Trip to Nujiang, Myanmar

It's one week since i've last updated my blog. So this is a summary of what was happening...

Went to Nujiang, Myanmar to celebrate Christmas in one of the orphanages there. Though it was a one day event, we took 4 days to travel to and fro there. Bro Kimas and Paul were the team leaders, and Uncle Richard Lim was the coordinator in Myanmar. Uncle Richard's testimony was indeed a powerful one. He was once a drug addict for many years in Singapore, went in and out of jail several times. However, Jesus touched him, and he drew strength to quit drugs. Later, he was touched to go Myanmar and served as a teacher as well as the coordinator in an orphanage before getting married there It had been a number of years and the orphanage grew to a size of almost 40, and now he is still serving, with 2 beautiful kids.

22nd Dec: Departed around 10.30am at Changi airport. Toke a 3 hr flight to Yangon. From Yangon, waited at the airport for 4 hrs before transitted to Mandalay by Mandalay airlines. Quite a cute aircraft...with 60 passengers and running on propellers. Wah...Reached Mandalay around 7pm, and took a 1 hr bus ride to the city, where we retired for the night.

23nd Dec: Went to Nujiang, near Lashio, which was 9 hrs car ride from Mandalay. So we travelled from morning to late afternoon, through cold mountainous terrain, revisiting was S'pore might be like in the 50s. Very tiring. some of us almost got car sick but the scenery was good.

Winding path to Nujiang

The orphanage

At last, we reached the orphanage at around 4pm. We had only one hour to get ready before Pastor Adam conducted water baptism service for 9 teenagers. As the weather was cold, instead of conducting the baptism in nearby river, we facilitated that within a rubber pool. No time to inflat it, so we just make do with it. The children in the orphanage were so helpful they helped support the rubber pool.

Preparing for water baptism

Drawing water from the well

We went to Lashio to stay for the night at around 5pm (it would be too dark to drive safely after sunset, as there were no road lamps)

24 Dec: At 8.30am, we went back to the orphanage, where we hear praise and worship from the children, led by some bible college students. After that, we had breakfast with them. Very simple breakfast, with juz vege, a bit of meat, and rice (meat to them were very luxurious! it was sponsored by another Singaporean sister who happened to be there a week before us). There were some time before main service, so the kids let us to play with the water buffalo. There were chickens, pigs in the farm as well.

Riding a water buffalo

The main service was touching, with the children and youths testifying though they undergone so much suffering (really, compared to S'porean kids who are so much blessed). Tears really rose down their cheeks for some as they shared. Glad that the message that morning was the Christmas message, of Christ coming to this world, to take away our tears and to give us joy and hope, knowing that through Christ, we can find happiness.

After service, we have a full afternoon of games. Got wacko, pass the baton, newspaper game, then teach the children songs and bible stories. Really fun and exciting. Really sad time flies, but can see that the children are so happy, as they seldom saw visitors. In the end, all of the children got some Christmas present of some form. Though time was short, we thank God to bring happiness to them, and they in turn taught us the value to care and share, and being sincere to touch the hearts of people.

We had early dinner, around 4pm (the people here had only 2 meals a day) before we went back to Lashio for the night.

Photo taking session

A sad farewell. Tears really rolled down their cheeks as they sang us a song.

Photo taking with the signboard

25 Dec: Celebrated Christmas Day by travelling back to Mandalay. At least we went to a decent NYDC-like cafe for a nice dinner and ice-cream, at a fraction of the cost compared what you get in Singpapore

26: Took plane to Yangon, waited at the airport for 6 hrs, before transiting back to Singapore. Got slight flu and fever, but happy with the fruitful trip. Some of us lamented that the trip was too short, but then, for working adults, our leaves are so limited. All glory to God to keep us safe.

27-28 Dec: Work starts. Feeling unwell and sickly, yet need to go to school for Orientation. So much things to do. Practically hard to breath, working till 6pm on 27th and 8pm today. Yet glad everything in place, and the student leaders manage to do the tasks well, despite some communication hiccups. Hope by tomorrow, more things can be tied down.

