israel's impact

Have more or less given up on trying to write out 'The Chronicles of Ming's Israel Trip'.
Israel, after all, is far more than the sum of its parts; describing every single location we've been to on the trip will not suffice to make even a shadow of the impact that being in Israel brings.
And so.

Thanks to the many people who have made this trip so wonderful: Pst Thomas Jonsson, Bro Kim Hock, our indomitable guide Dave and Rafi the Shy Driver. Your sharings and boundless knowledge really blew my mind. As well as all the riotous fun we had on the bus between sights, having our heads stuffed full of info and revelations, and dropping off to sleep whenever we had the chance. And to all the wonderful people on bus A13: YOU ROCK!! The experience would not have been the same without every one of you.

It isn't just walking on the same shores of the Gallilee that Jesus walked on; it isn't simply the fact that you might be treading the very same stones that He shed His blood on two thousand years ago. In all practicality, for instance, the shoreline probably wasn't the same in His time. But the context remains: the scorching sun, parching aridity and the rocky barrenness of the desert of the Judean Wilderness in which He wandered 40 days and 40 nights.

Limited by our own imaginations, we can barely imagine how 40 days and 40 nights would have felt like. But a day's drive through the desert, and a few hours in Masada, gave me an indelible impression of how dauntingly difficult it must have been for Him to walk even a day in that land so barren it was almost lunar. How great the temptation must have been when the devil mocked at Him about turning stones to bread. our Saviour is fully God, yet He is also fully man; it defies imagination, the amount of willpower and love for us that He had to keep on keeping on. Me? Gee if I had the power to turn stones into bread, I would have made a buffet out of the mountains!

Hm yes, that's the spiritual impact of being in Israel. It's impossible to keep every single bit of information in your head, I've realised; there's just too much. What I've been inspired to do, though, is to increase my own knowledge of the land and the history, even while back in Singapore, and do what I can in my context to see the prophecies of the Bible fulfilled and His chosen people blessed.

Yet, of course, Israel is a land full of secular joys too; who can forget the bright bazaars of the Old City, the slimy-oily-feeling Dead Sea, the screaming and yelping down the River Jordan, the open-till-late-late-night cafe with the to-die-for pizza, and strolling the lakefront of Tiberias? I just wish there was more time in Israel, for I'm sure there are plenty of things left unseen and undone. Next time, perhaps!

just an aside to say

school sucks.

I WANNA GO BACK TO ISRAEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~stewing in post-holiday trappiness~

day three!

i'm feeling hardworking, i am.. heh. shall post this up and run off to sleep.. it's 1.58am SG time, btw, since i tweaked my skin to make the timestamp vanish. wanted to phlog, actually, but have given up in favour of directing people to the shots taken by our extremely talented and hardworking photographers - jimmy, chris, gary and gabe. Words cannot do their photos justice. Only the images themselves can. Go look!

day 3 ~ jerusalem
: jerusalem grows on you. see its website for more details.
: 530am wake up call.. how gross is that.. fortunately israel is 5 hours behind singapore time!
: mount of olives - pst ulf preached - large group photo. (as an aside: gary, ka man and i were blocked by the *ahem* taller people in front of us *edmund and chocks, ahem ahem!* sheesh! kateks of the world unite and move to the front next time!)
: saw my first camel! =)
: mount of olives faces the temple mount. its sides are covered with jewish graves cos they wanna be e first to rise from the dead at the second coming.
: view of golden gate on east side (Jesus entered the old city by) - it's now bricked closed. but it will open again cos He will enter the same way He once came. amen!
: entered old city via the dung gate (southern side - i think). it's closest to the temple mount. went up to the level of the temple - the height rebuilt by Herod, ie the second temple. (note: Zechariah and Haggai built the second temple, Nehemiah the wall, but Herod rebuilt and enlarged the temple and it's therefore known as Herod's temple.)
: temple mount - dome of the Rock. the ultra orthodox jews are forbidden, ironically, by their rabbis from coming; reason being you can't be sure if you're accidentally stepping onto the holy of holies.
: unisex and gross toilets. oh dear. actually on hindsight i think all the girls traipsed into the men's. oops.
: one side of the temple mount was higher than the other - it got levelled. whoohoo, herod! great builder indeed.
: via dolorosa through the muslim quarter - tradition holds that this is the path Jesus walked to His crucifixion. immortalized in the Passion of the Christ. strange to walk on the ground that He may have dripped His blood on. one needs to get used to this sort of strangeness, in Jerusalem.
: fourteen stations, ending in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the christian quarter, held to be the site of the crucifixion.
: lunch - chicken shwarma. ate with bro chris, sis jas for the first time in a long time.
: walked through the old city to the jewish quarter it's obviously more affluent.
: the cardo, the route that brought us to roman ruins and byzantine architecture.
: wall of hezekiah. strange to view it thru railings and a dog-dung smell.
: western wall. remains of the retaining wall of herod's temple. closest to the holy of holies. like a giant message board to God, the papers stuffed in the cracks. the Presence is simply so strong as you draw near.
: praying there for 15 mins is barely long enough. yet i feel the sweat soak through my shirt even in the arid air. the devoutness of those old men and women who recite their prayers for hours is amazing.
: menachem begin heritage center. no understand speaker's angmoh?? oh man.
: thank God for shumin's sweets. =)
: garden tomb - fantastically peaceful.
: golgotha - the place of the skull. maybe the site of the crucifixion?
: For He is not here - He is risen!
: communion.
: dinner in the strange and faraway royal wing of the renaissance. alan's amazing appetite. two bunches of grapes, three bowls of soup and three plates of food. yeeha!
: i discover i like the israeli version of potato salad. =)

