List of things to Do:
- Send parcel Home for christmas
- Email friends and Prof!
(Prof i'm so sorry but i'm incredibly tied up now!! miss u both!!)
- Email Kenny's parents!
More updates coming up soon:
- Trip to Glasgow and Dublin (incl. pics)
- Work work work
- Life in General
- Random Thoughts
- Reflections on the Past year
- New year resolutions?
Next On... :
- TAP Christmas party (24 DEC06)
- Esther and Steven's visit to London (26 - 29 DEC06)
- New year Trip to Scotland (29 DEC06 - 08 JAN07)
- Shopping trip to Birmingham after the new year? (JAN07)
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Christmas Party Pics!
Enjoy the pics, there is nothing much to say
except for fun, fun, Fun!
Lonza Annual Christmas Party
Venue: The Castle Hotel, Windsor
Date: 07 DEC 2006
Time: 1930hrs till late
At Wedlock's House before the Party

L-R: Wedlock, me and Sandeep
Purification TAPpies!

L-R: Eric, Dawn, me, Francis
Dave (manager) and Me

Purification Gals and Dave

With Angela, Sandeep and Wedlock

With Rachna and Daryl

Eric and Me

Francis and Me

Louise (Trainer) and Me

Purification gals and Kyla (TAP Fermentation)

Purification Gals

Simon and Me

Julian (!!!, Process technologist) and Me

Incomplete TAP pic

Karen and Me

Yvonne, Ann and Me

These 2 beautiful ladies are the ones who are in-charge of the TAPpies on the Lonza side of things.
Great time, okay food (duck confit with fois gras, vege lasagne/stuffed turkey with pigs in blankets, christmas pudding), lots of alcohol and pple pissing off, music and dance, pple snogging on the dance floor (!), charity raffle, christmas crackers, stupid no-brainer jokes and nonsense, dept bonding...
Merry Christmas everyone!
except for fun, fun, Fun!
Lonza Annual Christmas Party
Venue: The Castle Hotel, Windsor
Date: 07 DEC 2006
Time: 1930hrs till late
At Wedlock's House before the Party

L-R: Wedlock, me and Sandeep
Purification TAPpies!

L-R: Eric, Dawn, me, Francis
Dave (manager) and Me

Purification Gals and Dave

With Angela, Sandeep and Wedlock

With Rachna and Daryl

Eric and Me

Francis and Me

Louise (Trainer) and Me

Purification gals and Kyla (TAP Fermentation)

