My ISM GROUP (2) - Church Lunch

Over the weekend, Carlton Happy Hour (my ISM group's name) and Emmaus were rostered to cook church lunch in Cross Culture Church of Christ, the church that we come under.

what is Church Lunch?

Church Lunch, as the name suggests, is lunch served in church (duh..). Each week, a different home group/ISM group takes turn to cook and serve lunch after both morning services for an affordable price of Aus $4 (adult) and Aus $2 (kids). Its really a steal.

Anyway, since it was our turn to cook lunch, our group decided to serve Claypot Chicken Rice and Tau Ge (bean sprouts) without the claypot (in rice pot). It was the easiest thing to prepare for 150 pax (we thought).

None of us had any experience for cooking for large groups of people. My only experience was being a kitchen help at the age of 8 (?). And that was when I helped my mom cook for the Boys Brigade Camp. What did I know about estimation and what nots? So anyway, it still had to be done and under the great direction of Grace Yap and responsibilty of Poh Sun, 30 kg of Chicken, 25 kg of Rice, 3 large packets of dried Chinese mushroom and 4kg worth of Bean Sprouts were bought and used to feed ~150 people.

It took us from 9am - 3pm on Saturday to complete this task and boy were we all tired at the end of the day. It was 6 solid hours of the following:

1. cleaning chicken
2. removing chicken skin

3. Marinating chicken with sauces

4. Washing rice

5. cooking rice

6. Stirring to ensure all was cooked

7. Scrapping of leftover rice in pot

8. Washing of rice pot

9. Starting next batch of cooking

[pictures below: 1) Flo and the 2 Grace 2) Our Chicken + Mushrooms waiting to be cooked]

The cooking and preparation part WAS fairly simple, straightforward and easy. The hardest most tiring part of it all was the WASHING OF THE RICE POT!!!!!

[the difference: a clean pot vs the pot to be scrubbed]

Since the rice cooker did not have a non-stick pot, we had to soak the rice pot in hot water for awhile so soften the burnt rice. However, we didnt have the luxury of leaving it overnight since we needed it to cook the next batch. Hence, we took turns to laboriously scrap off the remnants of rice from the pot. It was really a work of love and sweat.

[Yuying scrubbing the pot]

Finally, at 3pm, all was completed and we were able to go for a well-deserved break before going back to church for ISM welcome night. Phew.

Thank God, all went well, and we managed to sell EVERYTHING! All the beansprouts, all the trays and trays of Chicken Rice. Phew and we made quite a profit for the church.. YAY!

And... more importantly, we really had a good time working side by side one another, bonding with one another through sweat and love as we cooked and got to know one another better as well. Thanks guy for the experience. It was tiring but i must say i wouldnt change it for anything. =)

[Our FINAL PRODUCT!]

my ISM group (1) - YUM CHA

Ever since returning about 3 weeks ago, I have been up with my ISM (i.e. International Student Ministry) group from Cross Culture a couple of times for bible study and for our all time favourite past time.. EATING! I have found kindred spirits in this area. people who love food and enjoy trying new food. Well, no prizes for guessing their nationality... we are made up of a bunch of Singaporeans and Malaysians with a two Koreans =)

Recently, we all adjourned for YUM CHA after church for lunch. This outing was to celebrate Poh Sun's recent success in obtaining his PhD in Accounting (yes... accounting, i kid you not.. hee hee). So off we trooped for our yummy YUM CHA.

Initially I wasnt going to go because YUM CHA is rather costly. it can set you back by at least 15 Aussie dollars and it happened that week that I had a BBQ to attend on Sat aft and had already gone out once for dinner. Hence, i thought i had blown my weekly food budget already. the thought of not being able to join made me quite upset (just ask the doc..) cos well, i always enjoy meeting friends over a good meal. But seeing that it was a celebration lunch, i told myself that i will not worry about the money and just spend. And you know what, God really helped me to stretch my food budget that week. the BBQ wasnt as expensive as i thought it would be and i actually managed to stay within my food budget pretty much.AND i got to eat yummy YUM CHA with great conversations and company!

Here's a photo of us after YUM CHA @ WestLake Restaurant in Chinatown

CJ7 - the movie

A synopsis of CJ7 - the movie.

周星驰在片中扮演一个穷困潦倒的父亲，和儿子居住在宁波大马路边的一栋破旧房屋里。为
了让儿子能够过上好生活，星爷被迫到建筑工地打工，不过却遭遇“民工欠薪”的悲惨待遇
，不仅拿不到薪水，还因“闹事”被工头追打。凄凉无比的周爸爸虽然买不起价值上百元的
玩具给儿子，但不忍就此放弃，机缘巧合，在垃圾堆里捡到了一个很奇怪的东西。周星驰非
常高兴，准备把这个东西当作玩具送给儿子。没想到这个玩具竟然是和外星....

