Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all..I think it has been more than a month since I last blogged. Here are some updates from me. We did gift exchange in the office this year. I was the organiser. Haha... : ) It was a fun event which allows everyone to instil a sense of belonging in the office, at least this was what I felt. If I remember correctly, there were a total of 10 presents exchanged. I got 2 boxes of Old Town white coffee. Unfortunately, I seldom drink coffee as it makes me shiver and have wet palms. Guess I cannot tolerate caffeine in my system.

Here are some pictures of the gifts:

A couple of weeks before this, my church cell group went carolling at my house and another friend's place. We had a short practice just a day before but according to feedbacks from my parents, we did great! They liked the harmony and songs sung that night. Towards the end of our carolling, we had the rare opportunity to munch up 4 huge durians. When I say huge, I really mean it. It is the size of an average man's fist and the seed is petite. This simply means value for money. I took in around 3 pieces before surrendering. It taste good and the aroma is simply appetising. Here is what I meant.

Here is a petite size christmas tree I treated myself with. Bought this from Jusco for around 10 bucks. Value for money considering its ample decoration. I placed it on my office table to lighten up the festive feeling of Christmas.

This has certainly been a great year of Christmas back in Malaysia. My sister was baptised this year on Christmas day. It makes me feel so happy to see someone coming into the family of Christ. This feeling intensifies when it happens to someone so close to me. Will keep praying for her future as she walks along with Christ following His righteous ways. May the Lord bless and keep her.

Serene lifestyle of Ipoh

12 Sept 09 - Life in Ipoh is certainly a blessing. If you ever notice my photos, my tummy is starting to fill up. Hahaha :-) I have been enjoying great food and nice outdoor activities lately. Ipoh is not as bad as some people may have dubbed it. In fact, it is filled with excitement, if you take your time to explore the possibilities.

Just last week, I went for a dip with my family in Tambun Hot Spring which is next to The Lost World Leisure park in Tambun. Only RM 5 per entry and, yupp!!! You are free to enjoy it as long as you want. (or till your skins start peeling off like boiled potato, =) )

Then later that night, I went out to celebrate my mate's birthday (Derek Ho). We had the best chocolate cake ever from Gold Vision. It was celebrated in Kopitiam Junction at Ipoh Parade.

Ohh..some updates on my dog - Ah Bee. He has a new home now. It was a crate imported all the way from UK (United Kingdom and not Ulu Kelang). At least he has a shelter now. Keeps us peaceful when it rains cats and dogs, as he usually howls as he gets showered with rain.

A little update about my work. Someone left us last week after working for about 9 years. I must say it is a little upset to see someone go. We had a farewell dinner in Moven Peak. She was my senior before I join the company about 6 years back. So, now when I join the company again after leaving it for 3 years, she is leaving us for a greener pasture. I wish her every success in her future endeavour. This dinner is one of a kind. Never had we ever gather up so many colleagues from Dept 1 for dinner before. So unfortunate that is has to happen when someone leaves.

My scooby doo - Ah Bee

I am just about to finish reading Marley & Me. This is certainly a good read and I recommend it to avid dog lovers. I am a dog lover myself. My lovely dog is called Ah Bee as he whines a lot, making funny whistle noises when he needs food, a walk, company and etc. Even so, he is lovable and energetic. If I ever leave the house for a walk without him on leash beside me, he will be barking on top of his lungs for my attention. Everytime I come back home, there he will be sitting attentively with his tail in full swing as if he has seen a huge bone. Dogs are faithful animals which loves to have fun. I am glad to have his company.

Unfortunately, he is partially blind, meaning he can only see with one eye. Monoscopic vision. This happened a few years back when he was beaten by an old man. The man would whack his head using a stick till he bleeds. He was tortured while he was still a pup. One fine day, he came to us looking for food and shelter. This is when our relationship started.

Dogs are clever animals. They learn to adapt to domestic living and provides faithful company to humans. It gives me great relieve after a long day work when I see Ah Bee wagging his tail tirelessly as a gesture of welcoming me home. Something I can never understand. Why would he be so happy to see me? I occasional play with him, pat on his head and take him for a stroll. That is about it, nothing more but he sees me more than just a companion, in fact he sees me as his best mate. He teaches me what it is meant to be faithful. As I hold the blue leash which I use when taking him for a walk, he will be jumping like a kangaroo (sometimes as high as my shoulder) while barking as if he is trying to talk to me of how glad he was. He taught me what it meant to be enjoying moments of life no matter how simple it might appear.

