Tag: life

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the otnaicus daily

Edition 234 – A Heck Of A Week

The title of the post kind of describes my week. The week holds both ups and downs and I shall try to recap in this post.

Last Sunday, I had my first meal in a Taiwanese’s home. It was a gathering of friends and we had steamboat. Even though a lot of faces were strange faces to me and a couple of friends, I still enjoyed the evening thoroughly. Took tonnes of pictures of friend’s baby. The baby is very brave. Let so many people carry and yet not a single sound from him. A very outgoing baby indeed. Haha.

Then Monday came. And I was alone. My PM wasn’t around, away for reservist training. So everything thing to do with the project came to me. Meetings, documentation, following up on things, emails, conferences, etc. So much so that I didn’t have time to do any development work that’s currently on my table. But in the end, I felt that I accomplished something. That something is what one cannot achieved if one is sheltered by another person above. True, you get all the “arrows” and “knives” that are being thrown around but that’s how we grow. I guess being thrown into the deep end of the pool has it’s merits. You either sink or learn to swim very very quickly. I’m glad that I’m coping. But since I didn’t really keep track of the project very closely from the beginning, a lot of things I still have to consult with my PM and so I guess this weekend may have a long conference all with him in store.

And so, Friday is here. I’m glad for the rest that the weekends bring. Next week is one more week without the PM around. Hopefully I can get most things sorted out with him during the weekend while he’s out from camp. And hope next week is not such a taxing week. Thank God for his guidance throughout the entire week. Tiring but I think, to a certain extent, quite fruitful.

Time to get back to work. Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 232 – Long Overdue Edition

And so I’m back in Taipei. And plenty of things happened since my last entry and this one. Well, okay.. Not that many things. Just a couple worth mentioning and I shall mention them in this entry.

The CHCTV Expo Christmas Drama Team 2007

First and foremost, here’s the picture (above) of the Christmas drama team that I promised. Long overdue. I want to post more but then the fact that I’m in Taipei and the photos are not with me prevents me from posting more. Anyhow, there’s the fantastic Expo Christmas drama team, the one that I’m very proud of…

 CHCTV Appreciation 2007

On to the next event. The TV Ministry had it’s appreciation on 2 January 2008 at Settler’s Cafe, Holland Village. It’s a different kind of appreciation that the ones we’re used to. This time round, we gather, short speech and then it’s free and easy till the end. Lots of noise made as Settler’s Cafe, for the uninitiated, is a place where one can sit down and play various board and card games. One of the noisier games played that night: Taboo!!! Not many pictures taken. Just that one group photo I have and that group is not the TV Ministry’s full strength. We had a simple lucky draw at the end. 3rd prize was a $30 Takashimaya voucher, 2nd was $50 and 1st was $80. The amazing thing: all won by Saturday team members. It was pretty unbelievable though. But important thing was that we all had fun fellowshipping and making plenty of noise.

And that weekend, I flew back to Taipei. Week 1 of 4 is almost over and I’m looking forward to flying back for CNY. Productive week, I must say. And the next two weeks is going to be challenging because my PM will be away for In-Camp Training, a.k.a reservist. Hope nothing major crops up.

FL and WX in Taipei for the weekend. So going to hang out with them a bit while they’re here. It’s such a blessings to have friends coming up to Taipei while I’m here. Get to hang with them. Makes the time I spend here that much more bearable.

Sheesh, I make it sound as if I’m dying here. But I really am praying and hoping that it’s really going to end soon. I want to be back in SG permanently for a while and not just one month. I miss home. I miss church. I miss Debbie. I’m missing my friends’ weddings. And this time round, I’m missing my anniversary with Debbie. Argh!!!!

Okay, I shall stop complaining. It’s getting late and I shall head off to bed. Until the next time in the near near future, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 231 – Happy 2008!

Presenting… The first entry for the year of 2008! Happy New Year to one and all. I pray and hope that this would be a fantastic year for all!

I’ve been wanting to do a reflection for 2007 but I haven’t gotten around to doing that. 2007 has been a year filled with ups and downs for me. I think there are more ups then downs, which is definitely a good thing. But there are also events that can be considered as both an “up” as well as a “down”.

One such event is my temporary posting to Taipei. It is an “up” because it’s good exposure for me; a place where I can learn and pick up. It’s a project where I can take a lead role in certain aspects and can learn what a project is like from start to finish. A “down” because I have to spend so much time away from Singapore and Debbie and the rest of my friends. A “down” because I’ve only spent 6 weeks in the past 6 months in Singapore. I do pray that this project is going to end soon.

