Sara Bareilles

I was listening to Tanya's 抛物线 on youtube when someone commented that it resembles a song by Sara Bareilles. So out of curiousity, I went to check out Gravity. And I was blown away. She is amazing. The way her voice and the piano blend into one was mesmerizing. The sincerity of her voice convince you that she meant what she sings. Caution: the song will get stuck in your mind for awhile. I like the live version better. Video

Later on, I found out Love Song is by her too. It's ok for me though, a little too mainstream music for me.

Turning 31 with joy!!!

Writing is therapeutic for me. And at this point of time, I’m in the mood for writing.

Yes, I am turning 31 years old!! That is incredible. I am grateful for my life, the family I was born in, the people who loved me and the people I loved, I am grateful for most of my life experiences. The uncertainty of life has it’s positive side and I kind of like it most of that time too. I mean I don’t know which airline am I going to work for and when am I going to get a job after I graduate. I don’t know if I will stay single my whole life, if not when will I get married and to whom, and will I have children, which part of the world will I be living in? A part of me like to be able to know the future, a part of me likes the suspense of not knowing what God has in store for me in the future.

So much for uncertainties, is there anything in life that I can be certain of, like solid rock certainty? Yes, I can be certain that there is a God. He is the same millennium ago and will be the same millennium later. He will be faithful at all times, regardless if I am faithful or not. I can be certain that ALL things will pass away, even the things I treasure so dearly like my family and my best friends, the place I love like the Himalayas mountain, my favourite food.

What is a resolution? And why do we need to make them? And why at this time of the year? I believe in making changes, being better, wiser, more loving and etc. And so my argument is that you can make decision to change or to make resolution (which ever you like to call it) whenever the need or situation arises. It doesn’t have to be the beginning of the year.

What is important to me? I need to know that am I a good son to my parents, a good brother to my sisters, a good uncle to my niece and nephew (Now there’s 4 of them), a good friend to my friends, and above all else, a son pleasing in the eyes of God.

Having said that, there is so much I can do this year, I shall not list them here.

What do I look forward to in 2010? Certainly, I dream of graduating!!!

Christmas long weekend

Keeping awake throughout the night has not been my favorite thing. In fact, the main factor why I don’t like working in the maintenance industry is that I have to work shift, which would also translate to working past midnight and sometimes as late as crawling into my bed at 4am.

Over the Christmas holiday, I surprised myself by staying awake on the 24th and 25th of Dec. It wasn’t by circumstance, but rather it was by choice. Maybe I was trying to convince myself that though I am past 30, I could still do the things I used to do 10 years ago?

I was invited by my good brother Zach to join him for Christmas Countdown Party at Sentosa Tanjong Beach. And I was informed that the party would carry on till the morning of 25th Dec.

On the 24th of Dec, I rang up FJ and Dionne hoping to get some time with them as they had left for honeymoon on the 11th. To my surprise, they are going to the countdown party too. To top it of, they are bringing almost all their trekking gears as they plan to camp overnight at the beach. Now, there is really no way I can find an excuse not to be there. I was rather glad that they are going, and so we drive to Sentosa in my sister’s car.

We were the first few to get there. I put on my running gears and went for a run along the beach. FJ went for a swim in the sea. Dionne found 2 coconut trees to tie my hammock for a nap. I joined FJ for the swim after I did 30 mins of run.

The sun has set but the food are not here yet, we were getting hungry. We need the food to arrive soon or we need some good distraction or resort to cannibalization.

Caroling by the beach
Gigi turned on her singing talent and lead some of us in Christmas Caroling. I suspected we have created history by staging the best ever outdoor Christmas caroling since the time of Pulau Blakang Mati (as Sentosa is previously known.) The singing was in pitch-perfect 4-parts harmony, as the professional singer belted out the tune without any reservation. Gigi does her wonder by her jazz interpretation of Let It Snow, complete with synchronized moves.

Not to mention that the performance was enhanced by technology. Instead of having song sheets, we have the words on iPhone. As we could access the Internet via iPhone, we can take song dedication from the audience. Gigi read out the words for us. We make sure that no paper is wasted in printing of song sheets.

When it comes to 12 Days of Christmas, Gigi lead the audience to participant in the singing. At the climax, the food and the rest of the gang showed up, and so the singing stops naturally.

Dinner was prepared with love by Jennifer and Samantha. Great job girls!!! Dinner was great, but my very Asian tongue was craving for Bee Hoon and Chicken wings. So pardon me for not raving about the food.

The rest of the night were filled with activities- photo taking, light stix fashion competition, sparklers, card games, cycling, toilet visiting and more.

By 4am, I have to sleep. I grabbed my hammock and chose 2 coconut trees near the beach and a distance from the group. It was a great spot on the beach. It was an almost cloudless night. I put on my shirt after 5mins; the land breeze was quite chilly. Luckily, I have my fleece jacket with me; I almost left it in the car.

So deep in sleep was I that Justin had to wake in up at 0730hrs. The glaring sun shocked me for a moment. What a wonderful feeling to wake up to the sun, sand and sea on the Christmas morning.

25th Dec
1500hrs- Drove to Macritchie for a run. Met up with Hancong for dinner before heading to church for Christmas service. This is the first time in my life that I’m attending service on Christmas day.

After service, we head down to Upp Thomson for supper. That’s not the end of the program for the day. I’ve invited brothers over to my place for a night of BANG!!! Bernard, Hancong and Zach are with me. Victor, Kong Hong and Jeffrey will be meeting us at my place.

We had a show and tell session. I receive a new shirt from a sister. It fits well on me. FJ and Dionne gave Zach a very interesting T-shirt from Japan that has a Sumo wrestler on it. There were plenty of snacks to go around while we play BANG!!! Victor brought some corns for popping. A few mins in the microwave and BING!! We have butter coated popcorn fresh from the microwave.

BANG!!!
I’ve mention about BANG!! on a few occasion, but do you know what is it about? OK. It’s a card game set in the wild wild west and all the players are cowboys. Sheriff keeps the town safe, his deputy supports him. The outlaws are there to create havoc and to kill the Sheriff and his deputy. Lastly, the renegade wants everyone dead, but with a catch. He has to kill the Sheriff himself (and all the other players are dead). All players’ identities are kept secret, except for the Sheriff himself. However during the game, you can claim to be anyone. You identity will be revealed when another player kills you.

