Thursday, January 29, 2009

21st Birthday Celebration

On the 2nd day of the New Year, the ET zone leaders attended Lucas Chia’s 21st Birthday at Timbres.

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Located at Mount Sophia, within the old compound, Timbres is a pub for local musicians.

Lucas managed to book out the whole restaurant and held a private function there.

The place was spacious with a nice “chill out” atmosphere. It was a really cool place to have your 21st birthday.

Gone are the days when your friends just bought you a cake, and you celebrated by just buying your buddies a few drinks. My leaders have definitely gone up one level! :)

It was also a chance for me to catch up with some of the older members. I could hardly recognize some of them, as they have changed so much!

Here is a picture of me and Lucas

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For the uninitiated – he is kind of like the heart throb of City Harvest (for those under 21). He happens to be an MC on the now defunct Kid’s Central (that’s why your children might recognize him) and he is also going through NS at the moment (Kind of explains why he has no hair under that hat).

But he is a really nice guy, and I am glad to see him grow up into manhood. I remember him when he was in Sec. 3….rebellious and dangerous….but now he is confident and a real gentlemen! I hope that more of my youth can turn out like him! :)

The whole party was quite an experience and all of us enjoyed ourselves.

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Lucas also gave a really moving speech to his mum at the end of the party, which brought tears to my eyes.

So, before I go…

Happy Birthday Lucas!!!

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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Chinese New Year

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Chinese New Year is always a week of family gatherings.

The kids were kept busy as they had to be all dressed up, as they visited their grandparents, met their cousins, and very importantly, received their “Ang Pows”

The kids also took some photos with their grandparents!

Here’s a photo of them with their grandparents and their cousin.

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Nicole has also been “On form” this Chinese New Year!

Every house she goes to, she has been singing and dancing for all our relatives.

Whenever we go to a new house, we will ask whether she wants to perform?

She always replies emphatically, “YES!”.

At one house, she even rushed into the bedroom after saying that.

I asked her, “Nicole, What are you doing?”

She replied, “I must hide in the room first (go backstage). When you announce my name, then I will come out!”

And when she is inside, Mummy tells me that she is adjusting her hair and looking into the mirror.

My daughter is a little PRIMA DONNA!!! (Haha!)

She is really growing to love the stage.

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She does not even let me just sit and watch the performance. At her request, I must record every performance and take photos!

This photo even had a fan blowing her hair, to give her the “Movie Star” effect!

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Here are the videos of our little girl’s performance. Just in case, you could not really see her dance at pre-school.

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Swimming for Kids

On Sunday morning, we put our new water float to good use!

This was also the 1st time we were using the pool at our condominium. The kids loved it!

It helped that our neighbours and friends brought out their floats as well. Nicole loved driving their car.

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Nathan loved playing with his water gun

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Nadine was the most relaxed in her water float. Check her out!

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She actually slept in the pool. It seems that our visit to the mini water tubs really helped.

She was like a real expert in the water, and maintained her ying and yang balance.

Here is our little sage after she came out of the water, in her Obi-Wan look.

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Btw, before I go, here are some videos that i took of Nadine’s Water Tub adventure. The videos really help to give you an overall perspective on her whole adventure. You can see how tense she is in this video!

This is Nadine…definitely more relaxed.

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Monday, January 26, 2009

Pre School Performance

Nicole had her Chinese New Year Performance at her School on Fri.

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Both Nic and Nathan dressed up for the performance. Well, we dressed Nathan up to add to atmosphere! Check out his pouty lips in the photo. Is it like Shu Qi?

Nicole has been practising hard for her performance and she has been looking forward to it.

She even told Daddy, “ Remember to record ok, so that I can watch the performance again!”

On that fateful day, parents turned up by the truckloads. Everyone was armed with a video cam, and tons of DSRLS. I reckon Canon or Nikon should set up a camera booth at the school – they would have made a healthy profit.

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Nicole’s class was one of the first to go for the day’s performance and she really did very well!!!

