Today is the first day of the new year, 2010!
2009 has flown by surprisingly fast and has been filled with many lessons learnt, memorable moments and fun times.
We went to the T. family's place for the countdown yesterday. I was playing "Sequence" halfway during the countdown. :) I'm glad for the good time of fellowship we had with everyone. :D
For the first time, I don't have to prepare to go back to school so early... there's still January!
Meanwhile, it's practice, practice, practice for music. Well, there's also the Bright Lights camp coming up... I feel quite excited for this year and in what areas I can serve the LORD in. :)
Still, there are decisions to make...which I need direction and wisdom from God.
Yesterday I finally did a part 1 spring-cleaning of my desk and room (which I've been putting off because I was lazy.) Part 2? That would be clearing the rest of my assessment books, files, etc and moving them to my bro's shelf, which is currently also quite filled. :)
To start off the new year, I had a trim, which lightened the load from my head... :D and claypot chicken rice for lunch.
2010 is another new year and I don't know what to expect because I don't... only God knows. :D
I'm thankful that He has brought me through 2009 and to this new year.
There's this song that goes:
Count your blessings name them one by one,
count your blessings, see what God has done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
count your many blessings see what God has done.
... I'm not sure if I've gotten the lyrics right because we haven't sung this in a long while in church. I was reminded to count my blessings as I was clearing my desk and was reading through some notes of encouragement written in 2009 which really brightened my day especially when I felt stressed during the school year.
The Youth thanksgiving dinner we had recently was a time we thanked our Sunday School teachers and youth leaders. Indeed, they have been an inspiration and example for us to follow. :)
Friday, 1 January 2010
Monday, 28 December 2009
Monday
On Sunday, I had the privilege of witnessing Lynn's baptism. I was glad to see her publicly commit her life to the LORD and profess her faith. Her testimony was great and her chinese, just as great. There were at least 3 成语 used. I enjoyed attending her church service whose worship sounds like a choir... sonorous, it rings with voices harmonising of the joy from deep within. It is also through singing in Chinese that I realised then, how rich the Chinese language is. :)
This christmas has been rather quiet... I haven't gone Christmas caroling this year, quite a few have gone overseas to spend their christmas, less hoo ha and decorations etc. Of course, that doesn't matter, it's the CHRIST in christmas that really matters.
On the same sunday, our church had a thanksgiving service and many of the older people from Peace Chapel went up to share. They shared of how thankful they were to the LORD, particularly in how He helped them through their rough times (mostly medical conditions). Their zeal for God, is really admirable.
December will soon be over, and the new year (God willing) to come.
It has been quite hectic these few days and I'm having a sore throat. Aiyo, insufficient rest. The fault lies with myself. :D
Youth thanksgiving dinner coming up.
This christmas has been rather quiet... I haven't gone Christmas caroling this year, quite a few have gone overseas to spend their christmas, less hoo ha and decorations etc. Of course, that doesn't matter, it's the CHRIST in christmas that really matters.
On the same sunday, our church had a thanksgiving service and many of the older people from Peace Chapel went up to share. They shared of how thankful they were to the LORD, particularly in how He helped them through their rough times (mostly medical conditions). Their zeal for God, is really admirable.
December will soon be over, and the new year (God willing) to come.
It has been quite hectic these few days and I'm having a sore throat. Aiyo, insufficient rest. The fault lies with myself. :D
Youth thanksgiving dinner coming up.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Konichiiwa!
Kongbawa gozaimaz! (Good evening!)
I'm back from Japan... It was an interesting trip. A real eye-opener to the culture and lifestyle of the Japanese people there. Unfortunately the pics are all in my dad's laptop so maybe I'll post some pictures later on.
Tokyo in general is an extremely busy place. The pace is twice as fast as Singapore. You really feel this when you take their subway. People literally push past you and run towards their train. On the streets it's the same. I feel like I'm in their way all the time. :)
Everything is costly in Japan but the scenery is sergoi neh! (in the countryside at least) Of course, the sashimi there is oishii neh!