The Aussie culture - whats accceptable

This afternoon, I attended my Community Practice Nursing tutorial and our case study involved a 16 year old boy who has been trying dope and hanging out with the wrong crowd. Putting ourselves in the role of the school nurse, we were told to discuss what some of the issues were and how we would go about handling them. Afterwhich, we discussed alcoholism issues, drunk driving, drug usage, sex education in the schools etc.

The statistics in Australia states that 22% of 12 years olds have never touched alcohol before and 29% 12 year olds have drunk alcohol in the last month.

It also shows that amongst the 17 year olds in Australia, only 5% have never touched alcohol before and 72% had alcohol in the last month.

My classmates (mostly locals) also talked about how one of the nursing interventions as a school nurse in schools when it comes to education regarding sexually transmitted diseases and HIV is providing school age children with free condoms, encouraging safe sex, protected sex. Instead of discouraging school age children from having sexual intercourse, I guess they realise that its so rampant that its not possible to change. or rather, Why the need to change? Hence the giving out of free condoms.

I dont mean to be a prick or a too good for my own good kind of person. But the values that this country has is quite appalling to me. The alcohol consumption here is sky high. Drug usage amongst the youth here is also on the increase.

In my class of future nurses, smoking marijuana in school or smoking to relieve stress was considered socially acceptable.

I spent the whole lesson (2 hours) listening to about the situation at hand, what they thought of providing needle injection rooms (for pple to inject themselves with drugs in a clean environment), needle exchange project, heroin register etc.. i cant get used to it.

Sara Lee Factory outlet

A while back now, i was informed about the existence of the Sara Lee Factory Outlet in Australia. It caught my interest and i told myself that i should visit it before leaving Aussie land. We had a chance to visit it in Sydney but due to time, called it off.

Feeling restless today, I decided to make that trip down to the nearest one at Moonee Ponds. Yuying came with me for the excursion to this new suburb and we bought a berry cheesecake to try (how can you leave it empty handed right?)

Here's a picture of the cheescake. =) The strange things i do in Melbourne.

conflicts and resolutions

Being in any type of relationship (be it with family, friends or a partner) one will definitely have conflicts with one another. One says something and it rubs/irks the other the wrong way and a button is pushed. This triggers emotional feelings, feelings of anger, saddness, frustration etc.

You can either consume it all and bottle it all up, only for it to explode one day or you can resolve conflict on a regular basis, right there and then when its all fresh in your mind and the feelings are raw.

In the past, I would do the former. It seldom explodes cos I will just forget it or sleep over it but nowadays, the latter is a better practice. You have to resolve conflict. not only for your own good, but for the other. Its always hard to swallow one's pride. Hard to accept apologies even. Often times, it means being humble, forgiving the other person and even saying sorry when you think you are right and haven done anything wrong.

But at the end of the day, its so much better when all is well. when we resolve conflicts. ya. =)

So, be sure to do it regardless of it being hard

MIA

its been a while since i last blogged. stay tuned. will blog i promise. but since the last post, it still has been hard to kick start my engine. It has also been awfully cold in Melbourne, with temperatures ranging from 4-13 degrees Celsius. in the past, it would be pretty normal for the day to warm up to 15-18 degrees in the afternoons but nowadays, it remains pretty chilly in the afternoon, especially when it rains. Presence of Mist (when you blow out from your mouth) is always a rough gauge of how cold it is and lets just say you can see it even in the afternoon. So can you imagine how cold it is at night? I borrowed a portable heater from my friend cos the evenings at home are just really cold. While i can survive by wearing a few layers, i guess i rather have the heater if i can. Though it would mean that my electricity bill will go up. So must use sparingly... yes sparingly...

This is the weather forcast for the next few days...
Monday Cloudy with a shower or two. Min 5 Max 12
Tuesday Morning fog patches then fine. Min 5 Max 14
Wednesday A few showers developing. Min 5 Max 15
Thursday A few showers. Min 8 Max 15
Friday Rain at times. Windy. Min 8 Max 13
Saturday Few showers. Windy. Min 8 Max 13
Sunday Shower or two. Min 7 Max 14

week 1 school stuff

It's back to the grind again. School. Hard to kick start this engine. Just want to rot at home. =(

Desert Song (This is our God)

Amongst the songs in the new Hillsong Album, this song was one of the songs which really resonated with me..

Fear Factor Sichun dish

Yesterday was Guwen's birthday so the 'gang' (comprising of Emma, Vinci, Kathy, Zina, Wen and me) met for dinner and a catching up session at this Sichun restaurant in Melbourne's Chinatown. Since i rarely eat out unless there is an occasion, I was new to this restaurant as well. Located in a small alley way of Chinatown its apparently a well known restaurant..

