想念台北

我很想念台北，想念在台北的日子。雖然在台北只是短短的數星期，但跟它卻好像發生了一段深厚的感情．在台北的日子雖然是過著很樸素的生活，但郤是每天也倚靠著神的能力，憑著信心去面對每天的挑戰。真的期待我可以回到台北。我下一次回去的時候會把台北當成我的家嗎?

Life is like a box of chocolate...

'My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."' - Forrest Gump


I somehow feel that life as a Christian is a bit like a box of chocolate as well. You never know what you are going to get and what will happen to you next. Life can be very interesting as I wait for the chapters my life to unfold. God listens to our prayers, and answer those prayers in His own timing and in His own special way. Sometimes, the least expected happen in life... there are times when God gives me wonderful surprises, and there are times when what he gave me or planned for me was not be what we have expected. No matter how the chapters of life unfold, I guess the beauty of it is in knowing that God is in control of all things and what He has planned is best for me.


Father Lord, thank you for being so wonderful to me. Thank you for answering my prayers and working miraculously according to your own timing. Please help me in trusting in you day by day and be reminded of your promises and have faith in trusting that your grace is sufficient for me.


Thank you Lord.

10 seconds for Taiwan - Feb 2008

Please take the next 10 seconds to pray this prayer for the working class people of Taiwan.

Current research by a professor at Taiwan's Tong Hai University found that 60% of Taiwanese non-Christians would not consider conversion to Christianity because the church forbids ancestor worship.

Father, we pray that the Taiwanese working class people will be redeemed and released from the spiritual practices handed down to them by their forefathers and would know the precious salvation offered by Christ Jesus. (I Peter 1:18)

Please ask your church, bible study, small group, cell group, family and children to pray this with us and you will be joining thousands of people around the world in asking our Father to bring His good news to the working class people of Taiwan.

Please relay this to those who can join us in prayer. For more information please visit http://www.taiwanteam.org or e-mail prayer@taiwanteam.org

Mark exegesis class...

The class I had this morning was really enjoyable. I have never studied the book of Mark in such detail before. The Word of God is really amazing when you study it word by word.... there are so many things about Him that are revealed through his Word! I guess one of the great things about being a college is that I get to study the Bible in such details. I find that my discussions with fellow students and lecturers are very stimulating and gives me insights into the book. I hope that my excitement about learning and my eagerness to better understand the Word will not cease.....

Blogging and keeping in touch with the rest of the world!

I have finally work out how I can post my blog as note on Facebook, so from now whatever I have written here should appear as note on my FB profile.

It has only been a week since college started, but I already feel as if I am losing touch with friends due to the busyness in life. It is only the start of the semester! I am assuming that as life get even busier, I won't have too much time to reply emails and chat with friends on MSN. I am hoping that by blogging, my friends will be able to keep up to date with my whereabouts and how I am going. Hopefully, I can manage to blog at least once a week and write something that you will find interesting. =)

This is it!

After weeks of study and waiting. The day has finally arrived for me to sit for my Church History exam. Tonight, I will sit for my last exam for the year. After this, I will have 2.5 mths off from college, where I will prepare myself for my full time study there! I guess finishing exam tonight marks a new chapter in my life. For the next few years, I will be a full time student and if God's is willing, I will be heading out to the mission field in a few years time. I surely have a very exciting and challenging journey ahead of me, but I trust whole heartedly that God is with me through this interesting journey.

I really don't feel 100% confident with my preparation for the exam, but I do pray that God will grant me the wisdom, strength, ease of mind, energy and concentration in preforming how I should be in the exam tonight. I know that it is not by my own ability at all that I might pass this exam, it is all by His grace and guidance.

Lord, I commit myself and my exam in your hand, please guide and help me through it. Amen.

College...

I have been spending a fair amount of time at the college library this week, trying to study and prepare for my exam. I figured that if I stay at home, I will end up napping all the time, so it is better for me to study in the library. I have to say, I am starting to bond with college, and I really like the environment here. It is so quiet in the library. People at college are really nice and it is nice to see so many of us trying hard to study God's word and working towards being a full time servant of the Lord. =o)
I do hope that I will continue to love this college and the people I get to meet here.

