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Honeymoon in Korea Day 6

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Honeymoon in Korea Day 6

Greetings from Korea yet again. We're now at a ski resort in Muju. We won't be doing any ski-ing though. Just rested here last night.

The resort's design & architecture is really interesting & elaborate. (:

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Honeymoon in Korea Day 3

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Honeymoon in Korea Day 3

Finally, we found a place in Korea with free wireless Internet access. It's a Dunkin' Donuts outlet in Jeju Island.

It's been a great trip so far. Just that the weather for the first two days had been incredibly cold. Today it's much better. (:

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Life without Limbs...

Nick Vujicic is back in Singapore.

Born limbless, Australian-born Nick faces far greater life struggles than most, but he breaches and overcomes these barriers with the power of God’s love. Today, Nick trots around the globe to bring his amazing testimony of hope, love and strength to millions worldwide. So get ready to be transformed by another of Nick’s inspiring message for us. (FCBC Website)

If you want to have a change of perspective of life, come and be inspired!

Sunday (9th Nov) 1:30pm @ Expo Max Pavilion

Car-check!

Today, I finally did something that I've never done before. I learned from my dad how to do a car-check in 5 minutes.

It may sound strange. But in the past, I always relied on the helpers at petrol stations to help me check.

(to be continued...)

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Happy & Blessed Birthday, Junhao!

Last Sunday (yesterday) was Junhao's birthday. I really thank God for Junhao - a good brother to me all this while.

He has being such an encouragement to me and my faith. And I know that I can count on him when I need help. That's what spiritual brothers and family are for. =)

Singapore Flyer

Two Sundays ago, I brought my parents to the Singapore Flyer. It was a good time together, and I realized that I haven't been bringing them out like this for some time.

It was our first time on the flyer. To be honest, after a few minutes of rotating, the initial excitement died down quite fast.

But on a more positive note, I found myself taking some photographs from angles previously impossible. I caught a glimpse of F1 build-up, IR construction, floating platform, and yes, even IRONMAN (the competition).

F1, F1 and more F1!!!

The F1 craze is here. Many shopping malls have race cars parked right ouside them. I found one outside CK Tangs.

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Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class

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I like WALL-E. I just watched it earlier this week.

Two things that I picked up.

1. Be more environmentally friendly. Do your part to reduce, reuse and recyle. Don't let our earth really end up like the one the movie - full of trash.

2. Exercise & keep fit. I don't want to be like the people inside. That's why I have Wii Fit! =)

Discipline

Discipline - it's a dirty word to most people, especially youths. The general perception of it is usually negative.

For those on the receiving end, discipline often includes things like withdrawals of privileges, scoldings & even beatings.

I'll like to paint a perspective from the other end. As a teacher & cell leader in church myself, I have disciplined many young people before. When I see somebody doing something wrong (like latecoming), if I don't correct him, I'm encouraging him to continue doing this wrong thing & I'm not helping him build his character.

Take for example. A child of 5 years dashes across the road without his parents. The father can perhaps smack him on the hand and remind him not to do it again. The child may not understand completely, but the father is teaching him that the little pain he feels is nothing compared to when a car knocks him down. That's discipline.

There is a price to pay when you discipline someone. You risk rejections from that person. You risk relationships. But honestly, you only discipline someone whom you care. If you don't care about that person, you wouldn't bother correcting him. .

Of course, there're people who have abused their authority and disciplined out of anger and selfishness. I myself have being like that before - perhaps being too harsh and use hurtful words. I would like to apologise to those whom I have done that to, especially my students and my cell members. I am sorry.


Don't always view discipline as something negative. You only discipline those whom you care.

I Love Singapore!!

Happy 43rd Birthday, Singapore!!!



This year, we celebrate our nation's 43rd birthday. I'm proud to be a Singaporean.

For such a small nation, our global influence and achievements are simply amazing. We have the world's best airport, the world's top airline, the world's busiest port, etc. We are also one of the best places in the world to do business.

However, all of the above will not last if we have a whole generation of Singaporeans constantly looking outwards and emigrating to other nations at every opportunity. They have forgotten how much blessings they or their forefathers have received from this land.