Anyway, we ordered our food and one of the appetizers ordered looked like this:

I felt really doubtful and decided to play it safe by asking them what it was. No one was absolutely certain what it was except that it was:

1) from the cow

2) an internal organ(s)

3) its really nice

Regardless of point no. 3, i was freaked out since I never faniced internal organs of a pig let alone a cow. When asked further which portion of the cow, some said stomach, others said tongue, liver, lung... you get the picture.. guwen even went on to say, "the pig and the cow are our friends." gee that helped..

i decided to go for it. (didnt help that it was right infront of me). It was Spicy and oily, but really tender at the same time. it was tough or rubbery (like connective tissue) and there wasnt any smell.

Not a bad dish but well, it wasnt a fav on the table i must say.. =)

The rest of the food was really tasty, though a little too salty and oily for my liking. We had pork ribs, two veggies and kong pao chicken with rice and two small bowl of noodles..
Afterwhich, when we were all absolutely stuffed, we brought out Wen's birthday cake from Laurent (absolutely lovely cake shop) and sang her a birthday song (see my multiply site for the evidence) It was a strawberry tart and it pretty and yummy... yum yum..

And that wasnt the end, we had coffee at Pelligrini's @ 66 Bourke Street, Melbourne; a quaint little coffeeshop apparently with one of the best coffees in town and famous for being one of the first Authentic coffee shop in Melbourne. I ordered a latte (since its suppose to be good) and boy, was it strong. It reminds me of Chin Mei Chin along East Coast Road, as it too had an old traditional ambience to it.




All in all, we had a great time last night. =)

Our hosts in Sydney

During our stay in Sydney, we stayed with Robin Gor, my nanny's son's house in the suburb called Blacktown, near the Hillsong Conference. While we spent most of our time out of the house at the Hillsong Conference, we had dinner a couple of times together. one of them was a steamboat dinner at home, prepared by Gen (gor's wife). Everything was homemade, the soup, the meat preparation etc and we all overate!

sydney trip

It's been a while since my last post and I apologise for my absence. I haven forgotten to blog, just haven the opportunity to sit down to write it all in. Last week the doc and I made a trip to Sydney for the Hillsong Conference, having heard so much about it from friends. We decided about a year ago to make a trip down for ourselves since I was studying in Australia. It was an amazing trip of learning - in many aspects. The conference was packed with goodies from monday night through to Friday evening, each one with its own message and learning points. Have a read at the breakdown below, its a little long, but hope you enjoy it as you read on... (p.s. the doc wrote most of it)

Day 1 – Friday night
Rented car – got lost – Thank God for GPS (best investment so far) – Car rental was expensive but worth it. Slept early cos was really tired. (photo below: our trusty GPS which got us around)

day 2 – Saturday
Woke up and headed out for Blue Mountains at 10am.
Took us about 1-1.5 hours. Visited wentworth Falls, the three sisters, scenic world took photos, had lunch and drove back. The Three Sisters at Blue Mountains are pretty impressive when you first view them but after awhile, they lose their appeal and just become a pile of rocks when you stare at them too much.. =)

along the way we had the opportunity to talk more about life and boy did we get to know one another better. Dinner with Robin Gor and Gen at this huge mall called Rowes Hill food was so-so. but large as usual. Lots of shops which caught our attention like Borders, the community library etc. so we are determined to make a trip back ( plus 1st 3 hours of parking is free!)

(photos below: 1.the doc with his morning snack from Macs; 2. a silly photo of e doc pointing at the 1st sister and 3.a picture of the famous Three Sisters)
day 3 – Sunday
Morning in hillsongs church with Judas Smith as the speaker. 4 services a day and each service is at least 85-90% filled. And the hall can sit think about 10000 people. Wow and amazing. We went to the rock and met my cousin Dawn and Auntie Betty!! They were at this coffee carnival called Aroma Festival and I Tried the Hot chocolate. Quite nice, but Andrew was not too keen on it (so not keen though he was hungry.. he needed REAL food..). Sydney Opera House on the other hand had a fantastic view. Wanted to watch My Fair lady, but no time to do so. Sigh…

[photos below: 1. church members selling church breakfast 2. Aroma Festival @ The Rocks 3. The Harbour Bridge 4. Sydney Opera House ]



Day 4 – Monday
Registered in the morning and we had quite a good time after that at the Fish market!! Andrew was HIGHLY satisfied and ate 500g aka ½ kg worth of Sashimi (RAW FISH)! But they were very fresh and very reasonable for the price offered. We also took the ferry from Sydney Olympic Park to the Darling Harbour and I tell you, it was FANTASTIC.

Imagine the cold biting wind blowing into your face, with splashes of salt water littering your face as the boat streams along and the sun beating down on us, stopping at the various stops to pick people up like bus stations. Really a unique experience especially with the amount of sea in the bay to maneuver and unlike the ruddy water we see in Singapore Sentosa beaches, this was azure glittering blue seas! I could go on admiring the marvelous picturesque view of the harbours and quaint coastal houses amidst the natural background of the lush greenery and weather-beaten rocks. Seeing the white crowns of the waves floating up and down as caught a fantastic unobstructed view of the Sydney Harbour bridge and the very cute pelicans gliding around was also a sight for sore eyes. A great experience!!

