is unaware about my mood swings. I cared about him and the last thing I want to see is him feeling sad..

Today, I woke up and went with my mother for my dental appointment. Everything went smoothly as I managed to get the referral letter and made my appointed date of surgery which will be done on the 5th February. I really wished to get this burden off. Yes I seemed greedy as I couldn't afford to spend my parent's money as to us, money didn't come by easily. Thank God for His grace!!!!!!!!! I saved $777!!!

God Provides and He comforts. He will definitely do many more things which are perfect and pleasing. This is my testimony. (=

My last Ops for my NS life.

2009-01-14T22:37:00.003+08:00

Over my NSF life, I have gone through 3 Operational duties. The first one was Ops White Chocolate, done on the very day MSK escaped. The second one was Ops Vigilant Lion: 1 month of the search for MSK. Well, this is my 3rd and supposing last Ops duty. It is named Ops Bacinet. My Company is assigned to station at Jurong Island to do guard duty. It is a duty which I shall not elaborate much as I am told to be mindful of what I blogged. It had been 4 days and I am resting at home now. I pray for a smooth-sailing duties..

Post Note: My cousin Eugene will be flying off to Sweden today. We went to send him off. He had many friends there too. May he have a safe journey and a fun time in Sweden.

Last Live Firing for my NSF life

2009-01-07T21:54:00.004+08:00

Praise God! Today I had my last live firing for my NSF life. We had this instinctive action drill where we will have to turn left, right, front and moving towards to engage the target. I thank God for His Grace once again. I was really worried as I was using a SAW which is a gun that easily misfires. I sent prayer requests to pray for safety as one of the most important factor. And if God permits, to be able to attain a marksmanship. In the end, I managed to do well. Yes others did better than me but who cares. (= I dunno how my battalion will count the overall score for us to attain marksmanship though it will be pleasant to do so. $200.. I could chip it in for my family household expenses for 4 months! (= But whatever the case, all glory will be upon God who watched over us. I thank and praise Him once again. Amen.

Post Note: I checked my results on Thursday. I got it! Thank God. (=

Welcome the year 2009

2009-01-01T16:26:00.007+08:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Blessed New Year and may God's grace continue to be upon us.

The night before, I attended my church's annual Watch Night service. While people from the secular world celebrates the New Year popping champagne and jumping around in an ecstatic manner, we prayed in our church sanctuary 1 for a better year ahead. The sanctuary will soon be demolished this month.

Things to reflect:

1. Am I replacing fear of God with flattery of self?

2. Is my talk deteriorating to deceit, manipulation and threats?

3. Have I stopped doing good to others on a daily basis?

4. Are resentment and revenge causing me to lose sleep?

Looking back to the year 2008, I dare proclaim the goodness and faithfulness of God once again. 2008, to me is an average year. I am aware that so many bad things happen. E.g: Recession, Tainted milk, Mumbai Bombing, ...Yes. I am very realistic about the fact that this fallen world is bound to be moving on to destruction in no time. However, I will still do my best to give thanks for the little blessings in life. I do remember the Lord's sovereignty and goodness though. Amen.

I have no New Year's Resolution. But I do have plans for this year. I will be stepping up and undergoing leadership training to be one of the next DGLs in my church. Then ORD will come and if God permits, I will tour a Holy place and get baptised. (; The rest of the plan will be slowly made step by step.

Last YAM outing of the year 2008

2008-12-27T22:28:00.005+08:00

Today we had the last YAM outing of the year. It was held at Marina Barrage. I was slightly surprised to see this big change. I was told that before this Marina Barrage thingy appear, the area used to be an area of Steamboats. I did mentioned that a few years back, I came with my friends there to have Steamboat and to fly kite. Those were the long gone days yup! We had lots of fun and I played Frisbee. Subsequently, the Lord answered our prayer by miraculously driving away the dark clouds. Well we prayed for no rain.. And then He let the Sun shine on us haha. I thank God for it and rushed into the shade, making sure to not get scorched. Under the shade, I sat beside Michelle and we played with her Shetland sheepdog, Muffin. He is very cute and active and I liked him a lot! Of course, I still loved my cousin's Shiro. Haiz if only Peter had brought his dog, Bacon...

