Deren related to me this funny conversation The Muttons (a radio duo on 987fm) had with this catering aunty.
Shall share with you all. I laughed out loud when he told me (with the necessary dramatic effects, of course!). I may not narrate every single thing correctly but here's the gist.

The Muttons: Aunty, we have a party and we would like to order food. What do you have?
[READ OUT LOUD FOR THIS LINE] Aunty: Oh, we have fly lice, black fly lice... And drinks, we have pear-seee, floo joo and cock.
If you have more people, we can upsize your medium cock to large cock.
The Muttons: HAHAHAHAHA

If you don't get it,
fly lice=fried rice
pear-see= Pepsi
floo joo= fruit juice
cock= Coke

Funny, right?! Deren is a good actor, with an aunty accent. When he said it, I really had a hearty laugh :D

Let His words sink in - that's essential to regain a meaningful and inspiring walk with my Lord daily.

Last night, I suddenly remembered I needed to teach for Teens Service on Saturday. That precise moment, before I slept, I panicked! What a moment to have.

How can I prepare when I have my Graduation Project proposal due next Monday?

I haven't started writing my proposal yet and I need to do tedious research... When it comes to undergraduate papers, one needs to research about works that have been done in the field, make references to other scholars, before one writes about the signifance of one's research paper.

So 麻烦 right? But this helps to protect other scholars' intellectual property.

Anyway, yes, I panicked about this but I later thought: "Aiya just go and sleep. Let tomorrow's worries come and I'll handle them step by step."

So today, as I sat down to prepare for my lesson, I felt a kind of peace within me. I wasn't thinking about my graduation project proposal too. I know all will be well in the end.

As I read Purpose-Driven Life to prepare for my lesson on servanthood, I myself was reminded about my serving! That's why I like teaching. It leads you to experience the lessons first so that you can teach with conviction.

I allowed the words to sink in. I allowed the words from Purpose-Driven life and the Bible to sink in and I regained my inspiration.

After a past week of uninspiring QT, I realise the problem is I didn't allow the words of truth to sink in, so that it may be embedded in my heart, and eventually, in my life.

It's hard work keeping up.... but who says life is easy? The narrow road. Oh dreadful.
But my eyes are on Him.

My prayer?
Lord, I don't look at my problems anymore. I don't pray that you control me and my bad habits. My only prayer is that You, my Lord, increase Your capacity within my heart and life.

Okay, back to preparation!

On a random note, right now, I can smell the grass-like stench of 霸王, that herbal shampoo that Jackie Chan endorses. Mummy's washing her hair now. She wants hair like Jackie Chan.

BLAH. Stuck in school now because my morning lecture ended early.
So I have a loooong break before my next 3-hour seminar.

Since I have nothing much to do (Okay, actually I have a lot of things to do like reading my materials/research for my graduation project, but my sleepy brain only wants to do brainless things like blogging), I shall blog about what have been through my mind recently.

You know...

Sometimes, I wonder, how do YOU (yes, you who know me as Esther, not some random blog reader) see me?

Do you see me as a church enthusiast? Religious zealot? Mature/wonderful/responsible/serious/great/lovely elder sister?
Good friend? So-so friend?
Serious friend? Funny friend who is serious about religion and family?
A passionate student?

What do you see?
What am I to you?
How do I portray myself to you?

The word "portray" is tricky because it is hinting that I may have a "real" self somewhere which you haven't seen it.

I seriously don't know.

Maybe my drowsy brain isn't thinking much now.

It wasn't like a trip that I saw God in a grand pillar of clouds or hear him in the mighty rumble of thunder.

The trip to Korea from 19 - 26 July 09 was where I rested and found Him in the gentle whispers of the wind.

I came back with heightened discernment for God's voice, a conviction in my serving/calling, a brand new relationship with God and wisdom to on how to shop at Dongdaemun (the Orchard Road of Seoul).

Well, for the last part, let's just say, if I were to go back to Dongdaemun, I wouldn't be so stupid to go to the desolated, pasar malam side again. I can't believe I only discovered the bustling part of Dongdaemun at the last 10 minutes of my time there -.-"

Anyway, I was back to Korea for the second time (the first in 2007), this time, more eager and focused. It is my last year in university and I wanted to go there to pray for my life after graduation, my family, my friends..

This is the place where we have our conferences/seminars/worship sessions. When you're in a place packed with people, thirsty for God, you would just catch the wave and desire more and more of Him. Look at the number of raised hands. These people come from countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and even Indonesia.

On the second day of the conference, our church was invited to lead worship for the thousands of people. I was on the first keyboard this time round! Ahhh. Exciting. As you see from the viewpoint of the piano I was playing on, you can see countless people in front of me.

God loved me so much that He gave me the opportunity to serve Him on piano in such a big conference. Piano playing isn't my forte and not my ultimate calling, but I know my Lord has blessed me with this extra ability to let me learn many lessons of faith as I serve Him with this instrument.