We have to raise up Singaporeans who are loyal to Singapore and are willing to stay in times of crisis. In this time and age, crisis may strike any time - be it in the form of natural or man-made disasters, or even economic recessions.

Love Singapore.

Singapore, my homeland, my inheritance

Hwa Chong Council Reunion

Last Saturday night, the Hwa Chong Institution (College) 32nd Students' Council organized a really massive Council Reunion. Of my batch - which is the 25th Students' Council, 14 of us turned up.

The shared memories that we had was something that each of us will never forget. I'm really thankful that during my JC days, I didn't indulge in computer games or waste my time away. I was able to build lasting friendships (not to mention serving the school).

Hence, I'm very sad when I see many young people today building their lives in the virtual world all day long - WOW, Maple Story, Runescape, Lineage. They seemed to have forgetten that there is a real world out there.


Even now (almost 10 years since we've parted), I can still relate very well with the councillors of my batch. It's really amazing.

Dream. Team. Fight. Win.

After months of training and preparation, and a month of intense competition, the RI 'C' Division Basketball team finally defeated Yuying Secondary in the South Zone Final and emerged as the new South Zone 'C' Division basketball champions!

The road ahead isn't going to be easy, we all know that. We're right now in the midst of the nationals round 1. We're up against Bukit Panjang, Dunman High and Presbyterian High.

We won our first game in nationals against Bukit Panjang today. 7 more games to the national's title. We can do it.

It is a dream that the RI basketball team is built around. We'll fight together and win it.

Doing things with great love?

Last week, I read somewhere about what Mother Teresa once said.

"In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."

It caused me to ponder for a moment to do some self-reflection.

I realised that I often do things with my very own self-interests in mind. I didn't do them out of a heart to love others. Not all the time anyway.

For instance, when I do discipline a student in school, I need to do it with the intent that I want him to change for the better, and not just to do it for the sake of doing.

My Newest Toy!!

All my life, I had never own a video game console (like Nintendo, SEGA, PS, Xbox) before. My parents deemed them 'useless', and that they only serve as distractions from studies. But of course, I found entertainment in computer games like Dune 2, Command & Conquer, Warcraft, etc.

Earlier this month, I got myself a new toy. Nintendo Wii!!

I've tried out the Wii console many times prior to buying it. I really enjoyed the interactiveness of many of its games.

One of the main reasons why I wanted to have the Wii console is that I believe that it can be used to engage my whole family, especially the kids. It is family-oriented.

And Wii, unlike other consoles, allow young people to develop their psycho motor skills in a fresh and fun way. At least that's what I believe.

Just last week, when my niece and nephew came over, we had a good time playing Wii Sport and Mario Kart (even though they kept losing!).

My sister and brother-in-law had a great time too. It was really easy for them to pick up the games.

One last reason would be that I want to keep myself fit - hence, I'm looking out for WiiFit (a fun game that makes exercise fun)! Sadly, it's out of stocks in almost the whole of Singapore, as of now.


To be honest, in this time and age, we need to be creative and intentional about engaging families. I hope I'm on the right track in doing that.

My brother-in-law and my brother's daughter

RI Community Day 2008

Earlier this year, RI dedicated 20th of March as RI Community Day. It was a day when all RI students collaborated with external VWOs (Volunteer Welfare Organizations) and serve the poor and needy.

RI Basketball worked with TOUCH Community Services in doing something very unique. We were featured in the TOUCH Newsletter.



It is truly more blessed to give than to receive!

Preacher's Magical Touch

Earlier this Monday (7th July), there was this interview in the Life! section of Straits Times with my church's senior pastor, Pastor Lawrence Khong.

After reading the interview, I was even more thankful that he is the senior pastor of my church. The number of hats that he wears is amazing.

Just read the full interview below:

Pastor Lawrence Khong’s proudest contribution is setting up Touch Community Services, an award-winning non-profit organisation.

EVERYTHING about Lawrence Khong, from the many hats he wears, right down to his choice of shoes, screams unconventional.

This is a man who does not conform to normal expectations, and his red-rimmed spectacles, red Converse sneakers and stylishly gelled hair are testimony to that.

His appearance is not something you would expect of a 55-year-old, and certainly not of someone who is a senior pastor, social worker, magician, businessman and national athlete all rolled into one very energetic body.