She remembered all her steps, and was really very confident. Mummy was very excited. From where she was standing, waved at her during the performance. Nicole was so focused that she did not respond (Mummy asked whether Nic saw her after the performance, Nicole said YES, but she said “I can’t, I’m performing!!”)

You can catch her performing in the video below. I did not really get a good angle, as I did not really know which side she was going to come out from. What a waste!

The school also set up a mini carnival for the kids after the performance. The ice cream man was a firm favourite with the kids and it was the 1st stall that Nic visited with her friends.

She also went for face painting, and she had her face painted for her teachers. I liked the 2 oranges by her cheeks but not the plant in the centre. Anyway, mummy likes it. What do you guys think?

You can check her out in the slideshow below:

Before I go, do remember to vote for the blog during this holiday season. Need all your help to move the blog up in the rankings. I am currently nominated in 4 categories. Below is one of the links for 1 of the categories.  Many Thanks in advance :))

My site was nominated for Hottest Daddy Blogger!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Swimming for a 9 month old Baby

Nadine had her 1st exposure to swimming this week!

Well, it is not exactly swimming, but she had to learn how to float, in “deep” water conditions.

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The ‘pool’ was located at Harbourfront just next to Vivo City. It was free for us, as Nadine was treated to a swimming lesson by my sister in law. :)

As you can see, this place has been in the local papers!

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How does a 9 month old baby swim?

The secret lies behind this ‘ring-like’ inflatable that went around Nadine’s neck.

The pool is also not exactly Olympic sized, but resembles your washing machine tub.

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Nadine was frankly quite scared, as we lowered her into the pool! She has not swam before, and she was naturally very tensed, as she went into the pool.

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You can see the fear in her eyes…

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But as she began to relax (after crying for 5 eternal minutes), she began to relax and just float…

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Here’s a picture of her kicking her legs in the water :) IMG_2443

It was quite a fun experience for our little girl, considering that she not gone swimming before.

After the swim, Nadine was treated to a massage, that really helped her to relax and put her into a deep sleep when we got to the car.

The whole session costs my sister in law $28, and we also bought one of those inflatable rings for Nadine.

We figured on letting her try swimming during the CNY period, so that she can really become a water baby. (The inflatable can be bought at $30)

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Shokudo - Japanese food (Marche Style)

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We had a small gathering on Sunday, and we tried out this Japanese Restaurant at City Hall.

Located at B1, "Shokudo" is food served Marche Style. Similar to the Swiss restaurant at Vivo City, each customer is given a card, and selects his/her from a huge array of Japanese Food.

IMG_2403 The interior decor of Shokudo is really nice and homely, and I was actually quite overwhelmed with the selection of Japanese food. The guys thought that I would go for the pasta, but I decided to try the Unagi egg rice bowl instead. It was nice!!!

If you are looking for a place with a nice ambience, this place is a good bet! We went there on a sunday night, and there was plenty of room!

For food that is unforgettable - This will not be the place. It was nice, but definitely not a place, where u will go on and on, about the food to your friends :)

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A great plus for the restaurant is that they had a big play area for the kids. This place is definitely useful when you have 3 kids!

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Before I go, here's a commercial that will help you relax and hopefully spark off your imagination!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Weddings and our Flower Girl

Nicole just became a flower girl for the 4th time!

I think she has come very far since her first appearance as a flower girl. (U can chart her progress by watching these videos, 1st attempt at William & Alison's wedding, 2nd attempt at Jerb's wedding, 3rd attempt at Jo and Emily's wedding)

She actually likes it as well!!!

The original flower girl at this wedding was suffering from stage fright and our little girl was called to the rescue.

We were not very sure she could fit into her dress, as Nic has grown in the last few months, but after trying out her flower girl dress - she was happy to announce that she could fit!

This was also the first time, she made it down the aisle without parental assistance - she did an OMO (One Man Operation).

Daddy was not there to witness it, as I was down in Jurong, but after her performance, she called me and said that she did very well!!!

