The Perfect Dress

Monday morning and it was a perfect day. Beautiful morning and clear skies. The morning began with the little mundane routines. I woke up, brushed my teeth, set out to teach my PE class and here is where it gets interesting, one of my students blacked out… he was running the way the normally did and did everything the way that was normal, but he suddenly complained about a tummy ache then went pale. We sat him down and rested him. And he came back to normal we guessed he didn’t sleep well and may be falling sick. But with the morning done, the real day began.

 

Today we are going to go select the perfect dress for Charity! Malacca was the city; Classic Wedding Castle was our destination. Nervousness was the feeling. The travel there was another adventure, when we reached the Seremban rest house for breakfast; a group of men were loitering around. And when I stopped one of them immediately came and began the harassment he kept offering me a phone it was a nokia N75. And he kept offering and offering even when I said that I don’t want. It was definitely stolen and from the look of it being scratched up and all it was stolen for sure. So when there was a break and he went to harass someone else we ran into KFC the nearest restaurant. There we ate in peace and discovered that KFC does have good and reasonable breakfast menus. I would say more reasonable than McD!

 

So after breakfast they came back and boy was it really annoying. These men really have nothing to do but destroy people’s travels and good days isn’t it. But as we got on the way the memory of those silly men was blown away and forgotten. So as we got to Malacca town we caught up with Charity’s parents that were already there.  We went to town for lunch and I discovered I knew Malacca’s roads better than I thought… how many times have I been there? How come I knew it? Maybe its my mom’s natural GPS inherited to me! YAY!!! But I must admit there was a little help from Foo Mei Fern. But I managed to really get around and that was really something I never thought of myself… *pat self on back* wahahahaha!!!!

 

We went to Jonker Street to have lunch and did shopping!

 

My Beauty and the beast @ Jonker

SHOES don't you wanna buy them all!

She would look so so good in Bali

Jonker or Bali… its only Jonker… what a nice little corner…

And later when we got to Classic Wedding Castle after being lost we got down to business. Oh I forgot to tell that we were so bored that we begin to take pics for ourselves. And then when we got there, for the first time I saw so many dresses and yet they were beautiful. So Charity, her mom, her aunt, and church member were like kids at the candy store.

 

Focus Here OK?

Preparing for looking beautiful in a dress

We were sifting through so many dresses I was worried about size and price, but there were beautiful gowns. So after much selection Charity began trying 3 dresses. And for those who know, people look really hard for that perfect dress. I was wondering if that will happen here. I was skeptical but there was some hopefuls. But after every fitting there was some problems with each dress. And I was like wondering if Charity will be disappointed or upset if we could not find a dress…

 

But it happened.  The curtain opened, and I was far off but it was like magic, she appeared with the curtains opened and she looked like an angel, oh so beautiful… I could just hug her and not let her go. I could not burst into tears coz I was so mesmerized. The perfect dress no alterations needed and she looked beautiful and in so many ways it fits everyone’s expectations. So satisfied with everything and selecting the veil and placing everything together the price was SHOCKING. But not the bad kind of SHOCKING! Let’s just say that renting the dress in KL would not even come near to the price of us purchasing this dress, veil, the traveling expenses of the toll and petrol, the food, the buying of knick-knacks and parking and all came to less than that!

 

Wooohhooo!!! The dress now settled and so many things being settled thank God everything is moving along. And finally I understood certain things about preparing for a wedding: finding the perfect dress.

 

Love you dear. You looks so beautiful in that dress. Muacks!

New Phase

Last week my pre-marital counseling began. And well it is interesting, I went in there not knowing what to expect. And it was so different, for those of you who had to go through pre-marital counseling; it must have been a mix of excitement and fear. It was for me, I was so afraid I would not be compatible to the person I love, but then again that was not how things turned out. It was a journey to learn to how to make this relationship to work.

            We hear all the time that people want to take their relationship to the next level. And that is usually mean moving in, or buying a house or something. But this is really taking things to the next level. It is not about how the relationship is, pre-marital counseling is not about how to get married. It is about how to take your relationship to the next level beyond the romance, beyond the hype and beyond the idealism; pre-marital counseling is about taking all these emotional factors and make the relationship real and functional. I’ve always thought that I was a more level headed guy when it comes to emotions and relationships. But this really takes it beyond me ,and shows me that I still have idealisms in my mind. I’m still a young man right?