Purification Gals

Simon and Me

Julian (!!!, Process technologist) and Me

Incomplete TAP pic

Karen and Me

Yvonne, Ann and Me

These 2 beautiful ladies are the ones who are in-charge of the TAPpies on the Lonza side of things.
Great time, okay food (duck confit with fois gras, vege lasagne/stuffed turkey with pigs in blankets, christmas pudding), lots of alcohol and pple pissing off, music and dance, pple snogging on the dance floor (!), charity raffle, christmas crackers, stupid no-brainer jokes and nonsense, dept bonding...
Merry Christmas everyone!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
my Sunny iSland
I never thought i'd say this but i really really miss singapore. argh! honestly. life is luxurious back on that sunny island. miss my family esp. and friends. truely, home is where the heart is.
I've never realised how singaporean i am till i started working here in the uk. they say that when people leave their own country and go to a foreign land, they take a piece of their country and its culture with them. i find myself sharing my culture with the british, telling them about singapore, her history, facts and figures, elitist society etc etc. (singapore is an elitist society.. u have to agree.) i'm finally fulfilling all the objectives of National Education. the PAP will be proud of me. HAHA! i'm still not a patriot though...
- Lonza Christmas Party Pics coming up...
- One day to my critical appraisal session with my manager, supervisor and trainer.
- Less than one week to my birthday.
- 2 days to seeing dear again, 4 days to holidaying together in Dublin, Ireland.
- Less than a month to our 2 years anniversary! :)
- Looking forward to all the christmas markets and window shopping.
I've never realised how singaporean i am till i started working here in the uk. they say that when people leave their own country and go to a foreign land, they take a piece of their country and its culture with them. i find myself sharing my culture with the british, telling them about singapore, her history, facts and figures, elitist society etc etc. (singapore is an elitist society.. u have to agree.) i'm finally fulfilling all the objectives of National Education. the PAP will be proud of me. HAHA! i'm still not a patriot though...
- Lonza Christmas Party Pics coming up...
- One day to my critical appraisal session with my manager, supervisor and trainer.
- Less than one week to my birthday.
- 2 days to seeing dear again, 4 days to holidaying together in Dublin, Ireland.
- Less than a month to our 2 years anniversary! :)
- Looking forward to all the christmas markets and window shopping.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Biologics Workaholic
Finally got my laptop back after sending it in to toshiba to have it repaired. Oh my baby!~ pretty little white laptop.. thank goodness it is still under international warranty. toshiba had it picked up and delivered back to my house within a week via courier DHL. superb... the thing is, all my data is GONE!!!!!!! S***!! all my hardwork in uni.. projects, lab reports and stuff.. all gone.. crap.. no more photos, music blah.. this totally sucks ... i still can't get over it. so pple, please regularly back-up your data. o well, i really have to look on the bright side cos at least i still HAVE my laptop.
One of the houses that 4 tappies live in got burglared twice in 2 consecutive days. its ridiculously unbelievable, its outrageous. at the first break-in, they took 2 apple laptops, a handheld nintendo and some other small electronic equipment. they came back a second time for another laptop that was hidden in a luggage bag (which they apparently slashed open).. these suckers... they have no life..seriously. this is absolutely Evil. its suspected that someone has the key though no one knows how that happened yet. the police are Useless (note the captial U). the locks were changed only after 4 days (i think) and the landlord seems to be totally uncaring and unsympathtic. really pity those girls and worry for their safety! goodness gracious me... i would fear for my life every single time i return home and wouldn't even dare catch a wink of sleep!
*****
It's been work work and more work these few months and i must say that its almost taken over my life. seriously, its no better than being at school. i miss school, miss studying, miss the sense of satisfaction i get when my project or paper dishes out an A grade. i miss the intellectual stimulation of reading scientific journals and hard core chem texts. i think i'm going crazy.
I compete with myself everyday, trying to accomplish as much as i can but i can't find a reason as to why i do it. I don't even know whether i'm actually benefitting from this whole experience when my interest doesn't even lie in biotechnology but in CHEMISTRY. there's actually so much chemistry behind what i'm doing but because its manufacturing, pple don't really focus much on theory/concepts... (at least that's what's apparent to me right now.) the most i can do is just to read up on my own.
I'm a person who needs to delve deep into things (though sometimes laziness gets the better of me.) i'm unable to simply believe, do something or perform a task without knowing the reason(s)(theory) behind it. most of the time, i need to do some research myself (even when people have answered my questions sufficiently). it's just part of my character. even ken gets annoyed sometimes when i don't believe him but that's just the way i am. unfortunately, in manufacturing, all the processes have already been designed and researched upon and are just passed down to us (from R&D) to put to good use. i'd definitely do a rotation in R&D after one year.
Being in purification manufacturing isn't easy - esp with all the cGMP that we have to adhere to. i just think that i'm prob more suited for R&D or pilot scale-up... my motivation to do well despite the mismatch comes from within. i must remember that i'm striving towards excellence for God.
Sometimes i just feel frustrated and confused.. feel like i've dropped out of school halfway and i wanna just finish this training so that i can get back to school and finish off an MSc or perhaps go even further.. it totally sucks and i wanna cry but i know that above all this, God put me here for a reason. and afterall, i was the one who asked for this opportunity. but hey.. gotta move on and not look back, like what my daddy says. just gotta be the best that i can be and stretch myself to the fullest - that'll give me the most personal satisfaction possible.
One of the houses that 4 tappies live in got burglared twice in 2 consecutive days. its ridiculously unbelievable, its outrageous. at the first break-in, they took 2 apple laptops, a handheld nintendo and some other small electronic equipment. they came back a second time for another laptop that was hidden in a luggage bag (which they apparently slashed open).. these suckers... they have no life..seriously. this is absolutely Evil. its suspected that someone has the key though no one knows how that happened yet. the police are Useless (note the captial U). the locks were changed only after 4 days (i think) and the landlord seems to be totally uncaring and unsympathtic. really pity those girls and worry for their safety! goodness gracious me... i would fear for my life every single time i return home and wouldn't even dare catch a wink of sleep!
*****
It's been work work and more work these few months and i must say that its almost taken over my life. seriously, its no better than being at school. i miss school, miss studying, miss the sense of satisfaction i get when my project or paper dishes out an A grade. i miss the intellectual stimulation of reading scientific journals and hard core chem texts. i think i'm going crazy.
