Wedding Bouquet Toss

Was just reading Shing's blog & i realized that I forgot to post one of the videos' from Jerblinn's wedding.

The Wedding bouquet toss is one of the wedding traditions that Singaporeans started practicing in recent times. You must remember that as Chinese, so we are used to things like a traditional tea ceremony.

Was trying to find a picture of myself giving the tea...but could not find them!

But here's a picture of myself in 2001.

  hmm...Looks like I was very much skinnier!

Anyway...Here's the wedding bouquet toss!

Camp Phenomena

Technorati Tags: Youth Camp,summer camp

Guys....Get ready for an exciting time in June...as we have got something phenomena lined up for YOU!

That's right....In 2 weeks time, on June 9-11, we will be at Paya Lebar MGS primary, for our Youth Camp!

If you enjoyed Camp Breakaway last year, you will definitely enjoy this camp, as it is going to be BIGGER and BETTER!

Expect Games, FUN, Friends, and encounters with GOD!

So, what are you waiting for...Camp Fees of $25/members and $15/friends, includes a FREE CAMP T-SHIRT...Get your registration forms from your CGLs TODAY!

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

This is my 2nd movie review, with the 1st one done on 'The Bucket List", a movie by Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson.

This is one movie that I just couldn't wait to see, and it is the latest Indiana Jones!

Out of 5 marks, I will give it a 3.5...

While it was entertaining, it was not as good as "National Treasure" with Nicolas Cage.

I feel that 'National Treasure' had a more stimulating storyline, with more puzzles, riddles and action that was more absorbing.

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones has definitely aged a lot. Coming back with his whip and typical 'Indie' hat, the show is still packed with intrigue and adventure.

One could not help noticing the significantly fewer action scenes for Ford per se. I suspect that he can't really handle the action anymore. as he is in his mid-60s by now.

However, how can one hate 'INDIE"?

Hey! I practically grew up with this guy and his movies, and he will always have that special "Super-hero" status in my heart. Coupled with that winning score by John Williams, it is a definite winning combination. Hearing and seeing the action does definitely bring back a nostalgia about the "good old days"

If you haven't watched the movie, I believe that it is worth watching, and a must for all 'INDIE' fans!

Just to let u know, there seems to be lots of 'die-hard INDIE' fans out there...Just check out this parody that one of these fans posted on Youtube.

Cafe Del Mar - HSBC Dining Offer

On the day after Mother's day, we organized an outing with my wife's Mum and we took her to Cafe Del Mar to celebrate Mother's Day.

We decided on this venue because we saw a HSBC Credit Card promotion for this place.

There was a "1 for 1 main course" deal, if we paid using our HSBC Credit Card.

Check out the advertisement below:

 

Yes!...I was excited as well!

My wife has been to Cafe Del Mar, but I have not!

This was supposed to be one of the coolest place in Sentosa, so I thought that this was a great chance for me to 'Check it out!' and for mum to tell her friends she went to this HIP place!

We took the whole extended clan on Mon night to the restaurant and we were determined to enjoy ourselves.

We ordered steak, lamb, chicken...tried the soup - and the food did not disappoint. It was good!

Sitting by our chairs at night, we enjoyed the sea view, and we slowly soaked in the ambience of the restaurant.

For dessert, we adjourned inside the restaurant, and we tried out the pool table there as well.

Nicole enjoyed learning the game of pool, and exploring the empty restaurant, as we were one of the few patrons there, on a Monday night.

When it came to settling the bill...it was here that we were in for a shock!

I asked the waiter again, if the HSBC offer was still on-going.

He said Yes! (Prior this, we called the restaurant, and the HSBC deal was also confirmed with the operator)

However...only $28 dollars was deducted from the bill. That was equivalent to only ONE main course!

I looked at the waiter and said, we had at least SIX main courses, shouldn't you take away the cost of THREE?

He said, "NO!....the deal is for only ONE main course."

HSBC really meant one dines for free! Ya..out of 6 people, only 1 person is free! So the "1 for 1 main course" description is not accurate.

To cut the long story short, I had an American Express card with me, that got me a 15% off the total bill. This turned out to be a better discount as compared to HSBC's one free main course.

Wah...What an expensive lesson!....must make sure I call the restaurant, and ask more specific questions, the next time I go out for a special deal! (Note: The fine print on the web site didn't indicate any of this!)

Nic was still happy though....Here's a video of her dancing, as we walked to the car!

Technorati Tags: dancing,credit cards

2nd attempt at being a Flower Girl

Technorati Tags: flower girl,wedding

Last Saturday, was Nic's 2nd attempt at being a flower girl and PTL, she was successful again!