Ok, let me try to do a summary of the trip.
[Day 1]
We got lost on our way to the hotel. Yup, day one only and we were lost in a foreign land where English almost seems to be non-existent. Haha... we dragged our luggages along the busy street and asked people for directions and we walked and walked and walked. It was tiring but the people were nice enough to give us directions although it was hard to follow and asking is already difficult. An old lady whom my dad approached in the bookstore wanted to help but because of the language barrier she had to direct us to someone else. In the end, after much asking around, we stumbled upon a shop which seems to specialise in the rental of houses due to all the drawings of houses pasted on their windows. The man there googled/yahooed the location of our hotel and printed the map out for us using the store's printer! That was really helpful. :D Apparently, our hotel was new so many locals don't know about it. Really thank God for helping us find our way there. Taking a taxi costs a bomb in Japan.
The temperature was 12.7 degrees Celsius and the weather was dry unlike humid Singapore.
[Day 2]
We took the subway train for the first time. Taking the subway can be a little confusing at first as there are so many different lines, different exits and then there is the language problem! We always have to look carefully at the map so as to pay the correct fare to purchase the ticket (which is small and I always worry that I'd drop it) and make sure we take the right train and get off at the right stop! :)
We went with the L. family to Ueno park... a lovely spacious park with awesome trees around in their coloured hues. Unfortunately, my camera went out of battery, because I didn't check if it was charged before hand, so I couldn't take many pictures. There was a gingko nut tree there too but raw gingko nuts smell really bad. There was also the Ueno zoo which was more like an aviary combined with a zoo and a reptile park all mixed together. The common house lizard (at least it looked like the common gecko at home) was showcased too, in a heated environment where all like species are housed. Many toddlers and young children were at the zoo with their parents, there was a group of high school students ( I think) at the park for their art lessons... judging from their drawing blocks and pails of water. The young children there are kawaii-neh! The atmosphere feels different from being in the Singapore zoo... firstly, it's not so hot. Next, you are quite close in distance from the animals. Thirdly, there's a lot of walking to do because the animals are placed at quite a distance from each other.
Wow, I can see that my 'summary' is getting a little too long. Well anyway... :D
After that we went to Aeyemeko street which sells more affordable things... something like a pasar malam but in proper stores. We ate a range of food there... delicious!
In the evening, we headed to Takashimaya which had 15 floors. That was when I discovered there was a Kinokuniya mart (like a supermarket) and Kinokuniya bookstore. Well, getting to Kinokuniya bookstore was an experience in itself too. :D
After Takashimaya, we decided to walk back and got lost again walking the wrong direction. In Japan people walk a lot so I think they must be really fit... at the rate they walk, it seems like a walkathon! Thankfully, we met a Taiwanese couple working in Japan ( I think... because they seem to be familiar with the area) and we managed to reach our hotel. Actually, I think we could've taken the subway.... the walking distance seemed longer than 2.4 km and it was nightfall. Good workout anyway. :D
[Day 3]
A trip to Tokyo disney land! Actually, there is a disney sea, but we opted to go to disney land. We took the subway there, the station is Maihama deske. The local people really get into the 'disney' mood, all clad in disney accessories and some...outfits. Disney land is sort of like a zoo to the locals I think... like a place they visit several times. I love the water rides especially there... maybe not so much of space mountain :D it was a thriller though.(my bros went on it thrice!)
We spent the whole day there.
[Day 4]
our sashimi breakfast
We went to Tsukiji market where we had sashimi breakfast with a few other families. The market place is busy! People go about their jobs at top speed... that's how my borrowed boots got stepped on... also partly due to contractions from the cold I think... fortunately Uncle JK managed to help me glue it together later on so I didn't have to walk 'flip-flapping.' :) Back to sashimi... I surprised myself by trying a sea urchin sashimi. It tasted pleasantly sweet, soft and cold. I guess it's something like eating escargots (though I haven't tried) ... just don't think too much about it and put it into your mouth. All the sashimi (mostly different kinds of raw fish) were superb combined with the traditional green tea served.
