Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Chilling @ Arts Canteen on a bright sunny morning

Felt like i'm on holiday
Chilling out at a comfortable place with good view
Sky is clear and blue, so is the sea (that i could see in the distance)
Morning rush hour was madness
Took 1.5hr to reach sch for my dental appt
The sea is also bustling with activities, so packed with ships and boats
Wondered how they navigate to avoid crashes
Still, sitting here and watching activities and time goes by,
simply enjoyment, that i much treasured,
that would not come by that easy
in a couple of years' time when i enter workforce.
Fret not, just live everyday like you've never lived before.
Thank God for this beautiful morning.

Anyway, a momentous episode that occurred yesterday.
Saw someone left their keys on the mailbox
Happened to me a few times too
First reaction, just leave it there. That person will come and claim.
Went into the lift, mad struggle within.
"Should I just help? Or ignore?"
Door opened, and i press "Close" again.
Went down to first floor, walked towards the mailbox,
took out the keys and went to find the unit no.
*Knock knock*..."wrrff, wrrfff!!" dog barked.
Heard noises in the house. Owner came and peek through the viewer.
Refused to open the door,
probably because i dressed like a salesman then.
But i didn't relent.
Kept knocking only into believing that the door will be opened.
After several failed attempts, I left.
But left the keys hanging at the door. That's the most i think i could do.
~ Thoughts ~
Problem with high-rise HDB living nowadays.
People don't know each other.
Live in the same block, same column some more.
Didn't recognize my handsome face.
Scared that i'm a salesman or someone up to no good.
Why would a salesman come and sell things at 10pm?
Really puzzled me. Is opening a door so difficult?
At most just turn down the offer if its a salesman.
Everyone is just closing up and setting up a huge defense shield.
They ought to chill men...
Haiz...
好心没好报。。。

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Blessed experiences

2nd July 2008
Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong Funeral Mass
shortly after I came back from Vietnam
Read about this good shepherd returning to our Father in heaven
He was the one who graced my Sacrament of Confirmation
Laid hands on my head and confirmed me
A humble and amicable person
A very grandfatherly figure
And that simply explained the crowd that was present
Standing outside under the shady trees, the cool breeze prevailed
It was a bright sunny day, not until rolls of thunder filled the air
It was sudden, and fast. Dark clouds started gathering
at one corner of the deep blue sky. A welcoming tune from heaven?
A truly memorable mass i must say. =)


8th July 2008
Singapore National Youth Orchestra Concert
Stole a shot of the Esplanade Concert Hall interior
Jeremy performed alongside with his counterparts
And so shiok, they're going Italy the following day.
They played familiar tunes and very nice pieces indeed.
Love the flute, the cello and interestingly the timpani.

About 20 people from the altar servers and choir went to watch
A mini parish outing? Haha. Nice.



12th July 2008
Saturday morning walk to the Southern Ridges
Finally got to spend some quality time with Moli...
Booked ourselves a date to check out the bridges along the ridges
Impressed with the architecture and landscaping
God blessed us with an unusually bright sun and blue sky
Superb for a good tan and photography!
Didn't take more than 3hrs to finish the fruitful walk from
Hort Park to Mt Faber and finally chilling out @ Vivocity



The Henderson Waves. Designed by my archi prof.
Congrats and great job! Refreshing design, great height,
good view, shiok wind, and funky furniture.



Went to Vivo and recalled that I was in-charge of a
roof canopy design (that silver aluminium curvy thing)
during my internship @ DP.
Cool. It was constructed. Pretty close to what I've
submitted for Tender before I left. Little sense of
achievement. A tiny footprint. =)

Friday, July 4, 2008

Youth Expedition Project to Northeast Vietnam


15th Jun - 26th Jun 08
Landed with 20 odd people at Giao Tien School, Xuan Thuy.
A coastal town with vast plains of rice fields and lots of moths.
Water and Electricity are scarce and rationed
No air-conditioning for the next 11 days
Many "don't-haves"
Several gains
Wrote in great length in my travel journal
In summary, a good 11 days of minimal stress and anxieties from the worldly domain.
Lots of positive ions generated in my body from the fun, laughter and crappy talks.
Many mornings of quiet time to communicate with God
Basking under the gentle rays of the rising sun
11 days of holiness
Journeyed with my 2 dearest friends of Christ
Thank you John and Sarah.




Nevertheless, toiling from 7am to 7pm was no joke at all
We were all serious to get the library up and completed by the 11th day
Pushed ourselves to the limits
Our skins charred, muscles toughened, fat burnt to almost zero level
Lots of trials and testings along the way
We held on together and braced through
By the strength and grace from God
Without all these tribulations, this YEP would have meant less to us.

A small tiny library of less than 60sqm
Built using the most primitive method in S'pore context
Hard human labour with minimal machine
It all seemed so daunting and toiling
How do people of the past construct monuments with no machinery?!
Madness. But everything is possible in God's plans.

Learnt many things about architecture and construction
from this simple building. It was the many last minute
on-the-spot architectural decisions that were more successful in
the outcome. Seemed like all the times spent in designing back in
Singapore only constitute 50% or less to the eventual product.

26th - 30th Jun 08 R&R @ Hanoi.
Nothing spectacular or particularly memorable that can overshadow
the Xuan Thuy experience.
It was only the tough struggle in decision making to continue the extension
of my trip to 5th Jul or come back with the rest on 30 Jun.
Thankfully, He spoke to me through my prayers and John.
I would have missed my matriculation for Masters course
and lost a good one week break before getting back into
the crazy course of life in Singapore.

Missing the slow pace of life with nothing much to worry about
Glad that i'm back in the comfort of home
And back in the embrace of princess's care
Learnt to be more disciplined with my spiritual life
And ever thirsting for God's word now
Moli, the book you gave me is fabulous! =)

Let the pictures speak. Visit my flickr website.