~That's Caiyue and Michelle with Muffin!~

~Does Muffin likes the dog toy I give him?~

~Muffin! Mum Mum!~

~Muffin and I~

I like dogs. I tell God that I do consider dogs (the real one, not humans behaving like dogs, thank you very much!) as my best friends. (= If my mother hadn't been terrified of dogs, I would have bought one. Come to think of it, I could actually buy one, but on the condition that I need to caged it up so that it wouldn't touch my mother. But I can't bear to do that! So I guessed I need to wait a few years before I move out and get a house of my own. That's where I will get a dog!

The day ended well. I had a great time of Fellowship. Fellowship is important. It helps relationships between people of the same faith to grow. I believed that God is pleased to see that.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T23:14:00.010+08:00

Today was indeed a very special Christmas. I went to Church to witness baptism. I wasn't feeling joyful. This was because I was discouraged to see my brother not attending church and giving the excuse of being too tired. If he had slept earlier the night before, he would have made it for service. Hence, I had a 'black' face throughout the whole service. During the sermon, I agreed that Christmas had been commercialised and made into a secular festival. I was simply displeased with that as the true spirit of Christmas had been lost.

After the service, I was thinking of leaving the sanctuary just like that when Abba God surprised me. Messages flowed in with well Christmas wishes. I was also asked to stay back for awhile. How pleasant it is to wish my fellow Church friends Blessed Christmas. I also received a lot of gifts from them. It seemed that I didn't give any one of them gifts as I have already passed my gifts to them in advance.

In the afternoon, I watched the movie 'Australia' and it was a good show. It was 3 hours long and this took up a big portion of the day. Oh well, the show was worth it as I kind of liked the Outback scenery. Some day, I will visit Australia again. (=

At night, we celebrated Christmas. This time, it was with my maternal side. Well, in my maternal family, only my mother, great grandmother(deceased), my brother and I believed in Christ. The rest aren't. Hence it wasn't religious. Rather it was a secular celebration. That explains the log cake...

~Log cake (Mango flavoured)~

~Janice, my maternal cousin, all ready to cut the cake ~

Back home, I consolidated the gifts I received today and I thank God for the blessings. This gifts, cards and well wishes were a gentle reminder from God that I am actually loved and appreciated by my family and friends. Though my romance life still sux but then again, let's put that aside for now and not spoil the festive mood okay? alright let's do just that! As I have always hoped, 'Someday I'll find you, someday you'll find me too.' Sigh!!! no Man could ever help me with this issue, let's just leave this to God's intervention! Oh Holy Spirit!!! Give a piece of my heart to that special one!!! and do bind our hearts together someday and let us know that we are actually meant for each other!! I want someone Godly and Loving though. hahah

~Gifts! I feel so blessed and appreciated! Thanks Abba God!~

Of course! I must never forget my Lord Jesus Christ. Christmas commemorates the day where Christ, being in very nature of God , i.e God - the Son, did not consider equality with God - the Father and God - the Holy Spirit something to be grasped but made Himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant and being made in human likeness so that He could live like Man and experience what Man experience.

For He, in the form of the flesh, made Himself the bridge between God and Man so that sinners and wretches like me could be given new life and spared from eternal separation from God due to this new relationship formed. Therefore, I will forever remember my Lord's Grace and Kindness despite the countless trials I face in life! Amen.

What shall I give for Christmas
To Him who gave Himself for me?
To Him I give my life, my love
For time and for eternity..

Christmas Eve celebration

2008-12-24T23:14:00.002+08:00

It was a small yet awesome Christmas Eve celebration today.

At noon, I met up with Junjie so that we could catch the movie, 'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist'. I have been wanting to watch it since 2 weeks ago. I finally got my wish come true! After that, we walked to Singapore Flyer to have lunch at Popeye's. Don't even eat the Crispy Shrimps as they aren't filling and they cost $8.80!!!! I died on the spot when I saw the quantity. No doubt it taste good lah but the goodness didn't last long enough!

I rang Titus up to asked him to join us for a Christmas dinner. He was pissed off with his new unit at a camp near Yio Chu Kang. I told him that that's how life is like being a trainee. I shared with him about the treatments I face as a trainee 1.5 years ago. Thank God I passed that stage.

