http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LGW75qkpcQ

was blog surfing. came across this.

how do you feel?

me. disturbed.

moreover, i love cows.

today was once again, a great day. with hannah dear for the day and cg in the evening.

hannah just came back from the family camp in JB. yeah, she's married. HAHAS.

nahh..she was part of the HOPEKids camp team, and that's why she was there, tog with yuhan, aifang and joey. seriously, i am very, very, very proud of these girls!

i thank God for their hearts, for wanting to invest their time and energy to build strong and biblical children, so that they will grow, to be strong and biblical people, to plant strong and biblical churches!

hearing hannah share, i know that this camp was fantabulous. Children desiring to worship the Lord; children strong in the Word. It was really encouraging and warm to my heart! :)

hannah shared about many children, and i came to this conclusion that, you may not know a lot, but still, you can love God a lot, like children. :)

this faith that they have for Jesus, their uncompromising love for Jesus, is really something that i know that i can model after.

now, as i reflect about the sharings, and coupled with listening to the song in blog background, i really thank God for the HOPEKids team, for being a bunch of people who believe in these children, and pouring their lives to nourish them. :)

It certainly encouraged me, to walk closely with God, to love Him wholeheartedly, so as to be a Godly role model, and ambassador for Christ for my children in future. I will really hope to be able to love and guide my child, in likeness of Him loving and guiding me, and not to give up when it gets tough, disciplining with love, just like Him.

thanks shar, for the song. it spoke to me greatly too. :)

"I want to know You Lord,
You are a great big God
I'm young and do not know a lot
Come and be my all..

I want to love You more
Giving Him my life and all
You died for me
You sacrificed
I won't forget you Lord...

I love You, Jesus
I'll grow up knowing You.
I love You, Jesus
I'll grow up serving You
I love You Jesus
My life is saved by You.
I'll never forget, never forget
I'll grow up loving You...."

imagine, your children singing this in future. indeed, lovely. :)

today was a simple, but nice day. :)

morning- sentosa with lee rui rui!
photos taken from rui's. :)

afternoon- school for some final fyp-ping matters. one of the photos taken this year during one our meetings in sch lib!

night- dinner at newyorknewyork with OILY aglio olio (thks to rui's recipe...)

[HOPE beyond borders: bring hope through our global communities!]

Missions conference this thurs! quite prepped up about it. chose the conference on south africa. so went to church webbie to find out more about missions in this area.

http://www.hopesingapore.org.sg/mission.html

i was really amazed at how the church has planted seeds in these areas of africa! HOPE in

Africas:- Ethiopia- Ghana- Kenya- South Africa- Togo.

There will be a exploration trip to Gaborone, Botswana in july soon! was reminded of Blood Diamond. :)

"Located just north of South Africa, Botswana is one of Africa’s most peaceful, stable and successful countries. She is also the world’s largest producer of diamonds. There are just so many possibilities in advancing God’s kingdom in this prosperous and beautiful nation..."

HB has been awarded the Tsuyoshi Sato Lecture at the coming Hong Kong APOTC. Hence, he has decided to dedicate the lecture to future occupational therapists. Title chosen: "Of dreams and aspirations: The future of occupational therapy through the eyes of young practitioners".

So a couple of us went back to sch and supposedly share your views and positive thoughts of OT. Video cam-ed. and it will be on part of his lecture.

I realised how difficult it is to respond in interviews to video cam can. I kowtow to TV artistes. Think they are like seasoned. hahass.

And HB cooked! at the classroom with stove. So dinner was Penang Hokkien Mee! relived my days in Penang. hahas. with lots of chilli prepared by assistant chef lee rui rui!

was nice sitting around in class once more, but this time, not lecture notes, but with food and just some casual table talk. guess no more days like these anymore in nyp. :)

i really appreciate my past 3 years in this studies. it was a journey of growth and maturity.

anw, was packing my room a lil earlier on, where i saw an old leaflet of past events that i have attended. typed the url and came to some photos galore! HAHA. *evil grin.

GUESS WHO IS THIS?!

ok, some hints and disclaimers first.

1. the photo was taken in Year 2003, so the person may have changed a little.

2. it's NOT me, though i looked as black as that during this event. hahas.

3. she's was still a non-believer then.

4. That means to say, she's a friend in church now.

alrights, proceed with guessing. HAHAHAHAHAHAS.

had an insightful chat with pearline over msn.

i am all excited for melb!

Hope Melb team is currently sending 2 cgs to establish a student group in the area of Melb that includes La Trobe. And yes, am roped in to be part of this team! Ps Mark's advice was to attend the church in city instead of Waverly's, as city's church is leading the churchplanting movement in area inclusive of Bundoora. (so yeah, my guess was confirmed. it's in city.so.. i will be living ~16km away right..? hahas bus bus bus (: )

i like what Pearl said. as much as she thinks it will take time to adapt and adjust to the culture, she mentioned that it won't be at all that difficult. afterall, its "same vision, same mission, same excitement. Different strategies, different people, but all God's people wanting to expand His Kingdom!". Her spirit was infectious!

