An Afternoon Walk to the Herzliya Beaches…

It is still taking me a bit of effort to get used to the time difference here. The sun rises around 5:30am daily, and sets around 5:30pm here in Herzliya. The sunrise and sunset hours are rather different from those in Singapore and HK, so I tend to wake up and feel sleepy earlier even though I have been living here for quite a while already. The weather has been great here, and I mean, really really really great: sunny with comfortable temperatures (20-27 deg C) and a relatively lower humidity, and with occasional breezes from the sea.

I have spent much time in my apartment doing cleaning work since I have arrived here, and after that I was still spending much time in my apartment, connected to the Internet and caught up with friends back in Singapore. Thanks to the time difference... if I wanna catch them in their evening/night time, I have to go online in the afternoon here! But today I decided to do something different – going to the beaches in Herzliya!

It took me about an hour to walk from my apartment to Nof Yam Beach, one of the 6 beaches in Herzliya. Well, the main reason I need to walk is because there was no public transport on Shabat (Saturday). But it’s ok… I don’t mind to explore the city on foot in such great weather conditions! Anyway, the beach was BEAUTIFUL, and I really mean it! The view was great… with the endless Mediterranean Sea in front of my eyes. When I reach there it was close to sunset, and since the sea is in the West direction, the beaches in Herzliya are the best places to catch a magnificent sunset! Took many pictures there, and had some wonderful conversation with 2 local Israelis. (Many Israelis are very very hospitable, and they love to talk and can’t really stop! Haha! Like me! =P)

Unlike what usually happens, the sun didn’t set into the sea today but instead into the clouds… (sob… =( ) There was a storm in the middle of the sea and the clouds were just above the sea and blocked my nice sunset!!! Nevermind, I will certainly go back to the beaches again, since there are another 5 more for me to explore! Haha! =D


Nof Yam Beach, one of the 6 beaches in Herzliya.



Sunset at Nof Yam Beach.



Shivat HaKokhavim Mall, the nearest mega shopping mall from my apartment (1/2-hour walk though). I have eaten there twice during my first week in Israel, at KFC and Burger King, to 'cure' my longing for familiar things. Haha! However, eating out in Israel is very expensive compared to Singapore and HK... =(

Waiting for ‘Arise & Build’!!!

The church is what I missed most since I left Singapore, and I couldn’t wait to return there after this exchange. I missed the worship experience in the Singapore Expo, missed the cell group meetings, missed the fellowship with my many many friends in church. As a result, I have done many things to keep me ‘connected’ to the church while I am away. One of them was watching service online, and today was my very first time here in Israel. I watched Service 1 this afternoon, and thank God the connection was stable throughout. The praise and worship led by David Holmes and Andrew Naylor was simply awesome. I could feel the presence of God so strongly as I watched the service and worshipped in front of my computer screen. The message was one which I have heard before, but nonetheless, it was a timely message to charge up my faith for the upcoming ‘Arise & Build’! Yes! I am going to participate in the Building Fund online, and will make my pledge online during the same weekend as everyone in church does (which happens to be my 23th birthday too! Haha!) I am still praying for an amount God wants me to give this time round, but one thing I am very sure: He will not short-change me and will definitely bless me back with more, and it doesn’t matter where I am when I give! YAY!!! =D

My Contact Details in Israel

Hi friends. Here are my contact details here in Israel:

Address: 4/2 Golomb St., Herzliya 46305, ISRAEL
Mobile: (Calling within Israel) 052-5806865; (Calling outside Israel) +972-52-5806865


The block where my apartment in Herzliya is located. I am staying just above the ground floor. =)

Culture Shock in Israel

Yup, I have arrived in Israel, finally!!!

Right after I’ve landed at the Ben Gurion International Airport (which was a really really grand airport, opened not too long ago), I took the direct train to Herzliya, the city where my partner university IDC Herzliya is located, about 15km north of Tel Aviv. (Coincidentally, the train which I took was made in Germany and looked so much like German trains!) I received the key from the administration in the morning, and went straight to my apartment (which thankfully, only a 10-min walk from the university).

My two flatmates were not around when I moved into the apartment. One of them is Tal Gal-On, a local Jewish Israeli, and he was working in the day. Another is Issac Berthaus, a Jewish migrant from Uruguay, and he happened to be in Jerusalem that day. I was all by myself when the sun was up. When the sunset was approaching, I decided to step out of the apartment to find dinner and get some cleaning agents to clean up my room…

… and it was a real culture shock.

Herzliya has 2 sides, one towards the sea where there’s more tourism activities, where many diplomats and rich families stay and where more English-speaking people are found. However, I am staying on the other side, where they are less English-speaking people. Although English is a language which is useful in Israel, Hebrew, being the national language, is nonetheless the best language to be used in the country. During my short ‘adventure’ in that other side of Herzliya, the signboards, advertisements and menu boards in eateries I saw were all in Hebrew. When I went to this supermarket to buy stuff, my goodness, even the brands and the information on the products were all in Hebrew! I would not be able to locate and differentiate hair shampoo and hair conditioner if I did not bring out with me the Hebrew phrase book which I have bought in HK.

I was so lost… I was like the only Chinese-looking person walking around in the streets of Herzliya…
I felt so alone… and that’s because my flatmates were not around, and I was away from my family and friends back in HK and Singapore respectively. I realised that leaving my comfort zone was not as easy as I thought to be…
I was somewhat helpless too… but I thank God that He have arranged some local people who knew how to speak English to come to ‘rescue’ when I couldn’t communicate properly at the cashiers (i.e. Elvis w/ English only vs The Cashier w/ Hebrew only)…

I knew I was not lonely because He is with me (there’s a difference between alone and lonely)…
But as I walked back to my apartment, I broke down in tears… and in even more tears when I met Tal in the apartment and I shared with him my misery.

