Mashed

Simply awesome. If you're a Taylor Swift and Coldplay fan, this is just the video you'd like to watch.
Whenever I watch videos like this, I curse myself for quitting piano lessons.
Haha.

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He Smiles

"Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face."

(William Cowper, 'God moves in mysterious ways')

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I Appreciate You

I decided I won't be writing a long essay, instead, I will just include a picture of the person I'd like to appreciate. In any case, I appreciate you people.

My Sunday School mates, the 85' batch.
People who I literally grew up with.

Mervin 'The PhenoMenon' Menon.
The hairy gentle giant who introduced me to floorball :)

Edward Cullen??
(PS weiii... PS weiii... I want to SB myself.. Chicken out again weiiii...
DV, DV!)

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G-STOMP 2009

For the past two years, 2007 & 2008, I've been to Sarawak visiting several Iban longhouses in a small area call Pantu.

It was through a short-term mission trip organized by FES simply known as S.T.O.M.P..
Come May 2009, it will be my third time visiting that place again.

What exactly is STOMP?
Read here for further background.

This time, however, it's going to be slightly... different.

For the past two STOMPs that I was in, it was organized by FES for students, targeting specifically undergrads from local universities.
STOMP is an acronym, which by their definition,
stood for Students Together On Mission Partnership.
It was a short-term (2 weeks) cross-cultural mission trip that aims to help students ignite a heart for mission and to journey with them on a road of spiritual, mental, physical and emotional discovery.

How is it different this time?

Well, the obvious one would be the fact that most of us are not students any longer.
Secondly, instead of merely being a participant like previous two years, I am now heavily involved in the other side of things - organizing and putting this mission trip into a reality.
That's probably the two significant difference in my third trip to the Land of The Hornbill.

Ever since my first taste of stepping into the Iban culture, language and ultimately, their lives in the longhouses during STOMP 07', I found myself very much connected and touched by this community.
In retrospect, I think I first had the idea of organizing my very own mission trip back there upon returning back from STOMP 07'.
Back then it was just an idea that lurked at the back of my head.
I never actually put it to serious thought.
Having been part of FES's second consecutive STOMP last year, it made things clearer that I really wanted to pen this idea down on paper and not just in my head.
What more, FES decided to skip STOMP this year to take up another event.
I took that as a 'sign' and an opportunity for me to step in.
And that's what I did.

I mustered some courage and tried to get things started.
I initiated by first getting myself a small group of fellow ex-STOMPERs to see if they were interested in the idea.
I sent out emails out, persuaded a few friends to take up the challenge, got some feedback from FES staff and then now, here I find myself, just 3 weeks away from my third trip! :)

The preparation bit of it has really opened a whole new perspective and insight to me.
I'm not really a planner to begin with and so, to start off something like that was really quite a big step for me.
Personally, I wanted to experience the pre-mission trip planning and organizing bit more than the actual field mission work actually.
Not that I'm not looking forward to the actual trip but I guess, I wanted to get a taste of a new flavour and to me, the organizing bit was something new.
So far, things are looking good.
A few hiccups here and there, as expected but really thank God that thus far, no major obstacles have hinder our way.

So, what's G-STOMP??

Since we are going to be visiting 2 same longhouses that previous STOMPs have visited before and since it was initiated by FES in the first place, we wanted the essence of FES's presence to remain in our team name and therefore we revised it to this:

Graduates-Serving Together On Mission Partnership (G-STOMP).

Instead of the previous STOMP acronym that place emphasis on students coming together, we now emphasize on fellow graduates coming from different background, different denomination, different job scope and from different STOMP to serve on a mission partnership.

G-STOMP is a one week follow-up mission trip from the 9th-16th May 2009.
We will be visiting two longhouses - Rumah Panjai Semawa and Rumah Panjai Enchiap - along the river of Pantu, Sarawak.
Come partner with us in prayer! Prayer items as below:

1. Safe journey by land, air and water.
   
2. Health and protection (physically & spiritually).
3. Communication - Enable us to communicate with the people there our limited knowledge of Iban and also for the people there to be able to communicate with us.
   