Directing for a live satellite broadcast on God TV was definitely another “up”. The first night service of Emerge 2007 was broadcast live on God TV, a Christian satellite channel, and I had the honour of directing that service. It was definitely an experience not to forget. Felt like any other service, but there was this added pressure to do well and not to commit mistakes that I have often criticized about while watching a live production. And the sight of the satellite uplink equipment outside Expo Hall 8 made it all so real.

Another highlight: directing for Christmas 2007 drama. First time taking a drama production in Expo. It’s very different when you have to lead a team, especially a team of volunteers who have sacrificed their time to be a part of this team. We had lots of fun and intense times, but we sure made a difference this Christmas. 51,000+ in attendance. The experience was good. And I feel all ready to take on the next drama production.

It’s either that I can’t remember the “downs” in this year, or it’s really all “ups” and no “downs”. But whatever it is, I know that God has been behind all that has happened in 2007. And I just thank God for having brought me through 2007.

And to all my friends who has been there for me, a very big thank you. Happy New Year again to one and all! Cheers… :Þ

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Edition 230 – It’s Over!!

It’s over. 7 English services. 17 services in total. 5 good drama runs in Expo. One final show that is almost perfect. All in all, a very good drama production and excellent Christmas services. Tiring, but definitely fun and fulfilling. And I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

It has been a tiring week with late nights and early mornings. I shall leave this post short and sweet. We did take some pictures after the last service so I’ll post them up somewhere when I get them.

Before I sign off, a shout out to all the TV crew that helped out in the drama. They’re more affectionately known as the Drama Team. The best bunch of people. Sacrificed their time, leaves and sleep to help out. They even persevered through difficult situations that arose during the rehearsals and drama productions. You know who you are. Just want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart. It was fun, and I hope we get to do it all over again. You guys ROCK!!!

A late Merry Christmas to all! Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 229 – Christmas At Chang’s

That’s the title of this year’s Christmas production. Had the first full-day reherasal yesterday. Only managed two runs but I hope we’ve managed to plot the majority of the shots. Today will be a day of fine-tuning the shots and will be hearing a lot of “We’re doing this for TV”… But the drama looks simple enough from TV’s perspective. Hope they don’t ask for the world.

Yesterday, in between rehearsal runs and after dinner, JH managed to find a DVD that contained last year’s Christmas production, which was entitled The Kefira Show. Brought back a lot of memories. Also brought home the fact that one year has passed. One year… Gone just like that… And I wonder what I have done with that year. Time to sit down for a spot of reflection. But no matter what, thank God for being with me through the ups and downs of life.

Today’s rehearsal got pushed from 10am to 2pm. Thank God for the extra time to sleep in and recharge. But starting late equals to ending late. So definitely going to have a longer night today. But the drama team seems to be having fun and they come well prepared to last the long day. Armed with laptops, internet connection, snacks, drinks and plenty of fellowship, they’re ready to take on what the day can throw at them. Really proud of these guys who take time out from their schedule to help out with the production. They come and they tough it out, through the long waits and frequent shouts over the comms.

Gotta get ready to go out now. Long day ahead and want to have a proper lunch before I get to Expo. I don’t know how late dinner is going to be today. My guess is they would want to get in some proper runs before they end the day. So until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 228 – Christmas

Somehow, it doesn’t feel like Christmas this year again. But the fact is that Christmas is just around the corner. Next Tuesday to be exact. And I just don’t have that Christmas feeling. Busyness of work? Perhaps. I hope that feeling rolls around soon. Maybe it’s a choice to make to have that Christmas feeling. Oh well….

This year’s Christmas production is pretty good. Been through 2 rehearsals already and it’s shaping up to be pretty good. Getting a bit nervous though as I’d need to start directing come Thursday. It struck me that I haven’t directed a drama in ages. I pray that God will guide me and everything turns out well. I want to play my part to make this year’s production the best yet. It’s going to be a long Thursday and Friday as the drama team moves in to Expo. There’ll be lots of tech runs and full-dress runs and definitely a lot of waiting time in between. But like every drama, I’m looking forward to the fellowship and the fun the drama crew will have together.

Went for a jog yesterday night after ages of not jogging. Now my legs hurt. Well, not hurt until I can’t walk, but still I can feel the pain when I walk. But it was good. Felt very refreshed after that jog although I couldn’t jog as far or keep up my previous pace for obvious reasons. Going to try to get in some more sessions before I start flying to Taiwan again.

