Friends Forever 009

I would consider the camaraderie with fellow VPs - Ruth, Loke, Donna and Keith - to be one my most memorable moments throughout my 7 1/2 years as a VP, and about 17 years in special education. We were colleagues ... we were project co-members ... and we were course-mates for a full 7 weeks in 2007 at NIE for the MOE's Special Education Leadership Programme. But more than just that - we connected with each other - busy as we always were - as buddies.

Together we laughed, we understood, we agreed on differences, we lunched, we dined, we perspired, we gave, we took, and we supported each other. With due regards to others, I've never worked with a most fun group of fellow VPs till we came together. My highest respect goes to them. They have taught me plenty about work and about myself.

I wish them God's special blessings of wisdom, good health, happiness, safety, a fulfilling career and a very blessed life, always. They are not only friends forever, but memories forever too.

Friends Forever 008

The Ling Family and I got to know each other when they moved into my parents' former block in 2001. Being of the same faith, we had many common conversational topics. When my mother was ill in 2002, they kept my family and I in their precious prayers. Even though I moved out in mid-2003, we still kept in touch. Recently I met up with Zhanxian and Huiqi again - and I was blessed to receive their prayer-blessing for my forthcoming studies in Europe. From strangers to neighbours. From neighbours to friends. From friends to a family of our Christian faith. I cherish God's appointment for our lives to meet. God bless the Ling Family always.

The EM MA SEN Programme

My itinerary for the EM MA SEN programme is:

* 26Aug 08 to 10Sep 08: Roehampton Uni, London, UK

* 11Sep 08 to 27Feb 09: Fontys Uni, Tilburg, Netherlands

* 27Feb 09 to 13Mar 09: Charles Uni, Prague, Czech Republic

* 14Mar 09 to 1Sep 09: Any one of the above 3, depending on where I've decided to complete my dissertation.

The Erasmus Mundus Masters in Special Education Needs (EM MA SEN) is a one-year, bond-free scholarship ($E24,200) offered by the European Commission, and conducted at the above 3 universities - with a focus on Inclusion and Inclusive Education for persons with special needs.

The parent Erasmus Programme is an impressive programme comprising several accredited courses of study spread throughout Europe. Mundus means 'world' in Latin. Hence, the Erasmus Mundus Programme is the international version of the parent programme, established since 2003.

It is named after the Dutch classical scholar, humanist and theologian - Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (or, popularly known as Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam), who lived between 1466 - 1536. He has been accorded "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists" whose works include: The Praise of Folly, Handbook of a Christian Knight, On Civility in Children and many others. He was one of the outspoken Renaissance humanists who, being learned in languages, raised pertinent questions that would later influence the Reformation.

He was an open critic of clerical abuses within the Vatican and the church. He was part of the group of Reformers who charted new and critical horizons of the Christian faith, especially of its practice. One key development was that he continued to embrace the Catholic idea of free will, antagonizing the Protestant Reformers, one of whom was Martin Luther, who favoured the doctrine of predestination.

The programme is currently open for application and selection towards the Aug 2009 intake. Please visit the website for more details: www.roehampton.ac.uk/admissions/erasmusmundus/index.html

Besides the MA SEN Scholarship, it is also offering a Human Rights Practice (HRP) Scholarship for those with a passion in this area, and is held in universities in Sweden and Norway. Do let your friends know about these two generous bond-free available scholarships.

Friends Forever 007

Our so-called "Group of 15 +2" participated in the 18th Asian Conference for Mental Retardation (ACMR) 2007 held in Taipei, from 17-23 Nov. It was a personally, socially, and educationally enriching week. The theme of the conference was Universal Design Environment. The '+ 2' comprise two highly independent workshop trainees.

(The 19th Conference will be re-named "AFID Conference" - Asian Federation on Intellectual Disabilities being more gracious in nomenclature. And it will be held in Singapore from 22-26 Nov 2009, after coming full circle since 1987)

In between presentations and concurrent sessions, the Group of 15 + 2 established camaraderie with a host of activities: study tours, friendship night, cultural night; and nightly excursions to various places, such as, Shilin Nite Market, Si Men Jing, and Danshui.

The official ACMR website is: http://www.afmr73.org/

After the conference, thanks to Dr Lohsnah and Mei Leng - our 'social convenors' - the Group of 15 continued to meet up for get-togethers. The night before was another dinner-gathering. We had lovely Chinese food at Crystal Jade. It was very kind of them to give me a sumptuous treat. On top of it I was overwhelmed by their presence and a present - a farewell gift in view of my forthcoming studies in Europe. Honestly, I hadn't expected all this. To borrow a phrase - "Sometime, someplace, somehow - when I least expect it - smile!!! - the Spirit of the Group of 15 from the ACMR2007 lives on!"