On a separate note, he can be a pain sometimes, especially when he barks at the wrong moments. Occasionally, he will bark at suspicious people who walk pass our house, sometimes a cat or some unidentified moving object can also trigger him, creating the same effect. My dad will then shout to warn him, but if he persists any further, two or three strokes of rotan will be the price to pay. At times, he will also get the rotan for picking the wrong place to pee. Car tyres are his best spots, including the front bumper of our Kancil. However so, he is doing well now, we learnt that he needs to be reminded endlessly. We will talk to him with a stern voice everytime we park the car, shouting "Don't you dare to pee here, ok? If not you will makan this", while pointing the forbidden spot followed by the rotan to him. It works!!

Here are a few pictures of him:

Church of Praise 24th anniversary

I had a great time at church today. This year marks the 24th anniversary for Church of Praise. The performance and sermon was powerful today. Little kids from Sunday school were dancing gracefully without any sign of holding back. The worship team chose some moving songs to praise the Lord. It was a huge congregation today with combined service from mandarin and english. A pastor from Kuala Lumpur was invited to preach, it was a powerful message to call upon all of us to take the first step and start leading. I will have to prepare a humble heart to start serving the Lord again. I have stopped serving for almost 2 months...

The service starts at 10am but I woke up at 7.30am. I totally forgot about the anniversary! As I was taking my breakfast, only then I realise how forgetful was I. Felt the urge to hit the sack again but I was widely awake by then. Hmmm... I went online and check a few emails just to kill time.

It's working day again tomorrow. All my shirts are free from crease so I am ready for Monday again. Brand new week for work. It will be my 4th day at work tomorrow. My supervisor is already keeping me busy now. I have about 3 assignments so far. On my second day of work, I was already given a near impossible assignment. Tough cookie...

At last, another new episode of my journey

I finally called to accept the offer today after pondering for sometime. While I feel reluctant to start this new episode of my journey, a part of me felt a hint of relief from desperation. I am happy to begin this journey, eventhough there will be lot to catch up on and issues to handle. I shall start my first day of work with a heart full of enthusiasm.

All sorts of questions are popping from my head like growing bubbles, popping and growing around my head. How can I contribute to the wirebond process in Unisem? How quick will I learn? What can I expect on my first day? How will my badge look like? What will be my staff no? These questions bring a great sense of curiousity cum excitement. I felt like a baby all excited after beginning to start walking for the first time ever. =)

Bye bye to my long long vacation and welcome to reality of life.

Thank God I found a job, bye bye to long vacation..

I have been applying for a couple of jobs lately. Hoping to get an offer quickly as I had been idling for sometime. My interview went on smoothly and I was offered a position right away. Coming to the final stage of this interview is salary negotiation. I have decided to take the offer if it meets my minimum salary expectation, else I will have to reconsider other options.

If all goes well, I will be breaking from this long spell of idleness. Starting work again, yay!!! I am sure I will be missing these period of carefree living once I carry out daily mundane tasks at the company. Never look back though, keep looking forward and have a vision. This is a more positive approach. ;=)

I will be working as a Senior Process Engineer with Unisem. As in any other semicon manufacturing company, I expect to be working long hours. Sometimes, weekends might be wasted with the warm company of buzzing machines, graphs and issues. This made me ask myself the ultimate question of why I would decide to stay in Malaysia instead of pursuing for a relaxing working environment and great career prospect in the UK. Why huh? This is because I believe God has a purpose for me here. Be it spreading the gospel to my parents or something else. I know He has a plan for me. Therefore, I shall cling onto Him and patiently awaits as He reveals bit by bits of His mighty plan to me.

Just as I blog this, received a call from Unisem, I was offered a position as above with a reasonable salary. Will call back to confirm my decision tomorrow. Yahoo!!

Mong Kit's birthday

02/08/2009 - Mong Kit's birthday!!!

