Reunion

20 years later...amazing! 7 tables, 70 girls in total, some married, some singles, some with kids, some divorced, some remarried, some caring for aged parents, etc. All same age, and so much has happened in our lives since leaving school, but strangely, being together, brought me back to school days where all of us were the same, just a teenager and enjoying our school days. How interesting that after chatting with some, I remember what they were like in school days and seeing them now, though some have changed visually, they are still them! Told V that she's really V. hehe! I think their look and me remembering what they were like in school days, didn't seem to click until I had a longer chat with them.

All the usual questions came up, but the one I had different responses was "What are you doing now?". My diff responses were "I'm standing here talking to you?", "Do you mean work-wise or family-wise?". At one point, wanted to ask "Do you still believe in God? Do you know Jesus? Or are you adverse Christianity?"since you were in a mission school where every Monday was chapel and listening to message by the chaplain.

Just struck me that as a teenager, our personalities really stay with us until adulthood. The different routes, choices we make, ends up with us being the way we are and how we look at things. Pray that my dear school friends who aren't believers yet, will come to know Jesus and believe in him, just cos at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2: 5-11). Pray that those who are believers, will keep walking his ways, waiting and looking forward to Jesus' return!

My dear single friends,

we need relationships yar. Please don't exist by yourself, although you might have gotten used to it and working at relationships (whether family or friendships) requires effort and a vulnerability, but for those who believe in Jesus, our security is in what he has done for us and for God sending Jesus to bring us back in relationship to himself, no longer enemies with him, no longer just plain ignoring him or pretending he's not there.

We were made for relationships and with the greatest relationship with God being reconciled, all other relationships will then draw strength and lots of wisdom and crying to our Lord and checking of ourselves, watching our lives and our doctrine, confessing and repenting, and starting again ya.

Relationships will sharpen you as we encourage and admonish each other, building each other up in godliness, challenging each other in the way we live our lives in view of our gospel priorities and to become more like Jesus and all together, waiting and looking forward to Jesus' return where all will recognise and bow their knee to him.

To my married friends who have included me in your family life just by letting me veg at your place, including me in your family meals, asking me to help you with babysitting or run errands or just hang out, really appreciate it. Showed me how marrieds & singles would be in God's family. Sharing your married/parenthood struggles with me and I sharing my singlehood/caring for aging parents struggles with you, and us praying for each other, is really precious and treasured!! Thanking the Lord for you all =)

my mum

has expressed that she wants me to spend more time on my painting/art and music, rather than learning to cook dishes. Maybe she has a secret wish I'll be an artist or musician, but being typical asian parent, she wanted me to be an accountant or some other kind of professional when I was growing up. And because she has always cooked for the family, she doesn't want me to cook, even though she has taught me how to cook so that when she's not at home, I can do it myself. My mum's funny! You have to laugh because if I had pursued art and music, and not earning enough to even pay my bills, she might not have encouraged it.

Sometimes I do tell her that isn't it far better to know that her children are saved by the Lord rather than what profession they're in or what education they pursue or whether they're getting themselves married? She say yes, but really it isn't her total heart's desire. Anyway, all will be revealed when Jesus returns.

AMD & MTERA

is similar to the generic term of a Living Will, and in Australia according to my sister, there's also a different terminology. Hence, here I go finding out what the Singapore law states which is similar to it. Basically if I'm brain dead or terminally ill or in coma, I don't want to be resuscitated by artificial means just because medical bills are very high nowadays and it'll be a burden on my parents and sister.

Advance Medical Directive (AMD) by Ministry of Health (MOH) - have submitted it, so no resuscitation, just naturally die off. Although if I'm left to myself and I have cough/phlegm, urine infection, the doctors will treat me. My handsome neighbourhood doctor, Dr Eugene Lim, has gone through it in detail, as in the circumstances I'll be in and what doctors will do, and he will sign it with a second witness (possibly his nurse), and off it goes to be registered. It will only take effect when it has been registered, so have to wait for a month later, then will receive acknowledgement of receipt from AMD people. Dr Lim said sometimes it's a grey area for doctors on what to treat sometimes. But hey, it's alright, all under God's hands, as we pray for wisdom for the doctors, whoever we may be under. And though we may have these plans, God's plans will be first & foremost, and it's wonderful to be under such a great God who initiated a relationship with us, his creation.

Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) - 4 organs are donated upon death, all Singaporeans are included and hence I'm happy to be auto-included. So, no action needed from me.

If all organs to be donated, then check out The Medical (Therapy, Education and Research) Act (MTERA). Need 2 witnesses, can be family or friends. Will be asking 2 church friends to help be my witnesses and so at least 2 persons in church family are aware of what I've signed up for.

So, dear relatives and friends, just for you to know, although my family should know what to do.

Me who is of sound mind =)

Basically, after death, I'll be back to my eternal home with Jesus, and waiting for the rest of you who also believe in Jesus and hoping/praying that the Lord has mercy on the rest of you who don't believe in Jesus. (John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him)

It's a wish of mine that a bible is given together with my organs to the person receiving my organs and to the lab scientists/researches doing their stuff on my organs, no need to write any name or whom the bible is from, but I think cannot. So my brothers & sisters-in-Christ, you just give away bibles to those who come to my funeral and who don't believe in Jesus, ok? Just cos God's word is eternal and will last more than my words which fail. (1 Peter 1:24-25 ..."All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." ...)

I don't really want any of my family and friends to talk about me during my funeral, since they won't even be able to say all the bad stuff about me and will only say the good stuff which isn't a true picture of me, a forgiven sinner. =) But the gospel/good news be preached by my pastor friend, for the sake of those who are living in this fallen world and Jesus be proclaimed to all my friends & family. Closure amongst my family and friends can be done in small groups lah, as they pray for their own family and friends who haven't yet believe in Jesus, as we look to Jesus' sure return! (1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, ...)

Stars and suicide

still come as a shock, especially those like Park Yong Ha who you think is able to take on good projects and is a versatile actor. Yet, trying to cope with family matters and career matters took a toll plus accumulation of debts and having insomnia. I still remember the day I woke up on 30th June at 5.30am and could not sleep. And at that point, someone in another country commits suicide.

Oh, how urgent it is to tell people about Jesus and for them to come into relationship with him who saves and gives us a certain/definite hope amidst all that we have to handle in our fallen world. His words do give life, why don't we listen? Why don't we ponder about what Jesus has said? Why don't we investigate and get to know Jesus better but would rather rely on ourselves who are so frail and limited and have no control over anything? Having such a relationship with our Creator God, what more do people want? A future to look forward to, a present faithful relationship to rely on while we wait for Jesus' return, amidst God's patience with a people who rebel, ignore and pretend he doesn't exist.

Lives are precious and God who breathed his breath in us knows that, why else would he send Jesus to save us from our eternal death, eternal separation from him?