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Friday night

At the end of work, I realised that today is Friday, and there is no CG. No district, no unit or CG CG! Didn't really thought of it cos was too busy during the week. Felt weird going home early on friday night.

Confirmed with Ming that today no CG and no activities over SMS. He said he's on the way home already and suggested I find someone to have dinner with. At the same time, I messaged Merv over MSN, but he said he has dinner appointment with his friend. argh... so sian to go home, no programme on Fri night!!! Was feeling a bit sad...

Then I saw Huiqun online. Hasn't met her for some time cos of her busy schedule, so took the opportunity to ask her out to have dinner. (Not dating hor.. she got steady bf one...) She said she has an event to attend. When I saw that, I was disappointed. Then, she said that if i can wait, she can meet me at 8, by sneaking out early. Wah... so touched, that she made that effort for me! (though partly cos she dun really like such social events..) There was a point when we were contemplating smuggling me in the event (some high class one leh.. with ambassadors and such..), but we gave up the idea cos I dun think the attire or even my big office bag will blend in!

We met up outside Lido, and proceeded in to the 3rd or 4th floor, to one of the Japanese restaurants (can't rem the name). The place looks very cool, with nice ambience. It took us some time to order our food. We were so hungry by then, cos both of us had not taken our lunch. When the food came, I was thinking, "So much! Dun know if can finish..." Evidence as follows:





The food was very good, made perfect by the hunger we have! Had that egg thing again.. can't rem what is it called again.. 3 bucks only and is much nicer than Sakae! She commented that she won't bring me some place to torture me, sure will be good food! Of cos man... she writes for a food magazine, high class dining kind.. and she a food lover.. paradise is supermarket, cos surrounded by food.. haha





Something interesting above.. had to grind the sesame seeds and then pour sauce, then mix it with the grinded seeds to make the sauce mix for the meat. Never had to work for my food like this before. Exercise before eating... haha

After dinner, I overheard her calling her bf, asking if he's done with whatever he's doing.. wah.. At least his bf doing something, else I'll feel guilty for taking some time away from her precious moments with her bf! I took the north bound train so as to be able to sleep in the train all the way, while she went to Dhoby Ghaut to meet her bf.

Pictures

Some post that is long overdue... Pictures I took at a relative's wedding.. Lazy to write too much (rather, not in the mood for essays).. so... just enjoy the pictures...


Think lighting and set up very good, not to mention my angle... me sitting right beside it... so took this.....



The appetizer : Plaza Hot and Cold Deluxe Combination 文雅冷热拼盘(Mayonnaise Prawns and Fruit Salad, Drunken Chicken, Chilled Salmon Sashimi, Fried Shark's Fin Omelette, and Mini Octopus)



Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Fish Bladder 红烧鱼翅鱼鳔汤



Steamed Coral Garoupa in Teochew Style 潮式蒸深海珊瑚斑



Stuffed Chicken wrapped with Lotus Leaf 蒸荷叶八宝鸡



Crispy Large Prawns with Green Curry Sauce 泰式青咖哩大虾



Braised Bai Ling Mushroom and Broccoli 蚝皇白灵菇与时菜



Fried Seafood Udon in Black Pepper Sauce 胡椒海鲜乌冬面



Finally... Yam Paste and Gingko Nut 白果芋泥



Usual questions of when is mine... and also realised that I dun know or dun remember many of the relatives.. the younger ones, I mean..

Night Out

Enjoyed the last minute decision to go out and celebrate Ming's and Jerilee's Bday. Ming was sending us home when he mentioned that no one celebrated his bday yet. Pris then insisted on celebrating for him. He drove us to Cineleisure. Jerilee and me alighted and bought 2 cakes from the Coffee Club outside California Fitness. We also got a lighter and some drinks from the 7-11 nearby.

We then proceeded to Marina South Pier to celebrate for them. Can take a look at Ming's blog for details. Nice place there..

We concluded the night with a "shriek" (someone screamed so loud that think the geeko or lizard that was the cause of it went deaf! haha)

Hmm... everything seem to flow so well

30th June, Friday, Fire Conference 2006

Today after work, me and Irving rushed to the Fire Conference together. We joined the others who had already arrived. The preacher introduced a video series that's supposed to rock the world, and showed us trailers. The story is about a pleasure boat that was asked to save a sunken ship's passenger in a heavy storm as it was the nearest ship. There were many rescue boats and men, but only a few are willing to go, while the rest are happy and comfortable in the safety and comfort of the pleasure boat. So, out of think 20+ rescue boats available, only a few, less than 10 boats are launched to save 90+ people (i.e. cannot save everyone). Its a reminder that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Christians are not willing to step out of the comfort zone of their church services, CGs to step out to reach out to people.