And guess what? God is a very interesting God, and He really has a good sense of humour. Tal speaks fluent Mandarin, and he knows how to read and write both Simplified and Traditional Chinese characters!!! WOW!!! (That should give enough motivation for those of my friends in Singapore who are not so fluent in Chinese!) He used to work in China and Taiwan for more than a year, and I could see his love for the Chinese culture when I saw the huge map of China taped on one of the walls in his room. A while later Tal brought me along to meet some of his friends blocks away, and one of them was a Korean! Great to see another face from East Asia! When we returned to the apartment, Issac has already returned from Jerusalem. Everyone was back in the apartment, at last and thankfully!

That was a real interesting and memorable first day in Israel… what a way to start my exchange experience!
On the other hand though, I am preparing for more culture shocks to come…

My goodness! I dropped one of my camera lens caps dropped from the height of 157m…

Relax! It didn’t hit anyone. =P

I went to Cologne today with Stephanie and her Malaysian friends, who are also studying in Germany on scholarships. There were more tourists in Cologne than in Frankfurt, probably due to the existence of a Dom (which means cathedral) right next to the Hauptbahnhof. The cathedral was old, really really old, close to 800 years old in fact. Amazingly, it was the only building which left standing in Cologne’s city centre during the WWII bombings. With the company of Stephanie’s boyfriend, we went up the cathedral through the narrow steps up a staircase of close to 600 stairs that is close to ever-winding! It was tiring, since I haven’t ‘exercised’ like that for a long time. Haha! We had a good view of Cologne at the end of the staircase, where the authorities have constructed a viewing gallery within the cathedral building, at the height of 157m.

Yes, the number “157” appeared again! I was fiercely taking pictures from the gallery, and from time to time I asked Stephanie’s boyfriend to help me to hold my lens when I was changing them. At one moment I was ‘discussing’ with him what would happen if something drops from such a height. And there goes, at another moment I accidentally hit him and the lens cap of the lens he was holding came out and fell off and went through one of the holes of the barbed wires around the gallery and… the rest is history. ARGH!!! Thank God, we did hear it landed within a couple of seconds. It didn’t go all the way to the ground (i.e. 0m), but just at the bottom of the viewing gallery which was not accessible. Phew…

One thing which fascinates me most in Germany is the train service. There are many types of trains in the country (Bahn, S-Bahn, U-Bahn, Regionalbahn (RB), Regional Express, IC, ICE), and the train system really makes the country very well-connected between places. They are largely efficient, except that they do have delays at times. I love taking trains since I was a child. I got excited and fascinated by trains very much wherever I go, so Germany is like THE place. Haha! I mean, I still asked myself, how did the people manage to build such a complicated system? It was simply amazing…


The double-decker Regional Express from Dueren to Cologne. 


The U-Bahn (underground train) in Cologne. 


The bird-eye view of Cologne, from the viewing gallery near the top of the cathedral. The river in the middle is The Rhine River, which runs from Switzerland, through France and Germany, to the Netherlands. 


A bridge full of train tracks!!!


ICE train -- the fastest train in Germany, but it is still slower than the TGV trains in France. 


The Dom (Cathedral) next to Cologne Hauptbahnhof. (The red arrow shows the rough locations where the lens cap fell, and thankfully, landed.) 


Chilling out with Stephanie and her friends at a cafe in Cologne. 


Sunset at The Rhine River. 

Arrival in Germany

Almost every exchange student would have flown straight into the country where his/her partner university is situated, and would avoid as many transits as possible because it would be very common for them to have many pieces of luggage.

Well, that’s not me!
I wished I could, but unfortunately there is no direct flight from Singapore to Israel.
I could choose to transit only in HK or Bangkok, but the air fare was not cheap.
Since I am entitled to staff family travel benefits offered by Cathay Pacific, my parents and I decided to make use of it.

I arrived in Frankfurt, Germany early in the morning around 6am, landed in a time zone that is 6 hours behind Singapore/HK. Nope, I did not change to another flight on the same day to go to Israel, and that’s because I did not want to reach Israel in the middle of their Sabbath (or Shabat in Hebrew, which is Saturday), when there won’t be any public transportation until late evening. Instead, I contacted Stephanie, a Malaysian friend whom I have known in Singapore more than 3 years ago and currently studies in Germany, and asked if she could host me for 3 days, until my scheduled flight in the evening on Sunday.

My God is such an amazing God, and like what my church friends have prayed for me before I left Singapore, He protected me and watched over me all the time. I got the opportunity to know 2 German passengers on the airplane, and one of them offered to stay with me for close to 3 hours, showed me around the Frankfurt Airport and taught me how to get back to the airport by train. The best part was that he offered to drive me to the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (which means Central Train Station), where I would meet Stephanie another 4 hours later. As a result, I saved the trouble to bring all my stuff onto their S-Bahn (which is the subway train), and needed not to buy the train ticket! Yay!

I met Stephanie around 2:40pm and she brought me around Frankfurt. Compared to the heat in Singapore and the warmth in HK, Frankfurt is certainly a contrast with a temperature of around 11-17 deg C, and I had to wear my thick winter jacket, which became especially helpful after the sunset. There aren’t many things to see in Frankfurt though, but the short tour around the city was enough to satisfy my desire to see something different outside Singapore and HK. Had a really really great hot chocolate from Godiva. I am not going to miss the Godiva chocolates once I am back in Singapore next year! Haha! The day ended with a train journey to Dueren, a small town near the city of Cologne and where Stephanie and another 2 of her friends stay. By the time I reached their apartment I was so exhausted… I mean, my October 6 was 30-hour long, thanks to the time difference!


