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Had been really busy coping with issues cropping up at work.

Life in urban Singapore never seems to stop. Lke waves,they keep coming one after another; some of these are of “Tsunami scale”

Hopeful things beckon in the year 2006. I have 2 goals for my workplace - a dynamic organisation and a happy team Also felt that it will be a year of growth as I learn to relate and interact with various people..I am more of a task driven person you see.

Ganbatte

There are 2 types of Christians in town - the “天” type and the “地” type.

“天” types have pined all their hopes and energies on the future. They belong to the missionary class, who see the salvation of souls as the highest call that God can have on one’s life; because the great Christian hope, is ultimately not found in the present age but in the one yet to come! So the kind of activities that “天” types engages in are prayer meetings, bible studies, evangelistic outreaches, worship songs etc and the kind of books that are read include Hudson Taylor Missionary biographies, Elizabeth Eliot on relationships, Richard Foster on disciplines and so on. These folks are notably, very regular in their attendance and invariably become the bulwark of the church lay leadership. Also, ministry in church is a passion, while secular work generates far less satisfaction, meaning and excitement.

“地” types express their spirituality differently. They may not exhibit contagious enthusiasm in the area of church ministry, but they seek to work out their faith in the work place, in their area of influence, in their family; they try to minister in areas where light is most needed, in places where there is darkness. They try to bring what is taught about heaven, back to the real practical world, where more often than not, there are no clear cut answers. The activities they get involved are mostly secular, and the books they read, inform them about their jobs, such as Human Resource, Finance, Information Technology and Supply Chain. Because if God has revealed to us truths from heaven, then surely, it will become manifest, in the wisdom and work of our lives, especially in the present age. Our faith is vouched by our actions, in the sight of the world.

My point is, that not everyone who has a “天” type of outlook, is spiritual, and not everyone who has a “地” type is unspiritual. Man (including the Church) looks on the outside, but God looks on the inside.

Yet the converse can be true. We should not excuse ourselves in labouring for the future, by being overly preoccupied with the present. We are sojourners in an alien land, awaiting in child birthing anguish for our heavenly home.

In my thought journey, I was mildly rebuked to have this dichotomised view of “天” and “地” . There should not be a distinction; true spirituality ought to be both at the same time, whether you are a full time church worker or workplace minister:

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven

In this transitionary period, we have one leg in heaven and one leg on earth; we need to be careful not to be polarised in our spirituality. There is a need for integration and consistency. There is a need for integrity in our lives.

I also know that our God is one whom the bible make known as “who was, who is, and is to come”. He is the God of not just our past or our future, but He is the author of life - our past, our present and our hope for the future.

“First we will have our young people employed by the foreigners, and then we will start our own companies. It is like building a building. Today, the U.S., you are the designers, the architects, and the developing countries are the bricklayers for the buildings. But one day I hope we will be the architects.”~ Dalian’s Mayor on outsourcing in the book THE WORLD IS FLAT.

Gosh, I just think that the paste of change will be much faster in this century then the previous one! Globalisation! We need to get ready!!

Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord; that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the Lord looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die, that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord and in Jerusalem his praise, when peoples gather together, and kingdoms to worship the Lord.

~ Psalm 102:18-22

is one who uses God’s Word to execute his own will - Drawing Near by John Bevere

No, I am not talking about that momentary popular contest. Rather, I drew a quote from a book “Drawing Near by John Bevere” :

An idol is what you draw your strength from and give your strength to.

So how and where are we pouring out our energies here in S’pore? That is our strength, hope and trust.

Have been innundated with lots of work lately, which explains the long absence from blogging. Sorry folks

Was talking to Sebby during one of our lunch breaks. What makes a good sales man? Being able to lie positively? It appears in this age and time, that most sales people are more interested to make a quick buck than to sell a genuinely good product/service. And how do you know if a product is good unless you make it yourself? Which means that for those of us starting sales job….are you sure what you are selling is value for marnie? But there is one thing I certainly know that we ought to sell! Greateast value for marnie man…prizes for those who guess correctly!