            And the other thing that sorta shocked me is the homework and the reading assignments. LOL! Gosh there is reading assignments I thought you just go there share listen and come out, but this is different, this is like sitting in a course. Oh Boy! I’m still excited juggling my current course work with this new course work but I’m enjoying it. And I’m learning to love Charity in a real way. Not that I didn’t love her before but this time it is different, it is deeper, it is real and tangible.

I Hate Throw Offs!

 

I hate throw offs, I do. I’m a person that just hates changes to schedules and sudden changes and inconveniences. Maybe I face it so often at work I got sick of it. maybe it’s my ADHD and mainly I blame that but I really get upset and get so cheesed of when that happens to me. And this year has been a lot of that and more importantly when I am at camp. The youth camp this year was such a throw off and honestly I was so boiled up inside I just didn’t know what to do at times. And what more, I hate throw offs at camp, especially at camp. To me camp is vital for inspiration, refilling, just overall goodness must flow from camp. For me camp usually has to be great, and not boring, physically exciting and lots of chill out.

This camp was another great throw off. First was the departure, not only were the people late, well not that late but late enough I was anxious that the traffic will be so clogged because of people travelling and I hate jams. Throw off no. 1. Ok so finally we are ready to go and everyone is here, but the campsite being relatively unknown made it that all the cars had to follow to lead cars and one had to be the tail car. So a convoy and formation was formed, and we rolled out. Throw off no. 2 – apparently our church members have no idea how important it is to keep to predetermined speed limits and formations in a convoy! And the lead car did not think to inform tail cars if there would be a stray or a car turning back. But left us all guessing and trying to catch up. Throw off because I was upset the drivers were just going on their own way which they shouldn’t, but they don’t really care, but I was worried that they won’t find the campsite. Although it is premature because we are on a highway, but I just hate a sudden change of the system and that they did not follow simple explicit instructions.

Well the journey went on and we reached the campsite, after a long while. The journey seemed to take longer than expected, but I enjoyed the view of the drive, and the treasure hunt was also a good way to keep me awake. But upon arrival and a famished stomach because we were to eat breakfast at the campsite; we were greeted by a breakfast so measly it was horrible!!! How can there be not enough food for KKAOG!? LOL we love our food right? But anyways that was just a minor throw off, which lead to throw off 3. Just before we began our service, a vital fuse that regulates power to the block our lodging and meeting hall blew, leaving us with no air-con and in the dark. What a way to start everything.

The resort swiftly rectified that and placed us in a different hall and got power back up really fast. Kudos to the team and management! Then we went out for a caving exploration and jungle trekking. I enjoyed those activities a lot! But I was kinda disappointed with the attitude of some of the people, upon hearing that there will be leeches and ‘natural’ stuff, they refrained and had a million excuses NOT to go, I would go at a whim man! The cave was nothing really too spectacular, but you get to see the wonder of God in different ways and it was something really different and refreshing. It was nice and it felt quite comfortable, it was easy enough for everyone and yet nice, and an eye opener for many. My only complaint is the guide is long winded, maybe it’s just the way of a more laid back culture. The jungle trek was nice it was challenging, more than the many trails I have gone where it was just steps and easy trails. But this was really good trails of logs and thick under growth and just something refreshingly different from the usual boring trails and this had really good nature display, fallen trees, great ancient stones that are not the foundations of great trees, beautiful displays of creation. And the river crossing was just so fun! The water; oh so cool and swift. Not dangerous although the church members made it sound like a raging torrent to thread! Well there were episodes of ‘the attack of the leeches’ but I don’t think these were that great, though the screamed SO loud!!! I think leeches have got a bad press and we really misunderstand them the poor little things aren’t that bad. In fact they are good, it’s just we city slickers can except anything that doesn’t feel or look hygienic and feels urky. What more the idea that it sucks our blood!!! So anyway some were bitten, and this is where I have discovered something quite interesting I have been in the jungle many times and encountered many leeches, but I have never been bitten by them. I would be able to pull it off and get them off before they bite me or they just never sucked me. So any way I picked two leeches to try to coax them to suck me. And I waited. And waited for them to do their natural instinct. But after a long wait, they just would not bite. Maybe leeches find my skin too thick, or protected by a layer of fat that they find hard to penetrate, or just not tasty. Either way they just don’t bite me.