For students, CG is by schools. and they have established student clubs such as Campus Christian Movement. La Trobe is working towards that.

as the chat continues, i really felt the adrenaline. you can literally see how He works in your life when you ask of Him to direct.

I have been vexed over gritty issues recently. but am assured that these feelings are temporal.

I have learnt that the beauty of Christ, is that He never reacts; instead, He responds with love and full understanding of your life, thoughts, and emotions.

I really want to worship, My Lord
You have all my heart, and I am Yours..
Forever and ever,
I will love you..

You are the only one who died for me..
Gave Your life to set me free
So i lift my voice to You
In adoration...

addicted to rocher.

now, i pathetically looked at the SIX wrappers on my table. in a span of 15 minutes.

scoff at myself, for having a high and mighty ambition of keeping myself fit for this one month. but i am pleased to say that i am now much more receptive to a greater variety of vegetables. thanks to Penang. *beams.

sis mentioned ytd tt she hadnt been going to gym, and her membership is wasting away. i volunteered to be her accompanying member for this one month since they offer such a deal. hawhaw. i want to do all the boxercise stuff.

i have never been a great supporter of gym. i always believe that nature induces motivation. to me, running on the roads beats treadmilling, anytime.

anyway, i have been thinking about the kids in penang these few days. i realised, the sessions were "playtime" for myself too. the times with them were simply, fun. (:

i particularly miss two of 'em. S.y. and T.y. Wonder if s.y misses tyre swing (he calls it the tyre "swim") and the shark ("CRASH!!"), and if t.y is getting used to the new sch, and growing teeth? ((:

i was really blessed by them. they have made me appreciate the joy of serving children.

hurhur. t.y totally reminded me of my couz to a great great extent! (:

thought of the people abroad.

1. jean in china

2. lolli! didn't catch her when she left for nepal. but glad to hear that she is doing great works in Nepal! way to go!

it heartens me, when the spiritual family is serving One God, on many grounds.

the unity, in diversity, made stronger by Him. (:

finally got the feel that, we don't really have all the time in the world.

heard from suet's that seems like only 8th juls and 4th juls flights are available now.

apart from that, visa.

and housing too. (:

and that's what we fret about for the whole of today's afternoon.

we browsed through the pamphlets that the counsellor gave us. peered at the complicated maps. gotten some webbies. finding the cheapest deal.

it's really not an airy fairy affair. (:

anyway, looking at it from another note, it's pretty fun sourcing out the best deals, and trying to accomodate all 5 of us in the same area. a time whereby we can nicely mix with the internationals, at the same time, have some kind of comfortable support among ourselves.

that aside, am checking out the address of church too. really cross my fingers that it's a stone throw away from home. well, after Penang's experience, i believe that there's always a way out from Him. Just like the faithful ol' cabbie in Penang who drove me to and fro every sunday! hahas. but suet joked that cab fares in Melb will be no joke. *coughs.

committing it to Him!

had a great day of fellowship with Ace and Yuyu after that. nydc-ed. agreed with Ace that we had a fruitful time, sparring on a few thoughts, and though we may not always agree, i am glad we ever shared our opinions and values on various situations. firmly believe this is the way to improvement for myself, and the way to grow. (:

evening was with stella. this dear table tennis junior of mine in poly never fail to crack me up. i love her forthright attitude, and her innocence as she shoots her mouth off. hahas. was comfortable hearing her share about her life recently. (i always feel comfortable and enjoys being the listener, hahas!)

----

was browsing through some photos of mine. nostalgia. prolly only me myself will know the reason behind such feelings. (:

i got to insist that i am easily moved by things around me. its really dead easy to make me tear, you know. hahas.

reflected about certain pertinent parts of my life. carefully dishing out pieces of my heart, and weighing it before the Lord.

seriously, i am no saint. during my private times with Him, i realised what a rag i am. and its always through these times, that i realise, that i am far from reflecting the perfect image of Christlikeness.

there are many times that i do feel unworthy. that i feel pretty undeserving of His Love and faithfulness towards me. i recall reading in McMenamin's book, that sometimes, our energy is sapped because our heart simply isn't right.

it brought me to a passage in Hebrews.
"..let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne..." Heb 1:1-2 (NLT)

the passage ended with an encouraging note
"..10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. 12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong...."

the whole passage encourages me to be on deliverance, and to acknowledge that Christ has set us free!