Later, we visited Harajuku which reminded me of Orchard road in terms of the branded goods sold. There were many foreign labels there. We also went to Shibuya another shopping and food street... there was a Daiso there. If I don't remember wrongly, one of the streets is suppose to cater for the young there, selling more affordable and trendy things.
[Day 5]
my bro peeling an egg boiled in water from the hot springs
The Hakone day trip which was wet and cold weather... we could hardly see the scenery... mountains. Our umbrellas were blown inside out but we did walk to a few shops to eat along the way. One was a hard boiled egg boiled with water from the hot springs. The sign read something like," Eat 7 and get 7 years of longevity." I ate only 2 though... but it was a warm respite from the cold. I think the temperature there was much colder than in Shinjuku (where we resided.) It was at Hakone that we took an electric train, tram, ferry and cable car. All in rainy weather. Brrr... it was cold but the foggy sights were still real nice in all their majesty.
By this day, we were all rather used to taking the subway and Japanese lifestyle. Oh... and they have this cool gadget outside malls for umbrellas where you just push your umbrellas through and your umbrellas are covered properly in its umbrella bag so it doesn't drip rain water all over the floors of the shop/malls. Very efficient and innovative. Japanese spare a thought for every single thing... perfectionists, with everything automatic and geared for convenience. Buildings are close to each other though and living quarters are small... if it were me I may get claustrophobic. :) Well, they have mastered the art of living in confined spaces... extremely organised. An organised clutter I would say. Oh yes, at Hakone was the place where we first saw our own breath in vapourised droplets, white against everything else. I was fascinated. :D
the ferry we took- one of the few ways of transportation we took in Hakone
[Day 6]
the view from my parents' room window
We stayed at Manza Onsen, a natural hot springs resort. It's up in the mountains... magnificent and majestic snow-capped. Yes, this was the place I first saw and touched snow. The feeling of seeing all the mountains is not only sergoi-neh! but psychor!(which according to our uncle 导游, a Singaporean who works in Japan... we nick-named him that... is used when you feel 'high.'）
The snow was great... on the first day it was nice for making snowballs but the next day, the snow was too soft... freshly fallen I guess. I loved the atmosphere of Manza Onsen... especially the picturesque mountains. Cool, breath-taking, simply amazing. You're practically surrounded by natural trees and mountains. The stillness and peace of it all....so tranquil. I like the country better than the city. :D I didn't go for a dip into the hot springs though... not exactly mentally prepared. There were 6 hot springs I think. My bros and dad went. I still smelt of sulfur though because of the minerals in the natural hot spring water. The kimono outfit we had to wear was really comfy and meals there, fantastic. Most importantly, I was elated at knowing about the ministry of a Christian Japanese who owns this place. They even have free bibles! In a 90% Buddhist society I was encouraged to see this ministry. Go to Manza Onsen if you ever visit Japan. The temperature there was 0 degrees Celsius I think... yet my mum and I walked to the outdoor hot springs in just two layers, our thermals and kimono outfit plus slippers! It didn't feel too cold, surprisingly.
the view from the outdoor hot springs (apparently my mum was focusing on the view so she took it from this angle.)
a lamp post that looks like the one shown in the movie Narnia
[Day 7]
Karuizawa. Temperature: 3 degrees celsius
This is the place where Manza Onsen is located. A staff from Manza Onsen kindly drove us in a bus down to the town area. In town, I felt much colder than in the mountains. Our family walked around Prince shopping plaza which is full of expensive food and clothes etc. It was nice looking though. It was there that I found out there was a 'leftovers' (really named that)shop for some branded goods which sold damaged branded goods at a discounted price... that was interesting.