First rally of the conference. Good stuff although the songs were pretty unfamiliar. They just released the new Hillsong CD which we are now the owners of, together with my dearest sister. A real big difference compared to Singapore rallies. Listened to Robert Barriger. More dynamism and enthusiasm than in Singapore, I feel, although not altogether a necessarily good thing

[photos:
1. the Acer arena where the conference was held; it seats 20,000 pple
2. the ANZ stadium just next to the Acer arena where our biblical studies elective was held
3. in front of the arena
4. fooling around while waiting for the ferry to arrive
5. a lousy photo of the fish market]

Day 5
Youth today are high in public enthusiasm, but low in private devotion. A statement made by Robert Ferguson, the speaker at Biblical Studies. A great session with him. realized that most of the prayer lectures are done by woman. I wonder why… Asked Andrew, he was as clueless as me. Sheesh… Oh and attended the rallies with Paul de Jong and Mikel Pilavanchi. Forerunners!!! I bought the DVD for you all about Mikel’s rally. Very apt about Worship and evangelism. Pestered Andrew to buy it!! He wanted the Judah Smith rally instead! Pouts!! But nonetheless, a good but very tiring time. Having sessions from morning to night can be absolutely exhausting. By the time we got back to Gor’s place about 10++ already


Day 6 – Wednesday
Day 3 of conference. Day of rest. God said must have Sabbath… ahahaha so our Sabbath was today. Went for the morning sessions. Heard Darlene for the first time preaching. We also heard Marcus Witt playing and Wow!! Andrew and I are drooling over his songs… on an impulse, Andrew bought his CD to listen.

We then rested and skipped the afternoon rallies. Missed Joseph Prince and Joyce Meyer but found Pancakes on the Rocks in the afternoon and was equally satisfied. =) (hee see below). afterwhich, we cooked (Or rather Andrew cooked, I prepared lunch and breakfast for tomorrow) dinner and thanked robin Gor and Gen. Good stuff and everyone was belly satisfied!!

Day 7- Thursday
To ONE AND ALL… we must confess our biasness were unfounded. Joyce Meyer is indeed one FANTASTIC speaker. We had her for morning rally and Andrew and I just turned to each other and said Wow! And both of us were convicted by her message just like tt. Definitely a better speaker than a writer I think!! Marcus Witt also spoke and he was equally gifted and anointed by God in so many different ways.

What was really amazing today was LeeLand!! Only 20 year of age and he is so anointed and gidted by God. Loved some of his songs to bits!!!

On the other hand, Joseph Prince talked about the Benjamin Generation and about grace and prosperity. Agreed with some things he said and pondered and debated with Andrew about other points. Cannot believe its already Day 4 of conference. Time flies!!

Day 8 – Friday
It’s the last day of conference and our minds and hearts are filled with so much goodies. There hasn’t been much time to process or pray through so we’re going to take Sat and Sun to do that. A lot of the messages spoken at the conference was a much needed reminder for me of God’s goodness, love, power in our lives. It’s timely for me as I return back to Melbourne as I will be facing the very struggles that I have been running away from.

In all honesty, a huge part of me does not want to return back to Melbourne. Yet, I know that I do need to go back there so that God’s glory and providence in my life can be seen in the next 4 months. I need to daily widen my perspective, daily see beyond my own circumstances.

While attending the elective in the afternoon, I actually ‘bumped’ into Jeremy Ong. This was a really divine meeting, as I didn’t know he was coming for the conference (he’s currently in Perth); let alone this elective. The only reason we saw one another was because I decided to make a trip to the toilet halfway through the session and only because I took that route past him that he saw me. My friendship with Jeremy is what I call ‘intentional friendship’. Coming from different local churches in Singapore, we have no mutual friends amongst us (oh, we have one – Judy Foo). Our life-path does not cross unless we intentionally meet-up, and that’s what we do. We share about the on-goings in our own local churches, talk about any recent good book we’ve read etc. etc. But since he left for Perth to pursue his tertiary degree and I to Melbourne, our meetings were like every 6 months to a year depending on our location. So yeah, it was nice to meet him by chance and to sit down with him and Dawn for a chitchat session.

OFF to BKK

it's 0530hr and I'm sitting in the Departure Lounge of the Budget Terminal waiting for our Tiger Airways flight at 0600hr. You will not believe the amount of people up and about at this unearthly hour. (well but one has to consider the fact that this is Singapore). everything was as per normal. Shops were open, people were perusing and eating! It was like any other time no change.

And I am happily using the Wireless @ SG . it's just fantastic. =)

Chronicals of the Bag Laddy

While reading 'Singapore's no. 1 fashion magazine' I chanced upon this article by Gladys Chung

"I saw it twice last week when I was shopping and I spotted it again yesterday. Like an ugly skirt on sale, the Bag Laddy stood out from a mile. In layman's terms, the Bag Laddy is a strapping male who slings his partner's teeny-weeny handbag across his broad shoulders in public.

