Re: I Find 2

Somehow, looking back, I don't think I have the right to complain to be honest. Cos if I'm honest with myself, I've done the same thing far too often as well.

Instead of allowing myself to get bogged down with people, expectations etc etc, I should keep faith with my Provider.

He knew what it was like to have his closest fail him in his time of need.

He knows.

Wales

What began as an idea involving a few students, ended up in a 7-person trip to the greater part of lesser-populated Wales. Lena having gotten plans from her SHO in hospital, we set off in a 8-seater Volkswagen Transporter, with Raymond at the wheel.


Little did we know how grateful we'd be to the car and its GPS in the days to come.

Llandudno

First stop was a sleepy town called Llandudno, where Jack asked a local guy at a fishing tackle shop where good food could be had. "King's Head", he answered.

One of the better food pics

We headed off to Snowdonia in the afternoon, and missed our bunkhouse by miles. It was raining, which made navigating the hilly roads more interesting. What was more interesting was that the only place to buy groceries after 6 in the whole area of Snowdonia was a SPAR a few miles away from our bunkhouse.

Raymond pondering the Yes No questions in the bunkhouse

Having loaded up with pork belly, wine, noodles, cider and beer, we proceeded to dinner at the Twy-n-Coed which apparently meant 'in the forest'. The award-winning pork and chilli sausages and the lamb chops glazed with mint and apple were worthy of note.


After a late night, Snowdon was the next order of the morning...Jack having recommended the train ride up for the views.

Hp's mum, CMing and Lena in the train. CMing looks especially enthusiastic

Usual mountain antics ensued, more incriminating photos exist on my hard drive.The Black Lake in the mountainsCMing throwing Jack's jacket over

The rest of the track3 quarters of the way up
Cleaning my frisbee by the river.

The train ride was pretty long, 45 minutes each way; Raymond entertaining us with showing off his baby-pacifying skills on the way down. I got a frisbee about this time, which provided us much entertainment for the rest of the trip.

You can't see it here, but its a massive mixed grill for GBP 5

Then it was a quick lunch (Pete's Eats, which came recommended to us multiple times) at nearby Llanberis, before a 8-hour trip to our next destination; a posh B&B at the village of Llangennith in Swansea called (incidentally) the King's Head. Lena was at the wheel.

Things went sound as a bell until about 7pm when we realised that the GPS was leading us through country roads. It was dark by now, and the road kept getting narrower until there was barely enough space for one car to travel. Hedges on both sides meant we could only see ahead. And periodic mist and fog billowed around. CMing took the opportunity to indulge in brief Blair Witch-esque monologues on Jack's Sony while the driver, Raymond by this time, tried his best to stop us ending up in a ditch.

Posh B&B; just the thing after a long drive.

King's Head was worth the wait though. As we stumbled into our rooms, complete with ensuite bathrooms, bathtubs, showers, flat-screen tvs and beds with sheets and covers warmed by heating from under the floor, we felt the asking price of 25GBP per night was a steal. Hot choc, coffee, tea and biscuits on the table plus a hot breakfast the next day meant we started off well prepared for the day.

The girls (ladies?) at b'fast

Fact: Catherine Zeta-Jones was born in Swansea, Wales.

Surfing was on the cards but apparently the season was over. So our possible Baywatch antics were limited to a bit of frisbee throwing at the beach of Rhossili Bay.

Surfing shop

Wormhead Bay was next. With tall cliffs and an island that you could walk out to at low tide, it seemed promising. However the path across proved to be rocky and so we contented ourselves with taking photos and gazing wistfully across before leaving.

Wormhead Bay
The walk along the cliffs
The merry men and women
Quite a long way down

I had to climb down to take this one.
Peeping through the clouds
You can walk through at low tide
Piggyback frisbee

Another long drive brought us to Black Mountain Caravans, where we would be spending our last night.

Typical countryside drive

The journey to dinner was another one through country roads, which we were all getting used to by now. The journey reminded me of the legend of spectral hounds prowling the lonely roads of England at night.

King's Head pub

Dinner was at another pub mysteriously also called the King's Head. I think it must be a franchise. Much was made out of the dish called Welsh faggots, which consisted of the innards of a pig cooked in ale and served in two large mounds, very rich indeed.

Huddling up to a heater with a hot drink in the morning

Getting b'fast done. Siew yuk no less..