My heartfelt appreciation goes to Mr Jeffrey Tan, Mdm Goh Siam Imm, Mr Daniel Tan, Mr Keh Eng Song, Dr Lohsnah, Ng Mun Wai, Rosalyn Peng, Jessie Thia, Dylan Lim, Chan Mei Leng, Clare Kong, Tan Weiyan, Lin Qiao'er and Quintus Ong. Indeed, long live our Group of 15! Besides the photo of our recent dinner, I'm also posting some shots from Taipei, 2007.

Long Live Our Group of 15!

Friends Forever 006

A child grows. People grow. Colleagues grow. And colleagues can grow into friends. Former colleagues: Zarifah, Aminah and Elizabeth - are colleagues who have grown into friends with me - and I with them, over the years.

This afternoon, they took me out for lunch at a very special halal eatery that Aminah had discovered: "Charco's - The Flaming Chicken" at Blk 608 AMK Ave 5. We took bus 138 from AMK Hub and alighted at the bus stop after YioChuKang Sec School. One can also alight at the next bus stop and then walk backwards. It's opened 7/7 from 11am to 10pm. It boasts quality food, fresh salads, and Western Australia owned.

To be honest, I was initially going like, "... hmmm, izit going to be bbq, goreng, and heaty stuff?" I was honest with Zarifah. I know I can be honest with friends. And I know she can understand my honest reservations.

But when I saw that it was not just about roasted chicken and ribs - but that they have 8 gorgeous salads - 3 to go with each main meal - and not to mention other side dishes - all my reservations were squashed. Elizabeth was similarly pleased, like me, a first timer at Charco's. She was slightly under the weather, but she just couldn't resist a lunch with friends. All this while, Aminah was beaming with pride about her cool recommendation. We ordered 3 main meals and tried all the 8 salads, including the yummy creme-potatoes - with biryani rice on the house - and all washed down with a tall glass of lime drink - in-between of which flew updates and chit-chat. After that, we proceeded to have Emicake's newly launched ExpressoCoffee-D24Durian cake at AMK Central - and - TipTop curry puffs - and this time washed down with kopi tiam tea.

Friends and Food. Coffee and Chitchat. Irresistable combinations that can breeze you from 2:3o to 8:00pm in a twinkle of an eye.

Highly Recommended: Charco's and Emicakes. Excellently Recommended: Friends.

De-Cluttering

It all started I-don't-know-when and I-don't-know-how. Maybe it was 'once upon a time'.

With the hectic work lifestyle, and the luxury of owner-residence - there was this lady who did just three things: 1) She bought things and kept things. 2) She bought things and kept things. You know what's the third.

The blessed day came when 1) She got a 1-yr scholarship to study in Europe. 2) She got 2 months off-work to prepare things. 3) She casually mentioned to good friend Carolina Chan about this bugger called 'The Clutter in The House'.

Trust the trusty good friend Carolina to do this: Thoughtfully, she shopped for and bought NY Times Bestseller "It's All Too Much" by Peter Walsh - and gave it to that lady, author not included. And trust the Grace of God - just one page - I repeat - just one page did it. To be exact - it was one paragragh. It hit the nail real neat. Right on cluttering due to "sentimental value".

"Do you hold on to stuff because "it reminds me of the past"? Do you worry that in letting go of an item you will have to let go of those memories? ... Are you afraid that if this ('precious' thing) is gone, you will lose that part of your past forever?"

This lady sat down and was amazed how clarifying those words were. And how absurd it was for the need to link beautiful memories to visible things. It can ... but it absolutely didn't need to.

From the photos above, you could see the evidence of God's grace in using situations, a good friend, and a good book - to teach me sensible things in which I had, over the years, lost some perspective of. The first photo shows the lot that a Thrift Shop will collect tomorrow. The second shows another lot to be collected by 800Super Waste Recycling. Thank God, thank Carolina, and thank Peter. Whew - the indescribable lightness of being de-cluttered. And baby, the good news is that there're more to go - hallelujah!

However, if I'm not careful - I might just give myself away one of these days!

Friends Forever 005

The year was about 1989. I was living in Nallur Road and Puay Luan was living at Bayshore. As I cycled out to church on Sundays for the second service, Puay Luan would be returning home after the first service. That was how we met and made friends. In about 1996, Puay Luan found that she's got breast cancer. She had the usual treatments. If she had a masectomy, things would be been different today. She had a localized operation to remove the tumour. Just before the 5-year period that would have heralded the successful remission of the c.a., she had a relapse.