4. The community - The openess of heart, the willingness to listen and the sensitivity towards the spirit as we share our lives and Christ with them.
5. For us as a team - To be able to work together as a team, to help and to encourage one another in every way possible.
6. As individual participants - That God would speak to every single one of us in His unique way and that we will be open to take in new experiences, memories and knowledge of who He is in this trip.

It's exactly two weeks from now when we actually go on board and fly over to Kuching, Sarawak.
Aku udah asai takut mimit. Enda nemu nama tuk ti dekak nyadi! Tang nama nama pun, kitai anang nyerah dan tusah ati laban Apai bisik begulai kitai! :)

I leave you all with STOMP 2007 theme song.
It's called "Bapa yang Kekal". Here's the Iban version with translation:

Bapa Yang Kekal (Apai ti meruan)
Kasih ti mulia udah (Kasih yang sempurna telah)
Ku nerima ari nuan (Ku terima dari mu)
Ukai tegal pemanah aku (Bukan kerna kebaikan ku)

Laban semina kasih nuan Tuhan (Hanya oleh kasih karunia mu)
Ti ngerai ka aku (Kau pulihkan aku)
Nyadi ka ku ulih ngagau nuan Apai (Layakkan ku tuk dapat memanggilmu bapa)

Chorus:
Nuan meri ti dipinta ku (Kau beri yang ku pinta)
Maia ku ngiga lalu ku ulih (Saat ku mencari ku mendapatkan)
Ku ngetuk pintu nuan lalu nuan muka ia (Ku ketuk pintumu lalu kau buka ia)
Laban nuan apai (Sebab kau bapa ku)
Apai ti meruan (Bapa yang kekal)

Nadai nuan ninggal (Takkan kau biarkan)
Ka aku bejalai kediri aja (Aku melangkah hanya sendirian)
Nuan semampai bisi ka aku (Kau selalu ada bagi ku)
Laban nuan apai (Sebab kau bapaku)
Apai ti meruan (Bapa yang kekal)

P.S.: Will update about G-STOMP again before I leave for Sarawak! Thanks for keeping us in prayer!!

“Maka kata-Nya kepada murid-murid-Nya:
"Tuaian memang banyak, tetapi pekerja sedikit.
Karena itu mintalah kepada tuan yang empunya tuaian,
supaya Ia mengirimkan pekerja-pekerja untuk tuaian itu."

Matius 9:37-38

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Changed

Jack ran his fingers across a stack of photo albums and randomly picked one out.
As he browsed through each photo, he smiled to himself as images of those photos brought back an alarming amount of memories he thought he had long forgotten.
It seemed so long ago.

"Gosh... She looks the same", he thought to himself.

Then he came upon one particular photo that caught his eyes.
His finger, the one that was guiding the pages of the album paused momentarily.
Slowly and steadily his finger slid down towards that picture.
Jack carefully pulled that picture out of its resting place and stared hard at it.
At first, his thoughts were empty. His mind wandered in pitch black darkness.
He looked at that picture with great intense and gradually, a million words came in to fill the blanks.
But one word stood out the most.
Change.

"Change... You've changed my friend...", he whispered as if the person in the photo was alive.
His eyes began to watered.

No matter how people try to console and convince themselves that they are the same person from yesterday, the fact still remains that they aren't.
People change.
People may look the same - same features, same smile, same distinct nose and same eyes - yet, something within them creates a whole new being over time.
Time produces change.
Change is inferior to time.
Ultimately, humans are inferior to change.

Change can be a good thing or a bad thing.
The scary thing is of course, if it turns out to be the latter.
But the scariest thing about that is this;
Contrary to what most believe, when you know a person too well, the changes are actually harder to detect and that is what makes it so frightening.
When we know a person too well, we become comfortable with who they are and in the midst of such complacency, we somehow brush aside the little changes they choose to undertake.
People begin to mitigate the power of change and before they know it, it blows right in front of their face.
A hairline crack becomes a full broken bone.

It's a sad thing really, Jack thought to himself in an almost sympathetic way.
The tears in his eyes were still forming but not enough for them to find its way down his cheeks.

"You've changed", he said it again.

He took a deep gasp of air and pulled himself together.
As he held the photo in his right hand, he took a final glance at it in his somewhat nostalgic and yet pensive mood.
Before he slid the photo back into its rightful frame, intuitively or not, something triggered him to flip the photo around.
And there he saw how old the person was.
At the back of the photo, on the bottom right corner, scribbly handwritten faded black-inked words read,

Jack,
20 years old.