Junjie and I walked to my cousin's Peiying house to personally deliver a Christmas card before we walked to IMM. We ate at Cafe Cartel and I enjoyed the famous St Louis Pork Ribs. It was beautifully splattered with Barbecue Sauce and as I savoured the succulent ribs and licked the oozing juice, I can't help but moan in pleasure. Ok lah, not to exaggerate but I did moan quietly though. (;

After dinner, the 3 of us walked in the rain towards the nearest bus stop bring us to Holland Village. We chilled out at Harry's and I was intending to drink " Jazz Do it" Cocktails when the waiter offered Christmas special cocktails. I chose the 'Gluhwein' one. It was simply alcoholic and kind of bitter. It wasn't as sweet as I expected it to be but it was bearable. We talked about secondary school days and had a wonderful time of sharing. I made fun of Junjie's love life. He almost 'beat' me to the pulp. And I stopped to reflect on mine. Haiz!..rejection..puppy love..crush..moving on..

This Christmas Eve had been fun. I just can't wait for Christmas to come!

Pictures of Shiro's new friends at MilkBone Pet DayCare

2008-12-23T20:40:00.006+08:00

I have very cute pictures of Shiro and his new friends at the MilkBone Pet DayCare during his stay from the 17th to the 20th of this month.

~Ceasar the majestic Golden Retriever!~

~Cookie!!!!!!~

~Shiiiiiiroooo!!!!~

~Awwww!!! that's Oscar and the sound asleep cookie!~

~Beautiful Angel. Yup that's Angel the Beagle.~

I like dogs. Yes I do! (=

Cousin's gathering at Woodlands

2008-12-22T23:58:00.003+08:00

Nothing special happened to day except for the fact that Xueqi, my brother and I dropped by our cousins, Eugene and Liling's house for a visit. My main intention for dropping by was to see Liling's 2 8 months old hamsters. They are sable long-hair Syrian hamsters. I find them adorable but as I held them, I smell a stench which Liling also detected. She state that she will buy sand bath for them soon. While I interact with the hamsters, the rest of them checked out Eugene's PS3. They played games like 'Call of Duty 4'...

We were also asked to stay for dinner and I am so glad to be able to eat with my cousins. Oh well, after dinner, I watched my brother and cousins play 'Guitar Heroes World Tour' on PS 3. I was subsequently roped in to be the vocals but I backed out cos I told Eugene that it is almost impossible for me to sing rock. My voice isn't that powerful. I think i will stick back to singing Classical instead haha. I decided to try out as the drummer but I cocked up in my rhythm hahahaa. Oh well, I did fairly alright but what matters is having fun!

Before we head home, Liling passed me a Christmas card. I gave her one earlier too. (= I went home tired but satisfied.

My greatest Christmas ever for the year i.e Blood

2008-12-21T14:08:00.004+08:00

I am so glad to be God's servant. Today was the Sunday before Christmas and I was touched by Rev Kien Seng's creative sermon. How wonderful it is to see another servant of the Lord.

After church, I went to do my Christmas shopping. I guessed this will be the last one as I realise that I am running low in cash. Well, I had been drawing money and spending so much for my Christmas lunch and dinner as well as the buying of gifts and cards. It is indeed a pleasure to use money to bless others.

As for today, I thank God for the greatest gift i.e The Gift of Life. I am so privileged to chance upon a Blood Donation Drive. I was at Plaza Singapura shopping today and was about to go home when I saw the blood drive at the North East line of Dhoby Ghaut Station. Last month, for the very first time, I was rejected from donating blood! I was extremely unhappy then. But I still listened to the doctor's instruction to wait a month..A month have since passed and so I seized the opportunity to be a blessing to others. Without hesitation, I went ahead to donate blood. After donating blood, a photo of me was taken. I will keep it for the rest of my life.

God blesses and He continue to bless. For Christ has given me life through His blood, I will glorify Him. This is one of the way which I could perform my role as a humbled servant. Indeed, for this Christmas, I feel that blood will be the best gift ever. I hope that someone out there will be saved from the bag of blood which I donate. Amen. (=

Last week spent in camp for the year 2008

2008-12-19T22:20:00.004+08:00

This week will be the last week spent in camp for the year 2008.

The highlights for the week is my second Combat Shoot. It was really pleasant that I did really well for the day shoot. Our section got an overall of 87% and thank God that I could contribute to the good results. I had 20 out of 20 shoots! I was astonished because I was using a SAW, an automatic weapon. Hence I call it God's grace. At night, the shooting was bad. Well I only shot 5 shots. My Laser Aiming Device wasn't functioning properly and my foresight tip was gone. How to aim? Oh! Whatever...I am not really sad about the results because it wasn't my fault. The LAD had a problem and therefore if anyone doing this Combat shoot could get marksman, I call it grace again. They have no rights to boast about their skills. And no glory shall be upon them.