I compete with myself everyday, trying to accomplish as much as i can but i can't find a reason as to why i do it. I don't even know whether i'm actually benefitting from this whole experience when my interest doesn't even lie in biotechnology but in CHEMISTRY. there's actually so much chemistry behind what i'm doing but because its manufacturing, pple don't really focus much on theory/concepts... (at least that's what's apparent to me right now.) the most i can do is just to read up on my own.
I'm a person who needs to delve deep into things (though sometimes laziness gets the better of me.) i'm unable to simply believe, do something or perform a task without knowing the reason(s)(theory) behind it. most of the time, i need to do some research myself (even when people have answered my questions sufficiently). it's just part of my character. even ken gets annoyed sometimes when i don't believe him but that's just the way i am. unfortunately, in manufacturing, all the processes have already been designed and researched upon and are just passed down to us (from R&D) to put to good use. i'd definitely do a rotation in R&D after one year.
Being in purification manufacturing isn't easy - esp with all the cGMP that we have to adhere to. i just think that i'm prob more suited for R&D or pilot scale-up... my motivation to do well despite the mismatch comes from within. i must remember that i'm striving towards excellence for God.
Sometimes i just feel frustrated and confused.. feel like i've dropped out of school halfway and i wanna just finish this training so that i can get back to school and finish off an MSc or perhaps go even further.. it totally sucks and i wanna cry but i know that above all this, God put me here for a reason. and afterall, i was the one who asked for this opportunity. but hey.. gotta move on and not look back, like what my daddy says. just gotta be the best that i can be and stretch myself to the fullest - that'll give me the most personal satisfaction possible.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Great Week gone by...
Dear left yesterday after spending a week here with me. pity he wasn't feeling too well if not i would have shown him around more. still, we managed to visit london and windsor again together. spent a lot of time cooking and baking and i'm glad he thinks my cooking has improved (though it wasn't bad at all to begin with... i mean cooking is common sense right?)
I'll see him again in glasgow in about 3 weeks time. we're planning to visit paris for about 3 days but we'll see how the cost, flights and accomodation work out. (the purpose of my next trip was to spend time with ken's parents since their initial plan was to visit ken in glasgow after their switzerland trip. they've since decided not to come, hence a change of plans). God taught us many lessons during the time we spent together. Praise Him for that and for the grace and mercy he's shown us so far.
Just bought a dress and accessories to go with (all for a budget cost!) for my company's christmas party @the castle hotel in windsor in a few weeks time. think it'll be great.
I'll see him again in glasgow in about 3 weeks time. we're planning to visit paris for about 3 days but we'll see how the cost, flights and accomodation work out. (the purpose of my next trip was to spend time with ken's parents since their initial plan was to visit ken in glasgow after their switzerland trip. they've since decided not to come, hence a change of plans). God taught us many lessons during the time we spent together. Praise Him for that and for the grace and mercy he's shown us so far.
Just bought a dress and accessories to go with (all for a budget cost!) for my company's christmas party @the castle hotel in windsor in a few weeks time. think it'll be great.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
AO-Hell
Stupid AOL crashed my laptop. no back-up copies of files whatsoever. no other wireless network i've used so far has given me such a problem. going to have to send laptop for servicing (thankfully its still under the 3 year international warranty)and i don't know when i'll ever get it back. i'm praying toshiba is efficient
Lessons learnt:
(1)never subscribe to AOL.
(2)i've been too reliant on my laptop
- God was teaching me a lesson.
(3)never go with someone's idea when u know it's going to suck afterall. stick with your own decision so that if sthg ever goes wrong, the only person u can blame is yourself.
Lessons learnt:
(1)never subscribe to AOL.
(2)i've been too reliant on my laptop
- God was teaching me a lesson.
(3)never go with someone's idea when u know it's going to suck afterall. stick with your own decision so that if sthg ever goes wrong, the only person u can blame is yourself.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Manual Handling
Attended a freaking 3hour 'Manual Handling Course' this morning. omgosh... how can anyone go on and on about manual handling of heavy objects for 3 incredibly long hours?! i can summarise whatever the external trainer said in 1minute. imagine having to assess every single task using a 4 letter acronymn 'B.E.L.T.' but yea... i understand the importance of doing things right/safely (and the fact that it's gonna cost the company loads of $$ if someone sustains a work-related injury).
Monday, November 06, 2006
To be a disciple of Christ
It's been almost a week since i got back from scotland. as i type, fireworks are pleasantly disturbing the darkness of the winter night (i can see the display from my window!)- 2 nights in a row at that, in commemoration of the capture of Guy Fawkes (Guido Fawkes) on the 5th of november 1605. Guy fawkes and bonfire night celebrates the failure of the gunpowder plot (by catholic conspirators, led by Guy Fawkes) which aimed to blow up the houses of parliament during the reign of King James I, a protestant.
It seems ironic, in a way, to me that people are celebrating an event that occurred so very long ago when at this very moment, innocent people in the middle east are suffering and dying from invasion/intrusion of their land by allied troops. i find the poppy appeal that's going on at the moment a little dodgy too. there are people out there who are more in need of money. the history of the poppy appeal and how it came about is fine but i wouldn't advocate it now. it all seems too selfish.
Anyway, back to the point...
The church retreat last weekend @Rowedennan Youth Hostel in Stirling was absolutely fantastic. the theme was "what the Lord expects of you." sermons were given in line with the theme and taught us how we should act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. sam aaron's workshop on "how to be a disciple of christ" was particularly impactful. "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" -philippians 1:21. how powerful, i'm so far from that.. Jesus taught that in order to follow Him, we should take up our cross daily. i'm ashamed to say that i haven't been doing so/doing enough. instead, i have been allowing myself to be seduced by the world. God is my master, my life belongs to Him. i should live for Him daily and be ever-ready (emotionally and spiritually) whenever He decides to call. its a scary thought - that God might call me one day to fulfil His plans... to put away everything in order to follow Him is the (HUGE) price to pay for being disciple of Jesus. i wonder whether i'll ever be ready.
These are such basic principles. i've known all these for ages and yet i need constant reminding and they are so difficult to keep to. Being a christian is not easy. Lord give me strength to perservere with the faith.
Matthew 6:19-20
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Pictures of the retreat to end off...
Rowerdennan Youth Hostel