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The Recluse

"The sky is clearer than yesterday", he thought even as he hears the wind echoes almost in harmony in his ears. From where he was, he could see his house in the size of an ant.
But more significantly, he could see hers.
He startled a little as a flock of birds flew past him.
His head and eyes, unconsciously or not, directed towards her house.
Flickering of memories came rushing in like a bolt of lightning.

He remembers vividly the very first time she spoke to him.
They were 8 back then.
During one of their art lessons in class, some of the 'larger' sized boys bullied him.
They painted his bag with water colour and took crayons and drew on his shirt. All he could do was to cover his face with his hands, helplessly trying to not to shed tears.
He couldn't retaliate.
He mustn't.
Then there she was, standing between the boys and him.
She came to his rescue.
To him, she was his hero.

16 years passed them by.
In those years, they've formed a strong bond together. Yet, he knew he couldn't tell her the truth... nor about his feelings for her.
As strong as he was, that was one risk he dare not take.
He knew the repercussions.

"She will never understand mum... She will hate me!" he would yell to his mother in tears back then when he was much younger and emotional.
He was angry, bitter and just sick of his abnormality.
"And mom, the risk is not just about whether or not she will accept who I am.. But also the risk of ruining this friendship... our friendship... I... I love her, mum. And if she doesn't love me in return, it's alright... But this friendship... It means everything to me."

Although he now begins to understand who he is and what awaits him, he knew also that there was still no way for him to tell her. All he could do, ever could do, is to love her... from a distance.

His mind flashed back to the present as his eyes sighted a car stopping in front of her house. Then she came out of the house, excitedly, running towards the car as a fine young gentleman stepped out from it.
They kissed.
In that instant, his soul sank into an ocean of hopelessness.
A feeling he has never felt before, or maybe he did but just never to this degree.

He turned away and stared instead into the horizon.
The evening sun was about to set down and in it, he felt a certain sense of stillness, albeit for a brief moment.
The serenity of creation comforted his spirit.
Then, pain struck again.
Reality found its way back to the present.
He was a dejected recluse.
Tears trickled down his cheeks and as it fell somewhere down on the ground below him, just like that drop of tear, his heart shattered into a million pieces.

"The Man of Steel?"

How ironic he thought.
He took a deep breath and as gentle as the wind blew, he flew beyond the horizon.

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Nowhere

Now, I know where I stand in your eyes...













... Nowhere in your sight.

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Find Us Faithful

Tis' the season for farewells and goodbyes.
This time last last year, I had to bid my fair share of goodbyes to friends.
And what d'ya know, after a year (come May marks a year), I'm still in Penang.

Closest to my heart was my group of PKA friends.
Recently, PKA had their annual Farewell Night to celebrate the 3 years of seniors who have walked down the path of university life while at the same time, faithfully serving Him.
It was a night to celebrate and to 'complete' their journey as university students.
As tradition would have it, PKA's 'Find Us Faithful' mime was passed down to the first years, who I'm sure have presented it flawlessly for the graduating seniors, acknowledging the completion of seniors who have ran this part of the race faithfully.

It's a powerful song and to PKA'ians who have graduated, it's not just a sentimental memory of our uni life and our good old days serving in PKA, deeper than that, it's a reminder to us of God's faithfulness, enabling us to walk through the 3-4 years in USM while sustaining us with His strength to continually serve Him.
A reminder also that as we run the race, we run for the people behind us.

Listening to this song still gives me goosebumps.



Find Us Faithful
We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

Chorus:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift though all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

Repeat Chorus


To all graduating senior of Batch 2009,

As you bid all your goodbyes and farewells, take time to sing thanksgiving to Him!
The friends you've met, the results you've achieved, the activities you've organized, the legacy that you've left behind, comes from Him alone.
I know the idea of moving forward and leaving uni life may seem utterly bleak right now.
But rest assured, His hands have already chart out a new journey for each of you.
As for the journey behind you, let it be a "testament of God's sustaining grace".