There are many rags to riches programmes that capitalize on people’s disillusionment with their current lifestyle - being bossed around, with low pay and long working hours, with little promotional prospects. How to get rich fast and attain financial freedom? If you do not have an ivy league track record, then 3 ways - do sales, do finance or set up your own business. Certainly, a few die-hards with abit of luck (or blessing) will make it. The rest is left holding on to their tattered dreams, year on year. Question is, what is the point of it all, even if you are rich? You live 80 years and still mati wat… So what if I have no financial freedom, I can still survive on milo peng and hor fun!

Ultimately, I am in desparate need to get to know people with an ideal slant in life. Am surrounded by much pragmatism here in S’pore man. Not that its bad…its just alittle homogeneous for the health of our society

But now Iluvatar sat and hearkened, and for a great while it seemed good to him, for in the music there were no flaws. But as the theme progressed, it came into the heart of Melkor to interweave matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with the theme of Iluvatar for he sought therein to increase the power and glory of the part assigned to himself. To Melkor among the Ainur had been given the greatest of gifts of power and knowledge, and he had a share in all the gifts of his brethren. He had gone often alone into the void places seeking the Imperishable Flame; for desire grew hot within him to bring into being things of his own, and it seemed to him that Iluvatar took no thought for the Void, and he was impatient of its emptiness. Yet he found not the Fire, for it is with Iluvatar. But being alone he had begun to conceive thoughts of his own unlike those of his brethren.

Some of these thoughts he now wove into his music, and straightway discord arose about him, and many that sang nigh him grew despondent and their thought was disturbed and their music faltered; but some began to attune their music to his rather than to the thought which they had at first. Then the discord of Melkor spread ever wider, and the melodies which had been heard before foundered in a sea of turbulent sound. But Iluvatar sat and hearkened until it seemed that about his throne there was a raging storm, as of dark waters that made war one upon another in an endless wrath that would not be assuaged.

For those who do not know, I am currently working in A*Star, a government body coalescing all the high tech and biomedical research institutes. My department is actually providing R&D goods and services to meet the needs of the research community in an aggregated manner. Sounds good rite? But its a new setup, and there are lots of teething problems and rooms for improvement.

So its pretty challenging and am working my butt off. No time to blog ah It is taking quite a while to adapt from a commercial environment to a government body…think its gonna be challenging for my kind of personality, and it isn’t gonna get easier with time. Appreciate lots of prayers man!

What is hopeful however, is that biopolis is really a cool place. In time to come, I am sure that lots of people will be joining in. Remember the tonnes of scholars recruited by A*Star? I suspect that many will be starting off from these research institutes. As for private institutions, I think it will take quite some time before they are ready to take commercial risk and plunge themselves into Singapore. That had better happen fast man, cos those students banking their hopes on the biomedical industry will be in for a rude shock if the industry don’t mature fast enough to meet their job expectations. (sigh…Singaporeans are really a pragmatic lot rite?) And of course, people like Yau Chong (EDB), play a most critical role…they need to bring in the cheese!! Ganbatte

I was utterly shocked by the National Kidney Foundation. It has transformed itself into a high powered organisation capable of drawing in millions of dollars each year, all in the name of helping the afflicted in Singapore.

I am definitely open and enthused by the idea of having a big corporation with a passion for saving and improving lives through marketing, mass media and savy financial stewardship, but to have a CEO that urges people to give sacrificially and yet take home such

is simply PURE HYPOCRISY.

You are preaching something you don’t even follow yourself - sacrificial giving of oneself . I think this is a social evil definitely worse than the “Casino issue”. Check out the weblink for a Straits Times report:

http://www.asiaone.com.sg/st/st_20050712_328079.html

Thomas Merton wrote:

No one who simply eats or drinks when he feels like eating or drinking or smokes whenever he feels the urge to light a cigarette, or gratifies his curiosity and sensuality whenever they are stimulated, can consider himself a free person. He has renounced his spiritual freedom and become the servant of bodily impulse. Therefore his mind and his will are not fully his own. They are under the power of his appetites, and through the medium of his appetites they are under the control of those who gratify his appetites.

