Thanks!

Thanks to Jasmine and Serene who have spent so much time and effort to plan and execute the retreat! Thanks also to those who took time to plan for the various activities.

farewells

It was a very emotional last day of school term in Koriyama High School today as I came to realise a lot of things about Japanese students. They can spend a whole year being shy and not talking to you but when it comes down to the crunch where you are leaving, they write you the most sincere letters filled with heartfelt gratitude and suddenly have outburst of emotions.

I gave a very heartfelt farewell speech in Japanese for the closing ceremony today and almost teared when the student councillors presented me with a Koriyama High School sweater with my name embroidered on it in Katakana.

I went to the chorus club's public perfomance later in the night and as I left the building, I was shocked and deeply moved by the 2 rows of chorus club girls who were shocked to see me, were screaming my name and holding on to my hands, almost in tears that it was so hard for me to hold back my tears as well.

I have perhaps failed miserable at being detached once again, even though I came knowing I would only be here for a year. But I am tahnkful for everything that has happend to me in Japan in the short span of time, and nothing can ever replace such an experience.

To quote from Che Guevera in the Motorcycle Diaries:

~ What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? Each moment seems split in two; melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land.

I am humbled as I come to realise that the words "everything happens for a reason" can only be truly appreciated with hindsight, and I am thankful for the times of my lowest of moments here in Japan that helped me to appreciate the highs later, even more.

"Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us."

Kathy in 日本

.giant.star.

hi all,

if you are free on thursday, 9 july, would you like to go down to mediacorp studio for a recording of a show?

i am in a competition called giant star 2009.

details are: admission: 645pm, show starts: 730pm, duration: 1 hour.

i have 30 tickets to be given out for my supporters as the audience.

would you be one of them?

thank you.

chunquan

.it.is.good.to.be.in.deep.shit.

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold, the bird froze and fell to the ground in a large field. While it was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was. The dung was actually thawing him out! Soon, a farmer passed by and heard the little bird chirping. Seeing the poor creature covered with dung, he decided to help the bird get out of the mess and placed it under a shrub. By this time, the bird was feeling warm and chirpy. and A cat passing by heard the sounds, saw the bird and ate it up.

Morals of the story?
1) Not everyone who drops shit on you is your enemy.
2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
3) When you’re in deep shit, it might be better just to keep your mouth shut.

A turkey was chatting with a bull. “I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree,” sighed the turkey, “but I haven’t got the energy.” “Well, why don’t you nibble on some of my droppings?” replied the bull. “They’re packed with nutrients.” The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it actually gave him enough strength to reach the first branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree. Soon he was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.

The moral of the story?
Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there.

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, “Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?” The crow answered: “Sure, why not.” So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

The moral of the story?
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

-chunquan

.treasures.

hi all,

Matthew 6:19
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.


Matthew 6:20
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

a trip to milan and it strikes deep within me.

i dont really learn, do i?

chun quan

The judges ...

More photos from the party!

Jeremiah Knights Costume Party!!! Look At This!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Hi Jeremiah!!!

Thank you all for my birthday gift! I wanted to get a thumbdrive myself, because it is essential for a student! I needed it alot, and when I opened up the gift wrap, I was really overjoyed to see a thumbdrive! THANK YOU!

Anyway my apologies for not joining you guys for the costume party, as I just finished Sundown Marathon at 5 a.m. in the morning. It was a tough route, especially when you are running alone. But I saw this runner with these words printed on his singlet "Running towards God."

I was so inspired and thought to myself how God has enabled my sick body to undertake such an arduous challenge. I managed to finish the marathon with God running beside me. When the going gets so tough, I ask God to empower and encourage me to keep on going. And I managed to finish the marathon!

God is around us. Even when we think we are lonely, we aren't, because God is always around us. Jiayou to everyone for the coming weeks and months of work. May God bless all of you guys! *WOO HOO*

Ron.