Oh well..anyway Friday came and I thank God for it. I praise the Lord for giving me the courage to give out my first batch of Christmas cards. I was really shy in camp to do it. But I did it anyway. So praise God.

When I booked out, I went to visit Shiro who was in the boarding home in the dogsitter Sera's place. She seemed really nice and hospitable. The walk to her place was long and I took half and hour to reach there. Phoebe, one of her dogs was fierce to have charge towards me for fear that I would hurt Sera but subsequently, Phoebe learnt to trust me. I remember the 2 kittens, Izzy and Nana whom Phoebe adopted. So cute...Oh! Shiro wasn't eating well during the first 2 days but today He finished up a whole bowl of food! Yeah! Clap! Clap! Oh anyway when Shiro saw me, he was really excited and he wanted me to hug him. So I did what he requested. I also talked to Sera about many stuffs..Like why she became a dogsitter, etc.. I also complemented her for doing such a wonderful job caring for the dogs. Later, I met the other dogs whom she is dogsitting. They were Angel, Oscar, Caesar, Cookie and Harry. They were all very cute, especially Cookie who demanded me to give her huggies. I spent an hour at Sera's place. She thanked me for visiting the dogs and cats and also making Shiro happy. Well, it is indeed my pleasure to be around such animals. I went home feeling happy. (=

Disappointing, ruined holiday plan

2008-12-14T22:49:00.003+08:00

Today I feel extremely disappointed. I had wasted the whole day searching for a holiday which I planned to go to. Well I had bugged my good friend Chuan Shen, who is the Company Clerk for like many days to apply my overseas leave. In the end he only managed to retrieve 3 days, which was quite pathetic but I still accepted it. Well, I wanted a short trip to Mount Kinabalu. I had always wanted to climb Mount Kinabalu since sec 1. I remembered how I was mesmerised by the Mount Kinabalu pictures of my canoeing seniors. Oh well, then I was distracted by many events before this thought came back recently.

I always believed that I could be independent enough to do things myself. For once, I want to plan my own holiday and settle the payment, accommodation and flight all by myself. I simply want to for once, be in charge of my own life. Being filled with excitement, I went to plan the itinerary, the cost and which lounge I will stay. I was thinking of backpacking. Everything was planned so well as I found the most affordable budget airfare and what i intend to bring back as a form of memory. Everything was going so well and I even had the thought of keeping my holiday a secret. Like how fun it would be if I suddenly leave Singapore without my parent's consent for a vacation. There were also thoughts of having a prayer retreat at the peak of Mount Kinabalu and even finding a love interest during the trip.

Haiz..the only one thing that stopped me from moving ahead was my inability to book the flight ticket with my Credit card. I used Master Card and it just didn't work. And given the fact that I had no time during the week to do all my administrative stuff, I had no choice but to do all these during the weekends. So I was plain unlucky. I wanted to use my parent's credit card, thus revealing the 'surprise' and having a sign of disapproval, with reasons like bad weather period...

So my surprised holiday was ruined and MY DREAMS SHATTERED. That's all. Though I could climb Mount Kinabalu on other days but which day is more special compared to reaching the summit on the Eve of Christmas? For once, I wanted that day to be special but I guess this wouldn't happen. )=

Disappointed. Simply a ruined holiday plan.

A visit to Shiro's dogsitter place

2008-12-13T22:41:00.004+08:00

For many Saturdays, I usually wake up at 9am in the morning so that we can walk Shiro at the Singapore Botanical Garden. However, today we didn't walk Shiro. Instead we went to check out Pets' Boarder, an old shophouse located at Race Course Road. My cousin had decided to house Shiro there as she and her family will be touring Malaysia next week. They actually wanted me to look after Shiro but I will be in camp at that time. Hence, they will be placing him there at $28/night.

I was so excited when we reached there. Shiro met many doggies whom he will call friends there! (= There were 2 cats there too! One of the dog, Phoebe plays the role of a mother to them! Awww I am pleased to see animals of different species living together in harmony. Hence I was reminded that God did actually make the first animals dwell together in harmony one another and also with Man. I can't wait for that day to come again.(=

~ Clockwise from left: Shiro, Bubbles and Si Si (sounds like 'silk silk' in english)~

~ Si Si and Shiro ~

~ Shiro and 20 years old Lucky ~

~That's Phoebe and her 2 naughty mischevious kittens whom she plays mother to. ~

Celebration of Friends' ORD and POP.

