The countdown begins.

080906

Went to BishanJ8. Watched Devil wears prada with Kristin and Daniel. They bought me a Tee. Touched to the core.

Went to meet Kelly at SMU. Summoned Poh up from the depths of the library and had small talk. Lunch with Kelly, lotsa catching up.

Scoured Orchard Road for the perfect present. Legs broke. Objective met, but didn't get to cut hair. : (

Ate at Tung Lok for dinner with family.

Went to see Sister's new house. Nice.

Brought my Moet and Chandon to Al's and had a mini wine party late night. Chatted and drank lots of wine and fell asleep at about 0530. Talked about everything under the sky. Spent approx 15 hours with the 3 of them. Slept on same bed. 4 in one. madness.

090906

Went to eat at the HK cafe at Kovan with the other alcoholics. last meal with them. : (

Cancelled Tuition. He can go and die.

Didn't go for PEC inter-ministry. No point 4 me to go.

Packing Luggage.

Going dinner at Chomps tonight. No car. SHIT.

100906

Going to church at 9 for Youth mass. Bringing camera, and tissue. Going to cry like hell. Last mass in SFX for a long time.

Go home for more packing.

Fly.

Bye.

I could sing of your love, forever.

Still feeling abit queasy about leaving. Especially when I did my packing today. I felt horrid. I spent like 2 hours reading all the cards people wrote me and all the warm fuzzies from camps, and all that stuff. And I wanted to die.

I thought to myself. Why am I making myself go through all this? It crossed my mind that I could be throwing myself into real unchartered territory with Geology and what not, and simply to say, to test my faith. This certainly is a great leap forward.

Then I thought again. That at this moment in my life, and for the past dunno how many months since my own renewal, I have been singing of His love, and praising Him for everything. I have entrusted my entire life to Him, and in Him alone I live.

It dawned upon me that regardless of what the future holds, whether it be for better or for worse, I could sing of His love forever. And when I sing of His love, I am assured that everything, literally everything will be OK, because He will put good things in my path.

I mean, surely He has a greater plan for me when He says that I should be going to UK right? This was a choice made not hastily, but one that was thoroughly thought through for more then 2 years!

Surely, if tither does He call me, that will be my path, the path that my Master trods.

I can't get the intel sticker off my laptop. So ugly. eee.

When i took a cab down town this evening, I couldn't help but stare listlessly out of the window, asorbing every sight, color and scene, this was a picture so familliar to me for 20 years, and now i have to leave it. And seriously, I'll be damned if i'm not one bit sad.

I miss playing tennis every week. I miss training tennis with Lenny. I will miss going for sharing every tuesdays and the suppers after. I will miss going for mass at 9 am. I will miss having people to go supper with you almost instantly when you want it. I will miss the friday night drinking sessions. I will miss having so many groups of friends to talk to. I will miss mee sua at geylang. I will miss being confused over what to eat at the hawker centre or foodcourt. I will miss Fr Ho, Fr G, Sr Dot, Sr Doreen. I don't know how i'm going to cope without all these.

Yet again, all I can say is, I could sing of your love forever.... I could sing of your love forever........

Amazing isn't it?

I've managed to plan and carve out my time very neatly. I've decided that today, shall be my Shabbat.. NOTHING. NO GOING OUT. So that I can rest, and pack for UK. But i woke up at 12. Cus i slept at 4 am. : P reading.. chating. what not..

Yesterday.. I tired packing.. but hell was it tough.. It took me forever, JUST to get started. And now i look at the pile at my feet, I feel like vomitting. argh.

I taught tuition to Hsiang An for the final time (thank God) I swear I could have killed myself, over and over again during tuition, and I still have one more tuition with Hsian Yu this Saturday, which I am thinking of not teaching, and refunding him, because, well.... I'm just really sick of it somehow.

It was wonderful to see Rita and Ro once again, I mean.. like come on.. These people weren't even from my JC class? We were just from the same department! Geog! And yes... of course.. Arts Fac. But its amazing how our friendship has maintained throughout the past 3 years... trying to meet regularly with rit and mary, and what not...

Rita said she looks like the rift valley here.. I concur.
Thanks GUANNIE AND RIT FOR THE IRISH ACCENT SPRAY!

Similarly, I met up with Adriel for dinner at Seah St Deli.. Again, he wasn't from my JC class, but from my Faculty, and worse, we weren't even from the same department. Haha.. I make friends everywhere but at home. haha..

I still have 2 more groups to meet.. Angie on friday afternoon and the SAS guys on Saturday evening.. Looking forward to both.