View of Loch Lomond - from inside the hostel!!

Loch Lomond is Scotland's largest loch in terms of surface area. in terms of volume, Loch Ness is the largest.
On the way up Ben Lomond

Ben Lomond is the most southerly of the munros and is nicknamed Glasgow Hill due to its easy accessibility from Scotland's largest city of Glasgow.
Half way up - Look at the view!

We were too short for time and ill-equipped to scale the full munro. (A Munro is a Scottish mountain with a height over 3000 feet (914.4 metres). They (munros) are named after Sir Hugh Munro (1856 – 1919), who produced the first attempt at an exhaustive catalogue of such hills, known as Munro's Tables, in 1891.)
Ego pic

Group Pic at the end of the retreat

It seems ironic, in a way, to me that people are celebrating an event that occurred so very long ago when at this very moment, innocent people in the middle east are suffering and dying from invasion/intrusion of their land by allied troops. i find the poppy appeal that's going on at the moment a little dodgy too. there are people out there who are more in need of money. the history of the poppy appeal and how it came about is fine but i wouldn't advocate it now. it all seems too selfish.
Anyway, back to the point...
The church retreat last weekend @Rowedennan Youth Hostel in Stirling was absolutely fantastic. the theme was "what the Lord expects of you." sermons were given in line with the theme and taught us how we should act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. sam aaron's workshop on "how to be a disciple of christ" was particularly impactful. "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" -philippians 1:21. how powerful, i'm so far from that.. Jesus taught that in order to follow Him, we should take up our cross daily. i'm ashamed to say that i haven't been doing so/doing enough. instead, i have been allowing myself to be seduced by the world. God is my master, my life belongs to Him. i should live for Him daily and be ever-ready (emotionally and spiritually) whenever He decides to call. its a scary thought - that God might call me one day to fulfil His plans... to put away everything in order to follow Him is the (HUGE) price to pay for being disciple of Jesus. i wonder whether i'll ever be ready.
These are such basic principles. i've known all these for ages and yet i need constant reminding and they are so difficult to keep to. Being a christian is not easy. Lord give me strength to perservere with the faith.
Matthew 6:19-20
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Pictures of the retreat to end off...
Rowerdennan Youth Hostel

View of Loch Lomond - from inside the hostel!!

Loch Lomond is Scotland's largest loch in terms of surface area. in terms of volume, Loch Ness is the largest.
On the way up Ben Lomond

Ben Lomond is the most southerly of the munros and is nicknamed Glasgow Hill due to its easy accessibility from Scotland's largest city of Glasgow.
Half way up - Look at the view!

We were too short for time and ill-equipped to scale the full munro. (A Munro is a Scottish mountain with a height over 3000 feet (914.4 metres). They (munros) are named after Sir Hugh Munro (1856 – 1919), who produced the first attempt at an exhaustive catalogue of such hills, known as Munro's Tables, in 1891.)
Ego pic

Group Pic at the end of the retreat

Friday, October 27, 2006
@719 once again
After working 87hours in 7days, i'm just really glad to be up here in glasgow chilling out. the past few days of work were terrible, not to mention that facility D was in complete disarray on tuesday. despite this, i learnt an incredible amount and even got the experience of being in a meeting with a customer! - which is great. thank u God for turning things around. if there's one thing that i should take away (from the past few days), it would be that i operate at my best when i'm calm; i have to relax! i have been pushing myself and trying to accomplish/achieve everything on my own, never once looking to Him for help, strength or support. i need to trust in my Lord God Almighty, rely on Him and know that without Him, i am nothing... nothing.
Nothing's changed up here in scotland, including the messy and disgusting kitchen and toilet in dear's flat. took the train up from london on wednesday - 29pounds return is a real good price.
Went around town window shopping yesterday while dear was at class. didn't find anything to my liking - which is good cos i save money. there was a flat reunion dinner @719 (2/1) and dear and myself made apple pie. (u won't believe how much of a perfectionist kenny is when it comes to baking - to the extent that he gets stressed about it). translated dear's timetable onto a spreadsheet, from 2 very confusing coursebooks later in the evening.
Dear's at class again at the moment and i've just finished making dinner for the both of us (yummy nasi lemak with curry chicken)- we're going off to the highlands for the church retreat later so we're packing dinner for tonight. meals are provided otherwise for the rest of the retreat. quite excited about the mountain worship on saturday - we're going to be climbing ben lomond and worshipping up there!
Nothing's changed up here in scotland, including the messy and disgusting kitchen and toilet in dear's flat. took the train up from london on wednesday - 29pounds return is a real good price.
Went around town window shopping yesterday while dear was at class. didn't find anything to my liking - which is good cos i save money. there was a flat reunion dinner @719 (2/1) and dear and myself made apple pie. (u won't believe how much of a perfectionist kenny is when it comes to baking - to the extent that he gets stressed about it). translated dear's timetable onto a spreadsheet, from 2 very confusing coursebooks later in the evening.
Dear's at class again at the moment and i've just finished making dinner for the both of us (yummy nasi lemak with curry chicken)- we're going off to the highlands for the church retreat later so we're packing dinner for tonight. meals are provided otherwise for the rest of the retreat. quite excited about the mountain worship on saturday - we're going to be climbing ben lomond and worshipping up there!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Thinking of you
I'm off today (from work). i'm working five 12hour days this week since i'll be off to glasgow from the 25-30th oct to visit kenny. did some reading in the morning, tidied up the random things that were lying around and sped off to town on my bike after. i bought some necessities and the yummiest soft nougats i've ever tasted- for just 1quid. imagine that... haha.
anyway, i'm really looking forward to the church camp in the scottish highlands(during my time there) and also spending some time with dear - having some real conversations! not that i haven't been speaking to him much or anything. on the contrary, we speak to each other twice a week over the phone. what i really mean is, i find it difficult to relate (on a deeper level) to most of the other TAP trainees here. don't get me wrong, they are fantastic people, we connect well on superficial, on-the-surface kind of conversations and get along great. however, i don't think i would find myself in a heart-to-heart talk with any of them (maybe i should add the word, "yet").
i think the problem lies with me... i find that it takes too much effort to get a great friendship going and even MORE effort to maintain it. i'd rather not put in all that time. besides, i'm happy with my life and the family and friends that i have now. i currently don't see the need for any more friends in my life. and just to clarify things, when i say "friend" here, i really mean someone who is in my inner circle, a confidante. (or maybe, the spark just isn't there with any of them (yet).) and once again i say, i love the other TAPpies!
i miss my family, my prof, my friends (u know who u are) and all the great conversations we had - about random things in our lives, digging deep into philosophical stuff and what not and crapping about the stupidest things ever.
Right, enough of all that soppy stuff.
couple of things that happened the past week:
1) Met up with prof's wife, tessa in london! had a great time shopping, walking about and talking. thanks for the time!! she'll be going to aust soon to join prof.
2)Went to Hillsong LONDON church (from Hillsong Australia). it was alright - i would say that it is a not-so-effective FCBC (Faith Community Baptist Church, Singapore). preaching was ok (the wesley and fcbc pastors are much better), no problems with the doctrine (at least from what i heard that service). i know i shouldn't be comparing speakers, afterall they are all preaching the Word. i can't help it, i prefer to hear clear, to-the-point impactful messages. speakers who lack organisation, focus, give far-fetched examples and joke too much (bad jokes at that) just aren't as effective.
3) Got my bicycle front wheel fixed!! it was punctured and i wasn't able to ride my bike for about a week. thanks to my wonderful colleague tony, my bike's road worthy again.
4) Had a house-warming cum bday celebration @Bader Gardens (4girls live here). Baked peanut butter chocolate swirl cookies and a bday cheesecake. it was a nice get together with loads to eat.
will be working 12hours tom and sat. hope i won't be assigned to buffer prep again. spent 2 out of 3 days this week there already. i wanna go back into facility! buffer prep isn't a bad thing, it's just a preference issue. =P
Birthday cheesecake for Sihui, Teckwei and Francis