After walking around, we headed to the train station to catch the bullet train back to the city. Riding a bullet train feels like riding on an airplane. I could feel the air pressure. Seats in the electric and bullet train can swivel around to face each other so that people can talk to one another... cool neh?
At night, we went for a shobu-shobu dinner which consists of raw beef and pork and raw vegetables. It's d.i.y cooking and it's free-flow for 90 mins. I was full way before the 90 mins was up. :)
[Last day]
We spent our last few hours at Isetan and bought our lunch to eat on the way to the airport.
That's all.
-Heh, I took 2 days to type all this... didn't want to at first, but since I started might as well finish it. :D Arigato Gozaimaz for reading this post!
Anyway, I'll never forget this memorable trip.
I'm back from Japan... It was an interesting trip. A real eye-opener to the culture and lifestyle of the Japanese people there. Unfortunately the pics are all in my dad's laptop so maybe I'll post some pictures later on.
Tokyo in general is an extremely busy place. The pace is twice as fast as Singapore. You really feel this when you take their subway. People literally push past you and run towards their train. On the streets it's the same. I feel like I'm in their way all the time. :)
Everything is costly in Japan but the scenery is sergoi neh! (in the countryside at least) Of course, the sashimi there is oishii neh!
Ok, let me try to do a summary of the trip.
[Day 1]
We got lost on our way to the hotel. Yup, day one only and we were lost in a foreign land where English almost seems to be non-existent. Haha... we dragged our luggages along the busy street and asked people for directions and we walked and walked and walked. It was tiring but the people were nice enough to give us directions although it was hard to follow and asking is already difficult. An old lady whom my dad approached in the bookstore wanted to help but because of the language barrier she had to direct us to someone else. In the end, after much asking around, we stumbled upon a shop which seems to specialise in the rental of houses due to all the drawings of houses pasted on their windows. The man there googled/yahooed the location of our hotel and printed the map out for us using the store's printer! That was really helpful. :D Apparently, our hotel was new so many locals don't know about it. Really thank God for helping us find our way there. Taking a taxi costs a bomb in Japan.
The temperature was 12.7 degrees Celsius and the weather was dry unlike humid Singapore.
[Day 2]
We took the subway train for the first time. Taking the subway can be a little confusing at first as there are so many different lines, different exits and then there is the language problem! We always have to look carefully at the map so as to pay the correct fare to purchase the ticket (which is small and I always worry that I'd drop it) and make sure we take the right train and get off at the right stop! :)
We went with the L. family to Ueno park... a lovely spacious park with awesome trees around in their coloured hues. Unfortunately, my camera went out of battery, because I didn't check if it was charged before hand, so I couldn't take many pictures. There was a gingko nut tree there too but raw gingko nuts smell really bad. There was also the Ueno zoo which was more like an aviary combined with a zoo and a reptile park all mixed together. The common house lizard (at least it looked like the common gecko at home) was showcased too, in a heated environment where all like species are housed. Many toddlers and young children were at the zoo with their parents, there was a group of high school students ( I think) at the park for their art lessons... judging from their drawing blocks and pails of water. The young children there are kawaii-neh! The atmosphere feels different from being in the Singapore zoo... firstly, it's not so hot. Next, you are quite close in distance from the animals. Thirdly, there's a lot of walking to do because the animals are placed at quite a distance from each other.
Wow, I can see that my 'summary' is getting a little too long. Well anyway... :D
After that we went to Aeyemeko street which sells more affordable things... something like a pasar malam but in proper stores. We ate a range of food there... delicious!