Updates

Many things have happened since I last posted something here. Here are a summary of the many things that happened:

1. I have finally got my act together into completing and submitting my application for full time college next year. My interview is scheduled on 9/11 @ 2:30pm. It is hard to believe that my full time college life is happening soon!
2. I have resigned from work. It is a rather stressful and sad moment, as I have been with the company for over 5 yrs now. What will life with SP be like? I am surely gonna miss my friends at work. Hope and pray that I will know how to maintain a friendship with them when I am at college
3. Chow is no longer in SYD. She flew out Singapore yesterday for OC and will be in TW for mission for a year. I am surely gonna miss her.
4. Kelly found her love - My very good friend @ work, Kelly, has found her new love. I am sooooooooooooo happy for her, and hope that things will work out well for her and Andrew. =)
5. NZ Trip confirmed - we have booked everything for our family trip in Jan. It has been a while since our last family trip. I guess it will be a good chance for me to spend some time with family before I head off to college. I don't know how much time and money I will have to go on a trip with them in the next 3 yrs. =P

All in all, the last little while has been fun and challenging....... there were some down moments, but I am very thankful that God has guided me through the different steps I have to make. I am sure there are gonna be more exciting challenges ahead of me. ^^

My lucky day.

I got 2 tickets from work to watch Miss Saigon tonight. One of our agency, Priceton, invited ppl from work to a cocktail function and the show, but 2 of my colleagues who were invited couldn't go. I was lucky to be the first one to put my hand up to say I am interested in going, so I ended up getting the 2 free tickets. Initially, I was thinking of taking Vida with me, but she couldn't make it, so I ended up taking Kelly instead.

I have actually seen Miss Saigon before. That was many years ago, with the original production. The new production is very different to the one I saw. I enjoyed both of them.

Haha, I am such a musicale goer. I think I have lost count of how many musicals I have seen! I am going to watch Fiddler on the Roof tomorrow, and am wanting to see Billy Elliot later in the year as well. Gonna be interesting. ^^

I did it!!!

After conquering for 2 nights, I finally managed to set up my new wireless router. I did it all on my own this time, so I am proud of myself! ^^ In the past, I have always relied on Gwai to solve my IT problems. These days, he doesn't really have that much time to help me out, since he is so busy at home with Ange, ministries at church, work, with his driving lessons, etc etc. I guess I just can't rely on others all the time, so I wanted to try work it out myself.

I had problems last night when I was trying to installed the new router. For some strange reason, the installation wizard that came with the router didn't work for me. I couldn't figure out what went wrong. I wanted to call technical support for some help, but it wasn't available last night. I gave up and thought I'd better try installing it again when I can call in for some technical support.

I guess I was desperate in resolving my internet connection problems, so I tried setting the router up again tonight. I knew that the problem I had was with the installation wizard, so I was trying to look for ways to get around it and set up the router using the http:// address instead. I eventually found it and managed to set up the router. The net connection was all fine using LAN connection, but when I unplugged the LAN line, the connection dropped out. I started googling for possible solutions to the problem, and eventually found something that is helpful. I followed the suggestions steps and eventually managed to set up the wireless as well. ^^ Now, there is full coverage all through the apartment. I can get onto the net from the living room as well! :)

I am so happy that I have learnt something new. I am sure this new skills will come in handy in the future, especially if I end up heading out to the field.

7Oct07 - Sunday

I woke up an hour late today!!!!!! My alarm didn't ring at all. I was supposed to be at church for Sunday school at 9am this morning, and it was already 8:50am when I got up! I got to church at around 9:45am. Lucky that Elaina and Sophia were there to help out as well, so they were running the class when I got there. I felt sooooooooooooooooooooo terrible about being late!!!!!!!!!!

I guess I am getting more and more involved with the kids ministry at church these days. The kids at church are all lovely, but they can be quite out of control at times as well. I am still praying and learning how to love them and be a good role model and leader. I felt a bit discouraged at times, and felt that I am not well equipped or experienced for the ministry as yet... I guess I am still in the very early days of my involvement in the ministry. Hopefully, I will get more experience and skills in doing better in the future.

I got myself a new wireless router today as I am fed up with the problems I am having with my current one. The wireless signal on my current one is really weak, and there is actually no reception at all in the lounge area of the apartment! I am hoping that getting a new router will resolved all the problems I was having with my wireless connection. I was very ambitious in wanting to set up the router myself. In the past, I have always ask someone to do it for me. I thought it is about time for me to learn some new skills. I tried following the instruction and attempted to install it myself,but failed! For some strange reason, the installation program couldn't detect the modem. I have no idea why that is! I will have to wait until Tuesday and try set it up while Technical Support is available. Friends have offered to help me out with setting it up, but for various reasons, I want to try sort it out myself first.

Had yum cha with members of the extended family today after church. It was great seeing them. Haven't seen most of them for AGES! We used to meet up more often, but I guess the busyness in life these days have made us less motivated in meeting up and catching up. Walked around town with mom, Bill, Vida, and Auntie Grace after lunch. It was quite enjoyable and relaxing.