As her reward, she was promised chocolate ice cream! :)

As we were very busy throughout the day, we did not get a chance to buy one for her.

However, our little princess does not forget easily (I reckon that she has got an elephant memory, when it comes to food)

Before she went to bed that night, she asked mummy for her chocolate ice cream!

Mummy had to reassure her in the dark, that she will get one tomorrow...

Here's the Video and Congratulations once again to Kok Siang and Phoebe!

Check out Nicole's stress-filled face, as she goes down the aisle with her flower girl basket.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Children in High-chair

Check this out: This is the 1st photo of all the 3 kids on high chairs!

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It was Gong Gong's birthday and the whole family went out to celebrate.

After putting all the 3 kids on high chairs, I quickly told my wife - Must take picture, this is the 1st time, all 3 of them are together like this! (note the grouchy faces... they were rudely awaken from car slumber when we arrived at the restaurant!)

As u can see, Nadine is really growing fast, and now she is always crawling around the house, and trying to stand up. I think, very soon, we will be even more busy when the whole family goes out!

It will be one more bag...one more person to run after..in fact, whenever we go out, it feels like I am going for a SAF field camp, as there are just so many things to carry....

Thursday, January 15, 2009

A New Milestone - Nicole's 1st Musical

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Nicole was at the Esplanade this week for her very 1st musical.

Grandma bought tickets for her to catch Roger and Hammerstein's  Cinderella!

Nicole was really excited about the whole show, and SUPER OBEDIENT throughout the whole day - as she wanted to ensure her 'safe passage' to the theatre (threats were constantly waved at her, whenever she misbehaved )

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Personally, I thought that Nic was a bit too young for the full fledged musical, but there were a lots of children there as well. Grandma had full faith in her granddaughter and she did not disappoint! She managed to sit through it, and hardly fidgeted at all!

The Esplanade theatre also proved to be quite child friendly. I was pleasantly surprised that the ushers had 'Booster Seats' for children as young as Nicole.

This equipment made sure that Nicole's view was totally unobstructed throughout the show! :)

How was the musical?

It was a bit disappointing, as there were hardly any 'catchy tunes' or 'touching moments'!

Nicole's favorite part was the interval! She had a tub of Pringles Potato Chips all to herself!!!

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I don't think I would recommend this musical to anyone, as it is on the pricey side...but it is something really blog-worthy for Nicole..

She hit a new milestone....She went for her 1st Musical!!!

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Monday, January 12, 2009

Prayer Mountain and more...

Coming back from Korea was great, as I really missed my wife and kids. It was also good to see so many of the members at Expo.

Many of u asked for more updates about Korea, so here goes...

If u have been wondering what the prayer cubicles look like, I have got pictures:

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These cubicles are the ones found at Hansei University, and the ones found in Prayer Mountain are very similar. The room is about the same size as a HDB 3 room toilet - so they are not exactly very comfortable. The temperature here was about -3 degrees, and the doors and walls were cold. Can u imagine praying in these cubicles, in the middle of winter?

There was a person actually inside the next cubicle! These people are really ON!!!

The girls have also been asking me, how is the shopping over there.

Well, on our last night, we had some free time.  The shopping there is much better than Taiwan, and at half the price!!!

What's more the fashion is straight from Japan, so I am sure many of u will like it! To add to that - these factory outlets close at 5am!!!

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As you can see, it is like a mini Far East Plaza - but very affordable.

Before I go, here's a video of the sanctuary at prayer mountain. Services are conducted here 4 times/day, and the video shows many colourful blankets on the floor. There are actually people praying underneath, as the sanctuary is really cold.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Largest Church in the World

This is what the largest Church in the world looks like!

Yoida Church

With 850,000 members, this church is the Largest Mega Church in the world.

What's the secret to its growth?

Answer:- PRAYER

The Church Pastors gather every morning at 5am to prayer for an hour.

Currently, the church has just embarked on a 2 week morning prayer program.

This is the scene outside the church at 420am.

People were rushing into the building - not just because it was cold, but because they were rushing for seats.

