Winter Solstice away from home




Thanks to one of the youth invited me to his home for Tong Yuen

Dim Sum 2




yummy dim sum in the morning!

Dim Sum in the morning




there is a dim sum restaurant in the chinese kampung called Kampung Tengah

Badminton in Buloh Kasap




Buloh Kasap Chinese Methodist Church

Year End practicals is here again! When my FE (field Education) director told me that president has posted me to Buloh Kasap, my first reaction was "Where is this place? is it in Malaysia?" Similarly, when i told some of my friends and church members back in Subang Jaya they had the same reaction. One of them heard it wrongly as in bulu kasar!

Buloh Kasap located 8km north of Segamat in Johor. It is a small Kampong with just 3 rows of old shop lots. I took the bus from KL to Segamat, when the bus reached Buloh Kasap, i did not know where exactly the church was, because i was told that the church is just right beside the main road.
Buloh Kasap Chinese Methodist Church, There is no cross or the word Methodist Church on the signboard, thats why i missed it. It is a big bangalow Church shared with the Methodist Kindergarten. I've met with the lay Leader of the church, he was quite hospitable in receiving me but also quite quiet person. I met some of the other church members on Wednesday because there is a prayer meeting at night. the Pastor-in-charge also came for the meeting. Rev. Kok, apparently, was a pastor of the Bentong Chinese Methodist Church, so he knew my Grandparents and my mother. It is a small world.

Rev. Kok, is a nice person to talk to. He communicates with me in English and sometimes in Cantonese, what a relief! Currently, he just mentioned that i need to help in the youth ministry and the sunday school in Buloh Kasap Church. He has yet to give me the details of my ministry here in Buloh Kasap.


Segamat is a very small town, situated north of Johor. From Segamat to JB the capital of Johor need another 2 hours by highway. Amazingly, is that there is KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut in town, but there is no shopping complex that i can hang around. Just like what i had said before i went into seminary, "I will go wherever i am sent! even if it is a small town!" Well, maybe next time i shouldn't say things so quickly!

So what are the challenges that i will be facing in this church?
1. Speaking in Mandarin to the members
2. preaching?
3. Telling Sunday School stories in Mandarin

The Map of Buloh Kasah! (A) marks the location of the church

The Legend of Chen Zhen

Another historical story that uses the name of Chen Zhen in the China story about Japanese invasion... this is more towards fiction!

Will the future be like this?



What will happen in the future of screen technology? this is an artist impression of the future...
will there be virtual church in the future? where everyone can listen to sermons in their own home? kinda like what the animation by Disney "Wall-E". Just think about it when technology is so advance until there is no need to walk or exercise... everything is available at home... everyone will become 'fei-chai' in the future.... a good point to ponder about technology!

A round about Journey


Yesterday (19/9/10) i move around at 4 places.... really long journey! look at the map! it is like one big U turn stretching from PD to KL to Seremban then to STM... from Google Map i re-chart my journey i took yesterday and it estimated that I need 2 hours and 48 minutes to reach back to STM..

Departed from Lukut after Lunch was about 1.15pm... i reached home at 2pm! i think i was driving quite fast! haha.... after that my time was quite limited, i have to send the tumbler to Kelly in USJ 20 then get my things at home and take the KTM to KL station! well.... the route in the map is not the KTM route, it is the normal route by car to KL via Federal Highway! when i reached KL station... i have to walk over to wisma Methodist to meet up with Shearn because we are going back together to Seremban by bus......

I got to make a stop at Wisdom books and bought the Stream of praise new album! hehe.... but it is really a long walk yesterday.. the lady at the cashier commented that my whole shirt was wet with sweat! haha... at the end i reached Terminal 1 at 6pm! and reached back to STM at 7pm!! really one long journey!

The Ministry

Already one year serving in my field education church. Getting bonded with the members there and also help them in their daily walk with God. here are some pictures of the ministry that i did in my practical church.

Preparing to tell Easter stories for easter children sunrise program

Telling easter story

Preaching in PDCMC

Preaching


Now the time is coming to an end of my second semester and a the stressfulness is being build up to complete the assignments and prepare for the coming exam. Next year i will be sent to another church for my practical for one year. but there is no meeting or orientation or whatsoever for those who are going out to serve for a year. so i am still left hanging on what am i suppose to do in my one year practical!

