A Cool Evening & New Discovery

Tis' the 'winter' time in Singapore and it has been very cooling, sometimes chilly to be walking out in the open at night. The chill out in the open nature reminded me of the cold winter in Australia. Kinda makes me miss being out in the open cold, clothed with warm clothing, breathing the cold fresh air, opening your eyes to marvel at God's creation of nature and indulging in that moment where everything around you seemed insignificant...

Anyway, here's to share a place which have just undergone some 're-packaging' and a kool place to check out. This place up on a hill in Singapore has been revamped.

Up at Mount Faber, the existing Altivo has undergone minor revamp. The red couch seats have been replaced by cream colour seats. The entire place has been made more relaxing mood and romantic feel. At Altivo, one can choose to sit by the edge where it overlooks Habourfront and Sentosa.

Just beside Altivo, is the new Glass Bar. As it suggests, the walls of the bar is all glass. In the daytime, one can look out to the greenery surrounding the hill. It has interesting modern designs, a good play of lightings and simple white and transparent theme.

The entire building of Altivo and Glass Bar has been renamed "The Jewel Box". Dress code has to be smart casual. Although I have taken some photos there, I think its not appropriate for me to post them up. However, the toilets are the ones which are worth checking out. The side table with flower display in the toilet, is actually a fish tank. Imagine a big fish tank and a table top on top of it and therein sits 2 flora table displays. Toilet is again, a play in glass, mirrors, white colour and in addition, water (and I'm not talking about the flushing water). I'm not good with words and so not too good in explaining. Just believe me that its surely worth a check out!

Another new thing is that bus number 409 now runs to Mount Faber from the interchange opposite Harbourfront. The bus runs from 11am to 2am on weekdays and 7am to 3am on weekends! So you can now park at Seah Im Street carpark and take the bus to Mount Faber, being spared of the difficulty of finding carpark lots.

Oh and don't forget to catch a view of the tall X'mas tree over there!

Gifts

I suppose every child loves gifts. It was no exception for me too. Birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, Farewell gifts, Valentine's Day gifts, Thank You gifts, Cheer-You-Up gifts, Baptism gifts, Chinese New Year gifts (ang baos)... there was always an occasion to give gifts. It is always nice to be the giver, but its also nice being the receiver. The greatest satisfaction as a giver is the cheer on the receiver's face when it is something which he/she wants or needs. Similarly for the receiver, I guess the greatest cheer is when the gift is something that you want, better still, WANT IT BADLY!

I received some gifts recently. Got a belated birthday present today. It was an Aussino quilt cover set. It was in lovely pink flowers print. I love it because it was a sweet design. But anyway because the giver is my very dear friend, the gift does not matter as much as her friendship. My colleagues had also given me a bedsheet set from Aussino. It was a red colour "Romeo love Juliet" design (I wonder why they chose that set?!?!). The gifts were timely. I need not get new sheets and covers myself for the new year. A complete set (fitted bedsheet, pillow covers and quilt cover) was given to me by different people.

A thought struck me: What gave them the ideas to give me these household items? It just felt a bit strange because such items were usually bought and not given. Does this speak of age? Don't get me wrong. I do like the gifts, but just wondering why they gave me what they gave me?

Other gifts that I was given included a hair perfume, cosmetics, soft toy, Missha toiletries, commentary on Exodus, Body Shop Hair products, choker necklace, birthday cakes and flowers. Of course I had a few meal treats as well. My next question is: Does the gifts that people give me, speaks of who I am and their impressions of me? Well I guess not totally so.... e.g. the commentary was given to me because I was preparing to lead a bible study on Exodus and there was no copy which I could borrow from. The hair perfume was given for me to ensure my hair won't smell after my sweatout in the gym or after a makan session at the hawker centre.

Whatever the case is, I am thankful just for the givers and for them being a part of my life :)

Good Fun & Hot Sun!

It was showdown time for some DGs. Thanks to Marxx and the city min pple, we met for an afternoon of sweat-out and fun!

