A trip down to Crown hotel & casino

Front entrance of International House-can you see my room? it's on the 3rd floor
Garden of IH
Parkville's sidewalk-IH is on my left
Flinder St train station
Hourly fire display at Crown
Check your alcohol level? Just give it a blow

A very nice casino which is not smoky, unlike Genting's... The casino is so big & of multiple levels. It is a different sight all together as here, you see youngsters like my age gambling... Will be going night market at Queen Victoria tomorrow.

Impromptu St Kilda

3 of us standing at the pier talking in the 15deg strong wind weather in our shorts & slippers..
Bourke St, Melbourne city
Do I look like I put on weight? My face seems more chubby.
Along Bourke St walking twds Swanston.
Chung Yu, Darren & I at St Kilda
St Kilda beach pathway & restaurant
Strong wind & waves

After a long day of enrolling session in Uni Melb, we traveled back to our beautiful & cozy but expensive IH. As we walked in the scorching weather of 36deg:-

Me:- Hey cp, lets go out tonight after dinner. Since the tram is AUD3.20 for all journeys after 6pm.
CP:- Why not? Ok. Set then!

As we continue walking, suddenly I have this brilliant idea popping in my mind.

Me:- Why not we go St Kilda (it’s a beach side town to those Adelaiders who were wondering if Melbourne has a beach). We can see sunset from there. Plus, our tram can get us til there.
CP:- Oh yah. Let’s go there then.

After dinner, CP, Darren, Chung Yu & I set off to the beautiful beach south of Melbourne. As soon as we reached there, Cp ran to the beach like a horse craving for the finish line during a horse race & 3 of us running behind him with a funny gait coz the wind is blowing furiously & the temp felt like 15deg or below. We saw some of the locals swimming in the sea, while we try to reduce as much surface area of our body as possible in order to minimize heat loss. Missed the sunset as the clouds were blocking it, but we had an amazing time standing against the cold southern wind at the pier.

A glimpse of Melbourne journey!

Flinders Street Train Station
National Library... Fallen?
Guess what is that?

Today, we went around the city, shopping for calling cards & mobile number.

Found out that my calling card was a total cut throat after being convinced by the price that I will pay 1/2cent each min when I call back home. Worse, it was a girl aged 12 who sold us all the calling cards. Never mind about this.

Bought my prepaid number from Optus, & we took the 2nd package where we will get 300 free talk time mins with other Optus prepaid number, but once our phone got activated, the number shown was only 100.

Had both lunch & dinner in Chinatown, lunch some HK restaurant & dinner in this Vietnamese restaurant. Portions were large & price was average. Bout AUD7-8.

Tram is like the main mode of transportation. But honestly, it’s freaking expensive. Since we aren’t locals, we are not entitled to the concession fees which cost half of what we paid. Pre-trip for 2 hours cost us AUD3.20. We bought a Sunday saver ticket which cost us AUD2.50 for tomorrow. Last us the entire day. But all in all, it is freaking expensive.

Temperature is freaking cold today. Not freaking but a much colder than yesterday. At least about 17deg. We being the “smart” IMUers, think that we could handle this so called aircond temperature, but when the wind starts blowing, it felt like refrigerator. Tomorrow, the weather is turning the other end, with forecast temp of 38deg. Pray for a miracle k. Prefer cold than hot.

Visiting this market called Queen Victoria Market. It’s the largest in the southern hemisphere. Will be going over to planet shakers tomorrow. Take care ppl.

My mobile no is 0431 207 838
My room number is +613 9345 7376

Homesick!!!

A different lifestyle. With 7 ½ hours flights, 3 hours different in time zone, here I am in Melbourne, the place that I greatly desire to come, or at least, I ought to.

Sitting in this new & cozy room, felt my life here is totally change. No longer I can sit in front of my sofa, talking to my family & watching my fav reality shows, chatting & talking bout it all the way. Complete silence replaced the noise of my family. The sound of vehicles passing by is so clear that I could start counting the number of vehicles. Here in Melbourne, night starts only after 9pm (maybe due to summer).

Had a tiring day after landing, moving my luggage bags that weigh around 60kg in total, walking like a lost tourist under the hot sun of 31deg, digesting the new view that I will soon live with for another 3 years.

Despite how busy I had been today, I can’t stop but thinking what is going on back in KL. & if I am now in KL, I’ll definitely do this & that. I won’t walk around pathetically searching for places that I have no idea where, but back home, I will be seating comfortably in my jazz & know every route in town by the tip of my fingers. Crave for the time & moments spent with my family, and the joy and satisfaction just to see them talking even though sometimes, it may not be pleasing to my ears.

Never felt so empty in my whole life. Not because God isn’t with me, but I felt that things that help shape my life have I now parted & left behind. Don’t know what I will do tomorrow, maybe visiting the city, & praying for a church, but certainly, I will be reminiscing again everything back home. Chris said that I’ll be so homesick by the time I get to Melbourne. Initially in my mind, I was thinking, “won’t be that bad right. I’ll be able to get over it” but I guess, for once, Chris is right bout me.