2008-12-12T23:32:00.003+08:00

So glad to know that Junjie finally ORD. Titus also passed out from BMT last Tuesday. This calls for a celebration! My turn will come soon! In 2 months time..I am counting down.

Wonderful Response for 'The Promise' Musical

2008-12-01T14:01:00.007+08:00

What a wonderful response for the Promise Musical. What a blessing that God could use the musical to offer the gift of salvation to the people. Praise God!

6 actual shows
165 decided to attend church activities
91 accepted Christ
46 decided to serve full time
122 wanted to talk to someone about their faith
147 renewed faith to follow Jesus

Post note: This is outside the context of this post. Rejoice! My stitches are finally removed from my gum. I am resting at home right now and it's 90% healed. Thanks and Praise be to God!!! Amen. (=

My most special and blessed birthday so far.

2008-11-30T16:27:00.009+08:00

God is good. Today is a very special day for me! I turn 20. Thank God. I am so blessed!

In the morning, I receive some sms of well wishes from my friends. I went to church as usual and we learnt about God's Providence. After service I went to help out with the Blood Donation drive. I was rejected to donate blood and I need to wait 1 month before I could donate due to my wisdom tooth surgery. This was the only minor setback for the day. But I wasn't sad as I could still walk into the Blood bank anytime to give blood. Anyway after that, blessings started flowing towards me. i.e. I was greeted with well wishes and gifts.

At home, I surfed the Internet and I was so surprised to see so many greetings on 'facebook'. I was extremely touched by the well wishes.

At night, I celebrated my birthday with my family members. It was also the first time I celebrate it with Xueqi's dog, Shiro. I was glad that everyone treated me so well that night. I felt so loved.

~ Chocolate Banana cake from 'Secret Recipe'~

~ I wish for God to make me a blessing to those around me ~

~With the cousins. 4 wasn't present though... but they were there emotionally. ~

~ Together with my parents and my brother~

~ Counting my blessings. LOOK AT THE GIFTS! NEVER GOTTEN SO MANY GIFTS FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE!!! ~

God had been very gracious to me. I asked Him a couple of days ago to make today a very special day for me. He did some slight modifications in my plan but in the end, He kept his promise. He made this day exceptionally special and He blessed me through and through! Indeed a promise is a promise, especially from the Lord. (=

I never had such a special birthday before. All this years, I didn't really receive such sincere and heartfelt wishes and gifts. Before I rededicated my life to God, birthday to me was just another mundane day. I rarely received gifts, I had occasional wishes and I seld0m received birthday cards. After promising to dedicate myself to God, He taught me to see things in a different manner. I appreciate even the simplest wishes and gifts from anyone. Because no matter how big or small the gifts are, the most important thing is the establishment of wonderful relationships with God and the people around me.

The celebration was mostly simple, usually with my family member. Today I was like in the limelight and I almost couldn't take it! Perhaps I was too used to be hiding in the shadow. It's nice to be the centre of attention but Ha! all glory must be given to God!!! Thank God, I will forever remember that just like any other person, we suffer and meet up with many problems in our daily lives, but then again such little joy in our life really make a big difference.

Let us continue to count our blessings and continue to give thanks to the Lord. All in all, I thank Him for this day and I really thank Him and praise Him for being the everlasting wonderful Father, Brother, Helper, Comforter, Teacher, Provider and Friend. Blessed is His name. Amen!

Post Note: I must never forgot my church friends, my family and my other friends who made this day extraordinarily special! Thank you so much! Thank you! Thank you! I feel so blessed! I feel so loved. (=

Serving the Lord: 'The Promise' Musical

2008-11-29T23:28:00.004+08:00

Today is the last day of our church's project. i.e the 'The Promise' Musical. This 1 week of busyness has officially ended. It was a magnificent musical about the life of Jesus Christ. It was like as if God's Word came to life in theatre form. Anyway, I had watched the musical 7 times, twice as an audience: due stage when I saw how it's like to be backstage. I was tasked to help out in putting on the angels' wings. I can see how muto attending a dedication service on wednesday and the fact that I brought a friend along today. 5 times backstage when I saw how much hard work was put on just to make the show run well. I was touched to see the cast rushing to meet the timing. Now I understand how 'Victoria's secret fashion show' actually works!