And after the tiring hike and cave we make our way home. Cold and tired we reached home and had our dinner. And while getting ready, the electricity to the entire resort was cut off, the main line blew. At that point I had enough. I was pissed, annoyed at some people and just have quite a bad day. The meeting went on though and some of us had no chance to get freshened up for the service. Throw off no 4. And next was the biggest throw off in the camp – God moved! That service, God decided to move in such a way no one can deny Him being there and the weight of the glory of God could be felt in such a tangible way! Knees wwere bowed, tears were cried, a parable was shared and many lives were changed from that moment on because they came face to face with the Living God! One word – Amazing! Describes it all.

The next day things went on fine with the tour of the cottage industries which included a peanut factory, tou foo factory, mushrooms, then a elephant sanctuary and a deer sanctuary. Nothing short of tiring and the weather was beating down on us hard with each stop. And frankly some people just annoyed me. And throw off no 5. The bus upon faithfully serving us the entire day broke down! 30km from the resort. A distance near to behold but too far to imagine. LOL. But the replacement was really fast and comfy. Throw off no. 6 was the paintball at the end of the camp. They were delayed by an entire hour and the marshal was just too longwinded for my taste. Or I was just anxious to shoot people. but sadly not everyone was a good sport and could take the pain. And I have to admit I am also not the best of sports but the pain was not that bad for me. But among the people we had some really interesting surprises in Chris Chin and Aunty Michelle! They were amazingly good and while my team lost miserably in the championship match, we still had fun.

I still hate throw offs, and although good that has come from the throw off seem clearer now u still find them hard to deal with. But if it wasn’t for the throw off I don’t think God could have moved so greatly. He had to throw us off so we were just expectant; He had to throw us off so that we would focus on Him. I believe now that if not for the throw offs I would not see some people in different lights, I would not see people not normally talking chatting away. I would not get to know people I normally do not have the chance to catch, I would not see families coming together, I would not see people that were more particular than me in always such good cheer, I would not have seen things in a different light and God may not have been able to move that wonderfully and we experience him so marvellously, ministering so deeply. Still I hate throw offs, but I am learning o cope with them. The lessons learnt were far deeper than I can digest and is a big challenge for me. I look forward to learn them and apply them, for one I must walk my talk and talk my walk more. I must embody Christ and not just live a form without the true power! I hate throw offs, I do, but I can learn to love them too! J

22.7 And More

                4.45 a.m. before the alarm blares, I sat up my body pumped in anticipation. I could hardly sleep the night before, so many thoughts ran through my head. Thoughts like, will I make it, is my body ready (I just went through a week of heavy purging and vomiting), will I get injured, I didn’t get enough sleep, did I make the right choice to run the half marathon as my first run of the year? I was so tempted to not run and just lie there, but I knew I would not be content with the stories, I knew I would not be able wear the jersey (I coveted it for years), I would never have the right to say anything and I would like with a bigger emptiness and regret that I am feeling now. My worries did not outweigh the satisfaction and just the knowledge to know I tried. I knew I had to try, I knew I had to get up face it, come what may I will pass that finish line, I will crawl pass it even if I have to.

                So I pick up my running shorts waiting for me, I get dressed ready, counting through what I need to bring, and my contact lenses seems more afraid than me as it just won’t go in! Finally everything was ready, checked and re-checked. And it dawned on me my clock is set 15 minutes fast I was ready by 5 a.m. sitting at the staircase of the church waiting in anticipation , I think I was nervous… very nervous… and I had at least 40 minutes to wait! So I kept trying to rest while stretching and just mentally getting ready. And the call that could launch a thousand ships came in. Charity called just to wish me the best, and her voice was just what I needed to hear then. As the minutes slowly passed, my body just felt all wrong, nothing felt in place, nothing felt right. Slowly though my fellow runners streamed to the church each ready to embark on their own personal battles. Each ready to face themselves in a run against themselves to achieve something and prove something to themselves.

                So we departed at 5.35am I was still trying to get sleep in the car and we arrive all too soon. Greeted by an air of anticipation and a lot of Adidas foot deodorant (promoter girls were heavily promoting their new product, and runners happily obliged the free offer), we made our way to the start line and registered. There we stretched, emptied our systems to be able to run better, and for me check the competition. And man do they look FIT! 6.15 a.m. PowerBar went in (compliments of PowerBar). It occurred to me, runs have become and is more of a social event and a meeting of people and friends. Shout of names, hi’s and well wishes filled the early morning air as each runner wished another and caught up with each other since the previous run. I personally saw some people knew… looks like I am getting more seasoned in running J.

