Countries in history
1950s after the japanese occupation, the bristish gov passed a law that says all country dwellers, if not born in sg will be considered overseas chinese and will not be granted citizenship. At that time, the chinese community was very stirred by this law and came up with petitions to overrule it twice over 2 years... "We toiled here almost all our lives, fought for the country's survival, how came you not recognise us as citizen?!" was the angry response among the chinese. So our ancestors fought on and finally with more overseas-educated chinese young men joining the gov also, the bristish gov finally passed a new law that allows overseas chinese to be granted citizenship if they lived in sg for more than 8 years - which made everybody happy.
50 years down the road, in our times now... Overseas pple, guys in this instance, after being here for some years and granted citizenship - "Huh... but i dun wanna serve army!" ..................
Dan, from australia, is trying to settle in SG cos he thinks it's a better place. Pat, from Hong Kong, thinks that HK is still superior to SG in many ways. My granddad moves btw China and SG, considering each his equal home. Msia students come to SG for a better environment, but some even go back home every single week. Filippinos leave Phillippines for good to settle anyway else they can, some graduates even willing to work as maids in SG juz for the opportunity to leave their home country.
Some time ago, in the train, i heard some China youngsters talking abt our SG team in the sports games (was it SEA games? the one that just passed).. they were say the team shouldnt be called "Team SG", should be called "Team international"... But isnt it true that team SG really are all Sgaporeans, despite they all might be from different lands of birth. Yet, the older ping pong player (who i dun remember the name) who was originally from China, married a sgaporean and calls herself a sgaporean as well...
Back in the 1950s, the chinese commerce association while fighting for the petition, decided that it is more impt for their children of the next generation to keep their roots and not become overly westernized. Together, they raised money, even msia chinese came into the picture, and founded the 1st and only chinese local uni, Nanyang University, now known as Nanyang Technological University (which has became eng speaking). The land that held the Nanyang university was donated by the Hokkien Hui Guan - wah i didn't know we hokkiens had such a glorious contribution.. haha...
In the past, msia helped sg, sg helped msia... Now, quarrel over water - and Mr Brown appears... I am sgaporean and I dun like being mistaken for a msian here. Yet, alone in Ireland, the sight of a malaysian convenient store feels so much like home and juz being with a msian person is like having found a fellow country man...
Life is full of paradox, indeed. But it's heartening to know that Christ died not just for His own earthly country, nor for just sg, hk, australia, phillippines... But Christ died for all countries in the world. His plans and history is written differently for all, but His love is equal to everybody and His grace is not hidden. Give BIG praises to Him!
muz be the rain....
Juz received a Preparation for student life in brisbane handbook... But my visa is not stamped approved yet... and i'm still waiting for a new confirmation student number frm the school to give to the aussie high comm... but everybody is having holiday and not doing anything... idp say no problem... then like juz 5 mins ago, i juz carefully read and realised that my orientation starts on 15th feb!! OH MAN... im feeling so gan giong now...
And my dear laptop got some kind of spyware again.. this time the wonderful spybot cant find all of it... it's not really disturbing me but it seems like some tracking cookie... IRRITATING... da jie also say her acer comp always a lot of virus or other problems... now i cant send email attachments cos my files are all infected.... hai~~~~~
Den the rain is like non stop... actually compared to the misery in Taiwan, i think we are much more blessed... but still it makes my person very gloomy and slow... and now im feeling so suay-ed...
Random
OoohOO.... finally found a new skin... the last one was kind of juz-for-the-sake... cos my itchy hands went to try out the blogger beta new template thingy... den my old skin got erased and unrecoverable, so i juz had to have something... ok, anyway.. ya...
hee... This skin's so much more readable, i think.... hee...
Went for my christmas date with billy on the 26th... i bought him weights... so i had like 5 kg in my bag the whole thing and i couldnt let him help me carry cos he'd be able to guess - like what other thing can be so heavy rite... ya, den i carry my heavy bag but gotta look like it's not heavy at all.. haa... so my brilliant plans was to do sit down activities... like watch movies... The curse of the golden flower... very gloomy and depressing show, to me... i cant decide if i like it or not...
Christmas!
Christmas is CHRIST My Almighty Saviour!!!
So glad it's christmas... And now all the christmas buzz is all over... almost all over.. hee... Yea, went thru JTTW, then Soar camp, Antioch xmas gathering, Glowing fairytale party... Finally, tmr i can celebrate christmas with billy... ur ultimate date... i call it ultimate cos it's like we finally get to go out after 2 weeks of not doing so...
That day while buying his present, i found a very nice present for myself too!! haha...!! i bought a Mango winter jacket for myself... was on sale... $74 for a long and fat winter jacket, i tot it was very cheap!! anyway, ya, 1st time carry such a huge mango shopping bag with my purchase inside... feels very wild to spend just like tat, but i guess it was neccessary anyway... HEE..
Received so many christmas cards and sweets... thank you everybody who gave!! i had also intended to write cards this yr, but couldn't make it in time... so i wrote and gave some only... wanted to continue writing and giving on christmas day itself at the fairytale party, den cos the night before i drank too high so no sanity to write so didnt.. haa... sorry arh, those who didnt receive cards from me.. it's not cos i dun like u as much, juz i cannot make it la.. haa...
Fairytale party was fun.. our theme expanded to be more than fairytales, like u can be almost any character liao.. haa... so i was chun li!! haa... billy was mr incredible.. there were quite a lot of fairies there... one prince, one almost princess, and many many...
Thailand trip is coming soon!! 2 weeks time! anticipation arising... hee..!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYBODY!! i hope u all will discover Jesus this rest of the year and the whole of next year and the years to come!!!