Merry Christmas to You

Going out of town till after Christmas Day

WISHING ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

God bless you all. Jesus came down to earth to give us Hope, Joy an Peace. If you haven't know what Christmas is all about, do drop by in one of the Christmas celebrations organized by one of the local churches! :)

Johore Trip

Today went to Johor with some friends. Initially, me, diana, diana, waimun, stanley, mingyu, weilong, and joshua were at woodlands interchange. we took 950 to woodlands checkpoint, while waiting for jeffrey to turn up 45 min late...haha..well..despite the heavy rain, we managed to go thru the checkpoint to johor. waimun brought us to some obscure money changer shop, that we could exchange S$100 for 230.10 riggit instead of the usual 230.00 riggit...haha.

Then we walked thru the rain to city square, where we ate at Secret Recipe. The price compared to s'pore is really cheap...the cheese cake is so...good..but the service was so...so.. slow..in the end, we waited for almost an hr before i got my 9.90 riggit chicken set lunch. Waitat also came then.

The gals at Secret Recipe posing for a shot

The guys posing

After that, i managed to catch a show, Barnyard. Initially we thought that movie day (where prices per movie was 6 riggit) was on tuesday, but now they changed it to wed. Haha..so spent 9 riggit on the tickets for another cartoon this year! The pace was slow, the jokes were less funny than the cartoons i watched previously, but the morals behind it were good! (similar to Lion King). Some quotes from the movie:

"A strong man stands up for himself, but a stronger man stands up for others!"

"A good leader is not one who is the strongest nor the most powerful, but is one that cares the most!"

Wow, what a concidence to the theme that I was pondering the previous night!

Anyway, after the show, we shopped about. We splitted up, and were supposed to meet outside mac at 6.15. First group arrived at 6.15...saw no one..and left to find the rest...2nd group came soon after, found no one...and went off again...3rd group came... haah..in the end, the cycle finally ended..we were still full, and no where to go to. ahah..finally JEffrey suggested go to eat dinner, but we order less. So we took cab down to Tebrau food center for dinner.

Waiting outside mac, don't know where to proceed

Makan at Tebrau Food Centre

Finally, we ordered lots of food, chilli prawns, buttered crayfish, sambal stingray, baby kailan, deer meat, dumplings, clams, super large suger cane..haha...super full, but happily we left Johor and come back to Singapore.

Servanthood leadership

Quoted from Wikipedia:

"Servant leadership is an approach to leadership development, coined and defined by Robert Greenleaf and advanced by several authors such as Stephen Covey, Peter Block, Peter Senge, Max De Pree, Margaret Wheatley, Ken Blanchard, and others. Servant-leadership emphasizes the leader's role as steward of the resources (human, financial and otherwise) provided by the organization. It encourages leaders to serve others while staying focused on achieving results in line with the organization's values and integrity.

The modern concept of Servant Leadership started with Robert Greenleaf, who published his essay, "The Servant as Leader" in 1970. This led to further essays from Greenleaf, and further works from others, especially in recent years. However, the concept is thousands of years older than this and stems, at least partly, from Jesus' teachings on leadership. He sought to teach his disciples that in order to be first they must "wash each other's feet" (Jn. 13:14). In other words, they must seek to serve each other in order to be true leaders. And again, Jesus said that "many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first" (Matt. 19:30). meaning that true leadership, according to Jesus, was leadership based in servanthood. Servant Leadership is also the main principle concept behind the film, The Emperor's Club, that shows the relation of a teacher and student after years of distinctive differences in their ambitions and philosophies on life. Servant Leadership in the film, teaches how "it is not living that is important, but living rightly". In such a context, The Emperor's Club clearly defines "right" and brings out its moral implications on a heavily mortalised world.

It differs from other leadership approaches by eschewing the common top-down hierarchical style, and instead emphasizing collaboration, trust, empathy, and the ethical use of power. At heart, the individual is a servant first, making the conscious decision to lead; his drive is to lead because he wants to serve better, not because he desires increased power. The objective is to enhance the growth of individuals in the organization and increase teamwork and personal involvement.

Critics might dismiss Servant leadership as yet another management fad to line consultants' pockets, but its proponents counter that the ideals underlying it are timeless (witness its description in chapter 17 of the Tao Te Ching, ca. 6th century BCE), and the concept of Servant Leadership has been in development for over 40 years with involvement from AT&T and Harvard Business School.

Several companies have based or incorporated servant leadership into their corporate culture, including Herman Miller, Toro Company, Southwest Airlines, TDIndustries, Starbucks Coffee, Men's Warehouse, ServiceMaster, and others."

- In short, it needs much sacrifices, places the interests the members and organization above self and works despite little or no recognition. A servant submits to higher authority, and knows his master's heart. Likewise a servant leader submits to authorities higher up, and knows the heart of his boss/fellow workers.

