I read in this brilliant book I've been reading recently called What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell about the simplicities of life and happiness. "Happiness can sometimes be found in what we've always had or someone else is having", how contended we are is how we perceive life as we live it on a day to day basis. Should we be constantly wanting more when all we want could be right before us today.

BIG NEWS
My new I pod nano finally arrived. It was a sporadic moment that i decided to buy it from apple.com because it was on sale and 10 percent off. But i'm happy with it, being all mini and convenient but it packs a punch in sound quality as well. Free engraving and free shipping, who could resist. :)

Continuing on with Europe and day 4:
We were finally in Switzerland after a long day's bus ride the day before and were rearing to go to see what Switzerland had in store. First thing in the morning and the first thing you have is an awesome european breakfast in the hotel really makes your day. First we went over to the park of humongous chess pieces and rich history of christian faith in the reformed calvinist movement. The sights and sounds of Switzerland really do attempt to take your breath away each and ever time. Then we headed down to the district where many global organizations base and the biggest of them all being the UN which reminded me of Mr Yew and history and its traumatizing past. To see the flags of all the UN nations rise high really brought back memories of the many CSQ's don't it. Just next to it lay the broken chair a symbol of freedom and peace in the heart of a busy cold road center.



We then headed to the olympic park home of the olympic museum and it was such a sight to behold. All the statues and architecture and the flags blowing in the wind. Cue nice background scenery and great family members. Must say this was one of the most memorable places we visited that day.



Afterward it was on to the city where charlie chaplin was born. That place was filled with majestic beauty and everywhere was a sight to behold. It was surrounded by a magnificent waterfront and you'll see swans and ducks all basking in the warm sunlight despite constant cold winds blowing from time to time. There in the middle of the lake is a huge fork that makes the whole place seems almost cartoonish yet beautiful. Charlie Chaplin sure lived in an awesome place.



What was left of the day was a stop by an ancient castle which had a riveting view of the ocean beyond it and this quite medieval garden and of course who could forget, BRAD PITT. No we weren't actually going to see brad it was a bear pit in the middle of winter with no bears to show because sensibly all of them have gone into hibernation. Then we visited this pleasant little town with mrt's on the road and a huge christmas market.



THE BEST DINNER OF THE WHOLE TRIP WAS NEXT... repeat after me CHEESE FONDUE!!!! It was the best meal not only because the boss serving us cheese fondue was extremely enthusiastic buffed and high on what seemed like swiss cheese chocolates and hospitality, it packed a punch that we had cheese fondue that had a scent of white wine and chocolate fondue that smelt of the most heavenly milk chocolates.Yes words can't describe how awesome it tastes and leaves you coming back for more, even if it is only cheese with bread. The atmosphere was great because mr buff was constantly keeping us entertained and cheering him on every new cheese fondue he puts on the griller. Needless to say I never had so much fun while eating dinner, EVER :)

THIS MAN ENDED IT ON A GREAT NOTE

Till another day people
GOD BLESS AND KEEP ON SMILING!

Driving test on friday and already im feeling a little nervy, I'll need all your prayers!

I realised that ever since I posted the commentary of my europe trip for day 2, I've stopped completely writing about it.

SO HERE WE GO

Europe day 3:
Day 3 wasn't much to talk about cos it was most of the time traveling from paris to switzerland! Our cousins joined us though from Scotland at night which if i remember correctly was covered with heavy snow a few days before they made their way there.Every morning when you step out of the hotel, cold air would attempt to slap you awake in all its glory, and it always does a great job. In the morning we had to leave romantic Paris for a coach ride that took ages. We stopped by wine city Dijon for a little while and experienced a little bit of the town. I would have to say, even though the food is exorbitantly priced, the tastes are extremely flavorful and the pizza's there take the cake. I remember in Dijon we tried this three cheese Pizza and it was heavenly to say the least, not forgetting Escargots which was a must have leaving France. The wine city had wine prices that tempted my part time wine connisuer dad, only 5 to 10 sing a bottle of french wine, how cheap is that. Then scenic views seemed to whiz by the window as we made out way to Switzerland. Spectacular scenic views of snow capped mountains and snow laden houses were common on the way there. Everywhere you looked seemed to come out of a christmas card, it was quite a sight to behold. Then finally arriving at Switzerland, where we had this odd bland tasting white fish, supposedly swiss specialty fish caught in their lakes. That would have summed up the 3rd day in mighty europe!







Today I finally feel confident behind the wheel, my nerves put behind me, I just hope Fridays test will be done with flying colors! Wish me all the best :D

TILL ANOTHER DAY
GOD BLESS AND KEEP ON SMILING!

