Ah.

After more than 2 weeks of getting 6 hours of sleep or less, I went to bed at 9.30 pm last night... and woke up at 8.30 am this morning. 11 hours of sleep... wow!

At the risk of getting eye-daggered by my sleep-deprived friends, I can't help but say...

It felt soooooo good!

*S-T-R-E-T-C-H*

I should do this more often (the 'sleeping more' part, not the 'getting 6 hours of sleep' bit :)

... Once I find the time to do so...

~~~

On another note, a big "Thank You!" to all the people who helped and contributed to the booth that Golden Key set up last Monday for Pink Ribbon Day. We raised more than $1000 towards research and the fight against breast cancer!

*Cheers!* :)

~~~

Caught up with FY today, and had a good long chat with her. From our chat, the lyrics of an old song came to mind...

'Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. ' - Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

Hm. Maybe it's a good thing we'll be returning to Singapore soon...

*Post edit :

FY, actually, I think it isn't a 'quarter-life-crisis' :) Perhaps it's just that our perspectives and priorities have changed along the way...

And maybe that's not such a bad thing after all...

Moving on

While filming a nature documentary several months ago, Steve Irwin ('The Crocodile Hunter') was killed in an accident by a large stingray, when its barb pierced straight through his heart.

Many people mourned the loss of this enthusiastic (and somewhat enigmatic) animal conservationist, who had actively promoted animal conservation, preservation of the environment, and public education on these issues.

So, it was with frustration and a sense of irony that I read about some angry fans who went to hunt down and kill stingrays, in a bid to 'avenge' his death.

I'd like to smack them with a dead stingray... Maybe then, the irony will hit them. They're killing the very animals he was trying to save.

Steve taught people to overcome their fear of many of these 'dangerous' creatures, and helped people to develop a fascination for them. However, his death has also shown that this fascination should be mixed with a healthy dose of respect too, for these animals aren't always the warm and cuddly creatures that we'd like to imagine them to be, and there's a reason why they should always be approached with care.

On the other hand, Bindi Irwin, his 7 year old daughter, is following in his footsteps and starring in a wildlife
documentary, to continue promoting wildlife conservation :

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061017/ap_en_tv/people_bindi_irwin

Once again, I'm reminded how resilient children can be. Isn't it also ironic how some children seem to show more maturity than their 'adult' counterparts...

Bindi, I salute you. May you continue your father's legacy in promoting animal conservation, pursue your passions, and never lose your original outlook on life. I just hope that the media won't try to exploit you as a publicity stint in all this.

And I'll be keeping an eye out for the release of that documentary series.

~~~


On another note, I was strolling back to the labs from the cafeteria on Tuesday evening, when I paused along the path, and watched the clouds as they floated by in the distance.

Closing my eyes, I felt the gentle brush of the breeze against my face. The wind was warm, humid, with a hint of coolness, and carried the faint smell of rain. There's something about the smell of rain that I've always found soothing... Perhaps it's a reminder of the times back home, when I used to fall asleep to the smell of rain, lulled by the gentle and steady rhythm of raindrops pattering on the windows.

The warm humid wind reminded me of the weather back home, and I could almost picture myself back in Singapore, standing at the balcony window, watching the children play along the footpath that led to the market nearby. And a small wave of home-sickness washed over me...

I've confirmed my flights. Will be flying back on 21st Dec, in time for Yiwen's wedding, for Arthur's birthday, and...

I'll be home for Christmas.

2 more months to go...

~~~

Upon Janice's request, I've also uploaded the photos of last Sunday's Convention fundraiser at Edwardstown Baptist Church here in this link.

Like Sumi said, photographs often bring back fond memories of fun and enjoyment. I think that's one of the reasons why I enjoy being a 'self-designated photographer'. That, and the fact that I'm just trigger-happy most of the time :)


*Click* :)

Catching up

Yes, I'm still alive. And busy. And sleep-lagged. But feeling better :)

It's strange though, time passes so quickly when you're busy with things, but when you look back, a day feels like a week, a week feels like a month, and it feels like time in the past has stretched... Maybe falling ill has just messed up my sense and perception of time... :)

So much has happened. There's too much to write here, but some highlights over the past two weeks include :

OCF Highlights

Kairos

The annual combined OCF SA leadership workshop/retreat. It's wonderful to know that no matter how many workshops/retreats I attend, no two are ever the same. There's always something to learn, and you always gain something different, even if you listen to the same talk twice. You see it from a different angle, and God always shows you something new each time that is relevant to the things we're going through during that season in life. Or maybe I'm just a slow learner :)

One of the things that most people remember would probably be 'Building Noah's Ark', a game that required everyone to focus on their own small tasks, while working with the bigger picture in mind, and cooperate together to ultimately complete the larger task. An amazing game that highlighted the generational perspective, vision, unity, and integrity... I loved how everyone took ownership of the tasks at hand, and the enthusiasm as we all pitched in to contribute our bit.