We, the seniors of 2008, find you faithful :)

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12: 1-2

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I Appreciate You

Aside from updating my personal blog as frequent as I possibly can, I try to upkeep my personal written journal as well. One of my journal’s list-of-things-to-do that’s been pending for a while now is actually to write string of letters, my “last letters” as I would call it.

I can’t remember how or when exactly I came up with this idea but it’s basically letters I want to personal handwrite to specific people (friends, family, etc) lest I have an early and untimely death. I know it sounds terribly morbid but hey, no harm being a little cautious right.

I haven’t actually gotten myself to do it. Writing a letter with the assumption that you’re dead for one reason or another isn’t exactly the easiest letter to compose, ya know. In line with this idea, I have decided to dedicate, to honour and to appreciate certain people that I believe have influenced me in more ways than one on this blog of mine.
In each of this entry - labelled/categorised as “I Appreciate You” – I will appreciate three persons (individuals) or groups (e.g. Family, course mates, etc). I will try to do this twice a month.
Which means...

3 x 2 = 6 people per month...
6 x 12 = 72 people per year!
(So you see, my math ain’t that bad after all..... ok, now can close windows for calculator...)

Why am I doing this exactly? For two reasons really;
Being in a culture where we don’t really practice or encourage to show much expression of love and appreciation to our loved ones, I realized that I have subconsciously become a product of such society, in which I find myself struggling when it comes to saying a simple ‘I appreciate you for being my friend’ or ‘I appreciate you for being there for me’.
In a way, we lack love, or should I say we lack the expression of love.

Secondly, being a pretty sentimental person myself, I think I would deeply appreciate if someone close to me actually thought of leaving something with me (and no, I’m not talking about money here though I’m sure I can learn to appreciate that... Haha) when he or she moves on from this earthly realm, hence, I’m going to do likewise to those who I truly appreciate.

If your name doesn’t turn out here or if you didn’t receive any sort of letter when I die, I am by no means implying that I do not appreciate you. Please be assured that I do. Every face that I’ve seen and met, every friendship forged and every ‘hi’ and ‘byes’ I have encountered with, are truly precious gems to me. Know that I can’t exactly write to every single one of you...
If I do, wah, I think I’d probably commit suicide by the end of it...
Delving too deep into character already lar... I need to play dead remember? Haha.

For my first entry on “I Appreciate You”, it’s dedicated especially to my family;

Mom, dad and big sis/jie jie.

Ok so here goes...

My Family
(wah... macam Primary 1 punya essay)

Ok, this one must go all out to appreciate or else kena pancung kepala :P

Like all clichéd Oscar speeches, I’d have to say “I wouldn’t be here and be the man that I am today without my family... (Munyit, this part is for your entertainment only -->) tens to my mommy... tens to my daddy... tens to my sister...”... Hehe.

Family definitely played an integral part in my life. E.g., my love or should I say addiction to Milo is heavily contributed by my mum. Ever since I was a toddler, she would pour me a bottle of Milo to sleep and that bottle obviously turned into a cup. Yes, the echoing “Meeeeee, pour milo pweaseeee” can be heard until this very day when Christopher Koh is back at home. Ok, fine. That’s a very shallow example. But you get the point.

I’ve had a fair share of quarrels with my parents and sister. From shouting around the house to the deadliest silent cold treatment, yet all of these were necessary to carve the journey of growth. I guess leaving home for university has also ‘opened my eyes’ to the importance of family time.

My dad is an interesting person. People who know my dad always say to me,

“Wah, your dad very happening lar... He very loud... Not like you wan...” --- Sweat.

My baba punya Papa.

Yep, he IS loud and probably more outgoing than I am. I remember once I was acting on stage, I swear I could hear him laugh amidst 150 people! But deeper than that, I think I’m like him in many ways. For instance, my dad has a pretty high level of patience.
Why I say so?
Cause he has never rotan me before (realize I mention HE never rotan me and not THEY... Let's just say mommy had a different level of tolerance altogether... Hehe).
Seriously though, I believe I inherited my long suffering ability from him. And of course, I also inherited his handyman skills... Yea rightttt, who am I kidding. I can’t even fix a light bulb for Pete’s sake. Oh well, at least I inherited his passion for sports.