When you compliment him on his trendy appearance, he replies with a boisterous laugh: “I’m just a lao hiao.”

The Hokkien term means old vainpot.

“We shouldn’t be afraid of who we are. Flamboyance is not wrong and it depends on how I use it. I can use it to flirt around and be immoral or I can use it to just add colour to an occasion.”

Still, it is hard to reconcile the image of a God-fearing man delivering a heartfelt sermon with that of an illusionist who has performed magic as shocking as “decapitating” his daughter and walking down into the audience, holding her head.

“The young people love it. It is our version of a horror movie,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes.

Pastor Khong may not be a household name but his resume is so long it can be an article in itself.

He is the senior pastor of Faith Community Baptist Church (FCBC), which he started in 1986. One of the megachurches in Singapore, it has a congregation of about 10,000 and holds services at the Singapore Expo’s Max Pavilion.

He is the founder and chairman of Touch Community Services, a non-profit welfare organisation which has 18 centres in Singapore helping the under-privileged and the needy.

He is a magician and has performed in sell-out shows to more than 200,000 people in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan and the United States.

He is a businessman, the creative brains behind his production house, Gateway Entertainment, which produces magic shows and makes drama feature films and television movies.

To top it off, he is also a national polo player who won a silver medal with his team at last year’s South-east Asia Games.

“I’m someone who cannot sit still,” he says. “When I was doing my master’s in theology, I would be working on three papers at the same time.”

He demonstrates his yen for multitasking by pretending to type furiously on the table, then suddenly turning his attention to something on his right and then thumbing an imaginary stack of papers.

He adds: “I can think of nothing worse than a beach holiday where I do nothing.

“When I go on a skiing trip, I find out what time the ski resort opens and I will be the first in line, and the whole day will be packed with activities.”

It goes without saying then that the past few months have been pure bliss, as he squeezes daily rehearsals into his already packed schedule.

From Saturday (July 12) till July 20, he and his 27-year-old daughter Priscilla will be performing in a magical theatre show called MagicBox at the Esplanade.

They have also teamed up for the popular magic musical, Magic Of Love, which debuted at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2001 and has since toured over 15 cities.

Pastor Khong, who has been performing magic since he was 13, has a wellrehearsed answer when asked if there is a disparity between his roles as a pastor and as a magician, since some Christians frown upon magic as it is deemed to be demonic.

He says: “Yes, I’ve always been asked this question. ‘Pastors are supposed to tell the truth, and here you are bluffing me’.

“Actually, the most honest person in this world is a magician because I tell you I am bluffing you and then proceed to deceive you. I’ve warned you.

“There are some people who deceive you without warning you at all.”

His kids can do magic, too.

THIS interview is conducted over two days, first at his office in Serangoon North, then over lunch at the Singapore Polo Club a few days later.

Charismatic and forthcoming, he is the sort of person whom you will never feel bored being around as he is, in the words of his wife Nina, “full of surprises”.

Dr Khong, 55, who gave up her medical practice six years ago to help him run his production house, says: “He’s not the kind to be contented with the status quo, doing the same thing day in, day out.”

Besides Priscilla, they have three other children, who can all perform magic: Anthony, 26, works in the IT industry; Michelle, 25, is pursuing a degree in architecture at the National University of Singapore and Daniel, 21, is doing national service. They live in a condominium in Serangoon.

Describing her husband as a very easy-going man who never sulks, Dr Khong adds: “Lawrence lives life on the cutting edge and brings a lot of fun into our family life.”

For example, when he turned 40, he decided that he wanted to learn how to ride a horse and promptly enrolled the entire family in riding school.

Six years ago, he developed a passion for snow skiing and, of course, everyone in the family ended up loving the sport too.

He brings a lot of fun to this interview too, as he has all sorts of tricks up his sleeve – literally.

One moment, he is telling you about the two horses he owns, Indio and Sandy, and then the next, he is coolly switching coins surreptitiously from one palm to the next as you watch on, open-mouthed.

He can be munching hungrily on a hot bun with his left hand, and before you realise what is happening, he is already producing one card after another using his right hand, seemingly from thin air.

“These are all tricks. Everyone can do what I do. It’s not like you need some spiritual powers,” he says almost nonchalantly.

