One Night in Bangkok 17 May 2008
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Here I am, typing this post in a dark and rainy night in Bangkok. I’ve known my roommate for barely 18 hours and we’re sharing the room for the night…
OK, cut to the chase, this post is not about how wet Bangkok nights are or to talk about how nice my roommate is. 
When do you know when you have arrived in Bangkok?
The Five Senses:
Sight – Lots of traffic and lots of people. Surprisingly, despite so many people on the streets, I don’t feel a sense of rush or pressure.
Smell – Your nose will be assaulted with a complex mixture of aroma comprising of fish sauce, Tom Yum, deep fried food and other unidentified smells. Go to Golden Mile Complex and you’ll know what I mean.
Touch – Hot and humid! The weather is like eternal summer, and the best thing is to hide in the cool of air-conditioned shopping malls.
Hear – Not so much horning from the cars, but the never-ceasing whistles from the traffic police directing traffic.
Taste – You’ve never been to Thailand if you’ve not eaten their Tom Yum and green curry. Delicious!
Lame Joke 8 May 2008
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My friend recently told me this lame joke/冷笑话/欠扁问答题/脑筋急转弯 (or whatever you call it)…
Part I: One day, 莲蓉包 and 馒头 went to see a very sad movie. It was so sad, that 莲蓉包 cried buckets, but 馒头 didn’t even shed a tear. Why?
FAQ For Young Men 6 May 2008
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Q: How can a young man keep his way pure?
A: By living according to [God's] word.
–Psalm 119:9
This is the verse that I got my guys to memorise. Many times we hear of the Word but do not follow, for one reason or another. This is human nature: within us the soul goes against what pushes us out of our comfort zone. Obeying the Word of God is easy if it is already what we are doing; the real test comes when the Word of God deals with areas of our lives we are not ready to give up: relationships, finances, studies/work, etc.
Relationships: Do not be unequally yoked. (2 Cor 6:14, context vv14-18 )
Finances: Give one-tenth of your firstfruits to the Lord. (Lev 27:30-33)
Studies/Work: Seek first His Kingdom and His Rightousness, and all these things will be added onto you. (Mat 6:33, context vv25-34)
I pray for the mercy and grace of God to give me strength within to walk the path of righteousness for Him.
New Running Shoes 5 May 2008
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Inspired by sehsuan’s post, I finally got down to make a purchase that I have been putting off for months. My old pair of Nike running shoes wore out 3-4 months back, and I haven’t got the motivation to get a new pair. He sent me his blog link this morning via MSN, and I decided not to put this off any longer and decided to get myself a new pair of running shoes.
Buying running shoes has mostly been a hit-and-miss affair. The last pair wasn’t too bad, but I felt there’s something out there that will fit me better. A little googling led me to discover Running Lab, a nifty little sports shop that offers personalised service to sports idiots like me (I’m sure they offer their services to the more sports-inclined as well), so that my guesswork is kept to the minimum. I must say I was quite assured when I purchased a new pair of Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7. Out of the various pairs of shoes that was recommended, I felt most comfortable in this pair, and I hope I will enjoy them.
Time to write some new goals for 2008…it’s still not too late!
Practicum ending soon 26 Apr 2008
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It’s been a very exhausting but enjoyable experience in my school so far. The whole practicum period really tested me physically (lack of sleep), emotionally (dealing with the pupils), spiritually (trusting in God that He will bring me through this period) and intellectually (having to plan an average of 2-3 lessons every day). I’m just glad it’s coming to an end and the workload is slowly winding down.
I can’t wait for the next two weeks to be over! Then I can start exercising again…and I’m really looking forward to my Bangkok trip next month!
I (almost) saw an angel 7 Apr 2008
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Two, three weeks ago I was helping a brother with his proposal to his girlfriend, so I was part of a team of decorating a pavilion on top of Mt Faber together with another brother and several sisters. I didn’t think too much of it after the event (‘cos I know the proposal is a sure-get), until I visited the blog of my church brother who was involved in this event too.
Apparently there was an angel sent in aid for my brother’s proposal! I shan’t regurgitate the details here, since it’s properly documented my brother’s blog. In the Bible it says, “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective,” (James 5:16b NIV) so I was joking about this when we had a post-event thank-you dinner hosted by the couple yesterday. “Why they send E leh? Never send me? Because I was praying [saying grace for the food] mah, so God send the one who never ‘zo kang‘ (work) lah! So I am a ‘righteous man’ lah!” Haha! I so ‘buay pai seh‘, 厚脸皮 (shameless) right? 