I just don't get it. Don't their partners care about how ridiculous he really looks? Don't these women realise that he gets strange stares because men and handbags simply don't go together?

I guess some women (and men) don't know the difference between male chivalry and female tyranny. Let's set the facts straight then. According to the definitive Cambridge Dictionary, chivalry means "very polite and honourable behaviour, especially shown by men towards women".

In other words, a man who holds a door open for a woman because he reached it first is chivalrous. When he pulls out a heavy chair for her because she is in a constricting dress and practising chivalry. When he offers to carry her heavy groceries as they're slipping from her arms; its called chivalry.

Chivalrous behaviour befits a queen's knight. But the man who wears his partner's tiny handbag on his shoulder like a badge of honour when her hands are free - and she's feeling smug - is the queen's fool.

that's why whenever I hand over my bag to the boyfriend when I need the loo, I behave like a sheepish shoplifter. I'll look around furtively first to make sure nobody catches me in the act. after the coast is clear, I'll hand him the bag and make him stand in a corner so nobody will see him clutching that feminine thing (which harbours ....) and doubt his manhood. ..."

There is more to the article so go buy the magazine if you want to read the rest of the article. I don't agree with all the points mentioned but the basic gist of the story is..

1. Woman, don't make him carry your handbag (even if you need to go to the toilet.. that's what the hook behind the door is for)

2. Man, you love her and you want to do things for her. but seriously, carrying her handbag is a little much and not a very pleasant sight.

Mom's birthday - 15th June

Though i wasnt in Singapore to celebrate my Mom's 58th birthday, here are the photos of her birthday breakfast treat from Ee Ee at the Botanical Gardens. Apparently they had a 'brisk' walk round the gardens before proceeding to Halia, the Restaurant in Botanical Gardens for brunch. There was even a suprise brownie-birthday cake!

Transit at Adelaide Airport

I'm on my way home and i'm currently transiting at Adelaide Airport waiting for the same plane to take flight again. You know, I told myself i should never take Qantas again but time and again i do that. Take Qantas.. why oh why do i not heed my own advice? There are delays, waiting times, long journey hours ... bleah. but having said that, at least they have free wireless (for the time being). and the building is actually quite nice.

We Fall Down - Chris Tomlin and Steven Curtis Chapman

I love this song.Watch this interview with Chris and Steven. they even teach you how to play the song.

Studying in Melbourne Uni Library

Its one day before my exam and i'm trying to be a good girl to conscientiously spend my afternoon revising through the lecture notes as well as the notes i have made over the past two weeks. Its getting a bit boring looking through the same old stuff but there is always something i forget (lousy memory what to do). After many years of studying, i realise that i study not by memorising but by reading my stuff frequently.

I cant wait for tomorrow afternoon to come so that i can take the paper and be done with it. Quick Quick come.

Than i can go home Yippee!

out with the Nepalese Girls when Miss Chan came

I met them in the library today and me being lazy decided to pass the photos to Tuna and she posted up the photos.. so have a look!

Sarah Li

Look at this extremely cherub little girl! Sister of Master Caleb Li, my family's favourite little boy. Isnt she just adorable? =) though there is one which reminds me of Paul Chan ! =) hahah can you guess which one? 

Bubbly

From LYRICSMODE.COM lyrics archive

Song lyrics | Bubbly lyrics

like this song

From LYRICSMODE.COM lyrics archive

Song lyrics | When Will I See Your Face Again lyrics

VOICE OF TRUTH

Oh,what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes 

To climb out of this boat I'm in Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone, Into the realm of the unknown 

Where Jesus is, And he's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me 

Reminding me of all the times I've tired before and failed

The waves they keep on telling me time and time again 

Boy, you'll never win, you'll never win

But the voice of truth tells me a different story

The voice of truth say "do not be afraid"

and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth 

Oh what i would do to have the kind of strength it takes 

To stand before a giant with a sling and a stone

Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armour

Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand 

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me 

Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed 

The giant keeps on telling me time and time again

"boy you'll never win, you'll never win"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story 

The voice of truth says "do not be afraid"

and the voice of truth says, "this is for my glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me 

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

But the stone was just the right size

To put the giant on the ground

And the waves they don't seem so high 

Form on top of them looking down 

I will soar with the wings of eagles 

When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus singing over me 

But the voice of truth tells me a different story 

The voice of truth says, "do not be afraid"

And the voice of truth says, 'this is for my glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me) 

I will choose to listen and believe ( I will choose to listen and believe) 

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth 

My ISM Bible Study Group

Here is a photo of my International Student's Ministry (ISM) Cell group at Sze Ying's 24th birthday..

struggles

they come and go as they please
Sometimes i'm able to keep them in check sometimes i cant
feelings of doubt
feelings of inadequacy
feelings of unworth

but yet i know deep in me that these are lies.

