vinenbranches

Sitting in atudio early in the morning, drinking my cup of coffee from MacDonald and enjoying my big breakfast meal, when I clicked on the email that Jiamin just sent, she is in Japan right now, lining up for Doulos to dock in the port in June and July. Hearing her sharing about her life on the ship alway make my stomach churns, whether its her joy or struggles. A woman who desires to delight in the Lord i say. What about me? I want an adventure with the Lord too, to be out in the field, experiencing more than just sitting comfortably in my arm chair, but i guess i am too comfortable to be in where i am right now.

"Father, take me to the place, where the spirit of GOd desires me to go, hold me close, empower me. Lord guide me as i take the every step of my life, especially at this particular point of my journey where there are so many cross roads ahead of me, Lord you lead me through this time, yes God, bring me with you."

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love come from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us. He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:7-12

John carry on saying....

We loved because He first loved us. If anyone says. "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, who he has seen, cannot love GOd, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever love God must also love his brother.

1 John 4:19-21

As i was reading this verses this afternoon, got a very saddened message. Imagined this, imagined Christ when he looked upon this imperfect world with all the dirt and the filth of man that we bear and say "nope, i am not going in there, they are not worth the cross." what would happen? You and I will not see hope, man will leave in despair, the Jews will continue to weep at the wailing wall waiting for the messiah to come. Brother, we do not deserve this grace, but Christ died for all of us when we were sinners, each and everyone of us. The murderer will did the killing at the Columbia university, the terrorists would brought the twin towers down, you, me, this grace of an eternal life is for each and every single one of us who believes. Christ came because he love us, he didnt have to, but yes he did.

Thats the same commandment God gave to us, love your brothers. Dont tell me you love God yet hate your brothers. You cannot do that, yes you will be struggling with some people in your life, but no you will try to love, not because of anything, but because God first love us. You can run away from this problem, but one day it will come back to haunt you, because its not a person, its a mindset, and if you are not willing to change that mindset, you will forever be running. Face it and learn from it, its easy saying than doing, but there are many who are before you that are learning to that and still learning, but none walked away because we know God brought us where we are, its not by chance, its an appointment. Face it and grow from it, when you move on with it, you will see how you will grow spiritually, from strength to strength, its time to move from milk to solid food, its time to learn to chew on the word of God yourself.

Am praying... sigh.

Sigh man, spoils the day to find your handphone missing and not able to be found. Yes, its lost.. sigh. The third object in the span of two weeks, what a month man, the phone from some good friends, the numbers inside, esp those i encountered in china, gone. Made my last sms when i got out of the classroom for lunch, vividly rem putting back in my pocket cos someone was telling me to look out for the traffic, so dont sms, which i did, went for lunch and came back to studio. Packed my stuff and went home, only to realise my handphone was missing, i am seriously curious when i placed it. I really have no recollection of taking out the phone, neither did anyone knock into me, so where is it? sigh.

oh well move on move on...

Caught up with Joanna yesterday to bring her around Shanghai, from her short one day stay. I think serving in the airline industry does have its attraction. The travelling opportunities, the financial returns and the slightly more flexible time you have to handle off work, Its like working and playing at the same time, oh well but of course its definitely not a long term job. She should be flying home as i am typing this. Anyway only yesterday did i realise that today is the last day of the year, it din even felt like that here, prob because the perception of a new year to a majority of the chinese still lies on lunar new year day, so you dun get much feel of it. Strangely quiet way of ending the year I guess..

I am going to give myself a treat today and to end it slightly more significantly. Going to see if i can find tickets for Cai Qin's concert tonight with the touters, if so prob finish the day in the mesmerising voice of the old singer.

Happy new year people! Have a great year ahead of you! =)

Okay one last post for the day, here's a photo with yang feng and wanyun when they came over to Shanhghai =) So you have chinese exchange students who came back from singapore, singapore exchange students who is still in China and singapore students who are visiting exchange students.



realise i am the shortest guy in the photo?

