Makes heaps of sense.
got this off the net
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Written by Adrian Tan, author of The Teenage Textbook (1988), was the guest-of-honour at a NTU convocation ceremony. This was his speech to the graduating class of 2008.
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I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It’s a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.
My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.
On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I make my living being disagreeable.
Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home. That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.
And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men: when you’ve already won her heart, you don’t need to win every argument.
Marriage is considered one milestone of life. Some of you may already be married. Some of you may never be married. Some of you will be married. Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.
The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You’re done learning.
You’ve probably been told the big lie that “Learning is a lifelong process” and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters’ degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on. You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers. Don’t you think there is some measure of conflict of interest? They are in the business of learning, after all. Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.
The good news is that they’re wrong.
The bad news is that you don’t need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone. That may come as a shock to some of you. You’re in your teens or early twenties. People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.
I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people. But I’m here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.
You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy. We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There’s very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup. Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.
Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.
So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you’ll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and prosper.
Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they’re 50, 40, 30 years old. Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation. They would be very disappointed that they didn’t meet their life expectancy.
I’m here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy.
After all, it’s calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average.
Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.
That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.
If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don’t need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.
What you should prepare for is mess. Life’s a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it. Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Your degree is a poor armour against fate.
Don’t expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.
What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.
Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.
The most important is this: do not work.
Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable.
Work kills. The Japanese have a term “Karoshi”, which means death from overwork. That’s the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there’s nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust.
There’s a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are “making a living”. No, they’re not. They’re dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful.
People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free. The slogan “Arbeit macht frei” was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps. Utter nonsense.
Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.
Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself.
I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator. I enjoy it and I would do it for free. If I didn’t do that, I would’ve been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction – probably a sports journalist.
So what should you do? You will find your own niche. I don’t imagine you will need to look very hard. By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do. In fact, I’ll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions. By this time you should know what your obsessions are. If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.
Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don’t, you are working.
Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth. I’m not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things. The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth. Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.
In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror.
I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.
One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it’s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one’s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.
The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.
I didn’t say “be loved”. That requires too much compromise. If one changes one’s looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.
Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We’ve taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work – the only kind of work that I find palatable.
Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul.
Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn’t happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.
You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.
You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.
Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don’t, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.
Don’t work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.
Post Camp Thoughts
been a while since I updated something substantial on this blog other than nice videos and Ricky Martin coming out of the closet (once again, was it ever in any doubt?). Anyway, was sharing to a friend about this (post camp thoughts – not Ricky Martin) and this friend suggested that I blog this, to share and bless people who take that few seconds to delve into this page dedicated to the periodically incoherent ramblings of my gray matter.
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I attended Hope UK’s camp that started last Friday (2/4). The camp theme was “The Saints”, with the teachings based on “A Sanctified Church”, which happens to be a really retro teaching. Prakich said it’s old but the principles aren’t old fashioned – and i second that opinion.
To be very honest, there was part of me that didn’t feel like attending. I mean, flying all the way to another country to live with a bunch of people whom I’m not even well acquainted with for 4 days, not knowing what to expect, not exactly my idea of how I would spend a long weekend. Well, that thought didn’t stay with me for long, due to the fact I’ve already dumped 200+SGD on airfare which was non-refundable; and also because I gave my word to Eldos (one of the main leaders) that I would be there.
As things turned out, I am absolutely delighted that I didn’t back out from it. It was an AMAZING experience. Coupled with the fact that all my camp objectives were met, it did make for a very good weekend.
Teachings and PnW wise, I can’t really say that anything hit me in the face. The preached word was a good reminder of setting myself apart for God, and the implications of doing so.
The thing that really, really blessed me was the fellowship. I was attached to the students group for the camp somehow accidentally I suppose, cos I had to crash the night before the camp at the place of this brother named Jon, who was from the uni group back in SG, and out of convenience, I just tagged along with his lifegroup. In retrospect, I think that move of convenience was kinda divine, cos those people have no idea just how much I was blessed observing and fellowshipping with them. Also, we played the Barnabas game, and before the end of camp, my Barnabas (who turned out to be this Thai sister) had already blessed me with 3 gifts, and handed me an Easter chocolate bunny before camp broke. Very, very touched. And sorta nudged me to bless my Barnabas too haha =p
I think I was probably one of the oldest or the oldest in their group (both physically and spiritually), but there were a few things this “laojiao” Christian actually picked up/got reminded of, from the group. Well, I wasn’t that much older (abt 5 years on avg), and the things they were doing weren’t anything new, but still, it was really, i don’t know, a mixture of being humbled + nice when I talked/had fun with them. Being humbled because they treated me like one of their own really quickly, which is not something readily seen in many churches nowadays, both in SG and in Dublin.
