COSB Family Day! :)

Finally blogging about something current :)

We had our church's Family Day over the weekend. 8am was honestly alittle early to wake up on a Saturday morning, especially after a nice time out with the girls the night before. But it was worth it! I seriously think we all put on weight with the amazing food!

People of all ages were welcomed to Changi Beach with fragrant century egg porridge and fried bee hoon (i had 3 helpings! :P) With tummies full and happy grins on our faces, we started the day with a round of aerobics by a trained gym instructor. How the aunties and uncles managed it is beyond me.. but certainly, they were a bag of good fun!

A telematch that started and ended in record time ensued; the groups just ran amok! After a round of ice cream and drinks, the group settled down for an entertaining series of magic tricks by Uncle John, leaving them amazed and peeling on their sides in laughter. We rounded up the day with an intense game of Bingo; the closest i ever seen to the ones i read about overseas :) Kudos to the organisers who thought of Bingo, a game that transcends all age and languages. And really, kudos to them for such a wonderful yummy day :) It was perfect, the way we would like it!

To those who missed it, there's still next year!

The ones who were there before it all started

aunties who gave the workout their best

On to the Telematch!

the ice-cream man reminded us of our wedding :) the queue never stopped!

happy as can be with ice cream

Everyone wanted some. I had 3 helpings! woohoo!

Uncle John entertaining all of us

looking for grasshoppers!

proudly showing off her grasshoppers :)

Children do love their sand!

BINGO!

Eh why i never win?

And a hug to end off a wonderful day

Thank God for the wonderful weather - it was sunny, yet windy. Given the erratic mad weather, i wouldn't dare say this fell short of a miracle. Till the next post, have a great week guys :) Blessed Monday!

Life & Love; Tears & Death

It's been a busy couple of weeks since July! We helped out in 2 weddings (Mr Beh and Mr Ong), I attended a good colleague's wedding dinner the same weekend. All 3 were good fun, catching up with friends and sitting down to eat.

Then suddenly, I get a saddening sms... a friend's dad passed away. We went to the wake, it was a tough time for the family and I pray, knowing that God's peace was with them. AND, it was at that wake, that I found out that another friend's mum passed on as well. We rushed down to that wake the same night.

3 weddings and 2 funerals.

But life is a story continuously unfolding. Just last week, my mum called me to the hospital because my aunty was critically ill. We visited her and my grandma asked us to pray for her as well.

I'd like to think that I'm a person of faith. But in the face of the situation, I honestly found it very difficult to pray in my typical strength of belief - the best I could muster was that "God's will be done".

A day later my mum called to say that my aunt had passed on. So it came that a few weeks before, I was following Bridal Cars, and now, I was following behind a hearse.

It's a stark difference, between a Celebration of Love one day and a reminder of our frail humanity.

Love and Life one day, Tears and Death another.

The Bible reminds us: He has also set eternity in the hearts of men (Ecc 3;11)

In our hearts, is a yearning for the "something more". It is an underlying current in our spirits that tells us that life is more than that which is seen.

I guess my point in writing all this done is that while we think and dream of the great plans and destinies that we all desire, let's remember that life is often the sum of its moments. Every moment we have is an opportunity and a point of decision for eternity. It's a moment to decide to love the people around us that God has placed in our lives. It is to decide that it will be a moment to love, live and laugh.

At the end of this life, there's nothing we can bring along with us.

Ecc 5:15 Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.

What we do bring is memories of the people we lived life with. Memories of the people we journeyed in our walk with God on this earth. Memories of the people that we touched, people that we shared our Jesus with.

And one day, one day, those memories will become reality again.

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

That place is prepared for us.

1 Cor 15:52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

That great joy comes not just our memories are reality again and we see those we love. But that we will see HIM who first loved us. And I hope that when that day comes, I will hear my Lord say to me:

Matthew 25: 23 Well done, good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy of your lord.’

And when we love, we remember that God is love:

1 John 4:16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

Chase your dreams! Live out Loud! But remember to love, remember to care, remember to share. Remember that you can make a difference to someone. Just like Jesus.

children @ work!

*waves hi!!* It's been a loong time!

I must apologise for the lack of updates - except for a smattering of photos, there really wasn't any real update of our lives and what we have been up to. Just today, CF kindly reminded me that we have *gasp* yet to upload anything from our wedding, honeymoon, or anything related to it. Some wedding blog huh. Tsk!

Well, our only saving grace would be... a smattering of photos from other close friends' weddings! Hahaha. Which, to be honest, was pretty much what we were happily busy with for quite some time earlier on. I know I've mentioned this somewhere, but I'll do it again here ('cos it's always good to count our blessings! :)), that it's always such a joy and privilege to be part of something so special to the couple.

Over the 2 wedding weekends, we rented a couple of lenses (my fave being the f1.4 one. it's awesome!) to play with. I'm really bad at using the zoom lenses - pictures are usually blurry - but when it comes to capturing children playing at weddings with the 1.4, it's a complete joy. There's just something about capturing their expressions and their play that gets to me; i dare say that the joy of capturing them at their most innocent and carefree moments is almost indescribable :) Of course the 1.4 played a large role too. hehe. It was a pity we didn't get to use any of the rented lens much over the 2 weekends - but opportunities and chances will come, hopefully! :)

little feet making big footsteps in the world

uh oh, he's part of the church deco now!

Bubbles + kids = loads of fun, giggles and soap!

smile sweetly for mummy :)

a smile that goes right to the heart

run with the wind, let no one hold you back

Meanwhile, we have heaps of stuff to share! YOG, wedding photos, foodies and holidays! I really can't wait to post them up... but now though, let me get my piece of furniture for our new place (our spanking new iMac!! :))) tidied up first. As of now, everything is err, on the desktop and in the good ole macbook :) And somewhere in between the tall order i've given myself, i'll slot in markings and lesson planning to be done in my real job. hahaha

Toodles guys, have a blessed week ahead!

Chunxiang + KAren - one more day!

Chunxiang + KAren
7 August 2010
Thomson Road Baptist Church
1150am

Pan Pacific Hotel
700pm, cocktails

When 2 of our closest friends get married to each other it's impossible for us not to be joyous and announce to the whole wide world! Its been one wind whirl of a journey planning the wedding with them - can you believe Chunxiang proposed 2 christmases ago? Wow! :)

One more day - cant wait! :) Thank God!