Wednesday, March 31, 2010

An interview clinic.

I went for my interview clinic at the Career Services Office today and got really humbled by the interviewer. Not because he scolded me or any of that sort, but because I realised how immature I still am, and how much more I can improve.

The conversation started out alright with him going through what I wrote down as things that I wanted to get out of the interview clinic. It slowly drifted, though, to Christianity. I guess it was because he saw that I was in VCF and BB from my resume.

I was really intrigued by the whole conversation we had because Mr Goh managed to show me how everything that I do in life, be it in my work or otherwise, would link to my purpose in life. His main point was that once I find out what my purpose, or calling if you like, in my life is, everything would fall into place by the grace of God. Of course, it is not to say that we do nothing on our own part. In fact, he was teaching me how I should convey my message across to recruiters by thinking about how I craft my CV.

I was just amazed how a simple interview clinic and lead to talking about God and how much thinking he managed to put me through in the process. I realised that I haven't really been seeking God in my life. Simply put, if you do not see how God factors in in some aspect of life, you would have failed to seek God. Where do you see God working in this? I never did see it in that way. I guess my interpretation was always to do the best I can in the things that I do so that God can be glorified instead of seeing God in the things that I actually do. Wow. What a revelation!

I left feeling this intense desire to find out what God has for me in my life, and thinking how exactly I can find out what my purpose is. I guess I know vaguely of the path that lies ahead of me, but I don't know yet how I can get there. Today was really an encouragement for me to work towards my goals and dreams. And I don't believe it didn't happen for a reason.

All that is left now is for me to put that motivation and inspiration into action!

Friday, March 26, 2010

700.

Okay, the post title is totally unrelated with what I will blog. I just put it there because I realised that this would be my 700th post! WOOT!

Anyways, I just came home from having dinner with Ma and Sis at Breeks Cafe. I haven't been having dinner with them for quite some time because I am always in school mugging and waiting for the rush hour to clear, so I actually thought yesterday that I should come home earlier so that we could eat. Well, yesterday didn't work out because Ma didn't answer my sms and Sis only called me after I reached home and had already bought my dinner from downstairs.

Since we haven't had dinner for so long, Sis decided that we should have it today, and asked me to come home earlier and I thought, "Ah! Just nice!"

Well, jumping to post-dinner, I cannot say I enjoyed it much. Firstly, I was envisioning regular food - like eating cai fan downstairs. It turned out to be Breeks because according to Ma, Sis has been craving restaurant food lately.

Secondly, the service was quite bad, and my Sis reacted equally badly by being rather kao pei. It really wasn't that she scolded the waiter or anything, but she was just being really condescending, almost like she's the guru of customer service. Which to me, was really ironic, since she should be able to understand the plight of people in the service industry. Somehow she has started growing her mean bone and she's just a bundle of cynicism lately. -shrugs-

Thirdly, the food sucked. The Smoked Salmon with Crab Meat Pasta I ordered was really dry and they didn't provide Parmesan cheese until Sis asked for it when I was already halfway through. It didn't help that the portions were quite big and I have an OCD about finishing my food =S So now I am feeling really bloated. x__x ||

So there. A horrible dinner. Compounded to a non-flushing toilet bowl. Hahas..

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Speechless.



OMG. This is LIVE eh! Lady Gaga is really something!

Monday, March 22, 2010

I am sitting in my OM tutorial now and not understanding anything at all.

I AM SOOOOO DEAD =S

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Heartbreak Warfare.

Never a better time.

I never used to care about what others think. I can't say that anymore. And that really sucks.

Darned MNO Project.

I just came back from taking the video camera from Perlin. Seems like this MNO Project has been laden with bad luck from Day 1.

Just before I realised that I didn't have the video camera, I was searching all over Northpoint and then Orchard for a FireWire that will allow me to transfer the video from the MiniDV to my MBP. Yes, now I fully understand why there was such a big fuss when Mr. Steve Jobs decided to replace the FireWire 400 port completely with a FireWire 800 port that, quite frankly, has no practical purpose that I know of.

Anyways, I went to Orchard in the hopes of finding a 4-pin to 9-pin cable but I only managed to buy a FW 400 to 800 adapter and get really hungry in the process. And Orchard is not somewhere you want to dine in on a Saturday night alone. Freakin' crowded!