There was really a big crowd at Jerblinn's wedding and we had been preparing Nic for months, in anticipation of this big day.

We psyched her up for her role periodically, by telling her about the event, and promising her a chocolate bar, upon successful completion of the task.

As the doors opened, there were lots of people cheering and clapping but PTL, our little girl made it! 

Mummy and Daddy are so proud of her! She is now officially a veteran!

Nic also calls herself the 2nd princess, the 1st princess is of course Auntie Jerb!

Our heartiest congratulations to the lovely couple as well. We will definitely miss them as they go off for their honeymoon.

It is also a milestone for us as a zone, as they are the first "home-bred marriage" within our leaders.

They met in the same cg, became leaders in the zone, and got married in the zone.

Congratulations to the lovely couple again!

Jerb was my first CGL who I raised up, so marrying her off, is like marrying off my 1st daughter :) So glad, that she found a man who loves her!

Before I go, here's a video of my little flower girl:

Nuffnang Competition - Family Day out!

Believe that most of you guys have heard of Nuffnang. They are having this competition where you need to blog about your favorite family routine or just a day out with your family.

Below is my entry. Hope you guys like it!

It was truly an exciting family outing!

As my wife just gave birth to the new baby, this was the 1^st time, the kids were going to see the new addition to the family. My eldest daughter was truly excited, and kept on asking, “When are we going to see baby Nadine?”

Upon reaching the hospital, we were greeted by many of our friends and relatives. It was fun as, it was a good time for us to catch up and just spend time with each other as well.

The whole extended family was also elated to see the new addition to the family.

Nicole (my eldest daughter) remarked how small Nadine was, as she peered at her through the plastic baby cot.

She was even more surprised when she saw other plastic baby cots around, with small little babies in each of them.

As she saw the daddy from the next bed, pushing 1 plastic cot away, she immediately looked at me and remarked, “Daddy, where is he taking Nadine?”

She was even more surprised when she saw the nursery! “Why so many Nadines?”

Looks like our family outings will never be the same again!

1 Month Birthday - Nadine

Today is Nadine's 1 month birthday.

In Singapore, the traditional custom is to give gifts such as "red eggs" (eggs that are colored red, as it is the traditional color for luck)  and cakes.

Modern marketing methods have also made such gifts into a nice pretty packages, where you can just send them to your relatives and friends conveniently.

Many thanks to Po-po (Grandma) who ensured that the cakes were sent and that everything was well taken care of.

 

The eggs are above on the left.

Looks like another milestone for our baby girl has just passed...

Confinement Lady goes home!

Today is auntie's (confinement lady) last day!

It has been a good 1 month that she has helped us with Nadine, and it has really been relaxing for my wife.

Auntie has been a great asset in the house. She helps by looking after Nadine, cooking post-natal dishes for my wife, cleaning the house...etc.

It was just like having another helper in the house, but at the additional cost of $1800 (excluding the ang-pow). Even Nic wants her to stay!

Best of all, she sleeps in the same room with Nadine, and feeds her even in the middle of the night - so the rest of us really get to sleep well.

But looks like things are going to change from today...but don't worry guys, we are ready for the challenge :)

The good rest for my wife also means $avings for me....

I got a fridge full of frozen milk bags!

If you know the cost of milk powder, this means lots and lots of savings for the whole family.

So, we are praying that the adjustment period is going to really smooth, and that Nadine is going to be the most well-behaved baby around!

City Harvest Church - Mother's Day

Mother's Day in Church yesterday was really touching, as we children paid tribute to our Mums.

Besides the great testimonies, the best thing that happened today was that my dad accepted Jesus as his personal savior.

PTL!

It's even more miraculous considering that this is probably only the 2nd time that he has been to a church service, after leaving his secondary school. I was really happy when he lifted up his hands, and even more elated that he was willing to go up to the front, to follow through with his decision. Many thanks to my father in law, who turned to him, and asked him whether he wanted to receive Jesus.

This is truly a miracle and I am so glad that I was able to witness it.

My Parents and in-laws also really liked the family portrait booth, and I will try my best to post them up next week when I get them.

For those cards that were posted out last weeks for our mums, don't worry, if your mum did not say anything, after reading your cards!

Mine just smiled after I asked her whether she received it - but I am pretty sure that she was happy to receive it.

Lastly, I hope all of us managed to do something special for our Mothers this weekend, and If you have not done so...

Here are some reminders as to why our mums are really special to us.

This is something serious and simple: From Chelsea Clinton to her Mum

 

Here's something hilarious that was made famous on Youtube some time back:

 

Sounds like our mums right! If u listen carefully, some of the things that she says are really familiar. Like - "If all your friends, jumped off the cliff, would you do the same?" or "Don't roll your eyes at me!"