Had been telling yimei how weird this Christmas is. There has been this lingering feeling of weirdness through out the week before Christmas which i couldnt really figure out why. Yes, i know that Christmas is not celebrated by the local, there is no public holiday on christmas day, the streets doesnt tell you much about it, except for some occasional decors you see in the commercial districts, but its not the reason for feeling weird. I asked God, why that weird feeling?

I kinda figure out the reason during Christmas eve service when the speaker shared. I have alway been busy during this time of the year, busy with evangelistic meeting, christmas carols, visits to hospices and hospitals, busy with worship or choir, there will definitely be something that i am involve in somehow, declaring the birth of Christ, indulging in the warm and fuzzy feeling of Christmas. We share about the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ. For the first time, I sat there not having to do anything in a different environment, I had time to look at christmas in a still manner.

"Why did you come Lord?"
"I came to bring hope through salvation, love through my blood"
"if there is only one sinner, you would have come?"
"yup"

Probably be busy again when i am home, but well Christmas is worth being busy with, but i must remember to alway take time out to enjoy that time of weirdness with God =)

Have a blessed Christmas dear all, and a happy new year!

Actually yesterday was seriously quite a joyous day until I lost my wallet, sigh, bike got stolen on monday and wallet probably got pickedpocketed yesterday night. There was no money inside the wallet, just my ATM and credit card inside (which i stupidly left together because i went to draw money two days back and never took it out). Just very sian to have to do all the administrative stuff and to bother people for all the money issues, police reports, card cancellation and application. I lost the photo i took with yimei too, sigh.

Was glad to have 老周 and 王翔 joined me for christmas service yesterday, was the first christmas in church for both of them, and was quite funny to have 王翔 telling me about his experiences with christianity and the bible. Spent half the time explaining to him what the bible was rather than listening to the performance by the choir. Well not too sure how they felt at the end of the day, but its my prayer that this christmas will be a special one to them, one that is more than christmas tree and shopping decorations, it is one that declares the birth of Christ, the hope of life and love. If not for the lost wallet, which i am still half hoping i might find it, yesterday out would have been really positively memorable.

Oh boy i had alot alot of fun today at the little christmas party the class organised today, was seriously simple, yet it was so filled with fun and laughter. No food, no frills, just a few ice breaker games we find a bore in orientation, a mascot, a santa girl and a christmas tree. But its simply sincere time of getting together, exchanging presents and taking photos, pairing couples and doing nonsense, was a warming gathering.



I cant help but break into a smile everytime i see this photo, just a right moment i guess

老总，老周 this are the two dear group mates of mine, wouldnt have survived comfortably without the direction and assistance!

muggers!


I am just happy i am quite integrated among the students, and manage to find a group of people i can share and hear from, people whom are more than just hi and bye, its priceless to me. Guess its fortunate in a sense that Huiyin and i are in a different studio, that forces me to step out of my comfort zone and i guess it helps to make friends pretty easier. =)

hey hey solve the picture upload problems, think it has to do with the photoshop template for the frames, okay will slowly upload some of the photos i am missing. Had a good time in Suzhou, in the escapist mood now. Oh well, but its really time to finish up the rest of my work, start mugging!!

Hey guys, heard you guys had a good time at Kukup =) The drama at the talentime, should put the video up man! hee

hmm, crap there is some problems with uploading my photos, i cant seem to get them up for view. Oh well try to figure out wats the problem, for now, it means no photos.

After being slam by tutor a few times, i finally give up trying to do something different from what i use to do. I realise i seriously cannot deal with lines that are straight. Mienhuei, I still cant break through =( But it does feels better doing the things i am more familiar with, and definitely less anxious when you tutor gives you green light. Oh well, less stuck, moving on..

I am going to Suzhou tom! got my tickets today at 3 sing dollars, going over with Kaili's friend Joel to meet up with her tom, my second last stop in China =) After that it pure mugging le!

I heard the Ningbo people are already there for sight visit, prob coming over to Shanghai on wednesday, anyone can confirm that with me?

