…And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away...

Last night, I was watching a Korean Drama and one of the scene touches me a lot.


It was when the daddy gave away her daughter during her wedding and the speech he made.

In that speech, he affirmed her daughter on the hardship she went through over the years. As she was born on the day her brother got lost, she was vilified (unfairly but understandably) and never received the affection from her family through her growing up years.

However the woman (Fang Yashu) went on to live her life simply, faithfully and without any bitterness or complaints.

As the dad spoke on, the scenes of her life flashed by ( of Yashu diligently at work, hugging her less than loving mom etc.. ) and finally with the dad exhorting “ Yashu, daddy loves you. Love bravely and let others love you bravely”

Suddenly I thought about this is how Jesus wants us to life our live also. In this world where we often struggle with perceived and actual unfairness, lack of attention, hardship…. God wants us to keep ploughing on with humility and a simple heart, instead of fighting for our rights. Our reward may not come in this lifetime, but when we see Jesus face to face.

Just like how the daddy said it “ Yashu, daddy loves you” Jesus longs to say the same words to us also… and I know these are very the words I long to hear from God.

…And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away... 1 Peter 5:4

Spending Saturday Morning at Tanglin Mall

Last Saturday morning, I went with wifey for her annual ultrasound at Camden Medical Centre. After that we went over to nearby Tanglin Mall to have our brunch. Passed by Brunetti and saw that they are selling "Cronut" (a mix between Croissant and donut ) so we decided to try it.

After that we went for our actual lunch which is at Nando's ;o)

wifey is happy to eat some chix

We spent quite some time at Nando's just enjoying our chicken meal and chatting. Wifey loves the food here as well as Barcelos, I am glad that she enjoyed the meal. 

There was a nice gentlemen who also offered to take a photo for both of us. 

Our plan to go swimming after lunch was scuppered because the sky has turned dark and we could hear thunders. In the end, we went over to OG before going over to the in laws for dinner. 

Real Faith Revealed - From the book of Daniel

Yesterday, during sermon Ps Jeff shared from the book of Daniel (Daniel 1:1-21) . The title of the sermon is REAL Faith Revealed


I always like the book of Daniel as it illustrates how those who live in righteousness and assured in God will prevail ultimately, rising above the difficult circumstances and over scheming enemies.

The 3 points are



1) Real faith needs to be lived out in the world. (V1-7)

Daniel has to apply what he has learned all his youth out of the comfort of Israel, into an unfamiliar land of Babylon where the environment is dangerous for him to live out what he believes in… will he be able to do that?? The answer is a RESOUNDING YES!

I have to be consistent wherever I am in! In the office, in church, in my family etc… Firstly get my relationship with God right and as I do that, I can go out there to live a life that is consistent to how God wants me to live. Real test of my faith is how I behave when I am “out there” (Jeremiah 25:8-9, Jeremiah 25:11)



2) Real faith resolves to be not of the world (V8-16)

Even though they tried to change Daniel by giving him another name, teaching him about other lifestyle, culture and his believes in the immersion programme, Daniel was not being swayed. He chose his battles carefully (not everything needed to be fight against!)

He can choose whether or not to accept those literature they taught him, he doesn’t mind to be called other names etc but when the time comes for him to make a stand with regards to eating royal food he made a choice not to be defiled. And he did so with much wisdom and tact.

As a Christ follower, I have a different set of values to live by. I should have a deeper consideration than to follow what everybody is doing. I have to make decisions and to react to external demands/pressures by being reasonable, respectful, wise and tactful.

To bulldoze my way through arguments will be unwise, to blend in (even though) the rest are compromising in the ways of God will be unbiblical. So as the bible has put it so clearly, I should be as wise as serpent, yet as gentle as a dove (Matt 10:16) . No one or the other but to find a delicate balance right in the middle and God forbids that I become like a chameleon who blends into whatever environment I am in.



3) Real Faith influence the world (V17-21)

A. God will equip us for influence (v17, 2 Cor 3:5-6)

B. God will position us for influence (v18-20, psalms 75:6-7)

C. God will sustain us for lasting influence (v21)



Daniel survived the lion’s den and lasted 65 years through 7 Kinds (Jer 17:7-8, Psalms 92:12-14, Daniel 1:15) because he is convicted and committed to God. Lord give me conviction and courage like Daniel so that I can live out my faith well in the years ahead.