I feel so blessed! (=

I am so blessed to be able to serve the Lord! I am so blessed to have the chance to bring a friend to allow him to be exposed to this musical. I am so blessed to have met so many wonderful brothers and sisters-in Christ. I am so blessed to be able to be touched by God. I am so blessed to see selfless servants of the Lord working so hard for 10 long months just to glorifying God and participate in the construction of His kingdom, despite the fact that some of the people whom i knew in the crew suffer from long term sickness. I am so blessed! I am so blessed! I am so blessed! Amen.

Caught in between commitment and helping a friend

2008-11-27T21:56:00.006+08:00

It sucks to be in my situation just now.

In the afternoon, my section mates messaged me for help. He didn't know that he had Guard Duty today and that he will have to go to hospital before going to court. He pleading + he offer to pay me + he further add that it's a 12 hr duty and that I need to book in there, Dieppe Barrack at 7pm.

I had to reject him and I felt quite bad because I sensed that he was really in need of help. But WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT. Don't judge me for appearing selfish and heartless to him. Well, Satan had been putting such words into my thoughts to put me down. Thank God that the Holy Spirit came right on time and drove him away.

I have my valid reasons. Firstly, when he messaged me, I am in the middle of a church commitment. Today's the first day of my church's musical and I had made that promise to commit. As the logistic team is very short-handed, I am urgently needed to help out in settling the food and beverages for the cast and the other crew members. Just so you know, the stage crew is also in need of help and I had to chip in to help. Especially looking after the fragile 'angel wings' which cost like $1000 per pair of wings, I heard. If the wings weren't taken care of, there would be no angels and it is not realistic enough, how could the musical turn out well and how could potential souls be saved. I believed the kids like the angels a lot. (= Anyway when he said I could book in straight to that place at 7pm. I was like hey! we have 2 shows hor.. One at 3.30pm and the other at 8pm. Sorry hor! I am not at people's beck and call. I am not a saviour. I am merely a servant of the Lord. Moreover even in the case when I am not really needed at the backstage, I still have to settle the accounting of food and beverages needed for dinner. And in the end, I will have no time to make it to Dieppe Barrack. Many thoughts were in my mind and a spiritual battle occur. Haiz...it is indeed true that I am in a spiritual war right now and will continue to be until Christ returns.

I was caught in a situation which I dread being caught in. Either I let my brother-in-arms down or letting my brothers and sisters-in-Christ down. I chose to do the latter. I apologise to him and I talked to Peter about it. He agreed with my decision. Then he added in: where are the rest of your section mates? why must it be always you and your buddy? why not them? I agree. Yes it's time to be more firm. If the worst case scenario is to lose this friend of mine, I will gladly be prepared to lose him. And I am prepare to lose any family or friends who are against Christ. Beats disappointing believers of Christ and most importantly God. This is the cost of following Him. As I have said, when I took on the route of being in a relationship with Christ, I am prepared to serve Him, I am prepared to do His will and yes! people attack me spritually for my faith, hope and love for Jesus Christ, but as the Holy Spirit mentioned, we have eternity to play. The end result: The Anti-Christ will lose and those who hope in the Lord reigns with Him forever and ever. Amen.

Wisdom tooth surgery side effects

2008-11-25T22:53:00.003+08:00

Ah! What a price to pay for extracting my 2 wisdom teeth! When I woke up this morning, I had a huge swell on my left cheek. I was shocked and I had to contemplate on whether to go out or not. In the end, I feel that serving God is more important so I endured my out of shape face and made my way to NUS UCC.

Oh well, the logistic team is short of people and if I don't attend, they will really be short of people. We did the usual by settling the food, beverages and rubbish for the artistes and the other production crew of 'The Promise' Musical. It is a musical about Christ. This time, I am inviting my best friend to the musical. I do hope that he likes it.

The swelling was bad and I feel so bloody inferior. Wherever I go, I had to cover my cheek. Ok! I wouldn't cry or scold anyone but when my friends laughed at my out of shape face, I just had to show a classic response and jokingly shout "Hey!'. They are nice people lah. At least when they tease me, I don't feel being put down. Some even gave me advice and how to take care of myself. This is what I call caring for your brother-in-Christ. (=

Peter was nice. He let me off earlier as I suddenly had fever. Yes I am fully aware that the side effects include fever. Thank God it wasn't high to the extent that I would be bed-ridden. I made sure I faithfully take my anti-swelling and antibiotics medicine lest I couldn't make it to serve the Lord. That will not happen! Till death strikes me, I will serve Him on this planet Earth. It is a promise that I make. And I pray that I won't break it.