Being in the company of brothers and good friend is a great feeling. We were doing what we like to do as men- competing with each other. Sometimes the atmosphere can be quite tensed. In one of the game, I was the renegade, all Outlaw were dead. I was trying to win the trust of Sheriff Bernard by acting as a deputy, at the same time casting one of the real deputies as the renegade. Everyone started to doubt each other, I have to play the mind game and play my cards right. At one point I was the suspected renegade, then the tide turn and deputy Victor starts to shoot deputy Zach. Deputy Zach retaliated. I’ve won over the trust of Deputy Zach. Deputy Victor is unsure, he was alternating his attacks Deputy Zach and I(which further cast him as the desperate renegade trying to keep himself alive). Finally, deputy victor made his last bet amidst of all this confusion. You can tell by the look of his face that he is in agony over who to believe. I got killed and the game ended. But boy, it was so tensed! I almost took out my real pistol from my room. (ok, I don’t have one. Just joking)

Once the game was over, we were back to friends again. No hard feelings. Though we enjoy the moment when we were competing and killing each other.

We got hungry and went to the 24-hrs McDonald’s beside Admiralty MRT. We chatted for a while over drinks and nuggets. It wasn’t long before the excitement of the game calls us back for more killing. By 0600hr, the shooting spree is over and the brothers left for their home by train.

26th Dec
0700hrs. it was actually 1 hour ago that I lay down my head on my pillow. I have to get out of my bed. I’ve arranged to meet Charles at Bishan MRT to bring him to Macritchie Reservoir for our regular Sat morning run. Raymond was supposed to be there but he didn’t show up.

At noon, I finally got back home for some rest.

1700hrs. I was awake but not sure what to do. Mom wants a ride to dinner and so I agree. Today is Jasmine’s (my younger sis) birthday and I wrote her a card. Since she’ll be with Dave at the bicycle shop, I went over to see their newly opened bicycle shop just across the road from Sembawang MRT (HDB office). Business was good on that Sat evening. I’m happy for them.

Jocelyn and Kim dropped by around 8pm and we went to the nearby coffeeshop for dinner.

I think I am overdosed from activities over the weekend. I'm planning to bring it down a few notches over the New Year weekend.

Batam Retreat "FLY" Part 2

We have 3hours of free time before the party at 7pm. I was hoping to organize a waterpolo game. Later did I found out that most ppl are engage in rehearsal for performance at the party. I joined Justin's group, we did the Cowboy Theme dance to the tune of Jay Chow's 牛仔很忙.

A had a couple of hours to spare. So I head back to my room for a nap. I got up before 6pm. I think I better get change. Maybe I can go look up Zach and his group practicing in their room. True enough, they are still practicing and making the props. Zach is probably the brainchild of the skit. Natalie on the other hand is very good with art and craft. Raymond, Melissa, Jeffrey and Kong Hong are very spontaneous. You can tell that they are having a great time. They were so engrossed in the practice; we were late for the party at 7pm.

Kung Fu Fighting

There were 10 performances in all. My group's performance is the 8th and Zach is the 10th. Everyone put in effort to make it great but the one that caught my attention is really Zach's. They were a 6-men crew while the other teams have 10-20 members. However, the entertainment factor and creativity surpasses almost all the others. Everything was executed well except the Akuma's special move "天”. Out of 150-180 votes, Zach's team garnered 50 acknowledgements. That is a pretty good statement. I was so happy and proud of them.

At 10pm, prize was given to the winning team. We took a photo of the singles ministry. It was a huge ministry and very encouraging indeed. Marvin took over the night as the DJ. I join in for 30mins and decided to go for a drink.

Bonding over Heineken and Bintang

This is our last night together at the retreat. I am happy that I feel sad that we're leaving tomorrow. It goes to show how much we enjoy ourselves at the retreat. Jeffrey did not order beer, but he tries to impress us by his concoct of Sprit and Redbull that looks like the color of beer.

I am glad I can spend the precious few hours with good friends like Zach, Arie, Hancong, Jeffrey, Kong Hong, Stanley, Ching Eu and Damon. Over a table of Heinelen and Bintang, we put into practice the lesson we learn by being opened and vulnerable. Once the floodgate of invulnerable is open, the rest of the sharing poured in. Ching Eu was the only sister there, she describe her experience as “It was as though I was in a sister D-group”. Good to know that, I think the brothers are learning fast.

It is time to go back to our room to get some rest. We walked in a row, arms around one another.

Morning Devotion

I looked out of the window, Stanley and Ching Eu were already here for the devotion. I found out that they got their time mixed up.

After singing a few songs lead by Ching Eu, the sisters went on their own for prayers.

Sunday Service ended before 1030hrs. There were a couple of admin stuff to be done like for e.g., collecting our passport and to check out by 1230hrs. There were 7 brothers in my group, but we’re scattered in 4 different blocks and units. So it was decided that we all check out first and gather at Victor, Arie and Hancong rooms. While we’re waiting for Stanley, who is probably sorting out admin stuff for the group, we started on a game of BANG!

We had lunch at the seafood restaurant across the hotel while waiting for our ferry to depart at 1630hrs. The ferry arrived at Singapore Cruise Centre at 1900hrs. It took another painful 30mins to get past the custom. There is this aunty behind me who is so anxious AKA Kaisu. She was literally sticking behind my back. I had to tell her to back off and give me some space. Not surprisely, she was unhappy and complains in dialect to her friend beside her. I could understand every single word she said. I just don’t understand how in the world she can get the queue moving by sticking so close to me? Be civilize and patient, aunty. Not one likes to be stuck in a line with strangers but that is the way it is.

At Harbourfront, Stanley, Eric and I went off to spent time at Ya Kun. By 9pm, we’re exhausted and head to the MRT station.

Lessons from the retreat

Bust the myth- Loneliness can affect anyone regardless of marital status. If you are thinking marriage can kill loneliness, you are in for a rough relation.

Friendship forever- Find a soulmate, he/she is out there. Invest in relation today and reap the blessings in years to come. Friendship is one of the greatest blessing from God.

Don’t let fame, wealth and success get in the way, they come and go.

Friendship with sisters- Love a sister-in-Christ like your own sibling. God has given me 4 beautiful sisters to practice that, so I think I am doing OK in this area.

There are occasion when I reach out to sisters, thinking that they could be my potential girlfriend. Now I think this is rather superficial and immature. If God wants bless me with a girlfriend, there is not stopping.

Revive stagnant relationship- A brother whom I know for more that 11 years told me some real stuff on how he feels about me and our friendship. I’d made a decision to revive our stagnant friendship. We could have been best buddy, considering the no. of years we know each other.

Single retreat "FLY"

Tomorrow is the Single’s Retreat at Batam. I am quite sore that I can’t be there with the singles ministry as most of my good friends will be there. I told God in my morning prayer.