We were having a little party for MK. First, we had sushi at Kizuna in Ipoh Garden. Nice sumptuous meal all paid by my sister. :=) I wanted to chip in too but can't afford to as I have not got a job yet. Still having to slog for keeps. ;=)

After that, we went for Karaoke in Ipoh Parade. I never sing much but MK's sister was the star of the night. She incredibly sang almost every available hit songs. Most of all, she did it with ease, so professional. :P Here are some pictures taken during her birthday:

Giving up my dream

I have not worked for almost 5 months now. Life has been rather idle as I wait for the result of entry clearance application. Fellow friends, I have given up hope to work in the UK. Suprised? o_O". Well, please don't be. After careful consideration and much contemplation, I have finally decided to stay here in sweet home Malaysia.

Well, what to do as I am a homely type of person. Enjoys staying with family members more than anything else. Looking back at my journey, I enjoyed every single bit of it. Life will be monotonous if I have not decided to travel about with the working holiday visa. At least, I experienced working life in the UK and travelled across places like Barcelona, Rome and etc. Most of all, I was baptised in the UK and learned so much about Christianity there.

Went for interview last week with my ex company Unisem. It went smoothly but the interviewer requires someone who is hands on and able to work independantly without assistance. Too bad I stopped working in the semicon field for a couple of years, so I failed. Another coming interview this Friday. Pray that I can have a smooth one again this time. Feeling a little desperate at this point, desperation for a job after enjoying 'honeymoon' for almost 6 months. Wow! Almost 6 months of idleness.

Unexpected turn of events!

First I received a 5 years work permit which I can use for entry clearance (or visa) application back in Malaysia. You bet I was overwhelmed when hearing the good news. You probably think why I reacted that way, am I over reacting? Work permit was abolished since the great revamp of the UK immigration system in November 08. Instead of the old system, a new point based system was introduced which make things tougher for employers to hire foreign workers (non EU citizens). Employer is required to submit proof of effective HR system and if successful will receive a sponsorship license. Only then a certificate of sponsorship can be issued to potential foreign employees for application to enter UK for work. I was glad to receive a work permit even after the implementation the new system. I must thank the company solicitor for applying before November 08, thus enabling the issuance of the permit.

Next, I travelled back to Malaysia in hope of a smooth visa application process. However, I was shocked when the British High Commission refused to grant clearance just because I separated what was already a perforated work permit. I detached the top portion of the work permit while in the UK assuming it is just a letter head to the addressee and it's remaining being the work permit. Sadly, I was wrong! Even so, I will not cut my hands for being funny separating the important document. Can I appeal since there is no written warning or condition printed on the work permit to indicate it being void if separated? No!! Due to this unfortunate event, I had to postpone my return flight back which cost me around RM 300, also as the visa fee is not refundable, a further RM 1161. At this point, I asked if God really wants me stay in Malaysia instead of UK. All sorts of possibility appeared as I get over this problem.

I was totally devastated, losing all hopes of pursuing my career in the UK. There is almost 0% possibility of securing a replacement work permit ever since the implementation of new system. Thanks be to God! After much prayer, it was finally answered. I will receive a replacement work permit!!! Yay!!! Thanks to my company solicitor for constantly harrasing UKBA (United Kingdom Border Agency). I take this opportunity to thank all those who prayed for me. God is good!

Once again, I will be travelling down to KL next week for the application. Please keep praying for me. I do hope for a better turn of events than the last. Let us see what He has planned for me this time. It is always great to witness God's awesome plan. What ever the decision, whether it be in UK or Malaysia, I will follow closely for I trust He has a plan for me.

Long vacation back home - Malaysia

MALAYSIA - 24rd May 09. I finally landed in Malaysia LCCT airport. I was greeted by red hot yolk called the sun, it feels like entry into a hot oven from a fridge. Before I realise it, my body was perspiring from head to toe. It felt sticky and close. I have never felt like this for 1 year 8 months, time does fly! Don't you agree?

After 3 hours on the road, I finally reached Ipoh, my well missed hometown. Mom and dad greeted us. I was so glad to see them again after so long. It felt good. My ultimate indulgence back home will be the foods and drinks. My first stop - Tuck Kee fried noodles. It was such a pleasure to enjoy the great taste of fried kueh teow with soy sauce. The sweet taste and juicy Ipoh beansprouts (known to be the best in Malaysia) never failed to waken my taste buds as I chew up every spoonful of the famous dish.

About 1 1/2 months now, I enjoyed the simple moments back home. Mom's cooking is always the best in town. So far, I have tasted most of her cookings, my best all time favourites. My dad was glad that I got back. He started making full use of my PSP and Nintendo DS since he has nothing to do at the moment. Mom and dad are still unemployed but will start looking for a shop to do business soon.

