UPDATE: i’m still around! :)

*waves!!!* i’m still around! this blog has indeed been neglected over the past few….. erm.. days. been awhile since i’ve written and i’m feeling extremely lazy to blog nowadays. but anyways, blogging is suppose to be a spontaneous kinda activity isn’t it? it’s tiring (okay, maybe i’m lazy) thinking of how to document my activities and days. it’s so much more heartwarming skyping or msning or emailing my friends for updates than to count on reading up blog posts.

i’m in the mood for ranting, but since i’m in no mood for msning/talking, so here goes.

work – everything was once going at a pace which i’m comfortable with, and yet including occasional unpredictable challenges .but after the recent department rotation to be more involved in the operations, the experience thus far felt like i was being thrown into a vast sea learning to swim all by myself. you know,  it’s like offering me a lollipop to have a few licks and then to snatch it away again. it’s cruel! beginning to miss my previous colleagues andtrying not to compare the present with the past. i guess what i can do now is to appreciate what i had before, hold on to it and be thankful for it. and of cos, to learn to maximize what’s before me now and make the best outta it!

life – missing family and friends like never before. settling down is tough, challenging yet fulfilling. i’m learning, constantly.

You – thanks, for always being there. for constant tiny, yet important reminders needed for the peace in my heart. i guess You’re the reason that kept me grounded, especially during the hardest times.

ask me how’s life, and that’s my summary thus far. tmr’s the last day of this week’s shift and of course, i’m excited looking forward to my off days!

well oh well, finally some time for myself and this blog. i hope there wouldn’t be cobwebs the next time round i drop by here!

goodnight world.

remember

that what i am here for.

that whatever that can be shaken will be shaken,

and whatever that will remain will stay, strong.

it’s so easy to lose myself in the midst of adapting into a new environment.

…..

work has started. not in the best of ways, but satisfying enough. and time passes by so quickly, soon it’s gonna be a month for me over here. hasn’t been tough for me to keep in touch with my family and friends back in singapore, and praise the Lord for that. and that’s definitely important for me.

gosh, can the x’mas holidays come faster?

all’s good. =)

gosh, the thanksgiving holidays went by in the blink of an eye. tmr the official training for us is gonna start, specific to the area we are gonna work in. oh wells, more holidays will come during the x’mas season! wheee!

just in case you’re free enough to visit this site and wondering if i’m adapting well.. all’s good. physically, mentally and spiritually. i shit everyday (hey, that’s a good sign), been eating home cooked rice and chinese food occasionally, and well i managed to attend a good church with beliefs similar to NCC’s on my first attempt.

but i do miss attending NCC. the services showing how coherent the scriptures are, the pastors, and my sisters and brothers in Christ. but no matter what, i’m glad that i’m still receiving my portion over here. =) however this current one is situated in a dangerous district; guess we’re gonna hunt for another nearer to our future home. speaking of which, we’ve found a house with a good location. pricey, but convenient. promise to upload pics of my new hse when we start moving in alright!

in the meanwhile, i’m praying with thankfulness that everything’s going on good for my family and friends back home.

imthankful4

and so that was the theme of last week’s church service – giving thanks. the service was short, but special. the church was told to sms what they’re thankful for to a certain hotline, after which the messages would be screened at the end of the service. and tears came, of joy and of thankfulness.

i am thankful for… (it’s a secret). well, it’s suffice to know what i’m thankful for myself. :p

it was my first celebrated thanksgiving. nothing fanciful, just a simple dinner with your closest and loved ones during this festive season, according to the local culture.  and of cos, these are my (physically) closest friends over here…

the turkey was %@$#@$@ hard to be cut up. hehs, but it’s heartwarming to be eating singaporean food in the land of bread and sandwiches.. and cold food. went a tad crazy before getting ready for our MIDNIGHT MADNESS SALES! but i was already feeling exhausted from a day’s of collecting turkey, jogging and cooking. STILL, the shopping trip was one not to be missed.

after an hour and a half’s drive, we finally arrived at our destination! fortunately, we arrived 2 hrs before the sales started (just in time for some pre-sales shopping), as the crowd started to build up. and before you know it, the entire car park was sardined with cars and people. (talk about economic crisis!?) but well, it was observed that 50% of the crowd seemed to be urm, non-americans.

no pics during shopping due to obvious reasons.now I know why shopaholic friends of mine told me to PACK LIGHT!!!

after about 7 hours of shopping with short breaks in between, we finally ended our shopping craze and set off for homesweethome. the fog was horrendous, you could barely see the signs and traffic lights. took over the wheel along the highway where the fog started to fade away. arrived at the hotel at about 7am, and I immediately went off to lala-land.

Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Thank You.

it’s amazing. just when i thought of looking for a house of Him, a girl came up today and asked if she could join me. and ’still seeking’ was her answer.

made a call back to my grandma today. and i fought hard to hold my tears back, and my tears did listen to me. heh. ahhh, but i really miss her.

and i would like to apologize to some that i could not stay on msn for long chats with friends. simply too exhausted over the past few days. wasn’t really in the mood to move around my house once i got back to my room. but now things are starting to roll, with all the orientations and meet ups with managers, sups, colleagues, etc. and i’m getting to adjust my body clock to the timing here. Praise Lord.

no exciting adventures to tell just yet. pls take care, for those who bother to drop by this blog. and i miss you guys back there.

i’m really tired. i meant physically. with all the jetlag, confused body clock and non-stop full-day lectures being thrown to us to digest.

but at the same time, i’m wowed. and as a matter of fact, i’m at this point more impressed with the company than SF city itself. slowly i’m beginning to experience and understand what the big hoo-ha this company i’m working for is about. the company is amazing. or perhaps it’s just a brainwash training during the first few days of orientation. we shall see yeah.

update

and so i set off on the very famous and popular SQ heading towards san francisco. felt rather embarrassed that my tears came uncontrollably, especially after hugging my grandma! but anyway, i don’t think anyone will ever remember that sight. i hope. call that denial. heh. felt much better after messing around and creating chaos with my fellow colleague sitting beside me on board.

by the time i reached my hotel room, it was about 10pm. an extremely decent room in marriott’s residence inn at oyster point, and i felt a little over-pampered with such good treatment. everything paid for and spoon fed for the first month – independence will start one mth later and after which i hope everything will turn out well. and despite only sleeping about 3 hours on the plane, i was still pretty energetic. unpacked my luggage, and went to bed at about 2am.

the sunday started at 7am and we had a very short tour around san fran city. 70% of the time was spent on the bus though. thus a glimpse of the city only, and we’ve tried spotting as many sightseeing areas as possible for future adventures. =) by 2pm, the lack of sleep took a toll upon me (and us), and we felt exhausted more than excited.

it’s great that every now and then, constant reminders of His grace and wonderfulness come forth from friends – emails, facebook, msn, etc. =)

tmr’s the official start of work days, and i’m excited about it.

happy today.

today, i’m happy.

i’m glad! for finally attending Arrow (Now GenRev), a service i’ve always wanted to attend since weeks ago, but just couldn’t make it due to plans made very much earlier.

glad, for having a chance to meet up with a friend after a long while, whose exceptionally cheerful sms-es (and also in real life) never fail to make me laugh.

glad, for the very brief dinner with my classmates who always make me feel comfy and at ease.

glad, for the unusual time which i could just sit in front of the tv with my mom, who’s ever so busy.

i’m happy!

was pondering over a very simple talk i had with a friend just hours ago, and a little voice in me told me that not spending time with the Word simply means missing out on the good stuff, and not my disability in understanding it. and boy, that moment was indescribable.

Singapore Biennale 2008 – City Hall

We finally embarked our journey to SB2008, the second time round in Singapore, following the first in 2006. This exhibition introduced me various expressions of ‘ART’ by artists from different countries. Theme for this year: WONDER. My exact sentiments.

First stop – City Hall

City Hall

My first time stepping into this place once graced by lawyers and respected judges. And apparently it was where LKY proclaimed self governance for Singapore. After this biennale, it will be converted into the National Art Gallery. =) Looking forward!

My favourite pieces:

Singapore, 2008 (Wit Pimkanchanapong, Thailand)

A google earth image map of singapore, as a covering over the floors in the Chamber room. Stickers were provided for visitors to tag specific places onto the map. And of cos, we marked our territory as well. Dissatisfied in working within the virtual world, the artist hopes to provide opportunities for people to interact with each other as they witness themselves perform the tagging. “As the exhibition progresses, more tagging will occur and layer upon layer of information will be placed upon the surface… it’s a great metaphor for nation building, where individuals can contribute, adding meaning and understanding to a new land as they live and work in it.”

Blackfield, 2008 (Zadok Ben-David, Yemen)

The plants are carved out of metal, each one different and intricate, are painted black on one side and a spectrum of colours on the other. It’s mesmerizing, to move down row by row and see the colours changing. Both the macro and micro views of this exhibit, from any sides, are beautiful to behold. “Hence it is not only the physical thing of the installation that matters but one’s relationship to it.”

I Wonder Why?, 2008 (Srinivasa Prasad, India)

Sculptures of everyday objects, constructed from layers of covered charcoal. The room seemed to be burning in flames, bringing to mind a burning society. A simple yet powerful expression which stirs your emotions. “relates to creation, spirituality and the origins of the world.”

Cermelang, Gemilang, Terbilang (Excellence, Glory, Distinction), 2007 (Liew Kung Yu, Malaysia)

As rays of light shine through the above collage  photoshopped with images of famous Malaysian icons, on the wall behind it appears a Wayang Kulit performance formed from holes and slits unseen from the front, but penetrable by light. The image casted on the wall is supposedly a greedy but in some versions, good villain from a well known Sanskrit literary work. ” As light passes through holes in the symbols of national prosperity, an image of a mythical villain is cast.. an obvious mischievous and playful dig at what symbolises success and the politicans that drive it..this work is about identity and independence.”

Just four outta the many wonderful exhibits in City Hall, yet so much told. =) A pity we skipped all the video installations due to time constraint, and the walking and heat taking a toll on our stamina. Heh.

A few others:

Maggots, 2004 (Pham Ngoc Durong, Vietnam) Giant maggots likened as to when one peers through a microscope, a metaphor for corruption within a system.

Bachelor - The Dual Body, 2003 (Rhee Ki-Bong, Korea) A book of philosophy thrown into an aquarium. p/s I dont really understand this.

Raw Canvas, 2008 (Jane Lee, Singapore) Thick swathes of paint weaved to look like fabric from far. "It is like a cloth that speaks or keeps its sercret."

Just a documentation of this wonderful exhibition for myself. =)