My mom and I go a long way back (yea, like since she brought me into this world?). Between me and her, we have this whole love-hate relationship going on. Haha. When I was younger, I was extremely sticky to my mom (I think all sons do, especially if they’re the youngest and the only son in the family :P). Whenever my mom scold me I would conjure this idea that she doesn’t love me anymore and would cry to her endlessly while long-windedly asking

“Meeee, you love me or not? Love or not?”

If any of my friends were to asks my mom how was I like when I was a kid, she would definitely bring this ‘dark’ chapter of my life up. Yes, yes... I’ll admit it, I’m a mommy’s boy (I am so going to get it from you guys... Why did I even bother revealing this part of my life).

I think beneath all the physical sacrifice that parents make for their children, like spending money on us, taking care of our health, making sure we’re safe and sound, putting us to sleep at night, ensuring that they still love us *ahem*, beyond all that, there’s something greater they’ve sacrificed for us - themselves.

They put us first.

Their passion, focus, zest, energy and lifestyle have somehow transformed to fit that to us instead of them. We become their world. I once heard a man said this...

“If a very close friend was standing and there was a speedy car coming towards them, I would jump and try to push them out of the way, or sort of shout out to them to get out of the way. If suppose my wife or my sister was standing in front of that speeding car,
I would 100% pull them out and not mind getting hurt in the process.
But if a car was speeding towards my children,
I’ll stand in front of the car and I’m sure I’ll stop it with my own bare hands.”

It's an interesting analogy and reflecting at my life, I realized that my parents have indeed stopped many cars for me with their own bare hands. Shading me away from danger while risking their own. They are to me, my very own Superman and SuperWOman :)

Being the youngest in the family and the only SON sure has got its perks =P

And for most part, I'm being pampered and spoilt by my eldest sister – Adelene...
Oh yea, it rocks being the youngest!

Growing up together in the same house definitely has its ups and downs. It wasn't easy.
I wasn't an easy brother to handle to begin with. Having her as my sister, sure did me some good. She has always assumed her responsibilities as the eldest sister for as long as I could remember. I can recall the days when we were still kids and how we used to sleep in the same room, 3 of us (me, my eldest sis and my late second eldest sister).
We used to stay up all night laughing for no particular reason.
It was those "sibling" moments that meant a whole lot to me.

As we grew older, inevitably, we had our fair share of arguments. And as siblings, I think we don't often say how much we appreciate each other. I'm not sure if it's an Asian thing or just the fear of plain awkwardness. I'll be the first to admit that I don't do it.
At least not as frequent as I think I should.
I'm never good at verbal expression of love.
I’m better of expressing via letters or blog.
Evidently so:P

So sis, I know I've been a pain for the past 24 years of your life and I'm sorry for all the inconvenience caused. Hehe. Despite being such a brat, you still tolerated my nuisance and rebelliousness.
I wouldn't EVER EVER trade you for another sister. You're the bestest.
You're always patient, caring, loving and selfless when it comes to pampering me...
And just so you know, I appreciate that a lot. Haha.

So, to my mommy, daddy and my sissy, I mean sister, thank you for being my God-given family for the past 24 years of my life. For the love, guidance, care, teachings and money (somehow I have a strange feeling I owe you all a lot) that you have blessed me with, know that I appreciate each one of you very much.

I appreciate you! :)

With love,

The long-winded spoilt brat kid who loves his mommy's Milo :)

P.S.: To my late sis, Evelyn - Yes, I still remember you. And for the years we've shared together as brother and sisters, I appreciate you too. I'll see you again soon. :)

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:)

Thank you very much! ;)
*hugs*

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Man is No Island

Found this video on Youtube.
Simply creative with a clear strong message behind it.

Indeed, man is no island.

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I Need Back Up!

There was "no mercy" shown.

'Shoot to kill' was the order of the day.

It was brutal.

It was a war zone.

It was muddy.

The field was covered with blood... turns out, the blood was orange in colour.

That was the scene at Padang Brown on an early Saturday morning. My church Young Adult Connect Group took part in a paintball outing. We wanted to get a taste of what it's like to be Rambo for a day. Yea, time to put those action movies we've been watching to some good use.