An hour later, I was preparing for my flight. I notice that I have a new msg. It was from Stanley. I couldn’t believe that he’s asking me if I wanna join him at the retreat. A brother is giving up his place due to work commitment over the retreat weekend. I couldn’t say no. This offer is surely from God.

I find it amazing that this is my first time to Batam and 2^nd time visiting Indonesia despite the proximity. On Fri 0800hrs, I met up with Eric at Bukit Batok and ride down to Harbourfront MRT station where we’re meeting the rest at the Singapore Cruise Centre at 0915hrs. Eric and I manage to find a spot to pray together.

It’s just exciting to see so many familiar faces. Over breakfast, the conversation revolves around Chinese history and the cross strait relation with Taiwan. I was in favour of Taiwan’s independent. The other brother was rather for unification. Men like to talk about world affairs, as though our opinions can change the world.

The ferry journey is approximately 1 hour. Factor in 1 more hour for embarking and disembarking, and also factor in 30mins for transportation to our accommodation at Holiday Inn Resort. I set foot at the lobby before 1200hrs Batam time. (1 hour behind Singapore)

After briefing and lunch, my roommate Justin Ho handed the room key to me. I was pleasantly surprise by the comfort and size of my room. 1 living room complete with sofa set and TV, and also 1 bedroom with 2 single-size bed. The bathroom is under-utilized by 2 guest who are hardly in the room.

Movie Therapy on Loneliness

Most of us did a survey on loneliness and we are aware of our own state of loneliness based on the survey. John gave us a statistic. About 15% of singles across all age group are not lonely.

I learned that we need to bust this myth that going into a dating relation or being married will lift us out from loneliness. One can be lonely as a single or married. Good news for me as a single. The solution to loneliness is irrespective of my status as a single. Later on in the movie therapy, I learn that combating loneliness starts by having deep and meaningful relationship. It’s about making a connection with people. For we were all created as social creature.

Often, the problem of loneliness seems to grow exponentially with age. But once this myth is busted, it is easier to deal with the anxiety of being single.

Because of the time difference, sunset is around 6pm. Zach and I manage to squeeze in 1 hour to enjoy the pool. We had a bonding time talking about the lesson we learnt from John. Although at this point both of us are short of having 7 best friends as recommended, we were hopeful that we can work towards that.

Across the road from the resort is like a small town. There are restaurants, coffeeshops, pubs and all sorts of shops. Zach and I saw at a distance a restaurant that is crowded. It is not difficult to know that those are disciples by the level of noise they created.

I saw my room mate Justin Ho after dinner. I thought it would be a good idea to make new friends. So we went to a nearby pub and chatted over Heineken and Bintang beer. Later on we found out the bill came to SGD 3.50. (Really cheap). Justin and I knew each other by face way back 10 years. Amazingly our lives did not cross path until today. He shared with conviction how the past 1-2 years have been live changing for him. Prior to that, he has left the church but got restored 2 years ago. We share how the lesson has help us. I find comfort to know how we can be quick friends in the kingdom of God. We actually have a lot in common than we thought.

This evening was supposed to be free and easy. The Crystal Ballroom was open for us to play boardgames. Zach and the crooners are found in the KTV room belting out All By Myself, though they are far from being by themselves. I was drawn to the fellowship with Ching Eu, Joanne, Josephine, Berlin and Damon over the dining area. I had my cravings for Bang! and introduced the game to them. At the 2^nd game, some of them looks as though they were drank. And so we ended the game and retire to our room.

Morning run

I woke up at 0600hrs to go for what I call “Exploratory” run. I want to know the area around the resort. Well, I “discovery” that the seafood restaurant area where I had my dinner was not that big. It takes 4 mins to complete a round. 2^nd discovery was that the ferry terminal is just right next to it. A walk from the resort to the ferry terminal would not take more than 15mins. After 40 mins of going round and round, I headed back to the gym in the resort.

The Beaches

The morning opened as Karen Louis (Yes, John Louis’ Wife) did a duet with Celine, singing the song Wind Beneath my Wings by Bette Midley. I was touched that Karen did that simply because she love us (the single ministry).

After more movie therapy, John wanted us to watch the full movie, The Beaches, Starring Bette Midley and her hit from the 80’s Wind Beneath my Wings.

Most of us knows Bette Midley as a great singer, she also very good as an actress. I didn’t recognize her until I saw the end credits that she is playing the lead actress CC Bloom.

I was moved by the story of a long standing friendship between 2 childhood friend. Deep inside me, the passion and longing for friendship was re-ignite. Life-lessons taught us that friendship is not worth pursuing and persevering. Think about all the negative experience you have had- hurt, betrayal, humiliation, breaking of trust, superficiality. Maybe all friendships are temporary, even the best of friends grow apart.

When they were young and didn’t have a lot materially, life in New York city was simpler. They could find contentment in one another.

Later on fame, wealth and men came between the 2 best friends, CC Bloom and Hillary Whitney. And a cat fight between them broke up at the mall. CC thought hard and deep: “What would life be without a best friend (Hillary)”. She was deeply affected.

Later on Hillary’s dad died and she inherit his property. She moved out of the apartment in NY. Over the years, CC writes to her, trying to reconnect with her. Hillary never opened any of the letters but returns them to CC.

Fast forward.

Later on, Hillary looks up CC in NY and they make up. Her husband strayed and they divorce, she was already pregnant when it happened. CC and Hillary raise the girl together.

Then Hillary contracted a heart condition and it makes her tired most of the time. In her last few moments, she wanted to spend the time with her daughter Victoria and CC at the summer beach resort.

It’s sad to see Hillary go. And I know that a lot of disciples in the room were moved to tears. As for me, I am convinced that friendship is so important in our lives. It is not fame, wealth and material possession. There was an urge to go up to my best friend and gave them a big bear hug, telling them how much I love them.

I am hopeful that we all can find a soulmate in our live.

Gunung Ledang

Yes, I made it to the summit of Gunung Ledang with Eddie and his son Thaedues and daughter Theophila.

I must have been influenced by Jason, I like day trek. In the past, Gunung Ledang is done in 2 days with one overnight camping. My first attempt was 12 years ago.

Back then I was already enlisted in Airforce. One of my batch mate suggested trekking up Ledang. Back then, Ledang is kind of like a free for all park. There is no regulation, no charges for climbing and no guide require. So a bunch of young men got together and attempt to climb the mountain, and we got lost.

2nd attempt was with a group of brothers and sisters from the church. One of member was nicknamed 雨神 （god of rain). Yes, it rained continuously for more than 12 hours. As a results the river swelled and we were disallowed from trekking up to the summit due to safety issue.