                6.30 a.m. the start line is filling up and we scamper to get the starting bracelets. The running pen is big, much bigger than I expected and well we didn’t even fill it up. I believe there was at least a thousand runners. 6.40 a.m. blaring sirens suddenly flood the air as the VIP came to launch the run. Last minute announcement by an old man that was really annoying, and before I knew it BANG! The race has begun. I was not ready for this, I told Wil, “Go ahead I will follow my own pace”, and he did pushing on hard to finish the race to qualify for medals. I on the other hand hunkered down and braced myself for the run ahead I did not think I did not bother I did not worry, I just took one step at the time, getting ready for 3 hours of running.

                3km in I was surprised to get a water station already but I really needed a drink. So I drank the given 100 plus and well it was good but didn’t like the gas but it’s ok I still could take it, the at about 5km the 10km runners joined the route, and I was greeted with a mass of runners that makes it hard to run. But its ok I am not pushing for record time. This is where it gets disappointing, the water stations were not ready for us, they were not equipped or big enough to handle the traffic and some people did not get drinks, or sponges and it just brought some running lines to a halt, breaking momentum. So I was glad when they turned off and  I geared my mind for the lonely run that will come ahead, surprisingly though the first 10km didn’t feel that bad, and that is where the second disappointing episode comes. They placed the 12^th km marker 2km earlier. So I thought I was way ahead but I was not. And one water station had only 2 bottles of water! Amazing! The following was also kinda disappointing, distance markers, water stations that closed, serving 100 plus and not water causes more dehydration than being just out there in the sun. But to my amazement I felt really good up to this point. By the time I hit the last 6km I felt hungry and exhausted, but at this point I found my overtaking people to my surprise. Then at the last 3km I felt the first tale tell signs of a major cramp coming in my right leg. I took my last PowerBar hoping it will last me the rest of the race and it did hold… for a while. And now the last 2km was gruelling I was out of everything ut sheer will power. The last hope I had was the last ‘water’ station which again served 100 plus, but the familiar surroundings were an encouragement that the end was near.

                500m to go I see the last bend, and hear the sound system ahead, I knew this is the last push and I began to push my pace again. And as I approached the ramp that leads me to the finish line a familiar face catches my attention! Huey Ling a long time friend was waiting for another friend to complete the 22km run and man was it good to see her! And she began running with me encouraging me, spurring me to finish and finish strong! But my leg disagreed, and my cramp finally set in, 50 meters to the finish line I could not run, but the crowd shouted for me to keep going, my mom and Carmille was at the finish line calling me to come. Pain engulfed my leg and each step was painstaking. Finally I entered the gateway which was marked for my category, and to my utter surprise I was handed one of three last medals.

                2 hours, 55 minutes after 6.45 a.m. I reached. Last of my group that went to conquer to run but I did it, not the best time but by my feet I got across the line. It was not easy but I was surprised myself at the medal I got, coz Wil did not get one. But I have paid for the dehydration and push by muscle aches and pain till today J. All in all it was a great time and we are excited about that, but on the flip side, the organisation was not that good collection was at two separate venues, there was no water ,and not enough recovery drinks or food. So things could have been better in the organisation. Overall the best I have been at a run.

Pros:

1.       I did a half marathons

2.       My knees feel great

3.       Personal achievement

Cons:

1.       Lack in training showed

2.       Severe pain in recovery stage

 

Next run Mizuno! 19^th October, and we have a convoy! Can’t wait to do it under 1 hour! Here We GO!!!

My New Hair Cut

What you think of this hair cut?

So should I keep it? I actually shaved it off already, but I was wondering if I should keep this in the future! mwahahahaha…. BCM will KILL ME!!!

It’s HERE! and I Hope It’s To Stay!

I found an awesome invention or translation to idea! We all have talked about good ideas for the word ‘anything’ and ‘whatever’ right? And we have great applications and uses for it, and it always seem to come out when we do not know how to make up our mind. These great ideas come when we do not know what to eat in a restaurant, or where to go to eat and fill our stomach or we’re just plain lazy to decide and want people to decide it for us. Well someone beat all of us to it. Meet:-

 

Anything – the contents of this can could be any of 6 fizzy drink flavours. And the flavours are of the popular type. i.e. cola, lemon-cola, sprite like flavour, zappel like flavour etc.