There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Iluvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, they were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made. And he spoke to them, propounding to them themes of music; and they sang before him, and he was glad. But for a long while they sang only each alone, or but few together, while the rest hearkened; for each comprehended only that part of the mind of Iluvatar from which he came, and in the understanding of their brethren they grew. Yet ever as they listened they came to deeper understanding, and increased in unison and harmony.

And it came to pass that Iluvatar called together all the Ainur and declared to them a mighty theme, unfolding to them things greater and more wonderful than he had yet revealed; and the glory of its beginning and the splendour of its end amazed the Ainur, so that they bowed before Iluvatar and were silent.

Then Iluvatar said to them:”of the theme that I have declared to you, I wilt now that ye make in harmony together a Great Music. And since I have kindled you with the Flame Imperishable, ye shall show forth your powers in adorning this theme, each with his own thoughts and devices, if he will. But I will sit and hearken, and be glad that through you great beauty has been wakened into a song.

Then the voices of the Ainur, like unto harps and lutes and pipes and trumpets, and viols and organs, and like unto countless choirs singing with words, began to fashion the theme of Iluvatar into a great music; and a sound arose of endless interchanging melodies woven in harmony that passed beyond hearing into the depths and into the heights, and the places of the dwelling of Iluvatar were filled to overflowing, and the music and the echo of the music went out into the Void, and it was not void. Never since have the Ainur made any music like to this music, though it has been said that a greater still shall be made before Iluvatar by the choirs of Ainur and the Children of Iluvatar after the end of days. Then the themes of Iluvatar shall be played aright and take Being in the moment of their utterance, for all shall know the comprehension of each, and Iluvatar shall give to their thoughts the secret fire, being well pleased.

Had about 10 days of holidays before my new job starts tomorrow! And for that span of time, I have been going to Mac Ritchie for walks..really a brilliant place! Shimmering lake, luxuriant foliage, beautiful sky, warm sunshine and lots of white puffy clouds. I just spend whole mornings there, doing some reading and enjoying God’s creation.

My treo was with me all the time, and the best thing is that I get to do some bible reading without people giving me weird looks…hehe. One thing which I am grappling with at the moment, is this:

The bible has clearly stated that apart from Jesus Christ, the rest of mankind who do not put their faith in Him is doomed to destruction. This is a severe and corner stone truth in the bible and we ought to pay heed!

Is this not arrogant absolutionism? Is this not man’s theories? Is this not just another religion?

If hell is so real and God’s judgment so imminent, why does he not reveal the terrifying realities to all man in the world?! Isn’t it unfair to execute judgment without first warning man of the dire consequences? Yes, we’ve been warned by all those Christians, but how can we be sure that they are not another case of religious narrow-mindedness?

Why not reveal certain signs and wonders that can be empirically verified, and consistently proven? Why don’t he stay here on earth to prove to us that He is for real?! I want to SEE!! Prove it to me!!! Show yourself to me and I will believe.

If then I can’t see you or grasp the horror of my destiny (hell), then won’t it be unjust of you to throw me into hell?

For those of you with problem changing the timezone in blogsome, you can refer to this link:

http://www.blogsome.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649

A real cool retreat where men in my church gather and talk about the real stuff…haha.

Got some take home message from it:

“you don’t need a makeover of your heart, you need a new one!”.

This phrase cut my heart when Kirk was leading worship during Friday night. I guess I haven’t really been serious enough with God in terms of areas like discipline and passion for the great commission. And I reckon the number 1 thing I need to do now is to reignite a rousing relationship with him - I mean to delight, enjoy and take walks together with Him. I can’t see any other way in which my heart is gonna change much, apart from his intervention and through learning how to experience His love in a deeper way.

On a side note, I was a little sad that, sometimes, people put up walls. I call these emotional barriers; in a way, it is like redrawing boundaries. You wish for deepening friendships but they remain at a superficial level, or even regress. An interesting conversation in Galvin’s page resonates with how I feel:

Galvin’s page

I guess people do this for a variety of reasons and I can’t possibly read their thoughts. But so long as I have the assurance of God’s love, I can continue to believe in frienships and love. May the Lord be glorified in whatever we do.