Well, nice because, I learnt so much from them. They actually didn’t formally teach me much. In a nutshell, I was very impressed by the simple faith and simple love for God these people had. It reminded me once again that age doesn’t play a part in fervency, zeal, and passion for our God. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about their actions alone, in which the point would be debunked by older believers as something “they are doing because they still can – wait a few years”; rather, I’m talking about their can-do attitude and gung-ho spirit for Jesus. As joining a students group goes, I only got to sleep a few hours every night (doesn’t really happen in adults camp anymore), with devotions still to come on subsequent mornings. And I’m impressed by how the guys in the group still dragged themselves out of bed and made it to devotions (albeit 10-15min late of course haha). Of cos I had to follow right? lol =p Another thing was the closing ceremony. My group was IC of that event and Kelly (who was from youth) directed – well done Shirls 
She made quite a number of people act out roles which I reckon should be out of line with their usual selves – i hope! And it was heartwarming to see how ready the people were to serve, and carry on their roles with enthusiasm. Eventually, it actually turned out pretty well on the day, and mutters of some tearing was heard – well done Kelly! Everyone in the group had a part to play, and it all came together with supernatural coordination even though rehearsal times were scarce. God definitely had a hand in it I say =)
Another incident about simple faith came on the second day – games day. I didn’t participate in it cos I had assignments to catch up on, but I was there for the events prior to that. What had happened was that Jon was the game master, and had been pretty concerned about bad weather for a while – cos the games were outdoor. Being a practical Singaporean, plan B was very much concocting in his mind. Eldos stepped in, and in true spirit-filled leadership fashion, announced that we were going to trust God for good weather. Guess what, other than the first day, we had good weather for the rest of the camp. What made it even more incredible was that rain was forecast for the entire camp. Simple faith like that, we don’t really witness nowadays (ok, not applicable for adults camp cos we usually go to a hotel but you get my point). Well done Eldos!
My 3 camp objectives were to finish up my assignment (done!), re-establish certain spiritual habits (done too i hope!), and make heaps of friends (definitely done!). I can’t remember when was the last time i met all my camp objectives, so it was really awesome indeed.
This camp reminded me of our Hope camps a decade ago. Am not inferring negative connotations; on the contrary, it was heartwarming to see everyone knowing everyone, and having that strong family atmosphere that is usually lacking in bigger churches. To be honest, music wasn’t that fantastic technically, but who cares about music when the overall climate was as thick as a fog?
I am more and more convicted that as the church grows bigger, the care/life/home/cell groups must grow “smaller”. Smaller meaning a stronger fellowship, more unity, and replicating what only smaller churches can accomplish in terms of atmosphere in our respective small groups. Another way is that the church remains status quo – which is not exactly Matt 28 either. I do not claim to be an expert on the subject, but since the church is going to continue to grow, on my part, I’m going to make huge efforts to aid my future groups and leaders achieve this standard.
On a parting note, to my new found family members who are reading this – Apri, Anita, Jon, Gemmy, Thomas, JerRY (caps on purpose), Jenna, Jolene, Kelly, Jhung Ee, Yvonne, New, and even Joycie – (i pray you come to know Jesus soon!), thanks for everything. I have been devoid of good fellowship for a while, and you people have no idea just how much you’ve added to my life in the span of 4 days. I miss you guys much already, and hope I can come back soon =)) Well done with the group Apri!
Hola Madrid!
Went to Madrid last weekend! Last leg of my traveling for this year (i think – HAHA). Overall, not a bad place, pretty metropolitan, nothing very touristy, but enjoyable nonetheless! Highlight of the trip has to be catching Spain vs Argentina live. Totally aweshome!
How come he becomes a top striker only in Spain har? In Atletico Madrid’s football store at its stadium
Callao y Bocadillo de Calamares (Beef Tripe & Calamari Sandwich) – both are Madrid dishes apparently… nothing to shout about honestly – just beef tripe & fried sotong on bread only…. Old Chang Kee also have….buy French loaf from Delifrance lor…
Now THIS is something to shout about! Chocolate con Churros – a Madrid dish as well… but oh man… heavenly. Erh, it tastes like yew char kway dipped in hot chocolate whose texture is somewhere between hot chocolate and chocolate fudge… yummy!