Back in STM

After 5 weeks holiday.... now i am back in STM for my second semester. This semester I have more subjects which means more credit hours to fulfill! do not know what is installed for me this semester and just imagining the amount of assignments i will have! whoa.... better don think about it! the semester will start with a quiet day! for us students to be still before the Lord and listen to him before the lectures start!

cheers!

Sunday, 20 June 2010

Kota Kinabalu and Mt. Kinabalu trip!


One productive thing that i have done during my inter-semester break was climbing Mt. Kinabalu 4000 M above sea level! it was a gruesome climb but the scenery at the peak was worth the climb!

Broga Hill

Some of my friends advised me on the training that i need to go months before i climb Mt. Kinabalu. but I have got no time to train like climbing up the staircase for 4 hours instead i played basketball in STM. The Saturday when i start my semester break, i went with some of my friends to climb Bukit Broga, somewhere in Semenyih! it is a 400M climb! at least i get a taste of climbing! not sure am i ready after the climb to the top of Bukit Broga!


When i reached KK... time to relax.. get my supplies and play around taking pictures with the sunset! still do not know what was installed for us when climbing Mt. KK

All packed up and ready to go!! they said that we should carry as less weight as possible!
my bag was the heaviest, 10KGs!!

Group picture at Fei's house in KK in the morning before departing to Kinabalu Park!!


Arrived at outside Kinabalu Park! after 2 hours of travel!!

Timpohon gate!! ready to go after getting our walking sticks!

Group Picture at Timpohon Gate! all full of energy!!


all the stairs.... all the way up!! :)

Still have energy??

Don't give up! climb climb!

At last i reached 3.5km of walk/climb!!

At 4km, just halfway there......

Met a friend.. she was on the way down when i was on the way up!

The higher I go! the stairs become stones!! look at the mist! believe me! its cold!

The higher we went there were no more trees but bushes!

Pendant Hut.... the place where I stayed for the evening before climbing to the peak!

At last reached Laban Rata!!! it was raining at the last 200m to laban rata.... i was all wet when i reached! i started the climb at 9am and reached laban rata at 2:45pm!!

My lunch!! tom yam taste extremely good when i was there! lolz

Training for via Feratta!! with all the ropes and all.....

My personal massager! haha.......

Taken after dinner!!!

Actually i am pointing at the place we are staying for the night... but too blur because of the mist!

I wanted to take some sunset pictures but it was raining :( so i climbed back up to the Pendant Hut and slept! i think it was about 5:30pm, cause have to wake up at 2am to climb to the peak! the night was extremely cold! din get to properly use the sleeping bag.... i did sleep for a bit but the rest of my friends couldn't sleep cause its either too cold or too early to sleep! and it was noisy outside the room with people talking and walking!!

Woke up at around 1:30am get ready to climb to the peak!! it was so dark outside i couldn't take any picture! the climb was adventurous especially near to the sayat sayat check point! have to climb with rope! couldn't see how high it was at night until when we go down the same way in the morning!! believe me... i am surprised how high it was!!

Sunrise... i nearly reached the peak!!

Taken from the peak!! i am above the clouds!! haha....

Thats the peak.... i was on the way down!!

CC and I... above the clouds!

Group picture before Via Feratta!! all tied up together!!

Trust the rope!! it was actually vertical the camera angle make it like flat!

do not look down now!

I have to cross the 2 wires up and down!!

When it was finished... my feet is killing me!! i wore the wrong shoe for the via feratta!! went back to Pendant Hut all were so tired and exhausted we started our journey down at 1.30pm... i was one of the last one to reached Timpohon Gate!! i couldn't believe that there were so many stairs that i climbed up! and after every turn... more stairs...and stairs!! my team and I were cursing stairs and escalators that were not functioning when we went walking around KK..... all of us who climbed have leg muscle ache for at least a week after Mt. Kinabalu trip!!

Tuesday, 8 June 2010

near the end of the semester!

Pressure....

Pressure....
Pressure....

Assignment's datelines....
Exams coming....
Pressure.....

Thursday, 22th April 2010