HELLO WORLD
IM HERE TO DUST OFF THIS OLD BLOG FOR MY FIRST POST IN 2011

I would have to say 2010 flew by in a second and now i'm sitting here already on the verge of 15th of january 2011. A lot of things have gone by and usually at the end of the year i look back at the past trying to reminsce the great things that have passed me by. This year I just didn't have the time to sit and think about the year past because i think in my mind i haven't got over the year passing so quickly.

2010 was a stressful year for me looking back. It was the year where a lot of habits changed and great memories were formed. The a-levels were obviously the biggest obstacle last year and climbing that ever tiring obstacle almost made me give up in despair. If it weren't for the friends I had cheering me on everyday. If it weren't for the teachers and their patience, where would we be my friends, where would we be.

In 2010, we entered 2s23, i thought this might turn out to be fine because i had my whole bunch of close friends going to the same class while merging with another class. But things turned out great, i felt our class was nothing short of awesome. Everyone was friendly and we were extremely fortunate to have such wonderful teachers guide us all the way. Even though we might have resented at first, it turned out great. New brotherhoods formed and i think I wouldn't have wanted to come to school everyday if not for all these friends in 2s23..


Everyday in 2010 was extremely mundane which involved most of the time studying and more studying. Consultations were the norm and for the first time everyone was rushing to see the teachers everyday. It was mad what we went through, but we still survived and hopefully did our teachers and this school proud. For me the pace change was hard to cope with but I still gave it my all. Now, looking back, i miss the times studying in school till 9pm with my study buddies mok and joel.Though it was energy sapping and tiring, persistance and support pulled all of us through.

Now, the results lie just around the bend, how uncannily quick

2010 was also the year of firsts
First time our bowling team did as well as we did in the nationals! :)

Though it was first time as seventh place, that was our last year on those glorious lanes. My hands occasionally itch to roll the ball down those lanes, bowling has been a great part of my jc life. The many friendships formed and all those long hours training and much money lost from our pockets was all worth it, sr bowling ftw!

I miss SR and all those friends and familiar faces so much right now

Then after the a's all was a blur because time sped by
PARTY TIME! :D

I still vaguely remember what happened on the last paper, everyone in the hall was excited to just go out and enjoy, that was a feeling i'll keep for the rest of my life. In my heart, I only had one thing in mind, ENJOY! :D

To top it off, I had an awesome holiday to Europe and Dubai, met so many new friends and experienced so many things i just couldn't experience anywhere else. God brought me through everything so praise the Lord.


YES I HAD AN AWESOME 2010

I JUST HOPE 2011 WILL BE THE SAME :)

GOD BLESS AND KEEP ON SMILING!

If you thought I had gone here I am again!

HELLO WORLD!
Finally I can take time off after the trip to Europe and Dubai, Christmas presentations and getting over my jet lag which has been making me fall sick of late to do a blog post :)

I just got back from Europe only a few days back and the experience of Europe and the friends I made on this trip will never leave me. Even though we were led by the most inexperienced tour leader of the decade, it was surely an eye opener everywhere I went. We have to count our blessings our family and thank God for watching over us every step of the way through the trip in Europe. Many were praying for us in church and worrying whether we could come back in time but the truth is we were on schedule every step of the way. Despite tragic and relentless snow in Europe we survived!

Let me start with day 2 since i already narrated on day 1 when we touched down in Paris at charles de goeh airport, we were greeted to not that fantastic a sight. Like my dad said, for a developed country and state france didn't seem to have the most impressive of airports.

Day 2 in paris was far more different. I could now see Paris for what it truly had been known as the romantic city. It's ancient architecture and the many historic places that we visited on that day really made me start to love this city. We first went to the Arc De Triomphe in Paris, though there wasn't much insight into the history of this ark but the intricate carvings and details that were engraved made it so grand in the middle of a bustling city square.

Then we went on to visit the Eiffel Tower. Apparently, what was interesting about the tower was that the early Pariseans actually thought it was an eyesore and wanted to demolish it, now it has become an icon and one of the places to visit in the world, how ironic. Which leads me to think that if they were really to demolish it, would anyone still know Paris as it is today? To see the tower first hand really is an eye opening experience, though it was dampened by the many frenchmen trying to sell their goods to us at a low price. The view on top of the tower was breathtaking and you could see the whole of Paris from up there.



After lunch we went down to the best art museum in the world, the Lourve museum in Paris. When you step into the museum you stare in awe at the gigantic glass pyramid hanging from the ceiling and judging from the crowd you would know that this was a great museum visited by the old and young alike. Then you go and view so many artifacts and paintings and statues of Greek Gods, the old testament, nativity, kings and fights of the past and you wonder how these people did it with such intracy and detail. It never ceases to amaze me how when I look at each picture it tells so many stories. Though the descriptions are all in french you always just try your best to analyze the things you see, it was a great experience honestly. Walking around such a large museums could give you new leg muscles too.




I'll write about the other days of my european trip another time.