The day spent at CDAC was good mainly because the children benefited. For us, it was really quite tiring and back-breaking because we had to stand there for 2 hours and raise our voices to shout down the pesky kids. =/

Well, of course there was that other suay day where I was trying desperately to transfer my video but couldn't =S

Man, is there really a curse on MNO video-editing?!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Beethoven Virus.



OMG. So EXCITING!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Little Dragon - Twice

Breakfast at Tiffany's



While I'm at it, I might as well post this too.. Greatest. Movie. Ever.

When Harry Met Sally.



I know I posted this before, but a quote on a tumblr just reminded me of it again. And it is beautiful.

A lousy start.

I woke up late today and had to rush crazily to make it to school in time. I showered, packed up everything and went on my way to school.

Only to find out when I was along Mandai Road that I forgot my laptop =/ And I had an MNO essay to hand in today. Great. Off I went back home!

And I arrived in school half an hour late. Not bad eh? =) And now my essay is all done and printed. Great!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Assiduousness.

Finally! Some free time for me to sit down here to blog before I start busying myself again over MNO readings and FA lecture webcast backlogs.

Pressure is mounting as I begin to feel the stress of multiple projects and homework =/ I think having a girlfriend who plans a lot and does her homework actually helps in making me want to do homework. LOL!

OKAE. DOWN TO WORK NOW!

Threw It On the Ground.



Intro-ed by Ivan over OOVOO =) I think it's the same dude who did Jizz In My Pants. LOL~!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Gigantic Siew Mai.

Today was a busy day for me.

I woke at about 10 am and readied myself for my piano lesson. It was especially late today (thank God!) because they had group lessons before that and Ms Goh had to push my lesson back to 11 am.

I feel guilty at times for not practising my piano. Haix. Imagine the exasperation you feel when your student gets stuck at the same spot every single lesson. That's the same thing that she feels I guess. BUT I REALLY HAVE NO TIME! Today she asked if I would consider taking exams again. Unfortunately I have my student exchange right smack during the exam period =S Also, I don't think I would want to relive that paralysing feeling. =/


Anyways, after piano lesson came Food Distribution that for my MNO Project. I had to take a cab down and squeeze a Double Cheeseburger Meal inside that time because lessons ended at 12 pm and I had to be down at Redhill by 12.45 pm.

The food distribution was surprisingly fulfilling! There's just something gratifying in giving food to those in need. Today I saw many old folks and some of those in need. I never actually did go to a one-room flat before, and yet today I saw for myself the poor living conditions of these people. You can literally see the whole flat at one glance, and there's really only space for one bed right at the door. I am glad I was able to bring some cheer into their lives just by giving them some food =)

I am quite happy that our MNO Project is making some headway too =) A while back we were totally panicking because we didn't know if we could make everything work, but now it seems like everything is in order and as planned, and all we need to do is for me to come up with an ai zai video.. Hopefully I still can make it lah hor!


After the food distribution, I had to rush down for GCube which had already started without me. =/ We covered more about the Modern Enlightenment today and how our mindset about missions were shaped by the historical events that occured during that era.

You know, what's interesting is that even our normal mindset now or view about science was shaped by that same era! We have Physics because we believe that everything can be explained away by reason, and we separate Church and State because of the Supremacy of Reason. It's really quite interesting. Can't wait til we cover the Post-Modern Era!!


I managed to spend some time with Kaili after GCube, which is always a pleasure.
Look at the gigantic siew mai we had for snacks! That's a char siew bao for comparison. DAMN BIG LAH!

I think I overate today =SSS IPPT SOON! NEED. TO. CUT. WEIGHT. NEED. TO. RUN. FASTER...

X__X

Saturday, March 13, 2010

我爱台妹

I saw this interesting shop while I was walking from Bugis MRT to GCube group meeting along Queen Street. The shop front really caught my eye!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Oh Boy.

I went back to RI with Zhaoyu today to meet Miss Tang regarding where she requires our help in Boys Brigade. After almost 3 years of not going back due to Army and University commitments, here I am again, offering my services to BB.

I once told Chee Keen that I wanted to find my "BB" too, much like how Chor Seng has found his in Photography, or how Terence has found his in church. Simply put, it is a calling. I want to be able to find mine. I am quite sure my "BB" is definitely not BB, because I go back to help out of the Coy's needs instead of our of my own desire to help the Boys.

Anyways, the talk with Miss Tang was most swift. She basically told us that she would need the most assistance in the Annual Parade and that any other help in terms of facilitating the running of weekly parades that we could provide would be welcome. We thought it was a reasonable commitment, so we just agreed. Hopefully we can deliver our end of the bargain!