I think for most of us, it was a dread waking up early on a Saturday morning. But I guess the thought of gunning down a friend was a good enough reason to do so. To add a little "action" to the activity, the night before it rained cats and dogs. Apa lagi.. The field was all out muddy. Yea, talk about getting down and dirty. Some of us even had the thought of executing those ridiculous Matrix/Max Payne/John Woo-type slip and slidin' action moves. Well, let me assure you it never works in real life. You'd probably slip without much luck on the sliding part.

As you can see, it was all soggy and muddy out there.

Anyway, we were divided into four groups respectively led by Jeffrey, Kenny, Chris and Natasja, a new friend but dangerously experienced. All in all, each team were given a fair chance of 4 rounds. Most of us were pretty new to this whole paintballing thing while others were deemed veterans. Some were afraid of getting shot due to the much talked about aftermath bruises and pain. While others were just thinking about how to get a head shot. Teams were strategising on how to cover the field as wide as possible and as efficient as they can. Just look at this team...

"Ok, lu orang lari sana.. Kita orang lari sini.. Jangan bagi muka tau..
Nampak apa-apa yang bergerak, tembak saje!"

And of course, there were others who were just trying to look good even in the midst of a war...

"Yea, let's show em' the real terminators...

No 'Salvation' for them!"

(Pun intended).

By the end of the fourth round, we were all pretty much smeared with orange-coloured 'blood'. Amazingly though, some remained 'unblemished'.

Still so clean... Must be hiding behind those obstacle barriers...
Tsk tsk tsk..

Itu macam baru betui... Brutality wounded.

And there were some who enjoy getting shot at... Like James...

"WEEEeeeeee... I got shot in the face! Let's do it again!... Mmmm.. Taste pretty good too!"

At the end of the day, we all had a great deal of fun. For us as a Connect Group, it was an added joy to have so many new faces joining us for the activity. Indeed, they have been a blessing to us not just as team mates in the war zone but as new friends who have taken time out to join us on a dreadfully early Saturday morning. Thanks guys! It was a pleasure shooting you! I mean knowing you... =P

The day ended with Penny, our paintball coordinator (thank you for the very well planned outing!), summarizing the lesson behind the activity. As she puts it, we as human beings will always need some sort of support from family and friends, be it at home or work. Illustrated in our game of paintball, strategies didn't work because we get to absorbed in protecting ourselves so much so that we forget to "cover" our team mates, leaving ourselves as well as our team mates wide open in a deadly war zone. Likewise, more often than not in our daily lives, we get strayed away in doing our own personal agendas that we neglect the people around us, not realizing that we deprive not just them, but even ourselves of support.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return in their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls down and have no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easily broken".

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12 (NIV)

Penny debriefing all of us after a satisfying session of shooting each other down.

Poh Sim had her fair share of sharing... Hers was a little... er... unique...

"Ok, everybody.. My name is DIANA Saw... Now, say that really fast...

Di-ana-sawww!..."

It was a good reminder to all of us that we all need a certain kind of support. Ultimately, as Christians, we realize that our reliance of support in our Almighty God is of the utmost importance. In the little things, in the big things, whatever it may be, He will always be there to guide us, support us, correct us and love us. What separates us from God is that He never leaves us, humans do. In times when we give up on somebody and yes, even ourselves, God doesn't. He is always there ready to pick us up. The question is, are we willing to receive His helping hand?

Truly, God is by far the greatest support we can ever have!

He will cover you through and through for sure! :)

All the Rambos wannabes!

Paintball, 4th April 2009, Padang Brown.

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Heart

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Today He once again reminded me through this verse that in whatever I do, whether I play floorball, pray or praise Him, do it with Heart.

Hmmm... I wonder if He's hinting to me that I haven't been doing so lately... *scratch head*

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APAC 2009 Pyeong Taek, Korea: Play With Your Heart

Almost 6 months of gruelling training and everything ended just within the span of just 8 days.
Was it worth it?

Of course it was.

Yes people, I'm back in Malaysia, Tanahairku.
After spending a week in the very cold province of Pyeong Taek, Korea, for the Asia Pacific Floorball Championship (APAC) 2009, I'm back in the scorching weather of the Penang Island.
Ah, sweet.

As promised, here's an account of my experience in Korea of what I found significant and what I learnt along the way.

Upon arrival at the Seoul International Airport, we had to continue another two hours bus ride to Pyeong Taek (which is a much smaller city) where the competition was held.
Too bad it wasn't held in Seoul :(
Oh well.