 Whatever – its contents are whatever that is non-carbonated. i.e., grape juice, chrysanthemum, green tea.

 When I first discovered this drink in Singapore I thought it was a brilliant idea. It was the first translation of the idea of ‘anything’ or ‘whatever’ I have seen. It’s like all just talk but this guy walked the talk and came out with this idea. Man at first I thought it was brilliant! I was so shocked and jumpy the poor aunty selling the drinks thought I was crazy and needed to call the security to throw me out. And that has started my fascination with ‘anything’ and ‘whatever’. Such a common word! But now it has such laden meaning. It will never be said again without me thinking of that drink… But the brilliance of its concept was under a lot of questioning in me. I thought the branding and marketing people of this company was shooting themselves in the leg against these long standing giants like – Coke, as recall of flavour will bring names like Coke, Pepsi, Zappel, etc., and not the name ‘anything’ or ‘whatever’. So the challenge is just to make sure that the brand is not one dimensional but has its own identity. But that remains a long way more to see it.

‘Anything’ and ‘Whatever’ now available at a 7-11 near you!

But the good news is that ‘Anything?’ and ‘Whatever?’ are already here in Malaysia! I was shocked and overjoyed to see it. It will be my official drink selection when I can’t decide what to drink.

So now it is available at your local 7-11 outlets and also from Jusco(or so I have heard)! So you can imagine how happy I was when I found that out and I just had to check it out for my own eyes! And there it sat on the shelves of the fridge welcoming me to pick it up and drink it once again.

So whenever you need a helping hand to decide what to drink just ask for – ‘Anything?’ or ‘Whatever’ let it surprise you! Mwahahah like it does to me everytime!!! Can’t wait to have another anything and for them to expand their offering and shelve space that is available in Malaysia.

 

I love the surprises that come with ‘Anything?’ or ‘Whatever?’ Woo-hoo!!!!

Actually you can get more info at www.anything.com.sg

 

Nice…..

Ah as it stood there motionless and oh so sleek. It’s curves oh so sexy and sleek. Oh how I have longed to drive you:-

sadly it does not belong to me… it belongs to my cousin!:P so i begged and begged for him to allow me to drive it to just feel the exhilaration of the surge of power it provides. To feel the comfort and power, and ah the exhiliration of driving a Mini.

So when he gave me the keys, ah I felt so so exhilirated!!! gr… just thinking back it is hard to write. As I sat in the seat oh the comfort I felt as the leather just wrap around my body the comfort and stability is astounding.

Then it was time to put it to its test. As 175 horses shoot us from 0 – 120 in a matter of 8 to 9 seconds we run out of runway before we begin! sigh. but the power translation is so smooth and seamless it was amazing. although the limit was not pushed, but I could definately feel the depth of its power still laying dormant in its hood!

One day, One day I hope to feel it all layed bare! One day my dear Mini, one day!

LOL

Cockroach!!!

Its Tuesday morning, I had breakfast as usual!!! Wah these days I really wake up for breakfast man!!! Amazing man, I usually cannot wake up for breakfast at 6.45 am man… LOL! So anyways after Charity came I decided to clean the chapel (which is my Christian duty) since it was said to be dirty and boy was it!!! so ok clean up time it will be then! And as I was cleaning I noticed a good friend of many of us! The dreaded cockroach!!!

 

But it was dead on the ground, limp and lifeless. So I had nothing to fear… still its freaky right? So I was sweeping the floor first since that is the best I can do for that day. I was feeling so lazy I felt last the whole week! So when I finally reached the dead cockroach I swept it up into the dustpan. But to my complete shock and horror it came alive! It flipped to its legs and ran off in such a haste it was surprising for a dead roach…. hahahaha good thing I didn’t startle too much or it’ll freak Charity out too… hahahah so when you guys see a dead cockroach… are you sure its dead?

 

Hhhhhmmmmm….. something to think about everytime!!! kakakakak

Hungry???

Ah another youth camp has came and went, not like we have had that many… only two so far, but it was as eventful as the previous year. And again I didn’t attend the other youth camp because I could not take leave to attend it. However, stories has been told and many accounts given by the youth made the camp memorable for me, like I was there with them.