Take el Espanol yew char kway….
……break and dip it into a heavenly chocolate drink….
…..and proceed to put into mouth…..
Mission Accomplished!
What exactly is a fried chicken ball…?? It ain’t what i think it is…. right….?
Got this for takeaway before visiting Santiago Bernebeu… don’t let the picture fool you… one of the best chicken i have ever tasted…no kidding!
Touching the pitch that Kaka and co ply their trade on
…..in the Real Madrid press room….
“Coach…which club do you think is the best on the planet?”
“good question… in my opinion i have to say MANCHESTER UNITED…no arguments there”
lol….i’m amusing myself
heh =p
but seriously, i think the club must have a narcissism complex or something… everywhere you go in the stadium, you see one sign or a banner affirming their dominance as the no 1 club in the world, or best in this or best in that, won more trophies than any other club etc… i mean, ok lar… it’s good to feel good about yourself, but truth is they have been really rubbish for a few years already. Barcelona won the treble last year and their museum didn’t even mention it much! Real got bankrolled by the king for the best players, and their few trophies won haven’t exactly justified their cash outlay… still talk so much… seriously…they sound like some club who keep talking about their 18 championships even though dinosaurs were still roaming the earth when they won their last one.
Saw this on the way out in the metro station…. do you see what i see?
No? Look again….
lol
Saw some interesting prohibitive signs in the metro too…
No praising/affirming
No mambo
Highlight of the trip! Spain vs Argentina live! What a treat!
The Legendary Maradona – this one’s for you PJ!
=D
More pictures on flickr. Ciao!
Lessons from Menmakers 2009
just came back from a men’s conference in Edinburgh, Scotland! Visited a few places, had the privilege of listening to some great messages from Ray McCauley, who pastors Rhema Bible Church, the largest in South Africa (approx 45000).
Anyway, lessons learnt/got reminded (in no particular order):
1) Whatever God is asking me to do, only i can choose to stop it, the devil has none of that power
2) There are times when i go up to the mountain alone, and no one else is going with me; out of goodwill, people try to talk me out of some BHAG* that God has given to me – stand firm if it is from God! There is a reason why he made me and no one else see it
(BHAG*: big hairy audacious goal)
3) You’ll know a person by his fruit – not by what he says, not by what he looks like, not by anything else – just fruit.
4) And fruit takes time to bear before it can be seen
5) the moth’s struggle to get out of the cocoon – the struggling strengthens its wings – allowing it to fly. Challenges and trials are there to strengthen me, a lot of people want to take flight, but do not want the struggle to break out of the cocoon
6) There is a test (condition) to fulfilling certain God promises – i need to do something to get them
7) Delay doesn’t mean denial
8) It’s my job to discern God’s timing; not set/change it
9) It’s easy to trust God when it doesn’t concern me
10) If gifting takes you to a place where character cannot keep you, the gifting will destroy you
11) People saw a shepherd boy, God saw a king (David)
12) Paul’s training before ministry took 3 years.
13) Obscurity sets up an opportunity for God’s glory to be shown
14) Goliath made David famous. Many times we want God to lift us up but we do not want the Goliaths
15) David’s training to be a king took 20years of caring for sheep and killing lions and bears.
16) Getting a word isn’t such a big thing; it’s hanging onto that word that counts
17) I can be in the presence of God and still be hardened
18) Sometimes, when i’m in the right place in the will of God, he will stay silent. Silence isn’t always bad! I shouldn’t seek lightning and bushfires all the time
19) No weapon formed against me shall prosper; oh yeah, the weapon WILL be formed; but it shall NOT prosper.
Some pictures of the conference:
Ray McCauley:
Jan Eriksen, former pimp and drug lord turned preacher – powerful testimony
Of cos, no trip to Scotland would be complete without a bottle of single malt scotch whisky.
Cheers!
One Year On.
This time last year, i embarked on one of the most difficult moments of my Christian life ever. Caught me by surprise right between the eyes, but still had to go through it nonetheless.
What followed after that fateful day, was an approximately 3month period of self-pitying, stupid moves and rather crucially, one of the rare periods in my 10yr walk where the roots of my faith and foundation in Him were sternly tested.
I’m actually quite amazed how time flies. Can’t believe it has been one year. Still able to remember certain incidents so vividly.
God has been good. The comfort, guidance, and most importantly, the grace he has shown to me in this one year has simply left me speechless. Late last year, i got 3 prophecies on 3 different occasions that 2009 was going to be a big year for me. And so far, i guess it has been. Would i have imagined myself in this position currently during Jan or Feb this year? It would be a definite no.