Havce been trying to catch a photo of the kids i am tutoring, they are really very pretty, but very hard to take cos they are constantly on the bounce, here you are, the family that has been a blessing to me =)


The girl that is not smiling is megan, the girl I am tutoring, she is just "posing" for the photo la. All very pretty right, so in love with Danan, the little girl in red, she is so adorable!! No expectation, but i hope my kids will be this bright and sunny, ahaha. (but you must understand that they are little rascals as well, they seriously never stop moving one)


Here's another with Catherine mummy


Well had dinner together with some Singaporeans churchmates they hosted. The one right in the middle is Meng Hong, pastor Goh's very old friend, got abit of pastor Goh's "seh" right.

Speaking of gathering, well had a ba ku teh lunch with Desmond, Aline and Nang. Des is a Singaporean who is doing his aki degree here in Tongji, still doesnt make sense to me, but well he is, ahaha. Very simple time of makan, but was just nice to chill over for awhile =)

Had tuition yesterday at Meng Hong's place, was teaching Megan math when we came upon a question of counting carrots and we started a study on carrots:

me: do you like carrots?
Meg: eww, i hate carrots, all kids hates carrots!
me: i use to hate carrots too
Meg: use to? you mean you like carrots now? eeeee..
me: ya, its nice and good for health what
Meg: I hate it, the salad i made today in school, no one eats the carrots.
me: (then why you put them in, wah lao) so why do kids dislike them?
Meg: They are so disgusting! They taste like bowling balls!!
me: stunned.....

Why do carrots taste like bowling balls? I dun understand kids, have they ate one before? =P

Anyway, yesterday was pay day, and Meng Hong chunked me a sum of money which was more than what i deserve, way off the Singapore rate, definitely way off the China market rate, (for your info, tutors are paid $8 sing an hour here in China) and I was reflecting on the money issue way home on the bus, was giving thanks for the many occassions where I have been so so blessed financially. This had been one of the greatest issue i had been praying about when i decided to come for the exchange, and i told God "You know my family condition, and you also know my desire to want to take a trip out, if you are willing, Father you provide for the trip." He did, more than i asked for, even despite the fact that I have been recklessly spending in some areas, but he is still providing. Through bursaries, through blessings from relatives and friends, through this unplanned tuitions, He blessed. What do i do to recieve this undeserving blessings? Nothing, though i am unworthy, He loves me.... It has been like all my life till now, and sadly, this man of little faith still continue to worry about money. MAde a resolution yesterday that in my greatest effort, to learn to trust and walk in faith, knowing that God provides, Jehovah Jireh.

I am usually not a big fan of drama serials, but i finished watching “宫”in three days and i so fell in love in it. Started watching it because Mei liked it, but i guess i was so sucked into the show. The entire setup, the camera takes, the frames, the CLOTHES (oh my goodness, never seen so many change of clothes and hairdo in one show), the character builtup, the love scenes and the Korean culture and spaces. Yum yum, its a feast! Five star from me, highly recommended to watch show if you are still as backward as me as to not have watched the show. I like the director, seemingly such a simple plot, but there are so many little details in the show, the choice of things like the door frames he uses for the different conversations, even the transition between the teddy bear intervals are so smoothly done up. Alot of different layers to feast on, yes and the actors and actresses you hear xuan drooling over. Watch it if you are available, but beware its addictive. =)

Well finally done with the photos, phew better blog about it before things are not as vivid.

Beijing, the capital of China, something i have been looking at since i touched down in China, never really thought i would really put my feet on it actually, because of the schedule and the finances, but oh well i did. =) Actually was thinking about my dad and mum when i was travelling there, especially on the great wall. I remember when i was younger, my dad use to tell me, “when i retire, i would want to go to the Great wall, "不到长城非好汉”never understood why, haha, but yup that was quite vivd in my mind and was quite interesting i actually step foot there earlier than him, hope he will have a chance to come over, hmm i hope i can bring him around then.