Then, in a more serious tone, he adds that he sees the art of magic as “just a medium to communicate good messages of love and family”. He says: “This is why I feel very integrated. As a pastor, I want my members to value family. As a social worker, I realise that (the lack of love) is an issue behind most social problems.

“As a magician, if I can have a great piece of entertainment that makes money for me, puts me onto the path of success and yet allows me to do something very valuable for society, why not?”

That last part refers to Project Smile (Sharing Magic In Love Everywhere), a programme which he pioneered and conceptualised in 2002. It trains youths and adults in magic, and they then entertain the under-privileged in hospitals, day-care centres and homes.

That, along with his “gentle persistence, constant dialogue and explanation and growing success in the positive aspects”, has helped him gain more acceptance from his church members about his love for magic.

But he acknowledges that there are people who find that this is something they cannot reconcile with and have left to join other churches. “Given my profile, there will always be people who don’t like me."

“It’s okay. Don’t make life so difficult for yourself, go find something that you like. I’m not the only pastor in town.”

From riches to rags

THE son of a successful businessman and a housewife, he has a younger sister and a younger brother. Phyllis, 53, is an executive secretary and Kin Mun, 51, is a banker.

His father, a general commodities wholesaler who came from Guangdong province in China, has another family in Hong Kong with four children, but married the pastor’s mother when he came to Singapore before World War II broke out.

As a boy, Pastor Khong was naughty and had the worst conduct in class when he studied at Catholic High School. His mother had to transfer him to St Michael’s Primary when he was in Primary 4.

“I was one of those hyperactive kids. I would stand up in the middle of a lesson and walk around or I would suddenly push my classmate for no reason,” he recalls.

At home, he was always running into trouble and getting caned for things such as jumping down from the tallest cabinet.

“My mother used to say: ‘When I gave birth to you, I was in a lot of pain. Now, you’re still giving me so much pain’.”

When he was 10, his sheltered life was over. His father died, sparking a bitter fight over the inheritance from his family in Hong Kong. His mother was left with little and was forced to work as a seamstress.

Overnight, he went from being a pampered rich boy who travelled to school in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz to a poor kid who had to learn how to take the bus for the first time in his life.

Life became hard as his mother developed high blood pressure and started blaming him for it. She would say things such as “If I die tonight, it will be because of you”, prompting him to wake up in the middle of the night to check if she was still alive.

He also remembers how, when he was about to take his O levels, his frail mother told him: “The future of the whole family depends on your exam results. Our fate lies in your hands. If you fail, I will kill myself.”

He says: “I was an angry child back then and I was very angry with my mother.”

He says he has long since gotten over his anger and his 83-year-old mother now lives with his sister.

But at the time, he found support and peace in his church, Grace Baptist Church in Silat Road, which he joined in Secondary 1. He also found solace in magic – he had a pack of cards with him all the time – which he taught himself by reading books.

“I’m motivated by levels of difficulty. The more difficult the trick, the more I loved to do it,” he says. “Anyone can collect stamps. But how many people can make things disappear?”

Fortunately, he did very well in secondary school at St Joseph’s Institution and went on to National Junior College, where he met his wife, Nina. But he turned rebellious in the army and became a chain smoker, lighting up three packs a day. He also stopped going to church.

But he cleaned up his act when he had a spiritual awakening at vacation time during his first year as a business administration undergraduate in the University of Singapore.

He had followed Nina to a church camp in Port Dickson, Malaysia, where a boy drowned on the second day. That shook him up and he “felt a calling” to become a pastor.

Focused and goal-driven

AFTER graduating from university, he worked as an intern pastor in his church. And three weeks after he and Nina tied the knot, they left for Texas in the United States so that he could study for a master’s degree in the Dallas Theological Seminary.

About five years later, he returned to serve in his church, then set up FCBC. It has 10,000 members today and it was at one point the biggest church here, although other megachurches such as City Harvest Church, New Creation Church and Lighthouse Evangelism (Singapore) have since overtaken it.

Reverend Kong Hee, 44, of City Harvest Church, which has a congregation of 24,000, has worked with Pastor Khong on a couple of inter-church religious events.

“I know him to be someone who is passionate in whatever he does and he has helped many people through his community service,” says Reverend Kong.