A Grin Affair

Last evening, I decided to give wifey a surprise and bring her to try out cake in a jar for the very first time.

left-Lychee Passion   right-Honey Lavender 

This something that I have promised her some time back and I am glad to be able to finally fulfil my promise.

grinning customers

Even though she already guessed it beforehand and it’s not really a surprise anymore, I think she is still quite happy.

The shop is situated below an old HDB block at Everton Park and it’s called Grin Affair. 

whimsical much

Top marks for whimsical deco and creativity and the cake are soft and great tasting too.

i want to open a shop too

Your brother is a fan of Everton F.C?? 

We had their recommended Lychee Passion and Honey Lavender. Lychee Passion taste much nicer.

A Long Weekend

The much anticipated long weekend is over and this is what I did over the past 4 days..

On the eve of the holiday (Wednesday) wifey and myself went for dinner at Alexandra Village after I put the small fish tank that BY gave my at home.

We ordered black pepper crayfish, sambal stingray and chef sauce kai-lan at Rong Guang. Saw Priscilla there as well with her colleagues. It was a nice dinner, wanted to try their crab bee hoon but it was too expensive ($60) so we decided against it.

After dinner we went to Anchor point and then Queensway for a while but because most of the shops were already closing, we left after awhile.

Thursday morning, woke up real early around 5 plus intending to go for a dawn walk but because it was still drizzling I have to wait. Made use of that time to select my Fantasy League team. It was a fun thing to be able to pick a team of EPL players whom I think will do well this season. 

Dream Team?

Of course, the game is not so easy as you have to monitor the performance and tweak the team weekly to score maximum points which I do not have the time to do so.

Wifey woke up about 8+ and the weather has cleared sufficiently to enable us to carry out our walking plans. We then took a bus to Labrador and embark on our morning exercise in the slight drizzle. It was a good time of chatting in the midst of nature and greeneries. The last part of the walk which was along the sea was my favourite as it was really beautiful to see those condos, yatches and hear the sound of the waves. crashing against the rocks. Wifey and myself always imagined what we can do if we stayed at that area.. he-he no harm indulging in a dream or two..

We completed the walk about 10+ and proceeded to Macdonald’s at Harbour front for our breakfast. Wifey had a Sausage Mcmuffin meal while I had a hotcakes meal. I love their hotcakes! It was crowded at Mac on that day, I guess because of the long holidays, everyone is out early for their family time and some might be going over to Batam.

After breakfast, we went over to ARC for the much publicised flea market which turned out to be disappointing to say the least.  Just a few stalls with nothing interesting at all. Took a bus home after awhile and had our rest. We watched the first part of Harry Porter which was on TV on that day. The special effects was really impressive and wifey love shows with nice graphics so she enjoyed it. Dinner was at Mom in law’s place. J&S were there also and I played Dream league Soccer using his Ipad. It was quite fun but the hands gets tired holding the heavy tablet. We left mom in law’s place around 8+ and wifey went for her haircut. This time round, she finally got her bob hairstyle. Nice and sassy. NTUC was next and we bought some groceries back.

On Friday, we prepared salad for brunch. This time round, we added avocado and stir fried some garlic mushroom to add on. It was a very nice (and healthy) meal. Watched Harry Porter part 2 in the afternoon. In the evening , we went to bought 2 packets of economic rice and some durians. Caught the NDP parade on TV and I must say this year’s parade was really good, always brings me immense pride whenever I watch the parade. Seeing the elderly Mr. Lee Kuan Yew looking on the parade was especially touching for me. After the parade ends, we brought up the 7 durians to share with folks. I enjoyed the time eating durians together.

On Saturday, wifey went with JY, Faith and Alex to source for deco items for Alex and JY wedding. I had breakfast with folks (Chicken Drumstick Hor Fun and carrot cake) at the market and went to pay my bills at SPC. After that, I walked over to IKEA to look for a small table for my fish tank. Didn’t see anything I particularly like so I left empty handed. And shopping at IKEA without wifey beside me feels different so I left after a short while. Went over to Haikel Lighting to get my toilet lights. FINALLY!!! After being in darkness for several months, I felt really satisfied to finally be able to bath in brightness once again. 