Sleeping arrangements were made, where all of us crammed into the living room of the caravan to share the electric fire. It was getting cold now, and the t-shirts and scarf that I'd brought were beginning to tell me in no uncertain terms that I was going to end the trip with either a sore throat or a runny nose.

GBP 100 to touch a sheep? Worth a try...

Not as easy as it looks..

On the final day we took stock. Realising that up to now, the most strenous thing we'd done was trying not to fall asleep in the car after a heavy meal, we determined to do at least one ACTIVITY before setting off for home. A choice was made; horse-riding or canoeing. By means of a clever ploy and misgivings on CMing's behalf about horse-riding with an instructor, we called at the canoeing place at Glasbury at lunchtime.


In about half an hour, we were on the river. Our mission: to pull 5 miles downriver to a landing-place just after a bridge where we would be picked up. We were told there would be difficulties:

Briefing includes aerial photos

Gravel on the left and a pile of stones in the middle of the river meant we needed to take a sharp left turn followed by a sharp right to avoid the shallow part of the river that cut into another farmer's land.


Boulders and a cottage on the left meant we were to stick to right of the river as there was a weir to avoid.

Watch out for the shallow bits, stick close to the middle, and if we were about to capsize, lean towards land.

Taking a break

We gamely refused an instructor, reasoning we could all swim. Except for Jack, but he had a PADI diving license anyway.

Skipping stones

The weir

CMing and Raymond crossing in good style

Tired but happy, we packed up and impulsively decided to end our trip with a journey to Cardiff for dinner, where I accidentally caused HP's mum to end up with a burnt hand.


The drive back to Liverpool was a long one, made longer by the fact that the A40 was undergoing roadworks. forcing us to take yet another detour through country roads. This time, and this time only, we relied on yellow 'Road detour' signs to guide our way, instead of the GPS, whom by now we suspected of being programmed to lead us through country roads in the first place.

Arrived back home at 3am, and hit the sack not long after.

A good trip

* Sorry for the dubious quality of the photos here. All were taken with a Samsung E900 2MP camera. I'm still unsure what caused the blue tinge in most of the photos.

I Find 2

I get very frustrated when I find people don't meet my expectations of them.

This is and has been an ongoing problem for me, one that I've only since begun to realise. It's also the source of a lot of my frustration and stress in the past, particularly when leading.

I think I have a great idea of how the outcome should be, and once that doesn't materialize, I revert to a self-pity mode, where everyone else is the bad guy and I'm all-there-where's-everyone-else-why-arent-people-seeing-things-similarly.

I find its ultimately to the detriment of the ongoing process, and its discouraging to others as well as myself.

I Find

That my style of writing on this blog seems to mimic blogs I like to read.


Thank goodness CMing is no longer updating.

(how's that for spontaneity?)

The bulb has burst

I'm sure there's a more technical term to it, but then I'm only a medical student.

Someone asked me some good questions today. Among them was 'I am unsure about your intentions.' Which in itself isn't a question, as the more astute among you would have noticed. Nevertheless it gave me an opportunity to sit back and take stock. For all of half a minute, as she was still waiting for an answer.

I'd better explain.

Somewhere along the way, I managed to get coerced into leading in some capacity, the university students who come to Liverpool Chinese Gospel Church every Friday. A student leader, if you will. And the hows and whys have yet to be fully understood, never mind revealed. Actually to be fair, it wasn't a coercion, more of a quick decision, something I'll probably live to regret.

Hence the question. By one of the former leaders no less. Which sort of put me on the spot. And as all clinical examiners/consultants in Liverpool who've ever examined me before know, JLEH is not at his best when being put on the spot.

I'll save my answer for another post, my mind being bothered at the moment by the intermittent collapse of my corkboard. Apparently 9 slabs of blu-tack is not sufficient to hold a corkboard slightly over twice the width of my laptop on my wall without falling at least once a fortnight.


Had the manchester people over for the weekend. House cleaning was therefore postponed to monday and late sunday night. A slow start to the week.


I'm really going to have to start thinking seriously about where I'll be applying for house jobs next year. An open day in hospital tmrw, and a lecture on CV-writing in the afternoon...My CV is as yet, non-existent. Which just goes to show how unprepared I am for anything.