This is the huge European Union logo situated somewhere in Frankfurt.


This is Stephanie, my host for the 3 days in Germany. =)


The Godiva Hot Chocolate. The best hot drink for the cool temperature in Frankfurt!


Dinner at "Paulaner am Dom". 


At Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof. This was the IC train from Frankfurt to Cologne, and we still had to change to another train from Cologne to Dueren. Yawnz... 

Leaving for International Exchange, at last!

The day has finally come.
I am departing Singapore today, and will not return till March/April next year.
I am leaving for my international exchange in Israel, and will be studying at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya for one semester. Coincidentally, this semester is also the final one in my undergraduate study in SMU.

My journey for this international exchange could be traced all the way back to last year, when on one fine day I received an email update from SMU Office of International Relations (OIR), announcing that SMU has established a new agreement with IDC Herzliya in Israel. I have long desired to go to Israel since my church started arranging members to go for Israel tours years ago, but, the tours were expensive and short. When I saw the email, I thought, hmmm... this might be an alternative, perhaps a better one. Anyway, I was so buried in my academic work then that this idea diminished into one small wishful thought of mine...

Never did I know that this wishful thought was recurrected months later, when OIR and SMU Travel Club organised the Israel Day in collaboration with the Embassy of Israel in Singapore. During the event I found out more about Israel and had the opportunity to taste some of the Jewish cuisine prepared by the local Jewish community in Singapore. After talking to the Second Secretary from the embassy, and OIR allowed me to submit my late application, I was thinking... hmmm... should I go for it?

I have learnt through my years of Christian walk that not all open doors are from the Lord, and I shall pray for wisdom and guidance from Him to find the right path and walk in His will. Going for the exchange will mean that I will be away for 6 months, and this is not a short time (even though I have been studying in Singapore for 9 years!). Another concern which I had was the fact that the exchange will be at the same time of my church's Building Fund period, and certainly I won't like to miss it for the world! I prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and I asked God to give me peace if this is from Him, or simply shut the doors if it is not from Him.

After so many months of preparation, I could only conclude that the doors have never been shut. My application was smooth, largely due to the fact that I avoided the rush in the normal application period. I managed to settle my courses and got the approval from my School to arrange for several special arrangements, and that was a miracle!

Things were not so smooth in July, when the war between Israel and Lebanon (or more specifically, Hezbollah) broke out and rockets were fired over to Israel almost every single day. I was very glued to the developments, to the extent that I got very emotionally affected and OIR asked me to give myself break and stay away from the news coverage on the war. On the other hand in my prayer closet, I prayed and asked God for a confirmation whether the door to the exchange remained open or not. I waited and waited, and another blow came when my mother, who has given me much support to go for the exchange before the war, told me to give it up early. She set a 'deadline' for us to make the final decision, and I prayed even harder and hoped that the war would end soon. I strived to keep my faith strong during this period and really believed God for another miracle to come my way...

The miracle came.
The war ended about half a month before that 'deadline', which certainly gave enough room for everything to settle down before the decision date. 3 days before that 'deadline' my mother renewed her support!!! Yay! After that my preparation continued, from drawing up my travel itinerary to booking my air tickets, from paying a visit to the embassy to settling the various matters in SMU before my departure, and it was smooth by large.

The day has finally come.
Thank you to all my friends who have prayed for me and given me the blessings to go for the exchange.
Thank you to all my friends who have asked me out to meet up, to makan, and to spend time catching up.
In fact, I wished I have few more days to meet more people before I leave. Time passed so quickly, especially after I spent 10 days volunteering at the Singapore 2006 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings and another week in HK with my family.

Keep in touch, and see you in March/April next year. Will miss you all dearly and very much. *sob sob, with tears streaming down my eyes...*
I will be back, healthy, sound, in one piece and whole! Haha!!! =D

Blog Resurrection, Round 2

Once again, I have disappeared from the blogging scene, for a longer period this time round! I was never a person who writes diary all my life, and to build up a habit to write about my life consistently is not easy... okay lah, I admit it is an excuse lah! =P

Anyway, this blog is now officially resurrected for good (I hope!), and will be updated extensively (again, I hope!) to document my experiences and encounters during my international exchange programme in Israel, from October this year to March/April next year. Blogging is certainly the least costly (coz it's free!) and one of the most effective way to let everybody know what happens to me when I am away. So, I shall blog again! Haha! =D

Enjoy reading the following! =D

The contents in this entry were taken from the most recent weekend sermon in my church. Very interesting. Do read on... I am sure you'll be shocked by the verses (after realising the responsibilities!), and laughed after reading the last part of this blog. Haha! =D

A Verse for Husbands:
Husbands, love your wives [be affectionate and sympathetic with them] and do not be harsh or bitter or resentful toward them.

-- Colossians 3:19 (The Amplified Bible)

A Verse for Wives:
... and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly].

-- Ephesians 5:33 (The Amplified Bible)

Women's Talk -- An out-of-this-world language to Men
What Those Words Really Mean... :

When she says 'Yes', it usually means 'No.'

When she says 'No', it means 'Yes.'

When she says 'Maybe', it still means 'No.'

When she says 'I am sorry', it means 'You'll be sorry.'

When she says 'We need this', it means 'I want it.'