Oh man what a long post. and those are just my summaries. sheesh! it's 3.12 am! goodnight, world!

day one and day two

am lazy. so shall simply reproduce my journalling for the first two days online. heh.

day 1 ~
: fly to vienna.
: cabbed to changi cos mum sick. Merc cab! whoohoo!
: met gary, darryl, ka man. pacific coffee @ changi airport t2.
: austrian airlines = christmas atmosphere plane. green seats and super red stewardesses.
: dinner - tasteless, oily and tough chicken. Gross! what a lousy first impression.
: talked with gary at toilet. kept on having to explain that we were NOT waiting to go loo. lol.
: nice breakfast - ham and cheese - yayness!
: Austrian airlines names their planes! lol!

day 2 ~
: transit in vienna (4 hours 45 min, SG time -6 hours). Boring.. so long..
: nice chocolate! 75% cocoa bar is woah.. power.
: did you know that singaporeans can enter vienna without a visa? wow!
: sat in cafe - strawberry cake. =) ka man's nice laptop. read gary's story.
: finally got on grossly small plane = airbus 321 to tel aviv. never taken a long haul flight on such a small plane before. edmund concurs. BAH, austrian airlines!
: nice lunch - AA is redeeming themselves - fish and potatoes in spinach cheese sauce + poppyseed cake.
: arrived tel aviv terminal 3 @4pm. brand new, 1 year old.
: bus journey to jerusalem. guide: dave. it looks like a horrid place as you approach from the west during rush hour. houses and houses in the blah limestone beige. dust. crowded winding roads. sheesh.
: renaissance hotel room 333 - roommate = alison.
: welcome dinner with Pst Ulf. conclude: jewish pp like salads, pickles, cheese and bread. ate with PPT, ah-ru, chocks n edmund, wayne, peng chuan n tianying.

ISRAEL IS..

extraordinary.

fantastic.

amazing.

difficult to leave.

the Holy Land, in such a literal way.

Go, if you have the chance! i'll blog more when i'm less tired. =)

hahahahahaha you can tell i am bored.

The True You

You want your girlfriend or boyfriend to be more relaxed, calm, and composed.

With respect to money, you spend as little as possible.

You think good luck doesn't exist - reality is built on practicalities.

The hidden side of your personality tends to be satisfied to care for things with a minimal amount of effort.

You are tend to think about others' feelings a lot, perhaps because you are so eager to be liked.

When it comes to finding a romantic partner, you base your search on information from your friends.

Who's the True You?

Your Expression Number is 9

An idealist and humanitarian, you strive to make the world a better place. You do your best when you follow your feelings and sense of compassion. Deep down, you dream of being loved by many. You are capable of much human understanding and have a lot to give to others. While you are very ambitious, you never lose site of perspective. You have an abundance of creative talents... you just need to tap into them. Although you are a giving person, you can become selfish if you are ignored. If you are not able to help people, you tend to shelf your talents. Without others, you become aloof and start to lack sensitivity.

What's Your Expression Number?

Slow and Steady

Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment. They expect you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then usually decide against it.

How Do People See You?

You Were Actually Born Under:

Your most comfortable inside your head - and often daydream the day away. You have an artistic temperament that makes you seem creative to some, eccentric to others. You avoid conflict at all costs, and you have a difficult time with relationships. Attractive and with good manners, you tend to shine in social situations. You are most compatible with a Pig or Rabbit.

You Should Have Been Born Under:

You are totally loyal, faithful, and honest. However, you don't trust others to be as ethical as you are! Straight forward and direct, you really aren't one for small talk. You are a great listener - and an agreeable companion when you're in a good mood! You are most compatible with a Tiger or Horse.