Going to head back to work now. Will update again when I have the chance. I will try to get a post in or two in between runs at Expo. It’s going to be like camping there. Haha… Until then, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 228 – Back In Singapore

Well, almost a week has passed by since I got back to Singapore. It has been a busy weekend and a pretty busy week here so far. But all is good. I’m enjoying life back here in Singapore. And I have more than one week to enjoy.

Work’s good and busy. Somehow, I feel that I’m more productive here in Singapore than in Taipei. So far, I’ve stayed back in the office late for two days. In Singapore, late means staying at least 7.30pm. And in Singapore, I start work earlier than in Taipei. So doesn’t that make me more productive? There are some work that can be more conveniently done over in Taipei as compared to here. But I’m not complaining. I’m just enjoying life in Singapore.

Christmas is rolling in pretty quickly. I had a rude awakening yesterday. Why rude? Because the late nights are going to start this Thursday. Late nights? Yup.. As usual, for the Christmas Drama production. Two rehearsals this week, two next week and we’re into the Christmas weekend. Is it going to be tiring? Definitely. But is it worth it? That’s for sure. I’m just thankful that I get to be back here in Singapore for Christmas and being able to serve and help out.

I guess that’s about it for now. Going to relax a bit, maybe read, before I retire for the night. Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 227 – God Is Good!!

The day is finally here. I’m going back to Singapore tomorrow morning. Have been looking forward to this day since the day I arrived here. Praise the Lord that the day has finally arrived.

But…. God’s blessings doesn’t end there. This afternoon, my PM informed me that there is a change to the traveling schedule for us and that we would be back in Singapore for Christmas and New Year. Hey, that is good news indeed. But then in my heart I was thinking, I will still miss being involved in the Christmas production this year. Oh well, something is better than nothing, or so the saying goes.

Then I received the schedule on paper. My heart leapt. I would’ve jumped up and down if I was not in the office. The even better news? That I would not have to come back to Taipei until early next year!! Which means that I get to spend some time back in Singapore with my dearest, at church, with my cell group, etc. And also, I can get involved in Christmas Drama!! WOOT!!! You just can’t imagine how happy I am right now.

And after some shifting of flight bookings here and there, I managed to convince my boss to allow me and a colleague to purchase a promotional two-to-fly ticket from SIA. So when I come back to Taiwan next year, it’ll be on SIA. This is so exciting. After getting the news, not much mood left to work.

All I can say is: PRAISE THE LORD!!!! Until the next time, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 226 – Frustrations

Going to unload a bit in this post, so pardon me.

It was a pretty decent day today except for one conversation over Skype that kind of drove me almost over the edge of losing my temper.

So here’s the situation. I was asked to make changes to a program that is used to submit a SMS or MMS for sending. And so I made the changes, tested the program out and it all worked fine and dandy. So I called my fellow developers who are going to use the program. And after a brief discussion, a comment was made that the changes did not meet what he had in mind. I was like can I read your mind? You never even tell me what you had in mind in the first place and I’m expected to know? And it’s not like this is the only thing I’m working on now. I don’t mind making changes, just let me know what is expected and I’ll try my best to work to what is expected. Argh….

Anyway, it’s all behind me now. Just wanted to rant a bit. Friday is fast approaching and I don’t want anything to spoil the mood. Looking forward to boarding that plane on Friday morning and zooming back to Singapore.

Until next time, cheers… :Þ

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Edition 224 – The Disappearing Act

Disappearing act? Whose? Actually, talking about mine. Haven’t had the inspiration or motivation to blog lately. But I thought I’d drop a line here to prevent the cobwebs from gathering.

This week has been unusually productive for me. Manage to get quite a chunk of things done and even spent time at home working on some stuff when there wasn’t a need to. I don’t know what has gotten into me this week but this kind of momentum is pretty nice. Only today I’ve slowed down a bit because it’s a Friday and the weekend begins like right now.

Went to this place called 野柳 on the northern coast of Taiwan. It’s 1.5 hours outside of Taipei city by bus. This place has interesting rock formations formed by continuing sea and possibly wind erosion. The visit definitely took me back to those upper secondary school days when I was studying Geography. I have got good pictures of the place and the landscape so I will definitely put some up here and on my photo album online. Pray that I get the motivation to edit them this weekend.

Headed back to Singapore next Friday for a week. Sad that I have to spend Christmas and New Year here but I’ve decided not to work on Christmas. Yup, Christmas is not a public holiday here in Taiwan and I’m basically working through local and Singapore holidays. But I have decided to just not work on Christmas. It’s just not right to work on Jesus’ birthday. But of course, me not going on strike lah. At the end of the day, still got to inform my PM that I’m taking the day off.

Heading off to dinner and back home now. So until the next time, cheers… :Þ