the food critic, back by popular demand

I successfully sold the idea of a second food review video to Mommy by telling her how much my friends enjoyed the first one (I'm telling the truth!).

Watch till the end and see how many stars - out of five - my mum gave to Jack's Place's roasted turkey breast with chicken ham.

Nerds and leather go together

My boss, James, knows I have a soft spot for nerds. And it’s sort of true. He is a nerd with a leather… bible!

The conversation was a little more succinct this time, concluding outstanding issues raised last Friday and taking the last opportunity to clarify doubts. He has spoken to Pastor and I have discussed with Kengyi.

• How are Christian relationships different?
• Are we ready to make sacrifices for the other person?
• Where do we go from here?

We were on the same page (I think) on most issues. For the rest, we will have to work at it along the way. I foresee it is going to be ‘long-suffering’ for him because of all my weaknesses and stubborness.

He pointed me to Ephesians 5. The guy leads in the relationship and ‘lays down his life’ for her as Christ did for the church. “He wears a crown of thorns,” he said.

Speechless and impressed.

He is such a bully

Satan claims that Job worships God because of how God has blessed him. God allows Satan to prove Him wrong by taking everything – children, friends, status, wealth and health – away from Job.

Job cries out to God but receives no answer. He is a righteous and godly guy – so why is he suffering?

God answers at the end of the book. Who are you to question me?

I know that God has the authority and power to do all things and he judges what is right and wrong.

But doesn’t that make him a little of a bully?

(Answer to come soon)

exciting job

My work at Alphabet Media is pretty exhilarating, but what I'm really thinking about is the book of Job.

It has kept me wanting.

When the train approaches my destination and I have to keep my bible, my heart screams out in anguish for Job: "God, how can you remain silent and let your righteous child suffer and be maligned?!"

I know He has an answer, I just cannot see it right now.

(Soon though, I'm already at Chapter 31!)

will you be my girlfriend?

It was at least an hour long chat. And at the end of it, I don't think he even asked it in such simple words.

The conversation was a mash of a sermon, bible study and interrogation. Ok, I'm exaggerating (but only a little).

I had to display understanding of:

• Why we should be contented as singles
• What is the purpose of marriage
• Why no relationships are flawless
• How do children fit into the plan
  

He presented a case of why he thinks we are compatible and justified the question, which was qualified so much I can't repeat it for my life. And I will not be surprised if he can't too.

In this way, he is different, but in a good way. That is why I said yes.

(Great materials on Christian relationships: Four talks on Love, Sex and Marriage by Matthias Media, Joshua Harris' I Kiss Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl, and of course the Bible!)

mee and mee

It's noodles day with grandma!

What I'm having:
Wanton noodles with roasted pork meat $3.50

What grandma's having:
Vegetarian fishball noodles $2.50

me: pimp-my-bedroom

Presenting my new pink room....



Special thanks to Mommy who not only helped to move the furniture, but practically redesigned my new room. What can I possibly do without her.

skipping church

We missed service today, but not fellowship.



I had a blast hanging out with my bros and sisters;

• Andrew: The silent and assuring big brother made us feel safe in the foreign land and ensured we were all behaving.
• Pih: Poor Pih was running a fever but she was still such a sport and went everywhere we headed and made us laugh like she always does.
• Fang: She showed great patience even though she had to work on a Sunday! Thanks for the cherry chocolate muffin from Starbucks.
• Bel: She was our Operations Director who spoke to the Duty Manager so we get upgraded to a suite.
• Dorcas: It was only my second time hanging out with her but I didn't need more time to tell she is a ball of fun!
• Jenn: He is half the size of Ben but pulled his weight when it was time to finish the food.
• Ben: Our unofficial tour guide who couldn't resist buying anything and everything edible we passed.
• Jerry: We saw a quieter and more serious side of Jerry. Only because he was sick. It was unanimous that we like this Jerry more.

church camp day 4: james the man

We do not work for our salvation. Neither are both faith and works prerequisites for God to accept us.

But faith without works is dead. Real faith naturally and must follow with works. Because while God didn't save us because of good works, we are saved for it.

I pray that He will help me live it out, because by myself, I absolutely suck at it.

church camp day 3: justice mercy grace

Justice: Getting what you deserve
Mercy: Not getting what you deserve
Grace: Getting what you do not deserve

church camp day 2: people watch

I love the time I get to spend with God's family.

I feel like an aspiring singer with a golden pass into the back stage of a mega concert. With direct access into room after room of successful famous singers of all time, observing as they practise and prepare for the show.

The girls gathered in one of the rooms tonight. A sister was describing how she was maligned at work. But at no point did she curse the accuser. Instead, she gave thanks to God for the (little) good that came out of this experience.

There are many more in this family who display God's love in their lives.

I can only pray for God to help me be more like Him.

church camp day 1: i am a slave

I am a slave of Jesus Christ.

That is how James introduces himself in the letter. And that is who I am.

All of myself belongs to God and my chief purpose in life is to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.

It is not easy to remember, let alone do it. But I pray that God will keep me and His Spirit will help me to work into my identity.

church camp day 0: more to come

The message from last year's church camp has become a little fuzzy. The key lesson I can remember now is that the Holy Spirit works through God's word.