anyway, i'm really looking forward to the church camp in the scottish highlands(during my time there) and also spending some time with dear - having some real conversations! not that i haven't been speaking to him much or anything. on the contrary, we speak to each other twice a week over the phone. what i really mean is, i find it difficult to relate (on a deeper level) to most of the other TAP trainees here. don't get me wrong, they are fantastic people, we connect well on superficial, on-the-surface kind of conversations and get along great. however, i don't think i would find myself in a heart-to-heart talk with any of them (maybe i should add the word, "yet").
i think the problem lies with me... i find that it takes too much effort to get a great friendship going and even MORE effort to maintain it. i'd rather not put in all that time. besides, i'm happy with my life and the family and friends that i have now. i currently don't see the need for any more friends in my life. and just to clarify things, when i say "friend" here, i really mean someone who is in my inner circle, a confidante. (or maybe, the spark just isn't there with any of them (yet).) and once again i say, i love the other TAPpies!
i miss my family, my prof, my friends (u know who u are) and all the great conversations we had - about random things in our lives, digging deep into philosophical stuff and what not and crapping about the stupidest things ever.
Right, enough of all that soppy stuff.
couple of things that happened the past week:
1) Met up with prof's wife, tessa in london! had a great time shopping, walking about and talking. thanks for the time!! she'll be going to aust soon to join prof.
2)Went to Hillsong LONDON church (from Hillsong Australia). it was alright - i would say that it is a not-so-effective FCBC (Faith Community Baptist Church, Singapore). preaching was ok (the wesley and fcbc pastors are much better), no problems with the doctrine (at least from what i heard that service). i know i shouldn't be comparing speakers, afterall they are all preaching the Word. i can't help it, i prefer to hear clear, to-the-point impactful messages. speakers who lack organisation, focus, give far-fetched examples and joke too much (bad jokes at that) just aren't as effective.
3) Got my bicycle front wheel fixed!! it was punctured and i wasn't able to ride my bike for about a week. thanks to my wonderful colleague tony, my bike's road worthy again.
4) Had a house-warming cum bday celebration @Bader Gardens (4girls live here). Baked peanut butter chocolate swirl cookies and a bday cheesecake. it was a nice get together with loads to eat.
will be working 12hours tom and sat. hope i won't be assigned to buffer prep again. spent 2 out of 3 days this week there already. i wanna go back into facility! buffer prep isn't a bad thing, it's just a preference issue. =P

Thursday, October 12, 2006
Come Holy Spirit, Fall Afresh on Me...
I was just reading through my blog.. how insane, i know. i realise how far i've come, how fast time flies. it was just yesterday that i finished my A levels, it was just yesterday that i felt so confused about life. But God brought me through all this. He took me through the years, each and every step of the way, through all my troubles and pain. as i look back and ponder, i'm filled with gratefulness and i can never thank Him enough. i would never even think of being able to repay Him for His grace and mercy. i realise how far i am from Him now. i can dish out excuses aplenty, so many reasons - that i haven't found the proper church, busyness with work, adjustment to the new life here, personal problems etc etc.. but all these are just excuses. period. i really wanna be running home again, home to where i should belong, the place i'm destined to be. the world is engulfing me in its worldliness, emotions and lies. God forgive me for my sinful nature.
Though it may be an excuse, i think the church plays an important part in a believer's spiritual walk... the importance of living in christian community, being accountable etc. i've kinda "lost" all these things since coming to the uk. i'm fine attending the current church that i am at now. it's just that i feel that i would grow so much more in another, more suitable church. i just pray that God will lead me to that place, wherever He wants me to be, wherever he wants me to serve. i pray for the desire to serve out of reverence for Him, to glorify His name, out of love for His people and to fulfil the Great commission.
I've been bogged down with many irritations lately. at work and more so, at home. i know i could have responded differently in some situations but i chose not to - i just couldn't be bothered to, i was too frustrated to. i should have looked to God and responded in the way that Jesus would. another thing, i wanna always remember that i should "... seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to u as well." - Matthew 6:33
The Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
- Matthew 5:3-10
Though it may be an excuse, i think the church plays an important part in a believer's spiritual walk... the importance of living in christian community, being accountable etc. i've kinda "lost" all these things since coming to the uk. i'm fine attending the current church that i am at now. it's just that i feel that i would grow so much more in another, more suitable church. i just pray that God will lead me to that place, wherever He wants me to be, wherever he wants me to serve. i pray for the desire to serve out of reverence for Him, to glorify His name, out of love for His people and to fulfil the Great commission.
I've been bogged down with many irritations lately. at work and more so, at home. i know i could have responded differently in some situations but i chose not to - i just couldn't be bothered to, i was too frustrated to. i should have looked to God and responded in the way that Jesus would. another thing, i wanna always remember that i should "... seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to u as well." - Matthew 6:33
The Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
- Matthew 5:3-10
Monday, October 09, 2006
Some Random Pics!
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Photolog: The next chapter begins...