Billy Graham said mountaintops are good for inspiration but fruits are found in the valleys – i concur. While not denying that i didn’t enjoy the arduous few months, im glad that God made me go through it, and even though i was bewildered for quite a while, he never left my side. His presence was always there, through the concern of my friends, family, leaders etc. Those of you who walked with me and gave me endless encouragement, you know who you are, just wanna say that you guys will never be forgotten. A special shoutout to those few who not just supported me, but also reiterated your belief in me, you are one of the main reasons that i was able to pick myself up and carry on.
I’d like to think that i have emerged from the (trial?) wiser & less naive, but mainly, i’d like to think that i’ve come out of it as victoriously as i know how. Granted, the mistakes and aforementioned stupid moves have somewhat left certain irreversible consequences, but i believe that as i continue to walk with God, he will make things alright…somehow.
Another thing about fruits being found in the valley, sometime in about mid Jan this year, i started intensively listening to teaching podcasts and devouring books for a period of half a year. While i do not really have the luxury of time to do it now that im in the midst of my semester, it’s not an exaggeration to say that i’ve learnt more in that half year compared to my previous 10 years in church. And the best thing? I believe God isn’t done with me yet (ok, i don’t know if i should be that pumped about it or not…haha! =p)
God has humbled me so much. To quote PJ, i know that i know that i know that i know that i know that i can never ever ever ever live without the presence of God in my life. Oh man, i’ve really come to realise how much i need Him. Anything i do on my on merits to gain that righteousness a Christian ought to aim for, is but a mere breath, a whisper in the wind. Only God can give me that righteousness. Without God in my life, i’m utter toast.
I ain’t perfect, as much as i’ve improved, i am still prone to errors (sometimes committing the ever-so-silly ones), so kindly bear with me as im still work in progress.
And no, this isn’t a thinly veiled barb at anyone in case you are thinking. I really harbor no bitterness towards anybody as im typing this. Can’t drive properly if you are always looking in the rear-view mirror can you?
For those of who have heard something with regards to me, and are curious to find out more, i would say… don’t you have better things to do? hahaha =) I’ve been taking a “no-comments” policy with anything that has happened, not about to change it. Neither am i making anymore apologies or “compensations”, i’m convicted that i have already done everything i need to. Believe whatever you want, as long as im assured that my close friends, and most imptly, God, are on my side, that will suffice.
Exciting times ahead! =)
Week 1 Updates
Warning: monster post
Week one zoomed past! School started, attended lectures, made (even more) new friends, attended a new church and a new lifegroup.
The modules that I’m going to be taking this semester:
Knowledge Management and Innovation
Globalisation for Business Students
International Business
International Finance Management
HRM Techniques
Asian Business
was supposed to take Financial Economics too, but changed my mind after the first lecture (i have till 18sept to confirm my modules). The FE class was seriously 0-0. All the dy/dx X du/dt log ln formula sh….stuff. I told my program manager that my purpose here was not purely for studies. I could have done that in Singapore had i wanted to. If i had taken that module i can kiss my weekends and term break goodbye. She put us in Asian Business promptly. Nice lady =D
The international finance management lecturer was hilarious. He definitely hails from one of the eastern European countries going by his accent. He went through our notes and halfway through, exclaimed:
“What the f*** is this?” “Total crAAAAp.” “Irish financial commentators are rubbish…”
and proceeded to tell us not to buy the textbooks cos we wouldn’t be needing them, unless we had a personal interest in it. Btw, textbooks here are seriously ex. To the tune of approx 100sgd per textbook. I’m just going to head to the library every week la.
I have already established my least favourite lecturer. She takes my knowledge management and innovation lectures. The module itself is quite interesting, but her workload is unbelievable. This is how we are going to be assessed for this module:
Exams: 70%
Project: 10%
Learning Journal 1: 10%
Learning Journal 2: 10%
-START OF RANT-
Looks alright? Think again. Learning journal part 1 is on lectures week 1-6. Every week, we are supposed to journal a minimum 1000 word entry. 600 words commentary on pre-lecture textbook reading and a random article we pick up from the internet/magazines/newspaper and 400 words on post lecture reflection. 1000×6 weeks = 6000 words. I still need to read through, reflect, write my thoughts. All for 10%! Which means, per 1000word entry, im only going for 1.7marks. Totally WTH right? She thinks her 1.7 marks is the world. Needless to say, i totally spammed my first entry. Didn’t even bother double checking. I understand the need for some effort, but this is just ridiculous….