Inside the auditorium, they have 3 guys on stage who will speak in tongues for 15mins continuously.

The congregation will do likewise! Check out the atmosphere in the church from the video below:

This is definitely a church on FIRE!!!

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Prayer Mountain at Yoida Full Gospel Church

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This is me at the Prayer Mountain.

It is about 1.5 hours from the city via bus, and it was freezing when we reached there.

The temperature is minus 15 degrees and we were all very cold!

The people are really prayer warriors, and many of them will come here for a period of time to prayer. They will bring with them thermal blankets, sit in the sanctuary and seek the face of God.

Services are conducted here 4 times a day throughout the year.

The Bottom Line - These people really PRAY!!!

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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Morning Prayer Meeting

This is a picture of the morning prayer meeting at Yoido Full Gospel Church.

It is 430am in the morning, but the hall was packed even before I stepped in.

I think that this is really amazing, as it means that the members probably left their homes from 3 to 330am to make their way here, and this is a working day.

These people are really committed to prayer, as every single pew is filled, and there is not a single person sleeping.

Amazing! This is the price of revival! It is no wonder that they are the biggest mega church in asia!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Changi Airport

Packing for the trip has been a real nightmare!

My luggage has never been filled with so many jackets before, and it weighed a ton as i checked into the airport.

It is no wonder that people leave cold countries, for warmer countries, when winter approaches.

It is near 7am and I am boarding the plane soon. Will update again, when I am in Seoul, Korea.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Mobile Blogging

In 24 hours time, I will be in Korea.
I just set up my mobile blogging account, so that I can keep everyone updated on my new adventures.

It's going to be cold, but very exciting! Stay tuned!

Telematch at Pasir Ris

On New Year's Day, we started our outdoor team games in Pasir Ris Park.

Having organised lots of activities for our members, it was time for us to have some fun as well.

David and his committee were tasked to plan the games for us.

Here's David giving us a briefing: (you can see a few of us protesting over some of his rules!)

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Actually, we love playing games against each other. Not only because we are Super Competitive, but also because we are always looking for loopholes in every game that we play. Therefore, we spend lots of time laughing at ourselves at the same time!

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Protests normally fall on deaf ears!!!

Check out the guys as they do the different tasks at each station of the Telematch.

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The best part of the games was of course - Water Bombs!!!

It was us reliving our youth, and releasing all our energy into each bomb!!!

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We were all thoroughly soaked at the end of the day...but we all enjoyed ourselves!!!

My muscles ached the next day...have not been running for a long time :)

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Saturday, January 3, 2009

New Year's Day at Aranda Country Club

The Tay Family had a far from quiet New Year's Day.

Together with the ET zone leaders, we gathered at Aranda Country Club for our New Year's Day Countdown.

This is my 1st time at this holiday chalet. I know...I know...a bit Swa-ku (colloquial for Country bumpkin)..but I liked it. The rooms are BIG and all 30 of us, could squeeze into the sitting room comfortably. I would recommend this chalet for retreats and baby showers :)

We kicked off the meeting with ice breakers! It was really fun as the games included really bizarre things like guessing the no of hairs we had on our eyebrows.

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Every Sub-zone leader including myself then went on to share about our victories. We were encouraged and strengthened, as we talked about our struggles and our breakthroughs.

On a personal note - Would really want to thank and appreciate the leaders for their love and contributions to the ministry in 2008. U guys really made the difference in my life, and in the lives of many others! Thank you for working so hard and for all your tireless sacrifices! 

The party continued on way into the night. It was truly a time of rejoicing, and a celebration of love and relationships!  love and friendships December is also the the month where we honour the leaders who have contributed to the zone in a extraordinary way.

These are the winners for 2008 in pictures:

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The countdown to 2009 was fun and really NOISY. Nicole & Nadine joined in the fun as well!

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The spray cans came out next, and we took aim at our favourite leader...Heehee

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DSC_0291 It was really a very fun time and we are looking forward to another Great year ahead!

ET Zone 2008

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