Went also for the missions conference. One thing kept coming back to me - the Christless millions, will non-believers really go to hell? I hope to grapple with this truth in the coming week. As of now, I really feel unqualified to be a missionary and unfit for noble use. But I know that the most important thing here is not about ability but on God’s call and personal willingness to sacrifice. I just hope that if such a time comes, I will not hesitate. Only let me ready myself. Else I think there is very little chance of me going because:

Many are called, but few are chosen

Abstained from blogging for a week and am back again writing! Found it quite a self-preoccupied vanity thing sometimes

The past week has been spent in my reservist camp - Tengah Airbase. Was training almost everyday for the IPPT but realised on Wednesday that it is cancelled! Oww…what a wasted effort! I quite cheepo one man; want the $400 incentive

Was chatting with a sister on MSN regarding the definition of “Patoh-ing”. I might not be clear in my elucidations, but here’s what I was trying to say:

The 2 categories can be abit simplistic. Of course you can argue that you can differentiate them into stage 1 and stage 2. But what I am trying to do is to reflect a continum of approaches in the guys’ perspective with two opposite ends. Should he get to know the opposite sex with the first or second approach? How deliberate and proactive should he be in getting to know the girl/s? As the male species, should we initiate a chase since it shows our sincerity or should we go slow in the short term so that things will go much faster/smoother in the long term? What is a mature and self controlled approach that subjugates hormonal proclivities to the more important issues of God’s calling, timing and will?

And there are other factors of consideration. What happens when the the girl or guy is not in the same social circles as you? What happens when in the economics of supply and demand, you happen to be a very eligible individual with lots of admirers clinging at your feet.. Obviously, you can afford the luxury of approach 2. But think again for people who are not so beautiful in the world’s eyes. Obviously, each chase that they experience (i mean the girl), would be extra meaningful? And that would save them the hassle of deciding on whether the admirer is the God’s choice anot, since there isn’t much choice in the first place. I was chatting with Stanley last sunday about this, and he mentioned an example - Joni Eareckson Tada; who whilst being an invalid, can still be just as attractive. I long to concur with what he said…that inner beauty still counts. But with the world being predominantly superficial (including most of us christians), she will remain a rare exception, to have found relationship this way. The question that begs answering is: can we trust the one up there?

I guess most of us at our age grapple with these issues alot, whether verbalised or hidden in the heart. My personal view is that both approaches are possible depending on the situation. I think I have made mistakes in retrospect; facing rejections, embracing disappointments and being hurt, as well as doing all these to others. But through it all, clinging to God and experiencing His love helps me to overcome! If I am desparate, let me find security in the Lord. If I am lonely, let me delight in His love. If I am impatient, let me learn to wait. I should certainly trust Him more than SDU…that the Lord is our Match Maker.

And finally, just a funny note from one of our CGLs - Wen Ee. When asked whether she prefers the “traditional macho” type or the “sensitive SNAG”, she opted for option 3: whatever the type, gimme a God fearer. Woohoo!

This economic principle seem to prevail at every corner of our lives.

I found myself wrestling with these thoughts even as I sought to find a biblical framework to make sense of it all. For example, we want a good job, but the labour market is horrible. Should we then trust God and wait until we get a good one or should we lower our expectations and take what is offered to us? In Singapore’s context, the labour market is not good at all. A huge portion of manufacturing related jobs are shifted overseas because Singapore’s labour cost is just way too high. This is in spite of the fact that many companies site their Asian headquarters in Singapore. They simply just shift the manufacturing portion outside! (Really bad news for us engineers) So the labour market is irreversibly restructured. To add to this, look at the rising number of tertiary students and business graduates. With such a big supply of paper qualifications, supply and demand sets in to eliminate the value of paper. What counts in the future, is experience and top notch paper qualifications. Period.

Function
Sometimes, I can’t help but look at my peers in law and medcine. For these people, they are shielded from the market forces and could command a premium in their pay. Why should they, when we attend the same universities? How did these professions managed to do it? Surely, the top hierarchies of people in these professions are perpetuating this? Are lawyers more capable and smarter than engineers? Also, by tradition, most CEOs are either from Sales & Marketing or Finance. Have you ever heard of a CEO from Operations or Human Resource? With our government’s recent drive for the biomedical industry, we have a huge influx of interest in PhD work. Will our scholars and aspirants in the universities come back and become researchers? How many of them are really interested in Science purely? How many will end up in business development, intellectual property and project management once they graduate? I think knowing the Singapore psyche, the later is much more probable. If we use carrots to motivate, then we get rabbits rite?

