My 30th Christmas...in Singapore...Blessed Adventure...

I decided to go down to Singapore for my 30th Christmas...i didn't want to stay in KB coz i feared it would be too depressing...i didn't feel like going back to KL coz well, i just didn't feel like it...so i thought i'd take the train down to Singapore for the Christmas weekend...remind me never again to take the seat coach on a night train...not exactly the most pleasant experience...

My journey to Singapore is quite one of faith...i didn't have a single Singapore cent with me when i came out from the Woodlands checkpoint on Friday morning...but God found me a money-changer opposite the bus stop...and i changed rm100 into sgd40.70...planned to use my debit card when shopping...found my way to Suntec City just in time to meet up with my aunt for lunch...left my luggage with my aunt for her to bring back to her place coz i was meeting up with Yin Yee after her work...we were going to her church's Christmas celebration...

It was quite an adventure trying to find my way to Yin Yee's workplace at Marina Bay Financial Centre...but i loved the idea of walking along underground malls...met some new friends at her church...one was an Iranian guy...and i found out that Iranians celebrate Winter Solstice by eating all night long...how cool is that huh? church was at NUS...so i found my way back to aunt's place at Toa Payoh North...thanks to my new friends...

Christmas eve lunch with aunt at Kallang...pork rib prawn mee...interesting mix...then i met up with Sherine and Yin Yee at Suntec City...Sherine, MeiLing and i were going for City Harvest's Christmas service at 2pm...Yin Yee went painting with Kathy and John...the Christmas service was pretty amazing...it was at one of the convention halls...and the musical they put up was almost professional...it did feel a little commercialized...

Met up with Kian Ming and his girlfriend at Bishan interchange for dinner...i really love the idea of underground malls at MRT stations...at least you can go shopping if your friends were running late...it was good to have caught up with Kian Ming...initially thought of checking out Orchard...but after considering the crowd that might be, we decided against it...so yea, my Christmas eve didn't turn out the way i imagined it would be...didn't bump into any good-looking guy under the mistletoe...i got back to aunt's place about 11pm...spent some time reading the Bible...replied Christmas messages...then went to bed...

So Christmas morning i was supposed to meet Yin Yee at Katong Shopping Centre at 945am coz we were going to the Cornerstone church Christmas service...so i took the MRT from Braddell station to Dhoby Ghaut and caught the no. 10 bus to Katong...arrived at about 10am...then i saw Yin Yee's message...saying: hey, where are you? i'm at city hall mrt.......i was like, hmmm, what's going on? tried calling her, couldn't get through...good thing the messages could go through...so i took the no. 14 bus from the opposite side of the road back to city hall...reached there about 1030am...

Apparently, of all the messages that Yin Yee and i exchanged the night before, the most important one that informed about the change of venue did not get through to me...hence the Christmas morning adventure...but it's amazing how God came through all this...and what's more amazing was that during the altar call, when the pastor asked if anyone has never invited Jesus into his/her heart and experienced the joy of Christmas, my new Iranian friend raised his hand...and he went to the front and said the sinner's prayer...i'm not sure if he really knew what he was doing...but for me, it was a miracle i needed to see...

After lunch, Yin Yee and i went to Tanglin Mall...i was at That CD Shop in City Hall and they didn't have Corrinne May's older albums but the girl in the shop checked that Tanglin Mall had them...along the way, saw this guy sitting by the roadside in front of a stretch of Tudorean shophouses...he was drawing the buildings...very very nice...anyway, they only had Corrinne May's 'Beautiful Seed' in Tanglin Mall...apparently even that branch ran out of her 'Save in a Crazy World' album...so sad...but still glad that i got her 'Beautiful Seed'...

We went to meet up with Jessie and Sherine at Katong112...then went to one of their church member's place at the east...nice apartment...i think i like the east side of Singapore...feels more homely and less crowded...we shared and prayed and i felt really glad...Yin Yee has grown so much in her walk with the Lord since i first met her in Camp Cameron...we had late dinner somewhere along Katong...first time trying 'mee pok'...quite nice...then Yin Yee accompanied me back to Dhoby Ghaut MRT...by then my EZlink card was low on cash and i only have sgd2 left in my wallet...thank God for Yin Yee who helped me to top up the card...really grateful...

Was supposed to take the 9am bus from Golden Mile Plaza back to KL on Boxing Day...aunt and i only left her place at 810am...and she didn't say anything about we were going to be late...and we were taking the MRT...but by 855am, it became apparent we weren't going to make it in time for the bus coz we were still 5 stations behind...aunt tried to get the bus ppl to wait for us but the guy said they'll wait at most 10 minutes..so we hopped off at Paya Lebar station and caught a cab...but we still couldn't make it in time...so we asked the cabbie to send us to Tuas checkpoint to catch the bus...thank God we made it there before the bus...aunt said if she had a heart condition she might have had a heart attack...so much drama...i told her, with me, life's always exciting and adventurous...hahahaha...really felt bad to drag aunt into my adventures...the cab cost sgd 20 over...almost the price of my bus ticket...