Before I end of this post would like to wish everyone a BLESSED CHRISTMAS! I know I know its already past christmas but still it's the most important date of the year you know!... I had a wonderful christmas this year with family and friends, I don't know about you but as I grow in age I start to want less and i prefer spending time with those I love rather than receiving gifts. The best gift is already with those who believe, Jesus.

TILL ANOTHER DAY PEOPLE, GOD BLESS AND KEEP ON SMILING!

TOUCHDOWN PARIS FRANCE!`

Hey world, I just touched down not long ago over in Paris after such a long flight on sunday morning at 930 for about 14 hours with a stop over at dubai in between. I was extremely excited all throughout the trip about the possibilities about what there is to explore in europe. It has always been a dream of mine to come and explore europe and to for this dream to be able to come true so soon makes me feel even more blessed than before. I watched movie after movie to pass the time on the emirates plane while on the way here and now looking at my sister's laptop its already 6am in the morning on monday in singapore, here in paris, its just around 11 plus on sunday. Talk about jet lag, now I don't have much of a mood to get to sleep, maybe it could be due to the many cups of coffee i unknowingly drank during the flight. Apparently all that hype came to waste when i first stepped out into the cold chilly weather that blew bombs of cold into my usually warm skin, these are the times when i don't like the cold. Paris like my dad said isn't as impressive as it seems at first sight at least. All I saw on my way to the hotel were dim lights that lit the streets and empty shophouses all closed for the day, even singapore seemed like a more enthusiastic place. Maybe we just were to far way from the city to see the beauty of paris,excited as i am, i just hope it'll be great tomorrow:) I'll upload the photos if this computer allows the hard disk to read.

You know what's still constantly on my mind?
Life without Jesus is like a donut, like a donut, like a donut!

Bonjour everybody bonjour, updates tomorow!

YF RETREAT 2010: CONNECTED

Just got back from the retreat not long ago and wearing this t-shirt now in the comfort of my bedroom thinking about what has happened over the past week is already making me start to miss how fun camp was and how great it was organizing it all. It wouldn't have been possible without this yf comittee and all those who helped greatly and most importantly God who kept us safe throughout. I realized a lot of things in my life required change and one most important thing in my life that needed correcting was that I wasn't putting God in the spot light. I learnt a lot about the relationships we had with other christians and perspectives about many other aspects of christian living. This camp brought me so many reflective moments and to have it with my great yf buddies was even better.

I'm going to miss all that was great at the retreat!
The playing soccer with a small rubber ball in chapel 1 with the soccer gang.
The running around and playing all day and not forgetting embarassing ourselves with dots on our faces in town.
Playing monopoly deal in the middle of the night and at every break.
Not sleeping on the last day for the sake of a memorable video.
Stationing and participating in games.
Having fun with awesome friends.
Spending so much great moments with God.

If it was one lesson I took away from this retreat that meant the most to me, it was that these great brothers and sisters in christ all have my back and I don't ever need to worry!

So as i count down to another journey to Europe on Sunday morning which is making me all excited inside already, I pray that it'll all be smooth sailing and God may grant me and my family journey mercies.

I'M MISSING YF RETREAT ALREADY!

I'll keep this space updated everyday when I step into europe as much as possible. Like a boy stepping into a candy store, I'm finally going to the country's that I've only seen in documentaries on the tlc channel. I CAN'T WAIT :D

GOD BLESS!!!

PROM!

It's been a while but I'm here to update life's story.

PROM 2010: HOLLYWOOD, just passed on friday and I got to say it was great to be able to meet the friends that I hold dear to with good food and good entertainment. This official last night of JC life really will make me remember this life changing JC experience for the rest of my life. Sure the education system is a pressure cooker that aims at killing those not prepared to slog it out, but it sure made me a more confident, mature and sure person, where would I be without friends who've brought me this far :)This prom night may not be the most dazzling of affairs but I'm sure everyone made the effort to dress to impress. If it wasn't for such great company it wouldn't be that great a prom would it. Pictures can express a thousand words so i guess i'll let the better pictures do the talking, picked out after so many taken that night.

























These pictures are of great friends I've made in my JC life. It's been a great journey, really has been.

You know what pastor said today during sermon struck a chord in me. Today pastor talked about how christmas was over commercialized and is loosing its true meaning in the world today. How true that we all take for granted what this season is all about, it should be about God and how he sent His son to this earth for our sin. Not about gifts, presents, christmas trees and santa claus. It's good to have a season of giving but should we all just go back to where this all originated from and remember Jesus our saviour? I'm sure all these things make you feel warm and fuzzy inside and christmas is a happy season, but more often than not we forget of all the things He has done. This christmas , amid the turkeys and the log cakes, mistletoes and santa claus, presents and christmas trees, the glittering night sky full of spirit and decoration, we shine the spot light back on Jesus Christ.

GOD BLESS! CAN'T WAIT FOR YF CAMP TOMOROW :)