Since then, I have been reading the bible (almost) daily. I thank God for how He has allowed me to know Him more deeply in the past year - to see His grace, righteousness, faithfulness, power and love in the Old Testament. (I'm now at Nehemiah!)

We are studying the book of James at this camp. Having had a quick scan, i know I am going to be deeply challenged.

I will update you as we go along.

how do japanese people dance?

I found that out last night.

Ken dropped by Singapore this weekend. It has been more than four years since I saw him in Toyko so I could not possibly refuse when he said he wanted to check out Zouk.

We had a great time dancing. Ken showed me some of the funniest moves - he was definitely the best dancer last night.

I am convinced I need to go Ho Chi Minh soon and it will be my turn to show him how Singaporeans dance.

my pink room

Not many people have been to my place. So, here is a quick peek at where I retreat into when I am not out with you guys.

I love my pink room, which I have had for ten years. I am a little bored of it now though, so I am going to shift my furniture around.

Check out how it looks like now and look out for a new video once I am done moving stuff around.

the love for wings

My boss has always been amazed by Singaporean's obsession over chicken wings. I don't deny it. I love chicken wings.

People have been raving about the spicy wings at Sunset Grill. Even if it meant we had to travel great distances and wander around in the wilderness for hours, I decided it was worth the effort.

Ok, it was not that tough. I cheated by asking Gek Kia to take me there. He drove, so all I had to do was to pull up the location on Gothere.sg and left it all to him to navigate.

The wings did not blow my mind. We didn't want to be too ambitious so we ordered Level 2 on the spicyness chart. I am glad we did because Gek Kia was complaining that the spicy wings were giving him a headache.

I was pleasantly surprised by the deep fried battered mushrooms, which were really as tasty as they were pretty.

If it is wings you are after, here are my top five spots:
5. Skinny wings from Everything with Fries
4. Kentucky Fried Chicken (although I'd recommend the thigh more than their wings)
3. A&W chicken wings (I don't think you can get this in Singapore)
2. Timbre buffalo wings
1. No. 5 or Ice Cold Beer deep fried wings

doll me up

It has been two years since I last packed my room. During this time, I have accumulated more stuff, so it's time to unclutter my room.

In my wardrobe, I have a shelf of cuddlies. These soft toys have survived one major 'retrenchment' exercise, when I gave away at least three quarters of my furry friends.

Check out these survivors!

my favourite worm

Baby Amanda looks like a worm when she is all wrapped up. She slept through most of the two hours when we were chatting in the living room.

I broke the record today, carrying her for a good half an hour or so.

She is a real star!

you'll never walk alone

Everyone is in red again. For Jaso's birthday this year, we - almost the same group as last - gathered with an additional reason for celebration.

Baby Amanda. She was on her best behaviour today. For the entire two hours we were there, she was sleeping soundly.

If you were not there for today's gathering (you know who you are!), you missed quite a bit:

• Alma promising to supply Amanda with all the shoes and bags she will ever need
• The amazingly delicious chicken wings marinated with special 'Seah Spice'
• Adele recounting the day Amanda arrived
• Daniel explaining how he got an unreasonable and rude taxi driver fired
• Uncle trying to get all of us drunk with the free flow of wine and beer
• Jaso describing in detail how the 'snip' was done

missed the train

He is rarely out of action. Normally he is as reliable and punctual as trains in Germany. But this time, the flu bug got him.

So, we decided to send our love in hope that it'll help our dear friend Thomas the Train Engine recover more quickly.

i am rich

Yes, I am. Rich enough so that I do not need to want.

Money can make me somebody. Money can save me from trouble. Money can comfort me when I am not happy.

But its power goes no further than my lifetime and this world.

So my wealth sits not in my bank account but securely in Him.

I pray that whatever I have, be given and will own, may be held out on an open palm. Joyfully and prayerfully invested in God's workers, my parents and all whom I love.

last christmas

If you know the song, you know what comes next.

No, he did not give it away. In fact, there wasn't a 'he' to start with, because I didn't find anyone to give it to.

I don't always agree with my heart. It is often selfish, short-sighted, and fickle.

My mind, governed by His word, heads up the decision-making board.

So don't waste your time coaxing my heart.

Because I love Him more than you. Anytime. Or at least I'm trying.

age doesn't sneak up on me, friends do

Surprises rarely succeed, especially around my birthday period when my 'surprise radar' is on high alert. But these sneaky rats got me, good.

Luck and preparation was on their side.

1. Two weeks has passed since my birthday, so I was not expecting any celebration at all.
2. I almost didn't turn up because I was exhausted from my Sri Lanka trip.
3. Jintian (JTB) was distracting us with a 'magic stick' while Thomas (TTE) got the cake.

While they were singing along to the birthday song tune from the musical candle, I was still puzzled and - very blondly - wondering whose birthday it was.

So thank you people. You are good!

grandma discovers youtube

She has not really. But she has discovered how we can take videos using my iPhone.