Wrong reading!!!!

Oh no, I saw the scale wrongly... My luggage bag is stil so heavy.. about 35kg!!! Super stress.. Took out some other stuff and now it is about 33kg!!! Praying hard that the guy/girl at the counter is lenient enough to let me thru!!! Keep me in prayers to those who are reading this k..

All packed finally!

FINALLY! All packed! After days of mind boggling & stress, I finally managed to squeeze everything I need to less than 30kg. Which obviously is not sufficient but I just have to live with it, well, at least for now…

Yesterday, as I attempted to do my final packing-trying to cramp as many shirts as possible into my luggage bag, with every corner left after the shirts & trousers, I slot in my rolled t-shirts, with every thought of trying to maximize the space so that I can bring as many stuff as I could. After completing it, I tried weighing it for the first time…

Scale showed 40.6KG! Sweat started dripping from my forehead… With a disappointed mood I slowly & tearfully remove my excess jeans, trousers, shirts, t-shirts… Next round of weighing:- 38.5kg!!!!

I was like what?? Still need to take out more? & I repeated the same act again.. 3rd round of weighing:- 34.3kg!!!! Oh no! More stuff to take out… & I slowly took out my toiletries… 4th round:- 30.2kg!!! Ahhhhh! At last… Time was 2.10am; spent 2 hours plus stressing out with my main luggage bag.

Next my cabin bag, which I am using a haversack. Weigh about 20+kg because of my books. I hope the people in the airport will allow me in without checking the size & weight. & finally, my laptop bag, which I cramped in every documents, folders, small books I need to read…. Hope I’ll be able to drag it all to Melbourne without any hurdles. Need God’s favor now!

1 day left…

Will miss ECF!!!!

Deviation???

It is 10.23am as I start this post from Singapore's glamorous InnCrowd.

Mission in Singapore:- Have fun, sight-seeing, visit friends, shopping

Report on the last day:- MISSION FAILED!!!!! spent most of our time looking around for FOOD, yes food, in Singapore, where food is like the last thing in each and every malaysian's mind... But not us this time.

Most of the cash output went to F&B, places like Seoul Garden, Marche, er... Chuen's fav gelato ice-cream in ngee ann city, fish & co.... see, we sounded crazy but so far, all of us are satisfied with the food we've eaten so far. Ikea meatballs for lunch later before we head back to KL.. more updates to come.

A different chapter! Chapter of rejoicing + sorrow

15th Jan 2007 marks a new chapter in my life.

Really praise God with all my heart by the tremendous blessings that He had poured unto me. I passed my Finals with flying colours! Indeed He who made the promise is faithful. Paul said indescribable thanks to God. That is what I am experiencing now. I finally and officially can say I am going to Melbourne. The investment that my dad made of me is starting to show profit. :-)

On the other hand, this chapter of life is never the same as previous years. This date was also a bitter moment for me as I sent 2 of my precious brother & sister off to Adelaide.

Many people leave footprints in your life. However, after a test of time, footprints may soon fade, or can be then covered with dusts around, soil, fallen leaves or even by new footprints. But both of them left more than just footprints. They left experiences, joy, memories like a craving on a stone. So refine & permanent! Cravings & marks that will stand above the test of time.

A brother, partner in Christ, friend, faithful servant, super-slow guy, caring & hospitable, KKian (but KL still rocks)… Iron sharpens Iron!!!!!
A sister in Christ, funny & noisy, ever late, my benchmark of lousiness, listener, someone who understands, my SMS mate!!

It grips me tremendously to see them departing away from my life. Not to say we will never see each other again, or keep in touch, but the life sharing that soon take place in my life will never be side by side with them. It is not as if I know both of them for ages.
Chris in IMU, Chuen in Taylors. Less that 5 years but our friendship seems to last since childhood. Tears wouldn’t stop at the sight of seeing you guys crossing the custom. As I was driving home alone yesterday, reminiscing the time we spent together, tears wouldn’t hold. My lacrimal glands were in full activity til exhaustion.

I know God has a greater purpose for this separation. I believe the time in Aussie will be another season of equipping from God for me as I am no longer with my brother & sister now… All battles & struggles I’m on my own with God, which is a good thing… but it is different now that you guys aren’t there. Fewer memories will be built together.

My deepest prayers to both of us, that multitude will be done through you in Adelaide. Let God use you guys abundantly for His purpose there… A battalion of armies have been sent to Adelaide!

You both will always have a special place in my heart. Never will I forget, always I will miss, daily I will reminisce. Keep in touch!

Tears…

……………

Sedentary Sedentary!!!!!

Yesterday was my first attempt to exercise after months of being latent and sedentary. To all who are wondering what did I do for the past months… I was busy trying my very best to revise my entire 2 ½ years of medical sciences knowledge for my finals which happened to be over since last week.