How in the wide world are 6 people going to go for a road trip in Wales exactly 1 week from now without having prepared in the slightest will be probably the subject of a couple of posts from this. When you look at the photos, in fact, all the photos from now on, will be taken by a Samsung E900 2MP mobile phone. Any complaints about how pixelated/grainy/underexposed/shaky the photos look, will hopefully reach the ears of the person(s) in possession of a stolen Pentax Optio somewhere in Msia (or maybe even abroad, with the wonder that is eBay).


Would upload photos of the past few days, but its a late night as it is.

Plugs

A couple of plugs for anyone who pops by:


I-Bridge Camp 2007



Have you just graduated and are looking for some directions? Or perhaps you've worked for a number of years, but yet find the transition from studying life to the working life still a challenge, a gap that leaves many things to be desired. Or maybe you've lost the luster that once was in your Christian walk, whereby the once close fellowship and passion for Christ has been replaced by an emptiness and meaningless pursuit of career.

If so, consider joining us at I-Bridge Camp 2007 this year, from October 13th to 16th, http://www.ibridge.com.my. Located in the scenic Cameron Highlands, the refreshing, fun and invigorating camp will definitely make an impact on your life. 4 days 3 nights or 3 days 2 nights (depending on your leave), we're all young, working graduates, just like you. Do hurry and sign up fast as the limited places are going fast!

I-bridge Camp is organised by I-bridge, a part of Graduates Christian Fellowship, an interdenominational Christian Organisation, part of NECF.

Thank you!

p/s: please help us post/forward this to your friends.



Beautiful Lunar Landscape's music video preview.


They play what I can only describe as dark, mysterious music.

Not for smooth pop/rock lovers, but worth a recommend as they are different from what normally floods the scene these days. Plus, Ben is a nice guy who kept his promise to send me an EP, so I feel obliged to promote his music:-)

The middle of the week

A good post on sex. What say you?

Am praying for a group of people who are willing to share a dream and lives towards building a community of God-fearing uni students in Liverpool.

Meeting Barrow people at a house party Thurs. Should be fun catching up.

Met quite a number of fresher's at the fair yday. Talked to Bruneians, Indons, MsianS, Singaporeans. Made contact with people from Christian Union hall groups whom I haven't seen for a year. A brief moment of 'hey you look familiar' before launching into catch-up speak.

Hoping to start frisbee again on Sat mornings...this week if the weather holds up.

Weekend

Tried a new restaurant with Jack and HP. With a neutral name 'The Quarter', it seems to serve mainly pastas and pizzas. The Greek bread and dressing is an anomaly we think. Nice place, however.


Saw this in a shop on Bold Street. Thought it was mildly amusing.


Said goodbye to a couple of Malaysians from JMU (John Moores University) who are flying back to Malaysia today. Welcomed new faces too...student transition happening all over again.


An answer to a prayer breathed in between gasps of breath. I was lost coming back from seeing a friend in halls, and the sky was cloudy. An hour later, it rained. And I took the photo from the comfort of my room. Nice.

Musings

It's been a while since I've taken a step of faith.

A baby step, but one nevertheless.

While it's refreshingly different now, I anticipate an overwhelming impulse to panic and rely on my abilities, others, anything but God.

Maybe, maybe.

But for now, I'm enjoying the ride.

Potshots

Thought this was funny.
Also,
How do polar bears disguise themselves?



They cover their noses!

Evenings

A guy in a black shirt and carrying a backpack walking along, evidently in a hurry. A lady walking slowly, tall and regal. Both coming around a corner at opposite sides. You just know there's going to be that awkward moment when both stop short of actually bumping into each other.

A sign flashes past. 'Hair by Jonathan' 'Barbers and hairdressers'. I try to whip my phone out to take a picture but the sign passes by too fast.

A BSM car drives past. That might be me in a few weeks. Learning driving all over again sounds intimidating, considering I still have memories of failing my parking back in Malaysia. How many bad habits have I picked up since?

Aldi. I feel for the owners. Tesco, where I just shopped a few minutes ago, had a much fuller carpark and floor space. Here, the 6 or so cars dotted around the area are a testament to the slowly dwindling population loyal to supermarkets other than Tescos.

'Living in Expectation'. A tattered sign half a floor big catches my eye. Probably a Christian affair..judging by the well-combed man flourishing a microphone on the poster.