In short, an organization will prosper a lot when it has leaders with a heart of servanthood.

Church camp 2006

Just came back from church camp today. Had a wonderful time in Aloha Changi. Really thank God for his grace and protection, supplying all our needs, and keeping us safe and sound. Thanks so much for everyone in this retreat for making it so enjoyable and memorable. Below are some photos to summarize all.

Group photos for youth.

Joseph and me!

Praising and Worshipping God

Outdoor games

Water Games

Home made satay and BBQ

Night walk to Changi Beach

American Breakfast for Breakfast

What struck me most is sharing by an Indonesian brother, Uncle Wimpie. He did a mega powerpoint presntation, telling us the urgent need to pray for Indonesia. More than 1000 churches burnt down. Poverty, HIV, terrorism, famine, natural disasters everywhere. When the presentation was presented to the church leaders in Jarkata, so many cried, and so many was burdened for their own country. May God bless this country, its leaders and people.

And may our children, living in blessed Singapore, feel that they are blessed instead of grumbling so much. It surprises me that Singapore, most affluent country in South East Asia, is reported to be the most unhappy nation too.

Last quiz for the day

I'm both animal and elmo??? so different...i wanna cry...haha

It proves my point...these online tests are fun, but not necessary accurate! haha

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts. You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary. But you sure can beat a good drum. "Kill! Kill!"

The Muppet Personality Test

Another quiz

Okay! Another post to my blog! I'm rigging up the number of my blog post!

You Are Elmo

Sweet and innocent, you expect everyone to adore you. And they usually do! You are usually feeling: Talkative. You've got tons of stories to tell. And when you aren't talking, you're laughing. You are famous for: Being popular, though no one knows why. Middle aged women especially like you. How you life your life: With an open heart. "Elmo loves you!"

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

I must be getting bored

I must be getting bored...haha..doing all these cute quizzes ;)

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

Oh no! I'm NOT a nerd

You Are 36% Nerdy

You're a little nerdy, but no one would ever call you a nerd. You sometimes get into nerdy things, but only after they've become a part of mainstream culture.

How Nerdy Are You?

Outing at Pasir Ris again

Today went to Coasta Sands @ Pasir Ris again! This time, met up with some of my former students from practicum school. Very glad to be able to see a number of them, such as Xue-er, Jianzhong, Yanting, Soo Kiat, Leong Ping, Farris etc... Got to know that my si-fu, Mr K.S Lee, would be leaving for MOE HQ. All the best for his future endeavours as well.

Change of Blog skin

After 9 months of setting up this blog, I have decided to change the blogskin to a more simplisitic one. So I hired my littlest cutest cousin, Ms Sarah Kwan, to help!

Haha..thanks to her brilliance as well as her good friend, Fengg (whoever he is... but at least he helped me with the photo), she painstakingly helped me with the new blogskin, and so I am grateful.

All the best for Sarah as she embarks onto Sec 3 this coming year! (made me so ashamed... majored in computing during sec sch/ JC and yet dunno how to create a decent blogskin..haha)

Class outing

Today had the privilege of being invited by students of my form class to their chalet at Pasir Ris. So we went to Escape Theme park. Too old for many games, so took some random shots.

Xuan Hao shooting water at Srivarsan



The group, comprises my class, their immediate juniors, as well as friends of Lianhan's brother.

Playing the Viking

Clayton won a colorful bear at horse-racing. ahah..not the actual horse racing lar..the carnival kind


Sri and Randy each won a soft toy.

Good time for them to chill out. 3 more weeks to school re-opening...yeah!

Badminton Champions

Last night, watched the badminton match of the century: Lin Dan (World No 1) vs Taufik Hidayat (Olympic Gold Medalist).

A really exciting match if you know the history. Last olympic, Lin Dan was touted to be the champion, but lost to Singapore's Ronald Susilo, so could not go to the finals. Many badminton enthusiasts wanted this 2 giant to meet. And so indeed, during this Asian game, they two finally met.

2 players, 2 different styles of play.
Lin Dan was more aggressive, hiting almost every time with a smash. Taufik usally returned more shots with a low play or a drop shot.
The most exciting part was game 2, where Taufik was trailing 17-20. Indeed, Lin Dan gave in under pressure to push for the one more point, resulting Taufik winning 5 consecutive points, winning the game 22-20. Really nice to watch, really cool. Yeah...south east Asia beat China to a gold, haha

Tonight, went to another wedding banquet. Congrats, K.Y. and Liling, may God bless the both of you!