When she says 'Well, up to you. It's your decision', it means 'Come on, wise up. Don't you know that my correct decision hasn't been obvious already?'

When she says 'Do what you want', it means 'You'll pay for this later.'

When she says 'Honey, we need to talk', it means 'I want to complain.'

When she says 'I am not upset', it means 'Of course I am upset, you moron!'

When she says 'You're so manly today', it means 'Please go and take a bath. Your BO stinks!'

When she says 'The kitchen is so inconvenient', it means 'Time for us to buy a new house.'

When she says 'Do you love me?', it means 'I am going to ask for something expensive.'

When she says 'How much do you love me?', it means 'I am going to tell you something that you are going to be very angry.'

When she says 'I'll be ready in 1 minute. Just give me 1 minute. I'll be ready', it means 'Take off your shoes. Go and get your coke. Switch on the soccer game. I'm going to take 1 hour.'

A worship song for the season...

This new worship song was sung during the weekend service last weekend, and the presence of God saturated the whole hall... When it was sung repeatedly, it became a song of my own and a cry from my heart...

Presence

by Christian City Church

Verse:
I Feel Your Peace, You're Here With Me
You Bring Me All I Need Lord Breathe On Me
And As I Wait, Draw Near To Me
My Soul It Longs For You To Breathe On Me

Pre-Chorus:
Jesus, Jesus
There's No One Else Like You (x2)

Chorus:
Lord Your Presence Fills This Place
As We Glorify Your Name
There Is No One Else But You
Jesus My Saviour (x2)
Let The Whole World Worship You

Bridge:
Let The Whole World Worship
The Whole World Worship
The Whole Worship You

Excerpts from recent sermons from Church and Cell Group meetings:

Just wanna pen down some excerpts taken from the recent sermons preached in Church and Cell Group meetings... To my friends who are reading this now, hope the following will bless you greatly! =)

[ 7 Elements to Achieve Success -- SUCCESS ]
1). Sense of direction;
2). Understanding;
3). Courage;
4). Charity;
5). Esteem;
6). Self-Confidence; and
7). Self-Acceptance.

[ 7 Dangers We Must Avoid, if we want to achieve success -- FAILURE ]
1). Frustration;
2). Aggressiveness
3). Insecurity;
4). Loneliness;
5). Uncertainty;
6). Resentment; and
7). Emptiness.

[ 10 Commandments for Building Good Relationships ]
1). COMMUNICATION is the key of life.
2). Be INTERESTED in people in their world.
3). Make people feel IMPORTANT.
4). SMILE when you meet people.
5). ENCOURAGE people.
6). Be LONGSUFFERING.
7). RESPECT people.
8). ESTEEM others as better than yourself.
9). Use PEOPLE'S NAMES more than normal.
10). Be COMPLIMENTARY of people.

If you want the entire sermon(s), do not hesitate to contact me ok? I will be more than happy to share them with you, because I know they will change your life! =)

Valentine's Day

Kinda felt weird blogging about Valentine's Day after 1 whole week has passed! But then, I don't have a 'Valentine' YET, so it doesn't matter THAT much lah.

Realised that Valentine's Day has really become more and more commercialised nowadays. More and more people are celebrating it, but don't know why I just feel that not many people are catching the essence of Valentine's Day, and only celebrate it like a yearly exercise. Hmmm... hope I am not too critical here. =P

Obviously, Valentine's Day is all about LOVE. My Bible has provided a great description of what love should be:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstances. Love will last forever.

-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NLT)

Sounds like a real idealistic definition eh? But then at the first place, that's what love should be, and I truly believe that having a love so pure is achievable, and at all costs I should, I shall and I will work towards making it a reality. I know there will be people saying that I am childish and naive striving for such perfection. I don't care though. God has showered me His perfect love all this while, and He is still doing that to me and loving me everyday. His Son Jesus has demostrated that perfect love by dying for my sins on the cross. The Holy Spirit lives within me and teaches me how to love... And me? I just want to be one of His faithful servants and love people like the way He does, for the rest of my life...

I don't know who are and will be reading my blog, but I just wanna declare here that... (nah, I haven't found my 'Valentine' yet! You can breathe easier now... Hehe... =P) ... that when the day I find that special someone who keeps making my heart pumping fast, who makes me feel like living on earth is like living in Heaven, who loves me just as I am, whom I want to spend time with for the rest of my life (WHAT a lengthened version of 'my Valentine'! Haha!), I will make sure that no matter what happenes, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, I will love her with ALL my heart, and will demostrate that love in every way I know and am capable of, and will spend whatever effort it requires to make her feel that she is very special to me, someone I will never let go. I shall also declare here that once I find that someone, on all the future Valentine's Days I will give her surprises, each filled with creativity, with excitement, and most importantly, with that genuine, pure love God has taught me to pour out to her.

My goodness... what have I typed here? Haha!!! =D

Delirious?@CHC

Martin Smith, started the praise and worship with the number 'There Is A Light', and the legendary lighting of the candle, representing 'the light of the world'...

(Photos extracted from City Harvest Church Official Website at http://www.chc.org.sg/. Copyright © 2000-2007 City Harvest Church.)

Delirious?, one of the top Christian bands in the world, was leading the praise and worship at my church during the February 4-5 weekend. Yuptz... realised it's definitely a backdating here coz' I was waiting for the photos to be uploaded in the church website all this while before posting my thoughts here. Heh.