Everytime I read about people who passed away from c.a., the usual description would be so-and-so lost the battle to c.a. after a number of years. Why do they say that? Passing away due to an illness or disease is equated to having lost the battle. I have always been against that notion. If the c.a. failed to completely distress the person, I think the person had won. If the c.a. failed to take its full toll, I believe the person had won. And if the c.a. failed to restrict any good moments, the person had most certainly won.

As for Puay Luan - she won c.a. by a blessed, glorious margin, praise The Lord. Inspite of it, Puay Luan lived fully, courageously, in peace and in the joy and strength of God. She restored and reconciled her personal relationships with many people. She brought comfort, advice and happiness to many others. She lived a testimony of God's love. And claimed innumerable victories moment by moment, day by day and year by year. Puay Luan returned to glory last year on 1 Oct. No, she did not lose the battle to c.a. She beat it to a pulp and kicked it behind her footsteps. I thank God for crossing our friendship path. I am so proud to have Puay Luan as a friend, and one who rose far above c.a. by the grace of our God. The photo above showed me visiting Puay Luan's home on Christmas Day 2006.

Puay Luan was staying with Mrs L H Tan about a decade ago. Although it was for only about a year and a half, they remained firm friends. Puay Luan would always praise the kindness and motherly love that Mrs Tan showered on her, to me. That was how I met Mrs Tan. After Puay Luan's passing on, I kept in contact with Mrs Tan. The photo showed Mrs Tan and I having dinner recently at AMK Hub - because Mrs Tan lives just 4 blocks away from mine! Mrs Tan is a godly woman. All her three sons have theological qualifications and two of them are Pastors, praise Jesus! Her youngest and only daughter and her family live in Melbourne. Mrs Tan continues to make home visitations every week with her church pastors and members.

I am indeed blessed to have known Puay Luan and Mrs Tan by God's divine appointments. They are more than friends, for - they are sisters in Christ.

My UK Visa

Praise The LORD, the British Govt granted my UK Visa 3 days after my application. I'm now able to stay in UK as a student till end of Oct 2009.

Today

One of Paul, my youngest brother's favourite songs many years ago was 'Today', popularized by John Denver, words and music by Randy Sparks. I had kept Paul's handwritten lyrics of this song. The year could be between the late 70s to early 80s. There's even a drawing of a bee, possibly sipping a dew of sweet wine. The lyrics reflected Paul's free-spiritedness in living the max for the moment. He's not the type who will waste his time fretting about tomorrow or feeling bad about yesterday. The song contains 4 mentions of "Today and Now", 2 for "tomorrow", and only 1 for "yesterday".

God promised me that He is my Ever-Present Help in times of need. He is all for today. Once I heard a sermon that exhorted me not to be trapped by "if-only" and "what-if". "If-only" refers to the regrets, the condemnation, the shame and guilt of things that I had done, or not done, yesterday. "What-if" is the worry, the anxiety, the desperation and the oppression of bad things that may happen tomorrow.

My God promised me that He is my God of Grace (in fact, exceedingly abundant Grace) for all my Todays. Christ had shed His Blood, died for me to forgive me all sins and to give me His gift of righteousness. His Body was broken for me to heal me of all my diseases and to to impart His resurrection life in me. He was hung on the cross to redeem me from all curses, and imput His blessings in me. Hence "if-only" and "what-if" cannot entrap me anymore. What do I have to do? I simply rest, believe and receive - hallelujah!

God's Word also said that where sin tries to increase in my life, His exceedingly abundant grace abounds over the sin. There are times when "if-only condemnation" and "what-if worry" (these are derivatives of sin) try to increase in my life. I simply hold unswervingly to Jesus' finished work at the cross for me - and let His grace abounds over the "if-only" and the "what-if"!

The lyrics for 'Today' is:

"Today, while the blossoms still cling to the vine

I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine

A million tomorrows shall all pass away

'Ere I forget all the joy that is mine today.

I'll be a dandy and I'll be a rover

You know who I am by the songs that I sing

I'll feast at your table, I'll sleep in your clover

Who cares what tomorrow may bring

I can't be contented with yesterday's glory

I can't live on promises winter to spring

Today is my moment and now is my story

I'll laugh, and I'll cry, and I will sing."

I can still hear Paul singing Today today.