Seoul International Airport, Korea.

Team Malaysia has landed!

We resided at the Kyonggi Tourist Hotel in Pyeong Taek. A little pricey but considering that they had already subsidised for us, it was actually quite reasonable and plus, the management was really good and the room was very comfy.
Two thumbs up for that! :)

Kyonggi Tourist Hotel

A Welcoming Banner!

Now, let's look at the weather forecast =P
The weather in Pyeong Taek was actually pretty cold. Most nights were below 0°C.
So yea, you can imagine how we Malaysians had to adapt to the dry cold air there. Apparently, it snowed one of the nights.
Pyeong Taek is actually a really small city known for its U.S military army base camp.

Pyeong Taek, Korea - A small cozy little city.

You see, we Malaysians love to do things a little different.
People usually celebrate and feast after the competition is over.
Well, we went to Korea with our Penang punya eat-all-out spirit.
Feast while we can!

See, even our coach is leading us by example :P

Korean food very the colourful... *drool*drool*
(But don't be fool by the noodles. It's cold!!! YUCKS!!!)

Although Korean food's nice and tasty, but ordering them can be a real pain.
Communication was a MAJOR problem for most of us and ordering a simple dish really test our sense of creativity.
But Malaysians being Malaysians, we MUST have our food.
Hence, we always find a way to get around it.

Team Malaysia memang boleh!

If there's one thing that stands out in this year's APAC is the fact that it was so efficiently organized.
Superb.
From the banner to the very accommodating personnels to the opening ceremony right up to the closing ceremony.
Korea Floorball Federation had the government's support, hence, the very detailed organization. They invested a lot in this campaign and made it look very professional and welcoming to everyone.
Job well done Korea!
The fact that it was so well organized made our stay and made the campaign a whole lot more exciting and memorable. Even our very own Team Malaysia's personnel, You-Lim Kim, was very friendly and helpful throughout our stay there.

You-Lim & I.

The opening ceremony was quite a big thing actually.
It was a pretty full fledge ceremony with performances, speeches and welcoming of each team.
We had to walk into the hall contingent by contingent and actually had to wave at the audiences! Weird man.
Team Malaysia had the shortest line amongst the rest.
We only had 10 players! The rest were at least twice our length! =p
Boy oh boy, was I proud to be Malaysian!

Team Malaysia at the opening Ceremony.


Officials and board of directors for APAC 2009.


The gigantic welcoming banner at the stadium.

The big question on everybody's head is still:

HOW DID THE MALAYSIAN TEAM FARE IN THE APAC CAMPAIGN?

Good news is that we finished 4th out of 6 teams. By far the best result in Malaysian floorball history :)
Results wise though, we could have done better in certain matches, especially the one against Korea.
Cis, that game we played really bad.
The results are as stated below:

25 Mar 09 (Wed) Jap - Mas 14-1

26 Mar 09 (Thu) Mas - Kor 2 - 11

27 Mar 09 (Fri) Mas - Aus 3 - 8

28 Mar 09 (Sat) Sin - Mas 5 - 7

29 Mar 2009 (Sun) Mas - Ind 25 - 0

On a more personal note, I think APAC 2009 is one of Malaysia's best outing as a team.
I say as a team because in spite of all the odds shoved against us, what not with key players pulling out literally at the very last second, we still clung onto one another.
We only had 11 players and with just two lines at a high level competition like APAC, it almost seemed ridiculous.
Even one of the Singaporean players asked us "Where are your other players?"...
My friend replied, "The rest in Malaysia lar"! :P

Donning the Malaysian jersey requires a certain level of pride balanced out with a sense of humility.

Being small in number is not always a bad thing.
On the contrary, it helped us bond a whole lot easier as a team.
Having been to three APACs, Korea being my third, it was clear that this particular recruited team built a deeper level of trust, commitment and relationship between one another. I guess the odds that went against us did in fact backlashed with some positive outcome in the end.
It built a certain level of mental strength indefinitely.

