劉畊宏 -- 幸福的距離

During the session on the second last night of Emerge 2007 conference, Taiwanese singer Liu Genhong performed this really sweet and romantic song on stage. Later on, he walked down to the floor and sang it in front of his girlfriend, former Miss Taiwan Vivi Wang and proposed to her with the close-to-9,000 strong crowd as their witnesses! The atmosphere in the hall was saturated with love. My heart was so soften by what was in front of my eyes, and like what Pastor described it afterwards, we were like floating in the air... in the air of love and romance. Hahaha!

Liu Genhong and Vivi Wang have been dating for more than 8 years, but both of them were only saved about 4 years ago and since then, their lives were radically changed. They are now part of Rev Abraham Ku's New Life Church in Taipei, Taiwan, one of the fastest growing church there and one of the affiliated churches of CHC. Genhong is now a lay cell group leader there and he has brought more than 100 friends to church! (Jay Chou, a very popular Taiwanese pop singer and a close friend of Genhong, has just been saved recently! Hallelujah!) The couple were making such an impact in the Taiwanese entertainment scene, and my prayer for them will be that both their relationship and their influence in the marketplace will get stronger and stronger each day.

Below is the music video of this really beautiful song. (Vivi Wang is inside the video too!) Enjoy! =D



幸福的距離
主唱：劉畊宏 專輯：天使之城
作詞：羅文裕　作曲：羅文裕

窗外開始下起毛毛雨　雲遮住了星星
夜深了還沒有睡意　翻來覆去的想妳
時鐘滴答滴答的聲音　像在說我愛妳
轉過２點３點到６點　恨不得快點見到妳

幸福的距離　就算萬公里　在妳眼裡有我想要的勇氣
從南極飛到北極　南京到北京　妳的笑勝過那些美景
我們勾勾手　就一言為定　我會傻傻的好好的愛妳
妳的名加我的姓　永遠在一起　擁抱多過千言萬語

"Israel stay an eye-opener for SMU student"

Yes, that SMU student was me. I was interviewed by The Business Times last week on my international exchange in Israel, and to my surprise, the interview was printed in today's issue of the paper! It presented a largely non-biased picture of Israel and the article was very well-written. You can view the printed version of the article here. Enjoy reading! =)

JOB FOUND! No more job-hunting (for now). Yes! =D

I headed to SMU after my early morning driving lesson at BBDC this morning. On the bus ride I received a phone call from HSBC's Human Resources Department. The first sentence the HR person said to me was "I've got a piece of good news for you". Immediately my face was beaming with a bright smile, and I knew that I've just been offered the position as a Personal Banking Associate (PBA) at HSBC Singapore! I've been job-hunting since the very last month of my international exchange in Israel, and at the same time, praying constantly to the Lord and asking Him to put me at the right place where I can utilise my talents, unleash my potential, be of influence in the marketplace and earn lots of income. Since my return to Singapore I didn't get to go for too many interviews... I guess my prayer was quite specific. Heh.

I was offered (unofficially) a senior executive position at the Singapore Land Authority, but my interest in working in a statutory board just didn't pick up (even though the Singapore Government has recently announced a significant pay rise for all civil servants). Another offer I have received was to work at the top agency in Prudential Assurance Singapore, but the thought of not having any basic salary during the starting months while staying in Singapore as a foreigner without a permanent home locally made me think twice about joining the agency. The application for the PBA programme at HSBC opened in early May. I submitted my resume through my cell group leader's referral (who is also working at HSBC) and afterwards, went through an online computerised assessment test, a programme briefing, and most recently, the assessment centre with an interview and two role-plays last Saturday. I was so happy when I received the call this morning, because not only I knew that I've performed decently well throughout the selection process, but also it was a job that I wanted and like, and I knew I am able to and will perform well in HSBC and rise in its ranks.