I was very encouraged that I made it this time. It was a bonus because I was able to forge new friendship with Eddie. We had a lot of opportunity to talk in the car and on the trek. I mean, trekking is such a healthy way to hang out with someone.

Anyway, Eddie picked me up from my place at 0400hrs and we make our way to the Woodlands Checkpoint. By 0630hrs, we arrived at Tangkak town and found a coffee shop for breakfast.

If you need direction to Gunung Ledang, take NS highway, exit Tangkak, literally drive straight for 15mins to Tangkak, another 15mins straight to the turn in to Gunung Ledang Lagenda, another 15mins drive on uneven road to Lagenda Visitor Centre.

Ok, here's the boring part but good for those who wants to know the trekking condition and timing.

Visitor Centre to CP3 via CP1 and CP2 takes 2hours.

CP3 to CP7 using shortcut, bypassing the famous KFC takes 2.5 hours.

CP7 to Summit takes 0.5hours.

Total time up = 5hrs

Summit all the way down to Visitor centre is 4-5hrs.

7 Pounds- Sacrificial Love

7 pounds is a story about a man in pursuit of helping people. Tim Thomas, as Will Smith is known in the movie, goes on a manhunt for “good” people.

2 years ago, Tim was involved in a car crash killing 7 people, including his fiancée. He survived. However, he has not gone through a day without carrying the burden of guilt. From my perspective, he wants to redeem himself. Maybe he felt like he couldn’t live with the guilt anymore. He needs to do something.

How many people did Tim help? He donated a lung lobe to his own brother, part of his liver to a child service worker named Holly, a kidney to a coach, and then bone marrows to a young boy. He also gave the deeds of his beach house to a woman who is suffering under an abusive boyfriend.

Tim wants to help more people whom he deem worthy. 1^st person- Ezra. A very good-hearted blind salesman who is not quick to anger and not bitter about his condition. 2^nd Person- Emily Posa. A self-employed card maker who has a heart condition. She is waiting for a suitable donor. Due to her rare blood type, her chances are narrow.

Tim went all out to help Emily. Firstly, he forges his brother identity as a IRS (Inland Tax) officer and cancels all her taxes due. He helps repair her century old printer.

But the greatest help Tim could offer to Emily is this- To donate his heart to her.

Time planned his suicide way in advance. Roping in his best friend, he was able to arrange for his heart to be donated to Emily, and his eyes to Ezra.

Tim died in a bathtub. He was killed by his pet box jellyfish- the most lethal creature on earth. His plans work. Emily received his heart and lived. Ezra received his eyes and gain sight.

I was blowed away by such act of love. Only in the bible can one find such sacrificial and unconditional love.

¹³Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

At least some of these people are more worthy to have someone die for them. When Christ died for me, I am so unworthy. I don’t even know Jesus yet.

Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Roman 5:7-8

I am neither good nor upright when Jesus died for me. I was cut to the heart after watching Tim’s sacrificial love. Now I had a deeper understanding of Jesus sacrificial love.

Halloween

It was my best Halloween ever. I am not a big fan of costume and make-up because it takes too much effort to dress up. The last time I visit a costume shop was with the Fang Jing and the groomsmen, we were looking for Roman soldier costume for his wedding.

When Joanne and the other organizer of the Halloween party approach me to be the host for the fright night, I agree to it. Firstly, I am flattered that they think I am the right person for the role. 2ndly, I can now put dark eye ring to good use. I wear them all year round.

The party starts at 7pm but I was asked to be there at 330pm. I thought I would be the there alone but I was wrong. Joanne, Huiting and Eric (also the host) were almost done with the décor. Ching Eu is cutting vegetable. In the make-up room, Josephine is almost done with Siew Lay’s make-up. I am next.

I was very impressed with the décor. So much work and effort has been put into it. There was a corner with RIP tombstone. The table for serving the buffet spread was lay with black table clothe. On the table, you can find a skull and other creepy creatures like centipede, worms and etc. The lights were dimmed by a red transparent sheet and transformed the whole living room red, creating an eerie and mysterious effect. Cobwebs are all over. To enter the house thru the front door, one has to lower his body to avoid the cobwebs.

Also, I want to highlight the make-up artist Josephine and Sharon. They did a fantastic job! I totally love my make-up and costume as Count Dracula. Our professional artist instructed me to bring my black pants, white shirt and black socks. At the make up room, they made me a red bow-tie (so creative). I was also given a black cape with very high collar. 30mins under the magic hands of Sharon and Jo. BOOMZ! I became count Dracula!!! See my fresh blood on the side of my mouth.

In order to make sure I do a good job, I spend the past week thinking about blood, fangs and castle. I psycho myself to thirst for blood. I’m thinking of the “solidified blood” that looks like beancurd in red. I googled vampire and Dracula.

Once I got my full costume on. Strangely and suddenly, I felt empowered to scare person and instill fear in them. Ching Eu was cutting the carrots near the basin. I quietly walk to a corner in the kitchen. I did nothing but stood there and stared at her. It must have been my evil aroma, she sense me, turn her head and frighten herself!!!! That was so fun!!!! You should see the expression on her.

Fang Jing was fighting with his wife after knowing she was asked to dress up as the Corpse Bride. I suppose the organizer had no choice but to give in to him. Dionne and Fang Jing became the Twin Corpse Bride. Man, it was disastrously successful!! I faint everytime I think of Fang Jing. See for yourself.

Well that is not the worst. Fang Jing was wearing a sleeveless dress. Pity the dress; it looks like it was hung on a hanger. The Twin Corpses were in charge of games. Fang Jing was trying to get the attention of everyone. He raise his arms and …. FAINT…. The armpit hair!!! He was doing that for a good 10-20secs. As a good host, I had to do something. Everyone was feeling nausea from the hairy sight! Thankfully he lowers his arms after I prompted him. Phew… That was…. I’m lost for words.

Halfway, thru the evening, Joanne caught my attention. She said I had a visitor and she’s waiting at the make-up room. And open the door. Josephine has transformed into the Fallen Angel, but nonetheless beautiful. She flew here to the party. I introduced her to the party to cheers and applauses. She was amazing.

Also want to highlight others who put on costume and make-up sportingly. Arie as Egor my servant. Siew Lay as the Child Ghost. Damon as Michael Jackson, Sharon as Pirate, Ching Eu as the witch, Eric as Joker, Jeffrey as Terminator (is that suppose to be scary?)

Halloween 2010? I'll be there.

All photos by Eric Ang are used with permission.