Oh this is the prayer hole I went to pray in. Not suitable for claustrophobics though. I actually fell asleep in there while praying! What the... I felt like the disciples who fell asleep while praying together with Jesus in Gethsemane!

But after a while, right after I woke up, more alert, God took away my guilt and spoke to me immediately about Mummy. Wow. The white-haired man on the left is Stephen Hah, the man who fronts All Nations Worship & Praise ministry. During this session, when Pastor Zhang Han Ye shared a short message, I teared when he said this particular line (I translate) - "There is a difference between believing in God and loving Him wholeheartedly".

Having realised how much I only knew God through beliefs (head) but have not loved Him totally(heart), I was liberated. I want to love my Lord! How?
He taught me how... He revealed to me John 21-15-18, where Jesus reinstated Peter :)

Ok, this is the 炒黏糕 I had at Dongdaemun during our last day of R&R in Seoul. Very yummy! The first time I had it in 2007 at a stall near Yoido Full Gospel church, it was quite bad but this stall cooked it very well!

That's the only highlight of Dongdaemun I experienced this time round. Sigh.

Well, let's just say this Korea trip is worth giving thanks even though I came back sick and nauseous. Meanwhile, no more KIMCHI! I've had enough of their preserved veggies! :P

Eh you know right, I was at NTUC queuing up to buy this drink. This ah ma in front of me turned around super random ask me call her ah ma.
I just call.

Later she turned again call me granddaughter and hugged me.

I was like -.-

When her turn to pay, she ran away! :/

Then the cashier charge her things to my bill.
I stand there dunno what to do.

Aiya just chase her. I ran after her.
I saw her entering the lift. I chiong through before the lift door closed.

I managed to pull her leg, just like how I'm pulling your leg now!









Heehee... I received this sms from Huijuan. I was shocked at first, then when I realised it was a prank, I burst out laughing. Funny, right?

When I was in secondary school, there were a few gorgeous heartthrobs that many girls in my class would go gaga over.

Before swimmer Michael Phelps came along, there was Ian Thorpe!
Oh and also Ashton Kutcher (he was cute, until he married Demi Moore)..
Who can also forget F4's Jerry Yan?

But the most beautiful of all boys, I think would be a real prince and a very charming one at that- PRINCE WILLIAM!

WAHHHHH so suave, right? Who wants to be a princess? I want!

But recently, I stumbled onto a recent picture of Prince William. In June, he just turned 27.
He's now like that.

AHHHH tell me this picture is not real!

I was taken aback, appalled. He looks like he is 37, not 27!

Well, yes, he looks old now but he still has the same charming smile. Pity about his hair though.

Hmm there's always Beijing 101 here in Singapore!
Prince William, we welcome you!

I had my first experience in voting.
My first democratic experience! Wow... But nope, it's not for Singapore's elections but to express interest to re-build my church.

Like many political elections, questions came rapidly and emotions ran high during the Extraordinary General Meeting (EOGM).

I sat there to listen and like many responsible voters, tried my very best to not allow emotions or attachments cloud my objective decision.

As I was sitting there in the church's EOGM, I began to think of the government's stance to only allow citizens who are 21 years old and above to participate in elections. I know some young people have been fighting for their rights to vote when they turn 18. At 18, some are ready to give their say in certain decision-making and are eager to be politically active.

When I read that some young people are requesting to vote at 18, I was like, yes, we should allow that!

But having gone through that voting process just this Sunday, I realised that if I were to given the right to vote at 18, I would probably be overwhelmed with all the emotions, tried to be idealistic or rebellious, just so to stand out.

I believe that at 18, when you are still relatively fresh out of secondary school, you are still not inculcated by Singapore's education to vote responsibly. Most of the time, you just learn how to be exams-savvy during your secondary school education and not on how to be a politcally active with the right motives.

At 21, I would say that I am more knowledgeable about elections and certainly more mature to make a responsible vote. I do not go with the flow, nor do I try to be rebellious just to be different. All I want is to make an informed decision in my voting.

Then again, I know at 21, not everyone is still mature to make a responsible vote. Think about it, even those who are 60, may not be able to do that as well.

However, delaying the right to vote would probably do more good than to have a whole bunch of idealistic 18 year-old young people, still fresh out of secondary school, upsetting a responsible democracy.

Well, moving away from that, I feel that voting in a church is slightly different from say, voting in a corporation or in the public arena. For one, voting in church requires faith.

We do not vote just because we are convinced by what the human authorities say is good/right.

For me, I vote because I hear God telling me what to do. It requires an element of faith and what I call, a godly rebellion.

Just when everyone tells you that you ought to do this and do that, I choose not to follow what they say and thus, go with the flow, but to follow only what God says.

Some say democracy can be a curse because only the most popular choice is selected but it may not be the BEST choice.

But I say, a democracy in a church, if it has godly, active members, can select the BEST choice that a church ought to make.