Indeed, Pastor Khong’s most significant contribution – and one that he is most proud of – is setting up Touch Community Services in 1992.

With 132 full-time staff and 800 volunteers, the non-religious charitable group has helped more than 100,000 people through activities and programmes.

Among other things, it provides free meals, offers counselling services and conducts health screenings for children from low-income or single-parent families, people with special needs and the frail elderly.

He admits that with their Christian roots, he and his colleagues were greeted with suspicion initially. Now, he says they have established themselves as a genuine welfare group “with no strings attached”.

Touch won the Outstanding Non-Profit Organisation Award from the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre last year.

“I’m a very focused and goal-driven person. Some people see this as arrogance. So in the church, you either love or hate me,” he says.

“But this is me. The other day, Priscilla fell from a height during a rehearsal and the first thing I asked was: ‘Did you damage the prop?’”

Mr Eugene Seow, 52, executive director of Touch, says Pastor Khong is a leader who is open to new ideas and gives people the freedom to try out different things.

“He’s also a very transparent and honest person. He shares things about his personal life so that people can understand him better,” he adds.

One of the very personal things that he volunteers to Life! without any prompting is that Priscilla is a single mother, with a five-year-old son born out of wedlock.

“I’m not ashamed of talking about it. In fact, I told my church members when it happened,” he says.

But he says it broke his heart when he first knew that she was pregnant and he was so mad that he wanted her to leave the family home.

However, his wife talked to him and he forgave Priscilla. His grandson Isaac is now the apple of his eye and he sends the boy to school every day.

“I don’t hold grudges. Whatever you’ve done, whether you’ve taken drugs or committed a crime, if you say ‘I’m wrong, please help me’, I will bend backwards to help you,” he says with quiet resolve.

“This is my job. But if you continue to sleep around or beat up your wife, then I’ll say, leave my church. I will not help you, but I will help your wife to get a divorce.”

MAGICBOX

For those who love magic shows, you must not miss MAGICBOX.

For those who love musicals, you must not miss MAGICBOX either.

MAGICBOX is both a musical with great music and dances, and a magicshow filled with amazing illusions. It will be at the Esplanade from 12th - 20th July.

Here's the sypnosis from the sistic website:

"Gateway Entertainment is proud to present Singapore’s beloved homegrown illusionists, Lawrence and Priscilla Khong in a brand new show – MAGICBOX at the iconic Esplanade Theatre. This highly anticipated production combines the world’s most incredible magic expertise with a heart-warming tale of love and family values in one spectacular show. Be dazzled by locally acclaimed talents, enchanting costumes, magnificent sets and skilfully composed music.

Featuring an international team of stellar magic consultants like Jim Steinmeyer, credited with "defining illusions" for David Copperfield, along with John Thompson, the legendary guru of magic, these masters will devise acts unique only to MAGICBOX. Directed by Loretta Chen, MAGICBOX with its many daring and never-before-seen magical illusions, promises to enchant, enthral and entertain from start to finish."



For more details, visit http://www.magicbox.com.sg/.

Don't miss one of the most exciting shows in town. I'm going for it.

A Tough Question..

I saw this question posted on the tagboard early this morning: "there're some questions i wan to ask. if jesus is really god. and if he's a good one. why are there suffering?"

I believe that Jesus is good because I have seen how He has changed me from inside out since the day that I received Him into my heart. I have also seen how He has changed the lives of those around me - be it youths, adults or the elderly.

With Jesus as my fixed reference point in my life, I found myself able to make good choices - that bless both myself and the people around me.

Hence, my premise is that Jesus is God, and He is full of truth and grace. Obviously, my faith is that this premise is true. Everything works out from there.

As to why there's suffering in this world, I confess that I have no good answer to that. For me, according to my faith, I believe that God allows certain things to happen for His purposes - that I may not necessary understand.


In the end, it is a personal choice as to what you choose to believe. No on can force you. I have made my choice 5 years ago. And till date, I really have no regrets.

Geylang Chinese Methodist Church

This will be the church building that I'll be using for my wedding at the end of the year. It's right next to Aljunied MRT.

It's really by the grace of God that I manage to rent that building.

A Tribute to All the Mothers out there..