Beautiful Swans

In windsor, along the river thames with the swans!
your heart simply melts...
Sir Christopher Wren's House in Windsor

It's now been converted into a posh restaurant
The guards march past Windsor Castle

While House-Hunting

Everyone looks a wreck... gosh, it was really terrible.
i don't want to remember...
The unbelievable

Peili opened her umbrella in the bus to shield herself from the scorching sun. it was reported that temperatures rose to 47degC in buses and 52degC in the tube.
With Kyla in London

Kyla, one of my housemates. Some of us were in london to watch the nottinghill carnival, the largest annual festival in europe. quite a disappointment really.. my friends were commenting that chingay is much better.
One of my Fav places in London, Trafalgar Square

And finally...

with my baby last week when he visited. the roses aren't mine, they were bought for him =P
Thursday, September 21, 2006
After a long while...
Well... it's been a long time since i've updated! (yes, this blog is still functioning. it has not been abandoned.)
Gosh, u won't believe the inefficiency and incompetency that exists here. i still haven't gotten my internet connection at home and i'm using the one in the office (i'm on lunch break btw). there was a major screw-up with tiscali (that delayed us by 4 weeks) and on top of this, BT (our phone company) also cracked up on us. we were without a home phone line for about 2 weeks. unbelieveable. hopefully i'll get the internet up and running in 2 weeks time. i still can't believe i've survived 2 months without an internet connection at home. completely ridiculous.
Anyway, life's been good the past 2 months. all the singaporeans are getting on well with each other and the 2nd batch of trainees are just finishing their 3rd week of work. everyone has more or less settled into the new life here. Training has been getting on fine. i was pretty depressed during the first 2 weeks because of the sheer amount of reading that i had to do. loads of SOPs (standard operating procedures) and introductory sessions to attend. work got much better after we started to go on plant more (i'm in the purification department btw). i think all the trainees have been progressing well. our first report is due at EDB in a week's time.
My colleagues (lonza pple) are really great. they're friendly, helpful and i believe that i'm starting to build up some chemistry with them. they really make a difference to my work. makes work-life more enjoyable... i look forward to learning and interacting more with them.
Life's become almost a routine for me (apart from the once a fortnight gatherings at someone's place), 0700-1530 work hours, 5 days a week. cooking lunch (for the next working daY) almost everyday after i get home (everyone takes packed lunch to work. there are no canteens at the work place. only snack vending machines are available), grocery shopping on somedays. weekends spell window and grocery shopping in town, church on sundays as usual - o, i haven't settled on a church yet. i'm still church-hopping and trying to find the one that i'm most comfortable with. i may well end up attending church in london, which is a 20min train ride and prob 20min tube ride away from home. i don't mind that though, as long as i'm comfortable.
It's quite convenient to travel around my area really... bus stop is just a 5min walk away. on top of this, i've just gotten a 2nd-hand bicycle from my colleague for 30quid. its in excellent condition and i'm really happy with my purchase apart from the fact that its a little too high (but i'm managing it well and getting used to it). i've yet to get a bicycle lock so i'm borrowing one from eileen for the time being.
Ken visited for about a week (just before flying back to glasgow; and brought my mum's sambal chilli all the way from singapore!) and left just a couple of days ago. (i miss him so much!) we had a great time shopping, walking about and cooking together. i showed him around town and windsor and we also made a trip to london over the weekend to meet up with jonathan and sangee who have just returned from singapore. it's nice to have friends nearby. =)
and finally... something about the weather. it's still not getting any colder. its about 20degC on the average. temperatures may hit above 25degC on what i consider 'bad days'. i love the sun but i don't like it burning down on me.
and and.. (sorry this is really random), my landlord bought us a 20inch television! after my flatmates were whining to her about how we had to travel 20mins by foot just to watch our fav reality tv show (How do u solve a problem like Maria? (sound of music)). gosh, don't we sound desparate.
I'll upload some photos soon to make up for all those missing entries but really, i'm doing fine and i really miss all of u in singapore!
Gosh, u won't believe the inefficiency and incompetency that exists here. i still haven't gotten my internet connection at home and i'm using the one in the office (i'm on lunch break btw). there was a major screw-up with tiscali (that delayed us by 4 weeks) and on top of this, BT (our phone company) also cracked up on us. we were without a home phone line for about 2 weeks. unbelieveable. hopefully i'll get the internet up and running in 2 weeks time. i still can't believe i've survived 2 months without an internet connection at home. completely ridiculous.
Anyway, life's been good the past 2 months. all the singaporeans are getting on well with each other and the 2nd batch of trainees are just finishing their 3rd week of work. everyone has more or less settled into the new life here. Training has been getting on fine. i was pretty depressed during the first 2 weeks because of the sheer amount of reading that i had to do. loads of SOPs (standard operating procedures) and introductory sessions to attend. work got much better after we started to go on plant more (i'm in the purification department btw). i think all the trainees have been progressing well. our first report is due at EDB in a week's time.
My colleagues (lonza pple) are really great. they're friendly, helpful and i believe that i'm starting to build up some chemistry with them. they really make a difference to my work. makes work-life more enjoyable... i look forward to learning and interacting more with them.
