Peace

There used to be this army advertisement which said: " We should never mistake peacefulness for peace" This statement just came to me as i sat at lower seletar reservoir earlier on. No, im not gonna write about anything military. Rather i was just thinking about being at peace with myself.

As i was seated on a bench at lower seletar reservoir, the place was a picture of serenity and calm. I could hear the rustlings of the leaves when the wind gently stroked the trees under the crimson-red sky. I found myself in a state of peace that i have not experienced throughout the week and i know that once i leave the reservoir, the intensity and pressures of living will just hit me like a MRT train during rush hour.

In the bible (John 14:27), the Lord Jesus said:" Peace i live with you;my peace i give you. I do not give as the world gives.Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

This verse says that the peace that the Lord gives is unique and different to the kind of peace that the world can give through superficial security like securing high-paying jobs or anywhere near the lines of striking it rich.

After working for about 8 months, I was wondering am i really at peace with myself in this job? why is it that i always have to go to parks and reservoirs to feel the peacefulness. Maybe it has got nothing to do with the job. Its just living in Singapore. Period.

So as i sat there, i was wondering in what is the state of my life that im currently in? Comfortable? Struggling? Lackdaisical? I just sat there quietly stoning away,enjoying every precious minute of peace. I think that i am at peace with myself and the Lord, yet i yearn to live quietly like at some farmhouse in australia or new zealand.

I think im just trying to get into a state of mental-paradise. Trying to attain zen-like peace whilst living in today's impossible world. Well at least i have the Lord's peace with me. Thank you Lord, for you said the peace you give is unlike what the world can give.

Bernice's 21st... at Greenwood

Celebrated Bernice's 21st with jeremy at Greenwood yesterday. Its been a year since the 3 of us last met up and it was a good time to catch up with our lives and the food was splendid. I'll post up the pics..

So apparently Jeremy's gonna drop his double degree programme to one major and is still very busy with school(he was late for dinner yesterday).. and bernice is also busy with school assignments! I dont know about the uni student's schedule this days.. i'll get to know soon in july but felt abit out of place as i am currently not a student.

Me and Bernice (Waiting for Jeremy to arrive)

For starters we had the special of the day: sweet clam glazed with soba-egg sauce. It was sweet and the flesh was firm to the bite!

Next up is my perennial favourite at greenwood, the Red Miso Cod(one taken with flash, the other without) It is well-marinated and today's cod had the texture of crabmeat(so says bernice)



Trawler Catch of the day: Red coral trout baked to complement the smooth texture of the fish and turned out well.

Soft-Shell crab fettucine with chilli-crab sauce (splendid!) Pasta was done al-dente. Chilli crab sauce had just the right amount of spiciness..Generous amounts of crabmeat was present.To round it off, we adjourned to Island Creamery for desserts and had ice-cream. I had my reverso and kahlua latte. Usuals.

Three friends meeting up once in a blue moon. Im wondering if not for such occassions i doubt we can meet up. Well then again only on such occassions can we afford to splurge. And im not complaining.

8 Points!

Praise God for seeing me through my Traffic Police Driving Practical Test. REALLY.

Its by God's hand that i passed and could really see that through the whole test was really a divine experience.



The night before i couldnt sleep and had a weird panic attack and woke up at 250am! Prayed for peace and then distracted myself so that i can go back to sleep...Haha..

1. Firstly, when i went for the warm-up, was really nervous and didnt even engage the correct gears when i was doing reversing.. Luckily i calmed down and didnt make any mistakes in the actual test.. Got test route 5 for warm-up.. and then when the balloting came.. I got test route 5 AGAIN! how exact can it get? im sure it was divine and my tester was a nice chap talking to me throughout in the circuit.


2. Cleared Circuit with zero points! Yay! =)
3. Went on road and did u-turn at amoy quee camp and head towards castle green.
   
4. Then opposite castle green's bus stop..there's this road cleaner tank and i was SLOW to notice it(in the opinion of my tester) so i got 6 points for that.


5. And then tester said go back to circuit.. i was like HUH?! i have not even completed the test route .. in fact im the first car that got back.


6. Then went up.. he said: You are quite a good driver, just that ur reaction slow.. should avoid that big vehicle by overtaking it.


7. So he signed that i passed! and just add another 2 points for incorrect braking.


8. Viola! 8 points..!

REALLY want to thank God and all you people who have kept me in prayer.. at least i dont have to pay the SSDC dudes anymore! yay!

Oh..Oh and alfiyan's coming back next monday! shiok man! my timetable will be split with him then i wont have such a heavy load anymore.

NTU X-Physique 2008

The team before the race...

Team Line-up: Myself, Shumin, Gerald Tan and Victor. Despite many changes, thank God that we managed to finish the race in tenth placing(I think). From James we changed to Kevin then to Victor.. Wow.. my first time facing so many last minute changes in the team before a race.

