batam trip 2

Here u go.. more pics from my camera!! hahaha . once again. thanks to jade and candy who planned the batam trip.. wonderful job..=)

Flyaway hair!!

act cool ..oops i mean super cool dudes hahah

Praying session?? or amazed by the sea.. =p

loads of sidedishes. but something we 'love' wat candy call small birds cooked in a 1001 ways.

Our massage session!

Bible study / cell time in batam in the hotel.. =)

the wait for our seafood dinner

the fantastic band that caught all our hearts =)

pics pics =)

yeah...=) need to dig cable for my camera first hehe

meanwhile... here's candy's summary of the trip together with invitation for cny event =)

Hey guys,

it was a fantastic getaway that we have had! Cheap rooms, contorting massages and whitening scrubs (for one particular male who finally unconvered his REAL skin color..hehe) , great live acoustics, and interesting fellowship.. for e.g, now we know Jade's confusing full name, the FULL extent of Kevin's one obsession (other, or more than Grace), and the touching extent that men will go to to woo the fair lady (e.g go to sierra leone to dig for diamonds and the lugging of gigantic pink teddy bears in public as a macho show of affection), amongst others. We have also realised that the quest for good food is elusive and intangible, and in certain instances, it ends in the guise of many small birds cooked in 1001 ways. Please do refer to the cell blog for photo updates, which Benson will relate to us when he has finished uploading them. For those who could not make it, WE MISSED YOU!!

which now makes it almost impossible for you to avoid our ardent Adoration (usually reserved for prayer and God..remember the lesson!) for you this coming chinese new year. It will be held at Benson's place at Jurong West Kampong. We will be entertained by the interesting characters mentioned above who will once again make their appearances, (except maybe Mr Pink Teddy Bear), and the live background music provided by our dear host and perhaps the Lady in Red (read: cell leader) who will finally sing for us. Steamboat soup will be prepared by Drummer Boy and we will assemble at his place on 7th Feb Sat afternoon for Wii Round 2 (read: Cooking game and Golf). Lady in Red may grace us with her stir-fry noodles again. DB Benson will give us more details soon regarding exact address and time to meet.

There will also be a tentaive programme and sharing session on CNY and what it means to Christians. There may also be silly mindless table games before and after food followed by humiliating penalties involving strangers.

Please do keep that day free and bring your partners and friends and pets.

Adios.
Pebbles.


The world has room to make a bear feel free;
The universe seems cramped to you and me.
Man acts more like the poor bear in the cage
That all day fights a nervous inward rage

Batam 2009

And we are back from 2D1N Batam adventure. We saw no Ginko Lizards, Esteemed Owls or Beetles. But we did had some great fun. Here are some pictures to share :)

Our adventure begins with a bumpy ferry ride.
It was a salty affair for those out on the open deck.



Candida - cool eh?

Guess who?

Authentic Local Food
It's too authentic that we can't appreciate :(



Our official drink - Avaocado Drink (with choco syrup)



Seafood night - Kevin controlling his hunger



Ladies loves to self-portrait



Lazy afternoon in Arcade after meal



Smilez :)

More photos coming your way... (eh Alice, ur turn to post now)

2008 Musing

2008 has been a memorable and good year to some. Let them thank God. To others, it has been annus horribilis that will be memorable for the wrong reason. It is time to learn what it means to have faith in God, esp when things go very opposite of what we expect.

It is the year many lost a fortune when they should be getting higher yield for their hard-earned savings. The last quarter saw the economy falling off the cliff dramatically after tottering on its edge since 06. Many got laid-off in a recession that promised to get worse. The year ended dismally. Personally, 2008 is a year I would like to forget, if not for the determination to make sense of the events that happened – and to find purpose, if there is any.