In the evening, we headed to Takashimaya which had 15 floors. That was when I discovered there was a Kinokuniya mart (like a supermarket) and Kinokuniya bookstore. Well, getting to Kinokuniya bookstore was an experience in itself too. :D
After Takashimaya, we decided to walk back and got lost again walking the wrong direction. In Japan people walk a lot so I think they must be really fit... at the rate they walk, it seems like a walkathon! Thankfully, we met a Taiwanese couple working in Japan ( I think... because they seem to be familiar with the area) and we managed to reach our hotel. Actually, I think we could've taken the subway.... the walking distance seemed longer than 2.4 km and it was nightfall. Good workout anyway. :D
[Day 3]
A trip to Tokyo disney land! Actually, there is a disney sea, but we opted to go to disney land. We took the subway there, the station is Maihama deske. The local people really get into the 'disney' mood, all clad in disney accessories and some...outfits. Disney land is sort of like a zoo to the locals I think... like a place they visit several times. I love the water rides especially there... maybe not so much of space mountain :D it was a thriller though.(my bros went on it thrice!)
We spent the whole day there.
[Day 4]
our sashimi breakfastWe went to Tsukiji market where we had sashimi breakfast with a few other families. The market place is busy! People go about their jobs at top speed... that's how my borrowed boots got stepped on... also partly due to contractions from the cold I think... fortunately Uncle JK managed to help me glue it together later on so I didn't have to walk 'flip-flapping.' :) Back to sashimi... I surprised myself by trying a sea urchin sashimi. It tasted pleasantly sweet, soft and cold. I guess it's something like eating escargots (though I haven't tried) ... just don't think too much about it and put it into your mouth. All the sashimi (mostly different kinds of raw fish) were superb combined with the traditional green tea served.
Later, we visited Harajuku which reminded me of Orchard road in terms of the branded goods sold. There were many foreign labels there. We also went to Shibuya another shopping and food street... there was a Daiso there. If I don't remember wrongly, one of the streets is suppose to cater for the young there, selling more affordable and trendy things.
[Day 5]
my bro peeling an egg boiled in water from the hot springsThe Hakone day trip which was wet and cold weather... we could hardly see the scenery... mountains. Our umbrellas were blown inside out but we did walk to a few shops to eat along the way. One was a hard boiled egg boiled with water from the hot springs. The sign read something like," Eat 7 and get 7 years of longevity." I ate only 2 though... but it was a warm respite from the cold. I think the temperature there was much colder than in Shinjuku (where we resided.) It was at Hakone that we took an electric train, tram, ferry and cable car. All in rainy weather. Brrr... it was cold but the foggy sights were still real nice in all their majesty.
By this day, we were all rather used to taking the subway and Japanese lifestyle. Oh... and they have this cool gadget outside malls for umbrellas where you just push your umbrellas through and your umbrellas are covered properly in its umbrella bag so it doesn't drip rain water all over the floors of the shop/malls. Very efficient and innovative. Japanese spare a thought for every single thing... perfectionists, with everything automatic and geared for convenience. Buildings are close to each other though and living quarters are small... if it were me I may get claustrophobic. :) Well, they have mastered the art of living in confined spaces... extremely organised. An organised clutter I would say. Oh yes, at Hakone was the place where we first saw our own breath in vapourised droplets, white against everything else. I was fascinated. :D
the ferry we took- one of the few ways of transportation we took in Hakone[Day 6]
the view from my parents' room windowWe stayed at Manza Onsen, a natural hot springs resort. It's up in the mountains... magnificent and majestic snow-capped. Yes, this was the place I first saw and touched snow. The feeling of seeing all the mountains is not only sergoi-neh! but psychor!(which according to our uncle 导游, a Singaporean who works in Japan... we nick-named him that... is used when you feel 'high.'）
The snow was great... on the first day it was nice for making snowballs but the next day, the snow was too soft... freshly fallen I guess. I loved the atmosphere of Manza Onsen... especially the picturesque mountains. Cool, breath-taking, simply amazing. You're practically surrounded by natural trees and mountains. The stillness and peace of it all....so tranquil. I like the country better than the city. :D I didn't go for a dip into the hot springs though... not exactly mentally prepared. There were 6 hot springs I think. My bros and dad went. I still smelt of sulfur though because of the minerals in the natural hot spring water. The kimono outfit we had to wear was really comfy and meals there, fantastic. Most importantly, I was elated at knowing about the ministry of a Christian Japanese who owns this place. They even have free bibles! In a 90% Buddhist society I was encouraged to see this ministry. Go to Manza Onsen if you ever visit Japan. The temperature there was 0 degrees Celsius I think... yet my mum and I walked to the outdoor hot springs in just two layers, our thermals and kimono outfit plus slippers! It didn't feel too cold, surprisingly.