I respond to take captive of every thought that may not be pleasing to Him. And i know, His discipline comes with Love. (:

there have been things which i feel queasy about for quite some time. but at the same time, as i spent time with the Lord on these matters, i do feel a ton uplifted.

i somehow felt that, what i used to deem important, seem to be somewhat unimportant already. perhaps, this is the start of looking at things from a bigger picture? hurhur.

strengthened. (:

end off with a pic of sun's steamboat, where i thoroughly enjoyed the "eilton-calls-it-the-spice-girls-long-walk" with cady, yuhan, deb and yuyu. t'was the bestest time of fellowshipping aft so long. (:

today was significant. water baptism once again!

kaisze, geng, khok yen, rayiant, and dawn!!

like what deb said, finally it came to pass for dawn! recall how she rejected gg for water bapt several times before. so glad that she really obeyed and took the step of faith now! never too late!

the meetup with HB planted something within my heart. He mentioned about having enough passion to set apart 2 years of our lives to sign up with red cross, and volunteer at less developed countries.

sounds so missions-minded, isn't it?

as i chew on that, my mum was watching a show that was recorded by sis. It was xi you ji- hosted by Belinda on how some locals went to parts of the world that was less known to work.

i was deeply touched by the lady who volunteered at this village in China, so touched that it brought about tears to my mum's and my eyes. powerful isn't it. :)

then Mum casually asked me, if I ever have the chance, and with the blessings of my parents, will I go for it?

At that point in time, missions came to my mind.

i was deeply encouraged by the vast avenues of entering a country with what i have studied, the healthcare profession.

i am eager to see His Hand working in my life in this area.

-----
random:
some thoughts in me.
I just want to shout out louddddddddddddddddddddddddddd!!!!!!!

seriously, time flies. it has been almost a week since we are back.

still having a little hangover. like what chuns says, sometimes you wake up, you thought that you are still in Penang. :))

the past few days had been catchups with peeps, and spending some time with myself. :) mon was with yuhan, tues myself, wed with caregroup, thurs w rui and ceyu.

and today's to sch for debrief with HB on Penang.

trying to get parts of my life orientated and organised. it's going well. :)

i thank the Lord for Jean, who remembered me, and we had chats over the phone with her in China and me in Penang. Feels gd to hear from her! Know that she is one hardy woman who thrive in the foreign land! Proud of you Utan!

anw, picts of first day in Penang :)

hahas. that's like how much i can upload for the time being. system's down! :)

Check out my Slide Show!

I am back from an amazing trip from Pulau Pinang.

She is greatly missed. :)

Of course, there are many updates that i must put up to share about the really wonderful island. However, I shall kickstart the sharing with my deepest appreciation to 2 families besides Ms Pek and Mr Lim, who have taken care of us very much like their family when we were living there. :) feel so loved!

The Wong family.

And the Cheah family. :)

Notice the similarity? FOOODDDDD! hahas. we were fed well during our stay there. :))

Some photos on slideshow first. :)) more to come when time allows. :))

Random:

1. Going for Caregroup later! all excited! it's been 8 weekssss since i last joined them.

2. I have sent in my part time job application to my long lost kindergarten school teacher, who is now a principal of an enrichment centre! took quite some time to pray about this, and finally, found some courage to send her an email last night! and yes, shall await some positive reply, i hope. :)

The email goes....

"Dear Mrs Jessica Tan,

I am not sure if you remember me. :) I am Mingxiu, graduating soon from the School of Health Sciences, Occupational Therapy in Nanyang Polytechnic. I was once your student in Living Streams from Year 1990 till 1991 (that's many many years ago!). I chanced upon your education banner under my Block a couple of months ago. I noticed the banner on Special Education and it sparked off in me a keen interest to know more about your programmes.

I have just completed my 7 weeks Overseas Clinical Attachment in Penang. I was attached to the LIONS REACh (Resource and Education for Autistic Children, Penang), a voluntary welfare organisation, where I mainly worked with children with autism, age range from 2 years old to adolescents of age approximately 23 years old. My role over there is mainly to conduct therapy sessions that are more sensory integrative and play focused. However, I also participated in sessions that are social skills, self-help and behavioural modification-based.

This trip has helped me to develop a keen interest to work with children in a community-based rehabilitation setting. I was then reminded of your special school located in the heartland of Singapore, that provides services catered to children with special needs. :)

I am currently awaiting enrollment to a 1 year degree coversion program in La Trobe University, Bachelor of Occupational Therapy in mid July this year. Hence, I will like to humbly enquire if there is a vacancy for a part-timer in your special school, as an administrator, or as an assistant to the special education teachers from now till mid july? The main reason for this enquiry is to hope to have an opportunity to work with the children, and to learn more about the programmes provided in Jessin Special School. I sincerely hope that I can be given this opportunity to learn from your programmes, and in turn, I hope that I can serve the children enrolled in your special school from the little experience that I have, as much as possible.

I have visited your website and understand that your programme lasts for 20 weeks. I am willing to accept a position that will bring about minimal disruption to your programmes.

Attached is my CV. I am looking forward to contributing, and experiencing a fruitful time in your school.

Thank you very much for taking time to address this email, and hope to hear from you soon.

Warmest regards,
Mingxiu"

:))

3. I went around some corners of Singapore on Mon and Tues to orientate myself back to my homeland. hahahs. Were great long walks. Bought a book at tecman when I passed by and sat by starbucks to digest the book. It's title? :)

"When You're Running on Empty" by Cindi McMenamin.

The first few chapters were already insightful. It emphasized that one should not just rest, and relax. That's a temporary fix.

One should Refuel during these resting times. Recharge and rejuvenate oneself through God and His Word. :)

Hence, the R & R that we commonly know? That's "Refuel" and "Rejuvenate". :)