Firm
There are firms which have reached a certain level of brand equity, that makes it prohibitive for a new graduate to enter. 2 good examples are SAP and Dell. Just check to see if they take in new entrants. Because of the market power they command, they find it easy to recruit the best people from other companies. Why train the young people when they will leave once they have learned the ropes and acquired marketability?

Industry
How about people in the oil industry? These guys make tonnes of money because oil is a limited supply and sky high demand item. They get obscene bonuses, rocket pay and stay on their jobs for ages and ages. Just look at the employee turn over in the electronics industry! Another charming industry is finance. Everyone wants to go where the money is and I guess finance deals directly with money. I have engineer friends who are branching into finance all over the place man..sigh

Country
Lets have a show of hands, how many of us wanna migrate to Australia? Haha…I went there to work once and was sorely tempted (just kidding). 20 Million people in such a huge swarthe of land?!! Gosh, just imagine the resources available. Surely supply and demand works to our advantage! If you hear about the labour laws there, you will be very perplexed why you are still toiling away in the rest of Asia. Minus the racial discrimination, I think this is a very idyllic place to live in

Singapore faces a tough fight by virtue of its geopolitics. Alot of the policies that our government engenders are towards economic survival. So much so that in order for us to stay ahead of the pack, we become a very pragmatic people; much unlike our western counterparts who can pursue education for the sake of passion without being concerned about the future career prospects. These students simply take gap years! They would just take one year off to travel and get involved in non-economic activities. Just look at Singaporeans and Malaysians? Is this something we feel as value adding? No! The guys would feel that after 2 years of NS, it is time to chase the American dream. We are already 2 years behind the ladies, taking another gap year will leave us irrevocably behind!

To survive and to survive excellently, we need to regionalise! And thats how our jobs have to be in order to remain marketable - to reach international shores. Singapore cannot afford to stay within our shores. We have nothing intrinsic except our people. China and India are good places to start because of the high growth potential and huge markets.

So when choosing a job, one should look into

1. Function
2. Firm
3. Industry
4. Country

Are these the most important criteria? I guess they can be, but they are also informal factors such as whether your boss likes you and grooms you, the culture of your company, the colleagues you work with, the developmental potential of your job - whether you can rise in the ladder and expand in your work scope, growth potential of your company, the working hours and so on.

Finally, for all the things I have said above, they are not the most important ones. They are merely factors of consideration in the secular world. If all these things are the driving force in my decision making, then surely, I miss the essense of living. I am first and foremost a spiritual being, then an economic one. But these are shown so that we don’t overspiritualise things or give simplistic answers in our decision making process. Rather, squaring off with what we see in the world, we struggle in our inner being to apprehend the wisest choice.

I have finally tendered my resignation to my current job, culminating one and a half years of jet-setting and doing projects. For those who do not know, my role is a Solutions Analyst in Exel, implementing warehouse projects. It is really a fun job cos you get to design the varied flows between IT systems, people and documents. I got to train others in the IT system, meet customers and understand their requirements, provide solutions, provide troubleshooting and not to forget, the privilege of flying around in Asia.

I enjoyed the most when I am teaching others. The joy is greater when my “student colleagues” start pointing out certain things that even I as a teacher would miss out. This process of transmitting knowledge, sharing information and learning from each other is exciting. No wonder people look at “teaching” as a noble career With Singapore’s transition from a manufacturing lead economy to a service oriented one and now to a knowledge based one, I really do hope that the monetary carrot is not the only motivating factor for the next generation of Singapore’s leaders. May the Lord raise up authentic Faith/Work Christians. We need to have abit of “Heaven on Earth”…else work is really, simply, toiling under the sun.

My tenure in my current job has been eventful. God led me through periods of desert and emptiness as well as intense activity. Times of emptiness because for a period of time, I didn’t have a concrete role in the company, and was like a wandering waif, wasting away…that was during the early part of my time in Exel. I couldn’t stand doing nothing….it is as if your identity was torn away. But I learnt alot through that time of vexation; to be patient, to wait and to trust Him completely that He works for my good and that he really answers prayers!

