Flying Thoughts

Know what? I'm still down. Physically, emotionally, mentally. Down with slight fever, complete with aches and all.
Down coz a close friend seems to be avoiding me.
Down with depressing thoughts that sometimes cloud out the sunshine.

Yup, i severely need a good dose of medicine... and this medicine can only be given by the Great Physician. But i guess i'm not taking the medicine regularly... not reading His Word regularly... been straying a bit too... So well, the peace that passeth all understanding and the love that endures forever seems a bit distant... but i know that God loves me all the same, even when i run away.

At this time, i'm starting to doubt if i can lead the YF well. Taking over the torch from Weijian's a tall order... partly coz he's good with the younger ones and partly coz of the current situation in church. I'm scared... really scared... Really have to remind myself that what I'm doing is not for myself or for any human being, but for God. It's all for God's glory and for God's glory alone must I persevere. It brings to mind Rev. Simon Nagarajan's message on Chicken or Eagle? I know that I can be an eagle because God's on my side and God's working in my life according to His purpose and plan.

So well, things may not be as I would like them to be, but I just gotta hold on to this promise: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Makan Guide: When you feel like splurging
Went to two wonderful eating places last week. Come to think of it, now this explains why i was just so broke last week!

Ok, first up is Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar in the Esplanade. It's just opposite Harry's Bar on level one. Well, it's really all things chocolate and the place itself smells positively heavenly.

Looked through the menu with Sharon Wong and we both settled on the suckao. It comes in this cylinder that looks suspiciously like the organic oil burners, complete with tea light and all.

How you're supposed to drink the suckao:
1. Melt the chocolate in the metal cup just above the flame
2. Top up with milk to create the texture of choc drink u want
3. Blow out the flame if it gets too hot!
4. Drink up!

What's cool about the suckao is the spoon-straw. It's metal, looks like a spade on one end and has a handle that's bent and hollow. Use this contraption to scoop the chocolate, stir the chocolate-milk mix and drink your concoction.

Verdict: A must try for chocoholics! Non-chocoholics can try too... i'm a non-chocoholic and i loved the suckao!

Next up is Dragon Pearl Restaurant at Takashimaya, i think it's the 4th or 5th level. They've got a fantastic dim sum buffet. It's about $16+++, so we ended up paying about $22 each. The restaurant also opens until 2.30pm everyday.

What's nice about it? Well, the prawns are really really fresh! Even Weijian, who's picky about the way his prawns are cooked, walloped up the har gao. Another delicious item was the scallop and vegetable steamed dumpling. Succulent. Then the char siew pastry... thin pastry, lots of filling. Great taste too!

Then there's also two chicken feet dishes. Serene, Weijian and myself walloped those up. Jeremy doesn't quite like it so... he ate those sparingly. Well, there's Thai style and the normal braised style. Note: both are spicy, so if you can't take spice, don't go for it. Jellyfish has chilli too...

Verdict: This buffet is definitely value for money. But only go with big eaters... and calculate how much you've spent, whether it covers the buffet cost. If not, slow down and go for more food! We ordered so much our eyes almost bulged out when the food came! But, we 4 hungry people polished up the plates of food.

Oh yes, they also change your personal plates when they can't tahan the mess on your plate. We had about 2 plate changes.

Feeling bleh today... lotsa things. left me feeling really frustrated. But have spoken to Bro Mat and some trusted friends... and feel much better. So many things... tmr gonna talk to auntie angie and sharon wong... about other stuff weighing on my mind. Well, leave the day for later. Now quiz time... takes my mind off certain tears-inducing and headache-inducing stuff



What's Your Wedding Style?
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You are Nemo!!! cute and adorable, and you look
just like your father! kinda creepy, but it
runs in the family. You are just another
regular fish in the sea, but with a mild fin
problem, but it doesnt bother you.


Which Finding Nemo Character are you?
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Guys just love...how intellectual you are!


What Do Guys Love About You? (with pics :3)
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Grateful for a Sprain

My friend commented that i've been leading a pretty happening life. In the span of a week, i'd been to a BBQ, a few meetings, musical rehearsals, chalet.... zzzzzzzzzzzz

Well, just came back from Bondage Breaker Camp 2003 by my church YF. Tiring... waking up an hour before everyone else to sweep and mop the gathering place, then going around waking everyone up is no joke! A fellow camp com member wrote i my encouragement book that she never knew i could wake up so early and go around waking everyone else up and knocking on the doors... coz heh, i'm usually a lazy pig who's one of the last to wake up and who likes to sleep. grinz

That aside, the messages were powerful. Preacher Robert Chew gave the messages on the 7 deadly sins. He covered them in a helicopter viewpoint, and focused on anger and pride. He also spoke on discerning between good and evil. Was challenged by the messages. Seems like anger and pride are quite prevalent... in fact, during a grp discussion, a practical lesson dropped in on us unexpectedly!