'Kebabish'. What shall I have for dinner? Maybe I'll break into the Indo Mee I brought home. Omelette with the roast chicken leftovers, peppers and onions. Sounds nice.

Hey there's another Chinese dude. Wonder what his life story is. How did he end up in Liverpool?

Nodding off, I catch myself just in time. Don't want to miss my stop. Yet its so hard to stay awake in the bus, the rhythm gets pretty monotonous after 15 minutes of sitting and staring at-

Oh, here's my stop.

There and back

Had a great summer month at home, now back in cloud-cast Liverpool and found out:

That I could have had a free lunch during my stopover in Dubai

That I've gained 6kg over 4 weeks

That I've far too many books that I'm loathe to throw or give away

That I'm not comfortable sleeping with just one pillow under my head

How hard cleaning a carpet actually is

How much my medical brain has slipped since finals

How much work 5th year actually entails


Baptism Sunday in church today. Packed to the brim like sardines, we watched as youth and adults alike were dunked into the heated pool, symbolizing death to sin, washed and made clean, rising up and out of the pool like Jesus - defeating death forever. Mandarin, Cantonese and English alike rejoiced at the sight.
More or less got my room in the shape its going to be for the coming year. The rest of the house is coming together as well. With any luck, we'll be able to have the juniors over soon for a meal.
Am thinking of getting more board games. Stack 'Em has been popular on 2 occasions when people have been over so far.
Am glad some of us met up to talk about where we see the student fellowship driving towards this year. With the student welcome coming up soon, we'll be well and truly started on the journey!

Thinking back on my summer, I'm happy that I managed to meet so many ppl, many of whom I didn't expect to see for some time. From secondary school friends to former pastors and mentors to IMU people, its been worthwhile seeing a brief glimpse of how everyone's been living. Although there was the odd moment when that weird feeling of not knowing what to talk about, not having seen one another for so long, at least i didnt forget anyones name this time around.

Snapshots of home

Not much

Not a day goes by without some bus accident on the roads of Malaysia now. Pretty strange really. Ever since the bus flipover by a Super Express bus, every other day seems to carry the headlines of yet another bus accident involving a blacklisted bus driver.

Having travelled on buses from Sitiawan to KL for nearly 2 years on a regular basis, it feels weird to be doubting the service now. But conversely, having a friend die due to a bus accident a few years ago, doubting bus services seems only natural, especially given the unusually large number of mishaps, like this, and this.

I remember when I used to take the bus from Pudu station in KL. Often driving at night, it was a nice to feel the driver was doing everything he could to reach his destination on time. I also recall countless occasions while driving along the North-South highway and having been overtaken by express buses going in the excess of 120km per hour. To be fair, this is not only confined to buses but also long trailers and lorries.

Arguments, no doubt, about bus drivers having to earn their keep, that they know their stuff and that we should trust them where driving vehicles is concerned. And this is probably true for some of the drivers, but how many aging nuts with probable aspirations of racing remain plying the roads; now that is the question.

The other day, a column in the Star spoke of how reluctant a mother was to let her daughter board a bus in light of the past weeks. Before long, and if the rot is not contained, i fear that buses will soon be running with half loads or none at all.

Hey

From 4 days in KL and Seremban, I'm feeling tired but content.

Seemed to be 4 days of non-stop meeting people. From chatting in malls to catching up after church services, to surprise birthdays and Starbucks till closing-time, it seemed to be one whole big eat-chat session.

Caught up with the IMU Seremban people with Jack and HP. Gracious enough to house us though major exams were looming up this week, and caring enough to help us look for our stolen bags in Jusco carpark. Met up with Sieh Jin and the WIFE as he calls her. In fact, marriage seemed to be the in-thing as I met up friends who are now happily married...there must have been at least 3 couples and one soon-to-be couple I met this last 4 days!

ECF was filled with more foreign people than I'd previously remembered, and best of all, more IMU students. Watching Ian trying to get the IMU-ers going after the service, I was reminded of Shawn (now Pastor Shawn) and Kevin trying their level best to rally us when we were in IMU. Everyday, the food court in Puchong still had their beef noodles but the fried chicken stall was nowhere to be found.

Too many people to meet, in way too little time. Talking with Ian the night before coming back, I was trying to process why is it I like coming back to Malaysia so much. Why do I feel so much more at home here despite being away for 2 years and counting? And somewhat sadly, I think its because of the memories I've left behind here. UK just doesn't seem to, I dont know...be that memorable yet?