That was before my current role. Which really blows my mind, because to me, it is the most ideal job possible in the company. Then came intense periods of project activity. It is during this phase that I really learnt alot about myself and other people. Myself in terms of understanding my strengths and weakness. Other people in the context of my work interaction with them; nasty fear mongers who breathe down your throat to get you to do what they want (i.e. the big bully technique), dependant people (i.e. responsibility fearers) who are so reliant on you that you can’t leave them once the project finishes. But for most of the time, it was really an enjoyable time meeting people of varied cultures, ranging from developing nations to 1st world countries.

Why then do I want to leave? Many of my peers would gladly be in my shoes. Its a regional role and you are getting so much exposure at such a young age! To be honest, the pay was low. And this is not just my own experience, its widespread across my division. So really, performance wasn’t really linked to my pay. But the more important thing is that I feel the need to localise, in this time for myself. Travelling really makes your life fragmented. You get to know friends and colleagues for 2 weeks and then its time to leave. There isn’t an opportunity to build up friendships and make commitments back at my home church.

There is a season for everything under the sky. And I sense and feel that in the next few years, there will be many things moving in my Church and also in Singapore. Would definitely like to stick around when that happens!

Cos it allows me to:

• Backup everything in txt file format! That means portability
• China friends can view it unlike blogger which is blocked by the country’s ISPs
• Got Categories!!!
• Allows you to edit the html/CSS files
• Free upload of photos
• It’s free, just like blogger

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure; it is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

(so let us) in our shrinking, that people would not feel insecure around us, that we may shine as Children of light…

…as we unconsciously let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others the permission to do the same, our presence automatically liberates others…

So so agree man….the world has enough of overbearing religiosity!

Thats the movie I watched on the way back to Singapore. The story is about the racial genocides launched by the Hutus against the Tutsi during the Rwandan civil war. Hotel Rwanda was very much like a UN sanctuary against all the merciless killings outside.

Was very wrenched when watching the show. There was a scene when the caucasians were being evacuated by the UN and the blacks were left alone in the hotel to die; the people were very perplex…why are they not included in the rescue?… That 5 minutes was so poignant as I see the despair in the people’s faces. The lost of hope in their eyes.

I thought about how Jesus wept when he saw the tears of those weeping for Lazarus. The heart rending sorrow of death and separation. How we, as the pinnacle of the world’s creation, have to suffer such a terrible fate. If that is so, how much more will this sorrow be, when judgment day approaches. A great separation between the sheep and the goats, between black and white, between thosed redeemed and those perishing. And I guess I could only emphathize in the smallest way, how deep our grief would be that day, when our brother and sisters are separated from us forever. How grievous it would be to our Lord as well, as he watches his dear children pass out of his sight eternally.

I struggle to believe this fact, that the final day is coming. Cos if it is true, why then is my life not being a desparate testimony to that fact. Help me overcome the unbelieve!

I am thankful for the people that I’ve gotten to know in this short span of 2.5 weeks in Korea, without whom, my trip would have been very boring!

Thankful for my colleagues - Vicky, Gio and Chloe who have been really nice, bringing me to eat all the wonderful Korean cuisine day after day in the office. Though my weight has not changed, my appetite for Korean food certainly has! In fact, Korean food is so fabulous: its full of variety, makes you full, and yet always very healthy! Had Bulgogi, umpteen types of Bibimbabs, Mul Neng Myon (Cold noodles), Kimchi Soup, Ginseng Chicken soup at Gio’s parents restaurant! I think among all my trips, Korea really blow my mind away in terms of food!

Happy to have met friends from Sarang Community Church - Karen, Isaac and James and epecially Joon Soo, who apparently tried to hack my blog but failed miserably hehe..they were out with me for picnic at the Olympic Grand Park after the Church service on Sunday and we played really cool Korean games in the park…very exciting man. Just for my own memory sake, they are - (i) Hand Action (Double chain version) (ii) I love you, Stupid (No Smile version) (iii) 007 Bang (Silent version). I am simply amazed at these games…quite ingenius, yet loads of fun and laughter!