Messages were very practical... and they really hit at the heart of the campers. But erm... only about the older campers were listening to him... a lot of what he said went clean over the heads of the younger campers. So we decided to have grp discussions altered to allow the younger ones to learn something... it became kinda like a pass-it-on chain where Preacher Robert spoke, the older youths got it and brought it down to the younger youth level.

Me thinks that was a wonderful arrangement by God coz everyone learnt something.

So anyway, the camp ended yesterday morning. Most campers stayed up real late... and after debrief as we were going for lunch, i got my sprain.

Up till now, i still can't really remember what happened or figure out how it happened. No one can...

Got into my friend's car, and i was not fully in yet when he started driving off. My foot somehow got caught in the back wheel and my sports sandals were ripped off. I escaped with a big bruise at the heel and a twisted ligament though... So am quite grateful for it. Am also very grateful to God coz somehow He made it rain so my sandals were wet so erm... i didn't put the back strap up. if the back strap was up... i daren't think of what might happen to my foot.

So now am bandaged again. Well, God has a purpose to everything. The purpose of this, i dunno! But i know He has a purpose for it. :-)

Who's Missing?

Had choir prac today. Seems like the flu bug has gotten many of our choir members... it's either a physical flu flu... or a flu-like attitude that makes them just stop functioning properly.

Symptoms of physical flu:
Cough, runny nose, sore throat, feeling like sleeping the whole day long

Symptoms of attitudinal flu:
Irresponsibility, the inability to function normally esp when things don't go your way, vengefulness, an unforgiving spirit

There were so ppl missing today... Wonder if they were truly sick or busy, or because the person they support was voted out of office. Apparently most of the absentees support pastor wholeheartedly... to the point of being able to throw aside all responsibilities once he's out of office.

I don't want to generalise. Really, I don't want to. And i hope i'm wrong, very wrong. I hope i can post something here in future saying how silly i was to think that they were putting up a silent protest against the elders for coming up with the resolution to ask Pastor to step down.

Well, we'll wait for Sun to see who's staying on to sing for the musical, and who's decided to leave (EVERYTHING, all responsibilities in church) the day Pastor was voted out of office.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Christmas isn't turning out to be very jolly. Me thinks i'll go listen to some Christmas oldies... by the original singers. Beautiful renditions that'll take my mind off these troublesome things.

My friend gave me a lift home the other day and we were listening to his favourite Christmas songs sung by the original artistes. So dreamy... driving along the road at night, with all the lights... and the Christmas songs! Nice! Turns out that friend and I have a few songs in common that we like! I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, Let It Snow, Let It Snow... can't remember.

But Christmas sure has retained the same spirit of giving and warmness that I've always felt this last decade. Chinese New Year just can't seem to match up... Could it be because Christmas celebrates Christ? The birth of a Saviour? The unveiling of a perfect plan to mend the bridge between us and God caused by sin?

I believe so. But at this Christmas, let us not forget that whilst Jesus came as a baby some 2000 years ago, he was crucified on the cross around the age of 33, and rose again 3 days (Jewish definition of day) later, a victor over death! Let us not let the sentimentalism of Christmas and the warming nativity scene overwhelm the knowledge that Jesus Christ is indeed risen and is King of kings and Lord of lords!

Vote's over.

It's time to shed tears... and when the tears dry, to move on and continue with life. To quote Rev. Heng, "This is not the end-all and be-all, it's not the end of the world". He also said that this kidna thing happened to him before... and that "we don't know why God allows all this to happen. But we know He is in control".

So many shed tears. First saw many of the aunties cry... then i saw two childhood friends cry... i'd never in my 14 years of knowing them ever ever see them cry. It's a blow to everyone. "Typical example of a lose-lose situation" as marianne put it. Yep... a lose-lose situation as we see it. What will come out of it? What will Pastor do in a month's time when he's no longer Pastor of my church?

Feels like I just woke up from a nightmare only to enter reality and find that it's no better.