the view from the outdoor hot springs (apparently my mum was focusing on the view so she took it from this angle.)
a lamp post that looks like the one shown in the movie Narnia[Day 7]
Karuizawa. Temperature: 3 degrees celsius
This is the place where Manza Onsen is located. A staff from Manza Onsen kindly drove us in a bus down to the town area. In town, I felt much colder than in the mountains. Our family walked around Prince shopping plaza which is full of expensive food and clothes etc. It was nice looking though. It was there that I found out there was a 'leftovers' (really named that)shop for some branded goods which sold damaged branded goods at a discounted price... that was interesting.
After walking around, we headed to the train station to catch the bullet train back to the city. Riding a bullet train feels like riding on an airplane. I could feel the air pressure. Seats in the electric and bullet train can swivel around to face each other so that people can talk to one another... cool neh?
At night, we went for a shobu-shobu dinner which consists of raw beef and pork and raw vegetables. It's d.i.y cooking and it's free-flow for 90 mins. I was full way before the 90 mins was up. :)
[Last day]
We spent our last few hours at Isetan and bought our lunch to eat on the way to the airport.
That's all.
-Heh, I took 2 days to type all this... didn't want to at first, but since I started might as well finish it. :D Arigato Gozaimaz for reading this post!
Anyway, I'll never forget this memorable trip.
Sunday, 6 December 2009
Anticipation
I can't wait to go to Japan! To experience the cold, the sights, the people, language, shops, parks... everything!!! I'm afraid I've not picked up many basic Japanese words... the only one I know is "Oishii!" So, if I ever get lost, it'll probably be a flurry of frantic arm movements. :)
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Simple pleasures
There are really quite a few things to take pleasure in...even the minute things. God has been showing me. :)
Today, I enjoyed the simple pleasures of:
-playing in a quartet
-seeing the Christmas lights from the car with Aunty B.
while driving through Orchard road
-talking to a complete stranger (a Canadian lady while
attending a Beethoven concert)
-enjoying the exhilaration of watching the orchestra play
These little things... make a day a great one. :D
Today, I enjoyed the simple pleasures of:
-playing in a quartet
-seeing the Christmas lights from the car with Aunty B.
while driving through Orchard road
-talking to a complete stranger (a Canadian lady while
attending a Beethoven concert)
-enjoying the exhilaration of watching the orchestra play
These little things... make a day a great one. :D
Friday, 27 November 2009
Friday
Had quite a long day today. We met up with the C. family and it was a good time of fellowship and playing with the two little boys. :D On a side note, I realised that 'peek-a-boo' is a timeless enjoyment for babies- they seem to never get tired of it... gurgling with laughter every time. :)
We dropped by my godparents' place and played awhile with Leah, Noah and Ruth. Then, we went to eat a Nepalese restaurant with my grandma and uncle. The food was yummy! It tastes quite similar to Chinese cuisine with a hint of Indian fusion. We also had masala tea.
The pot and chocolate-coloured cups look really unique.
We dropped by my godparents' place and played awhile with Leah, Noah and Ruth. Then, we went to eat a Nepalese restaurant with my grandma and uncle. The food was yummy! It tastes quite similar to Chinese cuisine with a hint of Indian fusion. We also had masala tea.
The pot and chocolate-coloured cups look really unique.
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
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