Let there be LIGHT!

Spent $120 on 2 lights and to my delight the man came to fix it up after an hour.  I made salad and a cup of coffee for myself as I watched Harry Porter 3 over lunch. Wifey came back just before the show was about to end and as I waited at the bus stop, I saw her alighting the bus with Hog, yes she really went to bought hog for me ;o) appreciate her thoughtfulness.

Say Hi to Hog 

Dinner was again at AV as I can see that wifey was tired after a whole day out.  She had fish slice soup and I had porridge. We also shared a plate of spinach.

On Sunday, we went for service and after service, brought Liyin to have lunch at the bak kut teh stall at Beach Road. She likes the food there too. After lunch, we went home and caught Harry Porter 4 and when the show ended, we decided to try cycling to the railway tracks opposite our block. We took a much longer route as we do not know the way to reach the track. After exploring, we did manage to reach the tracks. We cycled a bit on the track before reaching an un-passable area under the flyover which has been flooded by rainwater. So we turned back and headed home.  

Quite happy because we finally satisfied our curiosity about the famous old railway track. Had our economic rice dinner at folks home, brought Glenda down to our house as promised and spent a bit of time with her over apples and stickers. She was happy.

At night, dad came down and we watched the Community Shield together. Man Utd defeated Wigan easily by 2-0 (RVP with both goals).

A Date with the King of Fruits

Last Friday, we had combine LG at Connect Room 806. Danny shared about missions and that we can all do a part in the big scheme of things by being a go-er, send-er or mobilizer.

It was a good time of learning and I find that the concluding part whereby we often take the easier part of the bible ( for e.g. Come to me all who are weary… and I will give rest ) to apply to ourselves while the more difficult part ( e.g. go and make disciples of all nations ) to apply to others very true. Have to constantly be reminded that as we mature in our walk with God, we are not to take the Word selectively.

Went home after LG ended and attempted to upgrade my I-phone IOS to a higher version as I find that I am limited by IOS4. However after several hours of trying, using all the different methods and countless restarting, I did not manage to succeed. This error message keeps appearing

While I am fiddling with the laptop, wifey was in the hall busying herself with her scrapbook for mom. She is definitely making much better progress than me as I can see that her “project” is more or less completed.

Good job huh ;o)

We slept very late that night. I even had this crazy idea to stay up till it was time for Mac breakfast and go for breakfast directly before coming home to sleep but it was not possible at my age already…

Saturday morning I was up surprisingly early at 8am and started on my household chores. After that, went for our favourite chicken hor-fun bunch with wifey at about 12pm at the market. Went home to rest awhile after lunch and then to the highlight of the day …. An appointment with the King of Fruits!

Yes… Ang has very kindly initiated a durian feast at Potong Pasir that day and invited the sub d peeps over. Me, wifey, Jas, Chris, Ah Meng and Sarah responded to his invitation and I personally had the best durian I ever eaten so far… The quality was really top notch

 

started off with refreshing coconut juice..

followed by Tropical Fruits Platter 

Durian Warriors

ANG the Durian Slayer... HE'S DA MAN.. Thank you bro ;o)

As if that’s not enough, Ang did not want to collect any $$ from us ( as usual ) as he said he has been wanting to give a treat to us. Really felt blessed by this bro who is so giving. Oh and he also sent us home in his cab after the feast . wow.

Sunday service was an ESS “Keep Calm and Look Up” Deb appeared in a video testimony so did Say Beng and another lady . The last testimony was especially touching and I am glad that all of them found comfort in Jesus eventually. They are very courageous to share their struggles out.

After lunch, wifey and myself decided to visit the Popular Stationary fair at Suntec City . Suntec really underwent such major renovation so much so that it is almost unrecognisable to me. We spent close to 3 hours at the fair and wifey bought some stickers for scrapbooking. Both of us enjoyed looking at stationeries so we don’t really feel that we have already spent such a long time inside.

There was also a book signing session by our former president Mr. S R Nathan at the fair and I manage to get up close and personal to him . My first time seeing him in person.

I also made friend with Hog the Poc in the fair

thanks for keeping me warm ...

And I  took a picture with the host of the event Mike Kasem . 

See you Mike, when i take part in SASUKE SINGAPORE! hehe...