Friends Forever 004

The food was only so-so. But the company was great. The get-together comprise Porlin, Kwok Tai, A-Tang, CheePheng and myself. I had known this group of friends since 1976 - a robust 32 years. We reminisced the past, the recent, the current and the tomorrow. We talked about money - $-kaching-$ - and we talked about God. We talked about friends and we ribbed each other. We even called up to surprise Jimmy on his phone. It's amazing how my friends look so age-defying after these years. We miss the others dearly - Maureen, Adeline, Sin Hwee, and WW-Sim Ai - who were unable to join us this time round. May God's special and rich blessings continue to shower on my 'since-1976' group of friends.

The Path He has for Me

When I first heard of this Scripture expounded by the preacher - Proverbs 4:18 "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the perfect day" - I was amazed by God's promise to me. Because I am the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus, it means that His path for me is like the radiance of dawn, and it will continue to shine ever brighter. It means that my today's-path is brighter than my yesterday's-path. It may not seem so in the secular world and in the earthly sense - but I've got to believe in faith that it is so, according to God's truth and promise. When a few ex colleagues heard that I'm leaving my previous job, they were well intentioned, and voiced some natural comments - mostly regarding the down-economy. It took me over a month to decide to accept and proceed with the scholarship for further studies. One of God's words that encouraged me is the above Pro 4:18. It assured me that my scholarship-days will shine brighter than my employment-days; and after that, my post-scholarship-days will again shine brighter than my scholarship-days. This is God's Path for me, certainly not my natural path. (The photo that I've uploaded is just a natural path @ AMK, only for the purpose of adding some colour to this posting)

Words that Feed, not Beat

I was deeply touched when I read Justice Tay Yong Kwang's words to convicted soldier Dave Teo, on the premium page of The Straits Times, Tue 8Jul08. I'm sure many felt that way too, like good friend Carolina who agreed keenly; and no less the paper's editor. This is one of the very rare occasions in which our national papers would highlight a judge's comments on its front page and top position to cap it all.

The poignant part of his advice to Dave was: "It has been written, 'To everything there is a season'. There was a time when you loved, there came a time when you hated. There was a time when you felt you wanted to kill, now is the time for you to heal. There was a time you were broken down, now is the time to build yourself up. There was a time when you were at war in your being, now is the tme to restore peace within." (you can click on the photo to enlarge it if you wish to read the Justice's other comments) I recognize that the exhortation reflects God's words in the book of Ecclesiastes chpt 3.

The shepherd-heart of Justice Tay is so crystal clear for all to see. He didn't assume his seat with a judge-heart. It is so easy to use words that beat the errant. It is indeed precious that he chose words that feed the soul and the spirit. Words that build up, words that edify, words that encourage.

My prayers go to Dave that he shall one day open his heart to The Good Shepherd Jesus Christ. The Good Shepherd is the only one who can heal the wounds, restore the broken heart, give rest for the soul, and love unceasingly. May God continue to bless Justice Tay that he'll continue to minister wisely to persons brought before his judgement. And may Abba nurture a shepherd-heart in me - so that my words feed, not beat. These I pray in Jesus' Name, amen.

Friends Forever 003

Today was an absolutely fulfilling day. After collecting my Netherlands visa, I visited the UK department to lodge my application for my UK visa. Then I bumped into former colleague Richard Lim and we updated with each other over coffee and barley. God is so generous. He topped it with another warm and cozy get-together with LayHoon, Ray, baby Darius, Carolina, Linda, Winnie and Yuyun. Of course, not forgetting LayHoon's Parents and pet canine Pui-Pui. Wow, it was chit-chat and food galore. We had 933 golden pillow, tau sar piah, Thai mango salad, prawn lettuce wraps, pastries, and naturally ripened durians - with bittersweet flesh, sedap! And while the ladies were chatting away while coo-ing with Darius - Ray helped me to update and install some software in my Toshiba notebook. God is so good all the time. He didn't just give me a fulfilling day, He gave me an absolutely fulfilling day! Friends from God - precious and forever. God bless them always.

Friends Forever 002

By divine appointment, Richard Lim and I bumped into each other at Tj Pagar MRT Station, and we managed to snatch some time for coffee and rapid update. Richard and I were former colleagues at the ex-MINDS-Yio Chu Kang Gardens School. In fact he was already a senior when I joined in 1991. He is godly man married with 4 children: 3 sons and a daughter. By God's grace, his children are blessed with diverse talents: Media communications, Life sciences, Sports therapy, and Language n linguistics. He has been teaching special education for many years now at Dover Court Prep School and he is also in charge of the school's senior level. With God's wisdom, he had the favour to develop and implement important and beneficial curriculum and programmes at his school - indeed he is an asset to any organization that he is working for. With his fulltime workload, and in addition to being husband and father - he is also pursuing his Masters in Special Education at NIE. Colleagues have often known Richard to be 'built like a tank' - and he still is. With God's strength, he is able to accomplish heavy workloads excellently, while sleeping few but quality hours each day. The last time we met was April last year, at YGS' 21st anniversary celebration. I have always held high respect and admiration for Richard - for his dedication for God, his family, and to pupils with special needs. Through the few years as colleagues, he has imparted vital lessons in matters of work, life and godliness. May God continue to bless him and his family.