Sun was really hot but it was a beautiful weather to be out in the sun. Nope I have no intention to be as dark as my teenage years but I guess I don't mind being a little more tan. In fact I think its very difficult for me to be tanned. I know some of you are probably wondering how could I be really tanned? But its true... I didn't realise how dark I was then, until I saw my old photos. The basketball playing and footdrill in Red Cross made me dark!

Anyway, I think those who were present had a swell time today! We played captain's ball, volleyball and ultimate frisbee at Sentosa Tanjong Beach! I was glad to be there. Not only I had a good body workout, I also got to know some people better and also got to know new people in church! Although the exercise today had probably made my quota for the week, I will probably also be aching tomorrow! Suffering the effects of not warming up and stretching before the games. Soles of feet are also in some pain for running around in the rough sand (how fine can the sand be in Singapore??) :(

Well I guess I had probably missed group fellowship for a while. I had been rather tired of meeting big groups of people. I am usually a people person. But I guess as I grow older, I like to have 'private time', time with very small group of people or even 1-2-1 meetings. After today, I was glad that I am enjoying group fellowship and I have missed it for some time. I would think I need to find a balance to manage time spent in smaller groups of people, in large groups and also spending personal time to sit back, relax and reflect. Lord, help me be a good steward of the 24-hours that You gave me for a day....

A Town Named After A Tree

Drove up north 2-hour drive to a small town in Malaysia known as "Melaka" or "Malacca". Spent 2 days with my family for a short holiday. This was my first ever overseas holiday with my entire family. We are not the type of famiy who would go for a holiday annually. When we were younger, we always went to chalets in Singapore and furthest to Sentosa. Other than day trips to JB for makan and shopping, this was the rare occasion for us. It was a good timing I suppose - brother's going to serve the nation soon and sister's starting her new job after completing her degree. Holiday's pretty fun. I was the 'holiday leader' to give directions, knowing where to go, etc...

Happened that besides my first trip there 14 years ago with my school for a history trip, I went there for a day trip with my doctors (work-related) and a 3-day trip with a bunch of friends last year, I just visited the town last month to check out the possibility of holding our church camp there next year. A fren R who grew up in the small town, revealed to us that the town was named after a tree called "Malacca". That tree is found at Afarmosa.

Food Recommendations:

1) Ole Sayang

Peranakan Nonya food, located just a 5-10 minute walk from Hotel Equatorial where we stayed. We got a little lost when trying to find our way there but nevertheless, we did! My favourite was the prawns with plum sauce and the otah.

2) Capitol Satay

Almost went to the street "Ong Kim Wee" for satay celup (pronounced 'che-lo'). I ate there on my trip last year. However we happened to see the recommendation on Malaysian TV that Capitol's satay celup was nice, we decided to give it a try. Surprisingly it was very near the hotel too! Either a 15-20 minute walk or a 5-minute drive from hotel. For the chilli-faint-hearted, this isn't the place for you. I recalled how Marxx could not eat but could only look at us as we ate. Satay celup is like steamboat but dipping food placed on satay sticks into a pot of satay sauce. The sauce is rich in peanuts and some special mixture of curry powder. Food is cooked in the satay sauce. You are charged according to the number of sticks of food you eat. The stall has been in existence for 3 generations!! Good place for supper even when you are hungry at 2am!

3) Chicken Rice Balls

The famous dish of Malacca! Its quite ashamed if you go and not eaten the chicken rice balls. When I first ate it, I was quite embarrassed that the 5 'fish balls' placed in a plate in front of me, were the rice balls itself! The rice balls are not the one big ball we see in Singapore. The rice balls are like the size of fish balls we find in Singapore, hence my mistake in recognising it. Chicken is not the type that were injected with chemicals. Its the kampong chicken! (Don't understand how my daddy can tell the difference!)

Besides eating, we also visited the usual tourist spots and shopping at Makohta Parade. Getting excited since church camp will be there next year!!

Trip to Kashmir

The organisation that I worked for, sent a team of medical personnel to Kashmir, Pakistan to provide medical relief for the earthquake victims. The team has just returned from their 10-day trip.