It was Dec of 07 that an offer to join a new start-up company was made by an ex-colleague - my ex-boss actually. The new company has a number of ex-colleagues, including a boss that has reputation for being tough, although I have not experienced her wrath before. I did not assess the pros and cons of join this new company because just few weeks earlier, there had been frustration with some issues. I remembered crying to God to get me out of that company. So when the offer came, I genuinely believe that God is answering my prayer. But it was an appointment that was not meant to be.

The first month in the new company was OK. But by second month, things went south. Not sure exactly what went wrong … most of the earlier jobs I had have been good experiences. The only thing I can pin on is that I worked independently – given a task, I carry it and run, which served me well in the past. This boss is a self confessed control freak. She wants things done her way and her way is not always made known. So frustration came when she said A but asked about B later. Those who can tolerate and find ways to play along - good for them. For me and others before me, it is to pack up and move on. It is no fun thing being miserable every working day.

Applications for jobs started from May (during the one month notice period). There were some responses (2 actually) that were not successful but from July to August, there was none. Zero. It was very trying. Sept and Oct were better, which is a surprise considering this is when the economy downturn started. 5 companies called for interview with 3 of them having second round and 2 with discussion with HR. Unfortunately all came to nought. By Nov it was really depressing. It led to acts of desperation – bugging former colleagues and relatives, which I have not done before.

At the height of desperation, on the second week of Nov, an advertisement appeared in Sunday for a Site Project engineer for the Marina Bay project. I applied but found out on Mon that the application via email bounced because the other person’s email is full. So on Mon morning (about 9 am) I resend. By 10.30, the other person called and arranged to meet at KFC in Jurong during lunch as he will be there. At 12 plus, I got the job.

Then the first week on the new job, another company that I applied (Sat – before the Sun advert) called for an interview. Somehow I managed to attend the interview as the week was a slow week when the boss dismissed all of us at 3.30 pm. My interview appointment is 4 pm. A second interview was given end Nov (I almost can’t make it but will tell in another time) and I got the job. I understand there were 10 people shortlisted for interview (normal co will do about 4) and 4 for final interview (usually 2). The pay is much better than my previous job but still less than last year’s. But the best bit is not having to work on Saturday. Today I started work and I am thankful that the company is a good company to work – they are very driven but their culture is openness, frowns on nasty work attitude and encourages working together – and the boss is a very good lady boss.

What do I make of the trial I have to go thru? For more than 5 months, there was no answer to the multitude of prayers - even when many people prayed, including a number of pastoral staff. Then 2 job offers within 1 month! It was a really trying period as there is practically nothing to do but to stay at home the whole day (except the relief teaching stint). Although it might be a luxury to have lots of time at hand, it is hard to ‘enjoy’ the time at this depressing time. A lot of times were spent in prayer in closet, prayer walk and reading bible. It is agony to agonise in prayer.

There were actually many times I questioned if God is there or has He abandoned me when prayer after prayer ended with nothing. To be sure, there are signs and Bible verses that encourage in the process but ended with nothing. Did God pick the wrong person? Is God really faithful? Of course many times the thought did come whether is God punishing me for some sins. There are but was not able to identify which is the one that trigger this retribution.

I am still not sure why I have to go thru that trial. Is God planning something better? Or is it a wake up call for me? Is it just my share of hardship after years of blessings? I don’t know. And as if to put my problem in perspective, we had news that Pastor David Yeo succumbed to the viral infection despite the whole church prayed earnestly.

The experience has given me the following perspectives:

* Learn to pray earnestly - which is not easy
* Shit does happen and God may seems to be very silent but He is there
* We need to trust God, even when things look bleak, which is often easier said than done
* God is there – all the time – and He is working His plan for us, even when we don’t think so
* We need to continue to pray despite His silence
* School teaching is not for me – this settles a lingering thought
* I played a part in the Marina Bay project – yay!

I am still looking for God to work out His plan for me. There are opportunities in this company for growth and there is a new quality system that I can master and make use of later. Maybe God wants me to get out of semicon and to finish my career lifecycle with a good company. I do not know but as I learn that God has been at work so far, He must be working for my future.

Mike