I should be thankful for what i have
I should be thankful
and not dwell on the unlovely

but its easier to dwell on the unlovely than to bask in the lovely

To have self pity

Just thoughts

The Stories of God

Recently, Poh Sun (my ISM - Phd accountant friend) started a yahoogroup entitled, [The Stories of God] for our friend Keiko. As Keiko is still new to the Bible and Christian teachings, we have come together to provide her with a weekly 'devotion' kind of write-up of a chapter or 2 from the Bible. This week, it's my turn and I just completed Chapter 10-11 on The Tower of Babel. Since I have already written it all up, i fig

ured i should post it up here as well. 

THE TOWER OF BABEL 

Before you proceed on, click on this link to read a children's version of the story. 

Genesis 10 

After the flood, only Noah's family was left on earth. However, this began to change as the earth began to be populated by his family. chapter 10 is a detailed family tree of Noah's family through his 3 sons. Have a look. 

Each one of these man became a tribe and subsequently a nation on its own. Obviously, land became scarce as more the population grew, not to mention the very large likelihood of conflicts occurring, these nations, 'spread out over the earth after the flood.' (10:32) 

Genesis 11

Despite the increasing number of people on earth, the whole world had one language and one speech. Everyone understood one another. The people became skilled in construction and decided to build a tower so high and great that reaches the heavens. 

Aim? 

To make a name for themselves, for their own glory. 

When God came to have a look at this tower, He realised that there is nothing impossible for men to do if they all have the same language. So as a 'team' (noticed in verse 7, its, 'let us...") their language was confused and everyone spoke a different language. 

the Result? 

The tower never got completed. Thats where the name of the tower came from. Babel means 'a confusion of sound and voices'. 

The next section of Chapter 11 records the continuation of Noah's family tree from his son Shem. It also acts a link to the next chapter where Abram (or later called Abraham ) is introduced. =) 

Reflection 

After reading this two chapters, some of my thoughts include:

1. Today's towel of babel 

Things arent very much different today is it? Reading this story reminded me of how different countries race to build the tallest skyscraper in the world. 

some examples of these towers: 

1. PetronasTwin towers in malaysia 

2. Taipei 101

3.  Shanghai world financial centre 

reason/aim?

To make a name for themselves, for their own glory. 

2. nothing is impossible when we all speak the same language. 

As Christians, we speak the same language of love. We might come from different cultural backgrounds, different countries, grow up learning different languages but God's love language of 1) loving God 2) loving others unites us together and nothing is impossible!. Just look at our group! 

We have Singaporeans, Malaysians, Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese (as well i think). Yet, we speak one language of love and that has enabled us to do things like Soup Van for instance. =) 

Wound Management...

... is boring. I'm in the midst of listening to the lecture online about complex wounds and I'm completely bored. I just dont find it interesting at all. Its so dry the subject... assessments, wound dressings, blah blah.. its well researched area, with numerous techniques on wound management available in the market. 

But its just... a sleepy topic. 

and, i personally cant stand them, particularly foot wounds. I had the experience of looking after a diabetic patient recently with foot ulcers so bad that you could practically see the bone. it was yellow and sloughy and smelly... you wanted to gag literally. (not kidding). 

I can take poo, urine, vomit, blood.. but not complex wounds. If i have to handle i will handle but its about preference i guess.. 

Sigh.. i'm only halfway through this topic back to the grind... 

Reognizing Jesus

"O you of little faith, why you doubt?" - Matthew 14:31b

The wind was boisterous and the waves were really high but yet Peter didnt see them at first. He was focused on God. But he started taking the things around him into account. The big waves, the wind, etc. and instantly, down he went.

Why didnt the Lord enable him to alk at the bottom of the waves with the ability to breath under water and still remain dry? Is that too impossible for Him? He would have, yet it could not be done without Peter's continuing recognition of Him as his Lord.

Likewise, I have stepped right out with recognition of God in some things. Then, self-consideration of my own inadequacies as well as wanting to do things on my own strength enters my life and down I go. I was reminded in my Quiet time today that I have no business being concerned about how and where He engineers my circumstances. The things around me, the environment, the people, the feelings are real but when i look at them, i am immediately overwhelmed and even unable to recognise Him just like Peter. Then comes his rebuke, "why did you doubt?".

I should let my actual circumstances by what they may but keep recognizing Jesus, maintaining complete reliance upon Him.

It continues to remind me that if i debate for even one sec after an incident at which God spoke to me, it will be all over. Dun ask, 'i wonder whether he spoke to me?' just be reckless, totally unrestrained and willing to risk everything by casting it all to Him. It is only through reckles abandonment of yourself and your circumstance that you will recognise Him , recognise the freedom His presence brings. only when you risk your all.

Try it.