But seriously, Mums are really great, and I thank God for mine!

She is really my Superwoman, and one who I can always count on, to be there for me!

 

Mum, I love U!

 

From your Baby Boy!

Winnie the Pooh and Nicole's Hair

After dinner, I was teasing Nicole about her tummy. As she was watching "Winnie the Pooh", I remarked: " Does Pooh's tummy look like Nicole's?"

She replied confidently, "No, It looks like Mummy's! Pooh's tummy is like when she was carrying Nadine!"

LOL!!! I don't think mummy was impressed!

 

Nicole's hair is also finally growing longer. Last week, was the first time she was able to tie her hair. Looks like we just crossed another significant moment in her life!

American Idol - Paula Abdul's Boo Boo

Praise the Lord!

Finished 2 of my exams already and 1 more assignment to hand up on Friday before the end of my 1st semester in Trinity Theological College.

Today, I had a 3 hour paper where I had to write 5 essays. I was so tired that after finishing my last essay, I could not remember anything else as I read through my paper again...maybe because it's been such a long time, since I last took exams...brain is not used to that kind of pressure anymore.

American Idol

If you guys have not been following the present season on TV, last week Paula Abdul made a big 'boo-boo" on the Show.

The contestants were supposed to sing 2 songs and then come to the judges for an evaluation. Instead, Ryan Seacrest decided to change things round, and let them have their evaluation after the first song.

Randy gave his usual comments, and Paula was totally lost. She took out her cue cards, and while glancing on her cards, commented on the contestants' 1st and 2nd songs

 

...LOOKS LIKE HER COMMENTS

ARE SCRIPTED...

U can imagine the controversy that this is creating for American Idol fans...

Anyway, just to end with something more uplifting...for 1 of the combined song items on American Idol this season, they sang "Shout to the Lord!".

If you don't know, this song is like the very first mega hit for Hillsong and made Darlene Zschech famous. They wanted to change some lyrics of the song when they sang it, but Hills said NO! so praise the Lord! I believe it is a plus for the cultural mandate, with them singing this song. Enjoy!

Mother's Day - Doing something Special!

This year at City Harvest, we are celebrating Mother's Day in a new way.

Besides the traditional door gift and the super touching drama, we are having other interesting activities as well. We have a "look-alike' contest (where u submit pictures of yourself and your mum), and a "Best Mum" Contest (where u submit a testimonial on where u feel your mum is the best!)

If u have some great shots of you and your mum and you really want to honor your mum, submit your pictures and testimonial to mothersday@chc.org.sg. Alternatively, you can go to the church website for more details.

But what I really like this year - are the invitation cards!

I have been to a few CGs already, and I have conducted this exercise, where all of us write a love letter to our mums!

I really can't remember the last time I wrote to my mum, so I believe that as I penned down my thoughts and as I really appreciate her - it will really touch her heart!

I was telling my members - when my children start writing letters to me, I too will be touched.

During the meeting, I read out a few of the cards that the adults and youth had written. It was very touching, as we Asians are not very forward in expressing our thoughts and appreciation. So, we are really believing that this Mother's Day is going to be really special.

Currently, both my mums are coming already! They are really keen on the family portrait (This is when a family gets a free studio portrait taken). So, Guys! Start inviting your mums and let's have a BIG party in church next weekend with our families!  

Rising Hospital Cost - To deliver a baby

My apologies for not updating my blog as frequently, as my exams are next week, and I have got quite a lot of readings to do in the next few days.

Just recently though, I received confirmation of my final hospital bill. Trust me, it is not exactly exciting news.

As you can see (right at the bottom of the graphic), The total bill for Nadine is:

                              $3491.27

I know, you are probably saying that maybe I can pay by CPF (Social Security). However, the government only allows you to use up to $1800.

So in the end, I had to fork out $1691.27 in cash.

This is of course excluding the package that we had to pay to our gynecologist for his regular consultations. The Package costs about $$500 (not including medication). (Note: The clinic only allowed package deals after 5 months into pregnancy. Prior that, every monthly visit costs about $150)

Now for the Good News:

The great news is that our families, church leaders, friends & members, have really stepped forward during this time to bless the family.

1. My wife's colleagues blessed her with a truckload of diapers. 
2. My Father gave me $500 for Nadine
3. My Mum blessed us $2000 for the Confinement Lady
4. My in-laws paid for my wife's massage lady
5. Friends from church blessed us with more that $1500
6. Anonymous donor blessed us with a love offering of $1000

So overall, we have been blessed 'out of our socks' and we really want to thank our family and friends for all your love during this season!

And most of all, we want to thank God again, for Nadine - she is a wonderful addition to our family.