So, knowing that I’ve not been active, I decided to go on a slower speed when I got up to the treadmill… I set my usual time:- 25 mins but my speed was 10km/h instead of my usual 11.2. After about 10 mins, I started feeling incapable of pursuing further, exhausted & running out of fluid. A sense of dizziness came into me & I immediately stopped the treadmill. I quickly find the nearest seat & rested (know I’m not suppose to do so immediately after exercise but at that moment, without a support, I may just collapse & cause a scene)

I bet some of you must be laughing at me, thinking I am some lousy weakling but the fact is, running a long distance is not something foreign to me. I blame IMU for creating such an inactive lifestyle that now I have to find ways to fix it so that when I get to Melbourne, I don’t look so lousy to the point of putting my country into shame. Remember what I’ve said in the previous post, 3 times per week in Melbourne… I’m gonna do it!!!!!

Other than this, I’ve managed to complete about 50% of my must-eat list.

Beef noodles, chee cheong fun near my place, naan & tandoori, ampang yong tau foo, Japanese buffet, some of the hawker food at jln alor, er that’s all for now.

More to come… can’t believe it is 15th tomorrow. Results will be out; Chris & Chuen will be leaving. Sob Sob…

Pre-departure thoughts!

I'm left with 2 weeks... The first week of holidays is so liberating. Slept around 3am, woke up at 9, but yet feel so contented, feel so rested, feel so relaxed, all bcoz revisions and exams are no longer lingering in my mind, at least, not for this 3 weeks...

Been going around buying luggage bag, paying my air ticket, complete my medical check-up, settling my bank accounts, trying my very best to complete my must-eat-list before 31st Jan, meeting up with friends that I know I won't see for at least a year...

But whenever I quiet down, there are so many thoughts running in my mind...

1. I was thinking if all my clothes are able to fit into my luggage bag considering the amount I needed to bring over to Melb. Don't be deceive by the pics below.. It looks alot but honestly, it is just enough for a month... or so..


2. I'll be missing my parents & sister greatly; the noise of arguing among one another (something that we often do out of casualty),my mum constant nagging but yet caring, the loudness of my living room TV, all these in exchange for a quiet night in my room when I get to Melb.. Probably singing "All By Myself" when I miss home.. tears!!!!

3. Worrying about my supper that I need every night. When I get to Melb, with no car & everything is in AUD, I'll be thinking twice whenever I have the desire to eat at night. I can imagine myself thinking about my fav penang asam laksa & seafood which can only be found in Tg Tokong, kuching laksa, dim sum, beef noodles, wantan mee, naan, the list goes on(go back to previous post & check my must-eat list)...

4. Church... Since it is a transition year, I wonder if I ever will find a church as warm & as caring as my spiritual family in ECF... Pastor's analytical sermons, PC's inspiring thoughts, Steven my discipler, Shawn, the LUCT's loudness, my fellow ushers, my LIFE group members.. It has been a great spiritual learning & building together for the past 2 years...

5. My friends...high school, taylors, ECF, IMU... So many footprints left in my life.. Those UKians, esp Jiawen & Nigel, I certainly have no idea as to when we will meet again considering the fact that you guys plan to work in UK.. Well, just have to place my hope on Air asia..

6. Thinking my 2 best friends are soon leaving for Ade.. I still find it hard adjusting that I gotta complete my medical career path without both of you close by my side. I'll definitely cherish the memories that we have built together.

Chris, thanks for being such a great spiritual partner, a brother in Christ and ever unfailing friend.. You're the best!!! Still can't believe you're from KK... hahah, KL is the best le! You just have to live with it.. See, you found your "bestest" friend & your soon-to-be life partner in KL... what more man.. See God is trying to reveal the truth of KL.. Lol... Bro, will miss the talks, sharings, chattings, & teasings that we constantly share.. Oh yah, pls don't go over to Ade & find another lamp post k.. I'll sue you for neglecting your property in Melb... :-)

Auntie Chuen, for being my kaki in lecture, always talking and distracting me from concentrating in lecture.. brain wash me to skip lousy lectures... Really appreciate to have you as a friend since Taylors.. Sleepovers that we have, the time we usually hang out in Chilli's, the trip that we made to Spore.. You'll always be my benchmark of lousiness... For everything, as long as you don't know something I don't too, I won't feel so dumb.. & pls, try not to spend so much when you get to Ade, learn some cooking from Christine k.. & help Steph wash toilet bowl..

7. My car... Still can't imagine that my legs are gonna be my main mode of transportation.. My friend told me once, "My place is not too far from uni, 30 mins walk!" & I was like "What?????" Hopefully everything will be so near to my halls that I don't need to walk like crazy.. Praying that my friend will get a car there.. Not to mention going to church.. Hopefully God will send someone to fetch me there ;)

8. I'll miss KLCC alot alot alot. Walking in the building knowing that you're in the best complex in M'sia (no doubt, pls whoever disagrees, stop arguing back.. check ur facts first)... & my fav washroom in Mandarin Oriental too..