Life's become almost a routine for me (apart from the once a fortnight gatherings at someone's place), 0700-1530 work hours, 5 days a week. cooking lunch (for the next working daY) almost everyday after i get home (everyone takes packed lunch to work. there are no canteens at the work place. only snack vending machines are available), grocery shopping on somedays. weekends spell window and grocery shopping in town, church on sundays as usual - o, i haven't settled on a church yet. i'm still church-hopping and trying to find the one that i'm most comfortable with. i may well end up attending church in london, which is a 20min train ride and prob 20min tube ride away from home. i don't mind that though, as long as i'm comfortable.
It's quite convenient to travel around my area really... bus stop is just a 5min walk away. on top of this, i've just gotten a 2nd-hand bicycle from my colleague for 30quid. its in excellent condition and i'm really happy with my purchase apart from the fact that its a little too high (but i'm managing it well and getting used to it). i've yet to get a bicycle lock so i'm borrowing one from eileen for the time being.
Ken visited for about a week (just before flying back to glasgow; and brought my mum's sambal chilli all the way from singapore!) and left just a couple of days ago. (i miss him so much!) we had a great time shopping, walking about and cooking together. i showed him around town and windsor and we also made a trip to london over the weekend to meet up with jonathan and sangee who have just returned from singapore. it's nice to have friends nearby. =)
and finally... something about the weather. it's still not getting any colder. its about 20degC on the average. temperatures may hit above 25degC on what i consider 'bad days'. i love the sun but i don't like it burning down on me.
and and.. (sorry this is really random), my landlord bought us a 20inch television! after my flatmates were whining to her about how we had to travel 20mins by foot just to watch our fav reality tv show (How do u solve a problem like Maria? (sound of music)). gosh, don't we sound desparate.
I'll upload some photos soon to make up for all those missing entries but really, i'm doing fine and i really miss all of u in singapore!
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Greetings from Windsor
Arrived in the uk on the afternoon of 24th july. had airport transfer arranged for all 11 of us to our apartments (temp accomodation) in windsor. windsor is great. its quiet, feels safe and relatively clean. the queen's residence (windsor castle) is just a 10min walk from our apartment.
the last few days have been absolute madness, shuttling between windsor, slough, langley and cippenham trying to find suitable accomodation for the rest of our 18mth stint. we used all possible modes of transport (cab, bus, cars of the estate agents and obviously by foot).
after 3 days of viewing, 2 others (NUS Pharmacy and NUS life science girls) and myself finally settled on a 3 bedroom house in cippenham - well maintained and fully furnished with all appliances intact. we'll probably try and request for a tv. heh.. most of the pple opted to stay in 2bedroom apartments but i think a house would do nicely for me. rental and utilities shouldn't come up to more than 400pounds a month and i'm really happy with the cost. was thinking before that i'd have to fork out at least 500pounds just for accomodation and bills. our place is closest to work too! think it'll be a 10-15mins walk at most. Happiness~ thank u God!
after settling our accomodation and placing the necessary deposit, the other trainees and i were greatly relieved (of stress and frustration) and decided to take trip to london yesterday. having been to london once before, i took my friends around, visiting the usual touristy places. quite proud of myself cos i was in london for only 2 days the last time, having my prof as my tour guide. hehe~ (prof was an excellent tour guide and it definitely helped me this time round.) i thought my map reading was bad but since i managed to 'not get lost' yesterday during our 11 hour walking adventure, i've concluded its not that bad afterall! =P but i really wanna be able to read maps upright, without having to rotate them after every street i turn.
the last few days have been absolute madness, shuttling between windsor, slough, langley and cippenham trying to find suitable accomodation for the rest of our 18mth stint. we used all possible modes of transport (cab, bus, cars of the estate agents and obviously by foot).
after 3 days of viewing, 2 others (NUS Pharmacy and NUS life science girls) and myself finally settled on a 3 bedroom house in cippenham - well maintained and fully furnished with all appliances intact. we'll probably try and request for a tv. heh.. most of the pple opted to stay in 2bedroom apartments but i think a house would do nicely for me. rental and utilities shouldn't come up to more than 400pounds a month and i'm really happy with the cost. was thinking before that i'd have to fork out at least 500pounds just for accomodation and bills. our place is closest to work too! think it'll be a 10-15mins walk at most. Happiness~ thank u God!
after settling our accomodation and placing the necessary deposit, the other trainees and i were greatly relieved (of stress and frustration) and decided to take trip to london yesterday. having been to london once before, i took my friends around, visiting the usual touristy places. quite proud of myself cos i was in london for only 2 days the last time, having my prof as my tour guide. hehe~ (prof was an excellent tour guide and it definitely helped me this time round.) i thought my map reading was bad but since i managed to 'not get lost' yesterday during our 11 hour walking adventure, i've concluded its not that bad afterall! =P but i really wanna be able to read maps upright, without having to rotate them after every street i turn.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Wedding Bells are Ringing
Had a blast at May's wedding today!
church wedding at chijmes hall in the morning followed by a dinner at raffles hotel in the evening. great people + great food = great FUN! i liked it because it was small and personal... not the kind where there are hundreds of guests, 90% of whom u do not know.
To May and Andrew: God bless u all and may He always be the head of your household!
p/s: u will have beautiful kids.. heh =P
p/s: both are dentists by profession who studied in glasgow uni. groom is scottish, bride is half norweigian, half singaporean.
Pictures!!
CHIJMES Hall

Baby!