Anyway Beijing is not as walkable a city compared with many other cities in China, distinctively different from chengdu i feel, and thats why the entire trip Kaili and Johnny have been listening to me make compariosons between the two, sure they were bored by my mumbling. Beijing follows a zonal masterplanning, you put the tech industry here, the heavy industry there, the CBD here and there, the universities out there, and the grey areas are literally grey, there is nothing in between. I would usually take a morning walk from Tsing Hua, where Johnny kindly offered me a comfortable place to sleep in to the train station where i would meet Kaili. That stretch was like empty, a plain wall and a tar road, with the weather being the killer during the trip, esp the first two days. Think my body reacted, puked and was heavy headed when I touched down and it was freezing. 4 degree when we touched down. Well that’s how we started the trip.

Tiananmen was the first stop of the day, the biggest square in the world, with Mr Mao’s picture hung on the gate, wah biang never knew that thing was so big, its huge la, at least like wat 15 by 10 metres? Simply have no sense of the scale until I saw it.



Wu men, where heads rolls. “拉到午门，斩！”I love the Forbidden City. Just learn a new term yesterday to describe why I like it. It articulated time in space. Another big word =P in my words, I can actually imagine KangXi emperor or Cixi walking down the cobbled floor as I thread through the spaces, just quite fun mah. The royal aura remains in that place, just too bad it is under major restoration for the Olympics, will be a good time to go next spring or after Olympics, hee, where the air is cleanest and the places better refined. Din stay there for too long, the weather was cold.


Temple of heaven, a place of ceremonial prayers to Heaven for prosperity and for harvest. Remind me of the rituals the Jews had to do in the Old testament to offer sacrifices to God, thank God that the greatest lamb has been sacrificed and we do not have to go through this again =) The other thought, just wondering when the Chinese were worshipping the same God as we were in Shang dynasty, was it also like that? =)




798 is a restoration of the old soviet warehouses into a huge art work space for the artist, its quite a nice experience to be there, in Kaili’s words, no matter how you look, you are never short of a photogenic corner to shoot, it’s a natural, even the animals, they are posers, Check Kaili’s blog, she did a series for the cats and dogs. Haha.





Well this was one of the highlight of the trip, not really the architecture, was more the snow. Haha. Realize I had more photos with snow and andscape as the emphasis rather than the architecture, This is commune under the great wall, a project by Soho China who invited 12 Asian architects to build under the great wall. We spent 120RMB on the entrance to visit the exterior of 12 buildings and the interior of 2, exterior was fine as long as the snow was there. Would have love to show you the bamboo house by Kuma, but I din capture the building, get photo from johhny first.


Yes, the great wall

jialat, just finish my photos, think i prob got nothing to show for design tom =P better get to work before church later!

Was watching coach carter that the afternoon, when i heard this particular dialogue when my hair stood:

Ken Carter: (at the start of the movie) what are your greatest fears?
Cruz: (in the end of the movie)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness,
that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I
to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

There is the glory of God in us, and we desire to be glorious. Have you ever wondered why men and woman alike want to look really good, who taught us that desire of wanting to be beautiful. In every fairy tale, there is alway the same story line of every ugly duckling to become the beautiful swan, every man to be able to pursue the love of his life, Cinderella, Snow white, Beauty and the beast and haha, Shrek. We pursue a very sense of glory that comes from the creator itself. But we cant, not on our own, not unless we come back to the very source of glory, the embrace of the Father, to have that personal relatioship with our abba Father, where the heart will be restored, where the pursuit will cease, where the ugly duckling which we try so hard to hide will finally emerge a beautiful swan. I think thats hard, its not a one time affair, its a lifetime process of understanding it.

