28.01.2010
At this time tomorrow..
categories: Personal, Random, Rants, Recollections
tags: ,

.. I’ll be 50minutes to touchdown in Singapore.

The past few days have been amazing – thank you to all of you whom I’ve met in this past week. It’s been awesome fellowship and chill outs. (:

Australia day was good. But indeed, matching the Aussie laidback lifestyle really, it was a little disconnecting when no one got excited about the fireworks. Hahah. You know how Singapore makes this HUGE fanfare with National Day every year, and we will get all the patriotism in us built up, with the flags everywhere, and the celebrations and the songs?

Nope. Here you fire up the barbie(-que), drink cheap Aussie beer at home, and then make your way to South Perth/Perth foreshores or King’s Park to watch fireworks.

The biggest debacle we had, and how I’ve made this Australia day totally memorable, is posting up tweets saying that the Qantas ad song the kids were singing is the national anthem, WHICH IS NOT TRUE. With all the confusion (EVEN THE AUSSIES WERE CONFUSED OKAY) and commotion on FB and people LOL-ing at us, I have gone on youtube, and figured out what song is what.

Okay here goes:

  • National anthem: Advance Australia Fair
  • Song people think is the national anthem: Waltzing Matilda
  • Song the kids were singing in the Qantas TV ad: I’ll still call Australia home

THERE YOU GO.

And it’s nearly impossible to forget Majulah Singapura is the Singapore national anthem, maybe because Chan Mali Chan is too folksy, and Di Tajong Katong is.. about Tanjong Katong, as with Geylang Sipaku Geyland is about.. Geylang. SEE: Majulah Singapura is about Singapore!

It helps that Majulah Singapura is totally epic drama win kind of song.

OKAY I SHOULD SLEEP. (: Goodnight Perth.

25.01.2010
Four days
categories: Personal, Realisations, Recollections
tags: , ,

I felt compelled to blog today, as it being the last Sunday before flying back to Singers. The next few days have been planned out, it includes coffees and catchups, dimsum and dinner, some pampering with the girls, and my first Australia day celebrations.

BTW, Happy Birthday E! Thank you for being one of my bestest friends here, and always loving me with the small things and the big things. I <3 you very much!

Yeah my years have many starts and ends, due to the travelling to and fro the homeland (though at this point homeland is very subjective). It’s always been a very mixed reaction if you ever ask me if I’m excited to leave Perth/go back to SG – perhaps only Jon understands. At this point, I’m leaning towards wanting to stay in Perth because the city is so beautiful and the people are absolutely amazing.

You know you are settled in a place when you can see the goods and the bads of where you are at. Indeed no city is perfect, as with people. Good and bad experiences in the place accumulates as you stay longer. But I think the community of FGA is vastly different from anywhere else I’ve been to in this life so far – in the sense where there is so much nourishment and support. People are so full of love, and not wrapped in their own world. People are hungry for God, and they live lives evident of the love and grace of God. It is always moving forward, always desiring more of God. In a sense I wish this can be said the same of every church in the world – it should be, but sadly we know it’s not. Thus I thank God because He brought me to an excellent training ground to prepare me for what is ahead.

That’s why I’m slightly dreading leaving this environment. And the quiet and empty apartment where solitude is enjoyed tremendously. And the days of summer where meetups are spontaneous, and where hanging with friends are peaceful and lazy.

And now I’m leaving this place in 4 days for 3+ weeks of non-stop action, festivities, shopping, major catching-ups and eating-outs. Hello, bustling Singapore.

For now, I’m going to miss Perth.

23.01.2010
Influencers 2010
categories: Recollections, Revelations
tags: ,

.. is AMAZING. Definitely worth the money (and all the rest I’ve spent on buying books after.)

Seriously, I can’t justify not buying Christian books. They are always investments, and they are never a waste of money. And with that, it doesn’t help that the messages preached had been so spot-on, up-lifting, empowering and altogether awesome, and that the Beveres write books.

There had been downs, which on hindsight could very well have been the devil trying to hinder me from getting too much out of the conference. But the messages had been relevant, and mind-blowing, and encouraging, and inspirational all at the same time. Yeah, I suppose He has indeed planned for me to be there (of course He did, He planned everything).

What I loved, is that it was not all hype. They were not emotion-driven services, it was not all about the power and money and success. The pastors and speakers were sound in their theology, faithful about what they preach, and has a genuine desire to equip individuals and churches.

With that, how could I have NEVER seen this before:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)

GRACE = POWER.

Dude/wahlao.

Over and out. Time to crash.

Reading: Extraordinary – John Bevere

18.01.2010
Chooks
category: Random
tags:

.. is the best chicken ever. Chooks > KFC

But that’s western fried chicken. Ken’s been telling me about this chicken they found at the basement of Ion in Singers, of which seems to be to die for. And then there’s har chiong gai (prawn paste chicken) – best asian fried chicken in the world.