Arrgggghhhh!!!!! 2 more weeks to go..

Results will be out this Mon.. Chris & Chuen leaving on Mon.. Thinking of the Spore trip that we're planning to go on the last week... Trying to find time to meet diff ppl for meals, & spend as much time as possible with my parents...

Oh no, post-sem 5 hols is so short.. kinda sad... Trusting God to work for the best in Melb in 2007... Hopefully I'll pass my exams.. pray for me k!

OSPE Disaster!!!!

Staring at the picture of the spine seriously, with a thoughtful look, thinking “I know this. It’s at my finger tip, common WH, what’s the component of intervetebral disc. One is nucleus pulposus. What’s the tissue around it?”

BEEEEEEPPPPP!!!!!!! The buzzle rang, & OSPE ended. In my heart, "One down, 3 more to go"

That’s it. Once my paper was collected, I asked the person next to me,

Me:-What’s the other thing besides nucleus pulposus?
Friend answered:- Annulus fibrosus

AAARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

It’s there but it’s not there.. Nowadays I tend to forget what’ve read easily. Never mind, just one mark gone for now. Then, Chuen came to me & burst out sobbing about:-

Chuen:- Argh!!! Brachial Plexus!!! I totally screw it! (She went on and on about it until I told her the answers)
Chuen:- Yes!!! I got it correct after all
Me:- See la, complain complain before checking your answers

Then I asked her about the microbial question:-

Me:- I remembered the bacteria starts with “L” but I can’t remember what it is, so I just tembak “Legionella pneumophilla”
Chuen:- It’s Leptospira interrogans. It always affect meninges, liver & kidney

10 marks disappear for a wrong diagnosis. All my answers that follow is -------------

After quarantine, I overheard some of my friends discussing about the paper. So I went over & checked with them.

Friend A:- Neh, the pituitary adenoma, what else to describe? I don’t see any changes besides the pituitary enlargement

After hearing that, I went hysterical and quickly asked my friends to tell me which question they were talking about as I remembered correctly, I never came across any pictures, graphs, models, what-so-ever that resembles pituitary adenoma.. & my friend replied:-

Friend A:- It is the one where the bodyguard had an accident. He had swelling of soft tissue of hands & feet.
Me:- WHAT??? I thought that was because of the accident. It leads to soft tissue swelling. OH NO!!!!

Another 10 marks flew off my palm. Feeling extremely low & depressed & irritated & moody & I can’t describe how I felt anymore; my friends & I decided to head to Sri Petaling for lunch. As we were walking,

Friend B:- Hey, the cancer in the brain is because of melanoma right???

Having heard that, I suddenly remembered the question mentioning about melanoma & I totally answer the question wrongly by saying the lesion in the brain is because of cerebral hemorrhage. NOT AGAIN!!!! 5 marks gone…

Lunch over, drove home, & can’t resist but to screen through my notes to check my answers to salvage any hope left for my OSPE paper. & so far I found I lost additional 15marks. Now, looking at my OSPE condition, I don’t stand a chance for an A anymore. Hopefully I’m able to pass. Only pressing upon God’s miracle now. My only hope to Melbourne…. 2 days to go.

I’ve spent months, day & night, while eating, driving, sleeping, etc preparing for tomorrow.

I’ve spent days running to IDP Subang checking my offer from University of Melbourne.

I’ve paid my first payment for my 1st semester in University of Melbourne.

I’m gonna pay my deposit to secure a place in International House.

I’ve swiped my credit cards dozen times for applications, visa, clothes, etc.

I’ve spent nights dreaming and thinking that I’ll have lots of fun in Melbourne.

My only nightmare for this year is when I couldn’t pass my End of Semester Exams.

The only thing that keeps me at peace is having God by my side. I’m pressing upon what He said in Jer29:11” For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

To say I’m not worry, that’s the biggest deception to you all. I’ll probably be called a hypocrite. I was initially. I was complaining to Chris the other day of my fear of not being able to make it. But now, it is by His grace that I am at peace. Although even til this moment, as I attempt some PYQs, there are many many info that I’ve forgotten. I need to refer my notes all the time.

Like I said, there is no way I can pass this exam without God’s provision & help. It is just too impossible for me to do so. During service, this Ps said “It is when impossibles set in that you will begin to see God’s miracles. For if we face difficulties, we still can try harder, but when we face “the impossible”, we see God’s touch begin to set place” I was like “Amen to that!!!”

As for now, I’m excited to see what God has prepared for me this year. Last year was all about equipping & learning. It is my prayer that God will do greater things in my family & in me as I embark my journey in Melbourne. I believe it will be a greater challenge as I dunno if I could find another church like ECF, and not having like-minded people around, things may happen.

