Brought 3 kids (Nathan together with my two May Ann and Mei Si) to the Asean Aerospace Show at Changi Exhibition Village last Saturday. Mag's employer Eurocopter South East Asia has something big to do there so we got in for free. It was a hot Saturday afternoon but it was very interesting getting close to missiles, defence weapons, cockpits of planes, Super Puma helicopters, etc Never did any national service myself so the deadliest thing I ever got close to before this are cranky kids



We spent the afternoon exploring armoured vehicles, guns and weapons as we never have before. It was an eye opener for us but one of the best moments was when we found Mag's company's Guest Room for air conditioning, pastries, drinks and ice creams. The Ben & Jerry icecream was great .. the first time I tried B&J and I like it better than Haagen Daz or Gelare. Maybe because they are free. I don't know but I keep telling people that some of the best things in life are free.



Anyway after the break we went outdoor to the runway and at the tarmac, we got near to 2 or 3 dozens of airplances which I could only recognise the F-series fighter planes. Though this F-18 figher is much cooler,



I prefer this vintage looking one.



I'm a sucker for anything classic. Think gone are my days where bigness and speed rules (and coolness is just as important as oxygen). It is better now for me to just be myself, act my age, soak things up rather than let them fly by me. I learned from GK Chesterton that its better to be like ordinary boys living in a magical world than to be a larger than life hero living in a dull world. The first just like in old time fairy tales has so much more to live for. We were all like ordinary boys and girls in the bigness of the Airshow.

At the end of the day Mag asked the kids what they like the most about the show. I was surprised it wasn't the cockpits, the model airplanes, nor was it the Ben & Jerry Ice-cream. It was infact little pin badges they collected from some of the booths which they wear on them proudly throughout the show. What goes through a little young mind I can never fully understand but I can get a bit closer everytime. Infact we can get a bit closer to everything that we have had courage to try to do.. We just need to stop thinking that life has to be perfect and start living knowing making mistakes is always a step forward.

It was a good Saturday afternoon for us all at our first and perhaps last Aerospace show in Singapore. I think next year, they are moving to Hong Kong which is sad because that leaves 'boys' with one less thing to look forward to.

Over the weekend, I attended 3 services. Wilson and Belle's Wedding on Saturday, our HopeKids Service on Sunday morning and on Sunday afternoon, the church wide Water Baptism Service. We were so late for the first one because the children had to go for their chinese class but were just in time to have a photo taken with the couple. On Sunday it was a fantastic children service for us. Our two visitors Ps Jeff and Simon my colleagues commented that the atmosphere was great and uplifting. Simon said that he was blessed by the service and that it was unlike the Sunday School he attended when he was young. The team really did a great job. In the afternoon, we baptised 3 kids in water, following God's command to baptise people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The weekend ended quite meaningfully. Witnessing the coming together of 2 people to be life long partners, ministering to children who are the next generation of the church and baptising people into the family of God. Following God, this is what weekends should be made of.

Reading the book "Purpose Driven Youth Ministry" by Doug Fields to work on our March volunteers recruitment over lunch yesterday. The Lord led me to read the same page 5 times. I was annoyed. Normally that happens if a book is not engaging enough that I get distracted and I don't have a bookmark but it wasn't so. It was a great book and I was determined to read on. So I really think the section on 'the prayer team' must be important. I agree that I have to firm up the prayer aspect of the ministry because it is obvious we cannot do without it. Since we can't be smarter than God, it's a good direction for me for the week and I'm not so annoyed anymore. I will not follow my heart, nor my nose nor my dreams but God my wonderful maker.

I'm reminded of one of my favourite Rich Mullin's songs, "The Maker of Noses". Here's the chorus.


They said boy you just follow your heart
But my heart just led me into my chest
They said follow your nose
But the direction changed every time I went and turned my head
And they said boy you just follow your dreams
But my dreams were only misty notions
But the Father of hearts and the Maker of noses
And the Giver of dreams He's the one I have chosen
And I will follow Him

If we worry, we are living in the future. If we regret we are living in the past. I'm learning to live in the present where God can be found. God reminded us to be still and know he is God and the problem with us is that we can hardly be still. When we manage to stop worrying and regreting, we are planning and evaluating, leaving little time for the moment. God works in the present. He speaks and works in the present, so we ought to observe, listen and respect such 'opportune' time.



In the evening as I was trying to live in the present, I notice something I never noticed before. The big mango tree next to the playground at my house has only 2 fruits hanging from it (I'll post the picture soon) And they are at the outer side of the tree directly facing me- hanging there majestically yet subtly as if only for those who are attentive to see. I carried my kids to take a closer look and questioning why only 2 fruit for such a big tree. Both May Ann and Mei Si thought the care taker only watered that particular side of the tree. I suggested maybe God saw that the tree was barren and since its no good, decide to place two mangos on it. The kids seemed to be happy with that reason so we left to another place determined to see other things never seen before. We played a game and took turn to lay on our back on a exercise bench with our heads looking upward. It was fantastic in that position as we start to see stars and constellations, surrounded by leaves of the tallest trees and the passing of white clouds with the wind. I thought if we could be sensitive to the moment, look at things we often don't that God wishes us to, we are able to hear & live God's will better.