More good news after the Climbathon

Over the weekend Jason, Fang and I went to Kota Kinabalu for a short trip. Jason and I are participating in the Kinabalu climbathon. Fang just want to get some time off after an intensive 10 days of work at the Sun Festival. I think she got the break that she wants. Other than the race itself, we spend time eating and napping. Since we're at the basecamp, there is really nothing much to do. We wanted to go to the Cabbage Festival. This is the first time in my life I heard of such festival. Unfortunately, the weather came in around 2pm and stared pouring. The rain persisted for the next 4 hours. I wonder what do they do with the cabbage then?

Anyway, we went back to KK after the race. The plan is this- After breakfast (on the next day), we'll proceed to a cafe to read our bible. Halfway thru, I'll excuse myself from Jason and Fang for a prayer walk so that they can have time on their own. As you'd have guess, Murphy's law sets in. "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.". Fang wants to go back to the room to do her own thing. For a moment, I was panicking inside (I think Jason also). Jason had to almost forced her to join us at Rainforest Cafe, which she agreed to go for a while.

After placing order for our coffee. I had to visit the toilet. When I got back tho the table, Jason ask if I could excuse them for a moment. I bounce off my seat and sat at another corner with my bible and coffee.

So on that morning, in the land of Sabah Malaysia Borneo, Fang said "YES" to be Jason's girlfriend. There is no photograph but you can take my word for it. I am the only witness though.

24hrs after Jason and Fang had gone steady, it dawned on me that God has just answered another prayer.

If you know Fang, you would have agree that she is such a sweet and likable girl. In the past, we often wonder who would be that lucky person to be her boyfriend. Dionne, Raymond and I often talk about it.

On the other hand, Jason is a great friend of mine. Being his buddy, it's been my desire to see him get attached to the person he likes.

Back then when we got to hear that they are interested in each other, those of us who are closed to them got very excited. Now when I look back at the past few month, I am amazed at God's hand in leading them to each other.May God bless this relation.

Congratulation my dear friend Jason and Fang.

Kinabalu Climbathon

I've just participated in the Kinabalu Climbathon. Deemed as the world’s toughest mountain race. Check out the route For the record, I didn't meet the qualifying timing i.e., I did not complete the race.

For those who have not been to Gunung Kinabalu, it is located at Sabah, Borneo Malaysia. A typical itinerary is to trek 6km up to Laban Rata at 3,261m. Time taken to get from Kinabalu Basecamp to Laban Rata range from 4-10hours, depending on the fitness of the individual. Day 2 starts at 0300hrs to trek up to the summit in the dark at 4,096m to catch the sunrise at 0600hrs.

Kinabalu climbathon starts at the 0km marker. Participants are treated to 9km of continuous uphill to the summit and backtrack to the 0km marker. After passing the 0km marker is another 3km to the ending point. Bringing a total of 21km of arduous mountain running.

It started early for the runners on the race day Jason and I got up at 0400hrs to get ready for the pick up from our lodge at D’Villa to Kinabalu National Park. At the National Park, we waited at the restaurant for a second transfer to the starting point very near to the 0km marker. We chatted with other runners who are from UK. Most of them fly into Sabah just to do this run. It seems to me that most of them are pretty serious about this run. I felt I’ve taken for granted in my training. I would have trained really hard if I’ve had signed up for a run in the Alps.

Race kick off time is 0700hrs. At 0600hrs, runners and supporters are gathered around the starting point. It’s not like the Singapore SC marathon where there are 20,000 participants. For the men’s open category, the estimate no. of participant are no more than 150. The sun has just risen and temperature is approximately 10 degree Celsius. I reluctantly remove my track pants and fleece jacket. Now I am dressed in my running shorts and sleeveless quick dry T-shirt. I can be chilly even with the slightest wind. Jason and I went for a short jog to keep ourselves warm.

I met Joanne Soo. She couldn’t recognize me because we only spoke once on the steps of Dairy Farm. Back then she was still training for Everest. But I recognize her of course, she and the Everest Women team made it up to the Everest summit this year.

Joanna was one of the supporters from the group of Singapore who trained together for the climbathon. Armed with a SLR, she was busy snapping photos of the Singaporeans. She took part in the race for the woman’s open yesterday. I learned from her that it’s going to be a hard run. We took a group photo and she went off to snap away.

I spotted a guy in socks and sandals. One of these sandals had a broken buckle. I wonder if he know what he’d signed up for.

Race kick off at 0700hrs sharp. 3 mins into the gentle slope and I was panting. Back in Singapore I was running at sea level while the race start at 1866mt. My first reminder of how tough and ill prepared.

My heart rate was constantly at a high of 75% and above. It wasn’t long before the pain in my feet gets worst and I was struggling to run, I had to settle for a brisk walk whenever my legs and lung cooperate. At appropriate interval, I’ll encourage myself with Gatorade in my handheld water bottle.

By 0915hrs, I arrived at Laban Rata. I was hoping for a great view. Unfortunately, it was obscure by clouds. I saw Jason turning back and decided to follow suit. There is no chance I can run 3km and ascend 700mt to get to the Summit in 15mins. I also have to consider the injury in my feet. I don’t want to push too hard and aggravate the pain in my feet.

So that was pretty much my experience for my first Kinabalu Climbathon. I consider myself doing poor this time. But I enjoy myself very much; the lure of the mountain and the challenge compels me to come back with Jason next year. Our goal is to get Malaysia toughest wristband on the summit of Gunung Kinabalu.

Now I have to put in effort to research on training for Kinabalu Climbathon and stay committed to the training.

Pre-Kinabalu Climbathon

This coming weekend I am going to do the Kinabalu Climbathon with Jason. I know that the chances of meeting the qualifying timing is extremely slim. But I am still looking forward to the trip to Kota Kinabalu. I am not a race-to-win person. I mostly join races because of the company. So this race is no exception.

Also on the same weekend, some of my buddies are participating in the Northface 100 race. I hope they can make good timing at the race. If next year the NF100 and Kinabalu climbathon falls on a different date, I'll reg for both of them. Need plenty of reasons to get into training mood. Next year, my goal is to meet the qualifying time for Kinabalu. I'll treat this year's as a trial.

Radio Aids exam.

By God's grace, I passed my Radio Aids exam. What a relieve. I want to thank everyone who prayed for me. Now I can concentrate on my CA2 exams in Nov and of course my flying.

Hi brothers, I attended a bible discussion yesterday. One of my instructors (Don Lazarus) is a devoted christian, he opens up his house (5 mins walk from school) every Wed at 6pm for bible discussion.

I've been attending this discussion for couple of months already. I enjoy the session most of the time as I learned from the word of God. Just on Monday, we had a BBQ session. There were about 20 of us and we had a little bible sharing before eating. I was in charge of setting up the fire and grilling the food. It was very enjoyable. Most of us are students from my school and a couple of Don's friend from his church in Melaka.