But this year was not without episodes and events. And at each episode things just had to happen at that particular time. And in saying so, it was definitely more tragic, than good. Lets just run through the events:-

Day 1 – Thursday

Just before leaving the camp I checked with my ‘Master Chef’ if everything is in order, and I discovered to my horror that the water had not been arranged! GRR!!! So I had to run around getting things ready. And I also found out as the bus arrives that the bus that was originally suppose to be air-conditioned was not as expected! Oh NO! But what can we do when the air-conditioning was broken. It was not that the bus driver broke his promise, but it was broken… sigh so never mind we were still on our way, so YAY! I was so happy to get to see mountains, lush greens and to revisit a very interesting and quaint little town.

So we arrive at this little obscure town called Broga. The would be home of Malaysia’s first nuclear incinerator… but that is not happening yet… that’s till the government sorts through the protests and legislations and also get enough money to do that. So Foo Mei Shawn if you are reading this, tell our mom in 2005 the work stopped on the nuclear powered incinerator! HAHAHAHA none of us got massive doses of radiation to turn us into super cool mutants! Sometimes I wish that could happen. And I wish nothing would every happen to that quaint little town, its so simple and serene. Please leave Broga to be Broga, I can’t imagine it as anything else.

There greeting us was the beautiful campsite with wide open spaces and the simplicity of life that only the country side can offer. Ah so still and serene I take a deep breath of fresh air as I walk into the camp site, and just as I take in the beauty and hype myself for all the fun and all the goodness this place offers, the warden tells me that there is no water and electricity! What a way to shatter everything! Well its not that bad I told myself, it should be up in a couple of hours, besides its lunch time we can go out to town enjoy the scenes and have a hearty meal and when we come back we’ll have power, no worries… and just as we make it out to the main gate, it starts to rain! That was the good part, I decided to just go on since its not like every day that we get to play in the rain and enjoy nature as it is. And the rain was Oh So Cooling like mountain drops of dew dripping on your head. So we reach the nearest restaurant and eat heartily have a mixed rice ensemble of deep fried pork and potatoes that would usually cost about 4 – 5 ringgit in KL, I ordered two drinks and later added a plate of Fried Koey Teow that was an extra order. And guess what it came to – only RM6.50!!! shocking!!! So happy with that heart meal we went to town to see the shops and see if the youth would like to get snacks. I stumbled on the purest source of sugar cane…all for the affordable price of RM1.50 for a big cup of pure, freshly cut cane! Ah the joys of a small town. Even the bungalow houses which are bigger than Kota Kemuning is only like RM179,000 plus…

Back to the campsite after all that niceness, and the power was still not back and that is when I found out that it would come back only after 6…. oh did I mention the restaurant had electric!? So anyway I guessed we would still be able to make it for the service. Choosing not to sweat it, we decided that is it rained we will play in the rain to cool off and just take things with a pinch of salt in the situation we found ourselves in. So we played and played in the rain till it stopped and we were tired. And guess what it had only been a mere hour and a half since we began… man did we enter the twilight zone? Time seemed to move ever so slowly! So by 4.30pm we were lying on the patio just waiting for time to fly, or chatting up a storm or just catching up on some homework so we would not feel so guilty with all the fun we are having! And guess what, by 5pm the current came back and we were over joyed by that, sometimes the simplest things can just make you happy isn’t? So we got ready and had a really good session in the night getting to know one another. And another thing happened we did not have blankets and it was air-cond rooms…and it was really cold too from the rain, so we called home for our parent to bring us blankets and we had to rough it out for one night… sob sob… see so many incidents on the first day already.

Day 2 – Friday

So day two started with the greeting of very fresh mountain air rushing down from the surrounding mountain to greet us. It was colder that the air-conds man. Woo hoo and so was the water when you decide to have a morning shower… hahahaha! Wakes you right up!

So the morning session begins and here comes the next episode! An invasion happened, the 1st company of the Boys Brigade of Kajang infested the serenity of the campsite like a swarm of locusts. But you see a swarm of locusts feasts and goes as quickly as they come. The 1st company of the Boy’s Brigade was here to stay! At least 50 of them came marching in the campsite blocking our girls dorm threatening to camp right beside our beautiful patio and quickly hogged the lovely kitchen we would love to prepare breakfast and supper in! But never mind we can still go on… or so we thought… they were so inconsiderate and noisy and just annoying in everything they did, they took the serenity of what is Broga and turned it into their noisy camp outs!!! GRRR!!!