I attended the service on Sunday, February 5, and must say I was really blown away by the presence of God during the 2 rounds of praise and worship, before and after the preaching. The songs were great, very meaningful, and together with the hearts of the congregation worshipping in one accord, the presence of God was so heavy and tangible, that many people were moved to several rounds of tears throughout (like me!). I love the presence of God. I love it when I can fill His presence everyday, when I can sense the assurance that He is there watching over me and guiding me.

One of the new songs Delirious? has chosen to sing during the service was 'Take Off My Shoes'. That was one song which changed the atmosphere in the hall. David Yem, CHC Music Director, described what happened most appropriately in the tour diary posted in Delirious? website:

'One poignant moment came on Sunday morning where after we had sung Majesty and Martin decided to do the song "Take off my shoes". After he had explained the meaning of the song to the congregation, you could sense the meaning of the lyrics sinking in deep into the hearts of the people as the band kicked into the song. Like what the song said, the hearts of the people were engaged and drawn into a deeper presence of God with all of us desiring to tarry in the "secret place" and not leave. By the end of the worship that Sunday morning, it was hard to find a dry eye in the entire congregation.

This is the song:

Take Off My Shoes

by Delirious?

Verse 1:
I'll Take Off My Shoes, I'm Coming In,
Untie This Rope, I'm Staying With Him,
Love Of My Life, I'll Live And Die,
Just For The Moments For My King and I.

Why Did You Call, Why Did You Wait,
For Someone So Guilty, Someone So Fake.
There Are No Words For My Beautiful Song,
Now I'm In The Arms Of My Beautiful One.

Chorus:
Hold Me, Blow All The Pride From My Bones, With Your Fire.
Hold Me, Breathe On This Heart Made Of Stone, Keep It Pure.
Hold Me, Saviour Of Heaven And Earth, King Forever.
Hold Me, Love Of My Life Lead Me On, Through The Fire, Lead Me On...

Verse 2:
I'll Take Off This Crown And Fall At Your Feet,
The Secret Of Joy Are The Moments We Meet.
How Could A Man With All Of Your Fame,
Pull Me From Darkness And Call Me By Name.

So Hold Me Today, As I Carry Your Cross,
Into The Desert To Find Who Is Lost.
Look At My Hands, They're Still Full Of Faith,
God Keep Them Clean Till We Finish The Race.

Concern over My Photography...

Was thinking about this recently... somehow felt that my photography skills have not improved for quite a while... somehow felt that something is missing... felt that the passion is not as strong before... This is certainly not good, not good at all...

Guess I really need a break... a break when I can once again use my camera to create pictures that express the feelings in my heart, going to a place where I can be away from the busy buzz I have had over the years of education, a time when I can truly recover from fatigue, truly explore more about myself and think clearly about what I want in my life, and most importantly, to spend more time with my Lord and stay in His presence always, in ways that will keep me amazed and in love always.

Fell ill... =(

I used to fall sick pretty often in the past. But believe it or not, I fell sick less often after I became committed in church and stayed in His presence always. I also realised that many times I fell ill it was likely due to the fact that I did not take care of my body properly. Just like this time round, I fell ill after the Chinese New Year (CNY) holidays! =( Many people thought that I probably ate too much during CNY, but the fact was that I stored up too much heat inside my body, after 1 whole month of not being watchful of what I ate and did not take the relevant supplements. And all it took was a cold that I caught the day after the holidays and triggered all the imbalance inside my body, to the extent that I actually ended up having fever on Friday. It feels really awful, especially I lost so much of my strength and my appetite! (Imagine taking away appetite from me! NO WAY!!!)

I feel alot better now after resting much over the past 2 days... and I am proclaiming that BY HIS STRIPES I WILL BE COMPLETELY HEALED!!! Amen! =D

Another Chinese New Year in Singapore...

I must really declare that I missed spending Chinese New Year (CNY) back home! If my calculation was correct, I have just spent 6th or 7th CNY in Singapore, and I really wonder when it will be the next time I will be home to spend CNY with my family! Well, actually, not saying that I really resented spending CNY in Singapore (although it is not as happening compared to CNY in Hong Kong), but of course I would really prefer getting busy during CNY and at least have something to do all the time! (Am I a workaholic??? Hmmm...)

My CNY eve was really one of a kind... I actually spent 10 hours, almost non-stop, watching TV at home, from 2pm to 12midnight! I watched Channel 5 at first, showing the movie 'Mission to Mars' (which was not really interesting although the storyline is weird), then I changed to Channel NewsAsia and happened to catch the documentary on SMU. After that I decided to retune all the channels on TV, and then I settled for a Japanese TV show on Channel U, and later, the evening News report on the same channel. After that, I caught another movie, this time round in Chinese, on Channel 8, which has an even more weird storyline, before I went to the kitchen and prepared my dinner (which was around 10pm and sadly, 2 packets of instant noodles for CNY eve! =( ). And then I put the noodles before me and started watching 'Rush Hour' on Channel 5, and the movie distracted me so much until my noodles became so soggy and inedible... All these while I put my laptop before me and chatted on MSN at the same time, and all alone in the apartment coz' nobody was home! Must really admit that I almost cried when the sun started to set, but thankfully I needed not to do that as my mum gave me a call shortly after I had that thought. What a CNY eve eh?