He is quite a funny guy when he hosted Sasuke Singapore with a lot of witty comments. Dinner was at home , ecomonic rice with fried hokkien mee as we watched Mr. Popper’s Penguins on TV.  

My Week

Last Friday, I met wifey at OG after work as she needed to get a pair of swimming costume.

After trying a few pieces, she finally decided to get a brown one. It looks nice and the price is reasonable, so it’s a good buy.

After getting the costume, we went over to Ichiban-Boshi at Centrepoint for our dinner. We had quite a spread and after using the $10 voucher, total price comes up to about $44.

A very polite Myanmar waiter Latt served as that evening and we were pleased with his service so I wrote a complimentary email to their management. Just gotten a reply from them saying that they will put my compliment up in the notice board and staff newsletter.

I hope my email will motivate Latt to keep up his positive attitude in his work.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
    when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27

My Email

Last night (Friday 26 July 2013), my wife and me were having dinner at
the Ichiban Boshi at Centrepoint outlet and we were served by Latt. I
felt compelled to want to write a compliment to him because he was
really attentive to our needs and friendly throughout the night.There was a bit of confusion when we were brought an item which we did 
not ordered but Latt resolved it quickly with minimum fuss and assured
us that our bill will be correct in the end. And whenever he took
additional orders from us, it was always with a very polite attitudeSo after a delicious dinner, we went to pay and chatted with him a bit 
at the counter and realised he is from Myanmar and has been working
for about 3 years.Kudos to him and congratulations for having such a staff in you team 
who portray the excellent service level which every customer so
desires. We have met more than our fair share of service staff who
were well below the mark so to have met Latt was a truly refreshing
experience.Do convey my compliments to him, I hope it will motivate him to know 
that his great attitude in serving his customer has not gone unnoticed
or unappreciated.Regards,
Marc and Theresa

Their reply

Dear Mr Ong,

The management would like to sincerely thanked you and Ms Theresa for
your valuable time taken to write this compliment.

This compliment is certainly a great motivation and recognition to Latt.
His efforts will definitely be recognized and be rewarded for his
great attitude. On top of this, your feedback will also encouraged
Latt and the team to improve and perform even better to serve our
customers with greater passion.

This compliment will be placed in the outlet's notice board and will
also be published in the monthly newsletter to recognize their
excellent performance.

Once again, the management sincerely thank you for your continuous
support and we look forward to serve you soon.

Thank you and have a great day.

Yours Sincerely,

Penny Chan

AVP Area

On Saturday, I went for my haircut and shopped abit at the NTUC at Bukit Merah which has just undergone a major renovation. The first level looks much better now and the good thing is that they are selling cheesecake now ;o). I bought one for $4.80 and finished it within 2 days! It was that good. In the evening, I went for service while wifey went to her BBQ gathering with GS ex colleagues at Sentosa. After service I walked around at Bugis and for the VERY FIRST time I ate the ma-la stir fry after looking at people ordering. I just have to choose the types of food I wanted and let them weigh and cook. I spent $10.20 on this.

 

Saltish to the M.A.X

Let’s just say that I had a salt overdose over this meal and it will probably be the last time I eat it. Wifey came back earlier than I expected on that night.

On Sunday, we woke up early to help out in the Hair for Hope event organised by the Children’s Cancer Foundation at Vivocity. 

It was my first time participating and the response was overwhelming. My job was to regulate the flow of the queue and it was easy. Time passes quite quickly for me. Wifey and Faith were in charge of taking down the particulars of participants who wants to go elsewhere to have their hair shaved, I think. After our shift, we were hungry and went for lunch at Harbourfront Foodcourt. Wifey and Faith ate beef noodles while I had the Korean Beef set. After lunch , I went over to G2000 to get some shirts as they are on sale, I also bought a pair of belt and shoes at the Tangs Event Hall. Felt a little bit bad to have spent so much in a day. Dinner was at in laws before heading home to rest.

On Tuesday, I met up with Desmond at Marche 313. It was my first time there and it was the first time in a few years since I met him for a meal. Although we see each other every week in service, we seldom have the luxury to sit down over a meal for a chat. It was a nice time of catching up with an old good friend.

when 2 big guys meet up over dinner...this is usually what you see on the table.. no?