With the pseudo-glaswegian babes
Raffles Hotel

Before the dinner

B.L.A.C.K

With Michelle and Phui Yee

Handsome Andrew

Beautiful May!

Back home after a long day...
church wedding at chijmes hall in the morning followed by a dinner at raffles hotel in the evening. great people + great food = great FUN! i liked it because it was small and personal... not the kind where there are hundreds of guests, 90% of whom u do not know.
To May and Andrew: God bless u all and may He always be the head of your household!
p/s: u will have beautiful kids.. heh =P
p/s: both are dentists by profession who studied in glasgow uni. groom is scottish, bride is half norweigian, half singaporean.
Pictures!!
CHIJMES Hall

Baby!

With the pseudo-glaswegian babes
Raffles Hotel

Before the dinner

B.L.A.C.K

With Michelle and Phui Yee

Handsome Andrew

Beautiful May!

Back home after a long day...
Friday, July 21, 2006
Graduation cum Farewell Party
Date: 22/07/06
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: Raffles Town Club, The Poolside
Thanks everyone who made it today. u guys were great and i hope u enjoyed yourselves as well as the food! i can't thank u all enough for your presence, gifts and most of all, friendship. needless to say, i will definitely miss the times we had - be it the little chit chat sessions, long conversations, boring lectures or the arduous lab sessions. unfortunately, my close girlies were either absent or had to leave early.. (ky's still in US doing her work and travel, cy is working london hours, sangee was at a service and joyce had family commitments).
see u all in 1 1/2 years time :)
i don't have time to blog a more detailed entry but here are some photos of the night!
NJC Class/Schoolmates

L-R: weiting, nora, joy, vicky, fiona, me, kianping, dear, yi chiao, denis, brian, ahmad
NUS Chem mates

L-R: weiting, joy, me, nora, vicky, alex
Church mates + 2 lovely sistas

L-R: junxu, laura, sarah, danielle, sis, me, shin shin, jasmine, weili
It's been a Longggggg time... :)

L-R: Gerard Tan (affectionately known as G.T.), Me, Saadia

L-R: Me, Xiaole (sis), Sarah, Danielle
To danielle and sarah, i'm glad the both of you came. i'm touched. may there be better times ahead :)

To Ahmad and Siti, please remember me on your red letter day.. heh..

L-R: Dear, Me, Brian, Yi Chiao
All looking HOT in white and blue.

L-R: Kian Ping, Me, Denis

L-R: Laura, Junxu, Me
Thanks for coming u guys.. God will keep ya'll together.. 8 mths is not a long time :) and btw junxu, u were "smart" enough not to follow my instructions for the autograph.. grrr..

L-R: Shin Shin, Jasmine, Me, Weili
To the gals, thanks for your patience a few years back trying to get me to attend various church events.. i was a pain i know.. haha~ i realise i didn't take pics with yuping, rachel and gladys before they left.. crap..
To weili: sometimes you're just too nice..
and lastly...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Baby and Me!

i LOVE u!! and i'll miss you.. see u in a month's time!
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: Raffles Town Club, The Poolside
Thanks everyone who made it today. u guys were great and i hope u enjoyed yourselves as well as the food! i can't thank u all enough for your presence, gifts and most of all, friendship. needless to say, i will definitely miss the times we had - be it the little chit chat sessions, long conversations, boring lectures or the arduous lab sessions. unfortunately, my close girlies were either absent or had to leave early.. (ky's still in US doing her work and travel, cy is working london hours, sangee was at a service and joyce had family commitments).
see u all in 1 1/2 years time :)
i don't have time to blog a more detailed entry but here are some photos of the night!

L-R: weiting, nora, joy, vicky, fiona, me, kianping, dear, yi chiao, denis, brian, ahmad
NUS Chem mates

L-R: weiting, joy, me, nora, vicky, alex
Church mates + 2 lovely sistas

L-R: junxu, laura, sarah, danielle, sis, me, shin shin, jasmine, weili
It's been a Longggggg time... :)

L-R: Gerard Tan (affectionately known as G.T.), Me, Saadia

L-R: Me, Xiaole (sis), Sarah, Danielle
To danielle and sarah, i'm glad the both of you came. i'm touched. may there be better times ahead :)

To Ahmad and Siti, please remember me on your red letter day.. heh..

L-R: Dear, Me, Brian, Yi Chiao
All looking HOT in white and blue.

L-R: Kian Ping, Me, Denis

L-R: Laura, Junxu, Me
Thanks for coming u guys.. God will keep ya'll together.. 8 mths is not a long time :) and btw junxu, u were "smart" enough not to follow my instructions for the autograph.. grrr..

L-R: Shin Shin, Jasmine, Me, Weili
To the gals, thanks for your patience a few years back trying to get me to attend various church events.. i was a pain i know.. haha~ i realise i didn't take pics with yuping, rachel and gladys before they left.. crap..
To weili: sometimes you're just too nice..
and lastly...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Baby and Me!

i LOVE u!! and i'll miss you.. see u in a month's time!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)








