Merry Xmas 2009!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! to all. Early greeting from me as I guess I will be too busy in the next 2 weeks to update my blog. Will be having my annual Xmas dinner cum gift exchange with my fellow church leaders and also having a party with my family.

Of course, not going to miss the awesome Xmas drama production on the eve and Xmas day itself. This is my 8th year watching it! Some of you must be wondering don’t you get bored watching the same drama over and over again? NO! Because every year, the production team will come out with different way of portraying the Xmas story.

So if you have nothing much to do other than counting down or watching movies again, why don’t join me on the dates stated above? I am quite sure you will enjoy it! :)

Before I end, enjoy your holiday and have a great time with your family and loved ones!!!

Latest Update

Finally, I am back updating my blog after 2 months. I guess sometimes I am just too tired to write long paragraphs and then look for photos to insert into my blog entry. After all, blogging won’t be interesting without photos right?

Thus, these days I have decided to tweet more often. It is so convenient especially with my iphone. :) Anyway, brief update on what happened during these 2 months.

OCTOBER

I went to Korea for a holiday. I really enjoyed the scenery and the cool weather there. The only regret is that I was not able to shop much because this time we went with a tour group. :( I broke my lowest record, buying only 2 tops… For more updates on the trip, you can go to Em’s blog.

My favourite photo :)

NOVEMBER

Breakthrough month for me as I finally found a job! Though it is only a 6 months contract but I thank God for His provision. The remuneration is good and I fulfilled my dream of working in a foreign bank. Believing God that even before 6 months, there will be open doors to a perm position and pay increment :)

This month also started to be more discipline in various aspects of my life. Now, waiting up early in the morning to pray and jogging twice a week. I hope to participate in the Standard Chartered 10km marathon next year. Always remember what Pastor taught me, both spiritual and physical health are very important!

Life has been hectic but fruitful after I started work but I have learnt to plan and make full use of my time. Plan to further my studies so hopefully my next entry won’t be another 2 months later. :)

Wisdom Tooth Extraction

I had my wisdom tooth extracted 2 days ago and before that, I had heard a lot of scary stories concerning the pain, discomfort and the amount of bleeding that will come with the surgery. Thank God, the pain I had was quite minimal. 

I know many people tend to ask whether it is really necessary to remove our wisdom teeth. I mean, who would want to go through the pain and agony of the dentist twisting and drilling your tooth right. The answer I got from my dentist is that you should remove your wisdom tooth if any of these happens:

Crowding of the back teeth.

A wisdom tooth becoming stuck in the jaw (impacted) and never breaking through the gums.

Red, swollen, and painful gums caused by a flap of skin around a wisdom tooth that has only partially come in.

Gum disease and tooth decay in the wisdom tooth

Anyway, if you really have to extract your wisdom tooth, these are some tips that will help you to speed up your recovery. :)

Bite gently on the gauze pad periodically, and change pads every half and hour. Bleeding should stop after 24hrs (Don’t be surprised to see 1 full plastic bag of bloody gauze.)

Prop up your head with pillows to minimize bleeding.

To minimize swelling, you can apply ice pack on your cheek.

Based on what I have found out, you should eat ice-cream, yogurts, mashed potatoes or milk shake during the 1st 24 hrs (Good opportunity for those who are deprived of ice-cream. haha)

Do not use a straw for the first few days. Sucking on a straw can loosen the blood clot and delay healing.

After the first day, gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water several times a day to reduce swelling and relieve pain.

Continue to brush your teeth and tongue carefully. (This require great technique because you would not want to dislodge your blood clot.)

Wisdom tooth extraction is really not very scary except for some slight discomfort however, I must admit that it differs from different people. So if you really don’t want to visit the dentist so often and go through the “torture”, then make your teeth smile by taking good care of them. :)

Hooray!!! I am going to watch Formula 1, 2009!!!!

Woohoo!! I managed to get 2 tickets to watch the qualifying race of 2009 Formula 1 courtesy of Edmund Tay. And the tickets are not just those walkabout passes but actually Turn 1 Grandstand tickets that cost $1388 each!!! Thank God and Edmund for the blessing!

My wife is very excited and she has been checking on the website on how to get there and the various programs for the day. Mmm… I thought car racing is a guy thing? Haha. Anyway, this is our first time watching F1 cars zooming straight in front of us. I guess it is going to be very noisy but an experience for us. :)

Online Date with Sun on 18 September

For those who still do not know, our very own Sun has just released her latest single “Fancy Free” . You can catch the preview of the song at Amazon website and I am sure you will enjoy it!