There is a certain feeling of reminiscence when I went back to look at my juniors. Coincidentally they were holding their activities in the room that was my lower secondary classroom. I could suddenly see myself fighting with Hong Wei and Mr Joseph Wong "touching wood" by touching my then botak head. And sitting with Jason Ho right at the front of the classroom, and Li Wei talking about his 浩瀚的疆土. Surreal.

Well, before long, we had to leave because parade and negotiations were over and we went to J8 for a meal. The same thing happened. I remembered how what is now Manhattan's Fish Market was once Delifrance and how we hung out there right after graduation in Sec 4. It's time like this when I can't help but feel the age on my shoulders.

Hopefully I can be of service to both the Boys and the Coy!

Monday, March 08, 2010

Second Visit to KKMC.

After hearing much from Reuben, from Chee Keen's parents and others, I decided to choose a particular church to stick to for a short period of time to see whether it is really a right fit.

So I decided to go back to KKMC. Talk about going full circle! Six years before I left, and now I am back. Kai followed me to make sure I don't feel too anti-social I guess? Thanks hon =)

To be honest, it was quite a good feeling when I went back. Mainly because of all the familiar people that I saw like Mr Gan, Captain, Lixin, Victor, Bernice, Zhihui, etc etc. I was quite shocked, actually. Because the last time I came here, there weren't so many familiar faces.

The sermon was a very simple one on The Lord's Prayer, and it ended faster than I expected. Then it was time for communion. Never did I treasure the chance to have communion so much. I guess it's one of the things that I took for granted when I was in church.

After sermon we headed out for lunch at the Chicken Rice balls place. Which really brought back memories too. Can you believe that it has been 6 years?! And everything is still almost the same. It's pretty surreal..

We carried on to SMU after lunch to mug a bit with Chee Keen before heading on to Orchard to watch Up In The Air. But that should be another post!

Glad I managed to spend some good quality time with my favorite person in the world! LOL

Breadman.

Saw this collage at the MRT when I was going out yesterday.

It was for a promotion of whole-grains by Health Promotion Board. Cool!

Saturday, March 06, 2010

He knows.

My dad, that is.

Knows what you ask? Well, he finally found out that I am a Christian. Which to me was really ironic timing because for the 7 years that I have been a Christian, he never found out. Yet right now, when I am not in a church, he managed to dawn upon this. LOL.. God really has a way of working that is beyond human imagination.

The really strange thing is that he didn't freak out like I expected. He just said, "我跟你传道那么多年,你还是成为基督教徒", which meant despite telling me so much about Buddhism and his beliefs, I still became a Christian. I guess deep down inside he was probably disappointed since he felt so victimised by the Christians that he knows. Which is why I wonder why his reaction was so small.

Today he caught me doing my bible study for Gcube and just commented in passing, "really doing bible study". Before that he handed me a stack of books he bought about Christianity in the past but never read, thinking that I might be interested in them.

All I can say to all this is. WOW. Then again, it might just be the calm before a storm that hasn't landed yet? I just pray to God that it isn't so..

We belong together =)

I went to the Airport with Kai yesterday after sending her to VJC for the A levels results collection. They were supposed to be there as NUS Ambassadors. It was really good just to be able to spend some time with her talking and hanging out without having to think about anything else =)

Here's us at the Aviation Gallery in T2!

Friday, March 05, 2010

夜夜夜。

好想K喔!



我想是时候把多点心思放在课业上了。
突然觉得其实未来并不遥远,再过几年就要步入工作社会,再不加油的话就太迟了。

Thursday, March 04, 2010

CAP 5, please.

This morning was a mad rush to finish my Biz Law tutorial for submission with my group. We ended up with one question wrong because!

Even if your contract is under seal or deed, if the express term violates public policy, it would be void! In this case, it was on the Restraint on Sale of Business. -_____-|| Hopefully it doesn't affect our grade much! I really need this semester to pull everything up!

Anyways, MNO Project is making some headway with Bryan's contacts. I am crossing my fingers and praying to God that it will all come through and we would have a project in our hands instead of the rubble of devastation...

Stress!!!

My Future.

The clouds are starting to clear and what I am supposed to do is becoming more apparent to me. I think sometimes we all need a talk with the Career Services Offices to get ourselves motivated.