My training will start officially on Monday, July 2, and I will get to know which HSBC branch I will be posted to by end July. I will be required to pass and receive all the necessary certifications/qualifications in the first 3 months, and after that I will become a Personal Wealth Manager and be able to start providing services and earning sales commission. I am really excited to see how my career will take off and develop beginning this July. For now, I shall enjoy my 'June holidays' (literally!). Do visit me at HSBC once I confirm my branch ya? Haha! =D

What An Awful Day... =(

It's exceptionally rare for me to blog something with such a demoralising title... Well, no choice, I caught a bad cold yesterday, and this morning I realised I had a fever too. I felt really awful, especially the fever didn't go down after I took 8 paracetamol (panadol) pills in the past 24 hours (the maximum advised)! Haiz... I ended up staying at home the whole day, couldn't go to Hougang and help my friends to shoot the public singing and dancing performances by the students in the performance arts school they are working at, couldn't join my cell group at the first-ever family day celebration organised by my church at Singapore Expo, and it looks like I won't be able to send my friends off overseas at Changi Airport the next 2 early mornings too... all thanks to my illness. Sob... O Lord, please heal me!!!!!!!

Registration for Basic Theory Test: Surprisingly... not so easy!

It looks set that it's going to take a while before I will find the right job and start working. As a result, I thought that it will be good to make use of this "time gap" and learn driving, so that I can get my driving licence the soonest possible. This afternoon I went to Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC) at Bukit Gombak to check out the driving course structure there. There were lots of people when I first stepped into the lobby! At first I thought that many people will choose private instructors instead because the total cost will be lower than learning in the driving centre, but I guess I might be wrong... heh. =P

I registered for the Class 3 driving course in the afternoon after I secured my mum's financial support on the phone. And the first thing I need to do is to secure a test date for the Basic Theory Test, which I have studied thoroughly many times in the past. However, the "problem" of joining a driving centre is that the school will not allow you to take the test until you pass their in-house evaluation test, and the instructors will also recommend students to try their in-house practice booklets before going for the evaluation. At first I thought it would be a waste of time and money to go for the practice, which is not compulsory, and I was pretty confident that I knew the Basic Theory of Driving book well. I registered for the evaluation right away. I took the evaluation test, and I was wrong! The questions were actually quite tricky, and there were questions outside the content provided in the book! I ended up failing the evaluation by 1 question! ARGH!

Disappointed but not discouraged, I went straight to the booking terminal and checked for the earliest in-house practice session available right after the evaluation. I managed to secure the session 10 minutes after the evaluation, and I ran back to the computer room and did the practice. Usually, most people will try 2 booklets per practice session and the school recommends students to go for 2 practice sessions, since there are altogether 4 booklets. I finished all 4 booklets at one go! Haha! The practice really helped, and I located all forms of tricky questions available and learnt some new things which were not found in the book. After the practice I returned to the booking terminal, and I immediately booked the last in-house evaluation session (which happened to be the only one left for the day) and hoped to get the green light to book the Basic Theory Test by the end of the day. It was already evening time and there was a 2-hour gap between the end of the practice session and the start of the evaluation session. I rushed down to West Mall at Bukit Batok to have my dinner, and rushed back to the driving centre for the evaluation. I was thinking... man, I haven't been rushing to achieve something this way for the longest time! Haha!

In the end, I passed my second attempt of the in-house evaluation with flying colours! YES! Immediately after that I went to the booking terminal (for the third time in a day!) to book the Basic Theory Test, and I secured the session scheduled next Thursday on May 3 (eh, it's also my mum's birthday...). Mission accomplished! I really hope that I will be able to get my driving licence the soonest and cheapest possible, because I think this is such a good skill to possess (looking back at the fact that I couldn't be the driver to drive on the roads when I was still in Israel makes me... haiz... =( ). Wish me the very best! =D

Happy 59th Birthday, Israel! =D

Unlike most countries in the world, Israel's Independence Day is on a different date every year! Israel's Declaration of Indepedence was signed on May 14, 1948, but its 59th Independence Day was celebrated today, on April 24, due to the fact that according to the Jewish calendar it was exactly 59 years ago! Also similar to the way festivals and events are celebrated in the country, the celebration started the evening before the actual date!

Okay, enough of the date issue... I really wish that I will have the opportunity in the future to be there at their Independence Day, to be able to see the Israeli flags flying across the country and fireworks lighting up the skies in the major cities... I am sure that day will come. Till then, I will just celebrate it my way, i.e. put up the souvenir-sized Israeli flags in my room! Haha!

Happy Birthday, Israel! =D

No Job, No Wife.