.happy.birthday.

hi all,

today is the day!

happy birthday to our blog!

it is a pure coincidence that there is a dressed-up party today too!

enjoy!

expecting many candid shots!

chun quan

Cao Dai Temple in Vietnam

hihi! Not long ago I was in Vietnam holiday-ing.. and during fri cell group I was sharing about this vietnamese religion and their interesting temple.. there is this group of people in Vietnam who call themselves the Cao Dai Sect, and they believe in the Cao Dai religion (btw Cao Dai means 高塔, tall tower). Cao Dai religion is actually a combination of 4 existing religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity and Confucianism. Below are some pictures I've taken.

Exterior



this eye can be found everywhere in their temple...

Interior

these are believers taking part in a prayer session.


and yes! you can find Confucius, Lao Zi (Taoism), Jesus and Buddha... this is found in the direction that all the believers are facing to.

=)
cynthia-CHUA~!

Do you remember the time when...

Hehe some old photos I managed to dig out...time flies eh? ;)

Kathy

.may.and.may.again.

hi all,

as i was scrolling down the blog, i realised that it has been a year since the first post was made.

365 days, well, almost and we seem to have under-use this free facility to update, to share, to love and to encourage.

maybe we shall be more active here?

i am like talking to myself only.

hahaha...

thank you jocelyn for her initiative and started this platform for us to post my, oops, our entries.

may we have more posts from this may onwards!

chun quan

.identify.

hi all,

received this email recently. i thought it would be good to share.

RECOGNISING A STROKE

Remember the "3" steps, STR.

Sometimes, symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.

Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognise the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognise a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S* Ask the individual to SMILE .
T* Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today).
R* Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

NOTE : Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, go to the hospital immediately!

Describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

chunquan

.an.illustration.

.e.t.

drums please roll...

hi all,

the answer which i cant keep further.

hui im's answer is along that line.

here is it.

21 alphabets are left.

why?

as we all should know, 'e' and 't' form 'et'.

'et' needs to be removed.

'et' leaves in an 'ufo', thus, when i take away 'e' and 't', 'u', 'f' and 'o' are gone too!

have a little laugh to break the tension you have.

chunquan

.know.your.abc.

hi all,

from a to z, how many alphabets are there?

26, that is.

if i were to remove e and t, how many are left?

this is tricky.

chunquan

Something encouraging.

Hey everyone!

I've been missing from church for 2 weeks already, and will continue to be missing for another 2 weeks. Reason being? I am having my major examinations (*which is killing me*) and I will be going overseas for holidays and then competition. Lots of stuff planned, so kinda miss church.

Anyway, I just want to share how God spoke to me today, which really encouraged me alot. I had a relatively easy paper today, but due to inadequate preparation, I did not managed to do well (I guess). Feeling very upset, I prayed to God telling Him how I felt at that moment, and also thanked Him for His grace as well as His wisdom in guiding me through the exams. At that point, I was on the bus, making my way home.

As I finished praying, I looked up at the TV mobile screen, as it was still a distance from home, and the first thing that I saw on the screen was this phrase "You can never be thankful and upset at the same time."

At that moment, it suddenly just donned on me that God spoke, telling me to have faith and not be upset about it. He has plans for me, and all I need to do is to follow Him and have faith in Him. At that point, I smiled, because God showed His presence to me, and spoke to me.

Our Lord is such a real God, who speaks and comforts us when we need Him. Let us continue to be encouraged by what God has and will continue to do for us. Anyway jiayou peeps! I will see you guys in church soon! God bless all of you and take good care of yourself!

-Ron-

A Psalm of Cosette

Dear all,

Here is the much-anticipated Psalm...
It may seem quite simple, but it is simply profound. :)

You are God
You are God Almighty
You are God
You are God who created me
(Higgaion Selah)

I lift up my voice
I lift up my voice to sing Hallelujah to my God
(Selah)

I am forever indebted to You
For Your love to me is everlasting

.child.prodigy.

hi all,

one child prodigy led me to the other.

interracial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa-xLY5WEOU&feature=related

i am touched.

especially so, after seeing the girl at the piano.

i heart connie!

chun quan