Thankfully, things changed close to the stroke of midnight. A very close friend of mine SMSed me around 11 plus and asked me if I wanna watch the movie 'I Not Stupid Too'. I shouted 'liberation!' the moment I got the SMS... haha... coz' finally I got to leave the apartment and I knew I would enjoy the time later on. The movie was great, very entertaining and at certain parts very touching. I got so impressed by the movie to the point that I straightaway put it in my MSN nickname to recommend my friends to catch it! Haha! I really thank God for not forgetting me all alone and arranged an itinerary that He knew I would love, i.e. catching a great movie and more importantly spending time with my close friend, even though I paid alot for the movie itself (the public holiday price of the movie ticket + 2 midnight taxi journeys between Upper Bukit Timah and Tampines)! Yay yay!!! =D

Interestingly, the midnight after the CNY 1st day was also spent watching movie, again! This time round it was 'Memoirs of a Geisha', another great show, very captivating and beautiful (although some people do not really appreciate it), with my friends from church after having dinner at where one of them stays. And guess what, I watched the same movie AGAIN when I went across the Causeway to Johor Bahru (JB) on the CNY 2nd day with Zhuomin and Liqin. Guess we all got too bored in Singapore... We spent time at JB City Square eating, walking around and shopping (not me of coz!), from early afternoon till late at night. Hmm... really wish Singapore can do more to spice up the CNY atmosphere on the actual days!!!

The CNY 3rd day was spent mostly watching TV, again! (What goes around comes around!) And must confess that I planned to catch up my school work and in the end never got down to it at all even though the holiday was pretty long! (Guilty! Hehe... =P ) School resumed the next day, and haha... so many of my friends came and told me that I should have told them I would be all alone for CNY eve! Haiz... I just told them it's over already lah. Haha... As for next year's CNY wise, hmm... so far I got an invitation for the reunion dinner 1 year early, and I think only know if I will get to go for it at the end of this year or the start of next year once I confirm my post-graduation plans. Hmm... shall I spend CNY in Singapore or HK next year?

New School Term.

Realised I didn't blog for quite a while... once again!!! Argh!

My new school term commenced about a month ago. Compared to my previous terms, this term is rather different because I am taking only 3.5 credits, which is lower than the average most SMU students will be taking. Well, after all, this is already my 2nd last normal term in SMU already and I have already cleared most of my credit requirements. I guess it's better to slow down bah... especially after taking 6 credits last term (which was hectic and highly not-recommended unless absolutely necessary)!!! However, this term is also remarkably different because though I am taking the least number of credits ever, I spent the most in buying my textbooks and course packs!!! Unbelievable! =P

Anyway, I think the greatest benefits of taking lesser courses are that (1). I managed to prepare my lessons better than before, gradually. Managed to complete the required readings and therefore more equipped to participate in class; and (2). I have more free time than ever before to (a). rest! (b). recover (to get myself rejuvenated so that I won't get burnt out frequently!); and most importantly (c). to spend time with friends, with people whom I love to fellowship with all these while! This is something I always wanted to do and wished to have more time for what really matters most to me, and I am so grateful that in this new school term the opportunity has finally come! Yay! =D

Dwelling Places...

This worship song was sung during the first service of the new year, and what a choice it was!
The presence of God was so tangible, so strong, yet so peaceful then, when the whole congregation, united in one voice, worshipped Him...
I cut out the song from the sermon video recently so that I can listen to the song repeatedly. Even now as I listen to it, it still touches my heart and His presence continues to fill my heart every time... =)

Dwelling Places

by Hillsong Music Australia

Verse 1:
Lovely Are Your Dwelling Places
Thristy I Come After You
Jesus My Joy, My Reward
Your Love's Restoring My Soul
Now I'm Yours And You Are Mine
And From My Heart A Song Will Rise

*Chorus:
I Love You, I Love You, I Love You
I Love You, I Love You, I Love You
I Love You, I Love You, I Love You
And My Heart Will Follow Wholly After You

Verse 2:
Jesus There Is None Beside You
Righteous Ruler Of The Earth
Nations Will Come And Bow Down
Name Over All Names, I Sing You Praises
And All That I Can Say To You Is *

Callie's Water Baptism on Christmas Day!

To a Christian, water baptism represents a great significance in his/her walk with the Lord. More than just a religious ceremony, it is an occasion whereby the baptism candidate decides to declare publicly that he/she is formally a believer of Jesus Christ. Even more importantly, there is much spiritual significance in water baptism, when the believer will, in fact, begin to experience and encounter God in a brand new way, and be given new grace and spiritual blessing from the Lord by faith. I am so grateful that I am already water baptized since November 2004 (the very same week of my 21st birthday!), and I never regretted making that decision at all! Haha! =D

My friend Callie (from SMU) was baptized on Christmas day last year (Gosh... actually it was just like a few weeks ago from today but the phrase 'last year' sounded so long ago... haha...). How cool is that? Baptized on Christmas day! In the card I gave to her I wrote that she would from now on never ever treat Christmas the same way again, coz' it will become a day for double celebrations yearly from now on. Haha! I went to her church (i.e. St. Andrew's Cathedral) in the evening to grace the occasion after attending the Christmas services in the day. Zing and Kangming were there too! (It is very common to get friends to come for water baptism coz' it is so so so so so important and significant!) Took quite an amount of pictures for Callie, and must say she was so so so happy after the baptism. Haha! May the presence of God be with her always and His blessings overflow in her life. AMEN!!! =D

Kangming, Callie and Zing

Callie and me!
(Photos taken on Sunday, December 25, 2005. Copyright © 2005-2007 Chiu Pak Kwan Elvis.)

Candlelight Service @ CHC

Finally, CHC moved from one end of Singapore to another, from Jurong West all the way to Singapore Expo! I missed the first service there as I was away in China for BSM, but then, I was so grateful that when I came back, my 'first' service was actually a special service. In a way, the church ushered in the Christmas atmosphere one week earlier -- Candlelight service! Not only the sight was so so so beautiful and incredible, but more importanly the presence of God was so tangible and really touched my heart.