Before the trip, its written all over media that the weather there, is trying, cold and tough. I heard a little sharing from one of my colleagues who went and saw some photos... it was surely physically more tough than the trip to help the tsunami victims! It was freezing cold, especially the nights. It was cold despite sitting beside the fireplace. The team lived in a camps where tents is sighted everywhere. The field hospital was not in a building but under a huge tent on dry mud. Made shift beds were everywhere. Operations and procedures are sometimes done without Anaesthesia. My colleague had to drop her bags and went to help in a woman's delivery upon her arrival at the camp (I am sure there was no epidural given!!). What was heart-wretching was that the woman had wanted to give away her baby to my colleague immediately after birth. Of course my colleague couldn't just accept the baby although she would like to bring the baby back home. I am sure it was the physical conditions, the lack of food and the uncertain tomorrow that drove a woman to painstakingly give away her newborn just after birth. She probably thought that the child would have a better life and chance of survival with a 'foreign lady' who had flew miles to help her and her countrymen.

Other conditions were like how everyone in the team had to pee in the bushes, toilets that cannot flush and they have to live with the stench. Everyone in the team fell sick at different timings. Some had gastroenteritis (infection of the stomach area), all of them dropped a few kilos as they had no time to eat lunch on the first few days. They only survived with breakfast and dinner, and sweets to give them energy in between.

As I am blogging at the comforts of my home, I am certainly in a much fortunate condition than them. The Pakistianis had beautiful mountains and nature but living in poor conditions, facing the threat of the cold and insufficient food and earthquakes. Sometimes I ask myself why I am sometimes not contented with what I already have.

Would I ever pluck up enough courage to go help in medical missions like this? I did contemplate to help the tsunami victims but I did not. It surely won't be easy time. How would I measure up if I am placed in a situation as the Pakistanis? How would I measure up in my faith to the Sovereign God whom I love??

Its Been Some Time...

... since I last made an entry. No particular reason why I didn't write. Just because I haven't had the time to sit down to reflect and to write.

There are so much to thank God for - birthday, quality time spent with close friends, weekend leader's retreat and a love story!

Thank God for friends who made my birthday special. I guess by a certain age, birthday is just another day. But it is special because I remember how much God loves me that he has given me life, given me a chance to know Him. I thank God for showing His love for me also through friends and my family. I was touched by some surprises and kind gestures of some. One of the most interesting gift I got was a handmade 'cake'. It was from my little friend. It was made of a plastic container with colourful streamers on a paper plate. She gave me the 'cake' and said "Happy Birthday, Che Che (sister) Island" That smile on her face and the handmade 'cake' by her and her mum, really warmed my heart. Of course not forgetting the time and fellowship with other friends, my music team and my DG. I thank God for you, not simply because you celebrated birthday with me, but because you have been a part of my life :)

Am also thankful for the time spent at a leaders' retreat over the weekend. Although I had made a boo-boo by preparing the wrong bible passage to simulate a bible study session, I still learnt a lot from the session. Instead of Exodus 3-4:17, I prepared to lead Exodus 3:4-17. See the difference??? At least one lesson was to make sure I read the passage carefully before I lead. Silly me!! Retreat was no totally a relaxing one, but it was good to be reminded of God's word and the reason why I'm serving and leading. After the past few months of labouring in work and ministry, I was surprisingly refreshed from the retreat. I pray that the gospel will further challenge me and grip me to lead a life that is not of the world but centred on Christ. I pray too, that God will continue to strengthen me (pastor, in his tiredness, prayed for us to be struggled!! instead of strengthened) to give and serve Him and His people. I admit I have been stagnant for the last few months that I find no energy to give. I pray for the love of His people so that I can serve joyfully and be a Christ-like testimony at church, home and workplace.

Lastly, my day was made today by hearing a love story... real love story. I cannot share it here but I was so happy and encouraged by it. I thank God for showing that He is in full control and His hand in their lives. I'm encouraged that this same God who loves me, will have a special plan for me too.

The lyrics and tune to the Benediction just came up my head...

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise Him! All people here below

Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost

Amen