On top of that, Sun will be having her 1st ever live-web chat on Facebook on 18 September at 11pm. So mark down on your calendar and don’t miss this opportunity to find out more about her!

If you have any burning questions, you can send all your questions to her at TWITTER.COM/MYNAMEISSUN.

Till then, enjoy and have a fruitful week!!

Tried KFC Breakfast???

The very mention of McDonald’s Breakfast should ring a bell in us but certainly not KFC Breakfast. In fact, when Em suggested to have KFC breakfast, I don’t even know what they offer. Anyway, Em and I decided to give it a try.

I ordered the a.m Platter meal while Em went for Waffles & Eggs meal. Unlike all McDonald breakfast meals, the KFC Waffles & Eggs meal does not come with harsh brown. But of cos, the meal is much cheaper.

A.M Platter Meal

Waffles & Eggs Meal

Personally, I prefer McDonald’s hotcakes than KFC waffles. As for the platter meal, I think it is not bad and we love the honey biscuit. :) However, both the coffee and tea taste weird :( Or maybe it is just me. Haha

On the whole, I would give 3.5 out 5 for the platter meal and rating of 2 for the waffle meal.

Finally it came!!!

This afternoon, I opened up one of the letters in my mailbox and this is what I received. It is the invitation card for my convocation and it is going to be on 8 October 2009, Thursday 10am – 1230pm at SIM Clementi Road :)

I have been looking forward to it and was wondering when it will come. In fact, when I attended Suting and Karen’s convocation 2 weeks ago, I was telling them mine should be coming soon.

Anyway, I am not so ecstatic over the convocation ceremony but this invitation card certainly brings to me the remembrance of God’s goodness upon my life this entire year. Read about my entry in February and you will know what I mean.

8 months have passed and I have not only graduated from SOT but also had the privilege to preach during the graduation ceremony. Also, I finally graduated from my degree programme despite a slight hiccup at the start of the year. I didn’t pass my CFA but I am going to give another shot.

Knowledge is power and I strongly believe in continuous learning. I am already contemplating about pursuing a masters degree in the next 1 or 2 years.

For my career, I am still waiting patiently but I know God will provide. It will come according to His timing and not mine and I just have to trust Him :)

Let me end this post with an interesting and encouraging quote:

“ Big shots are only little shots

who keep shooting”.

                                                               Christopher Morley

Blockbuster Sunday

Mark down on your calendar so that you can join us on the 13th of this month for our “Blockbuster Sunday”!

Not only will you get to see your favourite movie characters but also win great prizes such as $100 capital voucher and movie passes and get to know many new friends!

So don’t hesitate anymore but come and join us for this fun-filled event!

SOT Graduation Dinner & SOT Service

SOT Graduation Dinner

Another outdated post and I am sure many of you have read about my graduation service at my wife’s blog. Hehe… Anyway, prior to the graduation service, we had our graduation dinner at Keppel Club. We had our games, drama, food and not forgetting the Mr & Ms Charisma competition. It was a good gathering for all the students as SOT came to a close.

Photos…

 With SOT 2009 Mr Charisma :)

More Photos…

SOT Graduation Service

Those that had been to my wife’s blog would know that I was given the opportunity to preach to about 8,000 people during the graduation service. More importantly, my mum came to church for the 1st time and I believe this is the first step of her coming to know God :) She even commented that the church is very big and nice.

Back to my preaching, actually I was very excited and nervous when I was selected to preach during graduation service. Behind the 7 minutes sermon is 3 nights of sleeplessness. Special thank goes to Pastor Bobby who sacrificed his sleep to guide me on my sermon and preaching. Also thank to my ZS, Edmund who really taught me how to preach ever since I became a leader.

Looking back, I never regretted the decision to quit my job to go SOT. I learnt a lot, experienced a lot and the love for God has increased ever more. Like what I had preached, the graduation is not the end, but the beginning of something new and exciting that God has prepared! Keep on keeping on!!!

Ending of with my favourite photo :)

Malang Mission Trip – Food Galore!!!

My final entry on my Malang mission trip and as promised, it is about FOOD!!! I know my blog has been lagging behind. Sometimes I am just too lazy to blog and personally, I prefer to tweet than to blog as it is so much easier with my iphone. Nonetheless, hope you people don’t mind my outdated posts… hehe… I promise I will be more prompt in future.