Went to CHC website to download some of the pictures taken at the service... hmmm... I should have brought my camera!

"Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, Jesus says that we are the light of the world. May the light of Christ pierce through the darkness of our souls, and make us the light in Singapore and all over Asia. In this whole world, we are gonna shine the love, the glory. The gifts of talents and the abilities God has given to us--we are gonna use it to shine for the Lord in the marketplaces of the world." -- Rev Kong Hee, Founder & Senior Pastor (Honorary/Volunteer)

(Photos extracted from City Harvest Church Official Website at http://www.chc.org.sg/. Copyright © 2000-2007 City Harvest Church.)

First Visit to HK Disneyland!

After the BSM, almost the entire class extended their stay in Hong Kong for 3 days. Same for me too! After all, it is my home and I didn't mind staying away from Singapore for few more days before hitting the project again! When we were there, quite a number of us went to the new HK Disneyland, which I must say it is an awesome place to visit if you wanna forget about everything about the outside world. My experience there was really magical. I was like living in a fantasy and got myself all familiar with the cartoon characters whom I grew up with all over again. It was crowded, but not really to the extent like what the media described. The waiting time for the rides were quite okay. I was so glad to have Michelle with us when we were there coz' she was like a Disneyland guide and led us running around the theme park like nobody's business! Haha. Imagine 5 young-20s adults running around... but like I mentioned just now, the experience was magical, and till today I still couldn't explain why I kept on smiling and laughing all the way even though we were running and running all the time! The shows there were great. The staff there were really friendly and they were so genuine in their service. (Great job!) Hmmm... I really hope that the HKSAR Government and Disney will start expanding the theme park soon into its next phases of development. Can't wait to go back there again!

Special MTR train to HK Disneyland Resort Station: It's so... Disney!

Mickey and Minnie in the Parade!

With Mickey Mouse, my favourite cartoon character since childhood!

Fireworks at the Sleeping Beauty's Castle. How I wish if the wind was not so strong that night then the fireworks would look even better!

Yuptz, went there with my SMU-CHC friends Michelle and Eunice. On our way back to the city, where they would continue their shopping! Haha!

(Photos taken on Wednesday, December 14, 2005. Copyright © 2005-2007 Chiu Pak Kwan Elvis.)

Business Study Mission (China)

I was on a Business Study Mission to the Pearl River Delta region in China organised by SMU during the early December 2005. (Gosh, this sentence is really long and what a mouthful! Hehe... =P ) It seems like everytime I went back to mainland China, I would never go beyond the provincial boundaries of Guangdong! I must really find the opportunity to go to other parts of China and 'see see look look'!

Anyway, talking about the trip. It was awesome. We not only had the opportunity to visit many types of companies and interact with the business people and government officials there, but also got to travel around the delta and really appreciate how big China is and how fast she has been growing and developing over these years. And of course, how could I ever forget the great food we had there throughout? I never gained so much weight so fast in such a short time, as compared to me frequently missed eating breakfasts when back in Singapore... (sob...)

Had a great time with my classmates there also, and we took like so so so many pictures there and my camera ended up overworked there and I had to send it for repair lately. Haha. Posted many of them online at http://www.pbase.com/elvischiu/bsmchina05/. Do take a look! Below are some which I would like to post it here in the blog, to make it more colourful! Haha!!! =D

Our BSM contingent!
(Photo taken in Guzhen county on Friday, December 9, 2005. Copyright © 2005-2007 Chiu Pak Kwan Elvis.)

With other SMU-CHC friends in the BSM: Eunice & Michelle!
(Photo taken in Zhuhai on Friday, December 9, 2005. Copyright © 2005-2007 Chiu Pak Kwan Elvis.)

Never will you find a SMU trip without us doing the SMU jump, many many times!
(Photos taken in Guangzhou on Monday, December 12, 2005. Copyright © 2005-2007 Chiu Pak Kwan Elvis.)

Our final night in China on a river cruise. Say cheese!
(Photo taken along Yangtze River on Monday, December 12, 2005. Copyright © 2005-2007 Chiu Pak Kwan Elvis.)

Gone Missing... and Found!

I think I have gone missing from blogging for a long time!!!
Realised lately that my last blog was actually in December 2005, and it's like close to 1.5 months ago! Tsk tsk tsk... talking about consistency... haiz...
Some more throughout all this while a number of my friends asked me how come my blog has not been updated for ages! Haha... Can't believe that I needed reminders to get me back to blogging!

Anyway, just wanna take the opportunity to inform and announce to everyone that I am still here. Yuptz. Will be more consistent in my blogging... I hope. =P And friends, thank you for dropping by to find out how I have been. Really appreciate it, for your interest, concern and love.

To restart my blogging with a blast, I shall post many posts at one shot! =D

My academic term is not over... YET!

Many of my friends wanted to throw stones at me or bashed me lately... the moment they knew that I only had one examination paper this term. Haha! Well, none of them did that literally, and the paper, which is on Intellectual Property Rights, is over!

Yesterday was another day I moved one step closer to end this term. Finally, the case study on 77th Street for Strategic Brand Management is completed and submitted! The project, though academically very demanding, was one that really widen my perspective on how a research project should be done and how a business case should be written. Learnt a lot from this course, and I hope the efforts will pay off in the final grade!