I suddenly see what I have to do, and what I have to achieve to reach my desired path. The things that I have to do seems immense and scary. But if experience has taught me anything, it is that if I just do it without hesitation, it will not be so bad, and even if it were bad, it too shall pass. (Check out the cool video!)

I am just thankful that you are with me. =) and You.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

zZz.

I was supposed to wake up after two hours to run and to work on Mind Your Own BizNUS.

Well, the good thing is I did wake up. The bad is that I stayed on the bed right up til 8.30 a.m. LOL! Lazing FTW!

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Midterms.

Mugging Zombies

Were over before they even really begun.

I had my Financial Accounting paper today. It wasn't hard, but quite long for a one-hour test. That means we had to scribble a lot and couldn't really check our work. I think I did pretty okay since I managed to balance everything and the only mistake I know of was the fact that I divided Rent Expense by 3 instead of 2 months. -shrugs- My philosophy is really to just let it go since it is over. We will all know when the paper comes back!

Anyways, I spent the whole of last night mugging together with Kai =) Look how dead we looked by 5 am. Hahas.. To think we actually ran before that! 5 am is really quite a feat. But hon, don't make it a habit yes?

So now that the midterms are over, I really need to start catching up with all the projects and tutorials that I haven't completed yet. By the experience of last semester, the finals would come before I even know it. AHH!

Oh, I am thinking of trying for the Double Degree Programme for Comms and New Media since it would pretty much fit what I want to do in the future. Should I? My CAP is cui and my A level results ain't fantastic so I probably will not get it even if I tried, but something in me is super tempted...

Monday, March 01, 2010

My Inspiration.

Time to get off my ass and work back to this.

Visit to Zion B-P.

As you might already know, I am currently in between churches after having left CCC in December last year. So yesterday, I went over to Reuben's church. Reubs is my VCF Faculty Head and I heard many good things about Zion Bible Presbyterian, so I thought I would give it a shot and see how the church is for myself.

I was supposed to go with Kai, but she was on a roll in mugging and wanted to mug til late, so I was left alone to my own devices =( LOL! The first impression I had of the church when I went into the service was that it had a huge congregation. Of all the churches that I have been to this past 2 months, this would be one of the bigger ones.

The flow of the service pretty much follows what would be a traditional service in KKMC or what I saw when I went to Yishun Christian Church (Lutheran). What I found interesting was actually how they managed to use a grand piano to play the organ. It must be really hard to hold such heavy keys! Okay, random.

The sermon itself was quite simple and about "The Fear of the Lord". The pastor talked about how we have come to see God in extremes, either as a Punisher and Jealous God of the Old Testament who condemns us or as a God of Love and Forgiveness who will always forgive or sins no matter what we do. The truth is, we need to have a correct and balanced view of who God is. Because God is holy, He judges us for our sins. However, because of His mercy and grace, He does give us a way to repent and restore our relationship with Him through Jesus. Okay, I veered off his point a little, but that is essentially the gist of the matter.

I felt a little out of place right after the service because the whole congregation sort of already had their own cliques in place and everyone just drifted off to their own little groups at the refreshments area. Reuben tried to introduce me to his friends, but most were a little awkward and xenophobic I guess..

Reubs also took the chance to tell me about his church and to advise me on settling down in one church and really deciding to stick there. Because churches are mostly similar and it would be better for my growth I guess. I know, I know... But such things are easier said than done. I guess I just have to be very thick-skinned at the start? Let me take some time to figure out how to do this and I will.

When I went over to Chee Keen's house in the afternoon for a visit, Uncle Simon and Auntie Hwee Kiaw sort of reiterated the same point that I should start to find a church that I am comfortable enough in and settle down in it.

I think for me, the greatest difficulty is finding a way into the church. I can either just barge into a church myself like what I did for Yishun Christian Church or follow a friend to his church, like perhaps go to Harvester with Terence and Tan Long. Either way, it would take a very big effort to try to integrate myself and honestly, I don't feel like I am up to it at this moment.

I was also talking to Reubs about how my age is a difficult age to be changing churches. I mean, youths would obviously have it quite easy because people their age would be quite receptive and open to new people. Older people are the majority of the church and I think they shouldn't have a problem fitting in as well. It's only young adults like me who don't really have a group to go to unless the church has a strong Young Adults Ministry, which doesn't really occur much. I mean, people our age would be really busy with their school work and would already have a stable group of friends. Why bother to help a new guy?

Well. That's basically my challenge of this season I guess. Advice anyone?
 
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