I had some unpleasant relationships in the past, and made mistakes and broke hearts as a result of my naiveness, immaturity, and lack of commitment in growing them. Not long after I have joined the church, I got hold of the audio sermons on 'Choosing The Right Partner For Life' and 'Becoming A Real Man'. I have also attended the churchwide seminar on 'Making Marriage Work' last year. These series have educated me in many ways how to be a mature man (My church has this saying that "We are male by birth but MEN BY CHOICE!"), and also how to be a good boyfriend and a committed and faithful husband in the future.

I have always had this goal for some years that I want to get married between the age of 26 and 28 (yes, I don't want a late marriage...). However, given the fact that I'm already 23 and going on to 24 in some months away, many wondered why I am still single and not attached right now. I am more than 100% certain that God doesn't want me to stay single for the rest of my life, and therefore, I am trusting God for His perfect timing and 'provision'. However, I also knew that I have to do my part too and find 'her', because the Bible says this in Proverbs 18:22 (NKJV) that "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord."! For more than a year I have been praying that He will give me guidance and directions to find 'her' (not only in my own quiet time but also at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, haha!), but this morning as I was re-listening to one of the sermons in the 'Becoming A Real Man' series, these words "No job, no wife" got stuck in my mind and the Lord reminded me on the spot that I have to get my priorities right and find a job first! For a moment, the 'she/her'-seeker has returned to the path of a job-seeker... haha. =P

Room-Cleaning Done... AT LAST!

I couldn't believe it. It took me such a long, long time to finish cleaning up my room after I came back from my international exchange. When I came back to Singapore on March 31 (which was 20 days ago), I was shocked the moment I entered my room. Things were still at where they were when I left Singapore on October 5 last year, but there's a huge amount of dust layered on top of almost everything and every exposed surface in my room, and there are also quite a number of spider webs! Yucks! I guess closing all the windows and the room door wasn't enough to keep them out, since the windows are facing the ventilation windows of many bathrooms in my block and thus my room is more humid than other rooms in the unit. I was thinking, since I need to do a thorough cleaning in my room, I would also take the opportunity to discard all unwanted items away and rearrange everything else in my room to make it more tidy and comfortable to live in. It was a worthy decision, but I underestimated the time needed for me to get everything done! By today I have thrown away approximately 14 fully-loaded bags of trash (in those big-size, black-coloured trash bags) from my room. Yes, that's A LOT of trash. Haha! And finally I have finished the whole cleaning process today and has just returned from IKEA with some new, essential furnishings for my room. Right now I'm thinking if I can decorate the empty, white-coloured walls with photos... I think my room will look even nicer in the weeks ahead! =P

Rev Benny Hinn in Singapore, again!

This recent weekend saw the world's renowned healing evangelist Rev Benny Hinn back in Singapore again after his last visit to Singapore two years ago. Similar to last time round, the expectation was high across the region and thousands travelled from abroad to Singapore for his healing services. I was in the 1000-strong choir two years ago and therefore I didn't have to queue to secure a place in the Singapore Indoor Stadium then. But for this year, I queued just like any other attendees, and I have decided to queue for my friends in the cell group and me much earlier than usual to avoid disappointments. The first day I queued at 1:40pm when the service started at 7:30pm. The second day I queued at 12:40pm when the service started at 7pm. The third day I queued at 8:40pm when the service started at 4pm. Never have I queued so much earlier for services! Haha!

The healing services were phenomenal. Not only many healing miracles took place daily, the power of God was demonstrated over the weekend with thousands touched and be filled by the Holy Spirit, with pastors and ministers be anointed to bring about more signs and wonders in their churches and ministries, and most importantly, with thousands received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Hallelujah! Rev Benny Hinn also shared at the beginning of the service on the first day that the Arab countries have opened their doors, after knowing what happened in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, where 1.5 million people attended his 3-day healing crusades last March. Praise the Lord for these open doors!

There was a special moment on the third day that was particularly moving, when Rev Benny Hinn realised that there were hundreds of people from mainland China seated in the audience. He invited them to the stage to greet the crowd, but through their words we were deeply moved by their love for Jesus Christ and their passion to see the entire China saved. Tears were streaming and flowing so abundantly from their eyes as they spoke and worshipped and prayed, and I found myself crying with them for the revival in China, my country. I pray that the Lord will open the door to China fully so that everyone in the whole country will get to hear the Gospel and be saved!