As an individual player, however, I must say I was somewhat disappointed with my performance. I think this time around I was more focussed towards the competition but was still struggling a whole lot with confidence issue. Obviously technically I'm not there yet but I know deep down inside, the root of the problem is my lack of self-believe and confidence.
Also, I believe the longer you play, the more you expect of yourself when it comes to competition. You want to deliver what's expected of you by your coach as well as your team mates.
On a brighter note though, I'm very much blessed by my team mates words of encouragement.
Thanks guys! :)

What have I learnt from APAC 2009?

If there's one thing I brought back (besides souvenirs and my memories of Girls Generation =p), it would be a phrase said by my coach when we were in the dressing room during our break, trailing far behind the Japs. He simply said,

"You guys have to play with your heart".

I know it may sound like a cliche line from a Disney-like Sports inspiring movie.. :P
But it somehow impacted me a whole lot.
It ignited a spark of fire.
If you think about it, in the circumstance that we were in - with just 11 players going up against the eventual champions, Japan - we weren't anywhere close to match them.
We lose out to them in numbers, we lacked in skills and we weren't tactically as good as them and yet the only hope that we had and that which matters most was that we played with our hearts out.
In that instant, it reminded me that any team, regardless of whether you're the best or if you're the underdog, is given a fair chance to step up and take ownership of what's arguably the most lethal weapon any sportsman can possess - Heart.

Play with your heart.

Besides floorball every other day, another significant event happened as well while I was in Pyeong Taek.
Let me give you a little background first;
Almost 2 years ago, I met a bunch of Koreans by pure chance.
I was walking out of USM to have my lunch when a group of 5 Koreans approached me asking me if I knew any cafeteria around USM where they could grab lunch as well.
Finding hard to explain to them the directions, I invited them to join me for lunch and ended up spending them lunch too just to prove that Malaysians are friendly people. Haha! :P
From there, we became friends. In fact, I became their tourist guide for the next couple of days and I even brought the Korean guys to visit my hostel room since they were utterly curious to check it out.
Eventually, I found out that they were Christians! :)
It's funny how God can bring people together, even if it's in such a short span of time.
I think I spent only about 3 days with them but even in such short time, I found them to be really a special bunch of people.
We ended up trading emails and they even bought me a thank you card!

Now, upon confirmation that I was selected to be in the Malaysia team, I decided to send an email to my Korean friends. I wasn't really expecting much from them and was a little anxious if they still have any little memories of me.
Surprise, surprise. They replied with much excitement! :)
However, my hopes of meeting them again was dashed when I realized that they were all residing in Seoul while I was in Pyeong Taek, two hours away.
Sigh.
But guess what...
They took a bus all the way from Seoul and came to spent just an hour and a half with me!
It was definitely one of the most memorable thing that took place besides floorball and all.
This time around, they took me out for lunch instead =p (Yes, Koreans are friendly people too).
It was great having lunch with them.
They even gave thanks for the food in Korean!
Awesome!

This just goes to show that whether or not I knew them for only 3 days old, whether or not I'm of different race and speak different language, we're all still connected through one body and that's the body of Christ.
Catching up with them at lunch, I found out that their trip to Penang the last time was actually a mission trip. They didn't tell me back then fearing that it may be a sensitive issue.
I count myself extremely blessed to be able to meet a group of random strangers with the passion to make Him famous.
I never thought I'd see them again and now, I'm looking forward for our next lunch outing. :)

In 2007 (when I still had my long hair :) when I brought them out to Pelita and teaching them to eat with their hands.


2009.
In Pyeong Taek, Korea.
A divine appointment. :)

I can go on and on about Korea.
But I'll just let the photos do the work...

The Japas vs. The Aussies


Team Korea vs. Team Australia


Team Malaysia with the Women's Korea Team.


The Men's APAC 2009 All Star team.


The Women's APAC 2009 All Star team.


APAC 2009 Champions - The Japs!
They memang power house!

Seriously, I thought I heard a Korean girl screaming for help...
:P

Above everything else, I want to just thank God for everything;
For the experience, the friendships, the team, the coaches, the safe journey to and fro, the protection and good health, the losses and the wins...
Indeed, His blessings are immensurable.
APAC 2009 will soon be but a distant memory.
Yet, a new beginning awaits us...
One that I'm sure will be more exciting.

For now, I bid farewell to Korea.
Say bye bye to Korea,
say hello to more Killas!

Goodbye, Korea.

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