Yesterday, I went for the Wed meeting. The discussion was taken from John 1:35-51. I was very convicted by Jesus calling of his disciple. Interesting, we were ask if we could recite the 12 names of Jesus and none of us could. It can be found in Acts 1:13. (anyway, I can only find 11 names there, including Judas)

Peter,
John,
James,
Andrew,
Philip,
Thomas,
Bartholomew,
Matthew,
James (son of Alphaeus),
Simon (the Zealot), and
Judas (son of James)

The point is this- Most of the 12 disciples are not mention by name in the bible. It's ok that we are not recognise by the world or by the church. Many of these disciple done tremendous things in the name of Jesus. Tradition has it that, except for John, none of the disciples died a natural death.

2nd Point- Calling of the 12 disciples.

I was disturbed when I read this passage. I compare my enthusiasm to that of the disciple and I realise I don't have the same excitement and enthusiasm when it comes to telling people about Jesus. I share my thoughts during the discussion and it spun off into a 30 mins discussion, and that was very good. Since most of us are from different background and church (Methodist, Catholic etc) there were different opinion on how to share our faith. But 1 point that strikes me the most is this-  We are letter of recommendation for Christ.

2 Corinthians 3

 ¹Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? ²You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. ³You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
We need to practice what we preached. People are watching how we live our lives as disciple, especially challenging times.

^{Roman 10
14}How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

We need to open our mouth and talk to people about Christ. It can be anyone you know or do not know.

The extended version of FJ's Bachelor Night.

What do guys do on bachelor's night? No, we didn't force FJ to put on strawberry costume shopping for strawberries in the supermarket. In the case of FJ, we decided to do an overnight camping at a secluded spot in East Coast Park. We had such a bonded time. When it's time to pack up, I felt kind of reluctant.

Prior to the camping trip, I had a crazy week. Being the organizer, I struggle to get the camping plans going and coordinating it while I am in Melaka. But things work out fine eventually. Thanks to the brothers for being super understand and accommodating. At an sms notice, they were able to make a trip to the supermarket to get the stuff. And we had BBQ for dinner too.

Arriving in 2 cars- Ya Ya and QQ. Stanley, Zach, myself, Hancong, Bernard and The Bachelor ( Fang Jing) finally arrive at ECP CP. After a short briefing, we gather our stuff and began our walk to the camping 20 mins walk away.

I chose the campsite. It is away from the other park user and campers, except for an occasional fisherman. We felt like we had the beach to ourselves.

I had volunteer myself as the cook. After gathering all the food that we've prepared, I thought we didn't have enough food. Being in a company of 6 hungry men can be a scary thought. So instead of giving the brothers the not-so-good news, I decide to market and package the BBQ. I told them the menu and thoughtfully prepare the food systematically. First the juicy corn, fellow by grilled potatoes. Now that they have the appetizer and had a portion of their stomach filled. I started barbecuing the meat. Especially prepare and marinated by my mom. We have the BBQ pork first. Oh, the pork chop is tender and juicy, grilled to golden perfection. I'm hungry already. After every one had at least 2 pieces of it. I churned out the next yummy dish- again, world-famous marinated chicken by my mom, each grilled to golden perfection too. When the chicken wing is done, we had some more potato and corn. Finally, watermelon and apple were served as dessert. Surprisingly and much to my relief, we were quite full after the dessert. Otherwise, I think I would be grilled as the final dish.

Zach brought his lightstix. Being men and creative in inventing games, we start passing the lightstix to each other. As the campsite is dark except for the almost full moon, the flying lightstix created an interested visual experience. After cleaning up, FJ and I decide to join them. We had enough ppl to play "Monkey".

We were running around chasing the neon lightstix. Feeling sticky, we couldn't resist the temptation to jump into the water just 5 meters away. It is now 2300hrs. When was the last time you swam in the sea at this hour and during the Chinese Ghost Festival (According to Chinese myth, the spirit from hell we given a month of holiday on earth in the 7th month of the Lunar Calendar). We broke 2 taboos. One is camping outdoor in the 7th month, the other is swimming in the sea in the dark. I tell you, it was an experience of a lifetime.

For some reason, while we were dipping in the water, the conversation revolves around the topic of FS. Who you like? Who is attractive? Who you know likes whom? And the standard going around to share our FS. Bernard was secretive but not for long.

Next, we came out from the sea. And we realize it'll be a bad idea to not take a shower. And so we walk 20 mins back to the CP and took at shower at midnight. Thank God for the shower, as we were walking to the shower I was feeling itchy from the sea. We felt so refreshing after the shower and took a stroll back to the campsite.

Time to open up the wine. We sat under the full moon and toasted. It was most appropriate to talk and encourage FJ since this is his Bachelor Night. We want to make him feel encourage. And so we took turns to share and offer toast to the man who is moving on the next phase of his life.

I'm hungry and so we were the brothers. Initially, someone suggest we eat the communion bread that was prepared for tomorrow’s communion. And then we settle for instant noodle. So while the rest was playing Bang!! (and still open up the communion bread), I went to cook instant noodles for us.

0200hrs- it's time to get some rest. Zach plan for us to get up at 0630 to catch sunrise and for morning devotional by the beach. Zach, Stanley and I slept on the groundsheet in the open. It's nice to sleep to the sound of sea waves. Sometimes the aircraft departing Changi Airport gets slightly too loud and I was woken up by it. Other than that, I had a good rest.

We woke up but there was no sunrise. Actually, dark storm clouds were forming overhead us. We also ran into some water crisis. There wasn't enough water to make coffee for all of us. Zach and I went to fill up the bottle at the CP.

I couldn’t get my MSR stove to work. It might be due to sand clogging the fuel line. Maybe it’s just low on fuel. So I took out my solid fuel (which I haven’t use them since my first Gunung Tahan trip) to boil water for making coffee.

We laid the groundsheet, prepare our songbook, bible, bread and wine for the communion. Just 1 min into Stanley’s communion sharing, it starts to rain. As we were discussing to move into the tent, it started to pour. I have to leave my poor pot that is boiling in the rain.

We sat in the tent and were. Bernard started to lead us in songs. I looked out of the tent and the rain was blanketing the sea. It’s a new experience to hurdle in a tent, being sheltered from the pouring rain outside, and sing praises and worship God. Rain or sun, we worship God.

We give thanks and broke the bread, which happen to be our breakfast too. This is biblical! Read Acts 2:46. We have cream cheese to spread over the bread, and we also have a loaf of banana and nut bread ( my fav). I suppose this is what the first century Christian does. Communion can be a full meal breakfast. The most important thing is that we come together to remember Jesus as he has commanded.