我希望

看了‘命中注定我爱你’，听了陈欣怡的希望，我也想买个小盒子把我的希望保存起来。

我希望奶奶，爸爸和妈妈会健康，快乐，而且一天会信耶稣。
我希望我会每天把时间尽力都花在我珍惜的朋友上。
我希望在我不开心的时候，有巧克力给我吃，有张床和枕头给我哭睡。
我希望有间自己布置的家，有只让我疼的狗狗，还有愿意天天泡美禄给我喝的男友。
我希望有辆车子，能带奶奶出去吃斋餐。

why i love my job

10. Being a (pink) geek is a job requirement, so I don't appear to be such a nerd.

9. My colleagues love to party.
8. I receive VIP welcome at schools and government agencies I visit.
7. Each of us get a cake and a card on our birthdays and we are expected to act surprise.
6. Our monthly social normally involves getting wasted after having lots of fun.
5. We have a really expensive fridge in our pantry.
4. The company pays your first tattoo if you are a girl.
3. I can go to work comfortably in shorts and slippers.
2. I get to meet government leaders from across Asia Pacific and beyond
1. I don't just meet them, I get to enjoy myself with them in tropical resorts around Asia.

traffic-directing cows

It's my second time back in Delhi. Instead of a cheesy photograph of me holding the tip of the taj mahal, here's one of my favourite sights.

I love the chaos. And being surprised every now and then. Like the truck with 'Horn me!' splashed across its back, or the decade-old water cooler in the office lobby which has transformed into a desert ecosystem, or the occasional cow moonlighting as a road divider.

My hotel room cost S$450 per night and hiring a chauffeur to take me around for interviews brought me back at least S$150. It's not a cheap city. But at the same time I see half-nude beggars lying by the side of dusty roads, lorries without doors overloaded with passengers, and unfinished buildings abandoned.

There is so much more to Delhi. I want it to amaze me more, and to keep me on my toes. It demands a trip here again, hopefully not for work the next time.

binky

Binky is not the friendliest cat I know. In fact, when I first met her, she definitely made the chart for one of the least. She is not fierce or aggressive, just shy and reserve.

Whenever there are strangers around the house, she would normally be under the couch the whole time. Except for that one time we overloaded the coach and it was either to reveal herself or to be crushed to death.

I've been tasked to feed Binky for a few weeks while Adele and Jaso learn to cope with baby Amanda.

I'm happy I could demonstrate my love for these two great friends in a practical way. And a bonus is how Binky has finally warmed up to me.

never let the guys order

Especially hungry and cold boys just after their night dive. Otherwise, be prepared to eat two monster plates each of:

• Satay,
• Sambal sotong,
• Bbq chili stingray,
• Chicken wings,
• Claypot tofu,
• Stir fried beef with spring onion,
• Vegetables with oyster sauce
• and more.

The only excuse for over-eating on such a massive level, I guess, is to celebrate the reunion. We managed to gather quite a number of divers we met at the last Redang trip to spend this weekend together diving with Divers Cove at the Paya Beach Resort.

I want to congratulate the Advanced Open Water divers who pretended they could use the compass and survived the night dive: Sze Gay, Jenn Yang, Jacky, Andy and Ray.

A big thank you to the girls - Jasmine and Amandea - who braved the choppy waters and tolerated the boys. (And for sharing room with me!)

Lastly, to the rest of the leisure divers - David, Marcus, Alvan, JJ, Justin, and Ben - you should be very proud of yourselves. For taking more photos than the girls did, waking up on time without my morning calls, eating all the Ramly burgers on the island, being nuts for jumping into the cold Rock Fall and even crazier to splash around in the freezing water, and lots more!

Despite all that nonsense, I am still looking forward to the next gathering - teochew porridge and durian! I do doubt my sanity.

i am lovin' it and they are lovin' me

Candles, presents, cakes, drinks, and the birthday song! I love birthdays, especially when it is mine!Friends who have not been in touch for months - or sometimes even years - leave messages on my Facebook wall. SMSes flood in minutes before midnight and continue throughout the day.

But most of all, especially this year, I really appreciate spending time with the people who matter to me:

My family

Brothers and sisters in Christ @ BTPC

SMUCF Sisters in Christ

The usual gang

Mambo-lovers

Buddies who survived Ophir together

pizza delivery

I got a delivery at my door step today and it was better than pizza.

My bestie, Ivy, came by to pass me my birthday present!

She knows I love working with Ananias, my netbook, on my bed, so she got me a Lap Desk from RoomItUp.

It is lightweight and comes with a built-in cupholder. No more hot lap.

How cool is this?

phobia

I think it would be exaggerating if I would consider myself pedophobic. I cannot remember when it started, but I tense up whenever you put a kid in front of me.

Children do not lie and they don't try to be tactful. So they always make sure I know it when they don't like me. A boy told me once to sit further away because he doesn't like me. And my niece is never fond of me ever since she could recognise people.

But I think I might be making progress. Today at lunch, my niece actually wanted to sit beside me. I knew I had to take a photo as evidence, if not for anyone, just to convince myself!

mommy the master food critic

I thought I was a pro. But Mommy showed me who is boss when she reviewed our Cedele breakfast on video.

why

Why does God bless me with so many who care for me but with too little time to love them?