It's 12.57am. 14th February 2006, so its Valentines Day already. Romance ought to be in the air as I'm beginning to associate the two solitary mangos hanging on the tree to be Mag and me. OK it sounds so lame .. The fact is I still haven't got an idea what to do with Mag today. I have been so busy I haven't got a gift, or a card, or a rose, yet. Actually, I ought to feel like the big barren tree, hoping for God's miracle of free mangos. No rose but at least Mag will enjoy eating them. As the years gone by, things have become practical and we have both understood that. We are still hanging on that thread of romance but as that wears out, we are also learning that love is patient & kind and all that stuff in 1 Corithians 13:4-7 which God has shown us to be more wonderful. But nevertheless, it's great to be reminded of romance now and then. As for today, its one incident, I wished I had thought about things earlier... Anyway living in the present doesn't mean not planning ... However even if it is, since when has true living been without risk.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone !

Chinese new year has been traditionally a long break for me where I travelled back to Malaysia to spent time with my family in KL & then with my in-laws in JB. However this year instead of one long break, it was two smaller ones. The first part was in Johor Bahru with my in laws. As my brother in law just had his first baby (Samantha), that adds to kids that are already in abundance amongst the cousins from this side of the family. I overhead Mag saying to one of her friends trying for a family that the thing about having children is that we start giving to them and stop doing things that we want to do. Hmm I thought that really identifies us with Christ; To be living for others rather than for self.



After 3 days in JB, I came back to the office to work. I enjoyed the opportunity to work in the silence due to the longer break that my colleagues took for the new year. Yet at certain times I missed having them around. Nevertheless, God can be found in silence and I took the opportunity to have more of Him to come out of the short week refreshed and strengthen.



On Friday I had the second part of my break. I took leave to help host dad's side of the family who came from KL to spend 3 days with us in Singapore. All 15 of them, mostly elderly folks of my dad's generation. It was exciting but yet a nervous time as I need to organise a site seeing trip that Saturday for them. No problem normally but with the requirement that they don't want to go shopping nor to Sentosa Island or the Zoo which they have been, that really left me wondering where else is there to do in Singapore ? "Go to the farms" someone told me, which I thought was a brilliant idea if farms do exist in Singapore. To my delight, there do! So I booked a day tour with a travel agency to the Qian Hu Arowana Fish Farm, an Organic Veggie Farm and a Plant/Flora landscaping farm. Then I was shocked when I was told the package didn't include a tour guide so I convinced myself that we can do without one because we are 'own people'. Anyway on that day dad asked after we boarded the bus, 'So who's the tour guide?'. Everyone looked at me ! So that day, I became a tour guide. Thank God, Dad volunteered to lead a long singing session on the bus so with that I had a little less to do. Ok after all that I think I did okay considering I wasn't prepared and didn't have fish nor vegetable farm experience.



The tour ended with traditional Dim Sum at Chinatown with a short visit to the Chinatown Heritage Centre. At the Heritage Centre, my dad took over to share what he is passionate about which was what is on exhibit "The Chinese Immigrants And Early Settlers in Singapore". I stood aside and listened how our family travelled from northern china from Shanxi to Shangdong to sourthern china at Fujian and Guangdong until finally across the seas southward to Nanyang (or South East Asia). While its not the first time I've heard all this, this time with the help of the displays, the stories touched me. Deeply they did, particularly the acount of my great grandfather (whom I have an image of in my mind), had to travel on a boat from Guangdong to Malaysia to find a better life. Dad described the storms and sick-sickness, the overcrowding, the small & terrible living condition on the boat as well as subsequently on land. When he mentioned that many others died on the journey and have their bodies thrown to the sea, I almost teared. How we take things for granted today? The Chinatown Heritage Centre is a great place for anybody who share the same roots as us and wants to tear. I'm touched because I'm reminded if any of these happened I would not have existed.

my great grandfather died on the journey (or anytime else before dad was born)

any of my ancestors from my mum or my dad side died before their time

my mum or dad did not meet and married someone else or even any of my ancestors and spouse did not meet or married.

my fellow sperm friend swam faster than me

With so many conditions to warrant my survival, it is so amazing and so special that I exist today.

On Sunday, after the group went back to Malaysia, after church and after visiting some church member's house, we did a little miracle putting all our kids to bed by 9:30 pm. Mag and I seized the opportunity and caught a movie at 9:45pm. It was so late we had little choice so we watch "Memoirs of A Geisha". We liked it. Perhaps because its been almost a year since we last dated in a movie. But I think its more because we both knew so little of the profession of Geishas before and the movie gave us the details and we were enlightened.

I realise we know so little of our heritage. As an asian and as a chinese. We subscribe so much to the western culture that it affects us in the way we live and even as Christians how we worship God. Isn't it true that so much we learned about Christianity we learned it from the West (with the origin of the media and books we read). Christianity is not a western religion, it is a relationship with a universal God who embraces all and works in all regardless of nationality and culture. While God and theology remain the same, how we express & worship must be unique. How I see people worship in Africa is different from in Thailand, in Australia and different here. I'm a child of God with unique roots that go back to Perth, to Kuala Lumpur, to Guangdong, Fujian and to Northern China, to the land of Jacob, Isaac and Abraham and way back Eden and finally to my heavenly home, so should my liturgy of worship resemble exactly those who has roots from America or Europe ? It may be but it is unlikely.

This Chinese New Year, I learned during my time spend with my dad's family that we have a rich heritage and we should not ignore as it shapes us even as a Christian and during my time with my in laws, that we ought to consider living for children who is our next generation by leaving a legacy & helping them find the roots of their existence.

It was a rewarding time for me this year and I look forward to the new Chinese year!

posted by Hiew Hong Teck  # 12:25 PM Tuesday, February 07, 2006  0 Comments