How to ... have a long distance romance

While reading The Age a couple of days ago, i came across this article, 'How to... to have a long-distance romance' by David Smiedt

You can Skype, email and text all you want but the truth is that you are here, they are there and an ocean lies between you. So, how does one keep the home fires burning? Dr Janet Hall, a Melbourne-based psychologist, recommends sticking to three general guidelines. The first is sharing a long-term goal - this could involve one of teh partners moving cities in a specified time or planning holidays together. "It's all about doing what you need to do to ensure the prospect of a bright future," she says.

Hall's second strategy involved communication. "Even when you live in teh same house, its often difficult to chat about all teh work, family and relationship dramas in your respective lives. Which make [talking] doubly important in long-distance relationships." whether its speaking on teh phone at every night, emailing every monring and chats in between, Hall believes the more the couple talk, teh stronger their bond.

the final tactic is what Hall terms "high expectations". Couples who stay togtehr must have clearly understood agreements about high standards of ethical behaviour such as fidelity and honesty, which you both equally share in setting and which you both insist are kept."

This article is for all my friends out there who are currently in a long-distance relationship.. Trust me.. i'm not the only one.

ONE THING I KNOW

Something in your eyes I see
reminds me of what used to be,
when I was still uncertain of the truth.
Sleepless nights I've turned to days,
alone inside an endless space,
Counted on someone to see me thru.

And if there's one thing I know
you were never left alone,
'cause you can always call on Jesus' name.
And if there's one thing I pray
is Jesus helps you find a way
to make a change and listen to your heart.
God will take away your pain,
if you'll choose to let it go,
if there's one thing I know.

How can I convince your heart,
His light can find you in the dark,
and only He can make your blind eyes see?
For if we speak of lost things found,
or lives that have been turned around,
then tell me who knows better, child, than me?

And if there's one thing I know
you were never left alone,
'cause you can always call on Jesus' name.
And if there's one thing I pray
is Jesus helps you find a way
to make a change and listen to your heart.
God will take away your pain,
if you'll choose to let it go,
if there's one thing I know.

I would never stake my life on any lesser thing
than the Cross of Christ, where He gave His life,
to ease my suffering.

And if there's one thing I know
you were never left alone,
'cause you can always call on Jesus' name.
And if there's one thing I pray
is Jesus helps you find a way
to make a change and listen to your heart.
God will take away your pain,
if you'll choose to let it go,
if there's one thing I know.

Six degrees of separation

Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person he or she knows and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people he or she knows, then everyone is an average of six "steps" away from each person on Earth.

From: Wikipedia

How did this come about?
I was listening to Corrinne May while surfing the web, doing assignment, blogging, editing photos blah blah you get the picture (basically not getting any work done) when i was reminded of this concept by here in one of the songs.

And this evening, I had conversation on MSN with Ant in UK. It has really been so long since I've actually talked to him. And i thank God for that opportunity. Really i do. Thank you Ant if you ever read this post. For clicking on my name and saying hi. Thank you.

Emma, Selene, Grace and Vinci

A photo of the 4 standing in front of Wen's red living room wall (was taken while waiting for dinner to be ready)

Photos of our last gathering

My nursing gang hasnt met up for awhile now cos we are all doing diffferent subjects at different places and at different times. We did meet up for Emma's birthday recently but it wasnt the full gang. Here 's 2 photos from our gathering/housewarming/party when Selene was here. There are other photos but i'm lazy to crop and adjust blah blah... Maybe later.. .

Laguna @ QV

This is an entry post i found recently while blog surfing:

"My neighbour xx recommended Laguna to me. It is an Asian grocery store ‘secretly tucked away’ at the back of QV. I have been shopping for groceries at QV since Safeway opened its doors back in 2003. Until Winnie told me about Laguna, I used to go to an Asian grocery store on Russell Street in Chinatown whenever I felt adventurous enough to cook a Japanese meal. Yes, this nanny loves Japanese food. If there really is such a thing as reincarnation, I was probably Japanese in the past. LOL

It is kinda hard to explain online where Laguna is. It is located towards one of the Russell Street entrances to QV. From that entrance, one will have to walk up a flight of stairs. From the Swanston Street entrance (referring to the one next to the AFL), one should ride the escalators located next to Wagamama to the next level and then walk towards Russell Street. Take the ramp next to the lane leading to Russell Street to get to the shop. It is at the end of the ramp. To make matters worse, there is some kind of construction going on around there. The scaffolds further obstruct the view of the shop’s existence. If you get lost along the way, just ask one of the many Asian students. Winnie’s directions were confusing. I ended up asking an Asian guy who was heading there at the time.

