Day 13: The Freezing Cold

Made another round of the city this morning in hopes of getting some bargains on tupperware. No luck. No purchase.

The one main difference between here and home is the crowds. Man, I love this place. There are NO CROWDS! Woohoo! I can imagine myself back in Orchard on Saturdays and Sundays, and having to squeeze with the forest of human bodies, some with offending odours. Or having to stand in the over-crowded trains, getting elbowed, and meeting inconsiderate pole-hoggers. Nope, not a chance here. Arm swingers have a free range to do what they want, not hit anybody. Phew! I'm safe here. But of course, it's not devoid of human activity as well. Each individual has the right amount of space and more. No pushing and shoving. Loving it.

And those plastic clips we buy from IKEA? They were giving samples away free. You are literally free to take them from their makeshift counter and walk away. Just like that. I can just see the aunties back home rushing for the freebies and grabbing as many as they can. Here, people take one or two, along with a brochure, and walk off. How cilivised is that? No rush, no queues, and most importantly no complaints if they don't manage to get one of those free gifts. Loving it.

And by that, I guess you people know what I ate today. Yup. McDonalds. The fries need chilli sauce, but still, it's comfort food. Who cares if it's fat laden. Heck, I miss sambal belacan, laksa (There even web page dedicated to it: http://www.laksa.com), and coconut milk. Quick! Someone send me a care package of Koka noodles with Singapore Laksa Kway Teow (Flat rice noodles) in it.

Life ain't bad, afterall.

And on my weekly voyeurism on who has been reading my blogs, I noticed that I've been visited from a point in Uppsala, Sweden. Hi! And, just in case you did't read my reply to the comment you left on Reborn, I'll just answer it again.

No, the Idiotic Morons Enterprise does not refer to any of the labs (Or people for that matter. I've met mostly nice people so far.) in Sweden. Just some place back home.

The post ends here today. The following is just some religious bit that I feel like including. People easily offended by such, please vsit some other sites. Thanks!

To better weather tomorrow! Cheers!










And on my daily journey, I came across something interesting.

"Know Jesus, know hope. No Jesus, no hope."

Today's readings really speak to me (even though things are not as bad as they seemed last week), as they should every day.

The following are passages I lifted from One Bread, One Body.

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How many of you can identify with Job in his hopeless misery? (Jb 7:3) Your situation is so bad that you can say: "I loathe my life. I will give myself up to complaint; I will speak from the bitterness of my soul" (Jb 10:1). "I have been assigned months of misery and troubled nights...I am filled with restlessness until the dawn...My days...come to an end without hope...I shall not see happiness again" (Jb 7:3, 4, 6, 7).

God's plan is not to spare us from difficult times; His plan is to be with us in our difficulties. God sent His only Son Jesus, Who is called "Emmanuel, a name which means 'God is with us' " (Mt 1:23). The true test of a Christian comes in the crosses of our lives. Our actions in times of distress tell God whether we want Jesus with us or whether we just want to be spared adversity.

If we know Jesus is with us, we can face adversity with hope and even joy. With the prophet Habakkuk, we declare in hope: "For though the fig tree blossom not nor fruit be on the vines, though the yield of the olive fail and the terraces produce no nourishment, though the flocks disappear from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the Lord and exult in my saving God. God, my Lord, is my Strength" (Hab 3:17-19).

Job looked up to heaven in his misery and saw the Lord for himself (Jb 42:5). Knowing God was with him made all the difference for Job. Know Jesus; know hope. No Jesus; no hope. "Fix your eyes on Jesus" (Heb 3:1), the only Hope you need.

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Godspeed.