I am still applying for entry clearance to re enter UK after failing once. It was me to blame for separating the perforated work permit. Due to this, my initial application was refused as the document was deemed invalid and not intact. The application cost RM 1161 and is not refundable. I lost hope soon after receiving the refusal notice. I even thought of giving up my quest of securing employment in the UK. However hard the road was, I prayed for strength and wisdom. Finally about 3 weeks later, I was told that I will get a replacement work permit. I thank God for giving me a good employer who was willing go all the way to employ me. The UKBA (United Kingdom Border Agency) provided plenty of obstacles to Oxley Developments Co. Ltd. in the process of securing my work permit. Only after much harassing did the UKBA agency promised to issue a replacement work permit to me. At the moment, I am still waiting for it to arrive. I hope it will arrive within this week. My work permit is valid for 5 years and I will need to use it to re apply for entry clearance. I do hope to get an approval of entry clearance before 18th July which is the day of my returning flight. The flight date was changed twice previously due to complication during the application of entry clearance. Both changes costs me around RM500 in total. :-(

I will keep you up to date on my progress...while waiting for my update, why not have a look at my photos on facebook.

Please click on picture to view the full album.

K2B Walk and a nice weekend in Barrow

Weekend of 8/9/10th May - I drove up to Barrow-in-Furness from Nottingham which took about 4 hours. I have a 40 miles charity walk on Saturday 9th May. The drive was smooth and enjoyable with plenty of sunshine along the way. It was shortlived when I got stuck in a 5 miles traffic jam due to a serious road accident along the A590. I was stuck there for about an hour. Thank god the weather was brilliant and it feels so warm that I had to unwind my windows to enjoy the cool breeze of Barrow.

Next day, me and my mate Ricky woke up at 3.30 am getting ready for the walk. I was barely sleeping before that. I guess this has to do with my unusual sleeping pattern. Ever since I started working at the chinese takeaway, I have always hit the sack at around 3 am. As you might have guessed, I had to wake up instead of going to bed at 3.30 am. At 4.20am, I was picked up by Oxley's van which went on to pick others up on the way to Keswick, Lake District. The journey takes about 1 1/2 hour. It was already drizzling at that time but I expected much worse weather to come as forecasted. There were a total of 12 walkers from Oxleys who participated in this event. 

At 6.15am, we reach Keswick, as soon as we leave the van, the walk begins. We were all given RFID tags to "touch and go" at checkpoints. This was used to track our time at the checkpoints. My walk officially begins as soon as I touched the reader at the start point at 06:16:20. I was really excited and eager to finish the walk. So the walk begins...

After about 10 miles, I reached the first checkpoint registering a time of 08:32:42. Not too bad as I was jogging and walking. Second checkpoint was just 3 miles away and I feel great eventhough we were accompanied by heavy rain and gusting wind. Everything was normal until I reached the 4th checkpoint after walking 20 miles, time is 11:19 am. This is the point where I took 2 painkillers as I was struggling with throbbing pain on my thigh and shin. The next 10 miles were dreadful as I had to pass by Coniston Lake which is dead long. I walked for an hour, the lake was on my right, I walked and walked and it is still on my right, seems like it is stalking me. Every step was dreadful and sensational. This was compensated by loads of great and wonderful views of lakes, greens, trees, little cottages and hills.

After the lake, I finally reached checkpoint 5 (27th miles), this is the worst bit of the walk as I had to face a terrible hailstorm. Falling hails with gusting winds pierce my hands and face. It felt like a thousand needles poking onto the same place over and over again. Absolutely painful and torturous. I took another 2 painkillers to ease the pain on my legs. Keep telling myself that there is only 13 miles left and I have completed almost 2/3 of the walk. I was at the verge of giving up but hang on to it when I see my colleagues catching up with me and even offered to accompany me. There is also another friend who text me encouraging words from our Lord to keep me going. She is wonderful and the words of support from her followed me throughout the walk. The words keep reiterating in my mind as I walk. 

Food and drinks were provided free to all walkers. I have to take a lot of sugar for instant energy so I had a couple of energy drinks, chocolate bars, jelly buttons and sandwiches. Special thanks to the support team for painkillers and delicious buns with ham and cheese. I never had time to rest so I pushed on with food along the way. There was one point when it was raining and I had to eat this rain soaked sandwich. It was horrible, but the pain is even worse. So my attention was diverted to my legs.