God stop the rain and we got out of the tent. I went to check the pot. Luckily the fire wasn’t completely put out. I set up another fire to continue boiling the water. Zach and FJ, went back to the water. Being boys, they took out their shorts and Bernard helps them take a photo of their naked photo, but with their body in the water from waist below. Fancy having a cup of coffee while dipping yourself the sea? That is what they did.

I decided that I don’t want to get wet. Instead, I wanted to pray. Stanley and I went up to the breakwater. Facing the sea, I saw the storm clouds gathering and there was lightning. Just right ahead of us, there was a dark cloud hover at just 500mt above the sea and it was slowing inching towards the coast and us. In my prayer, I thank God for the wonderful brotherhood we had. This kind of friendship is rare to find. By the time Stanley prayed, it started drizzling. The rest of the brothers are breaking camp and prompted us to go.

We walk back to the car in the rain but no one complained. We were in the company of brothers. We wish we had more time together.

Special thanks to

Stanley. Despite his love for his comfortable bed at home, he was very sporting and participant in most of the activities.

For helping me pick up groceries from the supermarket at an sms notice.

Hancong. For his enthusiasm to take photo, he walks into the water wearing his running shoes. For waiting for me patiently together with Bernard. For helping out in small little ways.

Zach for planning the programs for Sunday morning, and for delegating the communion sharing to Stanley (only on Friday).

For helping me pick up groceries from the supermarket at a sms notice too.

For bringing the light stix.

Bernard. For trying to hide from us who your favourite sister is, and for letting the cat out of the bag yourself.

For leading us in the morning worship.

For laughing loudly.

Fang Jing. For getting married so that we can plan a bachelor night.

For being such a wonderful friend and moving on to the next phase of your life (and leaving your brothers behind)

For your wacky nature, strange hairstyle and flamboyant sense of dress sense. (think Pink T-shirt and Yellow pants)

Back to flying phase

Finally, after 4 months grounded due to CA6 exams, I get to fly with my instructor this afternoon. I was quite scared prior to the flight. On 1 hand I was hoping that the flight be postpone as late as possible. On the other hand I also wants to get my hands on the control column and to get off the ground. It’s a dilemma.

The flight turns out good. I was controlling the aircraft subconsciously just like how a driver drives a car or a cyclist rides his bike. I don’t remember every single detail like some of the radio call and certain checks that I was able to carry out by memory in the past.

After the flight, my instructor encouraged me. I did most of the stuff right- Medium turns, steep turns, clean and dirty stalls, and approach configuration stall. When I was asked to carry out the Precautionary Forced Landing, I told my instructor that I’m not familiar with the procedures. She patiently walked me thru the procedure step by step. I was very grateful for that.

It’s encouraging to know that in life you win some and you lose some. You may be good at these but weak at others. I felt a part of me comes alive after the good flight.

Getting married

On the day your children get married, there'll be great joy and sadness.

What is the most noble role in life? I give my vote to parenting. If I could grade my parents, it would be "A" for raising me and my 4 sisters.

Does one ever graduate from bring a parent. My dad always tells me his biggest wish is to see us grow up and witness us getting married and form my own family. So I can safetly say that most parents shares the same sentiment as my dad. But life is strange. My parents raise us up. hoping for the day to come. Yet when the day arrived, it is so difficult to let go.

Prayer request for exams in Aug.

My exams are coming in 5 weeks time (5 and 6 Aug 2009) and I am under enormous amount of stress. The last batch of students from batch A23 (I am batch A24), 5 out of 24 manage to pass all 6 papers.

I am appealing for prayers. These are the 6 subjects- Navigation, Radio Aids, Flight Planning, Instruments, Meteorology (practical and theory).

I read the bible and this verse caught my attention.

Daniel 1:17 (New Living Translation)

¹⁷ God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.

I am not an academically-incline person. (Thank God I have other talents, for eg, I can recognize song within 5 sec of intro). You know how some people can figure out things just by reading a book. For e.g., how to build a boat and gather all species of living creature(Noah), how to fly a plane (Leo in Caught Me If You Can) and etc. Seriously, I can't. I can't read a book and fully understand the subject. I need to see, feel, experience, demonstration and hands on.

I pray that God will also grant me an unusual aptitude for understand all the subjects. The part on vision and dreams I don't need.

Fang's baptism

Last Sunday was an unforgettable one. I witness the baptism of a dear friend of mine. Her name is Li Fang more commonly know as Fang.

When I think of her baptism, these are the words that pops up pops up - Amazing! Finally! Yes!!

Knowing Fang for 4 years, we've been thru thick and thin literally. We been on numerous trekking trips including Stong Waterfall, Fansipan, Yu Shan and Xue Shan, and most recent trip was Markha Valley and Humpta Pass in India Himalayas. Besides trekking, we also share the love of jogging. Lead by David and participated by many, we meet every sat 0830am at Macritchie Reservior. It become such a fixture on my Sat schedule, I feel weird if I don't go for run at Mac Res. Made this video for her on her birthday in 2008

Over the years, Fang got to know many Christian and joined countless activities organise by the christians. In fact, she know so many people it will put some of the old christian to shame. Many of us prompted her to study bible and get to know God. So this year, a chain of event lead her to take up the bible study seriously. Dionne and I talk and discuss on many occasion on how to help Fang in the bible study. We talk to other christian to get them involve. In fact we were so on top of things we manage to form a team- We sent ppl to befriend her, love her, encourage her, nourish her with spiritual food. Some would nag (Raymond), some would scold (that would be me), some would spur her on ( Dionne), some would walk with her.

We pray and fast for Fang and God in his graciousness moved Fang's heart. She had a fair share of challenge-timely persecution from close friend, uncertainty of future and so on. I really want to cry when I receive a sms from her on a weekday morning telling me that she has decided to get baptised on the coming sat. Following that, she sms me saying she is fearful of her decision on baptism but despite of her fear, persevere on to take on a leap of faith to get baptise and to declare Jesus the Lord of her life. I almost cried again.

Right now, I am still on cloud nine. God is a God that answers prayer, even if it takes 4 years.

Awaiting ground school

Flying training has been tapered down, I'm waiting for ground school to start on 4 May. And then soon, I've to take 6 papers known as the CA6 in July 28 and 29. Going to be a stressful phase. My younger sister is getting married in July on a Thursday night. I'm going to pray hard that the school will grant me leave. How can I miss out on my sister big day!

In fact, mom and myyounger sister ask me last Sunday if I can sing at the wedding, I am honoured but with my uncertain schedule, I have to tell my sister that I'll try my best. Hmmm... what shall I sing then?