What Year Were You Born Under?

(awwww.... i like this one for the cute pics.. )

Your #1 Love Type: INFJ

The Protector In love, you strive to have the perfect relationship. For you, sex is nearly a spiritual experience, a bonding of souls. Overall, you have high expectations for any relationship you're in. However, you tend to hold back a part of yourself. Best matches: ENTP and ENFP

Your #2 Love Type: INFP

The Idealist In love, you crave a long term, harmonious relationship. For you, sex doesn't come quickly - it takes time for you to open up. Overall, you are supportive, nurturing, and expressive. However, you tend to be shy and protective of your personal space. Best matches: ENFJ and ESFJ

Your #3 Love Type: ISFJ

The Nurturer In love, you are quietly intense, devoted, and tend too hold on too long. For you, sex is a way to get closer - and a way to take care of your partner. Overall, you are altruistic and eager to please your sweetie. However, you tend to also be non-confrontational and secretly frustrated with relationship issues. Best matches: ESTP or ESFP

Your #4 Love Type: ISFP

The Artist In love, you feel deeply and experience intense emotions. For you, sex is serious. It's how you best express your feelings. Overall, you are laid back, warm, and a good listener. However, you tend to seem lazy and disinterested sometimes. Best matches: ESFJ and ENFJ

Your #5 Love Type: ENFJ

The Giver In love, you give your all and feel guilty when relationships fail. For you, sex is not seperate from love and caring. Overall, you are humorous, giving, and motivational. However, you tend to be over-protective and critical of your partner. Best matches: INFP or ISFP

What's Your Love Type?

DON'T WATCH H2G2!

what a gross show.. it sucks..
dragged ivory out to watch just now.. i thought it would be a nice show.. boohoo.. turns out I was sadly mistaken.
what a mo lei tau story.. the most 'huh' show i;ve watched in a long time! and considering how lame I am, it's really a stretch to say it's duh. i think the book is much better.

as an aside, i'm going to Israel tomorrow ! whoohoo! i shall miss my computer and my MSN and all my dearly beloved friends, but i'm super duper looking forward to visiting the Holy Land. Yayness! wait for my pics!

HWACHONGBIOROCKS

.. is the name of the yahoo account i've set up just for you, my students.

Go to http://briefcase.yahoo.com

login with 'hwachongbiorocks' and password is 'mysocks'

See the link? teehee!

Hm anyway it's supposed to be a folder where we stick in useful stuff that we've found about Bio. At the moment there's just one piece of stuff in there, a summary of transcription and translation.

Have a nice time! I'll upload more as and when I find useful stuff.

Pastor can be so funny sometimes.. this morning he spoke about the main hall being like heaven. then I was expecting some 'holy' analogy like 'it's the place you meet with God' something something 'fellowship with others who make you grow' etc etc.

But no! Basement four is like heaven because you can't tell day or night apart down there!

waahahahahahahahaha not. =P

FURRY HIGH, ANYONE?

Out with Juan today.
She was trying to describe Hongye's school.
She pointed to her arm... and did a 'furry' action.

i was like, HUH?

She was trying to say 毛高。

ROFL! Her brother is from Catholic High! CAT high! 猫高！

Oh dear.. Furry High School, anybody?

TO MY STUDENTS:

Please note that Miss Wang has SLEEPING HOURS, as well as A WEEKEND and A LIFE.
I give all of you my phone number as a PRIVILEGE, not a given right - Don't abuse it!

I mean, common sense right.
Unless it's something very urgent, there is NO NEED TO SMS ME AFTER MIDNIGHT right???
Unless there's REALLY something that came up last minute, there is no need to sms / call me on Sunday right???

Even if I call / sms students on Sunday, I will apologize for disturbing them / make sure they are free first.

So please take a leaf out of my book and learn basic courtesy and consideration.

~aaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhh!

Hello hello! Miss me a'not??

I've been sick as a dog for the past three days.. alternating between lying on the bed on my right side, lying on the bed on my right side, and lying on my bed straight. Whao, what a VARIED life I've had since ending my NIE course... ahahaha.. SO GROSS right? Eugh...

Oh welll. Hm, the Doc says I caught the 'common cold', but it doesn't hardly seem common to me, because I tell you, if everyone who had the cold had it like I had, half the workforce will be out of commission at any given time. My goodness.. I've never had a cold so bad before! High fever, running nose, and giddiness that made me unable to disengage from my bed for more than a few minutes at a go. Not to mention a sultry 'bedroom voice'... hehehehe.. lucky i'm not on the net this weekend siah! All this totalled up to 40 straight hours of lying-on-bed (From Thursday midnight after CG till Sat 4pm), causing Yeow Kwang to exclaim in envy:
"FORTY HOURS?? I sleep 40 hours in a WEEK!"

