CULTURESHOCK CULTURESHOCK CULTURESHOCK!!

I've been suffering from re-entry since returning from Japan 2 weeks ago. Been managing to bear with rude, inconsiderate behaviour, bad service and lack of graces. But TODAY! *blood boiling*... TODAY takes the cake for the awfulness of re-entry from a gracious society to an ungracious one.

I was already tripped up from a day of being bumped, pushed and almost-ran-into by members of the public who weren't very conscious of their environment (ie. laughing and joking with companions, stepping on my white shoes, etc), and mildly irritated with being back here. But when I went to withdraw money at Bras Brasah, the culture shock level hit "Cardiac Arrest"..... You know there're 2 ATMs at Bras Brasah, and I was waiting in between them, trying to get money to pay for my books from the second-hand bookstore which was closing already. When the first ATM was available, this middle-aged uncle comes from nowhere and steps into my path, ignoring me! I thought, maybe he didn't see me, and stepped up to tell him I was queuing up. The nerve of the man.... without looking at me, and without the grace to apologise or ask nicely, he says his motorbike is waiting at the road. Now, if he had graciously acknowledged my presence, or asked if he could go first, I would have let him.... but how rude!

I UNGRACIOUSLY muttered under my breath, "You are so rude...." Unbelievable.

I'm having trouble adapting from a gracious society to this. Especially since I try so hard to have a gracious spirit nowadays - to be nice, polite, go out of my way, give way, give up rights, etc. But it bugs me that our people have societal norms that eschew COMMON SENSE. It's common sense that when someone is holding her ATM card, standing beside the ATM, she's waiting to use the ATM. And common sense tells you that you should at least ask if she's gonna use it before entitling yourself to it just because she wasn't positioned directly behind the queue.

Maybe I have too high expectations, or possibly I have to learn to be gracious to the ungracious - like loving the unlovable, turning the other cheek, and giving up even more rights. Gaaaahhhh.

HA! THIS ROCKS!!!

Omigosh, this is just too good!!

Live Up To Your Potential

Gideon.
Joseph.
David.
Jeremiah.

Do you feel like either of these young men right now? Has God put something in your heart but you're left feeling limited to do it? Are you clueless about how things are going to happen for your Godly intentions?

My question is, are you going to ignore/put off the call to missions, ministry or a specific role much longer?

Lately, I've been feeling that I'm not living up to my fullest potential. Strange coming from me, as I've always tried to fulfill my life purpose intentionally. But lately, I've felt that there is more... there's a higher level that requires more faith and seeking from me, a level that once again brings me to the region of not-knowing-what's-next. It's called being in the discomfort zone.

At the children's camp in Japan, we acted out Bible stories of the abovementioned characters. Each story carried this truth: Even though you feel small and inadequate, God wants to, and will, use you to accomplish greater things.

How apt that we should be like little children receiving that timeless truth in our struggles regarding obedience and our individual call. I challenge you to live up to your potential. It's regretful if you don't.

Happy National Day!

Home from Nicole Then on Vimeo.

Found a lovely video of Nicole Then from Cherry Magazine singing "Home". Fresh after watching the National Day Parade, I realised that the good ol' National Day songs really strike a chord in me, especially after they've been updated and remixed. Pretty nice, to find my heart language....

What song is Singapore singing?
What song have You given us to sing, Jesus?

Addicted to Onsen

I am in agony.

Agony from suffering major 'onsen' withdrawal symptoms.... Allow me to introduce another very enticing reason to visit Japan: The onsen. Now, the onsen is the Japanese public bath where you get to soak in hot tubs containing volcanic mineral water that's good for you. It leaves your skin smooth and soft, and apparently has healing properties.
We went to the onsen twice on the trip, such nice dips they were! Man, it's soooooooo relaxing.... it's soooooo addictive....
For the uninitiated, here's how the onsen works -
1. You check in, pay and leave your shoes in a locker.
2. Enter the onsen - separated into mens' and ladies sections
3. Once inside the locker room, prepare for a cross-cultural shocker: Everyone's walking around without clothes! For the shy types, after the initial giggling/hemming/hawwing, you can discreetly remove your clothes and make a dash for the wet area. Personally, I've got really thick-skin so I am as Japanese as that gets!
4. Enter the wet area and head for the showers (pic below) to scrub yourself down real good.
5. After you've scrubbed yourself squeaky-clean, you're all set for THE HOT TUBS!!!

Ooooo, this is the BEST part of the onsen.... you have a few tubs to choose to dip yourself into - indoor tubs, outdoor tubs under the moonlight, jacuzzis, milky mineral tubs, outdoor tubs with reclining seats to star-gaze at night, quaint little personal tubs with cute flowing taps, all filled with enriched mineral salts. *HEAVEN* Plus, there're mist-showers, saunas, pressure showers and waterfall seats to try out! One onsen even had a dimmed meditation room (which was really too hot to sit on and didn't give me any peace-of-mind at all). But yea, you get the heavenly idea. It winds you down and purifies your clogged pores.... Oooooooo........

I keep feeling my arms just to get a sense of how soft it's made my skin! Oooo! Man, I could just go back to Nagano for the onsen.