在你榮耀中
不論我往那裡去，
求你與我同行，
因你的同在，
是我蒙恩的確據。
即使我身在曠野，
只要得見你面，
有你的同在，
在黑暗中，我得見光。
在你榮耀中，
在你榮耀中
所有的一切不在重要
轉眼已成空
我別無所求，
我別無所求，
只願你同在永遠停留。

hee, has been almost a month without a post, was busy with submission for awhile, then was busying playing after that, just recovered from the hectic schedule and i am heading back to school work again. Went to the "alway wanted to go" two places in China, Wenzhou and Beijing. In the midst of sorting out the photos, blogged about it once i am done =)

Well yesterday was quite a fruitful day, was clearing photos in the morning, met up with Huiyin and other friends in Desmond's place (singaporean) for Ba kut teh, great lunch man, havent had that for awhile, lounge in to watch DVD for the afternoon, and was at a talk on a work of Scarpa in the evening, got home and spent the rest of the night on the phone with Yimei. Was quite funny, should have taken it down, we were on skype with the webcam on, but because the reception was so bad, we ended up calling each other on the handphone. So you see two people carry handphone looking at each other in the webcam. You know where can you see this scene? Yes, the prison visitation room. Concluded the night with a heart to heart with Eddie before i slept, praise God for a great day.

The talk was one of the best i have heard so far, not very good in my architectural detailing, but keen in this area alway, and i was in awe with how he brings details to such high level of integration, its no longer construction or design, its something more spiritual than that. No la, i am not bullshiting, the speaker was talking about the Brion Cemetery, and there was this particular detail of this super ordinary flight of one metre stairs which he detailed it with such subtleness. Not just the construction details, but where its positioned, how he staggers it, the landscape and path placed around it, right smack at the intersection on the L shape site, it was pretty at different level, would want to visit it one day. Hey anyone going to Venice anytime, please take read up on the interpretation of the building and take photos for me. Refreshed by the design.

Check out some of the photos:
http://www.arcspace.com/camera/Zugmann/gallery/

Abit sick of staring at the CAD file named , seriously i have concluded that it is one of the most gruelling design project i have ever done. The complexity of the project lies in the need for considerations from the planning level to the detailing level and your brain is constantly switching from big to small, big to small, big to small. Enduring is the word, really enduring. No longer stress about submission, think i should be able to make it comfortably (for the very very first time) and plus i am only an exchange student, so confirm wont fail one la. Just very drained, feel like taking a nice break after that and i cant wait for the trip to Beijing, go there and sleep also shiok. haha.

Recently alot of things are popping up back at home in the family and sometimes I wonder why such a "coincidence". I wonder what is God thinking of. My third uncle passed away a month back due to heart attack, very sudden, just went like that, no symptoms, no nothing, leaving a primary school kid and a widow behind. This morning my eldest uncle died of cancer, leaving also two kids and a widow. The degeneration only began three weeks back. Not very close to them, more like new year relatives, you see them once a year, sometimes less, but i think it must have affected my grandmother and mum very deeply. She isnt speaking to me much about it, prob worried that it might affect me, but i am sure it hurts. Who wouldnt. Please keep them in prayers, especially my granny, she is 72 this year. Neh, no worries about me, i am just tired from project submssion due this sunday, can keep that in your prayers as well.

Its the submission phase, I know alot of people back home are quite stressed up about school work, keep running man, the near is end, whether the design is nice anot right now, doesnt really matter anymore, finish it and move on, there are many other things in life to hold on to. P.U.S.H on...

going back to work. update my blog when i am more avail.

I think this few years I have been attending a few funerals, both of friends (both young and old), and relatives, and especially in christian funerals, I will alway pay attention to the verse that the family members put up for the decease. I have thus been wondering, what would I want to put up on my funeral as my passing verse? Had a few in mind, but this one seems most appropriate and I think it has been a constant reminder of who I am and what I do, and what I am going to do with the limited body of mine.

Saw it during quiet time today once more, and I thought I just want to post it up:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousnes, which is the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on thst day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
- 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Dear Lord,
"I think man will fail because of our imperfection, all the time, no matter how good we sometimes think of ourselves, at least me la, but Lord i just pray that when i look back at my life, from where i am right now, i can truely tell you that I have fought the good fight, I have finished the good race, I have kept the faith. So when i stand on the higest pesdestal of prize presentation, i can get the pat on my shoulder from you, saying "good job, my faithful son, you have ran an excellent race, here is your award for eternity" Help me oh Lord to be more like you everyday, thats my prayer. In Christ name, amen. "