He also quote Matthew 25 which says that if we use what we have been given to serve and harvest, we'll be given more to harvest more. On the other hand, if we are not willing to use what we have, no matter how little, even that will be taken away from us. He urged us to dig up our hidden talents, if we're hiding them, and use it to gain more. He also said, the reward for work well done is... guess what? MORE WORK!! hehe... God will give us more work when what little we have if we "pass the test".. he mentioned that he started preaching to a handful of people, and over the years, it slowly builds up to more and more people. Now, he's evangelizing to millions!! Powerful eh???

1st July, Sat, Unit Core team meeting

Arranged with Pris to meet up and go together to the meeting at Joo Chiat Church office. We waited for the bus for a long time (i.e. chatted for a long while also.. or is it Pris telling me alot of stories? hehe). The bus finally came, but alas, it was so full!! Dun know what's the occasion. Anyway, we decided to catch a cab down instead. We passed by the National Stadium and saw a lot of people there... no wonder the bus was so packed!! When we reached the destination, we were 30 mins early. Called and messaged Elaine a few times before she came out to fetch us in (the door was locked and no one answered when we tried knocking earlier). Jon and Grace was already there. We had a short tour of Elaine's office, where she sits. The rest of the people arrived later.

We were showed a video talking about being a dream releaser. What I learn from the video is that to do powerful things, we need to have a dream. Dream is something that drives us forward, and its waiting to be released. We start by using what we have with passion and God will fill what we dun have with a miracle. One important thing is to not compare with others, each has their own unique talents and situations. When people grumble about what they dun have, they will fail to see what they have and not cherish it. So, start by using what we have!!

To be a dream releaser, we need to train our eyes to see the potential around us. We need to learn to see the good in situations, in people. Its only when we see things in a positive light that we can influence positive changes. God sees us in out potential, what we can become, not what we are now (A lot of examples of heroes, powerfully faithful men of God, in the Bible who started out as someone very humble). Therefore, we should do the same for others.

We should be coaches of character, and not judges of character. Too many a times, we judge others according to our standards and "condemn" others. What we should do instead is to help the person grow by mentoring, guiding patiently in the ways of God.

When God sees that we have used what was given to us well, we'll be given more authority to do more!! (sounds the same as the Fire Conference hor??)

After the video, Elaine summarized the video and also told us the unit direction and upcoming events. After the meeting, me, Ink, TY and Pris went for dinner together with Khanh and Angie at the Muthu Curry in Little India. Khanh is Pris's Vietnamese friend from UK (here for a holiday for 10 days, which by Pris standard is like eternity to holiday in Singapore.. true though.. hehe) and Angie is her colleague. The deco of the restaurant is quite good. The food is good, other than some dishes which is quite salty. After the food, Irving went home with TY to feed Ashley. The rest of us decided to walk around in Little India.

We went to Mustafa to take a look (First time I've been there as I seldom go Little India cos not convenient to go, and also I dun like to sqeeze with crowds). I was stopped by the security guard and asked to seal my bag before I can proceed in. I gave him my bag and he sealed it with a plastic strip, the kind u tie POWs with. The problem is, he sealed the zip of the other cover of my bag, the inner part, which is the main compartment is not sealed!! I told Pris, the security sealed the only part of my bag which I dun use!! hahahaha

We went to the souvenir section and helped Khanh choose (I think he's such an easy person to talk with.... nice some more..). He ended up with a few items plus shirt.. hehe.. We continued on and also tried searching for jasmine flowers as KC had asked Pris to help him get. We gave up looking in there and started walking along the shophouses to look out for it. We finally found one and Pris prompted bought it.. It was a relief that its sealed, else dun know how to bring it home, not to mention to church the next day! hehe

We walked Khanh to the MRT station to see him off and the 3 of us then went to take bus home.

2nd July, Sun, Church Service

Today's sermon is about having joy in our life. We can trust the Lord to provide for us, that we will have joy in him. Jesus had come so that we may have life and have it to the full. In whatever things that we do or whatever problems we face, we can trust the Lord's hand is helping us to come through it. He will never allow us to be tested beyond what we can bear!! When we face problems/trials, there's a purpose. That our love for Christ flows, our trust in Christ grows, and the joy in Christ shows. Besides, how to have a TESTimony without a TEST? hehe

During lunchtime, a few of us geeks played and touched Jerilee's new laptop. Ordered food at the new Japanese stall there. TY, Pris and MC also ordered from there. The food was so so only. Next, I asked Ink if he wants dessert, and Yami yogurt was suggested. I ordered the largest serving, with 4 scoops of 2 peach and 2 plain, with some fruits and nuts in it, and shared it with others like Elaine, Ming, Ink. Gina and Pris ordered their individual singles due to hygiene concerns.. haha... (think Gina also ate from our yummy order.. can't resist temptation leh.. hehe)

After lunch, me and Pris went to the restaurant at Istana Park to pass KC the jasmine flowers. Then we joined Merv and Jerilee at the Macs at PlazaSing. We shifted our base of operations to Marina Square as the Macs at Plaza Sing didn't have wireless internet. We struggled for a while before figuring how to connect to internet at our new location. After we finished with that, we went to play pool. I think today I seem to be more accurate than usual, more able to focus. Pris on the other hand, was unusually missing a lot of shots.. think she's tired. Merv had to go off early. Think Jerilee never or seldom play this, so she didn't know how to play it. However, she learned very fast and managed to get a few balls in on her own.