1st day breakfast. This is not Nasi Lemak. I cant remember the name but it tastes awesome!!!

 

This is like rice mixed with herbal soup and the red and white syrup on the right is something you must try. It is called Soda Gembira (which is soda with condensed milk). Indonesian version of Bandung. Only difference is that it is fizzy!!!

On the top left hand corner is a famous Indonesian dish called Bakso. It is similar to Singapore’s Yong Tau Foo with ingredients like tofu, meatballs and vegetables but the soup is very rich and yummy!!! On the top right hand corner is Tehbotol, a bottled tea commonly found in Indonesia.

Personally, I love Indonesian food a lot. All the food taste great and we have no complaints. On our way back, we even bought back IndoMie. It tastes so much better than the Singapore’s version. :)

Malang Mission Trip – Day 2

We wasted no time the next day as we got up early and went to minister in a church in the village. There was a mighty move of God and the presence of God was so strong that many cried as we laid hands on them.

After which, the Pastor invited us to his house to have lunch.

  What Sandy was holding in her hand is a praise and worship album by the church. Small church but yet God can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things!!!

Group photo before we left for the next place.

Next up at Bethany which I was asked to teach the youth leaders on the caring system. After the session was over, we had Q&A which the youths really asked me a lot of questions. Thank God I was able to answer them. :)

Teaching the youth and ministry leaders in Bethany

Last session of the day which Weng Lok preached.

In summary, this is my first time on a mission trip and it was really a great experience. Pastor Ming always tell us in the bible school “If you want to go mission trip, go to those villages and countries that are poor.” Reason is because you get to preach and experience things not found in Singapore.

One thing I learnt from this mission trip is greater spiritual hunger for God. The people there did not have a lot of materials, great speakers and facilities we had in Singapore but yet it was always so easy for them to experience God. The moment they worship God, the presence of God will be so strong. They kneel and weep so easily simply because of the great love for Jesus.

Question I asked myself “Do I encounter God every single day?”

Malang Mission Trip – Day 1

Sorry to those who have been waiting for the update of my mission trip to Malang. SOT is ending in 2 weeks time and I am rushing my assignments like crazy. Also, I have not been able to get of the photos until now. Anyway, will start blogging about it so enjoy! :)

 All excited and ready to go!!!

How can we leave Singapore without eating Popeye first??

 First thing that greeted us onboard the plane is 香港脚 (Hong Kong leg) It really STINKSS!!!!

 Reached Surabaya and the team split into 2 with Delphine leading her team to Probolinggo while I led another to Malang

 Reached Malang at about 3am in the morning. Then we started preparing for next day’s meetings until about 5am. Sermon preparation is hard work and now we truly understand how bless we are to have Pastor preaching to us new sermon every week.

 

Preaching on Radio!!

Night Session at Bethany

Back for more preparation!!! By the way, notice you don’t see any photos of us having our meals. We do eat and very good food somemore!!! So stay tuned for 1 special post on all the wonderful delicacies we ate in Indonesia. :)

Mission Possible

In another 20 hours, I will be flying off to Malang for my 1st mission trip. Excited but nervous as well :)

I pray that God will move greatly in all the meetings and people there will be ministered to. So to all those who are reading my blog, please pray for my entire team.

Be back soon with more updates and great reports!

With God, All Things Are Possible!!!

De-Centralised Services

During the de-centralised svc last week, I had the honour to be the hospitality personnel for Hagen Tan (more commonly known as 陈孟奇) Many thought he is a Taiwanese but he is actually a 100% Singaporean based in Taiwan.

Initially, I was very nervous as this was the first time I was asked to interact with a celebrity. But it went off very smoothly as he is very friendly and I managed to take a photo together with him. Hehe.

The de-centralised svc was a great success and my ZS, Edmund shared a great Word with many people saved. It was truly an experience and great to see many of our people rising up to new level.

Not Knowing What to Do During This Holiday??

Not knowing what to do during your school holiday??

Why not join me at Cast Away Camp on 25th – 27 June 09.

There are a lot of fun-filled activities lined up just for YOU! Besides that, you will get to meet many new friends and win great prizes!!

So what are you waiting for?? Sign up NOWW!!!

Before I go, here is a short trailer. Enjoy!! :)

Birthday Celebration (Part 2)

I was taking my shower when I heard “快点! 快点!”(it was actually Joycelyn’s hurrying the people) and steps of people running under my block. I thought it must be my neighbours at the nearby blocks quarrelling again. Anyway, it has been very common to heard people shouting and screaming in the middle of the night.