So yea, that was my 30th Christmas...no, i didn't crowd with the people in Orchard on Christmas eve...i didn't even make it to Marina Bay Sands...but it was a Christmas filled with blessings and miracles i needed to help me remember how much God loves me...coz i'll definitely need to remember these come the New Year...

Christmas Night...revisited...

So tonight was the campus Christmas Night...after 5 years, once again i'm part of Christmas Night...i don't usually miss things or even people...there's definitely nothing to miss in Kelantan, except Christmas Night and church...but i guess i didn't realize how much i missed them till i came back here...so after 5 years of missing the exhiliration of choir-singing, i've finally tasted it again tonight...praise the Lord!!! I missed dancing too...

The Christmas Night was great...we didn't perform like professionals...but everyone gave their best... and Dr Tee was right...i was worried we would sound real bad on stage based on our practice sessions....but he said, don't worry, you would sound better on the day itself...and we did sound better...it's really encouraging to see young(er) people coming together to give glory to God...

I'm still wide-eyed from the adrenaline rush...hence am typing this post despite it being closed to midnight now...how is it that i love the adrenaline rush of performing on stage (not solo though) but hate giving presentations? oh, i guess coz most of the time i perform in a group...i just hate being in the limelight (alone)...and get bombarded with questions i don't know how to answer...

Can't wait for tomorrow night...i'll be up on board on a train down to Singapore...yes, i'll be celebrating my 30th Christmas in Singapore...i just hope i can sleep in the train coz i bought the seat ticket coz they ran our of berth tickets...

Here's the lyrics to one of the song we sang tonight...just thought i'd share the Christmas spirit:

Christmas isn't Christmas, till it happens in your heart
Somewhere deep inside you is where Christmas really starts
So give your heart to Jesus, you'll discover when you do
That is Christmas, really Christmas for you

Jesus brings warmth like a winter fire, a light like a candle glow
He's waiting now to come inside as He did so long ago
Jesus brings gift of truth and life, and makes them bloom and grow
So welcome Him with a song of joy, and when He comes you'll know.....

Christmas Night Choir...and Christmas blessings...

Christmas season is here again...and this is my last month of good life before descending again into hell...the thing about human is, if you've never tasted the good things in life, you won't miss them coz you never knew what you were missing...but once you have, and you know you need to go back to a horrible life, oh, the agony...the despair...it's just too much to bear...

Anyway, we shall leave the lamentations for new year's eve...i'm going to be excited for Christmas...so i joined the the campus Christmas Night choir...just for old times sake...i missed singing in the choir...i missed dancing too...but i thought i'd only have time for one commitment...so choir would be easier... going for choir practice tonight...forgot how fun it was to be in a choir...

Was out for lunch with Karen earlier...she had some complimentary vouchers from Angie for free lunch for 2 at Renaissance Hotel...so she invited me along...so nice...and last night, i was out with a friend who lives in KB...although i've been here for the last 6 months, we've never got to meet up...finally met up yesterday for dinner...and he bought me dinner...i think God's giving me as much blessings as i can receive now to prepare me for my post-new year descent into hell...so that at least when i'm in my sufferings, hopefully i'll remember some of the good things God has given me...you know how humans are...when they're in a pit, it's so easy to think they've always been left in a pit and forget all the blessings they've received....

我二十九岁的圣诞...

今年的圣诞节就这样过了。。我的命中注定的另一半没有在平安夜出现。。但这世界竟然还有奇迹的。。我的 on call ，一正晚都没听到有酒后驾驶而车祸受伤。。在沙巴这真的是一重奇迹阿。。不过呢，还是忙到四点才得睡。。在医院睡到九点多才甘愿起来。。刷了牙，还衣服就赶去教堂。。牧师在说教， 我又一直瞌。。真的没用。。

散会了，要走之前，碰到前男友和他的新女友。。都没打招呼。。是否假装没看到我? 至少没带女朋友来卖弄。。新女友也像我那么矮。。但衣服穿了比我有女人味。。吃醋么? 也不会啦。。羡慕么? 是有点。。他曾经说过，他的爱是永恒， 他的心不
会变。。分开了两年就交新女友， 男人的话也难可靠阿。。何况我还没死阿。。需要那么快找新爱人啊? 没办法啦。。他是个好人。。所以一定会有人要。。不像我。。脾气又坏，又粗鲁, 又死爱脸。。所以就没人要。。

我和一些朋友在 little italy 吃午餐。。吃完了就回家睡觉。。醒来后就冲凉。。然后去另外个朋友的家吃晚餐。。过后去唱K。。唱到一点多快要两点。。回来就睡了。。虽然还是单身，圣诞节也过得不错啦。。像败犬女王的卡斯说: 谁说单身就
是败犬? 希望明年的今天我不会再写关于一个人过的圣诞了。。