I was just thinking of mass on Sunday.. on how i forcefully instructed Deborah to REMIND her dearest Aunty Christina to wake up on time (or early for once, for goodness sakes) because its my last mass in SFX, and for the love of God, I never see her in church!!!!! In retrospect, it will be a tearful mass, a thanksgiving one to thank God of the abundance of graces that He has given me throughout my stay in SFX. It has been one hell of a journey that culminated in blissfulness, the most sad thing i've felt about SFX is about leaving it. Leaving SFX for some place probably, i dunno.. lesser?

The Genesis Merlot from South Africa was lovely.. it was mellow, not too strong.. full bodied at the same time.. and it wasn't too dry. I was sceptical that he suggested a 01 merlot, I was never really a sucker for merlot, but boy... this was good. Come to think of it.. I ain't even a sucker for red wine!

I always thought that Riesling was always too sweet for me.. and I really did not like the sweeeeeetness of Rieslings! Yet.. this one was well.. although abit young.. but.. the flavours were rich.. and it was lovely. Too bad we didn't get to open a bottle of sparkling.

Oh how much I will miss these impromtu outings to drink.

Well its just another 4.5 days away.. wish me luck! : )

Why am I going to UK?

Its rather difficult. Its the last week here in Singapore, and i can't help but feel sad, especially when almost everyday, I am having the time of my life. No complaints, no sad feelings.. just pure fun and joy.

The past week or so has been particularly eventful, with going to JB last sat, teacher's day celeb on Thurs, dinner on Wed, and Confirmation Retreat over the weekend. I just got back from
having a tennis game with them. (Simeon not in photo. behind camera).

I don't know why they had to look emo. But apparently, they're the emo generation.. while I. obviously. erm. older. Am NOT from the I-like-to-slash-my-wrist-and-use-dark-colors-on-my-blog generation.

Its amazing how God puts people into your life, and make you a part of them, as much as they are a part of you. And at the same time, Its amazing how God suddenly decides to rip everything apart. And you're suddenly left inanimately stranded.. Yet, you can't blame Him for His plans.

Camp was really great.. Like how i described it to Tim and Kris, MSC camps are a like a solid-titanium block, power packed and filled with like.. totally power stuff... but somehow, msc camps were derived from human hands. Yet... in this camp... the content was FAR from fulfilling, FAR from expectations, but the Holy Spirit chose to reveal His hand in this camp far more then expected. It was a dichotomy of 2 situations, a scenario where human hands guided the sec 2 sheeps toward the Lord, and one where The Holy Spirit choose to work fully using us. Praise God!

Most of the time, we behaved like psychotic old folks.. laughing, singing, jamming with the lamb most memorably. I think the confirmants enjoyed having mad people as their facilitators too! On the last day, His Grace, The Archbishop dropped in on us! what a pleasant surprise!

He had words of encouragement for all us facils and confirmants and imparted His Ecclesiastical blessing... It was nice.

There were the times, when the confirmants were not around, and we kinda misbehaved a little bit more.. Taking jumping shots, jamming in the middle of the night, singing praises at like impossible decibels, fooling around.. and just immersing ourselves in the whole engaging experience.

We tied Fang Long, the mysterious ISD officer to the pillar, took SMU jumping shots(constance just had to spoil that shot), and did all sorts of ridiculous stuff that doesn't seem very normal now, when I think back about it.

But camp isn't all about play, play and play... there were the serious moments when we had to reflect on the Word, and for us facils, time to think on how we can reach out to our group members, and yes. Write warm fuzzies... which I always find so difficult to do. I still remember, i wrote warm fuzzies till 4 am in the morning during the last camp. This camp was much easier since.. well at least.. the group was a leeeetle more willing to open their gold laden mouths.
And so here we have from left, the Facils, Jonathan, (bottom) Eunice the mad woman, myself, Evelyn, and freeman. And Kenneth hiding at the back with Thomas.

It was an interesting combination of people that made things seem sometimes bleak, sometimes colorful. I wouldn't say that we did a bloody smarshagomising job out of opening the confirmants up.. but well.. we did a good job entertaining them though.

This was of course... possibly, my last group I would have for camp. Considering that I am going to UK shortly, and of course, considering the probability of not coming back at all for the 1st year. Of course I felt sad when the camp ended, but somehow, I knew that my job here was done, and I needed to move on, wherever He leads me.

I know that it isn't very right to fret over going to UK, and at the same time, feel horridly sad and depressed over having to leave community, church, and this whole wonderful nucleus of a little society based in SFX that I call my very own Kampong.

Yet I feel almost obliged to feel sad, pained, and even depressed at times, because these people have given me, not only love, care, concern, and a kind of friendship unlike any others, and most importantly, they showed me who Jesus was.

At the same time, I know and I trust that the Lord will bless us all with His graces abundant. And that His plans are far too great for us to understand and see.

So, when I type my final goodbyes with a tear to boot. I can only ask that whence cometh the time when our paths cross once more, that the Lord be merciful and kind to let His graces flourish between us.