Anyway I also want to say that this restaurant we went to last night is really good! It’s called Eighteen Chefs (it’s even featured in the STB’s Uniquely Singapore website) and it’s located at Eastpoint Mall beside Simei MRT station. The cooking style is really unique as you get to decide the sauces and ingredients you want to put into the cheese baked rice or pasta. I’ll definitely go back for more!
Remembering my past 29 Mar 2008
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Not been blogging for a while. My practicum left me with little time to do other things except for writing and preparing lesson plans, carrying them out and sleeping. In fact, on weekdays I clock an average of only four hours of sleep because of lesson plans.
Anyway, I thank God for Friday because I don’t have to write lesson plans for the next day! Yesterday night was our tribe’s prayer and worship night. I had a good time having dinner and catching up with two of my church brothers, and enjoyed myself during the prayer and worship session. Halfway through the meeting, I felt God touching me and tears just started to flood my eyes. There was such a sense of thankfulness as I remember one of my brothers who encouraged me greatly in my first years as a Christian.
We met during a church camp (before the G12-era of Spiritual Encounter Weekends, we had Spiritual Formation Weekends), and it was when we were asked to pair up with someone to share our life struggles that I met him. So, you must understand that it was really by divine arrangement that our lives crossed path because it was really random for me to have met him. As we shared, it must have been the Holy Spirit because this brother was the one who prompted me to share my deepest struggles which I otherwise won’t share with anyone else (how deep can you share with a stranger?) I can’t remember the exact sequence–was it him who shared first or I shared first–but we had exactly the same struggles. He could identify with me. But what was different was that he had victory over his struggles, and he was living proof that with God, all things can be overcome!
After nine years as a Christian, I had kinda lost hope that my struggle can be overcome, but last night was when I was reminded by God about this friend, it renewed my faith and hope in God regarding my struggle. God is good!
(One of) My Dream Car(s) 11 Mar 2008
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Originally uploaded by Ah Pao.
Saw this at a HDB carpark. One of my dream cars – the Subaru Impreza WRX STi.
I haven’t rode in it before, but I like the look and the charm it extrudes…power, speed, performance, control…
My other dream cards include the BMW Series 3, Mazda 3 and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. All the expensive tastes, yah?
Dinner with Ps Eugene & Ps Julie 2 Mar 2008
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Jhee12 with Ps Eugene & Ps Julie
Originally uploaded by Ah Pao.
Seven of us had the privilege to have a closed-door potluck dinner with Ps Eugene & Ps Julie – our spiritual grandfather and grandmother – at their house. It was a great time of eating, laughing, joking (poking fun at my other G12 brothers occasionally), and of course, getting to know each other better. I really loved the setting, and it seemed the night was too short as we start dinner at about 7.45pm and it lasted right up to past 11pm…time just flew. Their house was lovely, and it was indeed a story of victory as they shared how they managed to pay for the (major) renovation of the house without incurring any debt.
My Cheese was Moved 27 Feb 2008
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I started my Teaching Practice (TP) on Monday with a new school – I wasn’t posted back to the school where I did contract teaching. Initially I wasn’t too bothered about it, until I realised the amount of adjustments I had to make. It’s hard not to compare between the two schools, and although there were strengths in the new school, I often catch myself thinking about “what if” I was in my old school.
I had a number of good friends in the contract school, and I really enjoyed my stay there. I was also very comfortable with the environment there, and felt like a part of the big family there. It was beyond my control that I was not posted to my contract school for TP. Anyway, I told myself it’s good to be posted to a different school so that I experience how different schools work.
But now, as I’ve mentioned, I’m feeling a bit of stress trying to get used to the new environment and with the requirements of TP. During the induction with the VP of my new school, she introduced us the book “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson (1999, London: Vermilion). She said the vision of the school was founded by the principles written in this book, and I suppose the vision is what we want to pass on to the children as well.
So I bought the book and read it in one sitting (Popular, $16.95). It’s a very short book (less than a hundred pages), but it has some pretty simple yet profound nuggets of wisdom in it. (For those who don’t want to buy/read the book, a pretty good overview of it can be found on Wikipedia.) The book talks about change, and how we should deal with change. Change is the only invariable in life, and we all need to deal with it somehow. Everyone of us has a psychological mechanism to deal with change, which may work for or against us. This book helped me modify that mechanism to deal with the change I am currently facing. I was like Hem, resistant and holding on to the comfort zone, afraid of what this change may bring. I want to be more like Haw, that despite the fears, ventured out to find New Cheese. Bringing a positive attitude along and enjoy the process of finding New Cheese. My trust in God helps me settle my fears, because I know He has good things in store for me. My response is to act in faith instead of sitting down expecting the Old Cheese to come back!
I’m looking forward to the New Cheese!