Laguna is not a grocery store specializing in Japanese groceries only. From what I noticed, it sells groceries from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Japan and Thailand. It is interesting to see food items we don’t normally see at Safeway or Coles. Among the wide range of drinks is a drink in a can called Kickapoo. I always wondered who named it. LOL. There is also a big range of instant noodles. While I do not recommend them for daily consumption, I am in the process of trying all the different varieties on offer. I think I have tried more than 15 varieties so far and the truth is that I can’t remember which one is tastiest. I did find out however that the Maggi noodles from Malaysia taste different from the Aussie Maggi noodles! Winnie told me about this first but I didn’t take her word for it until I tried them for myself. Another item that I always buy from Laguna is the BBQ Pork buns. These are one of the many types of white buns served mostly in Yum Cha (Chinese) restaurants. The white buns I like are the ones stuffed with BBQ pork. They come in a pack of four and sometimes they are only around $5 for two packs. I don’t think you can eat straight from the pack. I never did. We steam them on the stove.

To those who enjoy cheap Asian migrant labour and their contribution but hate their cultural impact on the average Joe’s daily lifestyle, this grocery store is unlike those in Chinatown. There is nothing written in foreign languages externally to offend fussy people who walk by. In fact, most people walking by may not notice it because it is hiding. LOL. Believe it or not, there are actually people out there who complain about shopfronts with non-English displays. I just don’t understand how foreign languages can be offensive or unpatriotic. There is so much to find out. These people have heaps to show us. If you ever shop at Laguna, do pay attention to the music playing in the store too. No, they don’t play stereotypical classical music from Asia. They probably do but I have never heard it when I was there. They instead play pop music from many parts of Asia and this is probably because most of their customers are young university students. I even heard a rap-style song. LOL.

Laguna Shopping Tip #1: After selecting an item, always read the item’s price ticket that is usually stuck on the edge of the shelf to see if the price is lower if you buy multiple quantities of the same item."

Laguna is a great place to go. you can get alot of stuff there. However, i haven had any reason to go there since I dun cook as often now.

Bible Study Fellowship (BSF)

Having moved to inner Melbourne this year, one of my new year resolutions was to join BSF conducted in my church, Cross Culture Church of Christ. There is no excuse to join since it's a 2 min walk from my house and fellowship is every Monday night which will never be affected by placements since monday is always a study day.

We are into our 11th lesson now and i must say, in all honesty, the experience has been bitter sweet. Let me explain.

BSF has been really good as it uses a Four-Fold Approach to learning, comprising of the following:

• Daily questions for individual Bible study
• Discussion groups
• Challenging lectures
• Study notes

Each book studied is done over a year, with about one chapter a week. It brings one back to the basics yet still providing depth of content.

I really enjoy the daily questions, discussion groups, the study notes as it has many times reminded me of basic Christian teaching which i have forgotten or let slipped over the years.

The only thing that has been very hard to get used to is the style of teaching. Dun get me wrong. there is nothing wrong with the style used. it's just not my cup of tea. I'm so used to the contemporary style that i felt it was a bit conservative.

But the funny thing is, just when i was mentioning to my housemate how bitter sweet BSF was, focusing on the negative, reading of the lecture notes after that (as part of homework) was filled with so much goodie that i was like, 'who says BSF is not good?'. oh well. =)

Struggling

I'm having alot of problems with my assignment . i have done a fair bit but its not concise and precise yet with alot of loop holes everywhere. I dunno how to proceed. Im stuck and its due this coming monday. The best part is i still have placements to attend. I have my final assessment this week and i cant screw up this week as well.

Oh boy. I'm very very sian. Still in the hospital trying to get moving with my assignment. but with no guideline i dunno what to remove duno what to add so that i can stick as close to teh word limit as possible.

Think i will just go home .. catch the next train. buy a piece of chocolate and pray and ask Him to help me. next train is at 756 i think now its only 737pm oh boy.

a photo from a computer

While studying in RMIT library, i picked up this photo from the desktop. I have no clue where this place or even what its called but it's just a well taken photo. =)

You've Got a Friend

Love this song.. Enjoy.

Song lyrics | You've Got A Friend lyrics

HOtoMO

To all my HO friends slogging away in the Singapore hospitals,

You've done it, you made it. with the encouragement of people, the strength of God, the wisdom and guidence of the Holy Spirit, you all have made it! As you unnaturally become MOs today, be kind to the new HOs for remember, just a year ago you were like them. Fresh out of Med school, nervous, excited and full of hope. You were not jaded yet, you were not tired out from the numerous night calls and you were not squeezed dry.

With a new year ahead, more responsibilties await you. But just remember, with God's help, nothing is impossible!

And to my personal doc, you made it! =) now... ED awaits you...

JOB 11:13-20

"Yet if you devote your heart to Him and stretch out your hands to Him,
if you put away the sin that is in your hand and
allow no evil to dwell in Your tent
then you will lift up your face without shame.
You will stand firm and without fear.
You will surely forget your trouble recalling it only as waters goes by
Life will be brighter than noonday and darkness will become like morning
You will be secure, because there is hope;
You will look about you and take your rest in safety.
You will lie down with no one to make you afraid
and many will court your favour
But the eyes of the wicked will fall and escape will elude them.
Their hope will become a dying gasp."

Happy Holidays

Happy holidays to all of you in Singapore.. a nice mid week break.