Photos available here .

Let's remember the ark and the lessons it taught... But more importantly, let's always remember He who was behind it all.

And my heart beams with joy, when I see young birds test their wings and fly...

~~~

OCF SA 50th Anniversary Dinner

Seeing so many different generations of OCF'ers coming together and celebrating 50 years of God's work through OCF in Adelaide, and listening in quiet wonder while the founder of OCF spoke and reminisced, it's quite an awesome experience I won't easily forget. I think it's also stirred up a passion and excitement in some people... :)

OCF Flinders celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year too! Isn't that a cause for double celebration?? :)


Although the dress code was supposedly 'smart casual', many people took the opportunity to dress up, and the guys from Flinders all turned up in suits! Pity they're standing at the back of the group photo though... Hee hee

More photos available here .

We ended the night with a quiz, and it was amusing to see the competitive spirit between the groups, even between the older members. To quote one person that night, 'some things never change'.
*grin*
Yeah, I guess some things will never change... :)

And having celebrated 50 years of the earlier generations' legacies, what will our legacy be?


We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness
Passed on through godly lives

*Chorus :
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover
And the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them
To the road we each must find

- Find Us Faithful by Steve Green

Other Highlights

Sticky Date Pudding

Made sticky date pudding last Friday, which may sound insignificant, but considering that it's the first cake I've baked since coming over to Adelaide, I'd say it's quite a milestone :) That's right, my first cake in 6 years. Best thing was, the people who tried it liked it. And the chocolate chip cookies I prepared a few months back were quite alright too.

Since I've always considered myself the master of rubber cakes and rock cookies, I'm actually quite pleased :) Might make a few other attempts later on (and hope I don't poison anyone along the way... :)

~~~

Haircut

Last Sunday, on a sudden whim, I decided to get my hair cut (okay, I'd thought about it before, but hadn't acted on the thought till then. Hey, I CAN be spontaneous. I can. Really... :) So went over to Chinatown to get it cut before heading off to Edge city for the evening service.

It's now short. Very much shorter than before (you should've seen the pile of hair left at the hairdresser :) The interesting thing was, thinking back, I'd also cut my hair around the same time last year, 1 week after last year's Kairos retreat. Heh, a case of history repeating itself? But this time, it had nothing to do with any burnt hair. LaiKuannie loves reminding me of that incident though... Don't laugh, LaiKuan... :)

And it changes slightly each time I wash my hair, so Karen and I often joke that I got a good deal, I've had several hairstyles for the price of one. Haha.

~~~

Eileen's Birthday

One of my few friends in Adelaide who's been here since I started Uni. We had an enjoyable and cozy celebration, devoured lamb shanks and chocolate cheesecake (yum...), and watched the Korean drama 'Only You'.

Eileen has started a hunt for more lamb shanks, Elisa has developed a sweet tooth for chocolate marbled cheesecake, Karen has figured out why she gets frustrated each time she watches that Korean series, and I've had my fill of Japanese roasted green tea :) All in all, was a good time of catching up with them again.

~~~

Repair of the Mitsubishi Magna

The whole episode was so absurd and funny, ask me if you want details of the whole story

Basically, it involved the Magna refusing to start, jumping into a 'runaway' car, getting Dennis to try to jump-starting it, nearly sandwiching him in the attempt, having RAA come 3 times to try jump-starting the car on two different days because of mis-communications (*slaps forehead*... and they knew it couldn't be started by the previous RAA person but insisted on trying again each time anyway), calling RAA to jump-start Raymond's other car, finally getting the Magna towed to Windsor (which is nearly 45 minutes away), then driving it back 2 days later.

One word... Drama... :)

But the starter motor has been fixed, and it's back in service now.

~~~

Yes, it's been an eventful 2 weeks.
But whether it's eventful or not, time will continue to pass on by... as it always has and always will...
So when we look back, and when others look back, what will we see ?