Children in High-chair

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

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....

Technorati Tags: Active Parenting,Parenting and chairs

A New Milestone - Nicole's 1st Musical

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 )

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!!!

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!!!

Technorati Tags: Milestone,Musical,Esplanade

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:

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!!!

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.

Prayer Mountain from Edmund tay on Vimeo.

Technorati Tags: Prayer Mountain,Shopping in Korea

Largest Church in the World

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

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.

Outside Yoida Church from Edmund tay on Vimeo.

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:

Congregation speaking in tongues from Edmund tay on Vimeo.

This is definitely a church on FIRE!!!

Technorati Tags: Yoido Church

Prayer Mountain at Yoida Full Gospel Church

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!!!

Technorati Tags: Prayer Mountain,Yoida church

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!

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.

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!)

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!

Protests normally fall on deaf ears!!!

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

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!!!

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 :)

Technorati Tags: Leaders Retreat

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.

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!  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:

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

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

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

Technorati Tags: ET zone,leaders appreciation,Aranda Country Club