at the Bay...

I had a great time at San Francisco with my sister! We enjoyed the city so much; its such a beautiful city, and just the atmosphere of the city reminded me of home. Of course, the weather is a lot more different, and the cost of living is much more expensive. But there are lots of Asians there, the roads are smaller, and the smell of the sea air is just too good for me. Ahhh too good! I told my sister and Pheng that if i had the money, and were to pick a city to live in the US, San Francisco would be it (unless i find a better place to be!)

So anyways, here are a few highlight pics of my experience in SF. Have fun!

Day 1


entering San Francisco; Renaissance Parc 55 in the horizon (I stayed there)


aerial view of Union Square at night


dinner with my cousin, Jimmy, and my sister Grace at The Cheesecake Factory

Day 2

taking the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf


at the wharf; delicious clam chowder at the pier


Pier 39;


the infamous Alcatraz


in the cell block


back at the wharf in an old museum of old amusement toys; simple reunion dinner with my sister


Day 3


a painted obelisk; the Golden Gate bridge;


on the bridge; enroute to Sausalito after crossing the bridge

News flash!

Hello all,

Happy Chinese New Year, Kong Hei Fatt Choy/Gong Xi Fa Cai/Kiong Hee Huat Cai/Selamat Tahun Baru Cina, may your new year be prosperous and fruitful, may you receive lots of angpows (you kids & single folk), and as for those who faithfully and may your gifts be multiplied to you!

Here are a couple of super quick updates:

Last week my car wouldn't start 4 times. Turns out my horn relay was draining out the battery, so I had it taken off and will probably be replaced this week. Also hoping to bring my car in for inspection, when everything is OK. Of course, the horn is one of the necessary requirements to pass inspection.

I had reunion dinner with the Chin family here at CFNI...what an awesome time of celebrating with lo sang and some good steamboat, yummy! I have to say that Pheng and I are so blessed to know this family, their joy and zest for life as a family unit is such a testimony to us both. We are blessed and privileged to be discipled by them for our pre-marital counseling sessions. Hurrah for the Chin clan!

And....tomorrow early in the morning i'll be on my way to San Francisco to see my sister Grace, and meet up with a cousin of mine, Chong, whom I havent seen in probably 8-9 years. Also this will be the first time in 2 years since i've last seen Grace, so i'm very excited! I have missed her quite abit. So anyway, this will be her first ever flight to American soil as well, so i'm kinda honored to be the first person she wants to meet when she's here! So please pray for us to have a good time even though we'll be tight on cash...i just want to spend time with her and take lots of pictures for memories.

OK. So today i woke up with the phrase ringing in my head, "He's going places." Wow. Someone said that about my friend who's working in KL, and sounds like he's working really hard and getting successful at what he's doing. So the entire morning preparing to go to church (i wore red, by the way, to show my observance of the CNY) i was just rethinking some things i'm doing and motivating myself...i want to be a person that's others will say "he's going places" as in, he will be successful in what he does. And to do that, i gotta capitalize on what i do best. And even then, it will not be enough; it's gotta be better than my best. And that can only happen when God is in the WHOLE picture. Then i can say that i'm going places because someone greater is taking me there.

Here's a quote i've been thinking about in recent days, by Bill Johnson in his book "When Heaven Invades Earth":

Much of what we call ministry has no safeguard in it to ensure that He (God) is even present. When our focus is not the presence of God, we end up doing the best we can for God. Our intentions may be noble, but they are powerless in effect. (parentheses mine)

So we can do all the ministry we want, or do whatever we're called to do as best as we can, but when we do it out of our own strength, what fruit is there? Worthless, at the least, and impressive, at most. But when God Himself is in the WHOLE picture, when He's using us as a vessel to channel His presence through what we do, then will we see real fruit in ministry. The result will last for eternity.

His presence is all we need!

Land Called Love

A poem i gave to darling for Valentine's..


Come away with me for an adventure in Agapeland..

Love is real and love is true;
There's a land called love for you.

There's a land where your dreams come true,
So far away yet so close to you.
Can you imagine what things you could do
In a land called love?

You can toss all your cares in a pile,
You can sing, you can laugh or just smile.
When you get tired, you can rest for a while.
In a land called love.

It's not a land of make-believe.
It's very real. and you can feel
Something you've never felt before-
The love of God and so much more.

Author-Unknown




I love you dear..
pheng

A Valentine Sonnet

Happy Valentine's, everyone!
Take some time to have some fun
But most of all, on this amorous day
Don’t forget to generously say
The three words that mean so much
More than chocolates or roses or diamonds or such
On a day cluttered with commercial incline
They battle for hearts and purses, yours and mine
Stripping our cash, and push comes to shove
Heck, they do it all in the name of love!

Oh Valentine's, the day lovers love most
For love they would squander, of love they would boast
Say the words, and mean it too
"I love you, baby, it's true, I LOVE YOU."

upside down..

I told myself to go to sleep immediately. That was 2 hours ago...and I'm still awake...

y'know, I've been telling myself to get to bed early and on time. I have even planned out a timetable to keep myself accountable, but it's not working. I should know better. I've never stuck to those personal timetables much anyways.

Given the chance, I'd rather not go to sleep! I do love sleep, and being lazy and all, but if I had it my way, I'd much rather stay awake 24 hrs! Boy, I bet that'll do something to my body...haha. I guess if I did that pretty soon I'll melt or disintegrate.

I remember as boyscout (those good ole days) my friends and I used to stay up 3-4 days in a row...yup. Hardly any sleep for those 3-4 days. Usually during camps when we had a ton of campsite gadget-building and preparations. By the 3rd day everyone's walking around the campsite like zombies. No kidding. Not even when the girls arrived in the morning (they go home at night, or stay at one of their houses). Sorry ler, but tak cukup tidur leh.

Here's a funny story I remember...I think it was at my first TRAPLEX camp as Patrol Leader. I was wut...14? yeah. Second night. about 4 or 5am. I was working on the tower's platform, sitting on a stool and tying that darn squarelashing onto those bamboo strips. I remember making a lash, and then I fell, literally my head in between my knees, asleep holding on to that unfinished lash. I was knocked out. At about 7am, I was startled when I heard my ex-PL yell at me at the top of his lungs. "Get up, you -expletive omitted- or you're gonna fail your morning inspection!" I sprung up like switchblade, took my first step, and fell face flat onto the mud. I could have sworn I thought I was paralysed! Then, I felt that that tingly feeling that everyone LOVES and HATES. Arrgh! With my butt on the stool, feet on the ground, and head between my legs, all the blood rushed to my head and, y'know, kinda left my legs. I made mental note never to sleep in that position ever again.

Heheh...not just sleep, we wouldnt even take baths/showers too! Goodness! For those of you who know what I'm talking about...remember that pickling stench? Imagine every person you walk past, each with a pair of overnight pits and funky breath...Those are some of the smells I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Ahh well...enough of sweet reminiscence. Those were the days when life was more worry-free. It's time to go to bed.

Cure for AIDS?

Can you believe it? Iran claims to have found the cure for AIDS.

Check this news piece: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8511140239

I have my doubts....

The Setting Sun

Switchfoot - Stars


Okie guys...sorry about the deluge of videos...
These guys are amazing artists...phenomenal music...powerful. And right now, Stars and Setting Sun is exactly how I'm looking at life.