Be gone! Agony

2008-11-24T15:33:00.008+08:00

Agony! Agony! My life is filled with Agony! Be it physical, mental or spiritual, I still face agony! In this world, you can never escape suffering! But I have a hope, that one day, all this will disappear and I will experience everlasting peace and joy. I will wait for that day to come.

Today was basically a mere physical agony. I went to a dentist at my neighbourhood as I suspected that I had a wisdom tooth problem. Well I had been experiencing pain at my lower jaw area since last week. As a result, I had problem eating.

The dentist, Dr Yeo checked and he concluded that my case was a complicated case: It was growing upward and backwards. No wonder the teeth at my lower jaw area, who used to be aligned side by side started to jut out. DAMN WISDOM TOOTH, ruin my once beautiful jaws! But that's not the thing, I had to suffer the bloody pain!

In the end, I requested for an immediate surgery and for the next hour, all I heard was drilling and many funny sound. I could even hear my teeth being plucked out. It sounds like a monkey tearing a coconut. And I thought they were so nice to help floss my teeth when I realised that he was stitching the incised gum.

The process was not that painful and it was a smooth surgery. BUT THE POST EFFECT SUCKS!!!!!!!! GROAN! GROAN! For the next 3 hours, I experienced intense agony. It was like living hell! The pain was all over my left jaws. Then it went to the ear area and to then my head then back to my ear and finally back to my jaws. The cycle went on and on as I grumbled in pain. Since my mother was busy at work, my brother was playing the computer and my father was so into fixing his broken crystal ornaments, I had no human being to turn to for comfort and help at that moment. WHAT SHOULD I DO? Of course I prayed and got my friends to pray wiht me. But obviously, God will not teleport me to the kitchen. He jolly well knows that I can overcome this with the strength He had already provided me. Hence, I dragged myself to the kitchen (though i felt myself being carried along) and pop the painkiller pill. I also took the anti-swelling pill cos the swelling was so bad.

Thank God it's over! That's why I could write this post. Sigh! I had to forgo my church musical involvement for today. This will go on for like 8 hours and until then, I am forbidden from drinking hot and cold water. For the next 2 days, I will eat soft food. Thank God that I can eat my cake on the 30th.

My God! My God! You have yet to forsaken me! This is such a once in a lifetime experience. It feels so special to me. I requested to keep my extracted wisdom toothas a momento. It had remnants of my flesh stuck on it haha. Though it's gross but I was laughing at it when I saw it. I do admit that I am slightly eccentric at times.

~That's 2 teeth. One of them was sliced into 2. That was the abnormal teeth, making my case a complicated one. Did you see the flesh of my gum? heehee~

To all who prayed for me, thanks for the encouragement and advice. And I want to thank Belinda who made me laugh while I was in the middle of groaning in pain. Yes. I will rest well. (=

Walking the route marked out by me with faith

2008-11-20T00:09:00.006+08:00

I am just so excited! If everything goes well, and by the grace of God i.e nothing tragic happens to me and the people involved, this is the route which I will take!

From now till end of Nov:
1. I am so going to fully utilise the time spent with my family and friends through going out with them and of course, I intend to drop by my favourite cousin, Xueqi's house for a 'shiroic' time i.e Watch Heroes Season 2 on DVD and play with her dog Shiro. (=
2. Our Church's musical 'The Promise' will be held from the 27th to the 29th November at NUS UCC. I will be busy the whole week settling logistic stuffs.
3. 30th is my Sunday! Expecting well wishes, gifts and cards. Though that's not the case all the time...but dear Hansheng! You must have faith that that day will be made special for you by the Lord, your God haha!!! It's also the day where my church organises a Blood Donation Drive. Wow! I am so going for this for the 6th time! (=

Dec: (pray that GUARD DUTY WON'T SPOIL THE SCHEDULE...)
1. I will not bother about life in camp. I will play the word ORD in my mind then haha.
2.Junjie ORD loh! Titus BMT POP loh! I am so going to get suan when we sing at Kbox on the 13th. Argh!!!!!
3.When the block leave starts on the 22th, I am so looking forward to Christmas. If possible, maybe I will apply overseas leaves before that to go climb Mount Kinabalu! (= (= (=.
4.Christmas will arrive and I will witness Eileen getting baptised. Man! I will do so next April! (= And don't forget the well wishes + cards + gifts!!!!!! I will also remember the significance of Christmas.
5. Will be praying that THE NEW YEAR WILL BE A BETTER YEAR!!!! please don't pull my ear! It's elfish enough! ROFL!