My Netherlands Visa

Thank God, my Netherlands visa came through successfully this afternoon :) I heard from a friend that her friend had some difficulty in getting her Netherlands visa - so, I am thankful that by God's grace. the NL office called me this morning to say I could pick up my visa in the afternoon. It was quite a thorough process. I had to have a document extracted from Immigration Authority, which took one week, then have it certified at Foreign Affairs, before it could be legalized at the NL Embassy. After that I had to lodge it, with other documents, as part of my application.

I appreciate the stringent procedures, which in turn, will benefit all who are staying or visiting Netherlands, including myself.

By the way, I've just learnt some interesting facts about The Netherlands:

1) Famous personalities include Anne Frank, Johan Cruyff, Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt.

2) The Dutch are statistically the tallest people in the world - with reasons ranging from genetics diet, and the country's wealth

3) There are about 16mil bicycles in NL, about one for every inhabitant, which is its 16mil population. Singapore's population is 4.5mil

4) Easily 200 nationalities live in NL, especially Amsterdam, its capital.

5) 'Netherland' means 'low country' - as about a quarter of its land is below sea level.

6) Netherlands is commonly called Holland because two of its 12 provinces - North Holland and South Holland - were the most developed and prosperous during the 17th century. Today, both provinces continue their wealth trend, and are heavily populated, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague (NL's Seat of Government). Hence Holland tend to be used interchangeably with Netherlands, although the other 10 provinces may have a slight frown upon this.

7) Longest N-S distance is 300km; longest E-W distance is 200km. Compare this with Singapore's 23km N-S; and 42km E-W. NL's surface area is 41,528 sqkm compared with our approx 693 sqkm. Their highest peak is 323m, while ours is 164m.

8) Well known Dutch brands include: Philips, Shell, G-Star, Heineken, Unilever.

9) NL is an independent 'self service' society. Typical Dutch expressions are: "We're all equal", "One thing at a time", "It's a Dutch treat", "All individual opinions are important".

10) The scholarship that I've been awarded with is named after Desiderius Erasmus - a renowned Dutch humanist, theologian, and scholar (1466 - 1536AD).

11) New York City (USA), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Jakarta (Indonesia) were once Dutch colonies.

12) While the Netherlands flag is red, white and blue, its peoples have a passion for the colour orange. This is because orange is the colour of the Dutch Royal Family. Netherlands' current dynasty is the House of Oranje-Nassau. The lineage dates back to the royal Willem van Oranje. Today in a broader perspective, the colour orange depicts the country's pride and identification. The (former) Queen's birthday is celebrated on April 30th, and many inhabitants throng the streets in a show of orange solidarity.

Friends Forever 001

First of all, I wish myself and all my youthful family and friends - a Very Blessed Youth Day 2008. I always have a warm fuzzy feeling whenever I get together with friends.

This afternoon started really well with having lunch with Mona, Wenggie and Kevin @ Ichiban Japanese Restaurant. It was crowded since today is a school holiday in lieu of Youth Day yesterday.

After that, we visited LayHoon, Ray and their ooo-very-cute newborn son: Darius, who was delivered in Melbourne. They have relocated to Melbourne and are having a short visit here. We celebrated LayHoon's birthday too. Pui-Pui, the family canine, is ever so obedient and gentle. The special ang-ku-kuehs bought by Wenggie and Kevin were yummy - although I look forward to a bigger treat from them, ahem. (Wenggie anointed her home with holy anointing oil yesterday morning and hours later, sold their apartment at the price they wanted, hallelujah). Well - the very pregnant Mona and I just ate and talked.

Family and Friends - truly they are God's precious gifts to us. God bless them always.

National Day Parade Rehearsal

After attending the MOE Excel Fest on Sat 5Jul08, I mingled with the crowds around the seafront to catch some overspill of the action of the National Day Parade Rehearsal. The aerial stunts by the Black Knights was quite a treat, but the fireworks never fail to draw applause. As the National Anthem played, I stood at attention. I truly am proud and feel blessed to be a Singaporean. May God continue to bless our nation, grant wisdom to our leaders, nurture our children and families, hedge us from terror, and prosper our peoples and our land.