A fruitful and enjoyable day.

I had an early start to the day today, as I have to put my car into service at Richard's. I got to his garage at around 9:30am. Uncle Charles dropped me to Parramatta so that I can walk around while my car is being serviced. As I needed to do some last minute preparation for BS in the afternoon, I decided that I should find a cafe to settle down and do some prep. I decided to go to Gloria Jeans at Borders in Parra Westfield. When I got there, there weren't that many people at the cafe. I think there were only me and another lady. I guess it was just too early in the morning. I found myself a nice spot in the gallery level, and started reading the scripture passage again. It was great having the opportunity to spend time reading the Words in such a relaxing atmosphere. All in all, I spent around 2.5 hrs reading and preparing for my BS in the afternoon. It was GREAT! I guess the beauty of leading BS is the fact that I gain the most out of the group as I have to do more preparation and read more for better understanding of the passage. I must say, I enjoy the process of preparing for BS, but I am not sure if I am good or gifted at leading though.

After finishing my preparation, my car was done, and Uncle Charles came back to pick me up. I drove into town straight away to go to Leaders Cell at 1pm.

Today's leader cell was a come back for me after a few weeks break. I haven't been able to attend the last few times as I have different commitments. It was good being with the group again, and I enjoyed my time with them.

We had a 30mins break before fellowship started at 4pm. Anna couldn't make Fellowship as she is still not well. I was really surprised to see Echo there today. Jane wasn't there. I am not too sure if she is busy with study or whether she isn't feeling well either. Lisa, Rachel, and Cynthia were there as usual; so there were only 3 of us in my group. Frank decided to join us for BS since we have such a small group. To be honest, I felt a bit of pressure having him in our group. I was worried that I might not lead well, or I might say something wrong. Afterall, he is our advisor, so it was like having my big boss sitting through my presentation! I don't know whether the others enjoyed BS, or the way I led, but I enjoyed it myself. I still don't think I am gifted in leading BS, but I think I am learning something new each time.

I had to rush off really quickly after BS finished, ços we have the family gospel dinner on at CCC at 6pm. Vida has stressed over and over the importance for me to be there on time to take family portrait. I am really glad that Dad was there at the gospel dinner as well. It is really hard getting him to tag along to gospel events as he is not really keen on hearing the gospel, and is a bit annoyed when people try hard in evangelising to him. I think he agreed to go because Auntie Grace (my sister's in-law) is in town and my sister wanted us to go as a family. The theme for the gospel dinner was "Family full of Blessing's" (全家福). Bill, Vida, and bros and sis' at CCC have put in a lot of effort in organising the event. I was really touched by the various presentations, and the slide show and DVD which they showed. I had tears in my eyes as I was sitting there at the table, watching the DVD, and praying for dad in my heart. How I wish my whole family is in Christ, and is blessed with God's wonderful blessings. I really wish that Dad will come to know God before I head out to the field in the future. I guess I have to have patience and discipline in praying for him constantly. I trust that nothing is impossible in God and He is in control of all things. He will do things according to His will and timing. I am also reminded that I have to bear good witness at home as well.

While at the dinner, I saw Jeremy. It was GREAT seeing him again! Seeing him certainly reminded me of the good time we had in TW working on the mission team together. We managed to catch up briefly throughout the night. Mabel and Jerz are thinking of doing P/T at SMBC next year. If that really happens, we will probably become course mates from next year onwards. ^^

Apart from seeing Jeremy, it was great seeing old friends at CCC again. A lot of them has actually grown up with me. We were in the same Sunday school/ Bible Study group/ fellowship for many many years! I guess I will ALWAYS have a tie to CCC regardless of where I am or will be in the future. Afterall, it is where I was baptised!

I offered to drive Mish home after the event as I wanted to catch up with her while dropping her home. Mish just came back from Montreal. She has certainly had a GREAT time there. Mish is a lovely girl, and she is close to our family. I guess she is like my younger sister as she is really really close to Bill and Vida.

All in all, it was a REALLY enjoyable day, despite being a busy day. I wish all my weekends are as enjoyable as today!

Korean BBQ

Feeling a bit tired and not in the mood for blogging, so this is going to be a brief one.

Went out to dinner with Kel, Van, and June tonight. Had a great time. We had a lot of laughter. I haven't seen Van since we move to Nth Ryde, so it was good to see her again.

We had Korean BBQ for dinner. The food was really yummy, but I walk out of the restaurant smelling like a piece of BBQ meat myself! I guess it is the down side of going to a BBQ restaurant. As soon as I got home, I changed out of my smelly clothes and had a shower. However, for some strange reason, I can still smell the BBQ smell!