Black Christmas
Since I'm not having a white christmas this year...
Why not make it literally black... Hehh...
And that rose is real one hor.. is a real pretty purple rose... Not paper!
JESUS TAKE THE WHEELS!
JTTW is finally over! I can finally breathe... Karen, Kenneth, Billy, Mum and Dad came on either fri or sat nites... I gave the tics to Mary and her husband, but seems like they were not on their seats, so i dun think they came... Hmm.... But for those who came, im sure God blessed them all in some ways... For us on stage, each and every one of us are blessed in all so many ways! yea? On top of everything, I'm gladful and honoured to be part of the wonderful salvation plan God as in store for the one sitting below...
Karen gave me a purple rose after the show... it's really pretty!! and it's fully bloom now... at its prettiest... makes me wanna name my daughter Rose.. haa!! kidding la... "Above all" is singing non stop in my head.. and the purple rose is like God's illustration to me... Such a pretty purple rose, depicted to be my dear Jesus, yet sinful people have the heart to trample it on the ground.. and when He took the fall, He thought of me above all... What, Lord, do we say? What, Lord, should we do? Kyrie Eleison, Lord, if i had wings you'd be the wind. Thank you Lord, I just want to thank you, for Your love is amazing steady and unchanging. Kyrie Eleison take the wheels from me.
Company D&D is over too... I didn't win any mobile phones... :S But i did win a Robinsons voucher! Not like i can think of its usefulness, but thank God i won something.. haa... My prayer was like if God thinks that i should not win the mobile, then please let my phone work for the next 2 yrs to last me throughout australia... hee... which i believe, then, my God and my phone will not fail me... In fact, i do like my old and outdated phone alot... it's been thru many times with me.. haa..!
Relax-a-while time
Relax a while before the day's activities tense up. Yesterday while rushing everything, my dad sms-ed me (and my sis and other pple too la, i think)... "Even eagles need to rest in order to go further. In our daily struggle, take short but frequent breaks. Slowdown, breathe slowly then go on. Do it now." haa.. but obviously i didn't slow down and breathe cos i was really rushing... But i still have delayed obedience in me, so im doing that now...
Full day packed, later gotta do lunch time shopping (again). I have my 6 items shopping list ready liao, shld be very fast... den after work gotta leave sharp at 5.30pm cos i'm supposed to be in church by 5pm... like how rite... -.- So i already have thick foundation on moi face now liao, hopefully can cheat time a bit this way, since 5pm is got get dressed, make up and hair done.
After practice gotta go karen house pass her the tics...
We got our costumes for the kyrie dance liao.. A bright christmas blue sequin dress!! Aiyo, i feel like a dumpling in it man... so fat.. too fat!!! So right now got an incredible aim to slim down tone up in 3 days... no time to go gym also lor, so my aim is indeed incredible - gotta do tat thru dieting and simple stretching... :s
Aussie dreams
Hee... i took leave last thursday to do my hair, apply visa, and make plans for my move to australia, den go for JTTW rehearsal... BUT... everything went wrong man...
1st of all, i didnt pre-make a salon appointment and so suay my hairstylist was on leave... Took a taxi to IDP to for visa application, but i forgot to bring my passport! But the application can still go on la.. but after that, if i had my passport with me, i could have proceeded to go for medical check ups but cant lor... den i realised my sch leave out "Deborah" in my given name, i tot omission doesn't matter as long as Jing Fang was there... but it's not the case... so i gotta scan my passport and email to the australia high commission to say that "Chua Jing Fang" and "Chua Jing Fang Deborah" are the same person... -.-! But again, i dun have scanner, so gotta go pay $1 to scan at those internet surf shops...
So... this time i planning to take leave again on wed... hee... to do my hair, medical check up and then JTTW practice... Tmr, i gotta skip the nite "thingy" (if u know wat, u will know) so that i can go buy tights and the tank top required for the kyrie dance... hai yo... speaking abt making time for everything man....
Today zhanchi was at billy's house... a decent 7 of us... not very big grp, but i would consider as a ok no. for fellowship... i guess many of us are bothered when less than 10 come, but if u think abt it... 7 is only 3 less than 10... and is small enuff to have everybody talking to everybody... my hops is that the next fellowship we have, even if we have 6 pple, let all 6 be encouraged to really fellowship with each and every other person! :)
How great is our God! Sing with me, how great is our God. And all will see how great, how great is our God!
Office blogging again!
Been sleepy since yesterday.. haa.. Still in office now, i figured since i'm intending to stay later, might as well slack and blog a bit... haa... Gave verbal notice to my project director abt my termination liao... I told her end of Jan, earn one more month of salary mah... Now i gotta save as much as i can... I don't even have half of 5k to bring to australia lor... All money matters, im going by faith... May God bless my parents.. hehh... Staying on later today to finish some work, cos it's my clear leave month... YEAH! i'm staggering 5 days of leave in this whole month, plus the 2 days off given by the company, its only a 14 days work month for me!! SWEET SWEET DECEMBER.....!!! And when the office is left with lesser people, i shall go let the big boss know abt my plans...
Gerald excused me for Thursday!! Yeah!! It wasn’t hard… In fact he was very logical and reasonable – he say “anyway, you don’t have another option what”. I think everybody is just too intimidated by him over too many things – so the assumption is he is unreasonable? I dunno, I only have a few encounters with him so no comments. Anyway, God don’t like pple judging each other. Now my other hurdle is the HR manager – I hope I don’t need to come back to office for whatever, I wanna go the hotel straight from JTTW – so I can leave JTTW later and reach hotel juz in time (not before time!)… That would be the best!
12 March Birthdays