I was so annoyed at them and they were just so selfish!not only did they disrupt out morning session they later disrupted the night session as well with senseless yelling and shouting like hooligans they did not respect us worshiping God or even seeking Him all they cared was for themselves and their enjoyment. I decided to confront their supposedly mature and capable camp commandant and the only thing they could say is “I hope you can cooperate with us on this…” oh yeah I can cooperate, I did nothing but cooperate with you guys when you came. You come make noisy, I kept quiet only hinting when it got too loud, you came and hogged the kitchen taking away every bit of space, and say that you wanna cooperate and share the space. What a stinking lie its so smelly that people in Iceland can smell it from here. You make noise disrupt our session, have no respect for people who are having a time of worship and you call yourself a Christian? Cooperate? Haven’t I done just that? What have to show that you want to cooperate!? You hogging hooligan, who just take and take and take and now you are asking for more? GRRRRRRR!!!!!! I wanted to just give it to him, but I kindly replied “You don’t know what you are saying and asking for. You don’t mean a word you just said to me.” And I walked of too angry to bother to talk to him because he just was interested in himself and have no civic sense although the Boys Brigade was supposed to teach just that. GRRRRR….. But on a happy note the day ended with blankets arriving. Thank God! And we have a great time the whole afternoon playing a made up version of ultimate. I haven’t played Frisbee for so long… ah I miss it and it was really fun just playing with the youths. I was also getting worried by now that the youth could not concentrate! How are we gonna reach them, how can God touch them or speak to them when there is so much noise? Oh God I cried, Help!

Oh and this deserves and mention our ‘Master Chef’ had a slight mishap in the kitchen and burned his hand in boiling water. But he got a lot of TLC from our camp nurse… he even got a smiling face on his hand for being a good boy and not crying . You should ask Joseph for his own experience. Another funny episode there.

Day 3 – Saturday

Our third day came and we were so thankful for the blankets, it kept us warm and toasty all through the night. Getting use to the noise that is the invaders we went on as normal cooking our own breakfast and shifting out eating venue just to accommodate those hooligans. And just before the session started! The electricity got cut AGAIN!!! WHY!!?? It was Hot! And with no electric we could not have the keyboard used for worship. But the service still went on, and I was worried with the heat and noise and everything that was going on that the youth will not be able to focus on God. But I was wrong, God still met them. And it was an amazing time! And just when most of the ministering began the current came back! Hallelujah! Maybe God just wanted to help us focus. That night was an awesome night of ministering too although we were so tired. And why were we tired? Here is why.

In the planning of the camp we made the camp 4 days and 3 nights so that we could have one day of pure outdoor activities, not like we haven’t been having that the past 2 days already! But we engaged a qualified professional to coach us through a flying fox, an obstacle course, and to help us pond raft. Yes, we did all that in one day! And boy was it seriously tiring. The obstacle course was so challenging to some that it took them one hour to finish it. the flying fox was the highlight, as we catapulted ourselves down two secure cable with pulleys. But the biggest challenge was the pond rafting. Rafting is easy, and on a pond 5 feet deep nothing scary there lah… except mud, dark mucky, gooiest mud! Why I know this? I will tell you soon. See we had to build our own rafts from the raw materials provided, and well lets just say our floated and held together but could not balance our weight! LOL!!! So we ended up swimming with our rafts to the other side and back and we got to feel the mud that’s down in the depths of that shallow pond and boy was it…. interesting.

Day 4 – Final Day – Sunday

So the last day dawned on brogan for us… so sad… I want to just stay in this morning serenity forever. And the episodes were not over yet. Like déjà vu, we had no water on the site on the last day! What a repeat of last year. Its like every year it has to happen… let see if that is true for next year! But we still had breakfast and I dunno what it was about plain French toast with this young people but they ate three whooping loaves of bread, the jumbo sized loafs… and just as everyone finished and was full the last of our gas canisters burnt out and poof the fire was GONE! A miracle of timing nothing we could have every planned but it happened! And in the last session as we were about to begin, there was a time of testimonies and I would say I was really blessed by them. It seemed that they really met God in this camp I honestly feel like there was too much distractions but God still met them. But God met them! Praise God! And the final challenge was just apt, but there had to just be one more distraction… Mr. Ice cream man came riding along dinging on his bell. Hahaha and I thought it was over.