Oh btw, I loved Korean food, especially all the side dishes, Chap Jae and Bugolgi! So yummy!

Time to shape up!

I went shopping in the city after meeting up with Alan to give him his tickets tonite. I wanted to get some summer dresses. Tried on a few things, but didn't end up buying them as I wasn't happy with how I look in them! I look soooooooooooo fat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really need to do some serious workout to shape up. Summer is nearly here!!!!! What am I gonna do???????

Frustrated!

Been having problems with my wireless connection at home since yesterday. I have tried different things to make it become more stable, but failed!!!!!! I guess it is time for me to get a new router! Not being able to get onto the net from my room is soooooooooooooooooooo frustrating. It means that I have to go to the study room and connect to the net via LAN!!!!!!! =(

Day out @ Coogee.

Had an enjoyable day out with Pete, Chow, and Mish today. We had brunch at Coogee. Phil drove all the way from his place to Coogee to join us for brunch. It was very nice of him. We had a GREAT time. After brunch, Pete, Chow, Mish, and I did the Coogee to Bronte walk. The weather was perfect for it. I really really enjoyed the walk. There were a lot of people at the beaches, ços it was a really warm day! After the walk, we spent some time at the beach, but I didn't get into the water as I didn't have my gear with me. :(

Had dinner @ Vida's. She made Tom Yum noodles with prawns. Was really yummy! ^^

Labour Day long weekend - Day 2

We had family service at church today. It is so touching to see family, parents and kids, worshipping together in the service. The puppet talk was GREAT. I truly enjoyed it, and I hope that the families did as well! We still have a long way to go in terms of developing a good family/ children ministry at church, but I really pray and hope that things will get better and better in the future. Hopefully, I will be able to contribute more in this regards in the next few years while I am at college.

Attended the church prayer meeting in the afternoon. I think I am starting to enjoy prayer time more and more these days. I love praying together in the TW prayer group, and I have also enjoyed praying with brothers and sisters for different groups at church this afternoon as well. I pray and hope that I will experience God more and more through having a more devoted and organised prayer life. It is such a blessing and privilege to be able to to pray to God directly, whenever and wherever we want!

I went for coffee with some friends at Darling Harbour after prayer meeting. The weather was perfect for the walk around Darling Harbour. It was great to be able to catch up with Vity, Connie, and Daniel. I don't really get to see them often these days 'cos we are attending different services and fellowships. It is always good to be able to catch up with friends, but finding time to do it can be quite difficult at times. I am trying my best to fully utilise my term break in meeting with friends and catch up.

It was truly a relaxing day for me. I wish all my weekends are as relaxing! +)

Labour Day long weekend - Day 1

My day started with some disappointment today. Got a message from JS this morning saying that he won't be able to make it to the outing on Monday. I was sooooooo looking forward to it. He is the 3rd person who pulled out from the outing. I know it is something beyond his control, but I still feel a little bit disappointed. But I guess attending conference will do him more good than going to the coastal walk with us. Luckily, Chow, Pete, and Phil can still make it, so hopefully it will still be an enjoyable day out!

The day in Canberra with family was really enjoyable. The weather was good, and I think mom and dad enjoyed the time together. They haven't been to the Floriade for a long time, and was happy to be there again. I enjoyed the drive. I guess I am learning to enjoy spending time with family. It is hard to as it needs patience and also need to find time for it, but I guess it is something that I will have to do more.

My Grey's Anatomy Season 3 DVDs have finally arrived from the States!!!!!!! I don't think I have time to watch it till after my exam though, ços I know that once I start watching, I won't stop till I finish all episodes! It is better off not starting then!

Dinner and tea with Elaine

Dinner and tea with Elaine tonight was truly enjoyable! It has been a while since the 2 of us hung out together. Elaine has been sooooooooooo busy with her course. I guess among all my friends, she is one of the the most determined!!!!!!!!!! I wish I am as hard working as her! It is GREAT to have friends like Elaine, who is also studying full time. I guess we have a lot in common and we are able to share and encourage each other along our journeys. I am really thankful for having such wonderful sister in Christ in life. I do hope that we will learn to maintain a good friendship and be able to support each other in the years to come. ^^

Evangelism

I read this while I was doing my devotion last night:

'Evangelism is like a beggar telling another beggar where to find food.'

It is a very interesting statement.... it has certainly got me thinking. Am I that willing and eager to share the gospel with others? From my devotion last night, I learnt that we are obliged as citzens of his kingdom to share the gospel with others. Am I taking this obligation seriously?