Bwahahahahahahaa. Sorry Kwang. Wanna dose of cold virus so you can sleep 40 hours in 2 days too? *winks* I knoe where to aim my next ah-chooooo...

Anyway. Yes. Amazingly, on Saturday itself I had a breakthrough; despite not being able to get up for more than a few minutes prior to Sat afternooon itself, on Saturday afternoon I was able to make it down to church. Amazing that His grace kept me going on.. tahan'ned till after everyone had settled down for the Word. Hm, I realised that I couldn't concentrate on the preaching anyway, cos my head had started to pound again (Hey I should start selling POUND cakes.. hehehehehehe). So that's why I'm up so digsustingly early on a Sunday morning, cos I'm going off to attend Service later, and wanted to clear up a few things before I went off.

As an aside:
Having a cold is a super-effortless way to lose weight. Goodness, i think I lost 1.5 kg in the past 2 days lah, what with sweating like a dog and not being able to eat anything beyond 3 bananas (Not joking, my mother is out of town, there isn't anything else to eat in my house). Gross right! But anyway, my appetite's back and I'm going on the prowl for food again. *yummy~ Dinner later anyone? *winks*

TAKQIU

heh.

So Singapore.

The DNAC at NIE reminds me of a mini-united Nations.

Everyone's seated at laptops in a tiered room, with 'delegate names and schools of origin' displayed prominently in front. We watch a big screen that displays up-to-the-minute info on biotech and genetics. The workbenches are U-shaped, so the listeners surround the conference speaker as she lectures. The only thing missing are the interpretation chambers high above, from which someone might shoot you.

Influences of The Interpreter, anyone?

I wanna be a sponge!

Invertebrates (sponges and corals) do not show signs of aging.

Two factors have been found to influence the aging process and thus life span:
1. Calorie restriction, that is, a semi-starvation diet. In fact, restricting food intake has been shown to increase life span.
2. Genetic factors.

Wah biang! I wanna be a sponge lah! All day long, just wave around happily under the sea. And some more wun die unless kanna caught by some kaypoh fisherman to get sold in organic marine products shop. Heh. And some more. Sponges are Hole-y by nature. Yay... =)

Can you see how bored I am at my course? Wail!

__________________________________________________________
Ooh.
the more lipofuscin you produce, the longer you take to age (or is the other way around?)
What's lipofuscin?
A principal component of earwax! wahahahahaha!

INTERVIEW WITH GOD

Simply beautiful.
On your speakers too, yeah.

Interview with God

I dreamed I had an interview with God.
“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.
“If you have the time” I said.
God smiled. “My time is eternity.”“What questions do you have in mind for me?”
“What surprises you most about humankind?”
God answered...“That they get bored with childhood,they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.”
“That they lose their health to make money...and then lose their money to restore their health.”
“That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future.”
"That they live as if they will never die, and die as though they had never lived.”

God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while.
And then I asked...“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”
“To learn they cannot make anyone love them. All they can do is let themselves be loved.”
“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”
“To learn to forgiveby practicing forgiveness.”
“To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in those they love, and it can take many years to heal them.”
“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most,but is one who needs the least.”
“To learn that there are people who love them dearly, but simply have not yet learned how to express or show their feelings.”
“To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.”
“To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another, but they must also forgive themselves.”

"Thank you for your time," I said humbly. "Is there anything else you would like your children to know?"
God smiled and said, “Just know that I am here... always.”

-author unknown

More of the same: Pathways to Peace.

SINGAPORE BOOK OF RECORDS?

Haha.
So funny.
Cannot resist!

Visit our very own Singapore Book of Records!

Never knew we had one right!

And just LOOK at the Exciting Categories featured!

Singapore's Largest Shopping Bag!

Then, somemore, got the oldest woman with two front baby teeth still intact.

Wah.
Eh, we Singaporeans must be proud of our nation okei!
Look, we somemore have a category called the Orange Nose Push Furthest Distance! (I had to read it like, three times, and I still didn't understand.)

And the best part is, it's all real.
The fako version is here, at Talkingcock.com.

I mean, is our nation desperate for international glory, or what?? Singaporean though I am, and love my country I do. Still, respect given is. Not gained by trumpeting of own acheivements. Quick. Give me an award for the worst Yoda impersonation. Sheesh.

XING XING SIO PA.. HAHAHAHAHAHA

Star Wars in Hokien.
'nuff said.

lol~

From the same author, a long time ago, of Matrix le-loaded.
heh.

Enjoy, all ye true blue (and red and yellow and green) Singaporeans out there.
May the Force be with you.

And no, no potatoes.