I fasted for a week in preparation for an important weekend that just passed, our Arise and Build :) wanted my spirit to be open to the Lord's voice to give in obedience.

so, i had an amount in my heart and was prepared to pledge during service. but the Lord challenged me to double it, and it was a five-figure amount. my largest giving.
i could not control my tears because this was a great sacrifice. nevertheless, there was peace to step out in faith and obedience.

well, i shall claim the Word everyday!

Psalm 126
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He that goes forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

my prayer for today from Proverbs 22:29
Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will serve before kings;
he will not serve before obscure men

an unfortunate incident

I had a bad fall 2 days ago while getting off my company's shuttle bus. missed a step and landed on my left ankle. i tried to stand but it was so painful to the extent it brought me to tears. so I had to sit on the pavement briefly while 3 patients and a security guard lifted me to a wheelchair. thank God this happened at the door step of my workplace so i could have some medical relief like ice packs. my dermatologists said the swell looked bad so i should get an x-ray done.

off i went to Alexandra hospital's A&E (rather than Tan tock seng's which was much nearer). No regrets:) AH has a lower patient load so their medical care and attention was superb. In addition, i met an ex-staff there who expedited my X-ray and entire waiting time. for once, i was a vulnerable patient on wheelchair unaccompanied. good chance for me to be in the shoes of patients with no caregiver.

well, let this incident be edged in my memory to be careful while walking! :)

This weekend is spiritually important. So no misfortune is going to stand in my way!

West Coast USA Day 9

We started our free day taking the tram to Fisherman's wharf. Bought an all day pass for $14 which gave us unlimited rides.

 The guys opted to stand on the tram.

 Arrived at our destination! :)

Glorious seafood! Our lunch at Fisherman's wharf.

After lunch, we lazed at a cafe along the street to people-watch :)

And we decided to head back to Union Square near our hotel to visit Macy's. It was a sunday and all the shops closed at 5pm or 7pm latest!

Heading to the tram station..

 Alighted earlier to walk the slopes.

That more or less concluded our free day. Time to head back to the hotel to pack and return to Sg!

West Coast USA Day 8

There are just too much shopping in this trip! 8th day in the States was spent visiting Gilroy factory outlets for shopping again. It took us 2 hours to travel there from where we were. So from 9am to 4pm we shopped, and got back only in the evening where we began venturing the city proper.

 Saw the manual labour tram that went about the city.

Had our dinner at a typical American diner. Nice fare but expensive taxes!

The shops were all closed early that evening, so we took a leisurely stroll back to the hotel. Typical tourists had to take shots of streets never seen in Singapore before. Haha.

It didn't feel exactly safe to walk in SFO at night. There were people congregating and looking intimidating. moreover, the streets were dirty and smelt of urine. We preferred hanging around fisherman's wharf...

West Coast USA Day 7

Good morning Vegas and Good bye Vegas!

 Hello San Francisco! It started to get a bit chilly as we moved away from the desert.

 Walking up the slopes to Chinatown for lunch.

Thereafter, it was a "hike" up the steep slopes of SFO to see the world's crookedist street!

Somemore sights! We visited the Golden Gate Bridge but did not get to walk on it due to time constraint :(

And then it was to the Fisherman's wharf where we tried clam chowder in sourdough bread. It was famous but we thought the taste was fair. Hehe..

 Then we retreated back to our hotel, Holiday Inn for a night's rest :)