To all mothers out there:
HAPPY & BLESSED MOTHERS' DAY!!

Last Sunday was Mothers' Day. Coincidentally, the day before that, my school had a Parents-Teachers Meeting (PTM). I spoke to many parents and I could really see that all of them love their children a lot.

However, it's really not easy being a parent these days. The youths today are totally different from their parents' generation. YouTube, Wii, PSP, Xbox, MSN, DOTA are things that are unheard of to many parents.

Yet, the parents still do their best to love their children. And that involves disciplining them. It's really not easy to be a good parent.

I watched this video in church on Mothers' Day, and thought it was really a funny way of looking at how much our mothers love us (when they nag). I myself could identify with so many of the things mentioned in the song. :) I thank God for my mum.

History of Harvard

A few days ago, I came across this article about American history. I found this particular portion interesting and decided to share it here. It's about the history of Harvard University - a place where the brightest gather.

When it was first founded, Harvard enforced 8 rules which included high moral and academic standards:

1. Before attending Harvard, the student must able to write and speak Latin and Greek.
   


2. The main goal of the student's life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life. Since only the Lord gives wisdom, every one should ask Him for wisdom in secret prayer.
   


3. Every one must read the scriptures twice a day, and be ready to show his knowledge of them.
   


4. Cursing is not allowed, and the student is to keep God and the love of His truth in his mind.
   


5. A student must attend all classes and must not disturb by words or movements.
   


6. No one is to leave the college without his teachers, and no one may go to another town without his parents or guardian.
   


7. Every student must be present in his teacher's room at 7 in the morning for reading of scripture and prayer. At 5 in the evening, he must appear before his teacher to give account of his own private reading of the Bible.
   


8. If any student breaks any of the laws of God or the school, he may be punished at the monthly public meeting.
   

I really can't accept this!

About half an hour ago, I happened to tune in to the Chinese radio station, 93.3FM.

I almost couldn't believe my ears.

There was this on-air game show whereby the caller is supposed to call into the radio station and make a guess as to what the 4 secret digits are. If he can guess correctly, he will walk away with some prizes.

But the context of this 4 secret digits went like this: There's this female 93.3FM deejay who wore many layers of clothes. How much time does she need to strip to her sexy bikini underneath? There were many other suggestive remarks made by other deejays as well.

I really can't accept this!

93.3FM is one of the most popular radio station in Singapore (maybe it's the most). What kind of message are they trying to send to their listeners (especially the young ones)?!

The media have tremendous influence over our people - especially the younger ones. I really think that they have to be more responsible in the kind of messages they are sending out.

Otherwise, the future for Singapore looks pretty bleak.

Ordinary People doing Extraordinary Things

Today in school, we had our Sec 1 level meeting with the parents. One thing that impressed upon me was what our Year Head shared at the end of the briefing.

It's that all teachers should believe that our students - no matter how ordinary they seemed - are capable of doing extraordinary things. Just like what the video below shows.




Do you believe it?

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday.

For Christians like me, this day is the day that we remember our Lord Jesus for going to the cross. My heartful desires today is to enjoy God's presence, rather than God's blessings.

My heart's prayer:

"I just came again to tell You, Lord,
How happy I've been,
Since we found each other's friendship
And you took away my sin.
Don't know much of how to pray,
But I think about You everyday.
So, Jesus, this is Sze Kiang
Checking in today."

The above prayer was adapted from the following poem link: http://www.strangecosmos.com/content/item/105351.html. I found it through one of my spiritual nephews - Samuel's blog post. Tears swelled up in my eyes as I read the poem. Here it goes.

Checking In

A minister passing through his church
in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
and see who had come to pray.

Just then the back door opened,
a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw
the man hadn't shaved in a while.

His shirt was kinda shabby
and his coat was worn and frayed,
the man knelt, he bowed his head,
Then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed,
each noon time came this chap,
each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.

Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
with robbery a main fear,
He decided to stop the man and ask him,
"What are you doing here?"

The old man said, he worked down the road.
Lunch was half an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.

"I stay only moments, see,
because the factory is so far away;
as I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is kinda what I say:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM
CHECKING IN TODAY."

The minister feeling foolish,
told Jim, that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome
To come and pray just anytime.