Jerilee had to go off also. Left me and Pris. We check out the bowling alley. There were like 5-6 bookings before us, so we decided not to play that. We proceeded to the cinema. We decided on 2 choices, a chic flick or a show by Antony Hopkins called "The World's Fastest Indian". The chick flick only left the 1st row, so we chose the Antony Hopkins' show.

We bought a popcorn combo. when we went into the theatre, it was one of the smaller ones and it was not packed. So, I was thinking, maybe this is not a good show... boy was I wrong!! It was a very good show showing how a man with a dream can soar. He's a New Zealander who has a dream that his motorbike can break the 200km/h mark, and breaking the world record in the process. People around him didn't really believe he can make it, although they supported him. They helped him raise the money to send him to the USA for an event (can't rem what's the event called.. some event to compete in the fastest vehicle and had equipment to time it) in the Salt Lake in Utah where he can really test his bike. Along the way from the port to the event, he met a few people, and with the sincere way that he treats people, he made a few friends and touched a few hearts.

Over at the event, he didn't registered for the event cos its halfway around the world.. how is he supposed to know have to register? However, a friend he got to know earlier can see his heart, a true enthusiast. So, he helped him to get registered. However, when they were inspecting his vehicle, they found that a lot of parts were self made from kitchen, a cock as a fuel cover, tires with tracks cut off to make into smooth ones for high speed, no parachute for brakes.. actually no brakes.. like what he said, he thought its meant to go faster, not to brake!! They wanted to reject him due to safety concerns, however, seeing how determined he was (the chief official said that he had never seen a determined person like him before!). They allowed him to test run to see if his vehicle is worth the risk. He passed with flying colours and they scheduled him for a run thats going to record his top speed!

On the day itself, he took off after help with a push from others. As he sped faster and fster, the engine exhaust is so hot it burnt his leg (He took off the asbestos cloth that was meant to protect his leg earlier cos cannot fit his leg in the bike if he do that). He was so determined to do this thing that he cringed and took the pain. As he went faster, his bike began to wobble due to some physics thingy.. he raised his head up from the windshield to correct this problem and his goggles flew off.. he continued on riding blindly (he had to close his eyes). He finally broke the 200 km/h mark, but he didn't know, continuing on. He finally stopped when the bike turned on the side when he lost control and he skidded for some distance. He crawled out of his bike and we can see his leg badly burnt, but he was laughing happily as he had achieved what he dreamt abt for 25 years!! He went on back to USA to try breaking new records again for i think 6 times. The movie end with a statement saying that his record still remains since 1967!!

After the movie, we decided to go home. We chatted and walked all the way to City Hall MRT to take the train home. It was such a wonderful outing!!

On reflection, I find there seems to be a continuous message. Fri, Be a soul winner, dig up ur hidden talents. Sat, Be a dream releaser, Be a dreamer and do powerful things for God. Sun, A dream can be so powerful it can change the people around you even if they dun believe you at the start. All 3 days also talked about using what little you have and make the most of it, and you'll be given more. Maybe is God trying to tell me something... hmm..

The Sky Has Fallen!!!

Indeed, last night, the sky has fallen..

I went home as usual, and switched on the computer. I found that the internet doesn't seem to work. So, I switched off the router and switched it on again. I did this for the modem also. It was not the first time that this happen before. I had long concluded the router is temperamental, and cannot take stress, so this didn't surprise me. After doing other non-internet-based stuff, I checked the connection and still there was no internet access. I tried switching the hardware off and on again, to no avail.

After pondering for a while, I suddenly remembered something. I checked my bills, and found the bill I wanted. I was due for payment by 18th, and now is the 23th!! Oh man...

My mind was so totally occupied for the past few days, I totally forgot to pay the bill for this (the other bills are settled automatically, other than the credit card bill, but i overpaid that one last month). Haiz.. Got to get my internet connection back again asap... feel so unconnected.. but one thing good about this, I get to sleep earlier.. haha.. Now I know why people in the past sleep so early, cos basically nothing better to do!! hahaha

So far so good..

Prayer is powerful!! I had prayed for the whole week, everyday before starting work, that my boss will not ask me too much abt the current project, that she won't nag at me. I didn't wan any distraction or her affecting my mood for work. I also pray that I'll do my work smoothly and have clarity of mind to do the job well, and also not to get stuck on any part of the program. Basically, everything will be god. Guess what? I have the most peaceful, happy week in a long while. The boss seems too be of cheerful mood, and doesn't nag at all!! Prayer is powerful sia.. must do more of this.. trust the power of prayer!!