2009 arrived. (=

Jan:
1. Don't even want to speak about OPS duty. let's chant ORD...ORD...how many weeks to ORD? yeah! ORD loh!
2.May Ops Bassinet not ruin my happyness with my family member. It's Chinese New Year, for Christ sake! Dun want to do duty on those days. ARGH!!!!!

Feb:
1. ORD LOH! PINK IC in front of me! Please don't even DARE PERSUADE ME TO EXTEND HOR! I don't care about my increase in pay. I just want my freedom. I demand EMANCIPATION!!!!! I will also give my commanders a little surprise hehe..
2. Prepare for baptism.

March:
1. Flying off to Egypt (This plan better not fail hor! hahahaha but at the very least I go another country lor! haha I am thinking Alice Springs in Australia! WOOHOO!)
2. Maybe I will travel again? This month is definitely travelling month!!!!!

April:
1. Get baptised on Good Friday!!! YEAH! I am officially God's adopted child. (=
2. Start my part time job. (Mother recommended me working at her office. Do admin stuffs.. )

May to July:
1. Stuck in that bloody job, of course. Haiz...
2. University orientation

3. I will travel to somewhere in late July (see first lah) .

August onwards:
1. Prepare for my university admission. WHY? cannot go oversea study wat! no choice loh! Study local... Don't even think of asking me to sign up for Scholarship (esp SAF one). I JUST HATE SUCH BONDS! Where's the freedom! Where's the freedom!
2. Mug mug mug mug and don't die in the process. But all work and no play makes me a dull boy. I am so sick of being labelled as a no-lifer. Hence, I will play very hard and do lots of extra curricular stuff! Then this time my turn to call people geek muahahahaha...just kidding. (=

This route was marked out by me. Now it's left to God to approve it and let everything go according to plan. But ultimately may His will be done. That's the first priority.

Enjoying the present (pun intended)

2008-11-19T20:43:00.006+08:00

In the morning, I brought my rabbit to PLC for the usual grooming session. I initially wanted a full grooming but changed to basic grooming as I was short of cash. It was fun watching my rabbit struggle as the groomer groomed it. He is good, I should say. He managed to do it himself while the previous one had to get help to subdue my naughty boy. It's simply adorable as he make his priceless and classic facial expression. So Marshmallowic! ( i.e only my pet Marshmallow could make such a face!). Most of the people who passed by made comments. Mainly the word "cute!" popped up. I feel like a proud parent. (=

~Any objections about his cuteness?! It's unanimous lah haha~

After that, I met up with Junjie. I need him to help me use up my remaining Kenko Fish Spa vouchers as it expires on my Birthday, which is 11 days later. Junjie was being such a great friend to buy me a birthday gift in advance. Well, he bought me a kangaroo plush when he was in Australia. Ya both of us had to go for Exercise Wallaby, but we went there on separate occasions. Hey! I just gave away 90% of my soft toys and now 1 more is added to the house. Nonetheless I was very delighted. I also bought him a gift during my stay on the land down under. I bought a cap.

Anyway, at the fish Spa, I had a great time getting 'sucked and bitten' by those Garra Ruffa. This is my 4th and probably my last time having to visit the fish spa. Junjie commented that it was effective as it help to make his aching feet feel better. I told him that the secret to me curing my foot rot was to visit these fishes. I had been using God's creation for health and beauty sake. I thank Him for infusing such unique ability into these fishes. (=

~At Kenko Fish Spa: Singapore Flyer branch.~

~We started with the smaller, gentler ones. So relaxing!~

~When we transferred to the bigger one, Junjie freaked out and changed back to the previous one. I stayed throughout. I LIKE IT ROUGH CAN?! HAHA! YES THAT'S WHY MY ROTTING FEET CURED SO FAST. These bigger ones sucked very aggressively. This is what I call therapy. No worries. No pain. Just ticklish...~

Despite the sudden black-out. I still had a fun time. I am happy. (=

Post Note: I also bought the latest SHE album. I will be listening to it soon and definitely enjoying it!