Gen8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though [a] every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.”

It is my desire that 2007 will be a pleasing aroma to God as I faithfully walk in His way. I pray that He will stretch me even more, to do things that now I am unexpected to do. Let this year start right so that at the end of 2007, God will say “Wenhao, you’ve lived this year well. (With a pat on my back)” There won’t be any resolutions from me coz resolutions will never take place, but I am filled with anticipations to see how this year will take place as God strategically place miracles & challenges in my life.

Kinda sad actually that I’ll be leaving my family. Can’t imagine how’s life in Melbourne without the usual noise at home, my sister talking, my mum nagging & my dad’s loud TV. My best friends will be in Adelaide. My spiritual family & my Life group members. My high school & uni mates. KLCC. My Malaysian food will be left behind. I can’t spend money like how I do over here. My only transport is my 2 lower limbs. But I’ll keep God with me wherever I go.

Father, thanks for a blessed 2006, and I hope let 2007 be lived according to your will! Just wanna honour & glorify You in all things!

Christmas in ECF!!!!

Noctural Polyphagia Disoder

One of the midnights, I suddenly had a hunger strike after an excessive long day of trying to feed myself with as much information as I could afford for my exam. & suddenly I just craved for nasi lemak, so I decided to drive all the way down my hill (in case some of you don’t know, I live onto of a hill called INTERNATIONAL HILL-sounds cool eh) to go the famous & expensive nasi lemak stall which is located 10mins away from my house. As I was driving, I smsed chuen to tell her bout this sudden craving (ok, I know I’m not suppose to text-&-drive). This is what she replied:

Chuen:- Haha, funny la you. I realized you like food that promotes CAD(coronary artery disease, which means in simple English-diseases that cause high blood pressure & heart attack) like bacon & nasi lemak….

Yah, if you know my family well, we have a habit of keeping bacons & hams stocked up in our refrigerator. & those are my fav. Supper has been a perpetual act that I’ve adopted since I entered IMU, I think it is because of the intense midnight oil that I burn furiously to keep up with my studies. So for those who think that I am still so freaking thin, yes I am still one, but the transition process is going. Decrease exercise coz my extra time is devoted to my medical books, decrease metabolic rate since I am ageing(ageing not getting old but growing more mature) and constant feeding regardless if I’m hungry. I just like to binge, munch whatever…

But be aware, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT WHEN I GET TO MELBOURNE, I WILL EXERCISE 3X A WEEK. MARK MY WORDS PPL. CHECK ON ME. IF NOT, er, it is your responsibility to make sure that I keep my words. But before that, I have came up with a “MUST EAT” list before I leave for Melbourne:-

1. nasi lemak near my area
2 .my fav penang asam laksa & sea food which can be found in penang and no anywhere else in 3. case some of you intended to say “KL also got wert”
4. bacons & hams as usual which can be bought from isetan
5. dim sum
6. roti canai & milo kosong ais
7. mee rebus & rojak near my area
8. amapng yong tau foo
9. my fav & selected hawker food stalls
10. my beef noodles at jln silang
11. my air mata kuching at petaling street
12. lemon garden in Shangri-la
13. Japanese buffet in Saisaki
14. Chilli’s & Hard Rock
15. Bak Kut Teh without the spare parts
16. Sarawak laksa (if anyone knows how to cook that)
17. Dutch House restaurant at Changkat Bkt Bintang
18. er, can’t think of any now but will update the list as the ideas come into mind

So you guys, if you wanna bring me out for meal, consider the above list. I’ll really appreciate it, but stuff like milo kosong or roti canai or mamak or hawker food, I think I can pay myself. why not consider funding on the more pricy ones? Your cooperation is much appreciated ;-)

p/s:-polyphagia means excessive eating.

Light of the world

Many come to church for the presence of the God
But a few come to church with the presence of the God

The presence of God doesn’t rest upon the service or worship; rather it rests on the shoulders of men & women of God. Consider this, Jesus is not gonna reveal Himself to every single one of us and tell us to believe in Him, or trust in Him. It is through Christ in us, which reflects the presence of God to the people around us. Our friends is gonna see the Christ living in us! We are the bearers and the witnesses of God's presence & hope for world.

Many Christians, as the move to a new location, their concerns are always to look for a good and suitable church for them. But the most who are seeking define “a church that is suitable for them” by the power of the sermons, or how great is the worship session is. Sometimes it is defined by the magnitude of the church; others define it through the spiritual family of the church. However, all churches are actually the same. The pastors preached from the same book (in case you don’t know, it is the bible) & the people still serve the same God. But it is the spiritual family & the capacity to grow spiritually that make someone remain in one church from another. Some fail to realize such importance, thinking that, being in church weekly is sufficient to safeguard their relationship with God & has fulfilled the true meaning of being in the church.