Despite all these... hmmm... my academic term is not over... YET! The next few days I will be packing for my Business Study Mission trip to China and HK, and I must say it's gonna give me (and I think for the class also) headache coz' the temperature is expected to drop rather drastically when we arrive, and probably will go lower than 10 deg C when we go inland! Tsk tsk... that will be cold. Heh. After the trip, I will still have to finish up the FINAL project and give the FINAL presentation on Dec 21, before I can comfortably immerse myself in the Christmas atmosphere...

Hmmm... I need a good break.
It will be nice to really have the chance to get away from the cities and urban forests, where I can go to the coast or the beach, listen to the waves hitting the shore, and have the chance to slow down my brain and embrace what nature has to offer. Hmmm... unlikely that will happen anytime soon. Haha. Maybe a great massage or a spa session will be good also, though it will be expensive...

Aiyah Elvis, stop dreaming! Get back to work!!! A lazy person will not reap anything. Work is the key to success and accomplishments! Haha. I LOVE WORK!!! =D

Reflection on the past three 'NO-BLOG' weeks...

It has been long since I last blogged... really long ago. Decided to get myself to really post a new entry before the blog becomes obselete. Heh. =P

Thank you to all those who celebrated my birthday 3 weeks ago!!! (Wah... I really 'left' my blog for so long... tsk tsk...) Since I came to Singapore 9 years ago, I never had anything like birthday parties or big-scaled celebrations so very much my birthdays were just like any other day. This year was very special though. My birthday was so so so full of surprises!!! It was really a day when I was so happy throughout (actually spilled over to the next day also coz' the surprises still keep coming the following day. Haha!) There was much joy flowing out of me this time round, and I just wanna thank God for making my day so memorable! A big THANK YOU to all those who gave me surprises that day and celebrated my birthday with me! ('Interestingly', my birthday ended with an overnight project meeting in school... preparing presentation on the very next day. Diao!)

Hmm let me check what else I could blog here... It has been 3 weeks! Man! Too long a lag and now for me to backlog... tsk tsk tsk... Well, for the past 2-3 weeks I went through a time more tough and difficult than ever before. Firstly, I found myself struggling in handling my academic workload (coz' I am taking 6 full-credit modules this term!) and have not been able to give my best to the projects, assignments and tests. I also kept 'breaking promises', delayed in finishing my parts in the group projects on time in order to move them forward, which was one thing I found most frustrating and disappointing this term. Running from one project meeting to another, staying overnight in school again and again... man, this term has been really demanding, but I thank God that it's ending soon (actually not that soon coz' I still have business study mission... but nevermind, at least I can travel out of Singapore. Heh.)

Secondly, I was confronted by the realisation that I am at a crossroad junction right now, one that I need to make sure that I choose the right path to move on. Okay, think I really made it sound very vague here. Well, my course bidding started 2 weeks ago, and suddenly I realised that I could actually graduate from SMU much earlier than I thought. I only left 6 more full credits to go. My original plan was to stay in SMU for 4 full years and study extra courses to learn more. However, I was shocked (and disappointed) to know that my Tuition Grant will no longer apply once I fulfill all the course requirements and be put in the graduation list. On one hand I was wondering if I should graduate early, since if I graduate early I would be able to get a one-year career head start ahead of most of my cohort. On the other hand, I felt rather 'burnt out' this term (due to the exceptional 6 full-credit modules) and I thought it won't be wise for me to rush and take so many courses in a term again! On top of all these I was also considering doing an international exchange programme next fall, planning to go to Israel. Of course, I am still trying to find out if it is indeed the right season for me to go there for such a long period of time, away from Singapore. Right now I am getting a clearer and clearer picture in terms of the module distribution over the terms (decided to reduce my workload next term to 4 to allow myself to recover and focus), but I still do not have any clue if it is okay for me to go for the exchange...

Thirdly, I am also faced with matters related to my spiritual walk with my God. Probably due to the fact that I felt so tired and frustrated over things (including financial difficulties which I am facing almost for the whole month), I realised I really need God more than ever, and there is still a long way for me to go. I wept many times this month, and a CHC cell group leader in SMU accurately told me that I have lost the joy of the Lord, which is the source of strength, just before Pst Ulf changed the whole Service 4 two weeks ago and mentioned that somebody in the church auditorium has lost the joy of the Lord... Never had I imagined that God would prepare this to get me to rededicate myself to Him once again! Also it is in this month that Pst Kong taught us in the Churchwide Bible Seminar on the Tabernacle, and beyond all the knowledge and wisdom learnt during the 4-part series, God spoke to me gently in the last session and asked me to really 'seek Him', that if I do so, I will find the answers to many many questions that I have been asking and pondering and wondering, and I will grow much more in Him...

So many times this month I wished that I did not need to go through all the concerns in this world, and could come to His presence and stayed in His house and refuge... God is truly amazing. He is indeed all-knowing, controlling everything. I thank God for giving me a purpose to live for, visions to see and ability to dream. He sustained me through this period of time, and slowly I have also realised, what I have been praying for is indeed coming true... my capacity has increased and is still increasing. I know He is preparing many great things for me and I can't wait to see them come to pass in the near future!!! =D

A New Anniversary, A Renewed Wish

Time flies. It is the time again for me to celebrate the faithfulness of God in my life since the day He gave me that breath of life. Yup, there goes 21 full years and I thank God it is still counting! =)

This evening a friend of mine from both my university and my church asked me what my wish is this time round. I thought for a while, and this is my wish for the next 365 days... kinda like a renewed wish:

I pray that I will have more strength and wisdom from my Heavenly Father, to know how to fulfill the purpose He has destined for my life.

Simple and straightforward, haha. I never really managed to summarise my 'wish' so effectively. Hope this covers all my desires, visions and dreams, in a nutshell. Haha! =D