I just had to talk about it to deal with my addiction.

We Are Back!

Hi hi! We are back from Japan and had an amazing trip.... there was depression when we had to pack up and get on that train :( The onsen (hot tub under the stars) made my skin so smooth. Sigh! I miss Japan. More tales coming up when I've gotten the others' photos....

Reg

Breaking News

Hi! Quick update: Joshua's funds have been coming in, by the hour in fact! Last 24 hours saw S$1167 come in for him, as the team spoke to supporters and gave from their own pockets. Thank you God and all those who gave!

This is a huge lesson in faithfulness for us, especially for Joshua. He is so excited and so are we!

We fly in less than 48 hours!

What Song Is The Earth Singing?

Suicide bombs in Indonesia.
The Euphrates drying up.
Swine flu.
Climate change.
Myanmar, North Korea, Iraq, Pakistan, Israel.
Lies, gossip and malice in the media.

The earth is singing a sad, sad song.

A famous local musician once told me, music has its origins in the natural sounds and rhythms of the earth. All nicely put together by God - birds chirping, heartbeats, wind, rain and thunder, crackling of fire, waterfalls, waves. These soundscapes are imitated to produce tones and rhythms of music.

Rhythms also come from the peoples of the earth. In Africa, when you see the dancing, the beats they come alive to... it sings a song about creation and culture.... it tells you what song God has given them to sing.

{Image from here.}

When I look at where I live, and the places I travel to - China, Japan, Timor, Thailand, Indonesia, Tibet, Vietnam, Cambodia- I ask, what song are they singing? What is their cry, or their rejoicing? I listen to the sounds of the land, and the songs they sing. Sadly, many are sorrowful songs of pain, injustice and suffering. Songs of a marred past and a cry for a better life.

Like, the song of Timor:

And then I stop and ask, what song should they be singing?
What song has God given them to sing?
And how do we remind them of such a song, such a song of worship to our Creator King?
A song that sings of what they and their land were created to be, a dance that moves to the rhythm of the land God has placed them in.

And to you I throw this question too - WHAT SONG ARE YOU SINGING?

Update on Japan

Hi guys,

We're on our last week & half to departure. Honestly, it's been a bit unsettling as our funds aren't in yet, and Joshua doesn't seem to have anything come in. He wrote today to tell me that it's likely he'll have to forgo the trip as finances are very tight... I didn't wanna conclude anything yet, but there was still a little tinge of disappointment in my heart after reading his email. We'll just have to soldier on and see what God does.

Another little challenge is, we have no bass or drum player with us for the worship camp, and the pastor wrote to say there're people waiting to learn those instruments... I think he wants me or Justin to teach bass and drums, somehow.... it's something we need to work out. Please pray for us please.

Newsflash!

(Click image to zoom)

It's 3 weeks to Japan and we're still praying for the fees needed to come in. Please be praying with us!

When we took on the children's camp with YWAM Nagano few weeks ago, it was only me and Justin on the team. YWAM Nagano had requested for a team of 6, but we agreed in faith, knowing God wants us to help them. Then we confirmed Charlton and Ruth, then Joshua had a surge of faith in spite of not having his funds, and 3 days ago, Jasmine signed up. Ta-dah, SIX!!!

Thank God and we're preparing now. Lots of teaching and song-planning to do for the worship camp, lots of logistics and games/activity-planning for the children's camp, lots of money to raise, lots of prayers to be prayed, but also lots of rest and excitement, seeing the fingerprints of God all over this trip!

Goodbye, MJ

This video of the MTV 10th Anniversary shows one of my favourite productions of his... he created a lovely 'spiritual' environment to interpret the questions and cries of this song. Keep watching till the end, that's the best part, and when he speaks, the emotion in his voice just kills me (just like Bono when he does a narrative in his shows). An angel finally brings a spirit of comfort to him - pure poetry. Meltdown. Ok I shall stop raving, you go see for yourself.

On a more mellow note, it was a sad, contemplative and regretful week for me, pondering what I knew of him. It was kinda a mini-event for me, looking through some videos and I even bought Time's commemorative edition of MJ (hey, this is a historical moment in pop culture!).

I am deeply appreciative of his life, his work, his pain and his journey. It is something I learn from, an artist identifying with a greater artist - an awareness of the complexities of human life, circumstance, and dark issues of the soul, and where the Father heart is so key to healing. Where the approach must be to stand on his side and be there for him, like the millions revering him in death are doing now. Too bad he isn't around anymore to hear those words of adoration, the precise things he needed to hear in his declining years. Celebrity, homosexual or what-not, God did not send his Son to this world to condemn it, but to save it. (John 3:17)

I guess knowing pain in my own life from being judged, misunderstood and gossipped about helped me identify with him. Knowing how in my darkest hours, I needed someone to stand on my side and not criticize me the way I had been criticised my whole life; someone who understood my emotions and need for validation, and my fragility. Thank God there were people who did, and God Himself.

And my sadness and pain for MJ is probably a fraction of God's pain for him, coz He knew his heart. I hope God and him had a good, long conversation as they stood at the throne giving account.