When the church assembled together, something great will happen for God. The presence of God will be magnified as we are soaked in the spirit of God together. As the church fellowships, we are able to edify, equip and build each other, keeping each other from straying away from the path God intended you to be.

Do you know that....

Studies have shown that:-

95% - of Christians have never led anyone to Jesus
49% - of born again Christians brought a friend to church
30% - of born again Christians feel that they have a personal responsibility to share the gospel
20% - of born again Christians shared their faith to a non-Christian friend

As for those who don’t know Christ,

5% are hostile
20% are somewhat resistant
36% are neutral & open for discussion
28% are searching, will read & listen to what you passed to them
11% are the most receptive


Sometimes, I felt that I fall into the 30% category, knowing the responsibility God has entrusted it unto me, but yet, I struggle to just make the steps… “I can’t talk to this person” “A lot to do for EOS (end of semester) exams” “I’ll talk to him later” … all these are some of the excuses that took hold of me. I totally neglect the true reason of sharing with my friends bout Jesus. It’s not so much about responsibility, it is not so much of merely obeying… because if I just keep those reasons in mind, everything will be burdensome someday, I will soon grow tired and later lose faith in what I do.

But the reason why I wanna do this because of the love I have for the people around me. It is because of the desire to see them coming to know the Jesus, sharing the same faith, faithfully serving the unfailing God & anticipate together great things happening thru Him, & finally, celebrating together at the table of the Lord! This is what I felt is real reason of what we do each day… not purely because we are asked to, or because we are commanded to, but because we willing to. It is our heart that counts at the end of the day. God is not looking at our results, but He is looking at our hearts. Are our hearts right with God??? We love people because God loves us & all the people that He created. Consider it a joy to serve Him & to share HIStory with people around us...

How bout you? Where do you fit in those figures? Let’s bridge the 36+28+11=75% people for Jesus!!! Let this Christmas not be a passing by moment for the love ones around us, rather let this season be a fresh encounter between them & God! Let's press upon Him to see great things happening around our midst this Christmas!!!

Blessed 21st Chris!!!

The next chapter!

Praise God!!!

I finally got my matching results today! Got my first choice!!! I'll be heading to my dream uni-University of Melbourne early next year. I have this desire to persue my degree (whatever it is) in this uni since I was back in high school. But it never happened after A Levels cause I decided to take up medicine as my career path, and to go melbourne uni straight is a total killer for my family.

Even during the matching season, when I found out that the fees suddenly shot up to AUD53K, I was reluctant to rank it as my first choice. But felt that God says, "If I place you in that uni, I will provide the necessary financial amount needed to sustain me". Plus, my parents have been supporting me and asking me to put this uni as my top priority. Really grateful and thank God for such an amazing and loving parents that He has blessed me with.Today as the results is out, I can do nothing but rejoice and thank Him for bringing my dream come true... It doesn't end there. God has placed Chun Peng and Darren in melb too... Am happy to be there with ppl I am close with. God's amazing touch!

Ps117:2 For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.

Thank you God for your unfailing love. Despite the times where I missed your standards, the times where I did not do what you commanded me to do, or even times when I disappointed you, yet you have proven to be faithful... For that is your nature!

2Tim2:13if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

I am excited to see what will happen when my journey in melb starts.. anticipating what great things God will bring through me in melb... Furthermore, chris christine steph and chuen will be in adelaide... few hours away from us in melb.. we can meet up during easter & winter, & have our lil reunion together in Down Under! But ultimately, let His will be done in melb!

Be an "Ananias" to someone!!!!

Acts9: 10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision,"Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered.
11The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."
13"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
15But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

This name was mentioned in the Bible for the first and the last time in Acts. That’s it! But what made this man so special that he is worth mentioning in the Bible? We all know that why people like John or Peter was constantly mentioned in the New Testament. They were Jesus’ disciples, or people like David because of Goliath or Bethsheba. But Ananias?

Back to the passage above, God spoke to Ananias and asked him to go to Paul (which was Saul then) and ministered unto him. Because Ananias is in faith and obey God’s command, you have the Paul that is strongly and widely mentioned in the Bible. You have various early churches establishment, more than half of your new testaments book written, thousands and thousands of lives changed. All through Paul’s ministry. But if it wasn’t for Ananias at first, would there still be such a great transformation in the early Christians evangelism movement? We don’t know, but one thing’s for sure, it is through one man, Ananias who obeyed what God commanded, you have our apostle Paul and through him, many lives turned to Jesus.

You see, you wouldn’t know who you are impacting. You wouldn’t know what this changed life will do to others. Or, how much can lives of other be changed through this person that you’ve been an “Ananias” to. You can make a difference. As God speaks to you or the Holy Spirit prompt you to act upon something, or even to share the gospel with our friends, you might not know what will happen to the lives you are impacting. But I do know that we gotta act if God asks us to. Don’t wait! Someone needs an “Ananias” like you!