(BTW, chooks is what Aussies call chicken. And it happens to be a fast food restaurant here.)

What other kind of fried chicken is there ‘to die for’?

I’m counting down to house inspection on Thursday, then back in SG the week after. :D

17.01.2010
You’re close enough to see that..
categories: Personal, Realisations, Revelations
tags: , ,

.. you’re the other side of the world to me.

Blogging here has been terribly sporadic. I’m sorry. You see, inspirations and ideas hit me in the day, but I’ve not had the little pocket moleskine that should contain these little gems. Maybe I should note them down, because they make excellent brain exercise and blog topics. Hmm.

I feel like I’ve let my intellect go a lot. Not that I have become more stupid, and no you cannot put being FOB on the same measuring scale. But yes, I’ve drastically reduced using the brain to rationalise, to justify, to put my point across. The days of writing SFTW was really a mental workout, and spoke to me very clearly that I cannot be a journalist that lives under deadlines – there will be nothing I can churn out.

Then again I’m glad. I have found using my intellect as a source of pride for me. Well, and on hindsight, there hasn’t been much to be proud of either. I read my open letter, which kind of launched SFTW into the near 200 posts we have written, and I cringed. My letter felt like a Christianized version of a Facebook group that talks about “102 things guys should know about girls” – guard our hearts brothers, please guard our hearts.

The girls cooked up dinner and had a North&South half-marathon that day (skipped the boring-ish bits and delved into the juicy bits with Margaret Hale and Mr. Thorton), and watching it again, Jas and I picked up how Margaret seemed to have led Mr. Lennox on very subtly, and ultimately left him heartbroken while she and Mr. Thorton had their happily ever after. That wasn’t fair to Mr. Lennox.

So here, I’m telling you, sisters, guard your brothers’ hearts. And respect them, and stop expecting them to do everything for you. In fact, not just your brothers, but any male friends you have. Because I know it’s different with guys in church and outside. Still, they need to be treated to be respect. Yes, educate them and help them develop to be the men God intended them to be, but they do not have to do your bidding in everything. And don’t look as their well-meaning service and say that they should do just because they are guys – they do it because they love you enough to do so. And I have no doubt that the brothers I have in my life right now will protect and defend me if the need ever arises. (Thanks guys by the way. You all are awesome, and you pretty much know who you are.)

So don’t lead them on in any way sisters if you do not desire to reach an understanding (to borrow a very Austen term), because these guys are good men who deserves the best ladies God have planned for them, and it would be dishonour to God to not guard their hearts till then.

Okay done with the very sober and rather non-emotional rant. Here’s the song that has been stuck in my head for the last week, for your enjoyment. :D

Goodnight. (:

14.01.2010
7am
categories: Random, Rants
tags: ,

I woke up suddenly, from a horrible dream, finding myself in a foetal position.

Such a strange position to wake up in though, I barely remember getting into it, and I wake up all clenched up and tense. Oh well.

Sun is as it would have been in summer – up and shining brightly, at 7am in the morning.

I suppose I’ll head back to have a few more hours of sleep before I clock up too many waking hours.

12.01.2010
eHarmony says
category: Random
tags:

We are not a dating site.
We are a relationship site.

Really.

11.01.2010
My Top 5 from Kottke’s best of 2009
categories: Random, Recollections
tags: ,

Here’s my favourite 5 goodies from Jason Kottke’s best links of 2009 list. And as you can see, I like food. Lol.

From Kottke.org:

Missed Connections, Illustrated [Kottke's link]. – beautiful, beautiful illustrations, and such heart-warming/wrenching text.

Wes Anderson Annonated – for the Wes Anderson fans/friends of mine.

The McGangBang [Kottke's link] – because LOOK AT THAT BURGER. How inviting isn’t it?

Fancy Fast Food [Kottke's link] – doesn’t make it any healthier, but still so good.

Photosketch! – such cool stuff, although I do doubt the effectiveness of it. It seems like gone are the days of drawing on drawing boards and crayons.

11.01.2010
Dream
categories: Random, Recollections
tags: ,

I dreamt of goodlooking tall blue people on earth, with a door that changes the scene every time it closes and opens, with mafias and with murders.

That’s what you get when you dream of Avatar after watching some crazy late night movie. And the door part, I don’t know – doraemon?

11.01.2010
Soirees
category: Random
tags:

I think I slept too much last night. What’s in a mess? My eating habits and my sleeping habits. It’s now 2.55am and I’m not sleeping yet. Although I do feel something starting to swell on my neck. Thyroid gland?

Anyway, an online soiree tete-a-tete tête-à-tête with becky over MSN might be the nicest thing to do on a night following a morning where nothing is on.

Soon, goodnight.