Finally, I reached checkpoint 8 at 15:59:27, which is only 3 miles away from the finish line. At this point, every step feels like a walk on rough and hot rocks. I so wanted to give up as the pain was really intense but the encouraging words followed me, telling me that I can do it and I must not give up on my jelly legs. : ) 

I reached the finish line in Barrow after 10 hrs 42 mins and 7 secs of walking. There was a great sense of relief as soon as I touch my tag for the last time. Yahoooooo!!!! I finally made it. I am so proud of myself but also thank God for his support through friends and colleagues. We were given a statistic record of the walk and a medallion. Each walker was given 2 vouchers for either drinks or burger or both. I had a lager and 1/4 pounder. At last, some nice food to end the walk. Awesome! It was funny as everyone walked like a penguin, like it was some kind of weird dance party. Sitting down on the field was a mission after all that walking. I had to use all limbs just to sit down. I manage to do so in the end but landed hard on the grass. LOL! Then, to stand up is another mission :-S. I had to get someone's helping hand. 

I went to bed at 10pm after the long day. The pain was so intense. Rolling about was full of pain. Me and my mate were screaming every time we roll about. He was on the bed and I was on the floor. Next day, we woke up for a little shopping at Morrisons, everyone was walking normal except us. LOL! We sure look funny. 

Eventhough it is dreadful and torturous, I enjoyed this walk as it helped the many people supported by charities. It might have helped saved lives and support others. I am glad I joined. I might do it next year, but with more practice beforehand. 

Here are some pictures:

Here is a link to the K2B walk website:

K2B Walk

Nice weekend in Birmingham and Leicester

This May bank holiday, I went to Birmingham and Leicester. Bert, my mate whom I met during MEC 2009 invited us for BBQ at his house. It was a great time spent with brothers and sisters in Christ. A handful of people attended the BBQ, we had a great mix of people from The States, UK, Singapore and Hong Kong. We had plenty of foods to go about, among the types of food we had were spare ribs, sausages, marsh mellows and etc. All cooked to perfection. There was also baptism service on the following day.

Richard was driving and it was a luxury to be a passenger after all. Ever since I bought a car, my duty as a driver has never ceased. Thank God for this brother in Christ, I really enjoyed the trip. A total of 10 candidates were baptised in BCEC (Birmingham Chinese Evangelical Church) that Sunday alone. We heard that there were a total of 22 candidates including those from Cantonese service. God is really amazing, I am so glad so many people commit their lives to Him. He is good, don't you agree??

Here is the link to some of the pictures taken during my trip:

Click here for the album

Football match at Reebok Stadium (Bolton vs Villa)

26th April 2009 - I travelled to Reebok Stadium to watch the Premier League match between Bolton Wanderers and Aston Villa. Enjoyed the experience. It was great to watch the match from up close. We were sitting right at the midfield just behind the throw in area. I had a great view of the throw in and corner kicks. It was a relatively warm afternoon and the sun was shining right on our face. I guess I got a tan now, just on the face though..LOL.

Here are some videos and pictures:

Photos link

Walking with God...

The road ahead seems to be a little gloomy, but I thank God for showing the way. Although it sometimes felt as if I am walking alone, God is standing by my side all the time. I never realise he was behind me as I was dashing ahead, moving too fast, not according to His pace but mine. Only when I fall down and look back, I saw His face with His arms wide open, ready to pick me up again. All this while, He has tried to bless me, walking behind me, standing by to make sure I stand up again every time I fall.

The path of righteousness is an arduous one. There are so many shortcuts along the way. Sometimes, I felt tempted to try out of curiosity, to use the short way, away from the Father. Time and time, He calls me back. I can always hear him calling me back to the right way, but like a child being called by mommy for dinner while he is still enjoying a game, I too can be hearing but not listening. So how do I stay tune to his voice? I must love God with all my heart and my soul. 

I am not a child anymore now, however I still miss my parents very much. This was because a strong bonding of relationship has developed between me and my parents. We lived together, sharing ups and downs. Eventhough I used to get beaten up and mocked at whenever I do wrong, I looked back realising those are their ways of making me stronger to take up responsibility and to be someone useful in the future. I am thankful for the canings and harsh words (eventhough it is not applicable to our society now). The same goes to our relationship with God, if we live with him daily, wherever we go we will feel his presence. From my perspective, he is always talking to me. Whether I am hearing or listening is another question. I pray to be ever listening and not hearing. 

