Chinese New Year is just around the corner... and I'll be on my way home to Penang in a while's time (after a night's stay in Ipoh)... so... here's wishing all my Chinese friends:

Have a blessed and wonderful New Year ahead!

Of Ferdinand, Fraser's and Friendships

Ferdinand scores a header in the last minute to give Manchester United victory in the match against Liverpool at Old Trafford! What a way to end the weekend that was!

It all began on Friday with a long drive from Ampang Point to Eric’s house in Bentong. After planning this trip for quite awhile, I’m glad it finally came to pass. The next morning, we drove to Fraser’s Hill for a night’s stay at the Silverpark Resort. Fraser’s Hill is a quiet little place, away from the hectic city life. So we ate, walked around, ate some more, took photos, watched some video clips on my laptop in the comfort of the apartment room, ate, played ‘Betrayal at the House on the Hill’ (while eating), slept, and ate again… before driving back home on Sunday. I really enjoyed lazing around without having to think of other things. It’s been a very difficult month for me.

Most of all, I enjoyed the companionship of some of my closest friends. It was after we separated, with Nick going home to Penang, Jason traveling back to Malacca, and the rest of us to different parts of the Klang Valley, that I realized just how much I’ve missed those friendships! Squeezing together in a 2-bedroom apartment brought back memories… of CF camps, retreats, and the fun we had as students when we used to stay together with a large group of friends. There would be so much to do, so much laughter and fun, and long chats into the night. I really miss those times. But I guess life is different now. We have all moved on from there. We spend most of our time at home alone doing our own things. Either that or we’ll just be too busy (or tired) to find any time for our friends. When I went home, I could feel that hollow, empty feeling… I guess we call it ‘the blues’… I got quite depressed for awhile. And the thought just came to me – all three of my closest guy friends have gone back to work in Penang! I wonder if this lack of very close ‘male’ friends here have been one of the reasons for this bout of depression I’ve been having for the last month. I think I’ve learnt to appreciate these friendships very much.

Well, that last-gasp victory over arch-rivals Liverpool gave me a little reprieve… and lifted my spirits for awhile before I went to bed.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

I was reading an article on Wikipedia when I stumbled upon this link. Today's the first day of the 'Week of Prayer for Christian Unity'! I never knew there was such a thing! So let us all join our hearts in prayer... to imitate Jesus in His longest recorded prayer... and pray that we will all be one, just as Jesus and His Father are One!

From Wheaton to Rome?

I’ve just been reading Scott McKnight’s article, ‘From Wheaton to Rome’, about why Evangelicals convert to Roman Catholicism. He states four reasons why he thinks some of these Christians, which includes big-names like Scott Hahn, Thomas Howard, John Michael Talbot, G. K. Chesterton, John Henry Newman and Dorothy Day, decide to switch – certainty, history, unity and authority.

I was so surprised to discover that some of the experiences of these ‘converts’ actually resonated deeply within me that I wondered if my journey as a Christian will bring me down the same road. And I’m still wondering…

In the last year or so, I’ve learned to appreciate the complex history of Christianity. The more I learn, the more I find myself wanting to connect with that long procession through time… not just the last 500 years! Reading people like Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton and Vincent Donovan has left me in awe of their spirituality, wisdom and love for God. From a person who in secondary school used to think of Roman Catholicism as a pagan religion, and the Pope as an anti-Christ figure, I’ve turned into someone who can appreciate the Roman Catholic faith for all its beliefs, traditions and sacraments. More than that, I’ve become someone who regularly turns to Roman Catholics for insight and wisdom, amassed from over 2000 years of learning what it means to follow the Christ. We Evangelical Protestants are just beginning to realize how much we can learn from our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters. In that sense, the Emergent Network has been influential in my journey, by showing me what it means to appreciate other Christians who may disagree with me, and showing me how much we can learn from the past.

Add to all that my disillusionment with lynchpin Protestant ideas, particularly ‘Sola Scriptura’, I just wonder…

For now though, I can’t see myself becoming a full-fledge, professing Roman Catholic. There are still issues and ideas that I might not be able to accept (e.g. no contraceptives!). But I guess it just shows that no Christian denomination is perfect. We do need to learn from one another, each group offering what another may be lacking.

New Zealand from the air

Milford Sound 3

Toitu he kainga: whatungarongaro he tangata... which in Maori means... 'long after people have disappeared, the land will remain...'

Milford Sound was definitely my favourite place out of all the places we visited in New Zealand. The mountain peaks, rainforests, waterfalls and gray mist combine to create a hauntingly beautiful landscape deep in New Zealand's South.

The rain had started to fall once again, but we stayed up on deck to spend the last few moments admiring the landscape

What a way to end an unforgettable cruise! A small pod of dusky dolphins playing just in front of the boat... I had been hoping hard that I would be able to see these graceful creatures on the trip, though they are not often sighted here at the sounds. My favourite animal, and they've come to see me!

Milford Sound 2

More waterfalls...

The sounds, also called fiords, were carved by glaciers in ages past

They now form inlets on the southwestern coast of New Zealand.

A small group of sea lions taking a break

Milford Sound 1

Ready for a cruise at Milford Sound

One of the many waterfalls after the rain...

Still cloudy and moody...

The Milford Road 2

In the woods...

Interesting rock formations carved by water

Skull Island... or Jurassic Park?

The Milford Road 1

The Milford Road leads from Te Anau to Milford Sound, which was where we were heading to, and it winds through Fiordland National Park. On the journey, we encountered some of the most spectacular landscapes I had ever seen.

Fast-flowing rapids fed by the constant rain and melting glaciers wind their way through the green valleys

The stream carves a tunnel through the layer of ice, remnants of an avalanche.

On both sides of the road, hundreds of waterfalls cascade down sharp cliffs into the valley

Water from the heavens...

The low clouds and mist add a mystical and mysterious ambience to the landscape

Te Anau

Cool and calm on a cloudy morning

Glimpses of Penang in New Zealand...

Queenstown

Jetboating...

Up the Kawarau river

Queenstown from above...

and below...