After shower, my usual habit is to go to the other room to hang my towel. And when I stepped into the room, suddenly a group of people started singing happy birthday in the dark room. I was taken aback and took a few steps back and hit my back against the door.

So it was some of my cg and zone members. They were all grinning and very happy to see me in a shock. I really was not expecting any more celebrations. Next, they got me to play treasure hunt game at my place. For the first time, I realised it is hard to find things at my house. Haha…

The Plotters

with the VICTIM!

More than the blessings received, this year’s birthday was made more memorable with this surprise! Thank guys for putting in the effort!

Birthday Celebration (Part 1)

For those who thought I had quitted blogging, I am finally back after 2 weeks of absence. Sorry for not updating my blog frequently as I was busy with my examinations and assignments. Phew… Finally exam is over!!

Anyway, last week was my birthday and really enjoyed myself with celebrations after celebrations. First up, celebration with my family which is posted on my wife’s blog. Knowing that this year I am tight financially after quitting my job, they really sowed into my life with their generous giving so really want to say a

BIG THANK YOU!!!

to my parents, brother and sis-in-law.

My church friends always say that a birthday is never complete without a present but to me, a birthday is never complete without spending time with my loved one, that is my wife!! :) Want to know how we celebrate??? Check this post (Actually it saved me a lot of trouble as I do not need to blog about it… if not this yr, my birthday celebration will have part 1..2…3…4… haha)

Dear, thanks for planning such a wonderful birthday celebration. I really enjoy spending time with you. Also, I love the watch that you bought for me!!! Another watch to add to my collections.. hehe . Alright, enough of talking but here is what I received for my birthday

From family and zone members

From my wife (Nice Right!!)

 From my cg (They really do read my blog. :P)

 From zone members (More reasons to shop!)

From the leadersFrom Jared

That is all for part 1. Look out for part 2 as I shared how some of the zone members came and sprang a surprise on me. I was really caught unaware and was in a state of shock.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Em always say I am such a shopaholic and I do admit that I am “at times”. I remember when I was in Taiwan 2 months ago, I almost bought a tote bag from Porter International. However, it was expensive and more importantly I was not very sure I would carry this kind of bag because it looks quite girlish. Haha..

But recently, I realized tote bag is quite trendy and common among men in Singapore. So here comes the confession of a shopaholic: This bag is my NEXT TARGET!!! 

I guess Em must have a lot to say after seeing this post. :)

Movie Review: X-Men Origins Wolverine

Em and I went to watch the latest superhero movie “X-Men Origins Wolverine” and we were certainly not disappointed. Similar to other superhero movies, this movie is packed with action and excitement, mixed with a touch of romance and dry humour.

My wife, someone who does not really fancy action movie, actually commented that the movie is nice! Thus, do not miss this movie if you are a big fan of superheroes. 

Before I go, this is my rating for this movie – 3.5 out of 5.

Team 22 Off To The Zoo

Been a long long time since I went to Singapore Zoological Garden that I can’t remember even when. Anyway, having being in the bible school for 1 month, some of us have decided to organise an outing to bring our foreign students around Singapore. We decided on the Zoo and thanks to Delphine that we managed to get 50% off the entrance fee. It was really a good deal as each of us paid only $9 dollars. :) These are some photos that we took.

It was fun and many of us are looking forward to the next outing. So stay tuned for more happenings in SOT team 22 which I consider the BEST TEAM!!! :)

Full-Time Student

When I was in my secondary school years, I always hope I can step into the working environment as soon as possible because I felt that studying is such a chore and terrible experience. However, when I started working, I realized studying is still so much better as you have more free time to yourself.

Now, I am enjoying every second of being a full-time student. But as examinations and assignment due dates are approaching, I am breaking out in cold sweats. Just look at those books that I need to cover in the next 3 months…

But I learnt in SOT today.

“What is the difference between us and Michael Phelps (the famous US Olympic swimmer)"?

Ans: DISCIPLINE

So let me tell you these are what discipline means to me.

1. Discipline is me spending less time on TV and Computer and spending more time studying.

2. Discipline is me reading the books during my journey on the buses and trains and not napping.

3. Discipline is me planning how many chapters I want to cover each day and sticking to it.

4. Discipline is me really sitting down and start studying.

For those who are also mugging, let’s keep on studying diligently! Tell yourself examinations will be ending in 1 – 2 months time. :)