-END OF RANT-
Other than that, the rest of the lectures have been rather interesting. I enjoy the non-singapore way of education, where you just memorise everything and regurgitate during exams. Well, a certain amount of memory work is required here as well, but i particularly like the fact that most of my classes are conducted interactively, rather than just having the lecturer read from the slides. Didn’t realise how much i missed student life until these couple of weeks.
Did i mention that i have long weekends for the entire year cos i do not have lessons on Friday? Shiok! Am already planning to hit other countries with my housemates. Other than that, am grateful for the extra day to do my chores, cleaning and shopping for the week, so that i can have my weekends for other stuff like music, church, travelling etc.
Went grocery shopping on Friday! This merits a mention just for the reason that it’s the first time in my life i went grocery shopping with a haversack, because in Ireland, plastic bags are not given when you shop (apparently they are huge on environmental issues).
Pre shopping:
Post Shopping:
See my haversack has increased in size. One week’s worth of groceries. All was good, except for the one tomato who chose to explode in my haversack =.=
At the risk of jinxing it, i must announce happily that Dublin has had FANTASTIC weather the past week. No rain (which is a surprise, as Dublin is more prone to rain than sunny weather), the day was cooling, night wasn’t that cold, and it was just really, really nice to walk around. No sticky skin, no unnecessary perspiration. Jealous yet? =pp
On friday, i played football for the first time here. Man, it was literally a World XI vs Botswana XI. Yours truly was one of the smallest guy on the pitch. Totally felt like Park Ji Sung. I had Spaniards, Italians, Americans, Germans, Russians on my team. I was the only Asian on the field. I still had fun though, shan’t go into details, except that my italian and spanish teammates were really, really good. There was a guy who played like Maldini, and another who played like Giggs. Serious! But the weather was superb. Just the right amount of sun, and there was a cool breeze. Oh, and i had a team mate who is the splitting image of Berbatov. No kidding! I’ll try to get a picture in future.
Remember i mentioned in a previous post that i almost killed myself by going out to run in singlet and shorts? I got smarter hey. Nowadays i go in this:
(A jogging attire which looks really cool in movies but too siao to replicate in Singapore)
On saturday evening, i headed to the pub opposite campus alone to catch Man Utd vs Spurs over a pint of Guinness, as my housemates had some of their own plans =DD Good match, good victory. Just needed one or two buddies to complete the experience. On the way back, i stopped just outside apartment for a while. Was just captivated by how still, how quiet, how beautiful the sunset sky was.
My E71 camera didn’t do the surroundings justice, but at that moment, coupled with the awesome, awesome weather, looking at the landscape and the evening sky, wow, i suddenly felt really, really loved by God. Like he painted the evening sky just for me (maybe i have a hidden pathway to God?) And he spoke the words in Isaiah to me clearly, “In quietness and trust is your strength” =)))
I’ve been really blessed to have gotten connected to a church so quickly. Thanks to Hope London people for the recommendation. It’s a small but international church, but the things that they are doing are pretty similar to the early days of our church. I think they are moving in the right direction. You can check them out here.
Have attended 2 services, one lifegroup, and a music practice so far. If God is willing, i hope to be able to contribute to their music team soon and very soon. Think they wanna roster me soon as well… for such a small church (abt 100), think they would just take anyone who is willing to volunteer.
Some pictures:
Brendan, the senior pastor
Brendan’s daughter, Nicole – she has to be one of the most smiley babies ever! She’s always smiling, even to complete strangers… lol
Bohdan – my CL – he’s from Slovakia
Peter – the band leader – from Poland
We had a lunch session to facilitate fellowship after service today, and basically different people cooked for the church. The dish in the picture was a homemade lasagna by Bohdan’s wife, Anna. The taste was… indescribable, inconceivable~~~hahaha heavenly! Sometimes it feels quite good to become a member in church again. Like kena pampered.. hahaha. I’m enjoying the fellowship in this church =)
Till the next update, take care people =)
p.s (happy belated birthdays my brudders roy, ray and dennis – sucks that i can’t be there to celebrate with you guys – we’ll have a super belated birthday dinner/beer session/chillout night soon alright!)
p.p.s (sheep(s)….. reply my emails leh…. dun dao can. haha)
Hello Ireland!
So it happened! On the 28th of August 2009, i departed our sunny shores for the land of Guinness Stout, leprechauns, and Roy Keane.
