Saying goodbye is hard to do...

Today is officially my last day in Singapore.





Give me some time to let it sink in.




My last day in Singapore...




Tomorrow, my life as I know it will change drastically.

New friends, new environment, new food, new church, new school, new home, new boyfriend (HAHAHA kidding kidding :P I'm kidding only la!!!).

God willing, the one thing that won't change will be my love for Him and desire to live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27). Everyone back home, it is YOUR job to keep me accountable on that!!

To all my friends who've made so much of a difference in my life, thank you and keep in touch. I can't name names, there would be too many, there are SO many joyful moments, tears, laughter and countless sweet memories that would stay with me for awhile yet. :)

Braced with a sense of adventure and wholly reliant on God's providence, Sydney, HERE I COME!!!!!!

I will miss you girls!

some special people...

Maggie and I at NUS canteen!
















Ruth with her bright blue shirt and mo-mo beads hahah












Mavis and I!!













I thought this was a nice night shot. heh.

Some things that I will NOT miss about Singapore

The disturbing trend of people not giving up their seats on buses and the MRT to people who need it more than them has been around for awhile. I get really riled and agitated when people don't graciously take the inititive to give up their seats to the elderly or pregnant ladies.

On the MRT on my way home today, I had to give up my seat not once, not twice, but THREE times to the more needy. Not that I'm complaining (or trying to show off my charitable side) - I'm more than happy to stand and let someone else sit. What irked me was that no one else bothered to offer their seats!!

There were two secondary school students (from a relatively renowned school, though school, class or soci-economic background is not an excuse for ungraciousness) who were standing, and next to them was an old man who was so obviously struggling to stand during the train ride. (At this point I had already given my seat up and therefore, had no seat to give)

Two girls alighted at the next stop, leaving two empty seats. The two secondary boys, instead of alerting the old man to the seat, dashed to the vacated seats saying to one another "Ah! seats, sit sit, lets take a seat!!"

I was absolutely disgusted!!

What's troubling is that this is not an isolated incident! IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!!!

What's the point of Singapore progressing so quickly, with our economy (supposedly) growing leaps and bounds, when society in general is completely apathetic to the needs of the elderly in simple day to day situations?

When I become a full blown teacher, I'm going to make sure the students in my class are taught generousity and graciousness and hopefully they'll be useful members of society.

I will do the same for my offspring.

I hope my friends will do the same.

I hope those reading this will be initiated enough to offer their seats to the needy, instead of selfishly dashing for the first available seat like its their right to be there.

A string of farewells

Have had the privilege to meet friends here and there to say bye before I go. (Gasp! Only a week left in Singapore!!) The most memorable farewell would have to be the "Back to School" themed one. Where the PUNJers were sporting enough to wear their old school uniforms! haha!! Here are some pictures. Enjoy!























Some of the dudes and dudette from my JC. We went to Settlers Cafe at Holland Village and played random games. Fun!




















This is a balloon that the Young Ones from PUNJ gave me. It says "wild about you". Aww.. So sweet. Makes my heart melt. Hopefully (and I know they're reading this) they'll continue growing in Christ and next time they'll be doing bible studies for my kids!! haha HINT HINT scholarSSS!!











The Young Ones (plus some wannabes) from my bible study group in PUNJ















As punishment for not wearing a uniform, Gabe had to don the RGS pinafore!!! HAHAHA!!! (Sorry ap, heh :P )



























Jac and Tim and Tim's Props!! The memo jazz pager and the old school Errison handphones were so IN back in the day!!





















A class photo. Aww.. Look at that. Everyone in their old school uniforms. Sweet memories! :)

A day at the zoo!!

I finally had the chance to visit the zoo. For those who've never been there, the Singapore Zoo is a MUST SEE!! The animal shows are much better than the ones I've seen elsewhere. It's comprehensive and very nicely done up. It feels like you've been taken away from the bustle of city life in Singapore and placed in tranquility among various animals and plants. Here are some photos. National Geographic should hire me to take pictures for them. heh.

All throughout my life

I've been systematically packing my things into boxes in a bid to empty my room completely before I leave for Down-under. I don't want my parents to have the burden of clearing my left-behinds you see. Among my things is a whole drawer full of old diaries dating from my early early teens.

I spent one afternoon reading my old entries rather amused at my superficial babble, which, in my defence is all part of growing up!! Things like "oh I have a crush on that cute guy in sec 4. OMG we made eye contact in the canteen!" or "I'm so sad, I felt so left out in school today, I had no one to talk to" or "I hate it when my parents ask endless questions on where/who I'm going out with. I wish they treated me like an adult!!" heh

One thing that struck me though was how, in the midst of my childish banter, God, in the splendor of his fore knowledge, was always working in my life, even though I wasn't consciously trying to live for him.

Like many second generation christians, of which I am one, I grew up with the knowledge of sin and the need for salvation through Jesus Christ. But this knowledge only translated into reality in my early twenties (I'm still in the age bracket haha) when I started making a conscious effort to live as God would want me to.

Its amazing how God allows certain things to happen in our lives to slowly mold us into who he wants us to be. Looking back on my life, I see how God has slowly revealed himself to me and how my understanding of who he is grows as I mature.

I was really surprised to see how the prayers written in my teens were peppered with the obligatory "if it is God's will". So a typical entry would be "if it's God's will, I pray that the cute guy will ask me out" (haha, really) or "if it is God's will, my parents will allow me to do this and that" or "if it's God's will I'll do really well for my Maths test"

What is shocking is that I had no understanding of the concept of God's will at that time, nor did I have a real desire to please God with my life. Yet, in his own mysterious, amazing way, he was always working in my life even when I didn't know it!

Praise God for who he is and for patiently waiting for his lost sheep to turn to him. With God's help I hope I'll live in full submission to him till I reach my heavenly, eternal home. :)