PSL Retreat and Saturday outing

Yesterday, super tiring but happy day.

Tiring: how to take care of 30 students with a big park (Pasir Ris park) for them to roam about? Practically not easy! But really thankful many of them are matured to take care of themselves, yet shows accountability to higher authorities (something so lacking in many youths in this generation). Anyway thank you PSLs for the wonderful time together.






Seeing them, what they enjoyed, such as cycling, playing cards, basketball etc..., I really was looking back myself on my secondary school life also... too bad time can't be change. At least right now, I do not have curfew's in place by parents, haha.

I was so tired last night that i slept before 12. rare..so rare...

Thank God that before I slept last night, some one msned me to remind me of a wedding I had to attend this morning. Wow...really drowned in work that I almost forgot to attend

Anyway, congratulations to Chico and E.L.! yeah...the buffet lunch was nice! Some one else was one hour late! aiyoh, forgetful people we were...

Then rushed down to St Andrew Cathedral to meet cell group for carnival, before bring all 20 of them to Settler's cafe @ Hong Lim.

yeah, so nice to slack there for the afternoon. Glad for the afternoon bonding as well.

Evening, went to orchard to see lights... every year similar kind of lights, but every year hope to see them. It's the festive season, Ho Ho Ho!

Movie Critics

Today finally got to watch Happy Feet, which means i have watched 3 animation films within the span of just one month! Flushed away, Open Season, Flushed away. Below are some personal movie reviews:

Flushed away: 4 stars out of 5 stars
Why you should watch it: Good laughter. Almost no scenes that are boring. Ingenious but simple plot outline, good laughter, cute characters (esp the singing slug), creative gadgets
Why you shouldn't: screening time too short, not much soundtrack

Open season: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars
Why you should watch it: most funny and lamest of the three. No scenes that are boring. Cute characters (all of the animals are in fact cute)...super funny animal uprising
Why you shouldn't: weak plot, predictable story line

Happy Feet: 3 stars out of 5 stars
Why you should watch it: amazing sound track and dance moves, realistic animation
Why you shouldn't: long and draggy plot, weak theme (started well but ended abruptly), not much laughter compared to the 2 other animations

Overall, all 3 shows are watchable if you have the time and money!

Open Season

Yesterday watched Open Season. Actually wanted to watch Happy Feet, but the timings screened are not what I wanted. So watched Open Season. Nice, funny, and lame movie... laughed and laughed ...

Busy joyous saturday and a fruitful Sunday

Yesterday was a nice and rewarding but tired day. In the morning, I went to the national library to have my books dropped, before going over to Vincent and Ai Rin's wedding. The wedding ceremony was short, but solemn. The traditional organ was so cool too.


Time really flies since the last time I met Ai Rin. Glad to have met some old friends such as Victor and Phyllis, as well as Barnabas, Yin Soo as well. I happened to meet my primary school classmate, Gladwin! Surprised that he was attending the same church as the bridegroom and bride. After the buffet lunch, went to attend Soo Jin and Vanessa's wedding.

Wow, this time, though it was another church wedding, the atmosphere was a bit more lax and more contemporary, with very cool MCs. Indeed, I like the part where Soo Jin sung to the bride as she walked along the aisle. Met a number of Crusaders. Was teasing to each other that weddings are just like a gathering for us to meet up.

Thanks to May Ann, who spearheaded the drink-coffee- after- the- wedding- movement, we went to coffee club for a drink. Nice catching up with Derek, Serene, Stanley, May Ann, Davina, Matthew, Jonathan.

In the evening, rushed down to the airport with my church youths, where we were to fetch 2 Australian pastors, Pastor Steve and Pastor Ashley, to come to Singapore. While waiting, I had fun carrying baby Caleb.

Thank God the 2 pastors came, and so we had a good meet up, before asking them whether they had dinner. They did not. So we asked them what food they liked. They said Asian ...

Thus we brought them to a chinese restaurant, before bringing them to a hotel to rest.

Today, thank God for listening them sharing their experinces in India with us. Really so cool to preach and minister in the villages.

In the evening, slept a great deal, before watching part of the finals women's table tennis match in the Asian games between China and Singapore. Congrats for Singapore for obtaining a silver!