How the 30km race panned out:

1. Stage one: Run from Pasir Ris MRT to Pasir Ris park for kayaking that loops past a few kelongs.
2. Kayaking was bad as we didnt know vic was rather rusty and by pairing with shumin, it was disastrous. Midway i swopped with vic to balance up the formation.
3. After kayaking was topo to Lorong Halus. We bashed through some vegetation and skirted along sungei serangoon to find Halus. Got abit lost and went through a detour before reaching Halus.
4. Shocking thing at halus is that we were there for topo and not biking!
5. Topo was fast at halus.. Shaved off at least 15-20 mins.. Caught up with a few teams.
6. Second Stage: After Halus went to bedok reservoir to do some rope elements
7. Bedok reservoir following park connectors went down all the way to ITE simei for abseiling.
8. After abseil, head down to Tampines Ave 9 for bike trail leg.. Biking was rather easy.. but shumin fell as she wasnt very adept with the 2-wheels..
9. Followed PCN again and ended at pasir ris park.
10. Last stage run from the park and end at the MRT.

The Race certificate

Although we didnt win anything.. im thankful for completion. I mean we had a team that was assmbled and dis-assembled so many times.. and technically we had much to work on.. So to end in our position i feel we have done very well already. 20+ km of runnning.. shiong ah.. taken a toll on me.. Dont know how to conduct my PE this week..

Praise God for keeping us SAFE! Rest well guys!

Buko Nero and Uncle Leong's

Hehe.. Decided to give myself a treat after a tiring first term in school capped off with organising a level camp! Gosh! and boy did i do it in style.. On thursday night I went to Buko Nero with church pals and then Uncle Leong's on friday with Jamin (Rachel was sick)..

The meal at Buko Nero was one month in waiting..( we had to make reservations one month in advance).. And the chef doesnt allow us to take the food nor the kitchen.. Oh well.. so we just took a shot of ourselves..

We had..

1. Chef's complimentry dish..(Some beancurd dish)
2. Porcini Mushroom soup with white truffle Oil (Unbelievably smooth with woody kind of aroma)
3. Famous Tau-Kwa Tower (Nice.. but i guess overpriced at $17.50)
4. In between starters and mains they serve a strawberry and mint sherbert to cleanse our mouths to prepare for the mains..Read: Real fine dining
5. I had the twice-cooked yorkshire porked chop with honey glazed and miso (Portion was huge and worth it)
6. Orange custard tart (Tangy taste and light on the palate)

Conclusion: Worth the wait and the price.. BUT this kinda place is only due a visit annually unless you have the patience and the pockets as deep as the fed reserves..(actually fed reserves losing money coz of sub-prime..haha)

Uncle Leong's Seafood Zi-Char (With Jamin)

The Guinness pork ribs.. gosh it tastes so different from the normal pork ribs at zi-char..Has more charred parts..reminiscent of what they serve at tony-roma's..

The Star of the show! :Chilli crab with lotsa roe and egg in the chilli gravy...

After two satisfying makan sessions.. School's gonna start on monday.. But before that.. i have NTU x-physique RACE tomorrow! Gotta sleep now.. Catch the next post on the race..

March Holidays @ MOE Labrador Campsite!

Back from camp! (albeit a very wet one).. Haha.. I had an outdoor camp for the kids at MOE Labrador campsite! It was a new concept for the kids, bringing them out of school and exposing them to nature and all the outdoor elements.. It was good and the teachers bonded as well...

DAY ONE: Gathering of the kids in School..
The kids' couldnt contain their excitement at the prospect of going out of school.

Teachers at Labrador Campsite...One of My Favs.. Racheal Tan. Super Cute rite?First activity of the day: Outdoor Cooking with mess tins! They cooked Maggi noodles and canned food.Look at an ANGRY aisha !High elements was next! I was bored and so i got Sye and alfiyan to go bouldering with me!Now that's a "drop-knee".. Havent practised in a LONG time..Tried the Over-hang as well..Managed to convince Sye to boulder!Low-element station: The spider webOne of the rockwalls @LabradorOne kid managed to complete! Hike to Labrador park... Saw lots of soldiers.. told the the kids to watch out for Mas too.. Haha.Looks like im at some beach resort eh? Bintan or Batam? nah.. just at labrador park.Zipline/"Flying Fox" station..Caught Amanda smiling at the camera.. Wanted to take Racheal.. who looks relac-jac here...Me and My fav.. so cute.. Well.. while the kids are having fun outside.. the teachers are having theirs indoors! haha.. Card games.. The ah-long dealer..Banker.. He's thinking of post-retirement so fast..Highlight!: Thank God that he stopped the rain so the kids can have a CAMPFIRE!They look happy.. dont they?!Check out the spelling error on the camp t-shirt.. disclaimer: It wasnt done by me.. =pFIRE!And the teachers adjourned for the next activity! The BBQ organised by me! Managed to get the fire started and the food to be BBQ-ed!

Look at the FOOD! haha.. the kids and trainers were all jealous!!

I really want to thank God for this camp in that i persisted against all odds to organise this camp.. Was great to have worked with Samy and the PE comm.. Indeed it wasnt easy but i saw the kids enjoyed and learnt something new.. saw the teachers bonded with the kids and each other through the camp and the BBQ.. Praise God! for He provides with all that we need...

Habbakuk 3:19

The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet and He will make me walk on my high hills.