See & Do likewise!

During the leaders’ retreat, Teresa shared this verse:-

Joh5:19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

As Jesus does what the Father do, we should also see what Jesus did and do the same. Not just doing the same, but we should multiply what we are called to do. The question now is, “What would Jesus do?” & “What would He want me to do?”

Mat22:36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Mar16: 15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

If Jesus comes and tells you about these scriptures, how would you respond? Will you do as He says? How much are you willing to "carry the cross"???

Lets Dream Together!!!

It has been a while since my last wordy post. Been so caught up with revisions which I am very much left behind considering EOS is on the 3rd of Jan, and I am left with 2 months (no kidding) to revise my entire 2 1/2yrs of knowledge is IMU, which means there are foundation knowledge to revise, 9 body systems to be familiarized, and health issues which we are gonna learn after Nov 10th.

In the midst of my panic button beeping non-stop daily, pastor has been bringing the entire church through about “dreams”. Something that everyone does everyday, whether day or night, where your mind begins to wonder in its own imagination. When I was younger, I wanna be a multi-millionaire guy by 30years old (the idea still remain but the age limit is postponed due to occupation factor), because being rich means I can sustain the luxurious taste and lifestyle the I longed for, delicious yummy food, service apartment, a BMW convertible, holidays abroad every year, afford to buy anything I want, the list goes on… But the dream that I’m gonna talk about here is not those kind of dream but the “dreams” God has placed in each of our heart.

Joel2: 28 "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”

Every since I got back from the gateway conference in Singapore, I am so inspired to see FCBC reaching out to the community through Touch Centre. By reaching out to the community you can have direct contact with people, not just to help them and meet their needs, but there are many people out there that don’t know Jesus. It is a great platform to tell them the wonders of Jesus.

As for myself, I felt that God birth in me a desire to have a hospital of my own. A community-based hospital where minimal fees are charged, services are of sufficient quality, and patients are not just regarded as “disease” but treated with compassion and love. It is a hospital which hosts doctors of the same vision and heart and sends out doctors for borderless missions in other nations. Companies and the cooperate world will be so attracted to this dream that they would wanna play a role by supporting this hospital financially. A hospital built that is in line with pastor’s vision “community @ heart”. I can see myself investing my millions into this dream hospital. And I am not doing this alone for God is my biggest share holder, He's gonna open the doors for His kingdom to be established. Chris, myself and the church together are gonna partner to champion this dream.

Something about doctors; we are in contact with people everyday, doing the best we can in helping them improving their quality of lifestyle and battling diseases. Hence, we gain some form of “authority” to speak into their life. We can share the goodness of Christ with them. Sorta like kill two birds with one stone. :-)

P/S:- Application to work in “Dream-the-community-for-Jesus Hospital is now open. Those who think that they belong to such categories or have the heart for the community, kindly place in your application form by dropping me a mail or comment. Thanks.

Friends!

L-R:-1. A new hair cut 2. Director-to-be 3. Benchmark of lousiness 4. Slacker 101% 5. Volley-cap 6. Perpetually 3" 7. Dancer + IMU.fm 8. Mr Slow 9. Library partner 10. ALLO!!!! 11. Now you see, now you don't! 12. Hamster-genius 13. Audio-frequency butterfly 14. Ever-poise 15. Colours of joy 16. A promise to make!

Learn your brain!

The turning point!

8th Oct-marks the alpha and omega of my life. It is the end of my childhood, the life where i can take no responsibility as i am still under my parents' guardian, where maturity can still be postponed, where excuses can still be accepted. But from today onwards, it marks the beginning of the chapter of responsibility and responsibility and more responsibility. No longer I can be a lazy fat arse(which I happened not to have) and not doing anything, push all troubles to my parents hoping they will help me take care of it, and began to carry the baton as the head of the family. I am officially an adult now.

Although 21st birthday is not a big deal for me, but this year I celebrated it with a heart of thanksgiving... to God for all that He has given me, sustained me, and loved me, my parents for everything they have given to nurture me to what I am today, and a group of blessed friends who each in their unique way, impacted my life differently. I would could this birthday celebration a "BLESSED" celebration! As for my birthday wish, I desire to see the people around me to come to know Him, and take a good taste of His goodness if they seek Him with their heart. Hope that it is gonna be a year of great adventure with God, be a part of His miracle, seeing lives changed thru Him, and witness His people began to grow and rise up to great things for Him, be an ambassador for His appeal in the world! :-)

After 5 years, finally it is opened! The wine that I've bought in Aussie and vowed to open it on the day I turn 21.

21st at Yuen's-5th Oct 2006

Birthday greetings

Chris (KK look), myself & Wai Meng
My ex-housemates ;-)
The PM2 gang
Facing my 21st soon
Time capsule-5th Oct 2006 til 5th Oct 2016
Celebrating my 21st at Yuen's Buffet Steamboat
Steph Wong, Se Yin, Evelyn, Myself, Li Yeen, Christine, Jennifer

Guys, thanks so much for the cakes, the presents, the suprises that last til Friday, and the greetings. It's Amazing!!!!!!