You can read more about the healing services in Singapore here!

My 1st trip to Malaysia since I have returned from Israel

Most travellers travelling to Israel would normally ask the Israeli checkpoint officials not to stamp in their passports so that they would not show any evidence of having been to Israel. Very often, these travellers would not like to spoil their chances when visiting the countries which do not formally recognise Israel, particularly most of the Arab states. In the worst situation, the country can deport and blacklist any travellers who possess any evidence they have been to Israel, even though they have managed to keep their passports free of Israeli stamps! Yes, it does sound very nasty...=(

Many countries around the world will issue an additional passport to their citizens if they submit their special requests to the authorities for consideration. However, this is not the case in Hong Kong, and only when the passport-holder loses his/her passport or finishes all passport pages will the Immigration Department issue a new HKSAR passport. After I came back from my international exchange, my passport contains more than 5 pages of Israeli stamps, Israeli visas and evidences that I have been to Israel (such as the Jordanian and Egyptian entry and exit stamps), and I was rather concerned if they will spoil my chances to visit Malaysia and Indonesia, the two Muslim states neighbouring Singapore.

The day before I returned to Singapore (which was actually 3 days ago!), Zhuomin asked me if I would like to join Liqin and her for a day of movies and food in Johor Bahru, the city on the other side of the Causeway linking Singapore to Malaysia. Since I knew I was going to be free on that day, I told her that I would join them, even though I didn't know if I would encounter any problems entering Malaysia. I made that attempt this morning, and to my relief, I have no problems at all! Yay!!!!!!! =D

Unlike the past when we normally would just spend most of our time at the Johor Bahru City Square, located along Jalan Wong Ah Fook near the Causeway cehckpoint, we ventured further today and landed ourselves at the new ÆON Tebrau City Shopping Centre in northern Johor Bahru. We watched two movies one-after-another: comedy "Just Follow Law" made by Singaporean film director Jack Neo and action drama "300". Obviously, they have very different storylines, and only after we watched the first movie we realised that we should have reversed their sequence! Nevermind, both are great movies anyway. After the movies we intended to have an early dinner at the hawker centre at Taman Sentosa. However, we felt the itch (or to be more precise: ache) to get some good massages for our shoulders and feet, and so happened we spotted a non-sleazy massage and spa outlet directly opposite the hawker centre! We received (at a monetary price, of course!) some great and thorough massages there for more than an hour. Since the very first time I received massages by blind masseurs back in SMU Bukit Timah Campus, I love massages and have been going for head-and-shoulder massages and feet reflexology sessions almost on a monthly basis. This regular practice took a 6-month break when I was away for international exchange, and it seems that the break was too long for my body to take. I felt rather painful during the massage today, and at times I almost screamed! Very paiseh... =P Of course, it was an entirely different story after the massage. I felt awesome! Hee-ha! =D

We had a great dinner at the hawker centre after the massage, during which we ordered many dishes that I've missed when I was away. We also bought some HK-style chee cheong fun (which taste a lot better than those in Singapore) to be brought back to Singapore. We crossed the Causeway and returned to Singapore in the late evening, and we were seriously thinking of making such trips to Johor Bahru (or further) more often, since spending in Malaysia is much cheaper than in Singapore. I have never thought that I would exit Singapore so soon after I returned (even though it was just a day trip). Now I have found out that I would not encounter problems when entering Malaysia, I am considering going there more often so that I can finish my passport pages as soon as possible and renew for the new HKSAR electronic passport, free of Israeli stamps!

YouTube: We live in Singapura, by Hossan Leong

Although I am not a Singaporean, I have lived in Singapore long enough to know its history and political and social developments. In the midst of my fierce job search over the weekend, Joanna sent me an URL to yet another interesting clip on YouTube. This time round, it was the famous Singapore comedian Hossan Leong singing/rapping about (or rather, making fun of) the history and political and social developments of Singapore (and a bit on Malaysia too), in a very satire manner and full of Singlish, right in the heart of the old Parliament building (i.e. City Hall)! Enjoy!