In the meantime, I need to work through when I'm planning to fly back (if ever) to Malaysia and find out about visa details for work after 5th year. This weeks one-hour episode of Naruto takes first priority though.

What fun

After a year way, it was with some shock to come home to find that not only does Sitiawan have a McDonalds, but also a Secret Recipe and 2 overhead bridges. Double lane highways going through town. David and Joy, the Sitiawan you saw is no more.

The next shock almost floored me. A year after I'd left, my family saw it fit to finally get broadband and Astro fitted. They must have been waiting to get me out of the way. L

Nice to see some things never change though.
The top level of books remains as inaccessible to me as ever.

The pressure is on

Baking for 2 demanding housemates is hard enough. Especially when one bakes better than you do and is proud of it.

However, all that pales in comparison to the task I've just set myself.

See, in order to thank our GP whom we've been working with for the past year, I decided, against my better judgement, to bake this for him. And this coming from a guy who can't make bread pudding to save his life.

Twice baked biscuits. Not too hard-sounding, but it took what seemed a mountain of sugar, twice as much flour and more butter than we'd eat in a month. And Tesco raspberries.

With that much invested in this, I'd be to blame if things didn't go according to plan. Thankfully, the final baking process is underway, and I'm checking things every few minutes, which wont do wonders for the final product, but its better than burnt biscotti.

Aside, Partition is well worth a watch. Though seeing native Indians speak in English wont do wonders for setting the mood, this movie manages to pull it off quite well. And if there's nothing else that interests you about the separation of Pakistan and India, or the atrocities of the time, there's always Kristin Kreuk.

Looking around my room

There's a lot of stuff to clean up. My cupboard is full of IMU notes, which surprise, surprise, I did end up needing at different times throughout the year. Books take up most of the remaining cupboard space, of these, the most dusty are the anatomy and pathology books, both rejected in lieu of oxford clinical handbook and a bit of paediatrics and obsgyn here and there.

Vikram Chandra's Sacred Games has taken the main book spot on my desk, previously filled by Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose(8) , Jesus MD, Ian Rankin's A Good Hanging, Coughlin's No More Christian Nice Guy and Strobel's The Case for a Creator. Yes, I like reading. The latest Harry Potter installment will be next on the list, can't wait till Saturday.

Then there's my laptop, behind which is squidged all the other paraphernalia necessary to ensure my multimedia needs are satisfied. Speaking of which, my laptop is close to 3 years old and still running sound as a bell! HP Compaq isn't too bad a company to trust.

Clothes have never been a big part of me, though I admit to feeling a warm glow inside whenever someone says 'You don't look too bad yourself.' And I realised; I DO have a comb. Found it the other day wrapped up in a plastic bag along with other stuff that I didn't unpack for the year. So there, Jack. Now I just need to learn how to use it.

This blog is becoming more inward looking by the day.

The feeling of not knowing how the future will pan out.

Of keeping the faith yet still being nervous and doubtful.

Understanding the truth yet finding it hard to apply.

Of liking where I am but knowing I must move on.

In many ways, it would seem I've not grown up since the heady days of IMU.

Yet decisions wait to be made, a five-year mission remains unfulfilled, and at 23 years and counting, all I can come up with is

Another introspective post without much meaning and more than a little bad prose.


Finally, plans for today (cos even unstructured lives need planning):
Church first thing, then to a heavy lunch at the Red Lion. Home at 2 in time to catch the Wimbledon singles final (I'm behind Nadal all the way), then its mucking about on a paper till its time to try fruit crumble for dinner.

And for some reason the title doesnt seem to want to appear.

Watching Wimbledon

It's been a while since I spent so much time watching TV. Watching players like Marion Bartoli and Djokovic play against household names like Nadal and Williams was fun. It's been fun for me to support the underdog everytime there's a competition going on, and this Wimbledon seems to have been full of underdogs taking charge.

I feel like getting out on a court and hitting some balls now.

***

After watching the women's finals, I like the way the players leave the court, a long walk to the back of centre court, exiting through the open doors, for all the world like a couple of friends coming in for afternoon tea after a leisurely hit. Wimbledon certainly is different from every other competition out there.

Now for the men's tmrow.