"Faith is when death no longer appears to be a threat, faith is not just believing without seeing but understanding the nature of the right path and walk by it. Just like a blind man feeling his way using a walking stick, as he practices walking with it daily, he cannot walk and felt lost without it. That stick becomes his faith"

Productive day at last

I washed my car today and even had it waxed. Saved myself 5 pounds. It was a good day today with the sun blazing over my Nissan Almera. It took me about 1.5 hours to wash up the whole car. In and out. It is shining now, at least for the next few more days before it start raining as we head towards the weekend. Instead of being my usual self, logging on facebook for the whole day, I decided to go for a jog today. So basically 20 minutes of jogging and 40 minutes of walking. Have to stay in shape before I turn into an uncle. : P Moreover, I am still single, so this is an investment my future as well, actually no, I will be joining a 40 miles charity walk next month. hahaha...now I will treat myself with Xbox 360 for an hour before taking shower, reading bible and then off to bed.

Yesterday, I went to visit Alex again, this time he is in a jolly mood, hiding himself inside the toy house, awaiting to surprise us. Thank God he is beginning to gain appetite and willingly take medication when asked by his mom. Will continue to pray for his healing and ask God to bless this family. Spent about 2 hours at the hospital having KFC feast with bros and sis before going back home. Here are some pictures taken at the hospital.

Nice and quiet Saturday..

As we approach Spring, how beautiful is the beaming sunshine blasting through my house windows. The beauty of His creation is indescribable. As I move on to another day, pondering upon my next steps, my next plan. There is so much I dreamed of doing. Doing some useful voluntary job while waiting to travel back to sweet home Malaysia. However, procrastination is not helping. I drag my feet as I get through life everyday. Seems I have come to a standstill. I am not contented so I intend to take this time to learn more. Be it playing guitar, reading bible and etc. 

While waiting to depart back to Malaysia, I worry whether I will have enough to fund myself for the next 2 months (worst case). I am not working full time, thus the pounds keep diminishing as the days go by. Just like a full bottle of water with a hole at the bottom, water keeps flowing out and soon it will dry out. Therefore, I had to be frugal, keeping the water in as much as I can, gingerly stubbing my finger into the hole. Keep telling myself that this episode of my life will cease soon and a new chapter (working life) will begin. 

I thank bros and sis in fellowship for providing support and words of prayer when I needed them most. I will keep the faith and ponder upon my next episode in life.  I eagerly awaits the blossoming of spring flowers the start of my next dream. 

Later on, I will be visiting a little child (Alex). The poor little one scarred himself as he fell onto a hot puddle of oil. After having undergone I think 3 operations, he is gettting better now. I pray Father god in heaven will bless him, I ask Father that you provide speedy healing. Take away his pain father, replace it with love from bros and sis. 

Work Permit approved

Hi all,

I received good news on Good Friday, my work permit was approved and all I need to do now is just travel back to Malaysia and come back to UK. This means I still have my old job and permission to stay in this country. YaHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Will keep you guys updates as I go...

MEC 2009 --> Who am I?

Wonder what I did during Easter this year? Well, I joined the Midlands Easter Conference. It was a really great experience. I received so much from this retreat. It is a 4 days event full of time for sharing, devotion, meditation and talks. This is a Christian event organised by Christian students from Warwick University. There is so much fun and I met so many friends throughout the event.

Here are some pictures:

As there were about 140 + ppl joining this event, all of us were put into groups. Each group was lead by a leader who guides us in times of sharing and devotion. I was privileged to be in the "Priest" group. To summarise, this is a fun, joyful, mischievous, silly and funny group. On the first day of sharing, we had to use the little chapel eventhough we were assigned a classroom for it. This is because the room was deadlocked. As in other chapels, you expect to feel cool as soon as you get inside it, it was pitch dark as we move closer to the altar. Pretty scary I must say. It was pin drop silence...untill.....we got there!!! The chapel suddenly became alive with our laughters as we started giving each other nick names. We had Juggernaut Jon, Jet Jon, Bubbles Bert, Rainbow Rich, Joyful Jewish Jennifer, Jelly Belly Janice, Crispy Chrissy, Cat Christy, National Nicholas, Wonder woman Winnie and Demented Daniel. What a lovely and silly bunch of bozos to hang out with. We shared, played, sang and prayed together during these 4 lovely days. It was a great experience. Never had I been so silly ever since I left secondary school. We were dancing with all the nicks given to us. Rainbow will have to wave his hands upwards to form the shape of a Rainbow, Cat will have to do the catwoman gesture, Jelly Belly will need to pull her belly eventhough she do not seem to have one and etc.