In a stroke of luck (or rather blessing), I managed to meet Karen’s Korea university friends during Children’s day. And yes, we did what most children do on children’s day, we went to Seoul’s Children Grand Park. I was sort of amazed with Wei Hon for deciding on that place to meet cos half the city’s children are in there!! Arrghh He and I went to sight see, in the midst of thronging thousands of lovely, fun-loving, cute…errmm…also got those crying/bleating one’s that pester their parents non stop. In the end, we decided to go somewhere else when the others arrived. That was when I had my first taste of Mul Neng Myon - a really awesome dish that is served in cold soup and vegetables…really cooly, might be a best seller in Singapore in view of our hot climate. I can’t help it, but I think there is really really alot of good food here in Korea that might be brought into Singapore…anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit ought to check out the food here! Glad to have known you all - In Young, Eun Ju, Hee Ju and Eu Jin.

Finally, I met Daniel on one of the palace tours. He is a US trooper stationed in Seoul..got to take photographs with him Anyhow, we did an amazing thing the following day, we went off to Hangang river to cycle! The place was simply gorgeous man….much much longer than the East Coast Park of Singapore with open lawns, play grounds, good air, riverside view and the city skyline stretching for miles. Enjoyed the company and it took my mind away some negative thoughts I had the previous night.

Okay, enough writing…I gotta catch my plane now!

Today is my last night here in Korea. Was a very packed Saturday as I went around doing some last minute visiting. Feeling a little nostalgic now as I prepare to pack to leave tomorrow. Here’s a collection of my thoughts and feelings about this country.

The culture is heavily influenced by confucianism. The 5 types of relationships:

1. Sovereign/Subject,
2. Father/Son,
3. Husband/Wife,
4. Seniors/Young people,
5. Friendship

These relationship ideas seem to permeate the entire social fabric. There are clear roles and definitions for everyone, be it in a company, school, or the family unit. Among all the countries I went to, this is the by far the most influenced in Confucian thought, even much more so than China!!

Just one example, when I get to know friends/colleagues, I was often asked my age, so that I can be treated accordingly. (it doesn’t help when I have such an youngish face!) Also, there is this obsession in Korea with regards to Org Charts. They need to know exactly where I fit in, in the whole scheme of things. Where do I rank in the hierarchy etc etc.

Korea society is heavily hierarchical and structural. As such, they are very organised and make excellent engineers! Hehe. There is still discrimination going on against women; most leadership positions are usually given to men. But this is slowly changing with the advent of westernisation and when education takes on a more modern approach.

On the economic front, korea is facing the same economic pressures as Singapore; their manufacturing plants are moving towards China. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get good jobs now. Worse still, there are so many universities in Korea that I lost track of them in the subway map…just imagine the supply and demand forces at work; competition is fierce man.

A colleague told me that the best jobs these days are found in Government National Corporations. They are very much like Temasek Holdings, investing in other companies both domestic and overseas. Employees get high pay, relax working hours and solid job security (government don’t retrench you see). This kind of job I also want man…hee. I also hear that Samsung pays its staff very well, around 3-4k sing dollars for entry levels. But then again, I also hear that someone landed up in a mental hospital after working in Samsung. (you can’t have the best of everything I guess)

Modern culture is very techy in korea. Mobile phones, internet media, blogging are the rage these days! There is this super portal known as cyworld in korea with unlimited space for photo albums and blogs (wow!). Most young koreans I meet are into these cyworld. I think Korea is representative of what many developing nations in Asia will become in the next 10 years. I ought to start learning about the internet soon man It is a good way to communicate ideas and share oneself.

English Language is a very sought after thing here in Korea. It is an international language and the language of commerce. As such, English Language accreditation is a priority for many Korean students. However, like in China, the problem here is in conversation, not grammar. They need a context like in Singapore, whereby the medium of instruction and interaction is in English.

As for korean spirituality…hmm, not much chance to explore this aspect. Most of the prayer meetings are in Korean. Didn’t manage to talk in detail with any pastors also. But its a joy to see the korean churches sending out missionaries!