The farewells leading up to my departure have been nothing short of amazing. I think i might have put on weight even before jetting off – thanks for all your generosity and love people! Didn’t expect that many people to turn up at the airport … almost felt like i was some celebrity. All in all, through the affirmation and kind words, i am deeply humbled that God used me to make an impact, some deeper than i thought, in some of your lives. You’ll know if i’m referring to you =)
Thanks to all who contributed to the journal out together by my sis. I read it before sleep yesterday night. It brought a tear to my eye. The entry from Hendra was hilarious! Muchly, muchly, appreciated. Thanks for spending time designing and putting it together, my small little pip squeak of a sister. You know i love you much right =) You can have my room, the car and the toilet to yourself for the next 9mths at least. HAHA.
The flight wasn’t too bad…. BA economy actually has plenty of leg room, to cater to the bigger sized brits i suppose. Movie selection could be much better, and i actually developed a sore back + neck 7hrs into the flight. Needless to say, the remaining 6hrs to London was kinda annoying. Surprisingly, the security at transit was much tighter compared to the security in Dublin airport itself. I had to remove my jacket, belt, laptop, wallet, etc. I took the things off so slowly (my haversack was seriously bulky!) that i swear they were probably contemplating subjecting me to a strip-search.
First 2 days weren’t that eventful, checked into the hotel first, couldn’t move into campus till Monday. Spent time roaming around Dublin city with my friend and familiarized ourselves with the transport system and city area. Oh, and we watched Man U beat Arsenal at the hotel bar in the evening. Woots!
Things in Dublin are definitely more expensive compared to Sg, but relatively ok, when you’ve been to London or Paris. Nonetheless, i am trying not to spend so much unnecessarily.
You know, they say in cold weather you eat more. I agree! I feel perpetually hungry! Man…. trying to discipline myself not to snack… it’s all in the mind it’s all in the mind…..
Moved into my dorm on Monday. It is small (a little smaller compared to my bedroom at home) but very snuggly. I headed into town to purchase a new duvet and extra pillows, to make my bed the ultimate snuggle-zone. Reading a book while under the sheets on a cold night, with a hot chocolate beside you…. Ahhhh…. a teeny slice of heaven.
God has been good in terms of my accommodation. My hostel is a 5min walk to the building where im gonna have all my classes in, it is an awesome place to have a jog, even at 12noon; i get my own toilet (which rocks cos i’m really anal about this), the school has almost everything (i do not need to head to the city for everything), and generally, wonderful, friendly hostel staff. It’s true what they say about Dublin, the people here are really warm and friendly!
Am in the midst of planning my timetable even as i type this. I think, i do not have classes on Friday for the entire year. Long weekends woohooo! Barca/Scotland/Madrid/London/Manchester/Wales/Lisbon here i come….
Too many things to update you guys! Will update more as much as i can. Check back soon….
Dublin Airport, really small
The bus that took us to the hotel – decided to save on taxi. Carried our luggage till we almost died.
Ulric and I
Gotta respect the Irish – what better way than to start off with a Guinness? Reading a lovely journal given to me while sipping on the black drink =)
Saw these horse carriages in the city
the first dinner i cooked. Spaghetti in Tomyam soup with beefballs and lots of carrots! yumyum. Thanks for the tomyam cubes Eelee! These pastes and powders you gave are lifesavers now… haha
10 random things I’ve observed about Dublin:
1) Dubliners smoke. A lot.
2) Dubliners are really friendly. Like really!
3) You have to pay for plastic bags when you go shopping. Either that or you bring your own.
4) Girls in Dublin use tons of makeup! (or i have been led to believe, from observation so far)
5) Tanning studios are a big thing. Lots and lots of fake tans around
6) They eat heaps of sandwiches and bagels, surprisingly, not so much of other western fare like roasted chicken or fish n chips
7) I have not seen a 7-11 store yet
8) i have only seen 2 Starbucks so far.
9) Looking for a public toilet is a pain in the a**. I had to use BK or Mac toilets
10) Dublin doesn’t have underground subways. A small tram system that doesn’t travel to that many places, and most of the people either drive, or take the bus.
Take care guys, i’ll try to sign up with those photo sharing sites soon. Don’t think i’m gonna go back to FB. Haha!
Love Story meets Viva la Vida
yao intro-ed this…. they are doing it for youth svc this sat! Way cool!
Something no United Fan thought he would ever see…..
OH. MY. GOD.
p.s JX, Ray, Es: what do you think?? hahahaha