Some videos were uploaded on FB which I will leave it as a link at the end of this posting. The worship sessions was great. Each church who participated had a chance of leading the sessions. It was an inspiring and stunning experience. I was touched by the dedication and efforts of worship teams and organising committee to bring us closer to God. His voice was heard throughout the retreat during talks, worships and sharing.

I am already missing each and every of the group members. Most of all I miss the grand fellowship with bros and sis in MEC.

Here are the links to pictures and videos I uploaded:

Pictures 1
Pictures 2

Videos:

Trip to Newcastle and Edinburgh

After weeks of boredom sitting at home, I decided to embark on a trip to Newcastle and Edinburgh. The journey to Newcastle take about 3 hours and another 2.5 hours from Newcastle to Edinburgh by car. I decided to drive as I was going with my sister and another friend. Thank God the journey was a success and we had so much fun.

We started about 8 in the morning towards Newcastle. The sky was blue but with thick patches of clouds. It was drizzling along the way but as soon as we reach NC, the sun was blaring through my car windows. Without wasting much time, we jumped onto the Hop on Hop off bus. The whole route only cost 4 pounds and we can use it as much as we want for 24 hours. We spend the whole afternoon in NC. Towards evening, we headed off to Edinburgh leaving beautiful NC with many of its fantastic bridges across River Tyne.

Edinburgh is like a gem in a Queen's Tiara. The castle situated on the top overseeing the whole city was a spectacular view. With the many attractions around it, we had to make use of the Hop on Hop off bus again in Edinburgh. This time it cost us 15 pounds but we get to use it on all 4 buses running different routes. Meaning we had 4 routes at our disposal. There are so many historical streets like the Royal Mile. Some pubs were named The Last Drop where the last public execution (by hanging) was executed. The buildings were old and some streets were still cobbled. It was a sunny day but suprisingly windy. As the buses were "topless", the experience on the top was not a good one. We had to put on our hoods as it was just too windy and cold.

I only get to upload a couple of pictures here but if you need to look for the rest of it then here is the link to it on facebook.

Click here for album in FB.

Lost my job due to work permit refusal...

I have been missing in action again for the past couple of months. There is nothing much to update then. If I were to summarise, it is basically working, drinking in the pub, watching tele at home, travelling back to Nottingham and etc. Nothing interesting happened.

In fact, I felt like I am drawing myself further away from God sometimes. I have not been experiencing his Love like I used to when I was back in Nottingham. I found a church in Barrow but I never get to share as much as I desired to. I believe this is due to cultural differences between Chinese and the locals here in the UK.

Just recently, I am back to Nottingham once again for a very very long time. My work permit was application was refused by Border Agency. It came as a shock to me and my company. I was baffled by this decision. As I will be deemed illegal if I continue working for Oxleys, I had no choice but to stop working immediately. There were still projects under my supervision but all these were put on hold.

Sometimes, God place obstacles in our ways to let us grow, I believe this blockage is there for a reason. He has a mighty plan for me. I know He leads me to a fulfilling life.

While waiting for the result on my appeal, I am taking time out to visit the Lake District. Windermere is the largest lake in the UK. It gave me ample time to think about my future, my destiny and His plans for me. Eventhough I lost this job, somehow, deep inside me a feeling of relief and joy flourishes. I long for the love of God who never cease to seek me. I felt this as soon as I get back to Nottingham City Fellowship. I promise myself to take this time for service to the church and the fellowship. Here are some pics I took during the visit.

Then there was this shop selling bird food. I really wanted to feed them and wonder how it feels like. So I bought the foods and started feeding. Alas!! The birds came flying towards me like they I am their saviour or something. My hand was a little sore after that.

I miss all my mates in Malaysia. To all of you in Malaysia, I will be back in May..let's go yam char. Mari kita pergi mamak..k..?

Click here for my album on Lake district on FB