SEA conference 10-12 Apr 2009

Over the Good Friday weekend, the Singapore Church hosted the SEA conference and we had disciple from the SEA region- Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. We had John Causey from the LA church as our guest speaker.

The conference program begins as early as Friday morning. Since it was a public holiday, many disciples were able to make their way here on Thursday night. As for me, I was in Melaka on Friday as Malaysia does not celebrate Good Friday and hence I still had school. At 4pm, I left school and drove back with a classmate. I got to church at 830pm and heard John Louis communion lesson entitled The Blessing.

The service doesn't end after the lesson. I went around fellowshipping with disciples especially the overseas disciples. I met disciple that I know for years- Jack Ngui, Choong, Yufeng, Hee Jung.

I met Wang Shik too. We met for the first time at the last SEA conference. 1 afternoon, I join the Korean brothers for a game of waterpolo at their hotel. They are good at inventing games to compete with each other. From waterpolo, we went on compete in swimming. We were split into 2 teams and Wang Shik was on the other team. He was still sore that I beat him at the relay. How interesting he remembers stuff like that!

I met new friends too. On saturday morning, together with my buddy Zach, we went over to Tampines Mall to meet Moony, Joy, Hee Jung and Lee Lee (the host for the 3 korean sister). We wanted to get together for lunch and to do quiet time today. Moony is a very jovial sisters and she makes the people around her laugh. Although she couldn't converse very well in English, she makes alot of effort to talk to me. She even prepare a set of question she want to ask and a short sharing about herself. I really appreciate her heart. Lee Lee and Moony left at 1pm to attend a meeting in Church so we continue to stay at Coffee Bean to read and share about the bible.

I was most impacted by the sharing. Though there was minor language barrier, we make effort to understand each other. There is an unexplainable bond as Christian. God is our common language.

Single's mixer cocktail party
Wanna thank the organiser for having the faith and courage to have the party at the rooftop. Many disciple would have think twice about hosting it outdoor. But I love it. I love the outdoor set up, the standing around fellowship, cocktail, Michael Buble and other jazz pieces.


Sunday 12 Apr
Already, the straits hall is packed to its brink. Christians are standing on the side aisle. Additional chairs are set up as far back as possible and spill over the the lobby. I didn't get up to Mezzanine Level but I think it's as packed as you can imagine.

I wish that our church will outgrow the capacity of this building. Maybe we can have an building extension. Or even a church building at a different location (not Jurong West please...). By then, Singapore church would have been in excess of 400 members and we will definitely need to rent a huge function room to host a conference.

True to our conference tradition, we have Mataku T'lah Melihat Kemuliaan as the 主打歌 (theme song) and many 插曲. We repeated the verse "he is exalted" so many times I think I am getting exhausted. Not forgetting Prayer for Boldness with 1980's Kung Fu movie music arrangement.

Baptism
After sevice, there were 4 baptism. I'm excited to see Bruce baptising the first Seremban fruit. June and Bruce set off on a mission trip in Dec 2008 to Seremban. Seremban is June's hometown. Must have been challenging to be on a 2-man church, but God has been kind. A brother baptised in Uganda joined them not long after and now Michael, also from Uganda is baptised. Now the Seremban church is 4 man strong. As for me, I am still a 1-man Church in Melaka.

Then comes the most rewarding and also most exhausting part- Fellowship. So many disciples to talk to, so many contacts to exchange, so many photos to be taken. The atmosphere was just phenomenon. The overseas disciples looks as though they couldn't bear to leave. 1 last word, 1 last photo.

But by 230pm, most of them have left the straits hall. Probably to answer calls to their groaning stomach. Luckily I had breakfast before the service.

This afternoon, I'm joining Jason to hang out with some Japanese sisters, the fellowship of the Mi sisters- Mami, Nami and Ayumi. Eventually, we hang out without Ayumi as she had some other program. Nami is from Osaka Church. She wanted to have lunch with the Kid's Ministry christians to learn from them. So I had dinner with Mani and Jason and we had more talking. Man!!! WE talk to much, by 4pm I felt drained. I think I've exceeded the maximum number of words spoken per day for an average male. We travelled down to Bugis. More talking on the train. It was nice to hear Nami shared about the city she loves.

Recovering

Death is always difficult. I am giving myself time to grief over Michael Chan, not that I'm going to coop up in my room everyday and not do anything.

I was watching the sunset last night and I marveled at God and his nature. I tot of Michael too.

Don't worry about me. I am coping well. Just need time. Thanks.

Russell

Have you seen Russell? He is such an adorable boy. Every Sunday, I'd look out for him. And since he is such a popular boy, I have to literally fight with others to carry him. There are many others who are like me, crazy about Russell. He's simply the cutest baby in the church.

Last Sunday, I manage to squeeze in 30 mins to hang out with Raymond, Sherlee and Russell at Causeway point. I was rewarded with 10mins of time with Russell. Sherlee put him to sleep in the sarong. Anyway, 10mins is really enough, that boy is BIG! He's so heavy for a boy his age. Super chubby.

I've already started to pester Raymond to let me bring Russell out for a day. I might not know what I am asking for. Taking care of a kid is no easy task. Actually, I really don't know what I am asking for. I saw those parent carrying their kid on their back. Really tempted to get one for myself. http://www.rei.com/product/765143 (kids not included).

Of Hong Kong drama, Departure and Marley & Me.

I've been watching a lot of movies and drama series and cried alot. There was Hong Kong Drama Triumph in The Sky, Japanese award winning movie Departure and now Hollywood's Marley & Me.

Marley & Me is about a newly married couple starting out their lives together. One of the first addition to their family was Marley the Labrador. The movie was rather fast pace, in 1 hr (movie time). Jennifer Aniston is already a mother of 3. Of course, all these while Marley was in the picture. Marley watch all the kids grow up.

Now, Marley was quite a hell of a dog. Can you imagine that he was expelled out from dog obedient school. Even the so-call trainer was unable to restrain his wild behavior.

Dogs are therapeutic. They always listen, they never criticize, never make nasty remakes, never throw tantrum, always wait for you at the door. Dogs love unconditionally.

That is why years ago, when we put our dog to sleep, it was such a difficult time for my family. We lost a family member.

Marley's health started to deteriorate. The family has to accept that he is going. I can totally relate to the heartache. That I think is the strangest thing about keeping a dog. You watch them as a puppy. You watch them become strong young dog. And you watch them grow old. Eventually, you are also the one watching them die.

Not sure if I am going to put myself into a relation with a dog again. We miss you, Doggy. You are the best dog we ever had.