On the people and food front…it is an entirely new section by themselves. Will post some pictures soon…

This is my confession. No, I m not gay…its just that I have noticed a weird occurrence in Korea. About 75% of the korean men I meet have single eyelids. A similar percentage of women have double eyelids. Really really curious why the discrepency. A rought calculation:

1. Assume that 75% men have single eyelids
2. Assume that 75% women have double eyelids
3. Assume that the genetic potential to have double eyelids is equal bwt men and women and that the discrepancy is caused by cosmetic surgery for women.
4. 25% men (and hence women) have natural double eyelids
5. 75%-25%=50% of total women have gone for cosmetic makeover to get the ratio in 1.
6. If y is the percentage of single eyelid ladies that go for plastic surgery, then
7. y X 75% = 50%, y = 67%!!

Not to mention nose jobs, jaw aligmnment, mammary enhancements…etc etc. wow wee…I am intrigued! Why such great social pressure to have slim bodies, big eyes, double eyelids, long lashes, pearly skin, silken hair? I am tempted to say that ladies here are the more superficial sex…vanity vanity…tsk tsk. But yet, what gave them the impetus towards vanity? Men?

Chew on it…if all man like fat, ugly and featureless ladies…will the cosmetic industry be the same? No…we will have lipo-enhancements, mammarian miniaturisation and maybe, perhaps sand paper haha. Yes…I really do feel that may just happen. So whats the issue here? I guess its simply our definition of beauty.
I struggle with this superficiality alot. Still do. But I know our God does not look at the outward but a man’s heart. I wish to see things his way. Don’t get me wrong, I am not about to start looking for bad lookers…(you won’t want to label your future wife that anyway). But, perhaps whats wrong is that we are not looking deep enough. Inner beauty. Something that last more than 10 years without artificial enhancements. Something organic. Something that will flower with age rather than the reverse. Something full of life and abundance. Something that will bring joy and healing to those around. Something that will overcome the world’s prejudice with a power not of this earth. Somebody that reflects an image of Christ into our dull stupid eyes.

Arrived in Seoul this week on Thursday morning before rushing off to work. Its quite hard to communicate here…everyone speaks Korean and they don’t understand a single word of English. I think I look every bit like a korean Well, every Korean I meet start rattling off in Korean…it is so awkward when I reply back in Engish…

The food is excellent. Contrary to popular Singaporean opinion, there is actually quite a number of vegetable dishes. String mushrooms, seaweed, toufu and many other healthy stuff accompanies the main meal in great abundance. According to my colleague - Koreans don’t save on food. They always eat in excess, and pamper their guests to the fullest. Hence, side dishes are a must!

Seoul is a bustling city of 10 million, with a land area smaller than that of Singapore! Their subway is about 3 times the size and complexity compared to our local MRT system!! Amazing!!!

Would like to know the people here more. Till now, I know of no one except my colleagues. Perhaps it is good during my stay here to learn the korean language

Past 2 days have been pretty packed. Am currently attending some systems training. Enjoying it lots cos it is really squeezing alot of mental juice out of me.

In a way I feel that my brain is like an AMD chip…can process things at a good speed…but burn out really fast Need to develop more endurance…train, train….discipline, discipline.

Wanted to mention about the casino decision that our country made. I guess God is not so much concerned about the world’s decision-making capacity (they are not expected to perform well in the first place). Rather, what is the church’s response to it? How about you or me?

The above issue takes at least half an hour to express….off to bed for now…

Impatience. This is one of my weakness. And the irony is, I am so thankful to others for their patience with me…haha

Was just having some hustle with my tuition kid. I just don’t understand why he doesn’t understand. Spent a whole hour going through a very straightforward concept. It is so simple that it is leaping and jumping and waving hands at me…but he just doesn’t get it.

Then I realised, once more, that the situation is pretty similar as when the Lord is teaching me. I can just imagine the exasperation he face day after day, trying to remind me of some very basic principles I am thankful that He has not given up on me. Thankful for his faith in me.

I really enjoyed teaching this student of mine. In many ways, it reminded me of my own relationship with my Father. Feel a great connection! Hope to get to know him/Him more Ganbatte.

And of course…I feel a great weight lifted up, after my own exams that is