L.I.V.E. Loud!!!

A lot of people talk about life. Many say they wanna experience and live life to the fullest so that when they are 40/50 years old, there aren’t any regrets. I, myself am guilty of that thought too. We never hesitate to stop at the traffic light and start to think that life is more than just partying, smoking, loading yourself with litres of booze, courtship, etc. Most will say to those thinkers, “Common, don’t be so serious. You should loosen up.”

But what is life really all about? I believe everyone on this earth will ask. Is it just about living out their life like every other people do, in attempt to fit into the “crowd”? Or else, you will be left out, or you are the odd one… Some people might think that they have to do stunts or drift around a roundabout to be “cool” and “I have live life”… But do you really find permanent fulfillment in that? The pleasure and joy from alcohol and fagging last only when you are with your friends, because it is fun doing it together since we are now grown-ups but can this be called a lasting joy?

These people, who live a life like this, need to constantly do this thing to sustain their happiness. Constantly rekindle this temporary fulfillment that soon fades as the week goes by. So, what do you call this? Living life to the fullest? If yes, why didn’t it last fully?

So, do all these life experiences and encounters bring freedom since they do not offer lasting fulfillment? No, I don’t think so. It is more like they are trapped in this kind of lifestyle. Everyday is a routine for these people. At the end of the day, when you wanna tell your next generation about your life journey, is this what you wanna share? Is this what you want them to admire you for? If you think this is the life that you wanna live, so you are saying this is the purpose you are called to this world. That is to life your live around the clock. To do well in your career, be financially stable, get married and start a family. When you look back your life 40 years later, what are the great things you have done as you journey through your life?

As for my life, I live it for God. My purpose is to reach out to the friends around me, share with them about Jesus, talk to them about life, vision, goals, purpose. To love and appreciate the people around me. Everyday is an exciting day for me as I wait upon what God will do in my life today. Who is He gonna place in my midst? How am I gonna make my conversation fruitful? Every encounter I have with others I ask God what He can bring out of it at the end of the conversation. At the end of the day, it is my fulfillment when I meet God standard, and trust me, it last!!!! It doesn’t just end there. It will prompt you to do more things, great things! God continues to extend your border.

This is my last year here before stepping into another journey of my medical career abroad. Before that, I hafta sit for my finals which encompasses what I’ve learned in IMU this 2 ½ years. Honestly, I’m running out of time. But thank God, my 24 hours seem like days. I could use it to do His work and study effectively at the same time. What grips me is to see youth wasting their time doing things that don’t bring forth benefits in future. I really hope I can help people around me find their life purpose God has called them to be. I believe, at the end of my life, it will be a great story to tell my kids because God is the author of my chapters in life. Measure your standard to God’s, not the world. Ultimately, it is He you wanna imitate.

Repent!!!

Finally, exam is over! I can take some time to breathe, and recuperate some of my thoughts. It has been a while since I last blogged. To those who were wondering how was D.I.V.E in camp, lemme tell you…. it was fantastic!!! Those who didn’t go, you really missed the time we spent together with each other & with God. But this is not what this post is all about… And as I was attending my leadership class today, Shawn spoke about this verse:-

Matt26: 14Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him(Jesus Christ) over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.

Shawn told us, “Judas trade Jesus for 30 silver coins. What about us now? How much did you trade Jesus for?”

This really grips me, because many of us put their personal life, career, studies, unattended responsibilities, etc above Jesus. We trade Him for a gathering with friends… 2 hours of weekend service for studying for exam… or maybe to attend an event in school… This totally nullifies His position to be the Lord & Savior in our life. We uphold our worldly responsibility more than our heavenly responsibility, which is to obey what God says. I can’t comprehend how they can take other events so seriously, but not Jesus, who is our God, who blesses us everything under the roof, who shines us through troubles… Is the door to our Father only knocked when we need His help? Or are we too comfortable with our life that we think we are in control & do not need God’s help to author the chapters of our life?

Rom10:9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

This verse is prayed by all who wanted to commit their life to Christ. But instead of committing, it is “committing”… In the Roman days, when the soldiers go around asking, “Is Caesar the Lord?” the people will respond, “Yes, Caesar is Lord”. As for Christians, they will claim “No, Jesus is Lord!” Because of that, many were killed for their faithfulness in Christ. Many were used as human sacrifice for entertainment for the Romans.

Think about this, what about us today? Do we really mean it when we say the sinner’s prayer? Or are we just saying so that we make it to heaven? Jesus never says don’t study, or don’t care about your responsibility. Rather, He asked us to follow Him & obey what He says. Is it so difficult for us to come to Him? After what He has given us, and done for us on the cross…..

These thoughts prompted me to repent…