Philippine Getaway

This is a long overdue video from my time in Philippines last month.

Enjoy! =)

Heart's Desires

Just returned from a much-needed trip to the Philippines.

In the midst of being involved with Church, voluntarily spending time with an NGO and embracing myself into the busy-ness of Hong Kong, time sure can hide away for a bit and appear itself when you least expect it – I now have less than 2 months until my return flight back to Vancouver.

My time spent in the beaches of White Beach, Puerto Galera allowed me to be in the quietness of God. He reminded me to be myself and allow the Holy Spirit to conform in me and not to the expectations of this world. Just like when Paul preached to his brothers and sisters, he did not use clever and persuasive speeches, but rather, he spoke plainly and relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit for wisdom. (1 Cor 2:1-5)

I have never really been a Bible thumper or one who read the Bible that often. Honestly, I didn’t know much about Paul until of late… but even with that, I am still discovering much about this crazy dude who has REALLY placed God’s desires before his own. This takes me to the next verse:

“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” (Psalm 37:4) (NLT)

I believe this is exactly what Paul did. When we delight in the Lord, His desires will then be ours… not the other way around. It is submitting and allowing God to work in us, which is the hardest part, but once that is established, I believe we can truly rest in God and truly have peace.

I would say, I am still a work in progress. 

Ask, Seek and Knock. (A.S.K.)

One evening, I was sitting around and enjoying a copious meal with brothers and sisters of a, recently decided, home church when God spoke to me.

I was delighting my hunger on a bowl of hot soup and a side of steaming rice. As I was going away at my dish, I noticed a plate filled with deep-fried “crispy on the outside, tender and juicy in the inside” pork chops in front of a sister. My eyes were drawn to this plate and consistently caught myself starring and bracing the curiosity of its taste.

As I finished my dish, along with everyone else slowly coming to the same conclusion, my eyes, again, shifted over to the plate of pork chops – which remained untouched! One of the brothers then turned to me and enquired, “Are you going to finish your pork chops?”. I responded, almost immediately and in certainty that it was not mine. After a quick memory jolt, I looked up with amazement and underserving joy and realized that it was, in deed, mine and I had ordered it! The sister, in front of me, gently pushes the plate towards me and says, “Here, enjoy – this has always been yours, all you had to do was ask”.  A few minutes before this, we were discussing that to ask God for things, we must also seek and knock.

If only I had asked my friend from the start if I could try a piece of the pork chop, I would have known that it was already mine and could have enjoyed it from the very beginning (while still HOT!).

God has already given it to us. He has already blessed us. He has already forgiven us of all our sins. He has already taken care of us. He has already provided. All we have to do is to accept it, believe it and receive it.

“…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue…” (2 Peter 1:3) (NKJV)

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us..." (Ephesians 3:20)(NKJV)

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7)(NLT)

If we do not ask, we will not receive. If we do not seek, we will not find. If we do not knock, it will not open.

Some times we may just need a reminder that God has already provided all things through Christ. More often than not, we are more focused on our situation - what we have, what we want, what we see and what we understand – very apparent when I was enjoying my soup and eyeing down the plate of pork chops. It is THEN, that we should turn our focus on God and ASK, SEEK and KNOCK by His word and guidance through trust and faith. It is THEN, we will see His blessings pour down upon us!

Top Singapore Food

Here is what comes to mind when I think about Singapore.... FOOD!!

Cantonese FAIL and Birthday Greeting

Hey folks,

Here is me attempting cantonese..... good? 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN!!

Freely Given... Freely Chosen.

I believe God is pro-choice.

He provides us, mere beings, with options and the free will to choose. He does not corner us and simply force us to be at that, though sometimes it may appear it to be. It is in the most difficult situations that we must earnestly seek His wisdom and relenting guidance.

In times where various options are presented, one must be diligent and assess them to ensure it lies within one’s passion and purpose. In a world of plentiful and distractions, it is hard to discern from what is in front of us. This is when it becomes imperative to focus on the Word and seek wisdom. Wisdom will come from many different sources, but nonetheless, pursue it.

There is never a time where there is just one choice. As mentioned earlier, though it may seem we are trapped in a corner, there are always “exit signs”, which are available to us. Not to say that we should not persevere when times are rough but merely stating the point that we have a choice to change. We, then, have a choice to make these changes that comes from our willingness to create opportunities.  “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Prov 16:9 NKJV)

Through seeking His wisdom and guidance, we are sometimes led to paths we don’t quite understand. It is in these times that we have to trust and have faith that all things work together for the good. We are to lean not on our own understanding but, instead, trust in the Lord in everything we do and He will make our paths straight.

With our limited knowledge and sight, we can only see what is in front of us but God, being all knowing, is able to see the entire picture from beginning to end. In the Bible, it states, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer 29:11 NIV)

Choices… what a great gift!... but at times, it just seems easier to not have any choice and simply have a predetermined route for us to take on. But without choices, there will be no change, no free will, no adventure, no new experiences, no need for God… no choice (no way).

Almost Got Killed in Causeway Bay...

In the midst of protesting that people in Hong Kong aren't that nice - I decided to do something about it. 

Here is what happened:

Video Update - Hong Kong

Hey folks - here is a video update from Hong Kong!

Enjoy! =)

Hot Showers and Socks

It has been a long time but I am now in a place where I can enjoy long hot showers and the joy of sleeping with something wrapped around my feet once again. The air is light, the sun is warm, the sky makes an appearance on occasion, the people are.. well, "honkies". Could this be a substitute for going back to Vancouver?

Visited Tai-O in Lantau Island the other day. It is a fishing village and is something I have never seen before. It was very scenic with old traditional buildings on stilts above the water. 

I had a little fun with my bro's Canon 7D SLR and always made the comparison with pictures taken with my iPhone 4. Above are pictures taken with the $1,500 CDN Canon 7D (not to mention the $300 lens) and my $400 iPhone 4 - can you spot which ones were taken with what? 

Hong Kong Bound

Bye Bye Singapore.... until we meet again...

Here in HK... been here for 3 days already. Its actually kinda cold here and its the first time in a long time I had to put on 3 layers!!

Well... Singapore is definitely still on my mind and I constantly try to compare HK to SG.

Bring on the dim sum!!

No longer a blog virgin...

Just testing this out. This is interesting... I wonder why people blog.

I guess I will find out...