But all in all I guess it was hard to see how God can work, but he did. In many ways. Firstly in fellowship, the youth really came together in this camp. No cliques, no major division, fights or conflicts. The shy ones started talking, people I never expect to hold lengthy conversation held them with me and many others! They had fun as a youth group and I really enjoy seeing them just being their age and having fun in the sun.

Secondly God met them where they were. Maybe all that distractions was a test or a way to force us to focus. It was a way to encourage us to dig deeper into what God wanted to say. To dig deeper to concentrate to really focus ourselves on him. We had nothing fancy or anything that can help stir the emotions to feel good times in worship. But, God worked in all this mess.

Thirdly in all my inadequacies as a leader and as a person God still made sure everything worked for the best and we had more than enough of everything and everything was perfect till the end. I am so glad for the many things that has happened leading to the camp and in the camp. And I am most thankfull that God met us there despite everything. It seems James 1: 2-3 fits in where the testing and trials are to bring out our true character and really develop us as people and this did just that for me and I believe for many others there too.

So – AH! Another camp is gone! Kudos to the committee, and the people there. Thanks Ps. Nirhal! And man I can;t wait for Next year!!! Maybe our theme should be ‘Thirsty’….. LOL

Clothes! Clothes! Clothes!

Ok… i was packing ym clothes for the week today and I realised that I have tonnes of clothes. I have four drawers of segregated clothes i.e. one for casual t-shirts, one for nice more dressedup ones, one for shorts, one for fromal long pants, theni have of coursemy underwear drawer and one big luggage and a plastic box of formal shirts. I hoestly think, and my parents too believe that I have more clothes in my wardrobe than both my parents combined! and I am a GUY!!! oh no!!!! thats not good… is it?

 Yet as I sort through the vast amount of clothes thinking what i could wear and bring to BCM… Ok… here is a side track – I use to bring a quater of my wardrobe and put it in BCM, cramming my tiny  section of my room with my clothes and belongings. and after doing that for two terms i found it kinda silly as its like moving a house with every trimester (for those who don;t know what a trimester is- two terms in a year is a semester, three terms in a year is a semester, and so on…). since we are not allowed to keep our stuff in the dorms for the holidays, and we switch rooms with every trimester its like me moving my house in every 4 months. And last term I just got so tired and I have decided to not take so much things there, bare essentials (which is already a LOT) and a weekly load of clothes. so now you understand the historical background of why I pack a weekly load of clothes, it comes back to the main topic at hand.

So while I was packing, I was going through the list, long pants, shirts, casual bunch, formal bunch, and finally my pyjamas. Not having a full set of nighties. i usually sleep in shorts and just a t-shirt ir its cold or a singlet. and to my realisation most of my pyjamas is not very decent. and by that i mean that they are torn, old, faded, thin and stretched beyond recognition at times. but why do i keep going back to them. And i remember as i pack the shorts I am wearing now as i prepare to sleep, that i will throw it away after i wash it for the last time, and that was already like the seventh timei siad that, and I keep holding onto itand keep wearing it? Why? hhmmmm… is the clothes drugged?

But it is the most comfortable thing you can wear right? light so it won;t be heavily uncomfy when you wear it, holes for ventilation ( especially in todays extremely hot wether and mind you BCM has no air-conditioning inthe dorms), faded so it feels rustic and welcoming and familiar, and stretched beyond recognition so that it give you place to swim in it at night….. hhhhhmmmm just thinking about it makes me feel so fuzzy and huggy…. mmmmm…..maybe thats why i keep coming back to it….

Then the next horor comes… i got to throw them soon or BCM will fine me for indicent exposure… so I am wondering if I can buy clothes that are already like that? LOL a far fetched dream eh? maybe someone should do it… i know i will buy them… they instantly make you feel like you’re at home, lying on your bed, with your bolster and pillow the familiar comfort just enveloping you. AH!!!! makes me sleepy more!!! kakakakaka….

hahah wish list…. someone to invent or create super cozy ‘normal clothes’ for guys like me to buy as pyjamas… i think there will be a BIG market… or am I the only one? oh well all this talk of the cosy feeling is dozzing me of and the bed really looks inviting….mmmm….. ok so tyell me what you think old clothes forpyjamas betteror those specific made pyjamas nicer to sleep in? I honestly never had one of that before… which reminds me I got to get one before pyjamas night. Let me know.. awating your comments:P