Time to go, Jim smiled, said "Thanks."
He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar,
he'd never done it before.

His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
and met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart,
he repeated old Jim's prayer:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I
THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY."

Past noon one day, the minister noticed
that old Jim hadn't come.
As more days passed without Jim,
he began to worry some.

At the factory, he asked about him,
learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he'd given them a thrill.

The week that Jim was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious.
Changed people, were his reward.

The head nurse couldn't understand
why Jim was so glad,
when no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends came to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.

Looking surprised, old Jim spoke
up and with a winsome smile;
"the nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
that in here all the while everyday at noon
He's here, a dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.
ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY,
AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS
CHECKING IN TODAY."

Malaysian Montage 2008

Last week, the whole of the Sec 2 cohort in RI went for a 5-days 4-nights trip to Pahang, Malaysia. The name of this annual trip is known as Malaysia Montage.

It was a trip whereby the students were exposed to several things that they would not be able to find in Singapore.

The main thing that struck me was that you don't always need to have handphones, PCs, TVs, Internet, PSPs, etc to feel happy and satisfied. Many of the locals that we saw during our trip don't have most of the above-mentioned stuff. But they are still as contented and happy as they are.

Sometimes, we Singaporeans (whether young or old) do need to slow down and simplify our lifestyles.


Here are some of the photos of the trip.

Sze Kiang, PSLE

Today, someone just shared something that inspired me. Hope that this will also inspire you.

Often, we go through life pursuing degrees, qualifications, etc. For instance, it certainly will look good if you have this to your name: Sze Kiang, MBA (Master of Business Administration).

I'm not saying that all this is not important. It's just that perhaps we can go for something even better, something long-lasting.


PSLE


Person that Shows Love and Encouragement

I'll be really glad to have that at the back of my name. I'm not there yet, but I'm definitely working on it.

MM 2008 - SuRvIvor Day 5

After such an eventful night the day before, my group woke up early for some team-building activties. We gathered at the multi-purpose hall at the Lanjut Resort.

Mr. Gabriel Chan, with the help of the JC1 facilitators, conducted 2 activities. The first one was getting each cluster to come up with two structures (made of straws). One of them is a tower (to be as tall as possible) and the second one is a bridge.














The second activity was similar to table soccer. Both sides are to try to move a giant ball to the other side. The guys really gave all they had as they compete with one another.






After the above activities, we started making our way back to Singapore. It took us almost 5 hours in all. But it's really "Home Sweet Home"!

MM 2008 - SuRvIvor Day 4

Time passes really fast when we're having a great time. As I'm writing this blog post, we have just ended the 4th day of the Malaysian Montage 2008.

We started the day by visiting the Water-craft museum. We saw many boats - either war-boats or fishing-boats that the Malays used to use in the past.







The second stop of the day was a place where Tun Abdul Razak used to reside. He was the 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia and was a former student of Raffles Institution! We learnt about top-spinning and some other traditional games that the royalty used to play.







In the afternoon, we were so glad to have the local Malays hosting us at their kampung. We were also able to experience a traditional Malay wedding (mock one of course) whereby one of our students, Jordaan Goh, was asked to act as the bridegroom. The bride was one of the local Malay girls.







At night, we had our SuRvIvor Finale. Each cluster was to come up with a performance and present it to everyone. We had lots of fun laughing at one another's skit. In the end, Cluster 7 won the Best Cheer award, whereas Cluster 8 (my cluster!) won the Best Performance award.

MM 2008 - SuRvIvor Day 3

Our first stop of the day was the Deerland. It was like a zoo whereby there were many interesting animals like flying squirrels, deers, bears, hedgehogs, etc. Some of the students had really close encounters with them.











Within the Deerland itself, there was also a flying fox. Each cluster sent out two student representatives to compete. The winner would be the one who went through the flying fox in the most dramatic way.








Then we went on to the Elephant Sanctuary and learnt about the conservation of elephants. Many students had the opportunity to ride on the elephants.





Finally, for the last activity of the day, the students were asked to help clean up the Elephant Sanctuary, interview the staff over there, paint the fences, etc. This constituted part of their CIP.








Exhausted, we made our way to Lanjut Resorts. It took us almost 5 hours of travelling in the coach.